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Chapter 9: Hogsmeade Horrors
Yami padded over to Harry. Yugi and his three humans were sitting by the fire working. Yami sunk into one of the spare seats. "Yugi said you wanted to tell me something."
Yugi had been giggling almost uncontrollably when he had mentioned this so Yami was going to assume the elf was either playing a joke on the three of them or more likely Harry had been told to ask and really didn't want to.
From the brilliant red colour all three of the humans went, Yami was willing to bet on the second option.
"Well...er...Yami it's just that..." Harry fumbled with his pen and refused to look at him. Yami allowed a soft growl to escape, though Harry knew that Yami would never hurt him the sound was enough to start Harry into spitting out what he had to say. "It's just that we've been invited to a party with Slughorn and he kind of wanted us to invite you as well." Harry bit his lip and watched Yami warily.
Yami just looked at him. He let the silence hang in the air for a moment while he sent a mental question to Yugi, /who is Slughorn?/ Yugi sniggered and sent him a mental picture of the fat human who had been in Dumbledore's office, the one that made Yugi nervous enough to avoid Harry's class with him.
Yami tried not to narrow his eyes. "No." He hoped his tone left no room for argument, especially in Yugi's case. Though Yami did suspect that Yugi hadn't really expected him to turn up.
"Right then, well just thought I'd ask." Harry blathered out looking undeniably nervous. Yami sighed and settled back into the chair. Harry's nervousness was so strong that it was leaking through Yugi's protective spells. It wasn't a great emotion, but it was useable.
Harry shuffled some paper around. "we're heading down to Hogsmeade tomorrow, are you going to come?"
Harry was very obviously changing the subject. Yami shrugged and pulled his fear spells in a little closer. The result was that any human who was sitting more than four feet from him would not experience any of his magic, anyone within this sphere would encounter an increased response though. The reaction was almost instantaneous. Ron and Hermione went pale and shivery. Yugi shot him a look and went to sit on Hermione's lap where his presence could protect her a little better. Yami sighed and suppressed the spells as best he could, some of the colour returned to Ron's face.
Harry tried to focus back on the parchment in front of him, but he didn't seem to be having much luck.
Yami glanced down at the book he was reading, Transfiguration, a subject that Yami found rather strange. The ability to turn one thing into another had little use to him.
Yami stayed on his chair until everyone went up to bed, his humans had gone up long before and Yugi had gone with them.
When he was alone in the room he relaxed back into shadow form and slunk over to the corner, thinking about the party that Harry had been invited to. He didn't think that Harry, Hermione or Yugi had been excited about going. They all seemed a little miserable about the prospect. Maybe it would be worth making an appearance, or at least hovering at the window. He certainly wouldn't be actually appearing there, he was also going to have to make sure that Harry didn't see him.
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Harry and Yugi stared out into the snow. They had been cleared by Filtch and his Sensory Scopes and now Harry was wondering if it would be worth going all the way to the village in this weather. As Hermione and Ron joined them Harry caught a dark flicker out in the white snow fall. Yami had decided to join them.
Harry looked down at Yugi. The elf was bundled into every piece of wool that Hermione had ever knitted him, he looked a little like a ball of wool with feet, but at least he would be warm.
Harry turned up his collar and stepped out into the blizzard, he immediately sunk almost to his knees while Yugi stepped lightly across the snow. Harry tried to wriggle his toes, but they were numb already. Hermione pulled out her wand and flicked it. Immediately the wind began to whistle as it whipped over her shield charm. Yugi glanced up and grinned at her. "That's better." He laughed as Yami joined them behind the shield. Harry found himself wondering what a breeze felt like when you weren't totally solid.
By the time they made it to Hogsmeade the wind had upped the stakes a bit, though it wasn't snowing quite so hard. The three humans and Yugi were practically blown into Honeydukes. Harry shook himself, Yami hadn't followed them in thankfully because the shop was packed with people. Harry could only imagine the effect of one Shade in a room that full of cranky people.
Yugi had disappeared into the crowd. Not that this bothered Harry, the little elf always made for the same spot; the Sugar Quills.
Harry stood on his toes and began to elbowed his way through the crowd, he collected his chocolate and some liquorice wands and by the time he had fought his way through to the counter, Yugi had met up with him. Hermione was walking next to him, trying valiantly to stop people from stepping on him, she was also holding the biggest box of Sugar Quills Harry had ever seen.
"Hermione you can't buy him all of those, he'll be hyperactive for weeks." Harry gaped feeling more like a dad than he ever had.
Yugi made a dissatisfied noise and turned those impossible to resist eyes on Hermione. Harry had the sense to look away before he was hooked, Hermione missed her chance. "We'll ration them." She said with determination and paid for the box. Harry rolled his eyes, yeah that was so likely to happen.
By the time they had fought their way back to the door where Ron waited with Yami; Yugi was already eating the first Quill.
Yami looked at Harry. Harry wasn't sure how he knew, but he suspected the sudden shiver down his spine might have something to do with it. Harry rolled his eyes at the Shade and thought about handing the Quills over to Yami for rationing. He gave up the idea as useless when he saw the death grip Yugi had on the Quills. Nothing short of dismemberment was going to get that box off Yugi.
They all stood for a moment bracing themselves to step back out into the wind. Then they stood for a few more moments, until the door snapped open and nearly knocked Hermione out. As three Hufflepuff girls staggered into the warmth of the shop Harry pushed his way out.
Hermione pulled out her wand again and the shield reappeared. "Let's go to the Three Broomsticks it'll be warm in there." She yelled at them.
This was met with a general consensus and the five of them slogged their way over the street. Yami met them there, apparently able to move a little faster than them. His eyes were dimmed back to violet and he wore his black robes and for a little authenticity, his red and gold scarf.
They all shook snow off of themselves as they stepped into the blissful warmth of the Three Broomsticks. The tavern was relatively full of students eager to get out of the freezing snow.
None-the-less they managed to find a table to accommodate them all. Harry bought them all Butterbeer including one for Yami, though he knew that the Shade wouldn't drink it, and a pumpkin juice for Yugi. Harry settled down and groaned as his feet started to defrost and sent pins and needles up his legs. Ron was wincing as he rubbed his hands together while Hermione was pointing her wand at her own feet and Harry felt a whoosh of warm air from it.
Their drinks arrived and Harry took a sip and glanced over at Ron. His friend had been sulking ever since they had talked to Slughorn and he hadn't been invited to the party. Hermione tried once or twice to start up conversation, but Ron just grunted and went silent.
Yugi and Yami were having a soft conversation in elfish. Harry listened in, trying to guess what they were saying. Once everyone had finished their drinks, Ron drunk Yami's, Harry just suggested that they head back to the castle. The day had been less than fun, with Ron in such a bad mood it was difficult to stay cheerful.
Yami stayed in human form as they started back for the school. With Hermione's shield back up Harry decided to ask Yami. "Why are you staying a human?"
The Shade glanced over then he stepped close and blew loudly in Harry's ear. It startled Harry so much that he staggered sideways and almost tripped over Yugi. "Sorry." He apologised to the elf who just grinned at him before Harry turned back to Yami, who was also grinning. "What was that for?" Harry demanded.
"Was that nice?" Yami asked calmly.
"No!" Harry gaped at him in confusion.
Yami turned his attention back to where he was walking. "Exactly."
Harry blinked at Hermione who looked confused, Ron was laughing. "Well thanks." Harry deadpanned. Yugi snickered, and then he turned his head. "Harry who is that?" He pointed. Harry looked up to see Katie Bell and one of her friends arguing.
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Yami tilted his head to try and catch what the two girls were talking about, but the howling wind past the shield of human magic dragged the words away from him. He could almost sense something and from the look on Yugi's face he could sense it as well. It was a curse, but it was subtle and hidden on the girl.
"That's Katie Bell." Harry was answering Yugi's question, "Why?"
"There's something." Then a stronger curse flared into existence. Yami stopped and watched as the cursed girl suddenly rose effortlessly into the air and began to scream in agony. Yami shivered with the sudden flow of energy. A packet wrapped in brown paper had fallen to the snow. His three humans were running forwards as the girl dropped back to earth and went still. "Oh my." Hermione was crying.
Yami picked up the pace and scooped a stunned Yugi off the snow. He hurried up to the unconscious girl and set Yugi at her side as instructed. The elf immediately took one of her hands in both of his and his magic began to glow around him. Harry was bending over the package on the ground, while the other girl was sobbing loudly into Hermione's shoulder. "Do not touch it." Yami told Harry as he approached.
"I just want to see what it is." Harry very carefully pulled back the paper to reveal a necklace. Yami knelt next to Harry.
Ron came up behind them both, "I'm going to get help." Harry just nodded as Ron ran off in the direction of the castle. "I've seen this necklace before, it was in Borgin and Burke's. Malfoy could have bought it." Harry looked up at Yami as though looking for support.
Yami shrugged and poked the necklace with his magic. It was a significant human curse. But he would need to look closer to determine what its purpose was. Yami got to his feet and looked over at Yugi, /How is it going?/
Yugi did nothing more than shift as he replied, /I cannot do much now that the curse is active, I do not know enough to counter it./ Yami moved over, picked Yugi up and hugged him. He sounded like he was about to cry. There was a loud thumping and the half-giant teacher ran around the corner followed by a puffing Ron.
The huge human took one look at the unconscious girl before he scooped her up and ran off for the castle. Hermione pulled on the other girl's hand and they all followed after him. Harry had picked up the necklace and wrapped it in his scarf, careful not to touch it. Yami carried Yugi the rest of the way, the elf urging him faster all the time, wanting to know if she would be alright.
They were met at the Entrance Hall of the castle by the stern adult female. She took one look at the unconscious girl in the giant's arms and sent him off to the hospital wing. As the non-magical human hurried over Yami turned his eyes away and pretended to be focusing on Yugi. "What do you have Potter?" She demanded.
Harry showed her the necklace and she shook her head. "Filtch take this to Professor Snape, the rest of you come with me."
Yami made a snap decision. He wanted a closer look at that necklace. "Harry." He murmured so that the human turned to look at him. Yami held Yugi out to him. Harry took the elf. "What are you doing?"
"Never mind." Yami said and as soon as everyone was out of sight he released his spell and flowed away after the non-magical human.
He headed for the dungeon where the snarly human, Snape was."'Professor McGonagall wants you to have this, a student touched it." The non-magical human dropped the carefully wrapped necklace into the other humans waiting hands and then left. Yami drew back into human form and stepped out of the shadows. Snape started as Yami stepped up to where he had set the necklace. "If I find that you are behind this..." His voice was definitely threatening.
Yami rolled his eyes. "If I intended harm on these children then I would do it with my own magic, not a human curse."
Snape lifted an eyebrow. "Do you know what curse it is?" He asked curiously.
"No, but Yugi wishes to know so that he can try and help. I said that I would find out." Just a little white lie.
Snape gave him an inscrutable look before he turned his wand on the necklace. Yami let the human work. He sent out tendrils of his own magic trying to determine the curse and how it could be dealt with. From what he could see the curse was designed to kill, simple as that. Since the girl was not dead, Yami could only assume she had only brushed the necklace and so the curse had not been able to fully activate.
When Snape was finished he had apparently come to the same conclusion. He led the way up to the Hospital Wing. "I suggest that she is moved to St Mungo's immediately." Snape told the female there, he then waved his wand over the girl and put a spell on her. To Yami's eyes the spell reduced the remains of the curse on her, but didn't counter them entirely.
After Snape had left and the other adult had bustled off Yami approached the bed, he had an idea. He spread his magic under the curse.
The thing about human magic was that it took a long time for the magic to settle into whatever the spell was cast on. In this case the girl. Though the curse was very well set on the necklace, it was still hovering on the surface of its victim. Yami's magic, dark and subtle, could slide underneath it, as he did Yugi called out to him. Yami paused what he was doing to answer, hoping that the adults wouldn't return any time soon. /Yami did you find out what it is, can I help?/
/I do not think so, but I may be able to stop the curse from settling./
/You're volunteering?/ Not really surprising that Yugi was startled at Yami's offer.
Yami gave a mental shrug, /It may come in handy if Harry is ever cursed./ Yami was still looking for a way to remove the tainting in Harry without killing the human.
/Do it./ It wasn't a demand, it was a request, still with Yugi they were almost the same thing. So Yami continued. He managed to put a weak Shade-magic shield underneath the curse. It would make the curse a lot easier to remove and it would dissipate as soon as the curse did. Well that was the idea.
He slunk away after that, the magic had been remarkably small and had not needed a lot of energy, however it had been fiddly and now he was a little cranky. Deciding not to subject his humans to his mood Yami made his way down to the forest where the darkings didn't care about his mood at all.
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Harry stared at himself in the mirror. What he wouldn't give to be able to get out of going to this party. However, unlike Yami who was quite willing to simply tell someone to sod off if he didn't want to do something, Harry had agreed and he wasn't good at breaking his promises.
Yugi was sitting on the bed dressed in his best clothes, which was to say his cleanest clothes, and looked just as happy as Harry did. Ron had disappeared. No matter how Harry explained that he and Hermione really didn't want to go, Ron was undeniably angry that he was the only one not to be invited.
Yugi had volunteered to stay in the common room with Ron, Harry had refused to allow him to. There was no way he was going to this party without Yugi. Harry turned to the elf. "Right remember as soon as Slughorn starts getting too pushy, or we've been there for about an hour, act sleepy."
"It's not very honest." Yugi said doubtfully.
Harry sighed. Sometimes Yugi could be too nice for his own good. "Come on, it's our only escape route."
Yugi frowned slightly, but he nodded. "Alright, I just hope Yami doesn't decide to turn up."
Harry turned his head to look at Yugi so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash. "You don't think he would do you?"
Yugi shrugged, "I don't know."
Harry shuddered at the thought of other students becoming aware of the Shade in their midst and picked Yugi up. They met Hermione down in the common room. She was dressed up in muggle clothes, as Harry was. This was after all supposed to be a casual get together. Ron was nowhere to be seen and Hermione seemed to be a little upset with this.
Also missing in action was Yami, though they had been seeing less and less of the Shade. He only appeared when he had something to report from his spies.
As Hermione led them down to Slughorn's office, where all the parties were held, Harry considered what they had leant so far from Yami. The Death Eaters had begun searching for a giant mage and they were on the trail of one. The Order were attempting to track down the same giant mage, to try to convert him to their cause. Neither party was having much luck. Giant mages were apparently notoriously tricky to find. They had to be, to hide from both humans and more dangerously Shades, who were intent on exterminating them.
Both parties were also recruiting. In the case of the Death Eaters this was supposed to include death and the Imperious curse. However thanks to Yami's spy network the Order had managed to find and hide some of the witches and wizards who were being hunted before the Death Eaters got to them. Despite all of this Yami seemed to be less than satisfied with what he had found. Harry knew that he wanted something that could be used against Voldemort.
"Well here we are." Hermione said and Yugi wriggled uncomfortably. They were standing outside of Slughorn's office, none of them wanted to be the ones to knock on the door. "We could just leave." Hermione suggested looking at them both.
Typically at that moment the door opened and Slughorn peered out. "Welcome welcome Harry, Miss Granger and Yugi of course." Slughorn boomed and ushered them in. The large room was full of people, some students that Harry recognised others were obviously some of Slughorn's 'contacts'.
Through the crowd House Elves wove with large silver trays of food. Yugi wriggled free of Harry's grip and disappeared under one of the trays, apparently Yugi had found someone to talk to.
"Harry you really should meet..." This became the mantra of the evening. Slughorn seemed to have taken it upon himself to introduce, or show off, Harry to every well to do person in the room. Harry found himself shaking hands with Aurors, singers and every other kind of influential wizard and witch. Apparently Slughorn knew everyone, in between being literally shoved in people's way Harry tried to relocated Yugi. However the elf seemed to have disappeared.
Finally Harry managed to find Hermione and drag her into a curtained alcove. She seemed relieved. "Have you seen Yugi?" Harry asked, keeping a careful eye on the curtain.
Hermione shook her head. "I haven't but Harry I think Yami may be here."
Harry stared at her blankly for a moment, "Why?" He asked, feeling a little gobsmacked.
She gave a noncommittal shrug. "I was trying to get away from McLaggan when I bumped into Zabini and one of the Holyhead Harpies, they were arguing and they both got really angry at me. I asked what was wrong and they just calmed down all at once. They seemed really confused, but said that they just felt furious."
Harry pulled the curtains apart and peered through the crowd. He could always see Yami now, the Shade could no longer hide in any kind of shadow from him. The only way he could now disappear was to leave the room.
But Harry couldn't see him, neither his human form nor a trace of his shadows. Harry did however spot Yugi. The elf was still standing under a tray talking to one of the Hogwarts elves. He was halfway across the room, so Harry was able to see under the tray. He grabbed Hermione's hand. "This way."
Harry kept his eye on the tray as he elbowed his way through the crowd.
Once he had found the tray he bent quickly and scooped Yugi out from under it. The elf made a faint protest, but didn't fight. "Is Yami here?" Harry hissed in Yugi's ear. Yugi looked alarmed and glanced around frantically. After a few tense moments Yugi shook his head, though he looked like he was doing some furious thinking. "Anyway." Harry said, "I thought we were going to make a run for it."
Yugi glanced down at the House Elf with his tray, who immediately scurried off. Yugi sighed. "We can go now." He murmured.
At that moment Slughorn reappeared. "Excellent, now Harry I think you should meet..."
Harry cut him off quickly as Yugi went appropriately limp in his arms, yawning widely. "Sorry Professor, but I think I need to take Yugi to bed." Harry felt his face heat up, he really hoped that Slughorn didn't pick up on his lie.
His teacher, however, looked appropriately astonished. "Of course, my boy, I had forgotten how late it was. Well you must come to another one of my little parties."
"Sure Professor, goodnight." Harry backed out of the door followed closely by Hermione.
Yugi immediately perked up. "Let me down Harry, I need to go talk to Yami."
Harry set the elf on his feet. "He was there." Harry said.
Yugi shrugged. "I wasn't paying attention, but he may have wandered by or come intentionally. I'll see you later." Yugi took the left turn and Harry and Hermione took the right, they walked in silence for a few moments before Hermione spoke. "Do you think Ron will get over this thing he has about us going to Slughorn's parties any time soon?"
Harry, who had seen the looks Ron had been giving him and Yugi as they were getting ready, doubted it, but he guessed that wasn't what Hermione wanted to hear. "I'm sure he will." Harry crossed his fingers and hoped for the best.
I cannot wait until my exams are over, hooray for my first holiday in three years!
