A/N: Somehow, I managed to write up another chapter thanks to a sudden, and unexpected inspiration. My (amazing) English teacher finally decided to read HP after enough pressure from the class (major fans), finished the first two books, then had a mini HP movie marathon. We still need to finish watching Chamber of Secrets, but it brings so many memories; and little Harry is just too adorable! and Ron too *squeal* Anyways, enjoy chapter 10 ^^

Beta'd by the great DemonKittyAngel

Disclaimer: I do not own YGO nor HP but...(sadly, there is no 'but' in here)

BETA NOTE:

Dear readers,

I'm sorry the chapter is so late. I received it last week but due to final exams, did not have a chance to edit. This is not the author's fault.

~DemonKittyAngel

"Hey, Bakura. Wake up!" Carbbe shook the other boy shifting on the bed and mumbling in a different language. When his eyes remained closed, Crabbe looked at Malfoy and Goyle standing by the blond's bed. "He's not waking up."

"I can see that." Malfoy strolled over. "It's the potion. It's not letting him leave." Uncertain with whether to call a teacher or not, they watched Ryou until he became deathly still. That couldn't be good.

Goyle poked the boy, receiving no reply. "Do we leave him like that?"

Malfoy sighed. "The night's almost over, so he should be waking up soon. Just leave him there." He stalked back to his own bed with every intention of going back to sleep. As he was climbing into the covers, Ryou let out a piercing scream that made the other three jump.

Ryou shot up, wide-eyed and frightened. When he saw Crabbe's figure obscured by the candlelight's weak shine, he scrambled backwards and fell off the bed in a jumble of blankets. He was sweating, making his skin sticky so that his clothes and hair clung to his frame. His breathing came in rapid rasps appearing like a crazed, wild animal to his roommates.

No one said a word, afraid that it would startle him and make him start screaming again. Once Ryou had calmed down -meaning that his breath returned to normal- Goyle took the chance to approach him. "Bakura?"

Ryou snapped his head to the sound of the voice. "O-oh, Goyle…" His eyes darted around the room, making sure that he was really back in the real world. He gave a half nervous, half scared laugh. "I guess I screamed."

"You wailed, actually." Malfoy said. "Like a dying animal."

"…oh…" Slowly, Ryou pulled himself up after untangling his body from the sheets. Feeling warmer than usual, he checked his forehead, but didn't think he had a fever.

Malfoy watched him before turning to Crabbe and Goyle. "Go get him a glass of water. I think those house elves leave some by the fire place." Both left without a complaint, showing just how much they hung onto Malfoy's every word.

Ryou took no notice of this as he pulled out the Millennium Ring. Half of his dream- no, nightmare- had been about Egypt. The way the people were dressed and the endless sand supported that theory. The spirit held some influence in what he'd seen and the thought of Bakura witnessing that, or worse, being the cause of it, made his stomach churn. He tossed the ring onto the pillow, not wanting it close to him at the moment.

"First you risk your life for that thing," Malfoy directed his attention to the golden artifact, "and then you throw it away."

"Sorry Malfoy." Ryou could barely register what had been said as he held his head in his hands, willing the repeating images to dissipate. Amane's terror-stricken face especially, burned into his mind and he knew that would haunt him again in other dreams. "I didn't mean to wake you up. I though the potion would work a-and…" He let his body fall face down onto his bed. "I hate this. I shouldn't have come here." What if what I saw was a vision? Something the spirit is planning to do?

The other two Slytherin returned with Nott close behind. "Hey, you alright? I heard a scream."

Ryou nodded grimly and accepted the water from Crabbe with a 'thank you'. He hadn't notice just how parched his throat was until he drank the cool liquid. "I'll be fine. Sorry."

Nott chuckled in an attempt to alleviate his friend's tension. "Well, your screaming is what is going to give everyone nightmares now; they already think this place is haunted."

He managed to get a small smile from Ryou as he stood. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep again. I guess I'll start on that essay for McGonogal right now…" He was talking more to himself rather than to the others. He grabbed his bag and the ring, still refusing to look at it, and bowed to everyone. "I'm sorry for disturbing you."

"Don't apologize so much." The blond said.

"Sorry."

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "See you in the morning."

Nott couldn't refrain from responding. "It already is morning."

"Shut up, Nott." Annoyed, Malfoy blew out the candle and went back to his bed. Crabbe and Goyle followed his example.

"Good night then." Nott pulled Ryou along to prevent him from stumbling around in his state.

Out in the common room, the fireplace had already been lit by some unseen individual with a few logs left out on the side. Ryou sat closest to the warm light on a couch and pulled out a quill, ink bottle, and parchment. Nott had left, but returned a few minutes later with his own bag. Ryou paused in writing his name down as Nott sat on the other side of the couch. "You don't have to stay here." He told Nott.

"No, but I need help with the transfiguration stuff. Not my best subject."

Although Ryou didn't say anything, he was still grateful for the company that helped him relax and begin the process of shoving the memories to the deepest crevice of his mind. But not too deep because that was where the spirit was and he had yet to speak on the matter.

~/~/~/~/~

By the time the house was up and getting ready, many of them were already hurrying to grab their books and supplies at the last minute. Ryou and Nott, however, had been ready since an hour before and were the first to enter the dining hall for breakfast. After finishing the essay, which took about two hours, they still had another hour before their usual rising time. So after changing and gathering their stuff, they tried playing 'fetch the paper ball' with a reluctant Cairoshell, which hadn't worked out very well.

They only had five hours of sleep at the most, but Ryou was more energetic than usual. Nott had trouble not dozing off and falling into his food and strained hard to pay attention to Ryou's rambling.

"Seto Kaiba, who was also in my class, was the one who held the tournament. But before that, it was Pegasus who hosted one but only Yugi and Jonouchi were actually invited. But the rest of us snuck onto the ship and we were lucky not to get caught. I don't really know why I went along; it just felt like the right thing to do."

Nott nodded his head, grasping about half of Ryou's loaded talk. At least it kept him conscience. He stuffed a piece of fruit into his mouth and chewed like he had all of the time in the world. "And what was this tournament for again?" He asked in between bites.

"Duel Monsters. Do you want me to explain it again?"

Nott agreed but only because it seemed to distract Ryou from the depressed mood he had while writing moments ago.

As the day progressed, the energy eventually left and Ryou, like Nott, would start to fall asleep in classes. He would begin to doze off, lingering in the middle of reality and dreams. Once he would see the faces melting in gold, he would jerk back and pinch his arm for the remainder of the class.

By lunch time, both boys already couldn't wait to go to sleep. "I can't take this anymore." Nott gave in and let his head hit the table top, nearly landing on his plate.

"We only have one more class." Ryou yawned. "Then the dinner after. Don't forget there are the champions being chosen tonight too."

"Right. The people with a death wish." Keeping his head down, Nott grabbed a piece of meat and chewed using only one cheek. "Who would be crazy enough to do that?"

Ryou took a sip of his juice. "All of the other schools. And the red-headed twins."

"Oh yeah. Too bad they didn't get their names in; they really need that money."

"Why?" Asked Ryou, his curiosity perked knowing that they were related to Ron.

"They have, like, twenty kids and they all have to wear hand-me-downs. Everything the Weasleys have is second hand."

"Oh." Ryou peered at the Gryffindor table and spotted patches of red in the crowd. "I was hoping one of them would win."

"If anyone should win, it needs to be a Slytherin." Nott sat back up and chugged the last of his pumpkin juice. "Time for Defense class."

Ryou nodded wearily, hoping for Mad-Eye Moody's unpredictable personality to keep him awake. But he was disappointed. That day was silent reading, which was strange for the professor to have. Apparently Moody was preoccupied with a paper he was working on.

Ryou and Nott sat besides one another and shared a book in order to be close enough to kick each other when they notice one of them dozing off. Eventually, they had to quit once they were certain their legs would be purple with bruises and had unconsciously nodded off with their heads bowed down. Fortunately, the horrid images had stopped chasing him to make way for the darkness. Ryou welcome it with open arms, preferring oblivion to that nightmare.

Just as he was leaving reality, there was a loud slam on the desk before him, jerking both him and Nott awake. Moody was standing on the other side of their desk with his palm he had hit the wood with still on the desk. "So, sleeping in my class now, are ye?"

Ryou shook his head furiously. "No sir. Ano, sorry sir."

Moody must have felt some pity at his surprise student for he backed up a step. "Did something keep you up at night?"

The boy knew he meant to ask about anything that happened after running into him. "Just a nightmare Professor. I didn't sleep very well."

"A nightmare?" Moody raised an eyebrow at the childish excuse.

"It was the Nocutrna Suppressio." Nott spoke up. He was blinking away the last traces of sleepiness before turning to the teacher. "It made him dream of his worst fears, thoughts and images. He woke up screaming, and then decided to stay up doing homework. I stayed up with him."

"Interesting. I have heard of that potion; was used a while back as mental torture. The poor man was made to drink it every night for a month. It was a miracle he still had a sense of self by the time he was saved." Moody turned his one eye to Ryou. "But constant vigilance is sure to prevail! And you, boy, have certainly shown a speck of it. What was it you dreamed about?"

Ryou opened his mouth, then closed it again and looked down. How could he explain it? The death, murder, blood, Amane? He wasn't even sure where half of that stuff had come from other than the old spirit inside of him and Ryou couldn't risk accidentally letting something important slip out. But if he could describe it in one word, which was all he was allowing himself to say, it would be…"death." The burning corpses flashed through his eyes, forcing him to close them tightly. He even thought he felt those hands pulling on his legs again.

Moody nodded as if he understood. "Stuff your belly to the hilt tonight before going to bed. That should help you rest well."

The room was silent as the conversation had been open for all of them to hear. Those that had heard the frightening scream that sent shivers up and down their spines sent sympathetic glances towards the white-haired boy. The others, mainly the fourth year Hufflepuffs, could only assume that the situation must have been bad by the response it got.

Once they were all dismissed, Ryou walked solemnly back to the common room to leave his bag and distract himself with more homework. He laid on his stomach on the rug with his stuff spread out in front of him. Cairoshell soon joined him and found it amusing to lay on Ryou's back that rose and fell as he breathed. Nott had to leave on some business, assuring him that he wouldn't take very long. They planned to meet up again at their usual seats for dinner.

There were only two other students in the common room until the main door opened and a large crowd of people walked in. Ryou turned his head back to see a few of the Beauxbaton students being led in by three fifth-year girls. "And this is the Slytherin common room." One of them said. "It gets cold in here in the winter at times, but really cool in the summer."

"It eez cold." One of the other girls agreed. They all gazed around the room, unimpressed and clearly wanting to continue on their tour. To appear polite, though, they strolled around, looking at this and that, moving closer to where Ryou was.

Maybe I should go to my room...Ryou didn't want to deal with any tour or playing host and attempted to get up. Cairoshell, however, meowed loudly, telling him to stay still and let him rest.

The sound brought all eyes on him and his cat. The girl closest to him gave a giddy smile upon seeing Cairoshell. "Oh! Such a lovely animal." She went down to inspect the cat closer. The other joined her and created a loose circle around him.

"Where is 'ee from?" Another girl asked.

Knowing he was stuck there now, Ryou replied kindly. "He came from Egypt as a gift from my father. His name is Cairoshell."

"Very ezotic."

Ryou had to smile at their curious accents as they emphasized certain sounds and rolled their 'r's. He moved enough to get Cairoshell to leap down before sitting up cross-legged.

With a closer look at him, some of the visitors recognized him. "You are ze farret boy from ze picture." One pointed out.

"Ah, yes yes." Another agreed. "The one Misses Turpin and Brocklehurst 'ad."

Ryou's smiled faltered at the names of the two Ravenclaw girls. And there was only one picture they could be talking about. "You mean the sketch?"

"The one wit eers." A few of them reached out to touch his hair, as if prodding for the furry ears.

"Ah! Your 'air eez so soft!" They exclaimed and, like they had been doing to Cairoshell, began petting him. "Eez beautiful 'air."

"...thank you." Ryou kept awkwardly still as the girls continued to fawn over him.

The oldest of them, a blonde girl of about 17 years, had held back and scolded those of her school. "Where arr your manners?" She frowned at them until they reluctantly pulled back and kneeled quietly. The girl nodded approvingly before apologizing. "Forgive us for such insolence, Monsieur. I am Fleur Delacour and my companions are Lorette, Adeline, Chantal, and Pierre. We come from Beauxbatons in France."

Keeping up with the polite talk, Ryou bowed his head. "It is a pleasure to meet you all. I am Ryou Bakura." He felt the need to have a title and added, "Fourth year Slytherin."

"Fourth-year?" The girl, Chantal, explained. "Still so young!"

The other Slytherin girls, slightly jealous for being discarded so quickly, stepped into the circle. "Would you like to continue? We're going by the Ravenclaw house next."

"Of course." Fleaur said. She stood and the rest followed her lead. Ryou accompanied them to the door and held it open for them. The Beauxbatons girls giggled, then gave him a kiss on each cheek as they passed by, leaving the poor boy extremely flushed by the time they disappeared into the dungeons. The only boy with them, Pierre, simply smiled and shook his hand before following his classmates out.

Minutes before dinner, Ryou wondered around the castle, not trusting himself to stay awake by sitting by himself. The fear of closing his eyes for too long had left somewhat, and the boy found himself remembering certain segments without instantly blocking them away. The people, from both eras, looked like ordinary people. The monsters were the face-less men…dressed like guards. Ryou paused. There was a definite story to the dream and not random occurrences pieced together to scare him. The people, citizens most likely, were attacked and killed. But why? Was it part of a war? From previous history classes, Ryou knew that in ancient civilizations, some prisoners of war were used as sacrifices for their gods.

Stop thinking about it.

Ryou shivered at the cold tone. The spirit was angry but weary as well, like he also went through the day trying not to fall asleep and see that dream again. If that held some truth to it, then the spirit must have witnessed the dream and had been affected by it. Maybe half of it really was a part of his own nightmare.

Stop fucking thinking about it!

The sudden headache made Ryou flinch and hold onto the sides of his head. That response, though, proved that there was something the spirit didn't want to remember—

The pain intensified, forcing the boy to crouch down against the wall. Please…stop…it hurts.

I don't thinks so. You disobeyed, and now you're being punished for it.

But it was your fault—Ryou gritted his teeth as a stronger wave hit him. Colorful dots danced in his vision, obscuring everything. Unable to support himself, he let his body fall to the side and curl up on the floor. He was blacking out. Already he couldn't tell whether his eyes were open or not.

As quickly as the headache had come, it left, leaving not even an ache as proof of ever being there. With his vision returned, he was able to make out an arm and foot close to his face. His eyes followed the arm to a shoulder hiding behind bushy brown hair. Next he saw the face, frowning with worry and looking straight at him. "Granger?"

Hermione's lips raised slightly as she helped Ryou off the floor with her other two friends' help. "Bakura, are you alright?" She asked.

"Just a headache. Nothing to worry about; it's gone now." Ryou dusted off his robe and smiled.

"No simple headache would leave you like that." Harry said. He looked closer at the white-haired boy, briefly shifting his gaze to Ryou's forehead.

"I'm fine, really." Ryou insisted. He stood up straight and smiled broadly to prove his point.

The three Gryffindors looked at each other, unsure about how to handle the situation. Ryou did look fine–now anyhow. It had scared them when they saw the poor boy withering in agony on the floor.

Hermione was the first to accept Ryou's attitude towards the subject and nodded slowly. "If you're feeling fine…but if I see it happen again, I'll get the nurse."

Ryou decide not to argue with her. "I doubt it will happen again." He said, directing his though mostly at the spirit. "We should go eat now, we shouldn't miss the assembly. Or ceremony, if that's what it's called." He waited until the others agreed to walk towards the dinner and leave the subject behind.

By now, Ryou was tired of it all and for the first time since he learned about the existence of magic, regretted knowing at all. Coming here was a mistake. Succumbing to the spirit's commands was a mistake. He was a mistake. Ryou swallowed the lump that was starting to form in his throat. He couldn't afford to thinks about such depressing things. No, he wouldn't think about the dream or its meaning, at least, not now. At the moment, he needed to start developing a plan to leave the school he was becoming a threat to. Maybe even find a way to get rid of the spirit.

Good luck with that.

But of course, he needed to find a way to block his thought from Bakura most of all.

The tables were full by the time the four fourth years entered the great hall. The professors were all seated along with the three headmasters. At the doorway, Ryou turned to the other three. "Thank you for helping me. Again."

"It was nothing, Bakura." Hermione smiled. "But we shouldn't meet only when you're in trouble."

Ryou chuckled lightly. "You're right. And, um, will you be going to Hagrid's anytime soon? I was planning to, but we can go together if you'd like."

"Well," Harry began, "with no Quidditch practices, I do have more time."

"Quidditch?" Ryou asked. "You mean that game on broomsticks?"

Ron's mouth gaped open. "Quidditch is not just a game. It's life!" He crossed his arms. "You've never gotten on a broom either, have you? You'll understand once you do. You know, I'm a great player myself, so I can teach you a few things."

"I don't know. The idea of sitting on a wooden stick while flying through the air doesn't really appeal to me"

"Rubbish." Ron continued. "You'll see. Once you're up there you'll feel it. Isn't that right Harry?"

The raven agreed. "It's amazing. As if you're completely free of everything."

"Then I guess I can give it a try." Ryou said, then waved at them as he walked to the Slytherin table. He scanned the students quickly until he found Nott besides an empty space. He sat there after greeting his friend. When he didn't get a response, he turned to him and realized that Nott had actually fallen asleep sitting up. Ryou sighed and tapped him on the shoulder. Nothing happened.

I told you I still had power.

Bakura's words echoed in his head. No…you couldn't have…With trembling fingers he reached up to grasp Nott's shoulder. "N-Nott?" He gave him a soft shake and still he did not move. In a panic, Ryou shook as hard as he could "Nott. Nott wake up!"

At the same time, Nott opened his eyes and threw his arms out in surprise for something to hold on to, nearly knocking down an empty cup. "What the—Bakura! Do you want me to have a heart attack?"

Ryou stared. Then stared some more. He didn't relax until it clicked in his head that the spirit had played a horrible joke on him. How could I fall for that? I know he can't do anything right now. "Sorry Nott."

"Don't be Bakura. But know that I will get you back for this. Just you wait." Thinking it had been some kind of prank, Nott began planning his own as he sent glares at the Slytherins around them that were laughing to themselves.

Dumbledore stood then, and the room became silent. "I am sure you are all anticipating the moment that the Goblet of Fire will decide who the champions will be. But before that, we should all enjoy a delicious dinner."

The food appeared, no longer a surprise, and every person filled their plates with a bit of everything. Ryou remembered well what Moody had said and ate as much as he could. He hardly waited for the food to be chewed before swallowing and biting into something else.

They were given a little less than an hour to eat. By the time Dumbledore stood again, Ryou was pass full, but still managed to fit in one last slice of pumpkin pie. Nott had watched him devour plate after plate. "And you still don't gain a pound, do you?"

"At times I do." Ryou said. "I just want to sleep well tonight."

Their attention went back to the headmaster as he spoke again. "As traditions go, we will now have our brave champions called forth to face this challenge." Eyes darted to the cup in the center of the room, lit and burning. Dumbledore moved before it, just in time to pick the small paper that shot out of the flames. "The first champion, from Durmstrang," he announced, "Victor Krum!" There was loud cheering from the end of the Slytherin table as the large teen made his way to the back and through a door.

Another paper flew out for the headmaster to read. "From Beauxbatons, Fleur Delacour!" More cheering as this time, the girl Ryou recognized from the tour smiled and waved to her friends as she disappeared into the back room.

Now for the Gryffindor's chosen champion.

People all over the room held their breath as the last paper appeared. Dumbledore unfolded the small slip of paper and read it himself first. "And the representative from Hogwarts is, Cedric Diggory!"

The Hufflepuff table erupted into cheers, cries, and congratulations. Ryou had been one of them, and a few more followed suit until all of Hogwarts was united for a moment.

The last champion left them too and the night was about to be wrapped up when the Goblet of Fire lit up again, releasing another name. Ryou frowned in puzzlement. "I thought there were only three champions."

Nott responded without moving his eyes from the goblet. "There are."

Dumbledore kept a blank face as he caught the paper and read one more name out loud. "Harry Potter."

Potter? Ryou's surprise was the same as everyone else's. He's not even 17. How did he put his name in there? Why did he put his name in there?

He watched the dark-haired boy stand and move uncertainly to the door where the other three had gone through. He looked just as confused as the rest of them about the turn of events. The moment he was gone, the room irrupted onto chaos. Not only were the students talking and bickering, but so were a few of the teachers. Eventually, the professors dismissed them and sent them straight to their rooms.

In Ryou's room, both he and Nott were sitting on his bed besides Cairoshell. "Typical." Nott muttered. "Of course the Chosen One would be chosen." He had the Egyptian cat on his lap while he leaned against the headboard. "Now he gets to be even more famous than he already is."

"But I don't think it was his fault." Ryou defended him. "He looked confused."

Nott waved the thought away. "An act. He's a show-off and can never seem to get enough attention."

Ryou couldn't agree. He had talked to Potter more than once and he never got the sense that he was arrogant or seeking attention. But there was something in Nott's words that perked his curiosity. "What did you mean by 'chosen one'?"

Nott raised an eyebrow? "You haven't heard? Of course you haven't; you just barely found out you were a wizard. All he did, really, was survive the killing curse from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. And he was a just a baby too, so it's not like he remembers what happened."

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

"The Dark Lord." Nott clarified, but in a softer voice. "The one who—"

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. The person didn't wait for a response and walked right in. Ryou recognized the girl as Pansy Perkinson, who was a part of Malfoy's group. "Bakura. Moody is waiting for you in the hall."

"He is?" Ryou gave Nott a questioning glance and received a shrug in response. Quickly, he hopped off the bed while Nott yawned and said he'd be going to his own bed to sleep.

Ryou met with his Defense teacher outside the common room. "You wanted to see me, Professor?" He tried thinking of reason why he would be called, or of anything he could have done wrong, but came up with nothing.

Moody was serious as he looked down at Ryou. "The headmaster wants to see you. Apparently, someone else had placed Mr. Potter's name into the Goblet of Fire the night you were out and about."

Ryou's eyes widened. Was he being accused? "But I—"

"Calm down boy." Moody grunted. "Dumbledore simply wants to know if you saw anyone else that night."

The boy shook his head. "only you."

Moody began leading him away. "That's what I thought."

The rest of the walk to the headmaster's office was uneventful and without a word being uttered. Ryou knew he couldn't get in trouble if he wasn't suspected of putting Harry's name in there…They suspect me already though, for breaking into Snape's house. I reek of suspicion. Why don't they just put security cameras? But then, that would only make my sneaking around that much harder.

Bakura became annoyed with his host's rambling. Just keep yourself calm and don't blow this up. Play the innocent little wizard that you are and all will be well.

Ryou would have accepted those words as encouragement except that there was a mocking and shrewd tone to them. There was also the fact that this was the spirit talking and everything he said and did was usually for his own benefit.

Ryou had only ever been inside Dumbledore's office twice before. Both visits were during the summer, when the old man had simply wanted to chat and learn more about the muggle world. They were great experiences, but now, it might not be so pleasant.

Up the stair case Moody and Ryou went until they arrived at a door. Moody knocked and waited for the invitation before opening the door and walking in. "I brought the boy." He announced and stepped aside for Ryou to move forward.

Ryou was faced with not only Dumbledore and Snape, but the two other headmasters from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. The tall imposing figures were enough to intimidate the boy. Nervously, he went as close as he dared to the front of the desk where Dumbledore sat. Out of habit, he bowed to them all. It was the perfect sign of respect, but was ruined when Ryou miscalculated the distance in front of him and hit his forehead on the edge of the desk. He backed away quickly with tight lips and holding his head in his arms.

Dumbledore chuckled and motioned at the cushioned arm chair across the desk. "I can see that you have had a very long day, Mr. Bakura." He began. "And I apologize for calling you here, but this is important."

Ryou shook his head. "No, it's fine headmaster. I understand."

"Very well." Dumbledore said. "I trust Moody explained why you're here?"

"Yes sir." Ryou shifted uncomfortable, feeling as if he was being pointed out for doing something wrong. "After everyone had gone to sleep, I, uhh, went out to the kitchen and talked to the house elves. Then, one of them left to talk to you…" He glanced at Dumbledore quickly before staring at his hands again. "I left right away and that's when Professor Moody caught me. He was the only other person I saw before I went back to my room and fell asleep..." He let out a deep breath and looked up. "Sorry I couldn't help."

Igor Karkaroff leaned forward, narrow-eyed. "I hope you don't let all of you students stroll around in the middle of the night. Sneaking into the kitchen and asking for knives."

"I didn't mean it like that." Ryou blurted out. "I wanted to carve a few gifts, but I'll return it. I don't want to cause any problems." Both he and the spirit awaited an answer.

Dumbledore smiled kindly. "I trust you." Ryou's heart sank at the genuine statement. "For safety precautions as well, I placed a few spells on it, so there is nothing to worry about."

"Then zat eez settled then?" Madame Olympe Maxime said. "And we still 'ave no clue as to who eez responsible."

Bakura grinned in triumph. Now you can excuse yourself and sleep, little Yadonushi.

Ryou sighed. "If you don't need me, may I…" He made a motion to stand up.

Snape stepped forward. "I'll escort Mr. Bakura in case he feels inclined for another night walk." Ryou swallowed. He liked Snape, but the professor could be scary at times.

"Yes, yes. Children need their sleep to be ready for another day of learning." Dumbledore smiled.

Once Ryou had bid them all a good night, he followed Snape out of the room, down the stairs, and into the hallway. Again, he had survived a meeting with these powerful wizards and kept the ancient spirit a secret.

Makes you think twice about their power, doesn't it. Bakura mused. Like I said before, they believe they're completely safe in this castle, with their harmless students. I can't believe Voldemort is having so much trouble, I could have found a hundred way to destroy this place by now.

Voldemort? Ryou scrunched his brows at the unfamiliar name.

Not important. Such a dried up thing like him won't live for much longer anyways. But then, desperation can make you do all kinds of things.

Like it does to you?

Bakura chuckled. You're one to talk, Yadonushi. Remind me again, who is sneaking around for me, lying and cheating for me, out of desperation to keep his friends safe? He continued before Ryou could interrupt. You might not be lying outwardly, but your actions, half-truths, and that false innocence you portray is close enough because Ra knows you can't keep a single lie going. People trust you, take you in as one of their allies. And hiding in the inside is safer than hiding out.

Ryou couldn't respond to that. How could he when it was all true? He didn't even know what he wanted to happen other than having the spirit disappear off the face of the earth. He needed to call Yugi, to ask him what he should do.

Don't worry Yadonushi. You'll see him again soon.

That didn't sound harmless at all.

"Bakura?"

Ryou stopped walking and realized that he had gone ahead, past the common room door that Snape was standing in front of. Had he really been so engulfed in the spirit's conversation? Possibly, since this was one of the only times he would be so talkative. "Sorry sir." He walked back and stepped through the open door.

Snape stopped him before he could finally escape to his bed. "The headmaster might have ignored your rule breaking, but I haven't. I want you in my classroom after classes end tomorrow for you punishment. Is that understood?"

Ryou nodded glumly. "Yes sir." Then he added "Sorry."

"Make sure it doesn't happen again." Snape responded before leaving.

"Now he's mad at me." Ryou muttered to himself as he made his way to his room. All of the lights were off, but it wasn't a problem for Ryou seeing as he had his wand with him.

Carve something for him.

What? The comment had taken Ryou completely by surprise so that he managed to hit his leg on the corner of a low table. He winced but otherwise ignored it.

Don't forget that we need ingredients that he has access to.

And I will need his trust to get to them. Ryou finished for him. The spirit was becoming too predictable now with his plan; get close to people just so that he can stab them in the back without them knowing. What should I carve, then?

Bakura smiled. A snake.

A/N: And there you have it. Expect another chapter in the summer since I'll be going into my final exams soon and I NEED to pass in order to keep my grades up. But don't fret 'cuz I'll have (hopefully) plenty of time to write once vacations starts. =3

And please review. I'll be selfish and say that I want tons of reviews so that my next chapter will be all fired up in my head and ready to be written once I have the time. Plus, it makes me happy ^^ and you all want a happy author, ne?