Shadow: I'm warning you people now, the chapters get longer after here-on-in. And when I say long, I mean long. This is the longest chapter as yet, so… enjoy!

Oh yeah... I just want to say everything's a bit screwed up for me with the interent and computers and so on, so I won't be able to answer all the reviews and stuff. I thought you'd rather I updated and only answered a few than not updated at all.

With a Wave of the Wand

Chapter 11: Duel Classes

Harry stared. "Wow."

Ron came up behind him and whistled lowly. "That's a big crowd."

"What's it for?"

There was a loud shriek from Hermione – she was by the notice board where the crowd was gathering. "Ron! Harry! Get over here now!"

The two said teens hurried over. "What?"

"Look!" Hermione frantically waved a flailing hand at a new notice pinned to the board.

Harry narrowly avoided being whacked in the face with the hand, and read the notice:

DUEL MONSTERS TOURNAMENT

Delegations from Beauxbatons, Durmstrang, New Victoria and Anubia will be arriving at 5 o' clock on Friday, the 30th of October. The official opening of the tournament is set to begin on the 31st, and will be celebrated with an opening ball. More information will be released at a later date on the ball.

Sadly, the whole school is unable to participate in the tournament. Each school has been allotted 200 places, to be earned by a series of elimination matches to be held before the 30th. These will take place on the 17th of September. All who wish to participate must sign the list outside the great hall before the 20th of August.

A series of dueling classes has been organised for those who wish to participate in the tournament. Attendance will only be admitted to those students who have signed the list. The classes will begin on the 25th of August.

Hermione grinned beside him. "Oh, come on! We've got to sign that list!"


Sadly, it appeared quite a few other students had had exactly the same idea. A large group of students were packed around the great hall's entrance, straining to reach a list that had been pinned up beside the doors.

"We'll never get through that lot!" Ron groaned. "We might as well give up now."

"I agree, Weasley." Malfoy smirked as he spotted the trio. Crabbe and Goyle were at his heels.

Ron growled. "I'm not giving up! You haven't signed the list either!"

The other boy smirked nastily. "Oh, that's where you're wrong. I've already signed that list, in fact, my name's first."

Harry snorted. "Good for you. You need all the help you can get."

Draco scowled. "Shut it, Potter."

"Why? Can't you stand a little teasing about how you lost Malfoy? Poor, poor Malfoy, can't play Duel Monsters."

"You'll pay for that! No-one beats me!"

"That's a surprise. I already have."

Scowling, Draco stormed off, Crabbe and Goyle following him like the mindless idiots they were.

Ron grinned at Harry. "Never mind the club mate, you just made my day."


Yugi muttered something under his breath and slumped in his chair in the staff room. Professor Lupin grinned at him. "Regretting your decision already?"

"Yes."

"Awww, poor Yugi. Serves you right."

"For what? What did I do that was so wrong?"

Lupin shrugged. "Become a world renowned duelist?"

"It was a moment of madness."

Lupin laughed. "Oh well. I wish you luck."

Yugi glared. "I'd accept the well-wishes if they weren't so obviously insincere."

"Insincere? Yugi, I'm wounded. How could you think so little of me?"

"Well I – wait!" Yugi's eyes lit up with an evil gleam. "Remus, I'll see you later." The History of Magic teacher made for the staff room's door.

Lupin didn't like that gleam one bit. "Yugi? Yugi? Yugi! What are you up to! Yugiiiii!"


Happily, Ron, Harry and Hermione congregated with rest of their class outside the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. They'd finally managed to sign the list, after much pushing and shoving, and their names were now hastily scrawled like hundreds of others on the now much-worn piece of paper outside the great hall. They could now, quite contentedly, concentrate on their lessons, and judging by the creature that was sitting at the front of their classroom beside Professor Lupin, they'd need to.

Professor Lupin smiled at his class. He indicated the creature. "This, for those of you who haven't already realised, is a sphinx. Sphinxes are ancient beings, and are extremely intelligent. They're often used to guard places or items of importance, only allowing those that know a password or an answer to a riddle to pass. Basically, if you're not that bright, you won't get past them, and I wouldn't advise you to even try."

Harry was gaping at the sphinx. He'd faced this one in his fourth year! He was sure of it! He'd recognise the sphinx's cool almond eyes anywhere.

Professor Lupin continued. "Today, I want you all to try and answer the sphinx's riddle. If someone cracks it, you can all have a bar of Honeydukes best chocolate! Let's see who can get past her! Now," He turned to the sphinx, "if you'd please?"

The great creature nodded, and spoke.

"My first is in fury, but never in rage,

My second's in wizard, but never in mage,

My third lies in rope, but never in knot,

My fourth's in forget, but never forgot.

So tell me the word that I wish for this hour,

Which is the name of man's favourite flower?"

"A flower!" Dean was incredulous. "We've got to tell her then name of a flower!"

The sphinx smiled her secretive smile, and remained silent.

"I don't get it." Neville looked blank.

Hermione was scrabbling for her parchment. "I know this!"

Ron looked bored. "Well, answer it then!"

"I'm trying to work it out!"

Harry frowned. "'Mione, what are you doing?"

"I'm looking for paper to write on!"

The jade-eyed teen shook his head. "You don't need it."

"I'm getting it."

"'Kay." Harry shrugged his shoulders. He might as well try and work it out in his head. He spoke to the sphinx. "S'cuse me, would you repeat the first line?"

The beast nodded.

"My first is in fury, but never in rage."

Right. That meant the first letter could be f, u or y.The answers to riddles were usually simple, not at all complicated, so the flower they were hunting for was probably very common. Harry didn't know any common flowers beginning in u or y, so that left f. "Could I have the second line now, please?"

"My second's in wizard, but never in mage."

That meant w, i, z, r, d. "The third?"

"My third lies in rope, but never in knot,"

R, p or e. "And the last line please?"

"My fourth's in forget, but never forgot."

E. It had to be e. "The last two lines now, please…"

"So tell me the word that I wish for this hour,

Tell me the name of man's favourite flower."

Okay… The first letter was most likely 'F'.

The second was probably going to be a vowel… so that meant it was 'I'.

The third? Fip? No. Fie? No. Fir? That sounded okay.

The fourth…. 'E'.

F,I,R,E – fire. That was the answer – fire! Harry grinned. "The answer's fire!"

The sphinx nodded and professor Lupin clapped. "Well done, Harry!"

Hermione tched, but grudgingly realised Harry had got it. Dean was utterly confused. "How's fire a flower?"

Hermione smiled. "Why don't you tell us, Harry? After all, you solved the riddle."

Harry blinked. "I haven't got a clue. Hermione?"

The girl smiled again, if a tad smugly. "Fire is known as le fleur rouge, the red flower. It's man's favourite flower because it was the best thing we ever discovered, without fire we'd be dead."

Professor Lupin nodded. "That is true. Now, as promised, chocolate!"


Yugi sat on the edge of his desk, violet eyes scanning the class. "Last lesson I discussed five realms with you, leaving two more. These realms need a little more time to go over, both are confusing as hell to try and understand, and both have strange tales to accompany them. Since this is a History of magic lesson, the tales are necessary." Yugi paused. "The first I wish to discuss is the Shadow Realm."

Parvati raised her hand. "Sir? So there's a realm of light, a realm of darkness and a realm of in-between? Isn't that what earth's meant to be? I thought humans were meant to be a perfect blend of light and darkness, so they naturally had the world that matched."

"Where did you learn that?" Yugi was curious.

"Professor Trelawney, sir."

"Well, she's right."

Ron muttered to Harry. "There's a surprise."

Yugi smiled at Parvati. "The earth is the 'in-between realm', as you put it, but the Shadow Realm is not. Shadows are almost as dangerous as pure light and pure dark. At least if either of those gets to you, you're almost guarantied to be killed instantly. With the shadows your death is usually slow and lingering. It's an extremely painful way to die. Your mental, physical and magical selves are gradually weakened, until they just collapse. When that happens, you're as good as dead."

Hermione waved her hand in the air. "Sir? You said usually. That means it's only with most people, doesn't it? What about other people, the unusual ones? What happens to them?"

"They survive."

"Why, sir?" Hermione asked again.

"They have the certain type of magic required to survive in the Shadow Realm."

"What magic is that?"

Yugi seemed a little hesitant to answer. "Shadow magic."

Hermione waved her hand again. "Sir? What is shadow magic? What does it do? Is it more powerful than the magic we possess? Who actually has shadow magic?"

"Miss. Granger. I'm sorry, but there is not time to answer your questions now. If you are still curious, ask me after class."

Hermione nodded, and her hand drifted down again.

Yugi continued where he had left off. "The Shadow Realm is a strange place, and has existed alongside our world since the time of the ancients. Some evidence points to it being around before the earth realm. There are few mentions of the Shadow Realm throughout history, but what is known is larger than you would imagine. Research has come to light claiming that the inhabitants of the Shadow Realm destroyed Atlantis."

The class descended into uproar.

"Atlantis!"

"How can anything wipe out a whole civilisation!"

"What inhabitants!"

The professor smiled knowingly. "Perhaps you'd all like to calm down so I may answer some of your questions?" Instant silence descended. "Good. Now, about the inhabitants of the shadow realm… They're monsters."

"What do they look like?" Harry was interested.

"I'm glad you asked that." Yugi leant casually on his desk. "What do you think they look like?"

"Er- little green men with laser cannons?"

The amethyst-eyed teacher laughed cheerfully. "Well, you're partially right. I believe some of them do look like that."

"They do!" Harry was amazed.

He got a swift nod in reply. "They do. All of them are very familiar to us. In fact most of us see them every day."

"You're kidding!" Ron blurted out. "I don't see monsters every day!"

"Are you so sure of that, Mr. Weasley? Are you one hundred percent positive you don't see monsters?"

"Positive."

A teasing glint entered Yugi's eye. "Mr. Weasley, if you would please show me what is in your pocket at this moment?"

Ron frowned. "My wand, parchment, and my deck, sir."

"Please look at your deck, Mr. Weasley. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it does contain monsters, doesn't it?"


The whole class was completely astonished.

"Our Duel Monsters live in the Shadow Realm!"

"But that's impossible!"

"But Duel Monsters is only a game! They can't be real!"

"Why ever not?" Yugi looked innocent. "All good games have at least a thin basis of truth in them, and I can guarantee you that there is a lot more than a thin amount of truth in this particular game."

Hermione decided to start asking questions again. "Sir? But how did Duel monsters' creator find out about the Shadow realm?"

"Because of what happened 3,000 years ago in Egypt."

"What happened?"

Yugi smiled softly. "That's the tale that I'm going to tell you."


"Egypt, 3,000 year ago… the time of the pharaohs. The pharaohs were considered Gods, and their word was law. Most pharaohs were male – there were a few exceptions – but they were nearly always boys. If a khanh – or a prince - was born, all of Egypt would rejoice. When the pharaoh passed away, he had an heir to take his place as ruler of the Two Lands. Usually, most pharaohs ascended to the throne as adults, but again, there were exceptions. Does anyone know of any?"

Hermione's hand was in the air instantly, but surprisingly, so was Ron's.

"Yes, Mr. Weasley?"

"Tutankhamen, sir."

"Correct. Tutankhamen is one of the most famous boy-kings of the Nile. But there was another, and he ruled from a younger age than Tutankhamen."

"What was his name?" Dean Thomas asked.

"He was known as the 'Nameless One'."

"Why?"

"There are many reasons. In Egypt, it was thought if you knew someone's name, you had power over that person. It would be extremely dangerous therefore, for the pharaoh to reveal his name to anybody. A select few would know his true name, but not the general public. He would have had a second name he used for the people. Another reason is for what this pharaoh actually did. What he did was so great, the people treated him with reverence and awe – more than they'd usually do – and his name was considered sacred – too sacred to be uttered by anyone unblessed by the Gods."

"But surely we must know his other name?" Dean was surprised.

Yugi paused. "He has many, it would be impossible to pinpoint a specific name."

"So, sir?" Hermione put her hand up again.

"Yes, Miss. Granger?"

"What did the pharaoh actually do?"

"He saved his people. Eight years before the pharaoh had been born, a terrible tragedy occurred; one which he knew nothing about. A High Priest to the pharaoh lied about a spell to the khanh's father, not telling Egypt's ruler about the sacrifice necessary for the spell to be performed."

"A sacrifice?" Ron's tone was hushed.

His professor nodded sadly. "Ninety-nine thieves. The High Priest commanded some men to kill the inhabitants of a small village, sparing no-one. Men, women and children were slaughtered. Then, the corpses were rounded up and burnt. Only one person survived the assault - a young boy, who had been hidden away by his father. He had witnessed the deaths of his mother, his father, and the rest of his family. As it had been the pharaoh's men that had killed them, he naturally blamed the pharaoh. Legend says he was afraid to leave his hiding place until a few days later, but when he did, he was horrified by what he saw. His village – his home – was covered in blood, and at the village's heart was a temple. The temple paid homage to the pharaoh, and spoke of the spell that had been performed… to bring about peace. The boy believed his family had been killed at the pharaoh's orders, and vowed revenge. Then, he disappeared into the desert."

The class looked at Yugi solemnly.

Parvati whispered softly. "The poor boy. How old was he?"

"Eight."

Grim silence met his words then,

"Oh my God."


Yugi continued his tale. "The Egyptian's were always fond of games – especially one's of power and strength. For the powerful people in Egypt, a game sprang up – Shadow games. People could draw on their own souls – or kas, as they were known – and battle them. After a time, the games took over. It was necessary for imakhu to be trained in Shadow magic – the magic that was required to summon the ka. Shadow magic could be used for practically anything, and those trained in its use were extremely powerful and influential. Six High Priests who were highly skilled in shadow magic defended the pharaoh, and the pharaoh himself would be trained in the magic, summoning and games from when he was a young child. This was true for the prince. The khanh had been brought up among magic, and was adept at the art. The prince was an intelligent boy and considered a God-blessed child. As he grew older he grew stronger and wiser, and was soon the most powerful shadow wielder in Egypt. Times were good though, and he was not required to use his skills apart from the odd bout with his friends.

Years passed, and the kingdom suffered a terrible blow. The pharaoh died early, and left his twelve-year old son an orphan, and the new ruler of the Two Lands. It was a heavy burden for the boy to carry. He struggled on though, and soon the kingdom grew to respect their boy-king. Then, trouble arose. A thief-lord came to power in the kingdom, one who was claimed to be able to steal anything and go anywhere. It seemed almost inevitable that the two 'kings' should meet.

They did. The thief broke into the palace and challenged the pharaoh to a Shadow Duel, saying the winner would, quite literally take all. It would be a duel to the death. The thief was questioned about his motives for the attack, and the truth was revealed. The thief had been the lone survivor of the attack on the village. He had been the boy who escaped, and swore revenge on the pharaoh. Since the man was dead, the hate was transferred onto the pharaoh's son, the current ruler. The thief claimed the spell that had been cast for peace was useless, for the hearts that commanded the spell were black. The late pharaoh's greatest wish may have been for truth and justice, but his dying wish was in vain. No truth, justice or peace had come about." Yugi stopped, a flash of pain flicking across his face. It disappeared as quickly as it had come however, and he continued. "The thief summoned his ka monster – Diaboundou – and attacked, defeating the six High Priests to the pharaoh – some of the most powerful shadow wielders around. Angered, confused and upset, the pharaoh stepped forwards. He summoned a monster – not his own ka… which was possible – and defeated the thief. His attack should've killed the intruder, but by some miracle, the thief survived. On the verge of death he ran, using his monster's special ability to escape the palace and his fate. But as he left, he spoke to the pharaoh. He told the pharaoh to prepare himself, for his kingdom's hope was waning, and the thief-king's war would soon begin."


Hermione approached Yugi's desk tentatively, her books hugged to her chest. "..Sir…?"

"Hermione." The History of magic professor looked up, and smiled briefly at the girl. "How can I help you?"

"It's about the Shadow magic sir… I'm really curious about it. I've never heard of it before."

"Not many people have." Yugi's face was solemn. He paused slightly, debating whether to say something. "Miss. Grainger, may I give you some advice?"

"Of course, sir."

"Hermione, as a teacher I try not to lie to my students, because I personally hate to be lied to. Telling the truth can be good in some situations, but in other's it can do more harm than otherwise."

"I understand." The girl nodded.

"Do you?" Her teacher looked up at her again, and their eyes met. Hermione was startled to realise the man's eyes were crimson. I thought they were violet! The professor continued. "Miss. Grainger, a little knowledge can be a very dangerous thing."

Hermione bit her bottom lip. "But surely sir, knowledge should be shared by all?" Why are his eyes red?

"Think of it this way: if everyone knew everything, everyone would know nothing, because everyone else already knew everything they knew."

"But some information we must have to share surely? It wouldn't be fair otherwise." Tell me why your eyes are red. I need to know! They were violet before!

Yami sighed. "Who ever said the world was fair? Besides, Miss. Grainger, some information is better left unknown."

Hermione had one last try. "What kind of information would that be, sir?" Your eyes?

"The kind which everyone hungers to be told, but is too frightened to hear." Yami smiled gently. "Good day, Miss. Grainger."

You have been dismissed.


Hermione plonked some books on the desk. "I knew I'd read something about it somewhere. It took me ages to find this stuff."

Ron and Harry looked at her curiously. "Beg pardon?"

The girl looked at them pityingly. "The pharaoh, you idiots."

"Oh…" Comprehension dawned on the boy's faces.

Hermione flicked a book open to a page and tapped a finger on a paragraph. "There."

Ron read aloud what was written there. "…But there is a period in the great history of Egypt that remains a mystery to us all. There is simply a blank page in the amazing story of what was once the greatest empire in the world." The red-head looked up. "'Mione, how can you read this?"

Harry elbowed him. "Sshh, I'm reading." He continued from where Ron had left off. "For a period of roughly seventeen years, there is nothing. There are no records of this time, no artefacts… it is simply a mystery. Historians know that there must have been a pharaoh ruling at the time, for straight after the blank, a new pharaoh is in place. What happened to the last is unknown… and is what Egyptologists the world over are desperate to find out. Just who ruled this amazing empire during that time?" Harry stopped. "It just goes on from there to talk about some new age of pharaoh. Do I need to read that?"

Hermione shook her head. "No… but read this bit." She dumped another book in front of Harry.

The teen obliged. "…a great silence. Only legends can speak of that time. These tales tell of a boy king, greater than Tutankhamen, a true Horus. Even the legends are hushed; the pharaoh's name is spoken in reverence and respect even now. None of the facts that are brought up can be proven scientifically… but still there is that elusive gap in our knowledge. What is said fits, but so would a thousand other tales- and there are a thousand other tales. What makes this tale so special though, is the pharaoh's name. For how many youths have there ever been that can claim a name that still strikes awe into peoples souls? Surely, something about this story must ring true. The name is too bold to be created on a fantastical whim. Who else can claim such a name as Darkness?"

Hermione smiled. "See? That's got to be the pharaoh Professor Mouto was talking about."

"It does?" Ron was confused.

"Yes!" The girl was impatient. "Practically nobody knows anything about that time! It's the only time it could have happened!"

"Is it?"

"Yes!" Hermione took a deep breath. "Of course, we'll have to find out more."

"We will?" Ron was getting more and more perplexed.

Hermione nodded. "Harry and you will just have to go and look in the Restricted Section, that's all."

"What!" Both Harry and Ron gaped at her. "Hermione!"

Their friend shrugged lightly. "The information's got to be there."

"Why should we go?" Ron demanded.

"Because if you don't, I'll refuse to help you with your homework ever again."

The red-head gulped. "Okay."


Harry and Ron crept back along the hallway to their common room, their pockets full of parchment which banged against their sides, the invisibility cloak over their heads. They'd just come back from the library, where they'd spent an hour quickly going over books in the Restricted Section for Hermione. They'd found nothing. It had been a wasted trip, and no doubt Hermione would make them go again the next night to do another hunt.

Ron sighed. "Nothing, I tell you, nothing! Why did we do this again?"

"Hermione threatened us with no help, remember? We had to do it."

Ron let out a loud sigh, but remained silent.

"Damn!" A piece of parchment fell out of Harry's pocket and he bent down to pick it up. He did so, and looked down to hastily stuff it back in his pocket.

"Er…Harry?" Ron tugged on his friend's sleeve.

"Yeah?"

"Is there meant to be a giant wolf ahead of us blocking the hallway?"

Harry froze. Slowly, he raised his eyes to the creature in front of them. A large, beautiful, silver wolf bared it's fangs at them, it's hackles raised. The wolf was a finely-tuned killing machine, and Harry knew exactly what it was instantly. "Silver Fang…"

"Y'what?"

"It's Silver Fang… a Duel Monster."

"But that's… it can't be!" The wolf growled, and Ron hastily lowered his voice. "It would've had to have come form the Shadow realm, and that's shut…isn't it?"

Silver Fang growled again, and it's beady eyes fixed upon the two teens. Clearly the creature could see through their invisibility cloak. Harry gulped. "Tell that to it."

Ron cringed as the creature began to advance upon them. "What shall we do?"

"I'd suggest running, but that thing would pounce on us before we got two steps."

"Harry, mate, I did not need to hear that."

Silver Fang moved closer, it's vicious claws gleaming as brightly as it's eyes.

Ron and Harry began to back away slowly. Ron spoke quietly. "Remind me to blame Hermione for this when we get back."

Harry nodded. "We have to get back first. On the count of three we run for it, okay?"

"Okay."

"One."

The wolf crouched, it's fur bristling.

"Two."

Silver Fang tensed, preparing to spring. Ron whimpered. Where was Jaribu when you needed him?

"Three!" Harry and Ron dived for cover and silver fang leapt. Ron could see the monster coming towards him, wickedly sharp claws ready to tear into his flesh…

Suddenly, an intense pain gripped the red-head's mind and with a loud screech, something swooped before him and met the oncoming attack. Silver Fang crashed against the boy's defender, and with a mournful howl, was extinguished in a ball of flame.

Through his pain, Ron opened his eyes. Blearily, his mind took in what his eyes were showing it. "Jaribu…?" Then, he crumpled to the floor.


In his bedroom on the opposite side of the castle, Professor Lupin awoke as a bolt of pain flared in his chest, roughly where his heart was.


Harry watched, astonished, as Ron's Red Eyes black dragon vanished. Jaribu had saved them! "What the…?"

Noises further along the corridor brought the teen back into focus. Teachers! Quickly, Harry moved and covered himself and Ron – who was out cold – with the invisibility cloak. He could do nothing else while his friend was unconscious.

He was just it time. Professor McGonagall, Snape and Flitwick arrived, all clearly annoyed with one another.

Professor Flitwick frowned. "It would appear there is no-one here, Severus."

Snape growled. "It would appear so…"

"Then what is the need for this?" McGonagall asked, irritated. "The culprits – if there were any in the first place – will be long gone."

"They won't be." The potions master muttered.

McGonagall wasn't impressed. "Can you see anyone?"

"Just because we can't see them doesn't mean they're not here!"

"Professors?" A new voice spoke. "I heard a noise. Is something wrong?" Yugi stepped into view.

"Yugi." Professor Flitwick smiled in greeting with professor McGonagall. Snape scowled.

"We think there was a disturbance." The transfiguration teacher nodded. "But the culprits seem to be already gone. Severus here believes they may still be here."

Yugi's eyes scanned the passageway. For one moment, Harry felt those amethyst eyes rest on him and Ron, but they moved on. The teen sighed quietly, relieved. "I see no-one."

"There you have it Severus! There is no-one. Now, I really must be going. I have classes first thing in the morning. Goodnight." Professor McGonagall swept away, Flitwick nodding and following after her.

Snape and Yugi were left.

Snape wasn't happy. "You know they're here."

"Who, professor?"

"You know fine well who! Potter and his friends!"

Yugi's eyes narrowed. "As I said before, I see no-one."

"They're here."

Harry shivered slightly at the hatred in Snape's voice.

Yugi's tone was cool. "Really professor, must you make your hate for the boy so blatantly obvious? Perhaps you are letting your hatred cloud your judgement – there is no-one here."

Snape growled. "I see Potter has a new fan in his club." He stalked off angrily.

As soon as the potion's master was out of sight, the History of Magic teacher spoke. "Harry, you can come out now."

Harry pulled the invisibility cloak off himself and Ron. "Thankyou, sir."

Yugi bent down beside Ron. "He summoned – didn't he?"

"Yes sir."

"What happened?"

"We were attacked by a Monster – Silver Fang. Somehow Ron summoned Jaribu – I don't even think he meant to."

Amethyst eyes were thoughtful. "I wonder whose ka it was…"

"Sir?"

"Yes?"

"Why did Ron collapse? We're fine in class."

"It's harder to summon in this world, it puts great magical strain on your mind. Ron'll be fine when his magic sorts itself out."

"How long will that be?" Harry was worried.

Yugi smiled. "With a little help; two seconds." He placed a hand on Ron's chest. Magic flowed down from him into the teen.

Ron's eyes fluttered open. "God, I have such a headache."

Harry laughed, relieved. Yugi grinned. "See? Now, I think you two had best be getting back to your common room. Can you manage all right, or do you need a hand?"

Ron seemed to be coming around completely – judging by his curses anyway. Harry smiled. "Thankyou, sir, but I think we'll be fine alone."

Yugi nodded. "Very well. But be careful tonight, I believe Professor Snape will still be out looking for you."

The jade-eyed teen nodded. "We will."


Lupin muttered. "I don't believe you."

"Why?" Yugi smiled innocently. "You wished me luck not so long ago; why not share some of that luck?"

"I never expected to be doing the stupid classes with you. You, my friend, are pure evil."

"Naturally." Yugi grinned.

"We're all doomed."

"Oh come on… it won't be that bad."

"Huh." Lupin didn't look convinced.

The other professor rolled his eyes. "Your enthusiasm is overwhelming."


Yugi scanned the group of students in his first class with his eyes. Whoever had had the job of arranging the classes hadn't done a very good job with this one, as he could spot potential problems in one glance. Potential problems such as dumping a massive group of Slytherins with an equally large group of Gryffindors. Trouble…

(Oh dear…)

/Do you want me to take this class/

(Would you mind?)

/Not at all. / Yugi switched out, and his darker half took control.


Harry groaned. "Malfoy."

Hermione frowned. "He's in our group?"

"And a bunch of his thugs."

"Wonderful." Ron sighed. "Just bloody wonderful."


"A good deck is nearly always a balanced deck, with roughly equal amounts of monster, trap and magic cards."

A Ravenclaw girl raised her hand. "Sir? Isn't it possible to have a good deck which has a specific theme?"

"Yes, of course." Yugi nodded. "A themed deck can be as good as, or worse than, an ordinary deck. As long as your cards are not all one type, a themed deck is fine. In fact, most duelists have a themed deck. I do."

"Sir?" A Hufflepuff boy asked. "What cards are in your deck?"

Yugi grinned. "I never say. Now; I would like to get some of you into duels, to see what standard you're working at. Could you please split yourselves into pairs? Collect a magical duel mat from the front. The duel mats work along the same principles as electronic dueling arenas, except the monsters they reveal are much smaller. Begin as soon as you're ready."

Harry was grabbed by Hermione. "Harry, duel me!"

"Okay…"

Grinning, Hermione ran off to fetch a duel mat. Harry shrugged his shoulders apologetically at Ron, and the red-head cast him a sympathetic grin before pairing up with Neville.

Hermione was back in record time. She set the mat down, and pulled out her deck. "Shall we play from 4000?"

"Yeah, why not?"

They began.

"Firewing Pegasus, attack Dark Blade!"

"I activate trap card, Negate Attack!"

Frowning, Hermione nodded. "I end my turn."

Harry smiled. "I sacrifice Dark Blade to summon Summoned Skull! Summoned Skull, attack Firewing Pegasus!" The teen's skull attacked his friend's winged horse, and Hermione's life points fell to 750. "Now we're equal."

"Not for long. I active magic card, change of heart! Summoned skull, attack Harry's life points directly!"

"I activate trap card, Enchanted Javelin! This means your attack does nothing!"

Yami had wandered over. "How are you doing?"

Both students nodded vaguely, both too absorbed in their duel.

Hermione frowned again. "I place this monster in defence mode, and these two cards face down. I end my turn."

"I play the magic card, Harpie's feather duster!" Hermione's face down cards were destroyed. "Summoned skull, attack her face down monster!" The skull lunged, and for one moment a Mystical elf was revealed, before being blown apart by Harry's monster's attack.

The female student sighed. "I place this monster face down and end my turn."

"Right. I summon Dunames Dark Witch, in attack mode! Summoned Skull, attack Hermione's face down monster!" The card was demolished, it only being a giant Soldier of stone. "Now," Harry was in full swing, "Dunames Dark Witch, attack her life points directly!"

Hermione watched as her life points fell to zero. Grudgingly, "Well done Harry."

Yami smiled. "I agree. Well done."

Draco snorted. He muttered to Crabbe, "I could do better than that anyday."

Yugi turned to the boy. "Oh?" He was smiling as he said this – a warning.

Draco ignored the sign. "Yes. It was pathetically easy…sir."

"That's a pity." Yugi smiled again. "Perhaps you'd like to teach us how to do it better? I'm sure, since you're so good, you'd have no problems defeating me."

The almost-white-haired teen smirked. "This should be quick."

A flash of crimson sparked in amethyst eyes. "I agree."


Three turns. Three turns. That's all it took to defeat Malfoy. And that was only because Yugi had told Yami to be kind to the boy, however arrogant he was.

The teen was dumbstruck. "I-I-you-how!" He let out a yell of anger. "You cheated!"

"No, I didn't." Yugi was perfectly calm. "Why would I need to?"

"I-How should I know! You're the one who cheated!"

Amethyst eyes narrowed. "Mr. Malfoy, I did not cheat. You lost because of your arrogance. If you'd actually thought to have listened in this class, you may have learned something that might have helped improve your dueling skills… and perhaps your temperament."

Draco scowled. "I-"

"You're too full of yourself, Mr. Malfoy. Now, will you be seated? You may not wish to amount to anything, but others in this class might – and so need to hear over the racket you're making."


Marik Ishtar sat bolt upright in his bed, wide awake. It was the dreams again. The Egyptian shivered. How he loathed them! Would the horrors of Battle City never leave his mind?

He pushed a silver bang out of his eye. He was well aware of what people called him, he had plenty of names. Traitor, Shaitan, Seth, Cobra… but most prominently of all; Kwwy. A bitter smile twisted Marik's lips. Kwwy. Of all the names they could have chosen, why did they pick Kwwy? The irony was practically unbearable. Silently, the young man cursed his native tongue. To give him such a name was cruelty itself.

What had Marik wanted to defeat Yami at battle City for? To become pharaoh.

What had Marik failed to do at Battle City? Defeat Yami and become pharaoh.

What name did current pharaoh choose as his own when he entered this life? Yami.

What was Yami translated into Egyptian? Kwwy.

Darkness. Marik's own people had named him darkness. They'd named him after something he could never be. It stung, and was a cause of great inner turmoil. Had his people seen the real him? Was his yami still lurking in his mind somewhere, waiting to come out? Even though Atemu had banished Malik, couldn't his darker half escape the Shadow Realm? After all, Bakura had… and had frequently. Was he still a threat to Yugi, Yami, their friends, the world? Surely Kwwy meant something.

But not everyone called him Kwwy. Marik had a friend called Kiri, who'd also been a former member of the tomb keeper clan. Her name for hi was 'the misguided one'. They were close friends, and had been since childhood. Kiri said Marik wasn't evil, he'd never been truly evil, and he'd just taken a wrong turning on his path. He'd tried to make amends for his actions, so why persecute him? The silver-haired man (then a teen) had never felt more grateful. Kiri had been there as a guide, as a comfort and as a friend for him, and she was still a beacon of light in his dark. One conversation with Kiri he would never forget.

"They refuse to accept me. To them I am a traitor, Kwwy. I tried to kill what they had spent so long trying to protect. I have no place here!"

"You do not need their acceptance. It may be difficult, but you need to forge a new path for yourself, get yourself back on track. Ignore them."

"But they refuse to forgive me. I have sinned so greatly in their eyes there is no forgiveness spared for me in their hearts."

"What need do you have of their forgiveness? Has not the pharaoh himself forgiven you? His light? Do their blessings count for nought? After all, it was them you sinned against. Should they not have the final say?"

Marik smiled to himself. Kiri had had a point. From that day on he'd stopped caring if he wasn't accepted, and set about starting a new life for himself. He'd alienated most of the people associated with his dark past, keeping in contact with only a few through letters. He had seen Bakura since his time back in Egypt, but not very often. The albino was one of his correspondents, but he had others. Yugi wrote quite a lot. Actually, he'd received one of the violet-eyed man's letters recently. Marik had been reading it before he'd fallen asleep – perhaps it had triggered off the dreams. The Egyptian picked up the letter, and reread the part that had so interested him before.

So, it turns out there is more than one type of magic. We did think there might be more than one, but there was no evidence. It seems shadow magic is still the stronger of the two though. Some of this style's strongest spells were rendered useless against a simple Shadow barrier – and not a very strong barrier at that. It is best not to draw too many conclusions at such an early stage though. There is much Shadow users can learn from this magic, perhaps strengths vary with the spells caster? It would not be uncommon, and the trait reoccurs in most other human activities in one way or another.

Marik, Yami and I believe this branch of magic covers the whole globeSurely you must have some of these wizards in Egypt – practically the home of magic? I would be most surprised if there are not at least a few. Anyone with magic is welcomed into their world – magic is magic, according to them. Why should they care if the magic's style differs to that of their own? Still, I advise discretion. Shadow magic still attracts a lot of unwelcome attention, and we would not wish any harm on you. Take care Marik; the world's still pretty nasty.

Do not worry if we do not write for a while, Yami and I will be participating in (yet another) tournament. It should keep us quite busy, and we may not have time to write. I guarantee we will be facing a lot more irate duelists in the near future.

Yugi

P.S It seems odd to place owl treats in with a letter I know, but would you please give them to Amber (my owl)? She gets awfully tetchy at times. They might help placate her, and saves me a huffy owl when she returns.


Shadow: Sooo... hoped you liked it. Here's some reviews I need/inrigued me to answer.

Atem's Queen of the Nile:Yes! It finally showed up! Thankyou.

Nefertiti Riddle: Yes, you're official beta. Check your emails, I have a favour to ask of you.

Kayono: I got the biography. Thanks. Really. It's sooo helpful. (hugs)

Ceribi Motou: Yup, I'll use her. This description (in short) okay? Brown hair, brown eyes, nineteen years of age, Joey's second cousin? (I would've put her as cousin, but she can't just appear from nowhere. people don't really see their second cousins that often, so this one fits a bit better.) She'll turn up chapter 14.

Shadow: I'll update as soon as I can.

PREVIEW

This is probably going to result in my reviews page being overloaded… but next chapter is practically all albino. 'Kura and Ryou return! As well as a few odd dreams, revelations, weird predictions and 'discussions' (my favourite being Yami having a charming talk with Snape).