No excuses, simply wonderful distractions
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Mahad had been around for over five thousand years. He had however never felt a rage as strong, but more importantly as constant as the rage he felt at the present. When he had told the teachers he would not idly stand by he had meant it.
The Carrow's were afraid of him, it was a fact impossible to miss. Simply the way he acted in the school, his seemingly unbothered attitude towards everything that happened made them uncomfortable. The siblings took just as much pleasure in the horror of the other teachers then they did in punishing the students. That he was indifferent in every situation plainly scared them.
But Mahad was much less indifferent than they thought, he was furious and disgusted. He was not on the offensive, but he quite thoroughly interrupted their idea of punishment. When the Carrow's on the first Wednesday of the school year gave Luca Caruso, a former member of the DA, detention Mahad had been prepared for anything.
Luca had been the first to receive detention, so the Carrow's decided to turn him into an example. Wednesday evening, when the students had gathered in the Great Hall to eat dinner in complete silence Alecto Carrow entered through the double doors, dragging Luca behind her. Amycus stood up immediately to meet his sister.
Snape just sat in the Headmaster's chair and looked unconcerned as he with raised eyebrows observed the scene. Mahad tensed, ready to act in less than a second if necessary. He did not know the boy, but he would not allow any harm upon the student.
Amycus spoke. "This boy has disobeyed the rules. Refused to do as he was told. We punish those who do not follow the rules, and when we punish you will feel what you have done wrong!"
Mahad did not miss the choice of words. 'Feel' promised little good. He clenched his hands underneath the table and carefully examined the other teacher's reactions. Most of them were ghostly pale, well aware that they could not interfere. Others, like McGonagall, were furious. Snape still looked indifferent.
"I haven't done anything!" Luca protested, trying to break free from Alecto's grasp. She let go of him and hit him full in the face, the impact powerful enough to have him plummet to the floor. The boy, thanks to Mahad, never felt the floor scraping up his cheeks and hands. Mahad had not been fast enough to make sure he did not feel the slap, but at least he could erase the fall, Luca would not be bothered by his injuries once.
"Be quiet, you filth!" Alecto screamed. "Students who break the rules must be punished. Best for you would be if you just accepted your punishment."
Luca did however not visibly react on the sadistic woman in front of him. Instead he looked with wide eyes at his hands, then at the floor and back at his hands. He had not felt a thing and truth be told, it was slightly scaring him. He was too astounded to even note her words.
She took hold of him again and dragged him to his feet. They were standing in the empty space between the four student tables and the staff table. Everyone had a clear view of what was going on. The students were watching in the same horrified silence as most of the teachers were.
"At least tell me what I did wrong!" Luca said, trying not to beg but still desperate for an answer. Mahad knew that the anger inside him was not good, he did his very best to control it but it wasn't easy when he suspected this boy had simply been picked out to be set as an example without having done anything wrong whatsoever.
"How dare you speak to her?" Amycus hissed, avoiding the question and raising his wand threateningly. His wand still aimed at Luca he looked at the students. "The days of fun and games are over. Those who break the rules will be punished the way we see fit. I think a couple of minutes of torture will teach him some manners. Let this be a warning."
Mahad understood what that meant, so did everyone else, including Luca. "No!" the boy called out and looked at the teachers table. "Professor McGonagall, you can't let them get away with that!"
The Egyptian was not quite sure why he chose to turn to Professor McGonagall of all teachers. Snape was far more influential, although indifferent. It had highly likely something to do with the livid expression on her face. She opened her mouth to aid the boy but Mahad was faster.
'Be silent' he ordered in her mind. The high spiritual awareness a magician had allowed him not only a larger knowledge of what was going on in the world emotionally, but also access to other people's minds. McGonagall looked startled but quickly reassembled her composure and closed her mouth. 'I'll take care of this' Mahad added, 'just make sure that Caruso does not say anything more.'
Naturally, being in her mind Mahad could also see and hear her thoughts. The most prominent at the moment was; who are you? That was a completely natural question which Mahad understood, he also understood the suspicious undertone of that thought.
'I think you know' Mahad let her know without looking at her once, he was still looking at the scene made out of the two adults and the boy.
An image of his face flashed by in McGonagall's mind. She was however clever enough not to look at him, instead she kept looking at the terrified and begging face of Luca. Mahad had to hand it to her, the elder witch was a good alley. "I'm sorry mr Caruso, there is nothing I can do. I think you would do wisely in simply trying to endure."
'Listen to me Luca' Mahad said, intruding the boy's mind after having withdrawn from McGonagall's. His timing in combination with McGonagall's words made that the surprise, shock and horror on Luca's face did not arise any suspicion. 'Don't let anyone know that you hear me.'
Luca's reaction was pretty much the same as that of McGonagall. A large and loud: 'what the hell is this?' went through his head. He was not the least comforted by the fact that he was hearing voices now too.
'I'm helping you. I'll make sure you will feel no pain from what is about to happen to you. You have to make sure that no one suspects that the curse is ineffective. Scream, writhe, beg, make it convincing' Mahad instructed, praying the boy was able to pull it off.
The boy's mind was in complete and understandable chaos. He did however manage not to show that something weird was going on, he kept his face in check, as well as he could that was. It was obvious that Luca did not possess McGonagall's cool composure, then again, not many people did. He turned away from the teacher that to the horror of nearly every student present had failed to protect or at the very least defend one of her students.
Amycus raised his wand and spoke slowly and clearly, with a cruel smile on his face: "Crucio." Luca screamed, not from pain but from surprise and fear. He was about to stop when he noticed that he indeed did not feel anything.
'Don't stop! Keep screaming. Act! Your life depends on it!' Mahad bit at him impatiently. Multitasking was something he did not usually do and it was far harder than he had expected. He had to keep contact with the boy while at the same time hold up a barrier to keep the curse from working and look indifferent. Luckily Luca was a good listener and he allowed himself to fall back on the floor, writhing and screaming, just like Mahad had suggested.
Mahad himself didn't find him convincing enough, but since the rest of the school simply could never even consider that the curse was ineffective it was sufficient to fool the rest. At least Mahad hoped so. Every thirty seconds or so Amycus removed his wand to allow Luca to catch his breath, probably afraid the boy would pass out. Since the boy couldn't see that it was Mahad who had to inform him to stop.
For seven complete minutes the boy was submitted to torture before the Carrow's grew tired of it. Luca crawled to his feet, panting heavily, it could be that he was acting but Mahad guessed that it was more out of relief than anything else.
"Next time", Amycus said, addressing the school again, "any of you receives detention it will be you who practices this on those who deserve it. It's the perfect chance for you to learn the Dark Art's properly."
Horrified whispers went through the room. Practicing the Cruciatus Curse and who knew what else on each other did not seem like something that could ever take place. Had it only been months since Hogwarts had been a safe haven? The students didn't believe it themselves anymore.
Mahad swore silently and left the Great Hall. The demonstration was over, there was no need for him to stay. Rebecca appeared next to him, having witnessed the entire thing. "This is bad", she said.
Mahad nodded. "Yes. I can't protect everyone at the same time. My interference alone is not enough to help all the students. A few, certainly, but far from all."
"You protected Luca", Rebecca stated, not requiring an answer. "Ryou still wants to help. He's slowly going insane in there and I frankly can't blame him."
"It's too dangerous for him", Mahad stated at once. "But if I really can't do enough than we would be stupid to deny help when it is offered."
"Sound like I finally can tell him something he'll like hearing", Rebecca said and stretched her nonexistent limbs. "He'll be ready for anything."
The place was crawling with Dementors. Just his luck. He was very, very deep underground in a dark and damp hallway made out of black stone. The soft noise of water gently hitting rock could be heard in combination with the creaking of a wooden boat. He was standing behind a corner, having left Jugson in the care of a creature that might or might not let him live, the opening in the stone leading directly to a sort of dock. That dock was made out of stone too, a little lighter in color. It was little else than a large platform floating on the water, attached with chains to the three surrounding walls to keep it from floating away when the water withdrew. Yugi did not see the logic in floating stone, though he supposed it was magic.
On the dock six people were standing, he recognized most of them as his former students and he recalled Ant from the funeral, the only one he did not recognize was a tall but young girl who looked exceptionally kind. With the six on the dock were over a dozen Dementors. Yugi was trembling from the effort of fighting the Dementors effect and quite frankly he was surprised the none of the six had fainted yet. Just as surprising was that the Dementors hadn't noticed him yet. If he recalled they were drawn by misery more than any creature on earth, he should stand out as a beacon to them.
Grateful for the lack of attention he and his partner received he contemplated with Atem on what to do from there. They were both quite happy to learn that they used boats to ship people to Azkaban, had they Apparated or used a Portkey it would have been harder. A look at the boat however showed that it was little else than a rowing boat for a maximum of eight people. There was no way he could sneak aboard without being noticed.
/There are no oars/ Atem stated. /Like the boats of Hogwarts I think this boat finds the way towards Azkaban on its own/
/Then we have to get onto one of these boats/ Yugi said, /is letting us be arrested sufficient enough?/
Yugi felt Atem's disapproval. /I doubt they'll simply take someone to Azkaban, I think they'll kill us/
/Kiss us, you mean/ Yugi said with a grimace, remembering the way Dementors sucked out the souls of their victims. The hooded figures were truly disgusting. /I … I can't let these six be sent to Azkaban. I know that there are a lot of people there already … but I can save these, can't I?/ Yugi asked, in sudden conflict with himself.
/Yes, I think we can. We find a way to deal with the Dementors, then we send those six away to a safe place and let the boat take us to Azkaban/ Atem said, making it sound far easier than it was.
/How?/ Yugi asked.
/With help, of course/ Atem said grimly and was soon accompanied by Dunames Dark Witch. When Yugi saw the monster he released control to Atem, preferring not to have to meddle with the monsters. "Locate the wands of those six. Take them back here to me, preferably nobody should notice they are gone."
The fairy nodded and flew away. The Shadow creatures could accomplish anything as long as it was within reasonable boundaries, and that was between reasonable boundaries. Atem chanced a look around the corner and saw that the Dementors were forcing the six into the boat.
/I've never heard of Dunames before/ Yugi said surprised, as far as he was concerned Pegasus had turned every Shadow Creature into a card.
/You couldn't have/ Atem said, distracted. /Dunames was one of the largest mistakes in the history of the shadows/
/What do you mean?/ Yugi asked, not understanding.
/Dunames is a creature of light, despite her misleading name. There are only few creatures of light that have been captured by the Shadows, simply because the kind and innocent nature they give their Ba keeps them away from trouble. No person with a Ka of light would ever be punished by Shadow Magic/ Atem explained.
/But Dunames was/ Yugi said, urging Atem on.
/Yes, I was too young to remember why, but creatures of light are extremely weak in the Shadows. They can't stand it. No creature enjoys the Shadows, they all suffer from the darkness, but they can survive it. Creatures of light are the only exception, they wither away and finally disappear and the Ba feels that quite clearly. It's horrible/ Atem said and spotted Dunames with six wands in her hand.
/But Dunames is still around/ Yugi said, /she's a light monster. So is the Blue Eyes White Dragon/
/Blue Eyes White Dragon, Kisara's Ka, was the exception to all rules. The Dragon is also simply too powerful to simply vaporize. This dragon could stand up to Zorc, even if it was for just a little while. The reason Dunames is still around is very different/
Dunames stopped in front of Atem and handed him the wands without speaking a word. Atem thanked her properly before with a pang of guilt sending her back to her stone prison. Every last person had now sat down in the boat, together with two Dementors.
/I'll tell you more later, now we've got to catch our ride/ Atem said and quickly put the wands in the pouch around his neck.
/What about those hooded freaks?/ Yugi asked, who was standing in the middle of the passageway, having no need to worry about being seen in his current form.
/There isn't a creature in this world that does not fear me. Actually I suspect that the very same thing counts for the Dementors/ Atem said, knowing full well it was a dangerous gamble. When Yugi pointed that out the ancient spirit replied: /Yes, I know. But what other choice do we have?/
Yugi could only agree. He withdrew to the furthest corner of his soul on Atem's suggestion. The Pharaoh hoped that it would spare his lighter from the horrible effect Dementors had on people. It was no assurance, but it was something.
Then, without further ado, Atem pulled the hood down and walked onto the dock without trying to hide himself, but not calling attention to him either.
When a Dementor on the dock pushed the boat away the boat turned automatically to find its course. "Leaving so soon?" Atem asked.
The thing that happened was not what he had expected. The Demetors actually screamed and fled, the mere sight of him had them cowering in fear. He hadn't even known Dementors could feel fear. Most of them pushed themselves against the walls, but some actually flew off in fear, too afraid to stay. Atem would actually have preferred them staying as it would not alarm anyone of his presence.
The two Dementors in the boat did the same thing and left the wooden vessel to cower against the far end of the wall themselves. Atem was flabbergasted, but he did not show it. The six humans in it stared in utter and complete amazement.
"Professor Muto!" Leanne called out, her voice a mixture of relief and confusion.
"No", Atem said as he reached the boat about to set off from the docks now that it had found its course. He went down on his knees and was just able to reach out and grab it, he was able to pull it back a lot easier than he had expected. The rear end of the boat touched the dock with a soft thud. "My name is Atem."
One of the students inhaled sharply at the words, interpreting them accurately. "You are the Spirit!" he said horrified. His fear was painfully obvious. Two others quickly shared the same terrified expressions but the boy Atem recognized as Ant, Leanne and the tall Hufflepuff girl did not react like that.
"Yes, I am. Now step ashore", he ordered them, not unfriendly. "We promised Cole we would take care of you, so Azkaban won't be your next stop."
Ant was the first one to obey, with a little trouble he jumped on the stone dock. Leanne and the Hufflepuff girl Cole had called Heather followed his example. The other three were more hesitant, but to afraid to disobey and quite frankly not eager on staying on a boat taking them to Azkaban. The fear of the Dementors did however not make the six students feel at ease.
"Cole?" Ant asked surprised.
"Yes. I received a message on a coin which troubled me, so I decided to come here and see what is going on", he said, coming to his feet after having tied the boat. "I have a few gifts for you", he added and opened his pouch. From there he conjured the six wands and gave it to them. The six looked if possible even more surprised at having their wands back than at him being there in the first place.
"Where is Cole?" Ant asked.
"Safe", was all Atem was willing to say, in fact he didn't know anything more than that. Xun had not informed him on where she was taking Cole. With a little luck she was wise enough to make him leave the country. He understood that people were willing to fight to protect what they held dear, yet he secretly hoped they didn't.
Then the Eye of Horus started to glow on Atem's forehead and the Dementors started screaming again, covering their hooded faces with their hands. The six students took frightened steps away from him. On his command Beaver Warrior and Panther Warrior appeared next to the six of them. "Get them out of here to a safe places. Their lives are your responsibility. Don't let me down."
Beaver Warrior saluted him before walking over to the group. Ant stared at the two monsters with his mouth wide-open. "Those are Duel Monsters", he said disbelieving. "Jonouchi's monsters."
"Shadow Creatures", Atem corrected him with a wry smile. "Dark, tortured and dangerous. They only answer to me. Duel Monsters is a game inspired from an ancient battle, my battle."
"Your battle?" Heather repeated with a frown.
"Never mind", Atem sighed. "What matters is that they will protect you. Now get out, quickly. The Dementors that left will go get people that do not fear me in the same sense and I have a boat to catch."
"You're going to Azkaban?" Ant asked incredulous.
"Yes, that was our plan", Atem said. "Now go!"
The six hesitated a little more but at the flare of his crimson eyes they obeyed quickly. Those of them able to Apparate took hold of those who couldn't and then they were gone. Atem quickly jumped into the boat, making sure all the Dementors still were at a safe distance and then let it go. The boat headed towards Azkaban at once.
Atem sat down and sighed. /Well, Aibou, looks like prison will be our next stop/
Yugi appeared in astral form on the seat in front of Atem, facing the Pharaoh. Oddly enough he was smiling. /I'm nervous/
/You should be scared/ Atem stated dryly. The boat was gaining speed but it was hard to tell exactly how fast they were going.
/I know, but I'm not/ Yugi was silent a little while, looking back just as the left the cave behind them. The Dementors had started moving again, clearly glad they were gone. /Sometimes I forget who you are/
/What do you mean?/ Atem asked confused.
/Those Dementors were dead scared of you. I forget what you are and what you can do. You are dangerous, if you want, but I can't see that. The fear of those Dementors, I thought that they were being silly at first, but recalling how I felt about you in the very beginning I can understand their fear perfectly. I am probably the one who underestimates you most/
/That's not weird. You have seen me face opponents with the same power as I had, often more experienced with it than I was. They were equals, superior, you've seen me struggle. You'll never see me struggle against anyone else than those who possess Shadows themselves/ Atem explained, hoping Yugi would understand.
/So, you, Marik and Bakura simply were so strong that you took each other out, that's why I never noticed you were so strong/ Yugi said, to make himself understand.
/Yes, it's not called saving the world for nothing, Yugi/ Atem said, joking halfheartedly.
/What about Dunames?/ Yugi asked, not having forgotten the fairy.
/People tend to say that evil isn't born, but that it is created/ Atem started, earning a nod from Yugi. /People are right. The person who held Dunames as Ka was sweet but shy and uncertain. Captured, sold as slave … things like that happened more often than they should. Her master was cruel, to say the least. I'll spare you the details, but sweet, shy and timid evolved. Not to evil, but to something a lot darker. She grew stronger, learned to survive in terrible circumstances, but that made her Ka evolve too. Eventually she escaped/
Yugi listened fascinated, but with a frown. The true stories of the Duel Monsters he liked so much were something he thought he should know. He owed them that much.
/A Ka doesn't change its foundation. A light being will always remain light and so it goes for all monsters, even though they can adapt to other elements. When Dunames was captured she suffered more from the darkness than any other captured creature, but since Dunames had evolved with her human to withstand and survive oppressing darkness Dunames Dark Witch endured, and endures still/
The two fell into an uncomfortable silence when Atem had finished, something that rarely happened to them. Then suddenly as the boat seemingly vulnerable skipped over the waves of the ocean Yugi said: /They'll be set free. All these creatures will be released, we'll make sure of that!/ His voice was filled with conviction and resolution.
Atem smiled. /Thank you, Aibou/
Then Yugi spotted something in the water. At first he thought it was an illusion, but looking at it more closely the image did not disappear. In fact he became more and more certain that it was actually floating there.
/Atem, do you know where we are?/ Yugi asked his darker, his gaze still transfixed on the image in the water.
/It's a magical boat, Yugi, we could be anywhere/ he said with a frown, /How so?/
Yugi pointed at the thing in the water. /Pick it up! I think it is …/
/That can't be/ Atem breathed, not sure if he wanted to laugh, cry or should feel fearful. After two more seconds of staring at the thing in the water he decided that the only feelings he could feel at the moment were negative.
With a feeling of horror he conjured Exodia, the Forbidden One from the sea. One would have expected for it to be torn, fragile and vale, but it wasn't, it was in perfect condition, only a bit wet. /It was lost several years ago/ Atem said while shaking his head. /It should have been nonexistent by now/
/Perhaps it is not the same/ Yugi suggested, even though they both knew it was.
Atem shrugged, then he looked Yugi in the eyes. /Yugi, I don't like this/
/Me neither/ said the Japanese, /but as long as the remaining pieces don't show up like that too I won't worry too much./
Without saying another word about the matter Atem put the card in the pouch around his neck. /I actually hope they don't/ the ancient king said and once again a silence fell.
Nothing else was said until they in the distance saw a large triangular tower. It looked dark and unfriendly, the waves pounded against it's walls mercilessly. The weather was bad, really bad and for a moment Yugi was afraid they'd be thrown against the rocks, but the boat was unaffected and steadily continued its course towards the island.
Then the boat dived. Yugi held back a scream which would not have been heard by anyone but him and Atem as he had no actual body momentarily. Atem didn't say anything, he just went very pale and took a deep breath before they were swallowed by the water.
They spend a complete amount of five seconds under the surface of the ocean before they arose again and the boat slowly progressed the final few meters of the journey underground, under Azkaban. Atem was not quite sure what he had expected, but it was not what he saw. In fact the underground cave looked much the same as that in the Ministry of Magic, perhaps a bit colder, but that was all. It was also empty.
/Is it just me or did we just cross the river Styx?/ Yugi asked, looking around.
Atem understood what his lighter meant. Their journey in the boat had indeed felt like traveling with death's ferryman, even though they had scared the Dementors away. The few seconds under the surface had only increased that feeling. /At the very least we've entered a completely different world/
He jumped out of the boat onto the dock and looked around. There were five dark openings in the wall of the cave and not one of them showed a source of light, there was nothing to indicate where any of them led to.
/I had expected a lot of Dementors, why is this place empty?/ Yugi asked through the mind link.
As if someone had heard Yugi's words a light illuminated one of the hallways. It came closer and closer, suggesting it was a lantern or, something more common among wizards, lit wands. Atem wasted no time and hid in one of the dark hallways.
" … and being late. It's as if they think we've got nothing better to do on this rock", a voice muttered sourly. "Sending children to this hellish place on no charge. Dementors can't even do their jobs anymore. Not that they will tell me why they are late …" His voice died away when the owner of the voice caught sight of the empty boat. Atem watched as the face of the man turned pale in the light of his lit wand. "In fifty years … fifty years …" he whispered and ran to a large black bell that was hanging from the ceiling. He moved the clapper violently, causing a deep sound resembling church bells. Immediately the sound of running people where heard and within a minute over ten people had gathered on the dock.
"My god!" an elderly woman called out upon seeing the empty boat. "This hasn't happened …"
"For over fifty years, I know!" the first man called out, his voice a mixture of fear and bitterness. "And we all know what happened then. From now on all of us must fear for our lives, be cautious!"
/Do you know what they are talking about, Aibou?/ Atem asked Yugi, but received a negative reply.
"Who was supposed to be on the boat?" a younger, muscular man asked the first.
"Just a group of six muggle-born Hogwarts students", he said, "they should have had no possibility to escape! Last time …"
"Janus, calm down!" a younger woman with an eye-patch said with a steady voice. "There is no telling if someone actually arrived with this boat. The chance that it is the same as fifty years ago is nearly nonexistent."
"I am calm!" he yelled, not at all speaking the truth.
The woman with the eye-patch crossed her arms. "If you don't stop to breathe right now I'm calling a doctor."
Janus' eyes went wide. "No! No doctors, I'm fine." Then he breathed a couple of times deeply. "Alright. Let's think this over. Is everyone here?"
The people gathered looked around and slowly they all began to nod. "That's all of us", a man said.
"Good. Has a message been received from the Ministry of Magic?" he asked. People shrugged. They had all come rushing down the moment they had heard the bell, no one had checked for a message. "Timothy and Gerrit go and see if a message has been send, if not you try to send one. The moment you receive one you two come to find me. Stay together and on your guard at all times. Last time more than half of us died."
Gerrit and Timothy exchanged worried glances, then their gaze hardened and they nodded. Together they ran off.
/They are not at all what I had expected/ Yugi told Atem confused. He had expected people like in the Ministry of Magic who abused and laughed at their prisoners, not this semi-organized bunch of people of all genders and age.
/I agree/ was all Atem said, focusing on the scene before him while making sure he was hidden.
"What about the rest of us?" the woman with the eye-patch asked.
"You and Chris must go to check the prisoners. Make sure they are all alive and ask them if they have seen something." Then Janus turned on the elderly woman, a man next to her with long, very long, black hair and a boy that could not even have reached twenty yet. "You three keep the Dementors away from this forsaken place as long as you can, I'll deal with the Ministry when they complain. Until this is resolved we all must be able to think clearly. Remember that right now this spot here is headquarters, everything you learn will be reported to this place, to me."
Everyone ran of to do what they were appointed, Atem was pleased to note that although they all took different passageways no one passed him. So if this hallway did not lead to outside, where the elderly woman and her two companions must have gone using the far left hallway, nor to the prisoners or the place used to send messages, where did the passage lead?
/We stay here and wait/ Atem said, despite his curiosity, /I too want to know what the Ministry has to say/
The decision turned out to be a good one. Half an hour later Gerrit and Timothy returned with news. "The Dementors", Gerrit started, breathing heavily from running, "they were supposed to put the six students in the boat accompanied by two of the Dementors. They don't know what happened but suddenly a couple of Dementors entered the Atrium screaming. They screamed in fear. It took a while but eventually they figured out that something had happened at the dock and when they came there all Dementors were cowering against the walls. The children had simply vanished, so had the boat. Whatever happened there, it can't have been pretty."
All color drained from Janus' face. He stood up and rung the bell again. Within a matter of seconds they were all gathered again. Gerrit redid his story and everyone listened with horrified expressions. "Vanished children, scared Dementors and an empty boat. Something here is really wrong", the elder woman said.
"Vanessa, were you able to put the Dementors on a distance?" Janus asked her, not reacting on her words.
"Yes, we put up a lasting shield. They should not be able to bother either us or the prisoners for two days", Vanessa said. Then she flashed a smile. "Of course that means some will escape, but I'm sure the Ministry will understand considering the circumstances."
Atem and Yugi exchanged a look of surprise. /A lasting shield, I didn't even know that was possible. Do you think they oppose Voldemort?/ Yugi asked his darker who was just as confused as Yugi.
/That would really change things/ Atem said. /Though we should not assume anything too fast/
"I'm very glad the Ministry doesn't give a fuck about what we all say and think here because they would throw us at the Dementors", Janus sighed. "Just don't have me catch you helping someone escape, because upon that I must act."
"These children haven't done anything wrong", Vanessa said and crossed her arms. "Being muggle-born shouldn't make a person end up here. I don't mind locking people like Bellatrix Lestrange up, but seeing Dementors chain ten-year-olds in cold stone cells is simply repulsing."
"You are free to speak your mind here", Janus said, closing his eyes, "and I absolutely agree with you. But at the moment there isn't much we can do about it. We are under surveillance just as much as the prisoners. Be careful."
"It's not me who is planning on freeing them", Vanessa said sourly. "I just give them extra food."
"No one will", the woman with the eye-patch said.
"Yes, someone will, that's why Vanessa had been so outspoken", the man with the long black hair said. "She wants to make sure that whoever broke in here knows where we stand. Not one of us supports what is happening and she want them to know that. She hopes the person is here to free the children and she wants them to know that we will not prevent it, but that we can't help either."
Everyone stared at the man with the black hair. "Arrow, what are you talking about?" the woman with the eye-patch asked.
"You know that damn well. Fifty years ago that person returned for vengeance, Vanessa hopes that this person just wants to save the people here. Whatever the case, he got your message."
"How can you know?" Vanessa asked.
"Because he is standing right there", Arrow said and pointed at the exact spot where Atem was standing, hidden by shadows. "And now that he knows where we stand, he'd better let us know where he stands."
/You or me?/ Atem asked Yugi.
/I can do this, I have done things like this before, remember/ Yugi said and took control over his body. Atem did indeed recall and although they were far from warm memories he knew that Yugi could do this just as well, if not better, than he could.
Yugi walked out from the shadows until he stood in front of all the ten pairs of eyes that had followed Arrow's hand. "My name is Yugi Muto", he said, casually carrying he blue jacket over his shoulder while holding his black cape in the other hand. "And I'm here to save the students of Hogwarts."
Do review please, it's been a while I've actually been really active on fanfiction, my focus on this story is less than it has been since the beginning. Don't get alarmed, it still is one of the most important things in my life, but other things have been pushing it down the list.
I'm sorry, I'll focus.
Review!
