So many reviews! It's phenomenal! Do you know how many times I got called cruel or evil for leaving it off like that last time? It was a lot. And it was great! I was sooo close to making all of you wait another week, but I decided to be nice and update early.

Enjoy!

(Mages)

Yugi, Ryou, and Seto were lounging in their quarters when they felt a Yami no Game beginning. They turned to each other wide eyed.

"Is that…?" Seto trailed off, looking at Yugi.

"Yami finally Gaming Potter?" Yugi finished for him, "Yes."

"So Potter really tried to confront him," Ryou stated softly, "I hoped that the boy would either be too scared or have enough common sense to avoid that."

"He was," Seto growled, "Potter probably read more of Wheeler's journal."

"There's no doubt of that," Ryou scoffed.

Seto rolled his eyes, "I meant he read enough that he probably felt as though he knew Wheeler and could defend his memory now. Terrible judgement on his part."

"No," Yugi said quietly, "There is one entry where Joey calls me by name. I've only just remembered. It was when he was about to announce his retirement from the Dueling Circuit. Potter must have read that entry, and with a name to definitively tie the links together, he would do exactly what Yami suspected he would do when we first learned Potter had the journal."

"You think he confronted Yami and called him a traitor?" Ryou asked

"I wouldn't be surprised," Seto commented, "Too bad for him he's going against the Pharaoh. But why wasn't your name removed?" he questioned, "We removed our names from everything."

"I left it there," Yugi admitted, "I thought we had it hidden away safely so no one could find it."

"Don't tell Yami," Ryou cautioned, "He'll have a fit."

"I won't," Yugi chuckled humorlessly before he sighed and stood up, "I should go tell his godfather. No doubt the news of this Game will be big amongst the wizards and gossip tends to spread quickly. The last thing we need if for Black to put everybody in danger because he decided to come Hogwarts."

"I'll let Yami know if he finishes the Game before you get back," Seto nodded at the Prince.

Yugi vanished into the Shadows and let them carry him all the way to the kitchen at Grimmauld Place where he reappeared. Moody was the only one in the room. He gave no indication that somebody had just appeared nearby, he just sat there staring blankly at the table.

Deciding to wait patiently for Black to discover him, Yugi sat across from Moody, studying him carefully. The Mages were well aware of the state the man, though none had bothered to check in on him. Even so, the Prince was not surprised when he didn't look up.

After a few minutes with no indication that Moody recognized that somebody was sitting across from him, Yugi broke the silence, "Alastor Moody," he commanded, "Look at me." Slowly the man's head came up and finally saw the Mage that sat in front of him. "Do you know who I am?"

Moody nodded slowly, "You are Prince Yugi," he rasped out.

"I am," Yugi confirmed with a nod, "Do you know where you are?"

"They tell me I'm in Gri...Grim…" he struggled with the word.

"Grimmauld Place?" Yugi provided. Moody nodded, "You took a long time accepting your penalty," Yugi stated.

"I'm...sorry…" Moody croaked out.

Yugi studied the man for a moment. He knew the apology was not about the penalty game, but his actions that led to it. The Shadows echoed his sincerity. "I accept your apology," Yugi finally said, "I speak on behalf of the Pharaoh and the Shadow Court when I say this. But what the Shadows have destroyed, not even I can recover. Use this opportunity to rebuild your life."

Voices approaching the kitchen cut off any further conversation they might have had. Lupin entered the kitchen first and stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the Prince. Sirius, who was following too closely to Lupin, crashed into him. "What's wro -" he started to ask the werewolf before his eyes landed on the Mage who was sitting casually across from Moody as if they'd been having a conversation.

Sirius cleared his throat nervously, "Is everything alright?"

"That depends on what you are referring to," Yugi said cryptically, but he understood the concern. The last time a messenger from the Mages arrived announced was when Arthur Weasley was attacked. Now a Mage in person had shown up, it was only natural for the two men in front of him to assume the worst.

"There have been no more attacks on the school have there?" Lupin asked, eyes wide with worry.

"No," Yugi replied, "I am here to tell you that presently Potter is in the middle of a Yami no Game with the Pharaoh and will very likely lose his soul as a result of it."

The two wizards' eyes grew wide and all of the color drained from Sirius' face. Yugi quickly pulled a chair over with the Shadows just at the man's knees gave out. "Sirius!" Lupin cried in concern, turning to check his best friend over.

Sirius waved him off. "Why?" he croaked.

Yugi felt a little sympathy for the boy's godfather, but held zero for the boy himself. "Despite our many warnings Potter decided to pry deep into our pasts and managed to find things we thought were lost forever. This in itself was not the crime, but Potter's reaction when he discovered a positive link to us was. His crime came when he threw false accusations around and went so far as to accuse the Pharaoh of being no better than Voldemort."

"He's just a child!" Lupin argued, "Teenagers do not think rationally!"

"I am aware of how teenagers think," Yugi said coldly, "The fact remains that he broke our rules. And I will make it clear that Potter found this information some time ago. The actions he made were planned, not the effects of hot-headedness; not that that would make a difference."

"So why are you telling us?" Sirius managed to ask, "Did all of the parents and guardians of all of the others get this visit?"

"I am telling you because you are a wanted criminal. The news that Harry Potter has been Gamed by one of us will travel quickly and most likely end up in your papers, considering how much they like gossip. The last thing we need is for you to hear the news through hearsay and rush to Hogwarts. That will not only put you in danger, but Potter, Dumbledore, and many students who might get caught in any fighting that takes place."

"I assume Harry will be alright though?" Lupin asked concerned, "He won't end up like…" he trailed off, gesturing to Moody who was staring at the table again,.

"I do not know," Yugi replied, "The Pharaoh is the one who decides Potter's penalty, but I don't believe he would reduce Potter to a near empty shell. There were...circumstances...that led to the Pharaoh's decision that evening."

Sirius let out a shaky breath, "At least there's that. Is there anything else we should know?"

Yugi stood, straightening his jacket, "No. Just remember what I said and do not, for any reason, attempt to come to Hogwarts."

(Harry)

Harry knew he made a mistake the moment the words left his mouth and now he was playing a Yami no Game against the Pharaoh. A very pissed Pharaoh. Part of him was curious to see what these were like, but a much bigger part wanted nothing more than to get out of here.

Suddenly Harry felt like he couldn't breathe. He clutched his chest and doubled over trying to get enough air. "The Shadows are not so merciful when you are playing a Yami no Game, are they?" the Pharaoh asked mockingly.

Harry looked over at him to see him just watching impassively. His face must have shown confusion because the Pharaoh elaborated, "Don't you remember your first trip through the Shadows when you witnessed the attack on Arthur Weasley? I believe it was Ryou who said it: that even protected the Shadows take their toll." A very faint memory of that conversation wormed its way to the front of Harry's mind. "As I recall," the Pharaoh continued as he turned and started walking away, "You were all shaky when we arrived at Grimmauld Place."

"Why...why aren't you affected?" Harry panted, trying to straighten up.

The Pharaoh raised his eyebrows, "I am accustom to the Shadows as they are accustom to me. I have lived in the Shadows longer than Hogwarts has stood."

"Then...it seems...you have an unfair advantage."

The Pharaoh considered him for a moment. "Perhaps you are right," he said, nearly sending Harry into a heart attack. Did the Pharaoh just say he was right? The Pharaoh snapped his fingers and a golden light surrounded Harry and he could breathe better. "For the duration of your Game, the Shadows will not affect you as they did. Considering your record of behavior, you are going to need everything you can get if you are to stand a chance in this Game."

"What are we doing?" Harry asked boldly.

Two boxes appeared in the Shadows, one in front of Harry and the other in front of the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh reached out to takes his, so Harry did the same, staring at it curiously. "Inside my box, I hold your greatest secret and inside yours you hold mine. You must hold it for the entire time. The goal is to not look inside for thirty minutes. We will stand facing away from each other for the duration of that time. If neither of us look, then the Game is over and you may return to your life as it was. However, if you look, then you lose the Game and your soul will be forfeit to the Shadows."

"What if you look?" Harry challenged. The task seemed so easy, but Harry could already feel temptation pulling at him to open the box.

The Pharaoh smirked, "I won't. But if that were to happen, the same fate would befall me. The Shadows do not tolerate cheating. Even from me."

A giant digital timer appeared in the Shadows, set to count down from thirty minutes. The Pharaoh turned his back to Harry, so Harry followed suit and was met by endless darkness. It was so unnerving that he turned around for a second to make sure the Pharaoh was still there.

"Game start!"

The timer began counting down, sending a rush of adrenaline through Harry. He couldn't lose this Game! He was not going to end up like Moody or Malfoy!

The first ten minutes of the Game were fairly easy. Harry did everything he could to ignore the box in his hands, but it seemed to be growing heavier and harder to ignore. He tried to distract himself by reciting all of the Transfiguration spells he could remember. It worked for a short time, but his mind kept wandering back to the box in his hand. The Pharaoh's greatest secret. What could it be?

Maybe just a peek? No! He couldn't look! He had to win this Game!

But it was an interesting thought. How would the secret look? Would it be written out on a piece of paper? Would it be like a pensive where he could watch it? Would a magic genie pop out and tell him? No, that was ridiculous.

Another five minutes passed and Harry's thoughts were leading him down another path. Surely the Shadows could not be sentient! How would something like that be able to know if he took a quick peek? How many times had the Pharaoh been referred to as the 'Pharaoh of the Shadows'? The Mages were certainly able to control them to their will. If the Shadows were alive, why would they let themselves be used like that?

Harry risked a glance over his shoulder. The Pharaoh was still standing there. Though Harry could only see his back, he gave off an air of boredom. Wasn't he wondering what Harry's deepest secret was? Surely the Pharaoh was as curious about Harry's secret as Harry was about the Pharaoh's. But if his posture was to be believed, the Pharaoh couldn't care less about what was in his box.

'You were craftier than you'd like to admit.' The words from Joey's journal popped into his head. But why? Joey had been talking to Yugi, not the Pharaoh. Granted the two of them look remarkably similar, but they were definitely two different people. 'Especially with the Spirit with you.' That was something Harry had overlooked at the time, but now he puzzled over it. What spirit? Was the Prince friends with some sort of ghost or something?

Maybe the Pharaoh was the spirit! That would explain why the two of them seemed so close and why the Pharaoh was so angry with Harry. But Harry also knew that for someone, or something, to gain a new body, serious Dark Magic was involved. He witnessed it only last summer! Perhaps this was the Pharaoh's greatest secret? If he could prove the Mages were not who they claimed they were, then by their own rules they would be doomed.

Throwing all caution to the wind, Harry lifted the flap on his box just the tiniest amount and tried to peer inside. No sooner had he done so than the box vanished and the shortness of breath he'd experienced before the Game started returned.

"I knew you would not be able to control yourself," the Pharaoh's voice boomed ominously from behind him.

Harry turned to stare at him with wide, terrified eyes. Would losing his soul hurt? What kind of penalty would the Pharaoh give him? Would he be asked to do something impossible? What would happen when Sirius found out? Harry prayed that his godfather would retain enough sense and stay away from Hogwarts, especially while Umbridge was around.

"How...how did you know what I did?" Harry asked, trying to get enough air, "Your back...was turned."

"I told you the Shadows do not tolerate cheating," the Pharaoh said solemnly, "It was a mistake on your part to think they do not have a will of their own. Do not be disheartened, you are not the first, and you will certainly not be the last to have such thoughts."

"Is that supposed to cheer me up?" Harry bit out bitterly.

"Defiant as ever," the Pharaoh muttered.

"Oh get on with it…" Harry ended with a gasp as a sharp pain shot through him.

"I don't know what kind of twisted thinking goes on in your mind that makes you think you're entitled to knowing everything about anybody who you decided you don't like, but that ends now," the Pharaoh stood tall, the eye on the front of the necklace he wore shone brightly. Harry didn't know if he was imagining it or not, but it looked like the same eye was shining of the king's forehead. "Everybody has something in their past they regret and everybody deserves their privacy. Your soul will remain in the Shadows until you can learn and understand that you cannot stick your nose into whatever you please."

Harry scrunched his eyes together at the light grew blinding before everything went dark.

"Ron, have you seen Harry?" Hermione asked the moment Ron came back from his counseling session.

"No. You mean he never came back?" Ron asked confused, "Do you think he went to the library or something?"

Hermione just gave him a look that communicated exactly how stupid that sounded. There was no way Harry would willing go to the library and stay there. Usually Hermione had to drag the both of them there just so they could do their homework properly.

"Well then where could he be?" Ron went on.

"I don't know, Ronald," Hermione growled, "Why do you think I was asking you?!"

"Sorry," Ron surrendered meekly, "He'll be back before curfew. He probably just wanted some time to himself after the session. Umbridge and Bakura were there."

Hermione back off, "I hope so," she sighed. She went back to her homework while Ron pulled out some of his own.

The continued working as the hour got later. The later it got though, the more anxious they became about Harry's whereabouts, glancing up at the portrait door every few minutes or so as if hoping that that very action would cause him to walk through. Eventually, they were the only ones left downstairs and Harry still hadn't returned. They'd given up on trying to work at this point and settled for sitting in silence. Hermione had her knitting needles out and was knitting the most horrendous sweater ever while Ron was being hypnotized by the embers in the fireplace.

The both jumped up at the portrait door opening, but were dismayed to find it was Professor McGonagall. "Oh good, you're up," she said when she saw them. Ron and Hermione exchanged confused looks. Why was that a good thing? "I'm afraid I have some bad news for the two of you."

"Is it about Harry?" Ron asked hurriedly, "Has something happened? Was it Umbridge?"

McGonagall gave him a stern look over the top of her glasses that softened to sympathy. "I'm afraid it does have to do with Mr. Potter," she said softly, "You may want to have a seat."

Ron and Hermione looked at each other, fear written all over their faces as they cautiously sat back down. "Professor," Hermione asked somewhat timidly. She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know the answer to the question she was about to ask, "What's happened to Harry?"

McGonagall took a deep breath, "I'm afraid that after his career counseling session, that Mr. Potter had a run in with one of the Mages."

Both teens gasped at that, Hermione was near close to tears at those words. "Is he…" Ron choked out, fearing the worst.

McGonagall nodded, "I'm afraid so." Hermione's hand flew to her mouth and Ron reached over to grab her other hand in comfort. "I am sorry I have to be the one to tell you this. With any luck Potter will be quick in accepting his penalty and will wake soon."

"Can we see him?" Hermione asked.

McGonagall studied her two students sadly, "I'm afraid Madam Pomphrey isn't allowing any visitors to victims of Yami no Games. You will just have to wait for him I'm afraid."

"Those ruddy Mages," Ron let out a low growl.

"I would advise you to not seek out the Mages," McGonagall said firmly, "Say or do the wrong thing and you might very well end up like Mr. Potter. Now it's late, and I know you don't want to, but do try to get some sleep tonight."

McGonagall left, leaving Ron and Hermione alone in the Common Room. The two sat together all night. Hermione cried into Ron's shoulder while he held her, letting his own silent tears run down his face.

When morning came, Neville was the first one down. "Hey, Ron!" he greeted cheerfully. Saturdays meant he didn't have to worry about Snape or Umbridge.

"Shh!" Ron shushed him, nodding to Hermione who had finally fallen asleep on his shoulder.

Neville cringed and lowered his voice, "Have you seen Harry? He never came into the dorm last night that I can tell. And did you spend the whole night down here with Hermione?"

"Harry ran into the Mages yesterday," Ron answered in a raspy voice, "McGonagall came in late last night to tell us."

Neville's face turned to one of horror, "You mean Harry lost his soul?"

Ron winced at that. It was a true statement, but for some reason hearing it like that made it so much worse. "Yeah," he said softly, looking away.

Whispers about the Mages took over the school during the weekend as the news of Potter's Game and outcome became widespread. With Potter's well known reputation for rule breaking, some students thought the Mages were playing favorites, but this new development knocked those theories on their heads.

Yami was currently sleeping, catching up on all of the rest he missed while he relentlessly tailed Potter. It was obvious to all of the Mages that he desperately needed it, so with Yugi's help, they managed to get him to bed and actually fall asleep. Ishizu promised that when Monday came, he could go back to his usual routine.

He had picked up the dropped journal when he left Potter in the care of the school matron and it was now in Yugi's possession. The Prince had made a quick trip to Egypt right after Yami fell asleep to hide it. This time, nobody would be able to find it by accident again.

"So with Potter locked in the Shadows for the time being, does this change the final battle scenario?" Bakura asked Yugi softly while the others were occupied elsewhere.

"I don't think so," Yugi replied, "Ishizu's visions are usually pretty accurate, so the vision she saw before must have taken into account this event. Otherwise I would have thought she'd have another vision."

Bakura eyed him, "How do I know she hasn't? You've hidden memories once before."

Yugi cringed at that. "I know," Yugi muttered, eyes downcast at the reminder, "But she really hasn't."

Ishizu came in just then, followed closely by Malik, "Yugi, wake up the Pharaoh," she said without preamble, "I've just had a vision he should know about."

Yugi's eyes went wide with shock at that statement. "You were saying?" Bakura said in a low voice with a hint of taunting.

Yugi glared at him for a second before closing his eyes and reaching out to Yami through the bond. 'Yami? Wake up.'

'Is it morning?' Yami's tired voice came over the bond.

'No,' Yugi answered, 'Ishizu's had a vision and needs you out here.'

Yugi felt Yami snap awake, 'I'm coming.'

The door to Yami's room opened slowly and the Pharaoh padded out softly. "What's happening?" he asked Ishizu, getting straight to the point.

"I'm sorry to wake you, Pharaoh," Ishizu apologized, "But I felt that what I saw was something you would want to know about straight away."

Yami waved her off, "Don't worry about it. Tell me your vision."

"It was of our final battle with Voldemort," Ishizu started. Unseen by the others, Yugi and Bakura exchanged startled glances. Did Ishizu see the same vision again? "Potter had gone to the Department of Mysteries after Voldemort had planted a vision in his mind of holding his godfather captive."

"So he will accept his penalty and wake soon then?" Malik asked.

"If Ishizu's vision show it, then yes," Yami answered, "What else was in the vision?" he turned back to the seer.

"It got muddy after that," Ishizu admitted, "But there was a lot of grief after the battle was over. Somebody died."

"One of us?" Yami asked worried, fear inexplicably gripping him. Nobody noticed how tense Yugi and Bakura got at that question.

Ishizu shook her head, "I highly doubt it," she said, making Yugi and Bakura sigh in relief, "I believe Dumbledore was also there, and maybe some other wizards. It could be any of them."

Yami nodded thoughtfully, "While it would be better to avoid any deaths at all, if there's no avoiding it, I would rather it be a wizard than any of us. When we go in for that battle we'll just have to be extra vigilant."

"Hey, Pharaoh," Seto came through the entrance, "Your Game with Potter has Umbridge rather frazzled."

"How do you mean?"

"Well on the one hand, she's really happy that he's out of the way right now. But on the other hand, she knows he's going to wake up and probably be a better person and be even more in her way to power. Also, she wanted to be the one to take care of Potter," Seto explained, "She looks like she can't decide whether to hug someone or curse them."

Yami raised an eyebrow, "Keep an eye on her. She may decide to try and pull something while Potter is facing his penalty."

Seto smirked, "Kisara's watching her right now. But actually, since you're awake, I want to talk with you about my Game that I have planned for her."

"Since when have you had problems coming up with Games, Fancy Pants?" Bakura mocked him.

Seto glared at him, "I'm not having trouble. The Game I've created requires an impartial judge."

Yami looked intrigued, "Sounds interesting. We can talk in my room," he gestured, "Ishizu, thank you for bringing your vision to me. We'll work something out."

Yugi, Bakura, Ishizu, and Malik stared as Yami and Seto disappeared behind a closed door. "He's always on the move isn't he?" Ishizu asked.

"Yep," Yugi answered with an amused grin.

"Hey guys!" Ryou entered with excitement, "Did you guys know this place has a pool?"

The randomness of that statement caused Yugi and Malik to burst out laughing while Bakura ruffled his hikari's hair affectionately. "Where'd you find that?"

"There's a hidden room just above the Owlery," Ryou explained, "Though I don't know who would put a pool on anything but the ground floor."

"It's a magic castle, Ryou," Bakura reminded him, "You can show us when things die down a bit."

Ryou beamed brightly at his yami. He acted so much a like a child at times that it was impossible not to adore him then. Unbeknownst to any of the other Mages, Bakura blamed himself for this fact. Rationalizing that Ryou was subconsciously making up for the childhood that the thief had robbed from him early on.

"In the meantime," Bakura started pushing his hikari back towards the Shadows, "I want to fight. I'll fill you in on everything that's happened while we train."

There you go. Umbridge has lasted longer than Harry. To be fair, Umbridge is far craftier than Harry and much more patient. Her time is coming though. Soon. Very soon.

But now the question is what will Ron and Hermione do about this? Will they soon be joining Harry in the Hospital Wing? What about the rest of Harry's friends for that matter?

Please review!