Chapter 37: Back to Hogwarts
Hermione didn't speak much to Mahaad over the next couple of days. She found him one day cleaning the drawing room upstairs.
He smiled when he saw her and set down his rag and polish. "How are you?" he asked.
She shrugged and stepped deeper into the room. "Mahaad, I want some time to think about everything. I need some space."
His lips pulled down into a frown, but he nodded. That was a fair request after the weight of what she had been told a few days ago.
"Take all the time you need," he said as he picked up his rag and started cleaning again.
"Thank you," she replied and turned and left, shutting the door behind her.
Soon it was time for their return to Hogwarts.
Ron still avoided looking at Mahaad as he had for the past couple of days. Mahaad for his part didn't appear to care.
As they rode the Knight Bus back to school, Yugi cast a glance at the magician after picking himself up off the floor for the second time.
"Why do you think Ron doesn't like you?" Yugi asked.
Mahaad smiled sadly. "I think it is because he is immature and he feels inferior so he is compensating for it by trying to appear superior to me."
Yugi nodded. "I think he is jealous of how much Hermione likes you," the Duelist pointed out.
"You are very perceptive and a good judge of character, Master," Mahaad replied. The bus turned another corner and banged again and sent everyone to the floor for the third time.
"This is getting really old," George complained loudly a few rows away from them.
The bus sent them to the floor more times than Mahaad bothered to count and he started floating an inch or two off the floor to avoid the unceremonious dumping.
At long last they arrived at Hogwarts and went back up to the Gryffindor Tower.
Harry and Ron started a game of Wizard's chess before classes started the next day.
Yugi glanced at Mahaad. "May I speak with you?" he asked. Yugi smiled encouragingly at him. "Of course, Master."
He followed Yugi to an unused classroom.
Yugi shifted his weight from one foot to the other, as Mahaad looked at him expectantly, waiting respectfully for him to begin.
"I know I promised to make an offering to your parents, I wanted to memorize the words. I'm almost ready, I just didn't want you to think I'd forgotten," Yugi said.
Mahaad blinked nonplussed. "Thank you, Master." He sank into a low bow.
"Is there any way I can show my gratitude-?" he asked, before cutting himself off. "May I give you my ren?" he asked.
"What does that mean?" Yugi asked, gently raising the bowing magician.
"A ren is one's secret name. It would give you absolute control over my actions."
Yugi shivered.
"Obviously, you don't have to invoke my ren. I want to give it to you as a sign of my loyalty to you."
Mahaad sensed Yugi's hesitation.
"I already gave it to my king when I was alive. I want to share it with you too."
Yugi smiled and nodded solemnly. "Thank you. Tell me what you want me to do."
Mahaad knelt again so he was below Yugi's eye level, his gaze trained on the stone floor and his right hand extended toward Yugi palm up.
Yugi placed his hand gently on top of Mahaad's, and they clasped one another's forearms.
"I bind myself to my Master with my ren, Maheseneseteped."
"Thank you. I will guard it carefully," Yugi vowed solemnly.
Yugi let his hand fall and he rose Mahaad to a standing position, who dusted some dirt off his robes.
The next day it was hard for them to head back to class. Mahaad entered the Great Hall for breakfast looking uncharacteristically tired. He dropped onto the bench and pulled the nearest plate of food toward himself and started eating.
Ryou and Marik came up to Yugi and started chatting in quick Japanese. At first Mahaad tried to follow their conversation, but soon gave up his efforts and returned to his bowl of cereal.
"We have potions today," Ron grumbled farther down the table.
"Perfect," Harry complained sarcastically. "And it is snowing outside." The black haired teen looked wistfully at the enchanted sky above them.
"I wish we could have played Quidditch over the break," Ron lamented. Harry nodded.
Mahaad caught the word, 'Umbridge' in Yugi's conversation with Ryou, and glanced at them curiously.
"Umbridge is going to inspect Ishizu within the next couple of days, I think," Ryou explained in English.
"Thank you Ryou," Mahaad replied.
"We will have to tell you more about our break later," Yugi said, his eyes darting back to where Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting. Ryou raised and eyebrow and nodded slowly.
"It is too cold here!" Marik complained. "It was so nice in Egypt."
Yugi looked at his friend sympathetically. "I know. And it is snowing here. That's quite the opposite extreme."
They talked for a few more minutes until Hermione herded them all to class. Marik and Bakura headed to the opposite end of the dungeon and Bakura smirked in Malfoy's direction. The pale-haired boy scowled but didn't say anything as he took his seat with Crabbe and Goyle.
Harry brewed another unsuccessful potion and Snape frowned as he took the vial from Harry at end of class.
Members of the DA kept coming up to them in between classes asking when the next meeting was. Many of them wanted to do it that night.
"I can't tonight...I have remedial potions," Harry confessed to Zacharias Smith.
His eyes widened as he adjusted his tie. "You take remedial potions?" he repeated incredulously.
Harry gritted his teeth. "You must be awful. Snpae hasn't taught Neville any private lessons, has he?"
Smith walked off with a spring in his step. Mahaad rested a comforting hand on his fellow Gryffindor's shoulder.
"Don't listen to him, Harry," Mahaad advised.
Later that night Harry bid them farewell for a bit as he headed to Snape's office.
Mahaad, Yugi and Hermione met in the library to check over their translations before they saw Professor Ishtar again.
They were huddled around a table, their tablets, parchment, quills, and ink covering the surface. Yugi yawned and stretched his arms toward the ceiling. "I think I'm going to call it a night. I'll see you guys in the morning."
Hermione suppressed a yawn of her own. "Me too," she agreed.
They looked at Mahaad who shook his head. "I just want to check a few more things," he said.
Hermione and Yugi bid him farewell and left him with his homework. Mahaad looked a few more things and then decided to finish the rest of it the next day. His eyes were burning, and his limbs were stiff from sitting in one spot for so long.
He gathered up his things and left the library and headed toward the Gryffindor Tower.
"Out for a late night stroll?" a familiar voice called out to him.
Mahaad whipped around in alarm to see Bakura walking toward him with an evil grin on his face, that send chills up the magician's spine.
"I'm just heading back to the common room," Mahaad replied coolly.
Bakura scoffed and spat on the stone between them.
Mahaad turned to walk away. Bakura grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around to face him, his white hair illuminated in the torchlight.
"What's the hurry?" Bakura asked lazily. "Don't you want to play a game with me?"
Mahaad's heart started racing, and blood filled his ears, his whole body tensed. "Not with you," Mahaad turned away only to find that the corridor was becoming darker and there was an all too familiar glow behind him. Mahaad spun around to see the Millennium Ring glowing against Bakura's chest as the Tomb Robber laughed.
Mahaad screamed as the Game began.
Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
Review Responses:
Guest: I hope this met your expectations!
Fireking492: I'm glad you liked it and I hope you liked this one!
Suzululu4moe: Yeah, that's true... poor Mahaad.
That's true. The Golden Trio should be more accountable for their actions. They are pretty good at finding out things they shouldn't.
YumiStar: Yeah, Ron is kind of immature...