Harry Potter: Prince of Games: The Hogwarts Years
Disclaimer/Plot/Author's Note: SEE FIRST CHAPTER
Dedication: I'd like to dedicate this story to everyone who enjoyed the original: my recommended reads are Harry Potter: Prince of Games by DZ2, Harry Potter and the Duel Academy and its sequel Harry Potter and the Tri-Academy Tournament by A Pair of New Shoes, Different Dimension Duellist by The Mad Prince, Harry potter GX seasons 1, 2, 3 and 4 by diamondholder, Harry Seto Kaiba, the Next King of Games by kankuro236, Battle Born by Above the Winter Moonlight, Yugioh GX: Emperor of Darkness, Yugioh GX: Celestial War, Darkness is My Ally and Awakening by YugiohFreak54, Trickshot and Silver King by JustBored21, Harry Potter and the Magical Guardian and Harry Potter and the Serpents' Secrets by Sursr and Family Ties by BarbaraKaterina
Key Pairing: Harry/DMG
Other Pairings: To be determined
Normal Speech
'Thoughts'
'Mind Speech/Spirit Speech'
/Parseltongue/
(OC Cards)
Review Answers:
WhiteElfElder: Maybe, but first, I have something else in mind;
"Of course, it helps that the Prince of Games is sponsored by their own duelling circuits and represents both American and Japanese reputations when it comes to international duelling contests and, on top of that, you're also looking at the one student whom, in a few years, will move onto pastures new by attending the most-prominent Duel Academy in the world, ironically named Duel Academy, so…questions, class?"
"Why are you here?"
As the boats reached the other side of the lake, Harry shrugged before he winked at Hermione as he, Morgana and their two new friends disembarked for their first day as students of a very different kind of game.
"Now that, Miss Granger, is a story I'm not quite ready to tell…not even to the members of my Dweeb Patrol!"
Chapter 7: The Kaiba to His Yugi
After disembarking from the boats, Harry, flanked by his strange, but not unwelcome band of new companions, followed the rest of the first-years into the main entranceway of Hogwarts, where, to Harry's confusion, Hagrid passed them onto a stern-faced witch named Professor McGonagall.
Curiously, the sight of the woman with the round spectacles and no-nonsense demeanour seemed to stir something in Harry; like a dim and distant memory that he'd all but chosen to forget about because it revolved around a time he would rather forget – namely anything before being adopted by Yugi and Seto and living a new, better life in Domino City.
As Professor McGonagall proceeded to give them a speech, the content of which seemed awfully well-rehearsed, Harry took a moment to compose himself, gathering as much strength and personal courage as he could before, as Minerva finished, Harry silently whispered, 'Haou?'
'Yeah?'
'I need a favour.'
'Sure,' said the King, a note of curiosity and willingness in his words, 'What?'
'Well, from what I remember Dad telling me about this place and what we're about to go through, there'll be a magical hat that sorts us into one of the Four Houses. And, to do that, the hat apparently reads our minds and scans our true potential, so…if you don't mind…'
'You want me to go for a bit of a walk into the deepest corner of your mind, so the hat doesn't mistake my presence or influences for yours and send you somewhere that'd be wrong.'
'Do you mind?' asked Harry, partially-worried that he might have offended his friend to ask such a thing of him.
At the same time, a flicker of contentment passed over Harry at the thought of how he was starting to consider Haou a friend.
As for the Supreme King, he shook his head as he replied, 'Of course not; as you know, Harry. I don't want to do anything that might jeopardise your future or your destiny. So, if you need me to disappear for a little while, I will do just that. Just remember, as far away as my presence within your mind and soul might be, you are always going to be the Supreme King.'
While Harry nodded, he also shuddered as he felt Haou recede from his thoughts.
Drawing himself back to the present, Harry was surprised to see Morgana looking at him as though he had just done something very stupid, if not pointless, judging by the bemused smile she gave him and how she folded her arms before, clicking her tongue, the Black Heiress chuckled.
"You know, you didn't have to do that, Harry; even with him inside of you, the Sorting Hat would have done the right thing for you and only you."
"I'm not even going to ask," muttered Harry.
"So…it's true!"
"Oh, joy," drawled Morgana, while Harry turned at the sound of a soft, drawling tone, which addressed him with a note of interest, if not casual wonder as the owner of the voice continued.
"I heard you were somewhere on the train, Mr Potter, but I never would have imagined needing to wait so long before meeting you."
"Sorry about this, Harry," muttered Morgana, while the speaker, a platinum-blonde-haired boy with cool, grey eyes and a strong sense of formality about himself, had made his way over to where Harry and Morgana were standing.
When he saw Morgana, the boy gave a curt nod, which surprised Harry – given the air of dread Morgana seemed to sense in this boy's presence – before the blonde smiled as he added, "I understand your anxiety, cousin, but, trust me, whatever you might have thought about me, I'm not that same person anymore."
"I'll believe that when I see it, Draco," replied Morgana, keeping her arms folded, even as she looked to Harry, "Harry, this is Draco Malfoy…"
"Actually, it's Black, now; Mum got the divorce finalised, at last," replied the blonde, earning a raised eyebrow from Morgana, while the boy, Draco, looked to Harry as he added, "Like I said, I'm not the person she thinks I am anymore; for starters, if I were still Draco Malfoy, I wouldn't even give you the time of day, because of that weird fondness you have for a children's card game."
"It's actually for all ages, Draco," drawled Morgana, earning a curious look from Harry.
Draco, meanwhile, smiled thinly before, to Morgana's surprise, the blonde patted a spot beneath his robe as he added, "Oh, I know all about that, Morgana; like I said, Mum finally got the divorce through and, while someone might not be happy about it, I certainly am. I mean, I had to spend so long privately learning this game until…well, it's just a pipe dream for now, but I would like to be able to give our House Head a run for his money."
"Dad would wipe the floor with you, Draco," sneered Morgana, though not before she laughed as she nodded to Harry, "And he wouldn't even break a sweat."
"Can I get a word in here…please?" asked Harry, earning curious looks from both Morgana and Draco, even as Harry sighed, clearing his throat before he asked, "Now, let me see if I've been following the conversation well enough so far? One: Draco here is now called Draco Black, the son of a divorced woman who, I'm guessing, is related to Sirius somehow?"
"He's Narcissa Black's cousin," said Morgana, earning a nod from Harry.
"Two: Draco's…Father, I'm guessing?"
"Yes," answered Draco, leaning against the wall where Harry and Morgana were standing, while Harry nodded.
"Right, so, Draco's Father isn't exactly a fan favourite around here."
"If you think a murdering, raping, Line Thieving, corrupt little turd of a Death Eater is, in any way, a fan favourite, then you're obviously as deluded and psychotic as that guy Marik's dark side, Harry," argued Morgana, though, as she told Harry what she thought, the Prince of Games couldn't help but notice Draco flinching with every insulting word spoken.
"Maybe," agreed Harry, looking now to Draco before he asked, "So, you wanted to be out of his shadow and, to help you with that, you got into the game of Duel Monsters, right?"
"That's…that's correct," answered Draco.
"And…just out of curiosity here, Draco…your name; remind me, it means…what?"
"The Dra…gon…oh!"
As though the Knut had dropped, Morgana quickly shook her head, "No…Harry; for the love of the Egyptian Gods, no! You cannot be serious…and if you make the joke, I swear, I'll call out the big guy and have him zap you here and now!"
'Isn't Sirius her Father?'
While Harry snorted at Haou's remark, a part of him wondering if the king's spirit had returned because Morgana made the joke or because she had said it was safe for him to do so without corrupting or twisting Harry's Sorting result, the emerald-eyed scion looked back to Draco as he asked, "Say, I don't suppose your thing is dragons and Dragon-Type monsters, is it, Draco?"
"Not really," admitted the blonde, earning a hum from Harry.
"So, a rich, entitled boy with daddy issues and a thing for family, named for dragons, but doesn't use them himself…well, I suppose two out of three isn't bad; have you ever looked good in a white coat?"
Suddenly, Draco laughed as he crossed his arms before he asked, "Hang on, you're not actually trying to compare me to Seto Kaiba, are you, Potter? That'd be like comparing you to Yugi, and I bet you're a lot of things, but the King of Games isn't one of them."
"Nah, he's the Prince of Games," said Morgana, earning a nod from Harry.
"Actually, it's her fault," said Harry, indicating Morgana as he explained, "You see, just a short while ago, somebody convinced me that I'd probably do better at Hogwarts if I had my own Domino Gang here at Hogwarts. And, according to that same person, I already have a Tea Gardner, Tristan Taylor and even a Joey Wheeler, so now, all I need…"
"Is a Seto Kaiba," finished Draco, shaking his head amusingly as he looked from Harry to Morgana, "And who's the Yugi? You, Morgana?"
"Actually, it'd be this guy," said Morgana, indicating Harry, while she scowled as she added, "Although, if you ask me, Harry, you'd be more like the Pharaoh than your Pops and, as nuts as I find it, I guess Harry's got a point; you certainly have the shady background and obsession for status, cousin. I mean, as Lucius' son, you've got an image to maintain, haven't you? Especially if you get into Slytherin House, where they'll expect you to be the first to kiss Snake Face's feet when he comes back."
'I don't like the sound of that.'
As Harry silently agreed with Haou, however, Professor McGonagall returned, leaving Harry alone with his thoughts; as for Draco and Morgana, they seemed content to put Harry between them – or rather, Morgana did – while the young scion looked to Draco with a sorry smile on his face as he explained, "Look, I'll say it even if she won't, Draco. I don't know you from Adam and I didn't come here to use people's families or their parents' reputations to decide who they are and aren't. And, for the record, Prince of Games I might be, but I don't expect to be treated as anything more or less than Just Harry, whatever that might mean…and that goes quadruple for this Boy-Who-Lived rubbish."
"O…kay…" said Draco, a part of him thankful for how Harry summed up his own thoughts.
"However," added Harry, keeping his voice low as they walked between the other students of the school, while Harry told Draco, "I also let my own decisions, as well as my own choices, decide what's going to happen in future. What that means is, yes, as funny as it is, I'd like it very much if a guy like you could be the Seto of our little Dweeb Patrol, but, at the same time, I don't want some power-and-status-obsessed friend who'll make it his life's ambition to best me to the exclusion of all else."
"I heard he got over that."
"Thanks to whom, do you think?" asked Harry, earning a shrug of mutual agreement from Draco, "Seto's like my Uncle, so, in my own little group, whoever would be filling his boots would be someone I could come to trust like a sibling. And, yes, of course we'd battle and, if you like, you can try and take my title and call yourself the best of us, but only as long as we leave that competition on the duel field…off of it…well, we're friends. What do you think? Sound good to you?"
As the first-years reached the front of the hall, Draco shrugged again as he nodded to Morgana, "What about her?"
"Right, because Tea never got jealous when anyone else was around Yugi," muttered Harry, a note of amused disbelief lacing his words as he asked, "Um, you have heard of Rebecca Hawkins and Vivian Wong, right?"
Draco could only laugh, even as the Sorting began.
Of the strange group of uncertain allies and companions, Draco was the first to be called up, identified as Draco Black and not Malfoy – as Harry guessed Morgana had been expecting.
When the hat touched Draco's head, however, Harry smiled when Morgana blanched at the name called out by the old hat;
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Well…that's a turnaround," muttered Morgana, before Harry kept smiling when Morgana was the next to be called up.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
'Well…this could be trouble,' thought Harry, watching his two companions head for the red-clad students, while the rest of the Sorting continued.
When Hermione was called up, Harry's troubled emotions turned into delight when the brunette was also sent to Gryffindor, earning applause from both Draco – whom Hermione sat next to – and Morgana – who was sat opposite her wayward cousin and the newest lion cub.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, McGonagall called out, "Harry Potter?"
Compared to the murmurs outside from the first-years, Harry's name received more than a few curious glances, as well as intrigued, shocked and even bemused looks from many older students. On more than one occasion, Harry also heard his title of Prince of Games being mentioned, along with his less-welcomed title of Boy-Who-Lived, but those voices, he just drowned out as he sat under the Sorting Hat.
Seconds later, Harry felt the hat flinch before he heard an amused voice.
'Well, well, well…how fortuitous is this. I never thought I'd get this chance again…'
'What…'
Before Harry could finish, however, his eyes widened and his whole body jerked reflexively when the whole Hall became alive with light, magic and fierce Shadow Energy, all of which seemed to centre on the hat itself.
Seconds later, Harry felt his mind being ripped out of his body…
PGHY
"Ow…what…what happened?"
"If I had to guess, someone used Shadow Magic to pull us into this place."
"What? Haou?"
As Harry's eyes snapped open, accompanied by the Merlin of All Headaches, the young duellist saw his Supreme-self, black armour, golden eyes and all, standing next to him, corporeal, alive and full of as much curiosity, if not suspicion and alertness as Harry himself. While Harry managed to stagger to his feet, he looked around, but all he saw was dark energy and a seemingly-neverending stream of magical essence, which zipped and zigzagged around Harry like stars and comets dancing across the galaxy.
"Where…where are we?"
"You're inside Hogwarts' core, Your Majesty."
Looking back, Harry and Haou saw a tall, elderly-looking gentleman with a long white beard and pure, white robes standing before them; in one hand, he carried a staff that seemed to be topped with a gemstone, similar to the one carried by the Dark Magician, while, to Harry's disdain, the man's other hand had a jet-black duel disk with a pentagram-encrusted jewel where the LP meter and Harry's dark-disk's golden eye were located.
"So, we've been pulled in here for a duel?"
"Not just a duel," admitted the man, smiling as though Harry's disliking for the situation amused him, "A test."
"For what?"
"Your realm is not the only one to have been touched by the powers of the Shadow Realm and the monsters within," explained the stranger, indicating the realm around them as he went on.
"Many cultures and histories have, themselves, been twisted, affected, influenced and overwhelmed by the dark and dangerous powers born of that mystic domain. And, during one such encounter, four great and powerful masters of the Dark Energies of the Shadows, known collectively as the Founders, decided to lock the ancient magic away and entrust it and all within it to a worthy Champion: one with the power to tame the darkness without succumbing to it."
"So what's that got to do with whatever you did to me…not to mention the Supreme King?" asked Harry.
"Oh, I know all about the King, Sire," admitted the stranger, earning a surprised look from the spirit of said King, even as the stranger chuckled.
"It's been a long time since last we saw one another, my old friend: but I have never forgotten how you charged me with being the one to provide this test. One that your human half must complete on his own, which is why my magical strength was used to split the two of you, just as Yugi and the Great Pharaoh were both divided for his final test."
"Haou? You did this?"
"I…I don't remember," whispered Haou, earning a scoff from Harry.
"Oh, so now you're pulling an Atem too?"
"Actually, his memories are lost because of the power he had me protect, young Mr Potter," said the white-clad sorcerer, earning surprised looks from both Harry and Haou while the aged wizard went on. "Within this power, there is the means to be both a great and powerful King, but also a mighty ruler and, after fearing what his future lives may be capable of if they corrupted this power, my old friend had me wipe his memories, sealing them and all the powers behind them into this very cache, awaiting the day where Destiny would reunite the Supreme King with the Ancient Magic of the Hogwarts Citadel and, together, save all of Magic, be it human Wand Casting Magic or the mysterious powers of the Shadow Realm."
"Save it from what?"
Chuckling knowingly, the ancient sorcerer held up his duel disk before he explained, "Defeat me, Mr Potter: prove your worth as the King, and you shall know all. But, be warned, should you fail: your soul shall become lost in this Purgatory, and you won't even have the strength to attend lessons, much less remain the…what do you call yourself? The Prince of Games?"
"That's right," said Harry, holding up one hand with a powerful gesture; as he'd half-hoped, his Supreme Disk materialised onto his hand, while Harry also made sure his deck was secure as he added, "And, if this is a test, then, as I always say: let the games begin…but first, who the hell are you anyway?"
"Ah yes, I suppose I should introduce myself to my opponent," agreed the stranger, activating his own disk, which also seemed to be the cue for a wave of immense magical power to fill the duel field, making Harry shudder while even Haou seemed intimidated by the strength, all of which came from the stranger as he identified himself.
"My name…is…MERLIN!"
"Holy…" gasped Harry, but he couldn't bring himself to finish that, even as he drew his first cards.
"And now," continued the spirit of the ancient sorcerer, "As you would say in this modern time, it's time to…"
"DUEL!"
Chapter 7 and, oh boy, talk about cutting destiny off at the pass: Harry was waiting to be sorted, but now, if he doesn't win this duel and pass this test, he won't even be able to use magic, or duel in the real world, again: can he win against the ultimate mage?
Also, what could this power be that Haou had locked away centuries ago and…hey: if Merlin – as in the Merlin – was the one to help seal it away and called Haou a friend, then…you don't think?
Could Haou have been…nah!
He couldn't have been…could he?
Keep Reading to Find Out
Next Chapter: Prince of Games Vs Master of All Wand-Casting Magic: this is too close a contest to even predict what's going to happen;
Please Read and Review
AN: Merlin
So, I admit this probably sounds a bit farfetched, even for fanfiction, but, at the end of the day, what YGO canon series doesn't have weirdness striking right out of the bat?
Anyway, I feared I might have to stop writing this story anyway when inspiration struck me in this form, so I hope you can enjoy it.
And, finally, even though I actually imagine HP as an anime/animated series/movie when writing a lot of this story, you can envision Merlin as being similar to Ian McKellen's Gandalf the White.
Weird? Maybe, but that's the fun of fanfiction