Yu-Gi-Oh!
A New Generation of Priests

CHAPTER FIVE – A LITTLE DETECTIVE WORK

Yugi stifled a yawn, dipping his quill into his ink and fighting desperately to stay awake. Though it was not due until next Wednesday, he wanted to get his Potions homework done early so he would not have to worry about it if something came up. He was starting to feel like Seto; there was a nagging feeling of doom tugging at the back of his mind. After a moment of scratching his head in confusion, his dark half appeared, hovering above him slightly.

"You've got the answers for five and seven mixed up," Yami Yugi pointed out.

Yugi frowned down at the parchment, before he sweatdropped in embarrassment. "I was wondering why it wasn't making any sense."

He scratched out the answers and switched them as the portrait of the fat lady opened up wide, admitting a scared and shaking Harry Potter. Yugi and Yami Yugi looked up from their homework, concerned by the look on their friend's face.

"Are you all right, Harry-kun?" Yugi asked.

Harry looked up, surprised to see the two of them together at the same time. He got over his shock quickly enough, and he started explaining what happened with Mrs. Norris and how he and Malfoy had narrowly escaped getting detention or worse – expulsion.

"Mrs. Norris was petrified?" Yami Yugi asked once he was finished. "How did that happen?"

Harry shook his head. "I couldn't even begin to tell you."

Yugi rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Why do I have a feeling we're going to be doing some major detective work?"

-.oOOo.-

Just as Yugi feared, detective work started almost immediately the next morning when everyone gathered together at the library for their normal study session. While Ron was busy trying to figure out how he was going to add another eight inches to his History of Magic homework, Hermione was flitting about in an effort to find more information on the Chamber of Secrets. Marik was "helping" her, though judging from the occasional harsh word they heard from the two of them, he was probably complaining about her affection with Lockhart. Seto shook his head sadly after a particularly scathing remark, looking over his own History of Magic homework before rolling the scroll up.

"The way he's going, if Marik's lucky, him and Hermione might still be friends by the end of the semester," he commented dryly.

Bakura just shook his head. "I don't know why he tries so hard," he said. "When's he going to get it through his head that she's only star-struck over Lockhart?"

Seto smirked. "You've obviously never been in love before."

"Like you have!" the white haired boy shot back, frowning. "I'll get a girlfriend when I'm good and ready. I'm in no rush."

"Hai, hai," Yugi agreed, measuring his homework. Four and a half feet: way over what he needed. He smiled, satisfied, as he rolled up the scroll. Ron eyed his homework.

"Hey, Yugi, can I copy some of yours?" he asked.

"No way," Yugi declared. He absolutely never let anyone copy from him, even back in high school when Jonouchi would practically get on his hands and knees and beg. "Ask Seto."

"Seto…?"

"Ask Bakura."

"Bakura…?"

"Ask Harry."

"Harry…?"

Harry fixed him with a sour look. "Who do you think I copied from?"

Ron banged his head on the table. "Dammit…"

Just then, Hermione and Marik rejoined them, both of them with sour looks on their faces and refusing to look at each other. Harry raised an eyebrow at their behavior, amused.

"Well, find anything?" he asked.

Hermione shook her head. "No," she answered, "all the copies of Hogwarts, A History are checked out. I couldn't fit my copy with all the Lockhart books; I had to leave it at home. Unless you brought yours, Bakura?"

"Sorry," the white haired boy replied. "I totally forgot about it. Can't you have your parents send it to you?"

She sighed. "I can just picture my parents trying to use the owl post…"

Ron groaned suddenly. "Hermione, can I see your scroll? I only need two more inches!"

"No way," she said, her tone severe. "Ask Marik."

"Marik…?"

"Ask Yugi."

Ron gave up at that point, stuffing the scroll in to his bag.

-.oOOo.-

While the others went off to the greenhouses on Monday mornings, Seto was stuck in double History of Magic with Slytherin. Under normal circumstances, he would be the only one awake, scribbling away notes while the rest of the class dozed. That day, however, he just could not concentrate to save his life. His mind kept wandering to the strange message that had been left on the wall, and what it all meant. He found his gaze drifting idly toward Malfoy, who was half awake, looking out the window. The snobbish boy had been acting oddly since the incident with him and Harry, though he supposed almost being blamed for petrifying a cat would have that kind of effect on a person.

Seto was about to put his head down and perhaps join the rest of the class in catching up on some sleep, when he became aware of something shuffling around. He rolled his eyes before retreating to the Soul Corridor within his mind. He saw his other half's rear end sticking out from his Soul Door, and judging from the sound he was making, he was trying to sort through something.

You're being awfully loud, you know, Seto said, crossing his arms as his usual smirk appeared on his face. Yami Seto craned his neck around to fix his hikari with an annoyed glare.

Well excuse me, baka hikari, he replied. I'm looking through my memories, trying to find some kind of clues about the Chamber of Secrets.

Seto sweatdropped. Uh… Yami Seto. Do you need a reminder? he asked. You've been imprisoned in a rod for five thousand years. Hogwarts was founded only a thousand years ago. I don't think you're going to find anything.

Yami Seto fixed his lighter half with a frustrated look. He hated it when he was right.

Well, fine then, he replied, standing up straight. Why don't you ask Mr. Binns? He's the history teacher… ghost… thingy. He should know about it.

Seto had to admit, he never thought about that. He left his Soul Corridor and returned to the real world, raising his hand as soon as he did so. Mr. Binns sputtered his explanation to a halt, surprised that someone would even want to interrupt him.

"Yes, Mr.…"

"Kaiba, sir," he answered, lowering his hand. A lot of students stirred, surprised by the sudden change of things. Not only was someone interrupting Mr. Binns, but it was Seto who was doing it! "I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the Chamber of Secrets."

The ghostly professor seemed to frown. "My subject is History of Magic, Mr. Kaiba," he replied. "I deal with solid facts, not myths and legends."

He was about to start droning on again, but Seto would not let him get away with it. He raised his hand again; bringing Mr. Binns to another stuttered halt.

"Sir, don't myths and legends always have basis in fact?" he asked.

Mr. Binns stared at him a bit stupidly. Apparently, no one had ever cared to interrupt him in anything, alive or dead.

"Well… I suppose one could argue that…" he mused. "But the tale you speak of is so absolutely ludicrous that…"

At this point, the whole class was awake, hanging on his every word. Mr. Binns stared at all of them, caught off guard by the sudden show of interest. He threw up his hands, giving in.

"Oh, very well," he snapped. "Let me see… the Chamber of Secrets…

"You all know, of course," the professor began, "that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago – the precise date is uncertain – by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. The four school Houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They built this castle together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when common people feared magic, and witches and wizards suffered much persecution.

"For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated. But then disagreements sprang up between them. A rift began to grown between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school."

Professor Binns paused a moment at that, a sour look coming to his pale face.

"Reliable historical sources tell us this much," he continued. "But these honest facts have been obscured by the fanciful legend of the Chamber of Secrets. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing.

"Slytherin, according to the legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic."

Seto had been furiously writing everything down until that point. He stared up from his parchment, fearing what that implied.

"Professor, what exactly is the 'horror within' the Chamber?" he asked.

"It is said to be a monster, which only Slytherin could control," Binns answered.

The professor started ranting about how it was all a ridiculous legend, but Seto was not paying attention. His gaze had again drifted to Malfoy. While everyone else had been interested in the story, the pale boy had continued to stare out the window mindlessly, as if it was all nothing he had not heard before. Seto frowned, making a mental note.

-.oOOo.-

Seto told the others about what he had learned in History of Magic as they made their way through the crowded corridors to get to the Great Hall for supper. The news had not set well with them, but when he told them about Malfoy's behavior, it aroused some questions.

"You don't think he could be the one who opened the Chamber, do you?" Marik asked. "I mean, he is a bit of an asshole, and he's totally obsessed about being 'pure blood'."

"I don't think so," Harry said, surprised that he was actually defending him. "I mean, he seemed pretty surprised to see Mrs. Norris hanging there. And the way he reacted to hearing that voice…"

"Either way," Seto declared, "he knows about the Chamber, and he probably knows something that we don't."

"Well, there is one way we could find out what he knows," Hermione replied, a bit of a devilish look coming to her face. Marik raised an eyebrow, caught off guard by her expression.

"Oh yeah?" Ron asked her. "How are we going to do that? Ask him?"

"Precisely."

Everyone came to a halt at that, staring at her like she had grown another head.

"Come again?" Yugi asked.

"It's quite simple, really, but… mind you, we'll be breaking at least fifty school rules doing it," she said.

"Like that ever stopped us," Marik replied dryly.

Hermione frowned, before looking around a moment. She pulled them through the throng of students jostling them about and into a deserted hallway. She looked about again to make sure they were alone, before she started talking excitedly.

"Snape mentioned it once in Potions," she explained. "It's called the Polyjuice Potion, and it can turn a person into another person."

Bakura frowned. "What good will that do us?" he asked, but Yugi already understood what she was getting at.

"We could turn into Crabbe and Goyle!" he exclaimed. "Malfoy probably tells those two goons just about anything."

"There's only one problem," Hermione continued. "The recipe's in a book called Moste Potente Potions."

Ron sighed, crossing his arms. "How much you want to bet that's in the Restricted Section?"

"My whole fortune, only because I know I'd win that bet," Seto replied dryly. "No teacher in their right minds would ever sign a note for us. They'd have to be really thick."

Marik smirked suddenly, his face lighting up with a devilish idea. "I know just the professor!"

-.oOOo.-

Since the incident with the pixies, Lockhart had not brought any more live creatures to his class. Instead, he would read passages from his books, boring most of the students more effectively than even Professor Binns. With the Gryffindor class he would act out some of his more "harrowing" adventures – using Harry, of course, as his secondary actor. Harry only tolerated it because they needed to have Lockhart in a good mood for what they were going to ask him.

After re-enacting Lockhart's defeat of the Wagga Wagga Werewolf, he rejoined Marik, Ron, Hermione, and Yugi in the back of the class. The bell rang soon after, and they waited until the rest of the class was gone before going up to Lockhart.

"Um, Professor," Hermione began, handing him a note with the name of the book they needed. "I wanted to check this book out of the library for a bit of background reading, but it's in the Restricted Section. I'm sure it would help understand in Gadding with Ghouls when you –"

"Ah, Gadding with Ghouls!" Lockhart exclaimed. "One of my favorite works. You liked it?"

"Oh, yes!" she exclaimed eagerly. He smiled roguishly, taking out a peacock feather quill from his desk. Both Marik and Ron made a disgusted face at the sight of it.

"Wonderful, isn't it?" he asked, misinterpreting their expressions. "I usually save it for book signings," he continued, writing a loopy signature on the note. "Well, I see no problem with giving the student of the year a little extra help."

He handed the note back to her, and she folded it up with numb fingers as the boys led her out of the room. They quickly joined up with Seto and Bakura, who had been waiting for them in the library.

"Did you get it?" the taller boy asked.

"Brainless git didn't even look at the book we wanted," Ron said as Hermione showed off the signed note.

"He is not a brainless git!" she exclaimed, glaring daggers at him. Marik just rolled his eyes.

"C'mon, Hermi-chan," he grumbled. "Just because he said you were the student of the year…"

Hermione ignored him, going up to the counter and showing the librarian, Madam Pince, the note. She looked the note over several times, giving them a suspicious look. After a moment, she got the book for them, and soon the seven of them were rushing off to find a place where they could look over it in peace. Eventually, Hermione pulled them into a bathroom marked "out of order".

"Why did you drag us into the girl's bathroom?" Bakura asked, looking around as if he expected something to jump out at them (like a troll, perhaps).

"Oh, don't worry," Hermione said, waving a hand dismissively. "No one ever comes in here because of Moaning Myrtle."

"Moaning who?" Yugi asked, confused. Suddenly, he found himself staring at a pale, miserable face framed by raggedy hair and sad eyes outlined by typical horn rimmed glasses.

"Me!" the ghost snapped. "Moaning Myrtle!"

Yugi managed to let out a squeak before promptly passing out in fright. Moaning Myrtle let out a pitiful howl before looping up and around and diving into a toilet, spraying everyone with water.

"Gross!" Marik exclaimed, taking off his robe and wringing it out as Yugi sat up again. Only it was not Yugi that was in control.

"Do you have any idea how silly it is to have a hikari that's afraid of ghosts?" Yami Yugi asked, rubbing the back of his head painfully.

"Does seem a bit cliché-ish," Harry agreed.

Hermione opened up the book, and the seven of them gathered around over her shoulder to look. It was quickly apparent why the book had been in the Restricted Section, as most of the potions in it seemed to have rather gruesome effects. There was a particularly nasty drawing in it of a man that had been turned inside out, and another of a woman that had arms growing in rather odd places.

"Here it is," Hermione declared suddenly, scanning over the directions for the Polyjuice Potion. "I've never seen a potion this complicated. Most of the materials we're going to have to steal from Snape's private storage."

Everyone looked pointedly at Bakura, who sweatdropped in embarrassment.

"Not only that, but who's going to do it?" Seto asked, looking at a picture of a person in the middle of transforming into another person, and hoping the artist had over exaggerated the look of pain on his face.

"I don't think it'd be a good idea for me, Seto, or Bakura to," Yami Yugi pointed out. "Who knows what kind of an effect it would have on someone who has two souls."

"So that leaves it to us normal people," Marik announced. "The four of us should be able to get plenty information out of Malfoy."

"But we're also going to need a bit of the person we're transforming into," Hermione pointed out. "Crabbe, Goyle, and two other people. It might be better if one of us served as a lookout of sorts. The Potion only lasts an hour."

"I'll be lookout," Ron volunteered. "I don't like the thought of drinking any part of Crabbe or Goyle."

"Guess that leaves me, Marik, and Hermione," Harry said.

"Don't worry," Hermione put in. "It'll take at least a month for the potion to be ready."

"A month!" Seto exclaimed. "Whoever it is could have attacked half the school by that time!"

"Do you have a better idea?" Hermione shot back. Seto just grunted in reply, not having anything else to say. "That's what I thought."

Yami Yugi sighed, running a hand through his blonde bangs. "I don't like this. It's too easy for us to get caught."

"But Hermi-chan's right, Yami Yugi-kun," Marik pointed out. "We only have what Professor Binns told Seto's class to go on. The more we know, the more likely we'll be able to figure out if there really is a Chamber, and what kind of monster is in it."