Yu-Gi-Oh!
A New Generation of Priests

Many conversations in the "Diary World" were excerpted for the sake of keeping it true to the original back storyline.

CHAPTER NINE – DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

Yugi was deposited unceremoniously onto the floor with enough force to knock the wind out of him. Pushing himself up with one arm, he looked around as best he could while trying to regain his breath. He had arrived in an office that was reminiscent of Dumbledore's, but it was… different. There was no cluttering on the desk, no phoenix on his perch, and no Sorting Hat up on the top of the bookshelf. Though, if the paintings behind him, most of them empty, were any indication, it was the same office.

Only when Yugi started to get to his feet did he realize that his neck felt lighter than normal. Looking down confirmed it: the Millennium Puzzle was missing! He darted about frantically, trying to see if it had landed somewhere else, but with no luck. The Puzzle just simply was not there.

"Yami Yugi-kun's gonna kill me…" he muttered under his breath.

It was then that he became aware of another person in the room, sitting behind the tidy desk. The man was frail and balding, and had a wizened look about him. Though, it was not the same, gentle wisdom that Dumbledore always seemed to radiate; it was more like wisdom born through hard fought experience. He was staring down at a piece of paper in his hand, and had not reacted to Yugi's presence at all.

"Um… excuse me, sir?" he hazard, leaning toward the old man. There was no response, and Yugi put a hand on his hip, reaching out to rest his other hand on the desk.

Trying to, at least. His hand went right through the desk, making him loose his balance and topple through the desk to land on the floor once more. Yugi rolled past the desk until he could safely sit up without his head (or hair) poking through anything or anybody. Something like this only happened once before, when him, Jonouchi, Anzu, Honda, and Bobasa (one of Shadi's assistants) had traveled to the past, to Ancient Egypt. What he was viewing right now were shadows of the past, and the events playing before his eyes he could not change (unless, he thought bitterly, he was supposed to change them).

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door (since when was there a door? Yugi wondered), and the elderly wizard bade the person enter. A tall boy of about sixteen entered, pulling off his wizard's cap to reveal an immaculate head of black hair. A prefect's badge was shining on his robes, just above the green and silver Slytherin crest.

"Ah, Riddle," the wizard said.

"You wanted to see me, Professor Dippet?" Tom Riddle asked. He seemed nervous; he kept twisting his wizard's cap.

"Please, sit down," Headmaster Dippet requested, waving to one of the armchairs on the other side of the desk. "I was just reading over your letter."

"Oh?" Riddle asked, sitting down.

"My dear boy," the headmaster began kindly, "there's just no way you can stay here over the holidays. Don't you want to go home for the summer?"

"No, sir," Riddle replied, shaking his head emphatically. "I don't consider that place 'home'."

"You live in a muggle orphanage, correct?" Dippet asked. Riddle blushed slightly before nodding. "Are you muggle born?"

"Half blood, sir," he corrected. "Muggle father, witch mother."

"And are they…?"

"My mother died soon after I was born, sir," he answered. "She only lived long enough to name me. Tom after my father, Marvolo after my grandfather."

Yugi could just picture his other half's reaction to all of this: "Great, we know what the 'M' stands for. Can we get to the point, please?"

The headmaster clicked his tongue sympathetically. "I understand, Tom," he said, "and under normal circumstances, I might have made an exception. Recent events being as they are, however…"

"You mean the attacks, sir?" Tom asked. Yugi jumped at that; finally, they were getting somewhere!

"Yes, Tom," Dippet replied sadly. "It would be foolish of me to allow anyone to stay here over the holidays, especially in light of the recent tragedy. That poor, little girl… As it is, the Ministry of Magic is calling for this school to be closed."

Riddle bit his lip. "Sir, what if the person was caught? What then?"

"What do you mean?" the headmaster asked, a hopeful look appearing on his face. "Do you know something, Riddle?"

"No," Tom replied quickly, but even Yugi could tell he was lying. Dippet did not seem to notice, however, as he sighed dejectedly and leaned back in his seat.

"You may go, Tom…"

Tom Riddle quickly got out of his seat and left, with Yugi following close behind, going through the door when the other boy closed it in his face. They descended the moving staircase, going in and out of various passages until they reached the front foyer. Riddle was about to swing around and head for the dungeons, when he caught sight of a professor up at the top of the stairs. The man had sweeping auburn hair, and a beard that was long enough for him to tuck into his belt.

Professor Dumbledore.

"What are you doing wandering about at this time of night, Tom?"

"I had to see the headmaster, Professor," Riddle answered.

"Well, better hurry off to bed, then," Dumbledore urged. "Best not to wander around the halls these days."

He bade the boy good night before disappearing up another flight of stairs. Tom took off as soon as he was out of sight, bolting down to the dungeons with Yugi following in hot pursuit. They came up to a nondescript door, and Riddle paused before it, pulling his wand out of his robes before kicking open the door, revealing a large boy bending over a trunk, peeking inside. The boy jumped when Riddle stormed in, slamming the truck close.

"Evening, Rubeus," Riddle snapped.

"What yer doin' down here, Tom?" the boy demanded.

"I'm going to have to turn you in, Rubeus," Riddle said darkly. "They're talking about closing Hogwarts if the attacks don't stop."

"What d'yeh…?"

"You know what I mean," Tom interrupted. "I'm sure you didn't mean for it to hurt anyone, but you have to know that monsters don't make good pets."

"It wasn't him!" the boy protested, standing in front of the trunk protectively. "He wouldn'…! He never…!"

"Stand aside," Riddle warned, raising his wand.

Suddenly, whatever it was that was in the trunk burst out, scuttling past Riddle as he fired off spells at it. The monster went through Yugi as it tore through the corridor and disappeared around the corner. Riddle snarled, making to go after the creature, but the large boy grabbed him, preventing him from going after it.

Just as Tom Riddle started to break free from the boy's grasp, the world around Yugi started to tilt and whirl about sickeningly. All of a sudden, he found himself falling through darkness at an unnervingly rapid pace. He landed in his chair in the library, almost breaking the furniture.

Yugi looked around in shock, making sure he was in his proper time. He spotted the Millennium Puzzle resting next to Riddle's diary, and slipped it back on gratefully.

Aibou, where the hell did you go! Yami Yugi demanded almost immediately. Yugi winced, able to tell through their bond that his other half had been worrying his head off.

I'll tell you on the way to the common room, he replied numbly, gathering his supplies. But, I think Hagrid was the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago.

-.oOOo.-

Yugi was regretting figuring out how Riddle's diary work, as his friends kept hammering him with questions. He had to repeat what he had seen in the "memory world" what seemed like a million times. The only thing that saved him from repeating it a million and first time, was the shocking announcement Draco had for them when they were in the library some time before Easter break, after an unusually long recovery in the hospital wing.

"Re-sorted!" Ron exclaimed, disbelieving. "But no one's ever been re-sorted before!"

"I know that, Ron," Draco replied, soured by his reaction. "Dumbledore said switching me over to Gryffindor was mostly for my protection. Personally, I don't want to be jumped while I'm sleeping again."

"So, what, did you have to put the Sorting Hat on again?" Harry asked.

Draco looked a bit uncomfortable. "Well, no, I didn't want to," he replied. "I'm afraid what it would say."

"Well, the only thing I have to say is you better watch out for the Weasley twins," Marik warned. "They have a tendency to play pranks on easy targets."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Just what are you implying?"

"Anyway," Seto jumped in before sparks started flying. "What do you think we should do about Hagrid?"

"You think we should ask him?" Bakura asked, his voice unsure.

"Oh, that'll be a cheerful visit," Yugi replied sourly. "'Hey, Hagrid, have you been setting any hairy monsters loose lately?'"

In the end, they opted not to ask Hagrid about his expulsion unless there was another attack. This was looking less and less likely, however; the attack on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick had been nearly four months ago, and there had not been a peep out of the voice in the walls or any other attacks since. Students were starting to treat Harry like a normal person again, and sometime after April Fools Day, the mandrakes they had repotted back in the beginning of the year threw a party they were able to hear all the way in the castle. This actually made Professor Sprout happy, though, for it meant that the plants were close to maturity; and as soon as they started trying to move into other mandrake's pots, they were ready to be used as a restorative for the people who had been petrified.

"Wait a minute, let me get this straight," Marik said after the professor told them. "Once they start getting horny, then it's time to chop them up and stew them? Oh, that's an encouraging thought…"

Easter break also brought something else the second year students had to worry about. They had to choose the elective courses they would have to take next year. Harry, Hermione, Ron, Draco, Yugi, and Marik poured over the list of courses available during lunch one day, trying to decide what to take.

"This is very important to our future, you know," Hermione said, signing up for everything on the list.

"Shame we can't give up our old classes," Harry commented dryly.

"No kidding," Ron agreed. "If we could, I would've dropped Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"But that's an important class!" Hermione protested.

"Not the way Lockhart teaches it," Marik added dryly. "The only thing I've learned in his class is not to let pixies loose in a classroom."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Do I want to know?"

"No," Harry, Yugi, Marik, and Ron said at the same time.

In the end, the boys all ended up taking both Divination and Care of Magical Creatures together. Yugi and Marik also signed up for the new class, Ancient Egyptian Magic ("With Yami Yugi, you could probably teach that class," Harry commented). To everyone's surprise, Draco also signed up for Muggle Studies.

"Hey, look at it this way," he said to his defense. "I'm not going to be able to go home this summer, or ever again for that matter. I may as well try and find out how to live in the 'other' world, don't you think?"

"How did your father find out about your change of heart anyway?" Yugi asked.

"You mean you didn't know?" Draco asked. "My father's one of twelve governors of this school."

-.oOOo.-

The next Quidditch match was going to be against Hufflepuff. Although that house did not have much of a team that year, the Gryffindor team captain, Oliver Wood, insisted that they practice every single day for hours on end. That left Harry and Marik with only enough time for practice and homework. At least the sessions were getting drier and spirits were lighter than they had been before the match against Slytherin back in November. The two seekers were excited about it all as they locked up their brooms in the broom shed the evening before the match. It was looking like they were going to get the Quidditch cup again this year!

Their good mood soon faded though, as they entered the bedroom they shared with the other Gryffindor second years. They found Yugi's section of the room practically torn apart, with his books and robes and cards scattered all over the place. The Japanese boy himself was on his knees, looking through the mess while trying to straighten it all out.

"Yugi-kun, what happened?" Marik asked, bending down to help him out.

"What's it look like happened?" Yugi returned miserably. "Someone trashed my stuff."

A suspicious look crossed Marik's face. "You don't think Malfoy…?"

Yugi shook his head. "No, he's studying with the others. I was too, but I forgot some of my notes."

"But either way, only a Gryffindor could have come in here," Harry protested. "No one else has our password."

"No kidding," Yugi replied. He paused a moment, looking through the books on the floor. "Wait a minute… Riddle's diary is gone!"

-.oOOo.-

Despite the missing magical diary, when Harry and Marik woke up the next morning, nothing could dampen their good mood. Outside, the sun was shining beautifully, and a light breeze whispered though the trees of the forbidden forest. It was the perfect kind of weather for Quidditch, and the younger seeker was practically skipping as him and his friends made their way down the front foyer stairs to go outside. That was, until…

Kill this time… let me rip… tear…

Harry and Draco stopped dead in their tracks, whirling on one another.

"Did you hear that!" they asked each other at the same time.

"You guys heard something?" Yugi asked.

Harry looked down at him, perplexed. "You mean you didn't?"

Suddenly, Hermione's eyes lit up as a sudden idea dawned on her. She clapped a hand to her forehead, as if she just figured out something completely obvious.

"I think I've just figured something out!" she exclaimed, grabbing Seto by the arm. "C'mon! We've gotta go to the library!"

Seto let out a yelp of surprise as she dragged him back up the stairs and out of sight, leaving the other boys staring after them in confusion.

"Did I just miss something?" Draco asked.

Marik shook his head ruefully. "No, just Hermi-chan being herself," he answered. "When she's in doubt, she grabs the unfortunate soul who's unlucky enough to be standing next to her and runs for the library."

"We'd better hurry," Ron said. "The match…"

The six of them raced off to the Quidditch field – Harry and Marik heading for the broom shed and locker room, while Yugi, Bakura, Ron, and Draco headed off for the stands. Harry's mood had been shattered by the disembodied voice, however. His only comfort was that everyone was out in the stands and not in the castle.

The Gryffindor team headed out onto the field, leaving Marik to take up his position near the entrance of their locker room, already looking like he was ready to jump out there in the event that Harry was seriously injured. Wood took off for a practice flight around the stadium, while Madam Hooch released the Bludgers and Golden Snitch.

Then, Harry saw a sight that made his heart sink. Professor McGonagall came half-marching, half-running out onto the field, a large purple megaphone in her hand.

"This match has been canceled!" she shouted through the device. Boos and jeers erupted from the stands. Wood practically fell out of the air in shock. "All students are to make their way to their house common rooms," she continued, ignoring the reactions, "and the Heads of Houses will fill you in on the details."

McGonagall lowered her megaphone, and to Harry's surprise, beckoned to him and Marik.

"I think you two better come with me…"

Confused, they followed her, making their way back to the castle separately. Ron, Draco, Yugi, and Bakura broke away from the crowd and raced up to them just as they were about to enter the castle. To their surprise, McGonagall did not object.

"Yes, I think it would be best if you all came."

They exchanged worried looks as they followed McGonagall through the crowded hallways and up to the hospital wing.

"Now, this might come as a bit of a shock," she said in a gentle voice as they entered. "There has been another attack… a triple attack."

They passed the curtained off beds that held Colin and Justin, to see Madam Pomfrey bent over a curly haired girl. The boys recognized her as the Ravenclaw prefect. On the beds across and next to her, however…

Marik fell to his knees, a horrified look on his face. "No… Ra almighty, no…"

Hermione and Seto lay utterly still on their beds, looks of shock frozen on their faces.

"Move!"

Yugi flailed to regain his balance as Yami Bakura shoved him and Ron out of the way. He came up alongside Seto, reached out, and pressed his thumb and forefinger on the petrified boy's temples. After a moment, the tomb robber snapped his hand away as if he had been bitten, a horrified look on his face.

"Make that quadruple attack…" he muttered, his eyes wide in shock. He turned to Yugi. "Even we're not safe."

A small yelp of fear escaped from Yugi's mouth as he gripped the Millennium Puzzle. During all this, Marik had drifted over to Hermione's side, his shaking fingers barely touching her cheek. The others were just staring at their petrified friends in shock, still trying to process what they were seeing.

"They were found near the library," Professor McGonagall said softly. "I don't suppose you could explain this? It was on the floor near them."

She held up a small flip up hand mirror, the glass of which was cracked from being dropped. It was obviously Seto's, because there was an etching of the Blue Eyes White Dragon on the back. The six of them just shook their heads, though Harry had a distinct feeling that if this had not happened, they would be able to explain it.

"I will escort you back to your houses," McGonagall said heavily. "I need to address my house in any case."