Gah, did this chapter give me a tough time. Ran into a Dreaded Block when I realized I was missing this bit...so I know, I know, this part sounds rather strange and out of place. But believe me, as random as everything may seem, they do link up. Eventually.

AAaaand thanks to:
The Mad Tortoise, Curtis Zidane Ziraa, Shi-koi and kaylie, you guys really rock~ ^________^
Asher Tye: I would say Mokuba *finally* made it Hogwarts, lol, but you brought up a nice point about Mokuba meeting Hagrid **hits herself on the head for not thinking of this one**but since Mokuba doesn't have Hagrid's class, that might be tricky - but I really want to squeeze it in now~ Thanks!
T.A.O.: No, you're not annoying at all! It's just that I'm having waayy too much fun doing this slowly and trying to stuff Mokuba into the Hogwarts-student-mode. I think what you should expect is Seto's reaction to being "owled"
Tomgirl27: I'm guessing Mokuba would know what had happened after his soul got "carded" because Yugi and Co., as his friends, would've told him, and I think his brother would have mentioned those events here and there as well (less likely though, Kaiba's our Denial candidate).
Kaitourei: Gosh, everyone's going to be disappointed because Mokuba's going to end up in the very house everyone expects him to be inbut there is somewhat of a twist. And homework's piling up by the truckload on my end too. I've developed a rather useful talent of ignoring it. Eek. Good luck though~

SPOILER WARNING!! As always...spoilers for the YGO Battle City arc in here too....aaandd the OC warning. But that goes without saying, right?

Disclaimer: Nope, nope and nope. **sighs** I don't even own the password into the common rooms, isn't that sad?

Muggle Studies

Ch.8 - Cuckoo

"Giant squid. He said he fell into the lake and nearly got eaten by a giant squid."

Harry sighed. "Yeah, that would be Dennis Creevey. And yeah, there is a giant squid in that lake. Wonder what's for supper, I'm getting hungry."

The Great Hall was always a spectacular sight, especially when one walks in at the exact same time the floating candles got lit in the blaze of the setting sun. Mokuba found himself craning his neck to get a better look at, well, just about everything - from the teachers' table (who was that huge giant of a man with what seemed like a furry tie around his neck?) to the gently swaying chandeliers, and finally, to the ceiling that reflected the sunset outside.

"Eh, how long do you plan on standing in the middle of the entrance gawping at the ceiling?" Ron grinned. "We would like to sit down now, considering you stood there staring at the outside for as long as you did"

"Oh, yeahit's justwow, what's it like, having classes in an ancient castle?"

"Not as cool as it sounds, believe me."

Once seated, Hermione proceeded to explain everything in the Great Hall to him. "That's Hagrid, he's the professor for the Care of Magical Creatures, but you won't get that class until next yearand that's Nearly Headless Nick"

"Hagrid 'Nearly Headless Nick'", Mokuba said faintly, trying to remember everything his older friends were shooting at him. "We had ghosts - spirits actually - in my old schoolbut we were always warned to be respectful and wary of them - 'Nearly Headless Nick'?!"

"Yeah, the names help you remember which one's which, see, that chubby one over there is the Fat Friar" Ron contributed helpfully to Mokuba's Hogwarts education.

"So let me see if I got this right: there are four houses - Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Huff-and-Puff"

"Hufflepuff, Mokuba."

"Right. So how do you know which you belong to? Alan told me something about a 'sorting'?"

Harry chuckled at Mokuba's slightly overwhelmed look. "Look, don't worry; it's not a test of your skill or anythingyou just put on a hat"

"A singing hat," Ginny put in.

"Yeah, a singing hat, and then it just tells you which House you belong in. That's all."

Mokuba sighed in relief. Weirder things had happened. "When do I get sorted?"

Hermione looked around. "Well, there's the first-years already, but that's Professor Grubbly-Plank leading them - that's strange, usually it's McGonagall - oh, hello Professor!"

A short, beaming man smiled up at all of them. "Hello, Miss Granger, and how've you been?"

She had just been about to tell him all about the results of her research on the combinations of charms and transfiguration spells when Harry and Ron cut in. "Er, say Professor Flitwick, would you know who the new Defense Against Dark Arts teacher is?"

"Afraid I don't, but Dumbledore interviewed someone just a month ago," Flitwick replied, as cheerful as ever. Turning to Mokuba, he said, "Mr. Kaiba, right? Professor McGonagall asked me to escort you to see her - I believe she wants to talk to you. Don't worry; I'll have someone see you back here."

Mokuba got up. "Uh, okay, uhm, Professor"

"Flitwick."

"Professor Flitwick."

As they left the bustling Hall, Mokuba could hear Ron yelling out "Relax, Flitwick won't eat you - watch out for Snape though!"

______________________________

After a series of twisting, turning corridors, trick staircases and funny doors, they finally reached what seemed to be the Hogwarts staff room. Professors were going in and out, some looking frazzled already, but most just anticipating yet another school year. Out of the corner of his eye, Mokuba could've sworn he saw Princess Petyr snooping about, but he was having a habit of seeing odd things lately

"Thank you, Professor Flitwick. Mr. Kaiba, if you would come this way?" A tall, thin, strict-looking woman with spectacles on her nose swept out and led him down the hall to a smaller, quieter room to a side. The room looked like it hadn't been used for some time, and there was a stack of bags and crates on the floor as if someone was in the process of moving in.

The strict woman sat down at a desk and motioned for Mokuba to sit on the other side. "Let me introduce myself: I am Professor McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts. Since Professor Dumbledore is away at this moment, I welcome you to Hogwarts in his place. I assume you have gotten all the necessary supplies and books with no trouble?"

Mokuba unhinged his mouth. "No, ma'am." In his career as a student, teachers like these knew what they were doing and it was usually best if you kept on their good side.

"Just 'Professor' will do, Mr. Kaiba. Now, there are four Houses in Hogwarts"

"Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Hufflepuff," Mokuba rattled off. "Professor," he added as an afterthought.

McGonagall eyed him shrewdly. "Very well. I see that you are already aware of that fact. All that remains now is to decide which house you belong in. Since the first years are already using the Sorting Hat, and Dumbledore told me he didn't want you to be Sorted along with them, we'll have to use this."

From her robe pocket she fished out what looked like a clock. On closer inspection however, the clock face only had one hand, and there were no numbers at all on the face, just four marks at equal intervals. There was a small door below the clock face, and a key on the back, like the ones on the backs of the wind-up toys.

"This, Mr. Kaiba, is the early version of the Sorting Hat. It's not that hard to use: you wind up the key in the back until you hear a click."

She had just handed the boy the 'clock' when an exasperated-looking professor poked her head in. "Minerva, would you mind coming down to the kitchens with me for a minute? Peeves is raising the worst sort of racket among the elves and I can't find the Bloody Baron anywhere"

"I'll be right with you. Mr. Kaiba, I'll leave you here with this just for a minute. Don't go anywhere if you don't want to get lost." She left a rather bewildered Mokuba staring at the 'clock' in his hands.

Okay, it's just winding up a clocksure, a bit more work than putting on a hat, but not too bad. Mokuba began winding up the 'clock'. It took a while before a clearly audible click was heard, and the entire thing began whirring.

He was wondering whether he should put the thing down or not when all of a sudden the door on the bottom flung open, and a fuzzy, yellow bird popped out, screeching "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Mokuba dropped the thing in surprise. The bird, or whatever it was, just continued screeching "HUFFFLEPUFF!" To the boy's horror, it detached itself from the clock and proceeded to scuttle across the room until it reached a bag that was half open. "Hufflepuff," it crooned, softer now. Then it began attacking the bag, trying to rip it up. "Hufflepuff! Hufflepuff!"

"Hey you, stop that, she's going to come back and blame me - stop it!" Mokuba cast about and found a grimy feather duster that he jabbed at the irate bird-thing. The 'bird' backed away, its voice back to screeching level. In poking at the 'bird' though, he accidentally caused the stuff in the bag to come tumbling out.

A set of scales.

It was the kind for measuring out Potion ingredients, and it looked awfully ancient...and Mokuba knew he had seen that eye symbol somewhere before. Egyptian, wasn't it? He picked it up to put it back in the bag (the bird was now muttering 'Hufflepuff' in a cranky voice). Light glinted off the eye on the golden scale and caught Mokuba's gaze.

- Do you think your heart passes judgment, boy?

Mokuba jumped back, recovered, and laughed shakily at himself. "Hahajust hearing voices"

- Put your heart on the scales and see.

Suddenly he got the exact same suffocating, dark feeling he'd had when he'd been stuck in a card by Pegasus. Just utter, smothering emptiness and darkness. So dark that he couldn't tell if he had his eyes open or notso oppressive that even if he could yell, he wouldn't be able to hear himself and he'd know no one would be able to hear him.

- Fears will weigh your heart down and you have many fears.

- You're afraid of failing. Failing your older brother.

An image of Pegasus trapping his brother in a card floated in front of him. He'd never witnessed this, but from what Yugi and Jounouchi had told himhe'd failed Seto then. He'd let Pegasus use him to lure his nii-sama

He couldn't even wiggle his fingers anymore, which frustrated him and terrified him to a high degree. Then, a series of voices, as if in a conversation floated by his ear.

"They say Slytherin's the house for dark wizards, but at least they're smart. Hufflepuff is a house for the losers."

"The famous Harry Potter's in Gryffindor, and everyone knows Dumbledore loves that house the best. Ravenclaw's for the geniuses though."

"I hope I get into Gryffindor, but yeah, rather Slytherin than Hufflepuff."

"Everyone knowseveryone knows"


Hufflepuff. Was that the house he'd gotten into? No one had told him this about the house. Mokuba recalled the idiotic bird hopping around screaming "HUFFLEPUFF" at him and suddenly felt slightly enraged at this. Were they trying to say that he hadn't been good enough to get into Gryffindor? Or smart enough to get into Ravenclaw?

Seto placed a lot on whether someone was a winner or a loser. Take Jounouchi for example. He knew his brother had a lot higher expectations of him than thatand he had nearly failed Seto at Battle City during the duel against Noa, not to mention Duelist Kingdom

A jabbing pain in his shoulder caused him to blink, and he forced his eyes open (although he'd been pretty sure they already were). The idiot bird was now pecking furiously on his shoulder and the room came back into focus, much to Mokuba's relief.

Get a grip on yourself, Mokuba, he reasoned to himself, forcefully pushing away any lingering self-doubts and tearing his gaze away from the scales. "I shouldn't be in Hufflepuff" he thought aloud instead. "There must've been something wrong with the clock-thing" Mokuba turned and gave the yellow bird a predatory glance. Sensing that Mokuba wished to force it to say "GRYFFINDOR", the bird let out a terrified squawk and led the boy around the room in a mad chase.

"Come here, you -thing- I need to redo that whole winding-the-clock process again." Mokuba shoved the scales back into the bag and leapt after the scuttling bird.
He had just caught the bird when McGonagall came back in, holding what seemed to be a raggedy hat and wearing a disapproving look.

"I -uh, Professor I can explain"

"No need, Mr. Kaiba. I'll take this" McGonagall took the bird from his hand and firmly shoved it back into the clock, where muffled sounds could still be heard. "I suppose there was a reason why it's no longer used; that's all it's been screeching for years. Here, try the Sorting Hat on."

Mokuba took a shaky breath, and put it on, hoping that it wouldn't trigger anything like that weird scales hallucination.

Oh, my. You're a tense one, aren't you?

Another talking object! He was about ready to scream in frustration. Just sort me, please, just sort me and I really want to be in Gryffindor. Actually any house but Hufflepuff

Any house but Hufflepuff? But you're suited to that one - you're a loyal, steady, determined worker

Really. Any house but Hufflepuff. Please?

Well

Look, so much as whisper Hufflepuff and I'll rip you up. Any other one.

If you insist, although threats aren't the best way to get things, take it from me. I'd say this one's better as your second choice but GRYFFINDOR IT IS !

The last phrase was shouted aloud by the hat, and McGonagall whisked it off his head as soon as the words were out of its 'mouth'.

"I am also the head of House Gryffindor, so I'm warning you here that you'd better behave yourself this year, Mr. Kaiba." McGonagall peered with uncharacteristic concern at him. "Are you alright? You look rather pale."

Mokuba shook himself out of it and tried to put on a 'bright-eyed, bushy-tailed' look. "No, professor, I'm fine, really."

McGonagall gave him a skeptical glance, but nodded briskly. "Mr. Davies, take Mr. Kaiba back to the Great Hall, would you?"

On the trip back to the Hall, he couldn't help but feel that he'd just cheated his way into Gryffindor.

_________

"Oh look, there he isHey Mokuba, over here!"

"Sowhat did McGonagall say? Are you in Gryffindor?" Alan and Euan were standing by the Fat Lady's portrait that also served as the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, waiting to give their new friend the password. When Mokuba didn't answer immediately, Alan quickly said, "Well, Ravenclaw thenat least you could've made it in with Chip"

They'll never know how close I was to not 'making it' with any of thembut Mokuba shoved that thought away too and flashed the two a thumbs-up. "No worries there! I'm in Gryffindor!"

"Brilliant!" Euan slapped a high-five with Mokuba. "Let's go in and show you where our room is then. Argelfraster."

The Fat Lady's portrait swung open to reveal a cozy, warm common room, where other fellow Gryffindors were still milling about.

"Ah, home sweet home," Alan sighed. "I do miss this place."

"Come on, I bet your trunk's there already and everything - move faster, will you?" Euan pushed on a wooden panel over the fireplace and a door swung open. Mokuba walked in and saw a brightly-lit corridor with doors lining either side.

"Room's at the very end of the corridor," Alan said. "The sixth-years have the turret rooms, but we still have somewhat of a view. You can almost see the giant squid from here on good days."

The dorm room was decked out in the Gryffindor red-and-gold and 5 canopied beds were at the very center, fanning outwards. Two of the beds already had owners who introduced themselves as Emrys and Roger. Mokuba quickly located his bed with his trunk in front of it and the five chattered away until a very annoyed Ron told them to put a cork in it.

"Believe me, you shrimps will be wishing you'd gotten more sleep come tomorrow," he growled as he shut their door.

A comfortable hush fell over the darkened room, broken by Mokuba voicing the other question that had been bothering him for a while. "Are classes really that bad?"

"Well, it depends" Emrys said in mid-yawn.

"Some of the teachers are all right"

"others are axe-wielding psychos."

Alan's voice said, "You'll survive to suffer another day, I promise. We did."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

A/N: Eh, a long chappie to make up for the last two rather short ones...hope you guys are satisfied (lol). And the password into the common room comes from the 'Enchanted Forest Chronicles' by Patricia C. Wrede - it was a word used to melt wizards (rather ironic, but I just thought 'Argelfraster' had a funny ring to it~)

Classes...classes coming next chapter...I expect some of my own homework frustrations are going to run over into this tale...lol.