Yu-Gi-Oh!
Dawn of Fate
CHAPTER TWELEVE – THE WEIGHING OF THE WANDS
Dear Sirius,
You told me to keep you posted on what's
happening at Hogwarts, so here goes – I don't
know if you've heard, but the Triwizard
Tournament's happening this year and on
Saturday night I got picked as a fourth
champion. I don't know who put my name in the
Goblet of Fire, because I didn't. The other
Hogwarts champion is Marik, oddly enough.
Hope you're okay, and Buckbeak – Harry
Harry stared at the letter he just wrote, wondering if there was anything else he should add. He was desperate to tell Sirius just how much the thought of having to participate in the tournament was driving him crazy, but he did not want to get all mushy in a letter. Instead, he rolled it up and stood from his seat, brushing straw off of his robes. He was in the school Owlery, as he found that was a safer place to write a letter to his godfather than the common room or anywhere else for that matter.
Hedwig, his white barn owl, fluttered down to take the letter, but he motioned her away.
"Sorry, old friend," he apologized, "I have to use one of the school's owls. You'd be too obvious."
Hedwig hooted indignantly, before fluttering up at the rafters, refusing to come down. Harry sighed, wishing something would go right for once.
After sending a brown owl on its way with his note, he left the Owlery and went out onto the school grounds, relishing the unusual warmth of that first November morning. Maybe things would not be as bad as he and everyone else feared. Just maybe, everything would be all right… who knows? Maybe he would even win the tournament.
He was about to head off to the lake, where Yugi and the others said they were going to be hanging out, when he heard a shout from behind him. There was Ecillia and her goons, much to Harry's misfortune, and she had that usual sneer on her face. He just gave her a bland look as the three of them stopped before him.
"Ah, it's the other champion," she said to Crabbe and Goyle, though she was looking at Harry. "Got your autograph books, boys? I reckon you should get his signature now, because I doubt he's going to be around much longer. Half the Triwizard champions have ended up dead. How long do you think you'll last, Pothead? Ten minutes into the first task would be my guess."
Crabbe and Goyle guffawed stupidly at Ecillia's banter, invoking Harry to roll his eyes. He was about to shoot back at her with a foul remark, but someone behind the three Slytherin's beat him to it.
"Don't you think you should be bouncing along, little ferret?"
Ecillia whirled, a death glare on her face, to see Yami Bakura and Bakura standing behind them. Both of them where standing with their arms crossed, glaring daggers right back at her. She flipped her hair over her shoulder, before stalking back toward the castle, Crabbe and Goyle in tow as usual. Yami Bakura gave her back a one fingered salute, before turning back to Harry.
"Hey, how much to d'ya think I'd have to give Moody so he'd turn her into a ferret again?" he asked, a wicked grin on his face.
Harry grinned as well. "Knowing Moody, you probably wouldn't have to give him anything."
Bakura just shook his head. "Normally I'd say that wasn't nice, but if anyone deserved to be humiliated…"
Yami Bakura wrapped an arm around his hikari's neck. "Look at it this way, Ryou," he said, his voice lowered into a conspiratorial whisper, "if he turns her into a ferret again… we could have some fun with her… I hear ferrets are quite flexible creatures…"
Bakura giggled. "You're evil."
Yami Bakura puffed his chest out proudly. "Damn straight!"
Harry, however, was giving Bakura a strange look. "You know, you're starting to act an awful lot like him," he pointed out, motioning to the tomb robber. The expression on the white-haired boy's face went from horrified, to disbelief, and back to horrified.
"Am I really?" he asked, shocked by the very suggestion of it.
Yami Bakura patted the boy on the back so hard he nearly knocked him off his feet. "C'mon, Ryou, that's not a bad thing! Before you know it, I'll be showing you how to steal from Snape's storerooms and not get caught."
Bakura seemed to turn a sickly green at the thought.
-.oOOo.-
Things only got worse for Harry as the days ticked away. It seemed as if the whole school had turned against him, all because someone else had put his name in that stupid goblet. Fred and George tried to cheer him up as best they could. Tricking him into eating one of their Canary Custards did not help much, however. Both Marik – who was more than a little miffed that everyone was treating one of his best friends so poorly – and Hermione were doing everything they could to keep Harry's spirits high; and because of this, they were often in close contact with one another, which eventually led to the two of them talking to one another again. Harry could still get a sense of bad air about them as they talked, but at least they were trying to get along again.
The Slytherins were really coming down on Harry the hardest, which was no surprise. One day, when Harry, Hermione, and Marik arrived for their double Potions lesson with the detestable house, they found Ecillia and her entourage waiting for them, along with several others. They were all wearing an extra badge on their robes, each bearing the same message in glowing red letters.
SUPPORT MARIK ISHITAR –
THE REALHOGWARTS CHAMPION!
Marik fumed at the message, uttering promises of Ecillia's death under his breath.
"Like them, Pothead?" Ecillia asked, that predatory grin on her face that made Harry want to knock her teeth out. "That isn't all they do, either. Look!"
She pressed her badge, and the message faded away, only to be replaced by another one.
POTTER STINKS
That was the last straw for Marik. As the other Slytherins laughed and started flashing POTTER STINKS with their own buttons, he stood before Harry and Hermione, ignoring their protests. He pulled out his wand, pointing it at Ecillia, and the laughter died away, some even backing up.
"Going to teach me a lesson, Ishitar?" she sneered, pulling out her wand. "Moody's not here to look after you or your Mudblood girlfriend…"
Marik snapped at that. He acted, but Ecillia had already started moving…
"Furnunculus!" Marik shouted.
"Densaugeo!" Ecillia yelled.
The blasts from both wands hit each other in midair and ricocheted off. Marik's spell hit Goyle straight in the face, while Ecillia's blasted Hermione. The thick Slytherin bellowed as boils sprung up all over his face, while Hermione let out a panic stricken cry. Her teeth, which were already larger than normal to begin with, started growing at an alarming rate. Marik swore under his breath, going over to help her hide it as best he could; this was not going to help him get her back.
"What is all this noise about?"
Marik held back a groan; perfect time for Snape to show up…
Ecillia jumped to explain. "Ishitar attacked me, sir –"
"We attacked each other, you git," Marik snarled.
"—and he hit Goyle. Look!"
Snape looked over at Goyle and rolled his eyes. "Hospital wing, Goyle."
"But Ecillia got Hermione," Harry added as Draco, Yugi, and Yami Yugi showed up at the class. "Look."
He motioned over to where Hermione's teeth were poking out, despite her and Marik's best efforts to keep them covered. Again, Snape rolled his eyes, though this time there was a bit of a sneer on his face.
"I see no difference."
Tears welded up in Hermione's eyes before she turned and ran off for the Hospital Wing. Draco gave his friends a concerned look before following her, though the four of them missed it. Harry, Yugi, Marik, and Yami Yugi were shouting at Snape. It was lucky that there was an echo in that corridor, or the Potions Master would have heard exactly what they were calling him. As it was, he still probably got the gist of it.
"Detentions for Potter, Ishitar, and Mutou," he said, before glaring at Yami Yugi. "Both of you. And fifty points from Gryffindor. Now get inside before I make it a weeks worth of detention."
-.oOOo.-
Fortunately for Marik and Harry, Colin Creevey of all people, who was sent to call them out of class for the sake of the Triwizard Tournament, saved them from sitting through the whole dastardly Potions lesson. The two of them entered the classroom they were needed in as Colin waved good-bye, wishing them luck as he did so.
"I'll have to ask Dumbledore if I can send Snape to the Shadow Realm," Marik muttered, glaring at Viktor Krum as they entered. "He needs to be trapped in his head again."
"No kidding," Harry groaned as the two of them sat down next to Fleur Delacour. The Egyptian glanced at her for a moment, before wiping his hand off on his slacks and offering it to her to shake.
"Hi!" he greeted cheerfully. "I'm Marik and this is Harry. We're Seto's friends."
She looked at his hand a bit distastefully, but did not shake it. "Pleasure," she replied coldly.
Marik made a face, and both him and Harry backed off, sliding their chairs away from her. No wonder her and Seto seemed to get along so well; they were both as cold as ice!
Suddenly, a witch dressed in magenta robes, with the gaudiest glasses either of them had ever seen balanced on her nose, approached them, eyeing Harry.
"Harry Potter, Rita Skeeter from the Daily Prophet," she introduced, grabbing his hand with one of her mannish ones and shaking it violently. "Might I have a word with you about your part in the tournament?"
"Er…"
"Wonderful!" she exclaimed before he even had a chance to finish. She pulled him up out of his seat and carted him off, leaving Marik blinking in confusion in her wake. The Egyptian was going to get up and try to save his friend, when Dumbledore entered the room in the company of Ludo Bagman. The game director looked around, confused.
"Potter didn't show up yet?" he asked.
"Some Rita Skeeter woman kidnapped him," Marik answered as Madame Maxime, Professor Karkaroff, and Mr. Ollivander of Ollivanders (Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC) of all people entered the room.
Professor Dumbledore sighed tiredly. "I'll recover him," he replied, before leaving.
He returned not a moment later, with a very harassed and relieved looking Harry. The young wizard quickly scooted off to sit back down next to Marik just as Rita entered the room once again. The loud looking woman settled down in a seat in the corner away from the others, taking out a strange quill and a long slip of parchment. Dumbledore and the other professors sat down at a velvet-covered table, before the elderly headmaster waved toward Mr. Ollivander.
"I would like to introduce Mr. Ollivander," he said. "He will be checking your wands to make sure they are in good condition for the tournament."
Harry looked at the elderly wizard in surprise as Marik chuckled at his reaction.
"Mademoiselle Delacour, could we have you first?" Mr. Ollivander asked. Fleur stood immediately and handed her wand to him. He inspected the stick of wood with a careful eye, twirling it between his fingers. "Hum… Nine inches, inflexible, rosewood, containing… oh my…"
"An 'air from ze head of a veela," she said for him. "One of my grandmuzzer's."
Marik and Harry's eyes grew wide at the revelation. She really was half veela, just like Bakura and Yami Bakura said! Mr. Ollivander had a bunch of flowers shoot out of the end of her wand, before handing it back to her. She sat down, frowning at the two boys' expressions.
"Mr. Ishitar, you're next," he announced. Marik stood up, handing over his wand a bit sheepishly, noticing that his did not look nearly as kept up with as Fleur's did. Mr. Ollivander noticed too, smiling easily as if he had expected it. "Ah, yes, I remember when you three came to the shop… young Mr. Mutou isn't still upset he broke the shop window, is he?"
Marik grinned. "Probably not, but I'll be happy to remind him."
Mr. Ollivander outright grinned at that. "Yes, I'm sure you will. Ah… Ebony and phoenix feather, eleven inches. You were the easiest to choose out of you three."
The elderly wizard waved the wand, shooting out a stream of slivery smoke rings before handing it back. Marik went to sit down as Viktor Krum was called up next. The Egyptian glared at him as he handed Mr. Ollivander his wand, looking like he did not want to part with it, even for a little while.
"Hum… hornbeam and dragon heartstring?" he asked. "Quite a bit thicker than normal, rather rigid. Ten and a quarter inches…"
Mr. Ollivander waved the wand, and with a bang like a gunshot, several small birds flew out from the end and out an open window. He handed the wand back, and Viktor quickly went back to his seat before the elderly wand maker motioned for the last champion, smiling pleasantly. Harry went up and handed over his wand, just as sheepish as Marik, because his seemed to be in worse shape.
"Ah, yes…" Mr. Ollivander muttered. "Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches. I could never forget this wand…"
The wand maker took extra time to inspect his wand, fascinated by it. Harry bit his lip, hoping he would not reveal the secret behind his wand to the others. Glancing over at where Rita's quill was taking rapid fire notes, he had a feeling the writing instrument would just about die of excitement if that was let out. Finally, however, Mr. Ollivander shot out a stream of wine from the end and handed it back to him.
"Thank you all," Dumbledore said, standing up as Harry rejoined Marik. "You may go back to your lessons now… of perhaps it would be quicker to just go down to dinner, as they are just about over by now."
Just as everyone was about to get up, a man neither Harry nor Marik had noticed before jumped up, holding up a black camera and looked suspiciously like Colin Creevey.
"Photos, Dumbledore!" the man exclaimed. "Don't forget the photos!"
-.oOOo.-
Harry massaged his head as he walked to the Gryffindor common room with his friends – sans Hermione, whom he suspected was still in the hospital wing. That photo op had taken forever! Not only that, but it had taken him ages to get away from that Skeeter woman; he was not in the mood to get dragged into another closet like she had done the first time.
Entering the common room, he shambled off to bed right away, where, to his pleasant surprise, a letter from Sirius was waiting for him. Looking around, he made sure no one else was in the room, before snatching the parchment off of his pillow and unrolling it.
Harry –
I can't say everything I would like to in a letter,
it's too risky in case the owl is intercepted – we
need to talk face-to-face. Can you ensure that
you are alone by the fire in Gryffindor Tower at
one o' clock in the morning on the 22nd of
November?
I know better than anyone that you can look after
yourself, and while you're around Dumbledore and
Moody I don't think anyone will be able to hurt you.
However, someone seems to be having a good try.
Entering you in that tournament would have been
very risky, especially right under Dumbledore's nose.
Be on the watch, Harry. I still want to hear about
anything unusual. Let me know about the 22nd of
November as quickly as you can.
Sirius
Harry frowned down at the note, wondering how the heck the fire was supposed to help the two of them get in touch with one another. He slid the note under his mattress to join the others just as Draco poked his head into the room.
"Just thought you might wanna know," he said. "Hermione's better now. She just came back from the hospital wing."
Harry sighed in relief and nodded. At least today did not have any damaging effects.