Yu-Gi-Oh!
Dawn of Fate
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No Q&A right now. I'm tired, and I want to RP. I'll just say this much... I am SO mean to my favorite bishies. ^^;
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CHAPTER TWENTY - PADFOOT RETURNS
Yami Bakura yawned lazily as he made his way down the corridors to the Great Hall that morning. He had slept in, despite the poking and prodding that his hikari put him through. What did he care if he was late for a class? He was not the one that got the homework, after all. Besides, he had more important things to worry about, like his little prank war for instance. The pharaoh had yet to get back at him for the ice incident, and he was starting to get concerned. Oh, no, he was not AFRAID of what the pharaoh was plotting. There was not a single thing the pharaoh could do to him that he could not return to him ten fold. He was worried that Yami Yugi had given up on their little game.
Well, Yami Bakura thought as he started down a flight of stairs, he was just going to have to make sure that-
Before he could even finish that thought, he felt his foot land on something metallic, slippery, yet sticky at the same time. In the next second, he was careening down the stairs at an alarming rate, his feet practically glued to a metal pan, the rectangular kind used in baking. Reaching the bottom, he bounced against the wall, which in turn spun him around like a top, before sending him surfing down another flight of steps. When he reached the end of that flight, however, he somehow got over balanced, and ended up smacking against the ground with a painful THUD!
It took the tomb robber a moment to regain himself and chase away the stars that were doing happy dances before his eyes. When they finally stopped and went away, he saw that a gargoyle statue was holding a small letter addressed to him. Grumbling, he un-stuck his feet from the pan and stood up - painfully - before snatching the letter out of the gargoyle's stone hand.
Bakura ~
Tag, you're it.
~ Panseru
Yami Bakura growled angrily, smashing the letter in his fist. That Ra-be-damned pharaoh was SO going to die AGAIN!
~.oOOo.~
Be at stile at end of road out of Hogsmeade (past
Dervish and Banges) at two o' clock on Saturday
afternoon. Bring as much food as you can.
Yugi, Yami Yugi, Marik, Draco, Ron, and Harry practically had their heads pressed together as they read Sirius' latest note on their way to Potions. Harry had to read it over twice to make sure he was not seeing things. Was his godfather really back in Hogsmeade?
"He's crazy," Marik murmured. "If he gets caught..."
"He's made it this far though," Yami Yugi reasoned. "Besides, it's not like the dementors are around anymore."
"Thank God for that," Draco agreed.
Harry folded the note up carefully before stuffing it back in his robes. He admitted, he wanted to see Sirius again, especially after everything that had been going on. The thing was, what if he WAS caught again? He would be sent back to Azkaban, and Harry did not know if he would be able to escape a second time.
When they reached the dungeon classroom that Potions was held in, they saw Ecillia, Crabbe, and Goyle, along with Pansy Parkinson's gang of Slytherin girls. They were all in a huddle, sniggering about something that Harry and his friends could not see. Ecillia turned as they approached, however, a wicked smile on her face.
"Ah, so THERE you are," she sneered as the girls broke apart, giving Harry the chance to see that Pansy was holding a magazine in her hand.
"You might find something in here that interests you, Mutou," Pansy said loudly, tossing the magazine at Yugi. He caught it, startled. Flipping it over, he was able to see the title "Witch Weekly" with a moving picture of a witch pointing to a large sponge cake with her wand and smiling brightly.
The six boys exchanged concerned looks, before backing away from the Slytherin girls, who were outright laughing now. Yugi started flipping through the magazine as soon as they were far away enough. After a long moment, he found what they were looking for near the center of the magazine. The boys pressed their heads together again, looking at a color photograph of Harry that headed a short piece entitled:
Harry Potter's Secret Heartache
A boy like no other, perhaps - yet a boy suffering all
the usual pangs of adolescence, writes Rita Skeeter.
Deprived of love since the tragic demise of his
parents, fourteen-year-old Harry Potter thought he
had found solace in an unlikely steady BOYfriend at
Hogwarts, Muggle-born Japanese transfer student
Yugi Mutou. Little did he know that he would
shortly be suffering yet another emotional blow in a
life already littered with personal loss.
Mr. Mutou, an exotic and ambitious boy, seems
to have a taste for the undead that Harry obviously
cannot satisfy. Since his arrival at Hogwarts, Mr.
Mutou has been toying with the emotions of Harry as
well as well as "Yami Yugi", a spirit of an Ancient
Egyptian peasant that follows the small of stature boy
around. Yami Yugi, who is openly smitten with the
devious Mr. Mutou, has already invited him to tour
about his home country of Egypt, and insists that he
has "never felt this way about anyone."
However, it might not be Mr. Mutou's doubtful
natural charms that have captured these unfortunate
boys' interest.
"He's really ugly," says Pansy Parkinson, a
pretty and vivacious fourth-year student, "but he'd be
well up to making a Love Potion, he's a bit brainy. I
think that's how he's doing it."
Love Potions are, of course, banned at Hogwarts,
and no doubt Albus Dumbledore will want to
investigate these claims. In the meantime, Harry
Potter's well-wishers must hope that, next time, he
bestows his heart on a worthier candidate.
Harry felt his whole face turn hot in humiliation as Yami Yugi started ranting and raving ("Peasant?! How dare she...!"). He had never felt that embarrassed before in his life; he did not even have a GIRL that he was interested in - though it was a bit of a toss up between Lavender and Cho - not to mention a BOY. Goodness, he never even THOUGHT of Yugi that way!
"Oh, man, Yugi-kun," Marik exclaimed, slapping the palm of his hand to his forehead. "I tried to tell you that she would do something like this... Yugi-kun?"
Yugi had not moved an inch since he had finished reading the article, not counting his hands holding the magazine up. His fingers were clenched tightly around the edges of the magazine, and his fists were shaking.
"Yugi?" Ron asked, gulping slightly in nervousness. "Are you okay?"
Suddenly, Yugi's hands snapped away from each other, tearing the magazine in half. The other boys took a MASSIVE step back, unnerved by the sudden act of violence. Without saying a word, Yugi snatched the article, dropped the rest of the magazine and his bag, and then spun around on his heel and stalked off.
"A-aibou!" Yami Yugi called, surprised. "Where are you going? You've got class!"
"To find Yami Bakura-kun!" Yugi shouted over his shoulder, before disappearing around a bend in the hall. The five boys left exchanged dumbfounded looks, too stunned to speak.
"Man... Yugi's PISSED," Ron finally said.
"He's scary when he's mad," Draco added.
Yami Yugi could only nod in agreement as Snape opened the door to the classroom and ushered the students inside. The pharaoh picked up his hikari's bag and followed the others in. He could probably handle Yugi's classes while he was gone; he just hoped his little koibito was not doing anything that could get him expelled.
"Though... how'd she know...?" the pharaoh muttered to himself as he sat down next to Marik.
"Know what?" Marik asked. "Don't tell me he really is mixing Love Potions?"
Yami Yugi sweatdropped. "Of course not," he replied, before turning slightly pink. "I mean, how did she know I asked Yugi if he wanted to go to Egypt this summer instead of participating in Battle City?"
Marik gave him a sly, almost cat-like look. "Aw, pharaoh. How adorable. Showing him the sights, hunh?"
Yami Yugi hung his head, turning bright red. "Marik..." he began warningly.
Marik did not take heed, however. "Just, whatever you do, don't ask him if he wants to visit your place."
The pharaoh crossed his arms on the desk, burying his head in them to hide his humiliation as Marik chuckled.
~.oOOo.~
They all left for Hogsmeade the next day. The weather that March had finally cleared up, and it was warmer than it had been in a long time. Yami Yugi, Yami Bakura, Yami Seto, and Marik had already taken off their robes, claiming to be boiling hot, and the others were not far behind in doing the same. Yugi, Yami Yugi, Harry, and Draco were sharing the same carriage on their way to the wizard's village, with Yugi practically hanging his head out the window in his excitement for going in such nice weather.
"So, who is going with you to see Sirius?" the pharaoh asked. "It would be safer if a small group went to see him than all of us."
"That's what I was thinking," Harry admitted.
"I'll go," Draco volunteered.
Yami Yugi took a sidelong glance at Yugi. "I was going to try and prevent him from strangling Skeeter, so..."
Yugi turned around long enough to pout at the pharaoh.
Once they arrived at the village and disembarked, they separated into three groups. Yugi and Yami Yugi went off on their own, with the lighter half complaining that he was not going to try to do anything to Rita Skeeter. Seto, Yami Seto, Bakura, Marik, and Ron went off to their usual haunts, and to also buy Dobby the house elf a gift, as it had been him that was responsible for getting Harry his gillyweed for the second task. That left Harry, Yami Bakura, and Draco to go off to meet up with Sirius.
The three of them went up the road past Dervish and Banges, following the path as if they were to leave Hogsmeade. It was not until they were near the foot of the mountain in whose shadow the village lay, that they encountered a shaggy black dog with a collection of newspapers in its mouth...
"Hello, Sirius," Harry said, holding out his bag. They had managed to grab a dozen chicken legs, a loaf of bread, and a flask of pumpkin juice from the lunch table. The Sirius-dog sniffed at it, wagging his tail excitedly, before turning around and trotting away toward the foot of the mountain.
They followed the dog up a small path, sweating slightly in the warmth of the sun. After at least a half hour of climbing and walking, they reached a narrow fissure in the rock. Sirius slipped in first, followed by Draco, Yami Bakura, and lastly Harry. They ended up in a cool, dimly lit cave, where Buckbeak the hippogriff was tethered near the end. Yami Bakura went over and bowed to the hippogriff right away. Buckbeak bowed back right away, and soon the tomb robber was petting and scratching the animal under the chin, saying hello to him.
Meanwhile, Sirius had already transformed back into a human, and had practically pounced on Harry. He handed over the food right away; if he had not known the man, he would have been afraid of loosing a hand or something. Sirius attacked the chicken drumsticks almost right away, tearing off a large chunk with his teeth.
"Thanks," he said after swallowing. "I've been living mostly off of rats."
Draco made a face.
"What are you doing here, Sirius?" Harry asked, sitting down on a rock.
Sirius shrugged. "Being a good godfather," he replied. "Don't worry; everyone that's seen me just thinks I'm a loveable stray."
Meanwhile, the newspapers that Sirius had brought with him had caught Yami Bakura's eye. The first one had the headline of "Mystery Illness of Bartemius Crouch" and the other was "Ministry Witch Still Missing - Minister of Magic Now Personally Involved". The tomb robber read over the one about Crouch, frowning as he finished.
"They're making it sound like he's dying," he said, passing the newspaper on to Harry.
Harry also frowned as he read it. "He can't be that ill if he managed to get up here," he said. "I had seen Crouch on the Marauder's Map the night I found out Moody was keeping an eye on Snape."
Sirius snorted. "Crouch is a piece of work all right, but if he ever takes a day off because of illness, I'll eat Buckbeak."
"You know Crouch?" Draco asked, surprised.
Sirius' expression suddenly darkened. "Oh, I know Crouch," he said quietly. "He was the one who gave the order for me to be sent to Azkaban... without a trial."
"WHAT?!" Draco and Yami Bakura exclaimed.
"Why?" Harry asked.
Sirius shook his head. "You wouldn't understand. You're too young."
Yami Bakura raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"That's what Ron's dad said at the World Cup," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "Why don't you try us?"
A grin flashed across Sirius' face. "Okay, I'll try you," he said, tossing Buckbeak his finished chicken bone. "Imagine that Voldemort's powerful now. You don't know who his supporters are, you don't know who's working for him and who isn't; you know he can control people so that they do terrible things without being able to stop themselves. You're scared for yourself, and your family, and your friends. Every week, news comes of more deaths, more disappearances, more torturing. The Ministry of Magic's in disarray, they don't know what to do, they're trying to keep everything hidden from the muggles, by meanwhile, muggles are dying too. Terror everywhere, panic, confusion... that's how it used to be."
"Sounds like Egypt back in my time," Yami Bakura commented solemnly. Harry and Draco gave him concerned looks, but the tomb robber waved it off.
"Anyway... times like that bring out the best in some people and the worst in others," Sirius continued. "Crouch's principles might've been good in the beginning - I wouldn't know. He rose quickly through the Ministry, and he started ordering very harsh measures against Voldemort's followers. He was probably as ruthless as they were against captured suspects. When Voldemort disappeared, it looked like only a matter of time until Crouch got the top job. But then, something rather unfortunate happened... Crouch's own son was caught with a group of Death Eaters that were trying to find Voldemort and return him to power."
"I remember hearing about that," Draco said. "My father mentioned it once. Crouch didn't even try to get his son off. He didn't want him to tarnish his reputation, but it didn't do him much good."
"Wait a minute!" Yami Bakura objected. "He let him go to Azkaban, because of his EGO?! Was his son even a Death Eater?"
Sirius shrugged. "I don't know, and no one ever will either," he answered. "He died not all that long before I escaped. The dementors buried him in a mass grave outside the fortress. His mother died too, not long after he did. Died of grief; wasted away just like her son. And that was that, Crouch lost it all, just when he had it made. The Ministry tossed him down to the Department of International Magical Cooperation and promptly forgot about him."
There was a long, deafening silence, as the three boys mulled over what Sirius had told them. Yami Bakura was the first to speak.
"What about Snape?" he asked. "Was he ever a Death Eater?"
"Probably not, considering how much Dumbledore trusts him," Sirius answered, a bitter frown on his face. "I wouldn't have put it past him though. Slimy, oily, greasy-haired kid, he was -"
"This is different from now, how?" Harry interrupted, only to be elbowed by Draco.
Sirius just grinned. "Snape knew more curses when he arrived at school than half the kids in seventh year, and he was part of a gang of Slytherins who nearly all turned out to be Death Eaters," he added, before holding up his fingers and ticking off names. "Rosier and Wilkes, they were killed by Aurors. The Lestranges, they're both in Azkaban. Avery, he claimed he was acting under the Imperius Curse, so he's still around."
"Snape seems to know Karkaroff too," Draco added, "but he isn't too thrilled about it."
"You should've seen Snape's face when he showed up in Potions yesterday," Harry added. "Snape apparently had been avoiding him. Karkaroff looked really worried, and he showed Snape something on his arm."
"On his arm?" Sirius asked, frowning. "I wouldn't know anything about that." He sighed, tiredly. "What time is it, anyway?"
"Half past three," Draco answered.
"Then you'd better get back to school," he said, getting to his feet. "Now, I don't want ANY of you sneaking out to see me, all right? Just send me letters. It would be too dangerous, and give someone ample opportunity to attack you."
Harry smirked. "But, no one's tried to attack me so far, except for a dragon and a couple of grindylows."
Draco and Yami Bakura sniggered as Sirius gave him a critical look.
~.oOOo.~
During supper that night, Harry and Draco updated everyone on what "Snuffles" - their codename for Sirius - had told them. At least, they were trying to do so. Yami Yugi was a little distracted by a new addition to the menu.
"Roast goose!" he exclaimed, grabbing the plate the meat was on, and practically shoveling half of it onto his plate. Yugi sweatdropped as he watched his other half, embarrassed.
"I... take it, that's your favorite..." Marik said, watching him with a raised eyebrow.
The pharaoh nodded. "I used to eat stuff like this all the time in Khemet. Here, Marik-kun. Try some."
He dropped some of the roast goose on Marik's plate. The Gravekeeper stared down at it, a slightly sick look on his face, before looking up at the pharaoh like he grew another head.
"What do you want me to do with it?" he asked, though he had a feeling he knew the answer.
"Eat it, of course," Yami Yugi replied, stuffing some of the meat in his mouth. "At least try it; it's good."
Marik turned slightly green. "I don't eat meat."
A slight hush fell over their section of the table, with Harry, Draco, and Yami Yugi staring at the Egyptian. Yami Yugi's mouth was hanging open slightly, some chewed meat falling out. Yugi sweatdropped, before reaching up and closing his dark half's mouth.
"You're a veggie?" Draco asked finally, only to get elbowed by Harry. He glared at him, before continuing, "I wouldn't have expected that from you."
Yami Yugi swallowed, before smirking slightly. He leaned over slightly toward Marik, before asking in Japanese, "This coming from someone who wanted to be pharaoh?"
Marik just glared. "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?" he returned, also in Japanese.
Yami Yugi just flashed an uncharacteristic grin. "Of course!" he replied. "That's what you get for making fun of your pharaoh in the middle of Potions."
Marik sweatdropped, shaking his head. Suddenly, just as Yami Yugi was about to take another bite, his whole face turned red and it looked like steam was going to start pouring out of his ears. The pharaoh practically pounced on the nearest flagon of pumpkin juice, downing it in one gulp.
"Mou hitori no boku!" Yugi exclaimed, alarmed. "What happened?"
"Someone roasted it in hot sauce!" the pharaoh answered, his voice unnaturally high. He was about to continue, when he suddenly got the feeling that someone was watching him. Turning around, he saw Yami Bakura staring DIRECTLY at him. The tomb robber smirked and gave him a thumbs up, before going back to his own meal.
The pharaoh growled again, before having to reach for another flagon of pumpkin juice. He was SO going to kill that tomb robber AGAIN!
Dawn of Fate
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No Q&A right now. I'm tired, and I want to RP. I'll just say this much... I am SO mean to my favorite bishies. ^^;
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CHAPTER TWENTY - PADFOOT RETURNS
Yami Bakura yawned lazily as he made his way down the corridors to the Great Hall that morning. He had slept in, despite the poking and prodding that his hikari put him through. What did he care if he was late for a class? He was not the one that got the homework, after all. Besides, he had more important things to worry about, like his little prank war for instance. The pharaoh had yet to get back at him for the ice incident, and he was starting to get concerned. Oh, no, he was not AFRAID of what the pharaoh was plotting. There was not a single thing the pharaoh could do to him that he could not return to him ten fold. He was worried that Yami Yugi had given up on their little game.
Well, Yami Bakura thought as he started down a flight of stairs, he was just going to have to make sure that-
Before he could even finish that thought, he felt his foot land on something metallic, slippery, yet sticky at the same time. In the next second, he was careening down the stairs at an alarming rate, his feet practically glued to a metal pan, the rectangular kind used in baking. Reaching the bottom, he bounced against the wall, which in turn spun him around like a top, before sending him surfing down another flight of steps. When he reached the end of that flight, however, he somehow got over balanced, and ended up smacking against the ground with a painful THUD!
It took the tomb robber a moment to regain himself and chase away the stars that were doing happy dances before his eyes. When they finally stopped and went away, he saw that a gargoyle statue was holding a small letter addressed to him. Grumbling, he un-stuck his feet from the pan and stood up - painfully - before snatching the letter out of the gargoyle's stone hand.
Bakura ~
Tag, you're it.
~ Panseru
Yami Bakura growled angrily, smashing the letter in his fist. That Ra-be-damned pharaoh was SO going to die AGAIN!
~.oOOo.~
Be at stile at end of road out of Hogsmeade (past
Dervish and Banges) at two o' clock on Saturday
afternoon. Bring as much food as you can.
Yugi, Yami Yugi, Marik, Draco, Ron, and Harry practically had their heads pressed together as they read Sirius' latest note on their way to Potions. Harry had to read it over twice to make sure he was not seeing things. Was his godfather really back in Hogsmeade?
"He's crazy," Marik murmured. "If he gets caught..."
"He's made it this far though," Yami Yugi reasoned. "Besides, it's not like the dementors are around anymore."
"Thank God for that," Draco agreed.
Harry folded the note up carefully before stuffing it back in his robes. He admitted, he wanted to see Sirius again, especially after everything that had been going on. The thing was, what if he WAS caught again? He would be sent back to Azkaban, and Harry did not know if he would be able to escape a second time.
When they reached the dungeon classroom that Potions was held in, they saw Ecillia, Crabbe, and Goyle, along with Pansy Parkinson's gang of Slytherin girls. They were all in a huddle, sniggering about something that Harry and his friends could not see. Ecillia turned as they approached, however, a wicked smile on her face.
"Ah, so THERE you are," she sneered as the girls broke apart, giving Harry the chance to see that Pansy was holding a magazine in her hand.
"You might find something in here that interests you, Mutou," Pansy said loudly, tossing the magazine at Yugi. He caught it, startled. Flipping it over, he was able to see the title "Witch Weekly" with a moving picture of a witch pointing to a large sponge cake with her wand and smiling brightly.
The six boys exchanged concerned looks, before backing away from the Slytherin girls, who were outright laughing now. Yugi started flipping through the magazine as soon as they were far away enough. After a long moment, he found what they were looking for near the center of the magazine. The boys pressed their heads together again, looking at a color photograph of Harry that headed a short piece entitled:
Harry Potter's Secret Heartache
A boy like no other, perhaps - yet a boy suffering all
the usual pangs of adolescence, writes Rita Skeeter.
Deprived of love since the tragic demise of his
parents, fourteen-year-old Harry Potter thought he
had found solace in an unlikely steady BOYfriend at
Hogwarts, Muggle-born Japanese transfer student
Yugi Mutou. Little did he know that he would
shortly be suffering yet another emotional blow in a
life already littered with personal loss.
Mr. Mutou, an exotic and ambitious boy, seems
to have a taste for the undead that Harry obviously
cannot satisfy. Since his arrival at Hogwarts, Mr.
Mutou has been toying with the emotions of Harry as
well as well as "Yami Yugi", a spirit of an Ancient
Egyptian peasant that follows the small of stature boy
around. Yami Yugi, who is openly smitten with the
devious Mr. Mutou, has already invited him to tour
about his home country of Egypt, and insists that he
has "never felt this way about anyone."
However, it might not be Mr. Mutou's doubtful
natural charms that have captured these unfortunate
boys' interest.
"He's really ugly," says Pansy Parkinson, a
pretty and vivacious fourth-year student, "but he'd be
well up to making a Love Potion, he's a bit brainy. I
think that's how he's doing it."
Love Potions are, of course, banned at Hogwarts,
and no doubt Albus Dumbledore will want to
investigate these claims. In the meantime, Harry
Potter's well-wishers must hope that, next time, he
bestows his heart on a worthier candidate.
Harry felt his whole face turn hot in humiliation as Yami Yugi started ranting and raving ("Peasant?! How dare she...!"). He had never felt that embarrassed before in his life; he did not even have a GIRL that he was interested in - though it was a bit of a toss up between Lavender and Cho - not to mention a BOY. Goodness, he never even THOUGHT of Yugi that way!
"Oh, man, Yugi-kun," Marik exclaimed, slapping the palm of his hand to his forehead. "I tried to tell you that she would do something like this... Yugi-kun?"
Yugi had not moved an inch since he had finished reading the article, not counting his hands holding the magazine up. His fingers were clenched tightly around the edges of the magazine, and his fists were shaking.
"Yugi?" Ron asked, gulping slightly in nervousness. "Are you okay?"
Suddenly, Yugi's hands snapped away from each other, tearing the magazine in half. The other boys took a MASSIVE step back, unnerved by the sudden act of violence. Without saying a word, Yugi snatched the article, dropped the rest of the magazine and his bag, and then spun around on his heel and stalked off.
"A-aibou!" Yami Yugi called, surprised. "Where are you going? You've got class!"
"To find Yami Bakura-kun!" Yugi shouted over his shoulder, before disappearing around a bend in the hall. The five boys left exchanged dumbfounded looks, too stunned to speak.
"Man... Yugi's PISSED," Ron finally said.
"He's scary when he's mad," Draco added.
Yami Yugi could only nod in agreement as Snape opened the door to the classroom and ushered the students inside. The pharaoh picked up his hikari's bag and followed the others in. He could probably handle Yugi's classes while he was gone; he just hoped his little koibito was not doing anything that could get him expelled.
"Though... how'd she know...?" the pharaoh muttered to himself as he sat down next to Marik.
"Know what?" Marik asked. "Don't tell me he really is mixing Love Potions?"
Yami Yugi sweatdropped. "Of course not," he replied, before turning slightly pink. "I mean, how did she know I asked Yugi if he wanted to go to Egypt this summer instead of participating in Battle City?"
Marik gave him a sly, almost cat-like look. "Aw, pharaoh. How adorable. Showing him the sights, hunh?"
Yami Yugi hung his head, turning bright red. "Marik..." he began warningly.
Marik did not take heed, however. "Just, whatever you do, don't ask him if he wants to visit your place."
The pharaoh crossed his arms on the desk, burying his head in them to hide his humiliation as Marik chuckled.
~.oOOo.~
They all left for Hogsmeade the next day. The weather that March had finally cleared up, and it was warmer than it had been in a long time. Yami Yugi, Yami Bakura, Yami Seto, and Marik had already taken off their robes, claiming to be boiling hot, and the others were not far behind in doing the same. Yugi, Yami Yugi, Harry, and Draco were sharing the same carriage on their way to the wizard's village, with Yugi practically hanging his head out the window in his excitement for going in such nice weather.
"So, who is going with you to see Sirius?" the pharaoh asked. "It would be safer if a small group went to see him than all of us."
"That's what I was thinking," Harry admitted.
"I'll go," Draco volunteered.
Yami Yugi took a sidelong glance at Yugi. "I was going to try and prevent him from strangling Skeeter, so..."
Yugi turned around long enough to pout at the pharaoh.
Once they arrived at the village and disembarked, they separated into three groups. Yugi and Yami Yugi went off on their own, with the lighter half complaining that he was not going to try to do anything to Rita Skeeter. Seto, Yami Seto, Bakura, Marik, and Ron went off to their usual haunts, and to also buy Dobby the house elf a gift, as it had been him that was responsible for getting Harry his gillyweed for the second task. That left Harry, Yami Bakura, and Draco to go off to meet up with Sirius.
The three of them went up the road past Dervish and Banges, following the path as if they were to leave Hogsmeade. It was not until they were near the foot of the mountain in whose shadow the village lay, that they encountered a shaggy black dog with a collection of newspapers in its mouth...
"Hello, Sirius," Harry said, holding out his bag. They had managed to grab a dozen chicken legs, a loaf of bread, and a flask of pumpkin juice from the lunch table. The Sirius-dog sniffed at it, wagging his tail excitedly, before turning around and trotting away toward the foot of the mountain.
They followed the dog up a small path, sweating slightly in the warmth of the sun. After at least a half hour of climbing and walking, they reached a narrow fissure in the rock. Sirius slipped in first, followed by Draco, Yami Bakura, and lastly Harry. They ended up in a cool, dimly lit cave, where Buckbeak the hippogriff was tethered near the end. Yami Bakura went over and bowed to the hippogriff right away. Buckbeak bowed back right away, and soon the tomb robber was petting and scratching the animal under the chin, saying hello to him.
Meanwhile, Sirius had already transformed back into a human, and had practically pounced on Harry. He handed over the food right away; if he had not known the man, he would have been afraid of loosing a hand or something. Sirius attacked the chicken drumsticks almost right away, tearing off a large chunk with his teeth.
"Thanks," he said after swallowing. "I've been living mostly off of rats."
Draco made a face.
"What are you doing here, Sirius?" Harry asked, sitting down on a rock.
Sirius shrugged. "Being a good godfather," he replied. "Don't worry; everyone that's seen me just thinks I'm a loveable stray."
Meanwhile, the newspapers that Sirius had brought with him had caught Yami Bakura's eye. The first one had the headline of "Mystery Illness of Bartemius Crouch" and the other was "Ministry Witch Still Missing - Minister of Magic Now Personally Involved". The tomb robber read over the one about Crouch, frowning as he finished.
"They're making it sound like he's dying," he said, passing the newspaper on to Harry.
Harry also frowned as he read it. "He can't be that ill if he managed to get up here," he said. "I had seen Crouch on the Marauder's Map the night I found out Moody was keeping an eye on Snape."
Sirius snorted. "Crouch is a piece of work all right, but if he ever takes a day off because of illness, I'll eat Buckbeak."
"You know Crouch?" Draco asked, surprised.
Sirius' expression suddenly darkened. "Oh, I know Crouch," he said quietly. "He was the one who gave the order for me to be sent to Azkaban... without a trial."
"WHAT?!" Draco and Yami Bakura exclaimed.
"Why?" Harry asked.
Sirius shook his head. "You wouldn't understand. You're too young."
Yami Bakura raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"That's what Ron's dad said at the World Cup," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "Why don't you try us?"
A grin flashed across Sirius' face. "Okay, I'll try you," he said, tossing Buckbeak his finished chicken bone. "Imagine that Voldemort's powerful now. You don't know who his supporters are, you don't know who's working for him and who isn't; you know he can control people so that they do terrible things without being able to stop themselves. You're scared for yourself, and your family, and your friends. Every week, news comes of more deaths, more disappearances, more torturing. The Ministry of Magic's in disarray, they don't know what to do, they're trying to keep everything hidden from the muggles, by meanwhile, muggles are dying too. Terror everywhere, panic, confusion... that's how it used to be."
"Sounds like Egypt back in my time," Yami Bakura commented solemnly. Harry and Draco gave him concerned looks, but the tomb robber waved it off.
"Anyway... times like that bring out the best in some people and the worst in others," Sirius continued. "Crouch's principles might've been good in the beginning - I wouldn't know. He rose quickly through the Ministry, and he started ordering very harsh measures against Voldemort's followers. He was probably as ruthless as they were against captured suspects. When Voldemort disappeared, it looked like only a matter of time until Crouch got the top job. But then, something rather unfortunate happened... Crouch's own son was caught with a group of Death Eaters that were trying to find Voldemort and return him to power."
"I remember hearing about that," Draco said. "My father mentioned it once. Crouch didn't even try to get his son off. He didn't want him to tarnish his reputation, but it didn't do him much good."
"Wait a minute!" Yami Bakura objected. "He let him go to Azkaban, because of his EGO?! Was his son even a Death Eater?"
Sirius shrugged. "I don't know, and no one ever will either," he answered. "He died not all that long before I escaped. The dementors buried him in a mass grave outside the fortress. His mother died too, not long after he did. Died of grief; wasted away just like her son. And that was that, Crouch lost it all, just when he had it made. The Ministry tossed him down to the Department of International Magical Cooperation and promptly forgot about him."
There was a long, deafening silence, as the three boys mulled over what Sirius had told them. Yami Bakura was the first to speak.
"What about Snape?" he asked. "Was he ever a Death Eater?"
"Probably not, considering how much Dumbledore trusts him," Sirius answered, a bitter frown on his face. "I wouldn't have put it past him though. Slimy, oily, greasy-haired kid, he was -"
"This is different from now, how?" Harry interrupted, only to be elbowed by Draco.
Sirius just grinned. "Snape knew more curses when he arrived at school than half the kids in seventh year, and he was part of a gang of Slytherins who nearly all turned out to be Death Eaters," he added, before holding up his fingers and ticking off names. "Rosier and Wilkes, they were killed by Aurors. The Lestranges, they're both in Azkaban. Avery, he claimed he was acting under the Imperius Curse, so he's still around."
"Snape seems to know Karkaroff too," Draco added, "but he isn't too thrilled about it."
"You should've seen Snape's face when he showed up in Potions yesterday," Harry added. "Snape apparently had been avoiding him. Karkaroff looked really worried, and he showed Snape something on his arm."
"On his arm?" Sirius asked, frowning. "I wouldn't know anything about that." He sighed, tiredly. "What time is it, anyway?"
"Half past three," Draco answered.
"Then you'd better get back to school," he said, getting to his feet. "Now, I don't want ANY of you sneaking out to see me, all right? Just send me letters. It would be too dangerous, and give someone ample opportunity to attack you."
Harry smirked. "But, no one's tried to attack me so far, except for a dragon and a couple of grindylows."
Draco and Yami Bakura sniggered as Sirius gave him a critical look.
~.oOOo.~
During supper that night, Harry and Draco updated everyone on what "Snuffles" - their codename for Sirius - had told them. At least, they were trying to do so. Yami Yugi was a little distracted by a new addition to the menu.
"Roast goose!" he exclaimed, grabbing the plate the meat was on, and practically shoveling half of it onto his plate. Yugi sweatdropped as he watched his other half, embarrassed.
"I... take it, that's your favorite..." Marik said, watching him with a raised eyebrow.
The pharaoh nodded. "I used to eat stuff like this all the time in Khemet. Here, Marik-kun. Try some."
He dropped some of the roast goose on Marik's plate. The Gravekeeper stared down at it, a slightly sick look on his face, before looking up at the pharaoh like he grew another head.
"What do you want me to do with it?" he asked, though he had a feeling he knew the answer.
"Eat it, of course," Yami Yugi replied, stuffing some of the meat in his mouth. "At least try it; it's good."
Marik turned slightly green. "I don't eat meat."
A slight hush fell over their section of the table, with Harry, Draco, and Yami Yugi staring at the Egyptian. Yami Yugi's mouth was hanging open slightly, some chewed meat falling out. Yugi sweatdropped, before reaching up and closing his dark half's mouth.
"You're a veggie?" Draco asked finally, only to get elbowed by Harry. He glared at him, before continuing, "I wouldn't have expected that from you."
Yami Yugi swallowed, before smirking slightly. He leaned over slightly toward Marik, before asking in Japanese, "This coming from someone who wanted to be pharaoh?"
Marik just glared. "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?" he returned, also in Japanese.
Yami Yugi just flashed an uncharacteristic grin. "Of course!" he replied. "That's what you get for making fun of your pharaoh in the middle of Potions."
Marik sweatdropped, shaking his head. Suddenly, just as Yami Yugi was about to take another bite, his whole face turned red and it looked like steam was going to start pouring out of his ears. The pharaoh practically pounced on the nearest flagon of pumpkin juice, downing it in one gulp.
"Mou hitori no boku!" Yugi exclaimed, alarmed. "What happened?"
"Someone roasted it in hot sauce!" the pharaoh answered, his voice unnaturally high. He was about to continue, when he suddenly got the feeling that someone was watching him. Turning around, he saw Yami Bakura staring DIRECTLY at him. The tomb robber smirked and gave him a thumbs up, before going back to his own meal.
The pharaoh growled again, before having to reach for another flagon of pumpkin juice. He was SO going to kill that tomb robber AGAIN!