Atem: Chapter 16!
Marik: I'm gonna be kind of upset when this story's done...
Ryou: Me too.
Kitty: (grins) I liked how this chapter came out, though....
Yugi: Me too.
Kitty: (blink) But you always like my chapters.
Yugi: Exactly.
Kitty: (kisses Yugi's cheek) I love you.
Yugi: And I you.
Lina: STOP THIS MUSHY STUFF ALREADY AND GET TO THE CHAPTER, WILL YA!
Yugi and Kitty: (sweatdrop)
Bakura: (kisses Lina's cheek) Now, now, dear, let them have their fun...
Lina: But, Kura-chan...the fic...
Bakura: (stops her with a kiss, before picking her up and bringing her into another room and closing the door behind him)
Yugi: (looks at Kitty) Should I be concerned?
(scuffles from the other room, along with a small scream)
Kitty: No, not really.
Yugi: Okay.
Seto: (sweatdrop) R&R!
Chapter Sixteen:
The Innocent are Always First
"It's bad enough that Hagrid has a dragon," Harry said, "But now Malfoy knows..."
"We better hurry and get back to bed," Diana whispered, "Maybe if we're in bed, we won't get..."
She went white as she saw Professor McGonagall walking toward them, looking very stern and accompanied by Malfoy, who was smirking.
"Caught," Diana finished.
"Nothing, I repeat, nothing," McGonagall hissed, "Gives a student the right to walk around the school at night. As punishment for your actions, fifty points will be taken."
"Fifty?" Ryou squeaked.
"Each," McGonagall snapped, "And to make sure it doesn't happen again-"
"Professor," Diana said quickly, "Ryou, Yugi and Harry aren't to blame, I-"
"Miss Randall, I am not in the mood for excuses," McGonagall interrupted, "And whether or not they are at fault, both you and your friends were out of bed after-hours, and will suffer the consequences."
Malfoy smirked at Diana, his eyes glittering with malice.
"As I was saying," McGonagall said stiffly, "To make sure this doesn't happen again, all five of you will receive detention."
Malfoy went white, and turned his gaze to McGonagall.
"Excuse me, professor," he said, trying to hide a leer with a polite smile, "Perhaps I heard you wrong. I thought you said the five of us."
"No, you heard me correctly, Mr. Malfoy," McGonagall replied, "You see, honorable as your intentions were, you too were out of bed after hours, not to mention your lie about a dragon in our gamekeeper's hut to discredit him. You will join your classmates in detention."
Malfoy, after being temporarily dumbfounded, glared at Diana, Harry, Ryou and Yugi as they exchanged smirks.
"You may go," McGonagall said smoothly.
The students started down the hallway to the Main Staircase to where the dormitories were, and Diana smirked at Malfoy.
"Looks like sucking up to professors didn't save ya, did it?" she mocked.
Malfoy glared. "Shut up, Randall. She might not have believed me about the dragon now, but they will investigate. My father will make sure of that."
"Really, Malfoy," Ryou said dully, "I would've thought someone as noble as you could maybe fight your own battles?"
"Well, at least I don't force my Tomb Robber other self to do everything for me!" Malfoy spat.
The friends stared at Malfoy.
"What are you talking about?" Diana hissed, trying to cover up her surprise and pretend that Ryou didn't have a Yami.
"Don't tell me that Whitey hasn't even told his friends he's possessed by an Ancient Egyptian thief," Malfoy mocked.
"Shut up, Malfoy," Harry snapped, "We don't need to hear lies from you, particularly after everything's said and done."
"They're not lies," Malfoy whispered, "The Ministry knows all about that, and if they do, my father does, and if he does, I do."Yugi smirked. "I was curious as to where you got your intellect from, and now I know. You just use your father's brain."
"Shut up, Mutou," Malfoy snapped.
"Wow, I see giving you a broken jaw taught you not to call me 'Starhead,'" Yugi mocked, "Maybe I can teach you a little more."
"Teach?" Malfoy laughed, "You can barely learn anything here, I doubt you could teach me anything. I'm pureblood! I know everything about magic, unlike you."
"Oh, I know more about magic than you think," Yugi whispered, "And I doubt very highly you know everything there is to know about magic..."
His Millennium Puzzle glowed, and Atem took his place.
Malfoy jumped back. "What the-"
"If you know about the Tomb Robber, you should know about me," Atem whispered, "You know, in ancient times, the Pharaoh could do anything he wanted to his enemies...Yugi made that quite clear as my host...but I think I'll show you what I do to people who insult those close to my hikari."
Malfoy didn't wait to hear anymore, so he ran down a staircase and disappeared out of sight.
Atem laughed. "And wouldn't you know it? I haven't sent people to the Shadow Realm ever since I first met Bakura..."
The 150 point decrease for Gryffindor really got people upset. Most were refusing to talk to Harry, Diana or Yugi, and on the Quidditch field, Harry and Diana were only known as "the Seeker" and "the Chaser."
Diana finally got fed up with this treatment, and told Wood she resigned from the Quidditch team. Wood freaked.
"WHAT? YOU CAN'T LEAVE! WE STILL NEED YOU FOR THE GAME!"
But Diana was quite stubborn, and insisted on not playing, forcing Oliver to hire a substitute player in the meantime named Alicia Spinnet.
Luckily, Ron helped Hagrid out with Norbert by asking Charlie to pick the dragon up and bring him to Romania, so Hagrid never got in trouble and Malfoy was still stuck with the Gryffindors and Ryou in detention.
For detention, they would be helping Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest. Malfoy, of course, immediately protested.
"We can't go in there!" he said, sounding a little less cool than he usually did, "St-students aren't allowed! A-and there are...werewolves!"
"There's more than werewolves in those trees, lad," Filch said with an evil grin as he escorted them to the edge of the forest, "You can be sure of that."
Ryou looked nervously at the forest, before forcing his Yami to take his place. A few minutes later, Yugi did the same thing. But the Yamis didn't look one ounce braver.
"Nighty night...don't let the werewolves bite," Filch said nastily, before walking back up to the castle.
Diana looked at Harry, then at Atem and then at Bakura, only see fear in their eyes very much like the kind she was trying to hide.
"Right then," Hagrid said, "Let's go."
A few minutes later, they came upon something silvery and liquid on the ground in a glen of trees.
Diana carefully put her fingers in the substance and examined it.
/What is this stuff?/
-Unicorn blood.-
Diana nearly jumped. /What do you want, Artemis?/
-Nothing yet,- Artemis replied, -You asked a question, and I knew the answer.-
/Why do you care?/
-No matter how much I'd like to deny it, you are my host and I depend on you to survive. I might as well keep you alive as long as possible.-
/You sure don't show it when the full moon comes around,/ Diana snapped.
-That's when I'm hungry, smart ass,- Artemis snapped back, -I get very moody when I'm hungry, doesn't everyone?-
Diana rolled her eyes, but turned to the others to show them the silver liquid on her fingers.
"Dare-kun, what is that stuff?" Bakura asked, looking a little grossed out.
"Unicorn blood," Diana and Atem whispered together.
Harry and Bakura looked at the past Pharaoh curiously, and Atem shrugged.
"Egypt," he said simply, and they knew what he meant. He had heard of unicorns and such when he was Pharaoh.
"That's unicorn blood, alright," Hagrid said, "And it's what we're here for."
The students looked at Hagrid as he continued what he was saying.
"There's a unicorn in there, hurt bad by somethin'. I found one dead last Wednesday too. We're going to go find the poor thing, and we might have ta put it outta its misery."
"We're...we might have to kill it?" Atem squeaked, sounding terrified. Like his hikari, the past Pharaoh hated death.
Hagrid nodded grimly. "Alright...I think we should split up to cover more ground. Yugi, Ryou, you come with me...and Harry, Diana, you go with Malfoy."
Diana and Harry scowled at each other. Malfoy also didn't look happy.
"Alright," the Slytherin said, "If I get these two Gryffindor idiots, I get Fang."
"Fine," Hagrid said, "Just so ya know...he's a bloody coward."
Diana tried not to grin as Fang licked her cheek.
"I can't believe this!" Malfoy spat, "This is servant's stuff! Wait 'til my father hears about this, he'll-"
"If I didn't know better, Draco," Diana used his real name in a mocking way, "I'd say you were scared."
"I'm not scared!" Malfoy snapped.
A distant howl went off in the distance, and Malfoy froze.
"Did you hear that?" he whispered.
Diana smirked at him, before Malfoy got back into character and glared back at her.
"C'mon, Fang," he muttered.
The dog walked in front of Malfoy as the three of them continued their way through the Forbidden Forest.
Finally, they approached a clearing, and on the ground next to a tree was something bright white.
"The unicorn," Harry whispered.
Diana had never seen something so majestic and yet so sad. Its slender legs were stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane spread pearly white onto the dark leaves.
-The innocent are always the first,- Artemis thought.
/What are you talking about?/ Diana snapped.
Diana's and Artemis's chat was interrupted by a rustle in the bushes.
Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure appeared, gliding across the ground like a type of wandering spirit. Diana looked at Harry, then Malfoy quickly to tell them not to move.
The cloaked figure bent down next to the unicorn, and lowering its head over the unicorn's neck, began to drink its blood.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Malfoy yelled, before bolting away from the clearing, Fang at his heels.
The figure looked up at Diana and Harry, the silvery unicorn blood dribbling down the front of its robes. It got to its feet, and started to glide toward them.
Diana immediately thought to follow Malfoy's example for once and run, but two things stopped her.
-Don't move!- Artemis said sharply, -Don't move.-
But Artemis's advice wasn't the main reason why Diana didn't move. It was Harry.
As soon as the figure started toward him, Harry staggered backward, acting like he was blind and screaming in pain as he held his forehead.
"Harry!"
Diana ran over to him, trying to lead him out of the clearing and still figure out what was wrong.
"Harry! Harry, what's wrong?"
Harry was able to grit his teeth and mutter, "My scar...it's...burning..."
Diana looked at the figure and, seeing it was quite close to where they were, tried to pull Harry out of there.
But she was stopped.
-Let me help you!-
Diana was shocked. /Why do you want to help?/
-Trust me! It may be your only chance! Trust me!-
Diana didn't seem to have a choice, though, because Artemis took control before she could respond.
-I guess you'll have to trust me now, he's too close.-
/Alright...just don't hurt Harry!/
Artemis stepped in front of Harry as the creature glided closer and closer. Purple magic flew from her fingers, and shot at the creature, knocking it backward into the tree next to the unicorn.
The figure stood, looking at Artemis now and hissing softly like a snake would. It looked ready to attack, when a centaur jumped behind a bush and in front of Artemis. It galloped toward the creature, scaring it away and into the darkness in which it came.
The centaur turned to look at Artemis with a serious expression on his face. He had white blond hair, light blue eyes and a palomino horse body.
"Your host and her friends should leave this forest as soon as possible," the centaur said quietly.
Artemis nodded. "Thank you for your assistance, although it was not required."
And with that, Diana took her place. She immediately ran over to Harry and pulled him to his feet.
"Are you okay?" she asked him.
"Yeah," he replied, "Now that that thing is gone."
"You may ride on my back if you are tired," the centaur said to Harry, before adding, "I should get you two back to Hagrid."
Harry clambered onto the centaur's back. "Thanks, uh...what's your name?"
"Firenze," the centaur replied with a smile.
A galloping of more hooves was heard, before two more centaurs appeared. The first centaur looked mellow and calm, with a gleaming chestnut body and red hair paired with a beard. The one beside him had black hair and a black body, looking slightly wild and fierce in nature.
"Firenze, what are you doing?" the black centaur roared, "You have a human on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule now?"
"This is the Potter boy," Firenze said, "The quicker he leaves the forest, the better."
"And the girl?" the black centaur spat, "What concern is she to us?"
"She is Artemis's Heir," Firenze said quietly, "And you should know as well as I do, Bane, the importance that Dark Artemis is to us centaurs."
Bane's eyes narrowed. "Even so, humans are not allowed here! What have you been telling them, anyway? We can't set ourselves against the heavens! Have you not read what is to come in the movement of the planets?"
Diana was curious, but she thought it was best not to interrupt the conversation to ask.
"I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best," the red centaur said in a gloomy voice.
"For the best, Ronan?" Bane retorted, kicking his back legs in anger, "What's that to us? Centaurs are concerned with fate, not with running around the forest like donkeys after stray humans!"
Firenze suddenly reared onto his hind legs, causing Harry to grab his shoulders to stay on and Diana to take a step back away from him.
"Did you not see the unicorn?" Firenze bellowed, "Did you not understand why it was killed, or has the planets not let you in on that little secret? I set myself against what is lurking in the forest, and yes, with humans alongside me if I must!"
Firenze ran into the trees, Harry still on him and Diana running after him as well as she could.
After they were a fair enough distance away, Firenze slowed down so Diana could catch up.
"Why..." Diana panted for breath, "Why was Bane so angry? What was that...thing you saved Harry and me from, anyway?"
There was a slight pause, and then...
"Do you know what unicorn blood is used for, Diana Randall?" Firenze asked suddenly.
"No...we've only used the hair and horn in Potions," Diana said.
"That is because it's a monstrous crime to slay a unicorn," Firenze explained, "The blood of the unicorn will keep you alive even if you're but an inch from death, but at a terrible price. For if you've slain something so pure, from the moment the blood touches your lips, you'll have a half-life...a cursed life."
"But who would be that desperate?" Harry whispered.
Diana immediately thought of Artemis, but she knew it couldn't be true. Unicorn blood may been able to save people, but it was unlikely that it could hide people into their blood lines.
"Can you think of no one?" Firenze said, "Death is better, of course, unless you need to stay alive just long enough to drink something else to bring you back to full strength...and to help you live forever..."
"The Sorcerer's Stone!" Harry realized, "The Elixir of Life! But I still don't understand who..."
-It's bound to be someone who has waited many years to return to power...- Artemis said in Diana's direction. She obviously got what Firenze meant, and was trying to help Diana see it too. –And clinging to life, awaiting their chance...-
Diana's sky-blue eyes widened as she finally got the hint.
"Voldemort."
Kitty: That's it!
Yugi: Ooh...kewl!
Seto: Reviews?
Kitty: Hmm...three, and the first is from Rainbow Guardian Angel! (grins) As you can see, Malfoy got a little punishment, but HE SHALL PAY FOR TEASING MY YUGI-CHAN! (eyes are flames)
Kara: Again, Kitty totally rocks!
Atem: Sooner or later, I will. But I think the Tomb Robber or my hikari might beat me to it.
Yugi: (grins) I think I'll trap Malfoy in a living nightmare: making him live with Muggles in the Shadow Realm! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Everyone Else: (stares)
Yugi: What?
Kitty: Next is...KANI! (giggles) Norbert sexy? Well, at least he liked Dare alright...
Diana: That dragon scared me, though, when it was getting that close to me... (shivers) Hey, it could've put my bloody clothes on fire!
Kitty: That's why there's stop, drop and roll.
Diana: (sweatdrop)
Kitty: And last is...Meanae the Thorn! (grins) Again, Malfoy shall get what's coming to him...I mean, everyone here is wanting to kill him, and why not?
Kara: I mean, there are too many reasons to get rid of him.
Yugi: His words about Kitty...
Ryou: The "girl" jokes toward me...
Ron: Calling me Dare's boyfriend...
Harry: Trying to make me be his friend instead of Ron's and Dare's...
Bakura: Hiding behind his cronies instead of fighting like a man...
Hermione: Jinxing Neville with a Leg-Locker Curse...
Atem: Teasing Yugi after he fell off his broom...
Marik: Almost getting Atem, Dare, Mione and I caught by Filch...
Seto: And being an all around unpleasant person.
Diana: Amen!
Kitty: (grins) R&R, peoples!