AN: I'm reloading this because there were far too many errors in the original. There aren't many other changes, just grammar stuff, and a few corrections where things didn't make sense. If you find any that I missed please mention it in a review. Thanks for being patient with me.

Chapter 21

"Bye," Hermione called for the tenth time, waving furiously. The yamis were going home for their Christmas holidays while she stayed at the castle with her friends. She was really going to miss Yami and had tried to persuade him to stay, but he'd said that there was something really important he needed to do with his friends.

He'd spent a lot of time with her before they left to make it up to her at least. She smiled remembering the night they'd snuck out of the castle together and wandered around the forest, small globes of light bobbing along beside them, and the wild beasts she had heard so much about conspicuously absent.

The two of them had picked daisies to make daisy chains, and talked and laughed for hours before Yami suddenly plucked a rose off of a bush that hadn't been there a few seconds before. He had turned to her, mobile face suddenly serious. That had been the first time he'd told her he loved her.

That had been wonderful, and she knew that Marik and Bakura had given up a night of sleep to watch over them, and keep them safe. It was so sweet of them. She sighed happily, eyes never leaving Yami's face. He was the most romantic boy she had ever met.

Hermione shook her head at herself. She was acting like a girl from one of those romance novels that she had always despised. At least she knew that Yami would be coming back, and he'd promised to write to her. She sighed as the train disappeared from view and walked sadly back to the castle, drooping slightly but trying not to show it for her friends' sake.

After Christmas vacation Isis drove the three of them back to the train station. She watched them worriedly in the mirror. They looked slightly nervous, but not half as worried as she felt. She was worried about what was going to happen to the hikaris this term. Malik had spent the entire holiday covered in bruises that were never given a chance to heal and she couldn't help but worry about what that boded for later.

They got out at the station, picking up their luggage and headed towards the barrier, Isis trailing behind them anxiously. When they reached the barrier they gave each other nervous glances before quickly stepping away from it, leaving their trunks where they were, and separating from their hikaris.

Isis stared. Wasn't that rather risky? What if someone saw them? What was going on?

"Bye," Marik sneered, and, picking up his trunk stepped through the barrier, leaving Malik behind, staring after him, unable to believe what he had just heard.

"See you next summer Yugi," Yami said cheerfully, giving the shorter boy a hug, before following Marik through the barrier. Isis' eyes widened. Were they really doing what she thought they were?

"Don't forget what I've taught you Ryou," Bakura smirked. "But do enjoy yourself. I'll be back in summer." He looked down for a second, before pulling something out of his backpack. "Don't open it till you get back home," he cautioned, handing Ryou a brightly wrapped package. "Bye." Hoisting his trunk up over his shoulder, the former tomb robber stepped through the barrier to join his friends.

"Do you think we did the right thing?" Marik asked, as they filed into an empty car on the train.

"I know we did." Bakura replied. And the train began to move, carrying them away from the boys whose lives they had turned upside down. "The only real question is what's going to happen back at the castle. We won't have to hide them any more, so there will be no problems with us turning everyone's lives completely upside down."

A slow smile spread across Marik's face. Yami, he noticed, was still off in la-la-land thinking about Hermione, so he wouldn't be able to stop them. Smirking, he turned back to Bakura.

"Are you thinking what I think you are?" Their eyes sparkled with mischief as they began to plan. Hogwarts had better look out.

"WHAT!" The shriek echoed throughout the Gryffindor Dormitories. It seemed that Fred and George had found the surprise that had been left for them. Their beds were both filthy, with the inside covered in pond scum, and the outside daubed with mud. "WHO DID THIS!" Came the infuriated demand. This had been expected by the perpetrators of course, which was why Bakura and Marik both had found very good reasons for being elsewhere that night. They could watch the fun through their crystals, but if they stayed there was far too high a chance that they would get caught.

"How... dare... they..." Fred demanded, seething with anger. "We'll get them back. They can't escape us for long." Everyone in the room was staring at them like they had gone mad.

"What happened?" Yami asked them, sounding irritated. He had been snuggling with Hermione when the twins had started screaming, and he was not happy about his fun being cut short.

"Our beds," George hissed, "Are covered in pond scum. Needless to say we will get our revenge. And it will be ghastly."

"Don't you have to find out who did it first?" Yami asked him reasonably. "You can't just go about playing tricks on everyone in the hopes that one of them will be the culprit after all."

"Ah..." It seemed they hadn't thought that far. "We'll figure it out."

"Well then. Try not to make so much noise next time. It's annoying."

Bakura grinned. "Perfect time for our little – surprise – hmm?" Marik smirked and nodded. Back in the dormitory a sheet of darkness unrolled itself from the ceiling and words began to scrawl themselves on it in what looked suspiciously like blood.

'This is our challenge to you. We will be better pranksters than you could ever dream of being. Get a life.'

Fred and George stared at it openmouthed while Yami sighed and buried his face in his hands. He could at least recognize this as being Marik's work. Bakura wouldn't have used blood he thought, but the pond scum didn't seem like Marik's type of thing. He would be more likely to soak the bed-sheets in blood. He sighed and shrugged. They must be working together and trying to be good. Well, reasonably good anyway. This was about as well-behaved as they were likely to get. He couldn't help but wonder what would happen next though...

Back on the tower Marik gave a thumbs up and Bakura flicked the metal on his ball into a new shape, changing the image to Snape's bedroom. "Now how about those pixies?"