Chapter 2. How many of you are happy? Well, I guess that's enough people for me to continue!
DISCLAIMER: I don't own your socks!
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The first thing I did when Dumbledore left me was I took out the list. I quickly memorized the contents of the list and decided that the first thing I wanted to do was go to the wand maker's place.
I found it without too much trouble and walked in.
Lining the walls on all sides, and somehow lining the ceiling as well, were little boxes. "They hold the wands, I bet," Bakura said.
I was staring so intently that I didn't even notice the little man with grey eyes until he spoke, "Can I help you with anything?" and made me jump.
Blushing horribly, I turned to him. "Yes, I've just had a meeting with Professor Dumbledore," I said, mindful of my usual act of innocent, pure, sweet little Ryou, the perfect little angel. "He wanted me to have my wand checked out."
"I see. Well then, let me see it," the man said and I handed over my wand. "Hmm, eleven and a half inches, cherry wood and the heartstrings of a Hungarian Horntail. Am I right?" he asked.
I nodded slightly and before I could respond he said, "The cherry wood is very easy going, not temperamental at all. Cherry wood will obey anyone. It's not stubborn in the least. Cherry wood is so eager to please, some squibs have even been known to work a bit of magic with a cherry wood wand."
He looked at me with a peculiar gaze. "However, the core is the heartstrings of a Hungarian Horntail. A Horntail! They are so dangerous that I have only ever made five wands in my life that had a Horntail as the core. They are the most temperamental wands I have ever seen, minus Veela wands. With a Horntail wand, the person in question has to have a will of iron or the wand will disobey the owner every single time! I even have trouble controlling Horntail wands."
"It obeys me," I said quietly. "I didn't know it was so dangerous," I lied. I knew it was a dangerous wand.
"How did you get a wand like this?" Olivander asked me.
"I was in Japan, that's where I started my schooling, and the wand maker there, I forget his name, didn't have any wands that would work for me, so he made my wand custom. He said that the cherry would offset the Horntail. I didn't understand what he meant, but . . ."
Olivander released a sigh. "He was wrong. The cherry doesn't offset anything. It's too complacent to offset anything. Come here, boy. I want to see if you can really use this wand. Try a spell, any spell."
"Umm . . ." I pointed to a book on the counter and said, "Accio book." I wasn't surprised when the book came, but Olivander was.
"Wow, you really can use that monstrosity? Amazing." He seemed to think about something before he said, "Very well, you may keep it."
I wasn't the only one who was irritated with the man. Bakura wanted to use a slightly more advanced spell to get the man to realize that I wasn't a normal boy, but we both knew better than to do something like that. Our mission had just started, and it would be best if we didn't blow our cover anytime soon.
Soon after Olivander let me keep my wand, we decided to try looking for Harry.
"So, where do you think he is?" Bakura asked me.
"Not sure. Bookstore?" I suggested.
"Not everyone is a bookworm, Little Ryou," he teased.
I mentally stuck my tongue out at him.
"Hey, Harry, we still need to buy our books," I heard a girl's voice exclaim.
"Aw, Hermione, can't books wait 'till later?"
I glanced at the group of people and saw a girl with frizzy brown hair, a boy with black hair, and another boy with red hair. These were the people we were supposed to meet. This was Harry's group.
"You were saying?" I asked with pure smugness in my voice.
" . . . shut up."
I grinned at him and followed the trio into the bookstore. Putting on the most timid act I possibly could, I walked around the place with my list in hand, staring at the books and hoping that the clerks wouldn't notice me before the trio of kids did.
Fortunately I didn't have to wait long.
"Excuse me, but I couldn't help but notice that you look a bit scared," the girl named Hermione said. "Is something wrong?"
"Oh, no, nothings wrong, it's just . . . I haven't seen such a huge bookstore in years. I don't really know where to begin," I said in one of my timid voices. "Besides," I said with a slight blush, "I've been in Japan for so long that I'm afraid I've started to forget how to read English. Would you please help me find a few of these books?"
"Put a bit more sugar on your act, Ryou, I don't think she has any cavities yet," Bakura teased.
"If you want to live to see another sunset, Bakura, you will shut up."
"Sure, let me see your list." I handed her the list I was holding. "Wow, these are all the same books my friends and I are looking for. Just come with us!" She handed my list back to me and said, "My name is Hermione Granger, by the way."
"Hajimemashite, watashi wa Bakura Ryou," I said, deliberately using Japanese. When she made a confused face, I pretended to wonder about what she was so confused about. "Oh! Sumimasen!" I exclaimed and then blushed. "I'm sorry, I'm using Japanese. What I meant to say was, it's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Bak- I mean, Ryou Bakura."
"You know, I WAS joking about adding more sugar, Ry," Bakura pointed out.
"Yes, but I was not joking about living to see another sunset, Baku."
"Wow, you speak Japanese that well?" Just like I had thought, the girl was more impressed then annoyed, and she was even charmed by my sweet act.
"Ano, I have been living in Japan for the last . . . seven years, I think. It may actually be eight years, though."
"But your English doesn't have an accent," she pointed out.
"Hai, but that's because I was born in London, and I would speak English to help my friends learn the language. It was hard to find books in English, though, so I'm not as good with reading English as I am with speaking it." I had on my best embarrassed expression, and the girl was falling for it.
"Hey, don't be embarrassed. So, is your name Ryou, or Bakura?" she asked.
"Ryou," I said, still with a blush.
"Well, Ryou, I want you to meet a few friends of mine." She led me to the two boys she had entered the store with and said, "This is Ron Weasley, and he is Harry Potter." I knew it was almost a custom to at least glance at the scar on his fore head, so I did, but only briefly, and then I blushed. "Ron, Harry, this is Ryou Bakura."
"Hajimemashite," I said, and then I covered my face with humiliation. "I mean, pleased to meet you," I repeated in a near whisper.
"Uhh, pleased to meet you, too," Ron said.
"Yeah, it's a pleasure."
"Ryou, are you going to go to Hogwarts this year?" Hermione asked.
"Hai, but I don't know what house I'll be in yet," I was still putting on the embarrassed act, so while still staring at my shoes I said, "I'll probably be in Huffelpuff, timid as I am."
"Hey, you never know," Harry said. "One of the Gryffindors in our year is one of the most timid people I have ever met.""Really?" I asked, looking up momentarily. "I have heard-"
I was interrupted as someone pushed me into Harry. "Oh look," came a snide voice. "It's Potty, the Weasel, and the Mudblood."
I let out a quiet gasp of shock, acting appalled that someone would use such a foul word. No doubt this was Draco Malfoy. I'd heard of him.
"And who's the girl?" he asked in a venomous tone. "Haven't seen her before."
"Ano, I'm not a girl," I said quietly. "My name is Ryou Bakura."
"You're a boy?" he questioned incredulously. "Well, it's said you learn something new everyday."
"Malfoy, you be nice to Ryou!" Hermione practically demanded. "He's just transferred here from Japan and is already nervous enough as it is with out having to know you."
"She's got spunk," Bakura said in approval. "I'd get along with her."
"Well, you're not the one who has to get along with her, I am."
"If you're new at Hogwarts," Malfoy said to me, "then you need to know a few basic guidelines. Slytherin is the house to be in, and if you're not in Slytherin, then you have to obey Slytherin."
"Slytherin, isn't that the house of Snakes?" I asked. I wanted to put in a good impression with the group I needed to befriend. They needed to see me as a useful ally, not just as a nervous wreck. So as I faced Malfoy, my courage grew exponentially. "Snakes are vile, disgusting, thieves, and I will have as little to do with them as possible. I will most certainly not obey a thief if I have a choice."
"Well, why do you do as I say?" Bakura jibed.
"Shut up, I'm working here."
"That is no way to make friends, girly-boy," Malfoy sneered. "If you keep this up, all you'll have are enemies."
"I'd rather have enemies then befriend a snake," I shot back. I could tell that Harry and his group of friends were impressed with the way I was standing up for myself. "If I have no friends at all, I'll be fine, since that will mean I will also be apart from the Snakes."
Malfoy grabbed the front of my shirt and hissed, "Watch your mouth, girly," and then he let me go and stalked away.
After a few moments, I turned back to Harry and his group, once again with my timid act. "Sumimasen. That was so embarrassing," I whispered.
Harry was the first to speak. "What does . . . sumi-whatever mean?"
"Oh. Sumimasen. It depends on the context," I said with an embarrassed blush. "It can mean I'm sorry, excuse me, or it can even mean thank you. It's a very polite form."
"Oh," Harry and Ron chorused.
"Eh, how do you say that was awesome?" Ron asked.
"Awesome?" I repeated. "Sugoi means excellent, and that's . . . well, sogon na, also means awesome, but it's not really what people say."
"So if I want to say that was bloody brilliant, I say 'sugoi'?" Ron asked.
Not sure if it was even possible for me to blush anymore I said, "Yes, that would be the term to use."
"Well," Hermione said, trying to come to my rescue, "I think it's time to finish getting our books. Will you come with us, Ryou?"
"Sure."
Three hours later, I was certain that I had made three new friends. Bakura was certain he'd had way too much of my sweet act.
"Ryou, we're still going to be in Diagon Alley until term starts next week, how about you?" Harry asked.
"Oh, well, my father had to go back to Japan today, so I'm staying at a room in the Leaky Cauldron," I said, fervently glad that I had indeed booked a room shortly after I arrived.
"Cool, that's where we're staying!" Ron exclaimed. "We can hang out until term starts!"
"Oh, Ryou, no! I don't think I can handle anymore of this sugary act! Don't spend anymore time then necessary with them!"
I ignored him and said, "That would be great! I'm sure otosan would be happy to know I already have friends. I'm going to have to write him and tell him that I have all of my things, but after that . . ." I fell silent, hoping that one of the others would get the hint. Luckily, Ron did.
"I'll show you where our room is, and when you're done with your letter, why don't you join us?"
"That would be great!" I exclaimed.
Ron showed me to the room he was sharing with Harry and then I went to my own room and put all of my things on the bed.
As soon as I put everything on the bed, Bakura took on his separate form.
"You're too sweet, Ry. If you're not careful, these people will walk all over you," he warned.
"Baku, you know I won't let that happen. No matter how sweet I'm acting, I know what I'm doing. And after so many years together, I would think you'd know this by now," I pointed out.
He let out a sigh and said, "Yeah, I know. You know perfectly well what you're doing, and the last time I questioned your methods, we failed a mission."
I could see the hint of sadness in his face and I knew that he was thinking about the time we had spent in Domino City. "Hey, Baku . . ."
Instantly he brightened up and started to unpack the items we had purchased. "That was your decision, and I know better than to argue with you, but I didn't like any of that mission. If you ever make me do anything like that ever again, I will flat out refuse and I won't talk to you for a week. Maybe longer."
I smiled. Bakura was too protective of me sometimes, but it was sweet. I walked over to him and hugged him. "Thanks," I whispered.
As he put his arms around me, he whispered again, "I never want to hurt you again, Little Ryou. You mean too much to me."
"I know."
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Hey everyone! Well, chapter 2 is up!
I have a favor I need to call in; can some of you give me the names of a few monsters that Bakura would use? I kinda stopped watching Yu-Gi-Oh a while ago. You know, when Bakura stopped being there? Yeah, then I started up again because someone said that Bakura was back, but they lied.
Anyway, I might need some monsters in the upcoming chapters, and I need to know names and what they do.
Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Ja bye bye!
