Kitty: Wow, I'm updating this fic a lot...

Lina: Isn't that good?

Kitty: (frowns) Well...not really...

Everyone: (stares)

Noa: WHAT?

Kitty: (sniff) Because this chapter is continuing the tragedy...and it's not the end.

Yugi: (gawks) Oh, no...

Atem: (looks nervously at Yugi) R&R!


Chapter Ten:

Doubts and a Double Attack

Diana collapsed onto her bed in the girls' dormitory, feeling scared and shocked at the same time.

/Harry…a Parselmouth? How can this be/

Diana didn't know what to think. Parselmouths were always associated with Dark Wizards…hell, Salazar Slytherin himself was a Parselmouth!

/Could Harry be the Heir of Slytherin? Would he really attack Yugi? Did he lie to me about knowing anything about what happened to Mrs. Norris? What did he say to that snake/

A million questions zipped through her head, one after another, until a voice cut through her thoughts about fifteen minutes later.

"Dare?"

Diana looked up at Hermione as she sat down on her own bed next to hers.

"Dare, are you okay?" her friend asked her.

Diana sighed. "Sure. Whatever."

"Dare, don't give me that," Hermione said sharply, "And if you're thinking Harry could be the Heir of Slytherin, then I'll tell you right now that Harry didn't know he was a Parselmouth."

Diana laughed hollowly. "I wish I could do that. I wish I could pretend I didn't know I was something…"

"Oh, shut your mouth," Hermione snapped, "I'm serious. Harry said he thought he was speaking regular English."

Diana snorted. "Wow, a snake would actually be able to understand English… maybe I should've told the snake to go bite up Lockhart's ass then, eh?"

"I'm serious!" Hermione hissed at her.

"And I can't believe you!" retorted Diana, "How the bloody hell can you believe him?"

"Those are some of the last words I thought I'd ever hear you say, Dare," Hermione replied coldly, "Particularly about Harry. You're one of the most loyal friends I think I've ever seen; don't stop your loyalty now."

"Look, Mione," Diana muttered, "I trust my friends a lot…but what am I supposed to believe? Salazar Slytherin was a Parselmouth himself! It's what he was famous for! Harry must be the first Parselmouth in centuries!"

"But he's your friend!" snapped Hermione, "You know he feels almost the exact same way you do about evil! He doesn't shun you because you're the Heir of Artemis, and you shouldn't shun him because he's a Parselmouth!"

"I'm not shunning him!" Diana snapped back, "I just think it's a little too much to be a coincidence that the Heir of Slytherin starts attacking people right before we find out he's a Parselmouth!"

Diana got under her bed covers and rolled over.

Hermione didn't reply to her comment, but she did faintly hear her whisper, "Harry told me he thought of you like a sister who'd always be there for him if he got into trouble. Looks like he didn't know you well enough."

A sudden guilt ran through her. Diana almost wanted to respond, but she instead pulled the covers over her head and forced herself to sleep.

Diana avoided Harry the next day, just wanting to be alone and think over what had happened the other day. So she sat in the library skipping out on the Gryffindors' and Hufflepuffs' Transfiguration class, thinking to herself.

/Mione's right…/ she thought, /No matter how Harry may or may not be…he is my friend./

Making her mind up quickly, she got up and started heading over toward the Transfiguration classroom to wait outside for him.

But when she got to the Transfiguration hallway, she saw a crowd of people muttering furiously.

"Caught in the act!" Diana heard Ernie Macmillan's voice.

"That's enough, Macmillan," snapped the voice of McGonagall, "Help blow Sir Nicolas up to the Hospital Wing. Professor Flitwick, could you get the boy?"

"Certainly, Minerva," said the chirpy voice of Flitwick, "That poor, poor boy…"

Diana finally found her way through the crowd, to the scariest sight she'd ever seen in her life.

Nearly Headless Nick was floating in the air, no longer a silvery white, but a smoky, motionless grey, and behind him, Petrified and looking absolutely terrified, was Ryou.

"What happened to Ryou?" she demanded, shoving in front of the other students and running over to her Petrified friend.

"Potter did it!" said Ernie, "We caught him in the act!"

"Enough, Macmillan," McGonagall snapped.

Harry looked at Diana desperately. "Dare, I didn't-"

"Potter, follow me, please," said McGonagall quietly.

Knowing he had no choice, Harry sadly followed McGonagall up the stairs and out of sight.

Diana looked from the stairs to the Petrified Ryou, who Flitwick was now magicking onto a stretcher. Quietly she followed Ernie and Flitwick up to the Hospital Wing, not taking her eyes off of Ryou's lifeless form.

"So," whispered Ernie solemnly as Ryou was being placed on a Hospital bed.

"What?" muttered Diana.

"Looks like Potter betrayed more than one of his friends today," Ernie said, "First Yugi and now Ryou…two great friends betrayed, not to mention you. But don't worry, he tricked all of us-"

"Shut up and go away," Diana whispered, before going over and sitting down next to her friend's bed.

Ernie was probably startled, but right then, Diana didn't care.

As he and Professor Flitwick left, she tried to remember the last thing she said to Ryou before this happened. The only problem was the last time she could've said anything to him was in Transfiguration, which she skipped.

Diana looked absently at the Millennium Ring around Ryou's neck. The last time she'd seen Bakura was at the Dueling Club…he'd encouraged her to get back up on her feet during her and Malfoy's duel.

It was then that she wondered whether Bakura was alright or not.

Diana looked around the Hospital Wing quickly, before cautiously gripping onto the Millennium Ring and pulling it over his head and off his neck. She looked down at the Millennium Item for a moment, before putting it around her own neck.

There was a bright flash of white light, and she suddenly found herself in an unfamiliar room.

It was a pretty dark room; one area in the room was lit by light coming from a large window and the rest was draped in the darkness ahead. The lighted area had a bed and had Quidditch posters, a few photographs of her mother and friends, and a picture of Josh Groban on the walls.

Diana looked around, and then saw a red-painted door in the corner. Hesitantly she grabbed the doorknob and turned it.

She found herself in a black and purple hallway, and saw a door across the way with the gold Millennium symbol on it.

The door opened, and out came a very familiar face.

-Dare-kun!- Bakura gasped, -What are you doing here? –

/I took the Millennium Ring from Ryou/ Diana replied, /He…he was attacked by the Heir of Slytherin./

Bakura stared. -Ryou…was attacked…? –

Diana nodded sadly. /I'm so, so sorry, Bakura…/

Bakura bowed his head so that his eyes were into shadow.

-Don't be,- he muttered dully.

Diana was silent for a moment; then she went over to the Tomb Robber, and actually put her arms around him and held him close.

/Bakura, I'm your host now, so I know your feelings as well as I do my own…but you don't have to talk to me about it if you don't want to./

Bakura pulled away for a minute, looking at Diana carefully. Then tears filled his eyes, and he broke down completely, sobbing into her shoulder.

-Ryou, you pathetic weakling, why didn't you let me take over sooner…? - he moaned quietly.

Diana had always known Ryou and Bakura had never gotten along very well…who didn't? They were complete and utter opposites, and although she was very fond of the raucous Tomb Robber, she knew that no matter how much Bakura might deny it, he did care about his other half. And with that in mind, Diana made a solemn promise to herself right then.

/I will make the Heir of Slytherin pay for hurting my friends…/

Kitty: End.

Yugi: RYOU?

Ryou: (cries) I'm Petrified too?

Bakura: (glares at Kitty) I hate you.

Kitty: Why? You can hang out with Dare now, and won't have to worry about "your weakling Hikari."

Bakura: No, I like you for that. I hate you for making me look like a wimp at the end.

Lina and Kitty: (whack Bakura on the head at the same time)

Diana: (rolls her eyes) Let's get to the reviews, please?

Kitty: (looks at Diana attentively)

Diana: First is from aNIme-Azn-aNgEl.

Kitty: (grins) Thank you for the compliments... (frowns) and I hate the plot bunny for taking Yugi out, so I agree with you. And Seto's part will stay pretty big for a while, and Seth will too.

Kara: And...Kyte.

Kitty: (glomps Yugi as tears again flood her eyes)

Yugi: (blink) I'M ACTUALLY TALLER THAN SOMEONE! (does a little dance)

Atem: You're taller than Mokuba, Rebecca and Mikey.

Yugi: (sweatdrop) And HOW much younger are they from me?

Atem: Good point.

Lina: Next is ANAYAS-CREATOR's two reviews.

Kitty: Actually, I'm not sure which play we're going to see yet as my teacher hasn't been able to figure out which one has enough openings for all of us to see it. (sighs) But I saw one brochure for "The Phantom of the Opera!" (crosses fingers and prays a hundred million times) And thanks!

Diana: Onward to Rainbow's review.

Harry: (happily eats his ice cream) Yum. And I do hope having Atem in my head won't be too hard.

Yugi: (sighs) It is indeed a wonder that I can deal with him...it's a rare and special talent, let me assure you.

Atem: (glares) Some Hikari you are.

Kitty: (hides behind Yugi) I don't like snakes very much...I can barely go into the reptile house, to be frank.

Yugi: (holds Kitty tight) Ah, the joys of hurting Lockhart and Malfoy...and Mizumi, Slypher is all yours. Consider him a gift.

Lina: Onto Claire's review!

Kitty: I love the Crucible! (tears fill her eyes) I didn't know. That's awful.

Diana: (grins evilly) It was fun. Quite fun.

Harry: Looks like you'll have to wonder right along with me on how having Atem around will be...

Kitty: (snuggles the adorable lion) Awwww... he's so cute. Thank you. I feel so much better now... (glomps you)

Yugi: And we can't wait to read more of your fic, although I half wish I could rip Drake to shreds first.

Kara: Finally, we have ZeldaAlly.

Kitty: Alright, according to your order, it's Marik's turn to shoot the evil demon known as Jake.

Marik: (takes the BB gun, smirking evilly) You rock, girl! (shoots Jake so many times that his internal organs spill out)

Everyone: (disgosted)

Lina: (covering her mouth so she won't throw up) That...is so gross...

Marik: (grins proudly)

Kitty: (shakes her head sadly) R&R!