Kitty: Finally...I don't know why, but it took me a while to finish this.

Yugi: Well, out of all the HP books, CoS is actually your least favorite.

Everyone Else: (stare)

Kitty: (shrugs) But I love all the books, so that doesn't make that much of a difference.

Atem: R&R!

Chapter Sixteen:

Follow the Spiders

Atem was quite relieved to see his cousin was alright: alright enough to be standing before them, anyway. Poor Seth took the loss of his Hikari even worse than either of the other two Yamis. In fact, ever since he had found out about Seto and Hermione being petrified, he rarely spoke with the others and spent most of his time locked up in his soul room.

"Now I know how you guys felt when you got Atem and Bakura as your Yamis," Ron said to Diana and Harry that night in one of the squishy armchairs by the Gryffindor fire, "I've never felt feelings like this, and they're coming from Seth of all people! It's like seeing Snape give out candy for Halloween!"

"Well, when you think about it," Bakura appeared next to Diana, "Seth is the most sensitive out of the Pharaoh, him and me…that, and he's only recently met his Hikari…he's never been in a position of possibly losing him."

Atem appeared next to Harry and nodded. "That's true…both the Thief King and I have had to be apart from our Hikaris before. But Seth…he's never been away from Kaiba-kun ever since the end of the Battle City tournament."

"When did you have to be without your hosts?" asked Diana, "I thought this was the first time."

"The Ring's been taken off Ryou more than once, you know," Bakura smirked, "People thought they could get rid of me…but the Ring comes back before too long…"

Diana laughed. Harry, however, was a little concerned. Atem had never said he'd been apart from Yugi before…Yugi had never been seen without the Millennium Puzzle, so it couldn't have been the same reason as Ryou's…

/Atem/ Harry thought, /When did you have be away from Yugi/

Atem bowed his head, casting his red eyes into shadow, and Harry felt a strange mixture of misery and guilt through the mind link.

-I'd rather not talk about it,- the Pharaoh replied at last.

Ron shook his head. "I just wish there was something we could do to help Seto and the others…"

"There is," Harry said quietly, "We go see Hagrid."

"He's not-" Diana started angrily.

"He may or may not be the Heir of Slytherin," Harry interrupted her gently, "But he's our only clue. He went to school fifty years ago and he's a suspect. He may have an answer to a few of our questions."

-Harry-kun has a point, Dare-chan- Bakura thought through the mind link in Diana's direction, -Maybe we should pay Hagrid-san a visit.-

Diana sighed. "Fine."

The three British hosts stepped up to Hagrid's door under the Invisibility Cloak, and, raising his fist from under the cloak, Ron rapped firmly on the door.

The door opened a few seconds later, and Hagrid came into view, a crossbow pointed unknowingly at Diana's throat.

"EEP!" the redhead girl squeaked, "Hagrid, do you mind? Put that away before someone gets hurt: like me!"

"Dare?" Hagrid looked around at the sound of her voice, "Dare, where are ya?"

"We're under the Invisibility Cloak," explained Harry, "Put down that thing and let us in so we can take it off, we need to talk to you."

Hagrid did so, before moving away from the door to let them in. When he heard their footsteps move past him, he closed the door and put the crossbow down by the door.

"What did you need that for, anyway?" Ron asked.

"Uh…nothin', nothin' at all," Hagrid replied quickly, "I just been expectin'… aw, never mind, it don't matter. Sit down; I'll get the tea."

Their giant friend went over to pour the tea in the tea kettle into cups for them as they sat down; the problem was that he was trembling so much that he was pouring the tea onto the tablecloth without even realizing it.

"I…I presume you heard about Mione and Seto?" asked Diana anxiously.

Hagrid shot a strange look at Diana that she couldn't at the moment say was one more of fear or sadness.

"Oh…aye, I heard," he said quietly, his voice cracking.

Hagrid handed them their almost empty cups of tea, almost dropping and breaking Diana's, and started to cut a large fruitcake into pieces for each of them.

Then there was a knock on the door.

Hagrid dropped the fruitcake.

"G-get that cloak on," he stammered to the three students.

Ron, Harry and Diana nodded, before standing up and throwing the Invisibility Cloak over themselves.

Hagrid went to the door and opened it, to reveal Dumbledore and another man dressed as if he were colorblind and couldn't see what clothes match and what don't, with a pinstripe suit, scarlet tie, a black cloak, pointed purple shoes and a lime-green bowler hat under his arm.

Diana's eyes widened. /That's Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic/

-What's he doing here?- Bakura wondered.

"Professor Dumbledore, sir," Hagrid greeted.

"Good evening, Hagrid," the Headmaster replied, before gesturing toward him and then Fudge, "May we…?"

"Oh! O-of course," Hagrid stammered quickly, coming away from the door to let them in. The trio stretched into the far corner of the room next to the fireplace as to not be bumped into by the two adults.

Fudge spoke first.

"Bad business, Hagrid, very bad business… Had to come. Four attacks on Muggle-born students, three of which were transferstudents… Things have gone far enough, the Ministry has got to act."

"I never!" Hagrid protested, looking imploringly at Dumbledore, "You know I never, Professor!"

"I want it understood, Cornelius," Dumbledore frowned deeply at the Minister, "That Hagrid has my full confidence. Taking him away will not help in the slightest."

"Look at it from my point of view, Albus," Fudge said awkwardly as he fidgeted with his bowler, " I'm under a lot of pressure to do something, and Hagrid's record is against him. There's really no other choice, I've got to take him."

"Take me?" Hagrid was trembling from head to toe now, "Take me where?"

"For a short stretch only," Fudge couldn't meet Hagrid's eyes, "Not a punishment, Hagrid, more a precaution…if someone else is caught, you'll be let out with a full apology-"

"Not Azkaban?" Hagrid croaked.

-Azkaban?- Bakura repeated, -What's that?-

/The wizard prison/ Diana explained, sounding both furious and horrified, /Fudge is going to arrest Hagrid/

It was then that a loud rap came at the door; Dumbledore answered it, and both Diana and Harry had to hold their Yamis back from coming out and possibly jumping on who entered.

Lucius Malfoy strolled into Hagrid's hut, wearing a long black traveling coat around his shoulders and a cold, satisfied smirk on his pale pointed face that was so like his son's.

"Already here, Fudge," Mr. Malfoy nodded approvingly toward the Minister, "Good, good…"

"What're you doin' here?" Hagrid snarled furiously, "Get outta ma house!"

Mr. Malfoy sneered at Hagrid as his eyes traveled around the cabin. "My good man, please believe me, I have no pleasure at all in being inside your…you call this a house?"

Diana looked ready to say something angry in response to that, but Bakura sent a silent warning through the mind-link to remind her to be quiet.

"No…" Mr. Malfoy continued smoothly, "I simply called at the school and was told the Headmaster was here."

"And what exactly do you desire with me, Lucius?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes serious but not angry in the least.

Mr. Malfoy smirked as he unrolled a large roll of parchment.

"Terrible thing, Dumbledore," he said without sounding any regret at all, "But the school governors have all agreed it's time for you to step aside."

"Step aside?" Fudge sputtered, "Now see here, Lucius…if Dumbledore can't do it, then who, I may ask, can…?"

"That remains to be seen," Mr. Malfoy replied coolly, "But this…is an Order of Suspension: you'll find all twelve signatures on it. I'm afraid you've rather…lost your touch, Dumbledore."

"You can't take Professor Dumbledore away!" Hagrid shouted, standing up and his eyes widening in horror, "Take him away and the Muggle-borns won't stand a chance! There'll be killin' next!"

"I doubt that there will be any…killin'…if the culprit is locked up," Mr. Malfoy's smirk widened.

Hagrid looked ready to kill at that remark, but he desisted when Dumbledore gave him a sharp look.

"If the governors desire my removal, Lucius," the Headmaster spoke in a well annunciated whisper, "Then I shall, of course, step aside…"

"B-but…!" Fudge started protesting.

"No!" Hagrid growled.

But Dumbledore did not look away from Mr. Malfoy, and continued as if the other two hadn't spoken.

"However…you will find that I have only truly left this school when none here are loyal to me, and that help will always be given here at Hogwarts to those who ask for it."

Diana may have been imagining things, but she could've sworn that Dumbledore's eyes flickered to the corner where she and her friends were hiding.

"Admirable sentiments," Lucius said coolly, before brushing past Dumbledore and heading out the door.

There was a slight silence in which Dumbledore headed out the door of Hagrid's cabin, and then Fudge spoke.

"Come, Hagrid…we…better get you to the Ministry, it's getting late…"

Hagrid paused, before speaking in a strangely slow tone.

"If, uh…if anyone wanted ta find some stuff…then all they'd have ta do would be ta follow the spiders. Yep…that'd lead 'em right! That's all I'm sayin'."

Fudge was frankly bewildered at that statement, but Hagrid paid him no mind as he grabbed his crossbow and added carelessly, "Oh, and someone'll have ta look after Fang when I'm away…"

The two adults headed out of the cabin, slamming the door shut behind them, and Diana threw the Invisibility Cloak off of herself and her friends.

"DAMN LUCIUS MALFOY!" she cursed.

Bakura appeared next to her and nodded. "He probably blackmailed all those school governors into signing that Suspension Order, and now Dumbledore-san isn't Headmaster! He's the only thing that could've possibly been in the Heir's way..."

"Hagrid-san's right," Ron said in a strangely deeper voice, "Without Dumbledore-sama, there'll an attack a day."

"Ron, why are you…?" Harry asked, but his question dissolved into silence when he looked at his friend.

The youngest Weasley boy's eyes were normally brown, but right now they shone a bright blue rimmed with a silver shine. His red hair was now flecked his black strands around his face, and his usually tall figure was even taller than before, judging by how his pants almost looked like girl Capris.

"Seth-kun!" Atem realized, as he appeared next to Harry, "Boy, am I glad to see you, cousin!"

"Whatever," Seth muttered, still sounding bad-tempered, "What really matters is finding out what in the seven hells Hagrid-san was talking about…"

Harry looked around, before noticing the open window…and crawling out the window was a nice number of black spiders.

"'Follow the spiders,'" the Boy Who Lived whispered, looking out the window, "They're heading for the Forbidden Forest."

"You're not suggesting we actually follow them, are you?" Ron squeaked as he took control again and Seth appeared in his transparent form beside him, "The Forbidden Forest has its name for a reason, you know!"

"Oh, you're just scared of the spiders is all," snapped Seth, making Ron flush.

"Ron-kun, this is important," Atem said seriously, "Think about Yugi-chan, and Ryou and Seto-kun."

"Think about Mione," Diana put a hand on Ron's shoulder, "If we find clues to help us catch the Heir, we can help her and the others. Do it for her, Ron."

Ron looked up at Diana for a moment, before sighing deeply. "Okay."

Kitty: Chapter completed.

Yugi: (sniff) Dumbledore and Hagrid are both gone now?

Lina: (sarcastic) Just great.

Kitty: (sigh) Reviews, Kara?

Kara: 9, and the first if from Kyte.

Kitty: Thanks. (smiles) It sometimes surprises me how much I love my reviewers.

Yugi: (shrugs) They're so nice to us.

Kitty: (sighs) And we're all pretty sad about Seto-kun being petrified.

Atem, Amelda, Noa and Bakura: Not me!

Seth: (whacks them all upside the head, a vein popping in his temple)

Seto: (blink) Okay...

Kitty: (grins evilly) I'll let you ponder with those three for a while.

Atem: (blushes) Heh...sorry, she was the first weapon I grabbed... (hands Isis back to Kyte apologetically) I'm in loooooooooooovve... (grins stupidly as little hearts go over his head)

Yugi and Kitty: (sweatdrop)

Lina: (sweatdrop) Next is aNiMe-AzN-aNgEl.

Kitty: (sniff) Yeah, poor Kaiba-kun...really? (looks at Seto) In all the stories you get petifried? NO, I'M BECOMING A CLONE!

Yugi: I only knew Skyla Doragono's version did the same thing: then again, we have read tons of HP/YGO crossovers.

Ron: (shrugs) I just hope Seth cheers up, he's scary when he's moody...

Seth: (glares)

Kara: And...Claire!

Kitty: (snuggles Simba) I love reading your reviews. They always make me feel better.

Atem: (smirks) Ooh...I like...and we can go to Florida while we're in the neighborhood! AT LAST, WARM WEATHER! (sigh)

Kitty: (rolls her eyes) We are going to Disney World if we ever go to Florida.

Yugi: Yes, dear. (kisses Kitty's cheek) My Kitten. Can't wait to bash up Drake! (grins evilly)

Atem: I second that. (growls under his breath) No one ruins my Hikari's relationship and gets away with it!

Lina: (grins evilly) The list is too long...

Bakura: (his hair all disheveled) I tried to escape earlier and a trapdoor opened and locked me in a room in front of a TV playing the Littlest Elf...and then dropped me back in the cage when it was done.

Everyone: (flinches)

Kitty: The next review is from Engie! (frowns) You are a good writer! And yeah, poor Seto...it is always the hot ones, isn't it?

Seto: (raises an eyebrow)

Yugi: (grabs Kitty possesively and growls ferally at Seto) MINE!

Seto: (shrinking back) YOU CAN HAVE HER!

Yugi: (grins) Nice shot on Tea. Whenever I try, she always dodges it like Pegasus's Toon Rabbit...then again, she is as creepy as he is...

Lina: Seto's Girl 2004 is next.

Kitty: IT WAS THE PLOT BUNNY'S FAULT!

Yugi: (hus Kitty tighter)

Kitty: (sniff) I will try my very best to update quickly: I want my boyfriend and friends back too, ya know!

Kara: Now presenting ANAYAS-CREATOR.

Lina: (exchanges a high-five with ANAYA)

Kitty: The plot bunny would've made me, but it didn't follow the whole idea of "Heir of Slytherin getting rid of people who are a threat."

Yugi: Well, hopefully your update will be sooner rather than later. You know we love reading it.

Lina: Onward to Rainbow Guardian Angel.

Kitty: (blows her nose at yet another mention of Seto and Hermione being petrified) Seth is pretty cool. And no, Ron's tall, so there wasn't THAT huge of a change in height.

Atem: (hugs Mizumi back) The Bash-a-thon is approaching...cheer up. We can burninate 'im together.

Kara: Well, my brother's not exactly evil, but he is stubborn. He'll have a reasonably large part in Let Me Fall (Kitty's version of HP & the PoA).

Yugi: (sucks on his lollypop) No offense taken, I asure you: she IS evil. And so is Malik.

Lina: This next review is from dark sorceress of egypt.

Seto: Yes...why me?

Kitty: IT WAS THE PLOT BUNNY'S FAULT! I ALREADY TOLD YOU THAT!

Seto: The rabid fangirl squad will swarm me at this rate... (sharpens up a machete for the plot bunny)

Eveveryone Else: (back away slooooooooowly)

Atem: (grins) Certainly! I would love to help.

Kara: And now we close with Zelda Ally.

Seto: (glares back) I had no reason to.

Yugi: Yeah, poor us...and Kitty always is sad when anything happens to her fav chars.

Kitty: (wipes a tear from her eye) According to our list...it's Amelda-chan's turn to shoot Jake! (looks at Kyte) May I borrow Isis? Thanks. (gives Isis to Amelda)

Amelda: (looks down at the gun) Kitty...you know I don't like violence after what happened to Mikey...I don't think I can...

Kitty: (gives Amelda a hug) Oh, it's alright, hun...if you really don't want to...

Jake: (starts poking Mikey) POKE! POKE!

Mikey: Ow! Stop it!

Amelda: (eyes turn into red flames) GET OFF MY LITTLE BROTHER! (shoots Jake in a straight line, making him split in half)

Mikey: (runs over and hugs Amelda) You rock, big brother!

Lina: (sweatdrop) R&R!