Yuugiou!
Episode Nine and Three Quarters

Gah! I know I promised a chapter a day, but I had a very... nerve-wracking weekend, on top of work and on top of being unable to concentrate because of said weekend. I'm sorry about the long delay; believe me when I say it wasn't intentional.

A few people have been asking me questions I already covered in my author's note on Key of Light. Please read that, don't ask questions I already answered on there... And... geeze, I'm surprised people don't know what the pairing is gonna be. I said it would be my favorite... XP

EDIT: Fixed the typo of Ron's last name. Like you've never spelled their last name wrong. XP!

CHAPTER THREE – HOGWARTS

The following few days were… certainly eventful, to say the least. Atemu had taken on the responsibility of looking after Bakura and, considering the tomb robber had insisted on learning everything he possibly could about the world that his "landlord" was entering, that meant the pharaoh was present more often than Yuugi was. More often then not, he was found looking especially disheveled, dragging the tomb robber back into the Leaky Cauldron after trying to avoid one or two angry store clerks.

It was a relief when September 1st came around, and Malik, Yuugi, Ryou, and Rishid all piled into a taxi that would take them to King's Cross Station. Rishid was up in the front with the driver, and the three younger boys were crammed in the back, looking over their tickets.

"Platform nine and three quarters…" Ryou murmured, turning the ticket in his hands. "That doesn't sound like a real platform."

"I know," Yuugi replied. "'Jii-chan said something about there being a hidden portal in the divider between platforms nine and ten…"

"In the divider?" Malik asked. "Does he expect us to run into a wall?"

"I guess so…"

Malik smacked the palm of his hand to his forehead.

Though, when they did finally arrive at the train station, there was not anything that would prove Yuugi's grandfather wrong that any of them could see. They stared at the divider they were supposed to run into, perplexed, holding up their trolleys full of their luggage. Run into a brick wall… Malik looked a bit squeamish at the thought. The fact that Rishid was giving the bricks a distrusting look did not help.

Suddenly, Ryou's face broke out into a very un-Ryou-like sneer.

"Wusses," Bakura said, grabbing his trolley and plowing right for the wall. Both Malik and Yuugi winced, covering their eyes… but when they did not hear a crash, they looked back…

Bakura was gone.

"I… guess it really does work…" Yuugi muttered. After a moment, he gripped his trolley, much like the tomb robber had done, and barreled toward the barrier. Malik must have blinked, because before he knew it, the short Japanese boy had disappeared.

Malik looked up at Rishid, a bit of a sheepish look on his face. "I guess this is good bye for the year. Take care of my sister for me."

"Of course," Rishid replied. "Take care of yourself, Lord Malik."

He flashed the older man a smile, before grabbing his trolley and barreling toward the divider. A whooshing sound filled his ears, and he found himself staring at a gigantic, old fashion steam train. Malik's eyes widened, taking in the massive scarlet vehicle before him, the wizards and witches of all ages around them, and the giant sign above them labeled "Hogwarts Express", before realizing that Bakura was trying to get his attention.

"Yo, welcome back to earth, Gravekeeper," he sneered.

Malik frowned, before looking over to Yuugi. "Can we hang the Ring outside the window while the train's moving?"

-.oOOo.-

Atemu had been forced to take over Yuugi's body early into the trip. Bakura had snuck away into the back of the train, where the snack trolleys were kept. He had opened up something called a chocolate frog; it was not a real frog of course, but it was enchanted to act like one. Atemu was lucky enough to catch him before he let the rest of the treats loose on the train.

"Tight ass…" the tomb robber grumbled as the pharaoh made him sit. Malik hid his face in his hand, trying not to crack up as the pharaoh plopped down, giving Bakura an annoyed look.

"You're going to get Ryou in trouble before we're even at the damn school," he admonished.

"You can't get in trouble if you don't get caught," Bakura shot back, he usual annoying sneer on his face. He reached up, fingering the right side of his face out of habit… before he grimaced, realizing the scar that had been there in ancient times was not there anymore. "Dammit… I wonder if Ryou likes scars."

"Don't you dare!" Atemu exclaimed as Malik busted out laughing.

"What? It's my body," Bakura replied, knowing he was getting under the pharaoh's skin and loving every moment of it.

"It was Bakura-kun's body first," the pharaoh shot back. "It would still be just his body too if you weren't around."

Bakura grinned cockily. "What can I say? I guess he just couldn't live without my manly charm."

Malik looked like he was going to start demonstrating that "ROFL" acronym Yuugi was so fond of using when he was online. A few minutes later, the Egyptian's laughter had dulled down to an amused grin, and Atemu was still glaring daggers at the tomb robber. Bakura did not care; he was finding his reaction to his continued existence extremely entertaining, though his staring was getting a bit annoying. He could fix that though…

"You know, if you think I'm sexy, just say so, don't keep staring."

Malik damn near fell out of his seat, clutching his stomach, howling with laughter as Atemu's face mutated from surprised to shocked to horrified before finally settling on outright pissed off. He leapt to his feet and grabbed the tomb robber by his shirt in one swift and smooth motion, raising a fist to beat the ever-living crap out of him. Fortunately, before he could deliver a beating that Ryou would be feeling for weeks, the door to their compartment opened and a little squeak came from behind them.

Atemu dropped the tomb robber back into his seat, cooling down quickly despite the belligerent smirk he was receiving. He turned around to see a small boy with a pudgy face leaning into the compartment, already wearing his wizard robe, dark hair a total mess atop his head.

"Umm… e-excuse me…" he said, eyeing Atemu warily. "H-have you seen a toad? I've lost my Trevor…"

The pharaoh open his mouth to reply, but the tomb robber beat him to it. "No, but if I do, I'll let you know how he tasted."

The boy gave him a horrified look as Atemu whirled on him. Fortunately, he was gone before the pharaoh raised a hand to Bakura again, trying to punch him in the face. The tomb robber wormed to the side a bit, making it only a glancing blow as he smirked.

"You punch like a girl, your worship," he sneered. "Though, why am I not surprised?"

From the glare he was giving him, it looked like Atemu was going to send Bakura flailing into the Shadows. Malik stood up, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Easy pharaoh," he said, making him sit back down. "Can't you tell? He's getting you pissed off on purpose."

Atemu growled in annoyance, but flopped down in his seat, glaring out the window as the English countryside flew pass. There was a long stretch of silence, during which time the pharaoh had started to calm down considerably… before a whine from the bane of his existence made him twitch.

"Are we there yeeeeeeeeeeeet?"

-.oOOo.-

Malik had found out the hard way that two three thousand year old children were no fun to look after in a cramped train compartment. Naturally, he was relieved when both spirits retreated into their respective outer selves when the train came to a gradual stop. The three of them pulled on their school robes, after peeking outside to see the other students already decked out in the black robes, before heading out with the rest. They found themselves out on a train platform filling with the train's passengers, the night air about them much more cooler than they were used to.

"I thought Japan was cold," Malik muttered, wrapping his cloak about him closer as a loud voice bellowed above the chattering of the students.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"

They followed a smaller group of kids off the platform and onto a dirt path… smaller in more ways than one.

"What is this…?" Ryou murmured softly. "These are just… kids."

"We're just kids too, Ryou," Yuugi pointed out.

"Not this young…" Malik agreed. "Why do you thi— whoa!"

Apparently it had rained earlier, because the path was wet and slippery; a little too slippery for the boots that Malik was wearing. He flailed desperately, trying not to fall over in vain. Fortunately, he was saved from mussing up his new robes, as there was someone rather tall behind him…

"Unless you want to get fucked by your own Rod, Malik, I suggest you move your ass."

Malik blinked, looking up as Yuugi and Ryou turned around.

"Kaiba-kun!" the shorter boy exclaimed as Malik straightened quickly. "What made you decide to come?"

"It's no concern of yours," Seto Kaiba sneered, brushing past them, following the rest of the students toward a large hairy man holding up a lantern. Yuugi shook his head; how very typical of Kaiba… stubborn to a fault, and everything with him had to have a dynamic flair to it. Even his school robes fanned out behind him dramatically, even though they were the same robes everyone else had.

Yuugi was snapped out of his thoughts as Malik rushed past him a bit, shaking his fist at Kaiba's back.

"I don't have my Rod anymore, so good luck trying to shove it up my ass, you prick!"

Both Yuugi and Ryou turned bright red, the latter hiding his face in his hands. "M-Malik!" Ryou exclaimed as some of the kids around them started giggling. "That doesn't sound right out of context!"

Malik paused a moment, blinking… before he turned red too. "Oopse."

They followed the rest of the group, a girl with bushy brown hair in front of them turning about every now and then to give Malik a strange look. By the time they ascended the slippery slope leading up to their destination, the Egyptian looked like he wanted to crawl into the smallest hole and disappear.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec, jus' round this bend here," the giant man called over his shoulder.

They turned the bend in the path, and there was a collective gasp from the students. They had arrived at the shore of an inky black lake, a long line of boats waiting patiently for them. Out beyond the lake, perched comfortably on what looked like a small mountain from their viewpoint, was what could only be described as a castle. Tall spires, dotted with the lights of evening fires, stretched up to the sky as if reaching for the stars themselves. The boys' jaws dropped when they saw in, amazed.

"Unreal…" Yuugi murmured.

"No more'n four to a boat!" the giant man bellowed.

The boys all scrambled for a boat, preferring to get one for themselves. Kaiba joined them a moment latter, obviously having little luck getting his own boat, and preferring their mixed company as opposed to the other children. They set off soon after everyone was settled, the boats propelling themselves toward the school. Kaiba leaned over the side a bit, as if searching for something, drawing a smirk out of Malik.

"Forget it, Kaiba," he said. "There's no wires or pulleys or machines. It's all magic."

"Pft," was Kaiba's indignant reply, not even bothering to glare at him.

The boat ride was brief, and despite the company they shared with Kaiba, Yuugi knew he was never going to forget it. They piled out of the boats along with the other first year students on the shore of the shore of the mountain-like island near the school. Everyone trudged up the slope, finding themselves standing at the large double front doors of the Hogwarts castle. The giant man reached up and knocked on the doors three times, and they opened almost immediately to reveal a tall, elderly woman in emerald green and black robes. She had a thin look to her face, making her look strict, yet kindly at the same time. Either way, it was clear that this was not a woman to be crossed.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," the man announced.

"Thank you, Hagrid," the woman replied with a very slight amount of warmth to her voice. "I will take them from here."

The first year students shepherded themselves into the castle, only to arrive in a main foyer big enough to fit the entire Kame Game Shop. There was the sound of chatter to the right – possibly the other students – but the professor led them to a smaller room on the left. Malik elbowed Yuugi as they entered the room.

"Hey, Yuugi-kun, remember the letter?" he whispered. "She's the Deputy Headmistress and a professor?"

"She's obviously very important," Yuugi whispered back. "Ryou and I will have to make sure our other selves don't do anything rash in front of her."

As soon as everyone was settled in the room, Professor McGonagall turned around to face them, taking in all of them in turn before speaking.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," she announced. "Now, before you join your fellow students, you will be sorted into your houses. They are Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Slytherin. While you are here, your house will be like your family. Points will be awarded for academic achievement and other triumphs. However, any rule breaking, and you will loose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will be awarded the house cup, a great honor here at this school. The Sorting Ceremony will begin shortly. Do try to smarten yourselves up before then."

She glanced pointedly at a few students before she left, some of which scrambled to try and straighten their hair or wiped smudges off their faces. Ryou frowned, trying to fix up his own hair, which seemed to have taken a bit of a frizz to it from the cool damp air outside.

"A ceremony, hunh?" he asked as he worked. "I wonder what exactly we're supposed to do…"

"Who knows," Malik replied, glancing around at what was going to be their fellow classmates. The girl with the bushy brown hair was still taking glances back at him, and there was some stuck up pale boy conversing in low tones with the two brutes surrounding him. Everyone else seemed content with waiting a bit nervously, anxious to find out what would be awaiting them…

Professor McGonagall returned after a short while, and ordered everyone to quiet down. She ushered them to form a straight line, trying to organize them by height with little success, before she led them back into the main foyer and into the room where all the chatter had come from before.

If the main foyer could fit the Kame Game Shop in it, then the Great Hall could fit Kaiba Corporation Headquarters. Four long wooden tables were lined up before them, filled almost to the brim with students from other years. At the very end of the tables was another, facing perpendicular to the student tables, where several people who could only be the other professors sat waiting for them. Above their heads, candles floated about the room lazily and even higher than that, was what looked like a gigantic skylight, revealing the starry night outside. The only indication that it was not a skylight, however, was the slight pattern of the ceiling visible in certain places.

The professor led the first years to the top of the hall, and lined them up with their backs facing the teacher's table. Before them, she placed a four-legged stool, and set a patched and fraying black wizard's hat on it. It sat innocently for a long moment, and Yuugi stared at it, perplexed. Just as he was about to wonder what they were supposed to do with it, however, a rip near the top of the hat opened of it's own accord, and it started to sing.

Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep you bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;

Or yet wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!

Yuugi felt himself melt in a bit of relief; tension he did not realize had built up releasing as the hat sung its last note. All they had to do was put on a silly hat and it would tell them where they belonged? That was almost too easy!

Professor McGonagall lifted the hat up with one hand as she unrolled a length of parchment with the other. "When I call your name," she announced, "please sit down and put on the hat. Abbott, Hannah!"

A girl with blonde pigtails came out of the line and sat down. Ryou bit his lip as the hat was lowered over the young girl's head.

"G-guys," he whispered nervously. "What do you think will happen if—"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the Sorting Hat shouted, not giving him a chance to finish. The table on the farthest right cheered and clapped as the young girl went over to join her fellow classmates.

"Bakura, Ryou!" McGonagall announced. Ryou gulped loudly, before going over to the stool and sitting down. He was worried sick as the hat came down low over his eyes; the fact that he could hear some of the students whispering about how old he looked for a first year and his strange hair did not help any. He was worried that the Hat would pick up his other self… and then what would happen? It would announce that he was too tainted by darkness and it would not be safe for him to attend the school, just as Bobassa had said his heart was far too tainted with evil…

Thanks for the vote of confidence… Bakura grumbled in his head.

"Hum… two minds, here… two minds… that's most certainly different," the Sorting Hat whispered.

Focus on the kid, hat, or I'll filet your… well, whatever passes for your ass, Bakura snapped, making Ryou sweatdrop in embarrassment.

"Oh, of course, Mr. Grumpy Spirit," the Hat replied. "Let's see here… not a bad mind… not bad at all… very wise. But you're definitely more of a follower…" The Hat trailed off for a moment, thinking. "Actually, both of you are."

A follower? Why you little…!

"Better make it HUFFLEPUFF!" the Hat shouted before Bakura could finish that threat.

Ryou willingly took the hat off and handed it back to Professor McGonagall before going to the same table that Hannah Abbott had gone too. He tossed Malik and Yuugi a relieved look before sitting down. Several more names went by, with a couple more going to Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, and one a piece going to Gryffindor and Slytherin. When "Granger, Hermione" was called, the bushy-haired girl that kept taking glances at Malik raced up and jammed the hat onto her head in barely contained excitement.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted after a few seconds.

"Ishtar, Malik!" McGonagall called as the girl raced to the Gryffindor table amongst polite applause. Malik went over and plopped down onto the stool, slipping the hat on over his eyes.

"Oh my, quite a bit of darkness piled up in your head," the hat whispered. "You weren't always a nice person, were you? There's also a great amount of loyalty to those you respect here… hmm… and a lot of courage to believe so strongly in that loyalty, that those higher than you won't betray your faith… hmm… tough choice, tough choice… Hmm… well, let that courage shine a bit stronger in GRYFFINDOR!"

Malik took the Sorting Hat off and handed it to the professor as more polite applause came from that table. He gave Yuugi a wink for luck, before joining the middle left table.

"Kaiba, Seto!"

Kaiba strode forward, and immediately there were murmurings of how he was just far too tall to be a normal first year. He sat down and put on the hat, and the voice of the Sorting Hat came almost immediately.

"Oh, we have a brainy boy here!" it exclaimed. "It's clear where you belong. RAVENCLAW!"

Kaiba handed the hat back to McGonagall and joined the middle right table, his expression never changing from his usual stern scowl, which made several students give him a noticeable amount of space as soon as he sat down. That left Yuugi as the only one out of the four of them left in line. He got a queasy feeling to his stomach as "Longbottom, Neville" was called, and the boy that Bakura had terrorized on the train tottered forward unsteadily. What if the Sorting Hat did not place him anywhere? What if it declared that there had been a mistake and he should go home?

Aibou, you know better than that, Atemu admonished in his head as Neville was announced a Gryffindor and "MacDougal, Morag" was called. You'll get placed in the house that's right for you, just like all the others.

Yugi smiled inwardly. I know… but you can't help but think these things when you're nervous and alone, mou hitori no boku.

You're never alone while I'm still alive, aibou, Atemu murmured softly as "Malfoy, Draco" was called, and the pale blonde boy from that had been conversing with the two large boys swaggered up to the stool. He started to place the Sorting Hat on his head, but it appeared to be struggling, as if it did not want to touch him.

"SLYTHERIN!" it shouted. Draco Malfoy smirked before joining the two thugs – his bodyguards most likely, considering they did not seem to have an ounce of brainpower other than "punch this" and "beat that" – at the far left table. There was another student called, and then it was…

"Mutou, Yuugi!"

He could hear faint giggles and murmurs coming from around the room as he stepped out of line and sat down on the stool, catching some of the younger students pointing to him, especially his hair. He wondered briefly if his grandfather ever had this problem before cramming the Sorting Hat over his hair.

"Ouch!" the hat exclaimed. "Watch where you're pointing that hair, boy!"

Yuugi sweatdropped as Atemu replied tersely, You watch it, Hat.

"Ohhhhh… another child with two minds…" the Sorting Hat mused. "I wasn't aware we were allowing possessed students to enter. Well, anyway, let's see now… A great mind, that's for sure, a great amount of cunning, and plenty of loyalty. You could be a mascot for all the houses. However, your courage outshines them all, so away with you to GRYFFINDOR!"

Yuugi nearly melted in relief as he took off the hat and handed it back to McGonagall. He joined Malik at the Gryffindor table, who stood up and gave him a high-five before the two of them sat back down together, the Japanese boy practically flopping into his seat. There were not many left now, and the two them would have ignored the rest if one name had not shocked the whole hall into silence.

"Potter, Harry!"

Yuugi and Malik looked up to see a short, skinny boy that looked like he barely ate anything step out of line. His dark hair was a shaggy mess, barely hiding a lightning-bolt shaped scar on his forehead. Everyone else in the room stared at him in awed silence, but they – as well as Kaiba and Ryou, though they could not see them – were confused. What was so special about this boy? The boy put on the Sorting Hat, and everyone waited in a hushed silence, some people holding their breaths. After what seemed like an eternity, the hat announced its choice.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Their whole table erupted in excited cheers. Two identical red-haired boys behind them started chanting, "We've got Potter! We've got Potter!" as the young boy walked over to their table and nearly collapsed in his seat.

Yuugi and Malik exchanged looks, before staring at this Potter boy, who's attention had been drawn back up to the line of students as "Weasley, Ron" was called. Just… what was so important about this kid…?