Mew: Thank you to everyone who reviewed for the last three chapters! –cheers to them- If I couldn't reply to them, gomen nasai! I haven't had a lot of time on my hands.
Draiku: Idiot. You had a day "off" from school.
Mew: Shut up! I was ill!
Draiku: Yeah, right.
Mew: -knocks Draiku out with a huge mallet- If my parents are reading this, then, um, ignore Draiku! I really was sick. Honestly!
Yoko: Um… O.o Right. Disclaimer time! –grin-
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or Harry Potter. I am currently saving up money to by Marik and Malik. So far, I have… one dollar. –cries-
When Houses Collide
Chapter 4: Death Eaters
The six Gryffindors stared at the drawing of the skull with the snake coming out of its mouth.
"What is that!" Yugi asked. The drawing itself seemed to symbol evil, suffering, and fear.
"That is the Dark Mark," Hermione explained. "It symbolizes the Death Eaters, which are servants of Voldemort." Ron shuddered at the name.
"Don't say it!" he hissed.
"For crying out loud, Ron! It's just a name!" Hermione hissed back.
"You know who Voldemort is, right?" Harry asked.
"Hagrid told us about him. He said that he killed many Muggles and even wizards and witches," Malik said softly.
"Yes, and he almost killed Harry," Hermione said darkly.
"With Avada Kedavra," Ron said.
"The Killing Curse?" Yugi asked. Harry, Hermione, and Ron blinked.
"Yes, but how did you know that? You're new to wizardry," Hermione pointed out.
"I…I don't know. Something kind of whispered it…into my ear or something," Yugi said nervously. "It was like a hiss…almost snake-like. And was very cruel, evil sounding. Um, don't worry, I was probably just imagining it," he insisted, smiling and scratching the back of his head. Harry, however, seemed concerned.
"Are you sure?" he asked. Yugi nodded.
"Yeah, but aren't we talking about Death Eaters? Let's…not get off-topic," he said.
"Ryou, are you positive that you saw this on Bakura's arm?" Hermione asked. Ryou nodded. "Then it's settled. He's a Death Eater. And I suspect that Draco, Yami, and Marik are, too."
"Don't say that about Marik!" Malik argued. "He wouldn't become a Death Eater, he just wouldn't!"
"Hermione, we don't know for sure if that was the Dark Mark or not," Harry said. "Marik might have been telling the truth, after all, Bakura does get into a lot of fights. And we can't jump to conclusions. They seem too young to be Death Eaters, after all."
"Oh, fine. But Malik, I want you to find out if Marik really is a Death Eater. He'll tell you. But just in case he doesn't…this might seem a little odd to ask, but…seduce him. Get him to take off his shirt," Hermione said. Malik blinked and blushed wildly.
"Pervert. I'll just ask him, and if he doesn't want to tell me, then fine. And I'm not even an adult yet, and we've only been together for a little over a day," he said, glaring at Hermione slightly.
"And having sex is against school rules. You should have know that, Hermione, after all, you've memorized every single one of them," Ron said, nudging Hermione's arm.
"Oh, stop that. It was just an idea," she insisted.
"A perverted one, but an idea," Ryou said sarcastically.
"We should get to bed," Yugi suggested. His friends nodded, and they left to their beds.
-
Yami tossed and turned in his slumber. He groaned, his eyes shut tightly, muttering a single word.
"Yugi."
-
"Marik," said a voice. Marik knew that he recognized it from somewhere, but where?
"Marik," it said again. "Wake up! Imbecile."
Marik blinked drowsily and looked up to see his brother Bakura standing over him, glaring.
"If you don't get up now, you'll be late for classes," the white-haired boy said.
"Is that a threat?" Marik slurred, turning over and pulling the blanket up to his chin. "I don't care about my classes."
"Keep in mind that today we have DADA first, and you sit next to Malik."
Marik was up and dressed before you could blink.
"Geez! You should've told me that sooner!" Marik snarled. He looked to Yami, who was still asleep.
"What's he look so happy about?" Bakura wondered.
"He's probably dreaming about someone he likes. Let's see," Marik said with a snicker. He walked over and kneeled next to Yami. "Yami, Yami, can I speak with you?"
"Mmgh, sure," Yami said in his sleep.
"Are you dreaming about someone?" Marik murmured. Yami nodded. "Are you kissing whoever it is?" Yami nodded again. "Is it a passionate, French-kiss?" Yami nodded once more. "Are you naked?" Yami nodded enthusiastically. "Who are you making love to?" Yami mumbled some incoherent words. "Beg pardon?"
"Yugi…" Marik let out a yelp and jumped backwards, and Bakura roared with laughter. Yami awoke with a snap.
"Yami was dreaming of his ickle opposite number, the Gryffindor runt!" Bakura yelled. Yami gasped and blushed.
"What! Of course I wasn't! I…I hate that kid!" Yami lied.
"Yami, I heard you. You were having sex with Yugi, you were talking in your sleep!" Marik said, grinning and laughing. Yami blushed even more.
"I was not!" he objected. Bakura grinned at him.
"Admit it, you want to fuck the little runt," he said. Yami hung his head shamefully.
"Don't tell him, please," he begged.
"Ah, fine, we won't. After all, I don't want to see another of our type sink that low," Bakura said, glaring at Marik. Marik snarled and instantly became a lion. He pounced on the stunned Bakura and pinned him down, bringing his bared teeth close to his brother's face. He roared loudly, then got off and changed back, still glaring at the paralyzed Bakura.
"Say that again, and I will kill you," he growled. Bakura's eyes were wide with fear, and he was paler than usual. He nodded, still frozen in fear. "Good." Marik walked out of the room, taking his supplies with him. He noticed something land on the windowsill as he walked down the stairs and looked to it.
"Ah, Tigerwings," he said to the winged cat. The cat had a small envelope in his mouth and he set it down. Marik picked it up, noticing that it was addressed to him. He opened it.
Marik, meet me at the Whomping Willow at lunch – Malik
He blinked and folded up the parchment, sticking it into his pocket. He then decided that it would be best to burn it, just in case the Dark Lord were to find him. He took out his lighter, flicked it on, and used his unique powers to make the flame jump to the paper. It burned slowly, leaving nothing but ashes.
-
After a few long, boring classes, Marik went to lunch. He found Malik where he'd expected, out by the Whomping Willow. The Gryffindor boy looked troubled, for some reason.
"Hey, Malik. What's up?" he asked. Malik forced a smile.
"I need to speak with you about yesterday," he said softly.
"Sure, what is it?" Malik bit his lip nervously.
"Remember when…remember when Ryou said that he saw a mark on Bakura's arm? Well, he redrew it onto a piece of paper and Harry figured out that it was the Dark Mark. Are you…are you and your siblings Death Eaters?" he asked, looking at Marik a bit worriedly. Marik frowned and looked away.
"I'm not going to lie to you," he whispered. "I'd die if I did. Yes, Malik, I am a Death Eater, and so are my brothers." Malik gasped.
"Why…why didn't you tell me this?" he asked.
"I was afraid," Marik admitted. "I was afraid that you'd reject me. But please, you have to believe me. I never wanted to be a Death Eater. Neither did Lucius, my father. But the Dark Lord forced us to become Death Eaters since he's running out of followers. He wanted Yami, Bakura and I especially badly."
"Why's that?"
"I'm not what most wizards would call normal. Neither is Bakura and Yami. Like you, I have a unique ability."
"What is it?"
"I can control fire. I can't make it, but I can control it. Here, watch." He took out his lighter and flicked it on. Almost immediately, the flame jumped to his hand. He enlarged it, made it change shape a few times, divided it, and finally snuffed it. "See?"
"Wow," Malik said, awed.
"Malik," Marik said, serious, "you must be careful around me and my brothers. The Dark Lord will want you, too, since he can make you draw anything and it will come to life. If he finds you, do not listen to him. He might threaten you and say that he'll kill you and your family, but never listen to him." He reached into his pocket, taking out a jade-green stone that was carved to look like the Dark Mark. He offered it to Malik.
"Take it. All Death Eaters are issued one on the day of their initiation. I'm sure that you've heard of Avada Kedavra, the Killing Curse. This is the only thing that can protect you from it. It's like a sponge, it will absorb the attack as long as you're touching it. This is actually to make sure that Death Eaters don't kill each other, because since the Dark Lord is running out of followers, he wants to keep them all for himself."
"Marik, I can't take this. If Voldemort finds you, you'll be vulnerable!" Malik objected. Marik shook his head.
"No, I'm giving this to you." He placed the stone into Malik's hands and folded his fingers over it. "I may not look like it, but I'm a pretty good actor. If I do have to go to him again, I'll be able to protect myself. But you can't join the Death Eaters, you mustn't! We're always hunted, constantly. On Yami's first day it scared him even to sleep. I don't want you to go through that." Malik cried softly and hugged Marik tightly.
"Thank you, Marik. Thank you so much," he whispered.
"You don't hate me?" Marik asked incredulously. Malik shook his head.
"I'd never hate you. I want to stay with you," he murmured. Marik hugged him back tightly. He didn't want to let go.
"W-we should get back to lunch," he muttered after a long while. Malik nodded and they went back to the Great Hall.
-
Malik sat at his seat in Potions class. He reached into his pocket and felt the small stone, wondering if Marik would be okay. He looked to the Slytherin briefly, then looked to the chopped up slug in front of him. He sighed, dumping it into the cauldron. He almost regretted telling his friends that Marik and his brothers were Death Eaters, since their responses were anything but good.
He stirred the concoction clockwise four times, then counterclockwise three times. It changed to a dark green color, though it was supposed to turn dark red. He sighed, looking back at the instructions, and realized that he got the stirring part mixed up. It was clockwise three times and counterclockwise four times. Snape walked over and dumped out the potion, saying "Start over, Ishtar." Malik noticed that the wart that was once on his nose had disappeared.
Malik glared at the teacher, dumping ingredients into the pot angrily. Finally, it became blood red, but something strange happened.
A dark black line appeared in the fluid and curved and twisted until it became a skull. It kept changing until a snake appeared to be slithering out of its mouth. Malik gasped and stepped back in fear as the black line became smoke. The smoke drifted into the air right above the cauldron and shaped into the Dark Mark once again. He fell backwards, his back hitting the stone wall. The classmates looked over in terror. Harry rubbed the scar on his forehead.
"Ishtar!" Snape snapped. "You do realize that it is forbidden to create that symbol in Hogwarts!"
"I didn't mean to, sir, honestly!" Malik said frightfully.
"I have reason to believe that you are one of them, a Death Eater!" He took out his wand and uttered a spell. An invisible knife cut through the base of Malik's sleeve and the cloth fell off. Snape inspected his arm. It was clean, there was no mark on it at all. He growled out another spell which reattached the sleeve back to Malik's shirt.
"If you aren't a Death Eater, then how did this happen?" Snape snarled in his face. Malik shook his head.
"I don't know, honestly! I did everything it said to do on the instruction sheet in the correct order and followed every detail, it just…happened!" he said.
"Did you see anyone sneak something into your cauldron, then?"
"No, sir. Not at all!" Snape growled and pointed his wand at the Dark Mark, murmuring a spell. The smoke parted and drifted away. He dumped Malik's cauldron over.
"I would tell you to start over, but class is over. Dismissed!" Everyone left swiftly, avoiding Malik. Marik hurried over to him.
"Malik, what's wrong?" he asked gently.
"I don't know, Marik. I guess that I'm still freaked out," Malik murmured. "I don't see what I did wrong with that potion. I never would have done that on purpose…" Marik pulled him into a comforting hug.
"I believe you, Malik," he muttered. Malik leaned against his chest, closing his eyes in content.
-
Yugi stumbled into Yami while walking down the hall again. He let out a small gasp and looked up at Yami.
"S-sorry, I--," but before he could finish, a bright-red blush had covered Yami's face and he fainted. Yugi blinked. He tapped Yami's forehead, trying to awake the Slytherin. Marik and Malik walked over and blinked.
"Did he faint?" Malik asked. Yugi nodded.
"Took one look at me, blushed a lot, and finally fainted," he explained. Marik cackled so hard that he had to lean on Malik for support.
"What's funny, Marik?" Malik asked, trying to keep the taller boy stabilized.
"He likes Yugi! That's why he fainted!" Marik said and fell onto the floor, holding his sides. He suddenly and abruptly stopped. "I wasn't supposed to say that. Oh, well. Too late now." Yugi's face was the color of the Gryffindor banners by now.
"He…he does?" he stuttered. Marik nodded.
"I asked him myself," he replied.
"Well, in that case, I'd better get him to the infirmary! He did get his head conked, after all," Yugi said. He picked up Yami from under the arms and tried to carry him, but it turned out more like a drag. Malik took Yami's ankles and helped Yugi get him to the infirmary.
"I'll tell Mrs. McGonagall why you're late," Marik said.
"Thanks, Marik," Malik replied, smiling at him, though he wondered why Marik hadn't made a single move to help his own brother.
-
Yami awoke in a somewhat uncomfortable bed. He blinked, looking around. Madam Pomfrey saw him.
"How did I get here?" he asked the nurse.
"Two Gryffindor boys brought you here. One of them had to get back to class, but the other insisted to stay. He's right there, just so you know," she replied, gesturing to Yami's side. He looked to his left and saw Yugi, sleeping in a chair. "You should thank him, after all, it's very rare that a Gryffindor helps out a Slytherin here."
"S-sure," Yami replied, blushing. He was about to use his ability to walk through shadows to escape, but before he could do that, Yugi awoke. He looked up drowsily, startling Yami.
"Oh, good, you're awake," he said, smiling at him in a most chibi-like way. "Hey…why are you glowing like that?" Yami gasped and quickly "shut off" his power.
"I wasn't glowing, humans don't glow! Heh, stupid Gryffindor," Yami said, trying his hardest to not act embarrassed. Yugi pouted.
"I know what I saw." He and Yami sat in silence, avoiding each other's eyes. "Hey…" Yugi said, breaking the silence, "could I talk to you?"
"About what?" Yami asked, pretending to be annoyed.
"Well, today, when you fainted, Marik said that you liked me. Is…is that true?" Yami gasped, staring at him. His face became bright red once again, and his eyes widened.
"That…that bastard! I told him not to tell!" he hissed, looking away. Yugi gasped.
"So, you do?" Yami hung his head again.
"Yes," he replied softly. "I do."
"Yami…" Yugi murmured. He reached out, taking Yami's hand gently. "I…I like you, too." He smiled sweetly, watching Yami gasp and stare at him once more.
"Really?" he asked. Yugi nodded.
"Yes, really." He pulled Yami into a gentle embrace, and Yami nervously wrapped his arms around him.
"Thank you, Yugi," he whispered. The two nearly-identical boys held each other for a long while, both happy, yet nervous at the same time.
"Yami, we heard that you had taken a knock to the—holy shit!" Yami and Yugi looked up to see Draco and Bakura, standing in the doorway, staring at them with huge eyes.
"By the Dark Lord," Bakura growled. "Yami! You aren't a proper…" He wisely cut himself off, eyeing Madam Pomfrey. "You're supposed to be loyal to him, and by doing this, you're disobeying one of his biggest rules!" Yugi and Yami pulled away swiftly. The older of the two stood, glaring at his siblings.
"What I do is my business! I don't have to follow his rules, not now, not ever! I don't care what he, you, or anyone else thinks! I…I love Yugi!" he yelled. Yugi smiled up at him, and Yami knew that it was a silent thank you. Draco and Bakura glared at him.
"As of this moment, you are off the Slytherin Council of Making and Executing Rules. Good riddance to you," Draco hissed. He flicked around and left, Bakura glaring daggers at Yami.
"Yami," Yugi muttered, "aren't they your brothers? Shouldn't they be like you? Kinder?" Yami sat down on the bed again, staring into Yugi's amethyst eyes.
"We aren't actually related, Marik, Bakura, and I were adopted by Lucius when we were children," he explained. "Our parents were all killed by the Dark Lord because they wouldn't join the Death Eaters. He used the Cruciatus curse on them, then used Avada Kedavra. He spared us, for some reason, though. I sometimes wish that I hadn't survived. Then I wouldn't be…well, I suppose that Marik told Malik and he told you." Yugi nodded, gazing at him sympathetically.
"I don't mind, Yami. Just promise that you'll stay with me," he said, hugging Yami again. Yami hugged him back, placing a chaste kiss upon his lips. Yugi kissed him back, his eyes closed in bliss.
-
Bakura glared at Ryou during transfiguration class. Ryou noticed and looked back nervously. Bakura bared his teeth at him, showing off his abnormally large canines. Ryou looked back at the rat that he was trying to change into a dishrag, which looked up at him with such a pitiful gaze that Ryou just had to have second thoughts about changing the creature into a piece of cloth.
He looked to Bakura once more, and saw that the Slytherin was whispering something to someone. The rat on his table squeaked at Bakura, and Bakura nodded and continued whispering. Ryou blinked. Did the white-haired fiend think that the rat could speak? Ryou decided that his prediction was correct; Bakura was insane.
"Anyway," Bakura said in a whisper, "would it be okay with you if I changed you into a dishrag? I'll change you back, I promise."
"Sure, I've already been through that a couple o' times today," the rat replied in a high-pitched voice.
"Thanks." Bakura took out his wand and flicked it at the rat, muttering a spell. The rat changed shape until finally, it became a grey dishrag. Mrs. McGonagall walked over.
"Good job, Mr. Touzoku, but we wanted to make the dishrags white," she said.
"Ah." Bakura flicked his wand again and the dishrag became pure white.
"Excellent work! You're doing exceptionally well in this class, Mr. Touzoku!" She then left to check up on Ryou. "Why haven't you transfigured your rat?" Ryou looked up at her.
"I just can't do it, ma'am! How would you feel if you became a dishrag?" he asked. She blinked. Bakura snickered as he changed his rat back.
"Honestly, Ryou…it's just a rat," she said, rolling her eyes.
"What if I said that you were 'just a teacher'? And it wouldn't matter if I turned you into an inanimate object?" Ryou replied.
"Just transfigure the rat," she said, sighing exasperatedly and walking away. Ryou sighed himself and flicked his wand at the rat. It became a white dishrag. He picked it up gently.
"Don't worry, I'll change you back, I promise," he said, stroking it. Bakura fell over in his seat, laughing like a maniac. Ryou shot him an annoyed glare, but Bakura just laughed even harder. The Gryffindor sighed, then changed the dishrag back into a rat. Quite suddenly, images flashed in front of his eyes.
He saw a white fox with a mane standing in front of him, and a large, hairy wolf snarling at the fox. The fox barked angrily at it, baring its teeth, and the wolf roared at it in reply. The wolf swatted the fox away with a large claw, and advanced towards Ryou, a sinister glint in its eye.
Ryou shook his head. The images disappeared, but he still felt concerned. Why was the fox protecting him? Why was the wolf attacking him? And most of all, would he survive? Ryou knew that it would happen; it always did. Whenever he saw something bad, it would happen. Always. He sighed, wondering when it would happen. He seemed to be in a forest, late at night, but he knew that the Forbidden Forest was off limits, hence the name.
"Well, everyone, you all did a good job in class today. See you tomorrow," Mrs. McGonagall said. Everyone left the class hurriedly, Malik clinging to Marik's arm and Ryou keeping a safe distance from Bakura. Ryou wondered what was taking Yugi so long. Finally, he saw Yugi and Yami in the hallway, walking together, both smiling in the way Malik had when he got together with Marik.
"Where have you been, Yugi?" Ron asked.
"At the hospital wing," Yugi replied cheerfully.
"Doing what?" Hermione asked, looking at Yami warily.
"Oh, Yami fainted, so I decided to stay with him until he was better," Yugi explained. "I thought that he'd need some…company when he woke up."
"From a Gryffindor?" Harry stated bluntly.
"You know, Harry," Yami said, speaking up for the first time since he and Yugi had arrived, "not all Slytherins are they same. Take Marik--."
"He's just a rare case," Ron insisted.
"You didn't let me finish, Weasley. I was going to say 'Take Marik or I for instance.' We both love a Gryffindor." Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ryou gaped at them. Malik just smiled at Yugi.
"I'm happy for you!" he said to his spiky-haired friend. Yugi smiled back, blushing.
"Thanks, Malik," he said.
"Let me guess," Marik said with a snort, "Draco and Bakura kicked you off the council, right?" Yami shrugged.
"Obviously," he replied. Marik chuckled.
"So…you two are…together?" Harry asked nervously.
"Of course," Yugi and Yami replied at the same time. Hermione squealed with delight.
"Adorable! Kudos to the both of you!" she said, grinning. "Ryou, you should get together with Bakura!" Ryou blinked.
"Hermione, he and I are total opposites. I wouldn't want to be with him, anyway," he said, blushing.
"Aw, but you'd look so good together," she replied. Ryou sighed.
"We should get to our next class, or we'll be late," he said dully. They agreed and hurried to their next class.
-
Marik sat in the Slytherin commons room, doing his homework. Normally he wouldn't do it, but Malik had said that it would pay off in the future. He heard people sneaking up on him, and looked over his shoulder to see six Slytherin boys glaring at him. They seemed to be younger.
"Need anything?" he asked dully. He really, really hated the younger people, mostly because they were too thick-headed to understand anything.
"We heard that you were going out with a Gryffindor," one stated darkly.
"Yes, I am. What's it to you?" Marik growled.
"A Gryffindor boy," another said.
"And so?" Marik replied.
"You are an insult to Salazar Slytherin's name!" And then the boys pulled out their wands. Marik glared. He quickly changed into a lion and roared loudly, pouncing on the boys. He scratched each of their faces, and roared in their faces. Marik got off them and changed back, looking smug. The boys were paralyzed, just like Bakura had been.
"If you insult me or Malik, I will tear your faces off. If you harm Malik, your life is mine to take," he snarled. He gathered his supplies up and left to his bed.
-
Malik was sitting in his room peacefully, until he heard what sounded like a lion's roar. He had learned that the large cat's roar could be heard six miles away, and wondered if there were some in the Forbidden Forest. He gazed out the window, then took the jade stone out of his pocket, gazing at it. 'I owe Marik so much,' he thought, putting it back into his pocket.
"Malik-sama," said a voice. Malik looked over his shoulder to see Rishid, looking concerned.
"Yes, Rishid?" Malik replied.
"Why can't I remember being at the sorting ceremony to see what house you'd be in?" he asked. Malik mentally gasped.
"Um…you were exhausted because a few Slytherins tried to get me, remember? So you came up here to rest," he lied.
"I don't remember that, either, though," Rishid said softly. Malik knew that it would be useless to lie to him. He sighed softly.
"I'm sorry," he murmured. Rishid blinked.
"For what?" he asked.
"For lying to you. You weren't at the ceremony because…because you didn't exist then." Rishid gasped.
"That's impossible. I remember my childhood, my years at Hogwarts--." Malik shook his head, cutting him off.
"I know that you do because…well, look at this," he walked over to the drawer by his bed and pulled out the faded picture of Rishid. He handed it to him. Rishid looked it over with wide eyes.
"The time…it's the time right after the Sorting ceremony," he muttered. Malik nodded. He also handed Rishid the story of his past. Rishid read the entire thing carefully. "You…you created me," he stated, looking at Malik. Malik nodded solemnly.
"Yes, Rishid. I'm sorry for lying to you like that, really, I am. I'm sure that you hate me for not telling you, now." Rishid gasped again.
"Malik-sama…how could I hate you?" he asked. "You brought me into this world and gave me life. You even let me have free will. So tell me, how could I hate you?" Malik stared at him.
"You don't hate me?" he asked. Rishid chuckled.
"Of course I don't." Malik felt so happy that he cried. Rishid put an arm around his shoulders gently.
"Thank you, Rishid," Malik murmured.
TBC
Mew: Gah, gah, gah, gah, gah! That ending sucked. It really did. Oh, yes it did. –hits self on head angrily-
Draiku: So…Yami and Yugi are together now. Now, for the million dollar question of all yaoi fangirls: WHEN THE HELL ARE BAKURA AND RYOU GONNA GET TOGETHER!
Mew: -sweatdrop- Well…I bet that Bakura's going to be a stubborn jackass about it, so most likely not in the next chapter. Unless some huge miracle/the-writer-couldn't-think-of-anything-else thing happens, you won't see 'em together for a bit. Whoo, this chapter was shorter than the third one by about two pages.
Draiku: …yeah.
Yoko: Please R&R! Anyone who does gets a poster with Ryou talking to and petting the dishrag! –waves posters around-