Mew: Well, here's the sixth chapter of When Houses Collide! Last chapter was kind of short, compared to the other chapters.
Draiku: You're strange.
Mew: What was that for!
Draiku: Dunno. Just wanted to say it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Harry Potter. I am not rich, so that's pretty solid proof.
When Houses Collide
Chapter 6: The Forbidden Forest
Ryou was in the Forbidden Forest with his class. The Gryffindors and the Slytherins were going on a special lesson with Hagrid about rare, impossible to catch beasts. He enjoyed Care of Magical Creatures class since he loved animals.
He shot a glance at Bakura, who was walking about twenty feet behind the rest of the group.
"Keep up, Bakura!" Hagrid called. Bakura scowled and reluctantly hurried to the back of the group. Ryou noticed something strange about his walk. He seemed to be limping, almost. He eventually fell behind again, and Hagrid told him to hurry up.
Bakura cursed in a mutter and caught up with the group once more. His left leg felt like it was burning, since when he had run from the Gryffindor common room two nights before he stretched a muscle. It was bad enough that he was overworking it while traveling from class to class, it was worse that he was overworking it even more.
They stopped to take a break, since they had already seen most of the creatures. One of which was the pixie hummingbird, which had the ability to deflect any spells that would make it stop or slow down. Ryou saw Bakura cursing under his breath as he sat with his back to a tree. He decided that maybe he could make peace with the Slytherin by feeling concerned for him.
"What happened to your leg?" he asked, watching as Bakura massaged underneath his knee. Bakura growled.
"None of your business!" he snapped, glaring daggers at Ryou.
"Sorry, I just thought that I could help," Ryou said softly and turned to leave.
"Well, you can't!" Bakura snarled and attempted to get up. He let out a cry of pain as he bent his leg. Hagrid rushed over.
"Ryou, take 'im t' th' infirm'ry, will ya'?" Hagrid said, helping Bakura up. Ryou reluctantly nodded and put Bakura's arm over his shoulders. Bakura growled and pushed away.
"I can help myself!" he opposed. "I don't need you to help me!" Ryou frowned at him as Bakura cried out again and fell to his knees.
"Just come on. You can't even walk without falling down," he said, pulling Bakura up.
"Oh! An' Ryou, can ya' wait with Bakura so ya' can 'elp 'im t' 'is next class?" Hagrid called over.
"Sure," Ryou called back, though he didn't know why Hagrid was suggesting that he help Bakura if the Slytherin was already healed. "Come on. You have no other choice." Bakura snarled and reluctantly allowed Ryou to help him walk.
After a long walk, they finally arrived at the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey cast a spell on Bakura's leg, but it took almost an hour to work since Bakura hadn't been nursing his injury.
Ryou sat in a chair next to the bed, reading a textbook to study for the pop quiz in Transfiguration class, he had seen Mrs. McGonagall announce it to the class while he daydreamed in History. Bakura glared at him accusingly. Ryou noticed.
"Why do you keep glaring at me?" he asked softly.
"Because I hate you," Bakura growled. Ryou felt a sting of hurt, but he kept a straight face.
"Whatever," he murmured and looked back to the book. Why does he hate me so much? I've never done anything to him… he thought. They sat in silence for a long while.
"Why do you strive to make everyone like you?" Bakura suddenly asked. Ryou looked up.
"What?" he said, dumbfounded.
"Why do you want everyone to like you?" Bakura repeated.
"I don't want everyone to like me. I just, well, it's just in my nature to be kind, I suppose," Ryou replied, though secretly unsure of his answer. "Why do you push everyone away? I've even seen you do it to your brothers," he asked.
"Because everyone would be better off alone in the world. You can't trust anyone, and those who you do trust end up betraying you," Bakura growled, glaring at the ceiling.
"How would you know?" Ryou questioned, raising one eyebrow.
"I just do, baka," Bakura snarled. Ryou decided to not go into it.
"Then why do you hate me?" he asked.
"Should I have a reason!" Bakura demanded.
"Well, yes! I've never done anything to you!" Ryou said, glaring slightly. Bakura glared at him calmly.
"I don't need a reason to hate anyone," he muttered and turned over in the bed. Ryou sighed with annoyance.
"Well, since you're gonna heal anyway, I'm leaving," Ryou said, standing. Bakura said nothing. Ryou stared at him a final time before leaving.
-
Bakura glared at nothing while lying in his bed that night. He sighed, almost a bit sadly, thinking of his older brother. Not Yami, but his real older brother.
He had actually adopted the last name Touzoku. His real one was Dorobo, but no one, not even his brothers, knew. He adopted the name Touzoku because that was the name of his older brother. He used to look up to him, he used to love him, he used to trust him.
Trust.
What a sickening word. Bakura hated it so much. Trust only brought grief.
He squeezed his eyes shut and a tear broke free from his grasp.
He hadn't cried in years. The last time he remembered feeling the warm liquid slide down his face was when his parents died and his brother betrayed him.
Ever since that one horrible night, the night his parents died at Voldemort's wand…
/flashback/
Bakura blew out the candles on his birthday cake. All six went out at the same time and he grinned happily. His father sat next to him, telling him how proud he was. Bakura had just recently figured out how to learn the lumos spell, using his father's wand, of course. His mother kissed him, smiling, and his teenage brother, Touzoku, grinned happily.
Bakura opened his first present from his mother. It was a white kitten with big chocolate brown eyes that closed in content when he stroked it and two tiny wings. His mother said that she'd help him out someday, maybe even save his life, though Bakura never knew how a small, winged cat could save his life. He named the kitten "Angel" anyway.
His father gave him a broom, though Bakura was much too young to use it, but he insisted that he would teach him this year since he was such a good kid.
Later, when their parents weren't around, Bakura's brother gave him a map that showed the locations of all secret entrances in Hogwarts. He had swiped it from Filch's desk one year, but since he was seventeen now, he didn't need it.
That night, when his parents and brother were asleep, Bakura secretly changed his last name to Touzoku. His brother was his role model, and he wanted to be exactly like him when he grew up.
He was about to fall asleep with the kitten sleeping next to him, but suddenly, there was a loud crash. Bakura gasped and shot up, then he heard voices.
"Do you think that it's here?" one asked.
"It must be here! The Dark Lord demanded that we find that map!" the second said.
Quite soon, the two men came upstairs and attacked Bakura for trying to stop them. His father and mother came out and tried to defend their children, but Avada Kedavra stopped their breath.
"Touzoku! Help me!" Bakura cried as the Death Eaters grabbed him. Touzoku simply stood there, staring at him.
"The Dark Lord will be pleased to get this one," he said darkly. "He learns quickly and he can speak with animals." They cackled. Bakura cried loudly, then he glared.
"You tricked me! I trusted you!" he cried, snatching a wand from one of the Death Eaters. "A-Avada Kedavra!" he yelled. A bright green light shot out of the wand's tip and hit his brother in the chest. He broke free from the Death Eaters, taking advantage of their stunned stares. He killed them both with the same spell and fell to his knees, crying.
"So, you know the killing curse," said a voice. Bakura looked up and saw the Dark Lord, who would soon become his leader, standing over him. "You could be useful to me…"
"No!" He aimed the wand at Voldemort, but the Dark Lord simply murmured "Expelliarmus" and the wand flew out of his hand. Two more Death Eaters came in and grabbed him.
Bakura never saw his home, Angel, and the broom again. He did keep the sheet of paper with every corridor of Hogwarts, but that wasn't important anymore.
He was alone, and trust was something he grew to hate.
/End flashback/
Bakura sighed sadly and fell into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.
-
Ryou fell asleep in Potions the next day. He barely got any sleep since a horrible nightmare kept awaking him and keeping him up.
"Mr. Bakura!" Snape growled, smacking his desk with a dead rat that he was using to demonstrate how to make the potion to the class. He was awake instantly. "You will serve two hours detention tonight for falling asleep." Ryou nodded, but groaned when Snape walked away.
He heard Bakura and Marik snicker slightly at him.
"You two will have a two hour detention, also, for not listening," Snape said to them. Marik and Bakura glared at him. Ryou sighed, wishing that Snape hadn't given Bakura detention also. He didn't want to deal with the Slytherin. He sighed sadly and chopped up the rat in front of him as Snape demonstrated.
-
A few hours later, Marik, Bakura, and Ryou went to serve their detention. Surprisingly enough, Filch was waiting for them.
"Snape 'ad important business t' tend t', so I'll be takin' y' t' the Forbidden Forest," he said darkly.
"What!" Ryou cried. "But…but Dumbledore said that the Forbidden Forest was strictly off-limits!"
"I agree with Ryou. Why are we going there, anyway!" Marik demanded. Filch simply smirked.
"Because that's just 'ow we do things 'ere," he said and the smirk became a wide grin. "Y' should be thankful, back when I was in charge, I woulda 'ung y' by yer toenails. Oh, 'ow I miss the screams…" Marik, Bakura, and Ryou exchanged nervous glances. "Come on, then!"
They followed him into the Forbidden Forest slowly, then Filch stopped.
"This is where I leave y'. Y' need t' find one o' these rocks that are only found 'ere before y' leave. Good luck, yer gonna need it!" He held up a picture of a light green rock, then left, cackling.
"You have got to be kidding me," Ryou muttered. Bakura growled.
"Bastard! You were dropped on your head as a baby, weren't you! Go kill yourself, no one likes you!" he yelled after Filch. Thankfully, Filch couldn't here the insults. Bakura's eye twitched.
"We'll split up for now. That way we can cover more ground. Bakura, you go to the west, Ryou'll go to the east, and I'll go south," Marik said. "Keep your wand out at all times, and use the spell lumos to look. If you find it, point your wand upwards and fire out golden sparks, like so." Marik demonstrated. "If you get in trouble, shoot out red sparks, then we'll come to you as fast as we can. If you need to fend for yourself, use Accio broom and try to get away."
"Alright," Ryou said, though still afraid. They split up in different directions. Ryou looked to the sky. It had just gotten darker, thanks to a cloud blocking the moonlight. He shuddered and murmured "lumos" before continuing. He heard something in the bushes move and he froze in fear.
Bakura suddenly felt concerned for Ryou. After all, the Gryffindor boy didn't know many good defensive spells, so how could he help himself?
The Slytherin shook his head, forcing himself to not care for Ryou. He heard something howl loudly and gasped, realizing that there was a full moon tonight.
Then he heard the last thing he wanted to hear.
He heard Ryou scream.
Marik looked up, his tail staying still and his ears perked. He had changed into a lion, just in case. He ran in the direction of the scream worriedly.
Ryou was backed up against a tree, helpless. His wand had dropped to the ground right underneath the werewolf when he scrambled to get away.
The wolf snarled at him, its muzzle wrinkled in anger.
"N-nice wolf," Ryou whispered, but the werewolf simply barked loudly at him as if to tell him to shut up. The wolf was about to attack, but a pure-white fox jumped between Ryou and the wolf, snarling. The fox jumped at the werewolf and bit down on its front leg.
The werewolf let out a shriek of pain and tossed the fox to the ground, then swatted it to the side, making it hit the trunk of a tree and fall to the ground limply. The fox whimpered and suddenly grew and changed. Ryou gasped, startled. It was Bakura!
The wolf was about to attack again, but there was a deafening roar and a huge lion jumped onto the wolf, claws unsheathed and teeth piercing the wolf's neck. The wolf howled and shook the lion off and the two circled each other. Finally, the wolf jumped and tried to bite down on the lion's shoulder, but the lion swatted it with one great paw.
The wolf snarled and rammed into the lion's flank, causing the huge cat to fly one way. Ryou stared at the wolf in amazement as the lion made a low cry of pain and close its eyes, then change into a human. Marik's an Animagus! Ryou thought, surprised. If this werewolf can defeat a lion…then I'm a goner. He squeezed his eyes shut and prepared for the killing blow, but it never came.
Instead, a huge white tiger with feathery wings flew into the clearing and bit down on the wolf's neck. The two fought, blood, fur, and feathers flying everywhere, but eventually the wolf ran away. The tiger roared in triumph and suddenly shrunk, changing into a small, pure white kitten with tiny wings and brown eyes.
The kitten mewed at Ryou and jumped into his arms. Ryou stared at it thankfully, then hurried to Marik's side. The Slytherin groaned and sat up, holding his head.
"Ugh, sorry, Ryou, that I couldn't help you…" he muttered.
"It's alright, Marik. Did you get bit?" Ryou asked. Marik shook his head, then snarled in pain as one of the scratches on his skin stretched. "We should get you to madam Pomfrey," he said. Marik shook his head.
"Bakura's the one who needs attention," he said, looking to his brother. "That idiot. Trying to fend off a werewolf as a fox? He probably knew that he was going to lose. Who's the kitten?"
"I don't know. She attacked the werewolf as a huge tiger, then changed back," Ryou said. Marik gasped.
"You mean that's a Guardian!" he exclaimed.
"A what?"
"Those are totally rare! There are only fifty in the entire world! They choose who they want to protect, and they're the strongest cats ever! She could kill me easily, even when I'm a lion! You're so lucky, Ryou!" Marik said. The kitten licked Ryou's cheek gently.
"Let's get both of you to the infirmary," Ryou said. The kitten suddenly jumped from his hands and began digging.
"What's she doing?" Marik wondered aloud. The kitten mewed loudly and Ryou walked over. He gasped, reaching into the small hole and pulling out a bright green stone.
"Now we won't get in trouble with Filch!" he said, knowing that Filch would simply overlook the fact that they had been attacked and almost killed by a werewolf and yell at them for not finding the stone.
"Hah! Well, let's see to Bakura." Ryou and Marik both called for their brooms and they came swiftly. They got on and flew close together with Bakura in their laps, the Guardian kitten riding in Ryou's shirt by hanging to his collar.
They stopped in the infirmary and told madam Pomfrey everything, leaving out the part about Marik and Bakura being Animaguses.
"That idiot Filch! I'll tell Dumbledore about this!" she growled. "Anyway, Mr. Ishtal, go lie down in that bed while I tend to Mr. Touzoku," she added. "Mr. Bakura, you wait in that bed next to Bakura's, I want to check you, too."
Ryou waited patiently and watched as Bakura awoke slowly, moaning in pain.
"You stay here for the night, Bakura," madam Pomfrey said to him as she bandaged his wounds. "Just in case you have internal injuries." Bakura nodded, closing his eyes and falling asleep again. She hurried to Marik and healed him, letting him leave.
"Ryou," Marik said before leaving, "please don't tell anyone that Bakura and I can change into animals. They'll make us register, and in case you didn't notice, as a lion, I have a dark patch of fur on my right front leg that's in the shape of the Dark Mark. Bakura does, too, and then the Ministry of Magic will know about us."
"Sure, I promise," Ryou said, nodding. Marik thanked him and left to the Slytherin common room. Madam Pomfrey checked Ryou for injuries.
"Well, you don't have any, so you can go," she said.
"Could I stay here until Bakura wakes up? I want to thank him for helping me," he said softly. Madam Pomfrey nodded and Ryou sat next to Bakura, waiting for him to awake patiently.
Almost an hour later, Bakura's eyes opened.
"Ryou," he murmured softly, staring at the Gryffindor. Ryou gasped.
"You called me 'Ryou,'" he whispered. "You actually called me Ryou."
"So what!" Bakura demanded, but he groaned and squeezed his eyes shut in pain.
"I…I want to thank you for trying to help me. You could have died, but you protected me anyway." Bakura stared at him again.
"No problem," he muttered. The kitten who had been riding around in Ryou's shirt suddenly jumped to the bed and mewed and licked Bakura lovingly. Bakura gasped and picked up the kitten, his eyes wide. "A-Angel!" he stuttered. The kitten seemed to be smiling as it purred in content.
"What is it?" Ryou asked.
"My mother…she gave me this kitten on my birthday. Then during the night, she was killed by the Dark Lord," Bakura murmured, hugging the kitten gently, yet firmly at the same time. "I haven't seen Angel in years. Where did you find her?"
"She flew into the clearing and drove off the werewolf, I think that she saved all of our lives," Ryou said.
"Thank you," Bakura said softly. Ryou stared at him with wide eyes. "For bringing her to me."
"S-sure, no problem," Ryou said and stood, ready to leave.
"Ryou," Bakura said again. "Could you stay with me just a little bit longer…? Please?" Ryou blushed, feeling very nervous.
"Um, sure, I guess," he said. They sat in silence until Ryou eventually fell asleep. Bakura smiled at him, though he didn't know why. Ryou suddenly flopped over in the chair and his head fell onto Bakura's stomach.
"Oof!" Bakura let out. He stared at Ryou, who was still sleeping peacefully. The Slytherin eventually got used to the weight on his stomach and he put his hand on the back of Ryou's head, still looking up at the ceiling. He ran his fingers through Ryou's silver hair gently, wondering when he'd awaken.
Ryou's eyes opened slowly after a bit and he gasped, realizing what he was doing. He quickly sat up, blushing nervously and expecting Bakura to yell at him.
"S-sorry," he stuttered. "I-I didn't mean to do that…"
"It's alright," Bakura said softly. Ryou stared at him.
"Y-you're acting…strange," he mumbled. "But in a good way."
"Oh, really?" Bakura asked, staring into space.
"Yes." There was a long period of silence between the two.
"Do you wonder why I hated you?" Bakura asked.
"Um…yes, I guess so," Ryou mumbled.
"It was because when I saw you for the first time, you made me feel…funny, but in a good way. Every single time I saw you my heart…I don't know, it just felt like it stopped. And, even though you made me feel good, I got angry at myself. I wanted to stay loyal to him, the Dark Lord, and to do that I had to be an enemy of Gryffindor.
"But then when I saw how happy and content Marik was with Malik, his opposite number, I wondered if you could make me that happy. I denied the fact that every time I saw you it made my happy, so I blamed you for it, when it was really my fault.
"And a few nights ago, I changed into a fox to spy on the Gryffindors, preferably Malik and Yugi and Harry. I saw you sleeping on the couch, and you were mumbling in your sleep, so I decided that, since you have foresight and all, I could get some answers out of you.
"I asked you who not to hurt, and you said that it was me. I ran out of there because I actually felt happy that you seemed to care. I hated myself even more for it and I thought that if I hated you it would help. It didn't at all, I was just kidding myself when I said that I was happy. I was actually angry.
"That day at Hogsmeade, when you bumped into me, I actually liked feeling you against my body. I hated myself for it, so I thought that if I hurt you I'd feel better. But that wasn't true. I felt horrible after actually bruising your skin, making you whimper in fear and pain. I made myself believe that it was something else that was disturbing me, but in the end, it was all my fault.
"And tonight, in the Forbidden Forest, I thought that you were going to die, and that thought made me insane, insane enough to challenge a werewolf. I…I think that I knew I was going to die, but I wanted you to live just a little bit longer…
"Then when I was knocked out by the werewolf, I thought that you'd convince Marik to leave me in the Forbidden Forest. But no, you helped me, and you even thanked me, despite how cruel I was before. I guess that…what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry, Ryou, for hurting you. And I don't want to be your enemy."
Ryou stared at Bakura with wide eyes.
"Y-you don't hate me anymore?" he asked. Bakura nodded.
"Yeah. In fact…Ryou, I think that…I think that I love you," he said, looking away. "But I don't deserve someone as kind as you are." He felt warm arms around his torso, then he heard soft crying. "Ryou…are you crying?" he asked.
"I'm glad that you don't hate me! Because…because I think that I love you, too!" Ryou said in a whisper. Bakura's eyes widened.
"You do!" he exclaimed and felt Ryou nod.
"Yes, I think so," Ryou murmured, calming down. He felt Bakura grip his hand tightly and start crying himself.
"Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you so much."
He and Ryou sat in the bed, crying and hugging, but both feeling happy. Bakura moved so he was facing Ryou. He held Ryou's face in his hands, stroking him lovingly. He gazed into Ryou's big, beautiful brown eyes.
"You're an angel, Ryou," he murmured and they pulled together, their lips touching gently.
-
"You're certainly happy today, Ryou," Malik commented during breakfast, watching as Ryou balanced a goblet on his spoon while grinning and laughing. Ryou looked to Malik, removing the goblet and setting it on the table once more.
"Oh, really?" he asked, smiling. Malik nodded, raising one eyebrow suspiciously.
"Well, um, how was detention? I heard that Filch made you go into the Forbidden Forest," he asked. Ryou grinned again and stood up, spreading his arms out and to the heavens.
"It was great! I loved it!" he yelled, laughing again. Malik, Yugi, Ron, and Harry exchanged questioning glances. Hermione giggled at Ryou's happy-go-lucky behavior
"Why? What happened? What did Filch do that was so great?" Harry asked.
"Not something Filch did, not something that he did at all! He made Marik, Bakura, and I go into the Forbidden Forest and find a green stone, and guess what? It was nighttime, and there was a full moon! So I was attacked by a werewolf, and then this white fox jumps in front of me and tries to protect me from the werewolf! But guess what!" Ryou said excitedly, but quietly enough so only his friends could hear.
"What?" Ron asked anxiously.
"The werewolf slammed him into a tree, and guess who it is! It's Bakura! Then Marik arrives as a lion, and the werewolf gets him, too! So anyway, a huge white, winged tiger flies in and drives the wolf away, and then changes into an adorable little kitten with these gorgeous brown eyes! She was soo cute!" He paused a moment to take in a sigh.
"Yeah…and then what?" Yugi urged.
"Okay, so Marik and I take Bakura to the infirmary, madam Pomfrey heals and checks him out and such, then Bakura asked me to stay! So we're chatting a bit, and it turns out that he doesn't hate me at all! In fact, he said that he loves me! So, since I'd grown kind of close to him by then, thanks to his kind, caring words, I say that I love him too! Then we get together! That's why I'm so happy today!" He sat down and took a long drink of orange juice from the goblet he'd been balancing.
"Hey, congratulations, then!" Hermione, Yugi, and Malik said, grinning. Harry and Ron sweatdropped.
"Well, it's not like I'm not happy for you an' all, but didn't you hate him a few days back?" Ron asked.
"Well, not really, I did dislike him for being a jerk, but I guess that I fell in love with him when he risked his life for me," Ryou said, sighing dreamily. "I mean, he looked so heroic standing there…Oh! I almost forgot. Could you not tell anyone that Marik and Bakura are Animaguses? When they transform, they have the shape of the mark on their right front legs."
"Don't worry, we won't," Hermione assured him.
-
"Have you lost your mind!" Draco demanded of Bakura while they walked to breakfast. They had gotten up late since they were up doing their homework. Yami and Marik just laughed at Draco's expression of disbelief.
"Some could say that I did, but not after I got with Ryou," Bakura replied coolly, walking on.
"But you are – were – the last one of us to be on the Slytherin Council of Making and Executing rules! How am I going to do it on my own, then!" Draco whined.
"You're smart, right? You'll figure it out." They arrived in the Great Hall and Bakura, Marik, and Yami hurried over to their opposite numbers. Draco's eye twitched and he sat with Crabbe and Goyle.
"'Morning, Ryou," Bakura said, grinning at Ryou.
"Good morning to you too, Bakura," Ryou said as Bakura leaned over and kissed his cheek gently. Yugi and Yami suddenly stood up.
"Where are you off to?" Marik asked.
"Well, you know how I got the same unique ability as Voldemort did? Well, Yami and I are going to do some research on why unique abilities pick the people they do," Yugi replied.
"Alright. See you later," Malik said as the two left. Suddenly, owls flew in through the doors carrying parchments and packages. Tigerwings landed on Marik's head with a small box in his mouth.
"Get off!" Marik growled and the cat obliged, but not before giving Marik a sharp tap on the nose. Marik rubbed his nose. "I swear, that cat's out to get me," he snarled.
"Well, sor-ee!" Malik said, pouting slightly. He took the box from Tigerwings and opened it. "What the… what is this thing?" He reached into the box and pulled out a silver band with a small, light violet diamond on it. Tucked inside the very bottom of the box was a note that said only three words: "Use it wisely."
"Oh my gosh! Those are supposed to be extinct!" Hermione exclaimed. "I read about them in 'Powerful Gems.' That little band is something you put around your wand! It makes all the spells you do more powerful and controlled! But the gems were all destroyed a long time ago… why would someone be sending it to you?"
"I dunno, but it's very strange. I still only know a handful of spells, but I suppose that I could use this anyway," Malik said, slipping the band around his wand. "Let's see if I can do wingardium leviosa." (A/N: I hope that's spelled right. If it isn't, shoot me with a rifle.)
"I doubt it. Even with that thing, you'll still blow up whatever you're trying to levitate," Ron said, laughing.
"Okay, then I'll try it on you." Malik aimed his wand at Ron and mumbled the spell, flicking his wrist. Ron gasped as he floated up to the ceiling.
"Let me down!" he cried. Malik almost dropped his wand in astonishment, but quickly caught himself and let his friend down.
"It works!" he exclaimed. Ryou snapped out of his mini-trance and opened his package. Inside there was a necklace with an emerald pendant shaped like a snake all coiled up. His crow Reaper snapped at it, obviously liking how it shined.
"Do you have any idea what this is?" he asked Hermione, showing her the necklace. She shook her head.
"Maybe we could look it up today during lunch," she suggested. "Breakfast is almost over. What'd you get, Harry?"
"It's a charm that you put on your broom that makes it go faster! I'll have to thank Sirius," Harry said, grinning. (A/N: Look, I know that Sirius died in the fifth book, but he's my favorite character next to Professor Lupin, so I couldn't leave him out of this!)
"That'll be handy during Quidditch," Ron said and Harry nodded in agreement. A huge parcel fell right in front of Hermione, making a noise that made everyone jump in surprise. She grinned and opened it eagerly.
"Yes! Mother found my book 'The Language of Charms and Jewelry' for me! I wondered where it was!" she said, flipping through the huge book.
"How could you misplace that behemoth!" Bakura asked.
"I own a lot of books," she replied simply. "Oh! Ryou, we could figure out what exactly that snake thing is you have there," she added excitedly.
"That would be handy!" Ryou said. Hermione flipped to the index and looked for snake. The topic was found on five pages, all in a row. She read them all aloud, but there was nothing about a coiled snake shaped emerald.
They all stared at the pendant, wondering what it was and where it came from.
TBC
Mew: What a bad way to end the chapter. Oh well. I bet you're happy that Ryou and Bakura got together! –throws confetti-
Draiku: You bet I am.
Yoko: Please R&R! Your opinions feed us!