Of Wizards and Duelists …
XO'MagickMoon'OX
A/N: I want to thank everyone who's reviewed my story so far. –huggles- Thanks a bunch! And, let me tell everyone now that there is a little dialogue in here straight out of the OotP, so remember that I did not make that dialogue up. It is all from J. K. Rowling's brilliant mind, not mine. Enjoy!
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The large, red and black train whistled, steam billowing out from the pipe at the top. The platform – Platform Nine and Three-Quarters – was crowded with people, children and adults alike, all with trunks and animal cages, some with books tucked under their arms, what looked like sticks grasped in their hands. Malik, Isis, Yuugi, and Ryou just stared in awe at the platform, at the Hogwarts Express, and at the strange mass of people darting to and fro.
"Quick, quick," a woman near them said. The group turned to see an even larger group huddled together, gathering their things. There were three men, one with an abnormally large, electric-blue eye and half a nose, and two women. The adults were crowding around six children and a big, black dog, saying their goodbyes. The woman who had spoken – a portly, auburn-haired lady – was hugging a redheaded boy. Then she went to hug what looked like the boy's younger sister, as she had the same fiery hair, same freckled features. "Write … Be good … If you've forgotten anything we'll send it on …" Next the woman hugged two identical, red-haired boys, who looked to be the older brothers. And then the woman went to embrace a raven-haired, bespectacled boy, followed by a bushy-haired girl, and then back to the raven-haired boy. Then, she said, "Onto the train, now, hurry …"
As the children went to move towards the train, the rather large, scraggly, black dog jumped up on its hind legs and pressed its paws against the raven-haired boy's chest, as if to hug him goodbye.
The woman hissed, "For heaven's sake act more like a dog, Sirius!"
Then the group jumped on the train. Malik, Ryou, and Yuugi took that as their cue to do the same.
"Goodbye Malik." Isis hugged her little brother tightly. "Don't get into any trouble," she whispered in his ear.
He laughed dryly. "Now, why would you say something like that?" He hugged her back. "Bye, sis."
Then the three boys grabbed their trunks and hopped aboard just as the final whistle sounded. They found themselves standing behind the group of kids that had just been saying goodbye to the portly woman.
"He shouldn't have come with us," the bushy-haired girl was saying in a hushed tone, though not quiet enough for the three behind her to not hear.
"Oh lighten up, he hasn't seen daylight for months, poor bloke," the redheaded boy responded, frowning at the girl.
One of the twins clapped his hands together excitedly. "Well, can't stand around chatting all day, we've got business to discuss with Lee. See you later." He took his twin brother by the arm and led him down the train away from their friends.
Ryou swayed as the train began to pick up speed. The trio hurried into the nearest compartment and set down their things.
"Well, this is turning out to be very interesting," said Yuugi.
Malik rolled his violet eyes. "If by 'interesting' you mean 'totally bizarre', then yes, it is very interesting."
"Well," Yuugi spoke again, "how about a game of Duel Monsters to pass the time. Looks like we're going to be here for a while."
"All right," Malik agreed. Ryou shied away.
"What's the matter, Ryou?" Yuugi asked worriedly.
"I … I just don't think it's a good idea for me to participate, what with Bakura and all. I don't want him opening some portal to the Shadow Realm here on the train!" He laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head.
Aw, come on! That sounds like fun! Bakura whined through his and Ryou's mind-link.
Quiet, you.
Don't you talk back to me, Bakura growled, as if chastising a five-year old.
Yuugi was speaking again. "All right, Ryou. You do what you think is best."
Yuugi pulled his deck from a pocket in his blue jacket, which he then pulled off, leaving him in nothing but his black tank top and blue jeans, adorned with the usual chains and buckles.
"Now, Yuugi," Malik said, "this is strictly between you and me, right? No Pharaoh or Shadow Magick or anything; just a friendly game." He couldn't hide the slight concern in his voice as he said "Shadow Magick". The last time he'd combined that and Duel Monsters, he'd nearly destroyed himself.
Yuugi nodded. "Of course."
Dammit, the Pharaoh hissed. He'd been so looking forward to a little game.
Oh, come on now, Yami. You can duel later.
Promise?
Promise.
Yuugi and Malik sat down in the middle of the compartment and started their game. Ryou laid down on one of the seats and rolled over on his side, trying to ignore the pain welling in his head.
I wanted to play! Bakura was still whining.
I can't trust you, Koe, Ryou said.
Bakura sighed mentally. Really, none of you are any fun.
Oh, we're fun enough for ourselves. It's just, our sense of "fun" doesn't involve banishing people to the Shadow Realm or trying to gain absolute power.
… You're no fun.
Ryou sighed. This was going to be a long train ride.
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Harry sat in his compartment with Neville, Ginny, and Luna Lovegood, staring blankly out the window. Ron and Hermione were prefects, and they were off attending to their little prefect duties. They'd be back soon, but "soon" wasn't soon enough for Harry. He fingered a Pumpkin Pasty wrapper as he watched the world whiz by.
Still distressed over the whole embarrassing incident with Cho Chang, he wasn't in the greatest of moods. Why did Neville have to go and poke that damn cactus, anyway? Ah, don't blame Neville, he thought. He was just being Neville.
He then turned his emerald gaze down at a Chocolate Frog card he'd gotten from his candy. It had a picture of Dumbledore on it, smiling cheerily up at him. Dumbledore … Though Harry was still a little peeved by his none-too-pleasant summer experiences, he was finding it harder and harder to stay angry at the wise Headmaster. He couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts. He missed its familiar corridors, the grand meals in the Great Hall, all his favorite teachers … like Hagrid. He missed Hagrid and was just itching to see the loveable half-giant again.
Harry sighed. Already he found his spirits lifting. It seemed that each mile closer they were to Hogwarts, the happier he became.
Now if only Ron and Hermione would hurry up …
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"Hah!" Malik laughed. "Take that, you damned Dark Magician."
Bakura's spirit was sitting on Ryou's stomach as the white-haired boy gazed unseeingly at the ceiling. The thief rolled his eyes at Malik's enthusiasm.
"Doesn't he know he's losing by two hundred points?" he muttered derisively.
"You can't really tell who has the upper hand in the middle of a game," Ryou reminded.
Yuugi looked up at the boy. Though he couldn't have heard Bakura speak, he heard Ryou. After a moment's speculation, he figured that Ryou was talking to his yami. He smiled and continued on with the game. Funny how, to them, it was perfectly normal to appear to be talking to yourself. Anyone else outside of their circle of friends would simply deem Ryou insane.
Then, there came a knock at their compartment door.
Yuugi looked at the door. "Yes?" he answered as he drew another card.
The door slid open to reveal the freckle-faced, redheaded boy from before. "Hello there," he greeted with a smile.
"Hey!" Yuugi returned the smile.
The boy stepped into the roomy compartment. "I'm Ronald Weasley, Gryffindor prefect." He extended his hand to Yuugi.
"I'm Yuugi Mutou." The tri-color-haired boy stood and shook Ron's hand.
Ron looked around the compartment, from Ryou to Malik and back to Yuugi. "I've never seen you lot 'round here before. You new?"
"Yeah," Yuugi answered cheerily.
Ron grinned. "Ah, first-years?"
Yuugi shook his head. "No, we're … er … fifth-years."
The redhead looked stunned. "But, I thought you said you were new."
"We are."
"Then …" A look of vague comprehension dawned on Ron's freckled face. "Oh, you must be transfers. What school did you come from?"
"Domino High," Yuugi answered naively.
"I've … never heard of that school. Where's it at?"
"Domino, Japan."
"Japan?" Ron looked completely bemused now. "I had no idea there was a wizarding school in Japan."
"Oh, there isn't."
Ron blinked, taking a deep breath. "You've completely lost me, mate."
Malik got up. Standing next to Yugi, he was a good two heads taller than the boy. He smiled. "Let me try. We're from Domino, Japan. We received letters from … Albus Dumbledore, I think was the name. He invited us to attend Hogwarts, telling us we were 'gifted' or something like that. He told us that, even though it was our first year, we'd start as fifth-years."
"Oh," Ron said. "I get it. So, are you all fifteen? Is that why you're starting as fifth-years?"
Yuugi shook his head. "No, Ryou and I are seventeen, and Malik here's sixteen. But, the letter said that we weren't advanced enough to start as seventh-years, and we were too advanced to be first-, second-, third-, or fourth-years. So, he made us fifth-years."
"Wow, all right. I get it now. Though, I've never heard of anyone starting right at the fifth year. You lot must be pretty good." Ron smiled again. "Hey, you wanna come over to our compartment? I was just going to meet up with my friends."
Yuugi nodded. "Sure!"
"Yuugi, wait," Malik said. "What about our game?"
The smaller boy grinned impishly. "Ah, you were losing anyway."
Bakura sniggered. "Told ya."
Ryou rolled his eyes. "Just get off of my stomach so we can follow the others."
"And what if I don't want to get off?" Bakura crossed his arms.
"Koe!" Ryou gasped. "Why are you so cruel?"
Ron watched the white-haired boy carefully. "Hey, is that guy talking to himself?"
Yuugi looked over at Ryou who was struggling underneath an invisible Bakura. "Oh no, he's just …" He paused. How was he supposed to explain this? Yuugi sighed wearily. "Hey, Ryou!"
Ryou craned his neck to look over at his friends.
"Bakura trouble?" Yuugi chuckled. "That no-good, underhanded, lame excuse for a thief …"
Bakura grew livid. "WHY YOU –!" He jumped up, unintentionally freeing his captive. Ryou scrambled to his feet. Bakura huffed, as it dawned on him why Yuugi had been insulting him.
"Thanks Yuugi," Ryou murmured.
"No problem."
Ron was still watching the white-haired boy warily, but said nothing more on the matter.
Malik went to gather up his cards. Yuugi did the same.
"Yuugi, I want a rematch later," Malik said.
Yuugi chuckled. "Sure thing." The boys pocketed their decks.
"This way, mates." Ron led them from the compartment.
They went a little ways down the hallway before they stopped in front of another compartment.
"Ron!"
Ron looked up to see the bushy-haired girl heading towards him. In her arms she was carrying a ginger cat, who was watching the three strangers standing behind Ron with golden, luminescent eyes.
"Hey Hermione! We have some newcomers," he motioned to the three behind him as he slid the compartment door open.
"Hello," Hermione greeted. "I'm Hermione, the other Gryffindor prefect, as I'm sure Ron's already told you he's one, too. Are you three first-years?"
They shook their heads.
Malik sighed. "Here we go again."
"I'll explain inside, Hermione," Ron said. "Harry ought to hear it, too."
Ron froze, half-expecting the three behind him to jump at the mere mention of Harry, but they remained silent, waiting to follow the redhead inside. He mentally shrugged and stepped into the compartment.
He was surprised to find Neville and … who was that girl? Luna Lovegood? yeah, that's her … sitting with Ginny and Harry. Harry smiled at the sight of Ron and Hermione. He scooted over on his seat closer to the window to make room for his friends. Ryou sat down tentatively next to Ginny, who was seated beside Luna. Across from them sat Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville. Yuugi sat down next to Ryou and then Malik found a place on the floor in front of Yuugi.
"Who're these three?" Harry asked politely.
"Oh, I'm Yuugi Mutou." Yuugi grinned.
"Ryou Bakura," Ryou said in his timid voice.
"Malik Ishtar," the blonde finished coolly.
Ron turned to his friends. "They're new … but … they're not first-years." Upon receiving inquisitive looks from Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Ginny (Luna was quietly watching everyone from over the edge of her magazine), he explained what Yuugi and Malik had told him.
"Wow, so you're all from Japan?" Hermione asked with great interest after Ron had finished his explanation.
"I'm actually from Egypt," Malik said. "I had to study Japanese when I was younger so that when I got older I could travel to Japan where my family learned that the Phar – OW!" Malik rubbed his shoulder where Yuugi had just kicked him. He looked up to see the small boy shaking his head.
"What was that?" Hermione looked from Yuugi to Malik, oblivious to the silent exchange that had just passed between them.
"Oh … uh … I was saying that I … I'm from Egypt, but I've spent the last year in Japan," Malik responded, careful to leave out any information involving the Pharaoh. How were they supposed to explain everything to these people? All about the Millennium Items and the Shadow Realm and their destinies? It was all too complicated.
"How is that you speak English so well?" Hermione asked.
Yuugi chuckled. "We were sent a spell called 'Breaking the Language Barrier'."
Hermione grinned. "Oh, I've heard of that."
"Of course you have," Ron said as he tore open a Chocolate Frog wrapper.
The bushy-haired girl glared at him.
"So, umm …" Yuugi started. "What are these stick things that everyone's carrying around?"
Ron nearly choked on his chocolate. Everyone else just gave the boy incredulous looks.
"You mean our wands?" came a quiet, dreamy voice.
Everyone in the compartment turned to stare at Luna. She had rolled up her magazine and was now holding it in her lap.
"Er … yeah." Yuugi answered. "What are they? … What are they for?"
"You mean you don't have one?" Ginny asked.
Malik frowned bemusedly. "No … the letter never said anything about wands."
"Our wands are the tools that channel our magick," Hermione explained. "Without them, we're pretty much powerless."
"How did Dumbledore expect you lot to do magick without wands?" Ron wondered.
"Well … we've never needed wands before to do magick," Yuugi said. "Though, we've never really done your sort of magick. I suppose that's what we're here to learn."
"I'm sure Dumbledore will sort it all out when we get to school," Hermione said dismissively.
"Yeah," Harry agreed half-heartedly.
"Hey, you over there," Ron said, gesturing towards Ryou. "Why are you so quiet?"
Ryou looked startled for a moment before blushing and looking down at his hands. "Oh, I … don't have much to say," he answered.
Come on, Yadonushi, be more social! Bakura jeered. Don't make me take control.
Koe, please … just leave me alone …
Oh, now that's no fun. Didn't we have this discussion already? You are positively the most boring yadonushi anyone could ever ask for. Why, if it weren't for me, nothing interesting would ever happen in your life.
Ryou flashed briefly on his experiences in Battle City, a storm of fear and contempt stirring in his gut. He remembered Bakura taking control of his body and siding with Malik, who, at the time, had been under the influence of his own yami. He remembered Bakura impaling his arm with a knife, and then pushing him into strenuous situations he was unfit to handle.
Oh come on, admit it: it was exciting, Bakura said after seeing Ryou's flashback through their mind-link.
No … it really wasn't –
"Ryou?"
Ryou jumped and looked over at Yuugi, he was watching him worriedly.
"Is everything all right?" the smaller boy asked.
Ryou smiled sadly. "Yeah."
Yuugi nodded, unconvinced.
That was when the compartment door slid open. Everyone looked up. Yuugi, Ryou, and Malik could feel the atmosphere tense, though they weren't exactly sure why, as a slight, blonde-haired boy smirked at them from the doorway, two larger boys standing behind him.
"What do you want?" Harry snapped at the boy.
The boy sniggered. He seemed about ready to retort when his silver eyes fell upon the three strangers. "And who do we have here?" His voice was cool and smooth, but held a venomous air.
"Hi!" Yuugi chirped. "I'm Yuugi Mutou."
"I'm Draco Malfoy," Draco introduced himself. He watched Yuugi carefully, as if expecting some reaction at the sound of his name. When none came, he frowned. Then, he said, "Son of Lucius Malfoy …?"
Yuugi nodded. "That's nice."
"'Nice'?" Ron gasped. "Lucius Malfoy is a slimy git. And let's say, 'the apple doesn't fall far from the tree'," he said, smirking at the blonde-haired boy.
"Watch it Weasel," Malfoy jibed. "You may be a prefect, but so am I. I'm sure insulting someone's parents calls for some disciplinary action."
"Your father's a bloody Death Eater," Harry said harshly, glaring daggers at Draco.
Hermione watched Yuugi, Ryou, and Malik carefully, as if expecting them to gasp at the accusation. But they remained calm and nonchalant. Hermione frowned. "You guys do know what a Death Eater is, don't you?"
The trio shook their heads.
The entire compartment seemed to freeze, everyone somewhere between gasping and laughing, some horrified and bewildered, others amused. Even Draco and his cronies, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, were astonished.
Then, Draco's silvery laugh shattered the silence. "You've got to be kidding!" he cried.
Yuugi looked confused. "Why? What's a 'Death Eater'?"
"A Death Eater is a servant to the Dark Lord," Hermione explained.
That was when Ryou's Ring started to glow. "Gah!" Ryou doubled over, his eyes screwed shut.
"Ryou?" Malik looked up at the boy.
Seconds later, the Ring was back to normal, and Bakura was now in control of the white-haired boy's body.
"What the bloody hell was that?" Draco said.
"'Dark Lord', eh?" Bakura grinned, sitting back with his arms folded. "Sounds like my kind of person."
Yuugi watched the boy warily. "Bakura?" he asked.
"The one and only." Bakura brushed a stray strand of hair behind him. "Now, tell me more about this 'Dark Lord'."
Yuugi groaned and put his head in his hands. "This is not good," he mumbled.
"Oy, what's going on here?" Ron demanded. "Why was that … that thing just glowing like that?"
"Was Ryou's voice always that deep?" Hermione whispered to Harry.
Harry shook his head. "And his face was never that dark, and his eyes never that sharp. Something strange is going on here."
Hermione laughed dryly. "When is something strange not going on here?"
"The Dark Lord?" Draco was saying. "You don't know who the Dark Lord is?"
Bakura shook his head. Draco looked confused and slightly horrified. The pale Slytherin stepped inside the cramped compartment, followed closely by Crabbe and Goyle. He slid the door shut behind them.
"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" Draco tried again. The three shook their heads. "You-Know-Who?"
"No, we don't know who. Now tell us, dammit!" Bakura growled.
"Lord Voldemort!" Harry cried exasperatedly. Everyone in the compartment, save Harry, Malik, Bakura, and Yuugi, cringed.
Bakura smiled, then chuckled, and then burst into a fit of laughter. Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle stared at the hysterical white-haired boy.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Harry demanded. "Why is that funny?"
Bakura's laughter quelled to silent giggles. He met Harry's gaze squarely. "Well, you all seem to be making such a big deal out of this 'Dark Lord' character, and I just want to know how he managed to become so feared with a name like 'Voldemort'!"
"Who cares what the bloody hell his name is!" Harry shouted. "He was an insane Dark wizard who killed hundreds of people – Muggles, wizards, and creatures alike."
Bakura laughed again. "I think I like this guy."
"Bakura!" Yuugi cried.
The tomb robber shrugged. "What can I say?"
"He killed my parents!" Harry said.
"Oh." Bakura grew silent. He didn't sound particularly sorry, but rather, slightly sympathetic. "Well, what happened to the guy?"
"Ah, Harry took care of 'im," Ron answered.
Yuugi looked at Harry, who was blushing slightly. "What's he talking about?"
"My parents … they were murdered trying to save me. Then Voldemort tried to kill me, but somehow his spell backfired, and he ended up nearly dying. All I got out of it was this scar," Harry lifted his bangs to reveal the lightening bolt-shaped mark on his forehead, "and Voldemort was never seen again. I was only a baby at the time, deemed 'the Boy-Who-Lived'. Voldemort was rumored to be dead, but whether or not that was true, one thing was certain: he was gone. But, now he's back. Over the years, he's been trying to regain his strength and power, and also trying to get rid of me before he officially returns." Harry smirked. "Needless to say, he's failed so far in trying to kill me, but he has come back. I saw him … and I dueled him. But, there are few who believe me. Much of the Wizarding World thinks I'm lying about his return."
"That's because you're an attention-seeking prat, Potter," Draco snarled.
"Sod off, Malfoy," Harry retorted.
Draco sniggered. Then he turned to 'Ryou', Malik, and Yuugi. "I don't think you want to be mixing yourself up with this lot, boys. These Gryffindor gits are nothing but trouble."
"Malfoy, get out!" Hermione shouted.
With one last smirk, Malfoy slid the compartment door open and left. His cronies followed suit. Malik stood and closed the door behind them. Then he turned and leaned back against the door.
"So, this … Voldemort character … he's dangerous?" the Egyptian asked.
Everyone, save Yuugi and Bakura, nodded gravely.
Malik chuckled dryly. "And I thought my yami was bad."
"Your what?" Ron asked.
Malik looked down at his feet. "Nothing."
"Well, I want to meet this guy. Sounds like a fun character," Bakura said.
"Bakura!" Yuugi cried again, just as his Puzzle started to glow.
"If you ever met Voldemort," Harry said, "you'd be dead before you could shake hands."
"Ah, that's okay. I'm already dead. It's my yadonushi that would take the hit," Bakura said dismissively. This earned him six confused and two incredulous stares.
"Bakura!" Yuugi shouted again. But this time, it wasn't Yuugi's voice. It was the deep, formidable tone of the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh jumped to his feet.
"Funny," said Neville. "I remember him being shorter."
"What's your problem?" Bakura asked the Pharaoh, slowly rising to his feet, pulling himself to his full height.
"You! You no-good tomb robber! How can you sit there and say things like that when obviously this Voldemort person is a murderer and a madman who's done terrible things?"
"'Tomb robber'?" Ron whispered to Hermione. "What're they going on about?"
Malik pushed his way between the Pharaoh and Bakura who were standing nearly nose-to-nose, heat rising dangerously between them. He tried to take control of the situation, attempting to be the voice of reason. "Pharaoh … Bakura … give Ryou and Yuugi their bodies back," he commanded sternly.
The Pharaoh huffed indignantly, but the Puzzle began to glow nonetheless, and soon Yuugi was back in his body. Bakura, surprisingly enough, did the same, muttering something like "You're all no fun" before retreating to the Ring. Ryou stumbled forward and Malik caught him around the arm, and Yuugi fell back into his seat, holding his head as if he had a headache.
"Are you guys all right?" Malik asked his friends.
Yuugi nodded, looking up and forcing a smile. "Yup."
"Never better," Ryou murmured, sinking down beside Yuugi.
Finally, order settled back into the compartment. Malik sat down in front of Yuugi again, and an awkward silence enveloped the students. Ron, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and even Luna, were watching the trio warily. Ryou had closed his eyes and laid his head on Yuugi's shoulder, and Yuugi was staring up at the ceiling. Malik had his head in his hands, and both the Pharaoh and Bakura were sitting quietly in their respective Items.
The rest of the train ride was pretty quiet, and it wasn't long before Ryou, Yuugi, and Malik returned to their own compartment to change into their school robes. They stayed there until the Hogwarts Express pulled to a stop.
The students filed out and piled into the carriages, the first-years following Professor Grubbly-Plank to the boats.
Harry was a bit disconcerted as he settled into his carriage. Well, who wouldn't be after seeing what he just saw … those monstrous, winged-horse creatures pulling the carriages. And it didn't help that Luna admitted that she could see them, too. Did that make him just as insane as her? Not to mention, Hagrid was no where to be found. Grubbly-Plank was taking his place, for the time being, Harry hoped … not for the rest of the year.
And, what was up with those new students?
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Again, this is TBC ... so long as I get lots of encouragement from you guys! Review please!
Oh, and if there are any particular pairings you'd like to see, please tell me! As of right now, I'm at a loss as to who I want to pair up.
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