Yuugiou!
A New Generation of Priests

Phew; so sorry this took so terribly long to get out. I was, ah... how to say... infected with plot cancer? Hmm... yeah, that sounds about right. Didn't help that FFN decided to take one of my stories off for being against their policies. Hey, I don't read the front page; how about e-mailing members when you decide to make things like song fics against the rules, hm?

Well, anyway, I hope you all enjoy the new chapter. I'd like to say that updates will come more frequently, but I've started work on my own RPG, so I can't quite guarentee that. Hopefully they'll come faster. With any luck anyway...

CHAPTER TWO – KNOCKTURN ALLEY

The four of them went out that day for their supplies, deciding to go to Flourish and Blotts for their books first. Unfortunately, the small bookstore was crammed tightly with excitable witches, all of them trying to get a look into the store. The reason for the odd volume of activity was proclaimed on a shining banner hanging just below the sign for the store.

GILDEROY LOCKHART
will be signing copies of his autobiography
MAGICAL ME
today 12:30 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.

"Hey, it's that prude," Bakura pointed out, resting an arm around Atemu's shoulders.

"The majority of the textbook list is made up of his books," Seto noted, looking over his list.

"Either way, there's no way we're going to get in there," Malik stated. "C'mon, let's go get the other stuff we need."

"Yes," Atemu agreed. "I still need to get a wand for myself, among other things."

Bakura smirked. "I'm sure we can take care of that…" he purred, half dragging Atemu off as Yuugi and Malik sweatdropped. Kaiba smirked, muttering something about three thousand years worth of sexual tension, before turning to the other two.

"Well, we should get our—"

Seto suddenly stopped, a weird look appearing on his face, like he was fighting with himself. Malik and Yuugi exchanged looks, slightly amused, before Seto's face finally broke out in a big grin.

"Let's go get some money from the bank and enjoy ourselves!" the high priest exclaimed, looking a little too bright and happy, as usual. Yuugi and Malik laughed uneasily; it was hard to tell which Seto was worse…

-.oOOo.-

Bakura was far more enthusiastic about getting supplies for the pharaoh than Atemu was. Particularly, when it came to wands; he was never going to forget how long it took Yuugi to get his wand the year before. Fortunately, it took him hardly any time at all to get a wand, and ended up walking away with a fairly normal eleven-inch wand made of ebony with a core of phoenix feather.

"I'm surprised," he murmured as they walked out. "I thought for sure it would take forever to get out of there."

"I guess that just means you're normal," Bakura replied casually, wrapping an arm about his waist as they started down the street.

They stopped by the various stores; Bakura sitting back and watching as Atemu was measured for robes, helping him get quills and ink and parchment, even stopping by the magical pet shop so the pharaoh could pick up a pet if he wanted. That took the longest of course, with him pretending he did not want to fall back on old habits and buy a cat. The tomb robber finally growled, before dragging him over to the pens the felines were kept in.

Atemu turned a bit red, giving Bakura a look, before looking through the cats. Given who he was, it was no surprise he was walking out with an Egyptian Mau cradled in his arms.

"So cute," he murmured, dangling a little toy above the kitten, watching as it tried to swipe at it. Bakura rolled his eyes, looking like he was trying not to gag from the adorableness.

"Happy now?" he teased, holding up a carrier for the kitten, helping the pharaoh place it inside. "What are you gonna name it?"

"Dunno yet," Atemu replied, placing a toy in before closing the carrier. "I'll think of something eventually. Now… is there anything else I need to get?"

"Don't think so—hello…" he suddenly said, stopping.

Atemu blinked up at him before following his gaze to the entrance of a darkened alley, with a crooked sign marking it as "Knockturn Alley". He made a face, getting a bad feeling about the place, and reached out instinctively, grabbing Bakura's arm before he could get any ideas. As it was, the tomb robber was eyeing the alleyway with interest, a slow smile starting to quirk up on his face.

"Forget it, Bakura," he said pointedly. "I don't think we should go down there."

"Why not?" Bakura said, smirking down at him. "Scared?"

Atemu bristled. "Of course not," he said sharply.

"Then what are you bitchin' about?" the tomb robber replied before he could continue, grabbing his hand and dragging him off behind him. Atemu let out a noise of protest, stumbling after him. By the time he had gathered himself enough to make a coherent protest, the darkness of the alley had already engulfed the two of them.

The pharaoh looked about nervously, catching sight of various gnarled and shifty looking wizards and witches. Many of them seemed not to know what a bath was, if the smell was any indication. He huddled a little closer to his more than a little excited boyfriend, trying to ignore the people around them.

"Bakura, I don't want to be here…" he murmured.

"Oh, grow a spine," Bakura replied, stopping at a store suddenly, drawing a grunt out of Atemu. He peered into the dirty shop window, eyeing the various products, obviously of dark magic origin.

The pharaoh rolled his eyes, going to turn around… when his eyes widened, and he grabbed the thief and pulled him into a small crevice between buildings. He looked rather annoyed, but a motion from the pharaoh had him hush, though the irritated look did not leave his face. A moment later they heard the door ring as it was opened, followed by a low, cold voice…

"Don't touch anything, Draco."

Bakura's eyes widened, but before he could comment, Atemu was slipping out of the crevice, waiting a moment, before slipping inside after the owner of that voice. Bakura groped for him, almost dropping the carrier and other packages he was saddled down with.

"Dammit, don't grow a spine now," he hissed, managing to pop himself out of the crevice just in time to see the door close.

Inside, Atemu slipped away behind a case quickly, watching Draco cross his arms as he focused a stubborn look at a tall, fair-haired man that could only be his father.

"I thought you said you'd buy me a present," he said irritably.

"I said I would buy you a racing broom," Mr. Malfoy replied, a slightly annoyed look on his narrow face.

Draco snorted in response. "What good will it do me if I'm not on the team?" he asked, crossing his arms in annoyance. "Harry Potter got his Nimbus Two-Thousands last year, with special permission from Dumbledore to play for Gryffindor. Potter isn't even that good, either. It's because he's famous. Famous Harry Potter with his precious scar."

Mr. Malfoy fixed his son with a scathing look. "I've heard this conversation before, Draco."

"But, father, it's not fair," Draco protested. "Potter and those foreign boys are freaks of nature, yet they get special treatment from most the teachers. It's disheartening for normal wizards."

Mr. Malfoy rolled his eyes. "I admit, I was not thrilled when I heard not one but four, sixteen-year-old foreigners would be attending the school. Keep in mind, though, Draco, it would not be prudent to be less than fond of them or Potter, as you so clearly have discovered. Ah, Mr. Borgin!"

An ugly sort of man appeared behind the counter, stooping over slightly and running a hand through his greasy black hair. He reminded Atemu of a hunchback version of Professor Snape. Mr. Borgin and Mr. Malfoy starting talking back and forth, haggling over something that the later was selling as Draco started to wander, looking about the various products on display. He finally came to a closet, and was about to open it…

"Done," Mr. Malfoy suddenly declared. "Come, Draco."

Draco turned around and away from the closet. Father and son left the store, and Mr. Borgin retreated to the back room, muttering obscenities under his breath. Atemu waited a moment, before slipping out of his hiding spot. He was about to hurry out, when he heard footsteps behind him; he was about to whirl around, when the owner of said footsteps collided into him.

"Yuugi?"

Atemu turned and looked down, seeing a mused up Harry Potter behind him. His face was covered in soot and the young wizard was squinting up at him, as his glasses seemed to be missing.

"Close enough," Atemu replied, resting a hand on his shoulder and hurrying him out. Bakura grabbed the pharaoh as soon as he left the shop, mouth opened to yell at him, when he spotted Harry.

"Where'd he pop out from?" he asked instead.

"The fireplace," Harry provided, drawing confused look out of the other two. "Don't ask. Let's just get out of here."

"Yes, let's," Atemu replied, grabbing Bakura's sleeve and propelling him back down the direction they came before he could protest.

The pharaoh rested a hand on Harry's back as they made their way down the street, with the tomb robber looking for something that would point them back toward Diagon Alley. Nothing stood out, however, and Atemu turned to Bakura, giving him a look.

"I know exactly where we're going," he insisted, though the look on his face proved otherwise.

"Not lost, are you dears?" a crackling old voice came from above them. The three of them spun around to see a particularly gnarled old witch, carrying a platter with what looked eerily like human fingers.

Atemu made a face. "We're just fine, thanks."

The three of them started to back away from her as she held a hand out toward them. "Why don't you come with me dearies? I'll help you find your way…"

"Harry! Yuugi! Ry'u! What d'yeh think yer doin' down there?"

They spun around again as the witch backed off and retreated into the shadows. Up above them, standing at the top of a flight of stairs, was a giant of a man in a fur overcoat with a bushy black beard and kindly beetle black eyes. They raced up to Hagrid, the Hogwarts groundskeeper, grateful to see him again.

"What are yeh three doin' in Knockturn Alley?" he asked them, hauling them into the sunlight next to a sign marked Diagon Alley and not that far from Gringotts, the wizard's bank. "Dodgy place that is. Don' want no one ter see yeh down there."

"Oh, yes, dodgy place," Atemu said dryly, giving Bakura a look as Hagrid attempted to brush the soot off of Harry. The tomb robber just flashed a lopsided grin.

"What were you doing down there anyway?" Harry asked, dodging as Hagrid went to brush him off again.

"I was lookin' fer flesh eatin' slug repellent," Hagrid replied. "They're ruinin' the cabbages at school. Yer not on yer own, are yeh?"

"We're with the others," Bakura provided.

"I'm with the Weasley's," Harry said. "It was my first time attempting to use Floo Powder, only…" He reached into his robe pocket, pulling out his snapped glasses. "I kinda missed."

"Harry!" someone shouted.

The three boys looked up to see a bushy brown-haired girl in a plaid pleated skirt and shirt with a wizard robe that had the Gryffindor house crest on the side. Hermione Granger raced up to them, giving both of them a warm hug.

"It is so wonderful to see you all again!" she exclaimed. "I just saw Malik, Yuugi, and Seto at the bank." She paused a moment, looking down at Harry's glasses, before shaking her head. "Honestly, Harry…"

Harry looked rather sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck as another shout came from down the street. They turned to see a heard of concerned Weasleys, Malik, Yuugi, and Seto running toward them.

"How come you always manage to get into trouble?" the high priest asked, drawing a sweatdrop from the pharaoh as Mr. Weasley took Harry's glass and handed them back to him a moment later, good as new.

"Where did you come out at, Harry?" Ron asked.

"Knockturn Alley."

"Wicked!" Fred and George exclaimed. Bakura sniggered as both Atemu and Hermione sighed and shook their heads.

-.oOOo.-

After a quick stop at Gringotts Bank for those that still needed to get money, everyone separated once again. The Weasley twins went off with their friend from school, Lee Jordan, saying something about a new gag shop that opened up. Mrs. Weasley took Ginny, the youngest of the Weasley children and the only girl, to get her new school supplies, as she would be starting at Hogwarts that term. Mr. Weasley had taken Hermione's parents aside, jabbering at length about their lives as Muggles. That left the second year Hogwarts crew all to themselves with their own bags full of money, some of which quickly got spent on new parchment, ink, and quills before they went off to look at the other stores.

They had to meet back with the Weasleys in an hour at Flourish and Blotts. After a half hour's worth of looking around at stores, the eight friends settled down at an ice cream shop, ordering up strawberry-and-peanut-butter ice cream and catching up with one another before they had to go to the store.

"…so," Malik was saying, "as soon as Atemu walked into the arcade by himself, Anzu pounced on him."

Bakura growled at the memory, shoving a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth and wrapping an arm about the pharaoh's waist. Atemu just smiled softly, patting his hand as Ron sniggered.

"She's had a crush on me since she found out I was a separate person from Yuugi," he said calmly. "It was a reflex."

"Oh, yes, reflex," Bakura growled. "He was all but humping your leg like a desperate little puppy. Don't go there."

The high priest choked, pounding a fist on his chest to try and get his ice cream down. "Ow… the mental image… it hurts…"

Conversation continued until their ice cream was finished, before making their way to the bookstore. The place was terribly crowded with witches, and once Hermione saw the sign hanging out front, she let out a squeal that almost made Malik's ears bleed.

"Oh my god!" Hermione exclaimed, scrambling to fix her hair. "We'll actually get to meet him!"

Malik sweatdropped, a bit of a jealous tint coming to his face. "So?"

The eight of them somehow miraculously managed to squeeze into the bookshop. Each of them grabbed a copy of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 before joining the Weasleys and Mr. and Mrs. Granger in the huge mass of people.

"Oh, there you are dears," Mrs. Weasley said distractedly, continuously patting her hair. "He should be coming out any moment now."

After a moment, a wizard in forget-me-not blue robes and wizard's cap emerged from behind a curtain to the applause of all the ladies in the store (and Malik's jealous grumbling). His eyes were the same color as his flashy robes, and his hat was set at a jaunty angle over his wavy blonde hair. He smiled a brilliant smile, showing off rows of perfect white teeth and making a couple witches in the crowd faint.

Yuugi just stared, at a loss for words. Whatever he had been expecting when he thought of Lockhart, it was not this bishounen wannabe that stood before them.

"This… is pathetic…" Atemu muttered, voicing what his other half was thinking.

"You were right," Bakura said dully. "Prude."

A small old man flitted about, clicking away furiously with a camera. He bumped into Ron, forcing all of them to take a step back.

"Out of the way," he said, rather rudely. "This is for the Daily Prophet."

"Big deal," Ron grumbled, nursing his foot where the reporter had stepped on it. Lockhart had obviously heard what he had said, for he focused his gaze on him. He was about to say something, when he caught sight of Harry standing just behind him.

"It can't be Harry Potter!" he exclaimed. The crowd parted, and Harry tried to run for it, but Lockhart grabbed him and dragged him to his side, shaking his hand furiously and smiling as the reporter clicked away.

"Smile, Harry," Lockhart encouraged, "between the two of us we'll make the front page."

The clicking continued on for what seemed like hours before Lockhart finally let go of Harry's hand. He tried to make a break for it, nursing his nearly limp hand along the way, but the flashy man grabbed him around the shoulders, pinning him to his side.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Lockhart announced, holding up his other hand for quiet. "When young Mr. Potter stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he not only wanted to pick up a copy of my complete works – which I will now present to him, free of charge –" The crowd applauded as he was handed a stack of Lockhart's books, much to Harry's displeasure. "He had no idea that him and his classmates would be getting the real magical me. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to announce that this September, I will be working at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!"

The crowd broke out in applause again as Harry wormed his way out of the limelight, going over to Ginny and dumping the books into her cauldron. Malik, Yuugi, Atemu, and Bakura were just staring at Lockhart as he started signing books, hardly believing what they had just heard.

"He's kidding right?" Bakura asked. "That was a joke, right?"

The high priest crossed his arms, tilting his head to the side thoughtfully. "Well… he seems rather… interesting… in a fruity way…"

They were about to make their way out of the crowded store, when a shout from Ginny caught their attention. They turned to see that Draco Malfoy was harassing her and Harry. Seto growled under his breath, tearing the Millennium Rod from its hiding spot in his robe as he stalked off toward the pale boy.

"Seto, no!" Atemu cried, scrambling after him, reaching him just as the priest loomed over Draco.

"You never learn, do you?" he asked, crossing his arms and making sure that Malfoy could clearly see the Rod. Draco smirked – though the expression on his face was far from confident – and was about to come back with a witty comment, when his father suddenly appeared as if from nowhere, putting a hand on his son's shoulder.

"Now, now, Draco," Mr. Malfoy said. "Remember what I told you about how to treat foreign… guests."

The six of them frowned, not pleased by the way he had said that. He looked at each of them, smirking at their displeased expressions before returning his focus to Seto.

"Ah, yes, you must be Seto Kaiba, the one in charge of that… muggle game corporation," he sneered. "Amazing how low the quality of students has dropped."

The priest fixed him with his classic cold stare; looking like he had in the past for the first time since he had come to appear in the real world. Mr. Malfoy did not even flinch, turning his focus to Malik.

"Malik Ishtar," he stated. "Sad that they allow criminals in the school…"

Malik flinched, grateful that Hermione was still preoccupied with getting her book signed.

"Just goes to show what kind of riff-raff Dumbledore allows at that school," Mr. Malfoy continued, glancing briefly at Bakura. "Including those possessed by common thieves."

Bakura growled, just barely stopped from pouncing on the elder Malfoy by a quickly moving Atemu. "I'll give you a common thief, you little…!"

"Temper, temper…" Mr. Malfoy purred, before eyeing the pharaoh. "Fortunately for you, you have your little… toy to keep you calm."

Bakura growled again, and Seto had to lend the short of stature pharaoh a hand in keeping him back. Mr. Malfoy did not take notice, coming at last to Yuugi, who was glaring up at him. The man gave him a look, as if the mere sight of him spoke for itself. He had turned, just as Mr. Weasley came pushing his way through the crowd, dragging his sons along behind him.

"Well now, boys," he began. "What say we get out of here and leave the ladies to –"

"Ah, Arthur Weasley," Mr. Malfoy interrupted coldly, turning back around. "How goes it at the Ministry of Magic? With all those raids, I do hope they're paying you overtime."

He brushed past the boys rather rudely to get to Ginny's cauldron, and pulled out a very battered, very old copy of A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration. He looked the cover over at several angles, a disgusted sneer on his face.

"Obviously not," he commented dryly, dropping the book back into the cauldron with a double thump.

Mr. Malfoy whirled about then, urging his son out of the store and leaving everyone glaring at their retreating backs, each of them plotting ways to get back at him for insulting them. Malik pounded a fist into his open palm, a snarl on his face.

"Malfoy, that bastard…" he growled.

The priest just shook his head sadly, slipping the Rod back into his robes. "Like father, like son."