Yuugiou!
A New Generation of Priests
I would have posted this sooner, but I was busy drooling over the copy of the YGO The Gospel of Truth that I just recieved. Dude, if any of you have the money to spare, go get it. It is largely text, but if you have enough of a mind to put two and two together, you can figure out what the pages are about. It's a WONDERFUL guide to the YGO series.
CHAPTER TEN – DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE
Yuugi was deposited unceremoniously onto the floor with enough force to knock the wind out of him. Pushing himself up with one arm, he looked around as best he could while trying to regain his breath. He had arrived in an office that was reminiscent of Dumbledore's (which he had visited once last year while Atemu was still in the hospital wing), but it was… different. There was no cluttering on the desk, no phoenix on his perch, and no Sorting Hat up on the top of the bookshelf. Though, if the paintings behind him, most of them empty, were any indication, it was the same office.
Only when Yuugi started to get to his feet did he realize that his neck felt lighter than normal. Looking down confirmed it: his half of the Millennium Puzzle was missing! He darted about frantically, trying to see if it had landed somewhere else, but with no luck. The Puzzle just simply was not there.
"The other me is gonna kill me…" he muttered under his breath.
It was then that he became aware of another person in the room, sitting behind the tidy desk. The man was frail and balding, and had a wizened look about him. Though, it was not the same, gentle wisdom that Dumbledore always seemed to radiate; it was more like wisdom born through hard fought experience. He was staring down at a piece of paper in his hand, and had not reacted to Yuugi's presence at all.
"Um… excuse me, sir?" he hazard, leaning toward the old man. There was no response, and Yuugi put a hand on his hip, reaching out to rest his other hand on the desk.
Trying to, at least. His hand went right through the desk, making him loose his balance and topple through the desk to land on the floor once more. Yuugi rolled past the desk until he could safely sit up without his head (or hair) poking through anything or anybody. Something like this only happened once before, when him, Jounouchi, Anzu, Honda, and Bobasa (that strange man that claimed to be one of Shaadi's assistants but turned out to be something else) had traveled to the past in the Memory RPG. What he was viewing right now were shadows of the past, and the events playing before his eyes he could not change.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door (since when was there a door? Yuugi wondered), and the elderly wizard bade the person enter. A tall boy of about sixteen entered, pulling off his wizard's cap to reveal an immaculate head of black hair. A prefect's badge was shining on his robes, just above the green and silver Slytherin crest.
"Ah, Riddle," the wizard said.
"You wanted to see me, Professor Dippet?" Tom Riddle asked. He seemed nervous; he kept twisting his wizard's cap.
"Please, sit down," Headmaster Dippet requested, waving to one of the armchairs on the other side of the desk. "I was just reading over your letter."
"Oh?" Riddle asked, sitting down.
"My dear boy," the headmaster began kindly, "there's just no way you can stay here over the holidays. Don't you want to go home for the summer?"
"No, sir," Riddle replied, shaking his head emphatically. "I don't consider that place 'home'."
"You live in a muggle orphanage, correct?" Dippet asked. Riddle blushed slightly before nodding. "Are you muggle born?"
"Half blood, sir," he corrected. "Muggle father, witch mother."
"And are they…?"
"My mother died soon after I was born, sir," he answered. "She only lived long enough to name me. Tom after my father, Marvolo after my grandfather."
Yuugi crossed his arms, frowning and wondering where this was going…
The headmaster clicked his tongue sympathetically. "I understand, Tom," he said, "and under normal circumstances, I might have made an exception. Recent events being as they are, however…"
"You mean the attacks, sir?" Tom asked. Yuugi jumped at that.
"Yes, Tom," Dippet replied sadly. "It would be foolish of me to allow anyone to stay here over the holidays, especially in light of the recent tragedy. That poor, little girl… As it is, the Ministry of Magic is calling for this school to be closed."
Riddle bit his lip. "Sir, what if the person was caught? What then?"
"What do you mean?" the headmaster asked, a hopeful look appearing on his face. "Do you know something, Riddle?"
"No," Tom replied quickly, but even Yuugi could tell he was lying. Dippet did not seem to notice, however, as he sighed dejectedly and leaned back in his seat.
"You may go, Tom…"
Tom Riddle quickly got out of his seat and left, with Yuugi following close behind, going through the door when the other boy closed it in his face. They descended the moving staircase, going in and out of various passages until they reached the front foyer. Riddle was about to swing around and head for the dungeons, when he caught sight of a professor up at the top of the stairs. The man had sweeping auburn hair, and a beard that was long enough for him to tuck into his belt.
Professor Dumbledore.
"What are you doing wandering about at this time of night, Tom?"
"I had to see the headmaster, Professor," Riddle answered.
"Well, better hurry off to bed, then," Dumbledore urged. "Best not to wander around the halls these days."
He bade the boy good night before disappearing up another flight of stairs. Tom took off as soon as he was out of sight, bolting down to the dungeons with Yuugi following in hot pursuit. They came up to a nondescript door, and Riddle paused before it, pulling his wand out of his robes before kicking open the door, revealing a large boy bending over a trunk, peeking inside. The boy jumped when Riddle stormed in, slamming the truck close.
"Evening, Rubeus," Riddle snapped.
"What yer doin' down here, Tom?" the boy demanded.
"I'm going to have to turn you in, Rubeus," Riddle said darkly. "They're talking about closing Hogwarts if the attacks don't stop."
"What d'yeh…?"
"You know what I mean," Tom interrupted. "I'm sure you didn't mean for it to hurt anyone, but you have to know that monsters don't make good pets."
"It wasn't him!" the boy protested, standing in front of the trunk protectively. "He wouldn'…! He never…!"
"Stand aside," Riddle warned, raising his wand.
Suddenly, whatever it was that was in the trunk burst out, scuttling past Riddle as he fired off spells at it. The monster went through Yuugi in a skittering of several feet as it tore through the corridor and disappeared around the corner. Riddle snarled, making to go after the creature, but the large boy grabbed him, preventing him from going after it.
Just as Tom Riddle started to break free from the boy's grasp, the world around Yuugi started to tilt and whirl about sickeningly. All of a sudden, he found himself falling through darkness at an unnervingly rapid pace. He landed in his chair in the library, almost breaking the furniture.
Yuugi looked around in shock, making sure he was in his proper time. He spotted his Millennium Puzzle half resting next to Riddle's diary, and slipped it back on gratefully.
Aibou, are you okay? Atemu's voice came almost immediately. Why did you take the Puzzle off?
Yuugi winced, able to tell through their bond that his other half had been worrying his head off.
I'll tell you on the way to the common room, he replied numbly, gathering his supplies. But, I think Hagrid was the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago.
-.oOOo.-
Yuugi was regretting figuring out how Riddle's diary work, as his friends kept hammering him with questions. He had to repeat what he had seen in the "memory world" what seemed like a million times.
"Anyway," Seto began before Yuugi had to repeat himself once more. "What do you think we should do about Hagrid?"
"You think we should ask him?" Ryou asked, his voice unsure.
"Oh, that'll be a cheerful visit," Ron replied sourly. "'Hey, Hagrid, have you been setting any hairy monsters loose lately?'"
In the end, they opted not to ask Hagrid about his expulsion unless there was another attack. This was looking less and less likely, however; the attack on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick had been nearly four months ago, and there had not been a peep out of the voice in the walls or any other attacks since. Students were starting to treat Harry like a normal person again, and sometime after April Fools Day, the mandrakes they had repotted back in the beginning of the year threw a party they were able to hear all the way in the castle. This actually made Professor Sprout happy, though, for it meant that the plants were close to maturity; and as soon as they started trying to move into other mandrake's pots, they were ready to be used as a restorative for the people who had been petrified.
"Wait a minute, let me get this straight," Malik said after the professor told them. "Once they start getting horny, then it's time to chop them up and stew them? Oh, that's an encouraging thought…"
Easter break also brought something else the second year students had to worry about. They had to choose the elective courses they would have to take next year. Harry, Hermione, Ron, Yuugi, Atemu, and Malik poured over the list of courses available during lunch one day, trying to decide what to take.
"This is very important to our future, you know," Hermione said, signing up for everything on the list as Atemu watched, blinking.
"Are you sure you can take all those at once?" he asked, perplexed.
"I'll manage!" she insisted.
"Shame we can't give up our old classes," Harry commented dryly.
"No kidding," Ron agreed. "If we could, I would've dropped Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"But that's an important class!" Hermione protested.
"Not the way Lockhart teaches it," Malik replied. "The only thing I've learned in his class is not to let pixies loose in a classroom."
In the end, the boys all ended up taking both Divination and Care of Magical Creatures together. Atemu also signed up for Runes, and both him, Yuugi, and Malik also signed up for a class simply marked "Ancient Magic". To everyone's surprise, they found out later that Draco had also signed up for Care of Magical Creatures, as well as Muggle Studies.
"I figure as a governor of the school, it's not going to be long before my father finds I'm genuinely working to help you," he replied when asked. "Bloody hell, half your house probably knows of it by now. I may as well be prepared for when I get kicked out of the house."
-.oOOo.-
Yuugi flopped into a chair some time later that night, unable to sleep, still thinking about Hagrid. How could he be the one that set the monster loose on the school? Sure, the groundskeeper had difficulty distinguishing between what was harmless and what was truly dangerous, but even he would be able to tell that something petrifying and killing students was serious.
He glanced down at the black book in his hands, before opening it up, taking the quill he had set down on the table before him and dabbing it in his ink.
Hullo, Tom.
He paused a moment, waiting…
Hello, Yuugi. Good to hear from you again. How are you?
I wish I could say I was well. I was thinkin about what you showed me. I really don't think Hagrid did it.
There was a long pause, as if the book was considering his reply.
What makes you say that? You saw the creature…
That's just it. This creature that's attac
He did not get a chance to finish, as he heard a gasp followed by the sound of something falling. Yuugi's head snapped up, spotting Ron's sister staring at him with wide eyes.
"Ginny?" he asked, closing the book slightly. "What's wrong?"
"N…n…nothing…" she murmured, gathering up her belongings and disappearing into the girls' dorm. Yuugi raised an eyebrow at her back, a small frown creasing his face. Ron's sister was rather weird… He sighed, turning back to the diary.
Sorry, Tom, someone almost caught me. I'll write to you tomorrow.
He paused, waiting to see if he would respond…
I'll be waiting…
-.oOOo.-
The days passed slowly, and soon the Gryffindor team was all abuzz with the next Quidditch match against Hufflepuff. Although that house did not have much of a team that year, the Gryffindor team captain, Oliver Wood, insisted that they practice every single day for hours on end. That left Harry with only enough time for practice and homework. At least the sessions were getting drier and spirits were lighter than they had been before the match against Slytherin back in November. The team was excited about it all as they locked up their brooms in the broom shed the evening before the match. It was looking like they were going to get the Quidditch cup this year!
Harry's good mood soon faded though, as he entered the second year bedroom. He found Yuugi's section of the room practically torn apart, with his books and robes and cards scattered all over the place. The Japanese boy himself was on his knees, looking through the mess while trying to straighten it all out.
"Yuugi, what happened?" Harry asked, bending down to help him out.
"What's it look like happened?" Yuugi returned miserably. "Someone trashed my stuff."
A suspicious look crossed his face. "You don't think Malfoy…?"
Yuugi shook his head. "No, he's studying with the others. I was too, but I forgot some of my notes."
"But if it's not him, only a Gryffindor could have come in here," Harry protested. "No one else has our password."
"No kidding," Yuugi replied. He paused a moment, looking through the books on the floor. "Wait a minute… Riddle's diary is gone!"
-.oOOo.-
Despite the missing magical diary, when Harry woke up the next morning, nothing could dampen his good mood. Outside, the sun was shining beautifully, and a light breeze whispered though the trees of the forbidden forest. It was the perfect kind of weather for Quidditch, and the younger seek was practically skipping as he joined his friends in the Great Hall, and then later out in the front foyer. Even Draco had managed to slip away from his entourage, coming to wish him a (reluctant) good luck. Everything was as perfect as it could possibly be… That was, until…
Kill this time… let me rip… tear…
Harry and Draco stopped dead in their tracks, whirling on one another.
"Did you hear that!" they asked each other at the same time.
"You guys heard something?" Yuugi asked.
Harry looked down at him, perplexed. "You mean you didn't?"
Atemu crossed his arms. "This is starting to worry me. Every time you guys hear something, someone gets hurt."
Suddenly, Hermione's eyes lit up as a sudden idea dawned on her. She clapped a hand to her forehead, as if she just figured out something completely obvious.
"I think I've just figured something out!" she exclaimed, grabbing Seto by the arm. "C'mon! We've gotta go to the library!"
Seto let out a yelp of surprise, dropping his laptop as she dragged him back up the stairs and out of sight, leaving the other boys staring after them in confusion.
"Did I just miss something?" Draco asked.
Malik shook his head ruefully. "No, just Hermi-chan being herself," he answered. "When she's in doubt, she grabs the unfortunate soul who's unlucky enough to be standing next to her and runs for the library."
"We'd better hurry," Ron said. "The match…"
Atemu stooped to recover Seto's laptop, before they raced off to the Quidditch field – Harry heading for the broom shed and locker room, while Yuugi, Atemu, Bakura, Ron, and Draco headed off for the stands, the latter parting with them just before to keep up appearances. Harry's mood had been shattered by the disembodied voice, however. His only comfort was that everyone was out in the stands and not in the castle.
The Gryffindor team headed out onto the field a moment later. Wood took off for a practice flight around the stadium, while Madam Hooch released the Bludgers and Golden Snitch.
Then, Harry saw a sight that made his heart sink. Professor McGonagall came half-marching, half-running out onto the field, a large purple megaphone in her hand.
"This match has been canceled!" she shouted through the device. Boos and jeers erupted from the stands. Wood practically fell out of the air in shock. "All students are to make their way to their house common rooms," she continued, ignoring the reactions, "and the Heads of Houses will fill you in on the details."
McGonagall lowered her megaphone, and to Harry's surprise, beckoned to him.
"I think you better come with me, Mister Potter…"
Confused, he followed her, making their way back to the castle separately. The others broke away from the crowd once they spotted him and the professor and raced up to them just as they were about to enter the castle. To their surprise, McGonagall did not object.
"Yes, I think it would be best if you all came."
They exchanged worried looks as they followed McGonagall through the crowded hallways and up to the hospital wing.
"Now, this might come as a bit of a shock," she said in a gentle voice as they entered. "There has been another attack… a triple attack."
They passed the curtained off beds that held Colin and Justin, to see Madam Pomfrey bent over a curly haired girl. The boys recognized her as the Ravenclaw prefect. On the beds across and next to her, however…
Malik fell to his knees, a horrified look on his face. "No… Ra almighty, no…"
Hermione and Seto lay utterly still on their beds, looks of shock frozen on their faces.
Atemu stared, before pushing his way past Yuugi and Ron, the former flailing to regain his balance, mouth hanging open in shock. He came up alongside Seto, reached out with one hand, the other holding his half of the Puzzle as it glowed slightly, trying to get a sense of the high priest. After a moment, the pharaoh snapped his hand away as if he had been bitten, a horrified look on his face as he turned his gaze up to Bakura.
"Make that quadruple attack…" he muttered softly. Bakura flinched slightly, trying not to look like he was worried, but when even he was not safe…
During all this, Malik had drifted over to Hermione's side, his shaking fingers barely touching her cheek. The others were just staring at their petrified friends in shock, still trying to process what they were seeing.
"They were found near the library," Professor McGonagall said softly. "I don't suppose you could explain this? It was on the floor near them."
She held up a small flip up hand mirror, the glass of which was cracked from being dropped. It was obviously Seto's, because there was an etching of the Blue Eyes White Dragon on the back. They just shook their heads, though Harry had a distinct feeling that if this had not happened, they would be able to explain it.
"I will escort you back to your houses," McGonagall said heavily. "I need to address my house in any case."