Yuugiou!
A New Generation of Priests

Shadow Hearts is crack. That is all.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN – GOOD, EVIL, AND CHANGES OF DESTINY

Harry and Malik found themselves standing at the edge of a very long, dimly lit corridor. A stretch of walkway extended into the darkness before them, and the steady drip, drip of water was coming from somewhere. Columns in the shape of snakeheads lined the path, each with mouths wide open as if waiting to pounce and devour them. Malik put a cautious hand on Harry's back, urging him forward despite the trepidation they were both feeling. They proceeded down the pathway slowly, Malik's eyes constantly flicking back and forth to the pillars and beyond.

When they drew even with the final set of pillars, a gargantuan statue as high as the chamber itself loomed into view before them. It was of an elderly wizard, his long thinning beard coming down near the rope belt around his robes. Harry was not focused on that, however, his eyes were down between the feet of the statue. There, lying face down on the stone floor, were two dark robed figures, one with fiery red hair and the other with tri-colored hair.

"Ginny! Yuugi!" Harry exclaimed, sprinting to them and falling to his knees. Malik winced at Harry's sudden outburst, trying to ignore the echo bouncing off the walls, before following him.

"Please don't be dead," Harry urged. He flung his wand aside, grabbing Ginny by the shoulders and turning her over. Malik went over and flipped Yuugi over as well, pulling the small boy onto his lap. Both of them where deathly pale and ice cold; yet their eyes were closed, so they were not petrified. That could only mean…

"C'mon, Yuugi-kun," Malik said, slapping Yuugi lightly on the face. "Wake up already. Don't be dead…"

Yuugi's head just lolled helplessly to the side. The Gravekeeper bit his lip, fearing what he would have to tell the pharaoh if the little boy did not wake up. "Oh, yeah, Atemu, your other self died by the way." That was assuming Atemu would not be dead as well; it was clear that they were still connected somehow; otherwise he would not be in the state he was currently in.

"They won't wake," came a soft voice. Harry and Malik practically jumped out of their skin in surprise. From the shadows, a dark haired boy emerged, his outline lit up by a pale misty glow. Harry frowned; the boy seemed familiar somehow…

"Who… what are you?" he asked.

"A memory," the boy answered, "preserved in a diary for fifty long years."

The boy pointed an area near the feet of the statue, where the black book Yuugi had found in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom lay open. Harry's eyes grew wide, hardly believing it.

"Tom… you're Tom Riddle!"

Riddle nodded.

"Look, nice to meet you and all," Malik began, clutching Yuugi closer, "but in case you boys haven't noticed, we're in the Chamber of Secrets with a giant Basilisk roving about. This conversation can wait till later."

"But…!" Harry began to protest.

"Later," the Gravekeeper stressed, getting back to his feet and lifting Yuugi in his arms at the same time. "Now, get your wand, grab the Ginny, and let's go."

Harry reluctantly agreed, looking around for his wand. It was not where it had landed, however.

"Did you guys see where—?"

He cut himself off, looking up to see that Riddle was holding his wand, twirling it between his fingers. Harry got up, reaching out to take it, but Riddle simply smirked before slipping it into his cloak pocket.

"You won't be needing it, Harry Potter," the memory stated. "We have much to discuss, after all."

"Are you deaf?" Malik demanded, starting to get annoyed. "We can talk later, now give him—"

"We will talk now," Riddle interrupted, an odd look on his face. Harry frowned; looking down at Ginny at his feet, before turning his attention back to the apparition.

"How did Ginny and Yuugi get like this?" he asked. A sneer crept onto Riddle's face, an expression that looked eerily out of place. Malik took a worried step back.

"It's quite an interesting story, actually," he answered, in a tone that was mockingly pleasant. "I suppose it would start over the summer, when Ginny started pouring her soul to an invisible friend."

Harry's widened, fearing the implications. "What do you mean!" he demanded.

"My diary, of course," Riddle replied. "Ginny has been writing to me almost all year. She's been telling me everything, from her deepest secrets to her most pleasant dreams. It's rather boring, you know, listening to the fancies of an eleven-year-old girl, but I was patient. I knew that eventually, as she poured some of herself into me, I would be able to pour some of myself back into her."

Malik grit his teeth; this was starting to sound familiar. "Let me guess," he snarled. "You possessed Ginny. You made her open this Chamber, and set that snake loose on the school."

"Oh, the mudblood can use his brain," Riddle sneered.

The Gravekeeper looked like he was going to kill at that statement. "And what does Yuugi have to do with all this?" he demanded.

"Well, it took awhile for Ginny to stop trusting her little 'pocket pal'," the memory explained. "She discarded it, and who should come on it but little Yuugi Mutou. I knew from what Ginny told me, that Yugi was close to you, Harry Potter. I knew if I could gain his trust, I would gain yours as well, so I showed little Yuugi my famous capture of that bumbling oaf, Hagrid."

Harry's eyes narrowed at that. "Hagrid is my friend, but you framed him," he accused. "At first I thought you just made a mistake, but—"

A high, cruel laugh from Riddle cut him off. "It was my word against Hagrid's, Harry!" he exclaimed. "But even showing off that bit of brilliance on my part reaped in some generous rewards. Yuugi started sharing some of his secrets with me, without the knowledge of his precious 'other self'. I knew that if I could get him to take off his Puzzle every now and then I could have him pick up where Ginny left off." His face twisted into an ugly sneer. "I could just picture the look on your face if you found out one of your own near and dear friends was responsible for the death of another close to your heart."

Riddle's face morphed into a downright scowl then. "Of course, I never got the chance. Ginny had apparently seen Yuugi with the book and stole it back, afraid that I would blab her secrets to him. Unfortunately for them, by that time I needed them for another purpose…

"So, I had poor little Ginny ambush Yuugi in the hallway. I made them write their own farewell on the wall, and come down here to wait for death. Ginny cried, and Yuugi begged me to let her go; but I'm afraid none of that really matters now. There's not much life left in them, and they've completed what I set out for them to do."

At this point, Harry was looking up at the apparition with more hatred than he had shown even Snape. Malik's hand was twitching slightly, privately wishing he still had the Rod instead of the Ring, imagining the things he would do to him with it. Riddle took a menacing step toward them, a mighty scowl on his face.

"Now, tell me, Harry Potter," he snarled, "how is it that you – a skinny scrap of a boy with no extraordinary talent – managed to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How is it that you escaped with nothing more than a scar, while Voldemort's powers were destroyed?"

"What do you care?" Harry shot back, not bothering to mask the hatred in his voice. "Voldemort was after your time."

A slow smile crept onto Riddle's face. "Voldemort is my past, present, and future, Harry Potter."

With that, he took Harry's wand out from his pocket. Holding it up, he skywrote three words:

TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE

The memory waved his arms, and the words rearranged themselves into a message that got a startled gasp out of them both.

I AM LORD VOLDEMORT

"You've got to be kidding me…" the Gravekeeper hissed, backing up. By this time, Harry was practically shaking with rage; his fists clenched, focusing a hateful glare on the past manifestation of Voldemort.

"You're not," he snapped, his voice filled with hate.

"Not what?" Riddle asked casually.

"You're not the greatest wizard of all time," Harry clarified. "Sorry to disappoint you, but Dumbledore is the greatest; everyone says so. You yourself were afraid to even touch Hogwarts, even when you were at the height of your power."

The scowl returned to Riddle's face. "Dumbledore has been driven out by the mere memory of me!"

"He's not as gone as you might think!" Harry shot back.

Riddle was about to snap back at him, when music suddenly streamed down from the opposite end of the Chamber. The memory whirled as the music started getting louder, filling the whole chamber with its unearthly melody. For Harry, however, it felt like each note was resonating with his soul. He could feel it in his chest; a sense of familiarity mixed with a deep sadness. He had a distinct impression these feelings were not his, but if that were so, then where were they coming from?

A moment later, a crimson bird the size of a small swan appeared from the shadows. Its glittering golden tail was as long as a peacock's, and its whole plumage gave it the illusion of being on fire. It was gripping something frayed and ragged, which it deposited at Harry's feet before resting heavily on his shoulder. The bird folded its great wings, and Harry looked up to see it had a sharp golden beak and beady black eyes. It stared calmly at Riddle, as if it was not bothered or impressed with the memory's appearance.

"That's a phoenix…" Riddle muttered, staring shrewdly at the bird.

Harry looked up at the bird in surprise. After Justin had been petrified, he and Yuugi had been taken to Dumbledore's office, where they had witnessed a bird burst into flames, before being reborn again in the ashes. He had no idea he'd ever have the opportunity to see it like this…

"Fawkes…" he murmured the bird's name, reaching up to touch him. His feathers were warm to the touch, almost like they were on fire.

"And that," Riddle continued, his focus now on the ragged thing the bird had dropped, "is the old school Sorting Hat."

Harry looked down as well. Indeed, it was the old hat, lying motionless at his feet. He picked it up, wondering what the heck he was supposed to do with it, as Riddle let out a high, sinister laugh.

"So this is what Dumbledore sends his defenders," he sneered. "A songbird and an old hat! Well, shall we see how these trinkets fair against the all mighty power of the Heir of Slytherin?"

Riddle walked over to in-between the final two columns, blocking off any hope of exit before whirled about, facing the giant statue of the wizard above them. He spread his arms wide, as if reaching out to embrace some dark power. A sharp hissing sound escaped from his mouth, but Harry understood what he was saying.

"Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four!"

High above, the mouth of the statue slowly started to open and a hissing sound from deep within filled the whole chamber. The phoenix took to the air again as both Harry and Malik closed their eyes and backed away from the statue, the Gravekeeper still loaded down with Yuugi's limp body. Something huge hit the floor; feeling like it was shaking the whole chamber. The two of them could almost picture the Basilisk falling out of the mouth of the statue and rearing up, ready to come after them.

"Kill them!" Riddle commanded in Parseltongue.

"What'd he say?" Malik asked.

"Do I really need to translate?" Harry replied sourly, backing up as far as he could as he heard the King of Serpents come closer. Suddenly, Malik handed off Yuugi as best as he could without the use of his eyes, Harry scrambling to hold him up.

"Here, take Ginny too," he said. "I'll try to distract it so you can get out."

"But—!"

Harry tried to protest, but Malik was already moving, trying to get an idea of where the massive snake was just using his ears. Unfortunately the plan backfired on him; with a hiss from Riddle, instead of following him like he had hoped, the snake whipped its tail around, sending him flying to the other side of the Chamber. He landed on the slimy stone floor with a thud that not only knocked the wind out of him, but forced his eyes open as well.

Fortunately for the Gravekeeper, however, the Basilisk was still preoccupied with Harry, and was not focusing its petrifying gaze on him. He breathed a sigh of relief, getting back to his feet, careful the make sure the Basilisk was not looking at him before turning around. Harry had dropped Yuugi, and the snake had him completely cornered. The young wizard had the Sorting Hat jammed over his eyes, as if that would assist him in shutting out the murderous gaze of the Basilisk. Malik grit his teeth, hand coming up, brushing against the Millennium Ring, before he looked down at it. Dammit; if only he had something that could help…

Suddenly, with a scorching note, the phoenix dived on the snake from out of nowhere. The bird's beak sunk right into one of the Basilisk's eyes before the phoenix hovered away from harm. The damaged eye started pouring blood, and Malik was forced to close his eyes as the snake swung its head about, hissing in pain. There was another note from the bird, and another hiss from the snake, and the Gravekeeper got the distinct impression that the phoenix had impaled the other eye as well. Opening his own eyes confirmed that, and he tossed a confident sneer toward Riddle, who was too busy hissing furiously at the snake to notice.

"Harry, c'mon!" Malik shouted. "The snake's blinded! Get outta there!"

Harry dimly heard his friend's shout; he was too scared to even move. He clutched the brim of the Sorting Hat over his eyes, mentally wishing for the hat to help him somehow. Suddenly, the hat contracted, as if some kind of hand were squeezing it. Something heavy and hard thudded against his head, almost making him pass out. He lifted the hat off of his head, and a gleaming silver sword encrusted with rubies the size of eggs slid out of it and into his lap.

Malik blinked in surprise as Harry held the sword up in wonderment. Where had that thing come from…?

He caught something glowing out of the corner of his eye in the next moment, and looked down to see that the Ring was glowing vibrantly. Suddenly, the leather cord that kept it around his neck snapped and disappeared, but the Item did not fall. Instead, it hovered before him, four of the points waving about wildly while the middle one remained perfectly straight. Finally, the middle point affixed itself to the Ring, before it shot out, forming a long, thin staff, with the Ring as the top. Stunned, Malik reached out, grasping the shaft…

No sooner did he grab it, that the glow spread through his body, feeling like the light was filling his very soul. He closed his eyes, basking in the warmth, the gentle feeling…

Before he knew it, he was moving, hands twirling the staff about in a pattern that felt familiar, but he knew he had never done such a thing before…

"Thousand Knives!"

Malik did not know why he shouted that; he knew it was a magic card, and was vaguely familiar with it, as it had been in the deck of the Rare Hunter, Pandora. Suddenly, though, he found himself surrounded by dozens of knives that hovered about him for a moment, before shooting out toward the Basilisk. They impaled the creature along its side, and it let out a loud, hissing cry of pain.

Malik shook his head as the glow about him faded, the Ring remaining a staff, as Harry got back to his feet shakily, clutching the sword he had pulled out of the Sorting Hat. The giant snake reared back as Riddle hissed commands at it, looking like it was going to lunge toward him. Harry grit his teeth, holding up the sword…

The snake lunged, and Harry put his entire weight behind the swords. The weapon went right through the roof of the serpent's mouth, drenching him in blood. He had pierced the Basilisk's brain, but…

Harry let out a cry of pain as the snake keeled over onto the floor, twitching slightly in death. The young wizard fell as Malik raced toward him, able to see the splintered Basilisk fang wedged in his arm. He knelt beside him, pulling Harry back and let the young wizard rest against him as he started shuddering uncontrollably. The Gravekeeper grabbed the fang and forcefully pulled it straight out, but it did not do much good. He could literally see the poison coursing through Harry's veins, and he knew that the young boy would be dead in only a matter of minutes.

"You're dead, Harry Potter," Riddle sneered. "I'm going to enjoy watching you die."

Malik clutched Harry's shoulder, trying to ignore the fact that the memory was right. There was a flash of scarlet, and the Gravekeeper turned to see the phoenix had landed next to them and rested its head against Harry's injured arm. Soon, pearly tears started slipping down its glossy feathers, dropping onto the wound from the Basilisk fang. As Malik watched, wide eyed, the wound started to slowly close and the hellishly green poison faded from Harry's veins.

"Get away, bird!" Riddle shouted, pulling out Harry's wand from his pocket. "Get away!"

There was a bang like a shot, and the phoenix took to the air again. Harry managed to sit up again on his own, any signs of poison faded away as if they were never even there.

"I forgot," Riddle snarled. "Phoenix tears have healing properties… Well, if the snake couldn't kill you, then I'll be glad to do it!"

Riddle raised the wand again, as the phoenix fluttered past once more, dropping the black diary next to Harry's knees. There was a brief moment where both he and Riddle stared at the diary in surprise, when Harry grabbed the Basilisk fang from Malik's hand and plunged it straight through the book.

There was a long, piercing scream that rang throughout the whole Chamber. Harry and Malik looked up to see that Riddle was slowly breaking apart, holes of blinding light appearing on his body. With one blinding flash, the memory of the boy who would be Voldemort was gone, with Harry's wand clattering to the ground.

Harry let out a shuddering breath as Malik got to his feet. He picked up the young wizard's wand and handed it to him, a smirk on his face.

"I believe this is yours," he said.

Harry chuckled, before getting up himself, going over to the dead Basilisk and carefully tugged out the sword. Harry collected the Sorting Hat from where he had tossed it as a faint moaning came from the other end of the chamber. From between the feet of the statue of Slytherin, Ginny was stirring slightly. A ways away from her, where he had landed, Yuugi was holding himself up with one hand and holding his head in pain with the other.

Malik went over to Yuugi as Harry went to help Ginny. As soon as he was in range, however, she latched onto him, crying her eyes out.

"Harry! Oh Harry!" she exclaimed. "I'm so s-sorry! I w-wanted to t-tell you, but I c-couldn't! R-Riddle made me! I t-tried to g-get away from h-him, but –"

"Ginny, it's okay," he interrupted gently. "I understand, and Dumbledore should too."

Malik, in the meantime, helped Yuugi to his feet. The small boy was still holding his head painfully, wincing as he clutched the Gravekeeper's shirt.

"Are you all right there, Yuugi?" Malik asked.

"I've got a headache," Yuugi groaned.

Malik laughed out loud. "Only a headache?" he asked. "Thank god."

He lifted the smaller boy onto his shoulders, giving him a free ride as the four of them headed back to the entrance of the Chamber. The phoenix was waiting for them, leading them back out into the corridor that had led into the place. The doors of the Chamber hissed closed behind them, sealing them off from the horrors within for eternity. They followed the corridor back down the way they had come, until the sound of shuffling rock reached their ears.

"Ron!" Harry shouted. "Draco! Ginny and Yuugi are okay!"

A whoop of triumph came as the four of them and the phoenix raced around the bend. What had once been a solid wall of rock had a fairly large hole in it, and an eager face poking through it.

"Ginny!" Ron exclaimed, reaching his arms through for his sister. Ginny gladly went through the hole, and Draco quickly appeared in the hole in her place.

"Yuugi! You're alive!" he exclaimed, reaching out for him. He plucked Yuugi right off of Malik's shoulders with a bit of effort, allowing him and Harry to crawl through the gap as well.

"Are you guys all right?" Draco asked as they fell down on the other side. "And… Potter where did you get that sword!"

"Later," Harry replied as the phoenix came flying through. "Where's Lockhart?"

Ron grinned, motioned back to where they had come from. "He's back near the pipe, but… Well, you'll have to see for yourself."

They went back up toward the pipe, where Professor Lockhart was sitting on a rock. He looked up at them as they approached, smiling pleasantly.

"Oh, hello," he said. "What an odd place. Do you live here?"

"No!" Ron answered, incredulous. Draco turned to Harry, a lopsided smirk on his face.

"When the wand exploded, the spell must have backfired on him," he explained. "He has no clue as to who he or where he is."

Malik snickered. "Ahh… sweet justice."

Yuugi sweatdropped, shaking his head. Ron, in the meantime, was looking up the pipe they had slid down.

"Any ideas as to how we're going to get back up?" he asked, as the phoenix flew past him to come to a rest inside the pipe. It waved its tail feathers at them, as if it wanted them to grab a hold as Ron blinked down at it in bewilderment. "Does that bird honestly think it can carry us all up?"

"This isn't an ordinary bird," Harry stated, walking toward the bird.

He motioned for everyone to take one another's hand. Once everyone was ready, Harry reached out and took hold of one of the phoenix's tail feathers. An amazing sense of lightness spread thorough him to the others, and with a rush of wings, they found themselves flying up the pipe ("Amazing! This is just like magic!" Lockhart exclaimed, to which Malik replied, "Well duh!"). Even Harry was impressed by the ride, but unfortunately, it was over quickly, and soon they were deposited back on the floor of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

Myrtle stared at them as they regained their bearings, surprised. "You're still alive," she said to Harry.

"Don't be so disappointed," Harry replied sourly.

Myrtle just shrugged. "Oh well… I thought that if you died, you would be welcome to share my toilet," she said, blushing silver.

Draco made a face. "Urgh!" he exclaimed. "Looks like Myrtle fancies you, Harry!"

Harry rolled his eyes, wishing he were somewhere else. Suddenly, the phoenix floated ahead of them, heading out of the bathroom. They followed the bird as it led them down the hallway, up the stairs, and past empty classrooms until they finally came to Professor McGonagall's office.

Harry sighed, before he knocked and pushed the door open.