Harry was walking to the playground yet again, not knowing something was about to happen that would change everything. Idly he would wonder later if going with the somewhat insane woman was such a good idea. But we'll get to that later.

So here he was, on the only swing Dudley had yet to completely destroy, wondering what he was going to be in for this year. From possessed professors, to big damn snakes, to escaped convicts that turn out to be his godfather, to a tournament that he should never have been in that resulted in the death of a friend...yeah, his life sucked.

At least it was never boring.

Music was heard blaring nearby and he turned his head. There, at the opening of the park was a rather fancy Volkswagen beetle, midnight blue, pumping out tunes that would be sure to draw everyone's attention. Inside it was a woman with frizzy brown hair and hazel eyes. She turned down the stereo and rolled down the window and gave him a look.

Seeing no point in not seeing what she wanted, he got up and went to the window.

"Hey, you know where I can find the nearest club? Or better yet the Kaiba Corp. building?"

Harry shook his head.

"This is Surrey, in the middle of nowhere. You're best bet would be to head to London."

"Damn. Which means I definitely took a wrong turn. You know the way to London?"

Harry nodded. At the very least he could get a ride to the Leaky Cauldron and spend some time in Diagon Alley until term started. It was better than dealing with the Dursleys for another two weeks of no news, no friends and dark glaring.

Seeing the look in his eyes she guessed the truth, "You have business in London too?"

"Yeah, but I would have to pick up my things first. And my owl."

"You have an owl? Cool. What's it's name?"

"Her name is Hedwig."

"Germanic for female warrior, right?"

Harry looked at her surprised.

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"I love to read. Name's Hikari, by the way."

"Harry. Harry Potter."

After she stopped by the Dursley home (which he spent the next fifteen minutes sneaking in, stealing all his things/owl and getting out unseen) and he put his trunk in the back, he got back into the car. Hedwig hooted softly, as Harry stroked her feathers.

Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep...and when he woke up, he realized with a start that he was no longer in Surrey...or even England for that matter.

He stared in disbelief as he looked out the window of the strangest plane he had ever seen, looking at the ocean. Hedwig was still snoozing on his leg, and he turned to the front of the plane. There, flying with apparent ease was the woman he had just met.

"Oh good, you're awake."

Instead of panicking, like any sane person would do, Harry wondering why he was in a plane with his new kidnapper. (Though is it considered kidnapping if he willingly got in the car and didn't wake up in time to stop from getting on the plane?)

"If you're really worried I can always turn it around."

Harry thought about his past four years in school, then figured, what the hell.

"I'm good. It's not like I have a lot to look forward to back home. Besides, this is the first time I've been kidnapped without realizing it."

He could feel her beam at him.

"Goody! This is the first time I've ever kidnapped someone myself. But I saw all those bruises and I thought to myself that you could probably use a change of scenery."

"Should I be worried that you kidnapped me?" asked Harry dryly. So far his day had been better than the last four years worth since he started at that school.

"Not unless you are monumentally worried about sharing a plane with an insane woman who plans to take you with her back to Japan."

"Japan. Never been. Sounds interesting."

"I'll help you get situated. Plus get you a translation charm."

That had Harry's attention.

"Did you just say charm?"

"Yup. Salem graduate of 2007, Hikari Sakura at your service."

"You're an American witch?"

"American bitch too. Only in the morning though. So tell me Harry, why were you so willing to get in a car with someone you didn't know?"

Which is how Harry ended up telling her about his crappy life, with her making the appropriate sympathetic noises.

"Damn. I guess it's a good thing I kidnapped you. Just wait till you see Japan. I can help introduce you to the teachers, magic and mundane. Unlike England, Japan and America didn't cut off their madoushi from the mundane classes."

"Madoushi?"

"Japanese lesson number one. Madoushi is Japanese for mage, wizard, magic user. Want some more?"

"Sure."

They spent half the time going over basic Japanese phrases. They had to land halfway, so Sakura could get some sleep. She never flew at night if she could help it. Particularly when the moon was almost full.

Harry wondered if she was a werewolf. He even asked, and she just gave him a cat like smirk saying, "Not a werewolf. I just like to howl at the moon a lot for the hell of it."

Harry grinned at her. She paid for a hotel, and they got separate rooms. When he went to sleep, he wondered how on earth his life had changed so much from this morning. He never would have believed when he woke up this morning that he would be kidnapped by an American witch to be taken to Japan. Or that she would be cheerfully nice. She said she did it because of the bruises, and he actually believed her.

She didn't even react when he said his name. He saw recognition, but other than that, she didn't react.

He woke up the next morning to find...a breakfast on the table next to him. Hedwig hooted happily as she munched on some bacon, which was on a plate separate from the breakfast. Sakura was at the door grinning.

"I figured you wouldn't mind avoiding people until we get there. I just called the old man in charge of the main game shop in town, and he said he wouldn't mind letting you stay for a while. He has a grandson your age."

"What are their names?"

"Solomon and Yugi Muto. But the old man will probably have you call him Grandpa at the least. Yugi is a bit shy, and weird things often happen around him for no reason. And he loves games, particularly Duel Monsters."

"I think I've heard about that. Is it hard?"

"I'll tell you about it on the way there. The sooner you eat, the sooner I can get Hedwig to fly with us. She can find you, right?"

Harry grinned at her.

"Hedwig can find anyone. I'm sure she'll be glad to fly alongside us."

Sakura grinned back. Harry finished his breakfast, and told Hedwig to follow him. Soon they were flying over land, and he couldn't help but stare at the scenery. Then something occurred to him.

"Won't I need a passport?"

"I already took care of that. As far as the Ministry is concerned you're James Potter. They signed off on it this morning without thinking. And you'll be registered by next week in the classes. You can change your name before we get there if you want."

A chance to get rid of the boy who lived stigma? Start fresh without anyone prejudging him?

"How do you say 'night' in Japanese?"

"Yoru. Then there's white night, which is 'byakuya'."

"What about lightning?"

"Inabikari."

"Shadow?"

"Kage."

"I guess I could go by Yoru then."

"Or midori, which is green. Or emerarudo, which is emerald. Or yuri, which is Lily, thought that's more of a girl's name. Or raion, which means lion."

"Yoru Raion."

"Night lion? How about Yoru Shika? Night deer?"

"I like the first one better."

"So your new name will be Night lion in english."

"What is snake?"

"Hebi."

"Yoru Raion it is then."

"Consider this if anyone makes fun of you about the name. If you had stuck with Harry, most people would probably call you 'spring'."

Harry gaped at her.

"You're joking."

"Nope. Haru means spring."

"So tell me about Duel Monsters."

She then described all the rules and gave him a helpful tip. If the card went against the rules, then follow the description on the card every time. Soon he had the basic gist of the game, and they were touching down.

And waiting for them was an irate man with blue eyes and brown hair. Sakura said something to him, which he only caught a word in three, and he dropped the angry look.

'Considering I didn't know a word of Japanese since yesterday, one in three is pretty good,' thought Harry.

The man, who upon closer inspection turned out to be around his age, held out his hand.

"Kaiba, Seto."

Harry took it.

"Potter, Harry."

He nodded and they left the private air port. Harry mostly listened to the conversation, which was held in half English, half Japanese. Eventually he overheard the main reason why Kaiba dropped his annoyed look.

According to Sakura, Harry was the inherited owner of the second rival to Kaiba's company, Gryffin Fire Incorporated. He never knew that. They headed to a mansion where a boy with wild black hair was waiting. He couldn't hear what Kaiba said to the kid, but he took one look at Harry and nodded.

The next morning he finally met the kid, who introduced himself as Mokuba Kaiba, younger brother to the grumpy teen he met earlier. Much to his delight, Mokuba was very friendly to him. And was more than willing to introduce him to the Muto family.

Mokuba didn't know what to think of the owner of Gryffin Fire. He was timid, polite and easygoing. But more than that, Mokuba had seen the bruises along Yoru's frame. He knew abuse when he saw it. So when Sakura asked him to help Yoru out, he agreed to it. Besides, the kid was openly friendly to him without expecting anything in return.

Which is probably why Mokuba decided to introduce him to the Muto family. He knew Yoru and Yugi would get along great. Maybe Yoru wouldn't mind hanging out with him later?

When Harry first opened the door to the Kame Game shop, he honestly didn't expect to meet a kid with the most outlandish hair he had ever seen. Add to the fact that this was the grandson Sakura had mentioned, and he barely kept from gaping. He did grin at the look of disbelief that the grandfather and grandson had when Mokuba let slip HOW he ended up in Japan...

("So, how did you come to Japan Yoru?" asked Solomon Muto.

"Sakura kidnapped him."

Yugi gaped at Mokuba.

"It's true," said Harry.

"Since when did Hikari-san kidnapped people?" asked Yugi in disbelief.

"She asked directions to London, and I fell asleep in the car. Next thing I knew I was on a plane heading to Japan. Compared to what my day would have been had I stayed, I can honestly say I prefer being kidnapped."

"What about your parents? Wouldn't they be worried?" asked Solomon.

"Dead. My aunt and uncle would probably be thrilled that I was kidnapped. They hate me for no reason."

Seeing the utter sincerity in his eyes, they didn't question his choice to let himself be kidnapped by the resident nut job.)

It took less than two days for Harry...who was now called Yoru...to get used the atmosphere in the Muto house. He loved it.

Yugi apparently love having someone who was very interested in games, Solomon loved having a guest who didn't mind helping with the chores and could actually reach the cabinets for a change, and Mokuba was soon a face often seen in the Kame game shop.

Yoru even met up with the executives of his grandparents company. Once they understood the problems he had faced in England and his new found acceptance in Japan, they agreed to call him by his new name. Two days before going to normal high school, Yoru could be found in a hospital getting an exam. Sakura had insisted on it, so here he was.

What he didn't know was that Sakura was building a case against the Dursley family...and by extension Dumbledore himself for placing a minor in an abusive house.

Or that he would be thrown into a world of adventure that never asked him to be the savior.

"This is our new student from overseas, Yoru Raion. Treat him well, and don't make fun of his accent!"

Yoru sat next to the albino, who he later found out recognized him on sight. Ryou Bakura was interesting to talk to, even more so than Anzu. He even invited Yoru to join him at his house, so they could discuss spells.

He grinned, and agreed to it immediately. He would have to finish all the paperwork that the executives gave him early, but he would manage it. He had met the people currently in charge of the company, and they were delighted that he took an interest in the day to day matters. And that he had a clear intelligence that was often hidden.

He was currently talking about a merger of magic and technology involving Kaiba corp. Surprisingly they were all for it, since a combination of magic and tech would boost sales through the roof. Especially since the sales would be split fifty-five, forty-five, with majority going to the Gryffin Fire.

Yoru walked into the apartment, and saw Ryou. He grinned, and soon they were chatting about Hogwarts, spells and the oddity that was the teachers. Much to his surprise, Ryou was a former Hufflepuff. He had to leave because of his father, but he still kept up with Wizarding Britain. Eventually they got around to guessing which house some of the other kids in their class would be in if they went.

"Yugi has to be a Puff," said Ryou.

"Nah, he's more of a lion. It's in his eyes. Besides, with that hair, he'd be sporting the house colors from day one!" laughed Yoru.

"Jou's a lion, easy. Brash and reckless as they come."

"Kaiba is either a raven or a snake. Can't tell which."

"Anzu...definitely Puff. Honda is a lion like Jou," said Ryou.

"Can't argue with that one. Ron would probably get along with Jou and Honda pretty good...once they got over the language barrier."

Ryou suddenly began rubbing his chest, which jarred an odd ring around his neck.

"Cool pendant."

"My father sent this to me a couple of years ago. Ever since then whenever I play a game my friends end up in comas. I have no idea why."

"Maybe it's possessed. That happened to Ginny Weasly once, though it was with a diary...which turned out to be a piece of Voldemort's soul. He let loose a basilisk and I had to kill the damn thing using a sword."

"Why?"

"It was in the mysterious Chamber of Secrets, everyone believed I was the heir of Slytherin at the time, and the only Defense teacher was an pompous ass who tried to use me to boost his own ego."

"What was his name?"

"The idiot's name is Lockhart, and he now has a permanent home in St. Mungo's hospital because he used Ron's broken wand to cast a memory charm...which backfired horribly. It hit him instead, which is why he is a gibbering mess."

Ryou laughed. He had read some of the man's books, and Yoru was right, he was an idiot.

Still, his chest was really hurting...and then he suddenly blacked out.

Yoru stared at Ryou...no, this wasn't Ryou. It was someone else. Someone darker.

Apparently this new person spotted him, because he said in an accented voice "Are you going to be a problem, or am I going to have to deal with you?"

Yoru looked at him blankly, "Are you after me personally, or just the world in general?"

"World in general. I have a score to settle with certain people."

"As long as you don't come trying to kill me, I don't give a damn. But go easier on Ryou, will ya? It can't be that easy on someone who keeps dealing with memory loss."

The man grinned.

"I like you kid. I go by Bakura, or Tomb Robber."

"Yoru Raion, formerly Harry Potter. I suppose I should stick to help Ryou out with the aftermath of your revenge?"

"Go for it. I'll be back in an hour."

Yoru called the shop, told them he was spending the night with Ryou, and got confirmation before making some dinner.

Just like Bakura had said, he came back in an hour, and Ryou was confused as hell. He took pity on the albino, and handed him a plate full of hot food. Ryou stared blankly before sitting down and enjoying the meal. He looked very surprised at the quality, then ate with a bit more enthusiasm.

"You know, no one ever mentioned that the great Harry Potter was an excellent cook."

Yoru smirked, "That's because no one ever mentioned that his blood relatives made him cook since he was old enough to reach the stove. And call me Yoru from now on. That way when they finally figure out where I disappeared to, they'll have a harder time finding me."

Ryou laughed.

"By the way, you're possessed. Judging by the accent of that spirit who took control, I'd say Egyptian, or maybe Arabic. He's pretty old too, from the look of his eyes."

Ryou choked on his drink. Hell of a way to tell someone they're possessed!

"He also goes by the name Bakura, and said he was a Tomb Robber. I think he's the reason why your friends ended up in comas."

Ryou gulped.

"And apparently he likes me for some odd reason. Which probably means he won't try to kill me right away."

"You staying over tonight, Yoru?"

"I already called Grandpa, and he said it was okay if I did my homework...which is usually done before class anyway."

When they got to school they found out the gym teacher had fallen into a coma for no reason. Yoru shared a look with Ryou, then went to class.

He actually grinned at Yugi, and soon the two spent lunch playing a card game. Unfortunately for Yugi, his face was a tad too open for him to play this particular game. Ryou had joined them, and soon the one to beat was Yoru.

The name of the game...was Poker.

(Needless to say the next time Bakura came out he immediately conned Yoru into teaching him how to play. And when he mentioned the words 'strip' and 'poker' in the same sentence...well let's just say that the Pharaoh was screwed.)

Yugi dragged him to the apartment...which had Yoru looking in disbelief. Poor Ryou. Bakura was in full control now, and there was nothing he could do.

Still, at least he knew Bakura wouldn't attack him specifically, which was actually quite comforting. It also confused the ancient spirit to no end. Which always made him chuckle.

Everyone chose their figurines, and Yoru had to chuckle at the sight of them. Most of them resembled the others...but Yoru's was just plain weird. Since a new expansion of Monster World had come out with new classes and character species, Yoru had taken the path less traveled.

His character had wings, long midnight black wings and an odd hat that looked like a crown. His character was called Midnight. He was a level fifteen Fallen Angel with magician powers and his class was Sorcerer.

Unknown to Ryou, Yoru had played this game before back at Hogwarts. His character resembled him greatly, except the hair was longer...and formed into the wings. The emerald eyes were actual emeralds, and the figure didn't wear glasses.

Bakura, crazed tomb robber that he was, reluctantly admitted that the figure suited the strange boy. He was both dark and noble, timid and brave. He had all the characteristics of a good king, something the Pharaoh never had when he was alive. He was too conceited, especially when he had his priests.

Harry, on the other hand was still looking for acceptance, something he never would have gotten in England, no matter how he tried. Once the prophecy was made, he lost that chance. Dumbledore insured that much.

Bakura wondered why he liked the boy so much. Soon the game began, and Yoru grinned as Jou started it off with a bang.

Though he did wonder about the odd NPC that looked like the gym teacher. He gave Bakura a look, and he winked at him.

So Bakura could seal people's souls into objects? Voldemort would probably love him then. Soon they were battling monsters, though he let the newbies go at it. Suddenly they came across an injured NPC, and Yoru stiffened.

"We leave the NPC alone," said Yoru clearly. Jou went ahead and poked him, and they went ahead. However Yoru's character went the long route to the castle alone. Unknown to most players, characters can take different routes. Most people went together, since there was safety in numbers.

Yoru ended up be the wiser man, as the noobs were tricked, and attacked by Zorc. Fortunately Yugi turned it to their advantage by getting them two monsters.

Yoru arrived at the castle before the others, and went in. He stood in the middle of a throne room, and waited for the others. Since he had taken the long route, he went up a level. His staff glittered in the candle light. Bakura was impressed at how Yoru commanded his character with ease.

Soon Yugi's group arrived...though their souls had been stuck inside their characters. Only Yoru remained...and the spirit of Yugi's puzzle.

Until Zorc appeared in front of them. Yoru threw his dice...and somehow got a fumble. Bakura put his soul inside his character...and something odd happened. Yoru's eyes glazed over...and something else took control. The voice was cold and cruel.

Out of nowhere he produced a knife, and charged Bakura.

Bakura didn't think twice. He threw up his arm and said "Penalty Game!"

Yoru's body collapsed, and the scar on his forehead began to bleed. A dark scream was heard from it, as it healed over completely.

'What just happened? And why is everyone bigger than usual?!' yelped Yoru.

Yugi's other self said "Yoru...were you aware you had a dark soul inside your scar?"

'Dark spirit? What the hell! Why would there be a...Oh.'

Bakura looked at him oddly.

"You have an idea who that was?" asked Bakura.

'Um...if it's who I think it was...then I'm in serious trouble.'

"You have some explaining to do when this is over Yoru," said Dark Yugi firmly.

Eventually with the help of Ryou and Yoru, Zorc was beaten. Once Ryou came back, everyone looked at Yoru. He swallowed nervously.

"You mind explaining who that soul was that attacked Ryou?"

"Um...I think it might have been the same nut job that's been trying to kill me since I was one."

"Who, Yoru?" said Dark Yugi firmly.

"Voldemort. Apparently there was some prophecy made after I was born, and the guy took it seriously enough to come after me. Ever since then people have been after me."

"Who or what is Voldemort?" asked Anzu.

Ryou decided to help out Yoru.

"Voldemort is an English magic user who has been terrorizing the British community for almost thirty years. He disappeared for about thirteen, but recently he came back by using a foul ritual. That odd shaped scar is rather famous in certain circles around England and neighboring countries."

"Magic user?"

"We're called Wizards, and there is an entire community. We've been in hiding since the witch hunts over a thousand years ago."