Hey guys! I know that this is MEGA short, even for my standards, but the muse left me and I decided to just post it and cross my fingers.

Also, I would like to thank The Amber Raven for all of her help and support in this story. She has (whether knowingly or unknowingly) seriously helped developed the plot, and I will be forever indebted to her. Check her out, guys.

I own nothing, ladidaa, but you already knew that.

-blah- = mind link

Blah = when people are speaking a different language than the one that everyone else present understands. (This will mostly be for the transfers, but I might switch it up later, who knows?)

Enjoy!

Chapter 7

Ryou and the other 2 transfers exited the kitchen, only to pass all of the Order members who had not gone to pick up Harry and Ellie. They recognized some of them, but not all. The ones that did know them greeted them enthusiastically, though.

Ryou shyly waved back. -Look, my little yanodoushi is making friends.- Bakura laughed meanly. -Don't get used to it, I am getting bored.-

Ryou shuddered, but did not answer. Nothing good ever happened when his yami was even remotely bored.

The trio walked to their room. After cleaning the library that afternoon, they had mostly been keeping to themselves. They liked all of the Weasleys and Hermione a lot, as they had loads of fun decontaminating the library together, but they didn't know if they could have trusted them. However, Dumbledore's words had got them all to thinking.

"Trust them?" Exclaimed Malik in Japanese so that they couldn't be overheard. They had caught wind of Fred and George's Extendable Ears. "We haven't even met half of the people that Dumbledore wants us to trust!" He collapsed on his small bed, which caused a plume of dust to rise and coat the three.

Yugi coughed. "I trust Dumbledore. Ron and Hermione don't seem at all bad, and if it's true that Voldemort is after Harry, then we're all in the same boat, aren't we?" He said, ever the trusting one.

Ryou nodded. "It would be nice to make some new friends," He eyed his homework. "Especially ones that know how to do these review packs. Besides, we don't have to tell them about the Millennium Items."

"We don't know them, though. They could meddle…" Malik said. Ryou knew that he had always had trust issues, due to his less than happy past. But who could blame the poor guy?

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud knock at the door. A gangly redhead poked his head in. "Hey, you guys should come over to my room. Hermione reckons that you could use some help with your review packs." He rolled his eyes. "But you don't have to actually start them tonight, she just loves schoolwork."

Ryou laughed. Ron and Hermione were always bickering like cats and dogs. "Sure, I was just saying that I could use a hand with these." He gathered his homework, then turned to his friends. "Are you guys coming?" Yugi nodded, and sprang up to join them. Malik looked hesitant, but followed them nonetheless.

Hermione was already in Ron's room, laying on her stomach with her books spread out all around her. She looked up when the boys walked in. "Ooooh, this is going to make an excellent review for our OWLs, Ron!" She stood up and excitedly snatched the packet from Ryou's hand.

-Nerd.- Thought Bakura.

-Don't call her that! She's helping us, remember?-

Bakura just laughed and called Ryou some very colorful things, to which he would not defend himself.

While Hermione was leafing through the packet, Ron let his curiosity get the better of him. "So, what did Dumbledore want?"

Ryou shifted uncomfortably. He thought back to what Dumbledore said about trusting them. He decided to compromise. "He wanted to make sure that we had our stories straight. You know, for the other students."

"What exactly is your story, then?" Hermione asked, emerging from their homework.

Before any of the transfers could answer, the door opened, and in walked a very disgruntled looking boy with messy black hair and glasses. There was somebody behind him, but before Ryou could get a decent look Hermione had let out an ear-splitting shriek and thrown herself at Harry. The papers that were in her hand flew everywhere.

"Harry! Ellie! Ron, they're here! Oh!" She released him, only to attack who Ryou could only assume to be Ellie. Ron jumped up and ran over as well, and joined in on the reunion. What followed was excited chatter and laughing, none of which Ryou could make out.

He felt awkward, almost as if he were intruding on a private moment. It was fairly obvious that these four were very close. Perhaps even closer than Yugi, Yami, Jounouchi, Honda and Anzu. It also made him very sad, because he knew that with Bakura sharing his body, he was never going to have friends like that. It was too dangerous.

Ryou looked over at Malik, who looked just as awkward as he did. Yugi, on the other hand was watching them with an almost sad smile on his face. Perhaps he was missing his friends?

When the hugging and the handshaking was finished, the four separated enough for Ryou to get a good look at everybody. Harry was tall, lanky, and was wearing clothes that looked to be quite a bit too big for him. The scar that Ron had told them all about was prominently staring at all of them from underneath his messy black fringe. He was shivering.

When Ryou looked at Ellie, he was shocked. As he took in her appearance, he began to blush furiously. He thought that she was beautiful. She was smaller than even Yugi, but her wild blonde curls gave her a few inches in height. Her skin was pale, almost paler than his own, so it was fairly obvious when her face, already tinged pink from the cold flight, blushed as she looked back at him and realized that Ryou wasn't going to look away. He couldn't see her eyes clearly, because they were partially hidden behind a pair of glasses, but even with an obscured view Ryou could tell that Ellie was thinking.

He eventually remembered where he was, and jerked his attention away from her, and on to Hermione, who was babbling about the attack on them.

He wondered how anybody could order an attack on someone like Ellie.

"Oh, and you guys haven't even met the transfers yet!" Hermione eventually spat out, realizing her social blunder. Said transfers stepped forwards to introduce themselves.

"Hello, my name is Yugi Muto." He smiled, shaking their hands. Yugi didn't look nearly as affected by Ellie as Ryou, he realized with an even deeper blush. "You guys must be Harry and Ellie. We've heard so much about you." Ellie's thoughtful look had turned to one of shock.

This went unnoticed by Malik, who stepped forward. "I am Malik Ishtar! Nice to meet you all!" He grasped Harry's hand, and then moved onto Ellie. He smiled warmly at her and shook her hand longer than, what Ryou thought, was strictly necessary.

-Jealous, hikari? You'd better jump while you can, before she becomes Ishtar's.-

As much as Ryou disagreed with this statement, it did remind him that everyone was looking at him expectantly, waiting for him to introduce himself. Ellie's face had turned to a look of triumph, as if she had finally realized what she had been trying to figure out.

-Don't get too attached to the girl, Yanodoushi, I want what you want, remember? And I always get what I want.- He cackled, and Ryou shuddered. He tried to ignore what the spirit just said and the implications that it could hold for Ellie as he introduced himself. Bakura was right, he couldn't allow himself to get too attached.

"Hello, I am-"

"Ryou. You're Ryou Bakura." Ellie finally spoke, looking over at Ryou.

xxx

Once Ellid got over her initial shock of Hermione jumping Harry, seemingly coming from nowhere, she smiled. Hermione released Harry and then allowed Ellie to jump into her arms next.

"Hermione!"

"Ellie!"

"I've missed you so much!" They both squealed into each other's hair. After a few moments, they separated, wiping their eyes so that Ellie could instead jump Ron.

"Oh, Ron!" Her voice was muffled, as her face was buried in a flustered Ron's chest. She pulled back slightly, but did not release him. "You've grown again!"

Ron grinned at her. "Yep! I'm taller than Fred and George now!" He pulled away from her in order to once again grasp Harry's hand. Ellie hugged Hermione again.

"You are so cold!" Hermione squealed, finally coming down from her excitement long enough to feel the temperature difference. "Both of you!"

"Yes, well we only just got off of our brooms! It was nearly an hour's flight," Ellie responded, finally releasing Hermione.

"Moody never told us to dress warmly." Harry scowled. Ellie frowned. She could sense another explosion coming on from him.

Hermione, oblivious to Harry's state of mind, winced sympathetically, then leaned forwards to the newcomers. "We have guests…"

Ellie looked behind her and Ron. There were three strange looking boys sitting on the bed. She hadn't noticed them in her excitement, and by the looks of it, neither had Harry, who looked even more upset at this new development.

She knew these boys.

The first one was a very tanned blonde, who looked tough and rugged, yet still handsome. He was busy examining the scar on Harry's forehead to take much notice of Ellie. The second boy looked like he couldn't be much taller than Ellie herself, but his tri-colored spiky hair more than made up for it. He looked fresh out of Japan, with his strange leather attire. He still looked very innocent, however there was a certain confidence in the way he stood that made Ellie think that there was more to him than meets the eye.

The third boy, Ellie realized with a start, was staring at her. When they locked eyes, he blushed. Ellie looked curiously back at him, trying to figure out where she knew him from. When neither looked away, they both began blushing furiously. Ellie was aware of Hermione babbling away beside her, but she was too busy blushing as the boy finally turned his attention away from her.

He was tall, and resembled an albino, with the white hair and pale pale skin. However his eyes were a deep chocolate brown which, just like his friend's, hinted at a deeper confidence within.

Ellie was positive that she had seen these boys before. But where? They looked so familiar.

"Oh, and you haven't met the transfers yet!" Hermione's voice eventually broke through Ellie's inconclusive thought process. The three boys stepped forwards.

"Hello, my name is Yugi Muto." He smiled and shook Harry's, and then Ellie's hand. She was right that he was fresh out of Japan, his accent was slightly difficult to decipher. But that only gave her theory more fuel… "You guys must be Harry and Ellie. We've heard so much about you."

"I'm Malik Ishtar," The blonde jumped forwards, wringing Harry's hand, and then grasping Ellie's limp hand and pumping it up and down. Evidently he did not notice her shocked expression, as he smiled very warmly at her. But she took no notice, as her theory was confirmed. She knew who they were now.

The boy that had been staring at her earlier stepped forwards next. "Hello, I am-"

Ellie cut him off. She didn't need to hear his name, she already knew it. "Ryou. You're Ryou Bakura."

The three wizards stared at her in shock, while the three transfers looked as though they were children who had been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"These three are the reigning Duel Monsters Champions," Ellie told her friends. "And you," She pointed at Yugi, "are the King of Games."

DUNDUNDUUUH.

Just kidding. I suck at cliffhangers. Whatever, I know how much you all hate them anyways.

Anywho, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! It was meant to be much longer, but I had this much finished and I can't resist posting. Especially when I have writer's block. Ick.

Hope you liked it! Review review review! :3