Aaand I'm back! So, quick update for those who didn't know- I took a break from this for several reasons, including the fact that my dissertation is due in this week, which I have been working on like mad. I also haven't been too well both physically and mentally but am working on that. But, good news! I have been working on this while I was away and while I didn't get as much of the physical story written as I wanted, I have planned this out until at least chapter 22ish. I finally got on that along with another story that I have been working on for many years prior to this.

The next update for this story will be 26th- going to keep with the every two weeks updates because I do still have other assignments to work on and dissertation is due Friday! (It's nearly finished so don't worry about that particular one). And it shouldn't be late because I have most of the next chapter written up already xx

To avoid confusion:

Words Yami speaking mentally

Words Yugi speaking mentally

"Words" Characters speaking Japanese

"Words" Characters speaking Ancient Egyptian

"Words" Characters speaking Arabic

"Words" Characters speaking Akkadian

"Words" Characters speaking Old English

Atem sighed, keeping one eye out over the small crowd forming in front of the newly posted sign, the other on Harry who was scowling at it. No doubt he and his friends were thinking up some inane reason to make the new club, newly christened 'Dagda's Cauldron' or DC for short, a secret from Umbridge. Considering their reasons for starting it, there was no reason it ought to be- what Umbridge and the Ministry didn't know, wouldn't hurt them. He glanced over towards where both Yugi and the Spirit were keeping a shrewd eye on the younger boy. No doubt, it hadn't helped that Harry was still insisting that Yugi had been possessed.

As if he had anything to talk about.

The dark cloud that Atem had sensed on their first meeting had only gotten stronger over the week, November finally giving way to December and frozen water lying ever more thickly over the ground. Akhefia had started to skip out on anything outside of the castle- apparently snow and the Thief King did not get along. Atem was not fan of it either, but McGonnagal had caught up with him one day to inform him that he was missing too many classes and, unless he was dying, he was expected to turn up to all of them and that Snape was not his Head of House and could not excuse him forever. The temptation to answer that statement had almost been too much but Atem had learnt long ago to keep that card to himself.

Sighing internally, Atem braced himself as he approached the troublesome trio who were whispering amongst themselves. It appeared that Harry was indeed suspicious of how the Toad had found them out- that they were confused on that point made Atem want to bang his head against a wall. Nevertheless, he braced himself for the upcoming conversation.

"What is the problem?" Atem asked, calmly cutting off Hermione's hissed whisper that, no, it hadn't been anyone who had signed their names on the cursed list (a reason why Akhefia had subtly cancelled it for both himself and Atem and later amended it for Marik, Yugi, Kaiba and Ryou- there wasn't anyone that would be in danger should any of their friends find out). The three jumped and Harry frowned.

"Umbridge knows," Harry spat, furious. "Your friends wouldn't have anything to do with it?" Atem blinked, cocking his head to one side. While it wasn't a complete impossibility that Akhefia would do so just to mess with them, Atem had made it clear to let it go ahead. This club was far more useful for its inclusion of all the Houses, and if needed they could always disband it whenever they wanted. But certainly not through the corrupt Ministry.

"I can assure you that Akhefia had nothing to do with this. Perhaps the fact that an unusual number of Hogwarts students appeared in a little used back-ally pub?" Hermione visibly flinched, and he could see the dawning comprehension on her face. "After all, did you know all of the patrons that overheard the conversation?" Harry opened his mouth to argue but Hermione elbowed him in the side. For once, even the red-head was on board, looking guilty.

"He's right. We should have had it somewhere less suspicious." It looked difficult for the girl to admit to her lapse in judgement but admit it she did. Atem gave her a smile, glad that she wasn't completely blind to her own faults.

"There is no need to worry about having to creep around Umbridge. There are always ways to get the Ministry to agree. After all, Dagda's Cauldron is all about learning from your wizarding friends about their culture yes? What reason would Umbridge have to shut it down that doesn't outright show her prejudice?" Harry stared and Atem allowed the smile to slip into a smirk, sending them a wink. "I'll speak with her later." It wouldn't be a pleasant conversation, but it would most certainly be satisfying to stick her between a rock and a hard place.

He joined Kaiba and Akhefia, both already sat at the Gryffindor table, aware of Atem's wish to reassure those from Hogsmeade he was alright, and were surprisingly joined by the trio voluntarily. Usually they only sat so close due to the fact that they were friends with Yugi and since Yugi was actively avoiding Harry- an incredible feat considering he shared a dorm room with him- they hadn't seen much of them during the week. Akhefia didn't acknowledge them and Kaiba merely raised an eyebrow, but he knew that they were just as baffled as he was. Mahad, ever present shadow that he had become once more, shared a bemused glance with him.

"Atem…" Hermione seemed hesitant and Atem stiffened, feeling that this was about to slip into dangerous territory. "What happened in Hogsmeade… are you feeling better?" It was hard to shut away the urge to flinch at her well-meaning words. The teenagers didn't know the danger they were putting themselves in, how much danger they would surely face soon. Not just from the ever-present threat of the Ministry and Voldemort but also Dartz, the Orichalcos and Necrophades who was still plotting his next move. No doubt biding his time, although for what reason, Atem wasn't sure. Perhaps he was waiting to exploit these new threats to the Nameless Pharaoh? The reappearance of the rest of the Tomb Keepers? His father… he shoved that thought away and gave Hermione a small smile.

"Of course." One of many lies. The Orichalcos merely made the problem worse, more-so than the presence of the Puzzle and Mahad had been making noises of having Bill return him to Egypt immediately. He understood that his friend was just worried for his safety, for how it would be for him if he were ever cornered by one of those who wore the dreaded rock. The fact that Yugi had for some reason kept hold of the blasted necklace Gurimo wore exacerbated it further. There was no ebbing of the pain in his chest but since they were not actively volunteering for any sports, it didn't become too much of an issue. That this was the first time they had joined the tables for breakfast in a few weeks was not commented on, neither was the fact that Akhefia moved to always shield him from sight from Raphael. That man was an entirely different problem altogether.

But first things first.

Kaiba was throwing him sceptical looks over the table but said nothing of his blatant lies- not that he looked particularly happy about it either. If Seto felt like voicing his opinion, Atem had no doubt he would be advocating for him to go home too but, luckily, his cousin valued his own feelings on the matter too and so said nothing. Instead, he eyed the Toad from where he sat, eyes narrowed.

"You sure you don't want to instigate an investigation into her?" Kaiba asked.

"Yes," Atem said firmly, nibbling at his food despite his lack of appetite. "It seems Mr Weasley is doing our work for us." After the arrest of Malfoy Senior for his blatant bribery, fraud and exploitation of the government, quite a few different Ministry departments had thrown their proverbial toys out of their prams, wanting to know how far this corruption went. Fudge was unable to hold them off either, not without implicating himself into more trouble after the scandal of having taken the bribe money from Malfoy and facing several of his recent political acts being questioned. It was only due to her ineptness that Umbridge couldn't see the inevitable writing on the wall- 'High Inquisitor' would soon be a position that would be highly scrutinised and instead of being able to change the school into her personal playground, the Board of Governors would no doubt be questioning how far into who's pockets she was. This would likely be one of the few last decrees she would be able to make freely.

"Let me talk to her?" Akhefia asked, wicked grin already on his face. Atem shook his head, glancing to the side. Umbridge would definitely ban it should he send Akhefia, no matter how much he terrified her. No, this was something he would have to deal with personally.

"No, I'll be dealing with her. You still have a project to deal with." Akhefia scoffed but nodded, waiting for Atem to leave the table before rising too. No doubt, Raphael was watching as always.

Atem took the time that he ought to be spending in History of Magic, to walk up to Umbridge's office. He had been warned about the amount of pink, although it was still a lurid colour. He shuddered, glad that he had a new shadow to accompany Mahad, despite his friend's discomfort.

"This is a truly heinous office," Haphiri remarked, delicate nose wrinkled at the meowing of the many cats hung on the walls. Umbridge glanced up at that, alarmed from whatever she had been writing but quickly smoothed her face into what was supposed to be a friendly expression- it made her look like she was about to be sick instead.

"Ah, Mr Menes! What can I do for you?" she simpered, eyes bright with misplaced interest.

"I saw your sign about the clubs," Atem started with a smile. "So, I've come to ask your permission to set up one." He could practically feel Haphiri curling her lip behind him, but he kept his tone light, polite. It wouldn't do for her to fear him just yet. Umbridge seemed to almost smile wider, no doubt thinking that he was walking into a trap.

"Oh really?" she asked, all fake simpering kindness. "And what club would that be?"

"It's called Dagda's Cauldron, after one of your gods I am told," he replied, waiting. "We hope that it will help cover some of the cultural misunderstandings between the students from magical and non-magical homes." He was not going to use their derogatory term for non-magic users that so permeated their society. Umbridge got a gleam in her eyes as she sat back.

"Hmm, yes, I remember hearing something about this new club," she simpered, walking right into the trap Atem had laid. "But I'm afraid that I cannot allow it." Atem gave a show of being startled. Speeches may have been impossible but acting was something he had great practice at.

"Why not?" he asked, allowing some of the stereotypical teenage annoyance bleed into his tone. "I thought you wanted us to get to know each other. Become… closer."

"Well, I'm afraid I simply cannot sanction any clubs that encourage such violent behaviours," she said with a smile, clearly trying to goad him into implicating Harry.

"I wasn't aware that sitting down to learn about each other's cultures was violent?" Atem gave her a polite smile, face blank of any other emotions. Her face twitched, annoyance creeping in now.

"But it isn't just a cultural club is it?" she hissed, true venom leaking into her voice. "You and your little friends are trying to undermine my teaching!"

"Practicing the spells that you are supposedly 'teaching' is hardly undermining you," Atem noted, raising an eyebrow. "I believe it counts towards extra credits. Is there a reason you feel so threatened by your students trying to better themselves and each other?" Umbridge sneered at the implication, reaching for her wand.

"How dare you?" she spat. "I am the Senior Undersecretary-"

"Yes, we know your position," Haphiri stated, cutting her off, bored. "Your Minister was very clear about that when I met him." She gave her a carefully calculated look at the Toad, leant back, startled and still puffing in anger. Atem wondered mildly if she would explode.

"You! You are one of the people slandering the Minister's good name!"

"Hardly much of a good name anymore," Haphiri pointed out, enjoying goading her into this. "Considering it is your own people discovering his little contraband circle." Atem resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Sometimes, the princess just liked to be dramatic when playing with her prey. "And he's just lost his most powerful supporter."

"Yes," Atem joined in, happy to play along. This would get tiring soon. "Such a shock, hearing that Mr Malfoy has been supporting the Dark Arts all these years. Makes the rest of Fudge's supporters look… suspicious." Umbridge paled, catching on suddenly. She had clearly thought nothing of the report that Malfoy had been arrested, probably thinking he would be out soon and that it was ridiculous. Now, however, she was beginning to realise just where this left her. "Curious, that you knew all about the club proposal before we presented it?" he continued, tone light. "And that you just dismissed it out of hand. I'm sure all of those reporters would love to hear why you don't approve of such an action." Umbridge flushed but didn't back down.

"Lies!" she snapped. "All lies! Potter's been filling your head with them-"

"I don't believe my brother mentioned Mr Potter," Haphiri stated casually. "Interesting that you would bring him up however, considering how much you want him dead." Umbridge actually flinched at that, her face turning a sickly white in shock. Her mouth flopped open like a fish, words lost to her as she tried to regain her composure. Atem let the silence stretch on a moment before giving her a pleasant smile.

"So, Dagda's Cauldron? I'll take it that we may go ahead and start advertising it?" he stated casually, not waiting for an answer. "I'll speak to Professor McGonnagal about sorting out a room for us all to fit. Considering that your new position as High Inquisitor must keep you so busy." He turned to leave then, waiting for her to try and call him back.

He didn't have to wait long.

"I gave you no such permission!" she screeched, reaching for her wand. Mahad was already in front of him, staff raised and ready for her attack. "You have no rights to say such things!"

"I believe I spoke nothing but the truth," Atem stated. "Attack me if you wish. I'm sure those reporters you think still support you would love to hear such a story. 'High Inquisitor attacks the Crown Prince and ambassador for the Tomb Keepers'. You'll have the Egyptian Ministry on you before you know it, along with others wondering if this is how the British Ministry treat their foreign students. And I don't think your precious Fudge will be able to keep them off you forever. You only got away with it once because I was feeling generous." Atem narrowed his eyes, taking a step towards her, allowing the Shadows to flicker around him, showing his anger. "Be assured. That feeling is long gone." Umbridge had taken a step back, cowering behind her desk, realising just where her prejudice had gotten her. He paused a moment before nodding and stepping away, banishing the Shadows back from whence they came.

Outside her office his breath caught, forcing him to cough heavily into his hands. They came away glistening with blood, the taste of copper sharp on his tongue.

"Harry, this isn't a good idea," Hermione hissed as Harry continued to rifle through the bag at the end of Yugi's bed. The other boy was off with Marik somewhere, followed by his constant shadow as showed on the Marauder's Map spread out on Harry's own bed where Hermione was sat, keeping watch. Ron was snooping through the suitcase, but neither were coming up with much. Harry got the feeling Ron had only agreed because he was suspicious of the fact that Yugi was friends with so many Slytherins rather than believing him, but Harry knew what he had seen. Currently, all Harry had found was Yugi's duel disk, several magazines in Japanese displaying Duel Monsters and a couple of books on early Ancient Egypt. Nothing useful.

"Look, Hermione, I'm telling you, that wasn't Yugi," Harry insisted, half growling in frustration as he half kicked the bag. There had to be something in the other boy's things that would prove him right! "Are you just going to sit back and let him be used like that?" Hermione frowned, refusing to join them.

"But you weren't the only one there! I think Kaiba would notice if Yugi was acting different since he knows him better than we do," Hermione snapped. "And now you're breaking his trust by going through his things!"

"Come on, Hermione, you've got to admit that they are a bit fishy," Ron said, glancing between his two friends. "I mean, how do we know Kaiba isn't covering for Yugi?" He held his hands up as Hermione shot him a dirty look. "Hey, I'm not saying Harry's right! I'm just saying that I want to be sure!" Good save Harry thought spitefully, taking one last look through the bag to find nothing more than a box covered in hieroglyphs and the same eye symbol as on the Puzzle around Yugi's neck. It seemed like a clue until a quick peek inside found nothing more than bundles of unused Duel Monsters cards that Yugi kept on him. Truly growling now, considering all Ron had found were clothes, some more books on Egypt and Yugi's rather impressive collection of buckled jewellery, Harry gave the bag an aggravated kick, shoving it under the bed. He might have cringed about having to dig it back out again if there hadn't been a distinctive clunk and the jangling of several objects moving about. Harry and Ron shared a quick look before diving under the bed, Hermione suddenly interested and joining them.

Together they pulled out a new bag that Harry hadn't seen before. It was a shoulder duffle, fairly innocuous looking, had it not been for the sound of moving objects within and that it was heavy. Unzipping it revealed several rather strange objects. Three heavy volumes of Muggle textbooks describing a 'pseudo-history' by an Arthur Hawkins, describing the origins of Duel Monsters and their connection to a 'Shadow era' in history. Several rolls of what looked suspiciously like papyrus which, when unrolled, displayed lines and lines of hieratic. And two items made of solid gold- a necklace and what looked like an eyeball, both with the same strange eye symbol. They glanced at each other, Hermione immediately grabbing one of the books while Ron picked up the eye.

"What the hell is this?" he asked, looking faintly disgusted. Hermione, having cracked the book open to a random page, appeared to be ignoring them both.

"I don't know," Harry said slowly, picking up a second book. Opening it revealed a picture of what looked like a crumbling pillar with a glyph that looked oddly like one of Yugi's Duel Monsters. A stone soldier. Flicking the page over revealed a photo of the author, along with a rather short co-worker wearing a bandana. He looked weirdly familiar. Harry glanced over to the acknowledgements, thankfully written in English due to the publisher being from America. I would like to extend my thanks to my dear friend and partner on this research trip, Professor Solomon Mutou and his specialism in Ancient Games. "I think it might be a family thing," Harry murmured, scrunching his eyebrows together. Hermione suddenly gave a squeak.

"What?" Ron asked, glancing up from his perusal of the eye. Hermione was looking a little pale.

"This is talking about the same history Professor Schiavone has been teaching us. But it agrees more with what I've been reading about the Tomb Keepers…" Hermione trailed off a moment, frowning. "It's strange. This is a Muggle history book, but it follows more along the lines of pseudo-history than actual history."

"Maybe because it's a Muggle writing about magic?" Harry suggested, curious now. Hermione hummed, nodding.

"Anyway, it's talking about an ancient battle, between a Pharaoh and a cruel darkness," she said, trailing a finger over the page. "But… well, here." She suddenly turned the book around, shoving it towards them. Inside was a picture of a large tablet, covered in hieroglyphs and strange images. The centre piece, however, was of two people- probably mages considering the strange creatures above them- facing each other over a fire. On the left was a tall figure holding a short staff or oddly shaped wand of some kind. On the other…

"Er… why does that look like Yugi?" Ron asked, perplexed and dropping the eye, leaning forwards for a better look. Harry swallowed, thinking that wasn't the only person they looked like.

"Do you reckon Atem knows?" Harry asked instead. Hermione bit her lip, nodding.

"It would make sense. After all, the acknowledgements thank the Ishtar Clan for their help in the research-"

"What are you doing?" a cold voice suddenly cut through them and Harry, Ron and Hermione simultaneously jumped, turning to look into narrowed red eyes. The baritone voice would almost get them mistaken for Atem, except he was lacking the soft accent that the other boy had, and he was still dressed in Yugi's clothes. Harry narrowed his eyes, jumping to his feet and grabbing his wand.

"You!" he half-shouted, half a dozen curses at the ready. "What have you done with Yugi?"

"Nothing," the demon or ghost snapped, anger clouding his voice. Hermione had flinched, quickly dropping the book in her hand as if she had just been burnt. Ron had jumped up to join Harry, face pale. It appeared they both believed him now. "What are you doing going through Yugi's things?"

"We're trying to stop you from hurting him," Harry spat back, narrowing his eyes. The demon half-snarled and was it him or were the shadows in the room suddenly thicker than before?

"And that deserves disturbing his privacy?" it growled. It paused a moment, hands curled into fists, shaking, then shook its head.

"No, Yugi!" Harry shouted, feeling his heart plummet. "You have to fight him!"

"Fight him!" Harry jumped as Yugi's voice erupted from the body in front of them, eyes back to their usual violet. However, where they were usually bright and happy, Harry thought he could see tears shining in them. "You don't understand anything! He'd never harm me! But you…" Yugi frowned, somehow equally angry with them. "Why?" he half cried, shaking.

"Yugi…" Hermione started and then shook her head, coming to stand herself. "We're really sorry, we were just concerned. I know we should have asked but, we've dealt with possession before-"

"I'm not possessed!" Yugi shouted. Harry stepped back, surprised. It seemed like Yugi did know about the demon and in fact endorsed it. "I thought Kaiba told you that already!"

"What, your 'duelling personality'?" Harry asked derisively, but he was beginning to think Hermione was right. They really ought to have waited, or one of them should have been watching the map far more closely. Yugi was silent for a long moment before closing his eyes.

"Fine," he muttered and suddenly they were faced with those hard, red eyes once more. The change was so fast it was enough to give one whiplash.

"That is enough," the demon stated, sounding far calmer than before, his tone commanding. He took a step forwards and they scuttled backwards, Harry still with his wand raised. However, he wasn't sure he would be able to fight him- after all, the Death Eaters hadn't stood a chance. "You had no right to go through Yugi's property without his permission and he certainly has no obligation to tell you of our situation. I have been merciful because you are children. Should you have done the same in my day, you would no longer have the hands with which to steal from another." Those red eyes were pointedly looking at the eye which had rolled to a stop next to Yugi's suitcase. "But, no longer. You are old enough to know better." Harry flinched as the demon took another step, feeling about an inch tall as this being, shorter still than he was, dressed him down like he was some naughty toddler caught with their hand in the cookie jar. It bent down and swept the eye up, placing it back into the bag along with the books and pushed them into the suitcase. He then snapped his fingers and there was a crack as Dobby appeared.

"Yes, Mr Spirit, sir?" the house elf squeaked, taking no notice of Harry for once. The demon- or spirit as Dobby had called him- gave no clue as to whether he was bothered by this address. Instead he gestured to Yugi's things, suddenly packed up neatly. Yugi had never been one to spread his things across the dorm and Ron hadn't removed the clothes when looking through the suitcase. It occurred to Harry that the bag they had found was most likely packed inside when they came to Hogwarts as he didn't remember seeing it before, hidden from prying eyes.

"Would you please take this to the Palace Dorm for Yugi?" the demon asked, anger disguised behind cold politeness. "We will notify the Headmaster of our leaving." Dobby nodded, glanced behind to spot them cowering away but, strangely, said nothing, simply disappearing with another crack along with Yugi's things. The red eyes turned back to them, narrowed. "Take this advice. Do not start digging through others' things. You do not know what it is you are trying to involve yourself in and the forces of Isfet are not as merciful as I." With that last, cryptic command, the demon turned and was gone.

It took Harry several moments to realise he was shaking.

Kaiba huffed in frustration as ink splattered across the parchment, annoyed by this archaic way of imparting information. Essays were nothing new- his reports for Kaiba Corporation were harder- but Snape had tracked him to down to state that several of the teachers refused to accept his carefully typed homework and that all assignments ought to be handed in on parchment. They somehow thought it gave him some unfair advantage. Snape had said nothing of himself but McGonnagal was one of the traditionalists and was still annoyed he turned up to what lessons he liked.

It irked him that they were stuck in the 19th century still.

Mokuba always enjoyed the owls though, so he continued to put up with it. And it gave him plenty of time to ensure his cousin wasn't up to anything stupid since he had to put the computer aside for a while to concentrate on writing things out. Out of pure spite, he refused to write in English, instead in kanji and handed them in like that just as Atem and Akhefia did with hieratic. McGonnagal's face had been entertaining and he had cut her off from arguing by pointing out that she wanted him to write in his third language. No need to mention that his family, before the accident that had stolen their birth parents, had spoken a combination of Japanese and Arabic, leading to English- the language he used primarily for business or in duels- falling down the list of languages he had a grasp of. Atem seemed to find it amusing- Akhefia gave an innocent expression, much like his frequent potion explosions, stating that he 'really wasn't very good at translation charms, wasn't that a shame?'. She was left with either accepting it or causing controversy by calling them out. A controversy she didn't need considering the political state and media at the moment.

Kaiba scowled as there was a loud CRACK, the tiny house elf that cleaned their dorms and left him coffee every morning before breakfast appeared along with what looked like Mutou's things. Atem glanced up from his corner, his shai infused with one of Snape's many useful potions, his nose having been stuck in some book or other. Neither Akhefia or Marik were in the Palace dorm- Kaiba had no interest in what the kleptomaniac and the insane Tomb Keeper were up to, although he gathered that it had something to do with their continued campaign to ferret out the extremists in Slytherin.

"What happened?" Atem asked quietly as Kaiba muttered small curses, flicking his wand over the parchment and banishing the ink splatters his involuntary flinch had caused when the elf appeared. There was little difference between it and the sound of a gunshot after all.

"Mr Spirit told Dobby to bring Mr Yugi's things here. He caught Harry Potter and his friends going through Mr Yugi's things!" the elf squeaked. Well, that explained the new door that they had been greeted with earlier, as the dorm extended itself to accommodate another member. It made Kaiba wonder though- 'Yami' would no doubt be pissed that those insipid teenagers had stuck their noses where they didn't belong. Whether the runt had decided to get involved would be interesting or if he had simply hidden behind the Spirit's back once again. Atem, however, was looking less than forgiving.

"Did they give a reason?" he asked sharply, book set to one side for now. Dobby shook his head, ridiculous ears flapping, eyes wide.

"Dobby didn't hear a reason, sir!" he stated, frightened. A shadow flickered in the corner and Atem seemed to swallow whatever he was about to say. That or blood.

"I'm going to bed," Atem said, leaving the elf to his own devices suddenly. He looked pale and ill, more so than usual these days. "Mahad," he said, addressing the constant presence of the Magician in the room, "keep an eye on Yugi and the Pharaoh, won't you?" Mahad nodded, face solemn and concerned. The door shut behind him with a loud click and Kaiba decided to turn in now too. No point wasting more time on these ridiculous essays.

Who cared about the applications of messaging charms and the Floo Network when one had a phone?

He checked his laptop one more time before bed, noting several emails from contractors- one of which belonging to an idiot trying to embezzle money off of him-, one from Roland and another from Mokuba. He opened the email from Roland first. It told him nothing new. The strange company, Paradium, that was owned by Dartz was still trying to buy stock and being turned away. Their reasonings were pathetic- clearly, the supposed Atlantean had never come across a competent businessman and his lackeys were far from moguls in the industry. Mokuba's email actually brought a smile to his face. His brother was doing well and excited for the end of term when Kaiba would be on the first flight back home. There was no way he was spending longer than needs be in this place.

Well, no longer than to ensure that Atem would be fine over the holidays.

It irritated him that he couldn't shake off the care that usually only applied to Mokuba, but by now he had come to terms with it. It was one thing to know that someone was gravely ill- another to watch it happen in front of your eyes. Even Kaiba wasn't so heartless as to be unaffected by watching Atem's health decline at a rapid pace. Mokuba's excitement to learn that they had family that hadn't abandoned them (he may have neglected to tell him the part where he had so callously turned Atem away all those years ago) had been tempered by the news that he had been forced to give after the Pharaoh's brush with Gurimo. Whatever that magic had been, it disagreed with their cousin more than the presence of the Spirit itself.

Kaiba almost jumped back up when his head hit something hard under his pillow, cursing thoroughly in both Japanese and the rarely used Arabic. He didn't notice that a few words of a different language left his mouth. Shoving the pillow out of the way, he froze at the feeling of gold against his fingertips. There, sat underneath his pillow as if he had set it there himself, was the glimmering form of the Millennium Rod, Sennen Eye winking in the half light through the curtains.

It is time Set, whispered the voice that had been following him since they had arrived in this place. I'm sorry, but the Serpent King's plots now reach too far. You must claim the Rod once more. Glowing next to the Rod was the Blue Eyes White Dragon.

I cannot tell you how satisfying it was to write Atem just needling Umbridge for half this chapter. The fact that Umbridge quite readily joins the Death Eaters during the Seventh book points to her having the same ideals as them, along with her ruthless attack on all the Muggle-borns. This is a person that Atem would not put up with, Double that with the fact that during the Fifth book she is convinced that she has absolute power over everyone and everything, simply because she supports Fudge. But now, without the general support of the populace and Malfoy neatly tucked away in jail, she doesn't have that kind of leverage and is only now just realising it. Fudge without Malfoy is a boat adrift- it's hinted that he is heavily relying on Malfoy throughout the entire Fifth book so I may have been cackling internally while writing this the whole time.

Speaking of consequences, hello Harry and your entitlement. You have now found out why you should keep your nose out of other people's business. Sometimes, it bites back. Now, I won't entirely blame Harry. After his experiences with Quirrell and fake Moody in previous years, the idea of a person residing in someone's head and taking over the body is probably rather alarming to him. That Harry and his friends actually encouraged Quirrell in the first book probably left a mark on him, that he was so betrayed by someone he trusted and thought needed the help. And so, Harry's hero complex finally puts him in a situation that he can't defend. And we will be discussing this in the next chapter, considering Dumbledore likes to soften the sentences of his favourites (I'm looking at you Sirius and the attempted murder of Snape. Also does Lupin know that he did that or is everyone keeping it as a dirty secret? It's never really made clear) and Yami is most certainly not going to let him get away with that. Neither him, nor Harry, are going to get off easy.

So, hopefully this was a pleasant surprise and that the wait wasn't too long or horrendous. I'm doing better and soon this behemouth that I have been working on for two years will finally be written up and done. I shall see you all on 26th and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter!

Fireking492: I can sympathise with coursework getting in the way of things XD And wow, 3 at one time... I used to do that and now I try to focus on just one because I would always lose where I was. But I'm also not good at sticking to that. But good to know that you're still enjoying this! Hope you enjoy this chapter too!

Az-Bebere: Well, I believed I answered your question in this chapter but yes, their meeting place was another bad idea on Hermione's part. Honestly, how hard was it to cast a silencing charm or just sitting away from the door and disguising your discussion with the sounds of the pub for someone like her? Hermione seems to make a lot of weirdly bad decisions for her character in the fifth book. Hope you liked this chapter too!

Maatkare of Egypt: I'm glad someone's enjoying the complexity because my brain surely wasn't XD! But, sorted that out now so we shall see how well I can finish this because it's only going to get more so in the future. Also, hope you enjoyed this update!

Lillie Schumacher: Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy it!