I have been itching to upload this chapter all week, despite the message in the last chapter. I suddenly found inspiration (and my anxiety medication) and am now in the middle of writing Chapter 26. We will be keeping to weekly updates however, because we are exercising self restraint, and the need to update my other story plans XD

Hope you enjoy! And hold onto your hats folks, it's going to be a bumpy ride, we have found the Yugioh Season 4 plot!

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

Yugi stared out of the plane window, white clouds passing mere feet from his nose on the other side of the glass. Kaiba had allowed for them to take a private jet to America to meet with Professor Hawkins, staying behind to keep an eye on Atem. Akhefia had stayed with them, along with Marik, leaving only Yugi and Ryou needing transportation.

"Are you alright?" Ryou asked quietly from across the table. He was shuffling tarot cards, having drawn and redrawn cards for the past half-hour. Yugi wasn't sure what he was reading, but from the faces his friend had been making, nothing good was coming of it.

And Ryou had always been scarily accurate in his tarot card readings.

"Well, Atem's dying, there's a new cult after the Puzzle and the Pharaoh and the school we were attending closed early because an angry ghost almost collapsed the place on top of our heads," he summed up dryly. "Just another Tuesday, right?" Ryou smiled, letting out a short laugh.

"Sounds about right," he murmured, glancing back down to the table. "Have you heard anything from them?" They had left the castle three days ago, two weeks early for the Christmas holidays, and spent two days in London waiting for a day when the weather would be right for them to fly. Apparently in England, the wrong kind of snow could cause flights to come to a standstill.

"Kaiba said he's awake," Yugi said grimly. "Nothing else. And Marik's been silent." It didn't bode well.

"But he's alive," Ryou pointed out. "That's good news."

"Alive, but in what shape?" Yugi asked. It was a question that had haunted him for hours. He and Professor Hawkins had spent the last couple of days trading emails, the man explaining he would be happy to study the necklace that Severus had had- Bill had explained that he wanted to keep Gurimo's one as far away from Yami just in case. So, their luggage contained a highly warded box ready to transport it back and one ghost.

"What are we talking about?" Nofret asked from her perch on the opposite table. She had spent most of the flight swinging her legs and staring out of the window in fascination. At first, she had asked Yami a thousand questions, the Pharaoh humouring her with what he knew and what Yugi could explain through the bond. Eventually they had fallen silent, neither Yugi nor Yami wanting to question why the girl had decided to tag along.

"Atem," Yami said quietly. "We want to help your brother as much as we can." The girl blinked, cocking her head. Yugi thought she might say something, but she shrugged instead.

"Ok," was all she said, returning to staring out at the clouds.

Is everything alright? Yugi asked through their mental link. You've been quiet since…

I'm fine Yami sent back, sending him a soft smile. Outside of Hogwarts, he had returned to looking like an older version of Yugi, despite the fact that he now knew that they were more or less the same age. That had hit hard, the thought occurring late one night and leaving him sleepless for days. You don't have to worry about me.

I'll worry anyway,Yugi said with a grin. It's part of being a family. Yami sent him a soft smile back, an echo of gratitude washing down their link. It wasn't every day that Yami got to feel like a normal person, let alone a teenager. That he acted far older than his age was either indicative of the years spent in the Puzzle or, more likely, a need to grow up quickly as Pharaoh.

He wondered if it was worth asking Nofret at what age Yami had taken the throne. He had then decided that he didn't want to know for his sanity.

"I wonder why the orichalcum has no interest in the Spirit of the Ring," Ryou wondered out loud and Yugi jumped. He blinked at his friend, who shrugged. "Well, if it affected Yami without his realisation, how do we know it hasn't affected him?"

"Have you been worrying about this since England?" Yugi asked. "Why didn't you say something?" Ryou flushed.

"I asked the cards first. All I keep getting is reversed cards. Especially the Sun, Moon and World." He looked troubled by that.

"What do they mean?" Yugi asked, curious. He had never really been interested in tarot, and apparently, they had yet to cover it in Divination according to Ryou at Hogwarts. From what he had heard of Professor Trewlany, it might not even be that helpful.

"Well, the Sun is a positive force, usually symbolising love, happiness and optimism. It has a variety of meanings but think of it as being 'the light of dawn' kind of hope. Reversed is the opposite, so blocked happiness, unrealistic beliefs or difficulties with positivity in your life. Essentially negativity, depression and sadness depending on what you are reading at the most basic level."

"That doesn't sound good," Yugi murmured. Ryou nodded before continuing.

"Then we have the Moon. It usually represents the unconscious mind. It deals with illusions, uncertainty and complexity."

"So reversed is somehow worse?" Yugi asked. Ryou paused and gave a soft smile.

"Tarot never speaks of 'worst' situations. It's supposed to help you move forward or look at a problem a different way. The Moon reversed is supposedly worse, but in the way that it represents anxiety, fear or misunderstanding. Coupled with the reversed Sun, it might mean that we are misunderstanding the reason behind someone's unhappiness or their beliefs. Or why their beliefs are unrealistic."

"You've been reading Raphael," Yugi noted pensively. Ryou smiled.

"Sometimes. It's odd that even when I do a reading about him or someone else, I still get the same three cards. For him, Dartz and the Spirit of the Ring."

"Weird," Yugi commented. "So what about the World card?"

"That's the weird one. So the World usually symbolises balance or fulfilment. It's generally a really positive card with the Sun, but reversed it can mean a sense of incompleteness or absence of closure. Life in unbalanced if the World is reversed." Here Ryou frowned, glancing down at the deck. "But I can't figure out how that would apply to any of the people I've done readings about."

"So we have Negativity, Misunderstanding and Incompleteness," Yugi mused. "And no idea what that might mean for all three of them?"

"Well, the Spirit is probably the easiest. We know he had unfinished business with the Pharaoh, so that's probably his cause. What might be relevant to Raphael or Dartz, I don't know," Ryou said. Yugi shrugged.

"Maybe Atlantis might be the answer for Dartz?" he suggested. "If he really is from that period, the loss of closure might be grief."

"Are you going to argue that the madman trying to capture yours and the Pharaoh's soul is sad?" Ryou asked with a raised eyebrow. Yugi laughed.

"It was a suggestion, not an answer," he said between giggles, "but it does sound like a bad answer when you put it like that." Ryou smiled and shook his head.

"Sometimes I worry that you're too optimistic Yugi," he said. "Even the cards say so!"

The rest of the flight passed quietly, as Ryou continued to read his cards and explaining each one to Yugi. Neither of them even thought of enacting a Duel Monsters match. The Spirit of the Ring might decide to add a little extra, which they did not need ten thousand feet in the air.

Yami watched as Yugi reunited with his friends, flown to America by the grace of Kaiba Mokuba, who had posited that Yugi should at least see his other friends in person. They were full of questions about his year so far, wanting to know what England and Scotland were like, what had happened and what the other two exchange students were like. Joey was especially interested after learning that one of them was related to Kaiba.

"What's he like?" Joey was asking, holding Yugi in a headlock. Nofret was somewhat alarmed by this gesture until Yami explained that it was the blonde's usual expression of affection. Yugi laughed at his friend's insistence.

"He's nice, really," he insisted, laughing at the suspicious look Joey had. "He and Kaiba are estranged anyway. I think it's been good for him, to reconnect to his birth family."

"I don't know," Joey muttered. "Moneybags is more likely thinking of ways to exploit him than looking out for him. You just said he had him doing Kaiba Corp work!"

"To keep him in bed!" Yugi pointed out. "And look how that turned out when we turned our backs!"

"How's Yami been taking things?" Tea asked, dragging Joey away by the ear. "You said in your last call that your Housemates thought he was a demon or something?"

"Major misunderstanding," Yugi explained with a grimace. "Apparently friends of theirs had been possessed in the past. We got it cleared up in the end." He left out the part where Harry had gone through his things. Yami smiled- even now, Yugi was able to forgive his friends for past transgressions. He wondered just how the other boy was able to do that.

"So, where are these ghosts you keep telling us about?" Tristan asked, looking around nervously. "They aren't going to jump out at us, are they?"

"Don't even think about it," Yami warned Nofret, watching the sly grin appear on her face. She pouted.

"Spoilsport," she muttered, poking her tongue out at him.

"Er… they're around," Ryou nervously laughed, scratching his face. "You, er, don't want to meet the elder of them though."

"She's not…" Yugi trailed off thinking. "Well, yeah, she is actually terrifying, but she hasn't tried anything. Nofret's around here somewhere though." Yami helpfully pointed to his side, where the Princess had been clinging to since they landed. She had been staring at their surroundings in some wonderment, jumping every time a car passed at first. Eventually she had taken to hiding behind him, peeking out at them just in case.

He had the feeling, if he had a cape, she'd be hiding under that as well.

"Don't tell them where I am!" she protested. "That spoils the fun!"

"Sorry," Yami quipped with a grin. She elected to duck behind him again.

"Yugi?" Tea asked at her friend's suppressed grin.

"It's fine," Yugi assured her. "Nofret's here. She's hiding behind Yami." Tea blinked as Joey raised his eyebrows. Tristan glanced about as if they might appear.

"Traitor!" Nofret shouted from her hiding spot. From their jumps, she had made it so that everyone could hear.

"I take it that was her?" Tea asked, breaking into a smile. "What did she say?"

"Not sure," Yugi said with a shrug, following the line they were standing in finally to the front, waiting for a taxi to pull up. "I don't speak Akkadian."

"Akkadian? I thought that was just something from a movie?" Joey asked, letting out a shrill whistle and flagging down the approaching car. The driver gave him a grumpy look as Joey grinned, pretending to be innocent, babbling nonsense at him in Japanese. Yugi rolled his eyes in fondness at his antics.

"No, it's real," Yugi assured him, shoving his suitcase into the boot. He'd left the majority of the magical objects at Hogwarts, wanting to pack as little as possible. "It's an early Mesopotamian culture and language. I thought their Empire rose and fell about 500 years after Yami's rule, but apparently we were wrong."

"It had a resurgence," Nofret said offhandedly. "Are we really getting in this thing? What is it?"

"Yes. It's like a chariot, but pulled by lightening rather than horses," he explained. It was the closest he could come to explaining it himself- he wasn't particularly sure how cars worked even now. Yugi had tried to explain it but considering that Yami wasn't sure what half the words meant, he was still at something of a loss.

They squashed into the taxi, Tea rattling off the address they needed in her best English. The man seemed to brighten considerably at the thought of a long drive, and therefore a higher fare. Thankfully, Kaiba had promised to pay all expenses and had converted enough yen for a thousand dollars. Yugi's eyes had bugged out, stuttering that they really didn't need that much. Kaiba had given him a flat look.

"You have no idea how much they charge for a taxi," he'd deadpanned. "Take the money and let me know if you need more. If it might help Atem, there'e no such thing as too much." It had been oddly generous.

Yugi had taken the money silently after that, looking at the money as if it burned his skin.

Professor Hawkins main home, when not on research digs, was located out in the deserts of California. The desert here was… strange. Egypt, as far as Yami could recall, was desolate, the only vegetation found either on the banks of the Nile or in pocket oases along the caravan routes. Here, there was scrub, cacti, deep canyons of sandstone and wild animals that Yami had never seen. Then again, horses were not native to the Egyptian desert either and may a citizen had been alarmed by their arrival.

"This place is weird," Nofret chimed in. She had taken to sitting on Yugi's lap, Yami hovering among the suitcases in the back. Joey was up front with the driver and Yugi, Tea, Tristan and Ryou were squashed into the three seats at the back. If Yugi was discomfited by the ghost being there, he hadn't shown it. From the continued conversation, he probably didn't even know she was there.

"This is America. It's far across the sea from Egypt, further from Akkadia," he pointed out.

"Grandmother would hate it." From the wicked grin on her face, he decided that that was most likely a compliment. He had the vague sense that he didn't want to meet her grandmother, or if he had, it had been an unpleasant enough experience that he didn't wish to repeat it.

Eventually, the four friends ran out of things to catch up on, one by one dropping off. The cab driver glanced at them all, calculating. Yami had enough knowledge of cars to occasionally shove the stick that made the vehicle move faster to make the man more concerned about the road than any nefarious purpose he might have with his friends. If he caught a glimpse of red eyes and went pale, well, Hogwarts had taught him a lot.

They arrived at a white house, settled into a small, well-kept garden, a caravan attached to a car waiting to be used. A white horse was happily grazing at the scrub, a saddle secured safely to its back. The driver kept his wits about him enough to wake the others, and demand payment quickly. Yugi sleepily pulled out the required amount, by the raise of his eyebrows and inordinate large fare, and gratefully accepted his bag from Joey. They each turned towards the house which was oddly silent.

Yami noticed the broken tether on the horse before the others. He followed the trail to the indentation of the door, bent and cracked, the way the small side table inside had been knocked over, a feeling of dread welling up in the back of his mind. It was Joey who voiced what he had realised.

"Someone's kidnapped the Professor," he said grimly, brown eyes dark. Yugi had already picked up the glowing green stone set so carefully next to a letter.

"Yeah. They want Yami."

"I'll sit on you if you try and get out of bed," Akhefia growled, eyeing Atem fiercely from his perch on the end of said piece of furniture. Atem scowled but slumped back, tired even from the attempt to get out of bed. Kaiba barely glanced up from his conference call, sat with his back against the trunk of the tree that held up the majority of this little tent.

With the castle teetering on 'half ruined' by Haphiri, who had yet to return, the students had been sent home for Christmas early and those that couldn't had been set up in temporary, magically warmed, tents. The snow had fallen thick and fast, and so the teachers had made use of the edge of the Forbidden Forest, threatening worse than detention on any student stupid enough to wander off in the middle of Winter into the dark trees. This meant that the temporary Hospital Wing was also outside, with Atem and a young Slytherin who had been hit by rubble on the way out of Transfiguration being Madam Pomfrey's only patients. The boy had been reassured by both Marik and, oddly, Malfoy that things would be alright.

It had taken Atem three days to wake after Raphael's idiotic and near deadly attack. Haphiri was fuming somewhere but not willing to endanger Atem again by accidentally losing control. It had been Kheftan and Minister Hakmit that had insisted on his removal. Of course, Umbridge and Fudge tried to refute this but the mounting evidence that they were deep in someone else's pockets overrode this, meaning that they had little choice but to let the teacher go. He had been kept under secure guard in the Ministry, much good as that did, and news soon came that Malfoy Senior had had him released into his custody, no doubt on Dartz's orders.

Which meant that he was free to roam as he pleased.

Thankfully, the idiot hadn't attempted to return to Hogwarts. Kaiba might have eviscerated him if he tried, or Akhefia would have banished him to the Shadows if he got there fast enough. No one tried to stop their little guard detail anymore and McGonngal had been given a long talking to by Severus after her insistence that they ought to be in class had resulted in Atem slipping away. The woman had backed down quickly, looking rather guilty for her, admittedly unknowing, involvement in all this. It was nice that she treated them as normal students, however therein laid the problem. They weren't normal students and certainly hadn't come here to learn Latinised magic.

"You don't have to stand guard night and day Akhefia," Atem murmured, burrowing into the pillows. "You need sleep."

"Are you going to wander off if I let you out of my sight?" he snapped. It was unfair to blame Atem really: the Prince was largely independent and had quickly tired of being treated like an invalid by Akhnankhamun. Akhefia was usually not so mother-hen about his friend, letting him do as he wished. But this wasn't ordinary, with Atem's seventeenth birthday approaching in a future that would never come to be. This time, there would be no recovery from over-extending.

"If he tries, I'll sit on him," Kaiba snapped, switching between languages briefly. "I can deal with idiots just as well over there than here." Atem rolled his eyes, but the soft smile gave him away.

"I promise, I won't move. In fact, I could do with a nap." It was a ploy, Akhefia knew it was. If Atem was asleep, then Akhefia should also be safe to do so without having to admit that he was exhausted and not really able to focus all that well on the Shadows outside. Kaiba had summoned Mahad and Mana for safety for Atem, looking very much like he was resisting throttling the girl, and both were keeping guard outside the tent. It should be fine to sleep, but…

"Go to sleep, Akhefia," Marik whispered from behind and he jumped. He should have known the other boy was there, he always knew where people were at all times, it was his job after all, but he was just so tired…

"Do not let him out of bed," he growled, just so they were clear. And then allowed himself to fall into the adjacent bed and close his eyes. A small nap couldn't hurt.

He woke to the sound of Umbridge's smug voice outside the tent.

Severus stood silently in the snow next to his new master, orichalcum around his neck and cursing the fact that Haphiri hadn't managed to bring down the dungeons after all. Coupled with that, it was bloody freezing outside and they had been here for an hour now. Why the man next to him required him there over an hour earlier than anyone else, he wasn't sure.

"Raphael's role has been uncovered in the school," Dartz began, voice soft and lilting the Old English like a song. "I thank you for preventing his death. It was not his time." Severus inclined his head, feeling the man's mind brush up against his defences. He allowed only the most relevant information to slip through.

"Was there something you needed of me, my Lord?" Severus asked, answering in kind. The man's lips curved into a smile.

"Yes. Take this," Dartz said, holding out a Duel Monsters card. On it was the Seal he had seen several times over. Severus took it, fighting the revulsion and rising bile. He could feel the magic of it trailing faint creepers up his arms and into his magical core. "Those that come tonight are of no use to either myself or Lord Voldemort. He has agreed to donate them to a greater purpose. You will help me gather their souls." Clearly, the man thought that he was doing him a favour. Severus hid his shudder.

"Of course," he agreed, bowing his head. Dartz rested a finger on his chin, forcing him to look up.

"The Orichalcos requires you to show your true self. This little glamour is quite the piece of magic, but not convulsive with what I need." The man's eyes were glittering in the dim light, assessing. Severus could see as his eyes lingered on each place he had layered magic, to keep the secret that had laid within the Prince line for generations. His mother had called in a surprise. His father had instantly gotten himself drunk and never once sobered up until his death.

His grandmother had said the truth of it had driven him mad. Severus had spent the rest of the night in a haze of drunkeness and self-loathing.

"If that is what you need," Severus forced out, hating each word. It had been over thirty years since his mother instated the glamour, twenty since he had had to start maintaining it himself. He honestly could no longer remember what he looked like without it. Dartz made a gesture, a clear sign for him to get on with it.

It was like shaking off a second skin and he fought the urge to be sick. Dartz looked entirely too satisfied.

"I see why you hid this from Dumbledore," the man mused, circling him almost like a vulture. "Yes, it has been near a millennium since I saw one of you last. Such a shame she must be wiped out along with the rest of the undesired. She does make quite interesting specimens." Severus swallowed bile, swallowed the self-loathing and urge to look for something reflective. He tightened his mental defences, his own mind recoiling from the sinister whisper coming from Dartz.

Slowly, one by one, the Death Eaters arrived. Most were from the outer circle, those who knew next to nothing about their plans and were recruited for missions to be thrown away. A couple were in the inner circle, Yaxley and Dolohov being the most prominent. But for the most part, he knew none of them. Only time would tell if this made it easier or worse, if some of these were poor fools recruited from the old ranks, who had been seduced by sweet words and empty promises or if they had a much darker side. Dartz welcomed them all, a sane and affable presence to the Dark Lord's growing madness. Some of them glanced in his direction, none recognising him. Not even Dolohov, who had his face scrunched up, as if trying to place his face.

Severus glared at him directly.

"Welcome," Dartz started, spreading his arms wide. "You have come here for a great purpose. Soon, I will reveal it to you. In the meantime, I would hear what you have to report to your Master." There was some muttering among them. Mostly fools, Severus thought dully, his stomach dropping. This will be a restless night. "Severus, if you would give yours first?" There were a few starts of surprise, Dolohov's eyes widening and mouth dropping open in shock. He nodded, kneeling. So, this is why I am here. To get them to reveal their secrets, which he will decide to pass on when he wishes. And to ensnare me further.

"Dumbledore is distracted with the exchange students. Raphael's attack on the Prince of the Clans called down revenge by the ghost, the Priestess Enhaduanna, who almost destroyed Hogwarts in revenge. The children have been sent on break early, Potter has been extracted to the Order of the Phoenix for Christmas." Dartz nodded and soon, there was a steady stream of information coming in. Much of it was irrelevant. Some had been lobbying the Ministry for the scrapping of the Muggle-toleration laws, others had set up a petition for the freedom to educate Muggle-borns about the magical world and their beliefs.

Others clearly just wanted to return to their families for Yule.

Dolohov and Yaxley were more outspoken, speaking of the Muggle baiting and attacks they had undertaken, explaining that Malfoy was close to getting rid of the filthy investigators which was making their lives so difficult. It seemed that he was paying off certain Wizengamot members, or outright threatening others, to ensure he stayed out of Azkaban. It smacked of desperation and from the twitch of Dartz's lips, he agreed.

"I thank you for your efforts," he said blithely, dismissing them. They had approached as if he had been holding court and Severus filed that away. The man acted like a ruler, an ancient one at that. Perhaps the claim of being a king of Atlantis was not so fictitious after all. "And now, for your purpose here." He flicked out a hand and a glowing circle appeared underneath half of those around them. Feeling despicable, Severus copied the movement, channelling his magic through the card rather than his wand or hands.

He waited until he had returned to his temporary chambers to throw up and crawl into bed, hurling the necklace as far away from him as he could get. He didn't forget to reapply the glamour before falling into slumber, however. He would never again be the cause of someone's insanity.

Bill was convinced that Umbridge had a death wish. She had apparently decided that now was the time to make the case against Haphiri, despite the immediate outcry and subsequent sacking of the Professor making the claims. Alyssa Smallwood looked about as irritated as he felt at having been dragged out of her place in the Department of Mysteries for this little inquiry as well.

"Please, explain this to me again, Miss Umbridge," his old friend asked, slightly exasperated. "Because I really cannot understand what the fuss is all about."

"As I said, this ghost attacked a Professor of the school and now, despite Mr Weasley's objections, has attacked a student as well," Umbridge simpered. Clearly, she had every intention of laying the blame of Raphael's attack on Haphiri, in some twisted effort to get him back into the school. "Not only that, but she has destroyed this ancient house of education. The Ministry is in need of your expertise to help drive out and exorcise this malevolent presence." Alyssa glanced between them; golden glasses perched on the tip of her nose so she could glance with both sights as she examined the castle.

"I see traces of orichalcum in the castle. Professor Snape's report also mentioned its use by this Raphael Schiavone," she said carefully. "And you say he was teaching students about the Shadow Era?"

"Yes, that is correct," Umbridge nodded, smile slipping only slightly. "And I am not sure what orichalcum is. A potion ingredient?"

"No, a corruptive magical essence that is banned under the Use of Dark Artefacts," Alyssa said matter-of-factly. Umbridge ground her teeth behind her smile. "And Mr Weasley was correct, she would not attack children and certainly not unprovoked. Tell me, what do you know of the Shadow Era Miss Umbridge?" Bill almost grinned at the continual refusal to use 'Professor'. It was clearly winding Umbridge up more.

"I'm afraid that my knowledge of the period is limited," Umbridge was forced to admit. Alyssa nodded.

"Then allow me to educate you. I am the only Unspeakable within the Ministry with experience studying and practising Shadow magic which originates from this period. I'm afraid the class notes that Mr Schiavone provided has several incorrect facts listed in them, including several missing Pharaoh both before and after that of the Nameless Pharaoh. While Queen Haphiri Enheduanna's life is shrouded in mystery due to incomplete information, I find it hard to believe that he had all the correct facts about her or her life either." She rattled this off in an even tone of voice, shoving her glasses back up her nose. "I would like to speak to all parties with knowledge of her habits in the afterlife before giving my full prognosis on this case." Umbridge nodded, looking irritated that her plan was backfiring.

"Mr Weasley, I believe you are not needed anymore-" she started but Alyssa waved her off.

"Mr Weasley will need to be in attendance as witness to assuage the Clans you plan nothing nefarious with their Prince. Two attacks, one of which by yourself, in this school will no doubt have made them wary of trusting the British Ministry," Alyssa stated. "I want it noted to them that I have no real involvement in this case." Bill nodded, silently letting her know he would pass it on.

Akhefia was asleep on the bed next to Atem, who also looked to be sleeping. Bill got the feeling that he was faking in an attempt to avoid talking with the Toad. Kaiba was still on his conference call but had moved to sit by his cousin's bed, in case he needed anything. Mahad had given Umbridge a suspicious look as they entered and Mana had followed them inside, a second witness to this event, just to be safe. Alyssa poked Akhefia, bypassing Atem entirely.

"Mr Kheti?" she asked softly. Akhefia woke with a start, eyes focusing immediately on Umbridge. "Mr Kheti?" she tried again. Lavender eyes turned to lock on her, eyebrow rising at the sight of the glasses and multicoloured irises behind them.

"You're Sighted," Akhefia commented with a blink. Alyssa smiled.

"Yes, Mr Kheti, I am. My name is Alyssa Smallwood, Unspeakable of Shadow Magic and all that entails, working within the Department of Mysteries within the British Ministry of Magic. I am here today to ask some question about one Raphael Schiavone. He is still pursuing a case against the ghost of Queen Haphiri Enheduanna, Priestess of Isis." Akhefia's other eyebrow joined the voice.

"He's… How stupid can you get?" he asked in a tone that wondered at the man's sanity. Alyssa just smiled politely. "Go ahead."

It was short in truth. Alyssa confirmed what they all knew except Umbridge. That the only truth in his convoluted and twisted history lessons was that Haphiri's knife had been the one to kill the Nameless Pharaoh. No one even knew if she had been holding it when it happened, not even the Tomb Keepers despite them denying it. Akhnankhamun and Kheftan were convinced she had; Bill was more on the fence. Her actions towards Atem were odd if she had, less so if she hadn't. If she had, he thought it was more likely to have been an accident or a request by the Nameless Pharaoh himself.

They concluded quickly, Alyssa waiting until they had left the tent to deliver her verdict, sparing a moment for a couple of quick words from Kaiba who that day had been there. Umbridge must have known it had failed even before Alyssa opened her mouth.

"As an Unspeakable with knowledge of the period and magic, I can conclusively say any actions undertaken by the ghost of Queen Haphiri, were entirely of Mr Schiavone's own doing. I will be speaking with my superiors about opening an investigation here regarding the use of orichalcum on school property." She paused, giving Umbridge a hard look. "I will also be recommending your removal, Miss Umbridge. Mr Kheti had some disturbing things to say regarding your… teaching style."

"Mr Kheti has not attended my classes since the beginning of the year," Umbridge snapped. "And I am the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic and High Inquisitor-!"

"As of this morning, the post of High Inquisitor has been abolished," Alyssa said pointedly. "I am sure an owl will arrive shortly with all details. The removal of teachers from school property was never within your power and you have spent much of your time actively obstructing the practise of magic for OWL and NEWT students. The Department of Education was horrified to hear that your students have only been learning theory in class."

"And how did the Department of Education learn that incorrect information? Have you all been taken in by Professor Dumbledore's lies? I will be informing the Minister-!"

"I believe the letter came from a Mr Malfoy," Alyssa cut her off. "Signed by several of his Housemates in all years. I will be certain to pass on to Lord Malfoy that you think his son was lying." Umbridge's face turned an odd puce colour. Bill couldn't help the snigger that passed his lips. Alyssa winked behind the Toad's back. "I will take my leave of you now," Alyssa said. "I have a report to write." With that, she turned and began heading to the apparition point. Umbridge scowled, puffing herself up.

"I will be writing to the Minister about this!" she shrieked. "I will be informing him about the unsavoury bias within the hallowed halls of Hogwarts!"

"What bias?" Bill asked with a knowing smirk. "Miss Smallwood was a Slytherin herself." He turned, ignoring her splutters behind him.

At least that had been somewhat satisfying, in the deluge of everything else that was going wrong.

I will apologise to now to anyone that reads tarot better than me. I am a beginner at it, and so don't have all the meanings/ sets/ potential readings and meanings down yet. It is, however, an interest of mine and since Ryou does have an Occult deck, I put in the tarot readings. It's also interesting from the point of view of the characters that the same outcome can be seen in three different people, but not know why that might be. Shout out to anyone that does!

Oh Yami, I gave you five minuets to act like a teenager again. Hold on to this moment, cherish it. It will not last. I can say that, since you can probably guess where this is going (kind of- if you do guess the whole of the next chapter, you get a virtual prize... We'll discuss what that will be at some point). Also, I love all of Yami's interactions with Nofret and may occasionally giggle or squeal out loud when imagining them interact with each other. And yes, Joey did make a reference to the Scorpion King.

So, Snape's scene... I will be honest, I have changed my mind a couple of times over what Snape would 'be' so to speak, but eventually settled on this, since I committed (unconsciously) to the Merlin References (spot Gaius!) so in it went. Also seeing him act as a spy is way more interesting than sitting from Harry's point of view where you only see one side of the story and here, he is currently juggling three Master's rather than just Dumbledore and Voldemort. Also, I do wonder in the show, how much the orichalcos stones affect the characters and what those who don't interact with them well feel- like there's a whole scene where Rex and Weevil get 'tested' by the stones, but no explanation of what happens if they fail. Or what it felt like for Yami to actually wear the darn thing (really, why did he even put it on? I seriously question the intelligence of these two sometimes. What possesses you to put on the rock that was in the possession of the crazy guy who just tried to kill you? Rant over. Mostly.) so I took artistic licence. Sorry Severus, I promise you were my favourite character! I just happen to accidentally torture my favourite characters too...

Umbridge is still a bitch, and a stupid bitch at that. Enough said. Alyssa has appeared in this story before if you look closely, just not named.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next update will be Friday 1st May!

Az-Bebere: Thank you, I am so glad I'm not the only one who questioned Dumbledore's handling of that! Yes, lets celebrate the agressors and gaslight the victim, great startegy. Anyway, thank you for your review, I see Ron really be under-represented in fanfiction (and the films) so I wanted to do him justice here, goofy but intelligent when he wants to be. As for the connection between Yugi, Yami and Atem, yes it does carry over somewhat to Ryou and Akhefia, and this will be explored towards the end of the story. It does differ in some key areas however. As for Raphael... ahahaha, he hasn't finished screwing up yet. As you can probably tell, I had to rewatch the whole preachy duel between him and Yami, then decided that I'm not going to subject people to that. He's an idiot, but he's an influenced idiot and we shall explore that, goddamnit, unlike the TV show! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!