Gotc: So…..happy…

Ace: An hour after her last post ten people favorited this story. And someone else reviewed.

Gotc: People…read…..

Ace: It's going to take a while for her to be able to form complete sentences….a very long while. So while the whale rattles off the disclaimer, I'm going to the store for party favors. Have fun.

Squeaky: Squeak! (Don't forget the little wienies! And no ownage here, 'cept Ace. But you knew that.)

Gotc: Viewers…..happy…..

Ace: Yes, good for you. Now go lie down before you hurt yourself. Viewers, get to reading and have fun and all that. Oh by the way: /yugi to yami/, (bakura to yami bakura).

Harry Potter and the Order of the Rising Dragon

CHAPTER 2: Of Owls and Letters

"So, let me get this straight." Ace was bent over the two would-be thieves, tearing long strips from their clothes to make quick and efficient bindings in case either of the two decided to wake up. He was confident the both of them would sleep well through the night and into the next day when someone would find them, but he didn't care to take chances. He had also intended to dispose of those wands of theirs, given how much trouble they seemed to be, but the wizened old man who'd decided to keep him in incredibly odd company had rather politely taken charge of them before he could protest. Not that he didn't have enough to worry about as he launched into quite possibly one of the oddest explanations of his profession Ace had heard in his life. "You run a school responsible for training young witches and wizards, but outside of this school, your students aren't allowed to use magic?"

"It is a precaution our Ministry has in place against our discovery by muggles," Dumbledore said politely and patiently as Ace mulled it over.

"And muggles are those who can't use magic, right?" Ace clarified, trying to keep the whole thing straight in his head.

"That is correct."

"I guess that makes sense, though I'm not sure what it says about your teaching methods if these two-" Ace gave the two unconscious bodies at his feet a prod with the toe of his shoe. "-were fully trained wizards."

That brought a knowing smile to the bearded face that watched him with unblinking attention. "As with most things in life, Mr. Cooper, some show for more promise than others. We do our best to give our students the foundations they'll need to continue to learn and grow, but some decide on other paths."

That he understood all too well and had no desire in the least to dwell on the unpleasant thoughts the notion conjured. "I'm going to assume you're alluding to this… Voldermort these two were talking about? I hope you don't expect me to think much of some magician who's scraping the bottom of your class rosters for help." Ace snorted derisively.

"He is far more than that, I'm afraid." Dumbledore shook his head gravely. "He is a Dark Wizard responsible for the deaths of hundreds of wizards and muggles over the years. Our world still bears the scars, and grudges, from his last rise to power. Many old families within our communities were divided, disgraced, and some outright destroyed thanks to his machinations." The heavy sigh made the old man sound every bit his age, as new lines seemed to appear on his face in the poor light of the museum hall. " It was thanks to no small amount of hubris on his part, and luck on the rest of the wizarding community's, that he attacked one family in particular almost 15 years ago and perished in the attempt. Though both James and Lily Potter were killed in the attack, their son Harry managed to survive."

Ace couldn't help the way the muscles in his jaw tightened of their own volition. "And now you want me to believe he's back from the grave?" Ace summed up.

"My colleagues-" Ace noticed how the word was strained. "-thought him dead and gone. Those of us who knew the Dark Lord better have operated these past 15 years under the assumption he was merely biding his time and recovering the strength he lost."

"Alright, so he's not dead-dead. How do you know he's alive, and this trash isn't just a bunch of fanatics trying to use a name for some clout on the street?"

"Voldermort's survived more or less as a spirit," Dumbledore explained, "Through his existing network of followers he managed to linger. This summer he finally managed to obtain a new body, which was witnessed by Potter."

Great. Wizards, undead spirits, and a fanatical cult. It made a strange amount of sense the two foiled thieves had been after an artifact from a point in time that so neatly mimicked this one. "So why exactly bring me in on this mess? Why not alert your wizarding community?" Ace asked, "I'm fairly certain they won't be too happy you've told me so much after they've tried to keep this whole magic thing under wraps."

"I doubt there's much I can do these days that will upset them any more than I already have," Dumbledore let out a sigh that was obviously the culmination of several long weeks attempting to do that very thing. "Unfortunately, Lord Voldermort has his connections within our Ministry and they've worked hard to discredit our claims. They don't want to believe he is back."

"You still haven't answered my question." Ace pointed out firmly, not wanting to dance around the topic any longer. It was only a matter of time before the watch came through and if this was nothing but a dream, he wanted to wake up and be long gone before then.

Dumbledore gave him a wry smile. "Like you said, our Ministry does not allow underage wizards to use any magic outside of Hogwarts. And lately they've attempted to further extend their reach within the confines of the school. Given the serious nature of the threat raised against the world our students will inherit, I feel they should learn a different form of self-defense. One our Ministry can't regulate."

That brought a full laugh bubbling up out of Ace's chest as he followed the Headmaster's line of reasoning. "You're a bit of a trouble-maker for an old man!" Ace laughed enjoying the joke and savoring the chance to be the literal punchline. "Alright. I'll help you tweak the beancounters' noses, especially if it means I'll have the chance to meet whatever idiot thought these two rats were going to be enough to make off with an Egyptian exhibit."

Ace picked up the last traces of his work off the floor and made his way to the neatest stairwell, not wanting to press his luck any further in case the authorities were on their way. A quick glance over his shoulder showed Dumbledore soundlessly trailing behind him, slowly shaking his head at the folly of being eager to meet a man few dared even name.

"With all due respect, I don't believe they were expecting you, Mr. Cooper."

Ace snorted and only cast a knowing smirk back across one shoulder. "I appreciate the confidence, but I only spared them a bit of sanity. Those artifacts didn't need my protection."

Dumbledore paused for a moment, unable to ignore the creeping chill that felt all too much like the low exhale of breath against the back of his neck. Against his better judgement, he paused briefly in the light of the stairwell and looked back into the exhibit in time to see the darkness shift and move in a way that had absolutely nothing to do with the light. Ace only waited patiently with a knowing smirk, as Dumbledore blinked once then slowly turned away and followed him up the stairs.

"So, it's all agreed then?" Dumbledore asked adjusting his glasses as he and Ace broke out onto the roof. The night air was stifling, but it was certainly welcome after the unnatural chill of the exhibit that felt so much like the tomb it resembled. "I'll have to do a bit of paperwork to ensure you have the proper documents, and I'll also arrange transport to bring you to the school at the start of the term-"

"I'll manage on my own, so long as you can provide me with whatever orientation packet you need to make up." Ace said waving his hand dismissively. "I have a few loose ends on my end I need to see to anyway and it'll be cutting it close."

"Are you quite certain?" Came the concerned, but no less expected reply. "Normal forms of muggle transportation are disabled by several charms surrounding the school…"

Ace grinned and stuffed both hands into his pockets with a shrug. "Leave me my secrets, will you? If I'm not there at the start of your term, you can send whatever brute squad you like to fetch me."

It only took a moment of silence for the Headmaster to decide he wasn't going to get anything more out of his newest recruit and gave a curt bow to Ace, then straightened his spectacles on his nose. It was better to not push his luck too far. The man had taken the news a lot better than he'd expected, given most muggles would have been needing therapy after learning there was a whole other world hiding just under their noses. Much less that their existence was being threatened by a Dark Wizard bent on wiping out any of non-magical blood. Ace had taken it all in stride, and then some. Just thinking about those shifting shadows in the rooms below them seemed to make the night around them just a little more ominous. Dumbledore shook his head first to banish the thought, then shook Ace's hand lightly, with a warm smile. He'd had stranger allies in the past. Now he had one wall up against the Ministry.

"Then I shall see you at the start of the term, Professor." Dumbledore dismissed himself with a light chuckle before Disapparating with a 'crack'. Suddenly alone on the rooftop with the streets of London below him, Ace stared for a few seconds longer at the spot where the old headmaster had stood moments before and shook his head with a weary sigh. What an interesting night this had turned out to be. He looked up at the clear evening sky above him wondering what stars had aligned to bring about such tangled events, when the light reflected off a single topaz eye tucked in the darkest corner of the roof.

"And what was all that about?" A deep voice rumbled like falling gravel. Ace didn't even turn from his spot looking up at the stars with thoughtful concern.

"A very interesting job offer." Ace said mumbling more to himself than to the darkness around him. "I think it's time we have ourselves a little fun, my friend."

Half-way across the globe, dawn was breaking over the horizon at the Muto residence. A coffee-pot stirred to life, rousing Solomon Muto from his sleep with its promise of hot caffeine. However, it's tantalizing sound and smell had yet to work its way to the second floor of the shop owner's home, where the fabled King of Games was turning restlessly in his sleep.

He tossed back and forth, with the sheets clutched tight in his fists. Light groans escaped his lips, as his face contorted in unison with his dream….

He'd been here before. He knew he had. Alabaster, smooth under his fingers save where brightly colorful hieroglyphics had been chiseled deep into the stone. The smell of hot stone and sand overwhelmed all else, as the heat it bought soaked into his skin. It was all far too familiar. Too detailed to be deja-vu, to precise to be a figment of his imagination. He let his feet carry him through the scrambled maze of stone, all the while unable to escape the haunting voice cackling in his ear-

Yugi's amethyst eyes flared open, as he sat upright with a start. His normally spiky tri-colored hair was limp and drenched with cold sweat. He rubbed a hand over his face, trying to calm his breathing. It had been the same dream now every night for a month…well, not him exactly…Yami had been having the same dream every night for a month, and it was strong enough that it was bleeding through their link.

/Yawn…Yami? You awake yet?/

/Yes Aibou, I'm awake./ Yugi couldn't help but notice the exhaustion in his darker half's voice. The Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle may not have had a body of his own, but after a month of dreams keeping either of them from getting any kind of meaningful rest, both Spirit and Host were beginning to fatigue.

/That dream's been keeping you up, Yami./ It wasn't so much a question it was Yugi giving voice to the obvious. It had been almost exciting the first few nights, like the Puzzle was teasing them with the barest glimpses of what its many doors could be hiding. But as nights continued to wear on with no hints or clues how to take the next step, they were helpless to do anything but sit and wait for the next clue to appear.

A beat later, the Pharaoh himself appeared alongside his lighter half, examining Yugi with some concern. /And you as well it seems./ Yugi yawned and gave him a nod, making room for the Pharaoh to find a seat for himself amidst the mess of sheets.

/It's been a month and we still don't have any idea why we've been having this same dream…/ Yugi sighed, slowly stretching his limbs that were still stiff with sleep. Both hands scrubbed at his face in a vain hope to erase the fatigue that was sticking to him like a second skin these days.

/I am sorry, Aibou. The Puzzle has been more active ever since Dartz attacked us. I'm doing what I can to reign it in, but it's still rather unpredictable./ Yami admitted. Yugi could tell without even looking at the Pharaoh that the Spirit disliked having so much out of his control. None of the other Item Bearers seemed to have the same difficulty he did when it came to wielding their Millennium Items. Then again, none of them were working without the handicap of a missing identity either.

/Don't worry about it, Pharaoh!/ Yugi swung his legs over the side of the bed and turned a wide smile on his other half. It wouldn't do either of them any good to start brooding on what they couldn't change. /We'll figure it out! We've made it this far, haven't we? What are a couple of dreams compared to everything we've done so far?/

That seemed to do the trick. The Pharaoh couldn't help but meet Yugi's enthusiasm with a small smile of his own. The dreams were worrying but until the moment came where they revealed heir true nature, there was no point in borrowing trouble. Yugi relaxed feeling the Pharaoh's tension ebb out of their link, before he turned to get dressed to the day and froze as two beady eyes watched him from the foot of his bed.

/Ummm….Yami?/ Yugi rubbed at his eyes again, wondering if he was still half asleep, only to find nothing had changed. /I think the lack of sleep is starting to get to me, because I'm almost certain there's an owl in my room./

Yami frowned and turned a confused eye toward the foot of Yugi's bed. Rather than discover evidence of his host's sleep deprivation, a small tawny owl sat lightly perched on the footboard blinking slowly at the both of them. Now Yami rubbed his eyes as best as a spirit could, and opened them again. The little owl was still there, this time letting out a small trilling hoot as it hopped forward with a thick letter clutched in one set of its talons. Both Host and Spirit sat perfectly still for another few seconds, before Yami managed to collect himself first.

/Yugi. I think it's for you./

Yugi rolled his eyes, rather than giving his observant partner a sarcastic reply, and reached out to take the letter from the owl. It gave a little hoot as he took it, obediently holding out the foot that clutched the letter until its recipient had it firmly in hand. Yugi couldn't help but be a bit shocked to see the bird act so tame, especially when it turned those large eyes on him and looked expectantly up at Yugi. He blinked once and looked dumbfounded at the little bird who stared unblinkingly at him.

/I think it's hungry Aibou./ Yami pointed out.

Yugi looked around his room for something to give to the bird. He thought for a moment about going downstairs to scrounge up something but decided that he'd rather not deal with questions as to why he was bringing breakfast to an owl. His eyes fell on the remains on an old sandwich, so he broke off a corner of the stale bread and offered it to the owl. The bird gave nothing shy of an appreciative little hoot before pecking at the stale crust, and in no time at all had devoured the whole thing, save for the few crumbs that it was steadily finishing up.

/Look at how the letter's been addressed…/ Yami pointed out with surprise.

Yugi looked at the fat letter in his hand and turned it over. The parchment crinkled in his hand as he peered at the delicate lettering on the front:

Mister Yugi Muto

The Kame Game Shop

Upstairs Bedroom

Domino City

Japan

Yugi reread the address a few more times, still not convinced he wasn't having another dream. A realistic one for sure, but it wouldn't have been the strangest thing to have happened to him. When a few more seconds ticked past, he looked the entire letter over again just to make sure he'd read it all correctly.

/How'd they know where I live?/ Yugi shook his head in amazement.

/Everyone knows where the King of Games lives Aibou./

/Yeah, but it's even listed my bedroom too! Weird./ Yugi flipped the letter over and pealed open the wax seal. He pulled out several sheets of parchment and read the first one with an upturned eyebrow as elegant lettering met his eyes.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

Dear Mister Muto,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Due to your age you will be starting in your fifth year here at Hogwarts. Due to your distance from the King's Cross station in London, transportation will be arranged to transport you to lodgings in the London area one week before the start of the term.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your reply by owl no later than 31 July

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

"Is this a joke?" Yugi asked looking at the owl still waiting patiently on his foot board.

The only reply he received was an indifferent hoot, as the little owl continued to watch the spiky-haired teen with interest. The little bird took off and lighted on a little desktop calendar and pecked at the wax bindings. Yugi glanced at the date and saw it was July 31st. He looked at Yami, as if searching for answers only for both of them to stand in dumbfounded shock.

/A reply by today? What is all this? I've never even heard of this school! And I certainly never applied to it! And it's talking about making arrangements for us to go to London! Surely they have the wrong person, though I'm not sure I want to know who gets school invitations by owl…/

/I don't believe this is a joke, Yugi. It would be strangely elaborate, even for your friends. Not to mention the timing of all of this seems to be rather serendipitous given the events of the last few weeks. First Dartz, and now the Puzzle's odd behavior. Perhaps it was enough to draw attention to ourselves?/ Yami mused looking the owl in the eyes, while the little bird stared serenely back as if it could actually see him. /This creature is oddly intelligent, and I can feel something distinctly magical on it and your letter, though I'm at a loss to explain it./

/What should we do then? It's not like they've given us much time to really mull this over./

The Pharaoh was quiet for several long moments, eyes both sharply fixed on the present and distant as his mind wandered in search of what the future could hold. Yugi had become well acquainted with the look, though he was more used to seeing it in the midst of a difficult duel. No doubt the dreams that plagued them both were weighing heavily on the former king's mind, and even Yugi had to admit the timing of these strange events seemed too coincidental to not be connected somehow.

/I think… It wouldn't hurt to see exactly what these people have to offer./ His darker half said slowly, though there was iron in his voice that gave Yugi confidence. /At worst, it IS someone's poor idea of a joke. At best-/ It was an automatic reaction for the both of them to look at the gilded metal of Puzzle hanging around Yugi's neck. /-maybe we'll learn something more that will keep us on the right path./

"Well, we've certainly jumped headfirst into weirder things." Yugi sighed out loud with a weary shrug of his shoulders. He couldn't help but wonder if the bizarre twists fate had thrown at him ever since completing the Millennium Puzzle would ever cease to leave him suspended somewhere between shock and grudging acceptance over how strange his life had become. He tore a piece of paper from a discarded notebook and quickly scribbled an acceptance, along with a desire to receive a bit more information about this odd school he was supposedly going to attend. He figured it wouldn't hurt to ask at any rate.

"So do I tie this on or-" Yugi started turned and offered the paper, before the owl snatched the note out of his hand and was in the air with a flurry of wings and feathers before it slipped out his open window and vanished into the early morning sky, leaving both boy and Spirit to stare after it in near disbelief. Yugi managed to collect himself first, hearing the sounds of his grandfather starting his morning in the house below and gave his head a wistful shake as he got dressed.

"You think we were the only ones who got an owl?"

((YANDOUSHI! WAKE UP!))

The roar in his head woke Ryou out of a dead sleep. In a moment of panic, he sat straight up in bed and cracked his head on the low ceiling his bed was recessed into, nearly knocking him back into the embrace of sleep he'd vacated only a few seconds before. Instead, his momentum cut so abruptly short ended up knocking him out of bed in a tangle of sheets with a thump that rattled his entire body. It took a full minute to untangle himself from his sheets, and the irritating pain in his head wasn't helping much. Neither was the bruise.

((Yandoushi! Quit laying there being useless! There's a flying rat that just came through your window!)) Bakura was bellowing at full volume through their link.

(What are you shrieking about Bakura?!) It wasn't often Ryou found the courage to actually match the Spirit of the Ring in volume, but with the sudden rush of adrenaline fueled by the ache in his skull, on top of being woken from a pleasant night's sleep… (There's no such thing as flying rats, unless you're the one who summoned it!)

((Then what is that thing sitting on you ceiling fan?)) Bakura demanded, incorporeal hands nearly wrenching Ryou to a sitting position to force him to look up at the fuffled ball of feathers that sat perched on a slowly spinning blade of the ceiling fan. When neither occupant did more than stare incredulously at one another, the owl cocked it's head and gave an indignant little hoot as it dropped a thick letter squarely in Ryou's lap.

For once, even Bakura had nothing to say, as the two looked dumbfounded at the heavy parchment of the envelope. Living with the half-sane spirit inhabiting the several thousand year-old Millennium Item around his neck had desensitized Ryou to the weirdness that he seemed to attract. But this was so oddly… tame compared to the life-threatening, world-ending conflicts he found himself taking part in, that it went right off his usual chart used to gauge such things. He chanced a peek back up at the bird, and found it watching him with an unblinking stare that seemed far more intelligent than just some random bird off the street. He even had the distinct impression it was annoyed with him for not even looking at its delivery. Ryou swallowed back his concerns for the moment and turned back to the letter in his lap, running it over in his hands. Bakura settled next to him, staring hard at the parchment envelope.

((I can feel the magic in this.)) Came the gruff assessment from the intangible spirit next to him. ((Someone is trying to get our attention.))

(You're not kidding! Look at the address! It's even listen my room! Has someone been watching us or-)

((If they have, they've managed to get around several of my own personal traps to do it.)) Bakura cut him off before Ryou could descend any further down that line of thought. He wasn't sure it was any more comforting to know his spirit had hidden assuredly nasty surprises for any possible spy, but there was little he could do about that. ((No, there's nothing dangerous about this from what I can tell. It's nothing like the magic the Items possess, but I don't sense any malicious intent in it either. I think it was just meant to ensure you received it.))

(You think?!)

((Just open it.))

Ryou sighed but his years with the Spirit of the Ring had at least taught him that his other half never carelessly put him in harm's way. Their relationship could best be described as two cats who only just tolerated the other's presence, but Bakura had told Ryou more than once that it was too much of a pain to toss him aside and find a new host when he'd already been broken in. It was as close to affection as the Spirit got, and Ryou decided useful was better than nothing. He cautiously opened the letter and, when no cosmic force obliterated him on the spot, scanned it once then again just to make sure he wasn't suffering any ill-effects from his bump on the head.

(I think…I'm going to call Yugi.)

((And for once, I don't think I'm going to complain.))

"ISHIZU!" The sandstone and alabaster walls could have been handcrafted to carry Malik's voice though the tunnels of the ancient tomb.

A whirling ball of tawny feathers came shooting out of one room, trilling like mad and leaving a wake of errant feathers behind it as it flew out into the hall as fast as its wings would carry it. Only a second behind it, Malik came barreling out waving the Millennium Rod in the air, his face a furious shade of red. Ishizu burst into the hall in panic, as the owl flew straight into her arms, hooting in terror.

"Malik!" She chided him, trying to get a firm hold on both the flapping bird and her galloping heart, "What did you do to this poor thing?!"

"I didn't do a thing!" Malik bellowed, lunging for the owl with the knife point of the Rod, "That thing got into my room, and dropped a bomb on the Rod!"

Ishizu deftly stepped out of the way of her brother's wild swing, and he ran smack into Odion who had stepped out into the hall to see what all the commotion had been about. She gently stroked the top of the owl's head with two fingers, as it gave a small, contented hoot from the safety of her hand.

"Malik, now how pray tell did an owl get into your room in the first place?" She said trying to bring some sanity back to this bizarre situation, "As we live several feet underground, I'm sure it didn't just fly down here."

"Maybe it came in through the air vents!" Malik protested, untangling himself from Odion, "But that thing just came in and crapped right on the Rod! As far as I'm concerned, it's about to be served with a side of buffalo sauce!"

"So you mean to tell me this bird flew all the way here just to relieve itself on your Item?" Ishizu said rolling her eyes, "And what were you doing up so late anyway?"

"Finishing some translations," Malik admitted, though his glare never quite left the little bird now preening itself in his sister's hands, "You know that stuff they dug up from that new tomb two years ago? I think it must be in a different dialect, or something. It's being really stubborn to make heads or tails out of it. There's one phrase that keeps being repeated over and over, but I was right in the middle of it when I looked up that bird was sitting on the Rod and just went everywhere! That thing's lucky the scans we received were laminated!"

"It appears to have been carrying a letter of some kind," Odion poked his head out of Malik's room, and waved a hand back down the hall.

Malik looked back and sure enough, there was a heavy parchment letter laying on the dusty floor amidst the remains of the chaos from the minutes before. He cast another hateful glare at the owl, before reaching down to pick up the letter. An odd look passed over his face as he looked at the front of it, then broke the seal and pulled out the letter.

"Well?" Ishizu asked when Malik was silent for several long moments without saying a word.

"It says I've been invited to some school for magic users." Malik said slowly, before looking up at his sister with a victorious glint in his eyes, "And you thought it didn't fly down here for no reason."

Seto was sound asleep, for once enjoying a morning where he wasn't being bombarded with staff meetings or stupid questions from inept employees. It was a rare chance to simply relax after the headache-inducing fiasco that resulted in the latest shipment of modifications for the new duel disk prototypes had seemed to vanish off the face of the Earth. It had taken over a week to get straightened out, and even then the parts were going to be delayed by almost a month. The break was welcome, even if it would end the minute he finally decided to pull himself out of bed.

Which meant he was going to savor this moment for as long as it lasted. The comfort of his pillow taking the weight of his head and shoulders, the warms that crept through each limb, and most of all, the silence that surrounded him like a blanket was absolute heaven. But if this was heaven… since when did it have owls?

Gotc: Ok, I know I skimped on some char's reactions to their letters, but it'll all even out I swear! And I hope that I got the letter format right…

Ace: Wow….you're putting words together into an actual sentences.

Gotc: Yep, and that's all possible because my jaw isn't broken like yours.

Ace: My jaw isn't…..GET AWAY FROM ME WITH THAT BAT!

Gotc: Please review everyone and give me your opinion while I go and break Ace's face! Catch ya next time!

-10 yr Update-

Jebus. Didn't think I'd double the page length, but there you go. Brought some things a little more in line with the overall arc the plot is going to take and added some new little bits in there for you long-time readers to find! Overall, much happier with this now!