Gotc: 0.o….ok…so I'm guessing you guys liked my last chappie…..

Ace: -sticks head out of piles of printed e-mails- What gave you that ridiculous idea?

Gotc: What a bright spot of sunshine you are. Anyhoo, I had to throw in a little bit of action in there, and sorry to those of you who were expecting for the gang to make their getaway on the Blue-Eyes Jet. Thought about it, but the gang had to make it to London somehow. 'Sides, had to do it without Kaiba throwing a magic-is-not-real fit.

Ace: You enjoy wrenching people out of their comfort zones don't you?

Gotc: Like I'm gonna do to you in a few chapters?

Ace: Yes….yes like that….

Gotc: Glad you see it my way. Now if we can move along….SQUEAKY!

Squeak: Squeak! (This is for all you people who enjoy wrenching beloved characters out of their comfort zones, which hopefully doesn't include J.K. Rowling or Takahashi. It does however include Gotc, which is why this fic exists.)

Gotc: Right indeed! ONWARD TO THE FIC! Oh, by the way, anything in another language will be underlined! Thank you and happy reading!

Harry Potter and the Order of the Rising Dragon

CHAPTER 7: The Journey of a Thousand Miles...

The Order had grown used to dealing with the erratic behavior of Voldermort's followers over the past few weeks. He was far from the height of power he had enjoyed so much all those years ago, but none of them had expected him to make such a sudden and decisive move in Domino. They hadn't expected the small game shop to have been burned to the ground upon their arrival to the well-known gaming town. They hadn't expected Dementors as well as Death Eaters prowling the streets looking for their prey. And when they finally managed to catch up to them, they found themselves heaving a great sigh of relief, because they certainly hadn't expected to find them alive.

Then again, as they found themselves all safely back at Number Twelve Grimwald Place, their new charges were anything but what they had been expecting. Bizarre hair styles stuck out in every which direction, gold jewelry, leather and long trench coats were the only observations that anyone could make out in the flurry of activity that carried over from the rooftop in Domino. Weary as the teens were, they were still struggling to resist any hand that reached out to help them. One lashed out viciously with a golden knife, slicing someone's hand, while the tall brunette all but tackled Sirius after he made the unfortunate mistake of grabbing hold of the younger Kaiba's arm.

Both groups were shouting and screaming at each other, some in English, some in Japanese, with a few choice words from the Egyptian language thrown in amongst the chaos. It seemed to take the teens a moment to realize they were no longer standing in the middle of a circle of Dementors on a skyscraper rooftop, but in the middle of a dusty old dining room amidst a rag-tag group of witches and wizards. Their eyes darted from face to face, while they crowded into one corner of the room to prevent anyone else to sneak up on them from behind. They spoke in low voices, muttering something in a mix of Japanese and Egyptian, but never once taking their gaze away from the wizards.

"I say we don't even give them the chance," Marik growled, tightening his grip on the Millennium Rod, "Send all of them to the Shadows now."

"Put a hold on the schizoid tendencies for a moment will you?" Kaiba snapped, "If they wanted to kill us, don't you think they would have done it by now?"

"Says the CEO who just broke that guy's ribs for touching his little brother," Marik retorted.

"I'm with Marik," Bakura hissed, "For all we know, these guys could be even worse than those hooded things-"

(Bakura! Shut up!)

The sudden command from his normally submissive hikari stunned the yami into a brief moment of silence.

((Yandoushi…)) Bakura growled dangerously, ((Since when do you think I take orders form you?))

(Since they started talking over there, Yugi is hurt, and you don't know how to speak English.) Came the tense reply, (Now give me back control, so I don't have to strain so hard to hear them.)

Bakura issued a deep growl from the back of his throat, before literally shoving his hikari back into control. The only indication of the switch, was the fleeting glow of the Ring and perhaps the hostility in the white-haired teens eyes lessening a fraction. Ryou cocked his head a little, straining to catch the words being formed by the muted voices.

"…remarkable they even managed to last so long."

"The short one doesn't look very well….Stunning charm maybe?"

"Hard to tell until we can get near him…Too bad McGonagall's not here. Don't really have her knack for languages…"

Only Marik recognized the switch right away, and was mildly shocked at the Tomb Robber's compliance to relinquish control so easily. Still, the look on Ryou's face was concentrated enough, it was hard to tell the difference between yami and hikari.

"You know what they're saying?" The Egyptian asked at last.

"Most of it." Ryou admitted, "My English is a little rusty, but they're worried about Yugi and they've mentioned that McGonagall person who spoke with us that day about the school. I don't think they're the same sort who attacked us back at Yugi's."

"Are you sure?" Kaiba asked, his cold blue eyes boring holes into Ryou for answers.

"Don't you speak English?" Ryou asked incredulously.

"Enough to get around, but not much more than that," The elder Kaiba snorted, as if the answer were obvious, "I usually hire a translator for everything else."

Ryou sighed deeply. He sincerely hoped there was some magical remedy for a language barrier, because he certainly didn't want to be playing liaison for the group, especially Kaiba, for too long. But right now, they needed answers, and Yugi needed help. He made a split-second decision and took a deep breath before addressing the wizards.

"My name is Ryou Bakura," He started, deciding his name was as good a place as any to begin, "These are my friends Malik Ishtar, Yugi Muto, and Seto and Mokuba Kaiba. I can speak some English and will translate for them, but first, please tell me: Where are we, and who are you?"

It took the better part of four hours for the two parties to at last spell out their respective tales. More than once, Ryou had to hear the same explanation over again in order to give an accurate translation, as questions were fired at him from both directions. He could feel his yami brooding in some dark corner of his mind, while still listening intently as the translation of the wizard's story rolled through his head.

A tense moment spread through the group, as a few of the wizards started to carry Yugi to one of the upstairs rooms. Another re-enactment of the Tower of Babel erupted in the room, and it took a good deal of persuading to convince the teens of their intentions.

"We're just going to take him someplace quiet, where he can rest and recover," A gaunt, grey haired wizard assured them, looking back and forth between Ryou and the others.

"And how do we know you aren't going to kill him as soon as he's out of sight?" Marik snapped, after Ryou explained.

"Because that's something you would do," Kaiba retorted under his breath, settling back into his chair at the table.

"We wouldn't have gone to the trouble of risking our own necks to save you," A wizard with an enchanted eye grumbled, not bothering to wait for Ryou's translation of their conversation, "if we were just going to kill you later. Not much sense in it, is there?"

Reluctantly, Marik sat down, and Ryou rubbed his aching head. He wished for a moment that they hadn't had quite so much experience with the dealings of dark plots and evil leaders. Maybe they wouldn't be so suspicious of people who only seemed like they were just trying to help.

((The day you look at every one as a friend instead of an enemy, is the day someone walks up behind you and stabs you in the heart.)) Bakura reminded his hikari.

(Thanks for the lovely image,) Ryou sighed, (But this isn't Ancient Egypt in case you hadn't noticed. Things aren't the same as they used to be.)

((Society as a whole maybe, but the people who make it up, never change.))

Much to Ryou's relief, a red-headed witch brought them each a glass filled with a strange silver liquid. It had no real taste to speak of, and was thicker going down than it had looked in the cup, but strangely enough after they had finished their cup's contents, each discovered that they could understand what was being said, before Ryou could translate. Somebody mumbled something about how difficult it had been to make a language draught on such short notice, but the conversation progressed much smoother now that everyone could add their insight to the story.

By the end, the teens had learned they were now sharing company with a small group of wizards that called themselves the "Order of the Phoenix", who were working against a dark wizard by the name of Voldermort (Ryou had to mentally kick Bakura for snickering every time someone flinched at the mention of the name.) This self-proclaimed dark lord had been the one who had sent the other wizards and hooded creatures they called, dementors after them. The members of the Order were all extremely eager to hear just how the teens had managed to evade so many Death Eaters for so long. The teens traded uneasy glances, not willing to divulge the secret of the Millennium Items or the nature of the power they wielded. They could feel the curious eyes of the Order members boring into them, especially the one named Moody, until Kaiba interrupted the growing tension in the room and got to his feet.

"Look, not that this isn't a fascinating conversation," He said in his patented business-like tone, pulling a yawning Mokuba close to his side, "but I'd rather get some sleep before I have to relive this nightmare for you."

"The dear boy's right," The same red-headed witch who had brought them the drinks agreed, "They all must be absolutely exhausted. You four hold on one moment, and I'll make sure your beds are ready."

Before anyone could object, she hurried from the dinning room and scurried up the stairs. The other witches and wizards that had been gathered around the table soon followed suit, getting up and stretching, heading off to the kitchen for something to eat, or politely excusing themselves to leave. There was no pretending that the boys weren't still the center of attention, but they knew any further conversation or speculation, would wait until they were safely out of earshot. There was a sudden commotion above their heads that sounded all too much like angry voices, but before any questions could be asked, the red-headed witch came back into the room and bustled them all up the stairs.

The upper floor was in almost as bad of shape as the dining room they had just spent the last few hours in. Dust and cobwebs were thick on the walls and trinkets lining various shelves spaced along the hall. There was some evidence of cleaning, but the dirt and grime had such a foothold that progress had obviously been slow going, and a huge black curtain seemed to emanate an aura of utter malice as they paseed. There were other doors along the hall, but they had all been shut tight, save one, which they were quickly ushered into. Marik thought he heard one of the doors open as they passed, but didn't dare turn around and give any indication he had heard.

There were two beds, one which was already occupied by a sleeping Yugi, two cots and a moth-eaten couch that had been covered with a clean sheet and pillows. There were several picture frames in the room, each with some witch or wizard peering at the teens who had just intruded in their corner of the world.

"I say!" One of them protested, "Such outlandish outfits! They're nearly as bad as that first one! Wizard blood has become thin indeed if that sort of thing is allowed at Hogwarts nowadays."

"Oh hush up already!" The witch snapped, flicking her wand at each frame, "They've been through enough already today. Now out with the lot of you!"

There was a great deal of protesting from the figures in the frames, as what looked like black paint poured over the canvas, blocking the out completely and left the room quiet. Marik flopped onto the vacant bed and kicked up a plume of dust, earning him a glare from Kaiba, as he laid his already sleeping brother onto the couch and tucked him in. Ryou settled himself into one of the cots, while the witch adjusted the heavy curtains to keep out the afternoon sun.

"There," She said satisfied, "I hope you'll be comfortable here for now. Term starts in a few days, so you won't be crowded for long. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. But do try and keep your voices down. There are some things in this house that aren't too thrilled with our being here."

"Things?" Ryou gulped, "What sort of things?"

"Oh don't you worry about it," She assured them, walking out the door and closing it behind her, "You just get some rest and we'll discuss things more when you've had some time to recuperate."

The three watched the closed door intently, until they could hear the softly retreating footsteps head back down the stairs to rejoin the others.

"Well," Marik sighed, "What do we do now?"

"What do you mean?" Kaiba asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ryou said, propping himself up on one elbow, "We can't tell them about how we escaped or they'll find out about the Millennium Items. And after everything they told us about those Dark Wizards…"

"…They may just lump us in with them," Marik summed up, "Or try to use the Items against this Voldermort guy."

"You don't want to take the guy on after what he just tried to do to us?" Kaiba scoffed, rolling into bed.

"Believe me Priest," Marik said, at last relinquishing control to Malik, "He's not about to get away with anything, but we've all seen what the Items can do to the inexperienced. Or perhaps you forgot about your little friend Pegasus."

Kaiba cast and angry glare in the Egyptain's direction. Of course he hadn't forgotten that lunatic, how could he after everything he had done to both his brother and himself? Pegasus had always been a few cards short of a full deck, but that Eye of his had seemed to push him off the deep end at last. He could see Ryou's point; they needed wizards like Pegasus like they needed holes in their heads. Which was probably the idea.

"So we lie then," Kaiba shrugged, "Or you do anyway. I still put you three in the same group as that nutcase Pegasus, and would rather not have anything to do with you if I can help it anyway."

"So that's why our paths keep crossing like this?" Malik snickered, "Because you're avoiding us? I'd try looking into a different tactic. Maybe you should talk to Yugi's little girlfriend-"

"Could we focus for a second?" Ryou sighed, "Or are we just going to stammer our way through our next Q&A session?"

"Fine," Malik conceded, "How about we say we were heading out to get something to eat, and were already out of the house when they came busting in. They blew the place up, and we figured if they were after us, then they may be after Kaiba too, so we ran to help him."

"Great plan," Kaiba snorted, "Then what happened to Yugi?"

"The shockwave made him hit his head when they blew up his house," Malik said after a moment of thinking, "He has enough hair that it would cover up any bump he might have."

"Is that really the best you can do?" Kaiba scoffed

"I don't hear you coming up with anything!"

"I was working late on a shipment deal for some new hologram components, when a couple of those Death Eaters came busting into my office," Kaiba said coolly, "One of them blew my desk in half, the other hit me with something in the gut. Mokuba hid under what was left, and when they got close enough and I hit them both over the head with one of the broken desk legs."

"That's your story?" Malik rolled his eyes, unimpressed, "They'll never believe that garbage!"

"It's not garbage," Kaiba said pulling the covers over himself, "That's what really happened before you showed up."

Malik opened his mouth to speak again, but Ryou cut him off.

"Look," He said wearily, "I think they'll believe anything at this point, and most of the story's true anyway. If they want to know anything else, just say it was too dark, or you just don't remember. We'll figure out the rest later."

Silence slowly spread through the room, as one by one, sleep finally claimed the three after their seemingly endless day. And each closed their eyes with the same feeling growing in the pit of their stomachs: They had only taken one step into this strange new world, and already they were in over their heads.

Gotc: Bleh. So I didn't much care for this chappie, but I had to introduce them into the Order….sorta. Introductions really happen next chappie, and then we can really get rolling! Hopefully I didn't botch this too bad, I know I switched P.O.V.'s on ya too, but I hope you were able to follow along with it all! Like I said, next chappie will be better! See ya all soon!