Gotc: Well, I was happy enough after that last chappie to launch right into the next!

Ace: Wahoo….

Gotc: Knock it off and get your butt in gear. This is your debut chapter!

Ace: Wasn't that like twenty chapters ago?

Gotc: Eh, you've been sparatic throughout this whole thing, so this is really the first chapter you have a big part in!

Ace: Whatever. Start the fic so we can get this nightmare over with.

Gotc: Like you have anything else better to do. Squeaky!

Squeaky: Squeak! (This'll be good..No stealing.)

Gotc: Yep! Enjoy the plot bunny I have planned! Oh, and I think the song for this chapter would have to be Get Off of My Back by Bryan Adams.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Rising Dragon

CHAPTER 22: Survival of the Fittest

"What's wrong Pharaoh?" A jeering voice came from somewhere above him, "I didn't think you liked sand that much."

Yami struggled to lift his head, now very much aware of his body's protests against movement. The golden sand was hot against his skin, and the sun above was burning even hotter. Sweat rolled off of him in torrents, and rather than helping him cool off, it only served to give the fine grit something more to stick to. His arms quaked dangerously beneath him, threatening to give out at any moment, even as a pair of sandals crossed into his limited field of vision.

"How sad…" The man before him scoffed disappointedly, "I thought the Pharaoh was supposed to be the Earth-born son of Ra himself? Certainly it couldn't be that easy to beat a god?"

"I'm no god," Yami growled, forcing himself back onto his feet, a golden blade clutched tightly in one hand, "But when I'm done with you, I'd stake my soul you'll be praying to one!"

Yugi woke the next morning to the fading echo of clashing metal and Harry's voice as the young wizard tried to shake him awake.

"Yugi! Hey wake up!" Harry's voice called, bringing him back to the waking world.

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to adjust to the morning light pouring into the dormitory. He felt his forehead was bathed in cold sweat, which was a stark contrast from the blazing sands of Egypt he'd felt only moments before. No, not him; Yami. That dream had been far too real to have been just the random cobbled movie his subconscious was supposed to put together in his sleep. He had felt the sand and the sun. He had heard that man so clearly, he was almost certain he could pick out his voice from a crowd if he ever heard it again.

To make matters worse, Yami had fallen back into his "recluse mode"; locking himself away in his soul room and blocking himself off from Yugi. It was something Yugi understood, years of struggling to remember even the tiniest bit of his past life and now frustrating, unhelpful glimpses were popping up left and right. He needed time to sort things out, but in the interim it left Yugi feeling hollow and lost himself.

"You alright Yugi?" Harry asked, the concern in his voice a pleasant chance from the suspicion of the night before.

"Yeah," Yugi said, a bit unconvincingly, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a…a strange dream."

"Well after Umbridge last night it's no wonder," Harry said jokingly, "She's enough to give anyone nightmares."

Even Yugi had to laugh at that, at least until he remembered that his punishment with the Ministry witch was far from over. Looking around at the rest of the room, he realized the rest of the dormitory was empty, including Ryou's bed. Stealing a quick glance at the clock, Yugi saw it was halfway through breakfast, and he was going to be late for his first class.

"Where'd Ryou and Ron head off to so early?" Yugi asked Harry after quickly getting dressed and hurrying down to breakfast.

"Homework I'd imagine," Harry sighed, "You had a stroke of luck getting Ancient Runes instead of Divination. At least you halfway know what you're doing in there. I think Professor Trewlney's tower's up too high and there's not enough oxygen getting to her brain."

"She's that bad huh?"

"I got used to her predicting my death every other day after my third year."

"Ouch."

"Hey, speaking of" Harry said, "You don't think there's any chance I could use that dream of yours do you? Trewlney's making us keep a diary of them, but to be honest I've been so tired that if I'm having dreams I think I'm sleeping right through them."

Yugi swallowed hard, and tried to think of something to tell Harry. He really didn't want to lie to him, especially after they had just earned back his trust. But what would he say: "Well, it's not really my dream either. The Spirit who lives inside of my head is having flashbacks from his past life and I'm just enjoying the show."

"It wasn't anything too great," Yugi said, "I was dueling. I guess it's been awhile since I've had a good match."

It wasn't a complete lie. It had been a duel of sorts, just with a sword instead of cards. But Harry seemed to buy it. Mentally, Yugi let out a sigh of relief, but made a note to talk to Ryou and Malik the first chance he had. Bakura's words still haunted him, and if these memory flashes were the early signs of millennia old magic beginning to deteriorate, then they needed to find a way to stop it and fast.

Unfortunatly, Yugi didn't get the chance. Most of the day rushed by in such a blur, that Yugi stopped trying to remember what time it was and where he had to be and just followed the crowd of his fellow classmates to and from each class. Their teachers had all decided that two days was more than enough time to get settled in and had started class the instant the last student stepped through the door.

By the time his detention with Umbridge came around, his homework load had doubled without any hope of finishing any of it that evening. Yugi also suspected that Umbridge had cast some kind of spell to re-coat her entire room with a thin film of dust as he and Ryou once again set off cleaning her thousands of baubles and knickknacks. Once or twice he thought about saying something to his friend, but with Yami brooding alone his ability to actually 'talk' with Ryou would have been limited at best. And there was no way that he would ever dream of risking open conversation with Umbridge watching them like a hawk.

He tried one last time after they'd finished their nightly prison sentence, motioning for Ryou to drop back a little from Harry as they headed back to the Gryffindor Common Room. But just as he was about to say something, they unexpectedly ran into Ron wandering the empty halls. Groaning inwardly, Yugi gave up trying to talk to Ryou for the day and wearily trudged back to the Tower, lost in his own thoughts.

It was with mixed feelings when Yugi awoke the following morning after an uneventful night. He'd been so tired when he did make it to bed, there hadn't been another dream. Not that he would have remembered it; he wasn't even how he'd made it to bed. A messy stack of scrawled parchment sat next to his bed, assuring him he'd done something that could be considered homework before hitting the pillow, although it probably wasn't anything near acceptable. He did find Yami's soul room door cracked open ever so slightly, but decided not to disturb the Pharaoh just yet. Yami had just as much on his mind as Yugi did and troubling each other with one another's problems wouldn't be good for either of them.

One thought did break through the muddled haze that had settled around his mind. Today was Thursday, and that meant they'd have their first lesson with Professor Cooper today. He wasn't entirely sure why he was so anxious to meet the non-magical professor, but the thought was enough to help him through an exceptionally long class with the Potions Master.

After a quick lunch, the Gryffindors headed outside to where they'd all been told to meet for class. It was a wide open area, with a decent view of the groundskeeper's hut on one side, and the Quiditch pitch on the other. Yugi could even see the Forbidden Forest off in the distance, the daylight seeming to vanish the closer it drew to the massive trees. A shiver ran down his spine as he turned away from the trees, not entirely convinced that there wasn't something watching them from behind the tangled branches. The only thing missing now, was their professor.

Students began to quietly talk amongst their selves, no one in any real hurry to begin the lesson, so Yugi seized the opportunity to talk to Ryou. The white-haired teen seemed a little surprised when Yugi pulled him aside, but this was something that couldn't wait any longer.

"What is i-"

"Yami had another dream." Yugi said quietly, cutting his friend off.

"What?" Ryou said, shocked, "When?"

"Night before last," Yugi said glancing about to make sure they weren't being overheard, "They're just so random though, I can't tell if they have any connection to one another."

"What does Yami think?"

/I have no idea./ The deep voice startling Yugi after not hearing it all day, /The flashes come and go so quickly. Like I'm only seeing or hearing just small parts of a conversation. And there's always someone else there with me, but I haven't been able to see his face!/

Yugi and Ryou both winced at the frustration in Yami's voice, but before they were able to reply, Professor Cooper's voice boomed across the open field.

"Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen!" His voice carried with astonishing strength, as he strode through the throng of students.

"Good afternoon, Professor Cooper," They droned back, earning a peculiar look from the muggle.

"Ok," He said wrinkling his nose slightly, "First off, don't make this sound like I've got you in some kind of prison camp alright? Second, drop the 'Professor' bit. Nothing I'm going to teach you came from a book, so I'd rather not have the label. The name's Ace, use it at your own discretion."

Small murmurs of confusion and shock rippled through the class. They had all been expecting….well, no one was quite sure what to have expected, but Ace's comment had been something far different that what they normally heard from one of their professors. But before they could process that thought, Ace plowed on ahead as if he didn't notice their reactions.

"Alright, I know you kids have heard this same speech over and over again this week, and personally I'm rather tired of giving it, so I'll keep this brief," He said folding both arms across his chest, "As I'm sure you're all aware of by now, I am not a wizard. I can't use magic, nor would I ever want to. That being said, that does not make you or anyone else who can, superior to me. That's because, outside these stone walls, out in the real world, neither can you."

No one said a word this time. Whether they had thought about it before or not, Ace had made a very good point. Until they became of age in another year, perhaps two, magic beyond the school grounds was forbidden, which effectively placed them on the same playing field as the muggles.

"That is why after today, you will not bring your wands to this class," Ace said in a tone that very clearly meant there would be no arguing on the subject, "You will learn what I have to show you that same way I did, no magic and no shortcuts."

"Professor," Hermione said, her hand going up into the air, "I mean, Ace, we've already been told by our other Defense Against the Dark Art's teacher that we won't be practicing any magic in her class, now here? If you don't mind me asking, how exactly are we going to learn?"

A thin smile spread across Ace's face that was quickly replaced by a serious look that commanded the respect and attention of the entire class.

"For that last four years of your school careers, you've been taught to defend yourself against hostile, or dark magic," He asked in a way that was more a statement than anything else, "Or most of you anyway."

"Well, yeah," Harry said, "This class is 'Defense against the Dark Arts'."

"Alright," Ace said, nodding his head, "Then who can tell me what exactly are these 'Dark Arts'?"

Hermione was the first with her hand in the air, and Ace silently gestured for her to share what she had to say with the rest of the group.

"The Dark Arts refer to any act of magic performed with the intent to harm another individual," She said quickly, "Curses, hexes, and the Unforgivables are the most widely recognized. Some of the earliest dark magic recorded started as far back as Ancient Egypt."

Ace nodded thoughtfully, but still said nothing as he took the few steps that separated him from the rest of the class, now seeming to tower over everyone. His eyes wandered over every student before him, looking them over with a quiet assessment. Yugi felt like those eyes might have well been looking straight through him. But he wasn't the only one watching and listening to their new professor. Yami had appeared without announcement next to him, and even Bakura seemed to have taken a break from his normal banter with the former king to observe this man.

"Five points to Gryfindor," He finally said aloud, "But I'm afraid you are a bit off base with your answer."

Hermione looked up at Ace with an air of complete disbelief. As did the rest of the class. No one could remember one time when the clever red-head had ever once been told she was wrong. By anybody. Hermione lapsed into an embarrassed silence, trying very hard not to meet the astonished stares of the rest of her classmates.

"It's by no fault of your own Miss Granger," Ace said reassuringly, "It's simply what you've been taught. The first part of your answer had some truth to it: Magic cast to harm another person. But does that make you all Dark Wizards then?"

"Of course not!" Someone shouted in an offended defense, "We're not Death Eaters!"

"Are you so sure?" Ace asked callously, "Does your magic come from a different source than theirs? Do you use any different spells than they do?"

"They use the Unforgivables!" Neville cried out in anger, "They torture people simply for the fun of it!"

"If I'm not mistaken," Ace said quietly, "The Aurors of your world were granted permission to use those same spells against the Death Eaters not very long ago."

The uproar of insult suddenly died away into silence once again, as the second of Ace's points hit home with a stunning revelation.

"Is that all that divides you from the Death Eaters?" Ace asked simply, "Permission? Who is to decide who shall be condemned for their actions and who shall be heralded as a hero for theirs? I ask you this, because up until now, you have known the line between who is good and who is evil to be black and white, rather than the many shades of grey that lie in between. What we consider to be 'Dark' more often than not is misunderstood, and what truly is to be feared we turn a blind eye to."

Ace removed his jacket and set it gently onto the ground, but it wasn't until he stood back up that the dozens of scars criss-crossing both arms were made visible to the entire class. He held up one arm, boasting what would have been a serious gash running the length of his forearm to the students.

"Because it is not alway so easy to tell who is good and who is 'evil', this is the first lesson I give you for this class; know your enemy." He said tracing the paled line of the scar with his other hand, "Every scar you see here is a reminder for me, a mistake I've made. I over-estimated my own abilities, let down my guard and paid for it. It's a fault no one is above, but one I will nonetheless try to beat out of you."

Ace dropped his arms, and clasped them firmly behind his back, looking more like royalty than the rough and tough fighter most of the world portrayed him to be. Yugi felt a strange tug pull at him from the back of his mind, but it wasn't coming from Yami. Then again, maybe both of them were feeling it, but unable to place the bizarre sensation.

"While the world isn't divided into good and evil, don't be naïve enough to believe that you could defend, or even fight back against someone set on doing you harm. That's why I'm going to make sure you're ready should that day ever come. My job here isn't to teach you how to fight," Ace said, his voice raising ever so slightly, "My job isn't to give you bits and pieces of odd information that you will never use again in your life. It's my job to teach you the skills you will need outside the walls of this castle, not cute spells, but things that will keep you alive. Because it's my job, to teach you how to survive."

With that, Ace dropped back a few paces and crouched ever so slightly into a fighting stance, beckoning to Dean Thomas standing in the first row of students. Dean looked around confused at what the professor was asking him to do, but took a few uneasy steps forward from the protection of the rest of the group.

"Well?" Ace said impatiently, "Don't just stand there! Draw your wand, or put up your fists!"

"Y-you want be to fight you?" Dean asked incredulously, and looked absolutely shocked when Ace nodded, "Why!? Attacking a teacher is forbidden!"

"I need to know just how competent you are in defending yourself and engaging an enemy," Ace said easily, "If you still have problems with attacking a teacher, I could always attack you first…"

Dean stood uncertain for another moment, before he pulled his wand from underneath his sleeve and carefully aimed it at Ace, cast a quick jinx. Ace rolled his eyes, merely leaning to one side enough for the spell to soar harmlessly past his head. Seeing this Dean raised his wand a second time, casting his next spell with more confidence in his voice. But even so, the hex came nowhere near hitting the professor. Now frustrated, Dean shouted another spell, but this time, Ace charged him halfway through. He lashed out in one fluid motion, knocking the wand from Dean's hand and causing him to fall onto his back.

"Your eyes give away your every move, I could tell right where your spell was going to be even before you used it. " Ace said quickly, before motioning for the next student to step forward, "You."

Seamus was the next to step up, but didn't go for his wand. Instead he lunged at Ace, swinging a fist at his midsection. Ace was ready for that too, grabbing the top of Seamus's arm, and forcing him to the ground before he could make contact.

"You leave yourself unprotected when you swing like that!" Ace chided him, as the next person stood up for their chance at him.

One by one, the scene played out a little differently, but always ended with the same results. Both Ron and Harry ended up face-down in the grass after a failed attempt to petrify their professor before he could get within striking distance, and Hermione found herself knocked on her backside, with her wand twirling uselessly between Ace's fingers.

The group yet to test themselves against Ace was dwindling away to nothing, but Ryou and Yugi were still nervously awaiting their turn. Yugi had little doubt in his mind that they would fare far worse against Ace than the rest of their classmates had, since they hardly knew any magic at all. Well, that wasn't entirely true, but given the recent circumstances surrounding the odd professor, they didn't know any magic they could use around him. Yugi was so deep in thought, that when he heard Yami's voice echo in his mind, it startled him.

/I want to fight him./ Yami said without preamble.

/You do?/ Yugi asked, a little nonplussed by the sudden declaration, /Not to be rude or anything, but why?/

/Truthfully Aibou…I don't know. But it's a feeling gnawing away at me until I feel hollow for turning away from the opportunity./

((You too then, eh Pharaoh?)) Bakura chimed in, not looking away from Ace, ((I was wanting a piece of him myself, but as much as I hate to admit it, I don't think either one of us stand a chance against him alone.))

Yami looked at the former Tomb Robber and raised and amused eyebrow. Never, ever in his life had he once even imagined the Thief asking for help, even though it was in a bit of a roundabout way. But of all the people he could ask?

((Don't read too much into it Pharaoh!)) Bakura snapped back, guessing at Yami's thoughts, ((I'd rather ask your friend the Mutt than you for help, but since it would be asinine to reveal myself to anyone else here, I'm stuck with you.))

/Am I to assume you have a plan of attack then?/ Yami asked.

((Yeah. Cooper's been taking everyone on one at a time, focusing solely on whoever he's up against at the moment. It's the same way at those tournaments he's so famous for too. If you can distract him long enough, I should be able to catch him off-guard when he's not paying attention.))

/Which effectively makes me bait./

((In a way, but face it Pharaoh; out of the both of us, I'm the stealthier. My specialty is in sneak attacks. You do better with a forward approach.))

/Let's say I agree to this. How long would you need?/

((At the rate these fools are dropping out there? I doubt either of us would be able to last 30 seconds. Are you in or not?))

Yami looked up and out to where Ace was standing. Suddenly, there was no more time to contemplate this. They were the last ones, and he was waiting. He glanced at Yugi one last time, his lighter half giving him a nod of encouragement before he let Yami take control of his body. Next to him Bakura did the same, his eyes searching the former king for an answer.

"Let's go."

Yami caught the briefest glimpses of a sly grin on the Thief's face, before he steppedforward for his turn against Ace. Without thinking, Yami crouched into a defensive position a few yards away from his professor, but unlike his classmates made no move to attack. After a moment, Ace cocked his head at him, a look of amusement plain on his face.

"Is there a problem?" He called.

"I'm just following the lesson," Yami shot back, "You told us we should know our enemy, and not over-estimate our own abilities. It would seem attacking first would only be ignoring that."

"So it would seem," Ace said, with a hint of a chuckle in his voice, "Then the first move is mine."

For some reason, Yami had been expecting a bit more of a delay in the time it would have taken Ace to cross the open ground separating them. In what seemed like a second flat, Ace's shoulder was only a breath away from embedding itself in his chest. With no time to think, Yami let his instincts take hold instead. He rocked over to one side, the blow meant to disarm and knock him to the ground missing by mere millimeters, and retaliated with a punch of his own.

Ace dodged the blow just as quickly, but it forced him to back away, giving Yami considerably more breathing room than he had before. It didn't last long, before Ace was charging him yet again, this time with far more vigor behind his attack. Yami literally had to dive out of the way to avoid it and rolled up onto his feet, only to find Cooper hot on his heels. Knowing he'd be unable to rally against him in time, or dodge the next assault, Yami spun on his heels and caught the punch aimed at his midsection with one hand. The force of it caused him to lose his footing, but wasn't enough to knock him off of his feet either. Before Ace could strike again, Yami copied the professor, lashing out with his free hand, only for it to be stopped in a similar manner. Straining to break the deadlock in his favor, Yami pushed back with every ounce of strength he possessed, but it wasn't quite enough. But he could have sworn he saw a flash of white hair rush up just over Ace's shoulder…

"You're….good…" Yami grunted, his arms starting to shake from the effort.

"You're not bad…yourself. But I have…some bad news for you…"Ace acknowledged, a smirk forming on his face to Yami's horror, "I'm better."

Yami felt himself suddenly lurch forward, as Ace broke the stalemate. As he floundered to catch himself, he felt Ace's hand at the back of his neck, pulling him roughly forward. It wasn't until it was too late, he saw Bakura going in for his attack, and unable to get out of the way fast enough as Ace threw Yami into him. The collision made him see stars, as he bounced off of Bakura and dropped to the ground. He could hear the Thief's dazed groan, as Ace walked over and knelt next to Yami's now aching head.

"You confronted me, while he went in for a kidney strike. A notable tactic of an assassin if I'm not mistaken, and a clever plan," Ace said, "You did well for your first lesson, but you need to learn the first rule: always be aware of your surroundings."

Yami glared up at Ace, as he gave him a clap on the shoulder before getting back to his feet and walked back towards the rest of the class. Yami only wanted to lay in the grass, but his pride wouldn't let him and he struggled to stand back up when he heard Bakura next to him.

"The next chance we get…" The Tomb Robber growled, "I'm sending him to the Shadow Realm for a lesson in 'surroundings' he'll never forget… I don't care what he knows about us..."

Yami could only shake his head and help the Thief back to his feet, and rejoin the rest of their weary classmates.

Gotc: Yay! I finally got to do this chapter! And with more Ace! Well, I'm sleepy and going to bed, but remember to review for me and if you have a song you think would fit this chapter better than the one I picked, slap it in there and I'll take a listen to it! Oh! And keep an eye out for my next chappie…..it's gonna be a doozie…..