Gotc: Well hello there everyone!
Ace: Do they even remember who you are?
Gotc: Why wouldn't they-
Ace: It's been almost two years since your last update.
Gotc: It has no- Oh…so it has.
Ace: Have you not been paying attention to the pleading and, at times, threatening reviews?
Gotc: I though Squeaky was taking care of that.
Squeaky: Squeak. (Shhhh… Playing Minecraft.)
Gotc: Oh. Ok, well I have an excellent excuse for my absence. I've been in the thick of finishing the first novel of what I hope to be a three book series. Yes, Ace is in it. Except not quite as you might(or might not) know him. In fact…. If you're curious, the first few chapters are up over on FictionPress! Just look me up(same penname)! I'm always looking for feedback-
Ace: Can you say: "Shameless plug?"
Gotc: Oh shush. I just thought it might give people something else to read while I work on more chapters.
Ace: Or, and just follow me here, you could just write faster.
Gotc: Remind me to make your life miserable later-
Ace: Too late.
Gotc:…Because I think these good people have waited long enough for an update so… Squeaky-
Squeaky: *clickclickclickclickclick*
Gotc: Nevermind. I own nothing here folks…except Ace. But you knew that. Now get to reading and enjoy!
Harry Potter and the Order of the Rising Dragon
CHAPTER 30: Envy
To Bakura's credit, he waited until they were around the corner and well out of sight of any passer-bys before he tried to wring Yami's throat.
"What in Ra's bloody name were you thinking?" Bakura wanted to scream, but settled for seething the words through his teeth and tightening his grip on the King of Games' neck. "Just because these three know about us and the Items, you want to give the Toad a reason to start an inquisition on all of us?"
Yami tried to pull at Bakura's hand for a second, before he brought his knee into Bakura's gut to get the Thief King to release his grip and let air return to his lungs before he blacked out. Yami hit his knees as air flooded back into his body while Bakura doubled over for a minute. Harry, Ron and Hermione watched the exchange, not exactly wanting to get in the middle of their feud, but when Bakura lunged at Yami again, and the former Pharaoh reached for the magic of the Puzzle, it became clear someone else needed to step in.
"Ok, that's enough!" Harry stepped in front of the livid spirits, pulling his wand, "Killing each other isn't going to solve anything, especially if you two end up taking half the school with you!"
"Then why don't you point that little stick at his head, mortal!" Bakura growled, gesturing to Yami, "Before he decides he needs to parade around the school and show off his Millennuim Item too!"
"Yami," Hermione spoke up, "I'm with Bakura on this. I don't get why you would just…blatantly attack Umbridge like that. It's not like you didn't know what would happen."
"Because he's a hypocrite!" Bakura snarled, holding his now aching side, "I think he's a damn masochist who can't stand it if he's not at the center of attention every waking moment-"
"Did the sun bleach out what was left of your brain, Thief?" Yami looked up, obviously angry, but not meeting Bakura's volume, "I knew exactly what I was getting into! In all the time you've known me, when have I ever done anything without first having a plan?"
"Oh?" Bakura scoffed, "So what was this brilliant plan, oh King of Games?"
"I think... Umbridge might have something to do with the flashes."
In the few moments of silence that followed, the lack of any noise or reaction was far worse than the chaos that had reigned just before it.
"So…," Bakura stammered for a moment, trying to focus on what he'd just been told, "You decided that leaving us all in the dark about this would be your best course of action!"
"I knew you would have been right in the middle of it with me if I told you beforehand." Yami said, pulling himself back up to his feet to lock eyes with the Thief King, "And trust me. I didn't need your help to-"
Bakura's face contorted in rage for a split second before his fist passed between the three wizards to crush into Yami's face. The Pharaoh slumped back against the wall, and dazedly put a hand to where he'd been struck to see it come away red with blood. Ron and Harry stepped in to ensure that Bakura didn't have a second shot at him, but the Tomb Robber had been satiated for the moment, even as he turned on his heal and stormed off through the emptying castle corridors.
Yami watched him go, and waited until Bakura was nowhere to be seen before slowly getting to his feet, making sure not to jostle his head too much. Hermione put and arm around him to help him up, earning a grateful glance from the spirit. He swore mentally to himself, as the blood continued to pour from his nose and the new split in his lower lip, knowing he'd have to return to Madam Pomfrey to get it taken care of, or draw more attention to himself.
"You alright?" Harry asked, offering a hand to help steady him.
"Not for lack of trying," Yami smiled bitterly, "It's not the first time it's happened at any rate."
"I don't get it," Ron shook his head, "What is with you two? I've never seen people who claim to be friends, absolutely hate each other before."
"It's what happens when the people you associate with have tried to kill you at one point or another." Yami sighed, trying to staunch the blood with his robes.
"You're joking."
"Bakura's tried on more than one occasion."
"So it's not them who's crazy, it's you for not realizing when it's time to cut them loose!" Ron said, "Bakura's right! You are a masochist!"
Yami shook his head and laughed, though the sound was devoid of humor.
"I know it's hard to understand, I'm not even sure I do at times," Yami tried to explain, "But those of us who hold these Items? We're connected together, even though we may not like it."
"More like someone handcuffed ya' and threw out the key," Harry said.
"Perhaps that's a better way of looking at it," Yami grinned, wincing as the gesture tugged at his swelling lip, "At any rate, I needed to get into detention with Umbridge again to find out what it is that's causing these flashes. I knew it was already going to be bad, and I didn't want Bakura digging himself into a pit with me. If we're going to find out what's destroying the seal on my memories before it deteriorates completely, we can't all be stuck in that woman's office at the same time."
"So you were protecting him?" Hermione asked, a little bewildered, "He's tried to kill you, and you're protecting him?"
Yami shrugged his shoulders. It did sound like he'd lost his mind somewhere along the way with that kind of reasoning, but it was still the truth.
"I doubt he sees it like that. Bakura's never been one to accept help from people. But memories or not, I am the Nameless Pharaoh of Egypt, and it is my duty to protect those around me in the best way I can.
Ron shook his head as they headed in the direction of the Medical Wing before Yami needed a transfusion.
"I'm sure glad as hell I didn't live with you guys back then."
"WHO IN THE HELL DOES HE THINK HE IS!"
The door to the Astronomy Tower flew open to crash against the stonework with a booming echo in the stairwell, though no one was around to hear the noise. Given the mood the King of Thieves had found himself in, it probably wasn't a bad thing.
(You didn't have to hit him Bakura,) Ryou chided his spirit.
((Oh, forgive me for touching the mighty Son of Ra himself,)) Bakura spat bitterly, ((Perhaps next time I'll resign myself to clicking my tongue with a disapproving glare!))
(I didn't say you didn't have a right to be upset with Yami, Bakura,) Ryou sighed in exasperation, (But Yugi is going to be the one to feel that in the morning more than Yami, and he certainly didn't deserve to be on the receiving end of your temper.)
((Then the little runt should learn to control his other half!))
(Oh, you mean like us?)
Bakura snarled and rounded on Ryou's transparent form that had materialized a few feet away from him. A year ago, the boy would have been firmly locked in his soul room, leaving Bakura to do what he liked without him playing Jiminy Cricket. As of late, he'd been getting far better at slipping past Bakura's defenses to linger over his shoulder. An unfortunate side-effect of sharing close quarters with the King of Thieves.
((Why do you care about this anyway Yandoushi? What is it to you if I have a problem with the Ra-Be-Damned Pharaoh? It isn't like this is a new development-))
(But our situation is!) Ryou stopped him, (Like it or not, we've never been in these kind of circumstances before. And Yami knows you. It's how he is, and you know it. The Pharaoh can read people and it's what he's good at. He knew exactly what you do if you found out he was trying to piss off Umbridge, and you punching him in the face didn't hurt him so much as it proved him right!)
Bakura said nothing, but instead took a menacing step forward with murder written on his face. Ryou swallowed hard, despite the fact there was nothing that Bakura could do to physically harm him. He still remembered the days before he'd met Yugi, and Bakura had been more than capable in finding inventive ways at making his then newly found host behaving.
Bakura's scowl now reminded him of those days. Ryou wanted to flinch and look away, but something kept him solidly in place. But Bakura kept right on walking through him, never looking back, to throw himself on the bulwarks of the tower and look out over the landscape stretched out before him. His grimace never left his face, but there was something else buried in his features that was difficult for Ryou to read.
((Just leave me alone.))
Yami sat patiently in detention scribbling useless lines that had all started to blend together in unintelligible squiggles after the first hour. His nose throbbed painfully, making him and his lighter half wince. Madam Pomfrey had stopped the bleeding, but she'd given him such a lecture about returning to her care so soon after she'd seen him off that morning; he'd slipped away without bothering to ask her to do any more than that. The result was a still broken nose and a swollen lip which seemed to be of endless amusement for the toadish professor if the wider than normal grin on her face was anything to judge by.
Harry beside him was having no easier time, the words scrawled on the back of his hand standing out in angry red lines. Yami had almost done away with the vile woman for subjecting his friend to such a twisted punishment, but such judgment was not his place. Perhaps in Egypt, but not here. Besides, he still needed her if Umbridge was truly the source for all of his flashes. But as the long night wore on, the long hours had proved to be utterly fruitless, and he had an entire month to look forward to being in her festering presence.
"You should get that hand of yours looked at," Yami spoke up once they were finally free of her clutches.
"It's nothing. It's already healing, see?" Harry insisted holding up his hand to expose the fading lines, "And you're the one who still needs medical attention, not me."
"It's that bad, huh?"
"Bakura has a hell of a right hook."'
"Heh. You're telling me…" Yami grimaced, gingerly rubbing the side of his face. It was only a moment longer though until the light tone fell from his voice, to be replaced by a heavy sigh.
Harry snuck a glance at his companion, the sudden change in Yami's demeanor almost causing a physical change in the atmosphere that made the hall feel dank and uninviting. What made things worse, was the unfortunate fact he could identify all too easily with the feeling. It seemed to follow him around in fact, but then again so did Voldermort and to the detriment of everyone around him.
"What's it like?" Harry asked quietly, unwelcome memories of Cedric welling up in the forefront of his mind.
"I'm sorry?" Yami blinked once, raising his head to meet the young wizard's gaze.
"Not having your memories," Harry clarified, "Not having to think about what happened before you met Yugi-"
"It's a special kind of hell I would never wish upon another human being." Yami stopped Harry before he could finish his thought, "My friends have all suffered at my expense because of enemies I did not even know I had, because I couldn't remember how to properly use the power that's supposedly sealed within the Millennium Puzzle, because I made a decision all those millennia ago and I can't even remember what drove me to it in the first place."
Harry quickly fell quiet and shoved both hands into his pockets, keeping a fixed gaze at the hall in front of him.
"You and I aren't really that different," Yami said, continuing on, "We both have our demons, parts of our past we have no control over that haunt us to this day. Things that put our friends in the line of fire. The only difference between you and I, is that you still know of the dangers that are waiting for you."
"I thought the phrase was 'ignorance is bliss'."
"For most people," Yami shrugged, "But I don't think we quite fall in that category do we?"
"I guess not." Harry sighed, "Still you can't tell me it's not easier not knowing who's got a target on your forehead."
"You think it would be better for misfortune to strike without warning." Yami guessed.
"Other people seem to be content with not knowing. It just gets to be crushing after a while, always having this feeling of impending doom hanging over my head." Harry shrugged, his shoulders sagging with the weight of the thought.
Yami grinned and laid a hand on Harry's shoulder, earning himself a quizzical glance from the young wizard.
"But you get through it." Yami pointed out, "You may hate it, but it's that feeling that drives you to prepare and brace yourself for when the worst does strike. Yes, such a position may put those closest to you in danger, but it also puts you in a far better position to protect them as well. That's something I envy you for."
Harry let a small smile come to his face. No one had ever been 'envious' of his lot in life. Sure, they would have perhaps liked the fame of being the "Boy-Who-Lived", but when it came to upholding the title, even Dumbledore seemed to pity him. There was no such look in the ancient king's eyes who walked next to him now.
Neither one said another word until they reached the portrait hole. The Fat Lady swung open with a muttering of the password letting the two step inside, but before Harry limbed through, he hesitated for just a moment.
"Thank you." He said quietly.
A wry grin spread on Yami's face.
"If we survive the next week with that witch, you can thank me then." The Pharaoh smirked as he followed his fellow Gryffindor through for some much needed rest.
Having detention with Umbridge was a lot like having a cold. It just seemed to get worse as time went on. Every stroke of that horrid pen etched her snide words deeper into the back of Harry's hand, taking more and more willpower to keep his face impartial despite the pain that made his whole arm ache and burn. McGonagall certainly hadn't helped matters at all either. It seemed the second she found out about Yugi and Harry's second round of detentions, she stripped her own house of 10 points and threatened worse if she heard about any other transgressions.
To make matters worse, Bakura seemed to be deliberately avoiding everyone. They'd catch a glimpse of him or Ryou in class, but sitting in the furthest possible seat from them and he'd be long gone by the time class had let out. Ron had suggested following him after class one day when they couldn't find him in the Gryffindor tower, but Yami knew it was a pointless endeavor. If Bakura didn't want to be found, there wasn't much anyone could do about it, magic or not.
The week seemed to drag on, the end of each day punctuated by a torturously long detention. By Wednesday night, Harry's hand was still bleeding profusely by the time they got back to the Gryffindor common room. Both Ron and Hermione were up and waiting for them and pushed a bowl of yellow liquid towards Harry as the two flopped gratefully into easy chairs next to the fire.
"Essence of Murtlap," Hermione explained when Harry looked dubiously at the viscous liquid, "It should help with your hand."
The texture was like soggy pudding, but almost instantly the pain in his hand abated for the first time in days. Yugi sat exhausted in the chair, dark circles under his eyes from the long hours and continual strain the foreign magic put on his mind. It was certainly better than it had been, but it wasn't ebbing away fast enough for his liking. He knew Yami was trying to trigger the flashes to return, but the pounding on the inside of his skull had gotten old fast.
It took him a second and several odd stares from the others before he realized that the thumping wasn't coming from his head, but from the portrait hole and sounded very much like Malik and Kaiba.
/That sounds like another headache to me,/ Yami huffed groggily , as Hermione got to her feet and let the two inside.
"Hey wait a second," Harry said as the two duelists made themselves at home, "Isn't against some rule for you guys to be in here?"
"Rules don't apply to Kaiba," Malik said flippantly taking a seat next to Yugi, "And it's not like this is the first time we've been up here."
"It's not?" Yugi said, prying open one eye.
"We've been talking." Kaiba said, pulling out a few pieces of parchment, "We can't just put everything on hold until you get your hallucinations sorted out."
Yugi rolled his eyes, but neither he nor Yami was in the mood to correct him. Harry seemed to have perked up though and had leaned in a little closer to what Kaiba had pulled out. There were all manner of strange creatures crudely scratched into the parchment, some with notes next to them, others just haunted the page by themselves.
"We were attacked, these guys have been attacked," Malik said pointing Harry, and to a roughly drawn figure of what appeared to be a dementor on the parchment, "You were paid a visit from one of these too, I hear."
"Several," Harry nodded, "The Ministry tried to take my wand and expel me from Hogwarts over it."
"That's our point," Kaiba folded his arms, "Both of our groups have been attacked and brought together in the same place for 'protection' supposedly. We're supposed to be here to learn how to defend ourselves, and our teachers won't give us the knowledge to do that. And to top it all off this Ministry of yours is enforcing rules against self-defense?"
"That's what happens when you have a bunch of empty-headed bureaucrats in charge who are scared to face the truth," Harry said crossly, wishing Kaiba would get to the point.
"No," Yugi shook his head, realizing where Kaiba was going with this, "That goes beyond fear. The Order put us together hoping we'd be safer in one place, now the Ministry's trying to cripple us and make us into a bigger target for this Voldermort."
Ron and Hermione cringed slightly at the mention of the dark wizard's name.
"Exactly," Hermione nodded, recovering first, "That's why we've been thinking that maybe the time's come to….well, just do it ourselves."
"Do what ourselves?" Harry asked, getting a sneaking suspicion on where this was heading.
"We need to learn to defend ourselves," Kaiba said flatly, "I don't trust Cooper, and if Umbridge isn't going to do it, we need to find someone who can."
"Someone like you, mate," Ron said looking at Harry.
Harry looked shocked at the expectant stares coming at him from nearly everyone in the room. Yugi seemed to be just as surprised as he was, but after a second, he could see the young King of Games beginning to agree with the group.
"What?" Harry exclaimed, a grin on his face starting to form. He'd missed a punchline somewhere and was waiting for everyone to start laughing at him. He looked for some sign amidst the expectant faces staring back at his for some sign of the joke he was hoping he'd missed. Even Ron had a grim expression on his face.
"But…" Harry's eyes darted from face to face, suddenly feeling like a mouse caught in a corner, "I'm not a teacher!"
"You're the best at Defense against the Dark Arts." Hermione said, "You even beat me third year when we had someone who actually knew what they were doing teaching us."
"But-"
"Think about it Harry!" Ron said, "First year, you saved the Philosopher's stone-"
"That was luck-"
"Second year, you beat Riddle and the Basilisk," Ron ticked off on his fingers.
"If Fawkes hadn't-"
"Third year you saved Sirius and fought off all those dementors."
"But Hermione had-"
"Last year you actually faced off with You-Know-Who-"
"JUST STOP!" Harry bellowed.
Yugi, Malik and Kaiba sat like statues silently observing the whole scene, but Ron and Hermione were almost at the point of laughing. The contrast was enough to make Harry's temper rise in his throat, though he wasn't sure why it got under his skin.
"I don't know why you think I'm some brilliant wizard! I only made it through all of that because help arrived at the right time! I just always sort of….blundered through it all!" Harry said, the smash of the bowl his hand had been soaking in bringing to his attention he'd made it to his feet, "You make it sound heroic when it's not! It's nothing like what we do in class! There's no teacher to tell you the spell when you forget and your mind goes blank! There's no safety net, no protection! It's just you and a split second decision that somehow keeps you alive and keeps you from dying! It's not that I was smarter or better than Cedric! The only reason I'm still alive, is because Voldermort needed me!"
The smiles had vanished from Ron and Hermione's faces, and the only sound in the room was Harry's own heavy breathing. He could feel the heat in his face, but now wasn't sure if it was from his tirade or from the unblinking gazes of the others.
"I don't know why you think I can do this," Harry said after a moment, waving his hand at Yugi and Malik, "I mean, aren't you guys supposed to be some powerful ancient wizards? Surely you could teach someone more than I could?"
"All the power in the world amounts to nothing when you're unprepared," Malik said quietly, "We may have control of another realm at our fingertips, but we are still human. We still have our limitations. And for all the power we had, if your Order hadn't shown up when they did, we would have been dead."
"You know what we're up against Harry," Yugi said quietly, "You've seen him, you've fought him. You're the one with the experience we don't have."
Harry suddenly felt very tired and sank back down into his chair, wishing he could disappear into the stuffing.
"At least think about it Harry," Hermione said.
"Yeah, alright," He muttered, rubbing his forehead with his good hand, while his other began to throb painfully again, "I think I'm going to go to bed."
"Not a bad idea," Ron nodded getting up to follow Harry up the stairs.
Hermione rose to her feet too, but looked back when no one else moved.
"Are you coming Yugi?" She asked.
"In a minute," Yugi yawned, "I don't hardly get to see these guys anymore."
Hermione nodded and quickly disappeared up the stairs, her footfalls fading into silence in the tower.
"Well?" Yugi sighed, "What do you guys think?"
"I don't like his apprehension." Kaiba said plainly, "But we don't have a wide variety of options at this point."
"What do Ryou and Bakura think?" Yugi asked.
"Couldn't tell you," Malik said with a shrug, "He's putting the Thief King title to good use lately. I'll catch a glimpse of him in the halls, then he's gone again."
"I'll try to talk to him tomorrow," Yugi nodded wearily, "Cooper's class will be as good a time as any."
Yugi may have been tired, but he didn't miss the quick exchange of glances that passed between Kaiba and Malik.
"What?"
"We can't tell you."
"What are you talking about?" Yugi frowned sitting up a little straighter in his chair, "Is it Bakura?"
"No it's…" Malik started, before he seemed to be choking on the words, "It's Cooper."
"Have you found out anything else?"
"Not exactly," Kaiba said, more than a little displeasure in his voice, as he rose to leave, "Just….watch your back tomorrow."
"That's it?"
"That's all we can say," Malik sighed, "Literally."
Yugi's frown deepened, but he got up to let the others out with a short good night before he returned to his easy chair by the fire. He thought about going up to bed, but the chair had already conformed to his body in a way that made it impossible for him to work up the energy to truck up the stairs. He rubbed his head instead, the headache now starting to return again as he tried to decipher his friends' cryptic warning.
"You'd think," Yugi sighed, his eyes getting heavy on him as he gave up at last, "the universe could be nice just once and give us a break."
/That might just make things too easy./ Yami remarked, before he let his lighter half get some much needed rest.
Gotc: Well, I'm off to do more typing! Remember: If you get bored waiting for the next update, you can always check me out on FictionPress…*Innocent whistle* Anyway, I'll shut up now and get to finishing the next installment here! Laters! (P.S. My fav link? You know the one. Don't forget to click it!)