They Never Will Change
Chapter Nineteen of New Professors, New AdventuresMe: OH. MY. GOD.
This is the last chapter.
And then the epilogue.
-cries- AND THEN THE SEQUEL!
Okay, so I suppose you want to read what happens. Yami B, I missed you, you do the disclaimers.
Yami Bakura: In addition to not owing YGO or HP or anything else copyrighted in this fic, Hikari and her alter-egos also don't own Marie Blackfelt or Wendi. Marie is owned by Random Person number three and Wendi is owned by Torina Archelda. Both have given her permission in using their OCs in this fic. Both also made up the age and the description, and Random Person number three also made up Marie Blackfelt's history. Random Person number three also owns Arina Arono.
Harry quietly looked over the Seiyaryu that had once belonged to Altáriël, then Hikari, and now him. Hikari had given him the card after they had buried Altáriël and helped tend to the wounded.
"She had always intended to give it to you to help in the battle against Voldemort. She told me so herself. It was really just instinct that she gave it to me – her cousin – but she also entrusted me to give it to you."
SEIYARYULight
Seven star
DRAGON
A mystical dragon that burns away the unworthy with its mystic flame.
ATK/2500 DEF/2300Harry couldn't help but slightly smile at the description. It fit Altáriël and Myarra perfectly.
It was June now, three months after the fateful attack on Hogwarts. During the rest of March, pandemonium and fear insured. The students were terrified that there would be another attack. Their fears were justified.
Professor Dumbledore tried to calm their fears, but it was Yami's words that calmed everyone down at last.
He had started off quietly, as the students in the Great Hall were talking, though not loudly.
"All of you have experienced a terrifying event. You were subject to battle at a young age with inadequate weapons and nearly lost. You have witnessed someone of your teachers losing and others using magic you could not even being to imagine. You have seen Duel Monsters, a supposed unreal game, spring to life before your very eyes. You have seen your fellow students hurt, and felt hurt yourself. You have possibly seen, and most probably heard, of the death of yet another student. You have observed, or perhaps heard, that one of your classmates summoned the monster that saved us all. And you are all very logically afraid that the same thing will happen again. I am not telling you not to be afraid, nor am I saying that another battle won't happen. But tell me this: how will living in fear prepare you for the next battle, or the next?"
It was almost as if the Great Hall had gone completely still. Harry felt that he was breathing too noisily.
"I am not denying it. In fact, I'm going to tell you outright; there will be another battle. I don't know if it will be this year, or next year, or five years from now. But there will be another one.
"If we constantly live in fear, how will we survive? Won't the enemy just be able to waltz right in and take us over?
"HOWEVER – if we work together and try not to worry, we'll survive. If we prepare, learn to fight, and unite, we'll overcome the enemy.
"Listen well Hogwarts! We can continue acting as we've been, or we can prepare ourselves. The choice is yours. Think about it."
Yami, who had gotten up, sat down.
There was a moment of silence…
And then the students of Hogwarts burst into wild applause.
Starting April, most of the classes were spent learning ways to defend oneself from an attack. The rest of the classes were used to put the students' knowledge to use by trying to repair the damage of the battle.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly.
"Seiyaryu…" murmured Harry. "I'm going to name you Altáriël…" He took out the deck that he had made into his own throughout the last couple of months and placed the card on top. Strapping on his Duel Disk (a present from Mokuba), he slipped his deck into it.
It was the last day of Hogwarts. The last day of the oddest year of Hogwarts yet. Harry looked out of his dormitory window and stroked Hedwig, who had been sitting on the ledge. The lake shimmered as smoke blurted out of the chimney of Hagrid's hut. Harry jerked back to life, remembering why Hedwig had come. He took the letter she held, and read it. She gently pecked his ear as he read.
Harry –
I've kept this from you all year, and I've decided to tell you now. I have no idea how this is going to affect you, but I hope it will be in a good way. Because I think, from now on, we'd be better off not as boyfriend and girlfriend, but as brother and sister…
Harry… I know Sirius Black. I know him… because he's my father. He married my mum a little after your parents married. However, he was sent to Azkaban before I was born. My mum was killed by one of Voldemort's followers when I was little.
Don't overreact, please! I just thought that you might want to know… that we share something in common. I know you're worst off, because you can't remember your parents and Dad was all you had – while I remember Mum. I just thought that you'd like to know.
-Marie
Harry stared at the letter in shock. Marie was his god-sister? Sirius had married? He had had a daughter, and hadn't told Harry?
Harry stayed silent for about twenty minutes. Then, finally, he folded up the letter and slipped it in the pocket. He took out a quill, ink, and parchment, and wrote a note.
Marie –
I can't tell you how much it means to me to know. I… I am very grateful. Yes, in light of this news I think we are better off as brother and sister. It's… a very odd feeling, to find that you're not alone in feeling the loss of someone you love. Er… thanks. Thanks a lot, Marie. It means a lot to know that someone understands what it means to lose your family. But I guess we've got family now, don't we?
Love,
Harry
Harry tied the letter to Hedwig's leg, and she took off.
"Osiris," muttered Harry, pressing his hand to the Eye of Horus on the picture.
The door slowly creaked open, and Harry entered his professor's chambers.
"Come in, Harry," said Ryou's voice. Harry followed it until he reached the professor's makeshift living room. There, he saw Bakura and Yugi's spirits, Seto, Hikari, Arina, Joey, Ryou, Malik and Yami.
"Come here, Leo," said Yami. Harry obeyed. Yami held up a sheath to him. "Take it."
"You mean unsheathe it?"
"No, I want you to take it and tell me what sword it is."
Harry took the sheathed sword and looked at the hilt. He recognized it immediately. "Godric Gryffindor's sword."
Yami took it from him, and used the Shadow Realm to hide it. "Now, draw the sword with your Shadow Magic and then take hold of it with your hands."
Harry, confused, nodded. Using his Shadow Powers, he coaxed the sword from his sheath and gripped the hilt.
A series of visions flashed before Harry's eyes. He recognized a few of them. After the last vision, he saw him.
"Leo?" he muttered.
"Harry." Prince Leo placed a hand of Harry's shoulder. All around them was a white light. "Harry, I want to thank you."
"For what?"
"For doing your duty and mine. For "becoming" me. For protecting my father, his priests and his friends. For continuing the battle that was not finished 3000 years ago."
Harry took one of Leo's hands and they gripped each other's. "Leo, it's an honor to be your reincarnation."
"Harry, it's an honor to be your ancient form."
Harry suddenly jolted back. He stared at the sword, thinking of all the knowledge he had gained by the visions – he knew off all of Leo's past now.
"The Millennium Sword…" he murmured.
"Say what!" exclaimed Bakura, still in spirit form.
"The Millennium Sword… the Millennium Locket was part of the Millennium Scale; you could combine the two. The Pyramid of Light wasn't really a Millennium Item. Seven was a sacred number for the Ancient Egyptians. That number was to be preserved. The Millennium Sword wasn't one of the original seven, nor was it part of another. The Millennium Puzzle made the Millennium Sword for Leo…"
They sat in shocked silence. Harry took his time to look over the sword. He showed them the biggest ruby, on the top of the hilt. "If you look closely, you can see the Eye of Horus embedded in the bottom of the ruby. What was once obviously a golden Millennium Item became a silver sword with rubies of Godric Gryffindor when he found it." Harry sheathed the sword and attached it to his belt. Nobody questioned him.
YAMI'S POV
I knew that Gryffindor's sword had something to do with Harry's past as Leo. It was a Pharaoh's instinct.
I asked Bakura to steal it from Dumbledore. He was very much surprised. "You want me to steal! What's gotten into you, Pharaoh? I thought you hated the fact that I'm a thief."
"I do," I muttered. I glanced back at the sleeping form of Yugi. He would never approve of this. "But I need this. If Harry's going to help us get our memories back, and we help him in the fight against Voldemort, he's going to need this sword."
Bakura shrugged. "Alright Pharaoh." He walked away. Moments later, he appeared, fully dressed in black (he had already been in possession of Ryou's body). He nodded to me, and I felt the Shadow Realm creep up around him. He was soon gone.
When he came back, I looked over the sword with my own Shadow Magic before taking it. It felt like a Millennium Item.
I took over Yugi's body, and took the sword. Inadvertently, the hilt brushed against my Puzzle. The both started to glow. Bakura's mouth dropped.
"What the – " we both began.
Suddenly, I found myself looking at a golden hall. I realized that I was seeing a vision from the past, and once again was in my own body. I felt myself sigh.
I saw Harry running towards me. No… not Harry… Leo…
"Leo?" I heard myself ask. "What is it?"
Harry… LEO… gasped for breath. He brandished a golden sword that he was carrying. "I found this… in… my room. It was… next to me… when I woke up." He waved the sword. "Any… idea… where it came from?"
I motioned for the sword, and took it from Leo's outstretched hand. "I pointed out to him that it looks like a Millennium Item," said a girl, coming in. I recognized her as Mana, Hikari's ancestor, who is also the Dark Magician Girl. "But then he overreacted."
I felt myself chuckled. "You don't remember this sword, Leo?"
Leo looked confused. "No."
"You used to try and play with it when you were but a mere child," I said without thinking, handing it back to him. "I found it next to the Millennium Puzzle the day of your birth, when I was forced to remove it from my person for a short period of time."
Leo nodded, and took the sword back.
I was suddenly jolted back to the present.
Bakura was above me, yelling, "YAMI! YAMI!"
The gang was around me, concern in their eyes, save Kaiba, who looked bored.
I sat up. "Yami?" asked Yugi, supporting me in his spirit form… in a way. "What happened?"
I looked down at the sword that I still held. "I saw a vision from the past…" I know I looked troubled, but I said no more.
The others, not knowing what else to do, went back to sleep. I allowed Yugi to have his body back.
I went to his soul room for comfort, also not wanting to go to my own. Yugi sat up. I sat beside him.
He hugged my shoulders one-handedly. "Tell me, Yami. Trust me."
My hikari had always sought comfort from me. However, he had also always been willing to comfort me, but I had been too proud. I didn't want him to look down upon me.
But not that day. I put my head on his shoulder as he hugged me like only he could. I realized that it had always been me that hugged Yugi, and held him when he needed reassurance. But it felt nice to turn to someone when you needed them the most. Yugi had always been there for me. I had always been too proud to admit it. "Yugi…" I said.
"Trust me, Yami," he said, soothingly.
And so I told him everything that I had ever worried over and kept from him.
He never judged me. He never denounced me or threw me out. He merely listened and helped me through it.
(an: That was a non-yaoi scene, just so you know. As I've state before, this is a non-yaoi fic. I do love yaoi though… sigh.)
Harry knew that he was late for the Leaving Feast. He quickly donned a black cloak and, after making sure his Millennium Sword was on his person, he exited the Gryffindor common room.
He quickly walked down the hall, and down the stairs. Taking a secret passageway, he reached the first floor quickly.
Harry reached for the Great Hall doors and pushed them open.
It felt like everyone turned and stared at him. "Sorry," he said, going to the Gryffindor table and slipping in between Ron and Marie. They were trying not to laugh.
"Where were you?" hissed Hermione. "We've been waiting!"
Harry shrugged carelessly as he hugged Marie around the shoulders. Removing his arm, he replied, "Around." Harry looked up, and saw that instead of the colors of whoever had won the house cup, for the second time in his Hogwarts history, the drapes were black. He remembered that the last time this had happened was Cedric's death. A sad feeling swept over him as he realized that he had lost yet another friend. Cedric, Sirius, and Altáriël… all were gone from him.
But maybe he'd find someone who could fill the gaping hole in his heart. He glanced over at the staff table, where he saw Seto gently brush a strand of hair from his girlfriend's eyes (one of the rare intimidate gestures he gave in public), and Joey glare at him for it; Arina shook her head at Joey's action as Yugi talked with Ryou as Malik and Bakura argued with Yami, the former and latter in spirit form.
They ate, though he had little appetite, and Harry realized that the Great Hall was more subdued, although it was the Leaving Feast. He couldn't help but feel like he had two years previously. Finally, Professor Dumbledore rose. The little chatter there had been silenced.
"Another year," said the headmaster, surveying them, "has past." He paused and glanced over at the Gryffindor table. Although usually cheerful during this time, most of them – especially the seventh years – looked sad. We're the ones most affected, Harry thought as the smile he had been wearing fell.
"There is so much that I wish to tell you all," he said, "So, so much. But first and foremost I must say what I hoped I would never have to say again. Similarly to the events two years ago, there has been yet another death of a student, and I hope that it is the last. I wish to acknowledge a very fine young lady that should be talking and laughing with her friends over here," he gestured to Harry's table, "at the Gryffindor table. I would like you all to please stand a raise your glasses to Altáriël Daeron."
They did so, and Harry could almost feel himself being transported to his fourth year as the benches all scraped against the stone floor and the student body all mumbled her name. Harry glanced over at the staff table, where he saw a few tears slowly crawling down Hikari's face. He bit his lip as he slip back into his seat.
"Altáriël was a marvelous person who shone in the qualities that represent Gryffindor house," he continued. "She was a good friend – a very loyal one at that. She was brave, noble, and valued justice above all. Her death, whether you knew her or not, as affected you all, some of us more than others." Here, Professor Dumbledore paused and glanced over at Hikari, and to give her credit, her gaze was steady. He looked back at his students. "I think that, therefore, you have the right to know exactly what happened that day."
Harry started incredulously at Dumbledore.
"Altáriël Daeron was killed in battle when Lord Voldemort attacked."
Whispers bounded in the Great Hall as, for the first time, the students knew who exactly had nearly destroyed the school they had come to call home. Dumbledore looked at everyone calmly until silence fell once again.
"The Ministry of Magic," he continued, "does not know this, or about the attack. You parents also are unaware of this. If they were to find it, it is possible that they would not want me to tell you this, because they still find it difficult to believe that Lord Voldemort has returned. It is my belief, however, that you have the right to know, and it is an insult to Altáriël's memory if I tell you anything else."
"The day of the attack was a normal one," he continued. "It was during breakfast that several creatures from the popular card game Duel Monsters started to attack the school. These creatures were under the control of Lord Voldemort. A young man, whom we all know very well, tried to stop you from leaving." Here, Dumbledore's eyes turned to look at Harry. Harry suddenly felt the entire student body stare at him. "Using his magical powers, Harry Potter tried to stop you from leaving to protect your lives. It was with Professor Yugi Motou's help that they magically barricaded the door. However, the spell was broken and you all rushed outside, only to be face to face with an army of creatures you thought to be unreal. And just when they were about to attack, more monsters came and fought back, on your side. You witnessed our new professors – along with three of their friends," he inclined his head towards the said people, "use powers you never deemed possible. And just when it seemed hopeless, Professor Yugi Motou summoned three monsters known as the Egyptian Gods. And it was Harry Potter – the same Harry Potter that has been told in so many stories, and in so many lights – who risked his life to save us all by using the Gods to summon a monster than struck down Lord Voldemort's army."
"But not even Harry could save Altáriël Daeron." Here, Dumbledore's eyes flitted once back to Harry. "She, too, could summon such creatures, and in the end summoned the creature that was tied to her very soul. And when that creature was destroyed, her life was drained out of her. It was in this way that Altáriël Daeron died a hero, defending the people she loved, a true Gryffindor. For this, I not only honor Altáriël, but also our five brave professors, their three noble friends, and Harry Potter. And for this I would like you to raise your glasses now to them."
Once again everyone stood and drank.
"I told you two years ago that the bonds of friendship were more important that ever. I now want to stress that more than ever. United we stand, while divided we fall. Lord Voldemort has the uncanny gift of being able to break apart these important bonds, and if we realize that, we can come even closer together. We can fight his gift of discord and hate with our bonds of friendship and love.
"I will not lie to you – we are only in the beginning of these dark and difficult times. Every day, we have to choose between what is right, and what is easy. Some of you realize this, as you have suffered directly because of Lord Voldemort. Your families have been torn apart. Just a few months ago, another student was taken away from us.
"Remember Altáriël. Remember a girl who was kind, and generous, and loving, and who died at the hands of Lord Voldemort because she wanted to protect the people she loved. Remember a girl who valued justice above all things, and because she tried to bring this about she died. Remember Altáriël Daeron."
He sat down, and solemn applause was heard throughout the Great Hall. After a few moments, the sad mood was broken with slow chatter.
"You speak wisely, Professor," said Yugi, biting into his pie.
Joey reached for a fourth helping of dessert. Arina hit his hand. "Enough, Joseph."
"Aw…" muttered Joey, looking rejected.
Seto opened his mouth, but Hikari cut in. "Stupid mutt, slobbering all over the place like the pathetic dog that you are," she said, for him. He stared at her. "I know you too well," she added, shrugging.
"We all do," said Joey, glaring at Seto. He smirked.
"Still fighting about that?" said Ryou. He shook his head.
(/(They'll never change,)/) said Harry's voice.
Yami, Yugi, Ryou, Bakura, Malik, Arina, Joey, Seto and Hikari all smiled. "Never."
Me: -cries- IT'S OVER! IT'S ALL OVER! –sobs-
Altáriël: … you still have an epilogue.
Me: … okay, so it's ALMOST over. You know this storytook me about a year to write?
Ceribi: -blinks-
Me: Exactly!