Rage and Grace

by Child You Are Hell Bent

Is the enemy of your enemy your friend or your enemy? It wasnt something Yugi thought about until he became the hostage of a magic nation, was stripped of the Puzzle and tortured mercilessly. And now this Ministry is asking for his help? But they're not the only ones. The lines between good and evil will be drawn, but Yugi will be lost as to who has the cause worth fighting for.

6. Chapter 6

I'll be the first to say that I am not pleased about the way this one turned out.

It's not very well done, and unfortunately it's a little slow. Mainly because it was not the chapter I wanted to be working on. As I was writing this one, brilliant ideas for chapter seven (which should be up soon) kept appearing in my mind. So this chapter is more than a little uninspired.

I don't know, if there's too many people as upset with this chapter as I am, I may rewrite it later... who knows. I like the end bit though, its the beginning I hate.

/

Not long after the long argument that had shocked the halls of the brand new United Protection office, the Minister for Magic had stormed off in a frustrated muttering mass. His face had been cherry red when Minerva had last seen him. The almost purple shade spreading across his forehead, down his cheeks and across his neck in a brilliant array of colour and the hands that had at one time fiddled with his hat, were nearly ripping it in two.

It didn't take a lot for Minerva to assume that Cornelius was storming back to his office to sulk. To discover a way to make sure that no information on this ordeal ever made its way to the public. The Profit would make sure the Ministry would never be able to save face.

A smirk touched the corner's of Minerva's lips at the very thought. Maybe she should slip some anonymous tip to the writers of the british wizarding newspaper. How Cornelius would twitch when he saw the proceeding article.

The limp bundle of limbs shifted slightly in Minerva's arms, looking for warmth. A small whimper slipped through his lips, drawing the woman's attention back to their purpose here. The boy had made no other movement however, falling so silent that Minerva felt her heart jolt. She could still his faint breath brushing over her neck from where the teen's head rested against her shoulder, however faint it was. It was at that moment a sickening thought struck Minerva.

They were stuck.

How in the name of Merlin were they going to manage to get back to Hogwarts? Madam Pomfery, Hogwarts' nurse would more than likely murder both Minerva and Albus for trying to apperate with an injured passenger (who knows where they would end up).It was nearly impossible to try and use floo powder with two riders. That would only cause one or both of the riders to have a nasty concussion.

Minerva turned around, trying to get Albus' attention. They needed to get out of here soon. The boy's breathing felt so ragged against her neck, harsh and faster than it had been a few minutes earlier. But when Minerva tried to catch Albus' eye, she noticed that the elderly man was digging into one of the many pockets that lined his robe. Looking for something -Minerva thought her, eyes going wide in realization- that would make an adequate portkey.

A Portkey would be the best solution: quick, simple, and easy to keep control of if the person knew what they were doing. Better yet there was no chance of ending up in some wasteland or a stranger's fireplace.

Eventually Albus's hand slipped free form the the material of his robe, showing Minerva the candy wrapper that he was now holding. "Lemon drop, it's almost an addiction I'm afraid..." Albus said staring at the the wrapper with an odd, affectionate look in his eye. "I still wonder why you refuse to try one Minerva."

Minerva's eyebrow rose slightly, "Sorry Albus, but I sincerely doubt that I am going to develop a taste for muggle candies. Particularly not at this precise moment." She said, trying not to snap at Hogwarts headmaster, but her tone reaching into that range unintentionally.

Albus fell silent, but his small grin remained on his face as he tapped the tip of his wand against the empty plastic sweet wrapper. The plastic glowed a dull gold as it was changed through the magical influence. Then it shifted back to its normal appearance, non worse of the ware.

Albus stretched his hand out, allowing Minerva to test if she could reach the now portkey. Reaching out with an elbow, she straightened a little to place the limb on top of Albus's hand. The wrapper crinkled in the still air, and Minerva jumped at the unexpected noise, not knowing causing the wrapper to crinkle, and Albus to wink in a way that reminded Minerva of an old school boy.

And so they waited. There was a moments pause before the portkey started, Albus wanting to make sure that this was done in the least rushed manner humanly possible to avoid complications. Albus once again dug into his pocket and dug out his pocket watch, counting down the time in which the portkey would activate.

Minerva gently moved the hand that was holding onto the boy's thin shoulders to lightly run her fingers through those soft, blonde bangs, avoiding the ones dyed red by sticky blood. The teen had hair like she had never seen before. So different...

"10, 9, 8," Albus muttered under his breath as he shut the pocket watch with a click and stuffed it back into his breast pocket. Minerva shifted the boy into a better position before pressing her elbow further into the plastic wrapper in Albus' fist, making sure to have as much contact with the miniscule portkey as possible.

"3,2,1."

Something jerked from behind Minerva's navel and she felt herself lurch forward. From Minerva's other side she could feel Albus' shoulder bang into her arm and the air rush all around her in a tremendous rush. Bending her elbow, and locking her arms into place, Minerva fought to keep her upper body from moving around too much, so not to jolt the boy in her arms. It almost seemed to be a losing battle however as they where jolted around by the sheer force of the incredible speed that the portkey produced. Minerva could feel the boy starting to lurch with the movements, coming far too close to falling free.

Until Minerva slammed into the wet grass on Hogwarts' grounds. Even with years of practice in succeeding with the perfect landing, she stumbled with the added weight of the teen and would have fallen down if a huge pair of hands had not been there to hold her up.

"Minerva! Albus!" Madam Pomfery cried as the ever huge Hagrid set Minerva back on her feet making sure she was steady. "Are you alright? I got the message headmaster sent me, but I was still worried." the school nurse had a concerned look on her face as she looked Albus and Minerva over, checking for signs of injury.

Minerva just shook her head. "We're fine Poppy." she said quickly, immediately trying to pass of the other woman's worry to try and get her to focus on other things. "But he is not."

Poppy's eyes grew wide as she took in what Minerva was carrying. The colour immediately left her face, and her eyes narrowed, taking that look of concern and transferring it into one of serious concentration, the look of a true medi-witch.

"Hagrid, could you take him please." Poppy said in a polite tone, there was no mistaking the under tone that was most definitely an order. Hagrid didn't even hesitate, bending down to take the weak and unconscious form of the teen into his own arms. The small form was immediately dwarfed in the cage of Hagrid's arms. They contrasted horribly: the petite, sickly form compared to that of the almost giant like features of the Gamekeeper. In any other circumstance it would be hilarious.

A small frown spread over Minerva's face as she watched Hagrid take the boy from her. He fit so perfect in her arms, it felt odd that he was no longer there. Minerva didn't even wait for a moment as Poppy walked away with Hagrid walking at her heels. Minerva was only two seconds behind them both, her eyes trained on Hagrid's back as she watched him walk forward up the stone stairs of the school.

It was very late at night now, or very early in the morning. While the moon had disappeared from the horizon, the sun still had little intention of showing its glowing face. There wasn't a single student out of bed at the moment, no questioning eyes as to who or what the grounds keeper was carrying. And for that Minerva was grateful. Rumours had a nasty habit of getting out of hand in a large building like Hogwarts. Even the smallest scrap of information could mutate into a full blown novel, and this needed to be kept quiet.

Lucky enough the hospital wing was just as empty as the rest of the hallways of the school. No sick child or last minute broken bone. Hagrid carried the limp form of the teen over to one of the beds closest to the fireplace that heated the room, and carefully lowered him onto the bed.

The teen's face was almost grey against the stark white of the sheets, a thin layer of sweat covering every inch of his body. Minerva could see his thin chest flutter as it drew in another shuddering breath, each rib completely visible against the drawn, scarred skin. When was the last time this child had eaten?

"I need everyone to leave." Poppy said in a low voice that echoed around the practically silent room. "I will come out in a little while to tell you what I find out."

Albus nodded at this, and Hagrid's hand once again landed lightly on Minerva's shoulder, leading her from the room. Minerva followed numbly, throwing a quick glance over her shoulder into the hospital wing. But Poppy was standing in front of the bed now, and all she could see was the back of the woman's head.

Then the door closed with an echoing snap.

Albus slipped his wand back into his pocket when Minerva turned around again. "I'm sorry my dear, but I don't think focusing on this is the best thing to do right now." He said gently, but left no tone for argument. "The only thing we can do now is wait."

And wait they did.

The air that surrounded their temporary waiting room had become deathly still. They had decided to wait in the sanctuary of Albus' office until further notice. Hagrid had remained as well, standing with his hands out to the fire, staring absent minded into the flames. Albus was sitting in his chair behind the ancient wooden desk. Thin, pale fingers were stretched out, playing with the vibrant tail feathers of his beautiful phoenix. The birds head titled to the side as it received the attention, as if trying to figure out what was up with the sudden gloomy atmosphere.

No one had spoken in the longest time, there was nothing to say. Instead they just sat there in shocked silence. Minerva sat in the squishy chair from earlier, trying to remain composed as she sipped at the newly reheated tea that Molly had brought. That seemed like forever ago... Had it only been a few hours since Molly had brought her wayward husband into Albus' office?

Albus had suggested earlier on that she should go to bed, but Minerva could not even bring herself to think about such a notion right now. Not when every once of her wanted to either break down the door to the infirmary or curl up into a little ball upon the surface of the chair.

Minerva didn't have the slightest idea as to why she was acting like this: a nervous little girl. There was something about the child however that brought out every single maternal instinct she had, even without child of her own to take care of.

The heavy door to Albus's office slid open, and Minerva's head instantly jerked up towards it. In less than two seconds the normal stately witch was on her feet, staring at the now open door. The tea cup that she had been cradling to her chest, slipped from her grasp and shattered to the ground into several different pieces.

Serverus Snape's thin eyebrow rose into his greasy black hair as he took in the woman standing before him. Black eyes went from Minerva's features, taking in the pale red blush that dusted her cheekbones and the shattered china surrounded by dark brown liquid. The blush on Minerva's face deepened before she regained control of her embarrassment. Without a word she pulled out her wand and muttered a quick spell under her breath.

The shattered remains of the tea cup pulled together without hesitation, and the dark stain was lifted from the hardwood floor before it could do any damage. Without a single word Minerva moved back to sit in the chair Albus had drawn up for her earlier.

"You called, Albus?" Serverus asked, turning his attention away from Minerva with a barely concealed roll of his eyes. Albus looked up from his careful preening of Fawkes tail feathers, meeting his potions master gaze.

A small smile touched the corner's of the headmaster's lips, and he sat up straighter in his chair. "Yes, Serverus. Did you talk to Poppy?"

"I did." The tone was clipped, short. Minerva found herself suppressing a sigh. Serverus never changed, just as uncaring about the things that happened around him as ever.

Yet Albus, as always took it in stride. Not getting the slightest bit irritated with having to play an almost constant game of 20 questions just to get a reasonable answer out of the man. "What did she say?" Albus asked, waiting patiently for an answer.

"That there was nothing I could do." Serverus replied with an uncaring shrug. "I left a few mild doses of pepper-up potion with her. Had to cut the formula in half, complete waste of my time."

Minerva blinked, startled by Serverus' statement; "What do you mean, you had to leave a milder dose? Wouldn't he need something stronger?" she asked, catching Serverus' attention once more. A sneer formed over the mans lips, giving him that arrogant gaze that Minerva found rather unattractive on any person, but had to deal with more often than not with the former Slytherin.

"I didn't find it necessary to ask. it's not something that concerns me, now is it Minerva?"

Minerva clenched her fists, resiting the urge to wipe that pompous smirk of his face. She wasn't in the mood to deal with this. "Well didn't Poppy say anything?" She pressed, hoping to maybe get a little a little information out of Snape.

"No, he didn't give me the time to pass along a message. Just dropped off the potions and left."

Minerva's eyes darted to the door, where a haggard looking Poppy was now standing, whipping her hands with a white linen handkerchief, which Minerva was shocked to see was nearly covered in dark red blood. The Hogwarts Nurse walked slowly into the centre of the room, and instantly slumped into the spare chair beside Minerva's vacant seat.

Poppy looked absolutely exhausted, something that Minerva was not used to seeing. The medi-witch could handle an entire injured quidditch team, while chaperoning an after-game party within the hospital wing without breaking a sweat. Yet here she was looking for the life of her like she had just run a mile carrying a 50 pound brick on her back.

"How is he?" Hagrid asked from the far corner of the room, Minerva had almost forgotten that the large man was there.

Poppy sighed, resting her elbow against the arm of her chair and placed her face on her palm. "I tried everything that I could." She said, taking a deep breath before continuing. "But nothing seems to be working."

"What do you mean by nothing is working."Albus asked gently. Poppy shook her head.

"Nothing. None of my spells, or the potions. They either don't work, or end up causing the poor thing more pain. It's almost as if his body is rejecting my magic. I didn't know what to do. I patched him up the best I could, but I don't know a lot of muggle first aid. Then there's the fever he got from that horrible cut on his shoulder, it refuses to break."

Minerva's frown deepened, and a quizzical expression spread across Albus' face. Why was the teen's magic resisting. This child was becoming odder and odder by the second, and rapidly it was coming more apparent.

What on earth was he?

Hagrid placed his hand on Poppy's shoulder, hopping to calm the shaken nurse. She looked as if she was about to break down. The large man squeezed the shoulder slightly, and Poppy took a large breath.

"He's awake now, but refuses to answer any of my questions. The child seems traumatized, and I don't think he's going to be able to pull himself out of this. Whatever was done to him at the ministry was too much for his mind to handle." Poppy paused again, unable to compete her report in one go. It was almost impossible to keep a professional attitude with this case.

"It's as if he's lost the will to live. It's preventing his body from getting the rest he needs. He just sits there, staring at the wall. I don't know if he's going to make it."

The implications of Poppy's words hung there like a dead weight, pressing on Minerva's chest with an oppressive pressure. After everything they had gone through to save the boy, it wasn't going to be enough? Minerva hung her head, resting her chin against her chest. "Can we go see him?" She finally asked in a low voice.

Poppy looked up, a pained look in her eyes as she watched her colleague. "If you want to," she said, a small little catch in her voice "I don't see why though. He's not going to notice your presence. He's just an empty shell"

But Minerva wasn't listening, in fact she was already at the door without a single word to her co-workers. The heavy wooden door slammed shut behind the transfiguration professor, leaving everyone else to wonder what happened.

With a soft exhale, Dumbledore's blue eyes trained on the door as if trying to see through it and follow his deputy Headmistress down the spiral staircase that lead to the rest of the castle. "It's truly unfortunate that this had to end this way. Serverus would you please go with her?"

Without a single word of argument, Snape also slipped out the door, and walked down the stairs. Minerva was already a good several feet in front. Even with his much longer legs he found it difficult to keep stride with her. Serverus did not understand why she cared so much about this brat. Someone she hadn't even known for half a day. Yet here she was, breaking off almost all forms of decorum to practically run down to the hospital wing.

A few minutes later they where standing outside the large stone arch that marked the entrance to the Hospital Wing. It was here that Serverus finally caught up to his fellow professor. Minerva was just standing there, looking towards the door that blocked her path, hesitation in every inch of her stance.

Walking forward, Serverus leaned his back against the stone wall, his back facing the entrance. "Well, are you going in or not?" He asked bluntly, watching as Minerva's head whipped around in surprise. The lines on her thin face seemed deeper all of a sudden, making the witch seem almost ten years older than she actually was.

Minerva fixed Serverus with a steely glare, looking for a moment like her old self. "Yes, Serverus I am going to go in. Why did you follow me if this is so unimportant to you?"

"Albus asked me to." Snape said, his famous sneer once again curling at the corner's of his lips. He seems worried about you for some reason I do not understand."

Minerva sighed, looking once more towards the door. "I'm not the one the headmaster should be worried about. After everything that helpless boy went through, he's more than likely going to die away from his friends and family in some foreign country."

"It's not like he's aware about what's happening Minerva. I doubt he cares."

Minerva didn't even bother to respond to his last statement before she trudged into the hospital wing, leaving Serverus to stand alone in the hallway. With a small grunt, Serverus watched Minerva's retreating form before he settled a little more comfortably against the wall. This could take a while.

Holding her breath slightly, Minerva walked into the dimly lighted hospital wing. The sun was just starting to peak at the bottoms of the large airy windows that surrounded the room. It cast the hospital wing with an eerie red glow, almost the colour of blood. A bad omen as Sybil would say, if she ever bothered to come down from the Divination tower.

On the last bed in the room lay the teen they had rescued from the Ministry. He was sitting up, using the head board for support. A heavy pale blue medical blanket lay across his waist and another quilt was draped loosely across his shoulders.

Almost every inch of his skin was covered white bandages. Across his eye, surrounding his forehead, around his bare shoulder. Bound so tight around the skin, pressing into the open wounds so that the bandages became stained red. Those bandages looked so painful, Minerva never did understand Muggle medicine. Wouldn't it be unhygienic to push material into an open wound?

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Minerva gently placed her hand on his shoulder. The boy didn't react, just sat there, leaning against the pillows Poppy had placed behind him. He almost looked dead, eyes blank and staring at nothing. If it wasn't for the fact Minerva could see the faint flutter of his chest, rising up and down with each breath it would be impossible to tell.

Leaning forward slightly, Minerva fought to make eye contact with the boy, resiting a flinch when she noticed how dull those eyes where. Nothing registered, he didn't even follow her movement. They where disturbing, and heart wrenching.

"Dear, what's your name?"

Maybe if she just herded him in the right direction, made him feel like he was safe. Maybe than the boy would respond. Maybe it wasn't too late.

But he never responded, just remained staring into space. Not even a flicker.

"Dear?"

A soft sigh fell through Minerva's lips. The boy was still as emotionless as ever. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Snape's smirking face, staring at them from the archway. Nothings going to happen." He said smugly, watching them with a raised eyebrow. "Just give up, it'll be far easier for the both of us if you do."

"How can you say that?" Minerva snapped, getting up off the bed in a rush. "How on earth can you act like this, like he's not even human! He's just a child!"

"One that the Ministry seemed determined to keep detained, and for a good reason from what I've heard. I don't think we can keep this boy to the same standards as other kid's his age."

Minerva's fist clenched, she could feel the tips of her nails digging into the soft skin on her palm. It was very close to breaking the skin. She could argue with this man for hours and they would get absolutely no where.

Reaching up to her shoulder, Minerva grabbed the strap of the drawstring bag that Cornelius had shoved towards her before he had stomped back of to her office. It felt heavy in her hands, and Serverus looked startled at the substantial clanging sound that echoed within the cloth confines.

"This," Minerva punctuated her statement by thrusting the bag underneath Snape's nose, who had walked forward to try and find the source of the loud clinking noise. "Is the item we dragged away from Fudge's grabby little hands. It's almost like the boys wand as far as we can tell, and the reason why the Minister was interested in him, despite what he says.

And with that, Minerva once again moved to sit at the boy's bedside, running her hand through those soft gold bangs once again, frowning when she hit a stubborn knot. With gentle hands she placed the bag into the boy's lap, and loosened the draw string that was holding it shut. Minerva picked up the limp wrist of the teen's hand, running a thumb over the back of his hand, hoping he would at least notice what she was doing. Minerva guided the boy's hand into the bag, and wrapped his fingers around one of the pieces.

The effect was almost instantaneous. The corner's of Minerva's lips lifted up in a tight lipped smile as she held the hand in her grip close tighter around the puzzle piece. When Minerva removed her hand, the boy's followed suit with a piece clenched in his own palm. The boy held on to the piece tightly before lifting it up to his eyes, and instantly digging into the bag to get another one.

The film never left the boy's eyes, still that same washed out violet that had everyone so worried about him. But now their was a glimmer of recognition in this eyes, struggling to be seen through the cover that was holding back the boy's true nature. It looked so bright...

"What's your name?" Minerva thought that it was worth a shot to at least try again. Maybe just maybe she would get a response. In truth Minerva was not holding out much hope, and this improvement was good enough fro her in that moment.

The boy didn't look up from his puzzle. The pieces where now all spilled out on his lap, and he was sorting through them with careful fingers. For a moment Minerva was ready to give up trying and take her winning's back to Albus. In fact she was already on her feet, untangling herself from the bed spread. Until a low, melodious voice held her back.

"Yugi"

Minerva's head whipped around, staring at the boy with wide eyes. But he was still staring at the puzzle. A soft click echoed when he connected to small pieces together. Yugi... The word sounded foreign to her ears, not an english word. But it seemed to fit... it had to be his name.

This was momentous, maybe the bo... Yugi could be saved after all. Maybe he was going to be alright.

"Alright Yugi." Minerva said softly, turing back to the patient with a soft expression on her face. His head tilted slightly towards her voice as a fifth and sixth piece of his puzzle slid together with an effortless ease that only came with practice. Yugi seemed to be struggling with the seventh however. "I'll come back and visit you later, alright? You need to get some rest."

Nothing came in response, Yugi had dropped the piece in his hand back onto the bed, and was now completely absorbed in tracking down another one. Minerva smiled as he turned around to walk out of the room, leaving a shocked Serverus behind her.

The man was trying so hard to hide his surprise. It was kind of cute, the way he tighten every line of his face and body, and with a loud swishing of his pitch black robes turned to follow her from the room. They didn't say a single word to each other, Serverus more than a little irritated in the fact he had been proven wrong in that one instant, and Minerva far to pleased and mature to insert in her own I told you so that would have been ever so appropriate in this situation.

"Well? What are you going to do now?" Snape drawled eventually when they both made it to the grand staircase that would lead them both to their individual destinations. Minerva back to Albus' to speak of her findings, and Snape back to to his office to try and find a 'Wake Me Up' potion before his classes started.

Minerva smiled as she turned and faced her fellow teacher. "He gets better." She said simply, hoping to leave the statement at that."And he stays here until it is safe for him to leave. Simple."

Snape snorted, the sound long and drawn out, easily showing his disbelief. "Fudge isn't going to let this go Minerva." He hissed, pushing Minerva up against one of the walls in the narrow hallway they were in, dark eyes glittering in the dim light. "He'll dig up every single loop hole he can find to get this kid back. Be careful Minerva, because he won't care if you lose your career in this venture. Make sure that this Yugi is worth the losses."

Minerva stepped out from underneath the outstretched arm that was in her way. With one last glare at Serverus she started to climb up the stairs, listening as the potions professor started to walk down them. He just didn't get it, how that kid had been treated at the Ministry. Pulling her cloak a little tighter against her robe, Minerva continued to climb.

Never, as long as she could prevent it, would Yugi go back to Fudge. There was nothing the Minister for Magic could do to change that.