Shadows of Conquest
Summary: Hidden in the texts of the Millennium Tome is a Ritual which looks like it could end Voldemort once and for all.
Chapter One
The school year was now over. For the Shadow Mages, high school life had ended. The lessons in Shadow Magic, on the other hand, hadn't stopped. Both Ryou and Yugi were officially on a gap year so they could continue training there Shadow Magic before starting work or further study. However, once Amane had her Horcrux situation sorted that situation was likely to change. Amane didn't return to school once the holidays were over. The Horcrux needed to be removed before she could leave Ryou's side long term. Kaiba was back to normal work. Being the president of the Kaiba Corporation, he couldn't take a gap year like Yugi and Ryou had done. His board of directors and major stockholders had been ganging up on him to go to University to get a degree in business. He didn't need a University degree considering he was already working in business and had been successfully for many years. Getting the degree was something he would end up doing eventually, just to get the directors to leave him alone.
Atem's victims had all be found and rejudged. The Thief Kings victims were taking a lot longer to track down to judge. The number of the Thief Kings victims who'd been correctly punished the first time round surprised Atem. Ryou had been relieved by this revelation; he'd always been under the impression that most of the ancients spirits 'rent' had been ill advised.
The last lot of school holidays had been spent in the Shadow Realm, and they had all passed with flying colours. They were now well versed on lasting for long periods of time in the realm if required.
Harry, Hermione and Severus had continued hunting down the remaining Horcruxes. Draco had joined them after the school year had finished, not wanting to go back to the Magical World permanently at that point. Meanwhile the Shadow council when not busy with work, classes with Set or other commitments had been searching for a way to remove the Horcrux from a living being without hurting or killing the person. They had resources that most normal people didn't have. Ryou's father was an archaeologist who owned a museum and had access to a lot of ancient books and research as a result. Ishizu's family had tomes and walls of ancient literature that had never been published elsewhere. In addition, the three of them were all well versed in multiple languages. Yugi stuck to Japanese research. Ryou was looking at the European languages. Ishizu the ancient text her family owned and Seto was looking at everything else the others could not help in. Joey had got a job when school had ended and helped Yugi and Ryou every chance he got. Tea and Tristan would also help when they were free, but wasn't often with the study they were now doing.
Luna and Neville had both returned to Hogwarts to complete their magical education. With Voldemort mostly destroyed, the magical world was back on track. Remus and Percy had both stayed on as teachers. Ishizu had left like the Shadow mages had assumed.
KC
It was late at night, technically early morning. The phone in his home office was ringing. Seto grumbled as he stopped work to answer the call. If it was a business-related call, someone was about to get fired. If it was personal related, it had better be an emergency, otherwise someone was going to temporarily be sent to the Shadow Realm.
"Kaiba, sorry for calling so late. I knew you'd still be up." The woman on the other end greeted him before he had even said hello.
"What do you want Ishizu?" He asked. "This better be important."
"You told me to call you as soon as I found something useful to help Amane." The woman replied.
He perked up at Ishizu's words.
She asked, "Can I portal over?"
"Go ahead. Should I call Yugi and Ryou?" Kaiba asked.
"I would like your opinion first; I don't want to get Ryou's hopes up," Ishizu responded. The phone line then went dead.
Moments later Ishizu was standing in his office holding the Millennium tome. She'd been studying the text and comparing it to her family records. Some of the information from the tome the Ishtar family had recorded; a good majority of the information was unique to the tome.
"I found mention in these texts about a possible ritual, but none of my records list the ritual in full." Ishizu pointed out. She gave him and Set a few moments to read the ancient texts.
"Ah, I know this ritual. It's in the tome." Set replied.
"You've been bound to the tome for how many thousands of years. How can you not mention this ritual sooner?" Kaiba asked his ancestor.
"It appears that my knowledge of certain rituals I've read has faded over time." The spirit replied. He seemed fascinated by the memory block.
"This will work if you can find someone that can perform the ritual," Seto replied.
Set explained the ritual "The main part of the ritual needed to be performed by two willing virgins prepared to bring the reborn person back into the world. It was a spell that had been traditionally performed by the new Pharaoh and wife to bring the previous Pharaoh back and could be performed multiple times. It was usually performed to keep the Pharaoh's family on the throne. Usually, three generations of the one family would perform the ritual time and time again. It had the advantage of being able to call all soul pieces together if the soul had been fractured. Purifying the soul of any taint. The disadvantage was that you were not physically the same as the previous life. To a reborn Pharaoh, being born female could be disastrous."
"I can't perform the ritual. I was sexually assaulted by my father." Ishizu admitted.
"I'm also ruled out for the same reason. My adoptive father, not my real father." Kaiba replied. He didn't want Ishizu thinking ill of his biological father. His dad had been a good man. He hated to admit it aloud, but it also removed himself from the equation. It felt like a weight had been lifted when he admitted Ishizu that Gozaburo Kaiba had sexually abused him. Ishizu wasn't surprised by his revelation, just like he wasn't surprised by hers. He'd suspected she'd been abused and she suspected the same of him.
"We will tell Yugi and Ryou in the morning. You're welcome to stay if you wish. The guest bedroom is always made up." Seto offered.
Ishizu nodded. "I already know the way. I will see you in the morning when we speak to Ryou and Yugi." She left without another word.
Harry and Hermione had done a good job in collecting the remaining Horcruxes that were created by Lord Voldemort, the former dark lord was also still in limbo after the last time his soul had been devoured by the Shadow Realm. With this ritual and someone willing and able to perform the ritual, hopefully, it wouldn't be long till everything doing with Voldemort was buried.
KC
Ryou was relieved; it was one-step closer to getting his sister well. They'd called a meeting with everyone involved with the Horcruxes and the Shadow Council. The odd group got together. Translation runes were placed so everyone could understand one another. Present for the meeting was the Horcrux hunters Harry, Hermione and Severus. Teachers Remus and Percy. Bill and Fleur who'd been involved with recovering the Millennium Tome. Ishizu's brothers Radish and Marik. Yugi and Ryou's friends Joey, Tea, and Tristan. Mokuba hadn't been allowed to attend and the same went for Serenity and Amane. Draco had chosen to stay home, not wanting to travel by plane for the meeting.
"We've found a possible ritual which would leave our living Horcrux's alive," Ishizu explained to the group. "We've called you all together to find out if it's even possible for any of us to perform the ritual, and if anyone is willing and able to perform the ritual. It's asking a lot from the parties involved and we will look for other means if no one is willing or able to perform the ritual."
Everyone listened with anticipation. Hermione couldn't stop fidgeting, she was itching to hold her hand up and blast off a million questions.
Ishizu continued, "I found mention of the ritual in family texts. The ritual itself comes from the Millennium Tome."
She had gasps from Bill who'd been in Egypt when the tome had been recovered. Others look equally impressed.
"I've never heard of the Millennium Tome," Hermione replied.
"It's an Ancient Egyptian tome, one of a kind that tells of great powerful magic," Bill explained. "It was thought to only be a legend even amongst the magical community."
"The text states that the soul, Voldemort in our case needs to be reborn. Reborn from two virgins and conceived during the ritual." Ishizu was explaining to the group. "His soul needs to be made whole again before he can be judged and truly sent to the afterlife. This ritual brings all the pieces of his soul back together, cleanses the soul and gives him another chance at life."
"Are we really going to allow the Dark Lord to be reborn and give him another chance at life?" Severus asked. "He was the Darkest Wizard of the last Century."
"If you can find another ritual we will consider it," Seto replied. "In case you haven't noticed, this is the most promising one we've found that ensures the safety of Amane and Potter."
"I think we would do it and I should be his father," Harry announced. "It should be me. This whole mess started when he tried to kill me as a toddler. I have the last piece of his soul stuck in my head. There was a prophecy made about Voldemort and myself. It didn't say how I was to defeat him, but it needs to be me."
"What is this prophecy?" Ryou asked, slight excitement coming through. Seto rolled his eyes. Ryou and Ishizu both got along well due to the shared interest in fortune telling.
With a silky voice, Severus repeated the prophecy for those who didn't know. "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies.
"There were two children who fit the prophecy, Mister Potter and Mister Longbottom. When the Dark Lord attacked Mister Potter he was marked his equal that night."
"Are you really prepared to be the parent of the person that murdered your parents?" Seto asked Harry. "Can you really put what happened in the past? He will be reborn; he will be a baby and then a child, eventually an adult. I refuse to judge the soul of a baby or child and will only judge him as an adult if he commits any crimes in this new life. Can you really forgive him enough that you will not try to take revenge on a child for his past life's sins? Will you protect him from those that find out the truth? Think long and hard about it, because if you can't honestly say that you will have the child's best interest at heart then you shouldn't be his parent."
Those who had come from abusive homes nodded in agreement.
"No child deserves to be abused at the hand of a parent, no matter the circumstances." Joey agreed.
Harry didn't even think before he replied. "Yes I can, his past life will be in the past. It will be buried the day the ritual is performed. I will love and care for him and give him the life that I never got to live, that he never got before. With a parent that love him. I will do anything to protect him from all harm, whether it's from childhood bullies or people who know he's the reborn Voldemort."
"Harry I want to be his mother," Hermione offered. "I've been with you since the first year, ever since that day you rescued me from that troll. I was with you when we were trying to protect the Philosophers stone. I was with you when we rescued Sirius from the dementors. I supported you during the Tri-Wizard Tournament; I was at your side when we broke into the ministry. I left everything to come with you on our Horcrux hunt. I want to be in your lift forever Harry. Honestly, you would be lost without me. Can you think of any other woman that would be better than me to be his mother? Who else would stay at your side to help raise a child I know is Voldemort. Who else can love that child knowing his past?"
"Hermione, Harry, you are both still virgins?" Fleur spoke with a thick accent. She had chosen to speak English rather than French even with the translation runes in place.
"I was waiting till marriage," Hermione replied proudly.
"It just hasn't happened for me," Harry admitted. He was blushing as he glanced in Hermione's direction.
"We seem to have that sorted," Ishizu spoke up. "Next is deciding when the best time is to perform the ritual for the best chance of success. Who will be performing the enchantments and drawing up runes."
"I believe that the best time will either be during July or some time to guarantee that the child will be born during July to follow to the previous prophecy that has been made," Ryou replied.
"Babies births are too hard to predict, performing the ritual during July would be the best bet," Bill told everyone.
"I agree, my brother Marik was born later than expected," Ishizu replied.
"I disagree with the date," Harry told them. "I believe the ritual should be performed on all hallows eve. That is the night my parents were murdered by Voldemort. It is also the day that Hermione and I became friends. The day the chamber of secrets was first open. The day Sirius broke into my dorm room looking for Pettigrew. The day my name was pulled out of the goblet of fire."
Hermione nodded, "I agree with Harry. Something has happened almost every Halloween since we've met."
There was a murmur of agreement among the group.
"Then the 31st of October it is," Ishizu replied.
"We still need a location." Seto reminded them.
"We need somewhere all three of you have a strong connection," Ishizu told them. "Traditionally for the Pharaoh's who went through with this ritual, it was performed in the palace or a local temple. Occasionally the tomb of the Pharaoh involved."
"Hogwarts," Hermione replied. "It's the only place all three of us have a connection to."
Harry nodded in agreement.
"I'll talk to Minevera," Severus told them. "Your mother would be proud of you Harry." Surprising Harry that his former Potions Teacher had used his first name. Even during all their months hunting Horcruxes together he'd never used Harrys name.
"Your father would also be proud," Remus smiled.
"Thanks, Professor Snape, Remus." Harry hugged Remus and then Severus who was rather stiff but accepted the hug.
"You're no longer in school Harry, I believe you may call me Severus." The Potions master told Harry.
"I know its a few months away, but is everyone free on the 31st of October?" Yugi asked.
"I'll have to talk with Mokuba and make sure he has nothing planned or doesn't plan anything on or around that date," Seto replied.
"That's right. Kaiba Corporation is always busy the last week in October. There's always something big going on at the theme parks and the arcades. I believe it's to celebrate Mr Kaiba taking over the company. This year is five years. Bit morbid if you ask me. The former Mr Kaiba died the first day the celebrations start each year."
"I thought the annual week-long celebration was for Kaiba's birthday," Joey asked.
"It is," Yugi replied. "The first day's always on his birthday. The last day is Halloween."
"It was Mokuba's idea. I'd prefer for people to forget I even have a birthday." Kaiba sighed.
"Your father died on your birthday. That must have been awful." Remus gasped.
"That man wasn't my father. My father died when I was a child. I hated Gozubura Kaiba and was happy when he died." Kaiba told him with much force.
"And that's why you were accused of murdering him. You were way too happy about his death," Ryou smiled.
Remus opened up a diary and wrote in two dates. One was the date of the ritual; the other was Seto's birthday. That was the good thing about the spirit. He was able to spy without others realising. He had to admit he had taken advantage of being able to use the spirit form to see how his employees were like without him around.
"There are two things I need to do before Harry and I perform the ritual," Hermione spoke up. "I need to talk to Ron and find my parents."
Hermione went into an explanation about what she'd done to her parents.
"Leave finding your parents to me," he offered. Even though the ritual was still a few months away she didn't know where they where besides in Australia. It was possible they may have moved on. He may need the whole time to search. "Give me a recent photo and it won't take long especially if they've left a paper trail. I'll let you know where they are once I've located them."
"Thank you." Hermione pulled out her bag and reached in a distance far more than physically possible. She handed him a photo of two people. She resembled her mother quite a bit.
"Now I just have to track down Ron," Hermione had a small frown on her face.
"Ron's back home with mum," Bill replied.
"This is getting too sappy, I've got work to do. Tell me when the next meeting is" Kaiba waved before walking out. He knew that Yugi, Ryou or Ishizu would tell him when he was needed next.