Chapter 15 – The Shadow Game
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry shouts launching his majestic silver stag patronus at the incoming Dementor which knocked it back, three more came swooping in. Harry's patronus was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of the dark creatures in the area as four over shot the spell and swept over Harry draining him. Dropping to his knees watching his patronus move back instinctively to cover him as more descended on.
"Harry!" he looked behind him seeing Daphne running up. "Are you alright?"
He began looking around wildly as the Dementors circled, "Daphne get back to the castle, it's too dangerous."
The blonde haired Slytherin shook her head, "I won't leave you."
The moments distraction was a enough as five more Dementors flew down sucking more energy out of the raven haired boy, he screamed in pain agony as he was forced to recall every single beating at the hands of his fat cousin and his gang of stupid friends. He slumped to the ground feeling so weak. "HARRY!" he felt Daphne grab him. Looking up seeing her face etched with worry as he fought to remain conscious.
Daphne saw how pale he was getting fighting tears that were welling; these monsters were literally sucking the life from him and her feeling so self-conscious the Dementors adding to the whispers of fear rejection and loneliness. But it also was amplifying her fears of losing him the one person who's come to mean more to her than her own life. Building her courage focusing on the kiss they shared on Christmas and throwing out every doubt she had she lifted her wand, "You Will Not Take Him! EXPECTO PATRONUM!" as two full waves of Dementors descended upon the couple a huge flash of silver light followed by the elegant form a doe charging headlong into the dark creatures, a few seconds later Harry's stag join it and drove not only the two waves back but every single Dementor in the area, leaving one hovering above who stayed just out of reach watching them.
"Daphne?" Harry whispered. "W-Was that a doe?"
Daphne turned looking at his fidgeting a bit, "Y-Yes," she stated biting her bottom lip.
The raven haired boy smiled, "It was brilliant." The blonde haired girls heart swelled in joy at this as the magical block began to crumble even though the whispers of fears and rejection seemed to pick up in ferocity but they seemed to become almost muted. She helped as Harry got to his feet, watching him. He turned to her and took her hands in his, "I had this big elaborate picnic set up for tomorrow to tell you this, but after what I saw figure I'd give you your Valentine's Day gift a day early, mind you it's not chocolate or flowers. But I give you my heart, I love you Daphne Greengrass."
Daphne's eyes widen a second, before tears of joy streamed down her face, lunging at him throwing her arms around his neck, "Oh Harry I love you too," she stated capturing his lips with her she felt him deepen the kiss to the point she moaned and her toes curled. The magical block exploded into nothing and a bright light surrounded the very area.
"NNNNNOOOO!" a loud inhuman scream they both broke the kiss looking up at the lone 'Dementor' who was charging at them, the two patronus intercepted it only to get batted away like they were nothing.
"That's not a Dementor," Daphne stated as the creature swooped down two cold red eyes glared at them from.
"Brilliant deduction little Morgana," the dark creature stated. "I am the Dark Lord Arawn and yet I'm not."
"How can you be this Arawn and not be him," Harry asked holding Daphne protectively.
Arawn growled, "Horocrux I made at the time imbedded in Salazar Slytherin, the foolish blighter had no idea. But the damn fool got himself killed leaving me in this half state. I spent 1600 plus years following the Emrys line as it passed through the Perevell's and Gaunt's until Tom Marvolo Riddle and his little cousin Harry Potter came into being."
"I'm related to Voldemort?" Harry asked.
"Surprised, I imagine being related to the current Dark Lord would shock anyone. But yes, not as blood related as many would hope, the Perevell line distilled it with muggles however the miserable trash that they are," a hooked finger pointed at Daphne. "I wanted the reincarnation of Morgana to be lost to madness or die not to be reunited with the reincarnation of her idiot husband, I associated myself with the Dementors played upon her insecurities and fear that you would reject her incarnation of Merlin, but no you had to fall in love with her you couldn't accept your fate," the dark creatures eyes flashed. "I told you in your previous life little Merlin that if I could not have Morgana's power then I would destroy it, I cursed your family to destroy it but you managed to counter act it by simply offering yourself and your beloved up as a blood sacrifice to ensure I could not do it again. I've hated you for so long because of that and I'm unable to kill you because of my own curse," the creature smiled darkly looking at Daphne. "But little Morgana was reincarnated into a bloodline outside the parameters, so she's fair game. Anyway to cause little Merlin emotional pain I relish, so say goodbye to your love!" The creature raised his clawed and an ominous red light appeared.
"Activate: Spellbinding Circle!" Arawn was suddenly encased in strange glowing archaic circle and pentagram. Yami walked down and stood in front of his students looking at the twisted creature. "Twenty points from Gryffindor for hotheadedness and no forethought, ten points from Slytherin for being foolish and leaving your dorms after curfew," Yami stated watching the creature struggle. "But I give you both ten points for remarkable skill in the Patronus charm and another ten points from the power you had to drive off every single Dementor."
Harry raised an eyebrow while Daphne tried hard not to giggle mostly out of relief, "Sorry Professor about running off."
"That face, I recognize you Pharaoh Atem, it's not possible you sealed yourself away to prevent the shadow realm from overtaking the planet," Arawn stated with a mixture of awe and fear.
"I reside in the Millennium Puzzle, I am acting through my descendant Yugi Moto and you are an abomination using dark means to anchor yourself to this world," Yami replied.
Arawn fought against the spell holding him, "Anything to prolong little Merlin's suffering, coveting his wife and children, allowing muggles to learn magic, destroying my undead army, the man was a pestilence."
"It is not wrong to love or teach those who wish to learn, your bigotry and lust for power twisted you into what is before me. A broken waste of a person who was rumored to be the brightest wizard of his age, jealously over Merlin's accomplishments drove you to become what you are," Yami stated.
"He took everything I desired, teachings of our former masters, the castle with all its knowledge, but the final insult was taking Morgana first under his wing to teach her what he knew, then to his marriage bed. The woman was MINE!" the creature shouted the last syllable breaking the spell. "I want her blood as repayment."
Yami's eyes glowed as the entire area began to fill with a strange purple and black cloud Arawn looked around worriedly. "You plan to take something both in your previous life and now, I will not allow it. I challenge you to a Shadow Game winner leaves and the loser will be trapped in the Shadow Realm forever."
"Then let the games begin, when I win the foolish girl will join you shortly thereafter," the twisted creature cackled insanely.
XXX Arawn: 4000 Yami: 4000 XXX
Harry and Daphne watched as strange stone tablets began appearing in front of Arawn while Yami had his funny looking cards appear in front of him. Arawn sets two of the tablets face down and one horizontal face down in front. Yami draws a card looking at it, "I activate the spell Mystical Space Typhoon on the face down on my right." The tablet flips up to reveal a trap by the name of The Forces of Darkness. "Next I'll set a monster face down in defense mode."
Arawn activates a spell card by the name of Dark World lightning only for Yugi to negate its effects by chaining Magic Jammer. The dark creature follows up by chaining a second Dark World Lightning and destroys Yami's face down card Solemn Warning. He also discards a monster called Snoww, Unlight of the Dark World, by doing this he activates her effect enabling him to search his Shadow Realm deck for a monster called Grapha, Dragon Lord of the Dark World to his hand. Yugi discards King's Knight to honor Magic Jammer's effect.
The dark creature then activates a spell card called Dark Smog, then discards Grapha to banish King's Knight from the graveyard and resolve Dark Smog's effect. Grapha's effect activates allowing him to destroy Yami's monster. "I flip summon Scarr, Scout of the Dark World, and use Grapha's secondary effect, by returning Scarr to my I'm allowed to special summon Grapha to the field in attack mode 2700/1800. Now Grapha attack with Dark Dragon Fire!"
XXX Arawn: 4000 Yami: 1300 XXX
With the blast of fire Yami began to fade out as his life points dropped he looked up to hear the twisted creature laughingly maniacally. Arawn sets another monster and one face down then ending his turn. Yami draws looking at the card he just drew and smirks slightly, "I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior and with his special ability I remove a counter to destroy your face down card, next I activate Magical Dimension by tributing my Breaker I can summon another spellcaster to the field and destroy your monster, I summon Silent Magician LV. 4 in attack mode 1000/1000!" both he and Arawn watched the Dark World Dragon explode into pixels. "Next Silent Magician destroy his face down monster!"
Arawn uses Scarr's effect and adds Broww, Huntsman of the Dark World to his hand as Yami ends his turn. Drawing a card the dark creature it watches as Silent Magician gets a counter and 500 points in attack points but is unconcerned, it discards Broww to banish Gamma who was also in the graveyard. Broww's effect allowed the dark creature to draw another tablet. Thanks to the draw the Silent Magician gets a spell counter raising Silent Magician's attack again by 500. He normal summons Scarr and then returns the card to his hand to Special summon Grapha. "I attack your magician with Dark Dragon Fire!" the dark creature cackles evilly watching the star haired young man fade even mode looking very transparent. "I activate Dark World Dealings, allows us both to draw one and discard one." Both draws a card Yami discards Queen's Knight to the Graveyard while Arawn draws a card and discards Beiige, Vanguard of the Dark World to the graveyard its effect activates allowing it to summon itself to field. "You will fail and little Morgana will die shortly afterward leaving little Merlin to wallow in despair having to tell little Astoria that he failed to protect her, to tell his godmother that he watched her daughter die and could do nothing to prevent it. It'll be delicious to have people he's come to love so much turn on him and cast them from their home. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!"
Yami glared coldly at the twisted creature, "This game is not over and you think to lightly on how people will react, always assuming they would be like you, hateful, resentful, and not an ounce of love in their hearts. I know I can beat you, for I have faith and the Heart of the Cards, I draw!" Yami touched the shadow plain and felt a massive spike in energy looking at the card in front of him he smiled, "I banish Breaker the Magical Warrior and Silent Magician from play to Special Summon Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning 3000/2500! Now I will use his secondary effect and attack both your monsters!"
XXX Arawn: 2300 Yami: 600 XXX
Arawn growls feeling himself vanish a bit but now he looked worried he draws a card looking at it even more nervously, "I set a monster and lay one tablet face down."
Yami scans the field as he draws looking at the card he drew he sets it and uses Black Luster Soldier's first effect to remove the monster from play, but doesn't attack. Arawn draws and smirks darkly. He activates Return from a Different Dimension only for Yami to activate Solemn Judgment. Without a monster in his hands Arawn watches in cold realization that he had lost. Yami draws a card looking at the twisted creature as he orders the Soldier to attack life points for Arawn going to zero and he simply fades out with a pop. "In accordance with the rules of this shadow game you are forever banished to the Shadow Realm dark creature, never enter this realm world again." The purplish black cloud lifted and he turns to the young couple. "Come, you've suffered enough this night time for rest."
"Would it be alright if we?" Daphne asked biting her lower lip holding onto Harry's arm for dear life.
"I will arrange it so that you may stay together, your soul bond is fresh and you will need each other," Yami stated as his features changed giving control over to Yugi.
"S-Soul Bond," Daphne screeched.
"Yes, I believe the bright light I saw was your magic pretty much announcing to the world that you've been bonded. Must have been some kiss," Yugi chuckled leading a dazed Harry and Daphne back to the castle.
XXX
Yugi was true to his word he managed to bring the young couple to the Room of Requirement and set up a nice room for them, it looked like a simple apartment. The two were both physically and emotionally exhausted as the truths of their previous life were laid bare before them by the twisted creature. The soul bond however was doing its work healing the emotional damage allowing them to bask in the warmth of their love. They spent nearly an hour kissing like their first time and a few like their soul bonding kiss. They kiss until falling asleep, Daphne's head laying gently on Harry's chest.
Author's Note: This is a short chapter but mostly because it's a climactic battle and resolutions to the romantic undertone of the story. Now I'm a firm believer in the Ginny Love Potions theory just like many believe. Heck the love potions theory is just as much credible as the Indoctrination Theory for Mass Effect 3 the arguments are really well done for both. To me it makes sense Harry doesn't show an interest in Ginny until after the class started making those. It would only stand to reason she slipped some in keyed to her when Harry wasn't looking, not suspecting her of doing something someone else tried to do. My biggest annoyance in why Rowling chose her as the girl Harry ends up with makes me pull my hair out, she's Ron's sister it like marrying your own sister or at least a close cousin. True the same argument could be made for Hermione accept for one fact, Goblet of Fire Harry was going to ask Hermione to the dance if asking Cho fell through, Viktor simply beat him to her. I'll never match Harry with Ginny, I might match him with Hermione at a later date for another story but never Ginny, I don't hate her I just don't think she was the right pairing for Harry.