Unwilling Students

Yugioh/HP Crossover

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Yu-gi-oh or any other references I may make.

AN: Original Chap 16. So it has been a while and I cannot even blame writers block. I hope you are all still out there. Let me know what you think!

/mindspeech one on one/

[Group Mindspeech]

So one to go…The next chapter is the catalyst. Whatever I change or don't change will determine where the story goes as long as I get past my writers block that made me stop after that chapter. I have some ideas for some changes which should help me get past it.

If any of you have read the original version of this story you know I didn't leave off in a great place in the upcoming chapter. I am determined to get past it this time around.

Blackdrake: So I could use the muggle prime minister of Egypt but that's no fun. :P I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Thank you for taking the time to read and review my story.

Thank you again everyone for all your support!

Things you need to know:

Clarkes Laws:

1. When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.

2. The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.

3. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Tony Blair, Queen Victoria are the names I like from England's previous rulers.

12,000-15,000 wizards in UK worldwide approx. 2.2 million wizards maybe less.

approx. 1.3 million (approx. 108,000 if they were spread evenly) Medjai spread amongst the 12 tribes army size 30,000-40,000

Battle of Hogwarts: (movie version)

Dirk Cresswell is an actual Harry Potter Character he is killed in book seven by snatcher and works for the ministry as a goblin liaison. His character is the movie totally works for me for an envisioned roguish spy.

The International Confederation of Wizards is a confederation that consists of many of the magical governing bodies of the countries of the world. It was founded in 1692 when representatives from the English Ministry of Magic, the French Bureau of Magic, and several other magical governing bodies met in Geneva, Switzerland to settle various issues. The end result of this conference was the International Confederation of Wizards.

Over the years, most countries joined the Confederation, though to date, several nations still refuse to. Each country contributes two representatives to the Confederation. The method in which these representatives are chosen varies from country to country. (Source: one of the harry potter wikis)

Chapter 26
Original Chapter 16

February

Tidbits from America…
Mokuba was getting restless and he missed his brother. Employees from Kaiba Corp. were wondering where their boss was, and starting to question why both brothers were out of the country. Mokuba was literally working full time hours just to keep on top of everything. He was truly realizing how hard Seto's job really was. He was also debating on if he should get Yugi's friends' involved along with his Grandpa. At the present time they had no idea what was going on and he knew Yugi preferred it that way. He really wanted to find a viable reason to head to England but he knew his big brother would not like it if he did head there.

Rebecca and her Grandfather Arthur continued researching magical books they had access to. Rebecca felt like the answer was something simple, and yet she couldn't quite figure out what was most likely a very obvious thing. She felt like she was getting close though. She would find the answer she just had to.

Isis spent her time searching for the key to freeing her Pharaoh and the others, and keeping in contact with the team Pegasus had sent out to excavate the stone tablet of Mahads since they still had yet to find him. She was starting to get suspicious as to why they could not find Mahad's tablet. They had finally found his tomb and the tablet was simply not there.

Shadi had visited Isis as soon as she had returned to America for her "vacation" and removed some spells Bill had put on her, and told her he would attempt to locate the Death Eaters and retrieve her necklace. Rishid was busy helping with research and trying to keep an eye out for Isis, Kisara, and Mokuba.

Kisara was working on her magicks, researching, and worrying constantly for the others. She seriously wanted to follow in Mana and Kaphiri's footsteps and head to England, but Mana had been caught and it felt like Rishid was constantly keeping an eye on her to keep her from doing just that.

America/England…
"Prime Minister Sedki, Thank you for agreeing to speak with us on such short notice." Isis said starting off the conference call with Kaphiri and the non-magical prime minister of Egypt.

"While it is wonderful to hear from you my friends why is the Pharaoh or the High Priest not contacting me? I was told there was an emergency." The prime minister asked wondering what was going on as he sat at his desk tapping a pen repeatedly worried about what could possibly be wrong.

"Forgive us Prime Minister. But the Pharaoh, along with the High Priest and his other priests have been kidnapped by a foreign magical enclave." Isis answered apprehensively, waiting for the yelling that was bound to happen.

"What!? How could that happen? Who did this? When did this happen?" The Prime Minister rapid fired his questions in succession.

"Well…it was the British magical enclave and it happened around mid-December. They were taken in their sleep and had no chance to fight back" Isis informed the man.

"Why am I just finding out about this?"

"We were trying to handle this quietly because it was a vigilante group that kidnapped them however it seems that will not be a possibility at this point seeing as they have been captives for far too long and its past time to take action" Kaphiri stated while thinking they should have taken action sooner than this.

"So we need to be somewhat delicate I am assuming?" Prime Minister Sedki questioned.

"Yes, and that is why we are contacting you now. We plan to send in Medjai spies to gain intel on what is really going on. We have no idea if their government supports this group or if they even know that they exist. What we do know is that there is a war brewing in the magical enclave. It was started by a terrorist cell that is trying to acquire the Pharaoh and his young priests as well." Kaphiri reported.

"This is indeed a problem. While officially I cannot help you with the magical government of England, I can get in touch with Prime Minister Tony Blair and Queen Victoria. I am positive I can convince them to grant you an audience. From there you can see how involved they are with their magical enclave. This will also protect us if there are any incidents that require an extraction of any sort."

"Thank you, Prime Minister that will be a great deal of help to us." Isis responded grateful that the Prime Minister was going to help them with England.

"Now unofficially I will give you whatever support you need. While I do not want a war with England we cannot allow them to hold the Pharaoh and his young priests any longer. I will be in touch when I have a meeting set up for you." The Prime Minister added standing up from his desk chair and pacing with the phone. He was so angry at the audacity of the magicals of England. They would pay dearly. The Gods would surely take revenge for their chosen one. Egypt and its people had waited far too long for the ancient pharaoh to return to power only to be taken by foreigners. It was unconscionable.

"Thank you." Kaphiri said as he ended the conference call and met with his brethren immediately after.

Kaphiri had been in England for a few days now along with the Medjai spies that were sent from Egypt. He had received his orders from the Pharaoh and young Mokuba had set him up with a laptop with a secure email address to communicate. He thanked the God's of Egypt that he and his brethren had some magical sense. Otherwise there would be very little that they could do. The Medjai were able to find and feel the residue left behind from powerful magic. The only explanation Kaphiri had for that particular oddity was that the ability was a gift from their Gods. Egyptians have lived and breathed magic for centuries whether they could harness arcane energy or not so it became almost a necessary skill to have.

It didn't take long for the Egyptian Prime Minister to set the meeting up for Kaphiri. The Medjai Chieftain soon found himself along with two of his spies walking down the long hallways of Buckingham Palace to the Queen's audience chamber.

"Your Majesty. Prime Minister, it is an honor to meet with you both. Thank you for seeing us on such short notice." Kaphiri bowed his head in respect to the rulers of England along with his two companions.

"Prime Minister Sedki said this was urgent and of the utmost importance. What is going on that Medjai are coming into my country? It has not gone unnoticed and now this urgent message." Queen Victoria asked with a hint of concern showing in her eyes.

The Medjai explained everything that was going on to the British rulers and awaited their decision.

"You are putting us in a very difficult position however I appreciate you coming forward instead of just infiltrating my country." Queen Victoria said thoughtfully while mulling over what she had been told.

"We will not fight your presence here however we would like to be kept in the loop and request that the only spying done is on the magical enclave. I ask that you leave the non-magical population alone." Prime Minister Blair stated firmly not wanting foreign operatives having free reign in his country.

"I can assure you Prime Minister we have no interest in the non-magical side of the United Kingdom. But please be aware the extraction of my Pharaoh and his priests may not be a peaceful endeavor." Kaphiri explained wanting to be honest with them.

"We understand the ramifications of allowing you on British soil. Again all we ask is that you keep the non-magical population out of this." The Prime Minister reiterated wanting to protect his people and allow the Medjai the necessary freedom to do what was needed.

"If a war breaks out we will not stop you as long as my people are kept safe and out of it. I wash my hands of our enclave. They repeatedly leave us in the dark about what is going on, do not act like the British citizens that they are, are cocky, arrogant, think they are better than us, and they forget whom they truly answer to. Do what you must to get your people free." Queen Victoria said as she stood and paced the room angrily having had enough of the pathetic wizards in her country. She was tired of the memory modifications, refusal to give information or communicate as equals, explaining things away with 'natural disasters', people dying of unknown causes, and unexplained disappearances.

"Thank you for your understanding and leniency. We are most grateful." Kaphiri said as he was about to end the meeting.

"One more thing before you depart. To expedite your information gathering we will get you in contact with one of our operatives. His name is Dirk Cresswell. He is a wizard who is loyal to the crown. He keeps tabs on the Ministry while working as the Goblin Liaison." Queen Victoria informed the Medjai.

Kaphiri and the others hid their true feelings at the mention of goblins and thanked the Queen and Prime Minister for their help before ending the meeting.

Dirk Cresswell had turned out to be a valuable asset. He had no qualms in telling him all about English wizards. What he had learned was most disturbing. The government was not only corrupt but bigoted as well. The Pharaoh would not receive help from the magical government here at all. They would consider him and his priests' evil and probably attempt to kill them if discovered. Dirk implied that the Pharaoh would make a great sacrifice to further the minister's political agenda and keep him in power. The wizards of England had a very black and white view on good and evil and would look at the minister as a hero if he disposed of supposed dark foreign wizards.

Kaphiri found out that the Ministry was quite aware of the presence of the Pharaoh and his priests. They were registered as transfer students under the guise of promoting international relations with countries not part of the ICW or in Japan's case looked down upon by the rest of the ICW.

If it came down to it he had no problem going to war with these wizards. He contacted the other Medjai and told them to prepare for possible war just in case that is what it took to get the Pharaoh and his priests out of there. He contacted the Medjai assassins and told them to be ready. He was going to send for them immediately if the Pharaoh would allow it. He figured it would be easier for assassins to infiltrate the magical world then a full army of Medjai.

He also needed to inform Isis and the Pharaoh the information he got from Cresswell on the goblins and their activities in Egypt. He was not pleased to find out that they had been digging up artifacts under the guise of a company that was supposed to be assisting the Museum in Egypt. It turns out that the goblins were keeping quite a bit of Egyptian relics and treasures for themselves. He was hoping they had not gotten to any of the ruins and tombs that were off limits to outsiders but with magic involved who knew where they had been digging. He contacted the Medjai stationed at the museum to find out what sites Gringotts was involved in so they could put a stop to the thieving. Other Medjai warriors had also been notified of this and were expected to take all humans involved with Gringotts into custody. They would await trial before the Pharaoh.

Shadi had taken a brief respite from research and was sitting in a pub looking for any tidbits of information on Death Eater activity. He needed to get the necklace back. Then he needed to get back to looking for a spell that would reverse what that old fool did to trap his charges here. He couldn't go back without setting off the wards again, and he wouldn't risk that until he could free them from the castle. He heard news on them occasionally when he returned to America briefly to see about Isis. They were at least able to communicate through emails so he knew they were as well as they could be in this situation. He was going to check on them when they visited that wizard town. The old fool would not be able to sense him in the town so it should be safe enough to contact them there.

Sometime before February 14th …
"It seems Severus that perhaps you were right about the mages. They need a change of scenery. I will extend the magic on their bracelets and allow them to go to Hogsmeade on Valentine's Day but we will have to get the Order Members to follow them and keep them safe. This is risky but they are just teenagers after all. Even if they do get themselves caught they won't be with Voldemort more than five minutes before the bracelets kick in."

"As you wish headmaster."

Snape's Office
"Ah Mr. Malfoy come in. It seems the headmaster has been convinced of the need to get the mages out of the castle for the day. Do you have a plan on how to obtain the two mages in question?"

"Of course I do. Don't worry. I will not fail."

"Don't be so flippant. The Dark Lord does not tolerate failure."

After the Malfoy heir left the office, Severus put his hands in his hair bowing his head. How were they going to pull this off? He couldn't protect both the mages and Draco on top of keeping both his masters clueless. This was not going to end well.

Mages Dorm
"You all will be allowed to go to Hogsmeade on Saturday. We are almost out of time. I hope you can defend yourselves."

Unity Commons
"Harry, do you want to come research immortality and Ancient Egypt with me?" Hermione asked the boy who was currently sitting on one of the couches in the huge room reading a book.

Just as Harry was about to answer, Ginny came over and sat in Harry's lap. "He is going go for a walk with me around the castle so he can't go with you," she said snidely, truly wishing her brother would hurry up and use a love potion or something to get this girl away from her Harry.

"Fine." Hermione said as she strode quickly out of the room before unshed tears fell down her cheeks. She didn't want everyone to see what she was truly feeling.

However two Gryffindor students noticed her abrupt departure since they were sitting fairly close by playing games with Terrence and Adrian. Fred and George frowned at Harry's behavior and their sister's attitude. They were concerned for their friend since he had confided in them about Ginny and Ron's betrayal at the beginning of the year. So they couldn't fathom why Harry was having a change of heart with their younger siblings. Though they had theories on what might be going on but neither one had proof or had found anything in the library on moodiness and personality changes.

As Hermione fled down the hallway she ran into Ron who was coming from the opposite direction. He stopped her in the hallway. Finally she was alone and without bloody Potter. His sister was doing her job at long last. Ron sauntered up to her and smirked at her in what he thought a sexy manner. It was time. He was finally going to make his move.

"Where are you headed?" he asked trying to sound nonchalant.

"I was just heading to the library to do some research." Hermione answered slightly disturbed by the odd look on Ron's face and him suddenly invading her personal space.

"How about you skip researching for now and come spend some time with me." Ron said as he grabbed her wrist and started pulling her in the other direction.

"I will do no such thing Ronald. Now unhand me. Harry needs us to find out about this immortality thing." she said heatedly angry at his aggressive behavior while trying to pull out of his tight grip.

Ron's eyes flashed angrily and his grip tightened on the girl before him. "Forget that, you are coming with me."

"I will not. Now let go."

"What's going on little Ronnikins?" Fred piped in glaring at the scene before him.

"I think Hermione wants to get to the library." George added warning his brother that whatever was going on was finished now.

Ron let go of Hermione, cursing his annoying brothers timing. He glared at them and the two Slytherin boys that his brothers were suddenly hanging around. Adrian and Terrence were glaring right back at him menacingly not liking what they had just witnessed. They did hold back though and let the twins deal with the problem since the obnoxious red head was their brother.

Hermione quickly stalked off to the library while giving the four boys a grateful look. She didn't understand what had gotten into Ron. The twins escorted their brother back to Gryffindor tower to keep an eye on, while Terrence and Adrian escorted Hermione to the library.

Library
Hermione thanked the two Slytherin boys and sat huffily down at one of the long study tables as far away from other people as she could get. She was feeling angry, confused, and hurt. Hermione pushed her confusion about Ron aside and looked at the books on her table that she had piled up. She had stacks of books from the restricted section on different subjects ranging from ancient Egypt, modern and ancient dark magic, and for her personally a book on Hogsmeade and all the stores in the little town. She opened the book on Hogsmeade and turned to the page talking about Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. She sighed as she looked at the place in the book not really reading the words. Every girl in school that had a date to Hogsmeade weekend had been talking about this place. She slammed the book shut in anger. What was so special about that place anyways? It's not like it could be as good as Starbucks. A shadow blocked her light suddenly and she looked up to see the amethyst eyes of Atem looking down at her curiously. Hermione blushed lightly wondering if he saw the page she had been staring at.

"What did that book ever do you?" Atem asked, smiling lightly at the girl in front of him, having a pretty good idea of why she was upset after accidently seeing the page she had been on. Ever since Harry had asked Ginny to accompany him to Hogsmeade, Hermione had been a bit moodier than normal and getting worse as the day drew near.

Hermione flushed even more at Atem's comment. "I…was just frustrated with my research."

"And what research have you been doing?" Atem asked in genuine curiosity as he casually picked up a random book from her pile and sat across from her letting her change the subject for the moment. He looked at the book he had chosen and his eyes widened in surprise with a flicker of alarm showing on his features. She was researching him and shadow magic.

Hermione had a dear in the headlights look come across her face when Atem had grabbed the Ancient Egyptian book from her pile. She saw a moment of alarm flit across his face but then it disappeared behind that regal mask of his. Hermione's heartbeat quickened as she answered, "I find the topic of Ancient Egypt just fascinating. The books on Egypt are just for a bit of light reading. I am researching dark magic in hopes of finding some clue about dark objects and immortality for Harry. What about you? Why are you in here? I thought Professor Sherard and Professor Snape were tutoring you all?"

Atem saw the lie and redirection for what it was but allowed it anyways. The girl was intelligent enough to eventually figure out some of his secrets. He hoped the answers she sought were not in this library. That would mean the British somehow got ahold of some of the ancient scriptures. The question was would she still accept them once she did or would the wizarding world's views on good and evil determine her opinion of him and the others.

He answered her truthfully hoping maybe she could help him find the answers he was seeking. "I have this list of spells and am trying to discover the purpose behind each spell and whether non-magical means could bypass them so I decided to come here and do some research because I got bored in our room listening to the werewolf so I snuck in here. I don't think the others even noticed that I slipped out. They were in such a daze listening to some magical theory lecture."

"Let me see the list. I can probably help with that." Hermione responded with a gleam in her eye, reflecting excitement at a new project. The two split the list of spells and started digging through various books trying to find out about each spell and how it worked. They worked quietly for a good few hours before they both looked up and showed each other what they had found.

"This is even better than expected. Not a single one of these spells protects things from non-magical means." Atem smirked wickedly as he thought about how easy this was going to be for Bakura to steal their items back and maybe find some information on voldipants immortality plans.

"How can you be so sure you will be able to do this successfully? I am sure students' have tried to break into the headmaster's office before and not succeeded. Don't forget all those portraits will report to the Headmaster as soon as there is a breech in security." Hermione told the elder teen in front of her thinking they were crazy for even trying this, though at this point in time she couldn't think of a better idea and it really was the only way to see if the Headmaster knew more than he was letting on about this whole immortality thing.

"Trust me. He may figure out his office was broken into but we will not get caught. We have a master thief among us and his tools, which have nothing to do with magic."

"But the Headmaster is one of the most powerful wizards in the world." Hermione protested.

Atem sighed. "Have you truly lived in the magical world so long that you no longer remember your roots? It is high time you start thinking like someone who isn't a wizard. You are an intelligent girl whose roots are non-magical. Stop thinking like a wizard and start thinking like a normal every day average person. People are resourceful, sneaky, and intelligent. Just because modern wizards underestimate the rest of the population doesn't mean you should as well. Though them underestimating the 'muggle' way as wizards would call it should work to our advantage."

Hermione sat there stunned at what Atem had just said to her. Never mind who was the thief in their group though she was curious but had she really been in the wizarding world so long that she could no longer think with an open mind? This society was full of stagnation had she become stagnant as well?

"I…your right I need to remember where I come from and start thinking logically." Hermione said holding her head up high looking into Atem's eyes begging him to believe her resolve.

Atem smiled at the determination he saw in this girl. Maybe she had hope. Now was the time to help her with her earlier frustration. Atem put the list of spells away in his bag with all the notes and quickly grabbed the book Hermione had slammed shut earlier and flipped through the book until he got to the correct page.

"Hmm…Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. I believe this is where Mana has insisted we go when we visit Hogsmeade. She has heard quite a bit about it from the other girls. You seem distressed by this place. Care to explain?" Atem said looking directly at Hermione trapping her with his eyes.

"It's just that…oh it's nothing, nothing at all really." Hermione tried to deny not really wanting to have this conversation.

"I think it is more than nothing. Does this have anything to do with Harry?" Atem pushed trying to get the girl in front of him to open up. He didn't know why but he felt the need to help her.

Hermione sighed in defeat. Atem was not going to let the subject drop. "Very well then, yes I am upset. You see before you and the others arrived here Harry had been very closed off towards all of us except the twins and then slowly Harry started coming around to me and I felt as if things were going better. Ginny has been approaching Harry all year and he has ignored and avoided all her attempts to win him over. He just stayed a neutral friend. He acted this way towards Ron also up until about the same time he suddenly was noticing Ginny in a new light. I really should be happy that he is opening up to everyone again instead of pushing them away but since he asked Ginny to go with him to Hogsmeade he has been all but ignoring me and Ginny seems to get upset when I am anywhere near him. I just feel…" Hermione didn't finish her last sentence. She bit back unshed tears from all the emotions she was feeling right now.

Atem was about to respond when suddenly two red headed look-a-likes showed up.

Fred: "Sorry to interrupt…"
George: "But we couldn't help overhearing what you were saying"
Fred: "We have a theory on what's going on with our dear friend Harry"
George: "Seeing as we know something no one else knows about our dearest brother and sister"
Fred: "That will not put them in a good light…"

Atem and Hermione were looking at the twins trying to keep up with their "twin speak".

"What do you mean?" Atem asked the two boys.

The twins immediately sat down and explained what Harry had heard at the beginning of the year while they were still staying at Grimmauld Place. "We were the only ones who knew about our siblings' betrayal." Fred concluded at the end of their story.

"That doesn't really explain what is going on right now." Hermione said confused by this new information especially since it did not line up with how Harry was feeling about Ginny and Ron at the moment.

Fred: We think Ginny is…
George: …slipping Harry a love potion in small doses…
Fred: …to make things look more natural.

George: And little Ronnikins was recently bragging about giving…
Fred: some small gift to Harry.
George: We think it could have a loyalty compulsion charm on it.

Fred: That's why we wanted help researching sudden mood swings.
George: We are pretty sure Harry is being brainwashed through various means.
Fred: To get him to comply more easily with whatever it is the Headmaster wants of him.

George: You should watch out Hermione.
Fred: You are probably next.

Atem and Hermione were both looking at the twins in shock. It actually made some sense with the suddenness of everything after Harry's behavior all year long. Hermione shuddered at the thought of being under the influence of a love potion or compulsion charm.

Fred: "Of course this is just our theory."
George: "We don't have any actual proof."
Both: "But we would bet our secret savings that we are correct."

"Well there is one way to find out the truth about Ginny and the love potions." Atem said as he looked back down at the book that started this whole conversation.

He re-read the paragraph describing the Tea Shop in a bit more detail. "It says right here at the bottom of the description that Madam Puddifoot is a firm believer in true love so all of her products are laced with a cure to love potions. All we need is for Harry and Ginny to keep their plans and eat or drink something from the shop." Atem said eyes glinting wickedly.

"That certainly will be faster than brewing a potion to test this theory out." Hermione said slowly not sure what to think about all this information. Should she be happy that Harry most likely held no true feelings for Ginny or would that be selfish of her?

"How do we find out if Ron really did give Harry a charmed item? And where would he get it from? He is not very strong in charms and we have not learned to enchant non-magical items yet." Hermione asked thinking about the other issue at hand.

"It most likely is something that came from the magical world so he could easily charm it himself or Dumbledore could have done it for him. We just need to find out what Ron got Harry and make it disappear for a while and see what happens." Fred answered for once on his own instead of him and George doing their "twin speak" thing.

Fred: Well, we best be off.
George: We wouldn't want people to think we were actually spending time in the library!
Fred: It would ruin our reputation. Oh, and Atem the main reason we even came in here was to find you.
George: The others are starting to panic a little…
Fred: seeing as you disappeared….
George: didn't bother to tell anyone …
Fred: and have been gone for hours.
George: Hermione be aware our dear brother has a thing for you.

And with that final warning the twins left the library off to who knows where.

Atem and Hermione looked at each other mulling over what the twins had to say. "You should join us at Madam Puddifoot's Shop. Seto will need someone to keep him company since he insists on coming to make sure the Slytherins do not cause any trouble for Mana or I. Then you can avoid any unwanted attention and see for yourself if it is a love potion. If it is Harry is probably going to need someone by his side when he realizes it."

Hermione thought on it for a moment and had a look of resolve when she made her decision. "I will come. No matter the outcome I would rather see it for myself."

With that decision out of the way she abruptly changed the subject. "So shall we continue research? I could really use some help on this immortality mystery. I have found no information so far. Or do you need to get back to the dorms?"

"I will stay a bit longer and help you. If they want me Snape can come and get me." Atem said reassuring the girl who looked like she just didn't want to be alone at the moment.

They each grabbed a book and began looking for information on immortality and dark objects. Atem decided to open his mind link back up before everyone panicked. His priests were going to have a fit. He immediately cringed at the mental yells he got from the others.

[Where in the name of Ra are you!?]Marik yelled as soon as he felt the link between him and Pharaoh open back up.

[We were worried about you.]Yugi said surprised that Atem would be so reckless.

[What were you thinking closing your link off and disappearing like that?]Seto said outraged and refusing to admit that he was actually worried since anger felt better at the moment.

[Snape has been looking everywhere for you! I think he is out for blood.]The Tomb Robber said wondering how the fight, that would inevitably happen when Snape got his hands on the Pharaoh, would go.

[Relax everyone. I got bored and needed some time alone so I went to the library. Oh, and Hermione is going to accompany Seto, Mana, I to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop when we go to Hogsmeade.]Atem said casually trying not to smirk at how irate his priests were for him sneaking out on his own, seeing as he was supposed to be researching dark magic, and not spacing out.

[What!?]chorused all the mages.

[I will be back in a little while, unless of course Snape actually finds me. However, I will leave my link open if that will make everyone relax.]Atem responded quickly and then promptly went back to the book he was researching.

Hermione and Atem researched for a bit longer undisturbed, finding absolutely nothing, until a large shadow hovered over them. They both looked up to see a very irate looking Severus Snape. Atem smirked at the angry man while slowly closing his book.

"It looks like that is all the research I can help with tonight. It seems my keeper has decided I must to return to my prison." Atem stated nonchalantly yet looking at the Professor in a way that just dared him to respond while standing up and grabbing his things.

Atem bid Hermione a good evening and followed the silently irate professor out of the library. They walked silently to the mages dorm. Severus didn't say a word. Once they were safely inside the common room Severus waited until Remus had escorted very reluctant mages up to their rooms.

Severus turned on the teen in front of him and hissed, "Have you lost your mind? How could you just go wandering off on your own, telling no one as to where you were headed? Do you even understand what kind of danger you just put yourself in?"

Atem sighed. He knew he was going to get lectured though it surprised him that Snape seemed angry more out of worry and concern. "I was perfectly safe in the library with Hermione. I encountered no trouble at all and could have easily called for help. Someone generally leaves their mind link open. I just wanted to get away for a bit."

Atem spaced a moment feeling like he was back in Egypt once again only Seto was yelling at him instead. He loved his freedom and being heir to the throne made it difficult to have that freedom so he may have occasionally snuck out of the palace to get some space. He may have also gotten caught by his High Priest a few times and thus endured similar lectures.

Severus realized Atem was spacing out and not listening. He grabbed the teens chin and forced the mage to pay attention. "You cannot underestimate the inhabitants of this castle. You could have easily been ambushed by a surprise attack. Not only is the Headmaster dangerous but the students could be as well, especially those you have royally pissed off, along with Umbridge who should never be underestimated. She is a dangerous woman."

Atem glared not thrilled with being lectured on safety. He had put up with that in Egypt but he was tired of never being safe enough to be free. "You sound just like my High Priest. Safety! It is all about safety. What about freedom, needing some peace and quiet, or just needing to get away for a bit! I was cautious. Yes, I could have gotten myself into trouble but I didn't. I am fine and in one piece so must we go through this?" Atem ranted almost sounding like a petulant child.

Severus sighed loudly rubbing his temples, "Just tell someone the next time you go wandering off on your own. I cannot protect you if I do not know where you are at."

"Fine," Atem acquiesced.

Severus scowled at the flippant answer but let the mage go to his room for the night. Once Atem left the common area Severus headed for his rooms and immediately poured himself a fire whiskey.

Why did he even care what happened with these foreign magic users with crazy dark magic and so many secrets? He knew the answer. Somewhere along the way, though he was loathed to admit it, he began to care for the crazy teens. It was no longer about fighting against Dumbledore's insanity or the threat from that Shadi guy.

He protected them and wanted to help them because he claimed them as his responsibility. They were his now, it didn't matter that they were practically young adults. Why these teens? He has always avoided attachment towards his students. His role in this world did not allow for him to become attached to anyone. One of his masters would be the death of him. Why get close to anyone?

He had to admit he was also starting to care for Harry too. The more he learned about the boy the more he just wanted to take him under his wing and protect him. He needed an adult he could count on. He still had yet to find a suitable guardian for Harry for this summer and he was running out of time. He would be damned before he let the boy go back to those muggles. Even if he had to take Harry and flee he would do it to prevent that. Severus shook himself out of his reverie, finished his drink and finally called it a night.