A/N: The section dividers liked to go missing on and off while editing this chapter. If you see a "." on a line by itself, that was to help separate the sections while I wrestled with the document editor.
/Text/ Spirit to Host
/Text/ Host to spirit
Chapter 10: Choices
"So trap cards are used to counter your opponents spells and monsters," said Harry, "Spell cards can do the same thing, but also are support cards for monsters, right?"
"That's right," Ryou nodded, "See, you're getting the hang of this!"
Gathered under the shade of the garden trees, Ryou sat across the table from Harry and Ron, his deck spread out in front of him. Hermione sat on the opposite end of the table, rereading Ron's fifth year Transfiguration textbook.
"For review," she had said when Ron questioned her, "You have to expect our classes this coming year to be even more difficult once we get our O.W.L results!"
After that she had ignored them and kept her head in a book.
Yugi sat nearby, having moved away from teaching Harry and Ron Duel Monsters to take Mokuba's video call.
"I think this is a new record," said Mokuba, "I was wondering why Seto didn't call me this morning like he said he would."
"Is he affected by jet lag?" asked Yugi, "By the time I saw him yesterday, he had fallen asleep. I wouldn't normally bother you with this kind of thing, but Mrs. Weasley is…really concerned since he hasn't risen yet. She's kind of a …protective mother hen in a way. When she first saw how he fell asleep, she apparently laid him down and tucked him in."
"Are you serious?"
"Yup. I went up this morning to see if he wanted breakfast, and he was still out, but buried under a blanket this time."
"Hm…well that'll be a change for him. He hasn't had any care like that for years. But to get back on track, no, Seto doesn't really get jet lag. Not much anymore at least. If he's still asleep, it's because he was being stupid and worked himself to the point where his body gave out. …It wouldn't be the first time, but I guess I was hoping that after it happened before, he wouldn't be dumb enough to let it happen again."
"Oh."
Mokuba sighed. "The last time, Roland had to reschedule a dozen appointments because Seto worked all week preparing for a convention he attended that he literally collapsed on the sofa in his office once he finally got home. He was knocked out for two straight days."
"Then what was he doing this time?"
Mokuba frowned into the phone. "Do you remember when you called and said that there was no electricity in wizard houses, and Seto sent over those power supplies? Ever since that day, when he wasn't in the office, Seto has spent all of his time down in the lab. And I really mean all of his time. I think he was trying to come up with a more permanent solution. I mean, those banks are going to run out of power eventually, and then he'd be back at square one."
Yugi blinked. "I'm sorry I brought it up. I didn't realize this would be something he'd go into so much trouble over…."
Mokuba shrugged. "Better he found out now than after he left and unable to do something about it." He frowned as a notification appeared over Yugi's face on his screen. Then his eyes lit up. "Hey, Yugi, I gotta run. It looks like Seto's up now and he's trying to call. I'm probably gonna head to sleep afterwards, so I'll catch up with you later. Say hi to Ryou for me!"
Yugi smiled. "Will do, Mokuba, and please give my regards to the gang. I couldn't get a hold of Joey earlier today."
"Sure thing!"
Yugi pocked his phone and turned his attention back to the mock Duel Monsters game. Ryou had split his deck and given half to Harry and half to Ron. Both of their hands were face up in front of them, and he was helping them both with their turns.
"So, you can use Earl of Demise to take out Headless Knight," said Ryou, from his seat between both of them. "Harry won't take any damage because Headless Knight was in defensive mode."
"Then I won't have any monsters left," said Harry, moving the monster to the graveyard pile. "And the only monster in my hand can't be used because it needs a sacrifice."
Ryou nodded. "That's right. But Earl of Demise is Ron's only monster out on the field, so he can't do anything else this turn. You might be able to draw something to help on your turn."
"How goes the match?" asked Yugi. He took a seat next to Ron.
"It's going," said Ryou, "They're both about equally matched, at least card-wise. Ron is currently leading by a few hundred points."
"What's this card? Dark Necrofear?" asked Harry, drawing his card and showing it to Ryou, "How does this work?"
"You summon it by removing three Fiend-type monsters from play," said Ryou, "And when it's destroyed, you can take control of the monster that was used to destroy it. But, there are only two Fiend-type monsters in your graveyard right now, so at the moment there's nothing you can do."
"So I have to end my turn," said Harry.
"Yep."
Ron laughed. "I don't even need to draw a card. The Earl of Demise has enough points to take you to zero without anything else. Guess I win!"
"Guess I lose," said Harry. He gathered up his cards and Ron's and combined them back into one deck.
"Not bad for first-timers," said Ryou, "Although not all the cards got distributed very evenly. I think you got the better half of the deck, Ron."
"No complaints there," said Ron.
"If you want to try again, I'll split the deck back up," said Ryou, "And I promise to shuffle it better this time."
Hermione looked up from her book in time to see an owl fly in through the kitchen window. Scrambling up, she darted towards the house, leaving her companions to stare blankly at her retreating back.
Yugi watched her disappear through the kitchen door. "What was that all about?"
Ron and Harry shared a look. "I hope that's not what I think it is…"
"What would it be?" asked Ryou. With their attention diverted, he pocketed his deck.
"Hermione's been waiting for our O.W.L results since the last day of term," said Harry, "And I think they might have finally arrived."
"Well, that's a good thing, right? You'll know how well you did."
"Yeah…" said Harry, "But our classes for this upcoming year depend on our O.W.L results. Sixth and seventh year classes are supposed to gear you towards the career you want to pursue when you leave school. If we didn't pass a necessary subject, we'll have to either take a remedial class, or choose a different career field."
"That's tough," said Ryou, "So I'm guessing you're in no hurry to find out how you did?"
Ron shrugged. "We all know Hermione will have passed everything with flying colors. Probably got straight 'O's' on everything."
Yugi started to follow them back towards the house. "Are there any subjects you're concerned over?"
"Potions, probably, since Snape's had it out for me since first year," said Harry, "But he wasn't proctoring the exam, and he's also not the one who graded it, so I might have a shot of getting a decent grade."
When they finally walked back into the kitchen, they found Hermione sitting at the table, a sheet of parchment clutched in her hand.
"Well?" asked Ron.
"Ten," said Hermione, "Ten O.W.L's."
Ron peered over her shoulder. "Oh, look, she got one Exceeds Expectations in Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"Here are your letters," said Mrs. Weasley, handing him and Harry thick envelopes. "And Yugi? Ryou? Professor McGonagall arrived just a short bit ago. She's waiting for you in the living room with Seto."
/I guess we're going to pick our classes today, Yami./
/Yes, I've gathered that as well. Although, I didn't think you would be this excited over it…/
/Well…despite the reasons for why we're here in the first place, I want to make the most of this experience. Harry, Ron, and Hermione seem nice, and they've talked plenty about Hogwarts already. I'm glad I'll be able to pick a subject or two that will interest me!/
/They are…but I can also sense a bit of distrust, even from them. We'll have to be careful around them if we want to keep the Millennium Items a secret. I have a feeling snaking around is commonplace for them./
/Right./
Seto was seated in an armchair, skimming through a textbook with one hand, and a tall mug of steaming liquid in the other. Even with the top button of his dress shirt undone and sleeves rolled back to his elbows, he still looked ready to walk into the office, despite not having to go back home for several weeks. If it weren't for the fact that his clothes had changed colors, Yugi would have guessed that he had just rolled out of bed, ditched the tie and walked out of his room.
/I guess Kaiba doesn't wear casual clothes./
/You know, Yugi, you really can't be one to judge. After all, you wore your school uniform everywhere/ Yami snickered.
/I know...I'm just used to seeing him in those coats all the time. He looks...normal?/
/As do we, I suppose, since you've left much of your belts and buckles home as well./
Sitting across from him in an identical armchair was a severe-looking woman Yugi had to guess was Professor McGonagall. She had several books stacked neatly on her lap, and after a few moments Seto finished skimming the book in his hand, handed it to her, and she passed him a different one.
"Well, well," drawled Bakura, and Yugi nearly jumped. He didn't realize the dark spirit of the Ring had taken over. He quickly turned around to make sure Harry, Ron, and Hermione weren't anywhere in earshot. Thankfully they were still huddled around the table in the kitchen. "Sleeping Beauty finally decided to grace us with his presence."
/Spirit, please leave me in control before you get me into trouble. You were the one who wanted to keep the others oblivious, remember?/
/Look, I can only harass the Pharaoh so much without drawing attention. Pushing the Priest's buttons never gets old, and I haven't had the chance to do it in weeks./
/Ugh./ There was a faint glimmer of golden light from under Ryou's shirt as he wrestled control back from his cackling counterpart.
Seto shot Bakura a glare before taking another sip of his drink, grimacing, and returning to the book in his hand.
The woman placed the books onto the nearest table and stood to greet them. "Mr. Muto, Mr. Bakura. I'm Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts and Head of Gryffindor House. Please, sit."
"Hello, Professor," said Yugi, sitting next to Bakura on the couch.
McGonagall sat back down as well. "While you were outside, Mr. Kaiba and I have been discussing coursework. How much do you know about the classes you'll take at Hogwarts?"
"Hermione told us a little bit. Aside from mandatory classes there are some electives that we get to pick. They gave us at least a brief description of some of the classes," said Ryou.
"The standard subjects are Potions, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, History of Magic, Astronomy, and Transfiguration. All students take these courses, and can only drop them should their O.W.L results not be high enough to allow them to continue in the N.E.W.T. level."
Seto finished skimming through his book and placed it on the pile with the others.
"Professor, there's been something we've been wondering about. How do you expect us to keep up with our classes when we've never attended a magical school before?" asked Yugi.
"Professor Dumbledore seems to believe you will be able to keep up with the sixth year workload. However, after some debate on the subject, the other heads of house and I will give additional lessons outside of your normal schedule to get you up to speed. The lessons will continue as long as they're needed."
"What kind of lessons will they be?" asked Ryou.
"Your additional lessons will be in Potions, Transfiguration, Herbology, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. You will not receive written homework for these classes, but we will test you on your retention. I expect you to treat them with the same seriousness you would any other class." She reached to the table, picked the books back up, and split them between Yugi and Ryou. "As I'm sure Miss Granger has probably made you aware, there are also elective courses you may take while at Hogwarts. At most, I would choose no more than two courses. Those are books from each subject field. Now…in order for you to keep up with your workload, you will not be required to take History of Magic or Astronomy as a core subject, but you may choose them as one or both of your electives."
Yugi tallied off on his fingers. "So…Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts…and then whatever we want to take?"
"Correct. Your electives to choose from, aside from Astronomy or History of Magic, are Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies, Care of Magical Creatures, and Divination. Or, you may choose to take none, and would have more open periods to catch up on your other studies. The choice is yours."
Ryou looked down at the Divination book in his hand, and the Ancient Runes text that Yugi was flipping through. "What are you going to take, Kaiba?"
"Arithmancy." Seto took another small sip of his drink and pulled another slight sour face at the taste of it. Whatever he was drinking, Yugi figured it wasn't coffee.
"You're only going to take one class?" asked Yugi. "I would have thought you would pick more."
"I still have a company to run, even if it is halfway across the globe. And you certainly wouldn't catch me in a Divination classroom."
Ryou chuckled. "That's true. But I think I'll take that class, and then let you know just how much fun you'll be missing."
"Hn. You do that."
"I think I'll take…Ancient Runes," said Yugi. "Might be interesting."
"You were thinking of Care of Magical Creatures, weren't you?" asked Ryou.
"I was, for a little bit," said Yugi, "But then after lunch the other day, Ron was telling me stories of some of the…more interesting creatures that Professor Hagrid brought to class…and, well…" Yugi laughed awkwardly. "I got scared." He scowled at Ryou – or was it Bakura? – snickering behind his hand. "Hey, I heard the stories about Blast-Ended Skrewts!"
McGonagall tapped her wand against a few sheets of parchment. "Are those your final choices? One subject each?" After waiting for three confirmations, she stood up, waved her wand, and all of the books vanished. "These are your supply lists. I've updated them to reflect your subject choices. The Weasleys will take you before term begins to purchase your books and equipment."
"When does school start?" asked Ryou.
"September 1st," said Professor McGonagall, "The Hogwarts Express leaves Kings Cross Station at 11am sharp. Upon your arrival to Hogwarts, you'll be sorted into one of the four houses. Classes begin on the 2nd. I would recommend looking through some of Mr. Weasley's old school books in the meantime. You cannot actively practice magic outside of school unless you're seventeen, but you can still mimic wand movements or read up on the magical theory behind your subjects. I'm sure Miss Granger would be more than willing to help you get as caught up as possible before the start of term."
"Thank you, Professor," said Yugi, accepting his equipment list.
Professor McGonagall nodded. "If there is nothing else, I must be off. Enjoy the remainder of your summer."
Yugi looked down at his list. "This list is a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be."
"We apparently have five years-worth of catching up to do," said Ryou. "I suppose we'll use the other books in those extra lessons she was talking about."
Yugi turned to Seto. "So how was your trip over, Kaiba?"
Seto started to answer when Hermione walked into the living room, beaming as if Christmas had come early. Harry and Ron trailed behind her.
"I saw Professor McGonagall just left. Did she deliver your Hogwarts letters too?"
"Yup," said Yugi, passing her his school list. "Is that what was came before for you guys?"
"Yeah," said Harry, "And our O.W.L. results."
"Good scores, I hope," said Ryou.
"Good enough that we'll be able to take the N.E.W.T. classes to become an Auror," said Harry, "Hermione got straight O's on everything except Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"You were always better in that subject than me," said Hermione, looking down at the parchment in front of her. "Yugi, we'll be taking Ancient Runes together!"
"I guess I'll have a study buddy then," Yugi smiled. He turned to his rival. "Kaiba, this is Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger," he said, gesturing to them as he spoke, "They're going to be in our year at Hogwarts. Guys, this is Seto Kaiba."
Seto nodded at the introductions and took another sip from his mug. The trio shuffled closer into the room and took seats around the living room table.
Ron, who ended up sitting almost right next to him, wrinkled his nose. "Whoa, mate, whatever you're drinking sure doesn't smell pleasant."
"It's something your mother made," said Seto, irritably, "It's supposed to keep me awake, and I can assure you, the taste leaves much to be desired."
Harry blinked. "Weren't you asleep for over an entire day?" At the least?
"If by asleep you mean lying down with my eyes closed, then yes," said Seto. "If you meant getting actual rest, then no, I wasn't." He gave Yugi a sideways glance as he took another sip.
/I think he wants to talk to us privately, Yugi./
/You can tell that from a one-second glance?/
/Call it a hunch./
"Is that normal? To be out for so long or to get so little sleep?" asked Hermione.
"I don't see how my sleeping habits are any of your business."
Ryou cleared his throat. "Mokuba said you were working down in the lab for a while. Did you at least finish what you were working on?"
Seto nodded. "I modified the power banks I brought with me to run on solar energy, so they'll charge themselves so long as they're not in a pitch-dark environment, but I had to build a whole new compatible battery and external power source for my laptop from scratch."
"On solar power?" Yugi's jaw dropped. "How long did that take to develop?"
Seto leaned his head back against the back of the armchair and closed his eyes. "We've already developed the technology, Yugi. Indoor dueling stations never had a problem, but think of Duelist Kingdom. Pegasus had dueling arenas set up all over his island, and I guarantee you he didn't have power outlets hiding on trees in the woods. All of those outdoor arenas charged via solar panels embedded in between the duelist platforms."
He gave Yugi a half-amused look. "You never wondered why your duel disk never required an external power source? The idea of dueling anywhere at any time is ruined if you suddenly find yourself with a dead battery. What would have happened if your duel disk shut down in the middle of the Battle City finals? That's why there are solar emitters under the card recognizer slots."
"You invented all of that, and went to school, and ran a company…and you're just our age?" Hermione said, wide-eyed. "T-that's amazing!"
Ron snorted. "Hermione just can't believe there's someone out there who actually accomplished all the stuff they're famous for. The last one she got in such a huff over was a fraud."
Seto raised an eyebrow.
"Our second-year Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lockhart, was a famous wizard who wrote all these books on his travels and encounters with all sorts of dark creatures. But what he really did was interview the people who actually did those things, wipe their memories clean, and then take credit for it. He ended up accidentally erasing his own memory, and now he's dealing with the fallout of permanent spell damage," said Harry.
When he was told later that day that they would be traveling by Floo Powder to Diagon Alley, Ryou wasn't quite sure what to make of it. They were told it was much more pleasant than being whisked around via Portkey, but he wasn't sure he liked tumbling out of a fireplace covered in soot any better. At least Mrs. Weasley cleaned all the dirt away once she arrived, looking relieved that they had all popped out in the same grate.
Of course, his darker spirit enjoyed the travel just as much as Portkeying. He had to have been a crazy daredevil in his past life.
What he found most surprising were the lack of shoppers bustling through Diagon Alley. Being the main shopping district for wizards – especially Hogwarts students – the crowds were shockingly thin.
"No one is hanging around anymore," said Mr. Weasley, "It's too dangerous now with You-Know-Who back. Stick together, everyone, and watch out for any suspicious-looking street vendors. A lot are popping up selling cursed amulets these days."
Ryou could see Gringotts Bank towering over all of the other buildings at the end of the street.
/I wish we could see what this alley normally looked like. Everyone is so afraid now. A lot of shops have closed, and look at all the wanted posters everywhere!/
/As if anyone is going to risk turning in information about someone so dangerous. They're not going to risk retaliation against their families if word got out. Although, the moving photographs are a nice touch. It certainly adds to their image. I almost wish I had one of my own./
/You didn't have some sort of…wanted sign, Spirit?/
/Hardly. Although…when I made my move thousands of years ago, events had escalated quite quickly. There wouldn't have been time to waste scratching my handsome mug into papyrus for the village to gawk at./
He nearly plowed into Mrs. Weasley, who had stopped in front of a rather new-looking shop in comparison to the condition of the rest of the street. The bright orange lettering over the door stated 'Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes'. When he looked back down towards the window, he saw what had the Weasley matriarch so fixated. It was a sign in bright flashing letters.
'WHY ARE YOU WORRYING ABOUT YOU-KNOW-WHO? YOU SHOULD BE WORRYING ABOUT U-NO-POO: THE CONSTIPATION SENSATION THAT'S GRIPPING THE NATION!'
Bakura started cackling in his soul room. /I knew I liked those two for a reason./
"They'll be murdered in their beds," Mrs. Weasley muttered, horrified. Seeing Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione's interested looks towards the shop, she sighed. "Alright, Arthur, I'll take these four into the shop, if you could get Yugi, Ryou, and Seto started? We'll catch up with you in a bit."
Gringotts looked much more impressive once they were standing right in front of it. "This is our wizarding bank," said Mr. Weasley, "Just, try not to stare too much inside. Goblins are used to it from Muggle-born families visiting to exchange funds for the first time, but we don't want to draw too much attention." He glanced around before walking inside.
Ryou didn't realize just what he was talking about until they walked into the bank.
/Aha! I didn't think it was possible for anyone to be shorter than that shrimp you call a friend, but here we are. Small world./
/Quiet, Spirit!/
"Hey Ryou," Yugi said softly, pointing to a posting next to the front doors. "I would make sure your other half sees this…"
'Enter stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed.
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn.
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.'
/Hm. That sounds like a challenge!/
/Don't you dare try anything funny./
"…The banks are run by goblins," said Mr. Weasley to Seto as they walked through the bank, "They can't be bribed, and thankfully do not take sides in wartime. Gringotts is one of the most, if not the most secure location in Britain. All of the vaults are protected by countless enchantments, and only the goblins themselves truly know all of the tunnels and passages that run under the building. Thieves would have to have a death wish to try and steal something out of here."
They approached the nearest counter. "You can exchange your regular currency here, but if you need it, Professor Dumbledore has funded accounts set up for you." Mr. Weasley looked around the bank for the second time.
"We brought our own money with us," said Yugi. He frowned. The counter was taller than he was. Looking around, he saw that all of the desks in the bank were just as high. It must be terrible to be a short wizard.
"Are you looking for someone?" Yugi asked Mr. Weasley as Seto took a wad of bills from his wallet and passed them to the goblin.
"Lupin and Tonks are going to help with getting your supplies," said Mr. Weasley, "Harry and the others won't have as many items to purchase. Some things, such as a trunk, or a cauldron you only buy once unless it's in need of being replaced. Since you haven't attended Hogwarts, you'll have your sixth year supplies along with everything first years will need going in."
Exchanging their money didn't take as long as Yugi thought it might, though he didn't really take much part in it. Both he and Ryou handed their money to Seto and he dealt with transferring it over to the different wizarding coins.
"We'll get you to Madam Malkin's first," said Mr. Weasley, "That way she can make adjustments to your robes while you get the rest of your shopping done."
Madam Malkin, a short, smiling witch, greeted them as soon as they entered the boutique. It was small, with various robes on racks along the walls.
"Hello, dears! I haven't seen you in here before? What can I do for you?"
"We need robes for school. We'll be attending Hogwarts this year," said Yugi. "Exchange students."
"Of course, of course. What year will you be entering? All the same I imagine…"
"Sixth," said Ryou.
"Very good," she said conversationally. "I can set one up in the back at the moment while I finish up with a classmate of yours." She looked amongst the three of them before looping an arm around Seto's. "You're first, handsome. Come on back, and up on the stool."
She turned to Yugi and Ryou. "You boys can come along as well. I have some seats along the edge for you while you wait your turn."
There were two fitting spots in the back area. She gestured Seto up onto the empty stool in front of a trio of mirrors, across from a blonde boy in the process of getting fitted. "I just have a few more things to finish up, and then I'll be back. I'll get your measurements in the meantime. Just keep your arms up – yes, just like that, until the measuring tape sits itself back down."
Yugi and Ryou took seats along the side of the room. On the opposite end, a woman, most likely the blonde's mother, sat while her son's robes were hemmed.
"Haven't seen you before," said the blonde boy. "Bit old for Hogwarts, aren't you?"
"Exchange students," said Seto. The measuring tape was stretched from his shoulder to shoulder. A sheet of parchment and quill floated alongside it, taking notes.
The blonde boy looked from Seto to Yugi and then back to his mother. "Huh. Where from? Durmstrang?"
"No."
"Pity. What brings you to Hogwarts this ye –ow! Watch where you put those pins, woman!"
"I'm so sorry, dear, but I'm just trying to adjust your sleeve."
Yugi watched as Madam Malkin shifted a pin on the boy's left sleeve. But when she tried to roll it up, he slapped her hand away.
"Ow!" He pulled the sleeve back down and yanked the robes off, scattering pins all over the floor. "Mother, I don't think I want to be seen in these rags."
"Quite right," she said, "We'll go to Twilfitt and Tatting's. Their robes are of much higher quality, and you won't have to deal with the riff-raff that shop here." She side-eyed the front of the shop, where Harry, Ron, and Hermione had just entered. They stalked past them and outside the shop.
"Well I never," said Madam Malkin, crossing her arms. "Quite uncalled for." She waved her wand and the discarded robes hung themselves onto a nearby rack. Gesturing Ryou onto the now empty stool, the measuring tape, quill and parchment began taking measurements while she worked on the hem of Seto's robes.
"What was that all about?" asked Harry.
"I don't know," said Yugi. "That guy was fine until she was working on his left arm. He got mad, and stormed off."
Harry looked at Ron and Hermione. "Malfoy's been branded. Come on!"
Yugi watched as Harry withdrew what looked like a silvery cloak from his bag, and the three of them darted out of the shop.
Ryou twisted around so he wasn't watching through the mirrors. "What just happened?"
"I have no idea," said Yugi, pointing to the window. "But whatever that fancy cloak was that Harry pulled out of his bag made him disappear. At least, I think he disappeared."
Madam Malkin stepped back from pinning one of Seto's hems. "Ah, there we go. I'll have these ready for you in a jiffy. I just have one more type of fitting to do for you, and then you'll be done." She carefully removed the robes and set them along her side table.
"What else is there?"
"Dress robes, of course! Fourth years and up are required to have them in case of special functions at school, like the Yule Ball a few years back. Unlike your official Hogwarts robes, these are more particular to whatever style and color suits you best. I have a book here for you to choose from. Take a look through that, and when I finish pinning your friends' regular robes, we'll get you all squared away. I'll let you three go about the rest of your shopping, so when you come back they'll all be ready for you."
She handed Seto a thick book and went back to pinning Ryou's school robes. The measuring tape, having long finished taking Yugi's measurements, was now checking to see which of Yugi's hair spikes was the longest while he watched through the mirror.
It felt like the entire day was gone by the time the three of them walked out of Madam Malkin's shop so she could finish up their selections. Arthur Weasley was waiting for them.
"I thought that was going to be the easiest shop to get out of the way," said Yugi, "Her measuring tape kept getting caught in my hair!"
"At least she could reach you to do all of her pinning," said Ryou, snickering quietly. "For some of us, she had to get up on a chair after we stepped off her work stool."
Seto rolled his eyes. "Laugh it up. At least I didn't get turned into a pin cushion."
Ryou crossed his arms. "I couldn't help it. Bakura was getting fidgety."
Lupin and Tonks met them outside Flourish and Blotts. "We're going to help you get your books," said Mr. Weasley, "Harry and the others have finished their shopping already. They're with Molly in the Leaky Cauldron." He pointed back down the alley to the pub they used to Floo into London. "There's a side shop inside the bookstore with trunks. You'll want to get one of those as well."
It seemed the reason why there was no one out on the streets was because everyone was buying up what they could in the book store. The Defense Against the Dark Arts sections of the shop were particularly bare. Most of the shelves in that corner of the store were empty, except for the one book they needed.
"No one seems to care about Defensive Magical Theory … for both volumes," said Ryou.
"Well, we need the second volume, but I guess we ought to get the first one too, to help catch up," said Yugi, "Even though last year, Harry and his friends didn't seem to learn much from it."
"We might as well split up," said Seto, "There's too many people around to stay clustered together. I say we meet by the entrance when we're done." Without giving them a word in, he stalked off through the crowd.
Yugi compared his school list with Ryou. "I guess it's easier if we go down the list. That way we don't miss any."
"I'll help you navigate through this place," said Tonks, looking where Lupin had wandered off to follow Seto. "We'll catch up with your friend eventually."
Yugi shrugged. "Eventually."
They had to nearly fight a couple over their copies of Advanced Transfiguration, and there were thankfully plenty of copies of Advanced Potion Making. By the time they weaved their way through the gaggle of students huddled around second grade spell books – and to the other end of the store and picked out a trunk, the crowds had somewhat thinned.
They found Lupin and Seto right outside the shop, the latter leaning against the wall between two Wanted posters tapping away on his phone.
"Ready to move on?" asked Lupin.
"Yep," said Yugi, "I didn't think we were going to make it out of there."
"The rest of your supplies will be much easier, trust me. There are never runs like that on the Apothecary or the stationary store." Mr. Weasley waved his wand and levitated their trunks. "I'm going to take these back to the Leaky Cauldron. Drop by and leave your purchases with us if you get too weighed down. Remus and Tonks will help you get the rest of what you need."
Picking out quills and ink, as well as their potions equipment had been the most straightforward of any of their purchases that day.
"We're going to take these back to your trunks," said Tonks, once they walked out of Potage's Cauldron Shop. "The only thing left besides picking up your robes are wands. Ollivanders is right up there, across from the Magical Menagerie. If you're interested in getting a pet to take with you to Hogwarts, that's your spot. Only real useful ones are owls though, since they carry your mail. But they're optional. Once you finish up here, come on back to the Leaky Cauldron, and we'll all have a bite to eat before heading back to the Burrow."
"You're not going in with us?" asked Yugi.
"Ollivanders is pretty small up front. There's not a whole lot of room for guests. Besides," she winked, "Bet you want to have a little bit of time unsupervised, right?"
Ollivanders was indeed a narrow storefront. There was only one item in the window display: a single wand on a faded cushion. The bell above the door jingled when they stepped foot inside.
Tonks hadn't been joking: it was cramped inside. Every surface other than the small counter was piled high with wands. Stacks of all sorts of narrow boxes went as far as they could see into the back areas of the dimly lit store.
"Ah," said an older man coming out from one of the stacks. "I see I have some interesting guests today."
"What makes you say that?" asked Seto.
"I remember every wand I have ever sold. You three are obviously too old to be first-year students, so unless you have previously purchased wands from another location, your magical ability has developed much later than most. Not impossible, but certainly not common.
"Now, wands are delicate things. They choose their wizard, not the other way around. There is likely more magic here in this shop than along all of Diagon Alley. The wands can sense magic radiating from you, a different kind of magic certainly, but all the same in the end. And magic has a way of reacting to itself."
Mr. Ollivander waved his own wand, and a similar measuring tape to the one Madam Malkin used began to circle the three of them, calculating Yugi's total height, Ryou's hair from the top of his head down to the middle of his back, and the width of Seto's shoes.
"Now, now, cut that out. One at a time," said Mr. Ollivander. The tape finally decided to start with Ryou.
"Alright, young man, what is your name?"
"Uh, Ryou Bakura." Ryou nearly went cross-eyed as the tape went from measuring his arms to finding out how far apart his eyes were.
"Well, Mr. Bakura, which is your wand arm – or your dominate arm?"
"I'm right-handed."
"Very good, very good," said Mr. Ollivander, "Now let me think…" He disappeared into the back area of the shop and returned with a long, narrow box. Setting it upon the counter, he opened it up and held the wand, handle out, towards Ryou.
"While I specialize in wand cores containing a dragon heartstring, phoenix tail feather, and unicorn hair, there are some of my family's older creations stacked amongst us. Try this one: holly and kelpie hair, 9 inches."
Ryou took it in his hand. "What do I do with it?"
Mr. Ollivander gestured around the room, "Well give it a wave."
Ryou bit his lip and waved the wand towards the counter, feeling a bit foolish as he did so. The ink well sitting on top immediately exploded. "Oh my – I'm so sorry!"
Mr. Ollivander snatched the wand back, waved his own, and cleaned up the mess. "Not the right fit of course. Try this one."
The second wand had barely touched Ryou's fingers before Mr. Ollivander whisked it away and started moving towards the back stacks again.
After covering the counter in discarded wand boxes (with the pile spreading across the floor), Mr. Ollivander had nearly given up on Ryou alone and started passing wands down the line for Yugi and Seto to try as well before grabbing more boxes from the back. Yugi's first attempt at his wand nearly set his hair on fire, and Seto's third wand shattered the shop's windows, sending the few nearby shoppers scattering away from the shards of glass.
"Here," said Mr. Ollivander, handing a reddish wand to Seto. "Cherry and dragon heartstring, 9 inches."
Seto sighed, and the moment his arm raised to wave the wand, it shot out of his grip and propelled itself onto a high stack of wand boxes piled nearly up to the ceiling.
Mr. Ollivander watched it disappear above them. "…Nope. Definitely not."
He paused, looking around at the attempted wand pile and complete disarray of his shop. "Perhaps I am not going about this the right way." He began pacing across the little bit of spare floor that was left, muttering to himself. "There is a great deal of magic here. It's different and yet the same. At odds with itself. Hmm…." He looked around the room at the ceiling stacks. "I wonder…."
Yugi looked over at Seto and Ryou and shrugged as Mr. Ollivander scampered into the back of the shop again. "At this rate, I think we've tried everything. Maybe this is where our Hogwarts adventure ends – before it even started because none of the wands here liked us."
Mr. Ollivander returned a few minutes later, with a handful of wand boxes, each one looking like they were coated in over an inch of dust.
"These are some of the most peculiar wands ever crafted. Unlike most of the ones here, these were forged abroad, from creatures that were not native to this area. As you can see…" He turned away and blew the dust off of one box, "…They're also quite old. Some of the cores in these wands were obtained by the first Ollivander wand-makers. These are also unique in that they contain two cores, not one."
He handed Ryou the first wand. "Try this."
Ryou carefully picked up the wand and gave a little wave. Seto immediately ducked as the ceiling light over his head exploded.
"Sorry, Kaiba!"
"We'll just set this one aside," said Mr. Ollivander. He wiped the dust off a second box and held it out to Ryou.
The moment he touched it, Ryou felt both a surge of cold and warmth flood through him. It was different than all of the other wands he had tried.
"Aha, there we go. Willow, with unicorn and thestral hair, 11 inches. A rather unique and rare combination. There are very few wands in existence that use thestral hair, and even less that work well with unicorn hair. Excellent in performing nonverbal spells, but also produces consistent results with all other forms of magic."
Ryou placed the wand gingerly in its box, and stepped away from the counter so the others had a bit more room.
"Alright, your turn," said Mr. Ollivander, gesturing to Yugi. "And your name?"
"Yugi Muto."
"Alright, Mr. Muto, try this one. Ash, with a unicorn hair and phoenix tail feather, 9 inches."
Yugi took the wand in his hand, gave it a wave, and jumped back, startled, as a line of boxes flew off of a line of shelving.
Mr. Ollivander chuckled. "Quite a destructive group I have today."
"Will you need help putting the shop back together?" asked Ryou. If there's anything left by the time we're finished….
"Oh no, don't you worry about that. I'm used to cleaning up after difficult customers. Yesterday a young girl was getting her first wand for Hogwarts, and nearly took the entire store down with her on her first attempt. This is not the worst I've seen my shop."
He blew dust off of another box. "Another curious combination. Perhaps this will be your lucky one?"
Yugi took the wand in his hand. He was immediately hit with a rush of energy, triggering the Millennium Puzzle to glow.
/What was that?/
/I'm not quite sure…something in your wand found a connection to the Millennium Puzzle. That's very interesting./
"What kind of wand is this, Mr. Ollivander?"
"Cedar, combination of an Egyptian phoenix tail feather and a thunderbird tail feather, 10 inches. It's capable of learning most varieties of magic, takes a specialty to transfiguration, and very choosy of their owners. It is unlikely another wizard would be able to use your wand."
Yugi nodded slowly. Egyptian phoenix, huh? "You're up, Kaiba," he said, sitting down next to Ryou. He held his open wand box on his lap and looked it over carefully.
"Alright then, Mr. Kaiba, last but not least, let's see if one of these finicky wands will be yours today. Elm, with two different phoenix tail feathers, 10 inches."
Seto gave the wand a lazy flick. The wall panels over the blown-out windows crumbled, raining dust down over Yugi and Ryou. "Guess that isn't it then."
"No, it isn't." Mr. Ollivander opened up another dusty box. "Try this."
The next wand set a pile of papers on fire.
"Perhaps this…" Mr. Ollivander mused, blowing away another spot of dust. He handed out another wand.
Reaching out, Seto felt a calming sensation even before the wooden handle met his palm, which intensified once he had closed his fingers around the handle.
"Excellent, excellent! I did not think these wands would choose anyone, for how long they have been sitting in this shop. That one is a walnut wood, with a dragon heartstring and Egyptian phoenix tail feather, 12 inches. Very powerful, spells are learned easy, but will only commit to someone of sufficient brilliance, otherwise it may commit to a different owner."
Mr. Ollivander waved his wand, and the shop began repairing itself. The discarded wands slid back to their homes on the stacks and shelves all over the store. The glass fitted itself back into the windows, and the dust and dirt from the broken fixtures and furniture disappeared.
Once they each paid their seven galleons for their wands, Mr. Ollivander bowed at the entrance to the shop. "It has been a pleasure to give you your first wands, gentlemen. I have a feeling we will see great things from the three of you."
A/N: Included below is information about Yugi, Ryou, and Seto's wands, for anyone interested. A lot of information came from the Harry Potter Wikia. I wanted to find a combination for each that suited both the user and their ancient counterpart, and while I did take liberties on a few of the wand cores chosen (since Mr. Ollivander specifically only focused on using dragon heartstring, unicorn hair, and phoenix tail feather).
Ryou Bakura: Willow, with unicorn and thestral hair, 11 inches.
Willow wands have healing abilities, and usually find owners that may have (potentially unwarranted) insecurities. They are also known for producing advanced nonverbal magic, and find those of great potential. Wands with unicorn hair bond strongly to their first user and produce consistent magic, although thestral hair could have a tendency to have no allegiance to its owner. Wands with thestral hair can only connect to wizards who have mastered death.
Ryou is a shy character, who kept a bit of a distance from his friends in the beginning because of his fear of Yami Bakura. Most of his action in the series is done through his dark half, and Ryou rarely gets his time to shine….
Considering Ryou is nearly the polar opposite of Bakura, I wanted to find cores on both ends of the spectrum. I imagine a thestral-cored wand would not choose an owner who hasn't at least seen death at least once. The Millennium Ring has caused enough murder and mayhem over the years that while they may not be 'masters of death', Yami Bakura has witnessed the murder of his entire village, and Ryou may have been present when his mother and Amane died.
If a thestral is considered one of the world's darkest creatures, considering its connection to death, then the unicorn would be its opposite. Unlike thestrals, unicorns are creatures of beauty and purity, and both its horn and blood can be used to sustain life: drinking its blood will keep someone alive on the brink of death (with its consequences, of course), and its horn has been used to create antidotes to poisons.
Yugi Muto: Cedar, Egyptian phoenix tail feather and a thunderbird tail feather, 10 inches.
Cedar wands choose those that are perceptive, and also those who have the potential to be underestimated. A wand with a phoenix tail feather core produces a variety of magic, but they are also very choosy of their owners. The thunderbird tail feather is powerful, hard to master, but is excellent for transfiguration work. They can also cast spells on their own and have a knack for sensing danger.
It should go without saying that Yugi is one of the most underestimated characters of the entire series. Considering Yami jumps into most of the battles in his place, it can be easy to forget that Yugi has a fight all his own, and his opponents would do well to remember that!
As for wand cores, Yugi and Yami aren't nearly as opposite as Ryou and his spirit. As Yami was a Pharaoh in his past life and commands the three Egyptian Gods, I went with cores that would reflect them. You could say the thunderbird and phoenix represent Slifer and Ra, respectively. And, considering Yugi's penchant for getting himself into trouble, it seems only right that Yami isn't the only one (or thing) looking out for him.
Seto Kaiba: Walnut, dragon heartstring and Egyptian phoenix tail feather, 12 inches
Walnut wands seem to have high standards when it comes to brilliance, and seek out the innovators and inventors. When they are mastered, they form a type of bond with their owner and can perform any desired magic. In the wrong hands, it can become a powerful, lethal weapon, as the wand and wizard feed from each other in a rather unhealthy sort of relationship. Dragon heartstring cores make for powerful wands. It is easy for them to learn spells, but the wand can easily commit to another wizard. Phoenix tail feathers, on the other hand, while capable of learning the most variety of magic, do not change hands easily.
Seto's wand choices are probably the easiest to decipher. A walnut wand fits Seto's accomplishments perfectly, and Set also rose from nothing to a high position in the Pharaoh's court. As Set also became a Pharaoh, it is quite possible that the Egyptian phoenix feather in his wand may also be a representation of Ra, which would make his and Yugi's wand brothers. The heartstring likely would have come from an Antipodean Opaleye, as that is probably the closest modern representation of Kisara's dragon form.
Thanks for reading!