/Text/ Spirit to Host

/Text/ Host to Spirit

Chapter 17: Honesty

I hope Professor McGonagall won't be too mad at me for skipping her class today, Yugi thought to himself as he climbed through the entrance to Gryffindor Tower.

/I think she'll understand, Yugi. At this moment, we need to be sure Bakura is alright./

/Yeah…I suppose I can get the notes from Hermione later./

Yugi pushed open the door to their room. "Bakura?"

"Yugi?" Ryou poked his head around the gap in the bed curtains. He wiped his eyes. "What are you doing here? You should be in Transfiguration."

Yugi dropped Ryou's bag next to his bed. "I had to make sure you were okay."

Ryou leaned back against his headboard and brought his knees up against his chest, "I'll be okay... I…I just had to get away from everyone. And from him."

Yugi looked around the room. "The Ring…is it…?"

Ryou shook his head, and tugged at the Ring's cord, still around his neck. "I'm still wearing it. He's…in his room, not speaking to me. Which is fine, because I don't want to talk to him either." Ryou turned red. "I tried to hide the Ring in your trunk, so I wouldn't have to see it everyday, but it wouldn't let me. I'm sorry I rummaged through your things a little. Honestly, even if I managed to get it off and hide it away, it would just come back, so I don't know why I even tried." Realizing he was starting to babble, Ryou dropped his head to rest on his knees.

"It's okay." Yugi frowned, and sat on the edge of Ryou's bed. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

Ryou shrugged. "Yes…no. I don't know. That thing…it brought up everything I didn't want to remember. The things he had done and what he was truly like in the beginning, before I had really met you and the others. You weren't the first people he had trapped in my Monster World figures you know…"

Ryou sniffled. "And then, in front of everyone, he went off and summoned the Shadow Realm of all things. I know I was afraid, and hurt, but he knew better. We made a promise to Professor Dumbledore, and he went off and broke it. I…I just don't want to make things difficult – or more difficult – for you because the other me can't control himself."

"We'll figure it out," said Yugi, "Don't worry about it."

Ryou sighed. "Harry and his friends…they're going to have a lot of questions now."

Yugi nodded. "Like I said, we'll figure it out. They were gonna find out about us eventually. Maybe it's a sign that now is the time…."

Ryou picked up his head from resting on his knees and looked at Yugi. "I guess. The day wasn't a total loss though," he said. "The Spirit found the invisibility cloak in Harry's bag."

Yugi hung his head. "I was truly hoping we would be wrong about that."

They didn't see Ryou or Yugi for the rest of the day. Yugi had grabbed his and Ryou's bags and chased after him the first moment he could, and neither of them showed up to their last class of the week, or even dinner that evening.

"What do you suppose that was all about," said Harry, "It looked like Ryou had some sort of split personality or something. The boggart looked just like him."

"I don't know," said Hermione, "But whatever it truly was made him so upset. Did you see how he just ran from the classroom?"

"Who didn't see that?" Ron snorted.

"I hope he's alright," said Hermione, worriedly, as they began to head back to the common room.

"Did you guys also notice…that he had the same weird necklace that the boggart had, and he seemed to transform into like some other person right there at the end. And what did he do to the classroom? It got all dark and I could almost swear I saw something move in the distance…and then it was all gone," said Harry.

"He had to have done something to the boggart," said Ron, "It was gone when the darkness left."

"But how did he make the lights go out and everything? It felt so cold," said Hermione, shuddering.

"Somehow I don't think he's going to tell us," said Ron. "Abstinence."

"Hey Ginny," said Harry, once they were through the portrait hole, "Have you seen Yugi or Ryou?"

Ginny shook her head. "Nope. The last I saw either of them was this morning."

"I saw Yugi briefly," said Dean, looking over from his chess game with Seamus. "I think he's up in his room."

"You think they're okay?" asked Neville. "They were both pretty shaken up after Umbridge's class."

"It was wild," said Seamus. "I don't know what came over Ryou, but did you see Yugi? His bangs shot straight up as if someone put his finger in a wall socket!"

Ron blinked. "Huh?"

Harry shook his head. "Muggle thing. You wouldn't get it."

"Oh."

"And Ryou – I dunno what finally snapped him out of his funk but he had this crazy look in his eyes when he went after that boggart," said Seamus, "And don't forget Umbridge's face when it was all over."

Ron nodded. "Her jaw could have snapped and she wouldn't have known it."

"That's not good," said Hermione, "Yugi and Ryou were obviously spooked, and Umbridge was clearly unnerved by the magic they performed. I hope nothing bad will happen to them."

"Making the room go all dark and scary like that – that's no normal magic," said Ron, "I want to know how they did it."

"Perhaps it was involuntary, like a reflex," said Hermione, "Like how you said you accidentally set a snake on your cousin at the zoo."

"Yeah, but that was a minor thing," said Ron, "To completely snuff out the light in the room and make it get all cold like that – as well as destroy that boggart, that has to be some pretty powerful magic!"

Harry sank down on one of the sofas by the fire, vaguely hearing the portrait swing open to admit another student as Ron sat beside him. "Do you believe me now? I've said something was up with them…."

"Harry…." Hermione sighed, giving up. "Fine. Okay? Fine. We've all seen it now, you can let it go."

"I can't!" said Harry. "I think…that the second Bakura I've been seeing on the Marauder's Map was like that boggart. And if that's the case, I think Ryou is in trouble. That thing looked like it was going to stab him with that knife. And even if it wasn't, it's clear Ryou is terrified of him."

"You don't know that," said Hermione, "The boggart is a representative of your worst fear, not an embodiment of a second personality. I don't think people with a dissociative identity disorder are aware of the other self…but I'm not an expert in the subject to know for sure."

"Well…Yugi had a personality shift too, though it was much more subtle," said Ron. "Didn't see it for too long though before it switched back. He seemed back to normal when he left out of the classroom."

Hermione looked past them. "Harry…"

Harry either didn't hear her or chose to ignore her. "…And what about the other Seto I saw that night? They're all involved somehow. I'll bet you anything he's got one of those funky necklaces too."

"Harry…" Hermione said again. She shrank back in her seat, suddenly looking very uncomfortable.

"…What if all of their other identities are harmful, Hermione. Seto's looked just like him. For all we know, we may have never even met the real Seto Kaiba. Think of it – if all that shadowy magic was a reflex action, could you imagine if they meant to create that, how much stronger it would be? Dumbledore may not know what he got into inviting them here. If they're involved in something dangerous, don't they owe us an explanation?"

"Harry, please –"

"And all this talk about shadows and Pharaohs…what does that mean?"

"Harry!"

"What?" said Harry, irritated. "What are you going to say that you haven't already said at least twice?"

Hermione sighed and slumped down in her seat, covering her face with her palm.

"What she was going to say…" said a cold voice from behind Harry's seat, and he and Ron whirled around to see Seto towering over them, coffee mug in one hand, and a slim metal briefcase in the other. "…Is that you should watch how loud your voice gets. Someone might hear you."

Ron bit his lip. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough," Seto snapped. He swept an icy glare over the three of them. "I don't know what it is you've seen or heard, but let me get one thing straight. We don't owe you anything. Our lives are our concern. Not yours."

"It is when they become a danger to us or the school!" Harry shot back.

"Harry…" Hermione's jaw dropped.

"Is that what you think?" Seto asked darkly, "Who do you think we are – spies for Voldemort?"

"You said it, not me," Harry shot back. He stood up and matched Seto's frozen stare, though it was difficult to match the intimidation level being at least a good head shorter than the businessman in front of him. "What am I supposed to think, when you're all discussing rearranging souls, and some place called the Shadow Realm – not to mention that Bakura sent us to some creepy dark world during Defense Against the Dark Arts today. And let's not forget about the weird Millennium Items I keep hearing about…"

"Just how many private conversations have you been eavesdropping?" said Seto, narrowing his eyes down at Harry. "None of us have done anything to warrant your behavior. You've already admitted to these two that you've been sneaking in and out of my dorm in the middle of the night. What else have you been doing behind our backs?"

He didn't bother to wait for Harry to respond before continuing, "Don't think I haven't noticed your sudden intellectual interests. You've been spending nearly as much time in the library as I have, and considering your work ethic runs similar to yours…," Seto's eyes shifted onto Ron for a split second before returning their cold gaze to Harry. "…that's saying a lot. Despite not taken a single Ancient Runes class in your entire education here, you've been buried in a good deal of those books."

"So? I can check out whatever books I want," Harry retorted, "Didn't stop you from nearly cleaning out the Magical Law section."

Seto forced himself not to roll his eyes. "Okay, so it's light reading now? Fine. Humor me. If you're so engrossed in the conspiracy your brain has cooked up, then enlighten me on all that you've found. The evidence must be astounding since you've been trying to convince your two friends that Yugi and I are deceptively evil people."

Harry opened his mouth but paused. Seto didn't lump Ryou in that statement. So was it a slip of the tongue…or was he aware of Ryou's other personality? Or even his own ghostly self?

Seto hissed. "I'm waiting."

"Kaiba," Yugi said quietly from his place at the bottom of the stairs. Harry, Ron and Hermione jumped, having not heard him come down the dormitory steps. How long had Yugi been listening to them?

"It's okay." He stepped around his seething rival so he could face Harry and the others. "Harry…we saw your magic cloak in your bag during Defense Against the Dark Arts. Bakura and I put the pieces together. We know you've been breaking into our room at night. You didn't hide it too well when we asked about it in the library today."

Harry sank back onto the couch and rubbed the back of his neck. Getting into a glowering contest was Seto wasn't worth it for the newfound crick in his neck.

Yugi sighed. "Bakura and I have been talking. We're really hurt that you've decided to spy on us instead of…well…asking us directly if something was wrong."

Ron gave him a look. "If Harry came up to you and asked what a Millennium Item was or why there was a ghost of Seto in your room, would you have answered truthfully?"

"I…uh…" Yugi paused, looking to Seto, and then looked down at his socks. "It's complicated."

"So no, you wouldn't have," said Harry angrily.

"Regardless, that does not justify breaking into our room, listening in on conversations that had nothing to do with you, and then feel obligated to get answers from us," Seto said, placing his coffee on the table beside them and crossing his arms. "If there is anyone that needs to answer for their actions, it's you for violating the level of friendship and trust Yugi and Bakura have given you."

"But not yours?" asked Ron.

Seto snorted. "Please. Unlike them, I don't trust easily."

Yugi cleared his throat. "Anyway…um, like I said, Bakura and I have been talking since this afternoon. We're not happy with what you've done…but we also sort of understand why you did it." He glanced up at Seto again for a moment before turning back to the trio. "We agreed to come clean to you, if you do the same with us. We'll call it honesty hour…or hours. We'll find a quiet place where we won't be overheard, and just…answer questions, I guess. I think we all did things to make us wary of each other and it's best if we start fresh."

"I agree," Hermione said quickly, shooting Harry a look that clearly said 'sit there and be quiet!', "And I'm sorry things have escalated the way they did."

"Me too," said Yugi, yawning. "How about tomorrow morning, after breakfast, in our dorm? For however long it takes. Let's get things back on the right foot."

After the quiet murmurs of agreement, Yugi headed back upstairs. Seto grabbed his briefcase from where he had put it down next to the couch and set it none too gently onto one of the tables. He was clearly still angry.

"Isn't it a bit late to start picking apart your devices?" asked Hermione nervously. "Aren't you tired after your trip?"

"I'm wide awake," said Seto, "And if you don't mind, I have work to complete." The malice in his voice from earlier had disappeared somewhat, to their relief.

"You're chasing a fantasy," said Ron, "The wards –"

"Prevent electronics from working. I know." Seto removed his suit jacket and draped it across his chair. "If you're still so sure, now that nearly a month has passed, then why don't we make a little wager ourselves? If I recall correctly, you bet two sickles with Bakura that I'd give up on this venture. If I get my tech to work by the end of breakfast tomorrow morning, you owe Bakura double your original bet."

Ron grinned, "And if I win…not only will he pay double of his part, you have to cough up double Ryou's share."

"Ron!" said Hermione, "That's not a fair wager. Ryou's not even here to agree to this!"

"Deal," said Seto, and he then promptly turned away from them and began digging into his briefcase.

Hermione gaped at the both of them, then threw her hands up in the air and marched up the girls' staircase.

"Feeling better this morning?" asked Yugi. He was glad to see that Ryou looked happy to leave his bed after withdrawing behind the scarlet curtains for the remainder of yesterday.

Ryou slipped on his sneakers. "Yeah. I think so. At the very least, I'm hungry."

Yugi didn't blame him for that – he hadn't eaten dinner either. "Are you still not talking to him?"

Ryou shrugged. "Sort of. When you went downstairs last night, I had a conversation with him. He has…reluctantly agreed to not use the Shadow Realm here at the school anymore, regardless of the conditions. Although…I'm still nervous. I'm sure Professor Dumbledore isn't going to be happy with me…but in the end, no one was hurt. Just the boggart."

He looked to the other side of the room. "Did Kaiba come back yet?"

Yugi followed his gaze. The third bed in the room looked the same as it did all week. It was clear no one had slept there for some time. "He was in the common room berating Harry and the others last night."

"Oh my…I feel sorry for them."

Yugi slipped the Puzzle around his neck. "I did too…for a little bit. But Harry had it coming for a while now. I could tell Kaiba wasn't in agreement when I said we'd answer Harry and the others' questions, but he hasn't been here all week and was therefore overruled."

Ryou nodded. "Yep. And it's not like he has all that much to worry about. He and his spirit are so close in appearance that you could be talking to the wrong one and not know it."

Yugi thought back to when the Millennium Rod was handed off at the beginning of the summer. "You're right. Lucky him, I suppose."

They found Harry, Ron, and Hermione in their familiar seats by the dying fire when they entered the common room. Ron had an oddly triumphant look on his face.

"You're in a good mood today," said Ryou, "Did something happen?"

"You bet something happened!" said Ron, "I'm about to claim twelve sickles – four from you and eight from Seto when he admits he couldn't get his stuff to work! He's probably hiding in the library to avoid having to pay up."

Yugi and Ryou exchanged glances. "I thought it was only two sickles," said Ryou. "And I'm pretty sure the library isn't even open this early."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Ronald made a foolish bet with Seto last night to amend the winnings. If you win, Ryou, you'll get an extra two sickles, and if not, you'll have to pay an extra two sickles, and Seto has to pay him double of your share."

Ryou pulled a sour face. "I'm certainly glad I agreed to this, then."

"Are you feeling better today?" asked Hermione, nervously.

Ryou nodded. "I am, thanks. I'm sorry I made you all worry so much. …That boggart really caught me off guard."

Harry forced himself to smile. "Don't worry about it. We've all had prior training with boggarts and knew what to expect."

Yugi rubbed at his arms. "Well…let's get breakfast over with. Today is…going to be, um…interesting, so let's just not put it off any further."

"Isn't Seto joining us?" asked Hermione.

Yugi shrugged. "I don't think he went to sleep last night. His bed was just as neat as it was the morning he left for home. To be honest…I was expecting to see him here."

"I was down here first thing, and haven't seen him," said Harry as they exited the portrait hole.

"I'm telling you, he's licking wounded pride," said Ron.

/Heh. I wouldn't be too sure of that./

/Hm? Do you know something I don't, Spirit?/

/Only that Kaiba is the type to show off his victory in the most embarrassing way he can find. He will likely prove the Weasley kid wrong in front of everyone./

/Well, he wasn't in the common room./

/Oooh, no, Landlord. The small clusters of Gryffindors would be far too small for the audience he would go searching for. Kaiba may have traded in those ridiculous coats for his fancy suits, but he is still a drama king./

/Are you sure? He's seemed pretty mellow lately to me…/

Bakura snorted. /Trust me on this, Host. The end result is going to be priceless./

They found Seto sitting at the Gryffindor table, reading the Daily Prophet. To his surprise and disappointment, Ryou didn't see a laptop or a cell phone anywhere. Maybe I've lost the bet after all….

Yugi sat down next to him. "Morning, Kaiba."

"Hn." Seto turned the page and took another drink of coffee.

"Did you stay up all night?" asked Hermione. "Just to try and swindle Ron out of some money?"

Seto scoffed. "Please, he was more than willing to agree to that wager, but swiping a few coins was the least of my concerns. I have an appointment to keep in…" He adjusted the sleeve of his dress shirt to look at his watch. "…less than five minutes."

"Yeah? How's that going to work? Are you going to Floo the office and stick your head in the fireplace?" asked Ron smugly.

Seto rolled his eyes. "No."

"I don't see any working phones anywhere, so it looks like I won the bet! Better cough up!" said Ron triumphantly.

Seto ignored him and turned the page of the newspaper.

Ryou sighed. "I hate to say it, but you win, Ron."

/Heheh. He did it. He's stringing Weasley along./

/Are you sure?/

/Come on, Host. This is Seto Kaiba. First of all, he's a sore loser at everything, so if he lost his little wager, he wouldn't be taking this so calmly. And because he's a sore loser, he makes sure he doesn't lose at anything…unless it's against the Pharaoh. You can bet that he got his little toys to work sometime last night, and he's just playing Weasley along./

/Hm. Well…I guess I'll play along then, too./

Ryou began to dig into his jeans pocket for change when a faint but brief buzzing sound was heard at the table for a second or two, and then suddenly stopped. He looked up to the baffled expression on Harry, Ron, and Hermione's faces. Yugi was trying to hide a grin behind his fist as the brief buzzing noise began again.

Seto picked up the newspaper completely from the table to reveal his phone vibrating against the polished wood surface. Yugi could see Mokuba's name flashing on the screen.

"Huh...I wonder how that happened," said Seto, "After all, electronics don't work at Hogwarts." With a smirk, he swung his legs around and got up from the table, grabbing his phone and accepting the call. "If you'll excuse me…."

They watched him lift the phone to his ear and greet his brother as he walked out of the Great Hall, catching the attention of half of the Ravenclaws at the next table over as he went.

"How did he manage to do that?" asked Hermione, "T-that's…that should be impossible!"

"Impossible doesn't exist in Kaiba's dictionary," said Yugi, piling scrambled eggs onto his plate.

Ryou grinned. "Though that doesn't really matter, does it?" he said, and Harry could have sworn that Ryou's eyes had shifted a bit, and became slightly narrower, glinting with mischief. "I believe you owe me now. How did you put it so eloquently? Ah yes – pay up."

Ron scowled and began digging through his pockets. Harry watched as Ron forked over his coins, and then when the money changed hands, Ryou's eyes returned to what he could only assume to be their 'normal' size.

"Oh, no," he said, his voice much lighter than it was half a second ago, and pushed some of the sickles back to Ron. "Just what we agreed to."

"But I made that other bet…" said Ron, "They're yours."

Ryou shook his head. "Please, I insist. I didn't agree on the other bet."

Ron shrugged and happily took his money back. "Works for me!"

Hermione was still staring at the entrance to the Great Hall. Both Yugi and Harry could practically see the gears smoking in her head.

"Hermione, please, we could feel your mind trying to figure that out. Unless he chooses to tell you, you're never going to know how he managed it," said Yugi.

"But –"

"Hermione," said Yugi, "Please put things in perspective. We know you're the smartest witch we've met and all, but within the first week of class, Kaiba was performing magic just as well as you were." Sometimes better, even! "It took him an entire month to figure out how to circumvent the spells around the school. He's spent every free moment with his nose in half of the books in the library, and he probably took enough notes to even fill one. There has to be so many layers of work in there, I don't know if he'd be able to explain it, or even do it again."

/Come now, Yugi. This is Kaiba we're talking about. Of course he's probably memorized the process, but to explain it so we understand it? There's no chance of that. Though…I imagine he won't fix our duel disk or phone for free. I would expect some sort of favor in exchange for his service, though outside of a duel, I can't imagine what it would be./

/Yeah. That's what I'm afraid of./

Hermione huffed and turned to return to her breakfast, but out of the corner of her eye caught Umbridge up at the High Table looking exactly where Seto had disappeared through the Great Hall doors.

What is she going to sink her claws into this time?

Seto readjusted the pillow behind his back as he leaned against his headboard. "There's not much to see in here. It's a communal bedroom." He reversed the camera on his phone back around so Mokuba was facing him again.

"How's sharing it with Yugi and Bakura?" Mokuba snickered. "You haven't had to share a room with someone in years."

Seto shrugged. "They don't snore. At least there's that."

"Are you gonna show me the rest of the castle someday?"

Seto chuckled. "You would need most of the day to see the castle this way. It would be a lot easier for you to see it for yourself…assuming you had a reason to come here."

"Well…you're there. Isn't that a good enough reason?"

"No. I won't bring you into a warzone."

Mokuba pouted through the phone. "That didn't stop you though,"he mumbled.

Seto looked up as the door to the room opened, admitting Yugi and the others.

"What's that noise? Is someone there with you?"

"Yugi and his friends are back from breakfast."

Mokuba attempted to give him some version of his own icy glare. "Did you eat breakfast today, big brother?"

Seto rolled his eyes. "Yes."

Mokuba's face brightened. "Good! Can I say hi to Yugi?"

Seto sighed, watching as Hermione began conjuring chairs for herself, Harry, and Ron in the middle of the room. "I thought you wanted to talk with me today."

Mokuba laughed. "I did! And I was! But you know I'm at Mr. Muto's today, and he would love to say hello."

Seto sighed. "I'm going to have to go now though, kiddo. I'll call you later, and you can talk to Yugi then."

"Okay! Bye, Seto!" Mokuba waved before ending their call. Seto placed the phone on his bedside table and reached for his laptop, opening it up and began going through all of the emails that accumulated in his inbox since leaving Japan yesterday morning.

"Uh, Kaiba?" Yugi asked from his seat at the end of his own bed. "Were you going to join us over here?"

"No," said Seto shortly, "I, for one, don't see the reason for laying my private life bare to someone just because they couldn't sate their curiosity in a level-headed manner, and quite frankly, I don't see what I have to offer in that conversation that you or Bakura couldn't."

Ryou shook his head. Why did he have to be so frustrating most of the time? "You're in this just as much as the two of us, you know."

"Only because of someone's insufferable persistence," said Seto. He waved them off to go ahead, and returned to typing out his message. "I can still hear. If you truly need me to chime in, then fine. But playing twenty questions this morning wasn't my idea, it was yours. I'd prefer to participate as little as possible."

Yugi shrugged. "Okay." He turned to Ryou, and laughed nervously, "I'm…not quite sure where to start."

Ryou sat down next to Yugi and looked at Harry, Ron, and Hermione, "Well…you three are the nosy ones. Shoot."

Yugi scratched at the back of his head. "Maybe try with something easy to start with? It might help us figure out how to explain stuff."

"Okay…" Hermione looked from Harry to Ron, and then back to Yugi. "I'm not sure what to you is considered easy, but…your necklace. Can you please tell us about it?"

Yugi looked down and rested his hands around the sides of the Puzzle. "Okay…uh…" He frowned at Ryou. "I don't think any of this is going to be easy, is it?"

"Nope."

"Right. Um, alright. This is the Millennium Puzzle. It's an artifact my grandfather found when he was still an archaeologist in Egypt. It's been with me ever since I put it together."

"So what, like a good luck charm?" asked Ron.

Yugi heard Yami chuckle from their corridor. "Uh, sure. Something like that."

"Is it magical?" asked Hermione, "It was glowing in Umbridge's class yesterday."

Yugi exchanged a glance again with Ryou. "…Yes."

Harry could tell there was obviously more to tell than that, but for now, it could slide. He looked at Ryou. "You've got one of those magic items, too, right?"

Ryou nodded. "I wonder…" he said to Yugi, "If this would be any easier if they came out?"

"They?" said Hermione. "Who's 'they'?"

"I mean, they'll have to at some point, but for now…maybe not," said Yugi.

"Okay," Ryou sighed, and turned back to Harry, "Yes…I have one too." He hesitated a minute, then reached under his sweater and produced the Millennium Ring from its hiding place.

"That's the same thing the boggart was wearing," said Ron.

Ryou nodded.

"How many of these magic items are there? These two look like they're from a set or something," said Ron.

Yugi paused. "I mean, I know we said we would answer questions and everything, but do you really want to jump down this rabbit hole? Some of the knowledge we have…it has gotten people hurt." He glanced at Ryou's Ring and frowned. "A lot of people have gotten hurt. I don't want to put you guys in any more danger."

Harry snorted. "Please. If anyone's a danger magnet in this school, it's me. I think I can handle it."

"O-okay," said Yugi. "Um, yeah. That's the Millennium Ring. They're part of a set of seven artifacts from Ancient Egypt. They all have different powers to them."

"How many do you have?" asked Harry.

"Between the three of us, we have five of them," said Ryou, "An elusive spirit called Shadi has the last two."

"Spirit?" asked Hermione, "What do you mean?"

"Technically, he's a ghost," said a voice off to the side, "Seeing as I killed him years ago."

Hermione shrieked and nearly jumped out of her seat.

"It's the boggart!" said Ron.

Yugi looked over at Yami Bakura's semi-transparent form. "Right…uh, this is where things sort of get complicated. Some of the Millennium Items are inhabited by spirits from 5,000 years ago."

Harry pulled the Marauder's Map from his jacket pocket and started unfolding it on his lap. "So…you're the Bakura I've been seeing this whole time?"

"So you're not the boggart?" asked Ron.

Bakura rolled his eyes. "Catches on quick, that one."

"This is Bakura," said Ryou nervously, "He's an ancient spirit that lives in my Millennium Ring."

"But the boggart took on this form," said Hermione. "So…is he your greatest fear as well?"

Ryou could feel almost all of the eyes in the room on him – Bakura's included. He bowed his head and hugged his arms to his chest. "Um…can we talk about something else please?"

"Well…okay…" said Harry cautiously. The way that the ghostly Bakura was looking at him was unnerving. "…Um…the boggart version mentioned something about a 'Pharaoh'. Is…is that one of the other spirits?"

"Yeah," said Yugi, glancing down at the Millennium Puzzle. They watched it activate, and then a slightly taller, spikier-banged version of Yugi ghosted out of the Puzzle to stand next to him. "This is the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. He's a Pharaoh from 5,000 years ago…I assume the same time as Bakura. He goes by Yami, or Pharaoh."

Harry looked down at the Map. "You're the one without a name."

Yami tipped his head. "How do you know that?"

Harry paused. Yugi and the others agreed to answer their questions, and expected the same in return. "It's this map," he said finally, "It's of Hogwarts. It shows everyone in the castle." He pointed out Gryffindor Tower. "See, we're all in this spot."

Yami peered at the Map over his shoulder. "Fascinating. I take it this is a one-of-a-kind item? In the wrong hands, this could be a very dangerous piece of parchment."

Well, he certainly hit the nail on the head there..."Yeah…there's only one," said Harry.

Ryou frowned. "Is that why you were sneaking into our room at night? You saw the spirits appear on the map, didn't you?"

Harry hung his head, the answer obvious.

Ron took a look at the map. "So if you're Yami, why doesn't it show this way on the Marauder's Map?"

"That isn't my real name," said Yami, "I have no memories of my past life, and therefore do not know what my name is."

"Then how do you know that you were a Pharaoh?" asked Hermione.

"Well, we've managed to put some pieces together," said Yugi, "Our friend Ishizu and her family are tomb keepers, so they had some knowledge about Yami's past."

"So…the reason you two look so similar to your spirits…" Ron began. "Are you guys…descendants or something? I mean, 5,000 years was a long time ago."

"It would be too hard to date ancestry back that far," said Hermione, "You're probably reincarnations."

Yugi nodded.

"So…" Hermione looked back towards the other side of the room. "Does Seto have a Millennium Item and a spirit too?"

Seto didn't bother to look up from his screen. "Unfortunately."

Ron craned his neck to look around the room. "Don't see your fancy gold artifact anywhere."

"The Millennium Rod isn't like the Puzzle or the Ring," said Yugi, "You can't really wear it around your neck. But…uh, Kaiba was very…resistant to accepting it, so don't be surprised if you don't see the Millennium Rod very much, if at all."

"So Set is his ancient counterpart?" said Harry, although he already knew the answer. A lot of what Yugi and Ryou had said so far matched what he had already witnessed between the spirits and seeing the Millennium Item activate, and that left only one main question on his mind. Why were they here?

"That is correct," said Set, appearing next to Seto's bedside table. He had his arms crossed over his chest, with the Millennium Rod in his hand. He looked to Harry. "I understand it was I you saw that first night."

Harry nodded numbly, "I, err…thought you were hurting him."

Set chuckled. "Seto and I have a…we'll call it an understanding, and while I seem to aggravate him to no end, the last thing I would willingly want is to do him harm. I'm bound to the Millennium Rod, and can only interact with this modern world through him."

Hermione looked from Set semi-transparent form to Seto. "You two look nearly identical – more so than Yugi and Ryou to their spirits."

"Like it was said, the ancestry would be too difficult to trace back down that far without the help of several tomb keepers," said Set, sparing a glance at his counterpart before turning back to the others in the room. "It is possible that Seto is a descendant of mine."

"How are we supposed to tell the difference between you two?" asked Ron, "I mean, I can tell Yugi and Yami, and Ryou and Bakura apart, but…"

"It should be obvious," Seto looked up from his laptop briefly, "Seeing how he's a ghost."

"In some small capacity, I am still considered a parasite on his mind," Set explained, ignoring the shooting glare Seto aimed his way from the bed beside him, "I think, in the four months since my release from the Millennium Rod, I have been allowed possession of his body once, and that was only for perhaps a minute."

Ron snickered. "Someone doesn't like to share." The intensity of the icy look he was leveled with from the other side of the room made him shrink back in his seat. "Uh…never mind then."

"Who were you guys? In the past I mean, since Yami was a Pharaoh," said Harry.

"I was the Pharaoh's High Priest, one of the six Sacred Guardians of the Millennium Items, and bearer of the Millennium Rod." said Set. "As for him," he glared at Bakura, who evenly matched his gaze from across the room, "He is nothing more than a thief."

"The term you're looking for is tomb robber," said Bakura snidely, "And you can throw 'stealer of souls' in there with it. That's been a….recent hobby."

"I take it you're not a good person then," said Harry.

"Depends on your point of view, now doesn't it?" Bakura huffed. "If you ally yourself with the Pharaoh and his guard dog over there, then no, I'm not. But I wouldn't say that I side with your enemies either. I am not on anyone's side here. Ryou has aligned himself to you and your cause, and that's where I will stay because I have no choice. I am only here to keep him from harm. My interests are my own, and I will see them to their end, regardless of who I must pass on my way."

"In other words, you can't and shouldn't trust him," said Set. "You must watch what you say and do with him."

"Like you really remember anything relevant from the past, Priest."

Set's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I remember you well enough to keep a safe distance. Your host has obviously experienced enough of your inflicted trauma that he can't bear to have it brought up again."

Hermione closed her eyes a moment and rubbed at her forehead. "Okay, please, I think we're getting off track. Before we go any further…I just want to make sure I've got this right…" She gestured to the three spirits. "You three are 5,000 versions of Yugi, Ryou, and Seto…from Ancient Egypt, residing each in magical artifacts that are part of a set of seven, called Millennium Items. Respectively, a king, a thief, and a priest. You two," she gestured to Set and Yami, "Seem open and 'good', but we should be wary of Bakura because he could turn tail on us at any time?"

"Yep," said Yugi, "That's the gist of it..."

"How did you even get trapped in the Items to begin with?" she asked. "Yami's I can understand, but what about you two?"

"I am unsure," said Set, drumming his fingers against the Millennium Rod, "I don't recall placing my soul, or, at least a piece of my soul into the Millennium Rod, but here I am."

Hermione thought back to something previously said, and tried to steer the conversation back on track. "Do…any of you have your memories of the past? I know you said yours were gone, Yami…"

"I have memories of small bits and pieces of my life. I remember parts of my growing up, I remember the Pharaoh, and I certainly recall him," Set nodded towards Bakura, "but as for the events that led to the Pharaoh locking himself away into the Millennium Puzzle are clouded, as if an outside force is blocking them from me," Set explained, "My memories, if any, of after these events are clouded as well."

"From what we've gathered, something happened 5,000 years ago that threatened the world," said Yami, "It couldn't be stopped, so that's why I locked it and myself away until I could find a way to defeat it again. Sealing it away erased my memories, so they must be a key to either reviving the threat, or stopping it."

"So Yami and Set have no memories… or only partial memories," said Ron. He turned to Bakura. "What about you?"

"I have what I need," Bakura said, and he didn't offer up anything else. He crossed his arms and leaned back against one of Yugi's bed posts, even though he couldn't feel the wooden post against his back.

/That's the same thing he told us when Set was first released/ said Yugi. /That could mean anything! I wonder how much he really does remember?/

/I don't know, Yugi. He seems to be…behaving well enough for Ryou's sake, but we have to be careful around him./

/Right./

"O-okay," said Harry. "Is there a way to get your memories back?"

"Well…" Yugi exchanged glances with Yami, "We're not really sure yet. But we think it at least involves gathering all of the Millennium Items together."

"It's something we're working on," said Yami, "Although coming here has sidetracked us a bit."

"So…why did Dumbledore invite you to Hogwarts then? I know you've known the truth since you arrived at the Burrow," said Harry.

"Professor Dumbledore thought that Voldemort was going to go after the Millennium Items," said Yugi, "And invited us here for protection against him."

"But why would he have an interest in them?" asked Harry, "What can they do? I've tried to do research in the library, but I haven't found out anything about Millennium Items."

"You wouldn't have," said Set, "How they were created was lost to time, but they were used by the Pharaoh's Sacred Guardians to protect the kingdom and put criminals on trial."

"Each Millennium Item has a unique ability to it," said Yugi, "A lot of people have been after my Puzzle because it contains the Pharaoh's soul. The Millennium Rod seems to have the power of mind control. We've seen it used against our friends before – before Kaiba inherited it. They become mindless beings answering only to the will of the wielder."

"That sounds just like the Imperius Curse," said Harry.

"Have you used that ability?" asked Ron.

"What, to turn people into puppets? No, though maybe if I had, Kaiba Corp wouldn't be run by incompetent fools," Seto muttered.

"You would have to first return to our lessons, Seto," Set laughed, "You haven't yet truly embraced the Rod's power."

Seto rolled his eyes and returned to his work.

"What about the Millennium Ring?" asked Hermione nervously. If the boggart was an extreme version of Ryou spirit (he didn't seem so dangerous at the moment, but she couldn't ignore the animosity between Set and Bakura, and the warning to be cautious), then she could only imagine the Ring had dark powers to it, considering Ryou's reaction to its appearance in class.

"The Ring has many uses," said Bakura, "For one, it's a compass to whatever I seek, whether I search for another Millennium Item or my host's shoes."

"What else –"

"Stop!" Ryou scrunched up on Yugi's bed, hugging his knees to his chest. "Please, just move on."

"Don't be like that, Landlord," Bakura scoffed, "Playing show-and-tell was partly your idea."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged worried looks. "…If the boggart yesterday was any example…I take it the Ring is dangerous?" asked Harry.

Ryou nodded. "I know we promised," he said softly, "But…but some things are better left alone."

"…Anyway…" said Yugi, after an awkward silence filled the room. "The main takeaway is that the Millennium Items all have certain abilities that can make them dangerous, but I think the one they all have in common is the ability to summon the Shadow Realm."

Ron frowned. "Is that the weird place we ended up in during Umbridge's class? What is it, exactly?"

"Think of it like your equivalent to Hell…only it's worse," said Bakura. Harry noted the wicked gleam in his eyes had returned. "It's a place of your worst nightmares and fears, of monsters and lost souls, and unlike Hell, you'll still be alive while you're there. And once you're trapped in it, there's no way out unless you fulfill the terms of your punishment…" He rolled his eyes over at Yami, "…Or until the Pharaoh wins your freedom like he does with everything else."

Seeing Harry and his friends' confused faces he slapped a hand to his forehead and sighed. "Most people trap themselves there by foolishly challenging or are challenged to a Shadow Game, where the loser pays a pre-determined penalty."

"So the Shadow Realm, Shadow Games…and the powers of the Millennium Items…that's what Voldemort wants?" Harry asked. It sounded like something he would have been interested in; Shadow Games sounded dangerous as all get-up.

"We think so," said Yugi, "But we're not really sure what put it on his radar. Aside from those individuals with insider knowledge to everything that happened 5,000 years ago, there's really no information here in Britain that he could get his hands on."

"The card game we've been showing you how to play, Duel Monsters?" Ryou began, "It's based on Shadow Games from back in Ancient Egypt. Archaeologists discovered stone tablets depicting monsters and battles. One of them found a carving that had the Pharaoh and Set battling each other. It's on loan at the Domino Museum back home."

"Voldemort must have seen the tablet. Dumbledore was worried he would connect Kaiba and me to it, and offered us protection," said Yugi, "Bakura was with us at the time, and since he also has a Millennium Item, it made sense to let him come as well."

"What can he do with it?" asked Hermione, "Assume he found a Millennium Item, what happens then?"

Bakura snorted. "Nothing. The Millennium Items don't work for just anyone. You have to be chosen to be allowed an Item's power. Usually if you're not one of the lucky few, you pay a penalty game."

Ron swallowed. "And what would a penalty game end up being?"

"Madness or death, usually. Sometimes both," said Bakura, "He is truly no threat to us, unless he quests to gather all seven." He'll have to get in line for that.

That may not be so bad then, Harry thought to himself. Voldemort's greed might do him in in the end, though that cancels out the prophecy between the two of us. Hm...

"Well, if there's no knowledge about the Millennium Items out there…then he won't know to do that," said Ron.

"There is knowledge," Bakura rolled his eyes. "You just have to know where to find it."

Hermione gasped. "The attack in Egypt – didn't someone go missing?"

Yugi nodded. "Yeah…only certain families had knowledge of the Pharaoh and the Millennium Items. We're hoping whoever that was didn't know anything. Even if he didn't have any insider information on the Items himself, he may have known someone who did. And that would put them in even greater danger."

"So…as long as that person didn't know anything, you guys are alright," said Harry.

"In theory, I suppose," said Yugi, "But nothing has ever been easy with us. The Millennium Items have put so many people in danger over the years…."

"I see why Dumbledore would offer you protection then," said Hermione, "It's not just to keep Voldemort from the Millennium Items themselves. Once he finds out he can't use them, he'll just look for someone who can and force them to do his bidding."

Yugi looked apologetically at his new friends. "You see why we weren't deliberately trying to hide anything from you guys…we're just trying to protect ourselves, as well as you too. The less people that get involved with 'our problems', the better."

"Maybe we can help each other," said Hermione suddenly, and nearly everyone in the room turned to her. "What – come on now, Harry. Yugi, Ryou, and Seto are new to our world, and therefore have different perspectives on things. They might be able to help us fight Voldemort. And while we may not have Millennium Items, we can help you prepare in case the time comes where you need to fight him."

"So what, like the DA all over again?" asked Harry, "Only on a much smaller scale?"

"Well…something like that," said Hermione.

"The Millennium Items themselves offer us a bit of…uh, protection," said Ryou, "But if we were ever separated from them, I do think we should know more defensive magic."

"…and despite having a session dedicated to practical learning, I don't really think Umbridge is going to teach us all that much," said Yugi. "That's what it seems like so far, anyways."

"I'm surprised she's gone over some of the things she has," Harry admitted, "But you're right. We can't depend on her alone."

"Would we be able to start up the DA again in the castle after what happened last year?" asked Ron.

"I don't know," Harry frowned, "But I taught you guys all I knew last year. I wouldn't want to start the whole thing up all over again. It might be too risky. But for you guys, I'm sure we could figure something out."

Yugi smiled. "Great." He looked around to Ryou, and then to Seto, who had set the laptop next to him and was reading through a thick packet of official-looking documents. It seems he had gone back to ignoring them again. "So…um…that' s essentially our story."

"Knowing what was going on now, I feel a little better," said Harry, "And – I'm sorry. Spying on you guys wasn't right, despite my reasons for doing it. And then gossiping about it only made things worse. I'm sorry I didn't come forward and then blew things out of proportion."

"They probably wouldn't have told you the truth anyway," said Bakura.

Yugi sighed, and turned to Harry. "We all started on the wrong feet before, so let's have a complete do-over. Honesty from this point forward?"

Harry nodded, "Agreed."

"Great!" Yugi laughed, and extended his hand. "Hi, I'm Yugi Muto. Nice to meet you!"

A/N: The next chapter should be up no later than December 2nd. That'll be the last one probably for the year while I write my YGO holiday story that'll go live around the same time and will update throughout December. That one will not be a crossover story, and will not take place in this universe.

Thank yous to all for reading and supporting! I really did not anticipate the number of reviews and follows/favs that this story has acquired, and I can't begin to describe how much it means to me that Yugi and the gang's journey into Harry's world is enjoyed by so many.

See you next time!