A/N: Today (May 12th) marks the story's 1-year anniversary! Woohoo! To mark this occasion, the cover art for the story has been permanently updated, and is by tumblr's frigidloki!

/Text/ Spirit to Host

/Text/ Host to Spirit

Chapter 26: Help

"You think he's still mad?" asked Harry, when they returned to the common room after dinner that evening.

After leaving the Pitch, Seto had disappeared for the remainder of the day. The only way Yugi knew he was still somewhere on the grounds was that his dueling briefcase and trench coat was left on his bed. The thinner one he used for Kaiba Corp? That one was nowhere to be found, so that meant he was off taking his frustration out on his work in some corner of the castle.

Not that Yugi and the others stuck around on the Pitch much longer than the bitter CEO. The less time they stayed in Umbridge's company, the better. So they slowly trudged their way up to the castle, with Yugi more than a little put out that they couldn't finish their duel.

"Well, we didn't see him at dinner, so I would take that as a yes," said Yugi. "He can hold grudges for a long time. To make it worse, he seemed certain he was going to win that duel and we never got to finish. So he's probably brooding over that too."

"Would he have won?" asked Harry.

Yugi shrugged. "I did have a counter card ready to go, but we'll never know now how it would have ended."

"You think he's gonna repair the thing Umbridge decimated to dust or what?" said Ron. "Because then you two could go at it again!"

Yugi frowned sadly. "There wasn't really anything left when it exploded, and it seemed like his monster was pushing the limits of the emitters, so even without Umbridge's interference, we may have had to stop anyway. I'm more surprised he didn't pull some sort of jab of having her pay for it."

Ryou chuckled quietly while Ron looked confused.

Yugi ran a hand through his hair, "Sorry – it's a non-wizard saying. 'If you break it, you buy it'."

"Oh," Ron shrugged. "It's not like she'd pay up anyway. She could destroy half the castle and get away with it. Meanwhile, we can be two steps from getting through the portrait hole when the hour chimes for curfew and get detention."

Ryou tilted his head. "Aren't you a prefect though? That allows you to be out past that time, right?"

"It's good for an extra hour," said Hermione. "And that reminds me – it's my night to do some rounds. I'll be back in a little while." She got up from her spot at the fire, gathered her books, and moved to the girls' staircase.

Harry leaned back into the side of the couch. "So, remember how you had asked about bringing the DA back up, at least for you guys to catch up on some defensive magic?"

Yugi nodded. "Yeah. Were you okay with it?"

Harry said, "I don't really have much of anything new to teach the other members of the DA from last year, but I can get started with you guys. That way it'll at least get you up to speed."

Ryou looked up from his book. "That would be great! When were you thinking of starting?"

Harry gestured to the pile of books around them. "Well…we could have done it tomorrow, if Umbridge, Snape, and Flitwick all didn't give us a pile of essays to do this weekend. So maybe…next Saturday? If we can make it a thing, we can meet every week."

Yugi beamed. "That would be awesome! Thanks, Harry!"

"Even if Umbridge planned to have a real lesson this year," said Ron, "I bet she'd butcher it like with the boggart."

Ryou shuddered slightly.

"What kinds of spells are we going to learn?" asked Yugi.

"Well," said Harry, "We'll start easy with things like stunning and disarming. I've got some other fighting spells we can go over, and…" he looked to Ryou, "I want to bring a boggart in, if I can."

Ryou paled. "Must you?"

"Well, proper practice with one wouldn't hurt, but mainly so I can have you guys try a hand at a Patronus Charm. It's to repel dementors."

"I remember reading about them," said Yugi thoughtfully, "It was in one of our older books, I just forget which one."

Harry nodded. "Yeah. They're one of the darkest creatures out there. But they're definitely too dangerous to bring into the castle, and by now they would have joined up with Voldemort. On the plus side, my boggart is a dementor, so we can get both kinds of spellwork in at the same time."

After a moment, he added, "Just to warn you, I don't want you to get discouraged if you can't cast a full Patronus Charm on the first or even the first couple of tries. It's a very hard spell to master. If it wasn't for Professor Lupin back in our third year, there's no way I would have mastered it."

Hermione stepped off the girls' staircase as Harry waved his arms out to catch her attention. "Hermione – was thinking of taking Ryou and the others to the Room of Requirement for some defensive magic practice. How does next Saturday sound?"

Hermione smiled in agreement and raised the book in her hand. "I'm going to be near the library. Does anyone else have something that needs turned in to Madame Pince while I'm gone?"

Yugi shook his head. "I still need the one for the Greek runes we were trying to decipher. I'll probably take it back on Tuesday after class."

Hermione nodded and turned to leave the common room.

The corridors were quieter than normal this weekend in comparison to the last time she had to complete her prefect rounds around the castle. Although…last week many of her fellow students were suffering from being shut in the castle else they ended up lost in the raging storm outside. She had to stop two second-year students from dueling it out in the Charms corridor, and a pair of first-year Hufflepuffs got lost, trying to find their common room and relying on Peeves for advice. And while she didn't know the where the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room resided in the castle, the least she was able to do was escort them to Professor Sprout's makeshift office on the first floor for assistance.

But this week seemed to be a piece of cake. It must be exam week, she said to herself as she entered the library. Most of the tables were packed with students, nose-deep in their books. A few underclassmen she recognized from the DA as fifth years, were buried under enough tomes that they could have passed off as Seto in the first weeks of term. I don't think I even studied this hard for my O.W.L exams…and those were in the spring! I wonder how much homework they're trying to do on top of that.

Brushing the thought off, she returned her book to Madame Pince's desk and walked back out of the library. At least they were involved in something quiet.

Hermione had stepped off the staircase leading to the seventh floor in the other wing of the castle when she was met with a strange sight. Near the hidden entrance to the Room of Requirement were two Slytherin students she hadn't recognized before…although…she wasn't an expert on who belonged to each house. They were sitting along the wall, reading what looked like a Charms book and taking notes. It seemed like an odd place to study, but then again, she had just left a full library. Maybe the Slytherin common room was too crowded for these kids to do their homework.

Either way though, it was approaching curfew and they couldn't stay there.

"Hey," she said, "You two are going to have to move."

The first boy dropped his book loudly against the floor. "Why?" he snapped.

"It's nearly curfew, and you need to be heading back to your common room."

The other boy crossed his arms. "Why don't you, Mudblood?" he snapped, "We're working."

"I am a school prefect," said Hermione, "And I will not be the one serving detention or losing house points for when you're caught in the corridors after hours."

The second boy scowled, but the first one got up, and swung his bag around to his shoulder wildly enough that it slammed loudly into the wall first. "Come on," he grumbled. "It's too noisy here anyway."

Hermione watched them stalk away, muttering incoherently under their breaths. Shaking her head, she continued down the corridor to find the rest of the seventh floor deserted. The sixth one was just as empty, but when she got back onto the moving staircase to head down to the next floor, she had to stop short and stare.

Malfoy had just exited the same seventh floor corridor and was heading back down towards the dungeons.

But how was that possible? She had walked the entirety of the seventh floor…and the halls and classrooms were all empty!

Before he noticed she was staring, she quickly turned away and ducked down the fifth floor corridor as soon as the steps stopped moving.

Pushing the thoughts aside, she continued down the corridor. Malfoy might have been in the Room of Requirement, as Harry suspected him to be, but she wasn't going to dwell on it. Harry was basing his entire suspicions on gut instinct without any sort of valid proof that their Slytherin rival did anything wrong, and she wasn't about to jump down that rabbit hole.

Focusing back on her rounds, she continued through the fifth floor. It had been a while since she had taken classes down this way – Muggle Studies and History of Magic were through this corridor, and she had dropped the elective course some time ago.

The hall came to a dead end, and she turned around to check the two classrooms on the opposite side of the corridor as she made her way back to the steps. The lights were on in one of the classrooms when she passed by before, but that didn't mean anyone was in there. Now that the first-years have learned the lighting spells, she's found them on more than one occasion running through the corridors igniting the torches in rows of unused classrooms. Somehow it had turned into a game to see how many floors they could get away with before they got caught by a prefect, Filch, or Umbridge.

"I wouldn't go in there."

Hermione stopped, mere steps from the classroom doorway, and whirled around. Set was leaning against the opposite wall, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Set? What are you –" She glanced back at the room. "Seto's in there, isn't he?"

Set casually crossed his arms and nodded. "He is. In a terrible mood, too."

Hermione frowned. "Because of what happened on the Quidditch Pitch?"

"Yes. Well, in part. Business matters are apparently frustrating him today…among other things."

"Well," Hermione reached for the doorknob, "I've faced Death Eaters. I don't think Seto's going to chew my face off."

Set shrugged, but didn't make much of a move to stop her, not that it would make much of a difference in his spirit form. "Well, you don't seem as weak-minded as the last group that paid him a visit today, but still, don't say I didn't warn you."

Hermione paused. "You're not going in with me?"

Set chuckled. "No. I'm giving you that warning for a reason. Our minds are connected, and even as a spirit, I know when to stay clear of my host." He waved her off. "But go ahead. He probably needs someone level-headed to tell him to quit working for the day."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "You really think he'll listen to me?"

Set's expression softened and he looked out past her towards where Seto sat in the room, although all he could see was the corridor wall. He looked like he was going to say something, then stopped, seemed to rethink his words, and tried again. "We'll find out, won't we?"

Seto was seated at the classroom's front table, bent over a stack of documents, absentmindedly twirling a pen between his fingers. The laptop was off to the side of the desk, and there was a pile of something that vaguely smelled of burnt candy smoldering on one of the student desks.

She was halfway up the main aisle of the classroom when she heard him let out an irritated huff. "I don't have time for this," she heard his mutter. "Look – I'm not going to the ball."

He slammed the pen down on the desk and finally looked up, prepared to jinx holes through the lot of whoever was foolish enough to disturb him this time…until he realized who had entered. "Take your gaggle of friends and – oh." He blinked and returned to his paperwork. "It's you. Never mind."

Hermione wasn't sure if she should be amused or offended. Stopping at the front row of desks, she placed her hands on her hips. "Just who were you expecting?"

"Someone must have seen me take refuge in here because I've been assaulted with dance requests all afternoon," said Seto bitterly without looking up from his work. I don't know how many times I have to tell these people that I'm not going before they'll get the message, tell their friends, and give up."

Hermione tilted her head. "You're not going to go to the ball?"

Seto snorted and gestured around at the table. "I have more important things to do than become eye candy for someone's evening."

Hermione sat on the edge of the desk nearest her. "You've already managed that on a daily basis."

Seto shot her a look cold enough to freeze the Black Lake.

Hermione held up her hands peacefully. "Don't curse the messenger – I'm stating a fact. We both know you're observant enough to know that most of the fourth years and above are ogling you and Ryou all the time."

He shot her another glower before going back to his pile of papers.

"Why not go? Experience something different. It's only for one night, and then we're let out for the holidays. It's not like you don't have dress robes."

Seto flipped the page over. "Just because I have them doesn't mean I have a desire to wear them."

Hermione shrugged. "You might enjoy yourself."

Seto rolled his eyes. "Now you sound like my brother. If it wasn't near impossible for you to get in contact with him, I'd say he put you up to this. I'm not going."

Hermione let it drop and looked to the cooked box. "What's this?"

"Romilda Vane tried bribery."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "She brought you candy?"

Seto sighed. "She tried to play the 'biggest fan' card. If she knew almost everything about me, as she claimed, she would know that I don't care for chocolate."

"So you blew it up?"

"I needed to vent, and it served its purpose." He finally looked up at her and crossed his arms. "Was there something you actually needed?"

"I've been doing my rounds, and found the lights on. It's nearly curfew you know, you should probably head back to the common room before you're caught by Filch or Mrs. Norris."

Seto glanced at his watch. "I have time." Shifting in his seat, he pulled one of the documents nearer to the laptop as his fingers started to fly among the keys. After a few minutes, he glanced up. "Was there anything else?"

"One thing," Hermione got up and started to head towards the door. "Do you remember the defense group we mentioned once before?"

Seto paused in his work long enough to glance up before the typing resumed. "What about it?"

"Harry wants to start it up for you and Yugi and Ryou to learn more defensive magic," said Hermione, "He's thinking of doing it next Saturday."

Seto nodded mechanically, "Fine. So long as I make the call to my brother at midday, my schedule is free."

Hermione made it back to the classroom door before turning back. "…Okay. I suppose I'll see you back in the common room."

Taking the slightest nod that he had even heard her, she left the room. Set was still against the opposite wall.

"You're still here," he said.

Hermione mimicked his stance against wall opposite him, next to the door. "Did you really expect him to frighten me? I've dealt with Harry during his moody year last term. He wasn't as terrifying as you were making him out to be."

Set's lips tugged upwards into a slight smirk. "Ah, but you aren't sharing a mind with him. Still, the last one to stumble upon him ran from the room crying, but I suppose she should have known better than to ask for a date. Considering how quickly gossip seems to travel around this castle, news that he is not interested in anything resembling a romantic entanglement is rather slow to spread."

"I think they're trying for some sort of status symbol," Hermione huffed, "Like what some of them are doing to Harry. The newspapers keep bragging about him being the Chosen One and now he's become all interesting. Meanwhile, no one wanted to go near him last year and called him a lunatic for telling the truth about V-Voldemort. And I can't tell you how annoying it was to watch all of the girls in this school tail Viktor Krum around like he was a piece of meat for an entire year during the Tri-Wizard Tournament."

Set tilted his head thoughtfully, picking up on a snippet of what she had said. "Is he the Chosen One?"

Hermione nodded, "The prophecy he told us about seemed to indicate it."

"A prophecy?" Set frowned. "Are you saying that it is destiny for your friend to fight Voldemort?"

Hermione bit her lip. "I don't know if you would call it that…but it's not really my place to tell, it's Harry's."

Set nodded. "…I see." He looked back to the classroom. "So, did you get my stubborn host to give up his work for the evening?"

Hermione shook her head. "It didn't look like it. But I bet you knew I wasn't going to be able to anyway."

"I had been trying to refocus him ever since the end of the duel, but I think some time after changing clothes and setting up his equipment there he tuned me out. When he is in a foul mood, he is able to channel that anger so intently on his tasks I think he forgets the world continues around him – until someone manages to interrupt him."

"You can't?"

Set chuckled. "No. He's too used to me badgering him that I've become white noise. I would have to take over his body for him to stop and pay attention to me, and he was quite adamant that I give my word never to do such a thing."

"It's not quite healthy, is it?"

"For him, not in the slightest." She watched him look down at the transparent Millennium Rod in his hand before he glanced back towards where his host sat on the other side of the stone wall. "I don't think he's even eaten today. If I'm lucky, he will work himself to exhaustion and sleep the night through. However, I've stood to the side and watched him plow along for three days without rest before his body gave out, so I don't particularly have high hopes."

"Well," said Hermione looking up and down the corridor. "I'll keep fingers crossed that it works for you. But I do have to finish my rounds in the upper castle before general curfew begins. I'll see you – or at least Seto – back in the common room?"

Set nodded, but he didn't look at her. He seemed lost in thought over something, so she turned to head back down the corridor towards the staircase hall.

"Wait!"

Hermione turned back.

Set met her halfway down the hall before he stopped. He looked behind him towards Seto's classroom refuge and sighed loudly. "I heard you talking to Seto about the defensive magic classes that Harry will be running in the Room of Requirement."

"Next Saturday. Probably afternoon. We both know that Ron's not an early riser."

Set agreed. "Next Saturday, I will also be taking Seto back to the Room of Requirement, to continue his exercises with the Millennium Rod." Glancing behind him again, he suddenly looked nervous, as if his host was suddenly standing disapprovingly behind him. "I must ask a favor of you, but you cannot speak of this to Seto."

"You need me for something?"

Set nodded. "While the Pharaoh and his vessel have offered any assistance I might require, other Millennium Items will cancel out the exercise I have in mind. I need someone who has not been touched by one. You are the only one I can ask."

"Is it for those defensive lessons?" Hermione turned a slight shade of pink. "I'm flattered you thought of me, really, but I think Harry would be more suitable for this sort of thing. He's had much more practice with defensive and fighting magic."

Set shook his head. "I need someone that Seto will trust. As Item bearers, Yugi and Bakura are out of the question. And after his little stint of breaking into the dormitory at the beginning of the year, I still don't believe Seto cares for Harry Potter too much."

"He doesn't seem particularly caring towards any of us, really," said Hermione, "Seto usually never hangs out with us, even in the common room, unless someone drags him over. Yugi and Ryou are much more open and forward."

"Yes, well, my host is quite a loner. But I also know asking your other friend Ron is a terrible idea. I can sense a great deal of disdain from him. And to be honest, whether he admits it or not, Seto does enjoy your company."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him skeptically.

"Alright, he tolerates your presence over that of your friends," Set conceded.

"That sounds more like it," said Hermione. "Well, I'll help if I can. What sort of favor is it?"

Seto woke from another restless night to a dark dormitory. His hand reached out blindly for his phone or watch – whichever he found first – to check the time. Late enough that curfew would be over by the time he was up and left the tower, yet early enough that the sun hadn't risen yet.

The true blessing of rising before everyone else in Gryffindor Tower – and most of the school, for that matter – was that the corridors were empty and Seto could make his way to the Great Hall, the Kitchens, anywhere he wanted with the peace of mind that he wouldn't be ambushed by his rather bold flock of newfound admirers. The amount of students that had come after him in the past two days alone was a bit troubling. Not that his roommate was having a better time. A Hufflepuff third year had run up to Ryou yesterday at breakfast and asked rather loudly if he would go to the dance with her, and without waiting for a reply, bolted back to her table to the amusement of everyone in the Great Hall. Watching the white-haired teen turn beet red had been funny, but the constant disruption to their daily routines was getting old. And fast.

But today he was determined to clear his head before ending up stuck in the Room of Requirement all day. That alone was probably going to reignite the migraine he had just gotten rid of overnight.

Having his duel interrupted last Saturday was angering enough – though a small nagging part of his brain had been telling him it was going to happen no matter how far he took the match from the watchful eyes in the castle – and he had internally stewed over it for several days. If there was anything he enjoyed, Umbridge was going to find a way to ruin it. If it hadn't been for the carefully arranged agreement with Dumbledore before the year even began, he wouldn't even have Kaiba Corp to occupy his mind.

Even the workload that Harry and his friends kept harping would drown them all hadn't even been too terribly taxing. For him, at least, but none of the others had to experience the joy of his strict education growing up. Sure, Transfiguration and Arithmancy were difficult subjects to learn, and Potions required careful detail and precision to master, but he wouldn't say the homework was overwhelming. Snape and McGonagall both seemed to give long essays to write, and he was currently five chapters ahead of Umbridge's assignments. The only class he could say he sat down and had to work through was Arithmancy, but that was more from being mathematically minded and – dare he even think it – enjoyment of the class. And even then he still managed to finish his assignments before the rest of his peers.

He dressed quietly in a dress shirt and slacks, glancing across the room as Ryou mumbled in his sleep and turned over, burying his face deeper in his pillow. Grabbing the Millennium Rod from his bedside table, he hung it through his belt loops and then tossed a grey jacket over it. Pocketing his wand and his phone into his suit pocket, he slowly slipped out of the dormitory with a practiced silence. Opening the door any faster would make the hinges shriek and he didn't really want to deal with two sleepy yet awake roommates this early on a Saturday. And an equally cranky tomb robber. He really didn't feel like listening to Set and Bakura verbally spar again for the third time this week.

The thought of being cooped up with them, plus Harry and Ron for the majority of the afternoon would be enough grating social interaction for one day. At least he could have the morning completely to himself.

Why Set insisted on starting today's lesson earlier than usual was beyond him, but in the end, if it got everyone out his hair earlier, he could spend part of the day trying to repair the shattered dueling emitter. It had taken Set several insistences that Yugi's facedown card would probably have stopped his attack even if Umbridge hadn't sabotaged the match for him to finally admit to himself that he wouldn't have won the duel, at least not in that turn.

Fine. It wasn't like there was a way to prove it now. He would just have to fix what remained of his emitters and boost their power. His Ultimate Dragon apparently was the amplifier's breaking point while at the school, and with that knowledge now under his belt, he could account for it properly. The next time they dueled, the cards wouldn't glitch, and Yugi wouldn't narrowly avoid defeat for the umpteenth time.

The door closed quietly behind him and Seto had to roll his eyes at the small pile of perfectly-wrapped boxes sitting on the edge of their landing. Through the dim light of the stairwell, he could see them all addressed out to Ryou.

/I feel bad for him./

/Why?/

/All of the unwanted attention is draining on him./

Seto rolled his eyes. /If he had the backbone to tell these people he wasn't interested, they would back off./

/I'm afraid not everyone can be as intimidating as you. And even still, you are not left alone either./

Seto huffed, though he did take his wand back out from his pocket. Turning back, he uttered a quick vanishing charm, and the pile of likely-spiked chocolates disappeared. Stowing his wand back away, he headed out of the common room and towards the Great Staircase Hall.

/Look at you doing a kind deed before the sun is even up!/

/It was a tripping hazard./

Sure it was, Set said to himself, but he slipped back into his room. Today was already going to be a trying day without riling up his host before he's even had his morning coffee.

The house elves were bustling around in the kitchen getting breakfast prepared on the duplicate house tables from the serving chamber directly under the Great Hall, but somehow Dobby knew he was coming and the steaming coffee mug was already waiting for him. There was barely enough time to give a nod of thanks and hand over the badly-shaped wool sock he found behind the common room bookcase before the other elves surged forward and none too gently pushed him back out the door, Dobby happily waving the sock in goodbye before placing it over his hand like a mitten.

There was something therapeutic about walking the empty corridors. With the usual crowding gone, he could walk the halls and appreciate the art and architecture of the old stone castle without worrying about if he missed the staircase to his next class. It would also help him wake enough to be alert for Set's next exercise. He stepped onto the first stair, and wondered briefly how long he would last this time before the Shadow Realm eventually lobbed him into unconsciousness. He remembered passing out for several hours on the first day, missing the only trip to Hogsmeade they would probably have that year. Last week, however, it took several attempts, but when he finally succumbed, it wasn't even for half as long. It didn't seem to him like he was doing anything different from time to time, but progress was progress.

Seto stepped off the seventh floor landing and made his way towards the section of corridor in front of the Room of Requirement, but stopped short after turning the corner.

"A bit early for prefect rounds, isn't it?" he said, and resumed his walk up to the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy.

Hermione pushed herself off of the wall. "Well, if you want to be technical about it, then yes, it's wicked early for that. But there's no point in doing those if the rest of the castle is still asleep."

Seto began pacing in front of the tapestry. "Then what are you doing here?"

Hermione paused. She had hoped Set had told him what was going on today, but apparently that wasn't the case. Gesturing to the door that appeared, she said, "I think it's obvious, isn't it?"

Set phased out next to him. "I asked her to be here. Today's exercise will require an additional person, and since I'm technically bound to the Rod and a part of your mind, it cannot be me."

The door closed with a click and disappeared behind them. Seto took a quick look around the room. It was essentially set up identical to his last visit, with the same cushions he had become accustomed to waking on when the Shadow Realm became too much to handle placed once again in the center of the room.

Seto scowled and turned to Set, "I thought you were going to throw the Shadow Realm at me again."

"Not this time," said Set, carefully, "You are making progress versus the first time we tried that, but I think today is time for a change in pace."

Seto looked from Set to Hermione and back, suspiciously, "I thought the purpose of these excursions was to make me resilient enough to last in a Shadow Game with that monster. …Is this your cryptic way of saying you want Hermione to play a Shadow Game with me?"

"No," Set said quickly. "That would be quite unfair to her."

Seto raised an eyebrow. "Then what are you here for?"

Hermione glanced at Set. "He wants you to learn how to use your Millennium Item offensively."

"This sounds like something up Yugi or Bakura's psycho self's alley," said Seto, a frown forming on his face. "Why didn't you ask one of them?"

"I couldn't," said Set, "Their Millennium Items serve as a shield against magic of its own kind. It is why Marik's darker side – or Bakura, for that matter – could not banish the Pharaoh's mind and soul outright to the Shadow Realm without first winning a Shadow Game, or why Marik had to control the minds of the Pharaoh's friends to get what he wanted."

Seto raised the mug to his lips. "So you want me to what – deflect wizard magic using a Millennium Item, or vice versa?"

Set paused. "I hadn't considered that."

Seto narrowed his eyes. "You hadn't considered that," he repeated. Then what did the spirit intend for him to do? How else was he supposed to use the Millennium Rod to fight someone? It wasn't as if he could do much else with it. He knew the sheath came apart to reveal a hidden dagger, but that would only be useful in close combat, and while he was certain Hermione was fully capable of magically defending herself, he could physically overpower her with ease. And stabbing holes into her wasn't going to be on the day's agenda.

"Then I don't understand why we're here," Seto said, annoyed, pulling the Rod from its place against his belt and glancing down at it. "The only other thing I've seen this used for is –"

Realization hit him all at once and the color drained from his face. There was no way the spirit could want him to do that. "I don't believe this. You brought her here for that?"

Set didn't say anything.

Seto rounded on Hermione. "What did he ask you to do?"

Set started forward. "Seto…"

Seto's sudden glare in his direction made him stop. "I wasn't talking to you." He turned back to Hermione. "What did he tell you?"

"He asked me to help you learn how to fight with a Millennium Item," said Hermione.

Seto set his mug down on the table that suddenly materialized out of nowhere and crossed his arms. "Really."

"Yes," Hermione said defiantly, and mimicked his stance. He wasn't going to intimidate her today. "And he made sure before I signed up to any of this that I understood what it might entail."

Seto's eye twitched. "And yet you still agreed to it."

"Yes," said Hermione, "I know the risks and –"

"Do you," Seto cut her off harshly and held up the Rod between them, "This isn't child's play. People have gone mad under the influence of this thing. Marik Ishtar, whether he blamed it on his psycho personality or not, used it to brainwash Yugi's friend to the point where they both nearly drowned over the outcome of a duel. It's left anyone unfortunate enough to lose a Shadow Game from it in comas. And that was from someone who knew how the Millennium Rod worked. And you're going to stand there and tell me you're perfectly okay with me experimenting the equivalent of an illegal curse on you."

He didn't wait for her response and turned his fury on Set. "And you. What the hell were you thinking?"

Set glared back at his host. "Seto –"

"Is this what it's come to? You know my feelings about this, but still, I have to spell it out plain as day to you?"

"I don't know, Seto, because you don't let me in on these things. How can I anticipate your feelings when you close them off from everyone – including me. What is it that you are so afraid of?"

"Why are you so insistent that I embrace this?" Seto shook the Rod angrily in Set's face. "You seem eager to forget that I'm not you. I didn't eagerly take up the Millennium Rod for you to relive your glory days standing beside Yugi's other self."

"Whether you willingly took in the Millennium Rod no longer maters, Seto," said Set, "These are matters outside our control now. Our enemies know you have it, so it only benefits you to be able to use it properly. You will need to eventually to help carry out the Pharaoh's destiny. Strengthening your mind alone will not be enough."

Even Hermione, who knew very little about Seto's relationship with his spirit, or the intricacies on how the Millennium Items truly worked, caught rather quickly that that was very wrong thing to say. She had her own reasons for coming to help them here this morning, but butting that in now was likely the worst possible thing to do. Fury was practically rolling off of Seto, and she wondered if they even remembered she was even in the room when they began shouting at each other.

"Of course things are outside of my control – when have they not?" Seto thundered, and Set even floated back a step. "I am sick and tired of being forced down this 'destined path'. It wasn't until I took over Kaiba Corp that I had a shred of ownership over my own life. I had to step outside the shadow of my own stepfather to be able to live how I wanted. And it wasn't even a year later that I had everything ripped out from under me all over again, all because Yugi defeated me in a duel, and ever since that day, I haven't been able to do a single thing without 'destiny' or 'fate' shoved down my throat.

"I've had my soul stolen – twice, and visions forced on me for the sake of what? Bringing Yugi closer to fulfilling some sort of prophecy? Do you know how hard it is to have to rely on him of all people to bail me out of whatever ridiculous situation we've managed to land, all because everything I've tried to accomplish through conventional means of hard work and determination just weren't enough?"

"Perhaps if you opened yourself up and…"

Seto scoffed. "Really? When has putting my trust in anyone actually paid off? Don't give me that look, Set, you said so yourself that you snooped through my mind the day we met. Anyone, save maybe two people, that I've placed any sort of dependence on – even an inkling – has either tried to have me killed, or used me in some way to fulfil their own goals, and I'm getting sick of it. I defied Ishizu's expectations of destiny, and I refuse to let someone who died 5,000 years dictate how I live my life."

"I'm not trying to upend your life, Seto," said Set, exasperated. "You're overreacting." He watched Seto rub at his forehead, and could feel through their shared link the headache that was already forming. Oh yes, today was going swimmingly.

"I'm overreacting, huh? I'm not sure which is worse – the decision to keep this in the dark from me, or the thought that using one of the only people in this place that doesn't grate on my nerves would be a good idea. You had to know that I wouldn't agree to this. I don't know what made you think any of this was smart, but I won't be a part of it. You want me to strengthen my mental defenses? Fine – I'd like a decent night's sleep too. But you've crossed the line."

"Because I want you to be able to protect yourself?" Set threw up his hands. "I am only thinking of you."

Seto's eyes narrowed dangerously, "No. You're thinking of you. Once again, just like everyone else, you're using me as a tool. The Rod is only as dangerous as the person wielding it. I will not let you transform me into some sort of sick weapon to further your own agenda, whether it is against that monster, Voldemort, or Bakura. Too many people have gotten hurt over use of the Rod, and I won't add to it."

Seto spun on his heel, giving Hermione a fleeting glance before glaring back at Set. "To steal away someone's free will is one of the worst personal violations I could think of. And considering that the main reason we keep coming to this place is because that shadow creep assaulted me in my own head, I find it more than insulting that you expect me to willingly do that same thing to her. We're done here."

He stormed back towards the wall where the door would have materialized, but it never completed the summoning and disappeared again.

Seto huffed loudly. "Let me out, Set."

"No," Seto turned back, surprised, and glared at Hermione this time. "I need you to listen to me now." She took a deep breath. "Look, I'm sorry we didn't ask you about this before today, and maybe that was part of the problem, but Set is worried about you, and so is everyone else. They're just not brave enough to say it. We're just trying to help."

Seto glared darkly down at her. "I don't want nor need it."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "What you need is to hear how hypocritical you are. Okay, your Millennium Rod can control minds. The Imperius Curse is terrible and illegal, and I see why you want nothing to do with that. It's alright, really. But giving up on Set's lessons because they're dangerous? So is our magic, but I don't see you giving up on that and heading home. Are you going to turn your back on everything you've learned these last few months because of what our magic is capable of?"

Seto crossed his arms over his chest and drummed his fingers against the crook of his elbow.

Hermione matched his scowl with a matching one of her own. "There are two sides to everything, Seto. There is both good and dark magic, but we are defined with how we use it. We've fought enough dark wizards that we've picked up on a lot of terrible curses, but we know better than to use them. We use what we've learned to defend and fight against all of the evil out there.

"I don't know a lot about your magic – almost nothing, actually – but just because that Rod is capable of doing terrible things, it does not mean you will."

"Then call me a skeptic," Seto said, "I have yet to see any Millennium Item used for a genuinely good purpose. Everyone I have ever met that has used one of them has either been changed by that Item, or had become so dependent on it that it took them over. And I mean it – all of them."

"That's ridiculous," said Set, finally drawing himself back into the conversation.

"Is it?" Seto's voice was back to dripping with venom again. "Should I rattle down the list?" He began tallying off with his fingers. "Marik was so lost in his personal vendetta against Yugi that he used the Rod at any opportunity he could against us, and even on his own misguided followers. While in his control, half of the participants of my tournament ended up in comas. Plus, you were trapped in the Rod at the time, so you're well aware of just how many other people Marik tortured in total. His sister, while I will say never started a Shadow Game herself, abused the power of the Necklace to manipulate events to her advantage; meanwhile, Bakura has been physically and mentally abused by his spirit for who knows how many years."

Seto shuddered slightly, thinking back to some very unpleasant memories. "And let's not forget Pegasus, who, after trying to have me killed to take over Kaiba Corp, and then abducting and chaining Mokuba up in his dungeon, sealed both of our souls into trading cards, where we would still be to this day if Yugi didn't barter for us along with his grandfather when he faced him for the title match."

"Perhaps you are just too biased against the man," said Set, "Yugi says he has changed. You are just unable to see that he is a good person now. People are capable of turning themselves around, Seto. Sometimes past actions need forgiven."

"He hasn't earned it," said Seto, bitterly.

Set sighed.

"I haven't even gotten started on Yugi, but I think you get my point," said Seto irritably, "After witnessing all of that, is it that hard to believe that I don't want much of anything to do with them?"

Set was quiet for a moment, before he nodded slowly. "I think I understand now. You fear the power within the Items themselves, of succumbing to the dark temptations that befell the others."

Seto exhaled loudly and looked away from both of them, tightening the grip he had on his opposite arms.

Despite the mood in the room, Set chuckled. "Honestly, Seto, you should have nothing to fear. You have a will stronger than anyone I know and are the last person I could see falling to whispers of darkness."

Seto scoffed. Set hadn't seen the worst in him, and while those dark days before his first run-in with Yugi Muto were long gone, they weren't forgotten. For his sake, and especially for Mokuba's, he couldn't risk letting himself get tempted by magic he denied existing for so long. Not when it has, and still could cause harm if not left in check.

"Regardless, I'll deal with this my own way, on my own."

Hermione hung her head. "You don't have to though – that was the whole point of these exercises, wasn't it? Because you weren't able to deflect the monster on your own, in your mind? What if that same monster was standing where I am, right now? What would you do?" When he looked away, frustrated, she continued. "Why not learn to use the Rod defensively, like you originally thought this was about?"

"There is the chance that since this being uses the Shadow Realm to fight, you will have to use the same kind of magic in return, even if it is just to block an attack," said Set.

Set scowled at him and looked back down at Hermione. "Why are you so worked up on getting me to do this? Set I could understand, but what's your stake in this?"

Hermione sighed. "I'm just trying to look out for my friends. Last year…" she shook her head sadly, "Last year Harry was having terrible visions in his sleep as well. Since V-Voldemort's return, he was able to form some sort of mental link with him. We're not quite sure exactly how it worked, but he was able to see through the eyes of his snake. It was useful – sort of – because we were able to see Ron's dad get attacked in the Ministry of Magic and get help for him in time. But Professor Dumbledore was worried about Voldemort's ability to do the same thing, and had Snape teach Harry how to close off his mind, so the visions would stop."

Seto raised an eyebrow. "Did it work?"

Hermione shook her head. "Not really. It didn't help that Snape has had it out for Harry since he arrived at Hogwarts our first year. But after a while, the lessons stopped. I had hoped Harry would take it upon himself to continue learning on his own, but he didn't, and eventually Voldemort figured out about the link and sent Harry visions of his godfather being tortured by Death Eaters to lure him out of the castle."

"Let me guess – he acted on them."

Hermione nodded. "I tried to get him to think this through, but Harry was determined Sirius was in danger, so we all snuck out of the school to save him – and it was all a trick! Death Eaters were waiting for us, and we were terribly outnumbered. And even when the Order showed up to help, there were still casualties. Most of us got seriously hurt, and Sirius was killed."

She looked almost pleadingly up at Seto. "Please, don't make the same mistakes Harry did by not asking for help or giving up. Especially since you don't know who this threat is. If you can stop him from hurting you now, think of what might be able to be avoided later. Let us help you."

Seto pinched the bridge of his nose. Oh yes, the migraine was definitely back. "You don't even know if the Millennium Items can even deflect wand magic."

Hermione gave him a shy smile. "Then let's find out."

Domino City

There were only a few people left in the museum. It was well past closing time, but one of the Greek and Roman rooms had received a plethora of new artifacts, and the heads of those exhibits were in the process of rotating out some of the new stock. But the Egyptian wing was blessedly empty, leaving Ishizu to her work. Bill Weasley had been recruited to help move some of the heavier Roman busts, so she was left alone in her office to work out some of the issues regarding moving the Pharaoh's tablet back home.

Transporting the tablet into the museum, even under the guise of the garbage trucks, had been child's play in comparison. The museum kept scoffing at the reasoning for sending it back without any suitable replacement to take up space on display. While her family had a fairly decent collection of artifacts that could be shipped to Japan, none would bring in the same number of visitors as the ones she wanted to return.

She had to thank Kaiba's Battle City Tournament for that one. Once Yugi's duel against Kaiba had been broadcast remotely throughout the entire city, and visitors pieced together that 'hey – that's cool how this guy on the rock looks like Yugi Muto', duelists had begun to flock to the museum. Hearing some of their fan theories while hosting tours had been amusing – many believed that due to the popularity of Duel Monsters in Domino, the museum actually created the tablet with Yugi and Kaiba's likeness on purpose to promote foot traffic.

If only that were the case, arranging its transport would be so much simpler.

But after sitting for so long, she needed to get up and stretch her legs. Perhaps see if any of her colleagues needed more help in setting the new displays.

The Greek and Roman wings were on the other side of the museum, and she needed to pass through the entirety of her own downstairs wing to get there.

A soft click was heard as she entered the large room containing the Pharaoh's tablet and she turned back around. The lights in the corridor she had just exited had switched off. Odd, she thought, for normally, the sensors stayed on for longer than just a second or two, but she shrugged it off. Perhaps it was on a timer. After all, normally the museum would be empty at this hour. There would only be enough light throughout the museum for security to make their own rounds. The overrides must have been hit for the employees still working.

Ishizu crossed the room and was about to climb the steps leading to the next level when the lights completely shut off on the stairwell, leaving everything but the large chamber in complete darkness.

"Good evening, Ishizu Ishtar."

It was a voice, high and cold, and it originated from the corridor she had just left. Ishizu turned slowly around. A man in a black hooded cloak was slowly making his way across the room, stopping a respectable distance from her.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Who I am does not matter," he said, "But I have traveled quite a way for the chance to speak with you."

"I'm sorry, but the museum has closed," said Ishizu. Slowly, she made her way to the security panel on the wall to page for help. The man's hood fell far over his face, hiding most of it from view, but the warning signs were going off in her head that something was off here. He came from the direction of the museum offices, but that was where she was, and he hadn't been there earlier. So where did he come from?

She thought she saw a flash of red from underneath the hood. Pale and bony fingers raised a long stick and the long metal gates dragged themselves across the entranceways to the room, sealing it off from anyone else still in the museum.

"My apologies, but I have come far and under a matter of great importance," said the man harshly, "Our time together is far more valuable than the lowly Muggles dragging stone across the floor."

Ishizu glanced to the metal gates blocking the path. They were the ones used to seal off the exhibits during business hours when there was work going on during the daytime, and then at night when everyone had left. They locked from the outside, so unless security was making rounds and knew she was still inside, she was trapped.

"You have nothing to fear from me, Miss Ishtar. And now that we will not be interrupted…" the man made his way across the room, and Ishizu stepped back from him. He stopped in front of the large tablet depicting various Duel Monsters, his head lifting up to take in the entire display, shifting the hood back enough for her to see part of an equally pale face.

He turned towards her and withdrew something from his cloak. "Do you know what this is?"

Keeping a relatively safe distance from the strange man, Ishizu peered at the object put before her. "That looks like one of the artifacts recovered from a dig site not far from the Valley of the Kings," she said. "How did you come across it?"

"A story for another time," said the man, "Continue."

Ishizu looked warily at him, and the old relic in his hand. "It is a sword, or at least half of one. It looks consistent with what the Egyptians used in ancient times. Although…considering the wear and damage to it, I would say it did not belong to anyone of importance."

The man tilted his head. "Oh?"

She was honestly surprised at how calm her voice was, considering this stranger had trapped her in her own exhibit room. With magic.

"If it belonged to a Pharaoh, or any sort of high-ranking noble, it would be buried with them in their tombs. It might show wear of age, like any artifact discovered after thousands of years, but not the level of destruction this one clearly has gone through. It is lucky that any part of it has been recovered at all."

The man was silent for a moment. "Where exactly was this found, if not in a tomb?"

"Near ruins deep in the desert," said Ishizu, "But why is that of any importance?"

The laughter that followed was just as high and cold as his voice, and equally unsettling. "You could say I am a…collector of sorts." He stepped forward, closer to her. "Can you not sense the magic from it? This is no ordinary relic. Perhaps this particular item had more importance than you realize. But I'm afraid we will not truly know unless the final pieces are found. And I do intend to find them."

Ishizu moved back from his advances. To be truthful, she couldn't sense anything from the broken sword. It looked to be just that – a damaged item that managed to partly survive the test of time. And even if she could – what would come of it? None of her family's ancient scriptures made any mention to an artifact like that. "There is no telling how many more pieces there could be – you could search for years, and find nothing." She raised her head defiantly, "And I will not assist in the theft of my people's artifacts. I don't know how you got ahold of that sword, but it belongs in the Cairo museum."

"Even willing, you would be of no use to me shifting apart the desert," said the man stiffly, "But you can and will assist me in…other ways."

He finally made his way to the Pharaoh's tablet and turned to her. "There is much history behind this tablet. Tell us about it."

Us? She rubbed at her bare arms. Why did it seem like the temperature in the room was decreasing? Ishizu didn't move.

"After all, this depicts a great battle, does it not, between an all-powerful Pharaoh and his greatest enemy? That is what you have been telling the visitors here. I am afraid my…associates back home do not share the thirst for knowledge of magic's ancient roots as I do. Tell us how this tablet came to be. Like my broken treasure, I can feel power radiating from it."

"I have nothing to say about this ancient tablet," said Ishizu. The temperature continued to drop…and was it getting darker in the room? She needed to get a hold of security to get these gates open, and fast. "And it is time that you left."

The cold laugh returned again. "I don't think so. Though I must apologize, I never introduced myself to you." He removed his hood, and Ishizu gasped, staggering back at the face marred by years of practicing dark magic. "For someone to deny Lord Voldemort – even for one so important to my quest – is foolhardy. If you were any other Muggle, you would be writhing at my feet, begging for mercy that would not come…"

He held the sword out in his hands, palms up, as a dark shadow began to emerge from the old relic itself. "I hear you used to wear a Millennium Item. You will have to delight me in the tale of whatever happened to it, but for now, I wish to introduce you to my friend, for he is most interested in the origins of this tablet."

The shadows continued to expand out from the sword's jagged edge, devouring the floor in a sea of black, and in trying to side-step out away, she found herself unable to move. Was that an effect from the sword itself – which she could clearly see truly did contain some sort of magic, but how? – or from Voldemort himself?

"Do not be afraid," Voldemort said softly, circling her like vulture to its prey. Shadows began to morph off of what spread along the tiled floor and began to form into a hulking shape. "I said I would do you no harm, but I cannot say the same for my companion. He has waited quite a long time to enact vengeance, and I dare not keep us in any more suspense. Cooperate, and you will have the pleasure of knowing you can leave this museum with your mind and body intact."

Ishizu could only watch as a massive body emerged, with only one discernable feature – a golden eye.

WELL, WELL. IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME…ISIS.