/Text/ Spirit to Host

/Text/ Host to Spirit

Chapter 28: Dates

Domino City

"Where exactly is this restaurant we're supposed to go to?" asked Roland. When he learned his schedule had been adjusted to accommodate a "working lunch" with Pegasus of all people, he had sighed and resigned himself to the fact that he would probably be eating somewhere ridiculously posh to accommodate the game designer's lavish taste, someone would end up consuming a great deal of alcohol, and no work would actually get done.

At least, that's what happened the last time.

"Why is there no location on my calendar?" he had asked Seto Kaiba's secretary that morning. "Please tell me it was cancelled and no one dropped it off the list."

Unfortunately for him, that was not the case. "They insisted on picking you up," she said, "It's someplace out of town, and I was told Mr. Pegasus wanted to go over contracts on the ride over."

This ultimately led him to sharing the backseat with a man he couldn't stand on a normal day. At least in the office, there was a desk between them. Now there was only half a seat.

Pegasus chuckled. "Oh, we're not going to a restaurant."

"Then where are we going?"

"You'll see."

Roland glanced at the road sign as they passed by. They were out of Domino now. "Is this some sort of sick abduction?"

Pegasus eyed him mischievously. "What makes you think I'm kidnapping you?"

Roland crossed his arms and sighed. "Because you have a terrible track record when it comes to those in charge of Mr. Kaiba's company."

Pegasus tapped a finger to his chin thoughtfully. "I don't recall ever abducting Kaiba-boy himself, but, like I said back in my office, that was a long time ago. I can assure you, Croquet and I will return you back to your ever-busy day job - and little Mokuba – by the end of the day."

Roland narrowed his eyes. "By the end of the day? This was supposed to be a lunch. That means an hour – 90 minutes at most."

"Hmm," Pegasus mused, "Perhaps you should call Kaiba-boy's lovely receptionist and have the rest of your day emptied. We'll be out for a while."

"How long does it take to look at contracts?"

Pegasus laughed. "Oh my, that was just a ruse. We're not doing company work today."

"Then what are we doing?"

Pegasus grinned slyly. "You'll see."

Roland sighed. At this rate, he was the one going to need alcohol by the time the day was done.

The car finally turned off of the main road and down a heavily wooded street. Roland peered out the window. There was nothing in sight but a dense line of trees. Where the hell were they?

"Enough games, there's nothing out here."

"Mm, don't be so sure," said Pegasus. He leaned around the back of Croquet's seat to look through the center of the windshield. "We're about there."

Roland shot Pegasus a dirty look from behind his dark shades, as the car eased down a narrow drive and stopped in front of a house, half-hidden still by the mass of trees in the area. It wasn't a very large house, at least not by looking at the front of it, and had a sort of strange charm to it, as if it belonged in a storybook. Only Pegasus would have found a place like this.

"Where is here?" Roland looked around as he got out of the vehicle. "We drove through nothing for a good twenty minutes."

Pegasus gestured to the house in a dramatic, grandiose fashion. "Your little secret getaway plan, of course! Why else would I drive you all the way out to an adorable little cottage in the woods?"

Roland turned back to the house. "This is it?"

Pegasus casually looped his arm around Roland's shoulder, ignoring the other man immediately tensing and dangled the key in front of him. "Shall we?"

Roland threw his arm off. "Try that again and you'll be on the ground."

Pegasus waggled a finger. "You think Croquet would let you?"

"He'll be down there right next to you."

Pegasus's eye was full of amusement, despite his pout. "Someone has no fun today."

"I was under the impression I'd only have to spend an hour at best with you. In my office. Instead, I've been hijacked to the middle of nowhere for an indefinite period of time, with no one else for company."

Pegasus pretended to grab for his heart as he moved towards the door. "You wound me."

Roland glared at him as he brushed past and into the house. The inside had just as much a storybook feel as the outside, from the edge moldings along the walls and fireplace in the sitting room to the rather fancy-looking spiral staircase leading upwards. Having made a few more steps into the house, he could see it was actually quite large inside, despite its outward appearance.

He raised an eyebrow to Pegasus. "Where did you even find this place?"

Pegasus was practically giddy. "Oh, no. I didn't find it. Well, the land, I had to find. But this gem? I had it built!"

Roland fought back a huff. Of course he did. "…You had this entire house built from the ground up in this short of time?"

"Mm, more or less. I assembled quite an impressive team to do this, if I may say so."

"I thought this was supposed to be something kept hush. How many workers did you bring in on this?"

Pegasus waved a hand dismissively. "Oh don't get your earpiece in a tizzy. We both know that people will do marvelous things if you pay them proper money for their good work. The construction workers hired for this project were given quite a glorious payday for the extra time and effort into making this little home-away-from-home a reality."

Pegasus took another look around at the bare walls around them and then beckoned him deeper into the house. "Come, come – I'll give you the grand tour!"

"Oh…goody." Roland muttered, before following after him.

The main level of the house contained standard fare. An oversized kitchen and dining area, formal sitting room, and two other rooms Pegasus described for entertainment. "If you're going to hole up a bunch of teenagers here, you can't let them sit around bored," he had said.

"I'm surprised the place is still empty," said Roland, standing in what Pegasus called the 'game room'. "Or that you haven't filled the place with some of your incredibly archaic dueling arenas."

"Now, now, I wouldn't want to crowd this little getaway with those bulky machines, no matter how fond of them I may be. Besides, any duelist that takes temporary residence here already has one of Kaiba-boy's little marvels."

Pegasus led him back to the empty main hall and reached for the banister to head upstairs. "As for furniture…the painters still have to come through before I finish decorating them." Pegasus gestured to some of the unfinished drywall in the hallway. "Obviously, this is still a work in progress, but I expect it to be near completed by the end of tomorrow."

Roland looked around to the stark white walls. "Is excess decoration really necessary?"

"And leave such canvases blank?" Pegasus put a hand to his chest again, and this time he looked genuinely offended. "Now you truly wound me, my dear Roland. I've such plans for this place still."

"This is a safe house, not your private residence," said Roland sternly.

Pegasus's lip curled upward shrewdly as he waggled a finger again, tutting. "Ah, ah. Don't you forget that you came to me for help with this plan, remember? This little palace was procured with my own pennies, and as per our agreement, I may fill and decorate as I see fit. And you wouldn't have to reimburse me a dime. And as per our agreement, the only name on any official documentation here is mine, so if I choose to stay here, I can."

"I am well aware of what we settled upon," said Roland hotly, following Pegasus up the stairs. "And I had specific conditions of my own that I expect to be met."

"Yes, yes, I know, those haven't gone forgotten. Now come, there is more to show you."

Yugi didn't manage to stay up to see what it was that Seto had intended to tell him. The party had lasted well into the night, and it got past the point where he could no longer keep his eyes open. Before heading upstairs to bed, he had descended the staircase Hermione had fled down, but neither she nor Seto were in the empty chamber at the bottom.

He woke Sunday morning to the sun shining in through the dormitory windows, bypassing the scarlet bed curtains he forgot to close, and reflecting off of the Puzzle sitting idly at his bedside, effectively blinding him. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up and looked around.

The curtains around Seto's bed were still drawn, and considering it was well after seven in the morning, that was quite impressive. But then Yugi noticed Set sitting transparently in the chair beside him, eyes closed, that he rethought his earlier observation. Maybe Kaiba had another sleepless night.

The spirit's eyes opened as Yugi got out of bed and began getting ready for the day. "Good morning," he said simply. "I am sorry we didn't get the chance to watch most of your game yesterday."

"That's alright," said Yugi, stretching as Yami phased out of the Puzzle. "Was everything okay? Kaiba said that Joey called."

Set gave a quick bow to Yami before turning back to Yugi. "The conversation was cut quite short by the rest of the house returning from the game, but it appeared that Voldemort paid a personal visit to your museum back home."

Yugi's eyes widened. "What!?"

"What happened?" said Yami, "Was anyone hurt?"

"Miss Ishtar was attacked. She seemed to be physically unharmed, but it was clear whatever happened had mentally drained her. We saw a brief glimpse of her on the call, and it was clear she still needed rest. But the museum and tablet are still relatively safe."

"Did she mention anything else?" said Bakura.

Yugi jumped. The Spirit of the Ring had been right behind him the entire time and he hadn't even noticed. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough," Bakura snapped. "What else did Ishizu say?"

"It seemed like he was looking for information," said Set, "She began to speak about some sort of sword, but we didn't get much further than that. She wants to see us in person when the school lets out for winter holiday."

Yugi sighed. "I'm glad she's alright – sort of. I was scared when you said that the museum was attacked that Ishizu might've been taken or something."

Set shook his head. "Thankfully, that was not the case."

Bakura scowled. "A sword, huh?"

Yami turned to him. "…Is there something about our past lives that had to do with one?"

Bakura eyed him suspiciously. "Is that your cheeky way of finding out how much I actually remember?"

"What – no," said Yami, "I'm just trying to figure out why Voldemort would inquire about something that wasn't a Millennium Item."

"Hn," Bakura crossed his arms. "Well…as far as I know, there were no special swords thousands of years ago. It was Ancient Egypt. You have to figure every soldier had one, but that didn't make them impressive by any means. The Millennium Items held the true power, not the weapon of a lowly palace guard."

"That makes it all the more important that we see Ishizu as soon as possible," said Yugi, "Maybe there was an enemy that none of you can remember, and they used a magic sword or something."

Bakura rolled his eyes and scoffed. "I highly doubt that."

Yami turned to Set, curiously. "What about that creature – the one that attacked Kaiba in his sleep?"

Set's expression became guarded and he floated back from the center of the room towards Seto's bed, as if mere mentioning it would summon it into his host's head while he slept. "What about it?"

"You've seen it more than we have," said Yami, "Do you remember if it carried a sword?"

Set shook his head, trying to remember. "No…aside from its eye, it was merely a shadow. If it carried a sword, I didn't notice."

"It's Millennium Eye," said Bakura stiffly, "That can't be a coincidence."

Yugi turned to Yami, "Maybe…that thing used to hold the Millennium Eye in the past?"

Set crossed his arms. "No. Master Aknadin held the Eye."

Both Yami and Bakura's eyes locked onto the priest, one with curiosity etched across their face, the other was suspicious.

"You…remember that?" asked Yami, wide-eyed. "Did he pass it on to anyone? Or, perhaps, like the three of us, sealed himself into his Millennium Item?"

"That doesn't make much sense," said Yugi, "As chatty as he was about his Millennium Eye, Pegasus didn't seem like he was sharing headspace with anyone."

Bakura eyed Set warily as the priest stared down at the ground, trying to recall details from his clouded past.

"Set?" asked Yami, "Is there anything you can remember?"

Set shook his head, visibly frustrated. "No…I…I know that Master Aknadin held the Millennium Eye, but…it's strange. I recall it not from my time in your court, but…earlier, while undergoing the training to become a priest. Most of my memories as a priest while under your reign are blocked…yet…" he stared icily at Bakura. "I can remember you clear as day. Why is that?"

"Don't ask me," Bakura snapped. "I wasn't the one who sealed you into the Millennium Rod. If you have questions to ask that monster with the Eye, why don't you just wait until he decides to pay Kaiba another visit?" Bakura nodded towards the bed behind Set. "That is why he's still out at this hour, isn't it? Trying to use him as bait to draw out the demon?"

Set took an angry step forward. "How dare you," he snarled, his fingers itching for the Millennium Rod on the bedside table. If it weren't for Ryou, he would have been tempted again to run him through with the dagger half. "If anyone would know about abusing their hosts, it would be you, Tomb Robber. I am at least trying to keep mine healthy."

"You know…" said a sleepy voice from the other side of the room. Ryou sat up in bed, stretching his arms and leveling Bakura a tired, exasperated look. "Some of us enjoyed sleeping in on a Sunday morning. If you wanted to fight the Spirit of the Rod, couldn't you have done it…I don't know, on the roof?"

Yami looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry, Bakura, the fault was in part mine. I was eager to know how much Set might have remembered about his past, and I think things got a bit out of hand."

Ryou slipped out of bed and reached for his robe. "It's alright," he yawned, "About time I got up anyways. I'm a bit hungry."

Yami watched his fellow two spirits continue to glare each other down. Ryou quickly dressed for the day and stepped in front of Bakura, crossing his arms. "Come on, Spirit," he sighed, "You and Set can kill each other another day."

To all of their surprise, Bakura disappeared back into the Ring without another word as Ryou placed it around his neck under his sweater and headed towards the door. "Coming, Yugi?"

Yugi nodded, "In a minute." He made a show of digging through his trunk. "I just need to brush my teeth…."

Ryou nodded and left for the common room.

Yami raised an eyebrow as Yugi quickly shut the lid on his trunk. "You already brushed your teeth."

Yugi swallowed nervously. "I…have a bad feeling that Bakura may be up to something." He paused. "Spirit of the Ring, Bakura, I mean. …I'm gonna have to start calling Ryou by his first name – this is getting confusing."

"What makes you say that?" asked Set.

Yugi grimaced. "I can't prove any of it…not really, but I think that the Spirit of the Ring knows more than he's willing to share. It's probably nothing."

"I have been under that impression for quite a while," said Set stiffly, "My host, unfortunately, has gotten tired of me bringing it up and has more or less ignored me on that subject."

"He was rather defensive," said Yami, "A little more than normal, I'd say. And every time our memories are brought up, he is always very careful about what he says, as if he doesn't want us to be aware that he knows more than we do."

"To suggest that I would willingly try and subject Seto another round of…torture," Set spat. "I have no doubt he's keeping something secret, even if he doesn't know who the Shadow is."

Yugi sighed. "Good Bakura hasn't seemed to pick up on his other half acting strangely, though. Or the evil spirit of the Ring is very good at keeping things from him."

Set leaned back against the wall. "It would be easier if the tomb robber's motives were clear. He just seems content with tagging alongside his host, and that is not the same villain I remember."

"Well," said Yugi, "You've said so yourself that you don't remember everything that happened thousands of years ago. Maybe things have changed."

Set fidgeted uncomfortably. "…Perhaps."

Yugi glanced at Set and peered around him to the closed scarlet curtains, a random thought coming to the forefront of his mind. "Not to be nosy…but if we woke Bakura – well, Ryou, who is a heavy sleeper, how is Kaiba still out if you two were yelling right next to him?"

Set chuckled. "Oh. Don't worry about that. He magicked the area around his bed when he settles in for the night with some sort of muffling charm. I've kept him awake one too many nights earlier in the year, talking with the Pharaoh after you've all gone to sleep."

Yugi blinked. "Oh…so…he's not sleeping in from nightmares?"

"No," said Set, "At least, not tonight. He did get in rather late though."

"I went looking for him, before going to bed, but couldn't find him," said Yugi. "You know...after he went to check on Hermione during the party."

"Ah…" Set suddenly looked both amused and ashamed at the same time. "Seto is great at many things, but being a rock of emotional support and comfort is not one of them. He eventually gave Hermione the oddest pep talk I have ever heard, and the two of them moved to the Room of Requirement so she could let out some aggression. It seemed to work, since she appeared to be in better spirits afterwards."

Yami tilted his head. "What kind of pep talk are we talking about?"

"Well…I did my best not to interfere with what seemed like a…private moment for her, so I tried not to eavesdrop, but there was a bit about taking her pain and channeling it into something else…," Set waved a hand dismissively, "Something along those lines. I believe you would call it a very Kaiba-esque thing to say. Anyway, I assume she took it to heart, because she nearly broke him in half while they were sparring."

Set gestured to Hermione's jar of bruise cream sitting next to the Rod. "He's probably going to go through all of that whenever he gets up. They didn't make it back to the Tower until well after curfew." He scowled. "I have never felt more like that scoundrel Bakura, sneaking around the castle after hours, making sure the corridors were clear so they could return without getting caught."

Yugi laughed as he bid Set goodbye and headed out of the dormitory before Ryou came back up looking for him.

Harry and Ron were already seated at the Gryffindor table when they arrived in the Great Hall. Ryou took one look at Ron and gasped. "Oh my – Ron, what happened to you?"

Ron grumbled something nearly inaudible under his breath. His face and the back of his hands were covered in scratches, some deeper than others.

Harry frowned, having heard the entirety of Ron's story when they went up to the dormitory to bed last evening. "He…uh…stumbled upon some angry birds last night."

Ryou looked to Yugi, confused, and the shorter duelist leaned over and said quietly. "I'll fill you in later."

Ryou nodded, still in the dark, but let it drop for the time being, and reached for the tray of sausages between himself and Harry.

Hermione didn't appear until the tail end of breakfast, looking bright-eyed, refreshed, and almost glowing, taking Yugi by complete surprise. It was such a contrast from the last time he saw her, bolting from the common room in tears.

"Good morning, Hermione," said Ryou, brightly. "You look well."

"Thanks," she sat beside him, beaming. "'Morning, Harry, Yugi." She paused. "Ron, you should see Madame Pomfrey about those scratches, they look dreadful."

When it was clear Ron wasn't going to reply to her and instead keep his head focused intently on his toast, Yugi jumped in on the conversation. "I'm glad you're…feeling better? After last night…."

Hermione smiled broadly. "Oh, I feel much better. I had a chance to reflect and vent last night, and I think it really did help. I'll have to thank Seto the next time I see him."

"For what?" asked Harry.

Ron's brow furrowed as he dug his fork rather violently into his eggs.

"The pep talk, mostly," said Hermione, shrugging. "Can you please pass the butter?"

Harry looked from Ron and Hermione's deliberate ignoring of each other and cleared his throat awkwardly, "So…uh…anyone got plans for the day?"

"Ginny and I are going to test out some hairstyles for the ball," said Hermione, "I can't believe that it's this Friday. Time surely flies, doesn't it?"

"Oh, yeah?" said Ron, "Who're you going with, then?"

Hermione merely smiled and returned to her breakfast.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Alright…who's Ginny going with?"

"Neville, I think," said Hermione, "Or is it Dean?" She tapped her fork pensively against the table, thoughtfully. "No, definitely Neville. Dean is going with Parvati."

"Well," said Ryou, "I for one am excited. Not for the ball exactly, since Yugi and I are sort of friending it there, but just knowing that right afterwards, we get to go home for two weeks! It's been so long since we've been in Domino that I'm not going to remember what sleeping in my own bed feels like!"

"You're going to find a date, aren't you, Harry?" asked Hermione.

"Uh…I…eh…" Harry looked to Ron. "I thought we were going to hang back, after the disastrous Yule Ball…."

Ron swallowed nervously and stared into his goblet of pumpkin juice.

Harry frowned. Their plans couldn't have changed in one night…could they?

Hermione met up with them later that afternoon, when they all decided to take refuge once again in Yugi's dormitory. "It may seem a bit late, being only a week before the first part of term ends," said Yugi, "But does anyone have plans for the holidays?"

Harry shrugged. "Not going back to the Dursleys, if that's what you mean. I usually end up at Ron's house, or stay here every year."

"They let you stay at school?" asked Ryou.

"There are always a handful of people that stay at Hogwarts over the holidays," said Hermione, "Not everyone goes home, and that's alright. Anyone who stays here gets to at least have the Christmas feast."

"Why? What are your plans?" asked Ron.

"Well…,"Yugi began, "I was talking with Grandpa earlier today, and we were wondering if you guys would like to come to Domino for Christmas. We spent all summer at your house, Ron. Would you like to come visit us this time?"

"That would be awesome!" said Harry, "All of us?"

Yugi nodded. "Yeah. I told Grandpa that we would call him back and we could hash out some details together. …Is…that okay?"

Ron nodded. "Sure, mate. I can write to Mum and tell her I won't be home this year. I'm sure she won't mind it too much."

"You sure?" said Harry, "She always threw a big to-do over the holiday and getting the family together."

Ron shrugged. "Well...it's not like she told me of any plans ahead of time."

"You'd better hurry it up if you're going to catch the Nerd Herd," said Seto, without looking up from his spot stretched out on his bed, typing away on his laptop. "Wait any later and you'll have to put it off until mid-morning break between classes."

"The 'Nerd Herd'?"

Yugi shook his head and pulled out his phone. "That's his nickname – or, one of them, anyways – for my friends."

It took two rings before the line picked up on the opposite end. "Hello?"

Yugi's eyes lit up, and put the call on speaker for them all to hear. "Hi, Grandpa!"

"Hello, Yugi! How is everything?"

"Good, not much has changed since the…few hours I spoke to you," said Yugi, "You're on speaker with Bakura, Kaiba, and our new friends: Harry, Ron, and Hermione."

"Hello, Mr. Muto," said Hermione.

"Ah, hello. I suppose I should do that here, too. Joey, Tristan, and Téa are here as well. It's been a busy day at the shop, and they all decided to stop over and give me a hand."

"Hey, Yug'!" said Joey.

"Hi!" said Téa.

"Hello everyone," said Ryou.

"Did something release today?" asked Yugi, "I didn't think Sunday was a busy day for the Game Shop."

"Industrial Illusions released their new booster pack teaser today, and the mini-packs have been flying all over the place," said Grandpa, "Even Duke's shop sold out of them, and he doesn't even focus his shop on Duel Monsters!"

"I'm glad we did well today though," said Yugi, "You ought to take a day off sometime though, Grandpa."

"Oho, don't worry about me," said Grandpa, "I plan to close the shop half the time that you're home for the holidays. And speaking of which, we are very excited to get to see you again."

"When do you guys get to come home?" asked Tristan.

"Saturday," said Ryou, "We finish classes on Friday, there's a big dance in the evening, and then the next day, we'll take the train back to London."

"With the time zone difference, you won't see us until Sunday, probably," said Yugi.

"Well, we're all looking forward to it," said Téa, "There's so much to catch up on!"

"Are your new friends coming, as well?" asked Grandpa.

"Harry is," said Yugi, "And Ron too, probably." He turned to Hermione, who sat next to Ryou on his bed. "Hermione?"

Hermione frowned in Ron's direction for a minute, before smiling in Yugi's direction. "I'd love to."

"Excellent!" said Grandpa.

"Are you sure that's alright, though?" asked Hermione, "I'm sure you'd like to spend time with Yugi and the others, since it's been so long. I wouldn't want to feel like we're intruding on your family time."

Seto reached for the coffee sitting on the edge of his bedside table with one hand, and continued typing with the other, ignoring the majority of the conversation.

"Oh, think nothing of it," said Grandpa, "Yugi's friends are all family to me. Now…we just need to hash out where everyone is going to stay. I know some of you haven't been here before, but our house isn't quite sized for guests. We might be able to hold up one of you, but it may be tight."

"It's…Hermione, right?" said Téa. "You're welcome to stay at my place. My house has a guest room you can use."

"And I have extra room too," said Ryou, "My father is currently abroad, and I don't expect him home for Christmas."

"So…uh...how you guys gettin' back, anyway?" asked Joey.

"Uh…are you flying?" asked Yugi, twisting around from his spot in the middle of the dormitory to pass a glance to his rival.

Seto nodded without looking up. "I already made travel arrangements. Adding more passengers won't be difficult."

"Well, there you have it," said Yugi.

"You'll have to tell us when you're on your way, and we can roll out the welcome for you," said Grandpa. "But we'll have to go for now. It's getting a bit late, and I still have to clean up the shop from earlier today. So have a good final week of classes, have a great time at your dance, and we'll see you soon!"

Hermione was more than surprised to see Harry join her in the library Tuesday evening. Aside from their little gathering in Yugi's room Sunday making holiday arrangements, she hadn't spent much time with anyone. Ron had been hauled off by Lavender at almost every opportunity when they weren't in class, and rather than make things awkward for the rest of her friends when Ron was choosing to stay with them, she just sealed herself off in the library, and if anyone wanted to find her, they would. But, as she expected, no one usually went looking.

Seto continued to avoid the library on principle, for the same group of seventh-year Ravenclaws tended to creep on him there. And since he spent such little time in Gryffindor Tower, that meant he was off in one of the numerous empty rooms in the castle.

Yugi and Ryou usually spent time in the common room, hanging out with Harry and Ron (and occasionally, Neville, when he wasn't spending extra time in the Greenhouses), but to see Harry in the library was new, especially when he wasn't trying to write an essay. She wasn't shocked that their conversation turned to the upcoming ball, and who her date was.

"Had I been under the impression that I would be going with Ron?" she said, as they walked through the aisles, returning books to the shelves. "Yes… you know…once I asked him…but ever since the Quidditch match, that obviously wasn't going to be the case anymore."

"Yeah…" he said, "I overheard Lavender talking with Parvati that he's going with her."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I figured. But still…I had to make other arrangements."

"Other arrangements?" Harry frowned. "I…sort of thought that since you didn't have the date you wanted…that we could go together, as friends."

Hermione stared at him blankly for a few moments, as if he had spoken some sort of foreign language, before her shoulders slumped. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Who're you going with then?"

Hermione grimaced for a second before sighing against the bookshelf. "Cormac McLaggen."

Harry wrinkled his nose. "Cormac? Why him?"

Hermione shrugged. "I thought he would annoy Ron the most. Well…" she reconsidered her words before continuing. "Seto would annoy Ronald most, but he wasn't going. And I know that Cormac's been making eyes at me for most of term, at least while I've been working here in the library, so I ran with the idea when I found him here over the weekend."

Harry bit his lip. "Are…are you sure that this is a good idea?"

Hermione grabbed the books she was no longer using and moved across the aisles to put it back. "He's perfectly able to go to the ball with whoever he likes…and so can I. Would it make things easier on the two of us if I thought of your idea? Probably, but there's nothing we can do about that now."

Harry picked up a discarded copy of The Daily Prophet and rolled it in his fingers. "Wait – easier on both of us?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to sit around all alone in the common room Friday night, are you? It's not like Ron's going to be there with you."

Harry tapped the newspaper absentmindedly against the edge of the library desk. "Well…I didn't exactly plan on him ditching me…."

Hermione did a quick side-eye glance behind her before moving in front of Harry. "Look – you need to be smart about this. You can't just take anyone."

"Why do I have to take someone?" asked Harry, "It's not like Yugi or Ryou are finding dates."

"It'll get half of the student population off your back. And like I said – you can't just take anyone." Hermione jerked her head slightly to the side. Harry followed her gaze to see a curly-haired brunette at a corner table across the way, eyeing him.

"Do you see her?" asked Hermione, "Romilda Vane? Ginny said she was trying to brew another love potion in their dormitory last night."

Harry ended up staring at Romilda for a beat too many, because Hermione raised her arm and snapped her fingers right up in front of his eyes. "Hey! She's only interested in you because she thinks you're the Chosen One."

"But I am the Chosen One."

Hermione narrowed her eyes. Before Harry knew what had happened, she snatched the rolled newspaper right out of his hands and beat him over the head with it.

"Okay – sorry. Kidding?"

Hermione sighed. "I'm just saying, don't let your Yule Ball experience keep you from having a good time. You don't have to dance or anything if you don't want to. But everyone else is going, so you might as well come and hang out, or you'll be spending the entire evening alone and miserable."

"Okay, okay, but I really wasn't planning on going," said Harry, "And how am I expected to find a date to this thing with only three days to go? Who wouldn't have a partner at this stage in the game?"

Seto placed his laptop down onto one of the empty common room tables and made himself comfortable. Harry and Ron were getting ready for the ball with Yugi and Ryou, and he was tired of Yugi's subtle attempts to get him to change his mind about not going down with them.

There would be no dinner in the Great Hall that evening, for food was going to be served at the dance. And for anyone who decided that they weren't going to attend, small platters of sandwiches and drumsticks and jugs of pumpkin juice had been sent to each of the house common rooms from the Kitchens. So after the last afternoon class, the majority of the student body had rushed back to their dormitories to clean up and prepare for the night's festivities.

It was to no one's surprise that the guys began making their way down their dormitory staircase long before the girls. There were a few first year students that Seto recognized from the sorting ceremony sitting around with a moving chess set, apparently just as interested in attending Umbridge's social gathering as he was.

A few of the older students (relatively, they were still a good few years younger than he was) made their way down into the common room, wearing dress robes of all sorts of styles. Despite Madam Malkin's statement that any color would do, it seemed black was still the most popular color for dressy wizard wear.

A few giggles were heard across the room as a pair of seventh years exited the girls' staircase in bright, shockingly pink robes that could have rivaled Umbridge's everyday clothes. They eagerly met up with their dates near the portrait hole and exited out into the corridor.

Yugi and Ryou arrived downstairs next, the pair in similarly-cut black robes, joining Seto at the table. Ryou reached for one of the small sandwiches. "What're you working on this time?"

"Answering emails from the meeting I missed this morning," said Seto without looking up, "And making final arrangements for tomorrow."

Yugi grinned slyly. "You know…there's still time…."

"No."

Yugi turned to Ryou and shrugged. "It's not like you need to have a date to go. Bakura and I are going alone."

"You're not going to change my mind, so you might as well give up," said Seto.

Yugi shrugged. "I tried."

"Good attempt," said Ryou, patting Yugi's shoulder. "So…you ready?"

Yugi looked back towards the stairs. "I think so. Even Harry got himself a partner, and he's meeting up with her on the way, so we might as well go."

Ryou swallowed the last of his snack and brushed a few stray crumbs from his robes. "Okay. I'm ready."

The Great Hall had definitely undergone a transformation from when they had been in during lunchtime. The four long house tables had been replaced with clusters of smaller, round ones along the edge of the Hall, leaving the center of the room open. Each table had been covered in a shiny silver tablecloth. Four large Christmas trees – each one decorated in ornaments and tinsel to reflect each school house, sat in the corners.

"Oh cool!" Yugi gasped, and pointed up. In place of the usual floating candles, huge crystal chandeliers hovered high above their heads, and the ceiling portrayed a cloudless, starry night sky. Strands of fairy lights surrounded the main and side entrances to the Great Hall, and continued out into the short corridor leading to the castle courtyard.

"I wonder what that's for over there?" said Ryou, pointing up towards the High Table…or, more so where the table used to be. In its place was a large curtain, going from wall to wall, hanging right at the edge of the top step.

"Maybe it's for a band?" said Yugi. "Or the school choir or something. I remember hearing them practice the other day."

"Mm, maybe," said Ryou.

Yugi looked around the Great Hall again. "Not to channel my inner Ron – but wasn't dinner supposed to be served here too or something?"

"Uh…." Ryou glanced around the throngs of students entering into the Hall. Two of the house tables had been set up along the wall on either side of the main entrance, covered in the same silvery cloth as the round party ones set about the room. Stacks of plates and baskets of flatware sat on the ends, but the large platters covering most of the surface were still empty. "Oh – it's along the wall with the door. We just missed it when we walked in. But nothing's served yet."

"So…is this like a dinner first, then dance sort of event? Should we get a table or something?" asked Yugi. From their spot off to the side, he was able to see some familiar faces. From their own Charms class, he recognized Crabbe and Goyle, each with one of the fifth year Slytherin twins on their arm. Pansy Parkinson arrived with Draco Malfoy, who, to Yugi's surprise, didn't seem all that interested in being there.

/He looks rather put out./

Yugi nodded internally. /Yeah. Why'd he bother to find a date if wasn't going to enjoy himself here?/

It seemed that most of the student body had arrived by the time Harry made his way inside with Luna Lovegood, dressed in an oddly layered dress that gave off the air of a Christmas tree. The silver tinsel wrapped through her hair helped complete the festive ensemble.

"Hey guys," said Harry.

"I didn't know you asked Luna to the dance," said Yugi.

Harry ran a hand through his unruly hair. "It…uh…sort of came together at the last minute."

Luna smiled dreamily at them. "It was very sweet of him. I've never gone to a dance with someone before as friends." She paused thoughtfully. "Or with anyone for that matter."

There was a loud 'clink' of a spoon against china, as Professor Umbridge stepped up to the top step in front of the curtain, dressed from head to toe in dress robes of pale pink. "Good evening, children!" she said, and for once, the sugariness in her voice sounded completely genuine. "It has been a long first term. We have all had our ups and our downs. You have all worked and studied very hard to get here. And now, before we send you back to your families for winter holiday, let us rejoice in the end of your fall term. Dinner will be set along the far wall, buffet style within the hour. In the meantime, enjoy the festivities and music by…"

She frowned and turned to Professor Flitwick. "You did book the Cornish Quartet, didn't you?"

Professor Flitwick clasped his hands behind his back and smiled innocently. A few nearby students snickered.

Umbridge eyed him suspiciously before addressing the crowd. "As a few reminders, curfew will be extended until the early hours, but for those returning home, please remember that the Hogwarts Express will be leaving promptly one hour after the close of breakfast tomorrow morning. We want you to enjoy yourselves as much as possible, but the Great Hall will close at 2:00. If the crowds become too much for you, the courtyard is also open, but leaving the castle altogether is still strictly prohibited."

Professor Flitwick stepped forward suddenly, tapping his wand against his throat and drowning out Umbridge's list of banned activities. "And now – a group that needs no introduction…the Weird Sisters!"

Umbridge's jaw dropped, and any stern words of protest she could think to give to her colleague were drowned by the roar of excitement that echoed through the Great Hall. The curtain hiding the very front of the room disappeared, revealing the band, and most of the students surged forward towards the base of the steps going up to the front of the hall. Harry was grateful for the newfound breathing room.

"Well…at least I don't have to waltz this time."

"Oh, I'm sure you would be fine," said Luna, "My mother taught me when I was little."

"No, I'm being serious," said Harry, "You missed the Yule Ball, so you wouldn't have seen me crush Parvati's feet in the opening dance."

"Well, the music is catchy," said Yugi, swaying his head to the song.

Ryou listened to the lyrics. "…What is a hippogriff, anyway?"

Yugi shrugged, laughing. "Who knows!"

They stayed relatively close to the edge of the crowd, and grabbed a table once the serving platters filled up with food. There were so many more options than a normal night's dinner that it reminded Yugi of the opening feast, and he had to remind himself not to overeat like he did when they first arrived, or the rest of the evening wouldn't go over so well.

"There you are, Harry," said Ron, dropping down into a seat at their table. "I was looking around for you."

"We've been hanging out towards the back," said Ryou, "Less attention that way."

Ron nodded. "Got that right. I've been stuck in the center of the mob for a while."

Yugi looked around. "Where's Lavender? Didn't you two come together?"

Ron tilted his head towards one of the long house tables. "She's getting us both plates."

"Hey guys!" said Ginny, leading Neville out of the throng of dancing students. "Got room for two more?"

Harry beckoned to the half-empty table. "Go for it."

"This has been so much fun," said Neville, "Just like the Yule Ball. I'm surprised they haven't done something like this every year."

"The school hasn't needed a pick-me-up until last year," said Ginny, eyeing Lavender join them and giggly latch onto Ron's arm as she delivered them food.

"I imagine if Umbridge announced a party like this last year, no one would have gone," said Harry. "Considering how miserable she made everything."

Neville took a bite of his potato. "Well…it's not like a lot has changed this year. She's not making Defense Against the Dark Arts class any better. She just can't fire half of the staff this go around."

Ginny raised an eyebrow at Ron. "Have you been trying some of Lavender's makeup?"

Ron wrinkled his nose. "What? No, what are you on about?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "It's all over you. What have you two been doing, having a face-sucking contest?"

"Go mind your own business, Ginny."

Lavender finished eating and tugged on Ron's arm. "Ready to go back?"

Ron shook his head. "Not just yet. I'm starving."

Lavender giggled and let go of his arm. "Alright – find me when you're done!"

"Finally," Ron muttered once Lavender had squeezed back into the crowd. "I thought I was gonna lose feeling in my arm."

"Why didn't you tell her to let go?"

Ron shrugged and stabbed his fork back into his piece of meat.

"Oh," said Luna, "There's Hermione and her date!"

Ron turned around in his seat, and his eyes narrowed. "Is she…with Cormac McLaggen?"

Harry swallowed nervously. "Looks like it."

Ron pushed his plate away and stalked back towards where Lavender was gathered with a few other sixth year girls.

Harry was close enough that he could hear him ask her to grab seats at a table, but his eyes widened when once Cormac's back was turned, Hermione slipped out of the Great Hall and towards the courtyard.

"Cormac…wasn't he the guy who almost became Keeper?" asked Ryou.

Yugi nodded. "Yeah. I remember him talking down at the Pitch that day. He's…uh…a little brutish, and really full of himself."

"Hardly seems like the kind of person she would want to go with," said Ryou.

Harry sighed. "Yeah."

The music began to pick up again, and Ryou nudged Yugi towards the makeshift stage. "Guess the band's done with their break."

"You two didn't find dates, did you?" asked Ginny.

Yugi shook his head. "We're friending it here."

"Well, lucky for you that Neville's taking a break, isn't that right?"

Neville blinked. "Huh?"

"Well, you're not going to waste all that food, right?" asked Ginny, pointing to his plate.

"Oh, well…"

"My point exactly," said Ginny. She got up and grabbed both Yugi and Ryou's arms. "You're not going to go this entire evening without having at least one dance with someone."

"B-but I'm a terrible dancer," Ryou protested.

Ginny snorted. "Then watch where you put your feet. It could be worse – I could have been one of the crazies trying to spike your tea all the time."

Neville paused, his fork halfway to his mouth. "Did I just lose my date?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah."

"I'll dance with you, Neville. You don't mind, do you, Harry?" said Luna.

Harry shook his head. "Not at all. And if his dance moves are anything like they were for the Yule Ball, you won't have to worry about him breaking your toes," he said. "In fact, if you guys don't mind, I'm going to head outside for a breath of fresh air for a second. I'll be right back."

"Okay," said Neville.

Harry found Hermione sitting at the edge of the courtyard fountain, trying to fix her hair in the reflection of the water, her back to the doorway leading into the castle. An abandoned tray of dragon tarter snacks sat on the opposite side of the fountain.

"Hermione?"

She jumped and whirled around. "Oh – Harry, it's only you." She sighed loudly, visibly relieved. "For a moment I thought you were Cormac."

Harry looked her over. Her hair was coming out of the sleek bun she had made, and her pale blue dress was slightly rumpled. "Are you…okay?"

"Fine," she said, dipping her hand into the water. She attempted again to fix her hair, and wipe any lipstick smudges away . "I've escaped – I mean – left Cormac, from under mistletoe."

She rubbed at her arms, "I'm almost regretting this decision entirely."

"What – asking him to the ball?"

She nodded. "He's vile. If it weren't for the fact that Ron can't stand him, I wouldn't have bothered."

Harry paused, not sure how to really ask his next question. "…All of this, the date with McLaggen, all the hanging out you do with Seto…is this all because of him and Lavender?"

Hermione glared at him for a second, and was about to retort when she heard footsteps heading their way. She peered around the side of the fountain and paled. "Oh no – here he comes." She looked at Harry fiercely. "I was not here. Got it?"

Harry nodded as she darted out of view. The instant Cormac was far enough past the courtyard entryway, she slipped past and back towards the Great Hall.

Cormac shoved his hands into the pockets of his robes and looked around the courtyard. "Huh. I thought I saw Hermione Granger out here."

Harry shook his head. "Don't think so." Looking past McLaggen, he paled slightly as he saw Snape exit the Great Hall, look his way for a moment before heading in his direction.

Cormac shrugged. "Huh. Slippery little minx, your friend." He reached for the tray and popped one of the appetizers in his mouth, chewing for a moment before making a face. "What is this, anyway?"

Harry deadpanned. "Dragon balls."

Cormac's eyes widened and he twisted to the side, spitting it out…

…right onto Snape's feet.

Snape scrunched his face, disgusted. "You've just bought yourself a month's detention, McLaggen, the instant you step foot back in the school next term."

Harry had never seen Cormac move so fast to get out of the courtyard, but Snape stopped him when he tried to follow.

"Not so fast, Potter."

Harry bit his lip. "Please, Professor, I should really get back to the Great Hall. I'm sure my date – "

"–Will do without you for another moment longer. I am merely delivering a message from the Headmaster."

Harry blinked. "A message, sir?"

Snape's face was sour, clearly unhappy about being a messenger. "He asked that I give you his best and that he hopes you enjoy your holiday abroad. He's traveling, and won't return until term resumes."

Harry frowned. "Traveling where?"

Snape scowled down at Harry for another moment longer before turning on his heel and heading back into the castle.

Harry sat back against the edge of the fountain. Where was Dumbledore going? He had barely been in the school for the majority of the first term. For all of the talk of these lessons, he had barely spent any time at all in Dumbledore's office, and could only guess that his long breaks from the school were to gather necessary supplies.

Looking down, Harry picked up one of the snacks off the tray and sniffed it. It smelled horrid, and probably tasted just as pleasant. No wonder the entire platter was sitting out here, completely abandoned in favor of the more delicious items inside.

He got up to head back inside. Harry was almost to the open archway when he saw Snape quickly lead Malfoy out of the Great Hall and down a side corridor, neither of them looking particularly happy.

Harry cursed himself for leaving the Invisibility Cloak upstairs in Gryffindor Tower, but crept closer anyway, choosing to hide behind one of the oversized stone gargoyles in case they walked back towards the ball.

"…Maybe I did hex that Bell girl. Maybe I didn't. What's it to you?"

Harry narrowed his eyes. He knew Malfoy had something to do with Katie being cursed!

"…You are getting sloppy. Let me assist you –"

"–NO!"

"I swore to protect you," said Snape, "I made the Unbreakable Vow…."

Harry furrowed his brow. An unbreakable vow? What was that? And why did Snape need to protect Malfoy?"

"…Then it looks like you'll have to break it," said Malfoy harshly, "Because I don't need your protection. It's my job, and I'm doing it. I've got a plan, and it'll work, it's just taking longer than I thought."

"You are afraid, Draco, despite your attempts to conceal it."

"Stop," said Malfoy, and he sounded slightly more…desperate? "Don't you see? I was chosen for this. Me, out of everyone else. I can't fail him. I won't. This is my moment, my shot for glory, and no one is going to foul this up for me."

As angry footsteps rapidly approached, Harry pressed himself closer to the stone gargoyle as Malfoy returned to the party, with Snape trailing after him a few moments later. Once he was sure they were back inside the Great Hall, Harry sagged back against the wall and let out a loud exhale.

Not only was he no closer to finding out what Malfoy was up to…now he had even more questions.