A/N: Today (May 12, 2019) marks the 2nd anniversary of OLSSM. Thank you for following along this far on the journey and enjoy the new chapter!

/Text/ Spirit to Host

/Text/ Host to Spirit

Chapter 37: Scheming

Seto only stared at the dulled green stone sitting idly in his palm for half a second, just enough time for his brain to compute exactly what it was he was holding before he quickly dropped it onto the table, withdrawing his arm back as if the little rock had violently injured him.

He stared at it, a million thoughts running through his mind. Was it active? How did it get here? Was there someone else here, perhaps another of Voldemort's 'guests' or even an associate, that had the ability of playing a Seal? Was he going to have to fight for his soul yet again?

Voldemort reached forward and plucked the small rock from where it had landed on the table, holding it up to the light and regarded it curiously. "You seem to know what this is. Intimately, I'd say, with how quickly you were to be rid of it."

Seto's brow furrowed and he turned to Voldemort, keeping an eye on the Orichalcos stone. "Don't you?"

"I know what my spies have told me, which I will admit is likely far less than the knowledge you have. I will share what I know about this little treasure, if you share what you know about it."

"…Is this part of your game from earlier? Do I not get to ask questions about how you got it if I don't tell you anything?"

Voldemort lifted his head haughtily. "If you choose to simply sit there and stare at me, then I suppose you'll never know how we got a hold of it."

"You won't find out anything about it either."

Voldemort sneered. "I can always force it out of you later. But you cannot do the same to me." He turned his gaze briefly to the mostly untouched dinner. "Although…I will accept your silence if you at least eat while I talk."

"I said I wasn't hungry."

"And we both know that isn't true. Stop running this night into circles. It doesn't benefit either of us. You don't want to talk to me, then fine. Would you prefer me to have blanket access to your mind instead? Then by all means, skip your meal for the third day in a row."

Seto glowered at him before picking up the fork again.

Voldemort watched, satisfied, as Seto took two small bites of his dinner before turning the Orichalcos stone over in his hands. "I'm sure you remember an incident that occurred recently, where strange creatures were spotted all over the world."

Seto glared at him. "It's rather hard to forget when you're the one that everyone blamed for them showing up in the first place."

Voldemort raised his brow innocently. "Is that so?"

Seto rolled his eyes, stabbed a piece of meat with his fork and held it up dramatically for Voldemort to see. "…Just get on with it."

"If you insist." Voldemort held up the stone again. "Magizoologists were, of course, confused as to where the creatures had come from. None of them were any known species of beast. Muggles assumed that it was some sort of trickery. The monsters did not linger for more than a few days, and it seemed everyone returned to their mundane lives. What a coincidence it was, that just after the mass breakout from Azkaban last spring a number of stones, just like this one, were found all over the world. No one knew where they had come from. They just appeared."

He paused, and looked to Seto. "Anything you'd like to add?"

"Only that your story would take far less time if you would merely get to the point. You're dragging this out on purpose."

"Perhaps I simply want you to eat."

Seto huffed again. This little concerned act of Voldemort's was getting old. The man couldn't care that much to his health. He was just holding out to get what he wanted, and then he had no doubt that Voldemort would be rid of him soon after. "Perhaps I don't like being forced."

"A shame," said Voldemort flatly. "Considering the food leaves with me." He took another bite of his own dinner. "When these stone appeared, they seemed to be much more…alive. They had a glow to them that shone brightly in the dark, and reacted to the presence of what looked like stone soldiers wandering the streets. I trust you've seen them before."

He didn't wait for Seto to make any sort of response. "In any case, with the sudden appearance of these stones and monsters, a number of people fell unconscious. The Muggles called it comas. The Ministry claimed it was the fault of the Dementors now roaming the lands, as they had just left Azkaban to join my cause. But we know that was not the case, don't we?

"At one point, the skies turned black, and the monsters reappeared. Spies have told me that some sort of battle was waged on an uncharted island somewhere off the east** coast of the United States. Muggle card game players, duelists, as they were called, were summoned by the American military to deal with the crisis. Can you imagine, the surprise – the interest – of the Ministry, that Muggles were gathered to deal with something clearly magical?"

Voldemort waved a hand dismissively. "Even still, the darkness did not last long. When the monsters disappeared, the stones dulled, and their brilliant shine never returned. The wizards that had been attacked by the stone warriors woke in St. Mungo's, and it was clear the brief damage had not been caused by any Dementor."

Voldemort leaned forward and placed the Orichalcos stone in the middle of the table, just beyond Seto's plate, and watched him settle as far back in his chair as possible. He tilted his head curiously. "Why do you have such an adverse reaction to it?"

Seto was glaring again, but at the Orichalcos stone, not at him. Interesting.

"What does it do?"

Seto stayed silent. Technically, it didn't do anything anymore, which had to be why it didn't have the radiance that Voldemort claimed it once possessed. It was exactly what it looked like – a useless, green rock.

Clearly, Voldemort had something that he didn't quite understand. To him, it was merely a stone that appeared at the same time that people's souls ended up stolen. The fact that the entire crisis in the wizarding community was blamed on the dementors meant that they didn't quite place that it was the Orichalcos that was behind it.

But Voldemort's question made him pause. What does it do? That implied that he wasn't quite sure what had gone on while he and Yugi had been off fighting Dartz. Voldemort was no more informed than the Ministry of Magic. But was it wise to tell him the truth about the Orichalcos stones? The terrible magic from them was long gone, but would Voldemort try and find a way to bring the Leviathan back, or revive the soul-stealing ability of the Orichalcos and cause even more havoc on the magical community? Is that what he was after all this time, and not the Millennium Items?

Yugi assured him that the Orichalcos was gone. The Seal couldn't be activated again. But would the wizards be satisfied with that answer? And just how many of those pesky rocks did Voldemort have at his disposal? More importantly, how would Yugi know if the stupid beast would be able to come back or not?

"For the amount of thinking you are doing, there must be quite an explanation," said Voldemort, breaking the silence at the table. He held up the little green rock. "What is so special about this?"

Seto's jaw tensed. Answering could go one of two ways. Would Voldemort accept that the soul-stealing magic was dead and gone and…move on? It was an event that happened, can't happen again, so he'll focus in on whatever he wants from him at the current moment?

Or will he decide that the Orichalcos is worth looking into to cause even more havoc in this war, and seek out the rest of the stones? …Were there other surviving stones? It didn't matter. He was currently stuck without a clear way of getting back to Hogwarts or Domino. A duelist was needed to take souls using the Orichalcos, and he was sure Voldemort would turn him into a minion at the first opportunity. It didn't matter if his deck wasn't here with him. Voldemort managed to squirrel him out of Kaiba Corp, one of the protected buildings in Domino. Making off with his cards didn't seem like it would be much of a challenge for them.

Seto's brow furrowed. Was a duelist even needed? Dartz's stone minions didn't seem to have much trouble harassing half of New York. But would Voldemort care? Sure, he's been fairly defiant up to this point, but he knew this couldn't last forever. And it would only be a matter of time before the Death Eaters found enough leverage to dangle over him to get him to comply.

That left, in his eyes, one option.

Seto put his fork down and crossed his arms.

Voldemort tilted his head. "Nothing to say?"

"You said my silence was acceptable so long as I ate." He made a point of looking down at his plate and then back up. "I ate."

Voldemort shook his head slightly. "What will it take for you to speak with me?"

Seto narrowed his eyes. "With the amount of effort that you put into capturing me? You wouldn't give it to me, so the point is moot."

Voldemort chuckled. "Your freedom? If I were you, I'd best get used to your current situation. You will not be going anywhere for quite some time."

"Then I have nothing else to say."

The Orichalcos stone was tucked out of sight. "A pity. I had hoped that sheer curiosity would have won out against your stubbornness by now."

"You clearly don't know anything about me."

Voldemort stood up and waved his wand. The dinner plates vanished from the table. "I suppose I will take the small victories while they last. We will pick this up in the morning."

"Good evening, gentlemen."

Ryou closed the door behind him and Yugi and took up the two seats in front of Dumbledore's desk.

"I must apologize for taking you away from your studies, but I wished to give you an update over what has transpired this weekend."

Yugi glanced quickly to Ryou before turning to Dumbledore. "…Have you found him?"

To his dismay, Dumbledore shook his head. "I'm afraid not. However, we have some new insight over what may have led to his abduction in the first place."

Ryou's eyes widened. "What happened?"

"As you know, Emmeline Vance was one of the three Order members stationed in Domino to help watch over your friends and family. She stayed with Mokuba Kaiba during that time. For the holidays, Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks were to swap with her, along with Sturgis Podmore and Hestia Jones so they could see their families. Perhaps you were aware – or perhaps not, but Miss Vance returned to Britain before the other two."

Yugi bit his lip. He remembered when the Order members first arrived in Domino. Emmeline Vance set up the wards around Kaiba's home and office. "Do you think she had something to do with it?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Not in the way you would think. Do remember that all of the protective enchantments around the Kaiba Corporation were still intact when we arrived on the scene in Seto Kaiba's office. But I do believe that Voldemort got to her upon her return home. The entire Vance family was found dead yesterday. Aurors believe that she may have been tortured for information."

Yugi and Ryou's jaws dropped.

Yami phased out of the Puzzle. "How was this possible?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "We do not know for sure. But, we know that security has been breached around Mr. Kaiba's properties before. It is possible the Death Eaters waited for the Order members to return home before striking Domino. I imagine they must have gathered Mr. Kaiba's itinerary at that time."

Ryou nodded slowly. "It explains how they knew Kaiba wasn't at the park with us."

"What about Kaiba though?" asked Yami. "Don't you have spies in his ranks? Isn't that how you found out about us in the first place?"

"I'm afraid I do not have answers as to that," said Dumbledore, as Bakura appeared next to Ryou. "As far as I am aware, the Ministry has had no luck in locating him. At the same time, I do not believe that they have been very proactive in their search."

"Why not?" Bakura scowled. "From our perspective, the only reason he – any of us – were at this school, was because we needed protection from Voldemort. Your government gave us sanctuary here. The people in your government fouled up and got him captured. And now you're telling us they may not even be looking for him?"

Dumbledore sighed. "There are only so many Aurors to go around. I'm afraid the war effort –"

"That is a load of bull—"

"Bakura," Yami growled.

Bakura glared at him. "Get off your high horse, Pharaoh." He turned angrily back to Dumbledore. "Admit it – your people have screwed us over every step of the way. You offer your protection, but the security of my host's friends is still compromised. You want us to learn how to fight on the equal terms of these Death Eaters, yet you put someone incapable of doing so in charge of the class. You think this war is terrible now? Just wait until Voldemort extracts whatever he needs to from Kaiba."

Dumbledore remained calm. "Do you believe Mr. Kaiba would give in to what Voldemort wants?"

"Kaiba is unbearably stubborn," said Yami, "But even still – the Death Eaters only have to dangle the right threat over him and he'll give in."

"And what would that be?" asked Dumbledore.

Yugi started to open his mouth but Ryou cut him off. "It doesn't matter, Professor. What does matter is that Kaiba had the foresight well ahead of time to plan for an emergency like this. If all goes well, the Death Eaters won't find it."

"Are you certain?"

Bakura snorted. "I'm certain that while we argue semantics, Kaiba is being put through the ringer over information he doesn't even know. He might be the most stubborn soul on the planet, but I don't expect him to hold out forever. Even if he drives Voldemort mad, that Shadow will have its way with him. And if you thought the Shadow Realm was dangerous for the three seconds it was out in this school, then you haven't seen anything."

Dumbledore regarded Bakura thoughtfully. "Why do you assume Mr. Kaiba does not know anything of what Voldemort is after?"

"Because he hasn't bothered to learn about them," said Bakura, "If it weren't for the fact that the two are stuck with each other, Kaiba would have dumped the Millennium Rod – and the Priest, by extension – back on Yugi in a heartbeat."

"What about the Japanese Ministry?" Yugi asked suddenly, "Are they doing anything?"

"From what I understand, the Japanese Ministry has taken over the damage control on the attack in Domino City. While Mr. Kaiba is not a wizard by birth, they are naturally angered by the attack. I believe they are the primary ones putting pressure on our Ministry to expedite the search. Voldemort, however, keeps eluding our efforts. Until someone manages to catch a solid lead, I am afraid that Mr. Kaiba is lost to the wind."

Dumbledore gave a heavy sigh. "I am sorry I do not have more information for you. I have been in near-constant contact with the Minister of Magic, and will of course forward any news I can. Is there anything I can do for you in the meantime?"

Yugi's shoulders slumped. "I…I don't know. I guess I was hoping you would have some sort of lead for us to follow."

"As do I," said Dumbledore. "As per an agreement between myself and Mokuba Kaiba's guardian, I will be visiting in the morning to update on our progress so far."

"Or lack of," Bakura grumbled, and immediately after disappeared back into the Millennium Ring.

If Dumbledore had heard him, he didn't react to it as a soft knock sounded on the office door.

"Come."

Yugi twisted around in his seat as Harry entered the office, and stopped short when he realized he wasn't the only guest in the room.

"Sorry," he said quickly. "I can come back, Professor…"

Dumbledore held up his withered hand. "It is alright, Harry. I was just giving some news to Mr. Muto and Mr. Bakura."

"Oh," said Harry, and frowned, judging the looks on his friends' faces. "Nothing good, I take it."

Yugi shook his head. "Not right now, at least."

Ryou looked from Harry to Dumbledore. "If you have an appointment, we can go…"

Yugi looked at him curiously.

"My deepest apologies," said Dumbledore, "My mind must have lapsed for wanting to see you all so close in time. Old age, I'm sure."

"It's alright," said Ryou, "There wasn't a lot to share this time anyhow. …But you'll keep us posted on what you find?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Of course."

Ryou smiled. "Thank you, Professor." He nodded Yugi towards the door.

Yugi blinked and followed after him. "See you in the common room later, Harry?"

Harry nodded, and closed the door behind them before taking up a seat in his usual chair in front of the desk.

"I take it you had a productive first day of lessons?"

Harry shrugged. "It was alright. I mean, it wasn't bad. But…."

He trailed off, and bit his lip. He had wondered throughout the entire first term why Professor Umbridge had returned to Hogwarts. No one was really able to give him a clear cut answer. But now he had Dumbledore's attention. He had to know why. He ran the school! But would Dumbledore give him an answer, or just plow ahead at the reason for their meeting?

Dumbledore gestured for him to continue. "Go on…"

Harry sighed. "I – we, Yugi and the others, I mean…we think Professor Umbridge is up to something."

"Ah."

Harry frowned. That was all the reaction he was going to get? "I can't think of anything she's done that was actually helpful to any of us this year."

Dumbledore merely sat, watching him with his hands clasped together on the desk.

"I mean…what is she even doing here?" Harry continued. Might as well throw that bone out there and see if Dumbledore picked at it. "She hasn't really taught us anything, and I can't imagine that the Ministry would put her back here after the mess she made last year! What happened to her being sacked last June?"

"I'm afraid Dolores Umbridge's reappointment was out of my hands," said Dumbledore, getting up from the desk. "But let us move onto the point of our gathering. I must apologize for my lack of availability during the first term, Harry. I gave you a taste of what our evening sessions would include, and then did not follow up on them as I should have been. Do you remember our focus?"

Harry nodded. "You were going to show me things about Voldemort. Memories."

"Correct, Harry. We will need to dive into Voldemort's past if we are to learn how to ultimately defeat him. Most of the reason for my absence last term was that some of the memories we will venture through together were not mine and needed to be gathered. And there was one in particular that took a great deal of persuasion to acquire."

"Why was that, Professor?"

"I'm afraid it was not a very positive memory. The wizard in question was rather ashamed of it. But it is not one we will be seeing today. There are a few, much farther back that we will be visiting this evening."

Dumbledore crossed the room and opened the cabinet housing his Pensieve. "I trust you remember what this is."

Harry felt his face redden slightly. He had accidently stumbled upon some of Dumbledore's own memories once during the Tri-Wizard tournament.

"Whose memory are we going into first?"

"Bob Ogden's," said Dumbledore, "Who at the time was a member of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He died a number of years ago, but not before I was able to track him down. I believe it will be wise to start our story there, with his visit of the Gaunt family."

Harry shuffled over to the cabinet.

"Before we begin, I must ask for your confidence about the content of our lessons, Harry. Aside from Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger, you cannot share what you will see in these memories with anyone."

Harry paused. "Not Yugi or Ryou?"

Dumbledore gave him a hard look from over the top of his half-moon spectacles. "Do you trust them completely?"

Of course he did, Harry thought. Sure, there was the brief stint at the beginning of term when he definitely thought they were up to something, but hearing about the Millennium Items cleared up a lot. But why wouldn't Dumbledore want him to share with Yugi and the others? That's why they were here in the first place, right? To fight Voldemort? Why else would he go so out of his way to invite three people who didn't know anything about magic to Hogwarts, have them stay at the Burrow over the summer, and insert them into his year?

"Yes," said Harry.

Dumbledore nodded. "Then you may speak with them. But that is all. In confidence, Harry. I cannot stress that enough. What we will be doing and discussing must remain a complete secret. Do you understand?"

Harry nodded. "I do."

"Very well," said Dumbledore. "Let us begin."

.

You are wasting time. The boy will not speak with you. I could have told you as much three days ago.

Voldemort sat in his chair by the fire in the other study. "It won't be long now. You were right – he is stubborn. But I can see it. Curiosity will soon get the better of him."

Did he eat the food?

"He did. Not all of it, of course, but it was a start."

Good. Drug his morning meal.

Voldemort glared at the Shadow. "That is the third mention that I do such a thing. Why are you so insistent?"

The sword – and the golden eye on the Shadow's head flared. The priest is holed up in the Millennium Rod, under guard by the White Dragon. I cannot get to his memories.

Voldemort sighed. "I thought you said you had a way around that problem?"

I waged a gamble that the White Dragon guarded the boy's mind, leaving Set vulnerable. I was wrong. So now, I am stuck while you draw out this ridiculous game. Seto Kaiba will not reveal anything to you, so you might as well dump that potion down his throat and simply take what you want. How long are you going to let me wait to get what I want?

"What you want?" Voldemort hissed. "We can only search for those sword pieces so quickly."

The Shadow laughed darkly. You think a few sword fragments are all that I'm after? These mind games you are trying to play will not work.

Voldemort stood up abruptly and swept towards the door. "Perhaps you should concern yourself with getting past the dragon and less of what I am doing."

You really think that little green pebble is going to make him talk?

Voldemort chuckled. "No, of course not. I must first plant seeds of doubt. Once he realizes he is nothing more than Dumbledore's new stooge, his attitude will shift."

The Shadow watched Voldemort leave the room and shook his head. A waste of time…

He looked to the side of the room, where Seto's wand, phone, and the Millennium Rod sat on the oversized fireplace mantle. It's time to expedite things…

Disappearing from view, he passed through the door as if it wasn't even there, and moved across the silent halls of the old manor. Voldemort's minions were quiet tonight. Perhaps most of them were on some sort of assignment.

Not that it mattered. They weren't doing anything important. Harassing nearby villages and bribing government officials was not important. It was unnecessary. The Millennium Rod – even their own mind-bending magic did the work for them. Why some of these wealthy families insisted on throwing money around to get the lesser men do their work was beyond him.

The only thing that mattered was tapping back into the Priest's memories, and getting the rest of his soul put together again. Acquiring the Millennium Items and reviving Zorc Necrophades. Let the world burn and be reborn from the ashes under his reign.

He was denied his throne once. Not this time.

But tapping into the Spirit's mind was going to be harder than he initially thought. Just like all those years ago, that damn girl was protecting him. How did she end up so powerful?

His venture into the Millennium Rod revealed several things. The corridor between Set and Seto Kaiba was still intact, though the door to Seto Kaiba's room was gone, leaving only the original wall. Set locked himself within his own half. But the White Dragon was in the corridor, blocking his path. Her magic made short work of him.

There had to be a way around her. And he was ready to bet half of his sword that Seto Kaiba knew an answer. Unfortunately, Voldemort would know if he jumped right into the boy's mind. While there was really nothing stopping him from doing so, the agreement they had made just before Kaiba's capture meant that Voldemort needed to get what he wanted from him first.

Too many attacks on the mind and it could be lost, or some nonsense of the kind.

That sounded like an excuse. But he needed Voldemort and his lackey army to find the rest of him, so in the meantime, he was stuck. …Or was he?

He had an idea.

Two Death Eaters were standing sentry across from the door into the larger study, where Voldemort had decided to stash Kaiba.

Aknadin materialized again directly in front of them, grinning as they jumped, startled. One was even halfway to pulling one of their sticks from a pocket.

Are you the only two guards?

The first Death Eater looked to his partner nervously. He had only heard stories of the weird shadow man that the Dark Lord had started investing time with. This had to be him. But he was more of a monster than a man.

The golden eye was definitely unnerving.

"N-no," he said. "There are always two inside. Two out here."

Aknadin tilted his head. How long do you stand there?

The other Death Eater spoke up this time. "A few hours. We both watch him tomorrow."

For how long?

"All day," scowled the first Death Eater. "Once the Dark Lord is done for the morning until he returns after sundown."

"It's so dull," the second one snorted. "He just sits there and reads. And paces the room."

"I don't see how he lasted three days without eating more than a few crumbs," said the first Death Eater. "I wouldn't have made it half the day."

"I almost wish he tried something stupid, just so we would have something to do," said the other Death Eater, "But he's supposed to be some rich Muggle, right? Probably doesn't want to get his shiny shoes dirty."

"I swear Lestrange has wanted a go at him," said the first Death Eater. "I don't blame her. That Egyptian isn't any fun anymore."

…How would you two like to have some excitement tomorrow?

Now the two looked wary. They were probably weighing how much wrath they would face for disobeying any of Voldemort's orders in the sake of having a little fun.

"…What kind of excitement?"

They couldn't see Aknadin's feral grin. This will be too easy.He raised one of his hands as it became shrouded in the Shadow Realm aura. The Death Eater masks covered their foreheads, but he could make out a faint glow coming from underneath. The Eye must have appeared. Good.

Tomorrow, Lord Voldemort will be away at the other house, visiting his other prisoners. You two will be the only guards for this room. And this is what you're going to do….

.

A/N: The anime doesn't really say where the USA Kaiba Corp office is. We know Industrial Illusions is in San Francisco, but after visiting there, Yugi and co hop a train and get derailed in the middle of nowhere. It was stated once or twice before in a throwaway line, but for the sake of fic canon, Seto's USA branch is in New York City.