Another story that I started writing, and which I pulled out of the depths of my archives, was intended to be an epic crossover with Yu-Gi-Oh! Now, before you all groan, hear me out. While I had a small interest in the anime series when it first came out, it never quite grabbed me. However, I did enjoy the famous Abridged Series created by Martin 'Little Kuriboh" Billany, and without him, I would never have become interested in the original manga, which is a darker and more enjoyable work than the anime series, which itself only adapts part of the manga series. Or rather, the second anime series: the first, never officially released outside Japan, is closer to the initial volumes of the manga in many regards, and is known by fans as 'Season Zero'.

Why, then, didn't I write this story? I had a basic plot outline worked out after all. Well, the truth was, I was writing a lot of First Year stories, and got sick of writing them, so it fell by the wayside. Don't get me wrong, one day, I may revisit this concept. The involvement of Yu-Gi-Oh! characters, however, was going to be limited: Yugi and his friends wouldn't appear, though the Kaibas and the main story arc villains would. I even had this idea that Bakura would inhabit Ron, which would be interesting, I thought. Sadly, it didn't work out. One day, I may come back to this story.

This chapter contains an extremely dangerous game that comes from the very first chapter of the manga. I must emphasise that this is very much a 'do not try this at home' deal. It's no wonder the 'Money and Knife' game was replaced by the no-less dangerous but harder to set up cards-and-abseiling game in the Season Zero adaptation. I repeat, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. I'm merely replicating what was in the manga.

SHADOW GAMES AND PHILOSOPHER'S STONES

PROLOGUE:

MONEY AND KNIFE

I feel lost as I walk down this road,

Even though it's so familiar.

From the darkness something's coming out.

Another me is born.

-'Kawaita Sakebi', or 'A Cry of Thirst', originally by Field of View, as translated by MidiGuyFP. The theme song of Yu-Gi-Oh!: Season Zero.

To say that Dudley Dursley was an unpleasant boy was rather like saying that swimming in a vat of hydrofluoric acid was an unsound idea. In short, an observation of considerable understatement.

When children are spoiled, they can either become nice, or rotten. Not that there isn't any middle ground, a median in a spectrum of spoiled personalities, but Dudley Dursley was definitely rotten. It was for him that the proverb 'spare the rod and spoil the child' was written. But no, his father doted on him, and worse, poisoned his mind with lies and half-truths and a sense of entitlement far beyond what he was actually worth.

For this reason, and more, Dudley had become a bully, a bulky blackguard with an ego as inflated as his body was with fat. He lived by dominating other kids.

Sometimes, children like Dudley Dursley could claw themselves out of their rotten natures. Sometimes, they can grow out of being the bully, and actually become decent people. But the path Dudley was on suggested otherwise. Which was why he, and his father, were at their school, late at night.

Both Dursley males had been compared to marine mammals, though to tell the truth, such comparisons were insulting to said marine mammals. Dudley had often been compared to a baby whale with a blonde wig, while Vernon, with his big bushy moustache and ornery disposition, was said to resemble a walrus. Vernon prided himself on being normal, when in reality, he was merely mediocre. He worked for Grunnings, a firm that specialised in making drills, and while being a manager at a place like this was certainly a necessary job, he had the attitude of actually believing himself indispensable to the world in general, and Grunnings in particular.

If Vernon Dursley had any intellectual inclinations, which he didn't (laughably considering it to be beneath him), he may have heard of Charles de Gaulle's famous saying, The graveyards are filled with indispensable men.

He was here because he wanted something he believed was rightfully his. Vernon Dursley was a possessive man, a quality he had unfortunately passed onto his son. When he learned that his son was effectively becoming a standover man at school, he thought it only right and proper. The law of the jungle was rife in business, and while Dudley was stepping over a line, Vernon had just enough money and clout to bully the teachers into submission. After all, the principal was an old friend of his.

What was that phrase that CEO of that Anglo-Japanese corporation used? Screw the rules, I have money(1). Might as well add 'and connections' to that as well.

But when Vernon didn't get his way, he didn't like it. For all the fact that he considered himself a paragon of men, he was still but a child in many ways: a petulant brat who, like Dudley, had been coddled and spoiled. So it was hard for him to understand why his wife ran out on him for that older Japanese man! And she took the freak with her, and saddled him with Dudley.

Well, tonight, that was going to change. Dudley had cornered his freak cousin today while he was fiddling with some puzzle that his new uncle had given him, and beaten him up, demanding a thousand pounds(2), or he'd give him a Chelsea smile(3). Vernon had applauded this, as he felt he deserved some child support, despite being given money by his sister, Marge.

When that bitch of an ex-wife rang in anger, Vernon coldly told her that if she tried calling the police, he'd have his old friends the principal of the school and the police commissioner shut her down. "You ran off with the freak," he said, "and left poor Duddiekins alone with me. I'll swear up and down in court that you're a poor mother, and your pet Jap doesn't earn enough to hire a better lawyer than me." A bit of a bluff, but he could hear the submission in her voice.

But then, he got a phone call earlier this night, from none other than the freak. Except…he sounded different. He said that he had the money, and more, and wanted Vernon and Dudley to come here to the school…alone.

Vernon was cautious enough to consider calling the police beforehand, before he decided against it. It wasn't like an eight year old could threaten him, could he?

As they came to a table in the playground area, used for students wanting to eat lunch or morning tea, a light suddenly flared up, illuminating the once shadow-drowned table. And its sole occupant.

The freak.

Except…he looked different, even more freakish than before. His dark hair was always messy, but now, it seemed to stand on end, as if electrified, exposing the distinctive lightning-bolt scar on his forehead. And was it just the Dursleys' imaginations, or were his once green eyes now purple, flecked with a near-demonic red? A pyramid, apparently made of gold, hung on a cord around his neck, with an eye-like symbol that looked Egyptian.

But the biggest change to the freak was his attitude. Where he had been, if not quite meek, then introverted, there was something cocky and confident about him now. And something more than that…

"Dudley…Uncle Vernon…how nice of you to drop by," the freak purred. Vernon was bemused. The freak's voice sounded more like an older teenager than an eight year old. And it was the voice of a king, of a man who was used to power, and completely unintimidated.

This must be the freak's freakishness coming out, Vernon decided. Or maybe that vicious freak who killed the freak's parents had taken the freak over. Vernon felt a small tremor of fear in his soul, but stamped down on it, hard. "You called us out here, boy," Vernon growled. "I assume the money is involved."

The freak smiled, and pulled a large wad of banknotes out from his pocket. More than Vernon had thought. "Indeed. But I thought I'd up the stakes a little. Duddiekins wanted a thousand pounds. You can take it, or, if you think you're up to it, well, I have brought three thousand pounds. To get that, though…you'll have to play a game."

Outrage was quickly smothered by greed. Three thousand pounds! Vernon smirked. And even if he lost the game, he could beat the freak into a broken wreck. "What game is it?"

"The game is simple enough," the freak said, pulling a knife, and a rather large and wicked-looking one as well, from another pocket. "I call it Money and Knife. To play, you place your hand, palm down, on the table, and the money on the back of your hand. You then have to stab down through the banknotes. Should you fail to pick up more than one banknote on the knife, or take the money by hand, you forfeit. And should you cheat…" At this, the freak's smile widened. "Well, if you cheat, you get a Penalty Game."

"I'm not afraid of you, boy!" Vernon said without hesitation, sitting down at the table, Dudley copying him.

"Well, you should be. And one other thing: my name is Harry," the freak said, pointedly.

Vernon ignored him. Stupid freak. He was going to lose…

The game started well. The freak didn't get much money with his first stab, but both Dudley and Vernon got more. But as the game went on, Vernon began to get more and more worried. The freak's confidence never wavered. Neither did that damned grin.

Soon, Vernon's turn came yet again, with the cash on the back of his hand, and the knife poised, ready to plunge through the money. But something was wrong. Vernon froze, his hands trembling. The pile of money looked so thin now, and the knife…oh, the knife seemed all too eager to plunge through the thin sheaf of paper and into the flesh in the back of his hand.

"Shadow Games reveal your true nature," the freak purred, his smile even wider. "Right now, the hand with the knife in it is controlled by your greed. The rules state that you can still stab your hand, and keep the banknotes you get. But are you willing to sacrifice your hand for money?"

No! Vernon screamed internally. I will not! And there is another way out of this. I do not play by your rules, freak. And you were stupid enough to leave a knife in my hand.

Greed and hubris had won out over common sense and fear of being caught. Under almost every other circumstance, Vernon Dursley would have shied away from out and out murder. But within a Shadow Game, his true nature was brought to the surface: a greedy, venial bastard who would do anything to get what he wanted. And a glance at his son told him that Dudley had been thinking the same thing.

And with that, Vernon lashed out with the knife, intending to bury it in the freak's chest. He was, after all, sitting at a table. How could he get away in time? Vernon may have been bulky, but he could be fast with his hands when he needed to.

But the freak suddenly wasn't there anymore. Instead, he was standing a little way away, arms crossed, that smile growing ever wider. "I thought so. I knew you'd cheat, Vernon."

Vernon screamed an incoherent bellow, and threw the knife at the freak, who caught it (by the blade, no less!) as casually as he might have caught a ball. A glowing symbol, like the eye on that stupid amulet of his, appeared on his forehead. And suddenly, Vernon and Dudley were paralysed.

"What the hell is that?" Dudley yelped, his paralysis apparently not reaching his lips.

"A sign seen by those who trespass over the lives of others, cousin," the freak smirked. "You threatened me and Aunt Petunia. You wanted money that was not rightfully yours. Oh, and you just tried to kill me. Better and worse men than you have tried, and failed. Time for your Penalty Game, gentlemen, though I use that term loosely."

"Who are you?" Vernon demanded, his face turning a particularly exquisite shade of puce. "You're not the freak!"

"Well, I am borrowing his body," the freak said. "Harry Potter is currently AWOL. I do not have a name, but you can call me…Shadow(4)." He then pointed an accusatory finger at them both. "PENALTY GAME!" he bellowed in a stentorian voice that seemed too large and loud for his eight year old frame. "GREED: THE ILLUSION OF AVARICE!"

Suddenly, they were free, and…what was this? Things seemed to be falling from the very heavens themselves. And not just any old things: they were banknotes! Banknotes fluttering from the sky like leaves or snowflakes.

Money, money, money! Their wildest dreams come true! Riches beyond the dreams of avarice…except they weren't. The Dursleys were trapped in dreams of avarice. The two Dursleys capered and hollered amongst piles of dead leaves and trash, while the one they called 'freak', and who was once called Harry Potter, carefully took the real banknotes away, and then took his leave of the two greedy idiots, smiling darkly all the while.

The Solomon Games Shop was only a relatively new games shop, but even in Surrey, it had already become a modest success. Despite his more traditional values, Sugoroku Muto, who now usually went by the first name of Solomon(5), had a wide range of games that appealed to young and old alike. From games as ancient as chess, backgammon, and go, to the latest video games, and even some games in more than one restricted area. One of them was for adults only. And the other…was for a very different type of clientele.

Solomon Muto was a kind and caring man, if a somewhat eccentric one. He was in his early fifties, short, and with spiky dark grey hair, habitually worn under a bandanna. He was of Japanese extraction, and cultivated the air of a lovable, eccentric uncle to his customers. But he had more than one secret. And one of those was standing with him in his office, as he sat there, worrying uncharacteristically.

The man standing near the door appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent, dressed in light-coloured robes and a turban. His blue eyes were dull and flat, and yet seemed to be piercing in a strange, paradoxical way. Around his neck, worn like a necklace, was a gigantic gold key, in the shape of an ankh.

"The Millennium Puzzle has been assembled, then? By your adoptive nephew?" the Middle Eastern man asked in a quiet, solemn voice.

Solomon nodded. "I thought it would occupy young Harry's time. He has such a good mind. I shudder to think about what he would be like if Petunia hadn't left her husband. But to have this happen…I don't know where you got the money you gave him from, Shadi."

Shadi smirked slightly, one of the few times Solomon had seen the man show any emotion other than a stoic frown, or perhaps mild disapproval. "In my official capacity as liaison to the British Museum's Egyptology Department, I earn substantial amounts of money which…being what I am, I do not actually need. When I sensed his troubles, I gave him triple the money, hoping that would delay the two Dursleys long enough until I could deal with them myself. I cannot judge the whole world with the Millennium Scales, but they may have attacked you and stolen the Millennium Puzzle, and that would justify such an action. Of course, if the Millennium Puzzle has truly been assembled, and its power granted to your nephew, then it may be a moot point."

Solomon was about to reply, when he heard the door to the rear of the shop being opened, and the alarm being disabled. Without a word, the two men exited the office, and found Harry climbing the stairs. Solomon was about to go to him, before Shadi blocked his path with his arm. "Let him go for the moment. I can sense the Shadow Magic coming from him. He has visited justice upon the Dursleys. He is taking the first step towards his destiny."

Which one? Solomon wondered, worried. After all, he is already The Boy Who Lived. He doesn't need another destiny…

PROLOGUE ANNOTATIONS

I hope that you're enjoying things so far. Yu-Gi-Oh! fans, or at least those who have read the original manga, will recognise much of the plot and some of the dialogue (in modified form) as being from the very first chapter of the manga. The Money and Knife game is taken from that chapter too, and is also ridiculously dangerous. As mentioned before, DO NOT TRY IT AT HOME!

You'll notice that I have introduced Shadi quite early. His role in this story is different, but similar, to that he played in Yu-Gi-Oh! In this story, he and Solomon are old friends. Yes, I know, canon defilement. Cope with it. And if you're wondering why Vernon and Dudley are far more vicious than they are in canon, well, I can sort of justify it with Petunia running away with Solomon Muto.

1. My first Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series reference. The businessman in question, however, is not Seto Kaiba, but his father, who will make an appearance later…

2. I chose an amount that was a big round number, and not that far from the amount that Ushio tries to extort from Yugi in the first chapter.

3. Or a Glasgow smile, but I chose Chelsea because Surrey is close to London. Basically a rather nasty form of disfigurement where a scar is carved into the cheek, like an extension of the mouth. The Joker from The Dark Knight is perhaps the most prominent example in pop culture. Because of the blood vessels in the cheeks, this injury can actually be potentially lethal.

4. I struggled with what to call Yami/Atem/the Nameless Pharaoh in this. I very nearly kept on calling him Yami, but 'Yami' means 'darkness' or 'dark' in Japanese. I decided to use an equivalent, and I think it's rather fitting: in the title sequence for Yu-Gi-Oh! Season Zero, Yami is portrayed as a menacing shadow, something that seems to recur throughout the series proper. Therefore, Shadow, for he is a dark entity bound to Harry.

5. I deliberately decided to show that Solomon was a name Sugoroku Muto (his original Japanese name) adopted, as a form of Anglicization. Keep in mind, there'll be more Anglicizations to come, particularly of the Kaibas. You have been warned…