Chapter 10: - Dates of the Inedible Kind
Time passes all too quickly when you don't want it to and if Harry and Kari were honest, after Rita Skeeter's article about the 'Triwizard Tournament' that basically had dissolved into an article about Harry without any quotes from Harry, but quoting Colin Creevey and few others, as well as dragging out the question of romantic issues.
"Ignore it." Yugi advised, a fortnight later as Malfoy led the Slytherin Table in a recitation of 'Granger, Ironhide and Potter sitting in a tree.', "They're lousy singers and they can't think of anything original, besides, Kari's with Kaiba till the Yule Ball, as far as I'm aware none of the Slytherins have dates yet, and besides, the press make digs at relationships when they have nothing better to write about or you wouldn't give them a juicy enough script." He giggled, "Joey, do you remember that so called three way love triangle?"
"Boy do I." Joey growled, remembering the press their first summer back from Hogwarts, "I'm sorry Yuge, but somehow I don't think Mai's your type of girl."
Yami snorted, well versed in the whims of the press and just how irritating they could be unless they got their own way, and choosing to ignore the taunting table in favour of planning his next move.
"Yami?" Yugi asked as Yami got up from the table and crossed the hall towards the Slytherin table which had gone silent.
Bakura was on his feet less then half a moment after Yami, and the entire hall held its breath as Yami and Bakura met in the middle.
Nothing happened.
They nodded to each other, barely, and then got out of each others way and continued on to the now terrified Slytherin table and the wary Gryffindors.
`What are you up to?` Harry asked Yami as Ombre rose to her feet, wondering exactly why Bakura was talking to a seventh year Gryffindor girl and wondering if she should intervene.
In the meantime, Yami was having a conversation with a seventh year Slytherin girl, who seems quite capable of talking to the Pharaoh by herself, without her friend's constant insistence that he went away.
"I think…" Yugi paused as the seventh year Gyffindor motioned for Bakura to sit beside her, and the seventh year Slytherin laughed lightly at something Yami said, before Yami too sat down beside her. Yugi nodded with a thoughtful look, "That Yami and Bakura are trying to win the game."
However, nothing else happened, the two teens went back to their tables after speaking to the girls a little longer, and the Hall broke out in relieved sounding chatter, making Yugi facepalm, it came to something when your dark half's temper was so well known that the entire school worried when he met someone he didn't normally like.
'40 points please.' Yami sounded smug, referring to the list hanging up in the boy's dorm, which, unfortunately had been found by the girls, who now seemed to have their own game running with the other Gryffindor girls, but a lot more quietly then the guys.
"You're impossible." Yugi sighed.
`You know it's not going to matter after Tuesday anyway.` Harry said mournfully.
"You'll do alright." Yugi said out loud, for the benefit of the others, "It would be insane to make the first task too difficult…"
"Besides, it's not like we're not being careful." Yami pointed out. "Still have no clue what the task is though."
"We only have to be worried if it's the maze." Kari pointed out, "And the task isn't likely to involve the Triwizard Cup at stage one."
"Aren't you nervous at all?"
"Nervous? I'm terrified. I like to know what I'm diving into head first thank you very much." Kari admitted, "I mean I'm used to crazy, look what I put up with on a day to day basis, but at least with these crazy loons around, I know what I'm getting."
"Hey!"
"She has a point."
"But she did put her name in the cup."
"Yes, I did. That doesn't mean I'm not allowed to complain when I'm nervous, unless you'd like me to kick your ass at Duel Monsters for the one hundred and forty second time to calm my nerves instead."
"Ok. You can try…" Joey replied, grinning.
"Can we wait until after lessons?" Yugi asked with a groan.
"But Yugi…" Kari and Joey whined simultaneously.
Yugi's reply was cut short by the arrival of Hedwig with a letter for Harry.
"What's up?" Joey asked, noting Harry's frown.
"Hagrid wants to see me, late Saturday night."
"There's a Hogsmead trip Saturday, isn't there?" Joey asked.
"Uh huh, and at the rate you're going, you and Harry are going to be the only ones without dates." Yami said.
"Ah don't rub it in." Joey growled, "Or I'll get you back the way I got you this morning."
"You couldn't catch me with the same trick twice."
"Please, all I did was yell 'hey look, a distraction' and pointed behind you and you looked! Any noogies you received this morning were through your own stupidity."
Yami grumbled under his breath and Joey tilted his head, a mischievous look in his eyes, "What was that Yami?"
"I believe," Yugi said, joining in with the teasing, "Yami said that he acted before he'd processed what you'd said."
"But I thought he always knew exactly what he was doing." Joey continued, taking another slice of toast from the table, grinning behind it, just knowing that this was poking holes in Yami's ego, which had, of late, been getting a little over inflated. "Wasn't he just saying that the other day?"
"I believe so." Harry said.
"All right, all right." Yami growled irritably.
"You have been a bit big headed recently." Kari said, flicking her fingers at him, "And it was justifiable for a while, after you scared off all of those Slytherins last week, but enough is enough. Joey won't be the only one teasing you until your head can fit through the doors again."
"Besides," Yugi said, "If you don't start needing sane sized hats again soon, I'm going to let Kaiba into the dorm room when you're sleeping with that mumph…" Yugi glared at his dark over the hand that was now covering his mouth. When he found out who had told Yugi about that plushie he was going to send them on a one way trip to the Shadow Realm.
Joey, who was aware of Yami's thoughts on the matter, felt sorry for Seamus.
"On that note…" Harry rose from the table, "We're going to be late for class."
The others rose too, heading out the door simultaneously. Harry was just glad the good moods were back. Alright, the tiredness had been replaced by worry, but since Joey and Yugi weren't being plagued by dreams any more, what with the Millennium Necklace having been returned to the backpack, a few good nights of sleep had cured most of the irritability going around.
Now if they could get Yami's head down to a sane size… what was that?
Something brown and fuzzy and chattering away at a hundred miles an hour had tackled Yugi.
"Boh? Boh! Boh! Calm down!" Yugi giggled, "How did you get here?"
The Kuriboh got down and was practically dancing to the tune of, "I did it! I did it! I did it! I did it! I did it! I did it!"
"Boh?" Yugi laughed again, "I've been worried. How did you manage it?"
Kisara told me how to get here! Boh giggled in Yugi's head and of course, because the mind link wasn't closed, Yami and Harry heard him.
"Kisara helped you?" Yami asked, "That's not like her."
I think she was bored of me asking.
"How is everyone?" Yugi asked, excitably.
"Yugi, classes?" Joey laughed.
Should I wait in the common room?
"No, go to the Monster's Wing, we'll met you there after class." Yugi grinned. "I'm so happy to see you."
It's nice to be back too, Yugi. Boh giggled before he shot off.
"Does Boh always sound that bouncy?" Harry asked.
"Yeap." Yugi nodded, "At least when he's in a good mood."
"Which is about eighty percent of the time."
"Only eighty?"
"Maybe ninety…" Joey looked like he was seriously considering.
"Come on." Yugi pushed Joey towards the stairs, "The sooner we're done with class the sooner we can go talk with Boh."
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"So?" Yugi asked after class, "How did you manage it?"
Kaiba found some really old magic and he used it and it showed Kisara the paths from our world to yours and vice versa. Boh broadcast so everyone in the room could hear him And when I found out, I badgered her until she told me about them.
"You?" Harry asked, "Badgered Kisara? Weren't you afraid she was going to blast you?"
Kisara doesn't blast me, I'm not a threat, and besides, she's bored of me multiplying.
"I think we've finally bored her with that trick." Yugi giggled.
Just a little bit. Boh nodded empathically.
"What about Mahado?" Yami asked, "Does he knew yet?"
I'm going to go tell him, now I know it works. Boh giggled, They've been so busy, what with… Boh suddenly went silent.
"What?"
Nothing. Boh giggled, You'll see.
"Boh!"
Not telling you. That's Mahado and Mana's job. Boh was still giggling. Then he turned to look at Harry, You weren't linked to Yugi last time…
"No, Yami helped me and we ended up in this odd three way mind link thing." Harry said, "I don't understand it myself."
Mahado might.
"Then I look forward to speaking to him."
"Boh, could anyone who is linked to the Shadows, tell Harry's one of us now?" Yami asked, frowning.
I don't think so, I just noticed the extra door in Yugi's head. Boh shook his head. But he does have a lot of Shadows around him… someone stronger might, I don't know…
"Can we not go borrowing trouble?" Harry asked, "I'm worried enough about this Tournament without inviting… wait, no, invite Marik." Harry said, "Then he can send me to the Shadow Realm and I won't have to compete!"
"Harry!" Yami was both appalled and amused.
"Yeah, Marik's good now. He won't try to kill you."
"You're right. If I really want someone to try to kill me… I really should invite my cousin."
"Harry!"
"What?"
"Well he had ten years! It's not like I expect him to suddenly succeed."
"No. Just no." Yugi shook his head. "And please don't ask the Shadows to cough up Yami Marik, they're so irritated at the moment they just might do it."
"Irritated?"
"As in 'these are my minds to play with. Not yours'." Yugi answered.
"I wonder what would happen if I told the Shadows they remind me of Dudley."
"NO!" Everyone half laughed, half gave an exasperated sigh.
"Well he never let anyone else beat me up… except his friends… and casual acquaintances… and girls who he didn't think were contagious… and the girls he thought were as long as they didn't touch him…"
"What an…"
"Are you going to be alright living with him?"
"If I was worried I would have objected to Sirius taking him in." Harry pointed out.
Yugi?
"What's wrong Boh?" Yugi asked, mind to mind, having heard the nervousness in Boh's tone, "Is everything alright?"
Mahado said he sensed something strange, like the Shadows were pulled in a direction they shouldn't be and they haven't settled yet. Boh sounded worried.
"IS it because of Harry?"
No, it's not him… I don't know what it is… neither does Mahado, that's why he's worried. But he can't tell Mana right now because… Boh shut up.
"Boh!" Yugi frowned.
I'm going to get Mahado. He might be able to work something out. Boh broadcast and with a small, purple light, he was gone.
"Did you catch that?" Yugi asked Yami who nodded. "Sounded like we have more 'fun' on the way."
"Is this a new definition of fun which hasn't been explained to us yet?" Harry asked.
"Oh no, you know this sort of 'fun'." Yugi advised, "It's the kind that causes running and screaming half the time."
"Ahh, yes, I'm very familiar with that sort of fun."
"Care to share with the rest of us?" Joey asked.
"Think life or death situation."
"Oh."
"Something's playing around with that Shadows that isn't us." Yami scowled.
"Ummm, who?"
"Dunno."
"Great." Harry was impressed at how much sarcasm Joey could get into a single word.
"Oh and we should be expecting an invasion from the monsters any day now."
"Excellent!" Joey's face lit up. "Wait, all of them, or just ours?"
"…We didn't ask…"
"I think now is a good time to panic." Yugi said solemnly.
"I don't think we have monsters." Harry indicated himself and Hermione. "So we'll just stay out of the way."
"Oh you will do by now." Yami said, "The amount you play and the way you treat certain cards. Besides," He smirked, "You're not getting out of it that easily, hikari 2."
"Does that make me hikari 1?" Yugi asked.
"No, you're still just hikari."
"Just hikari?" Yugi asked, mock glaring.
"I didn't mean it like…eep!" Yami squeaked and leapt over the sofa to avoid Yugi's cushion, only to get hit by one from Harry. "Joey, help!"
Joey was already moving to intercept, grabbing Yugi and half a second later finding himself on his back with a Hermione sat on top of him. "Ummm, hi?"
Kari had joined in too, siding with Yami in what resulted in a pillow war, right up until the table that blocked off one door was knocked over.
At which point Ombre finally joined in, making the sides Joey and Yami 'vs' Yugi and Harry 'vs' Kari, Ombre and Hermione, after the table had been picked up of course, and ended with them all collapsed in a giggling heap on the floor.
"Well… so much for panic."
"Meh." Hermione said, astounding them with a word they'd never heard her use before, "Panicking doesn't help anyone. And panic really hates us. I mean imagine what would happen if we had the luxury of panic."
"I didn't like Panik very much." Yugi said randomly, "He was a selfish bully." He looked at Yami, "You mind crushed him, didn't you?"
"I did."
"I don't know whether to be sorry about it or not." Yugi admitted, "And that in itself makes me wonder about all sorts of things."
"Like what?"
"Do the ends justify the means sometimes and do people really deserve it?" Yugi asked, "I mean, I don't think so, but then something needed to be done about Panik and he wasn't going to change on his own…"
"I'll kick anyone's ass for you." Joey said, "You don't need to Game anyone."
"I don't want to. I just wonder about the causes and effects from it sometimes."
On that incredibly deep, philosophical note… Joey's stomache rumbled.
"Food now please?" Joey asked
"Food." The others nodded.
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Harry, being the sneaky person he was, casually watched the Ravenclaw table. Then when a certain person left, he followed. Slipping away from the table, with an 'Catch you later guys." to his friends.
"Hey Becs, got a moment?" He asked the blonde Ravenclaw.
"Sure Harry, what's up?"
"I was wondering, would you go to the ball with me?" Harry was very impressed his voice didn't squeak, like he had heard some boy's earlier.
"Oh Harry... I'm sorry, I've already been asked."
"Oh. Well Okay. I just thought you would like to go, and you're a friend, and I like you, and I've been told these things are more fun with a friend..."
"Harry, you're babbling."
"Sorry. Right. I guess I better ask a complete stranger then, since all the girls I know already have dates..."
"Well... Harry, can I ask a favour?"
"Sure, anything for my little sis."
"My friend Luna would like to go to the ball, you'll like her, she's fun and a little weird..."
"Sure!" Harry jumped on the idea. "Luna, is she a Ravenclaw? Do I know her? Would she really want to go with me?"
Rebecca laughed. "When you ask her, pretend you aren't desperate."
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Joey had spent several days researching the seventh year girls. Most of them were already in relationships, and so had dates to the ball. This morning, there had been four who hadn't. Not that he was going to ask the ice-queen of Gyffindor, and he doubted he would have been able to convince a Slytherin to go with him.
Joey watched the Hufflepuffs go past. He had nothing in common with the Ravenclaws, and all of them were already in a relationship, and if he was honest he'd always felt empathy towards the Hufflepuffs. Loyal but under rated… He could have been a Hufflepuff, the hat had said, but his courage had outweighed his loyalty by just enough to sway the hat's choices.
He didn't regret it either, but it made him wonder sometimes, if he could have been a Hufflepuff and Yami could have been a Slytherin, did the others have a house they were almost as suited to?
He waited until the pair of seventh year Hufflepuffs walked outside before speaking up, "Excuse me?"
The two turned to look at him, "Yes? Can we help?"
"Hi. I'm Joey Wheeler, and would you like to go to the ball with me?
The Hufflepuffs looked at each other and for a moment Joey was afraid they were going to say that they'd both already been asked. Then they turned back to Joey. "Part of Potter's group, right?"
"Yeah. You've probably heard of the game the gang came up with, but I think it's a great way to get to know people outside our houses." He babbled.
The blonde glanced sideways, looking at her friend. "We were kinda of planning to go together."
"I'm sure he could take both of us, after all, he did ask both of us, right Joey?" The brunette said, grinning at him.
"Uhh, sure." Joey said, nodding.
The brunette giggled, "I'm Alecia, and this is my friend Cordelia."
"Cordi, please." The blonde grinned.
"But never Ali, thanks."
"Okay, great…"
"We were aware of the game the boys are playing." Cordi said, rolling her eyes. Then she grinned mischievously, "But since we found out before you asked us out, you don't lose points. Right?"
"I dunno." Joey looked confused.
"We'd love to come with you to Hogsmead." Alecia grinned, highly amused by the look on Joey's face.
"Cool." Joey grinned.
"See ya later?" Alecia asked.
Joey nodded, and the two girls headed on down the hallway.
"Wait, did I just agree to take two dates to the ball?" Joey asked himself. Suddenly it seemed like a very bad idea.
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It had to be said that the Hogsmead trip was very different when they all had girlfriends and boyfriends, and Harry found that even though Luna hadn't been his first choice for his date, he was in fact enjoying the time he was spending with her.
He'd seen the others roaming around, well, most of them, and had tagged along with Yugi for a while, trying to find out who he was going out with, but had lost the hikari in the crowds.
Yugi and Hermione were the only two who hadn't introduced their partners to the gang, making Harry wonder exactly who they were dating. It wasn't like it Yugi was dating Rebecca or something…
"Of course when I first saw Yugi and Yami, I thought that they had run into a Red Crested Giogagner." Luna was saying, Harry, who was beginning to get used to all of Luna's made up creatures just looked at her, which of course encouraged her to continue, "What with their mind link and all, but now you're linked to them too and you'd tell me if you ran into one, wouldn't you Harry?"
"Sure. If you tell me what they look like."
This of course made Luna happily spend the next ten minutes describing the beast in question. Harry could honestly say he'd never ran into one and from the way Luna described it, he'd never want to.
Heading into Honeydukes, they found Joey, Alecia and Cordi stocking up on supplies for the post first task party, which the three of the confidently told Harry they were eagerly awaiting his and Kari's good turn out and that they had great confidence in them, which made Harry feel better considering the amount of Slytherins with badges he'd seen around.
Joey mentioned that he'd seen Kari and Seto heading towards the Shrieking Shack, and that Yami and his girlfriend were wandering around somewhere but he wasn't sure where theyd gone.
"And I have no idea where Yugi or Hermione are." Joey finished, after rattling off a list of their friends, including the fact Ombre and Ryou were at the Three Broomsticks and Ginny and Mokuba were in fact raiding the joke shop. "Any clues?"
Harry, impressed that Joey had managed to keep up with everyone, shook his head, having had no clue where anyone else was either.
"I hope they weren't eaten by a Trufflenosed Mole." Luna said, "Yami would be most upset."
Joey frowned at looked at Harry, who shrugged.
"Anyway, I'll see ya later Harry, I have to pay for this." Joey indicated his huge pile of sweets.
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"I'm sorry Seto." Kari sighed as she sat on a rock, watching the Shrieking Shack, which had lost some of it's mystery now she knew that the shrieking had been from Professor Lupin in his werewolf form, "But it was either leave or start a punch up with that Skeeter woman."
"I thought you told Harry to ignore it."
"I did. That doesn't mean I should take someone accusing me of paedophilia lightly." Kari growled, "He's underage, I'm an adult, it's disgusting and I don't like Harry that way anyway."
"I could get my company to background check her, if you want." Seto said, watching the frown turn into an amused look.
"Na, I'd just like that apology that I demanded. It's still not been printed. Either that or something on Skeeter so she left the gang alone, this tournament's going to be hard enough on everyone as it is."
"The great Kari Ironhide is nervous?" Seto asked, trying to prod her into a response. He hated seeing her all apathic like this, she wasn't the same girl that he knew, something had broken inside her, and he wasn't sure how to fix it. "That's not like you."
"No. But sometimes I don't feel like me anymore. It's like all the fear and hope and every other emotion got so worn out over the summer that all I am now is a hollow shell and I hate it."
Seto, who wasn't exactly the best one to talk to about this didn't really know what to say, but he had this strange feeling that was exactly what she wanted, not someone who would try to fix her, but someone who would just listen.
"I hate feeling like this. I should be terrified and hiding it behind my game face or bouncing off the ceilings in excitement, and all I can think about is punching that Skeeter b… woman in the face."
"Well anger is an emotion at least." The CEO said, sitting down on part of Kari's rock, "What happened? You did so well, held on so long…"
"I was minus half my soul, for almost three months, I was trying to run a company from behind the scenes and I had no idea about half the departments, my bosses and friends go missing, one of my friends has his soul stolen… it was a heavy summer Seto." Kari sighed, "And now my best friend hates me and her Seer power seems to have driven her crazy."
"And there's nothing you can do."
"I don't want to talk about it."
"You have to Kari, you can't bottle it up."
"Like you have a right to talk," She glared at him, and while Seto would normally be wary or annoyed himself, he was just delighted to have gotten a reaction out of her, "You kept yourself to yourself until you were nothing but a ball of rage and hate."
"And it took Yami mind crushing me to fix it. Do you really want to go that way?"
"No." Kari shook her head, "Besides, all that would do is leave me broken mentally and Yami broken physically because Ombre would rip him into about a million tiny pieces."
Seto winced at the image in his head.
"And that would result in a broken Yugi, because no more Yami…" Kari groaned at all the repercussions she could see playing out in her head, "Alright, alright, I'll talk but I don't want to…"
"Just talking is a good start." Seto nodded, "So?"
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Yami was tired and glad when the day was over.
His Slytherin girlfriend, in an attempt to keep away from his Gryffindor friends, had dragged him around almost every shop imaginable, as well as pulling him away from the crowded Three Broomsticks, towards the seedier and danker Hog's Head, where he had to put up with her friends. However, he'd managed it, and been mostly polite towards them even when they'd made comments about the Gryffindor in their midst.
Collapsing on a chair in front of the fire, he was still there when Harry left the Common Room at eleven o'clock to talk to Hagrid. Why it had to be this late, when everyone else had gone to bed and even the gang were asleep, was beyond the Pharaoh, but when Harry came back the young man looked terrified.
"Harry?"
"First task. Not a maze."
"What?"
"Dragons… Big… Fire breathing…" Harry looked at him, "Tell Kari."
Yami frowned, "Dragons?"
"One for each champion."
"Great. So, we have two days to teach you how to fight a dragon."
"You know how?"
"Ummm. No." Yami admitted. "Okay, two days to find out how to beat a dragon and teach you."
"I told you that the ball wouldn't matter after Tuesday."
"We're not going to let you and Kari die." Yami scowled at Harry as he sank into a chair, "We'll just have to find a way to win."
"But… but… dragons!" Harry's threw up his arms in a general running and screaming gesture.
"Everything has a weakness. Besides, I bet you could out fly it." Yami pointed out. "It's way too big and cumbersome to be very agile."
"But I can't take my broomstick in!"
"Uhhh… ask Hermione?"
"Is she allowed to help me and Kari?"
"I don't see why not, as long as you're not helping Kari and vice versa." Yami said, "And worst to worst, we can always get Hermione to teach us it and she can help Kari and we can help you."
Harry relaxed slightly. "So you think I can out fly a dragon."
Yami nodded.
"So all I need is a Summoning charm…" Harry suddenly grinned, "I know what I need to do!"
Harry dived upstairs and Yami paused to watch him go, before what he'd actually just recommended sank in. Then he dived upstairs to where Harry was quietly getting out his charms book.
"Harry." Yami hissed.
Harry just grinned at him and put on his pjs before climbing into bed and reading the book.
'Harry!'
'Yes Yami?`
'I didn't mean…'
`Yes you did.`
"Mean what?" Yami cringed as Yugi joined the conversation, though he sounded half asleep. "Harry? Yami?"
`Yami suggested I try out flying the dragon I'm going to have to fight in the first task.`
"Okay." Yugi nearly went back to sleep in the five seconds it took for sleepy Yugi to process that and then, "Dragons?" He yelped out loud.
`Yeap, dragons.` Harry nodded as Yugi sat up, looked around to make he hadn't woken anyone up and then gave Harry a bleary eyed confused stare.
"How did you find that out?"
`Hagrid told me.`
"And Yami suggested out flying it?"
`I know, I was surprised too.`
'I only said that I thought that Harry could, it wasn't a…'
"Sounds like one to me." Yugi said, "Shame we have no way to contact Kari like this, not until the Monsters get back."
`We'll tell her tomorrow.` Harry said, `Professor Flitwick covered summoning charms, didn't he?`
"It's called Accio." Yugi said, "But you've only got two days to learn it."
`Which is why I'm going to Hermione first thing tomorrow.`
"Okay." Yugi rolled over and went back to sleep.
Yami stared at his hikari, surprised at the lack of concern shown. But then there had been plenty of worry and shock when Harry had first said it, but he'd forgotten that when Yami suggested a plan, Yugi accepted it, because it normally worked and they'd woken Yugi up so he hadn't really been able to react like he normally would.
Yami wondered what this hikari's reaction would be in the morning.
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Yugi got up the next morning, brushed his teeth, had a wash, got dressed, nodded to Kari who was up earlier then usual for their training session, woke the others, and with the group headed down to the lake.
As they took their morning run, the cold morning air finally woke him up enough to make him stop in his tracks. "Dragons."
"Yuge?" Joey asked, having ran back to see if his friend was alright.
"Dragons."
"Where?"
"No. The first task, dragons."
"Huh?"
"Ask Harry."
"Oi Harry!" Joey yelled, Harry ran back to them, "What's this about dragons?"
"The first task is dragons." Harry said, "Yami's going to tell Kari for me."
"Dragons?"
"No Joey, you can't have one."
"Awww. Not even a little one?"
"Remember the last 'little' dragon?"
"He was cute."
"He bit me! Twice!"
"And he was poisonous."
"And he burned me."
"So, that's a maybe?"
"No!" They chorused.
"The PESDs weren't that bad."
"The PESDs are semi-Duel Monsters."
"Fine…" Then Joey got a far away look in his eyes, "Do you think after Hogwarts, I could work in a Dragon Sanctuary?"
"If you want." Harry sighed.
"I dunno, they might worry if you start fangirling over the dragons."
"Wouldn't it be fanboying?"
"No, the way he acts around dragons, it's defiantly fangirling."
"Hey!" Yugi completed the rest of their run in record time as he was chased by Joey the whole way.
While Yugi was talking to Joey and Harry, Yami had caught up with Kari, Seto and Ombre. "Hey, you need to hear this." Yami said, getting them to slow to a fast walk, "Hagrid showed Harry what the first task is going to be and you're going to need to think of something fast."
"What is it?" Kari asked.
"Dragons."
"WHAT?"
"You're joking."
"I wish." Yami paused as Yugi raced past, closely followed by Joey. "But the first task involves fighting a dragon."
"And we have two… oh by the Gods…" Kari looked ill. "A dragon's weak points are it's eyes, other then that I have no clue…" She paused, "How would you even get high enough to hit a dragon in the eyes in the first place?"
"Kari, you're a witch, I don't think you'll be hitting it with a baseball bat."
"Harry's going to try out flying it." Yami sounded like he hated the idea and Kari had a good idea why, it was going to be dangerous enough on the ground, yet alone in the air.
"I meant aiming a spell." Kari glared. "I can't use the Orb, I don't have enough skill on a broom to try Harry's scheme, and it's not like I can take my deck into the arena. I don't really want crispy cards thank you very much."
Harry paused as he overtook them, giving Yami a questioning look, the Pharaoh nodded in reply and Harry looked relieved and kept going.
"He worries about you." Yami said to Kari, "He's more worried about you then himself."
"The same here." Seto pointed at Kari. "More worried about Harry then about herself."
"Seto…"
"What?"
"They won't want you to kill the dragon, they're a protected species." Seto pointed out, "You'll probably just need to either take it down, distract it or get past it."
"I have an idea, but I'll need to go straight from breakfast to the library. I've got two days to learn a spell, if it's the one I think it is." The others nodded and Seto and Yami raced ahead, racing each other, with Seto easily outstripping Yami at the last, just to irritate the Pharaoh. They were friends now yes, but that didn't mean that Seto didn't enjoy teasing when he could.
Kari and Ombre were the last in, in the middle of a discussion that sounded like it was going to rise to a debate and was only really settled when Yami took Ombre as a sparring partner and Yugi grabbed Kari and they settled into fighting.
After training they went up, washed again, and ate quickly, before Kari, Ombre, Hermione and Seto shot up to the library and Harry, Yugi, Yami and Joey approached Professor McGonagall about using an empty classroom for practising in.
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Monday night brought the quietest night the Gryffindor Common Room had seen in years as the entire house both wished the pair luck and wondered about their chances for survival…
The gang itself had fled to the Monsters Wing hours ago, half annoyed and half actually worried by the comments that they'd had to endure all day and tomorrow morning could be nothing but worse, in an attempt to get some peace and quiet and actual sleep before tomorrow hit them like a ton of bricks.
Harry was feeling positive. He was feeling very positive.
In fact he was so positive he had already told his friends exactly what they could have of his meagre possessions.
Kari however was burying her head in a book, trying not to think about tomorrow, don't mention it, it's not happening, I don't believe you, I'm not listening, lalalalalalalalalala… basically.
The gang were on crazily high alert, no one was getting in or out without the gang knowing and no one was going to get anywhere near Kari or Harry tonight or tomorrow and everyone was so worried that when a crowd of monsters appeared out of no where, half of the group had their wands drawn before they even realised what was going on.
"Mana!" The relief in Kari's voice was evident, then there was a pause… and then a shocked… "You're…"
"A mother." Mana grinned, holding her baby daughter tightly.
Mahado looked proud of the pair as Yami gave him a questioning look.
"What's her name?"
"Nakia, it means pure."
"It's Egyptian." Mahado said as Kari cooed over the baby and Mana passed her over to the hikari, who held her carefully.
"She's beautiful." Kari murmured, "You're so lucky."
"Congratulations." Yami grasped Mahado's arm, "And it's good to see you back."
"We're likely to stay for a while." Mahado said, "Though I will have to pop back at times, to deal with the odd Shadows." Mahado's eyes wandered to Harry, "I hear you've managed to link yourself to Pharaoh and Lord Yugi."
"Lord?" Yugi questioned.
"You've risen to heir, my Lord, you're more then just Yugi now." Mahado answered, not taking his eyes from Harry.
"I am linked to Yami and Yugi now, but we don't know how it happened. Yami thinks it's because he helped me cast spells to protect my mind against intruders and there's so much of his magic in my head that it's binding us."
"That wouldn't explain the link to Lord Yugi, in theory Pharaoh should be playing piggy in the middle for the two of you." Mahado frowned, "Tell me everything."
So they did, the task forgotten in the wake of the return of the monsters, who wanted to know everything, pledged their help in protecting Harry and Kari if something went wrong and told them everything that had happened upon their return to the Monster World.
Mahado looked troubled once Harry and Yami had explained.
"It shouldn't be possible, unless removing Voldemort created a vacuum that then latched onto your minds…" Mahado paused, "Harry saw you first when he came round, and took some of your magic first, which you share with Yugi, right?"
Yami nodded.
"It's possible that Harry's Ba, or life energy was weakened from the Shadow Game, and when you offered Harry some of your own magic to help replenish his own, his magic made a link to yours and by extension Lord Yugi's, and since he hasn't burned up the magic that you gave him the link still stands."
"Does this mean that I have to remove my magic from the shields in his mind?"
"At this point, Harry would have to be severely magically drained for him to start burning your magic instead of his own." Mahado shook his head, "The magic in the mental defences don't change anything except that the link's a little more stable."
"Great…" Yami groaned.
"It's not so bad." Harry attempted to reassure him, "And I'd rather be linked to you and Yugi then Voldemort."
"That's not really a recommendation Harry."
"Well, who would you rather have in your head?"
"Point."
Silence fell for a moment, before Tobias, who'd gone quiet while Mahado had been talking started telling Joey about the Red Eyes Black Chicks that had arrived recently, which led to Kari asking how new Duel Monsters were formed, when they weren't children of existing Duel Monsters.
This led to a long conversation about Ba and Ka which only ended when Harry yawned and he and Kari were pushed into rooms, while Mana retreated to her room in case Nakia woke up in the night, and the rest settled on the sofa or in the chairs.
Sleep, even with how tired they were, was a long time coming.
"Ignore it." Yugi advised, a fortnight later as Malfoy led the Slytherin Table in a recitation of 'Granger, Ironhide and Potter sitting in a tree.', "They're lousy singers and they can't think of anything original, besides, Kari's with Kaiba till the Yule Ball, as far as I'm aware none of the Slytherins have dates yet, and besides, the press make digs at relationships when they have nothing better to write about or you wouldn't give them a juicy enough script." He giggled, "Joey, do you remember that so called three way love triangle?"
"Boy do I." Joey growled, remembering the press their first summer back from Hogwarts, "I'm sorry Yuge, but somehow I don't think Mai's your type of girl."
Yami snorted, well versed in the whims of the press and just how irritating they could be unless they got their own way, and choosing to ignore the taunting table in favour of planning his next move.
"Yami?" Yugi asked as Yami got up from the table and crossed the hall towards the Slytherin table which had gone silent.
Bakura was on his feet less then half a moment after Yami, and the entire hall held its breath as Yami and Bakura met in the middle.
Nothing happened.
They nodded to each other, barely, and then got out of each others way and continued on to the now terrified Slytherin table and the wary Gryffindors.
`What are you up to?` Harry asked Yami as Ombre rose to her feet, wondering exactly why Bakura was talking to a seventh year Gryffindor girl and wondering if she should intervene.
In the meantime, Yami was having a conversation with a seventh year Slytherin girl, who seems quite capable of talking to the Pharaoh by herself, without her friend's constant insistence that he went away.
"I think…" Yugi paused as the seventh year Gyffindor motioned for Bakura to sit beside her, and the seventh year Slytherin laughed lightly at something Yami said, before Yami too sat down beside her. Yugi nodded with a thoughtful look, "That Yami and Bakura are trying to win the game."
However, nothing else happened, the two teens went back to their tables after speaking to the girls a little longer, and the Hall broke out in relieved sounding chatter, making Yugi facepalm, it came to something when your dark half's temper was so well known that the entire school worried when he met someone he didn't normally like.
'40 points please.' Yami sounded smug, referring to the list hanging up in the boy's dorm, which, unfortunately had been found by the girls, who now seemed to have their own game running with the other Gryffindor girls, but a lot more quietly then the guys.
"You're impossible." Yugi sighed.
`You know it's not going to matter after Tuesday anyway.` Harry said mournfully.
"You'll do alright." Yugi said out loud, for the benefit of the others, "It would be insane to make the first task too difficult…"
"Besides, it's not like we're not being careful." Yami pointed out. "Still have no clue what the task is though."
"We only have to be worried if it's the maze." Kari pointed out, "And the task isn't likely to involve the Triwizard Cup at stage one."
"Aren't you nervous at all?"
"Nervous? I'm terrified. I like to know what I'm diving into head first thank you very much." Kari admitted, "I mean I'm used to crazy, look what I put up with on a day to day basis, but at least with these crazy loons around, I know what I'm getting."
"Hey!"
"She has a point."
"But she did put her name in the cup."
"Yes, I did. That doesn't mean I'm not allowed to complain when I'm nervous, unless you'd like me to kick your ass at Duel Monsters for the one hundred and forty second time to calm my nerves instead."
"Ok. You can try…" Joey replied, grinning.
"Can we wait until after lessons?" Yugi asked with a groan.
"But Yugi…" Kari and Joey whined simultaneously.
Yugi's reply was cut short by the arrival of Hedwig with a letter for Harry.
"What's up?" Joey asked, noting Harry's frown.
"Hagrid wants to see me, late Saturday night."
"There's a Hogsmead trip Saturday, isn't there?" Joey asked.
"Uh huh, and at the rate you're going, you and Harry are going to be the only ones without dates." Yami said.
"Ah don't rub it in." Joey growled, "Or I'll get you back the way I got you this morning."
"You couldn't catch me with the same trick twice."
"Please, all I did was yell 'hey look, a distraction' and pointed behind you and you looked! Any noogies you received this morning were through your own stupidity."
Yami grumbled under his breath and Joey tilted his head, a mischievous look in his eyes, "What was that Yami?"
"I believe," Yugi said, joining in with the teasing, "Yami said that he acted before he'd processed what you'd said."
"But I thought he always knew exactly what he was doing." Joey continued, taking another slice of toast from the table, grinning behind it, just knowing that this was poking holes in Yami's ego, which had, of late, been getting a little over inflated. "Wasn't he just saying that the other day?"
"I believe so." Harry said.
"All right, all right." Yami growled irritably.
"You have been a bit big headed recently." Kari said, flicking her fingers at him, "And it was justifiable for a while, after you scared off all of those Slytherins last week, but enough is enough. Joey won't be the only one teasing you until your head can fit through the doors again."
"Besides," Yugi said, "If you don't start needing sane sized hats again soon, I'm going to let Kaiba into the dorm room when you're sleeping with that mumph…" Yugi glared at his dark over the hand that was now covering his mouth. When he found out who had told Yugi about that plushie he was going to send them on a one way trip to the Shadow Realm.
Joey, who was aware of Yami's thoughts on the matter, felt sorry for Seamus.
"On that note…" Harry rose from the table, "We're going to be late for class."
The others rose too, heading out the door simultaneously. Harry was just glad the good moods were back. Alright, the tiredness had been replaced by worry, but since Joey and Yugi weren't being plagued by dreams any more, what with the Millennium Necklace having been returned to the backpack, a few good nights of sleep had cured most of the irritability going around.
Now if they could get Yami's head down to a sane size… what was that?
Something brown and fuzzy and chattering away at a hundred miles an hour had tackled Yugi.
"Boh? Boh! Boh! Calm down!" Yugi giggled, "How did you get here?"
The Kuriboh got down and was practically dancing to the tune of, "I did it! I did it! I did it! I did it! I did it! I did it!"
"Boh?" Yugi laughed again, "I've been worried. How did you manage it?"
Kisara told me how to get here! Boh giggled in Yugi's head and of course, because the mind link wasn't closed, Yami and Harry heard him.
"Kisara helped you?" Yami asked, "That's not like her."
I think she was bored of me asking.
"How is everyone?" Yugi asked, excitably.
"Yugi, classes?" Joey laughed.
Should I wait in the common room?
"No, go to the Monster's Wing, we'll met you there after class." Yugi grinned. "I'm so happy to see you."
It's nice to be back too, Yugi. Boh giggled before he shot off.
"Does Boh always sound that bouncy?" Harry asked.
"Yeap." Yugi nodded, "At least when he's in a good mood."
"Which is about eighty percent of the time."
"Only eighty?"
"Maybe ninety…" Joey looked like he was seriously considering.
"Come on." Yugi pushed Joey towards the stairs, "The sooner we're done with class the sooner we can go talk with Boh."
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"So?" Yugi asked after class, "How did you manage it?"
Kaiba found some really old magic and he used it and it showed Kisara the paths from our world to yours and vice versa. Boh broadcast so everyone in the room could hear him And when I found out, I badgered her until she told me about them.
"You?" Harry asked, "Badgered Kisara? Weren't you afraid she was going to blast you?"
Kisara doesn't blast me, I'm not a threat, and besides, she's bored of me multiplying.
"I think we've finally bored her with that trick." Yugi giggled.
Just a little bit. Boh nodded empathically.
"What about Mahado?" Yami asked, "Does he knew yet?"
I'm going to go tell him, now I know it works. Boh giggled, They've been so busy, what with… Boh suddenly went silent.
"What?"
Nothing. Boh giggled, You'll see.
"Boh!"
Not telling you. That's Mahado and Mana's job. Boh was still giggling. Then he turned to look at Harry, You weren't linked to Yugi last time…
"No, Yami helped me and we ended up in this odd three way mind link thing." Harry said, "I don't understand it myself."
Mahado might.
"Then I look forward to speaking to him."
"Boh, could anyone who is linked to the Shadows, tell Harry's one of us now?" Yami asked, frowning.
I don't think so, I just noticed the extra door in Yugi's head. Boh shook his head. But he does have a lot of Shadows around him… someone stronger might, I don't know…
"Can we not go borrowing trouble?" Harry asked, "I'm worried enough about this Tournament without inviting… wait, no, invite Marik." Harry said, "Then he can send me to the Shadow Realm and I won't have to compete!"
"Harry!" Yami was both appalled and amused.
"Yeah, Marik's good now. He won't try to kill you."
"You're right. If I really want someone to try to kill me… I really should invite my cousin."
"Harry!"
"What?"
"Well he had ten years! It's not like I expect him to suddenly succeed."
"No. Just no." Yugi shook his head. "And please don't ask the Shadows to cough up Yami Marik, they're so irritated at the moment they just might do it."
"Irritated?"
"As in 'these are my minds to play with. Not yours'." Yugi answered.
"I wonder what would happen if I told the Shadows they remind me of Dudley."
"NO!" Everyone half laughed, half gave an exasperated sigh.
"Well he never let anyone else beat me up… except his friends… and casual acquaintances… and girls who he didn't think were contagious… and the girls he thought were as long as they didn't touch him…"
"What an…"
"Are you going to be alright living with him?"
"If I was worried I would have objected to Sirius taking him in." Harry pointed out.
Yugi?
"What's wrong Boh?" Yugi asked, mind to mind, having heard the nervousness in Boh's tone, "Is everything alright?"
Mahado said he sensed something strange, like the Shadows were pulled in a direction they shouldn't be and they haven't settled yet. Boh sounded worried.
"IS it because of Harry?"
No, it's not him… I don't know what it is… neither does Mahado, that's why he's worried. But he can't tell Mana right now because… Boh shut up.
"Boh!" Yugi frowned.
I'm going to get Mahado. He might be able to work something out. Boh broadcast and with a small, purple light, he was gone.
"Did you catch that?" Yugi asked Yami who nodded. "Sounded like we have more 'fun' on the way."
"Is this a new definition of fun which hasn't been explained to us yet?" Harry asked.
"Oh no, you know this sort of 'fun'." Yugi advised, "It's the kind that causes running and screaming half the time."
"Ahh, yes, I'm very familiar with that sort of fun."
"Care to share with the rest of us?" Joey asked.
"Think life or death situation."
"Oh."
"Something's playing around with that Shadows that isn't us." Yami scowled.
"Ummm, who?"
"Dunno."
"Great." Harry was impressed at how much sarcasm Joey could get into a single word.
"Oh and we should be expecting an invasion from the monsters any day now."
"Excellent!" Joey's face lit up. "Wait, all of them, or just ours?"
"…We didn't ask…"
"I think now is a good time to panic." Yugi said solemnly.
"I don't think we have monsters." Harry indicated himself and Hermione. "So we'll just stay out of the way."
"Oh you will do by now." Yami said, "The amount you play and the way you treat certain cards. Besides," He smirked, "You're not getting out of it that easily, hikari 2."
"Does that make me hikari 1?" Yugi asked.
"No, you're still just hikari."
"Just hikari?" Yugi asked, mock glaring.
"I didn't mean it like…eep!" Yami squeaked and leapt over the sofa to avoid Yugi's cushion, only to get hit by one from Harry. "Joey, help!"
Joey was already moving to intercept, grabbing Yugi and half a second later finding himself on his back with a Hermione sat on top of him. "Ummm, hi?"
Kari had joined in too, siding with Yami in what resulted in a pillow war, right up until the table that blocked off one door was knocked over.
At which point Ombre finally joined in, making the sides Joey and Yami 'vs' Yugi and Harry 'vs' Kari, Ombre and Hermione, after the table had been picked up of course, and ended with them all collapsed in a giggling heap on the floor.
"Well… so much for panic."
"Meh." Hermione said, astounding them with a word they'd never heard her use before, "Panicking doesn't help anyone. And panic really hates us. I mean imagine what would happen if we had the luxury of panic."
"I didn't like Panik very much." Yugi said randomly, "He was a selfish bully." He looked at Yami, "You mind crushed him, didn't you?"
"I did."
"I don't know whether to be sorry about it or not." Yugi admitted, "And that in itself makes me wonder about all sorts of things."
"Like what?"
"Do the ends justify the means sometimes and do people really deserve it?" Yugi asked, "I mean, I don't think so, but then something needed to be done about Panik and he wasn't going to change on his own…"
"I'll kick anyone's ass for you." Joey said, "You don't need to Game anyone."
"I don't want to. I just wonder about the causes and effects from it sometimes."
On that incredibly deep, philosophical note… Joey's stomache rumbled.
"Food now please?" Joey asked
"Food." The others nodded.
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Harry, being the sneaky person he was, casually watched the Ravenclaw table. Then when a certain person left, he followed. Slipping away from the table, with an 'Catch you later guys." to his friends.
"Hey Becs, got a moment?" He asked the blonde Ravenclaw.
"Sure Harry, what's up?"
"I was wondering, would you go to the ball with me?" Harry was very impressed his voice didn't squeak, like he had heard some boy's earlier.
"Oh Harry... I'm sorry, I've already been asked."
"Oh. Well Okay. I just thought you would like to go, and you're a friend, and I like you, and I've been told these things are more fun with a friend..."
"Harry, you're babbling."
"Sorry. Right. I guess I better ask a complete stranger then, since all the girls I know already have dates..."
"Well... Harry, can I ask a favour?"
"Sure, anything for my little sis."
"My friend Luna would like to go to the ball, you'll like her, she's fun and a little weird..."
"Sure!" Harry jumped on the idea. "Luna, is she a Ravenclaw? Do I know her? Would she really want to go with me?"
Rebecca laughed. "When you ask her, pretend you aren't desperate."
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Joey had spent several days researching the seventh year girls. Most of them were already in relationships, and so had dates to the ball. This morning, there had been four who hadn't. Not that he was going to ask the ice-queen of Gyffindor, and he doubted he would have been able to convince a Slytherin to go with him.
Joey watched the Hufflepuffs go past. He had nothing in common with the Ravenclaws, and all of them were already in a relationship, and if he was honest he'd always felt empathy towards the Hufflepuffs. Loyal but under rated… He could have been a Hufflepuff, the hat had said, but his courage had outweighed his loyalty by just enough to sway the hat's choices.
He didn't regret it either, but it made him wonder sometimes, if he could have been a Hufflepuff and Yami could have been a Slytherin, did the others have a house they were almost as suited to?
He waited until the pair of seventh year Hufflepuffs walked outside before speaking up, "Excuse me?"
The two turned to look at him, "Yes? Can we help?"
"Hi. I'm Joey Wheeler, and would you like to go to the ball with me?
The Hufflepuffs looked at each other and for a moment Joey was afraid they were going to say that they'd both already been asked. Then they turned back to Joey. "Part of Potter's group, right?"
"Yeah. You've probably heard of the game the gang came up with, but I think it's a great way to get to know people outside our houses." He babbled.
The blonde glanced sideways, looking at her friend. "We were kinda of planning to go together."
"I'm sure he could take both of us, after all, he did ask both of us, right Joey?" The brunette said, grinning at him.
"Uhh, sure." Joey said, nodding.
The brunette giggled, "I'm Alecia, and this is my friend Cordelia."
"Cordi, please." The blonde grinned.
"But never Ali, thanks."
"Okay, great…"
"We were aware of the game the boys are playing." Cordi said, rolling her eyes. Then she grinned mischievously, "But since we found out before you asked us out, you don't lose points. Right?"
"I dunno." Joey looked confused.
"We'd love to come with you to Hogsmead." Alecia grinned, highly amused by the look on Joey's face.
"Cool." Joey grinned.
"See ya later?" Alecia asked.
Joey nodded, and the two girls headed on down the hallway.
"Wait, did I just agree to take two dates to the ball?" Joey asked himself. Suddenly it seemed like a very bad idea.
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It had to be said that the Hogsmead trip was very different when they all had girlfriends and boyfriends, and Harry found that even though Luna hadn't been his first choice for his date, he was in fact enjoying the time he was spending with her.
He'd seen the others roaming around, well, most of them, and had tagged along with Yugi for a while, trying to find out who he was going out with, but had lost the hikari in the crowds.
Yugi and Hermione were the only two who hadn't introduced their partners to the gang, making Harry wonder exactly who they were dating. It wasn't like it Yugi was dating Rebecca or something…
"Of course when I first saw Yugi and Yami, I thought that they had run into a Red Crested Giogagner." Luna was saying, Harry, who was beginning to get used to all of Luna's made up creatures just looked at her, which of course encouraged her to continue, "What with their mind link and all, but now you're linked to them too and you'd tell me if you ran into one, wouldn't you Harry?"
"Sure. If you tell me what they look like."
This of course made Luna happily spend the next ten minutes describing the beast in question. Harry could honestly say he'd never ran into one and from the way Luna described it, he'd never want to.
Heading into Honeydukes, they found Joey, Alecia and Cordi stocking up on supplies for the post first task party, which the three of the confidently told Harry they were eagerly awaiting his and Kari's good turn out and that they had great confidence in them, which made Harry feel better considering the amount of Slytherins with badges he'd seen around.
Joey mentioned that he'd seen Kari and Seto heading towards the Shrieking Shack, and that Yami and his girlfriend were wandering around somewhere but he wasn't sure where theyd gone.
"And I have no idea where Yugi or Hermione are." Joey finished, after rattling off a list of their friends, including the fact Ombre and Ryou were at the Three Broomsticks and Ginny and Mokuba were in fact raiding the joke shop. "Any clues?"
Harry, impressed that Joey had managed to keep up with everyone, shook his head, having had no clue where anyone else was either.
"I hope they weren't eaten by a Trufflenosed Mole." Luna said, "Yami would be most upset."
Joey frowned at looked at Harry, who shrugged.
"Anyway, I'll see ya later Harry, I have to pay for this." Joey indicated his huge pile of sweets.
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"I'm sorry Seto." Kari sighed as she sat on a rock, watching the Shrieking Shack, which had lost some of it's mystery now she knew that the shrieking had been from Professor Lupin in his werewolf form, "But it was either leave or start a punch up with that Skeeter woman."
"I thought you told Harry to ignore it."
"I did. That doesn't mean I should take someone accusing me of paedophilia lightly." Kari growled, "He's underage, I'm an adult, it's disgusting and I don't like Harry that way anyway."
"I could get my company to background check her, if you want." Seto said, watching the frown turn into an amused look.
"Na, I'd just like that apology that I demanded. It's still not been printed. Either that or something on Skeeter so she left the gang alone, this tournament's going to be hard enough on everyone as it is."
"The great Kari Ironhide is nervous?" Seto asked, trying to prod her into a response. He hated seeing her all apathic like this, she wasn't the same girl that he knew, something had broken inside her, and he wasn't sure how to fix it. "That's not like you."
"No. But sometimes I don't feel like me anymore. It's like all the fear and hope and every other emotion got so worn out over the summer that all I am now is a hollow shell and I hate it."
Seto, who wasn't exactly the best one to talk to about this didn't really know what to say, but he had this strange feeling that was exactly what she wanted, not someone who would try to fix her, but someone who would just listen.
"I hate feeling like this. I should be terrified and hiding it behind my game face or bouncing off the ceilings in excitement, and all I can think about is punching that Skeeter b… woman in the face."
"Well anger is an emotion at least." The CEO said, sitting down on part of Kari's rock, "What happened? You did so well, held on so long…"
"I was minus half my soul, for almost three months, I was trying to run a company from behind the scenes and I had no idea about half the departments, my bosses and friends go missing, one of my friends has his soul stolen… it was a heavy summer Seto." Kari sighed, "And now my best friend hates me and her Seer power seems to have driven her crazy."
"And there's nothing you can do."
"I don't want to talk about it."
"You have to Kari, you can't bottle it up."
"Like you have a right to talk," She glared at him, and while Seto would normally be wary or annoyed himself, he was just delighted to have gotten a reaction out of her, "You kept yourself to yourself until you were nothing but a ball of rage and hate."
"And it took Yami mind crushing me to fix it. Do you really want to go that way?"
"No." Kari shook her head, "Besides, all that would do is leave me broken mentally and Yami broken physically because Ombre would rip him into about a million tiny pieces."
Seto winced at the image in his head.
"And that would result in a broken Yugi, because no more Yami…" Kari groaned at all the repercussions she could see playing out in her head, "Alright, alright, I'll talk but I don't want to…"
"Just talking is a good start." Seto nodded, "So?"
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Yami was tired and glad when the day was over.
His Slytherin girlfriend, in an attempt to keep away from his Gryffindor friends, had dragged him around almost every shop imaginable, as well as pulling him away from the crowded Three Broomsticks, towards the seedier and danker Hog's Head, where he had to put up with her friends. However, he'd managed it, and been mostly polite towards them even when they'd made comments about the Gryffindor in their midst.
Collapsing on a chair in front of the fire, he was still there when Harry left the Common Room at eleven o'clock to talk to Hagrid. Why it had to be this late, when everyone else had gone to bed and even the gang were asleep, was beyond the Pharaoh, but when Harry came back the young man looked terrified.
"Harry?"
"First task. Not a maze."
"What?"
"Dragons… Big… Fire breathing…" Harry looked at him, "Tell Kari."
Yami frowned, "Dragons?"
"One for each champion."
"Great. So, we have two days to teach you how to fight a dragon."
"You know how?"
"Ummm. No." Yami admitted. "Okay, two days to find out how to beat a dragon and teach you."
"I told you that the ball wouldn't matter after Tuesday."
"We're not going to let you and Kari die." Yami scowled at Harry as he sank into a chair, "We'll just have to find a way to win."
"But… but… dragons!" Harry's threw up his arms in a general running and screaming gesture.
"Everything has a weakness. Besides, I bet you could out fly it." Yami pointed out. "It's way too big and cumbersome to be very agile."
"But I can't take my broomstick in!"
"Uhhh… ask Hermione?"
"Is she allowed to help me and Kari?"
"I don't see why not, as long as you're not helping Kari and vice versa." Yami said, "And worst to worst, we can always get Hermione to teach us it and she can help Kari and we can help you."
Harry relaxed slightly. "So you think I can out fly a dragon."
Yami nodded.
"So all I need is a Summoning charm…" Harry suddenly grinned, "I know what I need to do!"
Harry dived upstairs and Yami paused to watch him go, before what he'd actually just recommended sank in. Then he dived upstairs to where Harry was quietly getting out his charms book.
"Harry." Yami hissed.
Harry just grinned at him and put on his pjs before climbing into bed and reading the book.
'Harry!'
'Yes Yami?`
'I didn't mean…'
`Yes you did.`
"Mean what?" Yami cringed as Yugi joined the conversation, though he sounded half asleep. "Harry? Yami?"
`Yami suggested I try out flying the dragon I'm going to have to fight in the first task.`
"Okay." Yugi nearly went back to sleep in the five seconds it took for sleepy Yugi to process that and then, "Dragons?" He yelped out loud.
`Yeap, dragons.` Harry nodded as Yugi sat up, looked around to make he hadn't woken anyone up and then gave Harry a bleary eyed confused stare.
"How did you find that out?"
`Hagrid told me.`
"And Yami suggested out flying it?"
`I know, I was surprised too.`
'I only said that I thought that Harry could, it wasn't a…'
"Sounds like one to me." Yugi said, "Shame we have no way to contact Kari like this, not until the Monsters get back."
`We'll tell her tomorrow.` Harry said, `Professor Flitwick covered summoning charms, didn't he?`
"It's called Accio." Yugi said, "But you've only got two days to learn it."
`Which is why I'm going to Hermione first thing tomorrow.`
"Okay." Yugi rolled over and went back to sleep.
Yami stared at his hikari, surprised at the lack of concern shown. But then there had been plenty of worry and shock when Harry had first said it, but he'd forgotten that when Yami suggested a plan, Yugi accepted it, because it normally worked and they'd woken Yugi up so he hadn't really been able to react like he normally would.
Yami wondered what this hikari's reaction would be in the morning.
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Yugi got up the next morning, brushed his teeth, had a wash, got dressed, nodded to Kari who was up earlier then usual for their training session, woke the others, and with the group headed down to the lake.
As they took their morning run, the cold morning air finally woke him up enough to make him stop in his tracks. "Dragons."
"Yuge?" Joey asked, having ran back to see if his friend was alright.
"Dragons."
"Where?"
"No. The first task, dragons."
"Huh?"
"Ask Harry."
"Oi Harry!" Joey yelled, Harry ran back to them, "What's this about dragons?"
"The first task is dragons." Harry said, "Yami's going to tell Kari for me."
"Dragons?"
"No Joey, you can't have one."
"Awww. Not even a little one?"
"Remember the last 'little' dragon?"
"He was cute."
"He bit me! Twice!"
"And he was poisonous."
"And he burned me."
"So, that's a maybe?"
"No!" They chorused.
"The PESDs weren't that bad."
"The PESDs are semi-Duel Monsters."
"Fine…" Then Joey got a far away look in his eyes, "Do you think after Hogwarts, I could work in a Dragon Sanctuary?"
"If you want." Harry sighed.
"I dunno, they might worry if you start fangirling over the dragons."
"Wouldn't it be fanboying?"
"No, the way he acts around dragons, it's defiantly fangirling."
"Hey!" Yugi completed the rest of their run in record time as he was chased by Joey the whole way.
While Yugi was talking to Joey and Harry, Yami had caught up with Kari, Seto and Ombre. "Hey, you need to hear this." Yami said, getting them to slow to a fast walk, "Hagrid showed Harry what the first task is going to be and you're going to need to think of something fast."
"What is it?" Kari asked.
"Dragons."
"WHAT?"
"You're joking."
"I wish." Yami paused as Yugi raced past, closely followed by Joey. "But the first task involves fighting a dragon."
"And we have two… oh by the Gods…" Kari looked ill. "A dragon's weak points are it's eyes, other then that I have no clue…" She paused, "How would you even get high enough to hit a dragon in the eyes in the first place?"
"Kari, you're a witch, I don't think you'll be hitting it with a baseball bat."
"Harry's going to try out flying it." Yami sounded like he hated the idea and Kari had a good idea why, it was going to be dangerous enough on the ground, yet alone in the air.
"I meant aiming a spell." Kari glared. "I can't use the Orb, I don't have enough skill on a broom to try Harry's scheme, and it's not like I can take my deck into the arena. I don't really want crispy cards thank you very much."
Harry paused as he overtook them, giving Yami a questioning look, the Pharaoh nodded in reply and Harry looked relieved and kept going.
"He worries about you." Yami said to Kari, "He's more worried about you then himself."
"The same here." Seto pointed at Kari. "More worried about Harry then about herself."
"Seto…"
"What?"
"They won't want you to kill the dragon, they're a protected species." Seto pointed out, "You'll probably just need to either take it down, distract it or get past it."
"I have an idea, but I'll need to go straight from breakfast to the library. I've got two days to learn a spell, if it's the one I think it is." The others nodded and Seto and Yami raced ahead, racing each other, with Seto easily outstripping Yami at the last, just to irritate the Pharaoh. They were friends now yes, but that didn't mean that Seto didn't enjoy teasing when he could.
Kari and Ombre were the last in, in the middle of a discussion that sounded like it was going to rise to a debate and was only really settled when Yami took Ombre as a sparring partner and Yugi grabbed Kari and they settled into fighting.
After training they went up, washed again, and ate quickly, before Kari, Ombre, Hermione and Seto shot up to the library and Harry, Yugi, Yami and Joey approached Professor McGonagall about using an empty classroom for practising in.
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Monday night brought the quietest night the Gryffindor Common Room had seen in years as the entire house both wished the pair luck and wondered about their chances for survival…
The gang itself had fled to the Monsters Wing hours ago, half annoyed and half actually worried by the comments that they'd had to endure all day and tomorrow morning could be nothing but worse, in an attempt to get some peace and quiet and actual sleep before tomorrow hit them like a ton of bricks.
Harry was feeling positive. He was feeling very positive.
In fact he was so positive he had already told his friends exactly what they could have of his meagre possessions.
Kari however was burying her head in a book, trying not to think about tomorrow, don't mention it, it's not happening, I don't believe you, I'm not listening, lalalalalalalalalala… basically.
The gang were on crazily high alert, no one was getting in or out without the gang knowing and no one was going to get anywhere near Kari or Harry tonight or tomorrow and everyone was so worried that when a crowd of monsters appeared out of no where, half of the group had their wands drawn before they even realised what was going on.
"Mana!" The relief in Kari's voice was evident, then there was a pause… and then a shocked… "You're…"
"A mother." Mana grinned, holding her baby daughter tightly.
Mahado looked proud of the pair as Yami gave him a questioning look.
"What's her name?"
"Nakia, it means pure."
"It's Egyptian." Mahado said as Kari cooed over the baby and Mana passed her over to the hikari, who held her carefully.
"She's beautiful." Kari murmured, "You're so lucky."
"Congratulations." Yami grasped Mahado's arm, "And it's good to see you back."
"We're likely to stay for a while." Mahado said, "Though I will have to pop back at times, to deal with the odd Shadows." Mahado's eyes wandered to Harry, "I hear you've managed to link yourself to Pharaoh and Lord Yugi."
"Lord?" Yugi questioned.
"You've risen to heir, my Lord, you're more then just Yugi now." Mahado answered, not taking his eyes from Harry.
"I am linked to Yami and Yugi now, but we don't know how it happened. Yami thinks it's because he helped me cast spells to protect my mind against intruders and there's so much of his magic in my head that it's binding us."
"That wouldn't explain the link to Lord Yugi, in theory Pharaoh should be playing piggy in the middle for the two of you." Mahado frowned, "Tell me everything."
So they did, the task forgotten in the wake of the return of the monsters, who wanted to know everything, pledged their help in protecting Harry and Kari if something went wrong and told them everything that had happened upon their return to the Monster World.
Mahado looked troubled once Harry and Yami had explained.
"It shouldn't be possible, unless removing Voldemort created a vacuum that then latched onto your minds…" Mahado paused, "Harry saw you first when he came round, and took some of your magic first, which you share with Yugi, right?"
Yami nodded.
"It's possible that Harry's Ba, or life energy was weakened from the Shadow Game, and when you offered Harry some of your own magic to help replenish his own, his magic made a link to yours and by extension Lord Yugi's, and since he hasn't burned up the magic that you gave him the link still stands."
"Does this mean that I have to remove my magic from the shields in his mind?"
"At this point, Harry would have to be severely magically drained for him to start burning your magic instead of his own." Mahado shook his head, "The magic in the mental defences don't change anything except that the link's a little more stable."
"Great…" Yami groaned.
"It's not so bad." Harry attempted to reassure him, "And I'd rather be linked to you and Yugi then Voldemort."
"That's not really a recommendation Harry."
"Well, who would you rather have in your head?"
"Point."
Silence fell for a moment, before Tobias, who'd gone quiet while Mahado had been talking started telling Joey about the Red Eyes Black Chicks that had arrived recently, which led to Kari asking how new Duel Monsters were formed, when they weren't children of existing Duel Monsters.
This led to a long conversation about Ba and Ka which only ended when Harry yawned and he and Kari were pushed into rooms, while Mana retreated to her room in case Nakia woke up in the night, and the rest settled on the sofa or in the chairs.
Sleep, even with how tired they were, was a long time coming.