Chapter 8: - Three by Three
October 30th, at 6pm, the first of the other two competing school arrived at Hogwarts.
Beauxbatons, the French participant, arrived in a flying coach with huge horses that looked absolutely terrifying. Their headmistress was almost as big as Hagrid and warmly accepted Dumbledore's welcome.
Durmstrang, the Bulgarian participant, arrived in a ship that suddenly appeared in the Hogwarts lake, rising up as if rising from the bottom of the lake. Their Headmaster didn't waste much time, too concerned with getting his star attraction inside out of the cold.
That star attraction, was one Viktor Krum.
Ron was having a fan boy moment, reminding his professionally Duelling friends why they weren't sorry to be away from all of that, when Dumbledore stood up to talk during he huge feast that was held.
"Welcome Durmstrang, Beauxbatons, to Hogwarts." He said, smiling at both groups, who were sat with the Slytherins and Ravenclaws respectively, Ludo Bagman and Mr Crouch having joined the staff table for some reason.
Dumbledore went on to reiterate just how dangerous the Tournament would be, that he would be putting an age line down to prevent anyone who was under age from entering, and then he revealed it.
The Goblet of Fire.
It was completely unremarkable, except for the blue white flames that danced inside it.
If you wanted to enter, you were to put your name in it, by this time tomorrow, and, at the Halloween feast, the names would be chosen by the Goblet and those people would be bound, magically, to compete.
The school dispersed, the gang gathering at the back of the common room and looking at each other.
"I'm entering." Kari said firmly.
"I would if I could, but if Dumbledore's putting an age line up, I couldn't get to it." Ron growled.
"I'm happy to cheer on whoever gets picked." Harry said.
"I'm going for it." Joey said.
"Not me." Yugi shook his head, "I don't think I know enough yet."
"I'll go for it if the Weasley twins can get across the age line with their aging potion." Yami said, "If not I guess I'll cheer on whoever's picked for Hogwarts."
The gang were there at lunch time on Halloween, when Angelina, Cedric, Joey and Kari all put their names in, to the applause of the school. Fred and George were sporting the most fantastical beards, longer in fact then Dumbledore's, because of their failure to trick the age line, so Yami was sulking but cheering along with everyone else.
It was Saturday, meaning that it was lakeside day, but no one really felt like going out there, since it was cold and with the Durmstrang boat there, it didn't really feel like their spot. Oh they still trained in the morning, but the greater portion of the day was spent watching to see who put their name into the Goblet.
So they were already seated when the rest of the school and their guests arrived, for the Halloween feast and the picking of the names.
Everyone was impatient, and the food, while up to Hogwarts standards, as always, was picked at until Professor Dumbledore had finished his meal, when everyone turned to look at him.
"I estimate it will take another minute and then we will find out who the champions are." Dumbledore said, "I would ask them to come to the top of the hall, walk along the staff table and enter the next chamber, where they will be receiving their next instructions."
Joey and Kari sat up, as did Angelina, Cedric and a couple of seventh year Slytherins as Dumbledore waved his wand and put out all the candles in the hall, the bright bluey white flames of the goblet the only light in the room.
Suddenly the flames turned red and spat out a charred piece of parchment which the Headmaster caught and held at arm's length to read by the fire light. "The Champion for Hogwarts, is Viktor Krum!"
A round of cheering swept the room as Krum stood up from the Slytherin table, and entered the other room. The clapping died down as everyone turned back to the Goblet.
The flames turned red again, the second piece of parchment falling easily into Dumbledore's hand. "The Champion for Beauxbatons, is Fleur Delacour!"
"It's her!" Ron grinned, standing up and cheering as the girl that resembled a veela, who his female friends had ignored and his male friends had stared at quite a bit, stood up and left the room, sweeping gracefully past the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs.
When silence had fallen again, the Goblet went red for the last time, spitting out the name of the Hogwarts Champion.
"The Hogwarts Champoin," Dumbledore said, knowing the hall was waiting with baited breath, "Is Kari Ironhide!"
"Yes!" Half the group cheered as the hall roared, the age pendants the worst kept secret in Hogwarts history. Kari grinned and turned to Joey.
"Sorry."
Joey shrugged, "Go."
Kari grinned and vanished into the other room, and Dumbledore had to wait quite a long time before he could be heard again, "Well, our Champions have been chosen, I hope I can trust you all to support…" He trailed off as the Goblet went red again and spat out another name.
There was a horrendously long pause, then Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Harry Potter."
"What?" Yugi yelped.
`No, no, I didn't put my name in!` Harry's thought reached down the link.
Everyone had turned to stare at their group, "We were here all day, Harry didn't put his name in!" Ombre protested.
"None the less, Harry, if you could join the other Champions." Dumbledore said, frowning.
'Kari, Harry's coming through.'
"What?" The hikari sounded incredulous, "But we have the three champions, Harry didn't even put his name in!"
"Harry?" Dumbledore asked. Harry rose from the table to murmurs from the students and joined Kari, Fleur and Viktor.
"This can't be right." Yami called above the murmurs of the crowd, "Harry's been with us since the Goblet came out, he can't have put his name in!"
`What do I do?` Harry asked, on his way down to the second chamber.
'We're finding out.' Yami reassured him, 'Just stick with Kari.'
`K.`
"Are you certain of this?" Dumbledore asked.
"One hundred percent, Harry couldn't have entered without one of us knowing." Yami said, hoping that his reasoning would spread around the school.
Joey heard someone wonder out loud if they'd put his name in.
"Neither the less, Mr Potter's name came out of the cup and he must compete."
"Why?" Yugi asked, worried for his friend.
"It's a magically binding ceremony." Dumbledore explained as it they were the children they were pretending to be, "Once your name comes out, you have to compete."
'Shit.'
`What?` Harry sounded frightened and confused, Yami wasn't surprised.
'It's magically binding, you're in this Tournament as much as Kari is now.'
`But I don't want to be!` Harry protested. Yami wished his protest could be heard across the hall.
"I have to ask if any of your put his name in." Dumbledore accused over the noise and the hall went silent to hear their answer.
"We don't endanger friends." Yugi answered for them, "Only Kari and Joey entered from our group, they didn't even put Yami's name in and he's more suited to the Tournament."
The murmurs started again and Yugi wondered how many students believed him.
Dumbledore frowned at their group and then left through the door the Champions had.
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"Harry was Ombre serious?" Kari hissed as she ran over to the door, "Did your name come out of the Cup?"
Harry nodded and listened as Kari started cursing the world in general in English, French, Japanese and Ancient Egyptian.
"Excuse-moi." Fleur looked confused. "But what iz going on?"
"Harry's name came out of the Cup for some reason."
"What, but he iz a little boy!"
Harry wasn't sure whether to feel insulted or not.
"Haha, veery funny joke, Miss Ironhide." Krum said, frowning at her.
"I wish I was joking." Kari growled, "Harry, you do know that neither I nor Joey put your name in right?"
"You'd've put Ron and Yami's names in too." Harry nodded.
The teachers, Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch arrived in the room in the middle of an argument.
"Professor Dumbledore." Kari planted herself in a position that was in front of Dumbledore, but that shielded Harry, "This cannot be allowed, Harry did not enter of his own free will."
Professor McGongall, who knew the girl well wasn't surprised at her outburst, but the other Head teachers, Bagman and Crouch were stunned at her rudeness.
"I'm afraid, Miss Ironhide." Dumbledore said, having expected her outburst. "That be that as that may, Harry is as bound to the rules of the Tournament as you are."
"But…" Kari frowned, "That's not fair…"
'Wizards don't have to be.' Ombre replied.
"You can't be serious Dumbledore, neither of the Hogwarts Champions should be competing." Professor Karkarkroff, the Durmstrang Headmaster, said, glaring at the pair.
"Actually Miss Ironhide is a transfer student from Japan." Dumbledore said, "Who is easily of age for the Tournament. Miss Ironhide, if you please."
Kari took off her de-aging charm, returning herself to her natural age of almost 21, "I'm only a Fourth Year Student, but I'm of age."
"I was unaware that Japanese school took them so late, Dumblydore." Madam Maxine said, looking the young woman over, "Is she not too old?"
"No, there is no upper age limit and Miss Ironhide received no formal magical training prior to entering Hogwarts, she has all the skills of a fresh fourth year and whatever she's researched in her own time and that is it." Dumbledore said, "I'm sure you'll agree that makes up for the age advantage she has over your students."
"I suppose." Karkaroff still looked angry though as Kari put her charm back on. "But what about Potter? She could have put his name in!"
"I didn't and neither did anyone else in our group!" Kari snapped at the Headmaster, "We like our friends alive, thank you!" She turned to Mr Crouch, "What do the rules say exactly?"
"That everyone whose name comes out of the Goblet of Fire, is magically bound to compete."
"And what if they refuse?" Kari asked.
"Their wand is snapped and they're expelled from the magical world."
Kari's stubborn stance slipped, throwing an apologetic look over her shoulder at Harry. The young man just frowned at her.
"I insist on resubmitting the names of my students." Karkaroff said loudly. An ugly scowl on his face now, "And we'll pick another Champion so both schools have two."
"It doesn't work like that, and the Goblet just went out." Bagman said, "It won't light again until the next Tournament."
"In which Durmstrang certainly won't be competing!" Karkaroff growled, "I have half a mind to leave now!"
"You can't." Moody smirked, "Your Champion is as bound as Potter is. Convenient hey?"
The adults dissolved into an argument as Kari turned to the other Champions, "I'm Kari Ironhide." She held out her hand.
"Viktor Krum." Krum took her hand and kissed it, making the young woman blush, "You're really only a fourth year?"
"Yes," Kari nodded, "We were accepted late and wear these so we fit in a little better." She indicated her charm.
"Fleur Delacour." Fleur shook her hand as Krum shook Harry's. "Thank you for trying to enzure fair play."
"It's the least I could do. No offence Harry, but I'm not particularly happy with you being in the Tournament."
"Neither am I!" Harry said, shaking Fleur's hand.
Suddenly the arguing group turned around, "Instructions." Crouch said firmly. "The first task is to test your daring, so you're not being informed what it is." He went on to give the date of the task and mention that courage was necessary in the face of the unknown. Then he spoke with Dumbledore for a while and left.
The other Head teachers left the room with their students and once it was just the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall in the room with them, he turned to them again. "I did not wish to mention it in front of the other Headteachers, but you will not be allowed to use your mind links during the tasks, or it will be classed as cheating."
"We don't cheat." Kari said firmly, "Right Harry?"
Harry nodded.
"You won't be able to use your Millennium Item during the tasks."
"Ok."
"And you will not be able to help Harry prepare for the tasks."
"What?"
"It's in the rules." Dumbledore pointed out.
"Sorry Harry." Kari frowned, unhappily.
"Now, I'm sure Gryffindor has a party planned, courtesy of Messers Weasley, I suggest you go and find your friends."
"Yes Professor." Kari led Harry out.
"Kari…"
"I know Harry, we'll work something out." Kari smiled at him, "I don't see what the problem is with passing information along to the right people." She winked.
Harry grinned, relived, "Come on, lets see what the others have to say."
The party was in full swing and just ready for the guests of honour when they arrived, and it took them an hour to tell everyone who wanted to congratulate them that Harry hadn't entered of his own accord and to get up to the Boy's Dorm, where the noise could still be heard but the gang had gathered to think things through and get a plan.
"So…?" Ombre asked, locking the door to prevent them being burst in on.
"I'm not allowed to help Harry prepare, we also can't use the mind links, and I cannot use the Millennium Orb." Kari said.
"Rules or…?"
"Rules."
"There're rules for the Millennium Items?"
"No, I think it's because it's outside magic, not taught at the school so it's an unfair advantage."
"How did you do it?" Ron said suddenly, glowering at Harry.
"What?" Harry asked as the group turned as one to frown at the young man.
"How did you get your name in? Even Yami couldn't!"
"Not you too!" Harry growled, "I didn't put my name in Ron!"
"You must of done, because none of us did!" Ron snapped back, "And it's unfair of you not to put my name in at the same time! Or at least tell me how you did it!"
"I DIDN'T!"
"You don't have to lie either, everyone knows you're not getting into trouble for it. A thousand gallon prize, and you don't have to take end of year exams either."
"Ron, how could he have put his name in? He was with us the whole time." Yami said, his voice low and causing Yugi, Harry and Joey too look at him, half afraid he was going to do something to Ron for being unreasonable.
"He could have put his name in last night, when we were asleep."
"What, when Joey and I have been having nightmares for the last couple of nights and waking up in the middle of the night?" Yugi asked, "I don't think so."
"I'm not surprised that you believe him." Ron snarled at Yugi, "He's probably lying to you over that mind link now!"
"I'm not…"
"Ronald." Yami said, very calmly and in the tone of voice that had had more then one villain wanting to flee from him, "Harry is not speaking to us over the mind link right now, if anything, all I can sense is fear, confusion and hurt at your actions, now, I suggest you apologize."
"How do you know he didn't lie to you earlier?" Ron asked, backing up a step, but not backing down. "He had to put his name in because none of you did!"
"Ron!" Joey snapped at him, "How dare you…"
"Oh yeah, take his side why don't you, 'cause it's never Harry's fault."
"Ron. Leave. Now." Ombre snapped.
"No, it's my dorm. I don't have to."
"Enough." Harry growled, "I have had more then enough of this trash Ron." And with a poisonous glare, he turned and stalked out of the dorm, and then straight out of Gryffindor Tower.
"Well done." Kari snarled at Ron and chased after him, Ombre in tow.
"Go away Ironhide, I want to be alone."
"Since when was I Ironhide?" Kari asked, "Isn't it enough that we believe you? Ron hasn't been right in the head since we got back from America!"
"Go away."
"No."
Harry glared at her in impotent anger.
"Miss Ironhide, I suggest you go back to your dorm. Mr Potter, come with me." Robyn stepped out of wherever she had been hiding to.
"Robyn, I'm not going anywhere."
"It is Miss Golden, or did you forget?" Grey eyes stared at her, "Then again you never did listen to me, did you Miss Ironhide? Back to your dorm before I deduct points."
"Ok Rob…" She paused and sighed, "Yes Miss Golden."
"Mr Potter, follow me." She said as she stepped away, then when out of Kari's earshot, mutter, "Idiot girl."
Harry said nothing, not entirely sure how to take this witch who had once been Kari's friend.
"Tea? Or would you prefer coffee or hot chocolate?" Miss Golden said as she opened a door.
"Tea's fine. Thanks…" Harry said uncertainly.
The room appeared to be a small living room, blue chairs, blueish coffee table, navy carpet.
"You might as well call me Robyn, all your friends have been."
"You poisoned Yami."
"No, but that explanation can wait another day. Sit down." She said, waving at a chair, while she set up a pot of tea. "I understand you have a fair amount of gifts. Not that any amount of gifts make up for your troubles, but life is life. And one of those gifts is an unusual amount of enemies."
"Deatheaters." Harry growled.
"Yes and more. Sometimes I think the light has given up, but there you are. We can only hope we play our cards right."
Harry sighed, "I didn't put my name in the Goblet."
"And in that you prove yourself much more sensible than Kari."
"It kills, doesn't it?"
"I'm glad you know this." She handed over a mug of tea, the warmth curling around Harry's hands as he stared into the liquid.
"Why?"
She sighed, curling up in her seat. "Such a difficult question. I do not know. Why now? Why this? Why you?" She snorted, "Because wizards are fools, and believe themselves so very powerful, they often do not see death waiting for them, or if they do it is with unholy terror. There are so few children, and yet they try to kill off the best and brightest. I do not understand, and yet, I understand all too well."
"Why does Ron hate me?"
"Does Kari hate me?"
"I don't think so."
"But she never listens. I try and I try, but she never listens." Another sigh. Robyn pulled something small that chimes out of her robes. "If you don't want to go back tonight, this is the key to the room opposite. I'll tell your head of house what happened." She said, dropping the small bell shaped key into his lap.
"Thanks." Harry said gruffly.
"Sometimes it's best to let tempers cool first."
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"I don't think she knows how often I tried to reach her." Kari and Ombre had returned to the Gryffindor Tower, only to retreat to the girls dorms, with Kari slumped onto her bed and burying her face in her pillow, if only to absorb the tears. "She hates me."
"But why?" Hermione sounded confused, "I thought you were best friends."
"We were, but then I moved to Japan, looking for work… and escaping some of my past… and I kept in touch by letter and e-mail but she stopped replying just after Christmas a few years ago, when I got this." Kari held up the Orb, "I know she gave it to me, but we just stopped talking. I never got any replies to my letters… she just dropped me. I don't know if it was something I did, or whether she moved or what…" Ombre put her hand on her hikari's back and was concerned to feel the silent sobs wracking her body. "I can't… I can't take it… I thought I found her… after so long… and now…"
Ombre felt Kari's soul tearing, torn by the fact that the one person she'd always had to rely on, no matter how bad things got, even more trusted then Ombre, was no longer there to rely on.
"Kari…"
"She was… she is…" The woman fell into uncontrollable sobs.
"Easy hikari." Ombre murmured, unsure of what to say, but unable to do anything to repair the hole she could sense in her hikari's heart.
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It was Sunday and they were just catching their breath from their morning run when Professor McGonagall came running down from the school, pausing only long enough to catch her breath before practically ordering Harry back up to the school and of course the concerned group of friends, minus one Ronald Weasley who had determinedly refused to join them this morning, had, of course, followed.
Since she'd turned around and said that it was probably better that they had was incredibly worrying since the last time she'd said this, Kari, Hermione and Seto had been in the hospital wing after being petrified.
Leaving them in the corridor, in dew soaked muggle clothing, she took Harry up to see Professor Dumbledore alone; promising that if anyone had anything to say about the lot of them, they could tell whoever it was to see her personally.
This only served to worry the group further, especially when combined with the fact that Harry was up there a good hour, meaning that they were missing breakfast, and when he did come down, he was incredibly pale and their Head of House recommended taking him somewhere where he wouldn't be crowded and that she would make sure food was brought up to them.
They crowded into the lounge of the Monster's Wing, Harry sinking into one of the sofas and staring blindly out the open window, where the morning sky was beginning to take on a tinge of incredibly pale blue, a good indicator of just how cold it was out there.
"Harry?" Yugi asked, more worried then most, since Harry hadn't even said anything over the link and Yugi was picking up nothing but shock from him. "Harry, what's happened?"
"Is it… Sirius?" Ombre asked quietly, her hikari sat on the window ledge and watching the door like a hawk, not that anyone but the gang, Bakura or the Headmaster knew the new password to the wing.
"No…" Harry just about managed.
"Then what is it?" Joey asked, frowning.
"Dur…" Harry went silent again, just shaking his head.
"What?"
"The Dursleys?" Hermione asked, "Something's happened to them, right?"
Harry just nodded. "Dead."
"What?" The gang looked at each other, they'd hated them for their treatment of their friend, but they hadn't wished them dead.
"Their house was attacked last night." Harry said as Kari moved to Harry's side. He'd hated his family as much as his friends had, but they had been just that, family.
"Who?" Yami growled.
"Who do you think?" Harry asked, aware of the supporting hand on his shoulder from Joey and that Kari was holding his hand, offering her strength. Harry had forgotten that she knew about losing family, even if the circumstances were different. "Dudley's alive. I suppose I'll see him at the…" Another hitch in Harry's voice, "I suppose they'll sort out where's we're to go after…"
"You could stay with us." Yami and Yugi offered without having to think about it.
Harry didn't reply, knowing his friend's offers were sincere, but knowing that Dumbledore would never allow him to move to Japan and that Dudley couldn't move there even if he was allowed. How would the Muggle survive in such an odd household? Especially when everyone there was magical?
"Did Dumbledore say how?" Kaiba asked, Mokuba clinging to one side, and stood just behind them were Mokuba's girls, Ginny, Rebecca and Luna, all of whom had taken to following them down in the mornings to train with them.
"Because I left." Harry said, closing his eyes and clenching his hands, releasing them as he heard Kari's hiss of pain and giving her an apologetic look because he'd forgotten she was holding one of them. "There were spells on the house to prevent attacks. They fell because I wasn't around long enough and the wards didn't get recharged."
Silent, guilty looks were exchanged by Yugi, Yami and Joey.
"Harry… We're sorry."
'Harry…We're sorry.'
Yami and Yugi said over the link, echoing each other's apology.
`Just… stay out of my head for a while… please…` Harry trailed off, grief and guilt washing down the link and hitting the yami and hikari hard.
"It's not your fault Harry." Kari murmured, "You couldn't know. You did the right thing in going to America."
"I…" Harry just trailed off again.
Two House Elves popped in, depositing trays with enough food for them all on, onto the table, before popping back out again. Kari looked at Hermione to see if she was going to say something, but it didn't look like their appearance had permeated through the young teen's shock.
None of them were particularly sorry, after all Harry wouldn't have been returning to the Dursleys this Summer anyway, now that Sirius had custody, but it was still a shock.
"Harry, listen to me." Kari said firmly, "There was nothing you could have done differently."
"But…"
"Just follow me right?" She said, "The wards need you to be there to recharge, right?"
Harry nodded.
"Now, was there any reason, you could see, to think they were in danger?"
Harry shook his head. "Not when I wasn't there…"
"Were lives at risk if you didn't leave and help the guys?"
Harry nodded, confusion showing through.
"Did the Dursleys want you there?"
"No."
"Did the gang need and want you with them?"
"Yes." Joey answered for the teen, making Harry give him a startled look.
"See." Kari said, "It was the right thing to do." She paused, "What kind of an idiot casts wards that depend on someone's presence for a few months, anyway?"
"Dumbledore." Yami said, as if that explained everything.
Unfortunately he was right.
"Wards don't work well on non magical households." Hermione said with a frown, "There's just not enough magic in the area to sustain it. It could have failed at any point."
"Further proof that our Headmaster is an idiot." Seto growled. "That's basic, wards and shields 101, that's why champions in the olden times had to be wizards."
"Huh?" Joey looked confused.
"Champions, that roamed the lands back before magical creatures were hidden and slew them had to be wizards, otherwise shielding charms didn't stick." Seto said.
"Why would you even know that?" Joey asked.
"Some of us read." Seto said, scowling at Joey.
"Don't start fighting." Yami growled.
Harry would have welcomed the fighting, something normal to have grounded him in this impossible situation.
Hermione and Kari were whispering about something, and turned to the group, "We're going to head to the…"
"Library." Harry finished dully.
"We won't be long, we just want to look something up." Hermione said, "Then we'll be right back."
There was a round of nods and the two girls vanished from the wing.
"If they haven't read the entire library between them by now, I'd be very surprised." Yami sighed, taking Kari's place on the window sill.
"Twice." Joey snorted, "At least."
Silence fell again, there wasn't really anything anyone could say and while Seto vanished for a while, it was only long enough to get his laptop and the girls were back with a rather large book on magical laws each before the House Elves were back with lunch, taking the mostly untouched breakfast things with them.
Yami, from his perch, watched their group, and wondered about their relationships. He and Kaiba were rivals, that much remained the same from when he'd first woken up, but so much was different since then.
Yugi was writing his letter to Tea, filling in their friend, who was studying in America, on everything that had happened overnight, paper on his knees, chewing the end of his pen. That wouldn't have been possible nearly seven years ago, for him to be able to observe his hikari like this. Yami hadn't even been sure how to take spirit form back then.
Joey hadn't moved too far from Harry, just being a supportive pillar. This wasn't new, but the maturity and sense Joey was showing was certainly something he'd picked up over the years.
In some ways Kaiba hadn't changed much, still obsessed with work and games, and trying to defeat them. But a lot had changed with the young CEO, he interacted with them a lot more, gave them helping hands, considered the best way to help them… this had been a couple of years in the making and had been happening slowly anyway. But once Kari had saved his life it had gotten a kick start.
Mokuba was often found with his girls, Ginny, Luna and, thankfully, Rebecca, either studying, or playing games, or just hanging out, right now the four of them had gone into the Purple Eyes Silver Dragons' part of the wing and it sounded like they were talking with the dragons, who were mostly Duel Monsters, but it seemed that they weren't quite. Yami didn't understand how it worked and could only guess that being born in the human world, rather then the Duel Monster one had done something unexpected.
They were without Tea and Tristan, and he knew that sometimes Yugi missed them as much as he did, but Tea was doing well and had become a professional dancer, while Tristan was working security around the Duelling Circuit, keeping an eye out for 'things that happen without a logical explanation'. Hired due to his close proximity to 'The Crazy' in other tournaments, and because he was a known fan of the game.
Hermione had changed too, the shy young teen, a real bookworm, had settled into their group really well, becoming more outgoing and friendly as time had gone on. She was engrossed in a rather thick book which from the look she was giving it, either wasn't giving her the answers she needed, or she didn't like the look of the answers.
To her left was Kari, also engrossed in a book. She didn't live for work as much, but something had changed in Kari recently, since the stint over the summer when she'd tried to hold Kaiba Corp up under a lot of stress and fallen to pieces because of it. They'd finally gotten her back on track with eating and sleeping, with her own magic recovering quickly once that had been established, but she didn't seem so bouncy anymore and sometimes it was like the fight had been knocked out of her.
Yami was hoping the Triwizard Tournament would give some of it back.
Ombre was busy with something or another, she'd been playing with her deck in a corner of the room and then sighed and packed it away, and currently it looked like she was falling asleep.
Harry was still in shock, Yami couldn't blame him. Harry was the most changed out of the lot of them, especially since the Shadow Game with that soul fragment that had evicted Voldemort out of his mind. Yami aimed his glare for the evil wizard out of the window, away from his friends. He'd been so careful during that game to not mess up anything in Harry's mind, but with the soul fragment gone, Harry's mind had become lighter, and they could see the changes in Harry's day to day attitude and personality.
They were good changes, but they were still changes.
Yugi sighed, put down his pen and joined his dark on the windowsill. "I'm going to talk to Ron." Yugi said quietly enough for Yami to hear, but not so loudly he disturbed anyone else.
"Why?"
"He needs to know something's happened, even if he was an idiot last night."
"Alright." Yami nodded, "If he's being sane again, tell him where we are."
Yugi nodded and slipped out of the room.
Yami sighed as, simultaneously, Hermione and Kari turned pages, wondering what the girls were up to this time, but half afraid to ask in case it involved worms or millipedes. He'd had quite enough of those, thank you very much.
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"Ron!"
Ron paused midstep, remembered he was supposed to be angry with the person calling him and carried on.
"Ron!" Yugi caught up to him and walked alongside him until he caught his breath.
"What do you want Yugi?"
Yugi paused and fell back a step at Ron's tone, before recovering and catching up again, "It's Harry…"
"Isn't it always?" Ron growled.
"Ron, it's serious…"
"More serious then vanishing off the face of the Earth? Or nearly getting killed? Or getting into the Triwizard Tournament without entering?" Ron snorted, "I'm not interested."
"Harry's Aunt and Uncle are dead Ron."
"So?"
"So? Aren't you even slightly worried about Harry in all this?"
"Why should I be? He has Sirius."
Yugi looked at him in shock and disbelief, "Ron…" Yugi shivered, "I don't think I can be friends with you any more."
"Good, I never asked you to be in the first place." Ron scowled at him, "You're always there for Harry, you never take my ideas seriously, you never tell me anything, you're forever going off without me…"
"That's not true. I listen to your ideas, it wasn't my fault we fell out of contact over the summer, you wanted to go home for the summer and we don't have your telephone number…" Yugi shook his head.
"You could have tried Yugi."
"I had my soul stolen!" Yugi protested, "How could I write letters when I was in coma?"
Ron glared at him, "And what about the others?"
"Is this what this is all about? You being left out over the summer?" Yugi asked, astounded, "There was so much going on that the guys didn't have time to…"
"You had time to get Harry." Ron growled, "And it's not just this summer, you've left me out of things before, I bet you had this planned. To get Harry into the Tournament without telling me, just to make me look stupid…"
"If that's want you want to think Ron, go ahead, I'm not going to argue with you." Yugi said, before walking away.
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Harry had never been to a funeral before, not that he remembered. He might have gone to his parents, or maybe his parents had taken him to others. He didn't think so, from what he knew of babies, you didn't take them to funerals.
He was glad that part of Duke's shopping spree had included an almost muggle suit. Smart black trousers and a dark shirt made him look different from his normally messy appearance.
He was met by Dudley outside. His cousin dressed uncomfortably in a tux too small for him.
They didn't say a word, but walked in together, Aunt Marge hovering over the both of them, much to Harry's displeasure.
He'd been allowed a couple of days off school, in the care of his Godfather, Sirius, to come down from Hogwarts and attend, but as he sat down in the front row, he wondered exactly what he was doing here.
Vernon and Petunia Dursley had been his Aunt and Uncle, true, but why was it, that he felt nothing but shock at their passing?
Was it delayed grief? Or was it that they'd ceased to be family a long time ago, and that his family were in fact waiting to give him their support upon his return to school?
The vicar spoke. There was very little to say about the good things they'd done. Aunt Marge said a few words, mostly about how good and kind they had been to take in her delinquent nephew. Other then that, there didn't seem to be anything particularly good to say about them and even those few words had been more lies then Harry could stomache.
Then it hit him. That was just it. The Durlseys hadn't been good people in life, they hadn't helped people in need, they hadn't been there for anyone but themselves and they weren't missed by anyone but family, except the neighbours, who wondered who would be moving into the house next and hoping their son wasn't a bully.
It was over more quickly then Harry would have thought, he guessed it was because there was so little to say about them, and they filed out again, where Sirius was waiting for him, in a smart looking, black, muggle suit.
There were few who stopped for the wake, food and talk were both scarce and not many people came to offer their condolences. Harry wasn't sure he wanted them.
"What happens to you now?" He found himself asking Dudley as his cousin pushed the food around his plate.
"Aunt Marge can't take me." Dudley shrugged.
"Is there anyone else?"
"No." The food was now an unidentified mess.
Harry took a bite, frowned and dropped his fork. Either the food was horrible or the funeral had put him off of it. "What about school? Isn't there anyone there you could live with?"
"No."
Harry wondered how Dudley's school life was. If Harry asked, he would be allowed to live with any of his friends… Dudley had no one. "So…where?"
"Orphanage, I suppose, or Foster Care."
Harry shivered, having heard the horror stories about Seto Kaiba's foster father, and remembered the tales his aunt and uncle had told of those places.
"What about you?" Dudley looked up. "I saw the man you came in with. He's your Godfather, ain't he?"
"Yeah. Sirius… he's okay."
"I suppose we won't see each other again."
"Would you want to?"
"I dunno."
"At least you can go back to school, right?"
"No." Dudley shrugged again, "Not enough money to pay for it."
Harry sighed. "Look, I'll talk to Sirius, he might be able to do something, alight?"
"Yeah, thanks Harry." Dudley said quietly and despondently.
Silence fell again, and Harry found himself wondering if Rai's funeral had been like this, or whether there had been good things to say about the young man, whether people other then family had cared.
Harry quickly walked over to where Sirius was trying to look inconspicuous, by the buffet.
"Ready to go pronglet?" Sirius asked, looking vaguely uncomfortable.
"In a moment. Do you know what's going to happen to Dudley?"
"No. I can find out, that Aunt of his probably knows." So Sirius Black took over. Later that night Harry would probably be banging his head, why had he wanted a caring guardian in the first place?
Oh well, Dumbledore at least should be happy, he was still going to live with a blood relation.
Wait until the gang heard about this…
Beauxbatons, the French participant, arrived in a flying coach with huge horses that looked absolutely terrifying. Their headmistress was almost as big as Hagrid and warmly accepted Dumbledore's welcome.
Durmstrang, the Bulgarian participant, arrived in a ship that suddenly appeared in the Hogwarts lake, rising up as if rising from the bottom of the lake. Their Headmaster didn't waste much time, too concerned with getting his star attraction inside out of the cold.
That star attraction, was one Viktor Krum.
Ron was having a fan boy moment, reminding his professionally Duelling friends why they weren't sorry to be away from all of that, when Dumbledore stood up to talk during he huge feast that was held.
"Welcome Durmstrang, Beauxbatons, to Hogwarts." He said, smiling at both groups, who were sat with the Slytherins and Ravenclaws respectively, Ludo Bagman and Mr Crouch having joined the staff table for some reason.
Dumbledore went on to reiterate just how dangerous the Tournament would be, that he would be putting an age line down to prevent anyone who was under age from entering, and then he revealed it.
The Goblet of Fire.
It was completely unremarkable, except for the blue white flames that danced inside it.
If you wanted to enter, you were to put your name in it, by this time tomorrow, and, at the Halloween feast, the names would be chosen by the Goblet and those people would be bound, magically, to compete.
The school dispersed, the gang gathering at the back of the common room and looking at each other.
"I'm entering." Kari said firmly.
"I would if I could, but if Dumbledore's putting an age line up, I couldn't get to it." Ron growled.
"I'm happy to cheer on whoever gets picked." Harry said.
"I'm going for it." Joey said.
"Not me." Yugi shook his head, "I don't think I know enough yet."
"I'll go for it if the Weasley twins can get across the age line with their aging potion." Yami said, "If not I guess I'll cheer on whoever's picked for Hogwarts."
The gang were there at lunch time on Halloween, when Angelina, Cedric, Joey and Kari all put their names in, to the applause of the school. Fred and George were sporting the most fantastical beards, longer in fact then Dumbledore's, because of their failure to trick the age line, so Yami was sulking but cheering along with everyone else.
It was Saturday, meaning that it was lakeside day, but no one really felt like going out there, since it was cold and with the Durmstrang boat there, it didn't really feel like their spot. Oh they still trained in the morning, but the greater portion of the day was spent watching to see who put their name into the Goblet.
So they were already seated when the rest of the school and their guests arrived, for the Halloween feast and the picking of the names.
Everyone was impatient, and the food, while up to Hogwarts standards, as always, was picked at until Professor Dumbledore had finished his meal, when everyone turned to look at him.
"I estimate it will take another minute and then we will find out who the champions are." Dumbledore said, "I would ask them to come to the top of the hall, walk along the staff table and enter the next chamber, where they will be receiving their next instructions."
Joey and Kari sat up, as did Angelina, Cedric and a couple of seventh year Slytherins as Dumbledore waved his wand and put out all the candles in the hall, the bright bluey white flames of the goblet the only light in the room.
Suddenly the flames turned red and spat out a charred piece of parchment which the Headmaster caught and held at arm's length to read by the fire light. "The Champion for Hogwarts, is Viktor Krum!"
A round of cheering swept the room as Krum stood up from the Slytherin table, and entered the other room. The clapping died down as everyone turned back to the Goblet.
The flames turned red again, the second piece of parchment falling easily into Dumbledore's hand. "The Champion for Beauxbatons, is Fleur Delacour!"
"It's her!" Ron grinned, standing up and cheering as the girl that resembled a veela, who his female friends had ignored and his male friends had stared at quite a bit, stood up and left the room, sweeping gracefully past the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs.
When silence had fallen again, the Goblet went red for the last time, spitting out the name of the Hogwarts Champion.
"The Hogwarts Champoin," Dumbledore said, knowing the hall was waiting with baited breath, "Is Kari Ironhide!"
"Yes!" Half the group cheered as the hall roared, the age pendants the worst kept secret in Hogwarts history. Kari grinned and turned to Joey.
"Sorry."
Joey shrugged, "Go."
Kari grinned and vanished into the other room, and Dumbledore had to wait quite a long time before he could be heard again, "Well, our Champions have been chosen, I hope I can trust you all to support…" He trailed off as the Goblet went red again and spat out another name.
There was a horrendously long pause, then Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Harry Potter."
"What?" Yugi yelped.
`No, no, I didn't put my name in!` Harry's thought reached down the link.
Everyone had turned to stare at their group, "We were here all day, Harry didn't put his name in!" Ombre protested.
"None the less, Harry, if you could join the other Champions." Dumbledore said, frowning.
'Kari, Harry's coming through.'
"What?" The hikari sounded incredulous, "But we have the three champions, Harry didn't even put his name in!"
"Harry?" Dumbledore asked. Harry rose from the table to murmurs from the students and joined Kari, Fleur and Viktor.
"This can't be right." Yami called above the murmurs of the crowd, "Harry's been with us since the Goblet came out, he can't have put his name in!"
`What do I do?` Harry asked, on his way down to the second chamber.
'We're finding out.' Yami reassured him, 'Just stick with Kari.'
`K.`
"Are you certain of this?" Dumbledore asked.
"One hundred percent, Harry couldn't have entered without one of us knowing." Yami said, hoping that his reasoning would spread around the school.
Joey heard someone wonder out loud if they'd put his name in.
"Neither the less, Mr Potter's name came out of the cup and he must compete."
"Why?" Yugi asked, worried for his friend.
"It's a magically binding ceremony." Dumbledore explained as it they were the children they were pretending to be, "Once your name comes out, you have to compete."
'Shit.'
`What?` Harry sounded frightened and confused, Yami wasn't surprised.
'It's magically binding, you're in this Tournament as much as Kari is now.'
`But I don't want to be!` Harry protested. Yami wished his protest could be heard across the hall.
"I have to ask if any of your put his name in." Dumbledore accused over the noise and the hall went silent to hear their answer.
"We don't endanger friends." Yugi answered for them, "Only Kari and Joey entered from our group, they didn't even put Yami's name in and he's more suited to the Tournament."
The murmurs started again and Yugi wondered how many students believed him.
Dumbledore frowned at their group and then left through the door the Champions had.
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"Harry was Ombre serious?" Kari hissed as she ran over to the door, "Did your name come out of the Cup?"
Harry nodded and listened as Kari started cursing the world in general in English, French, Japanese and Ancient Egyptian.
"Excuse-moi." Fleur looked confused. "But what iz going on?"
"Harry's name came out of the Cup for some reason."
"What, but he iz a little boy!"
Harry wasn't sure whether to feel insulted or not.
"Haha, veery funny joke, Miss Ironhide." Krum said, frowning at her.
"I wish I was joking." Kari growled, "Harry, you do know that neither I nor Joey put your name in right?"
"You'd've put Ron and Yami's names in too." Harry nodded.
The teachers, Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch arrived in the room in the middle of an argument.
"Professor Dumbledore." Kari planted herself in a position that was in front of Dumbledore, but that shielded Harry, "This cannot be allowed, Harry did not enter of his own free will."
Professor McGongall, who knew the girl well wasn't surprised at her outburst, but the other Head teachers, Bagman and Crouch were stunned at her rudeness.
"I'm afraid, Miss Ironhide." Dumbledore said, having expected her outburst. "That be that as that may, Harry is as bound to the rules of the Tournament as you are."
"But…" Kari frowned, "That's not fair…"
'Wizards don't have to be.' Ombre replied.
"You can't be serious Dumbledore, neither of the Hogwarts Champions should be competing." Professor Karkarkroff, the Durmstrang Headmaster, said, glaring at the pair.
"Actually Miss Ironhide is a transfer student from Japan." Dumbledore said, "Who is easily of age for the Tournament. Miss Ironhide, if you please."
Kari took off her de-aging charm, returning herself to her natural age of almost 21, "I'm only a Fourth Year Student, but I'm of age."
"I was unaware that Japanese school took them so late, Dumblydore." Madam Maxine said, looking the young woman over, "Is she not too old?"
"No, there is no upper age limit and Miss Ironhide received no formal magical training prior to entering Hogwarts, she has all the skills of a fresh fourth year and whatever she's researched in her own time and that is it." Dumbledore said, "I'm sure you'll agree that makes up for the age advantage she has over your students."
"I suppose." Karkaroff still looked angry though as Kari put her charm back on. "But what about Potter? She could have put his name in!"
"I didn't and neither did anyone else in our group!" Kari snapped at the Headmaster, "We like our friends alive, thank you!" She turned to Mr Crouch, "What do the rules say exactly?"
"That everyone whose name comes out of the Goblet of Fire, is magically bound to compete."
"And what if they refuse?" Kari asked.
"Their wand is snapped and they're expelled from the magical world."
Kari's stubborn stance slipped, throwing an apologetic look over her shoulder at Harry. The young man just frowned at her.
"I insist on resubmitting the names of my students." Karkaroff said loudly. An ugly scowl on his face now, "And we'll pick another Champion so both schools have two."
"It doesn't work like that, and the Goblet just went out." Bagman said, "It won't light again until the next Tournament."
"In which Durmstrang certainly won't be competing!" Karkaroff growled, "I have half a mind to leave now!"
"You can't." Moody smirked, "Your Champion is as bound as Potter is. Convenient hey?"
The adults dissolved into an argument as Kari turned to the other Champions, "I'm Kari Ironhide." She held out her hand.
"Viktor Krum." Krum took her hand and kissed it, making the young woman blush, "You're really only a fourth year?"
"Yes," Kari nodded, "We were accepted late and wear these so we fit in a little better." She indicated her charm.
"Fleur Delacour." Fleur shook her hand as Krum shook Harry's. "Thank you for trying to enzure fair play."
"It's the least I could do. No offence Harry, but I'm not particularly happy with you being in the Tournament."
"Neither am I!" Harry said, shaking Fleur's hand.
Suddenly the arguing group turned around, "Instructions." Crouch said firmly. "The first task is to test your daring, so you're not being informed what it is." He went on to give the date of the task and mention that courage was necessary in the face of the unknown. Then he spoke with Dumbledore for a while and left.
The other Head teachers left the room with their students and once it was just the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall in the room with them, he turned to them again. "I did not wish to mention it in front of the other Headteachers, but you will not be allowed to use your mind links during the tasks, or it will be classed as cheating."
"We don't cheat." Kari said firmly, "Right Harry?"
Harry nodded.
"You won't be able to use your Millennium Item during the tasks."
"Ok."
"And you will not be able to help Harry prepare for the tasks."
"What?"
"It's in the rules." Dumbledore pointed out.
"Sorry Harry." Kari frowned, unhappily.
"Now, I'm sure Gryffindor has a party planned, courtesy of Messers Weasley, I suggest you go and find your friends."
"Yes Professor." Kari led Harry out.
"Kari…"
"I know Harry, we'll work something out." Kari smiled at him, "I don't see what the problem is with passing information along to the right people." She winked.
Harry grinned, relived, "Come on, lets see what the others have to say."
The party was in full swing and just ready for the guests of honour when they arrived, and it took them an hour to tell everyone who wanted to congratulate them that Harry hadn't entered of his own accord and to get up to the Boy's Dorm, where the noise could still be heard but the gang had gathered to think things through and get a plan.
"So…?" Ombre asked, locking the door to prevent them being burst in on.
"I'm not allowed to help Harry prepare, we also can't use the mind links, and I cannot use the Millennium Orb." Kari said.
"Rules or…?"
"Rules."
"There're rules for the Millennium Items?"
"No, I think it's because it's outside magic, not taught at the school so it's an unfair advantage."
"How did you do it?" Ron said suddenly, glowering at Harry.
"What?" Harry asked as the group turned as one to frown at the young man.
"How did you get your name in? Even Yami couldn't!"
"Not you too!" Harry growled, "I didn't put my name in Ron!"
"You must of done, because none of us did!" Ron snapped back, "And it's unfair of you not to put my name in at the same time! Or at least tell me how you did it!"
"I DIDN'T!"
"You don't have to lie either, everyone knows you're not getting into trouble for it. A thousand gallon prize, and you don't have to take end of year exams either."
"Ron, how could he have put his name in? He was with us the whole time." Yami said, his voice low and causing Yugi, Harry and Joey too look at him, half afraid he was going to do something to Ron for being unreasonable.
"He could have put his name in last night, when we were asleep."
"What, when Joey and I have been having nightmares for the last couple of nights and waking up in the middle of the night?" Yugi asked, "I don't think so."
"I'm not surprised that you believe him." Ron snarled at Yugi, "He's probably lying to you over that mind link now!"
"I'm not…"
"Ronald." Yami said, very calmly and in the tone of voice that had had more then one villain wanting to flee from him, "Harry is not speaking to us over the mind link right now, if anything, all I can sense is fear, confusion and hurt at your actions, now, I suggest you apologize."
"How do you know he didn't lie to you earlier?" Ron asked, backing up a step, but not backing down. "He had to put his name in because none of you did!"
"Ron!" Joey snapped at him, "How dare you…"
"Oh yeah, take his side why don't you, 'cause it's never Harry's fault."
"Ron. Leave. Now." Ombre snapped.
"No, it's my dorm. I don't have to."
"Enough." Harry growled, "I have had more then enough of this trash Ron." And with a poisonous glare, he turned and stalked out of the dorm, and then straight out of Gryffindor Tower.
"Well done." Kari snarled at Ron and chased after him, Ombre in tow.
"Go away Ironhide, I want to be alone."
"Since when was I Ironhide?" Kari asked, "Isn't it enough that we believe you? Ron hasn't been right in the head since we got back from America!"
"Go away."
"No."
Harry glared at her in impotent anger.
"Miss Ironhide, I suggest you go back to your dorm. Mr Potter, come with me." Robyn stepped out of wherever she had been hiding to.
"Robyn, I'm not going anywhere."
"It is Miss Golden, or did you forget?" Grey eyes stared at her, "Then again you never did listen to me, did you Miss Ironhide? Back to your dorm before I deduct points."
"Ok Rob…" She paused and sighed, "Yes Miss Golden."
"Mr Potter, follow me." She said as she stepped away, then when out of Kari's earshot, mutter, "Idiot girl."
Harry said nothing, not entirely sure how to take this witch who had once been Kari's friend.
"Tea? Or would you prefer coffee or hot chocolate?" Miss Golden said as she opened a door.
"Tea's fine. Thanks…" Harry said uncertainly.
The room appeared to be a small living room, blue chairs, blueish coffee table, navy carpet.
"You might as well call me Robyn, all your friends have been."
"You poisoned Yami."
"No, but that explanation can wait another day. Sit down." She said, waving at a chair, while she set up a pot of tea. "I understand you have a fair amount of gifts. Not that any amount of gifts make up for your troubles, but life is life. And one of those gifts is an unusual amount of enemies."
"Deatheaters." Harry growled.
"Yes and more. Sometimes I think the light has given up, but there you are. We can only hope we play our cards right."
Harry sighed, "I didn't put my name in the Goblet."
"And in that you prove yourself much more sensible than Kari."
"It kills, doesn't it?"
"I'm glad you know this." She handed over a mug of tea, the warmth curling around Harry's hands as he stared into the liquid.
"Why?"
She sighed, curling up in her seat. "Such a difficult question. I do not know. Why now? Why this? Why you?" She snorted, "Because wizards are fools, and believe themselves so very powerful, they often do not see death waiting for them, or if they do it is with unholy terror. There are so few children, and yet they try to kill off the best and brightest. I do not understand, and yet, I understand all too well."
"Why does Ron hate me?"
"Does Kari hate me?"
"I don't think so."
"But she never listens. I try and I try, but she never listens." Another sigh. Robyn pulled something small that chimes out of her robes. "If you don't want to go back tonight, this is the key to the room opposite. I'll tell your head of house what happened." She said, dropping the small bell shaped key into his lap.
"Thanks." Harry said gruffly.
"Sometimes it's best to let tempers cool first."
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"I don't think she knows how often I tried to reach her." Kari and Ombre had returned to the Gryffindor Tower, only to retreat to the girls dorms, with Kari slumped onto her bed and burying her face in her pillow, if only to absorb the tears. "She hates me."
"But why?" Hermione sounded confused, "I thought you were best friends."
"We were, but then I moved to Japan, looking for work… and escaping some of my past… and I kept in touch by letter and e-mail but she stopped replying just after Christmas a few years ago, when I got this." Kari held up the Orb, "I know she gave it to me, but we just stopped talking. I never got any replies to my letters… she just dropped me. I don't know if it was something I did, or whether she moved or what…" Ombre put her hand on her hikari's back and was concerned to feel the silent sobs wracking her body. "I can't… I can't take it… I thought I found her… after so long… and now…"
Ombre felt Kari's soul tearing, torn by the fact that the one person she'd always had to rely on, no matter how bad things got, even more trusted then Ombre, was no longer there to rely on.
"Kari…"
"She was… she is…" The woman fell into uncontrollable sobs.
"Easy hikari." Ombre murmured, unsure of what to say, but unable to do anything to repair the hole she could sense in her hikari's heart.
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It was Sunday and they were just catching their breath from their morning run when Professor McGonagall came running down from the school, pausing only long enough to catch her breath before practically ordering Harry back up to the school and of course the concerned group of friends, minus one Ronald Weasley who had determinedly refused to join them this morning, had, of course, followed.
Since she'd turned around and said that it was probably better that they had was incredibly worrying since the last time she'd said this, Kari, Hermione and Seto had been in the hospital wing after being petrified.
Leaving them in the corridor, in dew soaked muggle clothing, she took Harry up to see Professor Dumbledore alone; promising that if anyone had anything to say about the lot of them, they could tell whoever it was to see her personally.
This only served to worry the group further, especially when combined with the fact that Harry was up there a good hour, meaning that they were missing breakfast, and when he did come down, he was incredibly pale and their Head of House recommended taking him somewhere where he wouldn't be crowded and that she would make sure food was brought up to them.
They crowded into the lounge of the Monster's Wing, Harry sinking into one of the sofas and staring blindly out the open window, where the morning sky was beginning to take on a tinge of incredibly pale blue, a good indicator of just how cold it was out there.
"Harry?" Yugi asked, more worried then most, since Harry hadn't even said anything over the link and Yugi was picking up nothing but shock from him. "Harry, what's happened?"
"Is it… Sirius?" Ombre asked quietly, her hikari sat on the window ledge and watching the door like a hawk, not that anyone but the gang, Bakura or the Headmaster knew the new password to the wing.
"No…" Harry just about managed.
"Then what is it?" Joey asked, frowning.
"Dur…" Harry went silent again, just shaking his head.
"What?"
"The Dursleys?" Hermione asked, "Something's happened to them, right?"
Harry just nodded. "Dead."
"What?" The gang looked at each other, they'd hated them for their treatment of their friend, but they hadn't wished them dead.
"Their house was attacked last night." Harry said as Kari moved to Harry's side. He'd hated his family as much as his friends had, but they had been just that, family.
"Who?" Yami growled.
"Who do you think?" Harry asked, aware of the supporting hand on his shoulder from Joey and that Kari was holding his hand, offering her strength. Harry had forgotten that she knew about losing family, even if the circumstances were different. "Dudley's alive. I suppose I'll see him at the…" Another hitch in Harry's voice, "I suppose they'll sort out where's we're to go after…"
"You could stay with us." Yami and Yugi offered without having to think about it.
Harry didn't reply, knowing his friend's offers were sincere, but knowing that Dumbledore would never allow him to move to Japan and that Dudley couldn't move there even if he was allowed. How would the Muggle survive in such an odd household? Especially when everyone there was magical?
"Did Dumbledore say how?" Kaiba asked, Mokuba clinging to one side, and stood just behind them were Mokuba's girls, Ginny, Rebecca and Luna, all of whom had taken to following them down in the mornings to train with them.
"Because I left." Harry said, closing his eyes and clenching his hands, releasing them as he heard Kari's hiss of pain and giving her an apologetic look because he'd forgotten she was holding one of them. "There were spells on the house to prevent attacks. They fell because I wasn't around long enough and the wards didn't get recharged."
Silent, guilty looks were exchanged by Yugi, Yami and Joey.
"Harry… We're sorry."
'Harry…We're sorry.'
Yami and Yugi said over the link, echoing each other's apology.
`Just… stay out of my head for a while… please…` Harry trailed off, grief and guilt washing down the link and hitting the yami and hikari hard.
"It's not your fault Harry." Kari murmured, "You couldn't know. You did the right thing in going to America."
"I…" Harry just trailed off again.
Two House Elves popped in, depositing trays with enough food for them all on, onto the table, before popping back out again. Kari looked at Hermione to see if she was going to say something, but it didn't look like their appearance had permeated through the young teen's shock.
None of them were particularly sorry, after all Harry wouldn't have been returning to the Dursleys this Summer anyway, now that Sirius had custody, but it was still a shock.
"Harry, listen to me." Kari said firmly, "There was nothing you could have done differently."
"But…"
"Just follow me right?" She said, "The wards need you to be there to recharge, right?"
Harry nodded.
"Now, was there any reason, you could see, to think they were in danger?"
Harry shook his head. "Not when I wasn't there…"
"Were lives at risk if you didn't leave and help the guys?"
Harry nodded, confusion showing through.
"Did the Dursleys want you there?"
"No."
"Did the gang need and want you with them?"
"Yes." Joey answered for the teen, making Harry give him a startled look.
"See." Kari said, "It was the right thing to do." She paused, "What kind of an idiot casts wards that depend on someone's presence for a few months, anyway?"
"Dumbledore." Yami said, as if that explained everything.
Unfortunately he was right.
"Wards don't work well on non magical households." Hermione said with a frown, "There's just not enough magic in the area to sustain it. It could have failed at any point."
"Further proof that our Headmaster is an idiot." Seto growled. "That's basic, wards and shields 101, that's why champions in the olden times had to be wizards."
"Huh?" Joey looked confused.
"Champions, that roamed the lands back before magical creatures were hidden and slew them had to be wizards, otherwise shielding charms didn't stick." Seto said.
"Why would you even know that?" Joey asked.
"Some of us read." Seto said, scowling at Joey.
"Don't start fighting." Yami growled.
Harry would have welcomed the fighting, something normal to have grounded him in this impossible situation.
Hermione and Kari were whispering about something, and turned to the group, "We're going to head to the…"
"Library." Harry finished dully.
"We won't be long, we just want to look something up." Hermione said, "Then we'll be right back."
There was a round of nods and the two girls vanished from the wing.
"If they haven't read the entire library between them by now, I'd be very surprised." Yami sighed, taking Kari's place on the window sill.
"Twice." Joey snorted, "At least."
Silence fell again, there wasn't really anything anyone could say and while Seto vanished for a while, it was only long enough to get his laptop and the girls were back with a rather large book on magical laws each before the House Elves were back with lunch, taking the mostly untouched breakfast things with them.
Yami, from his perch, watched their group, and wondered about their relationships. He and Kaiba were rivals, that much remained the same from when he'd first woken up, but so much was different since then.
Yugi was writing his letter to Tea, filling in their friend, who was studying in America, on everything that had happened overnight, paper on his knees, chewing the end of his pen. That wouldn't have been possible nearly seven years ago, for him to be able to observe his hikari like this. Yami hadn't even been sure how to take spirit form back then.
Joey hadn't moved too far from Harry, just being a supportive pillar. This wasn't new, but the maturity and sense Joey was showing was certainly something he'd picked up over the years.
In some ways Kaiba hadn't changed much, still obsessed with work and games, and trying to defeat them. But a lot had changed with the young CEO, he interacted with them a lot more, gave them helping hands, considered the best way to help them… this had been a couple of years in the making and had been happening slowly anyway. But once Kari had saved his life it had gotten a kick start.
Mokuba was often found with his girls, Ginny, Luna and, thankfully, Rebecca, either studying, or playing games, or just hanging out, right now the four of them had gone into the Purple Eyes Silver Dragons' part of the wing and it sounded like they were talking with the dragons, who were mostly Duel Monsters, but it seemed that they weren't quite. Yami didn't understand how it worked and could only guess that being born in the human world, rather then the Duel Monster one had done something unexpected.
They were without Tea and Tristan, and he knew that sometimes Yugi missed them as much as he did, but Tea was doing well and had become a professional dancer, while Tristan was working security around the Duelling Circuit, keeping an eye out for 'things that happen without a logical explanation'. Hired due to his close proximity to 'The Crazy' in other tournaments, and because he was a known fan of the game.
Hermione had changed too, the shy young teen, a real bookworm, had settled into their group really well, becoming more outgoing and friendly as time had gone on. She was engrossed in a rather thick book which from the look she was giving it, either wasn't giving her the answers she needed, or she didn't like the look of the answers.
To her left was Kari, also engrossed in a book. She didn't live for work as much, but something had changed in Kari recently, since the stint over the summer when she'd tried to hold Kaiba Corp up under a lot of stress and fallen to pieces because of it. They'd finally gotten her back on track with eating and sleeping, with her own magic recovering quickly once that had been established, but she didn't seem so bouncy anymore and sometimes it was like the fight had been knocked out of her.
Yami was hoping the Triwizard Tournament would give some of it back.
Ombre was busy with something or another, she'd been playing with her deck in a corner of the room and then sighed and packed it away, and currently it looked like she was falling asleep.
Harry was still in shock, Yami couldn't blame him. Harry was the most changed out of the lot of them, especially since the Shadow Game with that soul fragment that had evicted Voldemort out of his mind. Yami aimed his glare for the evil wizard out of the window, away from his friends. He'd been so careful during that game to not mess up anything in Harry's mind, but with the soul fragment gone, Harry's mind had become lighter, and they could see the changes in Harry's day to day attitude and personality.
They were good changes, but they were still changes.
Yugi sighed, put down his pen and joined his dark on the windowsill. "I'm going to talk to Ron." Yugi said quietly enough for Yami to hear, but not so loudly he disturbed anyone else.
"Why?"
"He needs to know something's happened, even if he was an idiot last night."
"Alright." Yami nodded, "If he's being sane again, tell him where we are."
Yugi nodded and slipped out of the room.
Yami sighed as, simultaneously, Hermione and Kari turned pages, wondering what the girls were up to this time, but half afraid to ask in case it involved worms or millipedes. He'd had quite enough of those, thank you very much.
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"Ron!"
Ron paused midstep, remembered he was supposed to be angry with the person calling him and carried on.
"Ron!" Yugi caught up to him and walked alongside him until he caught his breath.
"What do you want Yugi?"
Yugi paused and fell back a step at Ron's tone, before recovering and catching up again, "It's Harry…"
"Isn't it always?" Ron growled.
"Ron, it's serious…"
"More serious then vanishing off the face of the Earth? Or nearly getting killed? Or getting into the Triwizard Tournament without entering?" Ron snorted, "I'm not interested."
"Harry's Aunt and Uncle are dead Ron."
"So?"
"So? Aren't you even slightly worried about Harry in all this?"
"Why should I be? He has Sirius."
Yugi looked at him in shock and disbelief, "Ron…" Yugi shivered, "I don't think I can be friends with you any more."
"Good, I never asked you to be in the first place." Ron scowled at him, "You're always there for Harry, you never take my ideas seriously, you never tell me anything, you're forever going off without me…"
"That's not true. I listen to your ideas, it wasn't my fault we fell out of contact over the summer, you wanted to go home for the summer and we don't have your telephone number…" Yugi shook his head.
"You could have tried Yugi."
"I had my soul stolen!" Yugi protested, "How could I write letters when I was in coma?"
Ron glared at him, "And what about the others?"
"Is this what this is all about? You being left out over the summer?" Yugi asked, astounded, "There was so much going on that the guys didn't have time to…"
"You had time to get Harry." Ron growled, "And it's not just this summer, you've left me out of things before, I bet you had this planned. To get Harry into the Tournament without telling me, just to make me look stupid…"
"If that's want you want to think Ron, go ahead, I'm not going to argue with you." Yugi said, before walking away.
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Harry had never been to a funeral before, not that he remembered. He might have gone to his parents, or maybe his parents had taken him to others. He didn't think so, from what he knew of babies, you didn't take them to funerals.
He was glad that part of Duke's shopping spree had included an almost muggle suit. Smart black trousers and a dark shirt made him look different from his normally messy appearance.
He was met by Dudley outside. His cousin dressed uncomfortably in a tux too small for him.
They didn't say a word, but walked in together, Aunt Marge hovering over the both of them, much to Harry's displeasure.
He'd been allowed a couple of days off school, in the care of his Godfather, Sirius, to come down from Hogwarts and attend, but as he sat down in the front row, he wondered exactly what he was doing here.
Vernon and Petunia Dursley had been his Aunt and Uncle, true, but why was it, that he felt nothing but shock at their passing?
Was it delayed grief? Or was it that they'd ceased to be family a long time ago, and that his family were in fact waiting to give him their support upon his return to school?
The vicar spoke. There was very little to say about the good things they'd done. Aunt Marge said a few words, mostly about how good and kind they had been to take in her delinquent nephew. Other then that, there didn't seem to be anything particularly good to say about them and even those few words had been more lies then Harry could stomache.
Then it hit him. That was just it. The Durlseys hadn't been good people in life, they hadn't helped people in need, they hadn't been there for anyone but themselves and they weren't missed by anyone but family, except the neighbours, who wondered who would be moving into the house next and hoping their son wasn't a bully.
It was over more quickly then Harry would have thought, he guessed it was because there was so little to say about them, and they filed out again, where Sirius was waiting for him, in a smart looking, black, muggle suit.
There were few who stopped for the wake, food and talk were both scarce and not many people came to offer their condolences. Harry wasn't sure he wanted them.
"What happens to you now?" He found himself asking Dudley as his cousin pushed the food around his plate.
"Aunt Marge can't take me." Dudley shrugged.
"Is there anyone else?"
"No." The food was now an unidentified mess.
Harry took a bite, frowned and dropped his fork. Either the food was horrible or the funeral had put him off of it. "What about school? Isn't there anyone there you could live with?"
"No."
Harry wondered how Dudley's school life was. If Harry asked, he would be allowed to live with any of his friends… Dudley had no one. "So…where?"
"Orphanage, I suppose, or Foster Care."
Harry shivered, having heard the horror stories about Seto Kaiba's foster father, and remembered the tales his aunt and uncle had told of those places.
"What about you?" Dudley looked up. "I saw the man you came in with. He's your Godfather, ain't he?"
"Yeah. Sirius… he's okay."
"I suppose we won't see each other again."
"Would you want to?"
"I dunno."
"At least you can go back to school, right?"
"No." Dudley shrugged again, "Not enough money to pay for it."
Harry sighed. "Look, I'll talk to Sirius, he might be able to do something, alight?"
"Yeah, thanks Harry." Dudley said quietly and despondently.
Silence fell again, and Harry found himself wondering if Rai's funeral had been like this, or whether there had been good things to say about the young man, whether people other then family had cared.
Harry quickly walked over to where Sirius was trying to look inconspicuous, by the buffet.
"Ready to go pronglet?" Sirius asked, looking vaguely uncomfortable.
"In a moment. Do you know what's going to happen to Dudley?"
"No. I can find out, that Aunt of his probably knows." So Sirius Black took over. Later that night Harry would probably be banging his head, why had he wanted a caring guardian in the first place?
Oh well, Dumbledore at least should be happy, he was still going to live with a blood relation.
Wait until the gang heard about this…