Chapter 17: - The Man With Two faces
It was Quirrell. He had Yugi by the hair, facing the mirror. Even without the Puzzle, at this range Yami could sense Yugi's pain and fear, and he wasn't about to let it continue. Harry looked past Quirrell to where Kari had spotted them and was staring open mouthed at Yami. Quirrell turned around and smirked, forcing Yugi between him and then two newest people to enter the room. "You!" Harry gasped.
"Me." Quirrell said calmly, watching Yami and keeping his wand at Yugi's back, "I wondered if I'd be seeing you Mr Potter, and I shouldn't be surprised that you're here either Mr Muto, come to rescue your hikari, I suppose."
"Get away from him." Yami growled, Yugi's eyes widened, wondering if Yami was aware he was glowing. Quirrell watched with growing fear as Yami stepped forward, glowing purple, he raised his hand and Quirrell flew backwards, straight into a pillar halfway across the room. Yugi rushed over to Yami, who untied Yugi's wrists and Harry raced over to Kari and untied her. Kari stood up. Yugi rushed over to the mirror and grabbed the Puzzle as Quirrell got up.
Harry turned to him, "But… I thought… Snape…"
"Severus?" Quirrell laughed, not his usual quivering treble either, but a cold, sharp laugh. "Yes, Severus does seem the type doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him who would suspect p..poor st…stuttering P…Professor Quirrell?"
Yami growled again, he didn't like what he was sensing from the Professor. Yugi came back over to Yami's side, who handed the hikari the puzzle piece he'd found in the third floor corridor. Yugi put it on and instantly the mind link came back, Yugi could feel the darkness from Quirrell too, and Yami was certain there was more there then met the eye. "Be careful Harry." Kari murmured, her face ashen, as Harry stepped forward. "He has the same power I sensed in the forest." Harry nodded but couldn't take it in.
"But Snape tried to kill me!"
"No, no, no. I tried to kill you. I had to deal with Miss Ironhide over there, but your friend Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over in her rush to set fire to Snape at that Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with you, Miss Ironhide's distraction, meant that if I'd only had another couple of seconds and I'd have gotten you off of that broom. I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering his little counter-curse, trying to save you."
"Snape was trying to… save me?"
"Of course." Said Quirrell coolly, "Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? Funny really… he needed have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching. All the other teachers thought that he was trying to stop Gryffindor from winning, he did make himself unpopular… and what a waste of time, after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight." Quirrell snapped his fingers and ropes wrapped tightly around Harry. He quickly turned to Yami, who was still glowing, though not as brightly, with his wand drawn, and before anyone could make a move cast a spell, "Stupify!"
Yami, who was stood between Quirrell and Yugi, was knocked backwards into his hikari. Yugi and Yami hit the ground, Yugi was up in seconds, supporting Yami, holding the completed Millennium Puzzle and scowling as Kari tried to untie Harry. Quirrell smirked and pointed his wand at Kari next. "Kari!" Yugi yelled, she turned in time to see the stunning spell cast, giving her enough time to roll out of the way.
"You and your friends are too nosy to live, Potter. Scurrying around the school at Halloween like that, lot I know you'd have seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone." Quirrell continued, circling around until he was blocking the only exit. Wand in hand, "And Mr Muto, I am well aware of the powers of those things which you call Millennium Items, if you even think about using the Puzzle, the Pharaoh will get it, don't think I only know how to stun someone. How do you think I was able to counter Ironhide's attempt to help Potter during that Quidditch Match? My Master knows of these items existence and has done extensive research into them."
"Wait? Halloween? Then you let the troll in?"
"Certainly, I have a certain knack for trolls though I would have thought it would be conscious by now…"
"It was." Harry murmered, Yugi looked at him sharply, they'd fought a troll to get here? Sorry another troll? Quirrell continued.
"Of course Snape already suspected me, and went straight to the third floor, and not only did my troll fail to beat you all to death but that three headed dog couldn't even chew Snape's leg off properly." Quirrell looked around, Harry was almost free, Yami was out cold, "Immobulus!" Quirrell called, his wand pointed at Yugi, who was instantly frozen on the spot, Kari moved quickly in an attempt to grab her wand, but failed to cast the necessary spell to revive Yami before she was hit by Quirrell's Immobulus spell and was forced to stop dead in her tracks, unable to move. "That's better." Quirrell said, moving in front of what Harry now realised was the Mirror of Erised. "This mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell muttered, "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this, but he's away in London and I'll be far away by the time he gets back."
"I saw you and Snape in the forest…" Harry blurted out, Kari wondered what he was up to, unless he was just trying to buy some time.
"Yes." Quirrell said idly, walking around the mirror, "He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd gotten. He suspected me all along, tried to frighten me, as if that's possible with Lord Voldemort by my side." Quirrell came back in front of the mirror, "I see the Stone, I'm presenting it to my master, but where is it?"
Frustration seeped through Yugi, it didn't seem to matter what he tried, he couldn't move. He saw Harry struggling against the ropes Kari had failed to untie and felt Kari's magic flare, her eyes closed. All three of them were aware they had to keep Quirrell from turning his full attention to the mirror. "But Snape seems to hate me so much!"
"Oh, he does…" Quirrell continued casually, "Heavens, yes. He was at Hogwarts with your father, didn't you know? They loathed each other. But he never wanted you dead."
"But I heard you, a few days ago, sobbing. I thought Snape was threatening you."
For the second time a spasm of fear crossed Quirrell's face, "Sometimes I find it difficult to follow my master's instructions, he is a great wizard and I am weak." Harry kept the man talking, an idea forming in his head, he tried to get to the mirror but fell over because of the ropes. Quirrell ignored him. Quirrell had said that Voldemort was always with him but there was no one else in the room.
However when Quirrell asked his master for help, a voice answered that seemed to come from Quirrell himself.
"Use the boy." Quirrell rounded on Harry.
"Yes, Potter come here!" The ropes fell away, Harry got to his feet, "Come here or else your friends get it. Look in the Mirror and tell me what you see." Harry moved towards him, Quirrell seemed to have forgotten about the other two, who were reluctant to let Harry move towards him but couldn't do anything about it.
I must lie, he thought desperately, I must look and lie about what I see, that's all.
Quirrell moved in close behind him, Harry breathed in the funny small that seemed to come from Quirrell's turban. Quirrell had to turn away from Kari and Yugi, having kept an eye on them until this point, and the freezing spell wore off. In seconds Kari had finished her dive for her wand but was wary of casting anything with Quirrell so close to Harry. Harry had stepped in front of the mirror. "Well?" Quirrell demanded, "What do you see?"
Kari bit her bottom lip, "I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore, I… I've won the House Cup for Gryffindor." Quirrell cursed again.
"Get out of the way!" He said, pushing Harry aside. Before Harry had taken too many steps and before Yugi and Kari had reached the boy the voice had spoken again, though Quirrell's lips didn't move.
"He lies… he lies."
"Potter come back here! What did you see?" The high voice spoke again.
"Let me speak to him, face to face."
"Master, you are not strong enough."
"I have strength enough for this."
Harry felt as though the Devil's Snare had rooted him to the spot. The three of them watched as Quirrell unwrapped his turban. Once it was completely unwrapped Quirrell turned around, towards them.
Harry would have screamed if he could, but he couldn't make a sound. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a face, the most terrible face Harry had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake. "What in Ra's name?" Kari gasped, Yugi's normally huge eyes were gigantic with shock. It seemed they'd seen the source of the dark magic they'd been sensing.
"Harry Potter…" It whispered.
Harry would have retreated but he couldn't move. "See what I have become?" The face said, "Mere shadow and vapour, I have form only when I can share another's body… but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds… not unlike you two and your former partners." The voice said, talking to Yugi and Kari, Kari glared at the face. Yugi couldn't deny that what he'd said was true, though their partner's were spirits from ancient times, they had at one point relied in Yugi and Kari to have forms.
"They're still our partners!" Yugi said.
The face laughed, "That's what you think, they don't need you any more. As I was saying, unicorn blood has strengthened me these past weeks, you saw Quirrell drinking it in the forest and once I have the Elixir of Life I will be able to create a body of my own. Shadow Magic is too unpredictable to rely on it to give me one like it did the spirits of your items. Now Potter, why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket." So he knew. The feeling surged back into Harry's legs and he stumbled backwards. "Don't be a fool, better to save your own life and the lives of your friends and join me or you'll meet the same end as your parents, they died begging me for mercy."
"LIAR!" Harry suddenly shouted, aware Yugi and Kari were making their way, slowly, to his side, trying to avoid catching Quirrell's attention in case they need to startle him, Quirrell was walking backwards at him so Voldemort could still see him. The evil face was now smiling.
"How touching," it hissed, "I always value bravery. Yes, boy, your parents were brave. I killed your father first and he put up a courageous fight but your mother needn't have died, she was trying to protect you. Now give me that Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain!"
"NEVER!" Harry sprang towards his friends but Voldemort screamed "SEIZE HIM!" and, next second, Harry felt Quirrell's hand on his wrist. At once a needle sharp pain seared across Harry's scar; his head felt like it would split in two; he yelled, struggling with all his might and to his surprise Quirrell let go. The pain lessened and he looked around wildly to see where Quirrell had gone and saw him hunched in pain, looking at his fingers, they were blistering before his eyes. Yugi and Kari pulled Harry behind them, while they stood between Harry and Quirrell.
"Seize him! SEIZE HIM!" Shrieked Voldemort again and Quirrell lunged, knocking all three off of their feet and landing on Harry, both hands around the boy's neck. Harry's scar was almost blinding him with pain, yet he could see Quirrell howling in agony. "Master! I cannot hold him, my hands… my hands!"
Kari pulled Quirrell off of Harry, while Yugi pulled Harry to his feet. "Stupify!" Quirrell growled, his wand pointed at Kari, who was blasted halfway across the room and landed hard on the stone floor. Harry could see Quirrell's hands were red and blistered. "Then kill them and be done with it!"
Quirrell turned towards Yugi and Harry and raised his wand to perform a deadly curse, but Harry, by instinct, rushed past Yugi and grabbed Quirrell's face, knowing their only chance was if he could keep Quirrell in enough pain to stop him doing a curse, Quirrell backed away and Harry grabbed onto Quirrell's arm, as tightly as he could. Harry felt himself slipping into darkness as Quirrell's arm went limp in his hand and Quirrell's screams dying out.
Yugi caught Harry as he fell, pulling the boy away from the dying wizard, who fell to the ground. Yugi looked green as he managed to drag Harry over to where Yami was. Quirrell was most defiantly dead, he'd stopped breathing. He turned away from Quirrell, towards Kari, wondering how he was going to get everyone back up the corridor, as Yami opened his eyes. Yami groaned and sat up, watching in horror as a spirit rose from Quirrell and flew at Yugi, flying into the teen, who crumpled to the ground.
"Yugi!" Yami cried, rushing over, Kari and Harry were unconscious, he turned Yugi over and held the Puzzle in his hands and closed his eyes. And opened them again in a dark place he'd never been before. A hooded figure was gloating at an exhausted Yugi. "Give up Muto. You know I need another host. I can do this one of two ways, I can leave your spirit intact or I can take your body by force. You're already injured from fighting me off, and the Pharaoh won't be here to save you this time, he doesn't need you any more, you're just dead weight, I can see your memories, you've never been anything but a burden to him, just allow me to take over, do this the easy way."
"No…" Yugi groaned, "You'll hurt my friends." Yugi backed away, painfully.
"Then say goodbye!" Voldemort growled and cast a wandless spell at Yugi, who cringed away.
"Yugi!" Yami growled and put himself between Yugi and the spirit, the spell bouncing harmlessly off him.
"Y…Yami?" Yugi asked, Yami was glowing again.
"Leave him alone!" Yami growled to the spirit.
"Yami… that's Voldemort."
"You won't touch Yugi again!" Yami growled, sending a wave of shadow magic at the hooded figure, Voldemort.
The figure laughed and vanished.
"I can find other, stronger hosts, not one that relies on another for their protection. This won't be the last you see of me." His voice faded into the darkness, unknown to Yugi and Yami, in the outside world, the spirit of Voldemort had left Yugi's body and was headed back the way Yami and Harry had come.
The darkness faded away, leaving Yami and Yugi in Yugi's soul room. Yami turned around in time to catch Yugi who collapsed as the last of the darkness faded away.
"Me." Quirrell said calmly, watching Yami and keeping his wand at Yugi's back, "I wondered if I'd be seeing you Mr Potter, and I shouldn't be surprised that you're here either Mr Muto, come to rescue your hikari, I suppose."
"Get away from him." Yami growled, Yugi's eyes widened, wondering if Yami was aware he was glowing. Quirrell watched with growing fear as Yami stepped forward, glowing purple, he raised his hand and Quirrell flew backwards, straight into a pillar halfway across the room. Yugi rushed over to Yami, who untied Yugi's wrists and Harry raced over to Kari and untied her. Kari stood up. Yugi rushed over to the mirror and grabbed the Puzzle as Quirrell got up.
Harry turned to him, "But… I thought… Snape…"
"Severus?" Quirrell laughed, not his usual quivering treble either, but a cold, sharp laugh. "Yes, Severus does seem the type doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him who would suspect p..poor st…stuttering P…Professor Quirrell?"
Yami growled again, he didn't like what he was sensing from the Professor. Yugi came back over to Yami's side, who handed the hikari the puzzle piece he'd found in the third floor corridor. Yugi put it on and instantly the mind link came back, Yugi could feel the darkness from Quirrell too, and Yami was certain there was more there then met the eye. "Be careful Harry." Kari murmured, her face ashen, as Harry stepped forward. "He has the same power I sensed in the forest." Harry nodded but couldn't take it in.
"But Snape tried to kill me!"
"No, no, no. I tried to kill you. I had to deal with Miss Ironhide over there, but your friend Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over in her rush to set fire to Snape at that Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with you, Miss Ironhide's distraction, meant that if I'd only had another couple of seconds and I'd have gotten you off of that broom. I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering his little counter-curse, trying to save you."
"Snape was trying to… save me?"
"Of course." Said Quirrell coolly, "Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? Funny really… he needed have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching. All the other teachers thought that he was trying to stop Gryffindor from winning, he did make himself unpopular… and what a waste of time, after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight." Quirrell snapped his fingers and ropes wrapped tightly around Harry. He quickly turned to Yami, who was still glowing, though not as brightly, with his wand drawn, and before anyone could make a move cast a spell, "Stupify!"
Yami, who was stood between Quirrell and Yugi, was knocked backwards into his hikari. Yugi and Yami hit the ground, Yugi was up in seconds, supporting Yami, holding the completed Millennium Puzzle and scowling as Kari tried to untie Harry. Quirrell smirked and pointed his wand at Kari next. "Kari!" Yugi yelled, she turned in time to see the stunning spell cast, giving her enough time to roll out of the way.
"You and your friends are too nosy to live, Potter. Scurrying around the school at Halloween like that, lot I know you'd have seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone." Quirrell continued, circling around until he was blocking the only exit. Wand in hand, "And Mr Muto, I am well aware of the powers of those things which you call Millennium Items, if you even think about using the Puzzle, the Pharaoh will get it, don't think I only know how to stun someone. How do you think I was able to counter Ironhide's attempt to help Potter during that Quidditch Match? My Master knows of these items existence and has done extensive research into them."
"Wait? Halloween? Then you let the troll in?"
"Certainly, I have a certain knack for trolls though I would have thought it would be conscious by now…"
"It was." Harry murmered, Yugi looked at him sharply, they'd fought a troll to get here? Sorry another troll? Quirrell continued.
"Of course Snape already suspected me, and went straight to the third floor, and not only did my troll fail to beat you all to death but that three headed dog couldn't even chew Snape's leg off properly." Quirrell looked around, Harry was almost free, Yami was out cold, "Immobulus!" Quirrell called, his wand pointed at Yugi, who was instantly frozen on the spot, Kari moved quickly in an attempt to grab her wand, but failed to cast the necessary spell to revive Yami before she was hit by Quirrell's Immobulus spell and was forced to stop dead in her tracks, unable to move. "That's better." Quirrell said, moving in front of what Harry now realised was the Mirror of Erised. "This mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell muttered, "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this, but he's away in London and I'll be far away by the time he gets back."
"I saw you and Snape in the forest…" Harry blurted out, Kari wondered what he was up to, unless he was just trying to buy some time.
"Yes." Quirrell said idly, walking around the mirror, "He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd gotten. He suspected me all along, tried to frighten me, as if that's possible with Lord Voldemort by my side." Quirrell came back in front of the mirror, "I see the Stone, I'm presenting it to my master, but where is it?"
Frustration seeped through Yugi, it didn't seem to matter what he tried, he couldn't move. He saw Harry struggling against the ropes Kari had failed to untie and felt Kari's magic flare, her eyes closed. All three of them were aware they had to keep Quirrell from turning his full attention to the mirror. "But Snape seems to hate me so much!"
"Oh, he does…" Quirrell continued casually, "Heavens, yes. He was at Hogwarts with your father, didn't you know? They loathed each other. But he never wanted you dead."
"But I heard you, a few days ago, sobbing. I thought Snape was threatening you."
For the second time a spasm of fear crossed Quirrell's face, "Sometimes I find it difficult to follow my master's instructions, he is a great wizard and I am weak." Harry kept the man talking, an idea forming in his head, he tried to get to the mirror but fell over because of the ropes. Quirrell ignored him. Quirrell had said that Voldemort was always with him but there was no one else in the room.
However when Quirrell asked his master for help, a voice answered that seemed to come from Quirrell himself.
"Use the boy." Quirrell rounded on Harry.
"Yes, Potter come here!" The ropes fell away, Harry got to his feet, "Come here or else your friends get it. Look in the Mirror and tell me what you see." Harry moved towards him, Quirrell seemed to have forgotten about the other two, who were reluctant to let Harry move towards him but couldn't do anything about it.
I must lie, he thought desperately, I must look and lie about what I see, that's all.
Quirrell moved in close behind him, Harry breathed in the funny small that seemed to come from Quirrell's turban. Quirrell had to turn away from Kari and Yugi, having kept an eye on them until this point, and the freezing spell wore off. In seconds Kari had finished her dive for her wand but was wary of casting anything with Quirrell so close to Harry. Harry had stepped in front of the mirror. "Well?" Quirrell demanded, "What do you see?"
Kari bit her bottom lip, "I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore, I… I've won the House Cup for Gryffindor." Quirrell cursed again.
"Get out of the way!" He said, pushing Harry aside. Before Harry had taken too many steps and before Yugi and Kari had reached the boy the voice had spoken again, though Quirrell's lips didn't move.
"He lies… he lies."
"Potter come back here! What did you see?" The high voice spoke again.
"Let me speak to him, face to face."
"Master, you are not strong enough."
"I have strength enough for this."
Harry felt as though the Devil's Snare had rooted him to the spot. The three of them watched as Quirrell unwrapped his turban. Once it was completely unwrapped Quirrell turned around, towards them.
Harry would have screamed if he could, but he couldn't make a sound. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a face, the most terrible face Harry had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake. "What in Ra's name?" Kari gasped, Yugi's normally huge eyes were gigantic with shock. It seemed they'd seen the source of the dark magic they'd been sensing.
"Harry Potter…" It whispered.
Harry would have retreated but he couldn't move. "See what I have become?" The face said, "Mere shadow and vapour, I have form only when I can share another's body… but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds… not unlike you two and your former partners." The voice said, talking to Yugi and Kari, Kari glared at the face. Yugi couldn't deny that what he'd said was true, though their partner's were spirits from ancient times, they had at one point relied in Yugi and Kari to have forms.
"They're still our partners!" Yugi said.
The face laughed, "That's what you think, they don't need you any more. As I was saying, unicorn blood has strengthened me these past weeks, you saw Quirrell drinking it in the forest and once I have the Elixir of Life I will be able to create a body of my own. Shadow Magic is too unpredictable to rely on it to give me one like it did the spirits of your items. Now Potter, why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket." So he knew. The feeling surged back into Harry's legs and he stumbled backwards. "Don't be a fool, better to save your own life and the lives of your friends and join me or you'll meet the same end as your parents, they died begging me for mercy."
"LIAR!" Harry suddenly shouted, aware Yugi and Kari were making their way, slowly, to his side, trying to avoid catching Quirrell's attention in case they need to startle him, Quirrell was walking backwards at him so Voldemort could still see him. The evil face was now smiling.
"How touching," it hissed, "I always value bravery. Yes, boy, your parents were brave. I killed your father first and he put up a courageous fight but your mother needn't have died, she was trying to protect you. Now give me that Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain!"
"NEVER!" Harry sprang towards his friends but Voldemort screamed "SEIZE HIM!" and, next second, Harry felt Quirrell's hand on his wrist. At once a needle sharp pain seared across Harry's scar; his head felt like it would split in two; he yelled, struggling with all his might and to his surprise Quirrell let go. The pain lessened and he looked around wildly to see where Quirrell had gone and saw him hunched in pain, looking at his fingers, they were blistering before his eyes. Yugi and Kari pulled Harry behind them, while they stood between Harry and Quirrell.
"Seize him! SEIZE HIM!" Shrieked Voldemort again and Quirrell lunged, knocking all three off of their feet and landing on Harry, both hands around the boy's neck. Harry's scar was almost blinding him with pain, yet he could see Quirrell howling in agony. "Master! I cannot hold him, my hands… my hands!"
Kari pulled Quirrell off of Harry, while Yugi pulled Harry to his feet. "Stupify!" Quirrell growled, his wand pointed at Kari, who was blasted halfway across the room and landed hard on the stone floor. Harry could see Quirrell's hands were red and blistered. "Then kill them and be done with it!"
Quirrell turned towards Yugi and Harry and raised his wand to perform a deadly curse, but Harry, by instinct, rushed past Yugi and grabbed Quirrell's face, knowing their only chance was if he could keep Quirrell in enough pain to stop him doing a curse, Quirrell backed away and Harry grabbed onto Quirrell's arm, as tightly as he could. Harry felt himself slipping into darkness as Quirrell's arm went limp in his hand and Quirrell's screams dying out.
Yugi caught Harry as he fell, pulling the boy away from the dying wizard, who fell to the ground. Yugi looked green as he managed to drag Harry over to where Yami was. Quirrell was most defiantly dead, he'd stopped breathing. He turned away from Quirrell, towards Kari, wondering how he was going to get everyone back up the corridor, as Yami opened his eyes. Yami groaned and sat up, watching in horror as a spirit rose from Quirrell and flew at Yugi, flying into the teen, who crumpled to the ground.
"Yugi!" Yami cried, rushing over, Kari and Harry were unconscious, he turned Yugi over and held the Puzzle in his hands and closed his eyes. And opened them again in a dark place he'd never been before. A hooded figure was gloating at an exhausted Yugi. "Give up Muto. You know I need another host. I can do this one of two ways, I can leave your spirit intact or I can take your body by force. You're already injured from fighting me off, and the Pharaoh won't be here to save you this time, he doesn't need you any more, you're just dead weight, I can see your memories, you've never been anything but a burden to him, just allow me to take over, do this the easy way."
"No…" Yugi groaned, "You'll hurt my friends." Yugi backed away, painfully.
"Then say goodbye!" Voldemort growled and cast a wandless spell at Yugi, who cringed away.
"Yugi!" Yami growled and put himself between Yugi and the spirit, the spell bouncing harmlessly off him.
"Y…Yami?" Yugi asked, Yami was glowing again.
"Leave him alone!" Yami growled to the spirit.
"Yami… that's Voldemort."
"You won't touch Yugi again!" Yami growled, sending a wave of shadow magic at the hooded figure, Voldemort.
The figure laughed and vanished.
"I can find other, stronger hosts, not one that relies on another for their protection. This won't be the last you see of me." His voice faded into the darkness, unknown to Yugi and Yami, in the outside world, the spirit of Voldemort had left Yugi's body and was headed back the way Yami and Harry had come.
The darkness faded away, leaving Yami and Yugi in Yugi's soul room. Yami turned around in time to catch Yugi who collapsed as the last of the darkness faded away.