Chapter 3: - Some Suprises
Harry was woken up the next morning by a very loud discussion taking place in the hallway, he opened his door and stared sleepily at Yami and Kaiba who were in the middle of a blazing row, and were ignoring Yugi and Mokuba's attempts to get them to clam down before they woke up all of Diagon Alley. Seconds later a second row exploded as Ron and Percy started yelling at each other.
"Yugi…" Harry called, Yugi gave up trying to calm Yami down and came over to the door, "What're they fighting about?"
"Percy thinks Ron spilt tea on his girlfriend's picture, and Kaiba is accusing Yami of programming his laptop to repeatedly play 'You're not me.' since Yami was the last one in the room with it when Kaiba left it downstairs earlier this morning."
"But I thought Yami wasn't even sure how to check e-mails, how would he know how to break Kaiba's security?" Harry asked, while Yugi shook his head.
"My point exactly but they won't listen to me." Yugi thought for a second, "I wonder…" He closed his eyes and Harry watched as the Puzzle glowed and Yami went from angry and yelling to stock still and emotionless in seconds, Yugi's eyes had gone blank too.
"Don't ignore me when I'm…" Kaiba trailed off, Yami was staring straight through him, "Hello? Yami?" He heard giggling. He turned around and saw Kari laughing.
"It wasn't Yami that messed with your laptop." Kari giggled, "He wouldn't know how."
"No," Kaiba said, thinking, "The only person who could've done that is…" Kari squeaked as Kaiba growled at her and chased her down the hall. "IRONHIDE!"
"Huh?" Ombre asked, sticking her head out her door.
"I'd suggest you go and rescue your hikari." Joey laughed, "Kaiba chased her downstairs."
"Uh oh!" Ombre growled and dashed out of her room and down the stairs, Harry wondered if she was aware she was still in her pyjamas.
Yami had come back to his senses and stormed off, Yugi was looking hurt, "You alright Yuge?" Joey asked, Yugi nodded, slightly stunned, "How'd you stop the argument?"
"Huh?" Yugi asked.
"Earth to Yugi." Joey said, waving his hand in front of Yugi's eyes. Yugi jumped slightly but still looked upset. After breakfast Yami pulled Yugi into their room, and when Joey knocked on their door, to tell them to bring their cases down, it was a much happier Yugi that answered.
"Joey," Yami called, an evil grin on his face, "Come in here, we have an idea." Joey joined them, Kari and Ombre were sat on the desk, while Yami was sat on the bed, Yugi joining him. "Listen up…"
Harry was the last to join them in their compartments; he couldn't work out why Yami, Yugi, Ombre and Joey had joined Kari, Kaiba and Mokuba in their compartment, which was normally reserved for the two to do their emergency work. That was until they were about halfway there, five voices burst into song,
"You think I've got it all,
Everyone thinks I got it made,
Well…"
Harry and the others, burst out laughing as Kaiba stormed past, Yami and Joey's baritones, Yugi's tenor, Kari's mezzo soprano and Ombre's contralto voices following the CEO out.
The five rejoined their friends in the other compartment, laughing quietly, and everyone budged up, trying not the wake the strange man in the corner as they did so.
"Who's he?" Yami asked, once they'd clamed down.
"I think he's the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher." Hermione said, "Look at his suitcase." The tag on it said 'Professor R. J. Lupin.'
"Think he's up to the job?" Joey asked, "I mean, he looks like one good jinx could finish him off." He turned to Harry, "Anyway, what was it that you wanted to tell us?"
Harry explained about the argument between Mr and Mrs Weasley, and about a warning that Mr Weasley had given him before he'd joined the others on the train. By the time he'd finished Kaiba had returned to the other compartment. Hermione was staring wide eyed at Harry. "Oh Harry, you'll have to be really, really careful. Don't go looking for trouble."
"I don't go looking for trouble," Harry said, nettled, "It normally finds me."
"I can sympathise." Yugi said; Joey nodded in agreement.
"Any way, how thick would Harry have to be to go looking for a nutter who wants to kill him?" Ron asked, his voice shaky.
"We wouldn't let him get to Harry anyway, right guys?" Kari asked, everyone agreed. Harry was surprised; they were more concerned about the murderer after him, than they were about Bakura still wanting revenge on Yugi after the Penalty Game he'd given Draco Malfoy last year. The Sneakoscope that Ron had given Harry for his birthday was going off and Ron stuffed it into one of Harry's pairs of socks, and slammed the case shut, trying to avoid waking the Professor.
"Did you hear?" Kari asked, "Kaiba couldn't sign his own permission slip for Hogsmead!" She tried to contain her giggles, "I ended up signing it!"
"So who signed yours?" Joey asked, Yugi's grandpa had signed his, since he couldn't tell his mum, and he no longer spoke to his dad, having moved out two summers ago, along with Yugi and Yami's slips.
"My parents begrudgingly signed it when I went over during the summer, I do love having my own jet even if it does mean Term Time is the only time I don't have an excuse to get out of my parent's constant ploys to get me to go home." Kari sighed.
They started talking about Hogsmead, Kari offered to sign Harry's permission slip but Hermione said Harry would have to ask Professor McGonagall first. "Harry would be perfectly safe with us. I mean there's eight of us. And with four of us able to use Shadow Magic…"
"That wouldn't stop him, he murdered an whole bunch of people in the middle of a crowded street. Do you really think having us around will stop him?"
The food trolley arrived but they couldn't wake up the new Professor, "I wouldn't worry dears," She said as she handed out the food to the group, "If he wakes up, I'll be up front with the driver."
Professor Lupin may not be very good company, but his company had some uses. About halfway through the afternoon, not long after they'd gotten changed and only just after it had started to rain, they heard footsteps and their four favourite people appeared at the door, Bakura and Draco Malfoy, flanked by Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle.
"Well, look who it is," Bakura sneered, Draco looked like he wanted to say something but because of the rules Yugi had laid down when he and Draco had played a Shadow Game, Draco could do anything to the group of friends. "Worthless muggle borns, weakling hikaris and pathetic past royalty."
Yami growled and stood up quickly, knocking his open backpack, which held the Millennium items, to the floor. Lupin snorted, and Bakura looked at the man oddly.
"Who's that?"
"New Professor." Yugi said quickly, he'd gotten to his feet to, in case he needed to back up his partner. "What were you saying, Bakura?" Bakura's eyes narrowed, he wasn't stupid enough to pick a fight with a teacher around.
"C'mon!" Bakura snapped at the three with him, Draco looked resentful but followed Bakura and the other two.
"I swear, if he makes one crack about my family this year, just one I'll… I'll…!" Ron snarled.
"Well if he tries to hurt anyone in our group, I'll send him to the Shadow Realm, and ensure he stays there this time!" Yami snarled.
"Yami…" Yugi whispered, as Lupin stirred, "Careful." However Lupin slept on.
"We must be nearly there." Ron sighed.
No sooner had the words escaped his mouth then the train slowed down. It came to a stop with a jolt, and the lamps went out, plunging them into total darkness. "What's going on?" Yugi asked.
"I don't know." Yami replied.
"I'm going to ask the driver what's going on!" Kari said, moving past everyone.
"Not without me, you're not." Ombre murmured.
"Quiet!" A horse voice said, Professor Lupin was awake. "Stay where you are." He ordered them as he got to his feet, the compartment now lit by the flames in Lupin's hand. However, before he could move to the door it opened.
A cloaked figure that towered to the ceiling was stood in the doorway, it's face covered by the hood.
An intense cold swept over them all, they felt their breath catch in their throat. The cold seemed to pull at Yugi's heart, there was a rushing, like water and Yugi clung to his sense of Yami as he felt something tugging at his mind and heart, the roar growling louder.
Then as quickly as it began it was over, 'Yugi? Yugi!' Yami desperately called to him, 'Are you all right?' Yugi nodded weakly, the lights had come back on and Ron and Hermione brought Harry round.
Harry looked around. Not a single person was unaffected by the creature, some worse then others. Yugi was curled up, with his head buried in Yami's chest, who was very pale, and Harry could see he was trying to remain composed for Yugi's sake. Ombre was holding Kari tightly, as the girl was shaking so badly she could shake herself to pieces, her head too was hidden, though it sounded like she was crying, while her yami was shaking badly. Joey was pale, so much so he could have done a good impression of the Hogwarts ghosts, while Ryou, Hermione and Ron were ashy, but probably the least effected of the whole carriage. Harry had to wonder if Mokuba and Kaiba had been effected and his question was answered as Kaiba brought a tear stained Mokuba into their carriage, as the Professor moved to the door.
He broke off pieces of chocolate and handed them around, giving Harry the largest piece. "What was that?" Harry asked.
"A Dementor." Professor Lupin said, still handing the chocolate around. Most of them started eating straight away while Yami and Ombre looked at each other then at Lupin, "They should eat that, it'll help." Yugi and Kari pulled away, and sat quietly, eating the chocolate, with their yamis hugging them as they ate their own. "I have to go talk to the driver."
Professor Lupin left and Harry looked around confused. "What happened?"
"T..The Dementors…they have a terrible ability." Ryou stammered, as they budged up to make room for Kaiba and Mokuba, meaning there was absolutely no space for anyone else. "They suck all the positive thoughts and memories from those around them, leaving only hopelessness and despair. They guard the wizard's prison of Azkaban, constant exposure to such creatures eventually drains a wizard of all magic and drives them insane." Ryou shoved the rest of his chocolate in his mouth and looked around, silence reigning as they ate their chocolate in silence.
Yami couldn't get what he'd seen out of his head, he'd relived those dreadful few minutes from when he'd thought he'd lost Yugi forever, his soul had torn to shreds by the Shadow Realm when they'd been duelling Maximillian Pegasus. For Yugi, seeing Joey nearly die after being attacked by Ra, ending up on life support in the hospital part of Kaiba's blimp, had him clinging to Yami. It was the worst thing he could have seen, shaking the hikari to his core.
The rest of the train ride was in silence, with no-one willing to talk much. In fact no-one really wanted to talk most of the rest of the way. Once they reached the station they spilt up, into two groups of four and a group of three, Yugi, Yami, Kari and Ombre in one carriage, Joey, Harry. Ron and Hermione in another and Ryou, Kaiba, Mokuba with Neville Longbottom in another.
Kari was still staring blankly out the window, as she finally spoke for the first time since the Dementor had been on the train. "I saw that night, when Rai…" Kari hadn't ever spoken about it to anyone, the memory was locked away where even Ombre couldn't get to it, but the Dementor had dragged it out, kicking and screaming the whole way.
"It was my fault…I was running down the main road, Rai and I had just had a fight. Rai wouldn't listen to me, if he kept going the way he was going he was going to get hurt, but he couldn't understand that. I started crying and my vision blurred and I ran out into the main road without looking, a car horn blew and I was pushed off my feet. The sound of brakes and a loud crash caused me to turn around…Rai was led on the ground. I ran over and tried to wake him but he wasn't breathing. I had to be sedated before I would stop screaming. If I'd have been watching where I was going, he'd still be here."
As the group gathered by the doors, Bakura stormed past, with Malfoy and his goons, giving Yami the most horrid look imaginable as he entered Hogwarts. "What did I do this time?" Yami asked, confused, Ron shrugged as Professor Lockheart passed them on his way in.
They walked into the castle, and joined the crowd swarming up to the Great Hall, but they'd barely glimpsed the enchanted ceiling when a voice called, "Potter! Granger! Ironhide! I want to see all three of you." Harry, Hermione, Kari and Ombre looked around, surprised. Professor McGonagall, Transfiguration teacher and Head of Gryffindor House, was calling three of them over the heads of the crowd. They fought their way over and Professor McGonagall dismissed Ombre back to join her friends.
"There's no need to look so worried." She said to the Princess as she sent her to join the others, "I just want a word in my office, please go and join your friends in the Great Hall, your hikari will join you shortly."
"Is everything alright?" Yugi asked as Ombre sat down.
"I think so…" She relayed the question, "It's nothing, the nurse wanted to see Harry, and Professor McGonagall wanted to talk to her about arranging some more of those extra classes, like she was taking last year. She doesn't know why Professor McGonagall wants to talk to Hermione. Huh…" Ombre trailed off as the sorting started.
The four made their way down to the Great Hall from Professor McGonagall's office down to the Great Hall, Professor Flitwick was carrying a stood and a battered hat out of the hall. "Oh," Said Hermione softly, "We've missed the sorting." They joined their friends at the Gryffindor table, trying to ignore the stares from some of the others in the hall.
"Every thing alright?" Yami asked, Kari nodded as Professor Dumbledore stood up.
"Welcome!" Said Dumbledore, the candlelight shimmering on his beard, "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast…" Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued, "As you will be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry business. They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds, and while they are with us, I must make it plain that no one is to leave school without permission; Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises, like spells or Invisibility Cloaks." He said blandly, looking towards the group, "The powers of the Shadows may even attract them; it is not in the nature of a Dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you not to give them any reason to harm you. I look to the Prefects and our new Head Boy and Head Girl, to make sure no student runs afoul of the Dementors."
"The powers of the Shadows may even attract them?" Yugi asked his dark half.
'I think that was a warning for us, huh…' He laughed, 'Hermione was right, that man was the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.'
"Yeap," Yugi's giggle sounded down the link, Yami could see his light visibly trying not to laugh, "I don't think Snape's too happy."
'Nope but shush and listen…' Yami tried to listen to Dumbledore while Yugi's mental giggling played in the back of his mind.
"As to our second new appointment," Dumbledore said, "I'm sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However I'm happy to say that his place will be filled by none other then Rubeus Hagrid who has agreed to take on the teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties." The applause to loud, very loud and Hagrid was grinning broadly.
"We should've known," Ron roared, "Who else would've set us a biting book?" Their group was the last to stop clapping, knowing how much the job would've meant to their friend.
"Well, I think that's everything of importance." Dumbledore said, "Let the feast begin!"
Hermione had never seen the gang tuck in to the food quite so viciously. Though they were eager for the feast to finish, Yugi, Yami, Kari, Joey and Harry practically dived into the food, Ron watched for a couple of seconds then joined in. Hermione and Ombre ate a little more delicately and Hermione noticed that while Ombre wasn't eating as much as usual, Kari was eating twice as much.
At last the feast ended and they got to talk to Hagrid. "Congratulations!" Hermione squealed.
"All down ter you three!" Hagrid said, wiping his shining face on a napkin as he looked up at them. "Can' believe it… great man, Dumbledore… came straight to me after Professor Kettleburn said he'd had enough… it's what I always wanted." Professor McGonagall shooed them away as the other Gryffindors left the Hall. They followed the others up the stairs to the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Password?" She asked.
"Fortuna Major!" Percy said, having fought his way to the front of the crowd. Neville Longbottom looked upset, he never remembered the passwords.
Once through the portrait hole, they spilt up, the boys heading for one dorm and the girls for theirs, Harry felt like he was home, but Hermione had a question, one she didn't dare ask in case she was wrong… was it her or did Kari look fatter then last year?
"Yugi…" Harry called, Yugi gave up trying to calm Yami down and came over to the door, "What're they fighting about?"
"Percy thinks Ron spilt tea on his girlfriend's picture, and Kaiba is accusing Yami of programming his laptop to repeatedly play 'You're not me.' since Yami was the last one in the room with it when Kaiba left it downstairs earlier this morning."
"But I thought Yami wasn't even sure how to check e-mails, how would he know how to break Kaiba's security?" Harry asked, while Yugi shook his head.
"My point exactly but they won't listen to me." Yugi thought for a second, "I wonder…" He closed his eyes and Harry watched as the Puzzle glowed and Yami went from angry and yelling to stock still and emotionless in seconds, Yugi's eyes had gone blank too.
"Don't ignore me when I'm…" Kaiba trailed off, Yami was staring straight through him, "Hello? Yami?" He heard giggling. He turned around and saw Kari laughing.
"It wasn't Yami that messed with your laptop." Kari giggled, "He wouldn't know how."
"No," Kaiba said, thinking, "The only person who could've done that is…" Kari squeaked as Kaiba growled at her and chased her down the hall. "IRONHIDE!"
"Huh?" Ombre asked, sticking her head out her door.
"I'd suggest you go and rescue your hikari." Joey laughed, "Kaiba chased her downstairs."
"Uh oh!" Ombre growled and dashed out of her room and down the stairs, Harry wondered if she was aware she was still in her pyjamas.
Yami had come back to his senses and stormed off, Yugi was looking hurt, "You alright Yuge?" Joey asked, Yugi nodded, slightly stunned, "How'd you stop the argument?"
"Huh?" Yugi asked.
"Earth to Yugi." Joey said, waving his hand in front of Yugi's eyes. Yugi jumped slightly but still looked upset. After breakfast Yami pulled Yugi into their room, and when Joey knocked on their door, to tell them to bring their cases down, it was a much happier Yugi that answered.
"Joey," Yami called, an evil grin on his face, "Come in here, we have an idea." Joey joined them, Kari and Ombre were sat on the desk, while Yami was sat on the bed, Yugi joining him. "Listen up…"
Harry was the last to join them in their compartments; he couldn't work out why Yami, Yugi, Ombre and Joey had joined Kari, Kaiba and Mokuba in their compartment, which was normally reserved for the two to do their emergency work. That was until they were about halfway there, five voices burst into song,
"You think I've got it all,
Everyone thinks I got it made,
Well…"
Harry and the others, burst out laughing as Kaiba stormed past, Yami and Joey's baritones, Yugi's tenor, Kari's mezzo soprano and Ombre's contralto voices following the CEO out.
The five rejoined their friends in the other compartment, laughing quietly, and everyone budged up, trying not the wake the strange man in the corner as they did so.
"Who's he?" Yami asked, once they'd clamed down.
"I think he's the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher." Hermione said, "Look at his suitcase." The tag on it said 'Professor R. J. Lupin.'
"Think he's up to the job?" Joey asked, "I mean, he looks like one good jinx could finish him off." He turned to Harry, "Anyway, what was it that you wanted to tell us?"
Harry explained about the argument between Mr and Mrs Weasley, and about a warning that Mr Weasley had given him before he'd joined the others on the train. By the time he'd finished Kaiba had returned to the other compartment. Hermione was staring wide eyed at Harry. "Oh Harry, you'll have to be really, really careful. Don't go looking for trouble."
"I don't go looking for trouble," Harry said, nettled, "It normally finds me."
"I can sympathise." Yugi said; Joey nodded in agreement.
"Any way, how thick would Harry have to be to go looking for a nutter who wants to kill him?" Ron asked, his voice shaky.
"We wouldn't let him get to Harry anyway, right guys?" Kari asked, everyone agreed. Harry was surprised; they were more concerned about the murderer after him, than they were about Bakura still wanting revenge on Yugi after the Penalty Game he'd given Draco Malfoy last year. The Sneakoscope that Ron had given Harry for his birthday was going off and Ron stuffed it into one of Harry's pairs of socks, and slammed the case shut, trying to avoid waking the Professor.
"Did you hear?" Kari asked, "Kaiba couldn't sign his own permission slip for Hogsmead!" She tried to contain her giggles, "I ended up signing it!"
"So who signed yours?" Joey asked, Yugi's grandpa had signed his, since he couldn't tell his mum, and he no longer spoke to his dad, having moved out two summers ago, along with Yugi and Yami's slips.
"My parents begrudgingly signed it when I went over during the summer, I do love having my own jet even if it does mean Term Time is the only time I don't have an excuse to get out of my parent's constant ploys to get me to go home." Kari sighed.
They started talking about Hogsmead, Kari offered to sign Harry's permission slip but Hermione said Harry would have to ask Professor McGonagall first. "Harry would be perfectly safe with us. I mean there's eight of us. And with four of us able to use Shadow Magic…"
"That wouldn't stop him, he murdered an whole bunch of people in the middle of a crowded street. Do you really think having us around will stop him?"
The food trolley arrived but they couldn't wake up the new Professor, "I wouldn't worry dears," She said as she handed out the food to the group, "If he wakes up, I'll be up front with the driver."
Professor Lupin may not be very good company, but his company had some uses. About halfway through the afternoon, not long after they'd gotten changed and only just after it had started to rain, they heard footsteps and their four favourite people appeared at the door, Bakura and Draco Malfoy, flanked by Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle.
"Well, look who it is," Bakura sneered, Draco looked like he wanted to say something but because of the rules Yugi had laid down when he and Draco had played a Shadow Game, Draco could do anything to the group of friends. "Worthless muggle borns, weakling hikaris and pathetic past royalty."
Yami growled and stood up quickly, knocking his open backpack, which held the Millennium items, to the floor. Lupin snorted, and Bakura looked at the man oddly.
"Who's that?"
"New Professor." Yugi said quickly, he'd gotten to his feet to, in case he needed to back up his partner. "What were you saying, Bakura?" Bakura's eyes narrowed, he wasn't stupid enough to pick a fight with a teacher around.
"C'mon!" Bakura snapped at the three with him, Draco looked resentful but followed Bakura and the other two.
"I swear, if he makes one crack about my family this year, just one I'll… I'll…!" Ron snarled.
"Well if he tries to hurt anyone in our group, I'll send him to the Shadow Realm, and ensure he stays there this time!" Yami snarled.
"Yami…" Yugi whispered, as Lupin stirred, "Careful." However Lupin slept on.
"We must be nearly there." Ron sighed.
No sooner had the words escaped his mouth then the train slowed down. It came to a stop with a jolt, and the lamps went out, plunging them into total darkness. "What's going on?" Yugi asked.
"I don't know." Yami replied.
"I'm going to ask the driver what's going on!" Kari said, moving past everyone.
"Not without me, you're not." Ombre murmured.
"Quiet!" A horse voice said, Professor Lupin was awake. "Stay where you are." He ordered them as he got to his feet, the compartment now lit by the flames in Lupin's hand. However, before he could move to the door it opened.
A cloaked figure that towered to the ceiling was stood in the doorway, it's face covered by the hood.
An intense cold swept over them all, they felt their breath catch in their throat. The cold seemed to pull at Yugi's heart, there was a rushing, like water and Yugi clung to his sense of Yami as he felt something tugging at his mind and heart, the roar growling louder.
Then as quickly as it began it was over, 'Yugi? Yugi!' Yami desperately called to him, 'Are you all right?' Yugi nodded weakly, the lights had come back on and Ron and Hermione brought Harry round.
Harry looked around. Not a single person was unaffected by the creature, some worse then others. Yugi was curled up, with his head buried in Yami's chest, who was very pale, and Harry could see he was trying to remain composed for Yugi's sake. Ombre was holding Kari tightly, as the girl was shaking so badly she could shake herself to pieces, her head too was hidden, though it sounded like she was crying, while her yami was shaking badly. Joey was pale, so much so he could have done a good impression of the Hogwarts ghosts, while Ryou, Hermione and Ron were ashy, but probably the least effected of the whole carriage. Harry had to wonder if Mokuba and Kaiba had been effected and his question was answered as Kaiba brought a tear stained Mokuba into their carriage, as the Professor moved to the door.
He broke off pieces of chocolate and handed them around, giving Harry the largest piece. "What was that?" Harry asked.
"A Dementor." Professor Lupin said, still handing the chocolate around. Most of them started eating straight away while Yami and Ombre looked at each other then at Lupin, "They should eat that, it'll help." Yugi and Kari pulled away, and sat quietly, eating the chocolate, with their yamis hugging them as they ate their own. "I have to go talk to the driver."
Professor Lupin left and Harry looked around confused. "What happened?"
"T..The Dementors…they have a terrible ability." Ryou stammered, as they budged up to make room for Kaiba and Mokuba, meaning there was absolutely no space for anyone else. "They suck all the positive thoughts and memories from those around them, leaving only hopelessness and despair. They guard the wizard's prison of Azkaban, constant exposure to such creatures eventually drains a wizard of all magic and drives them insane." Ryou shoved the rest of his chocolate in his mouth and looked around, silence reigning as they ate their chocolate in silence.
Yami couldn't get what he'd seen out of his head, he'd relived those dreadful few minutes from when he'd thought he'd lost Yugi forever, his soul had torn to shreds by the Shadow Realm when they'd been duelling Maximillian Pegasus. For Yugi, seeing Joey nearly die after being attacked by Ra, ending up on life support in the hospital part of Kaiba's blimp, had him clinging to Yami. It was the worst thing he could have seen, shaking the hikari to his core.
The rest of the train ride was in silence, with no-one willing to talk much. In fact no-one really wanted to talk most of the rest of the way. Once they reached the station they spilt up, into two groups of four and a group of three, Yugi, Yami, Kari and Ombre in one carriage, Joey, Harry. Ron and Hermione in another and Ryou, Kaiba, Mokuba with Neville Longbottom in another.
Kari was still staring blankly out the window, as she finally spoke for the first time since the Dementor had been on the train. "I saw that night, when Rai…" Kari hadn't ever spoken about it to anyone, the memory was locked away where even Ombre couldn't get to it, but the Dementor had dragged it out, kicking and screaming the whole way.
"It was my fault…I was running down the main road, Rai and I had just had a fight. Rai wouldn't listen to me, if he kept going the way he was going he was going to get hurt, but he couldn't understand that. I started crying and my vision blurred and I ran out into the main road without looking, a car horn blew and I was pushed off my feet. The sound of brakes and a loud crash caused me to turn around…Rai was led on the ground. I ran over and tried to wake him but he wasn't breathing. I had to be sedated before I would stop screaming. If I'd have been watching where I was going, he'd still be here."
As the group gathered by the doors, Bakura stormed past, with Malfoy and his goons, giving Yami the most horrid look imaginable as he entered Hogwarts. "What did I do this time?" Yami asked, confused, Ron shrugged as Professor Lockheart passed them on his way in.
They walked into the castle, and joined the crowd swarming up to the Great Hall, but they'd barely glimpsed the enchanted ceiling when a voice called, "Potter! Granger! Ironhide! I want to see all three of you." Harry, Hermione, Kari and Ombre looked around, surprised. Professor McGonagall, Transfiguration teacher and Head of Gryffindor House, was calling three of them over the heads of the crowd. They fought their way over and Professor McGonagall dismissed Ombre back to join her friends.
"There's no need to look so worried." She said to the Princess as she sent her to join the others, "I just want a word in my office, please go and join your friends in the Great Hall, your hikari will join you shortly."
"Is everything alright?" Yugi asked as Ombre sat down.
"I think so…" She relayed the question, "It's nothing, the nurse wanted to see Harry, and Professor McGonagall wanted to talk to her about arranging some more of those extra classes, like she was taking last year. She doesn't know why Professor McGonagall wants to talk to Hermione. Huh…" Ombre trailed off as the sorting started.
The four made their way down to the Great Hall from Professor McGonagall's office down to the Great Hall, Professor Flitwick was carrying a stood and a battered hat out of the hall. "Oh," Said Hermione softly, "We've missed the sorting." They joined their friends at the Gryffindor table, trying to ignore the stares from some of the others in the hall.
"Every thing alright?" Yami asked, Kari nodded as Professor Dumbledore stood up.
"Welcome!" Said Dumbledore, the candlelight shimmering on his beard, "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast…" Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued, "As you will be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry business. They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds, and while they are with us, I must make it plain that no one is to leave school without permission; Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises, like spells or Invisibility Cloaks." He said blandly, looking towards the group, "The powers of the Shadows may even attract them; it is not in the nature of a Dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you not to give them any reason to harm you. I look to the Prefects and our new Head Boy and Head Girl, to make sure no student runs afoul of the Dementors."
"The powers of the Shadows may even attract them?" Yugi asked his dark half.
'I think that was a warning for us, huh…' He laughed, 'Hermione was right, that man was the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.'
"Yeap," Yugi's giggle sounded down the link, Yami could see his light visibly trying not to laugh, "I don't think Snape's too happy."
'Nope but shush and listen…' Yami tried to listen to Dumbledore while Yugi's mental giggling played in the back of his mind.
"As to our second new appointment," Dumbledore said, "I'm sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However I'm happy to say that his place will be filled by none other then Rubeus Hagrid who has agreed to take on the teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties." The applause to loud, very loud and Hagrid was grinning broadly.
"We should've known," Ron roared, "Who else would've set us a biting book?" Their group was the last to stop clapping, knowing how much the job would've meant to their friend.
"Well, I think that's everything of importance." Dumbledore said, "Let the feast begin!"
Hermione had never seen the gang tuck in to the food quite so viciously. Though they were eager for the feast to finish, Yugi, Yami, Kari, Joey and Harry practically dived into the food, Ron watched for a couple of seconds then joined in. Hermione and Ombre ate a little more delicately and Hermione noticed that while Ombre wasn't eating as much as usual, Kari was eating twice as much.
At last the feast ended and they got to talk to Hagrid. "Congratulations!" Hermione squealed.
"All down ter you three!" Hagrid said, wiping his shining face on a napkin as he looked up at them. "Can' believe it… great man, Dumbledore… came straight to me after Professor Kettleburn said he'd had enough… it's what I always wanted." Professor McGonagall shooed them away as the other Gryffindors left the Hall. They followed the others up the stairs to the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Password?" She asked.
"Fortuna Major!" Percy said, having fought his way to the front of the crowd. Neville Longbottom looked upset, he never remembered the passwords.
Once through the portrait hole, they spilt up, the boys heading for one dorm and the girls for theirs, Harry felt like he was home, but Hermione had a question, one she didn't dare ask in case she was wrong… was it her or did Kari look fatter then last year?