C.N. April 2014: Digital Distraction Part 4

The invitations were completely forgotten the next day after he woke up to Yugi’s distress and bolted into the corridor between rooms to find out what was wrong and found Yugi had finally come around enough to notice the state of his soul room.

The pair of them worked together for most of the day to start shifting through the damaged and broken toys within Yugi’s room, setting those that were still mostly whole safely to one side, while they worked to try and shore up or piece together the ones that they could save and put aside those that were empty with the hope of recovering what had been lost later.

There was still an awful lot of work to do when Yugi started drifting off again, but the teen didn’t agree to rest until Yami had promised him that the moment he was up to it, they would spend as much time as was needed fixing the damage where they could. It was dangerous, Yami reminded his light, for him to tamper with the soul room too much at the best of times, yet alone while Yugi was so weak and his soul in such a fragile state and it was quite possible that some of the damage would undo itself if Yugi just allowed himself to rest properly.

Yugi backed down at that, agreeing to wait until he was fully recovered, but Yami could tell something about the way he had phrased it had bothered the teen, who had flopped down on the bed, turned his back on Yami and fallen asleep so swiftly that if Yugi hadn’t been so injured, Yami would have suspected him to be faking it.

Over the course of that day and most of the next, Yami spent most of his time flitting between the infirmary, helping Yugi build protections in his mind to stop this sort of thing from happening again, and the Gryffindor tower, catching some sleep. He was pleased to see Yugi perk up a bit again when Harry came around at dusk of the following day, though neither of them were allowed out of the hospital wing yet.

By the End of Term banquet Yugi had, physically at least, seemed to regain most of his bounciness, though Yami could still sense the pain beneath the surface and Harry, who had been tired and lethargic for a couple of days as he recovered from his fight with Quirrelmort, s Joey was calling him, was back to his old self. This meant that Madam Pomfrey had no excuse to not follow Professor Dumbledore’s orders that both of them were to be allowed to go to the feast.

They were released the afternoon before to give them time to pack to leave the following day. Once they were away from the quiet infirmary, however, Yami and the others had to do what they could to protect Yugi and Harry from the hordes of students who wanted to know everything that had happened down in the mirror room and hadn’t been able to get any information from the others.  It wasn’t easy though and it was a relief when they all piled onto the train.

It didn’t take Yugi long to settle at Yami’s side and fall asleep and they settled in quietly, discussing their plans for the summer and cheering up Harry when they realised how little he wanted to go back to the Dursleys by coming up with more and more elaborate plans for kidnapping him and bringing him to Japan.

Finally, when they tired of that topic, having run out of things to do that wouldn’t leave the Dursleys with long term scarring, Kari brought up something that had been bothering her since the leaving feast.

“I know this is going to sound ungrateful and everything else, but does anyone else think Professor Dumbledore was wrong to give us those extra points at the feast?” She asked with a frown, causing the others to look at her.

This prompted a discussion about the fact that where anyone else could have been expelled for some of the stunts they had pulled and at least would have lost house points, they had been given points in front of the whole school AFTER Slytherin had been announced as the winners. In hindsight it wasn’t very fair to anyone who had worked hard to earn their house points over the course of the year.

By the time they had settled between them that, if they went back to Hogwarts next year, they would earn the House Cup rather than steal it at the last minute, they had arrived at Kings Cross Station and the group parted ways after a minor set to with Harry’s uncle.

Clanverse: unused part

“Harry.”

Harry frowned and leant over the sofa, where he was watching an old fantasy movie, to look at his link partners as they entered the room, concerned by the Pharaoh’s tone of voice. “What’s wrong Atem?”

“We need to talk.” Yugi sat down next to him with a sigh, “And you’re probably not going to like what we have to say.”

“What’s happened?” Harry got to his feet quickly, “Who’s hurt?”

“No one.” Yugi reassured him quickly. “Harry, no one’s hurt... not yet.”

“What’s going on?” Harry sat down, looking from Yugi to Atem, who was settling into one of the chairs.

“Harry, we can’t go back to Hogwarts.” Yugi dove right in. “Atem and I that is.”

“What? Why?” Harry asked, confused, as he’d assumed that they’d be returning to the school after the Summer break was over.

“We spoke with Seto today.” Atem answered, “And it turns out that you and Mai weren’t the only ones who gained the ability to summon Duel Monsters.”

“Oh.” Harry kind of worked out where the conversation was heading, “And you and Yugi need to be around to help new summoners or stop anyone using their powers for the wrong reasons.”

“Stop anyone else using their powers for the wrong reasons.” Atem corrected.

“Damn.” Harry growled. “How did they stop them?”

“Seto dealt with the first one, but we were the ones who got the Shadows released, so it’s our responsibility to deal with these kind of issues.” Yugi sighed. “We can’t do that in Hogwarts.”

“Then we’re not going back?” Harry asked.

“We didn’t say you had to give it up.” Yugi protested.

“I’m not living in England if you guys are going to be in Japan.” Harry scowled at him, having been through being in different countries thing before and having hated every minute of it.

“Sirius won’t want you to pull out of Hogwarts, just because we left.”

“Seto’s still offering tutors, isn’t he?”

“He did mention that he’d provide tutors for us and anyone else who chose to stay behind and help us.” Yugi nodded.

“I should stay. I can help out with any problems, or keep on top of the paperwork. We were having enough trouble with Industrial Illusions, even without this, you need me!”

“Sirius has the final say. It’s not our decision to make.” Atem replied.

“What about Hermione and the others?”

“Joey’s coming over, we’re going to explain the situation, but he’ll probably want to be here, helping us and close to his sister, rather than in England.” Yugi replied, “I don’t know what Hermione, Ron and the others will want to do. We were going to phone around, let everyone know what’s happening. Seto did mention something about dentists, but I don’t know what he’s up to.” Yugi answered; more uncertain then Harry had seen him since first year.

The doorbell went.

“That can’t be Joey already.” Harry frowned.

“Atem said it was important.” Yugi disagreed with him, “Joey would have assumed there was trouble and come back as quickly as possible.”

“It is important.” The Pharaoh didn’t look abashed when Yugi half glowered at him as he darted downstairs.

“Harry.” Joey nodded as he entered the room. “Atem.”

“Joey.” Atem nodded back.

“So, what’s the big problem?” Joey asked, settling into the chair as Yugi slumped back onto the sofa, “Who do we have to beat this time?”

“Yugi and I are dropping out of Hogwarts.” Atem said, with a shrug.

“You’re what?” Joey demanded.

“Dropping out. We’re taking Seto up on his offer of private tutors.”

“Why?”

“There’s more Shadow Duellists around then just us.” Atem indicated himself, Yugi, Harry and finally Joey. “And we need to be around to stop trouble.”

“That’s it? No death threats? No Shadow Games?” Joey demanded.

“No, nothing like that?”

“You pulled me away from my shopping trip with Serenity to tell me you two were dropping out of Hogwarts?”

“Uhhh, yes...”

Clanverse: Back when I thought they were going to Hogwarts for year 5...

“Kari Ironhide’s death was nothing more then an unfortunate accident!”

“HOW DARE YOU?” Ombre stood up, “HOW DARE YOU INSINUATE THAT MY HIKARI CAUSED HER OWN DEATH? SHE WAS MURDERED BY VOLDEMORT!”

“Oh shit.” Joey gulped.

“Ombre, stand down!” Yami roared, standing up. Yugi shooting to his feet alongside him.

Umbridge didn’t seem to realise the danger she was in. “Your hikari? I was under the impression your ‘sister’ was the victim of an unfortunate accident, since it’s impossible for someone to come back from the…” Umbridge trailed off as a golden glow surrounded Ombre.

“Ombre.” Yami demanded, “Control yourself!”

“Pharaoh, stay out of this.” Ombre snarled, “She is trying to besmirch my Hikari’s memory, she is mine.”

‘Yugi!’

“I know.”

Ombre’s magic flared and Yugi and Yami responded, locking the Princess in a cage of Shadow magic.

“Miss Ironhide, please control yourself!” Umbridge said, “Your sister died in an accident and that is that.”

Yugi and Yami were blasted backwards as their cage exploded. Yugi, then Yami hit the wall, sliding down, unconscious, as Ombre advanced on Umbridge who seemed to have finally realised just how much danger she was in.

Joey, Harry, Ron and Hermione all got out of their seats. “Ombre, stop this now.” Joey said, grabbing her arm.

Joey went flying and hit the same back wall that Yugi and Yami had, slumping to the ground.

“You, Delores Umbridge,” Ombre’s glow turned black and purple and Harry, Ron and Hermione gasped, they knew what was happening, “Have attempted to poison the name of my hikari and threatened my friend, Harry. And for this I challenge you.”

Shadows rose up and claimed Ombre and Umbridge, leaving the rest of the class to wonder what was going on.

Clanverse meets Cannon

Fifteen year old Harry James Potter was certain he was seeing things.

He’d gotten back from Umbridge’s detention and bypassed Ron and Hermione to come up to bed, not really wanting to talk to anyone about the experience, only to find a fifteen year old who looked exactly like him, who, upon spotting him hadn’t shook his head in amusement and asked, “This is still Hogwarts then, I’m assuming?”

Harry drew his wand and pointed it at the stranger. “Who are you?”

“Harry James Potter, Son of Lily and James Potter, Godson of Sirius Black, Founding Member of the Domino Clan and a whole bunch of other things I can’t remember at the moment.”

“You can’t be Harry Potter.” Harry scowled, “I’m Harry Potter.”

“I kind of guessed.” The other Harry chuckled, rolling his eyes. “Fifth year student?” He asked.

“Of course.” Harry nodded, still not moving his wand.

“Look, how about I prove I’m Harry, then you can lower the wand and I can start trying to go home. No offence but one of us is a big enough trouble magnet as it is.”

Well the fake had that right. “Go on then, prove it.” Harry nodded.

“Until our Hogwarts letter came we lived under the stairs and did all the slave work for the Dursleys. Had done since we were four.” The other Harry said, without preamble, “We used accidental magic to change our hair, get onto the school roof and generally escape Dudley’s gang. The Hogwarts letter was addressed to our cupboard but we never asked why no one came to check up on us, if they knew. We met Draco for the first time in Madam Malkins. Ron was the first real friend we made and Hermione told him he had dirt on his nose, right here.” The other Harry pointed. “I think my universe must diverge after that, because we appear to be short a couple of beds.”

“Your universe?” Harry asked, lowering his wand slightly in shock.

“Two Harrys, two worlds.” Harry snorted, “Atem told me that the Shadow Realm was the gap between worlds, I’ll have to let him know that it’s possible to cross dimensionally travel using them. Once I’ve got Bakura back of course.”

“Shadow Realm? Atem? Bakura?” Harry was thoroughly confused now.

“People I know, but I’m guessing you don’t.” Harry sighed, “That’ll make things difficult…”

“Harry?”

Both boys turned towards the door at Hermione’s call. The teen was stood in the doorway staring.

“Who?” She asked, pointing at the Harry by the beds.

“Now I know things are different.” The weird Harry chuckled, “My Hermione would want to know what I’d done this time.”

“Who are you?” Hermione asked.

“Apparently he’s me.” Harry scowled.

“Tell you what, call me Wolf.” Alt-Harry sighed, “It’ll be easier then explaining which Harry you’re talking to.”

“Wolf?” Hermione looked amused.

“I have a good friend by that name.” Harry explained. “And I’d like to get back to him as soon as possible.”

What if Hermione played Bowls for the under31s?

“Just another yard, Mione.”

Hermione wrinkled her nose, but nodded and didn’t say a word. Her Skip, after all, was the only person who could get away with shortening her name.

Her opposing number, a girl from Surry, was on and off of the mat in less than two minutes, putting another wood in a head that was looking more and more like a minefield with every wood that went down.

“Where’s the jack?” Hermione asked, glancing at the scoreboards and tallying up that they were just one shot up on the game, before she stepped on the mat again.

Her Skip pointed it out, having wondered if the small yellow ball was visible from the other end considering there were at least two woods sat in front of it. “Just behind this one, you just need to tap it and we’ll have four.”

‘So no pressure.’ Hermione thought ruefully before delivering the wood.

It was heavier this time, certainly, but Hermione felt the ball slip out of her hand before she was ready to let it go, and as such had to watch the wood race down the green, too tight, and crash into completely the wrong wood, giving the opponent two shots.

Considering that this was the final end, this wasn’t a good thing.

“Sorry Evie.” Hermione apologised as she joined her team mates at the other end of the green, feeling thoroughly annoyed with herself.

The black haired woman shrugged, “It happens.”

Hermione watched the opposing Skip put one in the cluster of woods they’d been trying to knock the jack into, causing Evie to frown.

Hermione considered the head. It wouldn’t be easy, but they could still win this. “I have a suggestion.” She spoke up, before Evie could make up her mind.

“Go on.” The twenty two year old gestured, having already considered the way she’d brought Hermione in and discarded the idea and wondering if her number three had seen a different route in.

“If you play onto this one.” Hermione pointed at one of the woods in front and to the left of the jack, “It’ll go this way,” She gestured down and to the left, “And take the jack.”

Evie blinked, stood at Hermione’s side, saw exactly what she getting at, nodded and went up the other end, standing on the mat to play the first of her final two woods.

The woman shook her head as the wood left her hand and Hermione had to agree as the wood went straight past the head and went in the ditch.

“It’s alright, Evie, next time.” Hermione called up to the woman who’d been the backbone of the squad right up until now.

She just waved it off as her opposing number, assuming that she’d try the same thing that she’d been trying to get Hermione to do, put a blocker in that would have been a real pain if that had been what Evie was trying to do.

“This time Evie.” Hermione called up to her Skip, offering what little support she could.

As if her call was a signal, the supporters, the other team members, who had finished their game just minutes ago, and Loraine, the team manager, all offered their support.

Then Evie stepped on the mat and silence fell.

She bowled.

“Hold.” Hermione squeaked as she suddenly realised where the wood was headed, “Hold! HOLD!”

The weight Evie put behind the wood made it hold the line and it clipped the target wood as it went by, sending it crashing into the jack and taking it back to give Oxfordshire two shots.

Evie, who had chased her wood down the green, was glomped by her ecstatic team as the crowd that had escorted the Oxfordshire girls to Lemington Spa went mental.

They were going through to the quarter finals of the Amy Rose competition for the first time since before Hermione had joined the squad three years ago.

Once the completely undignified squealing was over, the much more dignified shaking of hands took place, and once that was over, the Oxfordshire squad left the green to have lunch and get ready for the next round.

“Well done.” Gillian hugged her daughter the moment she stepped off the green, “You played well.”

Hermione shook her head as she sat down and accepted her sandwiches, “Not on that last end.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Alice, a blonde thirteen year old who had been playing Lead on the other rink and had watched the other rink as often as she could, said, “You had a good game other than a couple of unlucky touches, you’ll do great this afternoon.”

“You played well too.” Hermione replied, having caught a few of Alice’s woods, but certainly not all of them, having been rather focused on her own rink.

Alice snorted, watching Laura, her brunette, eighteen year old, Skip, wander off to go buy food from the cafe. “If I’m not subbed out, I’ll be surprised.”

Gillian watched Loraine talking to Evie and Emma, the girl who had been playing number two on Hermione’s rink. “I doubt it. You were having a fantastic game up until the last few ends.”

Alice just shrugged, pausing to take a bite out of her sandwich before asking, “How’s the boarding school going?”

Hermione froze for a moment, before relaxing as completely as she could. She’d joined the Oxfordshire squad a couple of months after her tenth birthday, so she’d had an entire year between then and starting at Hogwarts.

If anything she was surprised that she was playing so well after spending the greater majority of the last term of school petrified.

“Not bad.” She answered calmly, “Had a bit of an incident with a pet snake, but other than that it’s not been bad.”

“Pet snake? Who had a pet snake?” June, always one for a bit of gossip, sat down next to them, “I thought that you said that only cats and mice were allowed.”

“One of the boys from the green house decided he wanted to bring a snake to school and scare everyone. One of my friends chased it off.”

“Which one, the cute black haired one or the red headed idiot one?”

“Harry.” Hermione objected to calling either of her friends cute, the cute part had been added by the others on her team, who had decided he was cute from her description of him. “And Ron helped.” She objected to calling Ron an idiot unless it was to his face, but a slip of the tongue last Christmas, when she’d come home to see her parents and gone to a match while she was home, had firmly labelled the youngest Weasley boy as an idiot.

Mind her squad knew as much as they were allowed to know about her friends from Hogwarts, but there was no way she was ever going to tell Harry or Ron about the Oxfordshire girls. Not if she ever wanted to live it down.

“The cute one.” June nodded, flicking a few stray red hairs over her shoulder. “You should bring them to a game. It would be nice to meet these guys you’re always going on about.”