Kai has officially jumped on the Harry Potter/Yu-Gi-Oh crossover bandwagon. Yes, it's true, but have no fear, I have no intention of doing a Ryou-Yugi-Malik-go-to-Hogwarts fic. (Not that they're bad, I mean White Angel's fic "New Students" is undoubtedly better than any of my work, but the idea has been over done.)
Now, just to let you know this fic contains SPOILERS for Battle City and the Egypt arc in the manga, seeing that this is after Battle City. So if anyone has a problem with that, too bad buddy, go read another fic. Now for you who don't know a thing about Battle City or the Egypt arc, I'll write this so you can understand also. ^_^
This story, like so many others, is set in Harry's 5th year. This will also contain mild OotP spoilers, but nothing lethal, considering it was posted before the book's US release. Alrighty then, let's get his show on the road…
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh and Harry Potter do not belong to me. Characters, locations, and so on mentioned in the books/manga/anime are not mine. Anything else left is.
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Turmoil
By Kaitourei
Chapter One: A Man Called Albus
"Oh, and Severus? … I'd keep that tan, if I were you."
- Albus Dumbledore
Now there was a perfectly logical explanation to all the madness that would ensure the young CEO of Kaiba Corporation, Seto Kaiba, a headache by the end of the day. You see, the letter was forgotten under bills, company reports, fan mail, and what ever else the two occupants living the Kaiba mansion received. So by the time Kaiba was able to check the fan mail pile - which Mokuba had conveniently sorted the letter into – at 11:47 that night, a little less than a month had passed and the confirmation date was long over. End of the story, right?
Wrong, Albus Dumbledore is not a man to give up, especially with a case as… peculiar… as the one he had in front of him this moment. This peculiar case being one Seto Kaiba, a late bloomer in the magical world. Now, this was not at all unheard of, a small majority of wizards viewed as *Squibs manifest powers at an older age, but this was Albus Dumbledore and he knew more than just a late manifestation had occurred. But all this shall play out shortly, now let us cut back to Seto Kaiba and the forgotten letter.
After taking a sip of his now cool coffee, and making a disgusted face, Seto Kaiba reached for the week's mail. It wasn't that he was lazy, Kaiba was what many called a workaholic - whether he admitted it or not. And it was this work that caused the delay, what with the opening if Kaiba Land in North America [1] and the everyday challenge of keeping up with the new companies - which were sprouting like weeds in a untended garden - Kaiba had little time to tend to the usual house work, let alone school work. But it was all done by the end of the day, yes that would be Kaiba for you; nothing slipped past him… except maybe the mail.
Following numerous bills and myriad fan mail Seto Kaiba held in his hand the letter of expectance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Now Kaiba, unlike most unknowing recipients, didn't jump, gasp, or stare at the parchment-like letter as if it contained anthrax. Kaiba blinked and took another swig of cold coffee, finally down to the last letter he decided a cup of hot coffee was more important and dropped the letter into the trash bin on the way to the kitchen.
Now the story cannot end here. You see, at Hogwarts, the said Kaiba's future destination, Dumbledore had been thinking. Not just thinking, the man had been planning. Now when you plan, you don't just plan, you plan right; and Dumbledore happened to be very good at this.
As he sat musing, the door to his office opened and infamous Professor Severus Snape stepped through. Dumbledore looked over at the professor and nodded amicably.
"I see you have returned from you mission [2], Severus," the Headmaster said motioning for the other to take a seat. "Tell me, how was Egypt?"
"Hot, Headmaster, very hot," Snape looked as venomous as always, but his word had respect for the older man in front of him. "I was sent with a small convoy to Luxor. He wants something Headmaster, and I for one believe it is something to worry about."
"With his new form and previous powers, Severus, any move Voldemort should make is something to worry about," Dumbledore folded his hands together, and rested his chin upon them. "The question is: what in Egypt would he want that could be so powerful… and knowing him, so dangerous?"
"The information was disclose to only top officials," Severus spat. "I, along with the other trainees, was merely told to 'look for something of potential use', not that it gives our side much information." He added with a frown.
"Don't look so vexed," Dumbledore said calmly pulling a small box of lemon drops from his desk. After holding the box out to Snape, who shook his head curtly, Dumbledore took one for himself. "The smallest bit of information may be the most important, you must examine all of the clues and in the words of Sherlock Holmes, 'When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.'"
"Sherlock Holmes, sir?"
Dumbledore smiled. "A character from a muggle novel, quite good in fact. You should read it."
"I'll put it on my to-do list," Snape said with a touch of sarcasm. "But there is one more thing, Headmaster."
"Hm? What might that be?"
"While I was in Luxor, without the convoy that is, I met a man," Snape locked eyes with the elder man. "He told me 'When in balance, the only change able to be manifested is imbalance'. When I asked him what he meant he had disappeared. *Appirition perhaps?"
"Hm…" Dumbledore took off his half-moon spectacles and rubbed them with a cloth from his desktop. "I'm not as concerned how he disappeared, I'm more curious to whom he is and why he would say that."
"I believe, Headmaster, we have an interloper," Snape said slowly. "Or perhaps, he is a Death Eater."
"Or, perchance, he is just what our students would call a 'nut'." Dumbledore slipped his glasses back on. "I'm not saying this incident is random and pointless to be discussed, but is there any particular reason –to you- this is so important."
Snape sneered. "The 'smallest bit of information', Headmaster, and besides he wore a turban, lets just say it's a natural instinct, after all you know about the last person I encountered wearing one…" He let it hang.
Dumbledore nodded solemnly, "Well, you have me their Severus." The Headmaster rose, followed by the professor. "Now, if you could please inform the rest of the staff I have a meeting I should hope not to miss. I should be back within a day, if the young mister does comply. "
Snape turned and walked toward the door briskly, "Yes, Headmaster. But, if I may, who would you be meeting so late tonight?"
"Actually it's quite early in Japan," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his blue eyes. "Oh, and Severus?"
"Yes?"
"I'd keep that tan, if I were you."
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"Commencing testing sequence, Mr. Kaiba," the voice of one of a various Kaiba Corp. employees rang through the area. A middle-aged man stood behind a glass window, carefully monitoring the many flashing lights and buttons. He glanced carefully at his employer, waiting for and answer.
Kaiba's attention, on the other hand, was focused on the small console on the other side of the glass. An immense jumble of wires and different plugs ran from all corners of the testing area, all-leading up to a small watch-sized device.
"Run test," Kaiba said firmly, not looking at his staff member.
The other man nodded, "Affirmative. Testing run commencing." A few of the various buttons were hit. "Test zero-zero-one beginning."
Light began to erupt from the watch-like device, causing everyone but Kaiba too look away. When the swirling highlights and brighter flashes had ceased, a small monster with shaggy brown hair draped over its round body, stood a few feet above the air. It's large eyes glazed over and shimmered as if it was about to burst into tears just nanoseconds before the image flickered and disappeared.
Kaiba smirked, "Running time, Mr. Harada?"
The man next to him, Harada, typed quickly before answering. "Running time: 3.7124 seconds."
"Good," Kaiba watched the glass as the room behind it darkened. "It seems you still have a job. Now, how long will it take for you to fix the glitch in the imaging sequence?"
Harada shook his head. "The chips used in this one have, most likely, been destroyed or fried beyond any use, Mr. Kaiba, to rebuild them over will take weeks, this whole project will take months even."
Vexed, Kaiba glared at the other man, "You have two weeks." Turning on his heel the CEO left the testing facility with flurry of his trench coat, leaving Harada to contemplate his superior's words.
Once outside of the room, Kaiba was met by one of the corporation's secretaries. This one happened to be a pudgy woman, with hair on the verge of gray, but to a man like Kaiba she could be the Queen of England and he still wouldn't care.
"You're one o'clock canceled," She was saying to him as they walked briskly along the corridors, toward the CEO's office. "But, there is an unscheduled man here," she paused to catch up with his quick strides.
"Send him in, then," Kaiba said, oblivious to the woman's hitch.
"Of course," She said, almost jogging to keep up. "But I should warn you, he seems a little fruity, I mean what with all the clothes and everything. Personally I - "
"I said send him in," Kaiba repeated coldly.
"Yes sir," the woman stopped and watched Kaiba's retreating form with malice. "Bastard."
"I heard that," Kaiba walked on calling over his shoulder, as he reached his office. "And, by the way, you're fired."
He left the sputtering woman behind and closed the door. Muttering to himself about "ineptitude" and "uselessness" the young CEO took a seat behind the large oak desk and waited for the man, who appeared within minutes of Kaiba's arrival.
"You're quick, old man, this is the twenty-first floor," Kaiba said smoothly, noting the elderly man's choice of foreign clothing.
"Well," the other said in perfect Japanese. "Technology is amazingly fast these days Seto Kaiba."
"Quite," The CEO folded his arms. "Now, I presume you're here to discuss some form of business, Mr.…?"
"Albus Dumbledore, at your service," he took the seat Kaiba motioned toward. "As for business, I have a proposition you, that in your case, would be a chance of a lifetime."
Kaiba smirked. "Really now, Mr. …Dumbledore, the last time someone told me that it turned out I was a reincarnation of an Egyptian high priest and my greatest rival was a pharaoh himself in his past life."
"And was it true?" Dumbledore asked, eyes sparkling behind half-moon spectacles.
"To an extent," Kaiba said. "What is your offer?"
"You see, as hard as some people find it to believe, I am headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
Dumbledore's anticipations were confirmed as Seto Kaiba broke into coldhearted laughter. The CEO slowly calmed down and faced the Headmaster with a familiar smirk. "I'm a powerful political figure, Mr. Dumbledore, and I expect attacks from crack-heads and others with a loose hold on sanity. So, without any ado, I'll ask you to please leave my office and tell someone who is naïve enough to believe in witchcraft and such."
"And how is your hold on sanity, Seto?" Dumbledore asked seriously, calling Kaiba by his first name. Once he had the CEO's attention, the man continued, "Answer me one question before I leave: has anything every happened to you, anything unexplainable yet it felt so right?"
"What are you trying imply?" Kaiba asked defensively. In the brunette's mind the wheels were turning at top speed, as he remembered a fated night on the Battle Ship. The night when he had suddenly realized he was able to read the hieroglyphics on the god cards... though he had never been able to before.
"I'm implying that your not who you think you are, Seto," Dumbledore's eyes bore into Kaiba's. "Because you are, simply, a wizard, Seto Kaiba. For five years your powers have been dormant, now you are finally showing signs."
Kaiba leaned further back in his chair. "This has to be the biggest joke, if I've ever heard of one so preposterous."
Dumbledore studied the youth in front of him. "I'll be honest Seto, as I can see you're an educated young man and you can handle the bare truth," blue met blue. "The powers of darkness are rising all around us this very moment, not only in the Wizarding world, Seto. I'm sure you've felt it here too. Suspicions are running high these days, not everyone with dark power radiating from them will be able to slip by without being noticed."
Kaiba raised an eyebrow, "Are you saying I'm going to be targeted because of this 'dark power' I have?"
"Not only you, but anyone associated with you. The Wizarding world, sadly, is not a friendly place these past years; even the Ministry of Magic is looking into peculiar cases such as you. But if these dark powers had found you first… I believe you can figure the rest out."
"Mokuba…" Kaiba massaged his temples. "Now, lets say you are telling the truth. How do I know you're not with this 'dark power'? After all, I hardly know you."
Dumbledore smiled. "I believe in chances Mr. Kaiba," he returned to calling the CEO by his surname. "Not may wizards these day do, and with the powers you seem to be capable of your credibility would be question. As for mine, you have my word that I, Albus Dumbledore, have no intention in associating with the powers of darkness."
"As I have said before, I believe in chances. I refuse to believe that you, Mr. Kaiba, are a minion of the dark side and I believe in your word. I can only hope you believe mine when I say I'm offering you an opportunity to find your true potential and I'd be truly saddened if you were to pass this up."
"And if I were to go to this… school," Kaiba looked flustered. "I would need certain privileges, so to speak, after all I would need to run my company."
"They can be arranged," Dumbledore said smiling. "As for you younger brother, Mokuba, I can arrange for Aurors – men and women dedicated to fighting the forces of darkness – to watch over him. Everything will be taken care of."
"I must be the biggest sucker in the world," Kaiba said more to himself than the other man in the room. The CEO reached for a bottle of Aspirin hidden under a pile of reports.
"I assure you, Seto Kaiba, you will not regret this," Dumbledore said with his eyes flashing.
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* Squib = A none wizard/witch born to a wizard family (the opposite of a mudblood.)
* Appirition = A wizard's ability to disappear and appear in a different place, Hogwarts is inaccessible to this magic.
[1] At the end of the Battle Tower (or Alcatraz Tower) series Kaiba and Mokuba fly off to America in a private fighter jet to (form what I've heard) open up Kaiba Land in the US.
[2] At the end of book 4, Snape is sent on an undisclosed mission by Dumbledore. (If you read book five, it's probably revealed.)
So, should I continue?