Let the Games begin: Shadow Minds

Starts chapter 36 Ootp, no Horcruxes, SLASH and other warnings, M/M parings. When Harry locks Voldemort' mind away for good he gives up a part of his own mind. Now he wanders the Halls of Hogwarts with blank expressions, freaking out his friends. Even the skilled Legilimency and mind Healers are not able to help the saviour of the Light.
When Yuugi and his friends are being chased by real Duel Monsters, Yami can't help but feel that they should be heading further into the Forest. On the other end though, lies Hogwarts and if you think their help isn't needed anymore, you are wrong.

Just to let you know, I've not written anything about Yu-Gi-Oh! yet and I'm not very good at all the duel strategies so the only duelling you'll read about will probably be much later in the chapter when I know a bit more. I recently re-discovered the series and don't know many cards so I'll be using the starter decks from Yuugi, Kaiba and Joey and the Evolution decks from Yuugi and Kaiba also. Also if you have any tips on duelling strategies that I could use in this story, feel free to post them too me. There will be a minimum amount of it in this story though so do not expect there to be a duel in every chapter. Again it will only appear later on. OCC characters up ahead.

Parings: Yuugi/Yami/Harry, RW/HG, GW/possibly SK, RL/NT, LL/NL a few things can still change but the main line is set. Don't like, don't read and all that.

Warnings: SLASH, mention of abuse, language, bad grammar :P

Disclaimer: Only going to say this once! I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR YU-GI-OH! CHARACTERS! Now, enjoy.

"English"

"Japanese"

Prologue
How it all happened

Sure it was over, sure Voldemort had decided to flee, Harry made to run out from behind his statue guard, but Dumbledore bellowed: "Stay where you are, Harry!"

For the first time, Dumbledore sounded frightened. Harry could not see why: the hall was quite empty but for themselves, the sobbing Bellatrix still trapped under the witch statue and the baby phoenix Fawkes croaking feebly on the floor.

Then Harry's scar burst open and he knew he was dead: it was pain beyond imagining, pain past endurance.

He was gone from the hall, he was locked in the coils of a creature with red eyes, so tightly bound that Harry did not know where his body ended and the creatures began: they were fused together, bound by pain, and there was no escape.

And when the creature spoke, it used Harry's mouth, so that in his agony he felt his jaw move

"Kill me now, Dumbledore…"

Blinded and dying, every part of him screaming for release, Harry felt the creature use him again…

"If death is nothing, Dumbledore, kill the boy…"

Let the pain stop, thought Harry… let him kill us… end it, Dumbledore… death is nothing compared to this…

And I'll see Sirius again…

And as Harry's heart filled with emotion, the creature's coils loosened, the pain was gone.

(Directly taken from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix DO NOT OWN!)

When Harry opened his eyes he gazed directly at Voldemort' face. His surrounding had changed though. Instead of still being in the Hall they seemed to be flouting in darkness. Riddle hissed, watching the shadows around them warily. Harry found them oddly comforting, paying them no mind. His eyes were glued onto the man before him.

"Why did you come here Tom?" Harry had never felt so self-assured of anything in his entire life. This was his domain and Voldemort did not belong here. The shadows continued to hiss around them, moving back and forth like the tide. They seemed to become clearer with each passing second.

The snake-like face of Voldemort turned to him again, still eying the shadows wearily. "What have you done to us Potter?" His arm was still stretched out in front of him, but the snake-like man didn't seem to be aware that he was no longer holding his wand. The red eyes narrowed when Harry smiled at him.

"I thought you would enjoy it here Tom," Harry said watching a large shadow approach him. Voldemort hissed at him again, something which seemed to amuse Harry even more. "For a Dark Lord you don't seem to be very fond of the shadows. Now why have you come? What is it you seek from the shadows?"

Riddle narrowed his eyes and brought his hand even higher. He finally noticed that he wasn't in possession of his wand anymore and looked around franticly. "What have you done with my wand?" he screeched. His red eyes flashed dangerously before he seemed to compose himself. "You forget that I do not need a wand to use magic."

Silence followed. When nothing happened, Harry just raised an eyebrow at him. "You were saying?" The shadows around him chuckled. A large fuss ball appeared next to Harry. It only seemed to have arms, legs and two large eyes. It made a soft noise which sounded oddly comforting in Harry's ears. He smiled at the creature and petted it. The soft hairs came as a surprise and Harry's smile widened, his eyes unknowingly sparkling in the darkness of the shadows.

Soon, another shadow creature appeared. This one was larger and as the shadows retreated to make it more visible, Harry's smile grew. The man standing next to him was dressed in purple robes and power was radiating off of him. The stave he was holding was about Harry's size. "Master," the purple robed man said, nodding his head in greeting. "We have come to help you."

"Thank you," Harry said with a smile. He turned back to Voldemort, his eyes sharp as he watched the wizard looking around. "What are you searching for Tom? A way out?"

Riddle narrowed his eyes at the boy who had defeated him all those years ago. "Why have you trapped us here? Do you not see that by keeping me here, you cannot return as well?"

Harry laughed, something he hadn't expected doing since his Godfather had been taken from him by Bellatrix. Voldemort almost seemed like a scared child as he was standing there. But he was a child. His snake-like features seemed to have melted away and instead of the man he had been since his resurrection, Harry finally faced the original Tom Riddle. He was charming and good looking, it almost made Harry blush. This man/boy, standing before him, who had murdered so many people including his parents, was handsome.

Harry's mouth nearly fell open in shock. "I remember you so well Tom," he began in a soft and gentle tone. "The night you stood before my crib when you murdered my mother in front of me. Your eyes had turned red with anger and hate. Those eyes still haunt me, even in my dreams. Your resurrected body was no longer human. Only your red eyes remained. Not even my blood could purify you."

Tom Riddle looked at him in mild confusion, as if he couldn't remember the actions that had made him become a monster. "You, however, are no longer that man. I have stripped you of your ugly side and the shadows have taken it away to be destroyed. I cannot kill you Tom, but I can keep you here."

On pure instinct, as if he was doing what he was designed to do, Harry took the spirit form of Tom Riddle and held on tight. The boy screamed and cried in agony, but Harry held on tight. "Dark Magician, Kuriboh, lent me your strength and blast away his darkened body."

The shadows seemed surprised and worried at the same time, but nodded. "We wish you well young Master," the Dark Magician said while Kuriboh made a noise that clearly meant the same thing. Together they started to glow, combining their strength to help Harry rip away Voldemort's body from his mind and destroy it.

Tom's terrifying screams intensified as Harry reached out his mind to the man turned boy. An ancient chant which seemed to have been locked inside his mind for this moment tumbled out of his mouth. Harry wasn't even sure if it was him speaking or if he had been taken over by an outsider again. All he knew was that this was his only chance to rid the world of Voldemort and if he had to loose his mind in the process, then so be it.

… With Dumbledore in the hall…

Albus had never felt or seen such strong magic as this before. All he could do was watch as the shadows swallowed both Harry and Voldemort. "No Master," cried Bellatrix and she ran into the barrier, only to be knocked back. The shadows seemed to hum as she tried once again. Dumbledore watched in fascination as she dark barrier didn't show any sign of weakness and he wondered if he shouldn't be more scared of it.

With a sigh he stunned Bellatrix when she ran into the barrier for the third time. All he could do was wait. He had to wait five minutes and there was still no sign of the barrier lifting, but the Aurors and the Minister arrived on scene. "Dumbledore," Fudge cried out shocked at the state the Atrium was in. "What is the meaning of this?" Even though you couldn't possibly not notice the giant shadow barrier, it took Fudge a few seconds before he turned his gaping stare at it.

"You will have to wait until the barrier clears before anyone of us will get any answers Minister," Albus said gravely. "But in the mean time, there are some Death Eaters in the Department of Mystery's and here I have Bellatrix Lestrange."

The Aurors quickly moved towards the lift, while one stayed behind to arrest Bellatrix who was still lying stunned on the floor next to the barrier. Fudge moved to stand next to Dumbledore who was still watching the barrier for any weaknesses. "At least inform me of what is happening here. What happened to the Fountain of Magical Brethren?"

"You will probably not believe me until the barrier reveals him, but Lord Voldemort" Fudge flinched "arrived here tonight to retrieve a Prophecy. He lured Harry Potter into the Department of Mystery's and they are currently together in the Shadow Dome you see before us."

Fudge gave him a look that clearly said 'as if' but even he could not deny the wall of shadow before him. He reached out a tentative hand, like a curious child. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Dumbledore said softly and Fudge dropped his hand like he had burned it. If the situation had been different, Albus would have chuckled at the Minister's actions, but he was still worried about what was happening inside the barrier.

The lift announced the arrival of some new people and both Fudge and Dumbledore turned to see Remus and Moody enter the Atrium. "Is that Harry?" Remus asked, walking a little faster as his eyes were focused of the Shadow Dome. The Minister and the Headmaster both turned back watching the last bit of the barrier disappear. The sigh in front of them shocking them into silence.

Harry was standing with his eyes closed, his head slightly bowed. Two shadows seemed to disappear next to him as the last remnants of the Shadow Dome disappeared. Opposite of him was Voldemort. He was on his knees, his eyes and mouth wide open in a silent scream. But what the most disturbing was that he seemed to be falling apart. It was quite a disturbing sight.

"Harry," Remus said and he moved quickly past the two immobilised men. When he reached his dead best friends son, he realised that something was really wrong. Harry just stood there, his eyes closed and his head slightly bowed. "Harry, are you alright?" He reached out his hand and placed it on the boy' shoulder.

Harry's eyes snapped open and Remus had to fight with his self-control not to take a step back. His usually brilliant green eyes were empty, clouded as if he was blind. "Harry what happened to you? Harry?" He began to shake the youth in front of him, but all Harry did was sway with the shakes. He showed no signs of recognising Remus or the werewolf's desperate attempts.

"Remus," Albus said forcefully, finally tearing his eyes way from the decaying body of what once was Lord Voldemort. He moved swiftly to stand beside the werewolf, who was still shaking the Gryffindor desperately. "What…?" The Headmaster was what was distressing Remus and quickly summoned a piece of rubble. "We need to act quickly. Harry's friends are already in the Hogwarts Infirmary. Take this Portkey and ask Severus for help, maybe he can reach Harry. I will return as soon as I can. Portus." And with that Remus, who was holding onto Harry for dear life, was whizzed away.

… Hogwarts Infirmary…

Poppy Pomfrey was a busy woman. When she received five patients at the same time this evening, she had been confused but quickly set to work. She had divided and conquered, asking questions later when the most serious injuries had been treated. The moment, however, when she thought she could finally start asking questions, two more people arrived.

She knew both of them very well. Remus Lupin had spent most of his Hogwarts school career inside the Hospital Wing because of his affliction. Harry Potter on the other hand, also spends most of his time in the Hospital but for more serious injuries. Reckless behaviour had caused the boy more then a hand full of injuries over the five years he had been here. Now they seemed to be clinging together. Or rather, Remus was clinging to Harry like a lifeline.

"Remus what happened," she asked, nearly running towards the pair. He seemed to snap out of the mood he was in and turned dazed eyes towards the Hogwarts matron. He was showing clear signs of shock and Poppy had to pry his hands away from the young Gryffindor.

"We have to get Severus," he whispered. "Something is really wrong with Harry."

This simple statement caused a great stir inside the Hospital Wing. Ginny, Neville and Luna who had all been treated and cured in a heartbeat stormed to the front. They all wanted to see what was wrong with Harry. "No, back to bed you three or I will have to send you back to your dormitories and I would rather not do that."

They shrunk back to their beds, craning their necks to see what was happening. Only Luna seemed to understand and she was already staring sadly at the boy she had followed into the Department of Mystery's. Poppy quickly flooed Severus, who arrived seconds later with his trademark sneer in place. "What has the brat done now?" he sneered, watching Harry stand in the midst of the Infirmary with Remus still clutching his hand.

The werewolf send a glare in the direction of the Potions Master, but remained silent. "See for yourself," was all Remus said. Severus narrowed his eyes slightly but moved closer towards the Potter brat. What he saw surprised him, but pulled him into action right away. "Gide him over to the bed and let him sit on it," he commanded while he flooed back to his office to grab a few potions. He doubted they would work, but he could always try.

… Harry/Yuugi switch …

Why they ever thought that a camping trip would ease his worries Yuugi never knew, but he put on a smile for his friends and agreed to come with them to Scotland. He had never been there before and after Egypt, Scotland wasn't that far. Sure all that plane hopping was starting to drive him up the wall, but his grandfather had been right. He needed the change of scenery. Yami, no Atemu… he wasn't sure if he could ever get used to that name. His friend had been gone a month and life had returned to normal, or as normal as life could be. People still challenged him for duels and even Kaiba, who was still muttering about how he needed to run his business, was inviting him for a friendly duel. Everyone could see that he had taken the departure of the Pharaoh hard, but no one realised just how deep the wounds ran.

While Téa might think that Yuugi had just lost his best friend just like she did, she could not imagine the feelings that the short boy had developed. Not that the Pharaoh could have ever returned his feelings of course. He sighed and quickly transformed his sad and troubled face into a happy and carefree one. "I still wonder about these Scots," Joey said as he entered the campsite again. "I like fried food, but they take it to the next level."

Tristan chuckled next to him and Seto rolled his eyes at the two. "Your food obsession is a disturbing one Wheeler," Seto said, sneering slightly. He passed Yuugi his fish and chips, turning to the shorter boy with an almost amused expression. "Maybe we should have chosen something closer to the village. These two kept whining all the way to the campsite."

"Watch it Kaiba," Joey growled and he was eyeing the taller boy with annoyance. "I can still beat you in Duel Monsters."

"As if Wheeler," Seto said, laughing. "But if you're so interested in being beaten maybe we should duel right now?" His hand was already flexing to his deck but Téa quickly intervened.

"Let's eat first shall we? Otherwise we can walk all the way back to the village."

"Yeah Joey," Tristan said starting on his chips. "Eat first so you can be beaten later." When Joey started protesting again, Yuugi couldn't help but chuckle. Things were definitely getting back to normal. Maybe this trip wasn't so bad after all.

…

"There is no cell range here big brother," Mokuba said with a chuckle as he watched his brother's frustration. He had decided to tag along because he wanted to be with his brother. Being worried about Yuugi was another thing and he really wanted to see Scotland. "We are to far from the village and there runs an interference close by."

Seto shot the forest a murderous look and started muttering under his breath. "Will the Duel Disks still work then?" Joey asked, rummaging through his luggage until he found his. He strapped it on his arm and equipped his deck. The usual automatic response system seemed to fail, the lights flickering slightly before it died.

Seto sighed in frustration, grabbed his suitcase and took out his own Duel Disk and deck. The tall owner of Kaiba Corp stood and walked towards the exit of their campsite, away from the forest. Strapping the Duel Disk on his arm, he equipped his deck and waited for a reaction. This time it seemed to work and with a satisfied smirk he started walking back towards the forest again, all the time keeping his eyes fixed on his Duel Disk. The closer he got, the more the lights flickered before it died completely.

"You had to pick out this campsite didn't you?" Seto muttered, more then a little annoyed by the interference.

Yuugi took out his mobile and looked at it with a frown. His batteries had been full charged when he had left Japan, but it seemed that the closer he moved to the forest, the worse it got. One last step and his phone died. "There is definitely something wrong with this forest guys," he called out over his shoulder, still staring pensively at his phone.

A sudden wind swept over him, it was cold and warm at the same time and gave him a restless feeling. His head shot up and his gaze travelled through the darkening trees. Maybe it was nothing, just a trick of the light… "Come on Yuugi," Joey called from the campfire. "We'll have an old fashioned duel. You can beat Kaiba like you always do."

The others chuckled while Seto was looking murderous. "Alright Wheeler you asked for it. Let's duel!" Yuugi's eyes swept once more through over the forest before he returned to his friends. Yami had left after all and nothing was going to bring him back.

…

"That's not even remotely scary Tristan," Mokuba whined, yawning slightly. "Everyone knows it's a lode of Bull" Seto warned him quietly for his language "the Haunted Mansion is nothing but an old house on the hillside. It is scheduled for demolition."

"The story is true," Tristan said observing the sleepy child on the other end of the campfire. "The Haunted Mansion is very real and so are its inhabitants. But if you want we can take a look once we get back to Domino City?"

Mokuba, who was being nudged towards the tent by his older brother, perked up slightly. "All right, but if it turns out to be untrue I want that Backup Soldier card you have in your possession." Before Tristan could retort, Seto had successfully worked Mokuba into the tent and all they could hear were whispers of a conversation between the two brothers.

"How did that kid know I have a Backup Soldier card in my deck?" Tristan whispered to his friends, eyeing the tent suspiciously. Téa and Joey chuckled. "You forget who you're hanging out with Tristan," Yuugi said, slightly amused but still a little distracted. It seemed as if the forest and its shadows didn't want to leave him alone. Maybe playing in the Shadow Realm with Yami had made him more sensitive to that sort of thing, but he hadn't noticed it before. So why was he seeing them now?

"- Earth to Yuugi," Téa said waving her hand in front of Yuugi's face to get his attention. The smaller boy blinked and stared up at her. "Sorry, what?" He could see the worry in his friends' eyes and quickly smiled at them. "Lost in thought for a moment," he said apologetically. "Maybe it's time for bed. We had a long flight after all and tomorrow is a new day."

"Good idea," Téa said nodding. "We can explore the surroundings more. Maybe even go inside this forest. We'll need a back up plan though, for if we get lost, since there is no signal in there." All of their eyes lingered on the dark trees for a second before they wished each other good night.

…

He was running, trying to catch up with the figure up ahead. Something about the purple cloak and the flashes of gold made Yuugi realise that Atemu was leading him away. He tried to run faster but the moment he did his legs seemed to sink into mud. Why was this happening to him? Couldn't the Pharaoh, his Yami, see that he needed him? Couldn't Yami see that Yuugi wanted him? Why wouldn't he turn around?

Yuugi was getting desperate. The more he struggled against the mud, the deeper he seemed to sink into it. He wanted to cry out, reaching out a hand towards the figure that was now standing still. His mouth wasn't working and the mud was now reaching his chest. He wished he was taller, then he could have reached the other side without a doubt. But Yami had always been the tall one, the strong one. Without Yami, Yuugi was nothing. Alone and with a large gaping hole in his chest were his heart used to be.

His chin reached the dark mud and he threw his head back in a desperate attempt to keep seeing the figure, which seemed to be growing clearer as he sunk deeper. He reached out his hand towards the lone figure, even though his arm was lodged in the mud. "Yami," Yuugi whispered softly, tying to keep his face clear from the mud. "Please, help me."

Just before the darkness could swallow him, Yuugi squeezed his eyes shut only to open them when a familiar hand grabbed his. An almost blinding light followed and a soft voice spoke to him. "I will always be with you Yuugi."

The mud disappeared, but the hand remained in his. The moment he locked eyes with the other, the light overwhelmed him again and he could feel someone shaking him. "Yuugi, wake up! Something is wrong with your deck."

Yuugi awoke disoriented and nearly tumbled out of his cot in his attempt to find his bearings. "What is it?" he muttered, squinting at the light that filled the tent. Joey was sitting on the floor next to him and was shuffling though his Duel Monsters deck. "What are you doing?"

"You remember when I had the Claw of Hermos and you had that Eye of Timaeus?" Joey said, finding the source of the bright lights. "They used to light up whenever the other was either in trouble or using the card. It seems that your Dark Magician and Kuriboh are doing the same thing."

Yuugi was instantly awake and took the cards from his best friend. He peered closely at his two favourite cards and watched as Kuriboh was doing the exact same thing as he had done when Noah had taken them to a virtual world. The fuss ball was moving his eyes and limbs before he suddenly disappeared. The Dark Magician followed soon after, only to leave a trail.

Yuugi quickly pulled on his coat and shoes, rushing out of the tent without paying mind to Joey's cries. He had to follow the trail, because it wasn't every day that his cards glowed before disappearing. He sprinted into the woods, not paying any mind to the shadows surrounding him or the cries from his friends behind him.

As he zigzagged through the trees Yuugi started to wonder why it was happening now. A month after his Yami had left him, after that final duel with his other half. Now, the shadows seemed to return and his two most trusted cards abandoned him. First everything happened because Yami had unfinished business, but all that had been taken care of. So how was it that the shadows had returned?

The shadows seemed to grow warier as Yuugi continued to crash through the forest and he wondered if he should turn back and wait for his friends when he noticed a figure up ahead. The short boy almost came to a complete standstill, his eyes wide with shock. There before him, surrounded by shadows and not more then a few feet from him, was Yami. His Yami!

With a new found energy and enthusiasm Yuugi ran up to the spirit and, without thinking, lounged himself on the older man. He hugged him tight, not wanting to let go. Only when Yami hugged him back did he realise that the spirit was not so much a spirit anymore. "Oh my Hikari, I have missed you so," Yami whispered in his ear and Yuugi was trying his hardest not to burst out into tears.

It took a minute for Yuugi to compose himself and all his strength to take a step back from the former Pharaoh. "I'm sorry," Yuugi apologised, wiping away some unshed tears. "I didn't mean to… I mean… how have you been Ya- Atemu?" Yuugi felt like blushing, already annoyed with himself that he let his emotions take the lead.

The shadow/spirit of the former Pharaoh chuckled. "Yami is fine Yuugi," he said with a slight echo in his voice. "I have grown quite fond of the name. It has been slightly dull in the after life ever since I left you. Something has pulled me back though and in a more solid form it seems." Yuugi did blush this time and wanted to apologise but Yami just shook his head. "No need to apologise my Hikari. There is no shame in hugging an old partner."

The shorter boy smiled at the Pharaoh and noticed for the first time that he had grown a little since they last saw each other. But then he frowned as Yami's words sunk in. "What pulled you back? Do you know?"

Yami turned his head to face the direction in which Yuugi had been running only moments before. "Not yet, but I have a feeling that it lies in that direction." They both lapsed in a short silence when Yuugi remembered what had brought him into the forest in the first place. The sound of his friends calling out for him made him look at the two cards in his hand. To his surprise the Dark Magician and Kuriboh had returned. "What is it Yuugi?"

Yuugi shook his head. "Maybe nothing, but when I woke up the Dark Magician and Kuriboh glowed only to disappear."

Yami frowned and held out his hand in a silent question. Yuugi handed over his cards the moment Joey, Téa, Tristan, Seto and Mokuba found him. "Yuug, where were you? Why did you…? Wow, I'm seeing things again," Joey finished. All five had come to a stand still and were staring in the direction on Yami with wide eyes and mouths half open.

Yuugi grinned at them, before turning back at Yami. Surprised was an understatement when he was Dark Magician and Kuriboh standing next to the Pharaoh. Before anyone could say anything, Kuriboh launched himself at Yuugi and tackled him to the ground. With a cry and a laugh, Yuugi hugged the Monster missing the soft smile Yami gave them.

A/N: Moldy needs new skin, Harry is floating and a sweet reunion between Yuugi and Yami. How do you like them apples :P So let me know what you think?