Snape was led to the empty back allies of Hogsmeade by his canine accomplice. He'd managed to get most of the dirt out of his eyes with his free hand and as soon as he saw it was clear, he broke angrily away from the dog's grip. "Useless animal," he muttered. "Look, you even got your slobber all over me. Disgusting!" He wiped the bit drool off with a handkerchief from his pocket. The dog tilted its head in offense. "Well, get out of that shape," Snape said. "You're of no use like that."

The dog began to grow and change. Soon the form of the stray was gone, replaced with that of Sirius. His true form.

"What, not even a thank you?" Sirius accused.

"You would have been a lot more useful if you had been both human and equipped with your wand." Snape said. "What were you planning to do as a dog, bite them to death?"

"You never change, Severus," Sirius said as Snape looked him over.

"Your disguise potion has worn off," Snape observed.

"Why do you think I was walking around as a dog?" Sirius said with a hint of anger. "The last thing I need is for there to be a Sirius Black sighting in Hogsmeade. That idiot Fudge would bring in the Dementors and anything else he thought was necessary to catch me. And eventually, they would trace it all back to the school and then Dumbledore'll be in the hot seat. Not to mention they would probably blame that mess back there on me as well. It wouldn't take much for the Death Eaters in power to change that into Peter Pettigrew all over again."

"What do you mean?" Snape asked.

Sirius pointed skyward. Snape looked in the indicated direction. His expression didn't change. "They killed the informer."

"Right," Sirius agreed. "As a dog, I was easily able to hear it. They're getting cocky, those Death Eaters. Three years ago, none of them would have dared to send up the Dark Mark. Voldemort must have gotten much stronger."

"Indeed," Snape said. "I was so close to finding out what they were after. Damn, self-righteous idiots..."

Sirius had a thoughtful look on his face. "Don't worry about it," he said. "I'll talk with Dumbledore later. We might be able salvage something out of this." Sirius had a sneaking suspicious that he knew what was going on, but he didn't want to let Snape in on any of it until he had confirmed it with Dumbledore. "Meanwhile, you probably should go help round up the students and get them all back to the castle. The other teachers are probably already on it. The officials are going to want to clear the streets and start a full-fledged investigation. And I need to make sure I'm nowhere to be seen when they get here. I can stick around as a dog and see what happens."

"Very well," Snape said reluctantly. He didn't like followings Sirius's directions. He began to head off, but Sirius stopped him.

"Make sure those transfer students get back alright," Sirius said. "And please keep an eye out for Harry, too."

"I have my own students to look out for," Snape replied. "Only one of those students is my responsibility. Minerva will handle the others." With that Snape left. Sirius sighed heavily. Snape was such a stubborn man. But it shouldn't be a big problem. The Death Eaters wouldn't dare try anything with every official in the area swarming the town. Even if what Sirius suspected was true, the transfers should be safe. At least as long as they were where they were supposed to be.

Sirius regained the shape of a friendly stray and made off back towards the scene of the previous trouble.

Elsewhere in town, teachers hurried to gather their students together and lead them back to the castle. Every shop, business and restaurant cleared out as their customers rushed to safety. It was utter chaos. The people of Hogsmeade were in hysterics. Fear and self-preservation gripped the majority of the citizens. The streets were choked with people trying to leave town all together. The officials were having a great deal of trouble getting things in order. Because of the magic of the area, Apparating was impossible. Everyone was reduced to foot travel. Terrified third year students looked desperately around for some kind of instruction, this being the first time in Hogsmeade for most of them.

McGonagall and Professor Sprout desperately tried to get a handle on their students, but it was impossible. The town was too big, the students too spread out. Knowing no other way to get instructions out to all of the Hogwarts students, Professor McGonagall took out her wand and pointed it to her own throat.

"Sonorus!"

When next she spoke, her stern voice echoed throughout Hogsmeade. "All Hogwarts students and staff report back to the castle IMMEDIATELY!!! No exceptions! Repeat: Everyone back to Hogwarts!" She pointed her wand and her throat again and reversed the spell. "We must hurry everyone out of here," she said to Professor Sprout. The two witches quickly moved to the route between Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, ushering students along the way.

..................................

"We need to get back, now!" George said.

"But what if there's still problems?!" Hermione asked, near hysterics. "What if we'd just be walking into trouble?!"

"They others aren't going to be sticking around town with Death Eaters running around," George said. "The teachers will've led them all back to the castle."

"Hold on, I'm thinking," Fred said, holding his hands up for silence. "If we go through one of the secret passages, we can get back to Hogwarts without going through Hogsmeade. You've told me that one of them is in the Shrieking Shack, right Harry?"

Harry nodded. "The one that's under the Whomping Willow."

"That's suicide," George protested.

"So's staying here if the professors find out," Fred said.

"I could lose my prefect title over this," Hermione said, nervously biting her nails.

"You can lose a lot more than that," said Fred. "Sneaking out of bounds. Long distance flight without permission. Can you say 'expelled?'"

"Oh, no," Hermione moaned.

"What exactly is going on?" Yami asked. Much to his distaste, he was ignored.

"We can get past the Whomping Willow," Harry said. "There's a knot on it that will freeze the tree for a moment if you touch it."

"Good. Come on, we better hurry," George said.

"Wait!" Malik yelled, holding his hands up for attention. "Tell us what's going on."

"That's the Dark Mark," Hermione quickly explained. "It's the symbol of You- Know-Who."

"Who?" Yami, Malik, and Yami Bakura all said at once.

"Voldemort!" Harry said. "The Dark Wizard we told you about before!"

"Oh, the guy who killed your- uh, nevermind." Yami Bakura had almost blurted out something that would have been incredibly insensitive, even for him.

"That symbol usually means that his followers have killed somebody!" Ron said.

"I guess we better go, then," Malik said.

Quickly they moved to pack up the duel disks. Meanwhile, Yami Bakura was questioning his host, trying to find out what had upset him.

//What is it?\\ he asked impatiently.

He could feel that Ryou was awake, but he was still getting no answer. Ryou wasn't hurt or anything as far as he could tell, but he wouldn't speak. He was very upset, shocked even, and Yami Bakura couldn't figure out why. But if he was understanding things correctly, he didn't have time to interrogate his host. They had to move. But, of course, if Ryou was staying in his soul room, that meant that Yami Bakura would have to fly back... Oh, boy...

The equipment was all packed up and Yami put his robes back on, although reluctantly. "Alright, same as the way over," George said. "Same people riding with the same people. Keep low to the ground so that we won't be seen by anybody looking at the Dark Mark."

Yami Bakura picked up his broom and pondered over it a moment. With Ryou's knowledge and talent, he should be able to manage it. Carefully, he climbed on. As he lifted his feet, he was relieved to find that it was hovering. Unfortunately, he'd almost forgotten about his passenger.

"You're flying?" Yami asked, keeping his voice down. "Why aren't you letting the other Bakura do it?"

"He's not feeling well," Yami Bakura said. "Something upset him and we don't have time for me to try to find out what it is. So welcome aboard, I will be your pilot today."

Yami didn't look at all comfortable with this. "You sure you can do it?" he asked.

"I can do anything Ryou can do," Yami Bakura said confidently. "Which reminds me, switch back to Yugi," he added in a whisper.

"Why?" Yami asked suspiciously.

"Because I'm sure the Ryou was able to fly with him on the broom, but I'm not so sure about you."

"What difference should it make?"

"Oh, come on, Pharaoh," Yami Bakura whispered, "You are at least thirty pounds heavier than Yugi."

"I am not!" Yami said indignantly. "Fifteen, maybe."

"Fifteen pounds is your buckles plus your hair," Yami Bakura replied with a bit of a smirk. "But a foot of height difference should make you about thirty pounds heavier."

"You don't know that!" Yami said.

"Look, fifteen, thirty, it doesn't really matter," Yami Bakura said finally. "The point is you're still heavier. Switch, or I'll leave your royal ass here."

Yami grumbled but complied. But he wouldn't take that verbal abuse from Yami Bakura without a retort. "Just so you know, I would have won that duel. I had a 'De-spell' card coming up to get rid of your field magic."

"You would not have!" Yami Bakura argued. "I had a million other ways to beat you!"

"Too late, he's gone," Yugi said. "He switched right after he said that."

"Your other half is a pain in the neck," Yami Bakura mumbled.

"It's your fault," Yugi said with a grin. "You made him feel fat."

//He did not!\\ Yami argued. //I'm not that self-conscious! He was just wrong and I made it a point to tell him that!\\

Yugi laughed quietly in response.

Yami Bakura was quickly able to get the hang of flying. All of them managed to make it to the hill where they had started off. Now, they just had to walk around it, sneak into the Shrieking Shack, get past the Whomping Willow, and cross the Hogwarts grounds to the castle, all without being seen. No big deal.

"Your invisibility cloak would have come in handy right about now," Ron muttered to Harry.

"We wouldn't have all fit in it," Harry said.

"Yes, but at least three of us would have been safe."

"That's not right, and you know it. We couldn't just abandon the others."

"Yeah, I know. I just don't like that our future as wizards are in the hands of my brothers"

Despite Ron's complaints, Fred and George were doing their best to keep all of them out of trouble. They really didn't want to get kicked out of school their last year, especially since they'd managed to avoid it so many times in the past. Lucky for all of them, the hill had been combed by the investigating officials already, so no one was there to see them.

Sneaking into the Shrieking Shack from the back was a little trickier. There were no doors there and the widows seemed to all be stuck. They did, however, find a hole in the wall that had been covered by an overgrown bush, and they were able to get in that way. Little did they, know, they were being watched by a pair of yellow eyes.

Once inside, they found the passage without much difficulty. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had all been through it before. Quickly and quietly, they slipped into the underground passage. The yellow eyes followed.

It seemed to take forever for them to get through the long, dark, low- ceilinged path. They felt as if each passing second dramatically increased their risk of getting caught. But eventually, what seemed like hours later, they neared the exit and could see daylight through a large gap in the roots of the tree they were now under.

Malik was the first to reach the exit. He climbed up the sloping earth rise and cautiously peeked out, searching for signs of life. There was no one. They were all probably safe inside the castle, but it was probably best not to dawdle.

"Coast is clear, let's go," Malik said.

Malik was already out before the Hogwarts gang realized what he was doing. "Malik, wait!" they yelled in unison.

Malik couldn't understand why they were shouting at him. "What?" he said, turning to look in their direction.

WHAM! A swinging branch connected with Malik's stomach and he was forced backwards. The breath knocked out of him, he struggled to regain it while looking about for the source of the attack. His eyes widened as he saw that his attacker was neither human, nor animal. It was the tree. How the Hell do you fight a tree? He didn't have time to figure it out. The others ran to the exit in an effort to quickly reach the knot that would stop the tree, but they weren't fast enough to spare Malik another blow. He managed to avoid a few swings, but the Whomping Willow found its target again. It hit him in the head and knocked him to the ground where he landed in a heap. He didn't move.

Yami Bakura cursed and rushed out himself. Harry hit the knot a mere second before another swinging branch would have taken out Yami Bakura, who was oblivious to the danger he had just escaped. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Yugi, and the twins rushed after.

Yami Bakura kneeled down next to Malik and rolled him over onto his back. There was a nasty gash on Malik's forehead just below his hairline where the tree had hit him. He showed no signs of consciousness.

"Oh, my God," Hermione said, covering her mouth. Harry and Ron kneeled beside their fallen comrade as well.

"Malik?" Harry said, shaking the blonde's shoulder slightly. "Come on, wake up."

Yami Bakura's discerning eyes watched for signs of life. He didn't know what to do. Malik was down and there was nothing he could do about it. He wasn't fulfilling his part of the bargain. He was supposed to have been watching his back...

He was more than a little relieved when Malik groaned and his violet eyes fluttered open. Yami Bakura looked on, forgetting to hide the concern on his face.

"Is he alright?" Fred asked. "Should I go get help?"

"They could heal him up real well before they kick us all out of school," George added.

"Ow," Malik said simply. Yami Bakura sighed and rolled his eyes.

"You thick-skulled idiot."

"That thick skull apparently saved him," Yugi observed.

"Malik, are you okay? How do you feel?" Harry asked.

Malik sat up slowly. "I just got whacked by a living two-by-four, how do you think I feel?"

"His sarcasm is intact. I do believe he will live," Fred said with a grin. "But perhaps a trip to Madam Pomfrey is still in order."

"I'm okay," Malik said. "I've been worse. It's just a bump on the head. Tree didn't get a good hit on me. Barely touched me."

"It did a pretty good job of knocking you out for having barely touched you," Yami Bakura said with narrowed eyes and a smirk. Malik was just putting on a tough act.

"You still should go to the hospital wing," Hermione said. "You might have a concussion. Don't worry, Madame Pomfrey never asks too many questions. Believe me, I've gone in there with some strange problems and she never asked what happened. Come to think of it, that's rather irresponsible of her."

"Never mind that, Hermione," Ron said, rolling his eyes.

"I said I'm fine," Malik insisted, standing up shakily.

"She can heal you almost instantly," Harry offered. "Besides, Pomfrey won't ask questions, but the teachers might if they see that cut on your forehead. McGonagall might think you got in a scrap with Malfoy."

"Oh, Malfoy," Yami Bakura said, grinning suddenly. "I'd almost forgotten about him. I wonder what plan he will come up with to humiliate you it he finds out that you got beat up by a TREE!"

Malik scoffed and then looked back at Harry. "Heal instantly, you say?"

"Won't even leave a scar," Harry said with a nod.

"Too bad, you two could have something in common," George joked, indicating the scar on Harry's own forehead.

"Alright then, I'll go," Malik agreed finally. "I do have a bit of a headache. And I'm a tad dizzy."

"I'll bet," Ron said as they all started to walk towards the castle.

"That reminds me. But I guess I'll just forget the money you owe me," Fred said. "At least until your fixed up."

"Money? What money?" Malik asked.

"The five Galleons we bet on the duel," Fred replied.

"But the duel wasn't finished," Malik protested.

"You guys bet on our duel?" Yugi questioned.

"Yeah," Fred replied before turning to Malik again. "Weren't we going by their life point count?" he asked. "Bakura's was higher."

"You can't determine the winner before someone's life points are zero," said Malik. "Too many things can change the final result."

"Oh, fine then," Fred said, shrugging his shoulders. It wasn't a big deal. Five Galleons, after all and it's not like he understood the rules himself. Besides, after Malik got beat up by the Whomping Willow, Fred didn't want to take his money. Which was good, because Malik didn't have any to begin with.

Yami Bakura's eyes suddenly widened in realization and he stepped in front of Malik to block his path. "Hold up, you bet AGAINST ME?!"

Malik laughed nervously. "Just... playing the odds...picking the favorite, you know?"

Yami Bakura narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "I wish that tree had taken your head clean off," he muttered, turning back towards the castle. Malik exchanged glances with Yugi and they both grinned.

Unbeknownst to the students, a large, black dog climbed out of the hole in the roots under the Whomping Willow. It walked a safe distance away from the dangerous tree for it was sure to unfreeze at any minute and looked after the teenagers as they walked away. The dog snorted disapprovingly and took off towards the back of the castle where it could sneak in more easily.

Harry, Yugi, and company were relieved to see that they weren't the only stragglers once they entered the castle. Several third years, as well as Neville Longbottom, were still roaming the halls, unsure of where they were supposed to be. As they neared the Hospital Wing, Dumbledore's booming voice suddenly sounded, echoing through the castle.

"All students report to your common rooms," he announced, rather seriously. The normally pleasant and good-natured headmaster put on a more imposing face during times of trouble. All the experienced students knew that it was best to do just as he said.

"We'll go on and tell McGonagall you're coming," Fred said as he and George started to head towards the Gryffindor rooms. "We'll just tell her you're at the Hospital Wing. She won't punish you for that. But you better head back as soon as Malik's taken care of."

"I better go, too," Hermione said. "I'm a prefect. The professor might need me. Will you guys be alright?"

Harry and Ron nodded. "We won't be long."

The twins and Hermione left and Yugi, Harry, Ron, Yami Bakura, and Malik (whose dizziness was causing him to walk with a bit of a sway) entered Madame Pomfrey's area. She instructed Malik to have a seat as soon as she saw him. It was a few minutes before she even realized the others were there. Healthy students weren't her department and it was easy for her to accidentally ignore them.

"Go on back to your common rooms," she said. "Dumbledore gave specific instructions and you best follow them."

Malik nodded in agreement and shooed his comrades away. "I'll be alright," he said. "Go on."

Yami Bakura rolled his eyes and led the procession out. By now the hallways were clear and it gave all of them (save Yami Bakura) an uneasy feeling. When they reached the Gryffindor common room, McGonagall had already started speaking to the others. She paused and glanced at them as they entered.

"Sorry Professor," Yugi said, feeling immediately guilty. "We were-"

"I know, Mr. Mouto," she interrupted. "Your fellow students have already informed me. While I admire your dedication to your friend, you should have all reported here as soon as the headmaster instructed you to."

They waited for her to take points away from Gryffindor, but she didn't. Instead, she turned back to the rest of the Gryffindors and continued where she left off. The new arrivals quickly found a place to sit (with Yami Bakura choosing instead to stand in the background) where they could listen to her properly.

"...with the events of today, all trips to Hogsmeade will be canceled until further notice." There were a few groans of complaint at this. McGonagall pursed her lips and eyed her students. "These are dangerous times, and we will not sacrifice the safty of the student body for unnecessary things such as Hogsmeade. I also expect all of you to behave in a mature manner and be on your best behavior." She glanced at Yami Bakura as she said this. He pretended not to notice. "The ministry is in the process of conducting a heavy investigation of today's murder, so do not be surprised if you see an official on Hogwarts grounds. I should also advise all of you to consider the situation and behave appropriately. Use your judgment. Anyone who uses today's events to cause mischief or commits an act that puts himself or others in danger, will be punished doubly. Depending on the degree of the offense, expulsion might be considered. This is your only warning. That is all. An announcement will be made once all the professors have finished discussing the matter of today. Until then, no one is to leave this room." McGonagall gave one last stern look across the room before disappearing through the portrait hole.

There was a silence after she left. For a few minutes no one said anything. Then all at once, the Gryffindors broke out into heated conversations.

"Wow, double punishments," Ron said. "They're really serious."

"What did we miss, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Someone was murdered by the killing curse in town today," she explained. Harry, Ron, and Yugi all leaned in to hear better. "The murders were gone before anyone could get there."

"So the murders are still on the loose?" Yugi asked, not attempting to hide the worry in his voice.

"Hogwarts is probably the safest place you can be," Harry said. "You don't need to be scared."

"It was definitely Death Eaters," Hermione continued. "The man was killed in their traditional execution style. They killed him, took his wand to summon the Dark Mark, and then left it at the scene. Guys, this is even worse that the Dark Mark at the Quidditch world cup last year. This time, someone was actually killed. The entire magical world will be in an uproar over this."

Hermione and the others continued to talk. Meanwhile Yami Bakura quietly made his was across the room and up the stairs to the dorm. He had business to attend to.

He made his way over to Ryou's bed. The ring glowed as he took on his spiritual form, thus forcing Ryou to take control of the body. The lighter Bakura blinked, suddenly finding himself facing the physical world. He saw his other standing beside him, and for one moment, their gazes met, before Ryou looked away. His yami had that impatient look in his eye.

"Do you want to tell me what's going on?" Yami Bakura said. His tone of voice seemed to hint that the answer better not be no.

"It's... nothing."

"Liar," Yami Bakura accused. Ryou was taken aback. He'd never been called that before.

"You don't go into shock for over half an hour over nothing. I've been nice long enough," Yami Bakura said. "I'm going to find out what the problem is, one way or another. Don't force me to do it the hard way." Yami Bakura took a step closer.

Ryou flinched involuntarily. Yami Bakura noticed. His expression softened slightly. If he wasn't careful, his relationship with his host would regress dramatically. He didn't want that. Not after he'd come so far. "I didn't mean that like it sounded," he said. He took a deep breath and tried again. "I want to know what got you so upset. It's best not to keep secrets. If you don't tell me, I will simply look in your mind and see for myself. For your own safty."

"You mean you haven't already?" Ryou asked, nervously speaking up. "I-I thought for sure that you'd already... that's partially why I..."

"You're babbling, Ryou," Yami Bakura said. "Without making any sense, I might add."

"Sorry," Ryou apologized. "I just thought that you...never mind."

Yami Bakura eyed his lighter half. There was a lot on the young boy's mind, he could tell. Most of it would probably not be good news. But it was also probably important. He had to know. Had to.

"Tell me everything," Yami Bakura said finally.