"I wanted to get this over and done with as soon as possible," Malik muttered. "If I had waited for you two to spit out all the details, it'd be midnight before we got out of there. And your other self," he added, turning to Ryou, "was of no help whatsoever."

"You seemed to have it under control," Ryou answered defensively. "And Yugi's other self didn't add anything either. I think we did alright without involving them too much."

"You going to write to Isis now, Malik?" Yugi asked.

"Yeah," Malik answered, craning his neck to look out a nearby window. "It's still light out, but it'll be dark soon. I suppose I should use and owl instead of Nightshade, then." Malik swung his bag around and rummaged in it for quill, ink, and parchment as he walked. "I'll head on up to the owlery now. I want to send them something tonight."

"Not planning on making it a long letter, then?" Ryou observed.

"Why should I?" Malik asked as he continued to search his bag, finally pulling out a quill, "They're the ones who should have a lot to say. Just a simple 'Tell me what's been going on' is all I need to write. See you guys later." With that, Malik left his comrades and made off towards the tower where the owlery was located.

Yugi and Ryou continued on. "I do hope Isis and Rishid are alright," Yugi said.

"I'm sure they are. Isis looked alright in the newspaper," Ryou replied. "She's probably having to deal with a lot of pressure and paper work, but that should be all. I still can't imagine what the Death Eaters would want there. Sure, there were many powerful magicians in Ancient Egypt, but most modern wizards don't know the half of it. And anyway, nothing in that museum should have been magical. Just scrolls and tablets and various other artifacts."

"It's a mystery," Yugi agreed. "I suppose we'll find out more when Isis replies." They turned a corner on route to the Great Hall, for it would soon be time for supper, only to find a most unwelcome surprise.

"Ah! Just who I wanted to see," Malfoy said as he noticed them. Crabbe and Goyle stood beside him, smirking stupidly. They had apparently just been immersed in conversation. "Come here," said Malfoy, gesturing to Yugi and Ryou with his index finger, "I want to talk to you two."

"Uh...no, we really must be going," Yugi said. "We don't have time for this." Ryou mutely nodded his head in agreement.

"Now, now, it is very rude to refuse an invitation," Malfoy said. He snapped his fingers and Crabbe and Goyle moved to block Yugi and Ryou's path, which they were able to do quite effectively, even in the large hallway.

Yugi sighed heavily. "What do you want, Malfoy?" he asked at last.

"I have a proposition for you. Answer one question truthfully for me, and I will leave both of you alone for the remainder of the school year. I think that sounds very generous, don't you?"

Yugi smelled a rat. No way it was that easy. "What do you want to know?" he asked suspiciously.

Malfoy smirked. "Just tell me what that gold thing in Ishtal's pocket was."

"Nothing," Ryou said, rather defiantly. "It was nothing. Just something passed down in the Ishtal family."

"I don't believe you," Malfoy scoffed. "If it was nothing, then why did he go to all the trouble to get it back before any of us could see it?"

"So he's weird and secretive? Who didn't know that?" Ryou answered, narrowing his eyes in a suspicious manner.

Malfoy sneered. "I'm afraid I don't like your answer. I'll give you one more chance. Care to try again?"

Yugi shrugged. "There's no more to say," he replied

"Wrong answer," Malfoy said angrily. "Crabbe! Goyle! Show them what we do to those who withhold information."

Before Yugi could do anything, Goyle grabbed the front of his robes. Crabbe grabbed "Ryou" in the same fashion, but soon had to refigure his position in order to avoid being kicked in a sensitive area. A murderous look flashed in the white-haired teen's eyes as Crabbe twisted his arm around his back and pushed him forward. The hallway appeared to be growing darker...

"Don't!" Yugi yelled. Malfoy and he goons apparently believed Yugi to be speaking to his captor when in fact he was speaking to the ancient spirit currently in control of his friend's body. Yami Bakura cast Yugi a look of blended anger and defiance. He wasn't going to be pushed around by Malfoy and his goons. The hall continued to grow darker as if the torches were slowly being snuffed out, the Slytherins completely oblivious to the approaching danger as they continued to steer their captives onward.

It appeared that either one of two things were going to happen: either Yami was going to have to come out and stop Yami Bakura, or the tomb robber was going to get to do what he wanted to do since his first run-in with Malfoy. But neither would come to be. Yami Bakura's concentration broke as Crabbe unexpectedly shoved him into a door, thus pushing it open and effectively taking the spirit by surprise. The light returned to the hallway.

Crabbe pushed Yami Bakura into the room. The thief had to struggle to keep his balance, flailing slightly. But it was in vain. No sooner had Yami Bakura steadied himself than Yugi was thrust in as well, crashing into Yami Bakura and taking them both down to the floor in a tangle of limbs and an assortment of swear words in several languages.

The door was shut behind them. They could hear Malfoy muttering what sounded like a spell followed by low chuckling. "You two can stay in there for a while and think about being more truthful next time."

Yami Bakura hastily shoved Yugi aside with a yelp of protest from the smaller boy. He stood and roughly grabbed the handle of the door only to find that it would not open. They were stuck inside.

"Malfoy! Let us out now!!!" Yami Bakura bellowed, banging on the door with his fist.

"Why don't you take out your wand and let yourself out?" Malfoy mocked. "That is, if you can." He laughed again. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll find the facilities accommodating. Of course, this room is supposed to be out of order, so it may be a while before someone finds you. Hahaha!"

"Malfoy!" Yami Bakura raged, still banging on the door. "When I get out of here, I'm going to send you to the depths of your own personal Hell!!!

"Oh, that really makes me want to let you out," Malfoy replied sarcastically. "But you've gone and hurt my feelings. I think I'll be going now." Malfoy and his cronies laughed thickly, the sound slowly fading as they walked farther and farther away.

"Get back here, you bastard!!!" Yami Bakura shouted, but to no avail. He beat his fist on the door one last time before letting it fall to his side, defeated and slightly bruised. He then turned angrily to Yugi. "Why didn't you let just let me take care of them?! If you hadn't interrupted me, we'd have been in the Shadow Realm before they'd of had time to shove us in here!"

"You couldn't just summon the Shadow Realm in the middle of the school," Yugi replied meekly. "It would have caused too much trouble. Besides, they just locked us in a..." He looked around. "A bathroom. Could be worse. And really, no harm done."

"A girls' bathroom," Yami Bakura corrected, shrugging his shoulder around in hopes of relieving the discomfort left by being led around by his twisted arm. "This is degrading. Alright, Mr. Wizard, how do we get out of here? If you didn't want me using my ring against them, I doubt you want me using it to get out of here when we can sit and rot waiting for someone to come around instead."

"Um..." Yugi put a finger on his chin in thought. "I don't thing we need our items for this. I know I saw a spell on unlocking doors somewhere... In Charms, I think. I don't remember it though."

"Is it in one of your books?" Yami Bakura asked impatiently.

"I'm sure it is," Yugi answered. "But I read the first three Charms books, and I don't remember which one it was in."

"Great!" Yami Bakura said, dropping his arms heavily to his sides in an exasperated manner. "Well, I suggest you get looking."

"It'll be faster if you help," Yugi mumbled.

"I'm not doing any book work," Yami Bakura replied stubbornly. "Ryou can help you."

The millennium ring glowed under Yami Bakura's robes, causing an eerie glow about his neck where the light just barely peeked through. But rather than returning to the ring, he separated from Ryou, forming the transparent figure visible only to his host. Ryou cocked a questioning eyebrow at his other as he saw this.

//Why...?\\ he began to ask through the mental link.

"Seems like going from being locked in a bathroom to being cooped up in the ring isn't much of a step up," Yami Bakura answered before the question had been completely asked. "Besides, it's easier to make sure you move quickly and find a way to get us out of here this way."

Ryou shook his head. //Sure that you were a grave robber in Egypt and not a slave driver?\\ Yami Bakura rolled his eyes, not the least bit in the mood for humor.

Yugi watched as Ryou now appeared to stare into nothingness at his side. "You okay?" he asked.

Ryou turned back to Yugi and nodded. "He just didn't want to go back in the ring so he's taking on the part of the supervisor."

"Figures," Yugi muttered. "The other me says that your other self need to practice some self-control. There could have been big problems if someone had noticed him summoning the Shadow Realm."

"Tell the other Yugi to kiss my-"

"Let's start looking," Ryou said, interrupting his other's words, unheard by all but him.

Or so he thought...

"Do you have the first Charms book?" Yugi asked. "I left mine in the dorm. I only have two and three with me."

"I have it," Ryou answered, slightly impressed with Yugi for carrying the two heavy advanced books when they were still technically only on the first one. Yugi's enthusiasm for Charms was to be admired.

Yugi and Ryou sat on the floor and began thumbing through the books. But it was very slow going. Soon, Yami Yugi took a page out of Yami Bakura's book and separated as well, though he was not being nearly as stubborn. Ryou read through book one and Yugi was nose deep in book three. Yugi had also opened book two to the index and set it open on the floor. Yami (wanting to held in whatever way possible) eyed the small print, informing Yugi when the page turned up nothing. Then Yugi would pause to turn the page for his other (as Yami's spiritual form could not affect the physical world) and the former pharaoh would continue his search.

Ten minute went by. Then twenty. Thirty. Finally, Ryou announced, "I think I found it."

"You did?" Yugi leaned over to see better.

"I think so," Ryou repeated. "It would have been easier if the index was arranged by what a spell DOES rather than its incantation, but I believe this is it."

Yugi pulled the book over onto his lap and examined the page. "Yep! Finally! This is it."

"'Bout time," Yami muttered.

"Let me try-" Yugi was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Yugi? Bakura? You in there?" They recognized the voice as Malik's.

"Yes!" Ryou called back. "How'd you find us here?!"

"Because Malfoy is a stupid git who can't help but gloat about what mischief he's been up to," came another voice.

"Ron?" Yugi questioned.

"None other," Ron answered. "Harry and Hermione are here, too."

"We came as soon as we found out," Harry said. "We would have brought McGonagall but Malik said not to."

"Malfoy said he was going to claim that you two attacked him first. I doubted any teacher would have believed him, but with the double punishment thing, I decided to leave it up to you whether or not to report him," Malik explained.

"And I strongly suggest that you do," Hermione butted in. "The more Malfoy gets away with, the worse he's going to get."

"We'll worry about that later," Ryou said. "In the meantime, could you get us out of here?"

"Wait!" said Yugi. "I just found the right spell. I wanna try it."

"I'm surprised you didn't remember it," Hermione commented. "You're very good at Charms."

"Just because I can do the spells doesn't mean I can remember them all," Yugi replied.

"Give 'em a break," Ron said. "He's only been at it 'bout a month and a half."

"Will you tell Yugi to get on with it," Yami Bakura growled.

"Can we please get out of here now?" Ryou said, mostly to appease his yami.

"Right." Yugi pulled his wand out of his bag and rolled up his sleeves. He checked the book once more to make sure, then he flicked his wand at the door and shouted, "Alohomora!" Finally, the door swung open. Ryou and Yugi gave a small sigh of relief and made a hasty exit.

"Would have been here sooner, but I'd just gotten back from the owlery," Malik said to his newly freed companions. "I told them as soon as I found out. Figured they'd know how to get you out."

"Thanks," Yugi and Ryou replied.

"We thought you'd been gone kinda long for that meeting," Harry said. "But it wasn't 'til we saw Malik show up in the Great Hall by himself that we knew something was up."

"But it seems like you would have handled it okay on your own in time," Hermione observed. "That was a very well-done spell." Yugi blushed.

Yami Bakura grew frustrated and impatient and he showed it by assuming control of Ryou. "Alright, tea time's over. I'm hungry and I want to get as far away from this wretched bathroom as possible," he said, stalking past the others. Malik darted after him, eager for a chance to tease Yami Bakura the way Yami Bakura had teased him about the Whopping Willow.

"So, why do you think he locked you in a GIRLS' bathroom?"

"I'm not in the mood, Malik."

"Come on! I've never been in a girls' bathroom. What's it like?"

"Shut up, Malik..."

"How was the décor? To your liking?"

"Malik, if you don't shut up, I swear to Ra..."

"You shouldn't do that. Ra smites people for stuff like that. You've been smited at least once by him already if I recall..."

"That was your fault."

"Was not!"

Malik and Yami Bakura continued bickering as they disappeared down the hall. Yugi, Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared awkwardly after them. "Heh, heh...they MEANT to say thanks for your help," Yugi said after they could no longer hear the arguing.

"It's no problem," Harry said. "You better go to the Great Hall now if you plan on eating. They don't serve forever, you know."

"Right," Yugi nodded. "Thanks again. Really appreciate your help."

"Um, Yugi?" Hermione said, narrowing her eyes in a confused manner as Yugi started to turn away. "Did your, um, pendent just glow?"

"My puzzle?" Yugi glanced nervously down at it. Yami had just returned to the millennium puzzle and it must have glowed when he entered it. "Um...no?" he replied, rather unconvincingly.

"Oh," Hermione said. "I guess I was just seeing things. It must have just reflected the torchlight. Never mind."

"See you guys later!" Yugi called over his shoulder as he hurried off to the Great Hall, following the path previously taken by his arguing comrades.

Ron shook his head as Yugi also disappeared. "I don't care what either of you say. All three of them odd..."

"Do you know them Harry?"

Harry, Hermione, and Ron turned to see Moaning Myrtle, the ghost who haunted that bathroom, hovering before them just inside the bathroom doors. As usual, her face was locked in a frown and her eyes appeared as if she had been crying for hours. Her transparent form seemed to be sitting on nothing and she floated in midair, thick glasses fallen halfway down her nose.

"Yeah, we know them," Harry answered, not exactly thrilled at seeing Myrtle again. The girl ghost was rather depressing and Ron had often voiced his suspicions that she had taken a fancy to Harry in previous years. Harry was quite convinced that it would never work out between them. "The two who were locked in here are new Gryffindors. The other's a Slytherin, but he's alright."

"Not two..." Myrtle muttered softly, apparently unheard.

"You could have told them the right spell," said Hermione. "Being around the school all the time, I'm sure you remember a spell that easy."

"Well, locked doors aren't really a problem for me anymore, are they?" Myrtle moaned, tears threatening at the corners of her eyes.

"I didn't mean anything by it. Sorry," Hermione quickly apologized putting her hands up in a calming gesture.

"Of course I remember the spell," Myrtle said, seeming to forget her earlier offense. "But I was glad to have the company, even if they didn't know I was there. Nobody's come to visit me yet this year." She looked sorrowfully down at the three Gryffindors, only to be disappointed when they didn't look guilty. Myrtle huffed and looked away from them. "I just watched all of them from the U-bend in my toilet. They're weird, but interesting to say the least."

"We'll it's probably better that you didn't reveal yourself," Ron said. "The two of them were a bit startled by Nick when they first met him. They might have been unnerved to learn that they were not only locked in a girls' bathroom, but a haunted girls' bathroom."

"Not two..." Myrtle said again.

"What do you mean 'not two'?" Harry asked.

"I MEAN not two," Myrtle said simply. "There were four."

"Four of what?" Harry asked, trying to hold onto his patience.

"Of your friends," Myrtle answered, picking a spot on her chin.

Harry cocked an eyebrow at Myrtle in confusion. "What do you mean there were four of our friends? Even if you count Malik, there were just three."

"There were four trapped in here," Myrtle insisted indignantly. "The other one makes five."

"Uh...I'm sure you were just seeing double, Myrtle," Hermione said, trying to choose her words carefully so that she wouldn't upset the ghost again. "Like, refraction from the water or something. Were you watching them from under the water?"

"I've peeked out from that U-bend for years," Myrtle said, frowning more. "I think that I've learned the tricks of the light and water by now. And I assure you, there were four, two of them living."

"Wait, wait," Ron said, holding up his hands to gain attention. "You mean to tell me that there were other ghosts in here besides you?"

"Not ghosts..." Myrtle replied.

"You're not making any sense," Harry said, puzzled. "If there were four people in here, and only two of them were alive, how could the others not be ghosts? We didn't see anybody else. Did they have invisibility cloaks, or something?"

"No. I told you, they were dead," Myrtle answered.

"So there were two invisible dead people in here, but they weren't ghosts?" Hermione said. Myrtle nodded. "Well, would you mind explaining? What did they look like?"

"Like your friends." Myrtle was being most unhelpful today.

"Okay," Hermione said, taking a deep breath and praying for patience. "Please tell us what they all looked like."

"There were two with white hair, one living, one dead. And two with multi- colored hair, one living, one dead," Myrtle answered.

"Bizarre..." Ron muttered. "I still think you were seeing things."

"Was there anything different about the similar ones besides one being living and the other dead?" Harry asked, his gears turning and his suspicions rising.

"Yes," Myrtle answered. "The dead white haired boy was meaner than the living one, and he kinda looked it, too. And the dead multi-color haired boy was taller. And both of the dead ones had spikier hair, if you can believe it. Other than that, I didn't see any other differences."

"Hey, Harry..." Ron said, turning slowly to his companion. "Didn't you mention something about seeing Yugi and Bakura look like that at times?"

"Yes," Harry said, his heart dropping down to somewhere around his stomach. He didn't like the direction this was going, but he had to ask. "Myrtle? How could they be dead and not ghosts?"

"I'm not sure." Myrtle replied, bemused. "But they didn't have bodies of their own. I guess that's why they were sharing."

"Sharing?" Ron said. "Come on, Myrtle! Stop playing around and tell us what's going on!"

Tears welled up in Moaning Myrtle's ghostly eyes. "Is that all you want?! You just want me to tell you stuff! After that, I'm useless! I'll tell you what you want to know and you'll leave and never come back! And you'll tell those other boys that I was talking about them, and then they'll never come back! Well, I suddenly don't feel like talking anymore!" Myrtle wailed loudly and dove back into her toilet with a splash.

"No! Wait! It's not like that at all!" Hermione shouted after her, but it was too late. Myrtle had already left for locations unknown by way of the plumbing. Hermione angrily elbowed Ron. "You should know better than to try to rush her like that!"

"Well, she was certainly taking her good ole time," Ron argued back. "If we left it up to her, we'd never get out of here!"

"She's lonely is all!" Hermione defended.

"Well, she probably could have told us what was up with Yugi and Bakura at least," Harry said. "I know Sirius said to leave it alone, but if there are invisible dead people wandering around, I think we have the right to know. Especially if they aren't ghosts."

"Well, I don't think we need Myrtle for that," Hermione sighed. The boys turned to her with questioning expressions. "Well isn't it obvious?" she said. "The two dead aren't ghosts, they look like Yugi and Bakura, Myrtle could see them, but we couldn't, and Harry's been noticing Yugi and Bakura looking exactly the way Myrtle described the so-called dead."

"Hermione," Ron said, speaking simply as if to a child. "We just played this game with Myrtle. Just. Tell. Us. What's. Going. On..."

Hermione sighed again, not appreciating being talked to like an idiot. "It's simple. Yugi and Bakura are possessed..."