Summary: Ryou visits his father in England, and Bakura wanders somewhere he shouldn't. Set after book Four!

:Ryou to Bakura:

:Bakura to Ryou :

Author's Note: I'm not going to try and write out all the classes, I don't think I have quite the patience for that. Besides, I'd probably get it all contradictory from the books anyways. shrug. Like, say, I don't know what classes Ravenclaw students have with other Houses, the books mention Gryffindor/Slytherin being together in classes, so…yeah, I used my imagination.

Author's Note: Okay, I know this is a very, very, very, very, very late chapter, and it took long in coming to you. All I have to say for myself is that writer's block is a nasty thing, college is getting harder, and some friends of mine turned out to not be good friends and I am trying to get over that issue. So…here is a belated chapter. Now, Christmas is going to be a bit rushed, as I'm going to try and catch up a bit.

3/20/06

Vampires in London

Chapter 10

Christmas opened up with a festive air, decorations spreading the hall. The students that were still in the castle spent the day opening up gifts and playing in the fresh fallen snow.

Ryou was out with his friends, throwing snowballs and testing the new gifts and gadgets his friends had received. Bakura spent the time doing what he does best: sneaking around. He went through the castle, memorizing its halls, corridors, rooms, secret passages (which were all to easy to find, the ones he did find.)

When people began arriving back from their vacations, and classes began to start up again, news began to circulate to those students that were a bit out of the gossip/rumor loop.

Mr. Weasley had been injured by a giant snake while doing 'Ministry Business.' It all sounded a bit suspicious to Bakura, as if some things were not being said. But, with these wizard-types, that is not a surprise to the ancient thief.

Days rolled past, more news of trouble here, rumors of Death Eaters over there. Life went on. Snape was still a git, Malfoy was a twit, and Hermione was a nag. All was the same as it had been. Homework was piling up, and stress levels rose in the students.

Bakura and Ryou threw themselves into their homework, writing essays and papers, marking charts and sketching diagrams.

By the time January rolled around, Bakura was ready for a good kill-spree. One day, there was a lot of muttering and whispering going on in the Great Hall. Bakura, interested as always in juicy gossip that could possibly lighten his spirits, went over to where Ryou was pouring over the Daily Prophet. What could it be? A new murder to lighten Bakura's day? Possibly a crime he could laugh at? Maybe some half-excuse for a thief attempted to steal something…

As he peered over his hikari's shoulder, his eyes narrowed as he surveyed the nine pictures of witches and wizards that were convicted of various crimes and sent to Azkaban, and had escaped, according to the headline at the top of the page.

But that was not the only shocking news. Apparently a Ministry worker, named Bode, was strangled in his death by a plant. Now that, Bakura found amusing. Death by a plant…new one. Maybe it was a Duel Monster? Probably not, but funny to think about.

Over the next few days, more interesting news started making its rounds. Hagrid was on probation. Apparently the frog-professor did not like his class. Bakura snickered as he startled a group of second year Hufflepuff students. Everyone was so paranoid now that the Death Eaters had made the front page on the Daily Prophet.

Not just students, but the professors were as well. It was not a uncommon sight now a days to see a group of teachers huddled together, whispering. They would stop when a student was in sight, but Bakura was a expert at not being seen when he didn't want to. Using a tad bit of Shadow magic, he cloaked himself enough to watch with curious eyes on the jittery professors.

A few days later, a new sign appeared from Professor Umbridge: teachers were banned from giving students any information that is not relevant to the subjects they teach.

Every Divination and Care of Magical Creatures class was now done under Professor Umbride's supervision. Having her constantly watching, and all the homework that kept students up past midnight at times, the students that attended the secret D.A. meetings, and usual classes, everyone was tired, stressed, and in a dark mood.

February rolled around, and soon it was near Valentine's Day. Hearts were lifted, if only for a few days, but lifted none the less. Ryou was plagued with girls wanting to go to Hogsmeade with him, and even Bakura got some interested looks (which he angrily staved off with a red-eyed glare and fanged snarl, reminding them he was nothing to be messed with.)

And then, Ryou came up to Bakura with some curious bit of news. Harry was going public with his thoughts and experiences on the Death Eaters, Voldemort, and all of that. But since the Daily Prophet was scrutinized by the Ministry, he was going to do it by way of a lesser known, and more ridiculed, paper: The Quibbler.

Then the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff came around. The nice thing about it was that Gryiffindor had to only endure a half hour or less of torture before it was over.

A commotion started up at breakfast a few days later. Apparently, the rumor of that Potter kid speaking up in the Quibbler was true, as everyone was talking about it in low voices, and reading the magazine. Harry, meanwhile, was being plagued by owls carrying letters, presumably from readers. Some of the letters were not very nice, Bakura mused with a sadistic grin as he watched the activity from his own table. He picked at his eggs as he thought about how easy it would be to just blanket and envelope the entire castle in the Shadow Realm, and be done with all this nonsense and wizard trouble.

Interesting it may have been, but it was starting to grind his nerves how paranoid they were. Maybe he should go and have the Man Eater Bug make a snack out of that Voldemort fellow…but where would the fun be in that? Only if Ryou is threatened, (or Bakura pissed off) will he do so.

Otherwise, he will let the wizards deal with their own problems.

Uh-oh, looks like trouble is brewing. Professor Umbridge was walking towards Gryffindor table, and she did not look pleased.

Ryou cast a worried glance that way, and snuck a glance to his yami, who looked bemused about the whole thing. No surprise there. With a sigh, the hikari resigned himself to just watching.

She definitely was not happy. Harry was banned from anymore Hogsmeade trips, and the next day a sign appeared banning the Quibbler.

"Of course, one way to make sure everyone reads it is to ban the silly thing," Bakura muttered under his breath as he walked down the halls, watching students use magic to transform The Quibbler into various things to disguise it.

He shook his head, and was about to continue down the hallway, when there was a loud scream that echoed about. Bakura lifted his head and narrowed his eyes. It sounded like Professor Trelawney.

He went to go see what the fuss was about, but before he could get halfway there, he heard another, totally different and much more important cry.

::YAMI!!!::

Ryou…

- - -

Well…there is a very short chapter, but it was all I could turn out at this time. I hope I have not lost too many reviewers and readers from my long absence, but thanks to all of those who stuck with me until I can get myself up again to continue!