Harry Potter Yu-Gi-Oh crossover – Disclaimer: I own neither.

You don't really need any Yu-Gi-Oh knowledge to read this. I've got plenty of readers for this story that have never read/watched YGO.

Summary: It's the summer after Voldemort's return and the muggle world is still blissfully unaware of the danger that is lurking about. After Battle City, Ryou Bakura has returned to England at the request of his father. Ryou was hoping for a stress free summer, but trouble seems to always track him down. Harry is finding life at the Dursley's suffocating until he meets the new boy down the street. Little does Harry know, his new muggle friend isn't as magic-less as he seems. Unfortunately, another dark wizard has noticed…

Key:
/Ryou and Bakura mind link/
Koe – Voice (What Ryou calls the spirit of the ring)
Yadonushi – Landlord (What the spirit calls Ryou)

0

The sky was darkened by the gray clouds, forming a barrier between the sun and the streets of London. Nothing spoke and the silence was only made more eerie by the layer of fog that had decided to cling low to the ground. The city held no energy this morning, too tired and perhaps too aware of the grim future that seemed to be crawling closer with each passing day.

A young boy stood calmly, surrounded by small mounds of stone. The rain poured down, soaking the boy through his thick coat. He didn't mind it. In fact, he didn't even seem to be aware of the pelting water or the icy cold wind that would normally send a chill up his spine. He sighed, at last moving from his petrified place among the stones, bending down and laying a hand on the smooth granite before him.

" Good bye Amane. Mother. I'll be sure to visit again soon."

The boy's voice was just the barest whisper, but he knew they heard him. He could always count on them to hear him when he needed someone to talk to. Especially Amane.

He stood, rubbing his eye with his palm before realizing a soaked hand would do him no good. He smiled at the graves one last time and then turned away, heading back towards the road. He brushed a sodden white bang away from his eyes and raised his hand to hail a cab. He was relieved when one finally pulled up. The driver didn't seem to mind that his passenger was thoroughly soaked. Not many people were out in this weather, so he was probably just glad to have a paying customer.

"Where can I take you?" He asked in a polite tone. The boy was looking out the window, staring at the entrance to the cemetery he had just walked out of.

"Little Whinging please."

0

As the car pulled up, Ryou dipped his head in thanks and paid the driver. He turned his attention to the old house he called home years ago. He blinked slowly, letting a breath escape between his parted lips, before he headed towards the door. The house was overgrown with weeds and ivy snaked its way up the delicate gray brickwork. Ryou wasn't surprised to see the windows were shattered or that broken beer bottles surrounded the steps. His family hadn't been to this house in years and it was most likely assumed to be abandoned. Ryou tugged his bag over a pile of garbage and finally reached the door. His pale hand traced the round bronze doorknob, remembering the last time he had gone through this door. This time however, his little sister wouldn't be there to greet him. His mother wouldn't be there to ask him how school went. His father… his father should have been there. Ryou had been expecting to see him waiting at the airport. But he wasn't. He shouldn't have been surprised. This was what always happened and he should be used to it by now.

Ryou reached into his pocket and plunged the key into the old door. With a creak it slowly opened, revealing the dark dusty living room that had held Ryou's childhood. He stepped in and closed the door behind him. He left his shoes on, not really wanting to chance a shard of glass in his foot on his first day back in England.

The place was filthy.

He walked further inside, draping his long black coat on a hook, letting it drip on the floor. The place needed a good cleaning anyway, so he decided the water trail he was leaving behind would only help. Ryou's hand gently traced the edge of the couch as he walked behind it. The delicate fabric that covered the furniture was a revolting shade of yellow gray when it had once been white. Hopefully it had done its job of protecting its treasure beneath it from sharing the same fate. With a quick tug, Ryou pulled away the cover and let the burgundy fabric taste air again for the first time in ten years. Ryou let his eyes drift towards the door where his luggage was wet and waiting. He stifled a yawn and rested his hand on the banister that led upstairs. He brought only a single suitcase to England so it wouldn't take long to unpack, but it could wait until later. The boy rang his hair out, letting the water pool on the wooden floor. He grabbed his bag and he headed upstairs. The hallway was just as dark as the sky outside and Ryou wasn't really in the mood to see if the lights were still working. He ghosted his way down the hall, his boots crunching as glass crushed under their rubber soles. At last he reached a pale wooden door. He rested his hand on it gently and pushed it open. His old room. He smiled a smile that didn't seem to reach his eyes and made his way over to his old bed. Another tug on a fabric covering and the mattress was revealed. He pulled off his heavy boots, soaked socks, and clinging shirt, leaving him in nothing but his black pants and a glittering ring that sat against his chest. With another yawn he crawled onto the mattress, not bothering to find a sheet or a blanket, and started working on getting over his jet lag.

0

It was the loud slam that first caught Harry's attention. He lifted his head from his pillow, grabbing his glasses and slipping them on. His feet swung around the bed and he lazily made his way over to the door. The noise coming from below was going to ensure he wasn't getting back to sleep anytime soon anyway. He pulled the door open, slightly surprised it wasn't locked but then remembered that his aunt and uncle were still awake so they probably just hadn't gotten around to bolting it shut yet. He walked down the steps to find his cousin shaking and stuttering in some sort of attempt to tell his mother and father what he just saw. All Harry could really make out was rock, glass, and ghost. He was about to head back upstairs when Dudley caught sight of him and instantly grabbed his arm.

"Harry! Harry, you're magic, you gotta kill it!" He barked before rambling some more about whatever it was he apparently wanted Harry to 'kill'. Vernon seemed a bit angry his son had turned to Harry for help, but was more concerned with calming Dudley than Harry's sudden appearance. It took a minute for his chubby cousin to finally settle himself into coherency.

"I'm being serious! I saw a ghost. It had to be a ghost." The boy started after Petunia had asked him to explain what happened.

"Me and my buddies were walking by that old Harthrow place right? You know, the one that ain't been lived in forever? Yeah, well I… I mean, Jay, thought it would be funny to try to shatter another window. I tried to talk him out of it, but you know. Anyway, it was a perfect shot, nothing could have better aim. That's when we heard it though. A really loud thump!" Petunia was patting her son's hand, looking between Dudley and Vernon. Naturally Harry's uncle was going to make this as far from mystical as he could.

"Now now son, I'm sure it was just something in the house falling over. There are no such things as ghost." Instantly Vernon was cut off.
"But dad, I SAW it. We were looking up at the house, and we saw something white in the window. It moved I tell ya! Some white thing! It HAD to be a ghost. It was probably THE ghost!" It was at this point Dudley turned to Harry again.

"So you gotta go kill it Potty." He said with complete seriousness. Harry merely raised an eyebrow.

"You want me to kill a ghost? You are aware that ghosts are already dead?" He replied with a bored yet somewhat mocking tone. There was no way a ghost had decided to show up here anyway. It was probably just a curtain blowing in the wind now that the window was broken. Dudley wasn't the brightest kid.

"Well then banish it to wherever ghosts come from then! What if it really is the ghost they say haunts that house? If we don't do something, it'll steal our souls." Dudley growled at his cousin, disliking the way Harry was brushing this off. He only grew angrier when Harry rolled his eyes. The only thing that could steal souls was a dementor and if there was a dementor nearby, he'd know. Harry started to ignore Dudley's rantings, instead wondering curiously how the soul stealing ghost rumors first started. He was maybe four or five when the family that lived in that old house moved away. Rumors had spread that kids who went over to that house ended up in the hospital and that they never woke up. It was kind of silly to think that could happen though. Kids had been using that old place for a hangout for years now and nothing bad has happened to them.

"Look son, calm down. I'm sure there was nothing there. Why don't you go and check it again tomorrow huh?" Uncle Vernon seemed a bit desperate to get his son to stop asking Harry of all people for help. After awhile though, Dudley finally quieted about the matter and Harry was able to return to his room for some sleep. It was already two in the morning. Three hours wasted thanks to his idiotic cousin.

He thought that would be the end of it too, but no. Ten o'clock and the black haired boy was being wrenched from his bed and ordered to get dressed. He didn't even have the chance to grab some breakfast before his insane cousin was pushing him out the door.

"Are you serious?" Harry glared at Dudley, who glared right back.

"I'm telling the truth about this and you're going to go in and check the place out"

Harry stared at his cousin. Was he serious?

"That's private property. I'm not just going to break into someone's house" He replied, though followed after his heavy set cousin. Dudley actually laughed at him.

"Oh please, even YOU know nobody lives there. The place was abandoned years ago after that girl got hit by a car." Dudley said with a roll of his eyes. "There. Now… go in" Harry blinked and looked over. They had made it here in record time… he didn't even realize how fast they were going. It wasn't like the Harthrow place was just down the street. It was a few blocks away.

Harry glanced up at the house, still unimpressed. He could see the freshly broken window but otherwise the place was exactly the same. There was pressure on his back and he was propelled forward.

"Hey, what the hell!" He growled at his cousin, who was still pushing him onward.

"I get it now Potty, you're a chicken. Well, maybe the ghost will go away if it eats you. So move it" Dudley was just too big for Harry to physically fight off and the door was right in front of him now anyway. The two boys just stared at the door a moment.

"What now genius?" Harry said flatly. Dudley glared at him then motioned to the window. It, like most of the building, was broken. Dudley was even 'kind' enough to give Harry a boost through.

Once inside, Harry looked around. It wasn't the first time he had looked inside and honestly he'd been in thrown in here before by Dudley's little gang as a joke. It still looked dark, dirty, and dilapidated. He stood up straight and headed back towards the door. With a click the door was unlocked and Dudley carefully stepped inside. He seemed wary but more so mischievous. Harry rolled his eyes again. His cousin probably wanted to vandalize the place some more.

He started walking over to the sofa once he noticed it was uncovered. The wind probably blew the cover off. The least he could do after his cousin had broken another window was re-cover the furniture. He was almost there when his feet suddenly went out from under him. He landed with a nasty thud on the floor which got a round of roaring laughter from his cousin. He turned his head to glare yet again at his overweight relative and his hands flattened against the floor with a light splash. A splash? His green eyes looked down at the ground and traced the trail of drying water from the door. It had rained the previous morning and apparently somebody came inside to get out of the storm. Maybe that was what Dudley had seen. A squatter.

Harry pushed himself to his feet and dusted himself off, ignoring the still laughing Dudley behind him. The puddle he had slipped in was fairly large and he wondered what in the hell someone did to dump that much water in a single place. He was also curious to see if the squatter was still in the house. A creak echoed in the room and both his and his cousin's eyes jumped to the ceiling.

"Do you think it's the soul stealer?" Dudley whispered. Harry just gave his cousin a look. Ghosts didn't even make footstep sounds, so … wait. Footsteps? Someone was coming down the stairs. The two boys had their eyes glued to the staircase as the palest kid Harry had ever seen came into view. In the darkness of the room, his white hair and pasty skin almost seemed to glow. The fact he was wearing some pale blue shirt and the lightest possible jeans you could find wasn't helping. Dudley actually jumped when he first saw the kid and for a moment, Harry wondered if it really was a ghost. It was this wondering that made him miss what the kid said.

"S-sorry. What?" He asked, now completely embarrassed. Why should he be embarrassed though? This kid was a squatter. He had broken into the house too, so he was no better than Harry. Actually, was he even a he? Harry wasn't positive.

"I asked what you're doing in my house. How did you get in here?" The white haired kid repeated, giving the duo an curious stare. He didn't really seem angry, but he did look wary. Harry gestured to the window but quickly returned his attention to the person on the steps.

"Sorry. My idiot cousin thought there was a ghost here. Do you really live here?" Harry was curious now. There was no way after leaving the house for so long to rot that the owners would just suddenly come back. He waited curiously for an answer, staring back into those soft brown eyes. Harry flinched a bit when the kid's eyes grew incredibly cold.

"Get out. I should have you arrested for trespassing on my property. And you." Harry felt relieved. Those dark cold eyes were no longer trained on him, but rather his cousin. "You're the one that broke my window last night. You had BETTER be willing to pay for it. I bet some of the other windows were your handy work too weren't they?" The kid growled as he stepped closer to the two boys. Harry stepped back without even thinking. He couldn't say why, but this kid was making him very uncomfortable all of a sudden. Curiosity be damned, Harry wasn't in the mood to play questions and answers anymore. Dudley seemed to have gotten his second wind now that he knew there was no ghost, but even he was hesitant to stand up to those piercing eyes.

"You've got no proof I did it" Was tubby's immaculate reply. If it was even possible, the white haired kid's eyes hardened even more.

"I said get out" He hissed, a silent threat in his tone. "Now."

Harry and Dudley didn't wait to be told a third time, though they were too proud to just run out the door. They walked quickly and in Dudley's case, arrogantly. As he reached the pavement, Harry peeked over his shoulder to catch one last fleeting look at the stranger. The kid was standing in the doorway, still glaring, with his arms crossed over his chest.

0

Harry Potter followed quietly after his cousin, reflecting on what had happened. The door to the Dursley's house clicked closed and Harry headed straight towards the kitchen for a much needed lunch break. Dudley must have been thinking the same thing. Harry felt himself roughly pushed into the wall and the miscreant in question sauntered to the fridge. Harry decided on just grabbing a bagel and he took a seat to eat in peace. Petunia was cooing over her 'Dudders' as he told her about the encounter. Apparently Harry broke into the house and Dudley ran in to get him out. It was thanks to Dudley, of course, that the owner wasn't going to press charges for trespassing.

Harry rolled his eyes and continued to ignore his so called family as they sat down at the opposite side of the table with their own meals.
"So like I said, it wasn't a ghost. That's just stupid thinking. A guy lives there who must bleach his hair. It was white as milk." Dudley continued to explain to his beloved mommy. Harry glanced at the two. His curiosity was biting at him, so he might as well take advantage of the conversation.

"Aunt Petunia? Do you remember who used to own that house?" He asked, tinting his voice with that forced politeness he once used all the time back when he lived under the stairs. She turned to stare at him, shocked he had spoken and acting like he had just cursed her out or something. At last she decided to answer.

"Ah, yes. It was a family, oh now what was their family name… Ba –ba –ba … It began with a B. Oh their poor little daughter. Oh I can't imagine what it would be like to lose a loved one" She said, turning her eyes to her sweet little dudder-kins. She seemed to seriously hold pity in her voice, a pity she would never use when it came to Harry's situation. Harry felt his teeth clench but said nothing more. Although his aunt was clearly a well of information, he left the kitchen and headed upstairs. His uncle was still at work and Dudley would be eating for at least another half hour. He made his way to his cousin's room and clicked on the computer.

With a few quick clicks, Harry was searching for 'The Harthrow House' and 'car accident' on the internet. It really didn't take long to find what he was looking for. Accidents that bad weren't exactly common in Little Whinging. He clicked on an appropriate article and started skim reading. He couldn't help but feel a stab of pity as he read about the crash. The car was crushed, as were the passengers within it. Finally he found a name.

"Bakura. There has got to be a picture of you somewhere in this article" He muttered to himself. He paused, thinking about the boy he saw that day. He wasn't sure if he'd even be able to recognize the kid even if he did see a picture. It was an old article and kids looked a lot different than teenagers. That and the stranger he saw this morning obviously dyed his hair. With another quick scroll he stopped, staring in surprise. Okay, so maybe it was natural.

A small photo on the screen showed a very young boy being held by an older man with dark blue hair. The boy's own mane of hair was messy and so very very white. The child was crying into the shoulder of who Harry could only assume was the boy's father. Harry leaned back in his chair. So the kid really was the owner of the house.

0

Ryou felt a chill run down his spine and he let out a hefty sneeze.

"I guess I need to board up the downstairs windows until I can call someone to repair them." He said out loud. He knew nobody was around to hear him, but that didn't mean nobody was listening. He picked up a broom and was just starting to clean up the glass in the upstairs hallway when he received a reply.

/Would you like them to be my rent Yadonushi?/

Another chill shot through the boy's spine, accompanied with his whole body tensing. "Please don't hurt anyone here Koe. I don't want to draw any attention to us!" He said quickly, looking around. He stopped immediately. He knew very well he'd never see ' Koe' in person. He was just a voice in his head. Just a voice.

/Am I really 'just a voice'?/ chuckled the spirit that lived within the ring. Ryou placed a hand on his chest, feeling the warm metal press against him. He let out another sneeze and the chuckling turned into a groan.

/This is what happens when you stand in the rain for an hour, stupid Yadonushi. Don't get the body sick./

Ryou looked down at the ground and continued to sweep.

Ryou managed to get the hall clear of debris but he was a bit disappointed the lights didn't work. Hopefully it was just because the light bulbs were old and he wouldn't have to mess with the fuse box. He wasn't really good with wires.

/I can handle it Yadonushi. It'll be good practice for working with English wiring…/

Ryou chose not to respond this time. Surely Koe, the spirit, was just baiting him. He couldn't be thinking of stealing already could he? No no it was way too soon. Like the spirit said, he didn't know much about wiring here yet so he wouldn't be able to disarm the alarms and electronic locks.

/Don't underestimate me Yadonushi. Practice or no, I would still make a clean getaway. You don't have to worry about our body being captured/

That wasn't what Ryou was worrying about.

0

Ryou sighed and wiped his brow. His white hair was tied back in a spiky ponytail to keep it out of his face while he was working. The house was still in pretty bad shape, but at least all the glass was picked up and the furniture was uncovered. He even managed to properly mop the living room floor and unpack all his clothes. His stomach growled at him, reminding him he hadn't eaten since he got off the plane yesterday morning. He glanced at his watch. 4 PM already, no wonder his body was making such a fuss.

He left his hair up but changed his dirty shirt to something less grime covered before heading out the door. He had cleaned the fridge and the kitchen area as soon as all the glass was up so he didn't have to worry about putting groceries on a dirty counter. That was good. He'd need to stock the fridge anyway since he'd be here all summer. He was still a bit upset his father wasn't here yet, but he said he'd call that night. Maybe he was just going to be a little late.

Ryou kept that thought in mind as he made his way to the supermarket. He perused the isles with practiced ease. Picking out the good groceries was second nature when you live by yourself, cooking for yourself, for so long. He was so engrossed in his shopping, he didn't realize the man in front of him before bumping into him.

"Ah! Gomen… Uh, Sorry." He said quickly with a slight bow. The bowing was the only thing that really curbed the man's over-reactive rage. It was like a pat on the ego for the man and he almost even smiled at the boy before him. He thought better of it when he saw that ridiculous hairdo and rather ratty clothing.

"Yes yes child, just don't let it happen again" The man finally snapped as Ryou straightened up. The man dusted himself off before walking on. Ryou stared after him. How had he missed THAT? The man was huge! He blushed as he heard chuckling in the back of his mind. The spirit of the ring was completely supportive of Ryou's indirect insult about the man's weight. He quickened his pace around the store, this time making sure to watch where he was going.

The girl at the counter gave him a funny look after she rang up the bread, milk, eggs, meat, fish, a few other food products… and ten boxes of light bulbs. Ryou gave her his best innocent smile. "Um… heh. Whole house needs replacements." He answered her unasked question and she couldn't help but return his smile. They were infectious when they came from the white haired boy. At last, with either arm full of bags, he was headed back to his crumbling old house. He turned the corner to his street and saw a small group of boys huddled around the fence that surrounded his front yard.

"Can I help you?" He asked and he honestly did get a slight amount of amusement when they all jumped and spun around to face him. Not as much as the spirit in his mind, but still.

One of the boys straightened up. Ryou recognized him. He was one of the two that broke into his house that morning. What did he want now?

"Told ya he was real" He said to his buddies, completely ignoring Ryou's question and blocking his way to his house. The other two boys straightened themselves up beside the chubby boy and smiled in that condescending way as they sized up the grocery wielding girly boy.
"Yeah, but you didn't say it was a girl. You ARE a girl right? No self respecting man would have hair THAT long," chided one of the boys as he reached out and tugged one of Ryou's albino locks.

"Come on little girl, show us some of your ghostly powers" Now the second one was in on the taunting, evening taking the chance to give Ryou a strong shove and knocking the boy to the ground. Ryou didn't like the sound of that crash from his bag. He didn't like seeing those two guys stepping towards him even more. It was the chubby one that stopped them, tapping one of them on the shoulder and motioning down the street. A skinny black haired boy was coming their way. Ryou felt sick. It was another of the chubby one's posse. He had been in his house this morning too. He quickly returned his attention to the larger boys standing over him, and was momentarily surprised to see their attention was completely trained on the approaching boy. They even looked slightly disgusted. Ryou debated whether or not he should risk drawing their attention back to him by moving, or if he should just sit still.

/Those who do nothing get nothing/

Ryou blinked. He hadn't expected his voice to pipe up now, especially with something that vaguely resembled advice.

'But good things come to those who wait.' Ryou thought silently. The dark chuckle he received as a reply was much more like the Koe he knew.

/Then wait as I take over and show you how to defend this body/ came the voice's reply. Ryou suddenly had a terrible feeling of dread at what the spirit would do and decided he'd risk moving. He cringed at the sound of rustling plastic as he stood and stepped away from the rather muscular teenager that had pushed him down. The rustling did as Ryou feared. The boy turned his attention to Ryou and grabbed his arm.

"Where are you going girly?" The boy asked with a smirk. His grip tightened and Ryou flinched. He could feel the spirit of the ring growing restless as well.

"What are you doing to him? What, did you run out of puppies to kick?" Ryou's eyes darted over to the boy who spoke. It was the boy with the glasses. He had summoned the other three's attention, but why?

"Potty, trying to be a big man today? How noble," the chubby chuckled. The one he called 'Potty' glared at him and reached for something in his pocket.

"Dudley. You remember my friend Hagrid right? He showed me this interesting trick involving a pig's tail. Do you want to see it?" he asked. Strange, the question seemed innocent, but the tone was venomous. Ryou's eyes drifted to the one called Dudley. His face drained of color and he was stepping back, urging his cronies to follow.

"Be happy I'm in a good mood. I just… don't want to mess you up in front of the new kid and give him a bad impression of the neighborhood" Barked Dudley, though Ryou felt this threat was hollow. His arm was released and he watched the trio march away in a huff.
"Sorry about them. They like to pretend they're tough, but they're pretty spineless." The sound drew Ryou's attention back to the boy with the glasses. He stared at him a moment, not saying a word. The boy seemed to sense the awkward silence forming and thrust out a hand.
"I'm Harry Potter." He announced, hand outstretched and waiting. Ryou blinked again, taking a moment to glance at his occupied hands. Harry also appeared to notice as he soon slipped his hands into his pockets. "Ah, do you … need any help?" He finally asked. Now Ryou was suspicious.

"Asking permission this time? Breaking in is too boring now?" he honestly could use the help, but really, this kid was in his house this morning! That was just creepy. The boy, Harry, blushed just the slightest bit.

"I'm sorry about that too. We thought the place was abandoned. Not that that's an excuse. I… you know what? I should probably just go." He finally said, looking anywhere but Ryou's face. The white haired boy couldn't just let him leave like that without showing his gratitude. If he hadn't stepped in, who knows what the spirit of the ring would have done to those poor kids. This time he was the one that looked down at the ground.

"Look um… thanks for the help back there." He murmured. Harry looked back and smiled faintly.

"Yeah. Anytime." Ryou nodded and headed up the path to his house, well aware of a pair of green eyes trailing him as he moved. He placed one of the bags on the ground, keeping it upright by using his leg to pin it against the wall, and fished out the key to the house. Once the door was open he picked up the bag again and started inside. He paused a moment, turning to look at Harry.

"I'm Ryou. Ryou Bakura." He said before he headed inside and closed the door.

0

Harry watched the boy head inside. Any doubts he had about the kid being the legitimate owner were gone now. He really was a Bakura. Harry turned and continued heading home. It was strange. The boy he just saw seemed different from the kid from that morning. Even his eyes seemed gentler. In his first encounter with him he had seemed so hostile. He really seemed like the type of person who would gladly pick a fight. Then again, he knew he wouldn't exactly be very civil if he came downstairs to find two teenage boys in his house doing who knew what.

As he slipped into the Dursley's house, he heard the familiar sound of his aunt's voice. Quiet as a mouse, he started heading through the living room towards the kitchen. His aunt was sitting on the couch, avidly gossiping with one of her friends. She was so absorbed she didn't even notice her nephew come in.

"Did you hear someone moved into the old Harthrow house?"

"I did! I haven't seen them myself, but I was talking to the cashier at the market and she said she saw a stranger in the checkout line"
"Oh did she? Did she say what they looked like?"

"It was a boy with white hair. White hair! He must have been doing the grocery shopping for his parents. We should welcome them to the neighborhood"

"Wait white hair? My my, I wonder if it really WAS a Bakura."

Harry stopped and turned to stare at his aunt. She DID know his name. Why didn't she just say so when he asked her? He audibly groaned and stomped into the kitchen, bringing his dear aunt out of her little gossip world and alerting her to his presence. When he returned to the living room with a glass of water and plopped himself onto the couch, an uneasy silence filled the house. His aunt finally decided to say goodbye to her friend and another uncomfortable silence followed. Petunia seemed incredibly relieved when her husband came in followed closely by Dudley. Dudley instantly planted himself on the couch and turned on the television.

The Dursleys effectively ignored Harry as they talked about their day, and Harry preferred it this way. He idly watched the television, not really seeing nor caring what was on. Well, he didn't care until Dudley's eyes grew as wide as saucers. Then he focused on the image on screen.

It was Ryou Bakura.

A commercial was playing on the television advertising a game called Duel monsters. Harry could recall some of the kids talking about it when he visited the park earlier. It was apparently all the rage in other parts of the world and ever since an English boy placed in the finals of some big tournament, it was steadily growing in popularity here in England.

Well, Harry really hadn't been expecting the boy to be Ryou, but there he was on the screen with one of those fancy holographic projectors strapped to his arm and a hand full of monster cards. As the commercial finally ended, Harry noticed the room had grown quiet again. Petunia was looking back and forth between the three boys, clearly confused. Vernon looked at his son and called his attention.

"Dudley. You said you met the new neighbors right? Well son, what were their names?" He asked. Harry looked at him curiously. Why did his uncle suddenly care?

Dudley shrugged. "I don't know, I didn't ask. But it was definitely that guy who was just on the TV. Hey… do you think he's famous?" He asked, giving his attention to his parents. Petunia seemed to perk up at that bite of information.

"Oh a celebrity in our little town? Just wait until the girls hear" She chimed. What surprised Harry was what came out of his uncle's mouth next.

"And he's such a polite young man. It's a rare thing to find a young man who can make a name for himself AND keep his manners." Harry waited and blinked. Did his uncle just compliment Ryou?

"How do you know Ryou?" He asked, drawing all three sets of eyes to him. Surprisingly Vernon's tone wasn't angry.

"Is that his name? Ryou. Well I agree with you Petunia, perhaps we should make Ryou and his family feel more welcome to the neighborhood." Harry closed his eyes and wondered what was going through his uncle's head. He could only assume it was because Ryou was on the television. That must have made him an instant celebrity to the Dursleys. But was Ryou really a celebrity? Harry was growing more and more curious about the boy. Tomorrow he would look him up online while his uncle and Dudley were out. If he was really THAT famous, he was sure he'd find something. He smiled a bit and headed to his room.

0

Ryou let out a satisfied sigh. He picked up his plate and cleaned it, placing it in the drying rack along with his fork, knife, and cup. The kitchen made him feel a bit better about being back in England. It was also currently the only part of the house with working light bulbs. Most of the bulbs he bought were still intact, but he did have to throw out three whole boxes along with a couple of eggs that were smashed beyond repair. The eggs that were just lightly cracked he decided to use on dinner. Having a full belly really seemed to energize him. He decided to use his new energy to cover up the windows. The sooner he did the safer he'd feel, not that a mere cover would do much to stop someone who really wanted to get in. Still, the last thing he needed was for someone to get hurt in his house thanks to a certain spirit claiming residence in his head. Why was he wearing the ring again?

He stopped walking. He was surprised by the intense quiet. Koe wasn't saying a word. He had expected some sort of snarky reply from the voice in his head.

/hmph, Puh-lease, I'm NOT snarky. /

Ryou smiled and continued towards the windows. He used the covers that had been on the furniture to conceal the broken windows. He was greeted with pleasant warmth when he finished covering them all. The draft had only helped in making the house even less welcoming. Ryou took his attention off of the windows and sat down on the sofa.

"Hey… Koe? It's kinda gloomy here isn't it?" He asked, staring at the dull wall with an empty face.

/That's because you haven't replaced the lights yet Yadonushi./

Ryou smiled when he got a reply. He didn't have conversations with Koe very often. Usually the spirit either slid in his snide remarks and went quiet, or he simply didn't respond to Ryou's questions.

/shut up and change the lights. I don't want you tripping over something in the dark and injuring our body./

Ryou smiled even wider. "But Koe, I didn't say anything" He replied.

/You know what I mean Yadonushi/

Ryou's smile faltered. The tone the spirit had used frightened him. The voice had a way of making completely mundane sentences sound threatening and he was exercising that skill now. Ryou stood up and quickly made his way over to the light bulbs.

With one last twist, the light bulb was in place. Ryou sighed. Ten sets of two-packs ran out surprisingly fast. He thought 20 bulbs would be enough, but then he ended up breaking six of them, four were used in the kitchen, five in the living room, one over the door, two in the downstairs bathroom, and the last three he put in the dining room. He glanced at the stairs. Tomorrow he'd have to buy even more bulbs to replace the ones upstairs. This house was just too big for one person to fix up. It wasn't made for one person… it was made for four.
His chest ached at the thought and he held the banister for support. The house suddenly felt incredibly lonely.

"Koe?"

Silence.

0

Harry bided his time, waiting until he heard the sound of the front door slam closed and the echo of the engine drive down the street before he finally stepped out of his room. His uncle was taking his cousin to work today and his aunt was out with her friends for a girl's night. He had the house to himself. It was days like these that made the summers at the Dursleys bearable.

He made some toast in the kitchen and grabbed a bottle off soda. For good measure, he snagged an apple and a bag of chips before walking up to Dudley's room and booting up the computer.

All he had to do was type in 'Ryou Bakura' and the results were instant. He had expected maybe a few little articles here and there mentioning him in passing, but Duel Monsters was bigger than he thought. Ryou Bakura even had a fansite.

He had to skip many of the search results. He wasn't exactly fluent in scribbly lines. English articles were still common though. This card game thing was huge in America too.

Skim reading through most of the articles gave him a general idea of this game Ryou apparently played. According to the sites, he was ranked as one of the best duelists in the world. Harry now understood why he was in a commercial that was trying to sell Duel Monster cards. He stopped at a picture of Ryou beside seven other people. They were the finalists in that huge tournament thing. Harry got a chill when he looked at the photo. Ryou's eyes seemed oddly dark again. He was looking at the shortest boy in the photo who had the craziest hair Harry had ever seen. Nearly everyone in the photo was wearing some sort of gaudy jewelry, Ryou included. The gaudiest thing was by far the pyramid shaped charm around the short one's neck. At least Ryou's necklace charm laid flat. Between the hair and the accessories…. maybe it was a Japanese thing. Japanese… that must have been the language those other sites were in. That would make sense seeing as the tournament was held in Japan. Harry continued to skim through articles, some on just the game itself, others on the duelists. Ryou was a mystery even to the web's authors. The sites all held the same vague and general information. Ryou Bakura was a young boy from British and Japanese descent. He was a dark horse duelist who came out of nowhere and snagged a coveted spot in the finals with his occult themed deck. Nobody said he didn't deserve the spot and some said if he hadn't been up against the 'king of games' in the first round then he would have easily made it to the final four.

Harry clicked off the computer. His legs were starting to cramp from sitting still for hours on end and he was out of chips. He returned to the kitchen to make a sandwich and looked out the window. His mind went to his friends from Hogwarts. He hadn't heard from them at all. He would've thought they'd have written him by now.

He once again headed out to the park with sandwich in hand. It wasn't to owl watch. That was what he kept telling himself. The owls knew where his house was.

0

Ryou blushed as the cashier rung up another ten boxes of light bulbs. The girl just chuckled kindly at him before handing him the bag and waving good bye. He just wanted to get home and fix the house. That was his goal for the day, clean clean and clean some more.
That's why his stomach fell when he saw them. Those same two guys from the day before. The tubby one wasn't there, but two thugs was enough to make Ryou stop in his tracks. He stepped back, hiding behind the corner. This was fine. He'd just take the long way home.
/Are you scared Yadonushi?/

Ryou shook his head, trying to shake the voice out, but the chuckling was proof it didn't work. He quietly went on his new route, walking an extra few blocks out of the way just to avoid a single corner. He turned one more corner and headed through the park. Then it would just be another five blocks to home. That wasn't too bad.

/Feh. It'll be a total of 14 blocks you didn't need to walk/ an irritated voice sounded in Ryou's head.

"It's okay. Besides, the fresh air will do me good." He replied to the spirit.

"What's okay?" The sound of a voice, a REAL voice, made Ryou jump ten feet into the air. He audibly gasped as he spun around to find that glasses wearing kid sitting on a swing. The glasses kid instantly seemed apologetic.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." He said, holding up his hand in what was supposed to show he meant no harm. Ryou took a deep breath to steady his heart.

"You're Harry, right?" He asked. He didn't want this to get awkward again.

"Yeah. Hey Ryou, I saw your commercial on the television last night. I didn't know you were famous…" Harry trailed off. Ryou had turned a strange shade of red. The white haired boy gave a very forced chuckle.

"y-yeah. They really wouldn't leave me alone a-about that…yeah" Well, this was awkward again. Him on TV, it was still weird to think about. Harry seemed to pick up on his embarrassment instantly.

"If you didn't want the exposure, why'd you bother with it then?" He asked, honest confusion in his voice. Ryou looked up towards the sky, scratching his hair to divert attention from his still red face.

"Honestly, to pay for the electricity in my house. My day paid for the water, gas, heating, and air conditioning, so I paid for the electricity." He replied.

Harry tipped his head and nodded though he wasn't positive if he heard that right. "Oh. Hey, I know you didn't want my help yesterday, but I'll offer it again today." He said, nodding towards the bag in Ryou's hand. He was taken aback by the drastic change in Ryou's expression. The blush was completely gone and his eyes seemed to have an edge in them they hadn't mere moments ago.

"Really? I'm cleaning up my place. You wanna help me fix it up?" He asked with an unfitting smirk. Harry was hesitant but shrugged.

"Yeah. I guess." Well, he had offered. He couldn't just back out now. The white haired boy smiled and nodded, motioning for Harry to follow. Harry raised an eyebrow but said nothing more. The walk to Ryou's house was quiet and uncomfortable, but Harry couldn't bring himself to try to strike up a conversation. He sighed in relief when he saw the house.

"All right your first mission is to replace all the light bulbs on the second floor," Chimed Ryou with strange delight as he opened the door and dropped the plastic bag unceremoniously into Harry's hands. Harry almost didn't catch them. He was surprised what a little cleaning could do to a room. With the furniture uncovered and the room dusted and lit, it looked vastly different from the house he was so used to seeing the past few years.

"Hey. Don't stand there staring. You said you wanted to help, so help" came Ryou's coarse voice. Harry looked over at the white haired teen. His arms were crossed and he was looking at him impatiently. Harry was tempted to throw the lights back in his face with the way he was barking at him, but he did still feel the slightest bit guilty about his cousin breaking the windows. A glance at the covered windows intensified this feeling and he headed upstairs. Ryou smirked again, waiting until Harry was all the way upstairs.

Then he plopped himself down on the couch.

Upstairs was still creepy looking. Ryou must not have gotten to this part yet. Harry couldn't blame him. It was a pretty big house. He wondered where Ryou's parents were. Probably at work like normal adults. He replaced the lights in the hall first, then the bathroom. The bedrooms were next, and he was slightly shocked to find everyone single one completely un-personalized. He had to keep reminding himself Ryou and his family only just arrived. When he opened the last bedroom, he wasn't expecting to be greeted by nothing but fabric. Every single thing in the room was still completely covered by the dust protectors. The room made him sad and he had no idea why. He let his hand graze across one of the coverings, wondering why Ryou had left this room untouched. He'd ask him once he went back downstairs. After replacing that light, he was done.

When he reached the living room, he saw Ryou nowhere in sight. Only the sound of the fridge closing in the kitchen hinted where the house's tenant was. He walked over and glanced inside to find the white haired enigma drinking a can of soda. He glanced over at Harry and smiled.

"All done?" He asked. Harry looked around. The kitchen was spotless… and yet he got the strangest feeling the boy in front of him didn't lift a finger to make it so.

"Did you clean the kitchen?" He decided to be blunt.

"Of course. Who else is there to clean?" The reply was instant and confident, but it also made Harry furrow his brow.

"Who else is living here with you anyway?" He asked. He couldn't be here alone. He looked about the same age as Harry himself. Ryou's smirk was gone and he turned so his back was facing Harry.

"Nobody… Now. Here's the duster. You get the hallway and I'll take care of my room." His smirk was back as he pushed the duster into Harry's hands and headed upstairs.

"You're living alone?" Harry said quietly even though Ryou was already gone. He looked around the house again as he headed towards the stairs. All alone… he had to admit, the house looked amazing for the amount of time he'd been there by himself. Once he reached the top of the steps, he looked at Ryou in confusion. The boy was standing in the hallway, looking at the floor and fidgeting.

"I'm sorry about this. You know, you don't need to help if you don't want to… It's my house. It feels wrong to make someone who I barely know help me clean" He said, refusing to make eye contact with Harry. The black haired boy really didn't know what to say at first. He was caught off guard by the sudden shift in personality. Again.

He finally collected his thoughts and shook his head.

"It's fine. Trust me, I've got nothing better to do." Sad part was, that was true. Ryou looked up at caught Harry's eyes. They were warm and innocent again as he smiled and said thank you. Harry watched him open one of the bedroom doors.

"I'll be right here if you need me" He said before he disappeared to clean.

Harry shook his head while a grin spread on his face and he began dusting.

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Author's Note: You can read all the latest updates here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6735015/1/London_Shadow_Mage

PLEASE Comment if you'd prefer to read it on this site. I can post additional chapters.