I do not own Bleach or Harry Potter the both belong respectively to Tite Kubo and J.R. Rowling
It was the same dream for as long as he could remember Harry has had the same dream, it always started the same he was standing in a white void, a voice calling his name would echo all around him, and then he'd appear. A giant silver swan would land in front of him.
"Harry Potter, why do you reject me?" she asked in a sorrowful voice.
"I don't understand. Please tell me how I rejected you" Harry pled "who are you?"
"My name is…" the swan spoke but the young wizard couldn't hear her name. "Again you fail to hear my call. How long must I wait until I can finally reach you?" It wasn't that Harry didn't want to hear the swan's name, he truly did but no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't hear it. Before he could ask for her name again, Harry woke up in his bed at Hogwarts.
The same dream and I still can't hear her name; Harry didn't know why he couldn't just write it off as a crazy dream, but for some reason he just knew it was real and that the bird truly was hurt by him not being able to hear her name. Deciding to put it out of his mind for the moment, Harry prepared for another day of classes, of course if he knew what kind of day he'd be in for he might have chosen to stay in bed.
Like his first Harry's second year at Hogwarts carried a dangerous mystery and I terrible D.A.D.A professor, this year in the form of the Chamber of Secrets and Glideroy Lockhart. Throughout the year students (and Mrs. Norris) have been petrified by some mysterious monster controlled by the heir of Slytherin, and their idiot of a professor was more concerned with his hair then actually helping anyone.
To make matters worse Hermione had fallen victim to the beast (a basilisk) and Ron's little sister Ginny had been taken into the chamber. Together with Ron and a the fraud Lockhart, Harry used his parseltounge ability to access the chamber, but a cave in caused by Lockhart's spell with Ron's damaged wand backfiring forces the young wizard to carry on alone.
Finding Ginny lying unconscious he is confronted, by the spirit of Tom Riddle the teenage form of Voldemort, who confessed to using a magic diary to possess Ginny's body and unleashing the basilisk on the school's muggle born students. With the diary still draining the life out of the young Weasley Riddle sent the giant snake after Harry, who with some help from Fawkes the phoenix was able to draw a sword from the sorting hat and kill the beast, but not without injury as his arm was stabbed by a basilisk fang.
"So you killed my basilisk….no matter" said Riddle, as he approached the injured boy, twirling Harry's wand in his pail fingers "you'll be dead soon anyway. It's over Potter your mudblood mother bought you an extra eleven years, but Lord Voldemort got you in the end."
As the basilisk's venom worked through his system, Harry could only lay there helpless to do anything. A flash of gold and red, alerted Harry that Fawkes had landed next to him.
"You….were…brilliant….Fawkes" Harry groaned painfully, the venom making his vision blur "I…just…wasn't ….quick…enough." Seeing the boy suffering in front of him, the phoenix wanted nothing more than to heal him, but as tears built in his eyes Fawkes was able to sense a great power was building inside Harry, and now as he stands at death's door maybe the only chance he has to reach it.
"You've failed Harry Potter. I may have lost the basilisk but this chamber holds another secret" Riddle taunted the boy "Perish knowing you died a failure." As Riddle finished his tirade, Harry could see strange monsters appearing him, each of them wearing a white mask and had a large hole through their chests. Harry didn't know what these creatures were, but from Fawkes panicking he knew they meant trouble.
With no strength left in his body Harry's vision went black, he accepted his end.
"Harry…..Harry….Harry"
That voice, its calling me again.
"Harry wake up." Opening his eyes Harry found himself not in the empty void like before, instead he stood in the center of a lake underneath a star filled night sky. "At last you've reached me." Turning his attention to the speaker, once again Harry was faced with the giant silver swan.
"I don't understand, what's happening?" Harry asked desperately.
"As we speak, Tom Riddle is slowly devouring the soul of Ginny Weasley" the swan explained, her voice calm and yet somehow sad at the same time. "The hollows, those creatures you saw were attracted by the scent of Riddle's twisted soul, he believes he can control them but they'll turn on him in time."
"What are hollows? Are they some kind of magical creature?"
"No they are spiritual beings that prey upon the living and the dead. There is no known spell that can successfully defend against them." Hearing this sent a cold chill down Harry's spine, as imagined the hollows loose in the castle, it'd be far worse than even the basilisk.
"Isn't there anything you can do?"
"Not alone, but you have finally reached this place, reached me perhaps we can save them."
"But aren't I dead?" Harry asked, unnerved by how he had to question his state of being.
"Not yet and not if we can buy the phoenix time to heal your body" the swan answered "but we will fail if you cannot hear my call. So please Harry accept my power, my name is….."
In the chamber the hollows have begun to move towards Harry in hopes of devouring his soul, Riddle in his arrogance truly believes he commands the beasts, just as they're about to reach their target a bright explosion of sprit energy explodes from Harry's body.
"Nakatsukasa!" Harry cried, the entire chamber filled with his sprit energy, as the light faded Harry stood before Riddle as a soul reaper, in his hands was Nakatsukasa; a double-edged longsword, with the forward-facing edge curving outward to form the guard, and the appearance of a night sky running up and down the blade.
At the appearance of the new soul reaper Fawkes let out a joyous cry as he healed the venom running through Harry's body.
"I don't know what you've done, but it won't save you Potter!" Riddle yelled, a certain legend coming to the forefront of his mind. Still set on devouring the powerful soul before them the hollows charged the young reaper; guided by his zanpakutō, Harry meet the charging hollows with the edge of his blade slicing through the arm of the closest monster.
"Harry the hollows will keep coming as long as Riddle's diary continues to attract them" Nakatsukasa spoke in his mind.
"I understand" the goal was clear Harry had to find a way through to Riddle, whether it was Nakatsukasa's influence or just some long dormant instinct he wasn't sure, but somehow Harry found it easy to wield the massive blade as he hacked off a hollow's leg, truly this sword was a part of him. The roar of another hollow alerted Harry as he slid under the lunging creature, countering with a stab to the head he was surprised to see it seemingly disintegrate. Ok go for the head. With this discovery Harry found it somewhat easier to fight off the hollows, but Riddle's unstable spiritual pressure continued to attract more making it a never ending battle, and time was running out for Ginny.
Eventually the endless hoard of enemies was starting to wear Harry down, as he was unable to dodge one of the hollow's claws knocking him into one of the chambers pillars.
Regardless of if the legends are true and Potter truly is a soul reaper, he was no match for my power Riddle thought to himself, smirking as the hollows moved in to finish the fight. Just as it looked like this was the end help arrived.
"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki! Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!" A powerful wave of cold air tore through the chamber flash freezing the hollows. As the hollows crumbled into frozen blocks, a short woman with light skin, purple eyes, and short black hair with several strands of hair hanging between her eyes; dressed in the same black kimono as Harry appeared in front of the boy, a pure white sword with a white ribbon hanging off the pommel in her hand.
"Thanks" Harry gasps stunned by the awesome display of power.
"I'm sure you probably have questions but right now we need to save that girl" the soul reaper reminded him. Nodding his head in understanding Harry climbed to his feet sword at the ready, as more hollows appeared between them and Riddle. I could probably take Riddle out myself, but this is his fight I'll let him finish it. "I'll make an opening and you go for the diary your zanpakutō will be able to destroy it."
"Right" Harry agreed to the plan, his eyes glowing as he resolved himself to save Ginny. Puncturing the ground in front of her four times in a semi-circle, ice particles began to flow up from the ground, building up at the tip of her sword, taking a stance the soul reaper aimed her blade at the approaching hollows.
"Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!" just like before a giant wave of cold air flash froze the monsters, not wasting a moment Harry charged as fast as he could for Riddle, who in a panic at the thought of being faced with two soul reapers fired off every curse he could think of.
"Don't stop, believe in our power Harry" Nakatsukasa encouraged, synching her energy with her master's "Trust in me and I will give you all the power you'll need. I won't let you fight alone." Harry couldn't explain it, maybe it was because he heard her voice for so long now, or maybe it was something else entirely but he put his faith in Nakatsukasa, subconsciously focusing his spirit energy into his sword the blade a crimson aura surrounded the sword. Instinctively Harry swung his sword, releasing the energy in a crimson wave slicing through Riddle's spells and ultimately the diary.
Stabbing his sword into the ground Harry fell to his knees exhausted from the ordeal.
"You did well" the soul reaper complimented as she walked up next to him, placing Ginny gently down next to him. "I suggest you return to your body, unless you wish to explain your current form to the girl."
"How do I do that?" Harry asked, honestly surprised that someone could enter and leave their body at will.
"Just press your hand against it and concentrate" the soul reaper instructed. Following the instructions Harry was relieved that it worked and Fawkes was able to heal the basilisk venom.
"Thank you for helping me."
"You're welcome."
"I don't suppose you could answer my questions now?" Harry asked, confused about his new powers.
"I'm sorry but there's something I have to do first" the reaper explained apologetically "I'll answer all your questions when I return, but I'll tell you two things now. First be careful with your pendant its powers will be active now, and second I happen to know your mother very well and she'll be proud of you."
"What?" Harry tried to ask for a better explanation but before he could say anything the woman disappeared in a burst of speed. She said she knows my mum how's that possible? Can she see spirits like me then, but then wouldn't I have found mum by now? The sound of Ginny waking pulled Harry out of his thoughts, as he comforted her over her ordeal he was determined not to have her pay for Riddle's crimes.
The rest of the night seemed to pass in a blur as Lockhart a victim of his own spell was sent to St. Mungo's for possible treatment. Dumbledore didn't hold Ginny responsible as he realized she was simply another victim, and Harry and Ron were awarded for special service to the school. With Ron sent on his way to the hospital wing with Ginny and their parents Harry was left alone with Dumbledore and he honestly wasn't sure how much he should say about the hollows and Nakatsukasa, but there was something he wanted to talk about.
"I want to thank you Harry, you must of shown me great loyalty to call Fawkes to you" said Dumbledore in his ever present grandfatherly voice.
"I owe Fawkes my life sir." Harry said sincerely "I would've died if it wasn't for him."
"And I'm sure he appreciate the gratitude" the old man chuckled, as said phoenix let out a short song in honor of Harry's victory. "But there's something else I wanted to discuss with you…Tom Riddle I imagine he was very interested in you."
"Yes sure he seemed to believe we were alike" Harry confessed.
"Did he now, and what do you think?"
"I don't think I'm like him, I mean I'm in Gryffindor. I…." he stopped abruptly, doubt plaguing his mind.
"Harry?"
"Sir, the sorting hat originally wanted to put me in Slytherin…and I can speak parseltounge…"
"You speak parseltounge because Voldemort speaks it. Unless I'm mistaken the night Voldemort attacked your family, he transferred some of his power to you and that's why you can speak parseltounge" Dumbledore explained.
"Some of his power is in me?" Harry questioned, disturbed by the idea. "The hat could see it I should've been in Slytherin."
"And yet you're in Gryffindor."
"Only because I asked it to!"
"Exactly! Harry it isn't our abilities that define us, but or choices that make us who we are. In addition Harry did you ever take a look at the sword you drew from the sorting hat?" Taking a closer look at the sword he say the name of Godric Gryffindor on the blade. "This sword can only be drawn by a true Gryffindor Harry."
Comforted by the physical proof he was in the right house Harry regained his confidence. Of course I have a much better sword, wait he said specifically from the sorting hat. "Sir, do you know what happened down in the chamber?"
"Harry, I won't pretend to know all the details but this castle's wards have the ability to warn the head master of large spiritual presences." Dumbledore explained. "Excluding Peeves, there were several other signals within the castle, coming from what we now know is the Chamber of Secrets. Hollows as I know the creatures are called, are nearly impossible to defeat with magic so the wards are meant to alert the headmaster should an evacuation be needed. As for how much I know of the night's events I'm afraid lies in legends, I'd be a poor source of information."
Surprised that not even Dumbledore had any solid information, Harry was left with no other choice but to wait for the return of the woman from the chamber, if he wanted some answers.
Before anything else could be said Lucius Malfoy barged into the office, he wasn't very happy to find that his scheme to use the diary to frame Ginny and discredit Mr. Weasley and Dumbledore failed. But the best part was when Harry using a dirty sock and the torn remains of Riddle's diary to trick Malfoy into freeing his house elf Dobby, and his first act as a free elf was to give his former master a well-deserved ass kicking.
"Harry Potter, freed Dobby!" and before he knew it he had a crying house elf wrapped around his middle.
"Least I could do Dobby, just do me a favor" said Harry, pulling away from the sobbing elf.
"Anything Harry Potter anything."
"Never try to save my life again." He ordered, remembering very well all the trouble the elf's attempts to save him caused. Dobby only grinned in response. "I better go there's a feast getting started."
"Farewell, Soul Reaper Harry Potter!" and with a pop the elf disappeared leaving a very confused wizard behind.
Soul Reaper?
At the feast Harry was happy to the safe return of Hagrid and the petrified students; Hermione was especially proud that he and Ron were able to solve her clue and find the basilisk, but even with all the good news including the cancellation of final exams that year, Harry couldn't help but focus on what Dobby had called him Soul Reaper.
Thanks for reading. I hope the fast forward through the canon events of the book/movie didn't confuse anyone, I just didn't want to waste time.
Once again thanks for reading, leave a comment/review.