» § «

Chapter II

- Manipulative Head

and the Moon's Orders -

» § «

''What do you mean?! Who is Aizen?! What are you talking about?! Why do you speak Japanese?! What is going on?!'' Sirius practically bellowed, his face partly red. Ulquiorra merely raised an eyebrow lightly. Dumbledore talked softer.

» § «

''I would like an explanation, Mr. Potter. A full one.'' He said, his eyes twinkling. Neville stepped forward a little. He looked very nervous.

» § «

''I-I'd like to know too...Ulqueorra?'' He pronounced his name slightly off, but Ulquiorra felt a twinge of something his eye could not see and corrected him.

» § «

''Ulquiorra. Cifer.'' He spoke to the trash - boy - correcting him so it would not hurt his ears with his voice. But there was another twinge and he took notice of the feeling. It was a smaller, almost tiny level of the pride that had been directed towards Aizen, now directed toward the trash. What was the feeling? The trash nodded, almost looking excited for a moment. Luna huffed.

» § «

''Can you answer Sirius's questions, please? I would like to hear as well.'' She glanced at him with blue orbs glittering like gems. He stared impassively.

» § «

''I am dead. The thing you brought out of the Veil is my soul. I have been dead for more than six centuries. The veil leads to an afterlife, perhaps another dimension where it is kill or be killed. I have killed thousands to sate my hunger of souls. But I am still empty. Do you understand?'' There was raw, horrid panic and horror on everyone's faces. Ulquiorra did not believe the trash would still be kind to him.

» § «

''Y-you killed people?!'' Hermione breathed, her face white and eyes wide. Ron looked sick and turned before vomiting outside the circle. Dumbledore looked older than ever and Sirius was whiter than Hermione. Neville shook faintly and Luna's eyes widened.

» § «

''Aizen Souske was the leader of the group I followed in that place. He gave me a purpose and I followed his orders without question. It seems the place where the afterlife was in spoke Japanese. The chain of fate brought me back to my body. I am still dead, for this body is a faux. I consider my soul my true body.'' He added, although he didn't know why. Dumbledore seemed shaken.

» § «

''My dear boy...'' He trailed off.

» § «

''I belong to no one anymore. Do not call me that, trash. I am not Harry Potter anymore. He is dead.'' He spoke flatly and Dumbledore's eyes darkened.

» § «

''Ulquiorra, then.'' The old man looked him in the eyes. ''I think you need to come back to the Headquarters. It is safer there and we can discuss more. Besides. We need to show you something important.'' Ulquiorra just stared. Sirius practically looked at Ulquiorra like he was begging for him to come with them. Then, he caught Luna's eye. The girl peered at him, then turned to Dumbledore.

» § «

''He's not going to come if you just ask him. He doesn't respect you or recognize you as worthy of being able to do anything.'' Ulquiorra felt another twinge in his chest. It was that feeling he felt when the trash, Kurosaki had slaughtered him. Surprise? Shock? Amusement. Perhaps? That she was able to deduct a faint hint in his thought process. Sirius and the rest of the turned to him. He only dipped his head. None of them got it, simply staring like morons, the trash that they were. Finally, when he thought they were going to drive themselves insane, he said,

» § «

''She is correct. None of you are strong enough to harm me nor help me in anyway.'' Hermione was about to burst into tears. Ron grit his teeth and then clenched his fists. Neville looked at Ulquiorra with determination and something akin to regret. Sirius was about to either burst out yelling again or follow Hermione in the tears department and Dumbledore tried subtly to draw his wand. Luna sighed.

» § «

''Ulquiorra.'' He raised an eyebrow. ''You are to go to where you feel our reiatsu in muggle London. It is a darker reiatsu in the Borough of Islington. Wait there. Don't let anyone know you are there.'' Her voice was crisp, clear and sharp. Orders, he thought with amusement. Everyone gaped - even Luna - when he dipped his head in the shallowest of bows and then ripped the air apart into a Gargantua (although they didn't know that) and walked into a dark void, disappearing. Ulquiorra didn't know why he did that. It was that perhaps because she had before challanged him and at least knew of the different races of souls and had the gall to challange him? Anyhow, he continued to the place where the Gargantua opened again.

» § «

''Bloody hell! H-how did you do that?!" Ron yelled, eyes wide. ''Y-you ordered him around! And he did it!''

» § «

''Language, Ronald!'' Hermione snapped, sniffling. Sirius stared wide eyed as Ron was. The dark haired pure blood shut his jaw and then hissed,

» § «

''How did you do that?'' He growled through clenched teeth. Luna shrugged, looking at the floor. He lunged at her, anger pouring off him. ''How?! What did you do to get him to respond?! What do you know about that place that he's talking about, that he had to murder other people to survive?!'' Luna stepped back and Neville blocked her from Sirius's view, his face set in determination. Dumbledore barked at him.

» § «

''Enough! We have to go to Headquarters. Luna, you will have to tell us what you know, later when we question Harry.'' She jerked at that, blue eyes blazing clearly.

» § «

''You can't question Ulquiorra. He won't tell you anything. I won't tell you anything either!'' She practically growled. ''You don't want to get pulled into that war.'' Luna huffed again. Sirius started forward but was again blocked by Neville and Dumbledore nearly burst a vein snapping at him. Then, he turned, thanked the shocked Unspeakables and forced them to the Ministry's main Floo. From there, they'd go to the Leaky Cauldron and then side-apperate to the Headquarters.

» § «

The squabbling group did so, appearing at the enterance to Grimmauld 12 Place. Everyone looked around for Harry but Luna. ''Ulquiorra. Come out.'' The ex-Espada stepped from the dark shadows around the building silent as the night. Luna felt some amusement as everyone except her jumped when they saw the white clothed, tall man.

» § «

He stepped from the cloaking shadows and into the harsh unnatural light of a street lamp. His leg was healed fine and he had stayed from anything walking along the road. Ulquiorra still didn't know why he'd gone from threatening to hand her to Aizen to listening to her orders. Perhaps it was because she had the backbone to. He saw the onna half grin as they all but her jump and he nearly snorted. Luna glanced up and down at him and then pulled out her wand. Pointing it at him actually made him slightly weary because of what he remembered of her, she was quite eccentric. Although, he doubted she could be as eccentric as Gin Ichimaru. ''Repairo!'' He felt the magic-reiatsu wrap around his Las Noches clothes and repair them immediantly. Humming at her success, Luna give him a dreamy smile. ''How's that?'' She asked.

» § «

''Better.'' He spoke quietly before Sirius coughed but still glared at Luna.

» § «

''Wouldn't you want something that is more...comfortable?'' Everyone heard the unspoken 'And not so bloody?' Ulquiorra did nothing. He stared at the man who he had saved and the ex-prisoner turned and walked up the opening Grimmuald Place steps. Ulquiorra studied the feel of the magic surrounding it and noticed it felt more toward hollow-type dark. Putting that away in the back of his mind, he followed Luna who had come to steer him lightly to the door. They walked up the steps into the old house and Ulquiorra actually enjoyed the dark magic flowing around it. The inside was still the same, dreary and shadowy with moth eaten drapes and a sharp draft. He heard the bustling sounds of others in the kitchen, the rough scents of magic, wizard trash, rotten woods and food entering his senses. There were a lot of people in the house, various Weasleys like the red head and the sound of a heavy clunking piece of wood made him remember Mad-Eye Moody, the old retired Auror and his wooden foot and staff. His eye may see what I am. He may even call it a possession. Luna turned back to give him a half hearted smile before continuing. Sirius opened the door and stepped into the light of the kitchen. There were cries as they moved into the room, each asking the old man about 'Harry'. Dumbledore followed and spoke although Ulquiorra couldn't see his face, knew the manipulating old man would try something. And he did.

» § «

''We managed to bring him back. But, he is not the same. He claims he is no longer 'Harry Potter' as we know him.'' There were more outraged shouts. Inwardly, Ulquiorra was glaring and ready to cero him, but kept his outward expression cool. Neville's face was twisting in a flash of rare anger, as if he also noticed what the Headmaster was doing. Luna had a hand on her wand tightly. Ron and Hermione stepped into the room and he heard the Weasley head matron cry out louder in shock and hustle around the pair. He heard Remus question Sirius breathlessly. Then, Dumbledore guestured for the rest of them to come in.