Summary: When Voldemort's return creates a problem for both worlds, Hitsugaya is sent to deal with the problem. Hitsugaya, now a first year student must follow the fifth year Potter boy, find the dark lord and kill him before things get out of hand.
Time line: Fifth book and sometime after Aizen's betrayal.
Notes: My first crossover, hope you like it .
Taichou means captain
Soutaichou means captain-commander
Shinigami means death reaper
Seireitei is where the shinigami reside
Soul Society consists of Seireitei and the different districts where other souls reside
You'll probably notice me switching between the English terms and Japanese terms in this chapter, and those switched have been thought through to make the story more clear and easy to read.
Warnings: Aside from my spelling errors, there shouldn't be anything. I will use OCs in this story, but they will NOT have significant parts.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Bleach. Harry Potter is the creation of J.K. Rowling and Bleach is the creation of Tite Kubo. I am writing this fanfic for entertainment only and am not making any money with this fic.
Chapter 2
The Leaky Cauldron.
That's what the sign said, and that's what read in the letter he had received from the headmaster. Hitsugaya decided to check the sign once again.
The Leaky Cauldron.
Yep, there was no denying it, this was the place. What a disappointment. He had expected, no, wished for something a bit better, not a small shabby looking pub. With his young looks, would he even be allowed to go inside? People surely would notice a clearly underage looking boy going to a pub… But this was where he was supposed to go and he was already late, thanks to Matsumoto's farewell party (that most likely resulted in many people not faring so well the next day). So with a sigh Hitsugaya slung his bag over his shoulder, put the letter back in his pocket and started towards the small pub.
The pub looked just as shabby on the inside as it did on the outside. It was dark and somewhat gloomy, but Hitsugaya guessed that to a regular customer it could also seem cozy. The people in the pub matched its image perfectly, Hitsugaya thought. Their fashion sense seemed to consist of cloaks, funny looking hats and weird accessories. He must have looked like the strange one to them since all heads were turned towards him as he walked to the counter.
"Welcome! How can I help you?" The barman asked. He was almost bald old man, who was missing a few teeth. He fit like a glove with the theme of the pub in Hitsugaya's opinion.
"I have a meeting with a person called Nymphadora Tonks, do you know if she's already here?"
"Oh yes! I think she just went to the bathroom a while ago! You could probably wait there at the corner table, that's her drink on the table!" The barman smiled a wide less than toothy smile and pointed at the table. Hitsugaya glanced at the pointed direction and nodded.
"Thank you"
Again he felt eyes on his back when he moved towards the table. Well, it was nothing new for him to be stared at and he had known to expect nothing less in here. White hair was rather rare among the living. Not that it was common in Seireitei either, but having had three (now only two) captains with white hair people no longer reacted as strongly as before.
"Haya there! You must be… umm… heha…" Hitsugaya looked up to see a pink haired young woman extending her hand and obviously struggling with the pronouncing of his name.
"Hitsugaya Toushirou." He didn't take the offered hand but rose and bowed. The woman withdrew hers and surprisingly bowed back.
"Yeah, sorry, it's hard to say!" She smiled apologizing smile and sat down. "I'm Nymphadora Tonks, just call me Tonks! So, Dumbledore asked me to help you get all the stuff you'll need. I heard you'll be staying in here, Dumbledore has booked you a room, did you get the key already?"
"No."
"Well go get it and take your things to your room, I'll wait here and finish my drink, then we can go and get your school things. You can get the key from Tom, he's the bartender." Hitsugaya nodded, got up and walked back to the counter.
"Yes?"
"I was told that there's a room booked for me."
"And your name is?" The man took a small notebook from under the counter and opened it.
"Hitsugaya Toushirou"
"Let's see… here! Room 15, here you go! Up the stairs and fifth door on the right! You can pay when you check out. You'll be staying for two nights, right?"
"Yes"
"Enjoy your stay, if you need anything, just ask me. I'm Tom, by the way!" The barman seemed sincere and Hitsugaya smiled and nodded politely.
"Thank you, Tom-san" Hitsugaya took the key and headed for the stairs. The room was easy to find and the door opened with a small creak. The room was simple and nice. A single bed was positioned in the corner, near the window that showed the busy London people outside. There was also a table, a chair, a small nightstand and rather large green plant. A full body mirror hung near the table. Hitsugaya laid his bag on the bed, took his wallet and put it in his pocket with the letter. Then he went back down. Tonks was still at the table and when she saw him she drank the last of the drink and shuddered a little, her face scrunching.
"Butterbeer, it's really good when you drink it slowly, not so good if you drink it all at once." She explained. Hitsugaya just nodded, he didn't know much about alcohol drinks, having never really tried any, no matter how many times Matsumoto and her gang of fellow drunken vice-captains (mainly Kira, Hisagi, Iba and Renji) had offered him the opportunity. "Okay, do you have your list and money with you?" At his nod she continued: "Good, the entrance to Diagon Alley is in the back, in the courtyard."
They made their way through the pub to a door and through it to a courtyard. There was a brick wall, some bins and a stray cat that hissed at them. "Okay, you need a wand to get into the diagon alley this way." She pulled her wand from her pocket. "You need to tap the right brick with your wand, you can find the right brick by counting three up from the dust bins and then two across, then just tap the wall three times, like so…" She tapped the wall three times. The bricks started to move on their own and made an archway. Hitsugaya stared in muted awe. "Well, let's go! We probably have to go change your money in the bank, or….?" Hitsugaya's attention snapped back at her to find her looking at him.
"Uh…" He struggled to remember what the woman had said while he had been starting at the busy street that had appeared in front of him. "Yes, I only have yen on me…" Tonks started to walk without saying a word, only humming to herself and Hitsugaya followed her while looking around and trying to memorize everything.
After a while they reached the stairs of a large white building with ugly creatures guarding the bronze doors. The creatures bowed when they entered the building only to find another set of doors, silver this time. There was also a warning for those with evil intentions, but Hitsugaya didn't pay much attention to it, he had no intention of visiting this place again. Without a pause they continued to a great hall with many ugly creatures, all of them going around their business. Tonks led him to a counter. She smiled brightly at the creature, whose facial expression gave the impression that there was something disgusting under his overly large nose.
"Hi! My friend here wants to change currency!" The creatures small sharp eyes sifted from her to Hitsugaya, who answered the cold stare with a look of disinterest.
"Which currency and sum?" It asked, the words slow and calculated. Hitsugaya didn't like the creature at all. It reminded him too much of some of the scientists in the 12th division. 'Kurotsuchi would love to see these creatures… and dissect them' was the weird thought that entered his mind. He shook off the idea of taking one with him as a present to the creepy captain (it could spare him from being a guinea pig in the future). Tonks looked at him, signaling that the rest was really up to him, her being clueless to the sums and such details. So Hitsugaya took a step closer to the counter and addressed the creature.
"Yen, and I've been asked to open an account for the… family. Is it possible?" Soutaichou had decided that it would be wise to make some extra effort just in case they'd have to be in contact with the wizarding world more in the future.
"To rent a vault in Gringotts, one has to be of age." The creature snarled at him, as if offended by the question. Hitsugaya decided to let it go for now, Yamamoto would just have to send someone else in here… not that anyone else could actually get in these parts without a wand… Well, that was a problem that could be sorted out later.
"Fine. In that case I'd like all this to be changed into wizarding money…" He took his wallet and a small bag from his pocket and set them on the counter. The creature opened the bag while Hitsugaya took all the money from his wallet and emptied it on the counter. The wallet's contains were yen but the little bag had ryō in it. Hitsugaya prayed to gods that the creature would not ask anything. He didn't need to worry about Tonks asking any questions since the woman seemed to have short attention span; she was humming to herself and wondering around the hall. And it seemed that he was in luck, the creature just gave him a suspecting look but then asked him to wait for a while.
It didn't take long until the creature came back with a rather large bag of money. He handed the bag to Hitsugaya, telling him the amount, which made absolutely no sense what-so-ever to Hitsugaya. There were some gallons and cycles or something in the bag. However Hitsugaya didn't let this show and thanked the creature, bowed and left the now surprised looking creature in order to find Tonks. She must have noticed that he was ready to go since she beamed at him and led him out of the building.
"I hope you didn't mind his behavior, goblins are all like that, rude. Really good bankers tho, love money and riches and that. But you have to be careful; they can be a bit tricky and greedy at times." Hitsugaya nodded, now knowing that the creatures were goblins. He really hadn't believed in those kinds of creatures… but he hadn't believed in magic either, not before soutaichou told him he was going to learn some. And when soutaichou had told to him of this magical community, he had honestly thought that the old man had finally lost it. But, now that he was here, it was finally starting to sink in. "So whatcha wanna get next?"
He looked at the list in which read all of the necessary items. "Maybe a wand. It's light to carry around while doing all the other shopping."
"Huh, smart kid. Well then it is Ollivander's you want to go to, he makes the best wands! Mine's from there too, pretty much everyone I know has bought theirs from him, although there's this Jerry I know, he bought his from…." The woman continued to blabber all the way to the shop as Hitsugaya silently ignored her. He just nodded or made some small sound to make her believe that he was actually listening to her rant. It was easy, since the woman reminded him a bit of his fukutaichou. Tonks just didn't have the suffocating boobs of doom or the strange need to bury his face in her cleavage like Matsumoto did. "That's Ollivander's shop there."
Hitsugaya looked to where Tonks pointed. What he saw was the last shop, small and shabby with only one window. When they reached the door he could see the writing over it: Ollivander's: makers of fine wands since 382 BC. 'Probably still the same shop… it could do with some renovating…' They could hear a small 'ching 'as they entered the shop to find an old man just saying goodbye to some other customers, first years, by the look of them. Hitsugaya looked around. It was as shabby and small on the inside as it looked on the outside. The walls were hidden behind wooden shelves that creaked under the weight of hundreds of brown little boxes. On the ceiling dangled a single light bulb that alone probably couldn't really light up the shop. Most light came from the single window and Hitsugaya wondered how gloomy the shop would look like if it was raining outside.
The old man grinned toothily at them and came forward. "Well if it isn't Nymphadora Tonks! 11 inches, willow and unicorn hair core if I remember correctly, quite a unique combination. And who's this?" The man was old and rather short. He had large silvery eyes that looked at Hitsugaya with interest. This was clearly a man who enjoyed his job and excelled in it.
"Wotcher Ollivander! This is a new student. I was asked to help him with the school stuff, he's muggle born, you see." The woman smiled brightly at the old man who raised his eyebrows. Hitsugaya stepped forward.
"Hitsugaya Toushiro, nice to meet you." The old man gave him no time to bow as he dragged the shinigami to the center of the room and took a long tape measure from the counter. "Now, hold out your wand arm." Hitsugaya blinked. Slightly hesitating, he held out his right arm and watched as the man measured practically everything there was to measure in him. And he would be lying if he said he wasn't at all bothered by the tape measure that now was measuring the space between his eyes (by itself, he might add). The old man was now going through all the boxes that were on the shelves of the store. Soon the man appeared and took the tape measure to his hand, making it lifeless as he set it back down on the counter. On his hand he had a thin wooden stick, a wand.
"Now take this and give it swish." Hitsugaya did as he was told and waved the stick in a long arc, feeling like an idiot. As he waved the wand, the window exploded and all three hit the floor and covered their faces as glass rained down on them. "Absolutely not!" Ollivander cried and took the wand from him as soon as the glass rain stopped. Hitsugaya slowly stood with his mouth open.
"I…I.. I apologize! I am terribly sorry for destroying your window!" He bent to a low bow, feeling horrible, even though he wasn't quite sure what had happened and if the explosion was even his fault. The old man looked at him.
"Oh no, dear boy, no need to apologize, it happens all the time! Now now, get up, we just need to find another wand! This one clearly doesn't suit you…"
*¨*
After many destructive hours, Ollivander sighed and sat down. The shop was a mess, with glass, papers and wands littering the floor. Hitsugaya had tried every single wand in the store, with absolutely no results. Not any good ones at least; there had been many explosions, a plant growing and trying to strangle Ollivander and an exceptionally embarrassing case of wand waving that resulted in Tonks' shirt ripping in two. Hitsugaya had all but thrown the perverted wand away and then he had apologized to her, his face more pink than the scarf that Matsumoto wore. Tonks had said that she wasn't mad, but had fled the building after repairing her shirt. It had taken her two hours to return.
"I admit defeat." Ollivander said as Hitsugaya tried the very last wand and set the chair on fire. Tonks looked concerned.
"So what now?" She asked and put out the fire with her wand. Hitsugaya looked outside, the sun was already setting. There was no way he'd be able to get the rest of his things today. It would have to wait till tomorrow. He turned to look at the old man and felt real bad for him; many clients had come by and Ollivander had been forced to turn them away since it was quite dangerous to be in the store while Hitsugaya tried out wands.
"Well, it seems I have to make you a wand."
"How long will it take?" Hitsugaya asked.
"Usually maybe a week but if I push myself a little harder I can get it done in a couple of days." He smiled and Hitsugaya frowned, he didn't want the old man wearing himself down on his account. But he didn't have much choice, since the school year started in three days. "Well then, I must ask you to give me some of your hair."
"Wha – what?" The request caught Hitsugaya off guard.
"It seems that none of the usual cores we use; dragon heartstring, unicorn hair or phoenix feathers react to your powers well. Ollivander rose from his chair and took a small box from a nearby self and walked towards Hitsugaya. "Now I must make you a wand with a wand core that can bear the explosive amount of power you hold. I need your hair and maybe a few drops of your blood to make that core. I will fuse them with a dragon heartstring to make a core that can filter and focus your powers correctly." Hitsugaya nodded and plucked a few hairs from his head. He put them into the small box that Ollivander had opened for him. Next he bit on his thump, letting a few drops of blood fall down in to vial that Ollivander took from his pocket.
"This should do it. Come back in a couple of days and I'll have it ready for you."
"Thank you very much" Hitsugaya bowed. Tonks opened the outside door and waved her goodbyes to the old man. Hitsugaya followed her. He turned around and bowed again. "I'm very sorry for destroying your shop". Ollivander smiled at him.
"Don't worry, it won't take more than a few waves of my wand and everything's fixed again" He smiled and Hitsugaya nodded.
"Bye" He said and closed the door after him, feeling guilty for leaving the man to deal with the mess alone. He should have at least helped him clear the floor from the glass. Apparently his thoughts could be read from his face, since when Tonks looked at him she put a hand on his shoulder and smiled.
"Don't worry, it really happens all the time. When I was buying my wand, I set him on fire. It's real rare that the first wand you try is the right one." She comforted and to Hitsugaya's surprise, he felt a bit better. "But anyway, most of the stores have closed already, and I'm afraid I can't help you tomorrow. I could ask Remus to help you though…"
"No need. Just point out the shops I need to visit and I'll do the shopping myself. "
"Well… if you are sure." Hitsugaya nodded and Tonks showed him all the shops he should visit the following day. Hitsugaya made sure to remember the names of the shops and the route he should take the following day. They slowly made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron's courtyard. Hitsugaya looked as the archway closed itself, hiding the magical street and the few people still walking along it. Tonks turned to look at him.
"Okay, do you need help with something?" Hitsugaya shook his head. He really couldn't think of anything right now, his mind was too full of the new things he had already learned and witnessed. "Well if you need anything, you should just ask Tom. Tomorrow you can ask him to open the archway for you, since you don't have your own wand yet. If you get hungry, you can order food from the bar and uh…. Oh! Do not go to Knockturn Alley! It's no place for kids!" Hitsugaya could not stop his eye from twitching. He hated when he was compared to a helpless child. He felt the urge to go next day to the before mentioned alley just to spite her. But then he would be acting like a child and he would not stoop to that level.
"I'll keep that in mind." And he bowed to the woman. "Thank you for your help, Tonks-san."
"Oh don't mention it! And it's just Tonks. Have a good school year Toushirou!" Tonks waved at him, turned on the spot and disappeared with a loud crack.
"….It's Hitsugaya." This reaction was one he would have to try to get rid of as well. It was after all quite normal for these people to call others by their first names. But the years of correcting Hinamori and Kurosaki had the habit rooted deeply into his behavior. Maybe he could pass it off, if he just made sure to not add the –taichou to the end. He decided to let the matter go for now and headed back inside. The bar was pretty much empty, the only people there were Tom and a veiled witch. They were talking as Hitsugaya walked towards the stairs. Tom looked up and saw the boy.
"You were out all day and didn't get anything?" He asked and Hitsugaya stopped and turned to look at the odd pair of people. He didn't feel like explaining how he had destroyed a shop and left an old man to clean it by himself, so he only nodded. "Oh.. okay then, come back down if you're hungry." Tom turned to the veiled witch again and Hitsugaya started climbing the stairs, heading to his own room. He sighed when he finally collapsed to his bed. If the first day was this tiring, then what would it be like after the school actually started? He would be seen as an eleven year old and treated as such! The idea sent shivers down his spine.
Slowly getting up, he grabbed his bag and opened it. He searched for a small switch that had been hidden in one of the small secret pockets in it. When he finally found it, he turned it slightly, hearing a very quiet 'click'. He then opened the bottom and reached into the darkness that was now in front of him. His hand searched the darkness for a while before hitting something hard. A small smile crept to his lips as he pulled a long katana from the bag. He could feel the consciousness of Hyorinmaru stronger in his mind than all day. The chilling presence of the dragon made him feel much better. He laid the sword on the bed and reached in the bag once more, searching for his pajamas. He pulled a lot of other clothes out of it before finally finding the white pajamas he had been looking for. He glanced at the pile of clothes he had pulled out from the bag. The Shinigami Research and Development Institute had really outdone themselves this time. The realm crossing bag was genius.
The bag had been created for his need of hiding Hyorinmaru, since he couldn't walk into a school full on living children with a sword strapped on his back. Of course he couldn't leave the Zanpaktou in Seireitei, so the Research and Development Bureau had come up with the bag. They had explained to him that they had created a small barrier bubble inside the realm that was between Soul Society and the living world. This bubble was connected to the bag, enabling him to store his things inside the bubble and keeping others away from them. Of course he couldn't let anyone see him pull a sword out of the bag, they'd really wonder about it then. Although now Hitsugaya wondered if it really would be strange to wizards; he wouldn't be surprised if they used similar tactics in their packing.
After stuffing all of his clothes inside the bag again, he turned the switch, closing the small realm gate. He lay down on his back, taking Hyorinmaru in his hands and unsheathing it. He looked at the shining blade and the reflection of his eyes stared back. The hardest part would be the fact that he had to spend so much time away from Hyorinmaru. But it couldn't be helped. He sheathed the Zanpaktou once again and hid it under the covers before rising up and leaving to get something to eat.
Tom was cleaning the tables when Hitsugaya reached the bar. "Hungry?" Hitsugaya nodded. "Well, what can I get you?"
"Uh… what do you have?" Tom smiled as Hitsugaya sat down. He seriously had no idea what people ate in Europe and he had a hunch that wizards had their very own culinary world as well.
"I'll bring you something good."
"Okay thanks." While waiting, Hitsugaya's thoughts drifted to those who he had left behind. Hinamori had actually cried. Briefly Hitsugaya wondered why since they had drifted further apart since Aizen's betrayal. But he wasn't being fair, Hinamori had been fooled and Aizen had played with her feelings. He shouldn't be angry with Momo for trusting her captain. He should be mad with himself for letting her get hurt… No, it was like Matsumoto had said when he had told her how he felt; the ones to blame were Aizen, Gin and Tousen. And she was right and Hitsugaya felt lucky to have her as his fukutaichou; even if she was downright lazy when it came to paperwork.
Suddenly he smirked. He had had nightmares that his office was filled with paperwork when he'd come back. Fortunately Yamamoto Soutaichou had allowed Hitsugaya to decide which division's captain would oversee his division. He had thought long and hard about it but had finally reached the perfect solution via eliminating possibilities (not literally, of course). It went without saying that he wouldn't ask Soi Fong, Komamura or Kurotsuchi. They knew way too little of his men and Matsumoto, they would not be able to keep them under control. Shunsui would just party with both divisions, his and Hitsugaya's. Zaraki would also encourage recklessness. Unohana would probably excel, but Hitsugaya knew that she and her hands full of work as it were. So this left only Kuchiki and Ukitake. Normal reasoning led to believing that the strict Kuchiki would be ideal. But Hitsugaya knew better. He was too strict and Matsumoto would not be able to resist the temptation to try to crack his cold exterior. She'd tried to do with Hitsugaya himself for years. No, the way to get Matsumoto do some work did not lie in threats or discipline.
No, it was guilt.
And this was exactly why he had chosen Ukitake. Sure he felt bad for making the sick man work a little harder but he could not afford his division to get out of hand or fall back when it came to paper work. He had of course asked the man if he was okay with it (not mentioning why, of course, it could spoil everything). Ukitake had accepted, happy to be of help to his "fellow shiro-chan". Matsumoto could take yelling in a stride. But she could not bear seeing people suffer. Ukitake was already sick and barely working because of it. Matsumoto knew that if she skipped her work, it would end up on Ukitake's table. She couldn't dump her work on any seated officials since the document that were hers to go through had to be signed by her or by a captain. It was the downside of being a high ranked official; you couldn't give your workload to those that worked under you.
"Here you are" Tom set a plate in front of him and Hitsugaya thanked him. It didn't seem bad. Not nearly as scary as the "food" that Matsumoto and Orihime cooked. This food didn't have fish heads poking from under ice cream at least.
"Itadakimasu" He took a bite and to his delight noticed that it was real good. 'Chicken and potatoes… and is that pumpkin?' Well, it was good. So he allowed himself to fall back to his thoughts, a content smirk on his lips.
First of all: Big thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!
The interest towards this story caught me by surprise and made me really happy!
It also motivated me to write this chapter faster than I normally get anything done! :D
I hope you'll take the time to tell me how you liked this chapter and leave a review.
Thank you for reading!
- Pureya
