Chapter 2: Diagon Alley

Me: Here it is! The long awaited chapter 2!

Renji: Long awaited my as*beep*

Me: Renji, what's wrong? Your censor was late.

Renji: *blushes* Nothing!

Me: I know! It was because Rukia didn't talk to you all last chapter!

Renji: *splutters* No! Th-that's not true!

Me: It's okay! I'll have lots of RenRuki moments in this chapter!

Renji: I said I didn't like Rukia that way, dammit!

Rukia: Y-you like someone, Renji?

Me: See? She's disappointed! I knew she liked you!

Renji: Roar! Zabimaru!

Me: AAUGH!

Byakuya: twistedthinking3 once again has asked me to relay this message: twistedthinking3 does not own Bleach, Harry Potter, or any of their characters. She also implores reader-sama to review, as it will keep her hopes up.

Harry sat on his bed in the Leaky Cauldron. The last few days had been horrible, what with Aunt Marge inflating like a balloon, thinking he would be expelled, and the Knight Bus.
Harry shuddered in particular at the last, thinking he'd rather face Voldemort with his hands tied behind his back, and without his wand rather than take a ride on that monstrosity again. Harry let out a gust of air. He wondered what new surprises Hogwarts would bring him...His mind flicked back to a certain section of his letter from Hogwarts:

... Hogsmeade. We are also pleased to inform you that we will be taking in several foreign exchange students from Japan, as well as an extracurricular professor, also from Japan, who will be teaching 'Kido', a type of magic used without wands, and 'Shun-po', a way to enhance your running speed. We hope you will sign up for these activities, and enjoy your 3rd year at Hogwarts!

Minerva Mcgonagall
Deputy Headmistress

Harry laid back on his bed. Tomorrow he would spend his day shopping for things he would need for his new year. He smiled. He was going to have fun.

"You!" Byakuya exclaimed. "What are you doing here?!" "Why how rude, Bya-chan! To think I came all this way just to teach you at this new school!" Yoruichi sauntered over to Captain Commander. "I'm ready!" "Alright, if you could just take these papers with you, Shihoin-san. Thank you. Now the rest of you head off, and, Rukia, don't look at me like that. You needn't worry. I had someone pack everyone's bags beforehand."

Many days later, and many miles away...

"Don't tell me we're staying at that old place!" Yoruichi complained. Soi Fon bowed so quickly she almost kneed herself in the head. "I'm sorry, Nee-sama, it was the only one!" All seven transfers-and one teacher- were standing at the entrance to a ancient, dirty, stared at the ratty old sign that hung above it which read: 'The Leaky Cauldron'.

"I'm pretty sure this is the place," Rukia proclaimed, as she strode in, dauntless, although the effect was hard to pull off while carrying 100-pound bags.

"Oi, wait, Rukia!" Renji called, and hurried after her. He didn't particularly like the look of the greasy inn, and didn't want Rukia to go in alone.

Gin slinked in, in his usual way, and Soi Fon bounced on the heels of her shoes impatiently, waiting for her older sister to end her examination of her surroundings. Byakuya walked in so elegantly, he appeared to make the area nearby look even grimier than normal.

Hitsugaya followed Byakuya, stomping and grumbling all the while. He had apparently gotten a call from his Assistant Captain, which seemed to involve much yelling on his part, and much whining on hers, and which seemed to have made the small white-haired captain even grumpier than usual.

Ichigo himself paused at the doorway, taking one last look at the normal world. He sighed deeply. He was in unfamiliar territory now, and as Old Man Yama had warned right before they had left, he would have to obey the Wizard laws, and keep himself out of trouble. Ichigo smirked. He decided, right then, to enjoy this year away from home as much as possible.

Byakuya paid the old man behind the counter the amount required for three bedrooms. He was speaking fluent English, thanks to the strange, metal bracelet Captain Kurotsuchi had slapped on each of their arms minutes from departure. However, in Soul Society, it is an unspoken law that there is no such thing as a free meal, and Byakuya shuddered slightly to think of what the Head of the Department of Research and Development could possibly ask for in return.

"Bya-chan!" Slim, but muscular arms wrapped themselves tightly around his waist. Byakuya, though startled, didn't flinch.

"Shihoin," he said coolly, "Release me from your grasp at once, or so help me-" Byakuya bit off his sentence with a gasp of pain.

The Demon She-Cat had pinched the crook of his elbow. Hard. "Shh!" She hissed. "Don't you remember our cover-up?" Ah, that's right. Much to Byakuya's chagrin, Ichigo had insisted on this stupid cover-up.

The idea went like this: Byakuya and Yoruichi were going out and didn't want to be separated, so Yoruichi, who already was a genius, but was holding herself back in order to stay with her beloved, graduated immediately from the Shino Academy to become a teacher so she could accompany her boyfriend on this 'journey of a lifetime'. The whole plan was idiotic, and obviously fake.

But Renji had argued that Yoruichi DID look about their age, and people were bound to ask questions about the playful way she acted with Byakuya. The Captain of the 6th knew the argument was lost the minute Yoruichi and Rukia had teamed up against him. Byakuya ground his teeth.

"Do you know the way to Diagon Alley?" He asked the bartender, whose name Byakuya couldn't remember. He believed it was something strange, like Tim, or was it Tom? The man led Byakuya and the rest of the Shinigami to the back of the pub. He opened the door and displayed the wonderful glory of an old brick wall.

Tom stood by the wall, an expectant look on his face. "Three up and two over!" the bartender proclaimed.

Byakuya sighed. He had no time to deal with more idiots.

"Why have you taken us to this back alley?" He asked coolly.

Understanding dawned on Tom. These people were foreigners! Duh! Tom tapped on the correct bricks with his wand, and stood back, gleefully watching the amazement on all their faces. Except that one who had paid for the rooms. Tom didn't believe anything could ever surprise THAT man.

"Thank you," Byakuya bowed."Rukia, will you please go and tell Shihoin to get over here?"

"Yes, Nii-sama!" Rukia sped off, and the rest of the group stepped through.

"Woah," breathed Ichigo. "It's amazing!"

The brightly colored shops that lined Diagon Alley were unlike any the Shinigami had ever seen. They all had strange names, like 'Borgin and Burks', or 'Eeylops Owl Emporium', and they were all filled with weird things.

Broomsticks? Renji thought as they passed a shop full of the items in questions. Why would they have a store just for one type of cleaning supplies?

Byakuya held up the list of items they would need for their stay at the school. It read:

3 sets of plain work robes (black)

He gazed around for a store that might have what they needed. There, he thought grimly. Byakuya led the rest of the group, (Rukia had returned with Yoruichi and Soi Fon) to the shop, called 'Madame Malkins Robes for all Occasions'.

As they poured into the store, a witch looked up. "Greetings!" She called out cheerily. "What are you here for today?"

Once more the ambassador, Byakuya filled her in.

"Exchange students! Haven't had those... Ever!" She chirped. "Come this way!" The witch introduced herself as Madame Malkin, and the Shinigami got down to business. Malkin fitted Renji first, measuring him all over and exclaiming at his muscles. Byakuya noted with amusement that Rukia was positively twitching. Byakuya would have to later speak with Renji, preferably involving Senbonzakura.

"My my my, good lord, sir, you must really work out!" The witch gushed."I had a goal to work for." Renji responded, and he didn't say anything else during the whole fitting. Ichigo was next, with a frighteningly similar conversation, and during Byakuya's the witch simply gave up trying to initiate small talk.

Malkins supremely irritated Hitsugaya, calling him a first-year three different times, and she was dangerously close to being stung during Soi Fon's fitting. Gin was so tall, he wasn't even able to use the stool. Rukia was last, but she probably had the most normal fitting out of all of them.

Yoruichi stayed behind to order some teachers robes and the rest of the clothing items on the list, and everyone else moved on to Flourish and Blotts, so that they could buy their school books. Gin was in charge this time, and the poor store-owners were so freaked out by his constant grin that the Shinigami were out far quicker than they would have been without their Captain of the 3rd.

Soon enough, all the group needed were their wands. Soi Fon was the first to see the dusty shop in which they would purchase theirs, and she earned a pat on the head from her Nee-sama. The Shinigami walked over to Ollivanders, and pushed open the door, a small bell ringing as they strode in. There was no one in sight.

"I sense someone's spiritual pressure in here," whispered Rukia."But I can't tell where." The captains frowned. Indeed, they could sense reiatsu, but it was impossible to pinpoint where in the creepy store, with its shelves full of small, thin boxes.

" I don't really like this place," said Gin, even he had dropped his usual grin.

"Shut up!" hissed Soi Fon. "It's coming closer!"

Hitsugaya crouched down, ready to jump out at whatever came at them.

Renji stood, back to back with Ichigo and Rukia. The three were in Defense Formation.

"Welcome." A voice rang out in the silence."I suppose you're all here for wands?"

After the Shinigami got their stupid Gigai's hearts' working again, they introduced themselves, and the perpetrator for their hearts attacks, a wizened old man named Ollivander, who asked if, indeed, they were here for wands.

"Yes!" gasped Rukia, who still wasn't totally recovered. "If you could please service us?!"

"Very well," the old man spoke. "If you, little lady," he pointed to Soi Fon, "could come and stand over here?" Soi Fon strode over to the indicated spot. "Wand arm, up!" he annouced. Soi Fon raised her right arm. Suddenly, Ollivander pulled out a small, silver tape measure, and began measuring her all over, including between her eyes.

Next, Ollivander rushed over to his shelves, and began pulling what seemed like random boxes out from the niches in which they resided. "Aha!" He exclaimed. "Ash, dragon heart string, 10 inches!" He thrust the stick into Soi Fon's unsuspected hand. "Go on," Ollivander demanded. "Give it a wave."

Soi Fon lifted the wand only to have it immediately snatched from her grasp, and instantly replaced by another. "Oak, mermaid hair, 12 and a half inches!" That wand also was hastily replaced by a different wand, and Soi Fon went through 13 more wands before she managed to make lights come out of a "Ebony, Phoenix feather, 9 inches."

Gin stepped up next, spent a considerably shorter time waving and snatching, and ended up with a "Ash, fox demon fur, 16 inches."

Rukia: "Aspen, snow leopard hair, 11 and a half inches."

Byakuya: "Ebony, fairy hair, 15 and three-quarters inches!"

Renji: "Oak, Phoenix feather, 15 inches!"

Hitsugaya: "Pine," and much to his horror, "dragon heart string, 9 and three-quarters inches!"

Yoruichi: "Alder, mermaid hair, 15 and one-quarter inches."

Ichigo watched his friends from his seat on the floor. He hated to admit it, but he was actually pretty excited to get a stick that did cool stuff, like turn people's legs into jelly, (he had overheard some students speaking) or fix whatever he broke...

Ichigo wondered if he should purchase a wand for Mayuri... Apparently, the Captain of the 12th had been running out of test subjects lately,so Ichigo was hoping if he gave the crazy dissection man a wand, it would edge himself off the list of 'Things to be Experimented On.'

"Oi, Ichigo," Renji said, interrupting his train of thought. "This Ollivander guy wants to work with you, now."

Ichigo got up from his seat, stifling a yawn. He walked over to the old wand maker, who immediately began measuring every inch of his body. He looked over to the rest of the Shinigami, who were obviously now bored.

Renji was sitting down where Ichigo himself had been seated just a minute ago, Rukia dozing off at his side.

Byakuya was trying to ignore Yoruichi and Soi Fon, both of whom were harassing him; he was looking pretty annoyed, and Gin was teasing Hitsugaya about his short stature as usual.

All was well. Ichigo turned his attention back to Ollivander, who was holding a wand out to him. "Here you go!" Ollivander said cheerily. "Fir, werewolf hair, 14 and three-quarters inches. Ichigo took the twig, and waved it. Suddenly, and without warning, red-and-black light burst from the tip.

'For a stick, it'll do,' came the grudging voice of Hichigo. When Zangetsu voiced his approval as well, Ichigo knew he had no choice. "I'll take this one!" He said confidently to the slightly frazzled store-owner.

"Alright, then, that'll be 56 galleons, thank you very much, and-" It was no matter. As soon as the Shinigami had paid, they were out.

Wah, I'm sorry! I know it's a really long, slow chapter, but I had a lot to stuff in here... At least they have their wands, and their school supplies. I'm also sorry that there hasn't been much Harry... Anyways, time to go! Sayonara!
* twistedthinking3 runs out, pursued by 500 lb gorillas' and Ichigo trapped inside a bludger*