Sorry for being late, was extremely busy with my exams... I had to life, only study... Therefore, to apologize, enjoy a rather long chapter ^.^

At exactly eight o´clock, the potion class filled with a bunch of sleepy students, most still with their eyes glued together, as dreamland called them back for a quick nap. It was the first detention the third year Slytherins would need to attended for a whole month, each Saturday, and as Snape was already furious, no one dared to arriving a single second late.

As expected, the professor was already inside the classroom, watching the arrivals with angry dark eyes, and an equally dark scowl. Even with the few days between their last meeting, it was obvious the professor was still furious. No wonder, however, judging by how dangerous their little prank actually had been. After having finished both of the assigned essays, there was a newly found respect for the levitation charm in their minds, as well as for their Charm´s professor. To think that such an apparently easy spell could have such disastrous consequences…

"I see everyone is on time." Snape stated as the last student stumbled in, not a second late. Having his Slytherins look at him with warry eyes was certainly not pleasant, but he did not regret berating them as he did, as they certainly deserved it. "I expect the essays on my desk. Now, for your detention, you have to clean this classroom. I expected every corner to be shining, the materials are already on the desks."

Nodding to themselves, more than uneasy, the students did not dare to interrupt. Usually, their detentions were easy, just a remainder that breaking the rules, and getting caught, was wrong. However, everyone had heard of the awful detentions Snape gave out to others, especially to Gryffindors, and no one wanted to experience them.

"As you certainly already know, it must be cleaned without magic. Should I learn that magic was used, or a house elf, I promise you the next detention will be worse." And no one doubted him, shuddering slightly at the possibilities. "Leave your wands on my desk and you can begin."

One by one, the group slowly approached the dark desk, leaving their wands without a word. Despite the fact they had been taught since little not to part with their wands on any occasion, an irate Snape was so much worse than few hours without a wand. Honestly speaking, no one wanted to disobey and earn another detention. They had discussed it earlier, and perhaps, if they left the transfer alone and behaved in the detentions, then maybe Snape would go easy on them. At least they hopped so, there still were three more detentions to go, and at any time, should the professor believe they had not learned their lesson, more might be added.

The moment the last wand was placed, Snape collected them and the essays, giving his students a hard look. It wasn´t angry anymore, at least not as much as earlier, but they all felt like they had disappointed him. And to disappoint the only person whom always believed in them… was a horrible feeling.

"You can begin. After three hours, you can leave."

Without more words, the professor left the room, entering his office. Not that there was much to add. For a moment, nothing was said as they simply stared at the closed door. Honestly, the whole situation sucked greatly, and they had no one else to blame but themselves.

Taking control of the situation, Malfoy turned to his classmates, trying to ignore the strange need to explain himself to Snape. For the last days, he had considered talking with the man, as he had neither started nor supported the stupid prank, but lacked the time and courage. The older housemates had not been happy with their little stunt, and made the third years feel their anger, by proposedly hiding their stuff, ordering them to bring pointless things, and forcing them to research stupid nonsense at the library. Honestly speaking, he wasn´t sure what was worse: cleaning the room or dealing with the upper years.

"We have three hours, so I guess it´s better if we start." It was an unsaid deal, but Malfoy was the leader of his year. Certainly not by choice, that´s for sure. While he liked the power and attention, having to deal with most of his classmates and their childishness quickly got annoying. "Let´s divide in four groups and start with the tables, one group on each corner."

As always, no one went against his orders, not that he had expected anyone to try. In the Slytherin house, the name Malfoy was both feared and respected. There were few with a high enough social standing to go against him, and neither of them were third years.

Taking a deep breath, as he was joined by Parkinson, Greg and Goyle, he put on the protective gloves. Well, it didn´t really matter, any of it. He had a detention to attend, and without a single doubt, Snape was keeping an eye on them one way or another. He better start working, or else his talk with the professor would be much worse.

Sitting behind his desk, as he slowly graded the homework essays, Snape tried to ignore the students working in the potion room. Obviously, he had put a surveillance spell on the room, if only to make sure magic wasn´t used. Not that he suspected anyone would dare, but it was the norm for such detentions, and he wasn´t about to make an exception. He doubted anyone of them was stupid enough to reignite his ire.

A part of him regretted being so hard with his students, the way few looked at him with badly disguised fear was slightly worrying. His Slytherins were part of the few people that seemed to respect him for what he was, instead of fearing the persona he displayed to the world. Perhaps because he had been there since the beginning, slowly but firmly guiding them through their years of Hogwarts. It was an untold rule, that should anything happen, Snape was the first person they should contact.

At the start of the year such policy always brought him a headache, as students came to him with the most idiotic problems. Someone forgot how their owl looked, lost luggage, problems with the subjects they chose, home-sickness… He was used to dealing with such mundane problems, something that only Sprout did. McGonagall, as always, was too busy to take care of her students, and Flitwick had another approach to such subjects.

Still, both the scolding and the detention were needed, for extremely obvious reasons. Should he have reacted in any other way, it would have sent an extremely negative signal to all the others whom were itching to mess with Hitsugaya. Let it be known Snape had no illusions about his house, they were snakes after all, and extremely biased too. Having been brought up surrounded by Dark Lord´s ideas, more than half of the house was slightly dark. However, self-preservation was one trait that no one in the house seemed to lacking, and to subject themselves to one of Snape´s detentions… Honestly, no one would want that. It was an effective way of keeping the transfer student safe from the worst. Though, he seriously doubted Hitsugaya needed someone´s help.

No matter what other thought, or what Dumbledore said, it was obvious a school would not send a student whom was incompetent. Just one glance at the transfer, and it was rather obvious there was more to the boy than his apparent age. From the strict manner he held himself, never truly relaxed, to the sharpness of his eyes. Sometimes, when he though no one else was watching him, Hitsugaya´s eyes clouded with something cold and dark. A darkness that no child should possess, cold as ice. It was obvious the boy was capable of defending himself. The question was, however, how would he do it. And who or what would unleash it.

Japanese magic was considered, for many years, as non-existent and extinct. In some documents that dated thousand years, there were faint references to their existence. Named as Oriental Warriors, they appeared dressed in strange black robes, carrying a sword and using confusing, attack related magic. And even those records were extremely doubtful, as the author was known for having mental problems, imagining masked monsters that did not exist.

Sighing suddenly as he noticed that he was no longer working on the essays, Snape closed his eyes in irritation. He would have preferred not having a heart, as the students liked to believe, as it certainly would make everything easier. Caring in his line of work was a dangerous thing, not that he would admit even in death that he cared for his Slytherins. It was easier to think of them as a group of idiotic chickens…

A flare in his fireplace caught his attention, dark eyes moving towards the green flames. With ease, he summoned the letter that just appeared, already anticipating a headache. Wordless magic was simple to him, having trained years to achieve such proficiency, but should anyone seen him, they would surely be amazed.

Severus, report to my office. A.

Obviously, the headmaster had returned from his latest meeting with the minister, which had taken two days whom knows why. Wait, Severus knew… It was because of the incompetent Minister and that annoying mutt. Obviously the Ministry of Magic was struggling with finding the mutt, and enlisted Dumbledore to help. Why bother though, he wasn´t sure. Black would surely come to Hogwarts, were Potter´s spawn of hell was. But, as always, no one paid his words any attention, preferring on keep looking blindly. Figures.

Moving towards the classroom, he confirmed that they were working as expected. It was clear by their faces that they were not enjoying it, but a detention wasn´t something that should be enjoyable anyway. If anything, it would teach them a valuable lesson about cleaning, perhaps even a new found respect for the House Elves.

"I´m being called to headmaster´s office. Once the time ends, you are free to go, as I´m not sure when I´ll return." Ignoring the way some jumped, Severus announced, his gaze lingering slightly on Draco for a moment. "If anyone needs something, you can wait in the office after the time ended. Now, go back to work."

Not waiting for an acknowledgment, Severus hurried to the fireplace, throwing the floo powder. As always, the flames turned from the blazing red to a neon green, giving him the slight creeps. How no one else though that the flames looked like the killing curse was a complete mystery, one he did not want to think about.

"Headmaster." Severus greeted once his view stabilized, swiftly moving out of the fireplace. As he had expected, McGonagall and Flitwick were also in the room. Obviously, they were going to talk about the Charm class.

"Severus, glad that you could make it." Not sure if it was sarcasm or not, he preferred not to answer, moving to his favored spot in the office. "Minerva was just filling me in on what I have missed, not that your letter hadn´t done a good job at it. Quick and precise as always."

Ignoring it by only giving a quick nod, Severus remained silent. He wasn´t sure what Minerva had told, but by the slightly uncomfortable look Flitwick spotted, it wasn´t anything flattering to his Slytherins.

"So, have you had a talk with the students?" Straight to the point. It appeared that the headmaster was more tired than he appeared, as he usually liked to beat around the bush.

"Obviously. Apparently, it was supposed to be a prank, as no one truly realized the danger it presented. From what I have gathered, it was an individual action, though in the mess, no one seems to be able to pinpoint whom started it." If he had used legilimency on the students, it would have been easy to find the culprit, but such skill was to be used only in emergencies. Not to mention that most Slytherins knew at least partial occlumency, any attempt would certainly be noticed. "For now they are serving detention with me, aside from the essays both me and Flitwick assigned. Judging by how they acted today, I suspect they now know just how stupid their actions were."

"I see, I see." Nodding to himself, Dumbledore sat behind his desk, sighing slightly. "As always, it seems you have taken care of the issue. I guess the meeting is over now, no?"

"Wait a moment, headmaster." Minerva suddenly interrupted, clearly angry. "I cannot agree with this. I do not believe Mr. Hitsugaya should be forced to stay there, not after what happened. As I have informed you in the beginning, such a volatile environment is not good for the young man, and what happened is proof."

"Excuse me, but I do not see how this proves anything." Severus clearly shot back, eyes flashing for a moment with anger. "Should I remind you that the first rumors started in your house, Minerva? Or the way most Ravenclaw reacted once he bested them in their classes together? If anything, I believe the Slytherins were the last to show any bad reaction to Hitsugaya. They had no knowledge of the significance of their actions, it was just a prank after all."

"Rumors are not the same as such actions, I hope you are well aware of it." Not showing any reaction, the other two occupants just watched, wondering when they should intervene. "Rumors easily clear out, but a clearly hostile reaction will forever be remembered. It doesn´t help that by tradition the Slytherin house has disliked those who are different. And Mr. Hitsugaya, not only because of being a foreign, is clearly as different as one can get."

"Is that so? Then perhaps I should report to the headmaster about few of your Gryffindors that I caught planning on cursing Hitsugaya, as I am certain you have not mentioned it. As I recall, they said it was just a prank, but the spells they were planning on using were a stinging spell along with a muting one. Now, I still wonder if that can be called a prank, if it took away the possibility to call for help."

Staring happily at the wordless Minerva, who clearly was having a hard time finding a way to refute his words, Severus turned to the headmaster. The tick lines around his eyes seemed to have grown more pronounced in the last few minutes, clearly he was worrying about the whole situation.

"Headmaster, I believe Hitsugaya will be safe in his current house. My warning should keep the worst away, and while I cannot promise there won´t be any rumors, it should still be better than to suddenly be forced to change house."

"Perhaps we should have expected this situation from the beginning… Despite everything, prejudice still runs strongly in every house." In his corner, Flitwick said nothing, only nodding along. He knew extremely well what most of his ravens though of Mr. Hitsugaya, and most of it was fueled by jealousy. "Mr. Hitsugaya shall remain where he was sorted, the hat made the choice and until the end it shall be respected."

With the matter sorted, the topic returned to lighter tones, as they briefly discussed the house-elves and the first week of classes. It was quick however, as the same issues would be debated in the afternoon at the teachers meeting, and soon, only Dumbledore and Severus remained.

"Do you believe I have made the right choice, Severus?" Dumbledore suddenly asked, petting the beautiful phoenix. "If given a private room, it should be somehow easier on Mr. Hitsugaya, but…"

"But then he would not be truly a Hogwarts student." He finished with ease, following headmaster´s train of though. "Perhaps it would be easier for a while, but then the rift between him and the rest of the student population will certainly increase further. In a dorm, however, there is still some chance others will accept him, no matter how improbable it is."

Nodding, the headmaster rose, smiling slightly at his colleague. For Severus was no longer a child, hadn´t been in a long time, a man capable of finding a solution for any situation.

"Indeed. However, I believe in second chances, as you well remember." Laughing slightly, the older man took a candy he always carried. "For now, all we can do is watch. Mr. Hitsugaya seems like a capable child, and once everyone understands his importance, things should change."

"Have you decided when to begin the selection then? I am still wondering how Hitsugaya will judge the students, as the conditions seems rather confusing. There is no age limit, but the student should be in good shape and have enough magical power to do their easiest spells… How will he judge the magic power?"

"That is a mystery, my dear friend. We´ll have to wait and see." Not the most helpful answer, but Severus was already used to it. "I have not chosen the date yet, but I expect some time after Christmas. This gives students enough time to consider it."

"How many have already signed up?" Honestly speaking, if Severus had still been a student, he would have signed up immediately. The chance to study foreign magic was one in a life time opportunity, only idiots would miss it.

"Now about hundred. Most are six and seventh years, but there is one lone third year that hurried to sign up. I believe you can guess who it is."

"Miss Granger, obviously. Why you allowed her to use the time-turner instead of stopping her from taking all those subjects is something I still don´t quite understand, but I hope you are ready for the consequences should she lose her touch with time." Time turners were considered dangerous not only for their powers, but also for the way they affected a person. It wasn´t unusual for someone to start forgetting things, becoming crazy in worst cases.

"Do not worry, Miss Granger knows the proper norms and is carefully monitored by Minerva and Poppy." Not that it made things better, in his opinion, the girl shouldn´t even use such a dangerous object. "Perhaps it is time I return you to your duties. I have stolen enough of your time already."

"It´s no problem, headmaster." It certainly wasn´t the first time he had been delayed, and certainly not the last time. "Have a nice evening."

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Draco´s day was certainly not going well, but then again, he had already expected it. Having been forced to wake up early for a detention, a detention with Snape of all people, was never a good thing. Then again, it was a partly deserved detention, as he had messed up at his duty. Not only had he failed at controlling his year mates, he hadn´t identified the culprit. It was obvious that he was the leader of their year, at least obvious enough for even Weasley to notice, and everyone knew how oblivious Weasley actually was. However, to think someone had acted without his permission… Annoying. Not to mention worrisome, since it meant his control was slowly being reduced.

Sighing slightly as he finished scrubbing another table, the blond haired wizard stopped for a moment to look at the classroom. Even though they have been working for over two hours, the end slowly approaching, only one third had been cleaner so far. For a second, he wondered when the classroom was last cleaned properly, because it was too much work for a single detection. Then again, maybe that was why Snape chose that particular classroom, as to keep them occupied in their following detentions.

"And finished!" Parkinson stated with a faint smile, leaning against the chair. She had offered herself to clean under the tables, despite the fact that it was the worst place to clean. Probably because she felt slightly guilty, it had been her thoughtless idea that someone had used. "I swear, next time I see someone put something under the table, I am so hexing them."

Resisting the urge to smirk, Draco nodded silently. Among his little club, Parkinson was probably the quickest to draw the wand. Well, unless Potter was present, then everyone was free game. Still, as he gazed at his year mates, Draco couldn´t help but feel unsettled. Something was happening, and he wasn´t sure he liked it.

"And the time is up! Hey guys, Snape isn´t in the classroom." The announcement was rather welcomed, as everyone relaxed, quickly letting go of the cleaning appliances. "Does it mean we can go? The time is up, and while I don´t know about you guys, I am starving!"

"He did say we free to go once the time is up." Looking at the group, Draco nodded, not sure if to himself or to others. "You go on. I´ll wait here for Snape and report. I still need to talk to him about my potions assignment." Which was a complete lie, he had finished his assignment long ago.

One by one, they left the room, the appliances properly tidied in their rightful corner. There was no way Draco was allowing them to leave otherwise, he was not cleaning after them. After all, unless in a detention, Malfoys didn´t clean. Still, as the room suddenly cleared out, the light haired boy found himself with the time to properly think. Which, while usually was not bad, since he liked his freedom, was annoying at that point in time. If only because if allowed him to brood and worry over the following conversation with Snape.

When his potion professor, and godfather, though that little piece of information was confidential, visited him at the Malfoy manor and asked to behave, he hadn´t though anything of it, as Snape did the same at the beginning of every school year so far. After all, Draco loved creating problems for Potter. The issue, however, was that more often than not, he found himself dragged into some short of problem thanks to Potter. Not that it was his fault, it was Potter´s, that annoying git.

Still, perhaps he should have listened to his godfather, since the current detention was certainly not Potter´s fault, no matter how vexing the admission was. Draco couldn´t even fault the transfer, no matter how much he wanted. And thinking about Hitsugaya made him frown, annoyance quickly rising. To think there was someone else aside from Potter whom could make his blood boil with anger… Still, it wasn´t the same.

While Potter answered as expected to Draco´s provocations, Hitsugaya seemed immune of them. Even on the day they first met, the lack of any proper reaction had been rather startling. Not to mention creepy, the way those cold eyes had fixed on him with clear disregard. Like he was nothing but a bug. Certainly unsettling, that´s for sure.

Still, Draco would have never imagined that one day a person capable of completely ignoring him would appear. Even his father, with all his practice as a Malfoy head and all that, couldn´t ignore Draco forever. If anything, the young wizard had grown to be a specialist in the art of irritating people, as it had been the only way to get his father´s attention as a child. But Hitsugaya… the transfer was on a whole new level.

Green glow caught the boy´s attentions as a pair of grey eyes noticed the room, signaling the returning of certain professor. Who, honestly speaking, Draco seriously did not want to see at the moment. Still, it was better to simply face the music than live in fear. And Potter still though Draco was a coward, how idiotic.

"Draco." Snape immediately greeted as soon as the child walked in, the door closing automatically. The young wizard didn´t even wonder how the older man had known, already used to the strange tricks. "I assume everyone had already left?"

"Yes, we have finished cleaning some part of it. The rest went to eat." Honestly speaking, Draco wasn´t sure what to say or how to explain, still unsure himself about the whole matter. "I..."

"I believe, Draco, that I have asked you to behave this year, no?" Not speaking, the boy only lowered his head slightly, extremely aware of the disappointment in his godfather´s voice. "Perhaps I should have expected you to misbehave, maybe found a way to warn you. Not that I was aware of what exactly was happening either, as always our headmaster likes to keep secrets."

Draco truly could not say a thing, as it was true. He had been warned, and despite everything, he still behaved like a complete idiot. As his godfather liked to say, while he had a head on his shoulders, it seemed he hardly ever used it. Trying to keep his face as blank as possible, the young wizard stared at his professor, silently awaiting.

"Well then, I am sure you have not waited simply to hear me scold you, so I expect you have something to report." Which was half true, Draco honestly thought Snape would berate him for at least five more minutes. "There is nothing I want to say that I have not said yet, and you know I hate repeating myself."

"Yes, I have… It´s about the incident actually and a small report on Hitsugaya." Hey, he was Slytherin after all, even in bad times, he needed to find a way to save his own skin. And if reporting the transfers behavior made his godfather less mad, whom was Draco to let the opportunity escape. "The whole incident was not supposed to happen. Parkinson was joking about it, and while everyone was distracted, someone must have thrown the ball or casted a spell on it. Trustfully speaking, it was not instigated by the group, but a singular action."

Snape had expected as much obviously, as he simply nodded. It didn´t make things better, however, as obviously someone was starting to act out.

"As for Hitsugaya, he has a distinct pattern to his actions. He wakes up early every day, mostly already awake and out of the room when I wake up. As soon as dinner ends, he works on his homework and immediately goes to sleep. In the last week, we have only communicated once, and as far as I am aware, he mostly keeps to himself." Which was strange on its own, if not extremely irritating. "I have, however, noticed some peculiarities about him. While usually he sits in the front, in History of Magic, he sat in the last row. Not to mention that he had been extremely surprised when Professor Bins floated in."

"Surprised at seeing a ghost?" Nodding, Draco said nothing as Snape slowly considered his words. "While ghosts are not extremely common in the wizarding world, aside from the muggleborns, everyone is aware of their existence. Perhaps there are no ghosts in Japan, or they keep the interactions between those alive and death strict, not allowing contact."

"It´s possible?"

"Hm, yes. In some parts of the world, where spirituality is more import than here, it is considered bad omen when ghosts appear, as it means they have unfinished business in our realm, so to speak. There are even spell that were created strictly to keep the ghosts out, though I do not know the incantation. It takes years of practice to learn them, not to mention one must first be recognized by the head of the cult." Draco honestly wanted to ask how his professor even knew of it, but remained quiet, well aware it was not his place to ask. "However, it could be an explanation to his surprise. From the little I know about Japanese culture, the muggles are rather spiritual, so it´s not too far-fetched to believe that the wizards are also spiritual to some degree."

"Right." He hadn´t seen the transfer pray or anything similar, but whom was he to disagree. "As for the class itself, he paid no attention, preferring to catch up on sleep apparently. While not unusual, when I approached to wake him up, he immediately opened his eyes. There aren´t many other things that I have noticed though, he has been ignoring me the whole week."

"And there couldn´t possibly exist a reason as to why he is ignoring you, could there?" Damn, Snape knew something had happened between them.

"I may have possibly called him something rude when I first met him… and I may have been rude to him the second time we met…" Which, honestly, was not exactly his fault. He was tired and annoyed okay? "I was with Greg and Goyle at that time so…"

Sighing, Snape leaned against his chair, tiredly closing his eyes. Only in front of him did he behave so… naturally. He knew for a fact that when with Potter, the older wizard always glared and sneered, which was actually rather impressive. Just thinking about the amount of work it took to keep up the façade made Draco shiver.

"I have told you this many times Draco. You do not have to be your father, it is not in your nature and you know it." The boy remained silent, if only because he wasn´t sure what to say. "Anyway, I have an assignment for you. You need to get closer to Hitsugaya and keep an eye on him. I am worried that things will escalate at some point, and we need to have something that will keep him here. It´s obvious he has no friends nor allies, once things go south, he can easily leave, and then our house will be blamed for it."

Incredibly, the boy paled more than he already was, already imagining the rumors. If so happened, then all his godfather's efforts to salvage at least some of Slytherin honor would go completely wasted. No matter what other though, they were not a dark house. Perhaps a little darker than the average student, but not everyone enjoyed killing and torturing innocent people.

"Still, I´m not sure how to…"

"Be yourself." Startled, Draco looked up in surprise, completely caught by surprise. His godfather was recommending him to be himself? But…. But that… went completely against everything his father had taught him. He couldn't be himself! He had to be Heir Malfoy, always and with everyone. "I have no other advice to offer you, Draco. One day, you shall understand that the world is not as your father has painted it. Hopefully, that day will come soon." Blinking, the boy rubber his arm rather uncomfortable. "Now go. Your classmates are probably expecting you already and I have work to do."

Nodding, the young wizard quickly left the room after a short goodbye, his thoughts messier than before. The conversation went nothing like he expected, be it the short lecture or the parting words. As he crossed the hidden doorway to the common room, there was only one thought on his mind. Who was right, his father or Snape.

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Sitting on the cold rail of the stone window, feeling the faint wind, Toshiro allowed himself to relax with his eyes closed, enjoying the sensation of freedom. Even though the gigai had been tailored specially for him, nothing could beat the freedom of being in his own body, unrestricted. With Hyorinmaru on his lap, holding it softly, the Shinigami simply allowed himself to enjoy the night.

It was rather late already, well past midnight, dark clouds covering the sky. At night, the cold intensified, freezing the stone corridors. And yet, for Toshiro, it was the best feeling ever, as he allowed himself to soak up on the iciness. For humans, it was already cold enough to warrant the use of warm cloaks, the temperatures hardly reaching ten degrees even during the day. However, for someone who thought that ten negative was still warm, the days were pure torture.

As he felt a particular reiatsu approach him, the captain finally opened his eyes, knowing it was time to end his resting time. Sharply, he stood up, sheathing his beloved sword with resignation. Honestly speaking, he wasn´t sure when he would hold his partner again, and the wooden swords he still needed to request would be poor replacements.

"Good night." A hollow voice greeted him as a woman arrived, floating gently on the air. Her hair was as dark as always, perhaps even more with the lack of light. However, the contrast between her ghostly pale skin and black eyes was more noticeable. For a moment, as she bowed elegantly, the whites of her eyes seemed to disappear completely, dyed in jet black.

"Good night." Bowing as the woman smiled, Toshiro ignored the creepiness of the situation. Somehow her appearance reminded him of some ghost's stories Matsumoto loved to tell, and while he certainly was not afraid, it was hard to ignore the similarities. "As I believe you have been told already, I have received the orders from Soul Society."

Nodding gently, the woman known as Lady Black moved towards the captain, the smile replaced by a neutral expression. She knew he had reported about her current state, and in some way, she had failed her mission, and failure was looked down upon greatly.

"As there were no means to communicate your predicament, the mission will be ignored and treated as if it had never happened." Which was certainly the best outcome possible, Toshiro reflected. "However, you should know that every captain and vice-captain are aware of the situation."

While there would be no record of failure, those in position of power knew. Upon her return to the Society, she would certainly be demoted, hopefully only few ranks. To some extent, her captain was guilty, sending her without assuring means of communication or ever checking up on her. Certainly something he would never allow, he had a whole group dedicated on keeping tabs on those he sent to the human world on missions.

"You have two choices now. Either return to Soul Society or stay and gather information." Black eyes rose up wide open, clearly she had expected to the sent immediately home. "You have lived in Hogwarts for a while, you already have important information that I will have trouble finding, and a spot among the local ghosts. Unlike myself, you are trusted, no one will suspect you are gathering information and you can keep the ghosts in check. Obviously, upon the completion of my mission, we will return together."

"This certainly is an interesting offer… However, I am certain my captain is awaiting me. They ordered me to return, no? Should I stay, I am afraid my circumstances will become… harder to deal with." Trying to keep herself calm, she was aware of the fate that awaited her.

Natsuki Kurara, once she was considered the fifth seat of her division, a rank she attained after decades of work. Finished the academy tenth in her year, nine years after ingression, she was quickly recruited, but faced harsh battle inside the division. A favorite runner up for the fourth seat, she was sent on a mission to England, and never returned. As her captain had completely forgotten about her and the mission report had been misplaced, everyone though she had died while fighting Hollows.

Stupid, Toshiro couldn´t even believe such absurdity had even happened. The fact she had disappeared roughly three hundred years ago didn´t make it better, Toshiro wondered how many more had been forgotten, stranded in some strange place without a possibility of return.

"Perhaps I should have explained better. There were no orders regarding your return. Because communication with Soul Society takes a long time and can be intercepted, every decision has been left to my own judgment. Unless it puts Soul Society in immediate danger, until the end of my mission, the Wizarding World is under my command."

"Your judgment…? But such is only allowed for…" Suddenly, the woman took a step back, her eyes scanning him as if it was the first time she was properly seeing him. "T-that haori…"

Frowning, Toshiro reflected on her attitude, not exactly understanding. He had already introduced himself the first time they had met, there was simply no reason to be surprised about anything.

If I may interrupt. Hyorinmaru mumbled, being in good mood as his sword form had been held by his master for the first time in weeks. I believe you have only told her your name, as not to startle the ghosts. She is not aware of your rank.

Blinking as he thought about it, his mind rewinding to the specific day, Toshiro sadly agreed. No wonder the woman was panicking slightly.

"I apologize for withholding information, allow me to rectify the situation." The woman went quiet, her eyes glued to his. "I am Hitsugaya Toshiro, the Captain of the 10th Division."

"Captain? They sent a captain here?" Mumbling to herself, it was clear it had been unexpected. Still, she quickly recovering, showing her adaptability that certainly allowed her to survive in the strange magic world. "I apologize for my earlier rudeness. I am Natsuki Kurara, former 5th seat of the fifth Division."

Nodding, Toshiro was already aware of her name and rank. "I need to inform you that your division has a new captain. In the time you have been away, many things have changed, should you chose to return now you need to prepare yourself."

"I suspected as much. If you don´t mind me asking, what is your mission at Hogwarts? It had been long since I gave up on waiting for another Shinigami to come." Not making her choice until she had necessary information, Toshiro wanted her in his division.

"In the long run, to investigate the Wizarding World, determine if it is a threat, as our records are seriously lacking. Currently, however, I am focusing on the missing souls and Dementors." Which, seriously, were already irritating him, as he still hadn´t found any reliable information.

"If possible, I would like to remain and help you with you mission, Captain Hitsugaya. As a ghost, it is easier to gather information, the teachers are used to me and children don´t even think about ghosts."

In her place, he would have probably done the same. Returning to a society that had forgotten about him for so long and be expected to act like nothing happened, even his current mission was preferable.

"For now, act as usual. If possible, gather some information on Dementors, as I have found nothing substantial in the library so far." Nodding, the woman smiled, clutching her fists slightly. "Also, should you learn anything useful about this Black Sirius that is on the run, investigate further."

"Understood." Bowing once again, Natsuki smiled slightly, her eyes shining. "Even if it's not your aim, allow me to thank you for a second chance. I promise you won´t regret it."

Giving the woman one last glance, Toshiro simply nodded, as impassive as ever. She was right, he was giving her a second chance. Perhaps I should have ordered her to return back. He though, silently making his way back to the dorm. She is not from my division, why do I even care?

Caring is not weakness, master. Hyorinmaru suddenly interjected, smiling sadly. You understand that it is not her fault, not truly. Should she return immediately to Soul Society, she will be treated as a failure.

Still, not my problem. Don´t think Captain Hirako will treat her badly. Jumping down the moving stairs, Toshiro landed on the first floor, his eyes moving to the noisy cat that moved through the darkness. For a moment, a pair of yellow eyes seemed to focus on him, as the cat let out a faint sound. Still, as Toshiro looked back, clearly displeased, the cat simply looked away, continuing her rounds.

What´s wrong in giving someone a second chance? The white head did not answer, simply hurrying back as he frowned in displeasure. It doesn´t matter, my dear master, let´s not think about it more, alright? All that matters is that we have someone to help out.

As Toshiro stopped in front of the entrance to the Slytherin common room, as always disguised as a completely normal wall, his slender fingers softly touched the cold wall. It was impossible to miss it, so much reiatsu aggregated in a single spot. With ease, he manipulated the magic, forcing the door open. A rather handy trick, as it bay-passed the monitoring spell his head of house had placed without alerting the man.

You are right. It´s already rather late and we still have to meet with the children tomorrow morning. Still, it´s hard to decide if it is a good or a bad thing that the homework is so easy. Even with the annoyance of the quilt, to think I would finish it all today…

Indeed, not sure why children complain. Comparing to the amount of homework you had in the academy, it is rather laughable.

Smirking slightly, though his heart felt heavy as he remembered the sleepless nights, Toshiro skillfully slipped into his own room. His roommate was already asleep, hidden from the rest of the world, and he quickly slipped into his gigai, feeling the unpleasant restrains once again. Still, he could live with them, it was so much better than the time he had been forced to watch over Karakura Town. The limiter added to such an unpleasant gigai… a nightmare, truly.

Smiling, Hyorinmaru simply laughed at his wielder's thoughts, lying down as Toshiro slowly fell asleep. Despite everything, it had been a good day.

Sunday found Toshiro out-side, running without stop before the agreed time, enjoying the last bit of peace and quiet. A full day with almost no contact with the annoying humans had been a blessing in disguise, giving him strength to endure the upcoming week. Now, if only he hadn´t overslept…

Don´t be mad, Master. The ice dragon mumbled almost sleepily, wishing the child had reminded sleeping too. Your gigai needs rest, and lately you have been pushing it too much with the late nights. That said, slow down your peace, you won´t last for long if you keep running this fast.

Glaring at nothing in specific, but obeying with a displeased frown, Toshiro wanted to sigh. Of course Hyorinmaru had a point, as he almost always had, but it never made it better. Half an hour was certainly not enough to warm up properly, perhaps he should keep training even after his little experiment with the children.

The white haired boy had woken up half past six, and ignoring his Zanpakuto and his roommate's snores, had left for a long run. He felt slightly annoyed, since he had clearly overslept, but at least it wasn´t as horrible as the day before. To be truthful, had anyone bothered him yesterday, he most likely would have frozen them without a second though. Dangerous mood, he was well aware, since freezing was certainly not allowed, even if the human children deserved it.

I believe the children are about to come, Master. Hyorinmaru suddenly interrupted, noticing his mood deteriorating, as he thought about the long week with a heavy frown. It´s already in the past, nothing can be done to change it.

I know, I know… Sighing once again, Toshiro stopped, eyeing the grounds. He was once again at the spot where he had met the green-eyed wizard. Since they hadn't agreed on a meeting place, he concluded the child would return to where they first met. However, he wasn´t certain when the children would come, as Toshiro gave Potter a choice. Hopefully at eight, the captain wanted to do some muscle training. However, I am not certain it was the right choice to accept his request. I have never trained humans after all.

We already discussed this during dinner last night, let´s start by seeing their current abilities and work from there. Rolling his eyes, Toshiro huffed slightly, feeling his dragon´s amusement. I do believe we should make it a game, however, human children do have short attention span. Perhaps to make things more interesting, it should be fun.

Hyorinmaru, if you are implying that I should play games with them, then you are clearly losing your mind. Which was a worrying prospect, since they were connected, mind and soul. Not only I won´t play games… but I also don´t know any games. Should I remind you that no one dared to approach me back at home? The most I can offer them is to teach some self-protection exercises.

I have not implied anything. As Toshiro sat down meditating, waiting for the children to arrive, he quickly slipped into his inner world. I was clearly suggesting it! Have we not decided this is our vacation? No paperwork, no Matsumoto to deal with. I am not saying you should start pranking people, but perhaps a game of hide and seek or chasing, even capture the flag! Don´t you wish to experiment such games at least once?

Frowning as he looked away, Toshiro´s thoughts turned dark. Obviously he had wanted, once when still a child, to try. It had been hard to deal with his loneliness then, when he could clearly hear the happy laughter of others. However, he had grown used to it, his want had lessened. However, apparently, a part of him still wished to do such childish things, otherwise Hyorinmaru certainly wouldn´t have mentioned them.

Hyorinmaru was the reflection of his soul, a part of him that would accompany him forever. Everything Toshiro wanted, loved and hated, everything he wished he could forget, his every mistake, Hyorinmaru accepted them as part of his master, without ever judging the smaller captain. Even if he completely ignored it, pretended it didn´t exist, Hyorinmaru would know. He always knew.

Sighing loudly, Toshiro ruffled his hair in annoyance. One day I´ll catch Matsumoto whispering things, and then she shall play. It went unsaid that Hyorinmaru would pay too, but since they were part of one another, Toshiro would need to be really creative to find something. I´ll think about it. It is the first day after all, they will probably give up.

Now, now, no need to be so negative. I am certain they won´t. Suddenly, the air around Hyorinmaru changed, as the dragon smirked almost evilly. How about a bet, Master? I am certain they won´t give up. And if I win, I´ll get to choose our activity for a whole weekend.

Narrowing the aquamarine gems, Toshiro immediately felt warry, suspecting his dragon had some plans he hadn´t shared yet. From now on, I am triple locking my room. That damn Matsumoto has been teaching you strange things again, hasn´t she? He simply couldn´t understand why Matsumoto even bothered teaching Hyorinmaru things he clearly didn´t want his zanpakuto to know. Did that woman wanted a disaster to occur? Anyway, you have a deal. And if I win, you´ll have to warm me next time Matsumoto breaks in to teach you pointless things.

They are not pointless; most are actually rather fun. Snorting, Toshiro only shook his head, deciding not to start arguing. However, as you wish, we have a bet in our hands.

"Hitsugaya!" A voice suddenly called, and the Shinigami finally left his inner world after giving Hyorinmaru one last glare. From within the castle a small group appeared, their eyes almost closing as they moved forward. Apparently Potter had managed to convince everyone, that was rather surprising. "We are not late I hope."

Giving his full attention to the newcomers, he shook his head, while ignoring the grin his Zanpakuto no doubt had on his face, as if he had already won the bet. It was only the first day, the children weren´t even aware what their training would entail. If anything, he was almost certain the red head would not come back, he was almost sleeping while standing.

"Good morning. I see you managed to convince everyone." Bowing slightly to Potter and his friends, he glanced at the clock. No luck, the push-ups would have to wait for later. "You could have come at eight if waking up at seven is too much. I assume it is the norm for children to sleep in Sundays here."

"Good morning, Hitsugaya." Granger greeted with a smile as she nodded, the only one as awake as Potter. "Well, since we have to wake up early all week, most people take advantage to sleep in at weekends. Was it different at your school?"

"Kind of. We had some classes at weekends too." Not to mention it was mandatory to do daily exercises, and the amount of schoolwork forced people to wake up early in order to complete it all. "Have you eaten anything yet? I advise you eat something light before the exercise, as not to burden your body."

"No, we hadn´t…" Weasley almost complained, hitting his cheeks to wake up. Hm… apparently seven was too soon for them. "We went straight here, since Harry didn´t want to be late."

"Perhaps next week it´s better to meet fifteen minutes later, to give time for a light breakfast. In the corner, you´ll find some water bottles. Chose one and keep it with you, since from now on you´ll have to bring it with you. While exercising, your body loses water, and it´ll need to be replaced." Eyeing them critically, he almost sighed. For some reason, he felt like a personal trainer… then again, if they decided to continue with this, he would be their trainer…

"Thanks for doing this." Potter stated with a grin, clearly enjoying the situation. "I´m sorry we are interrupting your running and…"

"I already said there is no problem, you four will actually be helping me." At the startled faces, Toshiro almost grinned, but managed to hide it at the last second. "Next summer I´ll be responsible for training the newcomers, so this way I´ll have more practice." Not that it was the first time he would be doing it, but all training was appreciated.

"Now that you are ready, I´ll explain how this will go on. First, we are going to do a slight jogging in order to warm up the body, no more than five minutes. After that, we do warm up exercises. This way your body will be ready for a more vigorous training and there will be less risk of injury." As he talked, quickly and easily explaining everything, four pair of eyes watched in attentively. "This will take about fifteen minutes, and after it you´ll be running again. Slowly, for about ten minutes. If you are unable to keep running, you´ll walk."

The chubby dark haired boy suddenly winced, eyes widening in badly concealed fear. "It is normal if you are unable to run ten minutes, I have seen some people stopping after two. Now, after the run, I would advise to work on arm strength and abdominal exercises. Nothing much, no need to worry. In the end, we´ll stretch a little. Any questions?"

"How long will we be working out?" Granger asked right away, her eyes sparkling with poorly hidden discomfort. Obviously she was worried whenever she could keep up with others, and the boy behind her seemed to be growing blue with fear.

"I believe an hour or so, since you´ll be resting from time to time. As I said, I do not expect you to do everything today. There is a reason why exercise is recommended to be increased with time. I have no doubt neither of you will be able to do it completely, all that matters is that you try and don´t give up." That seemed to calm down them slightly. "Today is to check your current level, the training will be changing slightly next time. I am going to do everything with you, so you can ask me a question anytime. More questions?"

No one seemed to have any, simply waiting in silence, Toshiro gave them a rare small grin, before gesturing them to follow. "We´ll be running around the clearing for five minutes. Keep the pace slow; remember to breathe through your nose. Walk when you feel you are too tired but don´t stop."

If only you approached the new recruits this way, Master. Hyorinmaru mumbled as soon as they started running, Toshiro behind everyone else to keep an eye on them. The first day you scare them horribly, and more than half gives up before even attending the second class.

That is their problem; I do not want people who are easily scared in my squad. Toshiro shot back, noticing the Longbottom boy seemed to be already struggling even though they had been running only for a minute. However, there was determination in his eyes; he clearly refused to give up that easily. Granger also seemed to struggle slightly, but kept a good pace and kept breathing through her nose. Though, I admit, I might have been too hard in the past. If this attitude works with these children, I´ll try the same approach. We do need new people…

It´ll work out, you´ll see. With encouragement and the right attitude, you can make anyone do as you say. Actually, I swear you could be more manipulative than Urahara if you so wanted…

It was near three minutes when Longbottom started walking, followed by Granger. Potter seemed to be struggling just a little bit, while Weasley appeared to be running by sheer will. Adjusting his pace to follow Longbottom, he nodded to him. "You did well. Clearly, you were tired, but as I asked, you kept trying. If you keep it up, you´ll improve in no time."

The look of surprise and happiness almost caught Toshiro by surprise, as the boy smiled gratefully. Apparently, he had expected to be yelled at… what made him wonder exactly what type of guardians he had, if he had such expectation even though Toshiro had stated over and over that it was alright to stop.

"Five minutes. Rest now but do not sit down." The group had held well; he had expected them all to give up at some point. "After this we´ll be doing warm ups. Drink water now, but not too much, you´ll be running again…"

For the next hour or so, the group kept persisting, not giving up even when it seemed impossible to continue, and Toshiro had to admit, he was rather surprised. He had honestly expected at least one of them to give up, say it was too much work… but either they all were much stronger than he had expected, or stubbornness was a Gryffindor trait. He´ll have to ask someone later.

"H-how come… you aren´t even s-sweating, Hitsugaya?" Weasley asked as he finally laid on the cold floor, physically drained. This wasn´t exactly what he had expected when Potter asked him to join, but for some reason, he felt happy. Yes, happy and relaxed even though his body seemed unable to even move…

"I have been doing this far longer than you four, I´ll need much more than this to sweat." The four gave him scandalized glares, before shaking their heads. "Do not worry, it´s going to get easier with time. Go directly to your dorms and take a long bath, it´ll help, and then go have breakfast. Try to eat proteins; your body will need it. After it I advise to relax and rest, do homework if you haven´t done yet."

"You aren´t coming with us?" Granger inquired confused. He had been exercising with them, and even though he said it was normal for him, he also needed to rest.

"No, I´m not done with my training yet." If anything, it was seriously lacking. Ah, how much he wished he could swing a sword…

"Not yet? We have been at this for an hour!" Weasley complained, happy that at least he wasn´t expected to continue. There was so much his body could take, and he was completely drained. "How long are you going to keep training?"

"Probably until eleven. As I said, I am…"

"Are you crazy?" Weasley irrupted, rather rudely too. "Are you trying to kill yourself? Man, you won´t be able to walk tomorrow… I´m not sure I´ll be able to walk tomorrow… Hey, Harry, you have my permission to drag me to class tomorrow…"

"With pleasure." Potter grinned, looking forward to the prospect. "But back to the topic, even I think it´s too much, Hitsugaya. If you end up in the infirmary tomorrow, don´t blame us."

Frowning, Toshiro contemplated the situation. It was usual for him to reserve a whole night twice a week to work until he could no longer move, doing a three-hour routine in the mornings between. It was obvious his training would need to be cut down significantly; he held no illusion regarding the work expected from him. Nevertheless, he had at least expected to have one whole morning to himself once a week.

"It will only be three hours." He argued back, nodding to himself. One morning, that was all he asked for, and he planned to keep it. "As I said, I have been doing this for years, I am well aware of my own limits. There is no need for you to worry."

Granger wanted to say something, but a look from Potter silenced her, as the wizard sighed. "If you say so. It´s not our place to tell you what to do anyway." Green eyes looked at his friends shining slightly, before quickly returning to Toshiro. "So what do you think? Can we join you every Sunday?"

"I don´t mind. As I said, this will be good practice for summer anyway." I told you they would be good students. Hyorinmaru suddenly added, obviously grinning, probably already convinced he would win the bet. They would see. "Next week, here once again, at quarter past seven."

"Thanks." Potter grinned, standing up. The work out had been tiring, as the children weren´t used to it, and yet they appeared rather happy. As each of them said their goodbyes, the group of friends stumbled through the halls of the castle, only a good warm long bath in their minds.

"Well, that went well…" Toshiro mumbled as he watched them go, turning his attention back to his own training. Now that he was all alone, and properly warmed up, he could finally do heavier training. A pity he had no swords, but he would rectify it later. Wonder if there were wooden swords at Hogwarts…

Declaimer: I don´t own Harry Potter nor Bleach.

A/N: It feels so good to have time to write again... I had this chapter ready for a long time, just needed to reread it, but there was NEVER time! I hate studying so much... I promise to study more regularly through out the semester so this won´t happen again!

Once again, StorytellerD132 you are my savior. I would kiss you if I could, but you are too far! So, have some imaginary cookies.

Thanks for reading :)