Author's Note

Hey, look at that, I was able to write a chapter of this while being on a heavy FMA binge this month. Speaking of FMA, sorry to those that were upset with the bonus last chapter. But more importantly, thank you very much to all the people who gave me support for it in their reviews. Thanks to your support and my binge, I'm writing more for it, but I won't be posting anything until I've got a few chapters written. I'll let you guys know when they're up.

Anywho, here's the next chapter without any kind of bonus. Enjoy!

The Japanese did not share Harry's worries about seeing hallucinated horse things, though most of them wished that they couldn't see them.

Ichigo, Orihime, and Uryu had managed to stick together through the crowds while they somehow lost the British teens. Not knowing where exactly they should be going, they simply followed the crowd of students off the platform to where a fleet of carriages was waiting. Since they finally had some breathing room, they figured that they could wait for the others there, keeping an eye out for the Weasley children's distinctive red hair or hoping that they noticed Ichigo and Orihime's bright hair. As they stood there waiting, they noticed the creatures pulling the carriages.

The creatures that stood harnessed to the carriages were horse-like in shape, but that was about all that made them resemble equines. They looked to be little more than skin and bones, it was easy to count their ribs. Their heads were draconic and their eyes were orbs of milky white, no pupil or other marking to be seen.

Ichigo froze when he saw the wings attached to their withers. Large, leathery, and bat-like, they were almost exactly like the deceased fourth espada's. Memories of that fight, memories he'd rather not dwell upon, that he'd mostly buried, came rushing back.

He'd gone into that fight so damn confident. He'd beaten Grimmjow with enough steam to at least hold out for a while against Nnoitra and that emotionless bastard had finally drawn his sword. He was able to read his opponent's movements when before it was like trying to fight a statue, impossible to determine what the next movement would be. No, his only worry going in was that Inoue would get caught by a stray attack. It was the only reason he hadn't pulled out his mask. His worry that at close range like this she wouldn't be able to withstand it.

Then those arrancar bitches had come and attacked Inoue and he just couldn't push past Ulquiorra, not without using his mask and putting her at risk. He had been so thankful when Ishida had appeared, getting rid of Yammy who had gotten rid of those arrancar girls. And with Ishida there he felt that he could use his mask, if there were any stray attacks he was sure Ishida could at least weaken them to a manageable level.

The rush of power from his mask, being able to chip Ulquiorra's sword when he hadn't done that to any other espada, blocking the bastard's cero like it was nothing, it had all left him without a doubt in his mind that he would win, that he'd get all of his friends out of there alive. How quickly that feeling of assured victory flew from his grasp once they made it outside the dome.

After Ulquiorra's resurrección, he had barely been able to keep up. The only thing keeping him from dying had been his instincts blaring at him, taking action without thought every time they screamed at him to move. The most powerful Getsuga he could muster did nothing and the return fire of a cero left him heavily wounded and maskless. But he wouldn't give up. He knew it would be a rough battle, knew the moment Ulquiorra released that the gap in power was enormous, but that sort of thing had never stopped him before and it wasn't going to stop him now. If he lost, someone else would have to fight the emotionless bastard and who knows how many of his friends would fall, maybe die, if he failed here. No failure, losing, wasn't an option, it never was.

And somehow, things got worse. A second release. He hadn't known, no one had known, that an arrancar could achieve a second level of release. The power that had been pouring out, pressing down on him, was immense. His whole being was chilled with fear. Even when he had first faced down Kenpachi it hadn't felt like this. But losing was still no more of an option than when he began this fight. This wasn't about his belief in winning, it was about how he had to win.

It wasn't enough.

That iron will, that unwavering conviction, it wasn't enough to overcome the gap in power like it always did before. He had been held up by his throat, sword still in hand, (how can I fight, win, without my sword?) barely conscious when he heard the bastard talking to someone. The words beyond his reach, but his eyes had snapped open when he felt that enormous pain in his chest. Open enough to see the Cero Oscuras going through it.

After that everything was hazy, like a dream you can't quite remember. He was sinking into darkness and for some reason he was having trouble bringing himself to care. The darkness was actually fairly comfortable, there was no pain, no worries, nothing. A blissful nothing waiting just for him. He felt sparks of warmth pulling at his barely there consciousness, but they were only little plucks, not enough to make him follow. He was sinking and falling asleep, all he had to do was let go.

Then she called. How many times had he heard her say his name? "Ohayou Kurosaki-kun~!" "Did you see the new Ghost Bust episode Kurosaki-kun?" "Uwaah! You surprised me Kuorsaki-kun." But this time wasn't like any of those. She was scared, desperate. He could hear the tears in her voice. How he hated it when she cried. Someone as kind and innocent and gentle as her shouldn't have to cry any tears except in happiness. That pulled him back more than any of those warm sparks, more then all of the sparks combined.

Yonderunda (She's calling me.)

Kikoeru (I hear her.)

tatte (Get up.)

Tatte (Get Up.)

TATTE (Get UP.)

Ore ga… ( I…)

Ore Ga… (I will…)

ORE GA MAMO– (I WILL PRO–)

The memories come to a halt as something soft and warm burrows into his side, arms wrapping around him. Soft sniffles grace his ears as the arms tighten around him. Ichigo now recognizes the trembling in his own body, his hands tightly fisted, nails biting into his palm while his restrained reiatsu is overflowing, pushing against its bonds, going as high as it can in this state and struggling to go higher.

"Kurosaki-kun."

Soft words from gentle lips filled with relief reach his ears as those arms tighten just a little bit more. Ichigo pulls the body closer, feeling reassurance as his reiatsu slowly ebbs down to its normal output. She's here, she's safe. That battle has been over for nearly three years. Ichigo still can't remember the time when he was fully hollowfied in that fight. Zangetsu refuses to tell him anything, probably scared that he'll try to seal that part of himself away again, and he can't ask Inoue or Ishida, can't ask them to remember that horrible fight.

"Inoue." he murmurs, burying his face in her hair. Ichigo hadn't thought that those memories were still so strong, but maybe he should have expected it. It was the first time a person had died by his hand, even if he hadn't really been in control. It was probably worse because he wasn't in control of himself.

When she saw those wings, Orihime froze. Those wings, they brought back one of the worst memories she had, second only to her brother's death. Those horrible memories of when the man she loved, the man she had so much faith in practically died. Then he became a monster because she was too weak. Her eyes didn't see what was before her anymore, instead they saw the past playing before her.

The winged espada was lit by the dead crescent moon as he blasted a hole through her savior's chest. She saw as his body was dropped off the tower, her fairies bursting forth to catch the body. Running to get to his side, to make things right again. (I have to heal him, have to make him whole again. He can't die, he can't die.) Her way to his side was blocked by the winged man once more, words that barely registered flowing from his lips, "Don't bother. You're not strong enough to save his life." He stated it like fact in that monotone voice of his and she wouldn't believe those words for a moment. It's a lie. It has to be a lie. I can save him. He's not dead, he's not.

How quickly that belief fell to pieces.

Her Souten Kisshun wasn't working. The hole wasn't closing. The light wasn't returning to his eyes, his stare remained blank as his reiatsu continued to diminish. Her world was crumbling around her. Even Ishida-kun was going to die as he attempted to hold off her captor with a single arm so that she could resurrect the protector.

Why, WHY? She resurrected that mean arrancar girl after Grimmjow blew off her entire upper body. Why couldn't she fix a simple hole in the chest of the man she loved? The fear of what would happen to the rest of her friends when their leader had fallen, of having to face a life without him because of her own stupid decision, was welling up inside of her. It mixed with the desperation for him to live, win and come back to her like he always did. All the swirling emotions inside led her to do what she always did when she wasn't strong enough to face what was before her.

She called out to him to save her like he always did. And like always, he responded.

Was the monster before her really the man she loved? Or was it just an imitation like what happened to her brother? She didn't know, but it was powerful. The reiatsu it emitted was thick, heavy, dangerous, but it flowed around her, almost like it was afraid it might crush her. And wasn't that just like Kurosaki-kun? To be overwhelmingly powerful, yet ever so gentle with the people he cares about? But the brutality, the savagery of the battle before her, that wasn't like him at all. Kurosaki-kun was a powerful fighter, but he didn't keep attacking after his opponent was downed, didn't fight so carelessly that those he protected would be in so much danger. And he certainly didn't attack his nakama. And hadn't that been terrifying, to see the monster her love had become attack a close friend when he tried to stop the mutilation of her captor's corpse.

Then he said those words. "Ore ga tasukeru. (I will help/save her)" Such a simple sentence and yet it sent sadness and guilt lancing through her being. He was a monster, had done such brutal things, because she asked him to. Her one moment of weakness had led to his loss of self and it broke her heart that she had done this to him.

It was my fault, my Fault, MY FAU–

A nudge to her shoulder brings her blinking back into reality, but in some ways it's not so different from the memories she was trapped in. Orihime can feel Ichigo's reiatsu pounding down around her, not as strong as back then, warping and twisting as his hollow nature was steadily taking dominance. Small flickers of red-edged black wisps floating before her eyes. Beyond that she can see the sheen of a kido barrier, but that barely registers to her senses. She turns to her right and sees Ichigo standing there, frame trembling with blazing golden eyes and inky blackness seeping from the corners, trying to overtake the white. Orihime quickly latches onto his side, tears running down her cheeks as she confirms that he is there and alive, not some monster that she called upon. It takes a few moments, but he responds to her soft call and returns her hug, buries his face in her hair.

They hold each other, helping each other fight off the memories of terror and desperation.

Uryu watches the couple cling to each other, fear and relief evident. My own memories of Ulquiorra Schiffer aren't anywhere near as bad as theirs. I didn't fight him and almost die multiple times and then kill him as an out of control monster. I wasn't kidnapped by him and practically forced to watch him kill the person I love. It's really no wonder they reacted so badly.

He rubs his face, tired from containing Ichigo's raging reiatsu and keeping it from crushing unknowing students. And if that wasn't enough, he had to deal with his own memories of the fourth espada and the ensuing fight. He unconsciously rubs his left arm at the spot that the emotionless arrancar had cut it off. He felt that they were lucky that Urahara and Hirako had shown up when they did. Lucky that one nudge from Urahara was all it took to get Inoue back so that she could calm Kurosaki. If the older pair hadn't made it there and put up a barrier in time, the students would have known something was up, possibly got caught under the influence of Kurosaki's reiatsu because Uryu had barely been able to keep it concentrated around them. He was lucky that the reishi was so thin here making channeling what was emitted by Kurosaki so much easier. If he'd had to do this back home sorting through the ambient reishi and his own emotional stress would have made containing Kurosaki nearly impossible.

"Sorry to interrupt the emotional meltdown, but we need to get in one of those carriages and up to the school." Urahara says after having given Ichigo and Orihime a minute to calm down. It's not that he doesn't understand that they need a moment, he had heard a bit about what happened on top of the dome of Las Noches, but they're on a schedule and don't particularly have time for this.

"Ah… yeah, okay." Ichigo replies, sounding drained as he scrubs a hand over his face. Orihime just nods, staying tucked in at Ichigo's side.

Shinji tsks at Urahara's tactless manners, concerned about the youngest (honorary) vizard and one of his "first" loves. "You gonna be alright?" he asks.

Ichigo sucks in a deep breath. "I'm fine. I don't need some old man worrying about me."

Shinji can see that Ichigo is putting up his tough guy façade, but letting him know that will only hurt the kid's pride, so he brushes it off instead. "Wasn't askin' you, baka. I was askin' Orihime-chan."

Ichigo growls. He's never really liked the way Shinji's addressed Orihime. The healer herself gives Shinji a shaky smile, thankful for his consideration. "I'm alright." Orihime quietly replies.

"We need to get going." Urahara reminds the group. "I'll explain a bit about how you'll be introduced to the school on the ride up. The barrier's coming down in three, two, one."

As the barrier dissolves the group moves towards the carriages and they all get into one, the teens studiously avoiding looking at the creatures that pull the carriages. They get seated and the carriage takes off smoothly, though it doesn't do much to sooth the still frayed emotions of its younger occupants.

"When we get up to the school, McGonagall-san will take you three to where you need to wait. Dumbledore-san will introduce you to the school after the local first year students are sorted. After that you will be allowed to choose which house you will live with as a group." Urahara explains.

"I assume we should pick Gryffindor since Harry and the others are in that house." Uryu says, seeing that a bypass of the sorting system is purposefully being given to them.

"Ideally, yes. Though in the end the decision is truly up to you three." Urahara replies. "Dumbledore-san thought this method would be best as he would like Potter-san protected and he believes that your personalities wouldn't necessarily land you in Gryffindor. It also conveniently keeps you all together. "

"Is that all?" Ichigo asks.

"That's all for now." Urahara replies.

"Ano… what about you and Hirako-kun, Urahara-san?" Orihime asks, ever caring about everyone else.

"We get ta sit up at the staff table. No sortin' for us." Shinji informs her. She nods in reply and the rest of the ride is spent in silence.

After the hat finished singing, (Since when do hats sing? Be quiet Kurosaki. I wish I had a singing hat!) the little eleven-year olds were called up one by one for the hat to sort. After "Zeller, Rose" was sorted, Professor McGonagall picked up the hat and stool while Dumbledore stood up.

"To our newcomers, welcome!" Dumbledore announces in a ringing voice, arms spread wide. "To our old hands, welcome back! It is my pleasure to announce that this year Hogwarts will be hosting study abroad students from Japan. Letting last year's Tri-Wizard tournament set the precedent, they will be choosing with which house they will live with and learn with. I ask you all to treat them with the same respect you would any other student here, regardless of which house they pick. And so I am pleased to introduce Ms. Orihime Inoue, Mr. Uryu Ishida, and Mr. Ichigo Kurosaki."

The announcement is met with the usual polite applause as well as murmurs as the three Japanese teens file out to stand before the staff table. They give formal bows, first to the staff table, then to the assembled students before walking down and taking seats beside Harry and the others, receiving a small roar of approval from the Gryffindors.

Dumbledore smiles widely. "May you enjoy your time here and make new friends. Now there is a time for speech making, but this is not it. Tuck in!"

With that there is another outbreak of applause as Dumbledore returns to his seat and the tables groan under the weight of the food that has appeared on top of them. Ichigo and Uryu both blink in surprise at the sudden arrival of the food seemingly out of nowhere while Orihime shares Ron's happy sentiment in seeing the food there, drooling in anticipation of all the delicious food she'll get to try.

As everyone digs into the feast, a storm of questions are directed at the Japanese teens. "What's Japan like?" "What do you think of Hogwarts?" "What year are you in?" "Can I be your boyfriend?" "Is that your real hair color?" Ichigo growls at the question about his hair, he thought that people wouldn't pester him about his hair when all the Weasley's had bright hair similar to his, while Orihime turns the eager boy down.

As students finish their dinner and desert, the noise level begins to rise again and seeing this, Dumbledore rises up from his seat, the hall slipping into silence to hear the start of term notices. "Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices." Dumbledore announces. "First years ought to know that the forest in the grounds is out of bounds to students –and a few of our older students ought to know by now too."

"Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me is the four hundred and sixty-second time, to remind you all that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr. Filch's office door."

"We have two changes and two additions to staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Hailing from Japan, we have Professors Urahara and Hirako, who will be joint teaching a class on problem solving and innovative thinking as a part of this year's cultural exchange. Their class will be open to fourth years and above and will be held on Saturdays after lunch for those who are interested. More information will be posted on the House notice boards."

There was a round of polite applause at this announcement and a good bit of murmurs going around about exactly what kind of class this "problem solving and innovative thinking" was. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, however, were more worried about how long Grubbly-Plank would be staying, as that's how long Hagrid would be gone, and how Dumbledore had made no mention of that little detail.

Dumbledore continued, "Tryouts for the House Quidditch teams will take place on the–" He broke off, looking to Umbridge inquiringly, who had risen from her seat, though it hardly made a difference since she was nearly as tall when sitting. The students patiently waited in confusion for Dumbledore to continue, not knowing why he had stopped in the first place as they had failed to notice Umbridge rise, when they heard Umbridge say, "Hem, hem." It then became clear to the confused masses that the diminutive woman was on her feet and intending to make a speech.

Surprise briefly flashed across Dumbledore's face before he promptly sat down and focused his attention on her, as if there was nothing at the moment that he wanted to hear other than her speech. Other staff members did not hide their surprise so well. Professor Sprout's eyebrows rose behind her bangs and McGonagall's mouth was pressed into the thinnest line Harry'd ever seen her make. Going unnoticed by most was Urahara's head tilting just the slightest bit as he leaned his chin onto his folded hands, leaving his eyes more deeply entrenched in the shadow of his hat, hiding the sharp glint they'd acquired when the Ministry official had deigned to make a speech. Many students were smirking at Umbridge and her lack of knowledge on how things were done at Hogwarts. New teachers didn't interrupt Dumbledore, it had never been done before.

"Thank you, Headmaster," the toad-like woman simpered, "for those kind words of welcome." Her voice was a poor imitation of a young girl's, high-pitched and breathy, making it seem like she was trying to appear young and cute while failing miserably to do so.

Harry loathed everything about her. Her stupid voice, her fluffy pink cardigan, everything, even if he couldn't explain it to himself. His sentiment was shared by both Ichigo and Uryu. Though they had slightly more success in identifying why they disliked her. Ichigo could tell by the way she held herself that she believed herself better than others and those kinds of people always rubbed him the wrong way. He only gave respect when people did something to earn it, never because they thought they deserved it. Uryu's dislike stemmed from her clothing. It was absolutely atrocious and offended all of the fashion sense he possessed. Not to mention that she was the representative to the stupid, brain-dead government, here to brainwash the children into blind obedience. Blind obedience to poor ruling bodies and policies only got people killed, as the Quincy history so clearly demonstrates.

Umbridge cleared her throat again, "Hem, hem," and continued, "Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!" She smiled, revealing pointed teeth. "And to see such happy little faces looking back at me!"

She must be delusional, Ichigo thought as he glanced around the hall. Most looked insulted at being treated like kindergarteners and even Orihime's smile was gone, a light frown in its place. The best chance that… toad would have at seeing happy faces directed at her is if she was publicly humiliated.

"I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!"

The students looked at each other, some barely hiding grimaces at the disturbing thought, others hiding grins as amusing commentary began to flow, a soft under current of murmurs to her speech. It didn't take long for most students to stop paying attention to the boring speech altogether, turning instead to talk to each other. Only the teachers and a few select students, Hermione, Uryu, and Orihime among them, were paying much attention to her by the time Umbridge finished her speech.

Once Umbridge had reclaimed her seat, Dumbledore clapped, the staff following his lead, though several only brought their hands together once or twice. Only a handful of students joined the paltry applause, most not quite having realized yet that the monotonous speech had ended. Before any full-blown, fake applause could get underway, Dumbledore had stood once more.

"Thank you very much, Professor Umbridge, that was most illuminating." Dumbledore gave her a small bow. "Now –as I was saying, Quidditch tryouts will be held…"

"Yes, it certainly was illuminating." Hermione says in a low voice.

"You're not telling me you enjoyed it?" Ron asks, looking at her like she's lost her mind. "That was about the dullest speech I've ever heard, and I grew up with Percy."

"Illuminating and enjoyable have two very different meanings, Ron-san." Uryu quietly says, having heard their conversation. "Illuminating means it explains things and I would hope you know what enjoyable means." Ron's face turns red in a mixture of embarrassment and anger at the slight towards his intelligence.

"Did it explain things?" Harry asks in surprise. "Sounded like a load of waffle to me."

"Well, there were some important points in there." Orihime explains. "Though you did have to be paying attention to get them."

"Was there?" Ron asks blankly.

"Sure, something about getting things on track the way she wants it. Or something like that anyway." Ichigo off-handedly comments. The others look at him in surprise. "What? I didn't listen to the whole thing, but the whole 'keep some and toss out others' theme was there whenever I listened." he explains, looking annoyed at their disbelief of his intelligence. You can't rank in the top 50 students of your grade without having a brain, he just tends to follow his instincts.

"He's right. It means the Ministry's interfering at Hogwarts." Hermione says through gritted teeth.

Before the conversation can go any further, there is a great clattering and banging as students begin standing up and leaving, making it clear that Dumbledore has dismissed the school.

"Ron, we're supposed to show the first years where to go!" Hermione says as she jumps up, looking flustered.

"Oh yeah." Ron says, having obviously forgotten that it was now his job to do such a thing. "Hey– hey you lot! Midgets!" His call earning a suppressed laugh from Harry, Ichigo, and Orihime.

"Ron!" Hermione scolds him, Uryu sharing her sentiment with a frown.

"Well, they are, they're titchy…"

"I know, but you can't call them midgets… First years!" Hermione calls out along the table. "This way, please!"

The group of new students nervously makes its way up the table. Harry tried to grin at them in reassurance, but instead they looked horrified, leaving his grin to melt away. Though when he turns to leave Ron and Hermione to their prefect duties, he finds Ichigo standing behind him, his usual scowl in place, and thinks maybe the first years were scared of Ichigo instead.

The Japanese trail after Harry, letting him guide them to the Gryffindor common room. They wove through the crowd and cut through some concealed passages, making it to the relatively deserted upper floors.

"Are you okay, Harry-kun?" Orihime timidly asks him once they are clear of other people.

"Just fine." Harry sharply says.

"You don't sound fine." Uryu calmly says.

"Well, I am."

It's a lie and Harry knows it. He knows that the others know it too, but he doesn't expect them to understand, so he won't say anything. He doesn't think they could understand how it feels to be semi-ditched by his best friends, having to suffer through most everyone thinking of him as a liar and crazy. It's his problem, he'll deal with it.

Before they can say anything further out of concern, they arrive at the portrait of the Fat Lady. Harry comes to a halt, realizing that he has no clue what the new password is. "Er…" he awkwardly says, watching the Fat Lady smooth her dress while giving him a stern look.

"No password, no entrance."

"That's a stupid rule. Shouldn't you know which students should be allowed in?" Ichigo says with a huff, crossing his arms.

"Don't worry, I know it!" Neville calls, running up behind them before the Fat Lady can answer Ichigo's question. "Guess what it is? I'm actually going to be able to remember it for once, Mimbulus mimbletonia!" Neville says while presenting them with the small cactus-like plant from the train.

Ichigo groans in annoyance. There's no way he is going to remember that, it's worse than trying to remember some people's names. It's going to be a right pain in the ass to always have to come back with someone else until the stupid name sticks.

"Correct." And with that the portrait swings open to reveal a hole in the wall through which everyone climbs.

A short walk through the Gryffindor common room, plus pointing out the stairs to the girls' dormitories for Orihime, finds Harry and the rest of the boys filing into the boys' dormitories. Upon entering, Harry notices that two more four-poster beds have been added to the room for Ichigo and Uryu. He also notices that Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan have made it to the dormitory before them and the two had abruptly stopped the conversation they were having upon his arrival. Harry dislikes it, but a slight feeling of paranoia bothers him. Where they talking about him? Is that why they stopped?

"Hi." Harry says, brushing off that feeling as he heads to his own bed and trunk, opening it to find his pajamas.

"Hey, Harry." Dean says as he pulls on his own pajamas. "Good holiday?"

"Not bad." Harry mutters, knowing a full account would take almost all night, not to mention that there were parts of it that would be nice to forget. "You?"

"Yeah, it was okay." Dean chuckles, tossing his balled up robes into his trunk. "Better than Seamus's anyway, he was just telling me."

"Why, what happened, Seamus?" Neville asks as he places his mimbulus mimbletonia gently onto his bedside cabinet before rooting around in his own trunk.

Seamus was slow to answer and Uryu could see the slight tension in the boy's shoulders. He could guess easily enough that it caused by the lies the newspaper was spreading about Harry, Dumbledore too, conflicting with the boy's personal experiences. There was little other than that that would make Seamus avoid looking Harry's way when they'd spent the better part of the past four years peaceably in each other's company since he hadn't heard any bashing of Seamus as there was of Snape. Having to doubt a friend or ally was tough, and if this wasn't fixed soon the tension in the dormitory would be bad.

"Me mam didn't want me to come back." Seamus finally says, still not facing Harry.

"What?" Harry asks, pausing to look at Seamus's back.

"She didn't want me to come back to Hogwarts." Seamus says, still not looking at Harry as he gets his pajamas out.

"But –why?"

Ichigo is starting to put together this puzzle himself, and hating the direction its going. If Seamus is any kind of friend to Harry, he shouldn't be swayed at all by what the stupid newspaper is writing about Harry. He should remember the kind of person his friend is and believe in that. It's what Ichigo would do himself. It's what he has done himself, when he went after Orihime when she was declared a traitor, when he went after Uryu to beat some sense into the Quincy if he really had sided with the Vandenreich. He believed in the friend he knew and didn't let some propaganda convince him otherwise.

"Well," Seamus replies in a measured voice, finishing buttoning up his pajamas, "I suppose… because of you."

"What d'you mean?" Harry says, a sense of betrayal and dread rising, making his heart hammer. Subconsciously knowing what the answer to the question is.

"Well," Seamus begins again, still avoiding Harry's eyes, sounding rather reluctant to answer, "she… er… well, it's not just you, it's Dumbledore too…"

"She believes the Daily Prophet?" Harry says, venom beginning to lace his voice. "She thinks I'm a liar and Dumbledore's an old fool?"

Seamus finally looks at him. "Yeah, something like that."

Seamus's tone is slightly apologetic and there is a hint of pity in his eyes, but Harry doesn't want it. His anger boils up. His disgust with the Prophet, with everyone believing those lies is overflowing. What do any of them know about it? What did they know about how it felt to grow up in a household where you're hated? To have your life constantly targeted by the most powerful dark wizard of your time? To watch someone die because of your stupid mistake? And then suffer through everyone calling you crazy and a liar afterwards? Nothing, absolutely nothing. He furiously switched into his pajamas, not noticing the concerned looks from Ichigo, Uryu, and Neville.

Harry had gotten into his bed and was about to pull the curtains closed when Seamus said, "Look… what did happen that night when… you know, when… with Cedric Diggory and all?" His voice was nervous yet eager and Dean went still at the question, leaving it obvious to Harry that he wanted to hear about it too.

"What are you asking me for?" Harry venomously retorts. They want the story, too bad, they've already picked what version they'll believe in Harry's mind, and it's not his. "Just read the Daily Prophet like your mother, why don't you? That'll tell you all you need to know."

"Don't you have a go at my mother." Seamus snaps back.

"I'll have a go at any one who calls me a liar!"

"Don't talk to me like that!"

"I'll talk to you how I want!" Harry nearly shouts, his temper rising. He snatches up his wand and points it toward Seamus. "If you've got a problem with sharing a dormitory with me, go and ask McGonagall if you can be moved, stop your mummy from worrying–"

"Leave my mother out of this, Potter!"

"What's going on?" Ron asks, staring at the scene before him from the doorway. He scans the room, seeing Harry on his bed, wand pointed at Seamus, who has his fists raised in the air.

"He's having a go at my mother!" Seamus yells.

"What?" Ron asks, dumbfounded. "Harry wouldn't do that –we met your mother, we liked her…"

"That's before she started believing every word the stinking Daily Prophet writes about me!" Harry shouts. "I bet she thinks it can't lie!"

This insult pushes Seamus over the edge and he charges at Harry. Before Harry can fire off a spell or Seamus can get any blows in, an iron grip on Harry's wrist yanks him out of bed and onto the floor while one of Seamus's wrists gets caught in an identical grip and he is also sent tumbling to the floor, the falls winding both boys.

Harry rolls around a bit and looks up to see that it's Ichigo, who had been practically forgotten about along with Uryu, who's hand is locked around his wrist. His eyes lock with Ichigo's for a moment before he has to turn away, unable to withstand the piercing stare of the older boy.

"I think…" Ichigo says, pausing to catch Seamus in his glare, "that you're both acting like idiots."

"What would you know about it? You're just a foreigner!" Seamus says, a panicked anger in his voice. He hadn't seen Ichigo move and he'd never been thrown like that before, much less by just his wrist.

"Maybe, but you are being idiots." Ichigo says with a shrug, releasing his grip on the two boys. "You are believing some newspaper over the guy you've known for what, four years? And you," he says turning to Harry, "are lashing out at friends for small provocations instead of being calmer about it."

"Kurosaki's right, you're both being stupid." Uryu agrees pushing his glasses up. "If you'd like to continue arguing, take it somewhere else, preferably far, far away from here so that the rest of us can go to sleep. And if you still can't get along, one or both of you can find somewhere else to sleep."

"Who made you king of the dorm?" Seamus sneers, trying to hold strong against the piercing glares of Ichigo and Uryu.

Ichigo gives a frustrated sigh. "Two options, one: you drop it and let us go to sleep; two: I knock you out, put your ass in bed, and then go to sleep. Pick one."

Seamus pales, glancing around the room for any support against the threat Ichigo has presented but finding none. He then seems to remember that Ron is a prefect. "You're a prefect, fighting is forbidden!"

"Wasn' a fight." Ron simply replies because it really wasn't, just Ichigo tugging them around. " 'Sides, he's got a point, we should be going to bed, not at each other's throats."

"I see, you believe him. You're all mad too."

This incites Ron's own anger, causing him to lash out as well. "Yeah? Well unfortunately for you pal, I'm also a prefect! So unless you want detention, watch your mouth!"

Seamus seems to consider if detention is worth saying what's on his mind, but decides that Ichigo's option two is not worth it. With an angry huff he stalks back to his bed and yanks the curtains shut hard enough to rip the loose and cause them to fall to the floor.

"Anyone else's parents got a problem with Harry?" Ron asks, glaring at Neville and Dean.

"My parents are Muggles, mate." Dean says with a shrug. "They don't know nothing about no deaths at Hogwarts because I'm not stupid enough to tell them."

"You don't know my mother, she'll weasel anything out of anyone!" Seamus snaps at him, eliciting a growl from Ichigo. Ichigo was thoroughly sick and tired of this stupid ass argument and was seriously ready to initiate option two. "Anyway, your parents don't get the Daily Prophet, they don't know our headmaster's been sacked from the Wizengamot and the International Confederation of Wizards because he's losing his marbles–"

"My gran says that's rubbish." Neville states, finally speaking up. "She says it's the Daily Prophet that's going downhill, not Dumbledore. She's cancelled our subscription. We believe Harry." Neville says simply, giving Harry a small, comforting grin before crawling into bed. "My gran's always said You-Know-Who would come back one day. She says if Dumbledore says he's back, he's back."

Harry feels a rush of gratitude for Neville's support, Ichigo's too, in a way, even if it was a bit painful. However, as he gets back into his bed and stares at the canopy, he can't help but wonder how many more times he'll have to go through something like he did with Seamus. How many more times would he have to face people calling him a liar? Unhinged? A sinking feeling in his gut told him that it would be more than he liked.

Author's Note

Sorry to those who don't like my choice in shipping, but you just got a little dose of IchiHime. Although for those who don't like it, I don't think it's too bad because in all honesty, it is quite possible to ignore the shipping connotations, so try not to whine about it because I'm not shoving it down your throat like other fics do *cough*Eradona*cough* (don't get me wrong, her version is good, but it's super IchiRuki, they're getting married in her version).

I also included some actual Japanese in this chapter, please forgive me if I messed up some of the romanji. I've only completed one quarter of Japanese at my college and I got spellings for tate, kikoru, yonderunda, tasuke, and mamori from listening to the Japanese dub of episodes 271 and 272, several times, just those lines. I also used the English manga scripting for the translations, which match the official subtitles(probably because they're both VIZ), and how many times to say the lines for Ichigo. Ichigo's interrupted line here is Ore ga mamori which is "I will protect her". If one of you really knows Japanese and I got something wrong, please tell me so I can fix it. I'm a stickler for details like that. Oh and for last chapter shinkansen is a bullet train and Sayounara is goodbye with the direct hiragana to romanji spelling.

Please comment/review to tell me how I did.