Chapter 13

Imperius? That's nothing.

Early next morning, Hitsugaya walked silently downstairs and pulled out his book while he waited for a little while later so he could go to the great Hall when more people were awake. A little while later Harry came down and in his concentrated manner didn't notice the shinigami captain with bright white hair sitting silently in the corner. He watched as Harry took a piece of parchment from the table upon which his Divination homework still lay and wrote the following letter:

Dear Sirius,

I reckon I just imagined my scar hurting, I was half asleep when I wrote to you last time. There's no point coming back, everything's fine here. Don't worry about me, my head feels completely normal.

Harry

"He's not going to listen you know," Hitsugaya said after reading the letter over his shoulder.

Harry jumped and hit Hitsugaya's jaw making him bite his tongue. Blood dribbled out and Hitsugaya sighed in annoyance.

"Oops! Sorry Toshiro I didn't see you there." Harry apologised and looked frantically around for something to wipe up the blood. Hitsugaya rolled his eyes and put his book down before holding a palm to his tongue and performing a small amount of kido to fix the small injury. Harry watched in amazement.

"Was that your magic again?" Harry asked curiously.

Hitsugaya nodded and cleared his throat. "Anyway as I was saying before you tried to make me bite my tongue off, he won't listen. But you can post it if you want." Hitsugaya stretched and walked to the portrait hole. "I'll walk with you halfway, I'm going to the Great Hall. I need to speak with Snape-sensei on how to do a shield charm so Moody-sensei will stop jinxing me all the time." He rolled his eyes.

The next few weeks passed very quickly, or maybe that was because Hitsugaya was used to time passing in years like weeks at his age. To Hitsugaya's surprise (and suspicion), Professor Moody had announced that he would be putting the Imperius Curse on each of them in turn, to demonstrate its power and to see whether they could resist its effects.

"But—but you said it's illegal, Professor," said Hermione uncertainly as Moody cleared away the desks with a sweep of his wand, leaving a large clear space in the middle of the room. "You said—to use it against another human was—"

"Dumbledore wants you taught what it feels like," said Moody, his magical eye swivelling onto Hermione and fixing her with an eerie, unblinking stare. Hitsugaya highly doubted this. But as long as he returned their control to themselves afterwards Hitsugaya couldn't see any harm. "If you'd rather learn the hard way—when someone's putting it on you so they can control you completely—fine by me. You're excused. Off you go."

He pointed one gnarled finger toward the door. Hermione went very pink and muttered something about not meaning that she wanted to leave. Hitsugaya watched as Harry and Ron grinned at each other. Moody began to beckon students forward in turn and put the Imperius Curse upon them. Hitsugaya watched as, one by one, his classmates did the most extraordinary things under its influence. Dean Thomas hopped three times around the room, singing the national anthem. Lavender Brown imitated a squirrel. Hitsugaya watched as Neville flared his reitsu, forcing the DADA teacher to release the Imperius curse or damage the boy's body by fighting it. Not one of them (excluding Neville) seemed to be able to fight off the curse, not that that didn't surprise Hitsugaya, and each of them recovered only when Moody had removed it.

"Potter," Moody growled, "you next."

Harry moved forward into the middle of the classroom, into the space that Moody had cleared of desks. Moody raised his wand, pointed it at Harry, and said, "1mperio!"

Hitsugaya watched as Harry seemed to relax and like the others, his reitsu seemed to go hazy. Harry bent his knees preparing to spring onto the desk.

Hitsugaya watched as he paused halfway through this action. Then Hitsugaya felt Harry's reitsu flare powerfully making Hitsugaya jump at the sudden change of power. Hitsugaya watched as Harry both jumped and tried to prevent himself from jumping—the result being he'd smashed headlong into the desk knocking it over, and, by the feeling in his legs, fractured both his kneecaps.

"Now, that's more like it!" growled Moody appreciatively. "Look at that, you lot Potter fought! He fought it, and he damn near beat it! Stand with Longbottom, Potter." Harry obediently went over to the other boy. Moody looked around and his eye stopped on Hitsugaya. Hitsugaya walked towards the middle slowly. Moody pointed his wand at Hitsugaya and yelled "Imperio." Hitsugaya felt a small voice inside his head. It was so tiny that Hitsugaya laughed. He shoved it out of his mind with a small bit of his reitsu and watched smugly as Moody went flying back into the wall. Many people gasped loudly. Moody stood and his eye widened. "You pushed off the Imperius curse like it was nothing… How?" He asked in awe, fear evident as well.

Hitsugaya looked around the room coolly before replying. "I have been controlled by something like that once before, but it was more powerful than your Imperius curse. I could not fight it off until it was too late." He shuddered at the memory of his sword in Hinamori and walked back to his corner of the room everyone staring at him with admiration, pity and fear.

He looked outside to see it was snowing for the first time this year. Master we must go reitsu in a non-hazardous place soon. You releasing it little by little in your room is not enough. It is building up and you are getting…restless. Hitsugaya nodded and grabbed his bag as the bell rang and walked out.

Hitsugaya sighed in frustration as he stared at the paper he was writing.

Name: Albus Dumbledore

Reitsu level: 8th rank

Age: Above 100

Occupation: Headmaster among other things.

Extra notes: Can see hollows. This observation was made 105 years ago by myself.

Name:Neville Longbottom

Reitsu level: 6th rank

Age: 14/15

Occupation: Student

Extra notes: Steady level of reitsu.

Name: Harry Potter

Reitsu level:

Age: 14

Occuptaion: Student

Extra notes: His Reitsu changes. It can be compared to a tap being turned on and off. Most of the time his spirit pressure is below the expected amount. However, when someone tried to control him his reitsu flared to that of 5th rank. Still observing.

Sighing, Hitsugaya stuffed it away in his pocket and walked to the Hall. Hitsugaya contemplated how he was going to let out his reitsu as he walked to lunch and glanced up at a poster on the wall. He read.

QUADWIZARD TOURNAMENT

THE DELEGATIONS FROM BEAUXBATONS, DURMSTRANG AND SHINOU WILL BE ARRIVING AT 6 O'CLOCK

ON FRIDAY THE 30TH OF OCTOBER.

LESSONS WILL END HALF AN HOUR EARLY

STUDENTS WILL RETURN THEIR BAGS AND BOOKS

TO THEIR DORMITORIES AND ASSEMBLE IN FRONT

OF THE CASTLE TO GREET OUR GUESTS BEFORE

THE WELCOMING FEAST.

Hitsugaya scowled at the poster before pulling out his table and smiling. He had Herbology last. Well I guess there is some good in the mission.

The appearance of the sign in the entrance hall had a marked effect upon the inhabitants of the castle. During the following week, there seemed to be only one topic of conversation, no matter where Harry went: the Quadwizard Tournament. Rumors were flying from student to student like highly contagious germs: who was going to try for Hogwarts champion, what the tournament would involve, how the students from Beauxbatons, Durmstrang and Shinou differed from themselves. When they went down to breakfast on the morning of the thirtieth of October, they found that the Great Hall had been decorated overnight.

Enormous silk banners hung from the walls, each of them representing a Hogwarts House: red with a gold lion for Gryffiindor, blue with a bronze eagle for Ravenclaw, yellow with a black badger for Hufflepuff, and green with a silver serpent for Slytherin. Behind the teachers' table, the largest banner of all bore the Hogwarts coat of arms: lion, eagle, badger, and snake united around a large letter H.

Harry also noticed a lot of people were hanging around Hitsugaya who, in Harry's opinion, did not like all this attention. Harry was sure that the cold air that filled the Hall was admitting off him. "Why's everyone crowding around Toshiro?" Ron asked as he munched on his food, for once waiting until he'd swallowed before opening his mouth. "Isn't it obvious? He's from Shinou Academy! Everyone's probably just curious about what it's like there." Hermione answered as she sat down next to Harry. George and Fred, who'd just appeared in the Hall walked over to Hitsugaya and rescued him from the crowd. They walked over and sat next to the Golden Trio and Hitsugaya looked bitterly at the table before grabbing some flower looking thing and popping it into his mouth.

Hitsugaya swallowed the Japanese food and half listened to what the bright girl was telling the other five about the tournament. Hermione then changed the topic to house-elves and was interrupted as a whooshing sound filled the hall as thousands of owls swooped into the hall. Hitsugaya cleared his throat and pointed up when the three looked at him. Hermione stopped talking abruptly; she, Ron and Harry watched Hedwig anxiously as she fluttered down onto The boy who lived's shoulder, folded her wings, and held out her leg wearily.

Harry pulled off Sirius's reply and offered Hedwig his bacon rinds, which she ate gratefully. Then, Hitsugaya watched as he glanced over at himself, Fred and George to see them busy talking about the twins' business, Harry read out his letter in a whisper to Ron and Hermione, Hitsugaya lip reading.

Nice try, Harry.

I'm back in the country and well hidden. I want you to keep me posted on everything that's going on at Hogwarts. Don't use Hedwig, keep changing owls, and don't worry about me, just watch out for yourself Don't forget what I said about your scar.

Sirius

Hitsugaya watched as he turned to Ron and Hermione began speaking again and his speculation was interrupted with a loud thud in front of him. Three eagle owls, all carrying their own oversized bag, had landed in front of him, all holding forward a leg and looking at him expectedly. He sighed and undid their legs, grabbing the letter that was attached to one of their bags.

They said I couldn't come but I had to give them to you anyway.

Your 'shiro' buddy.

Hitsugaya scowled and gave one of the bags each to the twins and then walked over to Harry and the others. "Happy Halloween. Guessing he didn't listen?" Hitsugaya said sarcastically. Harry shook his head and all the Gryffindors gasped as Fred and George began pooling out the candy. "This guy sure thinks you love sweets Toshiro." Fred exclaimed. Hitsugaya shook his head. "I'm just glad he isn't coming." Hitsugaya muttered.

Hitsugaya looked down as his phone rang and pulled it out looking at the number. "Speak of the devil." Putting the phone to his ear he didn't even say hello. "Don't you think that was a bit too much Ukitake?" He growled. He knew he was getting stared at; normal phones apparently couldn't work with all the magic in the air. "But I hadn't been able to give you any for a long time Toshiro." His reasoning voice came from the other side. "Oh here you are Hinamori." Hitsugaya sat up. "Hinamori? How are you feeling?" He could feel everyone staring at him as he spoke in a softer tone. "I'm fine Shiro-chan! Ichigo knows not to put too much work on me because of what Aizen did. He's a great person Shiro-chan, you're lucky you're his friend." Hitsugaya rolled his eyes. "You coming to Hogwarts?" He asked hopefully. "Hinamori he can't see you shaking your head." "Oh right. Woops. No, sorry Shiro-chan." Hitsugaya's slightly happy face became emotionless. "Well I need to go to class Hinamori. Please tell Granny I said 'hi' okay? Bye." He snapped the phone shut and glared at everyone.

"Was that your girlfriend?" Ron asked and Hitsugaya almost choked on his food. He coughed. "No. My childhood friend." He explained shaking his head. "A sister, I suppose." People who had turned their attention to him looked away. "So you are a softy inside!" George said patting him on the back. "Never would've guessed you were anything besides a cold," "short," Fred added, "kid." George finished. Hitsugaya opened and closed his mouth repeatedly and the hall got incredibly cold.

Hitsugaya pointed his wand at George. "Performing Magic through the use of a wand to others students is forbidden, Mister Hitsugaya!" McGonagall's voice came as she rushed over. Hitsugaya looked at her then at George who was staring at the wand before shrugging and throwing the wand at George's face. George yelped as frost started to grow on his face. Fred, who had called him short, looked at Hitsugaya with a grin on his face. Hitsugaya glared. "Bakudo 9, Geki."

He muttered and Fred was engulfed in a red light. His body movements seized up and he fell to the floor paralyzed. Everyone gasped as he did this and Hitsugaya walked up to Fred who was looking at him with terrified eyes. "I thought I told you before. I am not short." He undid the spell and the twins scrambled away. Hitsugaya picked up his wand and pocketed it. McGonagall looked at him stunned. "Did you just…" "I didn't use it through the wand. And I just threw the wand at George. No magic involved there besides it being cursed to freeze anyone who touches it." Hitsugaya explained his actions and walked out. McGonagall looked at the two boys and frowned. "Are you two alright?" McGonagall asked. The boys looked at each other silently before… "WICKED!"

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