Edited Again: 5/26/2015 - Fixed some grammar and formatting

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Harry Potter

"English"

"Japanese"

Thoughts

Zanpakuto

Chapter 5: Gringotts and Bookshop

The wizard bank towered high above the group, and then swallowed them as the Weasleys bustled inside. Rukia and Toshiro followed more cautiously, taking in their new surroundings. When they noticed the tellers, they stopped short.

"What are those?" Rukia asked after they had caught up with the Weasleys. Mrs. Weasley smiled.

"Oh, those are the Goblins. They're rather rude creatures, but they're the best when it comes to keeping this place running."

Rukia made a small noise of acknowledgement, already lost in her observations again. The group made their way to an open desk, and Mr. Weasley stepped forward. The Goblin at the desk had been writing furiously on a piece of paper, but paused as Mr. Weasley came into view. The Goblin looked Mr. Weasley up and down with a critical eye, scowling. "Yes?"

Mr. Weasley smiled, undeterred, "We'd like to open vault 379, please."

Rukia blinked and recalled the meeting with Dumbledore the day before, "And vault 965, please."

The Goblin's face remained unchanged, "Do you have the keys?"

Mr. Weasley and Toshiro both began to search their persons, and eventually pulled out their respective keys. The Goblin eyed them momentarily and then pointed them towards a mine shaft. "Down there."

The group stepped into a large metal cart and turned to the Goblin standing at the front, who looked at them expectantly. "Vault 379, please." Mrs. Weasley said, and the Goblin nodded, turning to control the cart.

"Sit down, please."

Everyone complied, and the cart started with a jerk. At first, the ride was slow, but it began accelerating, shooting around the myriad of twists and turns. Rukia found her head spinning, but tried her best to remember the route back to the surface. Eventually, she gave that up and just leaned back to wait for the ride to finish.

After a while, the cart slowed to a stop, and the Goblin hopped out. "Follow me, please."

The Weasleys got out, looking queasy, and were followed by Toshiro and Rukia who had fared only a little better. They all followed the Goblin to the Weasleys' vault, and it turned to Mr. Weasley with an open hand. "Key, please."

After Mr. Weasley handed it over, the Goblin turned back to the vault and opened it, swinging the door wide. Inside lay a few piles of neatly stacked galleons, knuts, and sickles. Mrs. Weasley walked forward with a small bag and filled it with a few handfuls of money, turning back to the group with a self-conscious smile.

This must not be a lot then. Rukia thought to herself, and accordingly pretended not to notice, I hope we don't have too much more.

Her hopes were dashed when the group left and re-boarded the cart, going through a few more turns before reaching the two shinigami's vault and opening it to find a veritable mountain of money. Rukia hung her head in exasperation. How were they going to use all of this? It wasn't even certain how long they would be staying. She watched as Toshiro pulled two empty drawstring bags from his pocket and began filling them with a bit of each coin. She then turned to the Weasleys and smiled sheepishly, "Uh, we're not really sure we're going to be needing all of this money, and we really appreciate you letting us stay in your house. So why don't you have some?"

Mrs. Weasley shook her head, "We could never! We'll survive for a while yet on what we have, so don't you worry your pretty little heads."

Rukia furrowed her eyebrows and opened her mouth to argue, then hesitated and closed it with a defeated sigh. Toshiro came back with the small sack tied around his neck and another held out for Rukia. "Here, that should do for today."

Rukia likewise tied the long drawstrings around her neck and tucked the bag beneath her shirt collar, walking alongside the Weasleys to get out of the winding tunnels.

Before long, everyone was back outside on the bustling streets of Diagon Alley, and Toshiro was scanning over Hogwart's supply list:

First-year students will require:

Uniform

Three sets of Plain Work Robes (Black)

One Plain Pointed Hat (Black) for day wear

One Pair of Protective Gloves (dragon hide or similar)

One Winter Cloak (Black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all student's clothes should carry name-tags.

Books

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide To Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

Other Equipment

1 Wand

1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 Set of glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set of brass scales

Students may also bring an Owl OR a Cat OR a Toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS.

Toshiro frowned and turned to the Weasleys, "Is there a specific place we'll be getting all of this?"

Mrs. Weasley laughed, "Heavens no, we'll be going to quite a few shops today. But why don't we stop by Florish and Blotts, first? We'll be able to find all of your textbooks there."

The managed to make it across the street and along the sidewalk until they took an abrupt turn into the glass-fronted bookstore. Books flew above their heads as they made their way farther into the shop, swerving around customers and resting only when they alighted on their respective shelves.

Rukia and Toshiro looked about in awe before composing themselves and walking through the aisles, attempting to find the books they needed for school.

Eventually, they had all of the books they needed and looked around for books that might help the two shinigami gain a better understanding of this odd new culture they found themselves in. Before either of them realized it, their stacks of books had grown remarkably large, and Mrs. Weasley called for everyone to start checking out.

Rukia lifted her books and walked over to the counter, smiling politely at the surprised woman behind the desk. There was a pause as the woman got over her shock, and Toshiro had the time to walk up and place his own pile of books on the desk. The woman gathered herself and smiled slightly, an eyebrow quirked.

"Are these for the both of you?"

"Yes ma'am." Rukia replied, "Do you have bags we could use?"

"Of course, let me just get these checked out for you." The woman pulled a couple books off of the stack and looked them over, a quill next to her writing and adding up the prices, "Are you two on an errand for your parents?"

Rukia exchanged a confused look with Toshiro before turning back to the woman. "No. Why do you ask?"

The cashier stared, "Then you're both enrolling in Hogwarts?" When the two children, or so they appeared, nodded, she hummed thoughtfully, "Eleven year olds just seem to be getting younger and younger these days."

The air within the shop cooled considerably, but Rukia and Toshiro kept their expressions level. Rukia opened her mouth to ask the woman to kindly finish when she felt a heavy arm prop itself on her head.

"Sorry, did these two-"

"-cause you any trouble?"

Fred and George had appeared above the two shinigami and had planted themselves onto the two's heads. They flashed twin grins at the cashier.

"These guys are a bit touchy about their heights." Fred said reasonably, and George swung in easily.

"A bit insecure of them, if you ask me."

The cashier looked at from the twins to Rukia and Toshiro with a perplexed look, "Do you four know each other?"

"Indeed we do!" George answered, leaning heavier on Rukia's head and ruffling her hair when she attempted to throw her off.

"Their living with us for now, you could say we adopted them, really!" Fred added on.

Rukia finally managed to dislodge George's arm, grumbling and rubbing her head. Toshiro did the same, and the two rounded on the twins. The intended effect had already taken place, however. Their heated indignation had warmed the room back to its normal temperature, and the twins quickly ran off, laughing.

Choosing not to go after the two, Rukia and Toshiro turned back to the cashier- who had by then packed the books away into neat bags. Rukia took them with a muttered thank you and an an apologetic smile, which the cashier waved off with a laugh, then handed a few of the bags over to Toshiro as she reached for the money pouch at her neck.

After paying, Rukia and Toshiro joined the Weasleys outside of the shop. Throughout the day, they entered and exited shops, slowly accumulating a large stash of items that were surprisingly easy to carry, even for them. When they had asked their hosts about it, they smiled.

"It's a feather-weight charm!" Ginny said excitedly, "It makes shopping so much easier. Don't you think?"

Rukia and Toshiro exchanged wary glances, but agreed. It would make a large amount of their work easier, to say the least. They frowned at the advantage this would give the ever looming figure of their enemy, however. Toshiro made sure to whisper to his companion as the Weasley's moved on, "This is getting a lot more complicated than I had thought."

She hummed, a grim shadow over her eyes, "Let's hope we can stop Aizen before this goes too far."

Their conversation lapsed into silence as they continued to pull along their trolleys full of goods. They allowed themselves to fall into the idle chatter of the Weasleys and the occasional stranger who seemed to know the family well. Eventually, the stores that everyone had to go to had all been visited, and Mrs. Weasley stopped the group by a small fountain.

"Alright, we've got nearly everything we need now. Your father and I will go put everything in the car, so you lot have free reign to roam around." At the excited chatter she raised her voice, "But you are to go in at least two people a group, and you'd better be back in this spot in no more than two hours. Am I clear?"

The seven children nodded hurriedly, and Mrs. Weasley smiled. "Very good. Run along now! I'll see you soon."

The twins immediately shot off like a rocket, and Percy followed hot on their heels, "I won't have you two making a public disturbance of yourself!"

Ron and Ginny walked off at a more sedate pace, talking about a sweet-shop, and the two short shinigami were left to their own devices. After a moment of bewilderment, they looked around the street.

"So… where exactly are we supposed to go now?" Rukia asked, speaking in Japanese now that they were the only two around.

Toshiro looked down at the paper in his hands as the edges of his mouth turned in a thoughtful frown. After a moment, he put the paper away, "The only other necessity would be a wand. You wouldn't happen to remember a store we might be able to check?"

Rukia shook her head, "We could just walk around. Even if we don't find the store, we might find one of the others."

"Might as well," Toshiro said with a heavy sigh, rubbing the back of his head. "I just hope we find it soon. It's starting to get hot."

Behind them, a deep voice spoke, startling the two.

"At least you're not wearing a fur suit."

A/N: There we go, this is all I have for now, but updates should be speeding up now that I can mess with the chapter lengths more.

Hope you have a good day, and tell me if you see any typos please. I'm trying to catch them, but I seem to always miss a few.

-Mixer Monochrome-