Edited Again: 5/26/2015 - Grammar and formatting, added a disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Harry Potter.

"English"

"Japanese"

Thoughts

Zanpakuto

Chapter 7: Ollivander's

The soul-reapers and their new charge exited the dark alleyway and merged easily into the stream of wizards and witches. Yoruichi and Raven led the group, winding with natural grace through and around the legs of anyone passing by while chatting easily with each other. Toshiro at first felt on edge, his green eyes darting from face to face in the crowd, but when no one looked more than mildly bemused at the two cats, he relaxed and put a hand into his pocket. A moment later he pulled it out with the supply list, and he skimmed over the neatly scrawled words. His eyebrows pulled into a tight frown.

"We still have to find wands." He said to Rukia, "And we haven't found one shop in the whole time we've been here."

Rukia frowned in turn as she looked up and down the street quickly, "Maybe- maybe we need to find one ourselves? Wands are pieces of wood, so maybe we have to find a tree and snap off a couple of branches."

Toshiro ran a hand through his hair, "That sounds absolutely ridiculous, but from what I've seen of this place, it just might work."

Raven's ears perked as he pulled out of his conversation with Yoruichi, "Wait, what? No no no no no! You've got it all wrong! Wands are so much more than just sticks, they're carefully crafted by people who have studied the artform for years. There's no way you would get even a fraction of the power from a random twig!" He looked up into two bewildered sets of eyes, breathing heavily, when his eyes lit, "Wait, are you two about to be first years, then- at Hogwarts?"

Rukia nodded, one eyebrow raised as she studied Raven curiously, "Yes, we are."

Raven's eyes widened as a grin split his small face, "Fantastic! I've always wanted to see it, but I've still a year or two until I'm eleven." The kitten bounded around the two humans several times in joy. He finally stopped and looked up, tail swaying back and forth pleasantly, "If you're looking for wands, I know just the place. No need to go... scavenging." The black kitten pulled a face and turned swiftly on his paw.

Before either shinigami could defend themselves or ask where they were going, the black cat was trotting confidently through the crowd, plumed tail waving. Yoruichi chuckled and followed after him a step before Rukia and Toshiro did. The three then followed Raven all the way to a small shop on the inner corner of an alleyway they had overlooked earlier. The paint of the sign was a flaking gold, but it still clearly stated "Ollivander's: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C." Rukia looked up with wide eyes and let out a low whistle, "This place is older than the Head Captain."

Toshiro kept his mouth shut, but stared all the same, and Raven watched the two with amused, if perplexed, eyes. They snapped out of it quickly at the sound of a bell, Yoruichi had pushed her way into the shop and was looking out blandly. "Are you coming in or not?"

Toshiro muttered something unintelligible and he stepped in after her, followed closely by Raven and Rukia. The door shut with a short jingle behind them, and the group surveyed the dark, mysterious room. The section they were standing in was small, with a couple of rickety looking chairs and a dusty carpet. Like every other magical shop, the room was lit with lamps and candles instead of lightbulbs. This made the light and shadows in the room dance hauntingly, unlike the fairly sunlit ice-cream shop and apothecary. Yoruichi and Raven both made their way onto the counter separating the waiting area from the rest of the shop, followed closely by their human companions.

The shop stretched farther than either of them expected it would, with shelf after shelf of thin boxes going far into the darkness. The air itself seemed thick with spiritual energy, and Toshiro and Rukia shared a wary look. It was hard to sense much of anything here. A creak of a floorboard caused the four customers to focus in on their left, Raven nearly exploding off of the counter as the other three twitched towards weapons that weren't quite there.

A bemused, wiry, old man came out of the shadows of a far shelf, holding his hands up. "Now now, no need to be jumpy, children. I'm the owner of this shop, I mean you no harm. You'll be first years, I presume?"

The shinigami held their defensive positions for a second more before letting out a collective breath and relaxing, Rukia stepping forward. "Yes sir. We're here for wands?" She furrowed her brow in uncertainty, still a bit thrown by the man's sudden appearance as well as the atmosphere in the shop itself.

"There's no better place to get them Ms...?" The man raised an eyebrow.

"Kuchiki. Rukia Kuchiki."

The man's eyes sparkled, "What a lovely name, Ms. Kuchiki. Japanese, is it not? I assume your companion's name is the same?" He turned to Toshiro, who nodded politely.

"Toshiro Hitsugaya."

With a nod and smile, the man ducked into a drawer on his side of the counter pulling out a slender piece of wood from his pocket. Rukia and Toshiro inspected it studiously, taking in their first real look at a wand. They hadn't quite payed attention at the Weasley household, as it hadn't crossed their minds. The wood was smooth and tapered, thick at the base and elongating to a smooth tip, with light engravings and ridges carved and molded into the face of it.

Before they could get a better look at it, two long measuring tapes floated out of the drawers and arrowed towards them, measuring the length of their legs, their hair, from the inner edge of their ear to the outer. They stood, confounded as the tapes measured seemingly useless widths and lengths for minutes on end. Finally, the man called the tapes back and settled them into the drawer, smiling at the two 'pre-teens'. "You can call me Mr. Ollivander, by the way. Which one of you would like to go first?"

Rukia and Toshiro exchanged a look before Toshiro took a step forward. "I will. Is there anything you'd like me to do, sir?"

Mr. Ollivander waved a hand, turning to the shelves, "No need, my boy. I'll only be a moment." He disappeared deep within the shop, and then appeared soon after with a slim black box. "Here, try this one. Cypress, Dragon Heartstring, 10 inches and rather stout."

Toshiro stared blankly at Ollivander.

"Come now, it's not that hard. Just give it a swish." The older gentleman demonstrated with his own wand and looked at the white-haired youth expectantly.

Toshiro frowned deeply, "No, that's not it. Did you say dragon heartstring?"

Ollivander looked mildly intrigued, "Indeed. Is there a problem? I know there are some wizards who have an allergic reaction, but-"

"No, that's not it either. You mean you kill dragons to make these?" The shinigami could feel Hyorinmaru pulsing angrily, and it bled through.

For his part, the old wand maker looked as affronted as Toshiro felt. "Not in the least! The heartstrings are given with complete consent when the dragon dies naturally. If we took them by force, they'd be of no more use than a cat whisker." Ollivander's eyebrows creased slightly, "I thought that you would know that, though."

Rukia blinked, "N - no sir. What would give you that impression?"

"Well your Felis of course. I was under the impression they were a fad among purebloods." Ollivander's smile turned tense, "I can't say I approve, but it's hardly the fault of the children."

"You can tell?" Raven asked in surprise, jumping onto the counter.

"It's not hard. I've been in this business for a long time, don't forget. I've seen quite a few of your kind come and go. Made friends with a good amount as well." At Raven's alarmed look, Ollivander chuckled. "Don't worry. I've never told another soul your secrets, and I don't plan on starting anytime soon. But- if I may ask." He turned to Rukia and Toshiro at this point, "If you aren't Purebloods, how did you find your furry acquaintances?"

"I was a companion of theirs for a while before they were taken in by Hogwarts, and I decided to tag along." Yoruichi said in her baritone voice, "And we found Raven in an alley on the way here."

Ollivander's eyes dimmed, as if he knew what was the likely reason for such a young Felis to be wandering alone in an alley, and changed the subject accordingly.

"Then I wish you all the best, but first- your wands!" He held the slim box towards Toshiro again, "I assure you that my cores are never obtained in an unsavory manner."

Toshiro looked unconvinced, but reached out to take the wand nonetheless. Before he could remove it from the box, however, Ollivander snatched the wand back. "No no. That won't do at all." He muttered and went again into the aisles.

The two shinigami exchanged glances, and Raven and Yoruichi were both perched on the counter, looking on with rapt interest. Ollivander returned with a couple more boxes, 'just in case'. He pulled out a spindly looking white-wood wand and held it out. Silver Lime, Dragon Heartstring, 11 inches, swishy. This time, Toshiro was able to lift it, and he realized that the wand had a spiritual pressure. It was too faint for him to have picked out of the muddled atmosphere of the shop, but holding it brought the individual signature to his attention. Oddly, he felt the spiritual pressure probe his own, and then recoil. He frowned, but gave it a swish as told. Almost before he could complete the motion, the wand flew out of his hand with a sharp whistle. Ollivander tisked, then returned the renegade wand to its box and grabbed another.

Several wands later, along with a shattered window and momentarily neon green Yoruichi, Ollivander looked intrigued. "You're a tough customer, Mr. Hitsugaya. I was certain that cherry wand would have been perfect for you. But- perhaps..."

Ollivander fell into deep thought before going back into the shop and coming back out again, "Try this one. Holly, Phoenix Feather, 10 and a quarter inches, and pliant."

The white haired youth picked the wand up, and with a small click felt it's spiritual pressure alter to match his own. Surprised, he raised the wand and swished it lightly, and a small shower of ice and silver sparks fell from the tip of his wand. Ollivander smiled, "Wonderful, I think we've found your wand, Mr. Hitsugaya." The aged man looked at him with a curious expression then, "It is quite odd, though. Holly and Phoenix Feather is not the most common of wand combinations. But you are the second child this year that I've given one to." He narrowed his eyes, as if at a peculiar memory, "I think these next few years at Hogwarts may prove... interesting."

Toshiro frowned, he didn't know how that information sat with him, but he stepped aside when Ollivander gestured with a long hand for Rukia to come forward next. "Let's see what wand will choose you, madam."

Rukia made her way to the desk, intrigued, and Mr. Ollivander stepped to a shelf near the counter. He pulled it out and opened the box, looking from Rukia to the wand within for a moment. "Let's try this one, then. Hazel, Unicorn hair, 9 inches, a nice spring to it." He held it out to Rukia, and she grabbed it somewhat slowly. When Ollivander didn't pull it away immediately, the black haired shinigami continued a little more smoothly. The wand felt nice, but its spiritual pressure left a sour note. She went through the by now familiar motion that she had seen Toshiro use, and heard a sharp crack behind her, followed by a crumbling sound and clatter barely covering a surpressed yelp.

Rukia turned with wide eyes to see Toshiro on his backside and staring in surprise at a pile of wood and dust. Her eyes trailed up to see the large hole in the ceiling where the wood came from, and she turned to Ollivander with an apology on her lips.

"I'm so-"

She found Yoruichi and Raven shuddering with laughter, and Ollivander was chuckling good-naturedly, holding up a hand to stave off her oncoming apology, "There's no need to apologize, Ms. Kuchiki. Wands can be fickle, and I've seen worse reactions, I can assure you."

He looked over her shoulder at the still prone boy, he waved his wand and muttered something indecipherable. The rubble floated back into place and mended itself with a creak.

"Are you alright, Mr. Hitsugaya?

"Fine." The answer was terse, and Rukia looked over with slight alarm. Toshiro's eyes were steely when he glanced over, but he gave slightly when he noticed her expression. He pulled himself to his feet and gestured for her to continue. She turned as he began wiping the remaining dust off of his pant legs.

Ollivander was back with a few more boxes now, and they continued testing wands. Luckily, none of the reactions were nearly as bad as the fallen ceiling, though many of them seemed to be either directed at Toshiro or herself. After fixing Toshiro's hair for the last time, Ollivander held out another wand, "Here, 11 inch English Oak, Phoenix Feather, very springy."

Rukia looked down and picked the polished wood up, weighing it in her hand as she tested the spiritual pressure. For a second, she felt the spiritual pressure of the wand, and then it melted seamlessly into her own. She blinked, and then with renewed vigor gave the wand a wave. A shower of black and blue sparks fell from the tip in intricate swirls, and Ollivander grinned.

"There we have it. You two are finally settled with your wands, and I wish all four of you luck at Hogwarts."

With a couple of more pleasantries exchanged, the wands were payed for and the shinigami were back out in the streets of Diagon Alley.

A/N: Sorry this took so long, I was doing a lot of research to try and find the best wand configurations for Rukia and Toshiro, and by the time I was done I felt like I needed to get another chapter or two written down first so I could post them all at once as an apology. This next chapter is fighting me, though, for non research related reasons, and I decided to post this sooner rather than later.

[Edit: As promised, here's my explanation for the choice of wands for the shinigami!]

So, researching the best matches for these two was a bit tough, I didn't expect there to be so many wand woods and cores to choose from, not to mention wand length and flexibility!

Starting with the cores, I leaned towards dragon heartstring for Toshiro for obvious reasons. Alongside that, they're well suited for a warrior core, having the most power of the three wand cores. However, I felt the core was a bit... flashy for Toshiro. While he's obviously powerful, being a captain and at such a young age, he doesn't rely purely on spiritual pressure and force (That's more Kenpachi and Ichigo's shtick). Thus, I though the more rounded Phoenix Feather would fit him better.

I originally leaned towards unicorn hair with Rukia, being the most loyal of the wand cores, but I felt she was a bit more resilient than the wand core would suggest of her, and her actions fit more closely to the slight spontaneity of the phoenix feather core (which occasionally acts of its own accord).

Moving onto the wand woods, I'll explain my reasonings for the main three or four wand woods I had in mind for both ice wielders, considering there's a few too many wood varieties to try and go in depth about every wood I considered.

For Rukia, I considered Ebony, Cypress, and Hazel alongside quite a few other woods before making the final decision of English Oak.

I originally looked at Ebony solely because of the color, kind of as a joke at first, but I was surprised to find the description could fit well with Rukia's personality, especially during the Soul society arc, and it ended up being a serious contender. The wiki article on it says that Ebony wands look for wizards and witches with a firm hold on their own personal beliefs despite external pressure, and who was comfortable with being the outsider, which I felt matched Rukia's determination to follow through with her sentence without regret over her actions. However, while it's ideal weilder was closer than I had originally expected to Rukia's personality, it wasn't close enough to be a done deal.

Cypress I chose again with the first couple of seasons in mind, it's a wand suited for those who would gladly lay their lives down if it meant protecting someone close to them, and I really don't think there needs to be much more said on that note. I eventually decided against it, however, because it also prefers a wielder that is "unafraid to confront the shadows in their own and others' natures". While Rukia has no doubt confronted her fair share of shadows, both her own and others, I personally feel she still has some secrets she hasn't/won't address, and that reflects on her characterization in this story, so a Cypress wouldn't be as good a fit in this fic as it might with another writer.

Hazel was a big contender, banking again on the loyalty component of Rukia's personality, and it was stated that they worked well with a wielder that could understand and manage their own feelings, which Rukia has also shown she can do. However, like unicorn hair, I felt like its tendency to 'wilt' or 'die' after its original owner passed wasn't exactly fitting with my view of Rukia (again, that could just be a matter of personal belief).

I finally settled on English Oak partially because of it's description, a loyal wand for sure with a wielder preference that matched Rukia nearly to a T. It's statement of a powerful intuition made me a bit hesitant, because I wasn't sure how well that fit Rukia, but it's not as if it's clairvoyance, it just means she's good at reading the atmosphere, and other clues, which I feel suits her personality well if only I cultivate it a little bit more in story. The wiki also states that English Oak users show an affinity to magical animals and plants, and it's just a personal headcanon of mine that Rukia gets along famously with animals in general, so I got a bit of a kick from that too. Finally, since I know it's a done deal that I'm shipping Rukia and Toshiro 'til the end of time, when I saw the clause about the old saying "If his wand's oak and hers is holly, then to marry would be folly" and the fact that I was seriously considering English Oak for Rukia and possibly Holly for Toshiro, I just had to do it for my own amusement.

For Toshiro, I considered Cypress (again), Silver Lime (mostly as a joke), and cherry before settling on Holly with a little bit of trepidation.

My reasoning for both considering and eventually rejecting Cypress was about the same as it was for Rukia, so I won't bother making you read it all again.

Silver Lime was Toshiro's version of Ebony, I originally looked at it only because it was the lightest wandwood I could find, and it didn't click as well as Rukia's did. Silver Lime was mainly for seers and practitioners of Legilimency, and neither of those struck me as particularly Toshiro. Y'know?

Cherry I actually considered a little for both Toshiro and Rukia, if only as a reference to their origins, but it's description I felt might match Toshiro better. I decided in the end that it was a bit too power focused for him, however, similarly to why I discarded dragon heartstring.

While there were a few other wand woods I considered seriously, I ended up looking at Holly. Aside from the reason I stated before for choosing it, Holly fit Toshiro really well, and the only reason I was hesitant was because it would make his wand remarkably similar to Harry's, which I pointed out in the chapter. The Holly wands' wielder is typically someone who needs help keeping a lid on their temper (sound like anyone?) and also picks users that may be "on a dangerous or spiritual quest" which I feel sums up their looking into Voldemort and Aizen's plans pretty well, right? So when I finally settled on Holly, I made sure to make the wand length and flexibility different from Harry's to avoid anymore parallels than necessary.

And that's generally how I picked out their wands. If you'd like to ask any questions or point anything out, feel free to, I'd love to talk it out, and if anyone dares to ask about the full list of wand choices I considered, just shoot me a PM.

**All of the wand component descriptions came from the Pottermore wiki and are not my property**