Nothing to really report this week, other than the fact that we don't own either HP or Bleach. Enjoy!

Chapter 13

"The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."

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For a moment there was complete silence amongst the wedding-goers and then pandemonium erupted and the screaming started. Harry jumped to his feet, wand in his hand and trying to account for all of his friends.

Guests however, were sprinting in all directions, many Disapparating in place as the Ministry's protective spells had apparently collapsed, and leaving only the ones put in place by the Japanese. Sadly it seemed that they were not strong enough to hold the number of people trying to escape, even Harry could feel the strain that the barriers were under, and it felt similar to when someone scratched their nails down a chalk board. It was one of the few times he'd found himself cursing the fact that he'd asked Ichigo to start training him to sense reiatsu. He wasn't good at it, not at all, but he could still sense that.

"Harry!" it was Lupin shouting over the crowd, struggling to get to the young wizard, "get out of here now!"

"I need Ron and Her-" Harry tried to shout back.

And then Ichigo was there grabbing his arm and stopping him from speaking further. Ichigo looked at Remus sternly and not without some annoyance. It took a moment for Harry to realize why and he blushed. By responding to his name he'd almost, if not completely, blew his cover. He glanced around and thankfully no one seemed to have noticed his slip other than Ichigo.

"Get Tonks and go. I've got this," Ichigo said to Lupin.

Lupin nodded, looking flustered and worried, before he vanished back into the crowd as Ichigo started to forcefully drag Harry away with a firm grip on his arm.

"Yoruichi!" Ichigo hollered.

A half second later a black figure was streaking towards him, faster than any cat could possibly move, and launched herself into his arms, spring boarding off several heads in the process and causing people to yelp or trip.

"Rukia! Reinforce the shielding! If guests can get out then others can get in!"

"I'm trying! There's too many!" Rukia was pointing one of her hands upwards, while muttering rapidly in Japanese.

Ichigo's firm grip on Harry's jacket never slackened as he pulled him along with a grim expression on his face. A moment later they were in the clear near one of the sides of the tent and away from the entrance people were scrambling to reach. Ron and Hermione were in front of them.

"Get out of here – now!" Ichigo commanded, shoving Yoruichi into Harry's arms and then pushing Harry himself toward his friends.

"Where?" Hermione asked as she and Ron prevented Harry from falling. Even though she was the one most in control of her emotions and the situation, she still looked a bit flustered and afraid.

"Anywhere. It doesn't matter, just go. The Polyjuice Potion is wearing off as it is, they'll recognize him if they see him now."

"What about you?" Ron asked in concern. The red-head knew that the Death Eaters would love to get their hands on Ichigo, even if just as a hostage. And they would definitely love to do even more to him…

"Ginny –" Harry said at the same time.

"I'll be fine," Ichigo said to Ron before turning to Harry, "and Tatsuki is with Ginny."

A stunning spell suddenly impacted off a shield that Ichigo had hastily erected just as he finished speaking. He looked over his shoulder, scowling fiercely as he saw four Death Eaters advancing on them. They hadn't seen Harry just yet, though.

"Go!" Ichigo ordered as he turned to block sight of the group.

Hermione reached out, grabbed both boys by the arm and Apparated before they could object or realize just what she was doing. Once they were gone, Ichigo slowly looked over the four that approached him warily. Most likely because of the almost sinister smile on his face.

"Are you four really sure you want to do this?" he asked. He was holding his wand at the ready in his right hand and his left hand out as if he was holding a sword – or about to.

One of them paused and gulped, his eyes wide as he recognized Ichigo. He guessed that this particular Death Eater had either already been rabbit-ized or he'd been stomped on in another way by him previously.

A fifth Death Eater suddenly appeared in front of them.

"Stop," he ordered everyone present.

Ichigo recognized the voice immediately, and while he did not relax his stance entirely, he knew there was no danger from this Death Eater.

"Snape," Ichigo murmured under his breath, scowling in order to preserve his mentor's cover.

"His orders," Snape said to the others as he turned to face Ichigo, his words making it plain of who he meant by 'His orders'. His expression was carefully schooled not to reveal anything. "Into the tent with the others."

"His wand –" one of the original four started to speak, but Snape stopped him from continuing with a glare.

"It matters not. They know wandless magic and he can manifest a sword at will, so why bother?" Snape replied as he pushed Ichigo in the direction of the tent and following him – incidentally keeping himself in between Ichigo and any surprise attacks. While they might strike at Ichigo, they would not yet strike at Severus. Not while his star was as high, if not higher, than Bellatrix's.

Ichigo's eyes swept over the group in the tent. All of the order members other than the Weasleys had escaped. A glance showed that Uryu had gotten Luna and her father out of there and that Orihime and Neville were also gone. That was good. The Delacours, to their credit, had remained behind with their daughter, and Tatsuki stood in the crook of Fred's arm, shielded by her boyfriend's body. Ichigo went to stand next to Rukia and took her hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. When they all looked at him, waiting breathlessly for news on the trio, he simply winked.

The Trio had made it safely away.

#

"Ummm... where are we?" Ron asked as he looked around at their surroundings.

"Tottenham Court Road," Hermione replied tersely, "Walk, just walk; we need to find a place to change."

"Change into what?" Ron objected with a frown, "Hermione, we didn't bring anything –"

"I've got all our things, its okay, just keep walking and act natural!" she ordered as she started moving.

"Act natural? Hermione, you're in a kimono and I'm wearing wizard's dress robes and I'm carrying a black cat! I look like a reject from Lord of the Rings!" Harry protested, well aware of how odd they all looked as they hurried after Hermione. He thought he heard Yoruichi harrumph and he definitely heard Ron say 'Lord of the What-now?' but Hermione had snatched her out of his arms before he could investigate further.

"In here," she said suddenly as she turned into an alley.

"You said you have everything – you mean our clothes – the cloak –?" all she had was her beaded bag! Both boys were staring at her in shock.

"Yes, it's in here," she nodded, shoving her hand into her bag.

"In... there?" Ron squeaked out.

"Yes, Ron, I've been packed for days!" she snapped, pulling out bundles of clothes which she shoved at them. They blinked down at the bundles blankly.

"Now turn around," she ordered.

They did so obediently and they heard an odd chuckle that had both of them confused as they'd never heard Hermione make such a noise before. After a few moments they heard Hermione huff and mutter, 'here'. After a few more tense minutes, a fourth voice – a voice neither boy expected to hear any time soon – said,

"You can look now, boys," the voice drawled in an almost purr.

Harry and Ron stared at each other for several moments and then slowly turned around to see Yoruichi, the woman! tying her hair back in a pony-tail with an amused twist to her lips. Hermione appeared to be slightly uncomfortable.

Ron realized the truth first.

"You – you're an animagi!" he exclaimed, pointing at her.

She reached out and patted him on the head with a laugh.

"Ooh, very good. Score one for the Weasley," she said in a teasing tone.

"Ichigo –?" Harry started to speak but was cut off.

"Wasn't about to say anything if he didn't want to go a number of very painful rounds with me," Yoruichi shrugged, both boys blanched at the thought of fighting her. "Poor boy – I can still intimidate the hell out of him."

"Gee, I wonder why," Hermione sighed and then muttered something about not expecting Yoruichi to fight fair.

"You knew!" Harry stared at their friend in surprise. Hermione shrugged and gave them a weak smile.

"Don't be too angry. She, Luna and Neville were all sworn to secrecy at the end of last year," Yoruichi explained, "and they found out on their own – no one told them." She cocked her head to study them. "Besides, how would you feel knowing I was in the dorm with you? Honestly?"

Harry and Ron looked at each other, blushes staining their cheeks rapidly. Now they understood why Ichigo always dressed privately... and why Neville had started to at the end of last year.

"Let's get you three kids somewhere safe," she said as she turned and headed back towards the street. "Hermione, have you activated that bracelet yet?"

"Oh! No, hold on," Hermione stopped, and shook the bracelet that Ichigo and Rukia had given her out from under her sleeve.

She started pressing the stones of the bracelet in a patterned sequence and as she did so, they lit up. When she pressed the last stone, a black one, they all lit up and blinked three times before subsiding back to their normal state.

"Good," Yoruichi nodded, "Now don't forget..."

"Right – press the green stone two times per day, so you know we're okay. Yellow is when unknown strangers are near and we feel that there might be danger so you can be ready to move. Orange is to let you know that there are nearby Death Eaters, who haven't seen us yet. Red means send help immediately, we're in danger now and lastly black cancels any of the previous alerts."

"Huh?" Harry and Ron said together.

"You didn't think we'd send you off without a way to keep track of you, did you?" Yoruichi asked with a raised brow.

"Umm... I thought that's what the phone was for," Ron admitted.

"If you're running for your lives it's a lot easier to press a stone than it is to make a phone call," Yoruichi pointed out.

"Point," Ron said after a moment, nodding as he took in the tactical advantage.

"Besides, phones can be dropped and lost. That bracelet can't. The entire thing is reinforced and bound by a Kido spell to not be removed save by another Kido user. No chance of it breaking off if it gets caught on something or if someone tries to yank it off," Yoruichi looked at Hermione warningly. "That also means you have to be careful of that hand. Unlike other bracelets, if they get lucky enough to catch you by that bracelet, you're caught unless you are quick and clever. You'd have to cut off your hand to get away."

Hermione gulped and nodded rapidly, understanding both the benefits and liabilities surrounding the bracelet.

They trailed after Yoruichi for a few blocks before she said, "In here," and opened the door to a small, shabby, all-night café. The place was empty of all but the staff, which was perfect for them.

The gum-chewing waitress took their order: three cappuccinos and one milk.

"We aren't far from Charing Cross –" Ron started.

"Ron, we can't!" Hermione protested as Yoruichi tapped the countertop.

"Not to stay, but to find out what's been going on!" Ron said defensively.

"We know what's going on. Voldemort has taken over the Ministry! What else do we need to know?" Hermione hissed back.

They all turned, immediately on alert, when the door opened and a petite, dark haired woman walked in, snagged a chair next to them and dropped down onto it with a faint sigh. She rested her arm on the table and started tapping the middle finger of her right hand against the table top. The trio ended up staring at the very sharp claw on said finger that was hitting the wood with a metallic clink.

"Long night?" Yoruichi asked Soifon, who grimaced in response but remained silent. The clinking got louder and a gouge started appearing in the wood. Yoruichi peered closely at her hand, then at her face, then at the stance of her entire body. "Have you been fighting a fire, Soifon?"

The Trio noticed then that Soifon was covered in soot.

"Not fighting a fire – starting one," Soifon replied, rubbing at her soot-streaked face with her left hand. "We burned down the Japanese Embassy after we evacuated the building."

"You... wait... what?!" Harry gaped at her.

Soifon shrugged in response to Harry's outburst.

"Needed to be done," she said calmly, "Watanabe thought he'd destroyed or removed all important documents, but there was always a chance that something that could have been left behind. The Emperor agreed this was the most prudent course of action despite the cost it will be to repair or rebuild. Better that then the cost we'd pay if they found any information to use against us."

"Of course," Yoruichi nodded, agreeing with that course of action, "What happened at the Ministry of Magic?"

Soifon scowled, the claw no longer tapping but actually digging into the wood of the table. The Trio gulped and shared a look.

"I'm not sure, yet," Soifon said slowly in a tone that said she was not happy. As if the claw wasn't a clue in and of itself as to her mood. "Omaeda hasn't checked in with me yet. We knew about Thicknesse, so we had him covered, but what I don't know is if someone else was involved with the coup." She sighed and shook her head. "Our spirit forms are becoming visible to more and more people, but it isn't because our reiatsu is affecting them. Mayuri thinks it's because we are adapting to the different magical energies. Soon, if we're exposed enough – we won't even need our bodies for them to see us if we are not careful."

"So the longer one is exposed..." Yoruichi mused thoughtfully.

Soifon nodded. "It's why Kurosaki's group is fully visible to everyone now and why he was the first to become so. He has been around them longer than anyone else – plus he has heredity working against him."

"Is... that a good thing or a bad thing?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"That is for Yamamoto to decide," Soifon answered, "For stealth work it just became more difficult to do our jobs, but it is nothing we cannot adapt to."

The door opened again and two men wearing coveralls entered, both of whom set Yoruichi and Soifon visibly on edge. They all watched as the two men squeezed into the next booth. The two Soul Reapers looked at each other, their expressions speaking volumes; Harry found he was able to read what they were worried about. In truth, the pair had caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand up when they'd walked in, as well.

Hermione dropped her voice. "We need to find a quiet place to Disapparate and head out to the countryside. We can figure out how to send a message to the Order."

"Can you do the talking Patronus thing?" Ron asked her just as quietly.

"I think so," they looked over at Harry, whose ability at casting a Patronus was more advanced, and he nodded in response to their silent query. He was comfortable in the skill enough to feel that he could confidently cast a Messenger Patronus.

"Do you think it will get them into trouble? They could already have been arrested –"

"They haven't," Soifon said absently arching her hand to look over her claw as another might critique their nails. "Kurosaki has already checked in, but I don't have any details."

She was watching the pair out of the corner of her eyes, as was Yoruichi. Harry grew quiet as Hermione and Ron argued softly about their next course of action.

Suddenly, Soifon and Yoruichi moved almost as one, Yoruichi diving for Hermione and Soifon dragging Ron to the floor while Harry ducked, his wand out, firing back with a curse in response to a sudden attack from the two men. He had taken it out in advance, in response to Yoruichi and Soifon's wariness of the pair; in addition something about them had caused him to become uneasy and made him want to be prepared just in case.

The two Death Eaters had the misfortune of facing Yoruichi and her protégé. Both were fast and both excelled at Kido. One kick from Yoruichi sent the large blond Death Eater flying across the room to crash into the wall, where Harry was able to Stupefy him while Soifon tied the other up with her own Kido, and Hermione who now had her wand out, Petrified him as soon as he was bound. Harry glanced around and saw that the staff of the café had ducked safely behind the counter, peeking up to stare at the group with pale faces.

Harry turned and stared at the blond. He let out a sudden growl that startled the others, even Yoruichi and Soifon, with its intensity.

"I thought I recognized him, he was there when Professor Dumbledore was killed," he said angrily. He took a slow breath to calm himself then turned and went to turn the other over with his foot.

"That's Dolohov," Ron said with a firm nod. "I recognize him from his wanted poster. The other... I think that's Rowle."

"Never mind who they are," Hermione argued heatedly. "What do we do with them? And how did they find us?"

Harry stared at the two Soul Reapers, who were staring back at him. He took a slow breath, understanding that they were leaving this up to him as to what they needed to do next. He looked over at the café staff, the older man nodded once firmly before taking the waitresses arm and tugging her into the back room.

"Lock the door," he said quietly, "and turn out the lights."

Yoruichi looked at Soifon. "Do you have a Kikanshinki?"

Soifon nodded. "Of course. Advanced model – standard issue, these days."

"What are we going to do, kill them? That's what they'd do to us –" Hermione started to ask incredulously.

"No," Yoruichi shook her head. "We just need to wipe their memories. Hermione, I know you know how to do that."

Hermione nodded, took a deep calming breath, then pointed her wand at Dolohov and said 'Obliviate'. She repeated the procedure with Rowle, and then went to find the waitress and the older man. Harry could hear her asking them softly if she could cast the spell on them for their own safety and the subsequent assent from both.

"You two clean this mess up," Yoruichi told Harry and Ron. "And don't turn around until we tell you to. We're going to use our memory technique on top of yours."

"Umm... is that, I don't know, safe?" Ron asked a he pulled out his wand to help Harry repair some of the damage they'd done during the struggle.

Soifon shrugged. "Do you really care if they become mindless vegetables? That just means two less Death Eaters to worry about."

Ron blinked, and then nodded. "True."

"We need to get to a safe place; we need to plan," Hermione said as she left the back room.

Yoruichi and Soifon looked at each other.

||Are they authorized?|| Soifon asked, ||Has Ichigo shown their images to the griffin?||

||I'm pretty sure he has,||Yoruichi nodded, ||in fact, I think they were the first ones he did.|| She turned to the trio.

"All right," she said, switching to English, "We're going to the Order's new Headquarters. Gather around. Soifon..."

Soifon nodded, drew her zanpakuto and opened a Gate, allowing the small group to escape from the dingy little café without unlocking the door.

#

Captain Unohana was not happy.

Not at all.

James Potter had been the first case of many affected by a sudden loss in memory and an extreme drop in reiatsu. So far over fifty cases had been brought to her attention from around the Seireitei and that was just counting the ones that had friends or family to bring them to her division. Who knew how many others were walking around alone, lost, weak and not remembering years of their life?

Unohana was treating James Potter as 'Patient Zero' as he was the first to show symptoms and those who were coming in were originating from locations that were moving slowly out from the school. She was worried at this point that it had something to do with gathering all the Wizarding capable Shinigami together. That hypothesis did not hold much weight as those who had lived for some time now within the walls of a Wizarding School were not ill nor losing their memories. However, they were living in said school with the help of Gigais, so the false bodies might well be shielding them from the illness.

"Capta~in!" Unohana raised her head at the shout from Hanatarō with a blink of surprise. He sounded panicked.

"Captain!" Hanatarō skidded to a halt nearby, panting frantically and his eyes almost wild. "We just got word from the outer edges of the districts! People have collapsed, shown signs that they've lost their memories and then fallen into a comatose state!"

Unohana stilled and straightened to look at her seventh seat, eyed narrowed and dangerous. Hanatarō gulped. "Shinigami or regular souls?"

"Regular souls, ma'am!" Hanatarō said standing at attention.

"Hmm, the Potters home was in the outer districts," she turned and looked back over the file she had built so far. "As are the homes of many of the Wizarding Shinigami that have reported in. Whatever this is, it isn't lethal to Shinigami, but still hinders them by draining their reiatsu and blocking if not destroying their memories completely. And if it is causing a comatose state in regular souls..."

She shook her head and set the file down. "Lead me to who told you of this. James Potter is no longer Patient Zero."

Author's Notes:

Obliviate is the incantation of the Memory Charm, and is used to erase memories from the target. A very dangerous spell, because of potential brain damage.

Expecto Patronum is the incantation used to cast the Patronus Charm, a spell to repel Dementors and Lethifolds. You must keep a very strong happy memory in mind when casting. Most people can only conjure silvery mist. This form offers some protection as the attacker feeds from the mist, and not from the wizard directly. At full strength, the charm causes a silvery white mist-like animal - a Patronus - to appear, which then chases off the offending Dementor(s) or Lethifold(s). A patronus can also be conjured for the purpose of relaying messages

Petrificus Totalus is the incantation of the Full Body Bind spell, used to lock the target's body straight like a board, though it allows the internal organs to continue functioning. Used by Hermione Granger on Neville Longbottom to allow her, Harry and Ron to rescue the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone. The latter is compensated for by the gain of ten points for Gryffindor at the end of term feast. Used frequently by the D.A. During the attack on the Department of Mysteries

Stupefy is the incantation of the Stunning Charm. Causes the target to lose consciousness

Kikanshinki – Account-Replacing Spirit Device – a memory substitution device used on humans who have seen Shinigami or Hollows. Also called Kiokuchikan. When used, a bird's head pops from the top of the device and produces a puff of smoke. The human it is used on is knocked unconscious and wakes up later with a new memory. That memory is totally random and often based on the limits of what they will believe. Ichigo's family merely believed they slept through a truck crashing into their house when it was used on them; Orihime, who has a much more active imagination, believed her house was attacked by a Yakuza gunman. bleach . /wiki /Shinigami#Memory_ replacement