Hi all! Here's the next Chapter, sorry it took a while, I wanted to hold off a bit while we went through a bit of a braintstorm for the next few chapters. Just in case...
Anyway, as always, Arei and I don't either Harry Potter or Bleach.
Enjoy!
Chapter 19
Most of the group, including the 'adults' such as Byakuya and Ukitake, had gathered in front of King's Cross Station, where they were planning to meet up with Neville and Luna. Orihime and Uryu were missing from the group as well, as they had gone to meet up with the other couple at a local muggle coffee shop. The couples had previously come across each other while getting their respective school supplies in Diagon Alley and had decided that an escort for Luna and Neville would not be remiss as the two might well be targets because of their friendship with the individual now known as 'Undesirable Number One'; Harry James Potter.
The Weasleys, on the other hand, had met up with them earlier at the Leaky Cauldron. They had then discovered, from a family that was both proud of their daughter and worried about her safety, that Ginny had been made a replacement Prefect for one of her year mates who was a Muggle, or Mundane as the Japanese usually termed it, born. The girl had gone into hiding with her family, relocated by Soifon's people to a Japan based safe-house. The move was made easier for the family because of the language bracelets that had been made.
Ichigo knew that each house was supposed to have six Prefects; two in each year from the Fifth year up. Ichigo had to wrack his brain to figure out who else in Gryffindor was a Prefect and if they were also Mundane born and now on the run. He couldn't remember, though and realized he would have to wait to find out if anyone else had 'gone missing' or 'moved away' suddenly. Soifon had tried to find as many as she could, but some had bolted before she had gotten to them.
People in the station were very nervous, Ichigo thought, as he watched the yearly influx of wizards and witches into the station. Of course the supposed 'Ministry Workers' patrolling around didn't help matters by confronting known 'half-bloods' about their 'supposed mundane born parents' location before they were allowed to continue through to platform 9 3/4. Ichigo had to smile faintly when a few of the kids targeted by said 'Ministry Workers' snapped out that their parents had been proven children/grandchildren/great-grandchildren of squibs and "did the Ministry really want to see the paperwork again?" Ichigo, Hermione and Uryu's work on Mundane-born genealogy had done much to protect those who were bravely coming back to the school this year.
"Why are we waiting out here again?" one of their Death Eater guards asked.
"For Longbottom and Lovegood," was the scathing answer that issued from Ichigo. Both flinched at the assortment of angry looks they got from the surrounding group.
"Ichigo!" a feminine voice called out his name and he looked around to see the Patil twins hurrying in his direction, ignoring their parents' frantic admonitions to return to them.
"Thank goodness we found you!" one of them exclaimed. The other was staying silent as she looked around the crowd carefully, her right hand never letting go of her sister's left. "Did Professor McGonagall tell you?"
So this was Parvati then...
"Yea," he nodded, "I also got this from her." He pulled out two pages of parchment and handed her one.
"This is..." she took it in her free hand and scanned it quickly, her eyes widening.
"All of the Gryffindor students. I thought we should take a roll call," he said grimly. He saw her own lips thin and she nodded as she tucked the paper away.
"Yes, I agree," she took the pen he had been waiting to hand over to her. She grinned faintly as she twirled it in her fingers. "I love Muggle pens."
"That's not a Muggle pen," he responded with a smirk.
"It's not? But –" she looked at it curiously.
"It only looks like one while there are Mundanes about," he explained. Padma turned her head to look at it a moment, obviously curious, but turned back to her crowd watching a moment later. "It will turn back into a quill in wizarding company. It's linked to an ink pot so you don't have to keep dipping it."
"Wow," she gushed over the pen/quill.
"My mother's spell. You can keep that one, I have others," he pulled one out of his pocket to show her before putting it back. "I'll give you the ink pot on the train."
"Thanks!" Parvati took the list back out, and with that perfect twin-sync that still impressed Ichigo whether it was the Weasley twins or the Patil twins, Padma took the paper and held it steady without looking away from her crowd watching. Ichigo found himself wondering if Parvati would take over the crowd watching for Padma if she had to talk to someone and realized he wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. It paid to be vigilant these days. Parvati looked over the list again and then put an X next to several names.
"Only four of us in the Seventh year girl's dorm," she said sadly.
Ichigo nodded his understanding. "Yea, we're down to three in the boy's, unless we get one of the previously home-schooled students coming in."
Parvati's parents finally got through the crowd milling about and caught up to them. The older couple immediately started scolded their daughters for running off without them.
"Mom, relax," Padma reassured her mother when the woman paused for breath. "We're safe with the Japanese!"
"Very safe, despite our present company," Byakuya assured the Patils, referring to the pair of Death Eaters with them.
It was the first time the Kuchiki family head had even acknowledged the pairs presence. The pair of 'pure-blooded' guards had tried to cozy up to the Japanese pureblood and he had coldly ignored them. As this wasn't the pair that had initially been watching over Rukia and Ichigo (Those two had been switched out due to the mental stress the couple had put them through) they had not known better and had begun to spout off about their 'great cause' to Byakuya to try to impress him. Rukia, recognizing her brother's growing ire with the pair by the darkening of his eyes and the slightest of brow twitches and wanting to avoid scarring the youngsters milling about with the sight of blood and gore amidst 'sakura petals', had sweetly and politely advised the pair that if they wanted to continue breathing that they really needed to shut the hell up. The two been about to argue but had winced under Ukitake's sudden withering gaze. Despite his illness he could still instill fear in his enemies.
Arthur cleared his throat and leaned forward to speak in an undertone with the girls' father. "Trust me – this pair is no match for any of them," he said to the worried gentleman.
Once Neville and Luna had arrived with their escorts, the group descended en masse into the station and headed to platform 9 3/4.
Even here they discovered changes to the normal flow of things that left things feeling like the group was watching a poorly written parody of the September First Sendoff that they were used to.
Still crowded, still bustling... but silent. Any talking that was being done, was being done in rapid conversations pitched in quiet whispers. The engine was still black and deep red, but the rest of the cars...
Six cars. Five colors, and instead of 'Hogwarts' the cars had the House names on them. The first car, Slytherin, was emerald green. The second was blue for Ravenclaw, then gold for Hufflepuff and scarlet for Gryffindor. The next two cars were the same color as the engine, and labeled 'unsorted' and 'baggage.'
So, the segregation was starting already, Ichigo thought, his scowl becoming thunderous as he eyed the once brilliant train. He turned to look over at Uryu and Toshiro, and then to Rukia, Momo and Orihime, who all appeared to be just as solemn and serious.
All the firepower would be in Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, he mused; there was only one way to even it out – he wordlessly took the suddenly tense Yoruichi from where she had been draped around his neck and handed her to Yuzu. Yoruichi mewed, once; not in protest, but with understanding of his intent. The Hufflepuff group was the only one without a Captain-level Soul Reaper within it; she needed to be in that House to help protect it. As she was the 'Family Familiar' no one would be able to argue her presence with one of the other family heirs.
His gaze then flickered down the platform, to the clustered groups of students. They were, he noticed, grouping around known DA members – probably for safety. How ironic, he thought, that the DA might be the best thing Harry could have ever done for the school...
Tatsuki nudged him, and he glanced at her. She indicated something with a nod of her head and he looked in that direction... to see Draco arriving with his Aunt.
This had two reactions on the crowd: people either gave them a wide berth...
...or they clustered behind the Japanese for safety.
Ichigo stepped slightly in front of Yuzu, as did Isshin, blocking her from view. They didn't want to take a chance of any doey-eyed looks being intercepted between the couple. Ichigo overheard Karin hissing at her sister 'Don't be so obvious!' and a quick glance showed that she had immediately started to look to the blonde boy while reaching unconsciously for the small cupcake necklace he'd given her. He saw Karin batting her hand away surreptitiously from the necklace and tuck it under her school shirt as she hissed in her twin's ear about being careful. It was just as well that they did block her from sight then. He purposely scowled more as he turned back around, just as he heard his father give an aggrieved huff and saw the older man cross his arms.
Ichigo ignored Draco completely, on purpose, and stared intently at Bellatrix Lestrange with an expression that bordered on hatred and promised Death.
Her step faltered for a moment at the intensity of the animosity Ichigo was projecting at her; helped along somewhat by nearly identical expressions on the faces of Isshin, Renji, Byakuya and Unohana. She hurried Draco along in order to get past him as quickly as possible.
I'll have to tell him to watch his humor, Ichigo thought when he saw the brief flicker of amusement in Draco's ice-blue eyes before it was quickly tamped down. He doesn't want to get caught...
"Well, that was – interesting," Ukitake murmured.
"Mm," Ichigo grunted.
"You'd better get going," Isshin advised.
Ichigo nodded and then made his way towards the Gryffindor car – followed by nearly every student in the House, who hurried forward when they saw him moving to board the train.
"Like a mother goose and her goslings," Molly said softly as she watched the Gryffindors of every year as they hurriedly trailed after him.
"They all know how strong he is," Byakuya said with a small sniff, "and that he'll fight to the death to protect them."
They watched as the group – joined by Parvati – organized the Gryffindors and got everyone settled safely on board with no fuss. Taking their cue from them, the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws followed suit – leaving the Death Eaters trolling the platform a bit stunned at the orderly boarding of the train.
"They weren't expecting that, were they?" Unohana said with some amusement.
"No, they weren't," Ukitake agreed. "I really wish I could be a fly on the wall at Hogwarts this year. It really is going to be interesting. Very interesting."
#
There were no private compartments, Ichigo saw when he boarded the train. His lips twisted humorlessly as he looked around the open-spaced seats that were lined in rows much like that of a mundane bus. Well, they can't have the students plotting revolution, can they? He mused, even though that's exactly what they planned on doing.
Sedition.
Underhanded undermining – with the current Head Master's help, no less – of the Dark Lord's plans for the school.
He sat down with Rukia, Tatsuki, Neville and Parvati and watched as Ginny sat with her friends opposite their row. Lavender took the seat behind them with Seamus and several other members of the reserve Quidditch team and Karin sat nearby with a few of her year mates. He pulled out the list again and looked over the names
"We're missing at least half of our dorm," Parvati said as she scanned her list and then the train car.
"I know. Gryffindor always had the highest concentration of Mundane borns," Ichigo replied.
He sensed as someone stopped next to him and knew someone was looking over his shoulder.
"Can I help you with something?" he asked coldly without looking up.
"What are you doing?" the Death Eater asked suspiciously.
"My job as Prefect," he retorted.
He folded his list back up and tucked it away in his bag. The lists were to be given to Professor McGonagall when they arrived at Hogwarts, letting the Deputy Headmistress know who hadn't arrived at the train station and for her to look over in the potential case of someone going missing from the train itself during transit. Paranoid they might well be, but they all subscribed to the thought that being called 'paranoid' would be better than being called 'right' if someone was taken from the Hogwarts Express itself at Moldy-shorts orders.
"Your job is to keep order and make sure everyone follows the rules," the Death Eater hissed.
Ichigo stood slowly and was gratified to see that he was taller than the Death Eater and could look down on him. Ichigo was surprised that the Death Eater didn't back down or flinch back from him automatically. Apparently this was one of the few he hadn't met before and the fool didn't know that he really, really, needed to be afraid of Ichigo.
"I know exactly what my job is," Ichigo retorted icily, "I don't need some second rate boot licker telling me what it is."
The car was deathly quiet, as everyone watched with baited breath the tense confrontation. They all knew Ichigo had dueled Professor Snape almost to a standstill. This particular Death Eater could not be any stronger than Snape, therefore...
The second Death Eater watching their car hurried forward, whether to help his companion or to warn him against pissing off Ichigo was a moot point as Rukia stepped in to protect her fiancée's back. The other Seventh Years, of similar mindset to Rukia, also stood warningly. Faced with the sudden greater numbers of the eldest of Hogwarts Gryffindor House united like an army ready to kick ass, the pair backed off, yielding – for the moment.
Ichigo and Rukia sat back down and the students slowly relaxed as the pair did so, although no one was able to relax fully. As the train rattled on, Ichigo and the other Prefects took turns walking up and down the aisle to check on their House mates, making sure that everyone was okay. The Trolley went by silently at lunchtime, treats and refreshments were purchased, and then...
"Ichigo," Dennis Creevy said softly to him as he walked by. "I ah – have to... you know...go?"
Ichigo, who had crouched down next to him, frowned. Their car did not have a bathroom on it – probably by design, he thought angrily. He looked back at Parvati, who had joined him next to the youngest Creevy. He quickly explained the problem.
"Which car has the loo?" she wondered.
"With our luck – Slytherin," Ichigo muttered, striding to the front of their car and the Death Eater standing guard there, Parvati behind him.
The Death Eater stood to block the access between the cars. "Problem, Kurosaki?"
"Yea. Everyone needs a bathroom break," he replied cooly.
"Not my problem."
"Actually, yes it is," Ichigo retorted. "Because it's gonna get messy in here and then it's gonna start to smell. And I'm gonna make sure you can't get out of these cars to get away from it. And then I'll make you clean it up. Without your wand."
Someone eavesdropping on their conversation murmured a curious query to their seat-mate about whether or not the Death Eater Ichigo was threatening could do wandless magic or not a bit loudly and the Death Eater's lips thinned and his eyes narrowed. He finally decided to cave, wisely, to Ichigo's threat.
"All right. You can use the Hufflepuff bathroom. Four at a time, two boys and two girls."
Ichigo nodded and went to stand in the middle of the car.
"Okay everyone," Ichigo announced. "We're going to start taking you to the restroom, which is located in the Hufflepuff car. Two boys and two girls. We'll start with the Second years." He looked over at Ginny. "Can you get the rest of them organized while Parvati and I escort them over?" he asked her.
She nodded. "Not a problem," she replied as she and the other three Prefects stood and started to get to work organizing their charges for what was bound to be a very, very long process.
"He's very good at this, isn't he?" Neville said quietly.
Tatsuki and Rukia both nodded. It was going to be a long time before it was their turn.
#
Professor Severus Snape, newly named Head Master of Hogwarts, stared out the window onto the expansive grounds of the school. Despite the way his gaze seemed to roam over the grounds with purpose, he was actually lost deep in thought.
"You look troubled," a quiet voice said to him. He glanced behind him.
"Professor McGonagall," he said softly. Although he refused to show it, he was grateful that he would be able to keep his allies by his side and aware of his position. He could easily imagine the sheer stress he would have been under otherwise to be hated by people he did consider to be his friends. Even if he might balk at admitting to the friendship aloud. "Thank you for coming."
"I'm assuming the reason you asked to meet with me has to do with the upcoming school year?"
Snape nodded. "I wanted you to know some of what I plan to do, since I'll need your assistance."
"Of course," Her gaze drifted over to the glass case where the Sword of Gryffindor resided. "And what of that?"
"That?" a flicker of amusement appeared in his eyes as he glanced at the sword. "Ah, yes. That. It will go to Potter – when the time is right. And in the appropriate manner."
"I understand," She nodded. "The train has departed from Kings Cross Station and the students will be here in a few hours - with a whole car full of newcomers. Some first years, some who have been home schooled up until now..."
"I hear you placed Kurosaki in Weasley's old Prefect spot," Snape commented. This time his amusement was quite evident.
"Indeed. If he's in charge of Gryffindor, I'll be able to sleep much better and easier at night. Especially with the Carrows here as teachers. He's the only one who's really strong enough to openly defy them – and their boss."
"That whole group, especially together, will be defiant," Snape agreed. "What I wished to discuss with you was the Sorting this evening..."
#
Unohana was standing silent in her room, emotional shock having set in hours ago as she worked with her patients and her fellow healers. She was a tough woman and had powered through the shock to gather together all of the affected souls of the pandemic now facing the Soul Society. All that they could pinpoint at least.
After she had left the others at the train station, their charges safely boarded on the train and under Ichigo's watchful eyes, she had immediately rushed back to the Seireitei and her own charges.
There had been some progress made regarding the illness affecting the Soul Society. They had announced, across all sections of the Seireitei, that anyone with a hint of memory loss, including those recently dead, needed to be brought to the Fourth Division to be checked over. Now that they finally had everyone who had shown known symptoms isolated within said Division, gently housed in various barracks rooms based on the severity of the symptoms shown, Unohana finally had a moment to herself. A moment away from all her duties, and the emotions that she had been holding in check could be let loose for a few, brief, cleansing moments.
She walked to her window and all but collapsed onto the padded window seat, letting her forehead rest against the cool glass with a soft groan of grief.
She had just finished holding the hands of the first known terminal cases of the pandemic; a black-haired, blue-eyed child of ten named Miko and a silver-haired golden-eyed child of twelve named Taisho. They'd come in together, barely remembering each other but knowing they were important to one another. They had not let go of each other's hands once, even when they had fallen into their respective comas they had been curled together on the mat and she had not had the heart to separate them even in their unconscious state.
She let her eyes fall shut as she thought of the two youngsters and did nothing to hold back the tears that began to fall.
Life in the Seireitei was so different from life in the 'Realm of the Living' as it could sometimes take a hundred years to grow from a 'child' into an 'adult'. Toshiro was an example of that. The children should have had centuries together before having been reborn in the Living Realm.
From what the elders of their district had said, the two children had shown signs of being potential Shinigami when they had first appeared, not even two months ago, as both had needed food from the on-set. But, like any illness, this one affected the young, the elderly and the infirm the worst and souls that were new to the Seireitei also tended to be the weakest regardless of their 'soul class' due to the shock of their death. Several other Regular Souls were rapidly deteriorating and about to hit the 'critical point' where they might not be able to recover. Some had already hit that point before they arrived at the Fourth Division and were now in a coma. Those... might well die, just like the children had. Her only solace to the situation was that these souls would soon be reborn in the Living Realm. With how close the two children had been, she hoped they would find one another again quickly.
For the lucky ones an infusion of Reiatsu was found to help them as it was very much like a living world blood transfusion. Many had already begun to regain their strength and wake up. Most had lost time and very few had begun to regain said time. James Potter, her initial 'Patient Zero', had regained his strength but thankfully only a year of memories of his and Lily's time in the Seireitei.
Examining the souls of the affected yielded no information even when using her Bankai. There was no invading force attacking the souls. Loathe as she was to ask Kurotsuchi, she had still gone to the man to have him come and examine those affected while under her watchful eye.
He'd found the same as her; nothing.
Not trusting the man fully, she'd sent her results to be looked over by Urahara, who had been waiting to be contacted, having been given the heads-up by Ichigo. He was still looking the results over, but had said he had a few theories.
She took a slow, shuddering breath and checked her internal clock. She'd been gone for twenty minutes. That was enough time, enough mourning... it was enough. She had work to do, lives to save and answers to find. She stood up and moved to a small basin to wash her face clean and then looked up in the mirror. Her face was strained but after a moment of meditation she was once again showing her Mona Lisa-like calm.
As she turned around she caught flash of magenta out of the corner of her eye as something lunged at her.
#
Ichigo spent his time waiting by speaking with Ernie MacMillan, both of them keeping their voices soft so they couldn't be overheard, while each group finished up their business in the restrooms. Ernie apparently also had no problems with defying – or ignoring – the warning looks the Death Eaters were giving them.
"We're missing about a quarter of our students," the Hufflepuff Prefect told him when Ichigo asked him about it. "Not as many as you, but our two Houses usually had the greater number of Muggle born students. Good students, too - some of our best. Have you heard anything about the newbies?"
Ichigo shook his head. He knew that Ernie wanted to ask about Harry, Ron and Hermione, if they were okay, but with the Death Eaters hovering, that was one thing he didn't dare do. "Nothing," he replied, "Just that they're all different ages and years."
"You know," Hannah said from where she was sitting, "maybe we should pay them a visit? They have to be just as scared as many of us are..."
"That isn't a bad idea," Ernie agreed with a nod, "We should do that."
Ichigo looked at the pair with some amusement. While Ernie could be a little pompous and overbearing at times, he had been one of the first to state openly that he believed Harry when he had said that Moldy was back and he had also been one of the first members of the DA to arrive, ready to fight and protect the school, the night Professor Dumbledore had died. For that, Ichigo was willing to put up with a little bit of pomposity from the boy.
Rukia joined them, being the last one to use the rest room and having heard the tail end of the conversation, told the two young men they should go.
"They probably need to use the bathrooms as well and I don't think their car has one. It's shaped like ours and Ravenclaw's," she added.
Ichigo and Ernie glanced at each other, bemused, and then back at her.
"What?" she said, smirking, "didn't you notice? The front of the cars with the toilets are shaped completely differently than the ones that don't."
Tatsuki, who had been talking with Orihime and Momo while she waited for Rukia, burst into laughter, as did Neville and Seamus.
"C'mon," Ichigo said to Ernie, blushing slightly. They had a little – but not a lot – of trouble with the Death Eaters when they told them what they were going to do. Ichigo however, simply scowled and pushed his way by, with Ernie trailing behind him.
As they thought, the newbie car was nearly packed and they were talking in whispers which stopped when the pair entered the car.
"What are you two doing here?" they were confronted immediately by one of the two Death Eaters in the car.
"Sheesh," Ichigo muttered, "how many times do we have to say this? We're doing our jobs, ass-hat," he scowled at the man, "this car doesn't have a bathroom in it. Did you really plan on making them all hold it until we reach Hogwarts?"
From the sullen look on the Death Eater's face, Ichigo guessed he had, indeed planned to do just that. He and Ernie shared a smug look; Hannah's suggestion had been a good one, especially when they saw the hopeful looks on other faces.
Ichigo shouldered the Death Eater aside and when he reached for his wand, Ernie said casually, "He must really like carrots," the Death Eater froze; his gaze flicked from one young man to the other and he paled when he saw the smirk Ichigo wore at that comment. This was someone who knew about Ichigo's penchant for turning people into fluffy bunnies.
"Hm," the Fifth Squad Captain mused thoughtfully, "I think he's more the Naked Mole Rat type."
Ernie laughed wickedly and then stepped forward.
"Listen up everyone," he said, loud enough for everyone to hear him. "I'm Ernie MacMillan, Prefect for Hufflepuff House; this is Ichigo Kurosaki, Gryffindor Prefect. If you have any questions, problems or concerns, you can come to one of us, or the other five Prefects in our Houses, or one of the six Prefects in Ravenclaw for assistance."
"What about Slytherin? Don't they have Prefects?" a timid voice asked.
"Well –" Ichigo drawled, "If you get sorted into Slytherin, then you have that group to use as a resource as well. Unfortunately, Slytherin isn't very helpful to the rest of us."
"Why?"
Ichigo and Ernie glanced at each other.
"A very long and complicated story. If you have time – read Hogwarts, a History. It will tell you everything you need to know about their current mentality."
"Right now, though, we're going to get you to the bathroom in groups," Ernie nodded when he saw the relieved looks on a lot of faces at his statement. "We'll start with the First Years."
While Ernie escorted the first group back through the Gryffindor car, Ichigo stood in the doorway to open and close it for their return and to send the next group through. Parvati took position at one end of the car, Ginny at the other, and they managed to work out a good ferry system.
While they worked their way through the younger students, Ichigo became aware that a small group of students was staring intently at him.
"Problem?" he finally asked them.
"A question – your mother was Masaki Kurosaki?" the one who appeared to have been named spokesman asked. Ichigo nodded.
They all looked knowingly at each other. "Aah."
"You going to explain that?"
"Our families –" he indicated the other Orientals sitting with him, "all came from Japan as part of Ambassador Kurosaki's staff – the one who was your ancestor. I'm Kugo Ginjo," He pointed at the others. "Riruka Dokugamine, Shukuro Tsukishima, Jackie Tristan, Moe Shishigawara, and Yukio Hans Vorarlberna."
Ichigo nodded slowly. He'd been learning a great deal about his ancestry on his mother's side – but before he was going to trust this group he was going to have to check with her about them.
It didn't hurt to be too careful.