A/N: Hey guys and welcome to chapter 8! They 'day' chapters will probably be a little boring still but not to worry, we'll be past that soon enough and we do need the build-up for what I've planned~ Finally I've been able to implement the Vacío. They are a concept I invented so I'd be grateful if they aren't borrowed without permission.

Enjoy!


The next morning found Harry excited beyond what he had been in quite a while.

He knew the day would still be far from pleasant but at last he had something to look forward to and enjoy! Even though that Urahara guy looked kind of weird and used to be someone who killed Hollows or a living (or not?), he still felt safe enough to have the man instruct him.

Besides, there was no one else he could learn from and it wasn't like the other knew exactly where he was. Not to mention he was bound to be hard-pressed to even find Hogwarts, let alone enter it and discover the Room of Requirement. Harry knew he was safe so there would be no problem. Not concerning his training as a Hollow at least.

Alas, that wasn't the end of his problems.

Harry hesitantly stepped out the doors, glad the room of requirement had been able to fetch his things for him and make them appear there instead of forcing him to make the trip back to Gryffindor tower. He didn't want to face the scathing looks.

His friends refused to believe that this transformation hadn't been caused by something he did and considering how Ron had turned on him after the tournament, he knew they would start believing the rumours about Dark magic.

'No, don't believe in that shit Potter! You're better than this.' He nearly revelled at the feeling of contentment welling up in him, though he knew that was his instinct. 'You did nothing wrong so hold your head high, they can't prove you did something illegal because you didn't.'

Satisfied with his little pep talk he nodded to himself and entered the great hall, where pleasant talking and whispers fell silent almost right away. Normally that would have caused him to try to be as unnoticeable as possible while his heart sinks to his stomach but really, why should he hide from them? He was stronger now, mentally and physically. This evening he'd start his training and then he could show them that they shouldn't randomly accuse Harry Potter of things he didn't do.

He seated himself at the end of the Gryffindor table and ate his breakfast, seemingly unbothered by what was going on around him. That was why he missed the headmaster's narrowed eyes when Harry walked out of the hall again.


The day passed fairly quietly, though the whispers still followed him. It wasn't until his History of Magic class that he realised how he had been acting and thinking.

No, feeling superior and untouchable like this wasn't like him at all. His inner Hollow seemed to pout at him, having enjoyed this little outing of confidence greatly. Still, Harry knew that the only thing he had ever been able to truly hold onto was his sense of self and his morals. Just because he was turning into a Hollow didn't mean he could simply abandon those.

When the class was over and everyone woke from their usual naps, he noticed Ron and Hermione leaving without even sparing him much of a glance. Something was definitely wrong there.

Even though he knew it was most likely wiser not to confront them, he still rushed after them, calling their names in the hope they would stop.

Almost to his surprise, they actually did.

"What is it, Harry?" It bothered him how strained her posture and voice were, but Ron's defensive stance didn't help assuage his worries.

"I've noticed you guys have been keeping a distance from me… Why? You know I'd never practice Dark magic." He was nervous but managed to hide it well, seeming only casual. Much to his annoyance Draco was standing a little away and seemed to be able to read him just fine. Well, he wasn't able to put up a façade as strong as a Slytherin either so he supposed that was good, in a way.

"Do we know that? That freakish mask thing on your face is already proof enough Harry! What else are we supposed to believe?" Ron cut in before Hermione could reply. Well, at least now he knew what they really thought.

"Is that what you think of me? You'd believe rumours set off by Malfoy over your own best friend? I guess I should've expected something like that from you after fourth year, but you Hermione? That's really low." Harry could only look at them in disappointment, though he could feel the betrayal floating just behind his already mediocre self-control.

He wanted to lash out to them and explain that it came from his magical inheritance, but he just couldn't find the right words. He could even vow he hadn't done any Dark magic, but then what was the point? Hogwarts students were very stubborn in holding on to rumours and such. He'd just have to live with it. Come next year they'd all see they were wrong. He just knew it.

"Face it Harry, even the headmaster thinks you've done some sort of ritual. There's no way he's wrong about this." That hurt. He already knew Dumbledore suspected something but to have it blown in his face like that…

Did I just lose my friends and my mentor in the timespan of day? He bit his lip to contain himself before his gaze turned cold.

"You're wrong. I don't care what you believe though, in the end, we'll see who was speaking the truth. But at that point, don't try to come crawling back for forgiveness. You're no longer people I call friends."

With that he turned away, going to the astronomy tower instead of lunch. He didn't want to have to deal with the staring faces right now.


Why won't this bloody itch just leave me alone?!

Harry paced in front of the room of requirement, hoping to get in and shower as soon as possible to get rid of the itch. He'd been stuck with it all throughout the day after his visit to the astronomy tower, though it had certainly helped to clear his thoughts. The encounter with Ron and Hermione had shaken him, despite the fact he had shown it as little as he could.

Maybe now they thought he was heartless, but he couldn't find it in him to care. Technically he was becoming at least a little heartless, since he had a hole in his chest and the mask was forming. He knew it wasn't supposed to form like that but he always had been a bit of a special case, surviving things he shouldn't.

The clouds of spirit particles around him had been becoming more substantial as well but he didn't want to ponder on the loss of his body.

The doors appeared and he quickly slipped in, heading for the extra door that lead to the bathroom. Once there he relished in spending time under the hot water. Even more particles came off of him, but he didn't think on it. Harry had enough of panicking for now.

Once he stepped out of the shower, he looked at the hole again. It was still as noticeable as it had been when it formed and the mask seemed to gain a deeper outline now as well, as if it were slowly inching towards the surface. He didn't want to think about his skin breaking either though.

"It looks like there are a lot of things I don't want to think about…" He mumbled to himself as he got dressed and tied his hair back.

Once he stepped out, he nearly tripped over two dog-sized creatures lying in front of the door perfectly content.

"What the bloody hell—?!"

One of them yawned and barked at him. He noticed it had a sleek, white fur with a green shine to it. Its face was flat and bore a Hollow's mask, so did the other one. They both bore a shining green lightning bolt on their necks as like a mark of possession. What the hell was going on?

Another bark and one of them nuzzled against him. He could hear a now voice floating through his mind suddenly, a disembodied one.

'Don't worry master, we are here to protect.'

What kind of Hollow creature protected anything?! Aside from Harry maybe, but that was beside the point.

'We were made from your body.'
'You don't need a Hollow's body because of your magic.'
'Your magic sustains you, and us.'
'We feed off of magic and reiatsu, Master.'
'You have nothing to worry about.'

The voices were certainly different and belonged to both of them, reminding him of Fred and George's twin-speak.

So they were what happened to his body, huh? Then they were the two clouds that had been following him all this time and when he had showered, the rest of the particles must have been released. It looked like being a wizard was going to cause a lot more changes than he had anticipated in the first place.

"What about my body, then?" Harry asked in confusion. He hadn't lost it and as far as he knew he wasn't in spirit form either. Weird.

'Your magic is strong.'
'Your magic gives you your body now.'
'Others can still see you like this.'
'It'll seem like nothing has changed.'
'But you have us now.'
'We will protect you and grow stronger with you.'
'We will become many.'
'We will become all.'

Whoa okay, that definitely had his mind reeling. The good news was that he was still relatively normal thanks to his magic. Others could still see him and touch him, though he gained very mysterious bodyguards who made little to no sense at all. Especially concerning that last bit.

He shoved those thoughts out of his mind. Again, too much stress and panic.

"What are your names?" And now to hope he wouldn't be met with another riddle-like twin-speak session.

'We are Vacío.'
'We are emptiness.'
'We have no proper names.'
'We have no need for them, because we are always changing.'
'We are one.'

Okay, confusing but not entirely.

"So I can just call you Vacío then?"

Twin nods told him all he needed to know before ruffling the top of their heads. He had expected their bodies to be hard, but they were actually rather soft.

"I think I'll go read a little until midnight. You guys are free to roam around here but don't go outside unless I call you, okay? It's not safe for you and I already have enough rumours to deal with." He only mumbled the last bit as he picked up last night's book and started reading again.

Chapter 2 - Arrancar

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A/N: Thanks everyone for reading, reviewing etc~

I had fun writing the last bit especially since I wanted to implement the Vacío during the confrontation with Draco, but that ended up being about the mask, whoops. Still, it turned out better like this I think because now I actually found a reason for them to turn up. Goodbye plothole for the Vacío xD

No Urahara just yet I'm afraid but he'll be here in the next chapter. Wouldn't want a bombardment of information, now would we? x3 Anyway, I'll be busy all weekend including Friday so I won't be starting on Chapter 9 until Monday. I could probably use a break from all this writing anyway xD

Please leave a review to let me know your thoughts about this chapter and I'll see you guys soon!

Love,
~Lumina