Last Time

Seeing the looks on Hermione and Ginny's faces, Dumbledore smiled wryly. "Don't worry, that's the first time I've wiped the entire schools memory before." He turned to face Refero. "Follow me, please."

The Hollow nodded. "Lead the way."

Now

"Nice place you got here, Dumbledore." Refero said, breaking the silence that had lasted the entire walk to the old man's office, as he sat down in a plush chair in front of the desk. Hermione and Ginny sitting on either side of him, and decided to just look around in silence and listen.

"Why thank you, Refero." Dumbledore replied civilly, taking his seat behind his desk. "You will, however, excuse me if I wish to skip the small talk."

Refero nodded, slouching deeper into his chair. "Of course. Ask and I shall answer, unless I consider the answer too personal. And can you tell them," He waved his free hand, the one not holding onto Zangetsu, at the past Headmaster portraits. "To stop the sleeping act?"

The portraits, realizing they had been found out, opened their eyes and straightened up. "That's better!" Refero laughed.

Dumbledore smiled under his beard. "First question, what/who are you?"

"Didn't I tell you I'm sick of those questions?" Refero asked, sighing. "Well, as I've already said, call me Refero. As for what I am... the simple answer is that I'm a Hollow."

"WHAT?!"

The group looked up at one of the Headmaster portraits. "What meaning does that have to you, Negalus?" Dumbledore asked. The portrait didn't reply, the man continued to look at Refero in shock. "Negalus." Dumbledore repeated, a little more forcefully, but the portrait still didn't respond. After staring at Refero for another moment, he simply walked out of his frame.

Refero raised an eyebrow. "Well, that was odd."

"Quite." Dumbledore nodded deftly. "Next question, what is a Hollow?"

"'A ghost; a ghost who lost themselves to anger and grieve. Our form, our human shape, becomes demented. A mask covers our faces, our final human piece, to hide our shame. A hole, for which we are named, opens in our chest; symbolic of our now hollow existence. Our transformation complete, we are now beasts who shall eternally crave for new levels of power; insatiable war mongers. Even if we one day remove the mask, and retrieve our human form; we shall forever have the instinct of the monster we truly are.'" Refero recited his voice low and subdued the most anyone had ever seen from the normally grinning man. "'Hollow', a poem by the Dos Espada, Halibel." His voice seemed to become impossibly sad at the mentioning of the female Espada.

The girls looked at him oddly, not knowing how to comfort the man. "I have never heard of that type of ghost before." Dumbledore continued, thinking it best to not push the subject.

"You wouldn't have, Dumbledore; I come from a different dimension after all." A hint of Refero's normal mocking tone had returned to his voice.

While the girls were seriously starting to doubt Refero's sanity, the situation suddenly started to make sense to Dumbledore. "You... made a deal with the Witch?"

The Hollow spirit chuckled, his echoing voice resonating through the room, and the three felt it touch their souls as well. "Not exactly; I made a deal with the head of her guard, though; her adoptive son, Gingetsu."

He looked at the old man curiously. "I'm surprised, you seem to have knowledge of the Witch, I hadn't expected anyone here to know of her."

Dumbledore chuckled. "I have my debts to pay." He answered cryptically, though Refero's smirk seemed to indicate he got the message. "I was unaware that the Witch had a son."

More echoing filled the room as Refero laughed louder. "Her adoptive son, Dumbledore. But yes, she does indeed have one she calls 'son'."

Dumbledore nodded, he was beginning to fully comprehend just what he was dealing with here. "How did you come to reside in Harry's mind?"

"I was wandering Hueco Mundo, Hollow territory, looking for something to do when a portal opened. Hoping through it, I met with Gin. After a short conversation, I was sent to this dimension. When I got here, Harry was being attacked by that basilisk, and I had some serious restraints on my power."

"Harry's 'lucky shot'?"

"Was me making basilisk shashimi."

Next was a question Dumbledore was dreading. "How restrained is your power?" Even if Refero's type of power was new to him, Dumbledore could still sense out a rough idea of how much he had at the moment; and it was a lot.

Refero's smirk made Albus shudder. "Roughly five times what I have right now."

Even though only the old man was close to understanding just how strong Refero was, all three of the listeners looked at the dimension traveler in trepidation.

"Last question." Dumbledore began, his face tightening. "What are your plans for this dimension?"

Refero seemed to think about this answer as he stood slowly, drawing Zangetsu as he went. "I came here for power, Dumbledore, and I'm here for power still. I will help Harry in any way I can until such a time that I am released from him, and even after." He held Zangetsu at eye level, its cutting edge facing the ceiling.

"Why? Why do you want more power? You have so much already, what do you want with such strength?"

"Tch!" Twitching his hand, Zangetsu's killing edge now pointed at Dumbledore, and a manic smile twisted his lips. "Did you listen to the poem, Dumbledore?! Power! It's what drives me, earning power for powers sake! Instinct!" He brought his left hand open, dragging the fingers across his face and down his neck. "Our skin peeled off,"

For a brief moment Dumbledore thought he had done just that as a vague shadow, a after image, covered the human shape; a quick glimpse of a long haired masked demon with a hole in its chest, but the image quickly faded.

"Our meat scooped out, our bones crushed! Nerves nullified! All to sharpen that one omnipotent thing; Instinct! I told Ichigo and I'll tell you lot; you need instinct to be King! 'So much power' you say? There's no such thing to ones like me, I simply wish for more battles, and thus more power! And my instinct shall lead me there!"

Refero's face switched from manic to a somber anger in a flash. "ONCE! Once I thought I had had enough, but I was wrong! Even with all that power, I couldn't save Halibel! Never again will I have 'enough' power, I will always seek more!" He sheathed his sword, and all was quite around him.

"Heh... ah hahahahaha!" Refero threw his head back as he laughed. "I remember! I remember tearing that pathetic Starch apart for what he had done to her!" Some where along the way, the red stripped hollow mask had begun to form; and the humans felt his power begin to flood the room.

The laughter was cut off as a blue flash of energy shone from the sheathed Zangetsu, whose avatar appeared a moment later as the light faded with a hand on his master's shoulder. "Calm yourself!" The avatar commanded in his even voice.

Refero looked over his shoulder at his companion, the yellow gold of his eyes shining behind the mask the now covered the upper right part of his face. ""

"You killed him, master, you avenged your woman, now reign in your emotions, Lady Halibel would scoff at you right now."

Refero nodded. "She would indeed." Reaching up, he tore his mask off and crushed it under hand. The humans, all three certain they'd seen a side of Refero few had, sighed in relieve as the reiatsu was drawn back into the Hollow. "Thank you, Zangetsu."

The avatar nodded, letting go of Refero's shoulder.

Refero turned back to face Dumbledore. "I'll be leaving; I need a nap or a spar..." Sitting back down, Refero closed his eyes, the sword in his hands vanishing and Harry's body returning to normal as his consciousness left control.

He appeared where he normally did in Harry's mindscape, the vice-headmaster's seat. "Hmm... wonder he got to?" With a minute shunpo, he stood in front of the doors, pushing them open; he stepped out into the entrance hall. His ears, sharpened by both his race and war, picked up the faint sounds of clanging steel.

Following the noise, he pushed open another set of door, this time stepping out of Hogwarts itself and into its grounds. In the distance he could make out the forest and lake. 'This boy truly has some serious mental capabilities...' He praised Harry as he felt a wind on his face. Seeing who he was looking for, he disappeared in another burst of shunpo.

Reappearing behind the tree line of the Forbidden Forest, he peered around a trunk to watch the spar going on between Harry and his sword avatar.

Harry, wearing a standard Shihakusho, was panting as he leaned against a tree, his sword still raised in one hand as he glared tiredly at the empathic face of his sword spirit, a large assortment of cut ranging from light to medium scattered across his body.

The nameless sword just kept his small golden green eyes trained on his opponent, not a scratch on him and his breathing normal. The messy haired blond raised his sword, a double sword with a dagger on the other side of the hilt from the blade its self, above his head. "Breaks over." He sated in a bland voice, leaping forward; he must have incredible bounce to do so, as his getahad a single five inch stand each.

Eyes wide, Harry managed to duck away from the attack just in time for the tip of the sword to sink several inches into the tree he had just been leaning on. "Slow." The sword said blandly.

The avatar sat with a small sigh. "I don't know how you managed to wake me up, if this is all you got… You can't even cut my bandanna at this level." He tapped the red silk that covered his forehead.

"... #4, White Lightning!" Harry shouted, having muttered the chant while the blond had spoken, jutting a finger swirling with crackling energy at the other.

Watching the stream of lightning approach him a smirk carved itself on his steely face, a large and very hot wall of fire roared into existence, and Harry's attack faded out as it rammed into it. "There you go, Harry, much better." He stated, though his voice was still as bland as it had been before. "It's... vexing for you to hide, Refero-san." The sword said, eyes never leaving a caterpillar that he had found.

Laughing, Refero stepped out from the tree line. "So sorry." He mocked, turning to Harry. "So, still emo?"

Harry panted. "Like I had a choice to stop..."

Laughing a little louder, the Hollow waved. "Bye bye then, Harry." He waved as Harry faded out, and turned to face the sword. "Spar?"

"Sure." The blond dead panned, pulling himself from the tree and lunging at Refero. "Maouen(Demon Star Blaze)!" He called, the black fire he summoned becoming a ball that hurled at his spar partner.

Grinning, Refero shunpo'd away from the damage zone, appearing foot over the lake's center. "Come, Zangetsu!" He called, the sword forming in his extended right hand just in time to guard from the other sword. "I haven't felt this in a long time..." He said, grinning like only Kenpachi, or Grimmjow at his best, could ever could besides himself. 'Well, there was that Mayuri guy, but he's a totally different kind of nut job!'

Harry came back into control his body with a groan. "God damn sadist..." He muttered grumpily, righting himself into a full sitting position. "... the both of them." He amended, realizing that the first way he had said it implied only one of them was a sadist.

Seeing that Harry was awake, Zangetsu faded away without notice.

"Harry!" Both girls cried, jumping from their spots to hug the boy, Ginny wrapping tightly around his waist while Hermione wrapped around his neck.

"C-c-can't breath!" He gasped out.

Blushing, the two girls loosened their grip, but didn't let go.

Harry grinned, wrapping a arm around each of the girls. "Sorry if I worried you two."

"Shall I look into seeing if the Twins would like to start up a betting pool on when Harry starts a harem, hmm?" Dumbledore asked, chuckling.

All three blushing deeply now, Ginny let of Harry embarrassedly as did Hermione, who shot Dumbledore a heated glare. "Harems are illegal, Headmaster."

Dumbledore just shook his head, his chuckles deepening. "In the muggle world, perhaps; but not in the world you three are living in. "The three blushed even deeper, and Harry swore he heard Refero's laughter in his mind. Deciding to take pity on the kids, he switched topics. "You have some... interesting people residing in your mind, Mr Potter."

"That I do." Harry agreed with a sigh, looking up at the headmaster. "But, they are my friends."

"Did you know what he was?"

The boy shook his head. "When I first met him? I had no idea, and I didn't learn until mid summer. All I knew was that he had saved mine and Ginny's life."

"You're very trusting, Mr Potter. A admiral trait, but trust should be earned."

"He's done much to earn it, Headmaster."

"Did he tell you Halibel's poem?"

"He did, and it matters little what Hollows are as a race, it matters what he is as Refero. And Headmaster?"

"Yes?"

Harry looked him dead in the eye with the most serious look Dumbledore had ever seen on the boy's face. "Only Refero gets to say that name." Harry's tone was as serious as his face.

"Ah, it shall be noted." Dumbledore nodded, thankful for the warning "That's all for today, you can all go rest." They nodded, standing to leave. "Oh, Mr Potter, Miss Granger?"

"Yes?" They asked turning to look at the old man from th door.

"Congratulations." He said, smiling under his beard. "Your parents, Mr Potter, would be proud."

The two smiled, and Dumbledore couldn't recall seeing a happier look on Harry's face, turned and followed Ginny out.

"What do you think, Fawkes?" The old man asked his familiar when the sound of the door at the bottom of the stairs closing could be heard. The Phoenix released a low trill, and and it's master/friend nodded, seeming to understand. "Yes, my original plans are array with this development... but, it seem's to have given Harry happiness, which is something I've been trying to do myself for a very long time." Another trill, and another nod. "Yes, Refero is an incredibly dark and powerful creature, but I would not call him evil... just self serving, which is not an inheritedly evil trait."

Nodding to himself, he reclined in his seat. "Yes, I think I'll let it play out." Fawkes trilled another not, and it gave the impression of laughter. "Yes, the fact that Refero could, and most likely would, tear me apart for interfering did have some impact on my decision to, as you put it, 'not put my nose in another matter un-realted to me'."

(A/N)Yo! Well here you go, the next chapy!