Hey guys, sorry I kept you all waiting for so long, as you may know I had a lot of tests squeezed into a single week (95% in my Maths test :]) and I also got really stuck for more than a month so I didn't write anything in that period of time and I was in Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Macau (whole China tour :D) for two weeks, but now that I don't have any school since it's the summer holidays (it started like, one week early due to a whole cluster of swine flu cases at our school) I have more time to write this.
July 1st: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day... yay... a lot of protesting... yippee (*weak and obviously fake smile*)
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Bleach
Hitsugaya's eyes slowly opened as the sunlight shone through the billowing curtains and into the room. Grunting, he got up and looked around. Everyone else was still sleeping, still in their dreamy worlds. He could tell from the curtains that the windows he had opened last night still remained that way, probably because no one had seen them open behind the curtains. Yawning slightly, he stumbled over to the window and looked outside.
The sun was already climbing slowly up the blue, cloudless sky, lighting up the grounds. It was quiet apart from the even breathing of the other boys in the dormitory and the cheerful birds chirping. Green grass extended all the way to the forest that stood in the distance. Hitsugaya took a deep breath. It had been a while since he had been in such a peaceful place. Back in Soul Society, even at the crack of dawn there would still be frantic shinigami scurrying around, muttering about the work that still sat on their desks and their training, the Hollows, not to mention Matsumoto's constant sake parties and too-loud hangovers. It was so calm here before everyone woke up that his annoyance at having to waste an entire year here subsided.
Then he sensed Matsumoto's reiatsu get closer. He looked down and saw her waving. She wasn't in her gigai, probably because she didn't want to stay in her ridiculous robes. Still, even though most of the students and teachers here didn't have enough spiritual energy to see shinigami, he wasn't taking any chances. If anyone actually could see her, their identities would be exposed…
He jumped down and landed on the grass, cringing as the shock passed through his gigai. Normally he would land smoothly, but this gigai sure was cumbersome. Matsumoto hurried over, yelling, "Taicho!"
"Quiet!" Hitsugaya winced, straightening his back. "Do you want the whole castle to hear?"
Matsumoto pouted. "But everyone's sleeping! Have you seen these people, you blow a trumpet in their ear and they snore at you!"
"Have you really tried blowing a trumpet in someone's ear?"
Matsumoto hesitated. "Well..."
Hitsugaya sighed."What do you want, Matsumoto?"
She bit her lip. "I was lonely! I asked some random person if they wanted to play cards and they just looked at me as if I was insane! Then they bid me goodnight and disappeared! So I sat at my desk for the whole night wondering whether I should go to sleep or drink sake when I remembered that I didn't bring it! So I went down to the kitchens, but they didn't know what it was! And it was full of weird creatures with pointy ears and stuff!" She made a face and continued, complaining about the lack of sake, her phone not working, her clothes too stuffy, blah blah blah. Finally Hitsugaya interrupted.
"Did you discover anything... strange?"
Matsumoto had opened her mouth to go on about god-knows-what and now it was hanging open. "Oh yeah! I saw some really weird spirits today, but then you didn't tell me anything about them, taicho!"
He winced. "It seems that they are different from the spirits we are used to dealing with. One had told me yesterday that they cannot come in contact with solid beings, and I tried passing my hand through his arm and it went right through. He also said that he was over 500 years old, yet he still continues to regain his human shape and has never encountered a Hollow in his life. He also knew who we are."
Matsumoto gasped. "Wait, how did he know about that?"
"I think those 'ghosts' as they like to call themselves can sense reiatsu, or at least to some extent, however, there is a ghost teaching History of Magic and he didn't seem to notice."
"Then why haven't our sensors picked them up?"
Hitsugaya looked up at the sky thoughtfully. "I'm not sure... it might be due to their composition or maybe because they're different from the spirits we are accustomed to dealing with..."
"Then what do we do? If we cannot touch them we cannot send them to Soul Society, right?"
He sighed. "I don't know." There was a silence for a few minutes before Hitsugaya changed the subject.
"Did you have any lessons yesterday?"
"Nope. But I think I have a lesson today..." She thought for a bit. "Oh yes! I'm teaching the second years today!"
Hitsugaya cringed. "Second years?"
"Oh yeah, you're a second year, aren't you, taicho?"
"Yes." Hitsugaya groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Make sure you behave yourself; don't do anything weird like look at me deperately and don't act as if you know me, at all! Got it?"
Matsumoto whined slightly. "I'll try..."
"Good. It's nearly time for breakfast, get going before someone sees us."
"Hai. See you later!" Matsumoto grinned and shunpoed away. Hitsugaya grunted and jumped up to the open window, where the boys were still sleeping. This gigai was really constricting him, but oh well, at least he was still able to move properly. He got dressed and headed down for breakfast.
---
Hermione was no longer fuming at Ron and Harry, in fact, she greeted them cheerfully when they came into the Great Hall yawning. Ron seemed rather surprised at her sudden change of mood but didn't complain. Harry was simply grateful that they could be friends again.
"Mm, these potatoes are really good!" Hermione said as she dug into breakfast. "Haven't tasted such good potatoes in a while."
"Been eating too much Muggle food, Granger?" Malfoy was striding towards their table, a smirk covering his face. Apparently yesterday's events had been forgotten. "Oh, I'm sorry, got that a bit wrong there, rather, enjoying too much wizard food? Well, don't get used to it, because soon you'll be heading back to your Muggle parents and your little Muggle friends, you Mudblood. I'd pack my bags if I were you, who knows when they'll finally do something right and kick you dirty scum out of here?"
"Malfoy." Harry rose and stood in front of Hermione, as if protecting her. "Can't you just shut up for once? You're such a pompous git, you are. Go pick on someone else for a change."
Malfoy smirked. "Well, what if I don't? What are you going to do about it, Potter?" He spat at him, smiling. "Anyway, you should get ready for the Quidditch practices, eh? You'll be in for a rather pleasant surprise, I should say."
"What're you talking about?"
"Oh, you'll see." He turned and headed back to his table, a rather loud snicker escaping his mouth.
"Ignoh 'im 'arry." Ron said. "'e's pwobabwy just jerkin' you awound."
"Yeah Harry, you know better than to listen to Malfoy." Hermione said, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "Come on, eat breakfast already."
Harry sat down reluctantly, sighing. "Well, hopefully he doesn't join the Quidditch team. He's not really that good at flying anyway."
Hermione eyed Malfoy's blond head over at the Slytherin table. "He really is very irritating; he keeps discriminating us Muggle-borns, in fact, the whole of Slytherin is just like him!"
"Well, there's nothing wrong with Muggle-borns!" Ron exclaimed. "Ignore him, Hermione. He's just too proud of being all pure-blooded and whatever."
Hermione looked at him. "Nice to see you're swallowing before eating, Ronald."
Ron flushed and took a big bite out of his toast. "Dere, 'appy?"
Hermione gave a small snort of disgust but smiled anyway. "Oh, here comes Toshiro!"
Harry winced as he felt an icy cold blast hit him. Strangely enough, no one else seemed to notice the sudden temperature change.
'Good morning!" Hermione said cheerfully. "Did you sleep well?"
"Y-yeah. Thank you."
"I heard some rattling this morning." Ron mumbled, "Did you have anything to do with it, because I was having the greatest dream when I was rudely pulled out of my sleep!"
Hitsugaya stopped in the middle of spreading jam on his toast. Had he seen...?
"No, I don't think so. I was asleep for the whole night."
Ron grumbled. "Well, I swear I heard something."
Hitsugaya shrugged and started eating the toast, silently letting out a sigh of relief. He was losing it, he was. If they continued at this rate they would be discovered before the end of the month. "Maybe it was your imagination."
"Are you all right Harry?" Hermione suddenly asked, waving a hand in front of his face. "You're very pale..."
"You were pale yesterday as well!" Ron said, looking concerned. "Maybe you should see Madam Pomfrey."
Harry shook his head. "No, I'm fine... I just..." Clenching his fist, he forced a weak smile out. "Maybe it's something I ate." He closed his eyes and bit his bottom lip.
"Harry, really, I think you should go see the nurse."
'No, Hermione, it's all right." He got up, shaking slightly. "Excuse me." He staggered out of the hall, a thin film of sweat covering his forehead and neck.
"Blimey, do you think it's really something he ate?" Ron asked, eying he plate, which was still full of eggs and potatoes. "You know what? I'm not hungry anymore."
"I'm really worried about him." Hermione muttered, looking at the doors out of which Harry had just gone. "What do you think, Toshiro?" There was no response. "Toshiro?"
---
Harry just made it to the bathrooms before he started vomiting in the sink.
"Are you all right Potter?"
Harry turned and saw Hitsugaya come through the door. "D-don't come any closer, you-" He was cut off by another vomiting fit, and when he was done his face was a rather ghastly shade of green.
"Look, I think you should see the patron." Hitsugaya said, looking at the boy. "She'll be able to help you." He took a tentative step closer.
"No, I'm f-fine..."
Hitsugaya looked closely at him. If a soul was suddenly exposed to large amounts of reiatsu they would feel weak and would suffer the same symtoms that Harry was suffering right now, but both his and Matsumoto's reiatsus (plural?) were in check and this boy didn't seem to be able to detect any reiatsu of any sort.
Then, without warning, Harry fainted.
"Potter!" Hitsugaya rushed forward and caught him before he fell on the floor. Despite him being much bigger and taller than Hitsugaya, he was able to drag him out of the bathroom and across the hall. There was the sound of pattering footsteps as Ron and Hermione rushed to him.
"Harry! What happened?" Hermione shouted, helping Hitsugaya support his weight.
"He was vomiting in the bathroom and suddenly he fainted." Hitsugaya grunted.
"What? He suddenly fainted?"
"I don't know why, but yes."
"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed as they rushed to get Harry to Madam Pomfrey. "If he was vomiting then it must have been the food!"
The door burst open and both Hermione and Ron ran across the room to find the nurse. "Madam Pomfrey, Harry's fainted. Please, can you come look as him?"
A rather plump witch emerged from the room and gasped when she saw Harry's unconscious body on the floor. "Well then, chop chop, get him on a bed!"
The bed squeaked in protest as they heaved Harry onto it. Madam Pomfrey then came over and started examining him.
"Well?"
She looked up. "He's perfectly healthy, he hasn't got a temperature, doesn't seem to have a cold, nothing. I think he just didn't eat enough food, you know how food is important for growing kids. He just needs a few hours of sleep and he should be up on his feet."
"Toshiro said he was vomiting."
"Was he now? Well, that would explain why he didn't have enough food."
"But why was he vomiting?"
"Maybe there was something wrong with the food. There might be a contamination in the kitchens."
"But we feel fine!" Ron protested. "If it was in the food wouldn't we be affected too?"
"Well I don't know everything do I?" Madam Pomfrey said, annoyed. "Why don't you inform Dumbledore about this, say we might have some sort of germ in the food, or maybe the house elves are messing about. Now I think you should leave, he needs peace to sleep!"
Ron opened his mouth to say something, but he was silenced by Hermione. "Thank you very much, Madam Pomfrey. Hopefully Harry gets better soon."
Her fierce look disappeared and she smiled. "Yes, let's hope so."
"Come on Ron, we have to get to class. You too Toshiro."
Ron looked at his friend worriedly, but Hermione managed to reassure him. They left, Hitsugaya looking at the sleeping Harry apprehensively. It's very unlikely he told himself Not only are our reiatsus controlled, they're also hidden behind our gigais. You're jumping to conclusions.
The door closed and Hermione sighed. "Well, we'd better get to class or we'll be late."
---
The first class was Potions. Hitsugaya knew from the moment he stepped into the cold dungeons that he would like it there. Whoever taught in this place either, like him, liked the cold or just wasn't bothered to turn up the heat. Either way, Hitsugaya admired the man's choice. He was pretty sick of the constant heat from the common room.
The class turned out to be taught by a man with a hooked nose and greasy hair, apparently called Snape. It was pretty evident that Ron did not like the man, grumbling as he settled down into a chair.
It also seemed that Snape had a grudge against all the Gryffindors, especially Harry. When he found out he was not attending class he muttered something about laziness and something else. Despite all this, Hitsugaya quickly found out that he respected the man. While everyone else (at least, everyone in Gryffindor) hated him for his apparent 'mean-ness' Hitsugaya thought that his strict way of teaching did more good than someone who was too kind to notice someone's mistakes and give them a proper teaching. In fact, his way of dealing with his own division was quite similar. However, Snape did seem rather prejudiced towards Slytherin, his own house as Hitsugaya soon found out. Or maybe it was just that he didn't like the Gryffindors, after all, they could be quite annoying sometimes.
Hitsugaya was in the middle of adding his wormroot to his cauldron when Ron tapped him on the shoulder. He turned and saw that Ron was looking rather uncomfortable.
"What is it?"
Ron pursed his lips together and it looked like he wanted to say something but was having difficulties actually speaking the words.
"T-thanks for... helping Harry out... you know... when he fainted and all..." It looked like he had swallowed a slug that actually tasted good but the shock of actually swallowing something as disgustingly slimy as a slug somehow made the experience a whole big mess of surprise, horror, disgust at one's self and a maybe rather disturbing urge for more, and that all resulted in conflicting emotions that one could ponder on for a long time. It was a rather curious and amusing emotion, something that shinigami and humans alike experienced. Hitsugaya himself was rather surprised at the boy's sudden change of heart.
"It was but a reaction triggered by sympathy. Even if you saw the enemy suffering, it doesn't matter whether you help them or not, but you would still feel a twinge empathy and pity towards the one in question. A flaw, you may call it, of the human mind, however, it can come useful sometimes."
Ron looked at him, completely baffled. "How old are you?"
Hitsugaya turned away and continued to work on his potion. "That is none of your business."
Ron grunted, annoyed again, and followed suit, chopping up his oleander with the wrong end of the knife.
---
Harry came back in the middle of Charms, looking much better and a little less pale. Hermione looked rather worried that his face had not regained its full color but otherwise did not complain. The other students were muttering about why Potter was all sick and stuff but Hitsugaya had yet to find out what was so special about the scarred boy.
The Great Hall was as usual very noisy when Hitsugaya entered for break. He settled down on one of the benches and started getting some food. He was chewing a chicken when someone came up to him.
"The Wrandynuts are hovering over your head, but it's a good thing they're just babies, or even the tables and the floor would be white from your touch."
Hitsugaya turned. Standing behind him was a first year waist length dirty-blond hair and eyebrows placed higher up on her forehead than most people, making her look eternally astonished.
"Wrandynuts?"
"They're invisible creatures who attach themselves to people when they are born and take the color from them. They're actually pretty similar to Wrackspurts, but they lived in a darker area of the world, so naturally they wanted to draw color from others. See, your hair is already suffering from their effects."
Hitsugaya scowled. "This is my natural hair color."
"You think that because the Wrandynuts want you to."
Hitsugaya looked at the strange girl, wondering whether anything was affecting her brain. Right now she was leaning back on her heels, humming something almost inaudible.
"I'm Luna Lovegood." she said, holding her hand out. Hitsugaya shook it. "I'm in Ravenclaw. I saw you at the sorting. You're Toshiro Hitsugaya, right?"
"Yes."
"You're not in first year, are you?"
"No I'm not, I'm in the second year."
Luna smiled. "I thought so." She fingered a strange necklace that seemed to be made out of corks. "You should wear some sandralia roots. The Wrandynuts don't like sandralia because it smells of horse poo. It may take a while, but after they get away from you the color will return."
Hitsugaya sighed. "Well... thank you for... telling me..."
"If you want to know more about Wrandynuts you should read the Quibbler. My father edits it, and I'm sure you'll find it useful. Well, it was nice meeting you. See you later!" She waved then skipped away, her long hair swinging from side to side and occasionally hitting people full on in the face. She was definitely one of the strangest people Hitsugaya had ever met. However, she at least didn't freak out at his hair or eyes or skin or appearance or something. Or maybe she did. It was impossible to tell whether it was simply because of her eyebrows or if she was actually genuinely surprised. Perhaps she was simply slightly insane.
---
"Harry."
The scarred boy looked up from an essay for Transfiguration that he was finishing, along with Ron, before class started. Hermione was sitting on the chair across from him, looking quite worried.
"What?"
"May I have a word?"
Harry raised an eyebrow but rolled up his parchment nevertheless and walked over Hermione. "What is it?"
Hermione eyed Ron, who was oblivious to the recent exchange between his two friends, then whispered. "Am I right in thinking that you are afraid of Toshiro?"
Harry swallowed. "Of course I'm not. What's there to be afraid of?"
"You always go pale and faint* when he's around, and that's really unlike you. I also don't think you fainting is because you haven't eaten enough, is it?"
Harry bit his bottom lip, looking down to avoid Hermione's eye. "Hermione, don't you think there's something wrong with him, as if something isn't quite right about him? I mean, the way the air always gets colder around him, and that feeling of death and suffering... He claims that he's twelve, yet his hair is whiter than even Dumbledore's, he demands a level of respect that surpasses even that of Snape, and his eyes are just disturbing and almost sinister...."
Now it was Hermione's turn to bite her lip. "Well, I must agree that something is definitely strange about Toshiro, but I think he might just be different, and he's not from around here, so maybe..."
Harry sighed. "I need to finish my essay, or McGonagall will flip."
Hermione still looked apprehensive, but nodded and started packing her books and quills back into her bag.
"D-do you need help, Harry?" she asked in a desperate attempt to change the subject and escape the extremely awkward atmosphere.
"No, I'm fine." Harry answered, his quill hovering over the parchment, ready to start a new paragraph. He though better of it and just added his conclusion at the bottom of the last one and rolled it all up. "What do we have after break?"
"Oh, um..." Hermione dug frantically through her bag, blushing slightly, apparently regretting asking Harry about Hitsugaya. "Oh, we have Defense Against the Dark Arts next. I wonder what Professor Matsumoto will be like..."
---
Hitsugaya sighed as he started to head off to class. He had first wanted to go early so he could ask Matsumoto if she had everything planned and to tell her not to blow their cover, but decided that it'd be useless seeing as he already told her, and an extra time wouldn't make a difference to the rest of his warnings trying to penetrate the thick skull of hers that was simply concentrated on sake and guys. So, he had spent his free time during break researching Harry Potter in the library, trying to figure out what it was that made him so special, however, his efforts proved to be fruitless; all the books in the library were either written before his time or did not mention anything past the last century. It seemed he would have to inquire further, but he was rather reluctant to ask anybody- his first meeting with Hermione, Ron and Harry proved to be very infuriating due to them looking at him as if he was stupid for not knowing why Potter was such a famous person.
The castle was far too big to get used to in only a couple of days, but Hitsugaya managed to find his way through the long passages to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Even before he opened the door he was starting to have second thoughts about agreeing to let Matsumoto accompany him here, cringing as he imagined all the possible scenarios in which his vice-captain could screw up. Of course, it was not his choice, the mission was set, after all, by the captain commander, and he was the only one who had a say in this. But still, why Matsumoto?
His mood was not improved when he was attacked by Momo the cat the moment he stepped through the doorway. Laughter broke out as he closed the door, picking up the annoying cat and almost throwing it to the other side of the classroom. It seemed he had arrived early, there were only about ten people in the classroom, Harry and his friends included. Matsumoto was not to be seen, although Hitsugaya detected her reiatsu coming faintly from the door that led to her office. Not waiting to be ushered over to sit next to Hermione, who seemed to treat him as if he was her new best friend (although after the strange Potter-fainting incident, she seemed to be a little more wary of him), he settled down in a seat near the back, so that hopefully Matsumoto wouldn't keep looking at him as if to ask him what to do next. Honestly, sometimes he suspected it had become a habit of hers.
A few minutes later, Matsumoto stepped through the door of the office, and it was evident from the amount of books she was carrying she had been doing some last minute revision. She stumbled slightly as she made her way down the stairs, and heaved a great sigh as she loaded them on the table in front of the class.
"Er... h-hello. I'm P-professor Matsumoto, and I'll be... er... teaching you Defense Against the Dark Arts t-this year."
*faint as in the adjective meaning weak and dizzy, not faint as in the verb pass out
I am really stuck with Matsumoto so I deliberately ended the chapter there so I could get the readers ideas. I might rewrite this chapter if I feel like it seeing as this chapter seems rather useless, but then again, please, if you have any suggestions for what Matsumoto should teach the class, please tell me through a review or something. Thank you!
I'm not too sure about the effects of being exposed to large amounts of reiatsu, but I'll just stick to the vomiting and fainting. I also might have overdone Hitsugaya's concern a bit, but oh well, not bothered to write it again. I absolutely hate philosophy which is why I was blabbering about nonsense at the sympathy part, but oh well...I was about to skip Luna out when I remembered I was supposed to introduce her in this chapter so sorry if it seemed totally useless and random.
Thank you to all those who have reviewed, and please review this chapter, it will be much appreciated :D
FallenSnow12