I hurried to get this up before I go off to Shanghai, so warning: unless I can miraculously find a computer in China and stick to it long enough to type up a whole chapter, the next chapter won't come out for at least two months. Although I probably will be writing by hand…
Thank you everyone who sent me beta reader offers, and thank you bluebird99 for betaing :]
Disclaimer: If I did own Bleach and Harry Potter, I would kill Aizen and get rid of the clichéd Harry Potter ending. Unfortunately, I don't own either of them, so I can't do that, and it's probably a good thing…
The news of Toshiro's 'accident' went around pretty quickly, and by the end of the day people were gossiping about how the white haired boy had managed to summon an ice dragon to destroy the Bludger and save the world amid cheers and spotlights. Of course that wasn't the case, but not everyone had seen what had happened, and besides, it was more fun to twist the facts.
These far out (yet pretty close) rumors seemed to amuse the white haired boy whom they concerned quite a big deal when the trio went to visit him after dinner. Most of his injuries had healed and he was just itching to get out of bed, but both the fussy nurse and Hermione would not let him even lift a foot off the bed, which left him having to talk to them while lying down and facing the ceiling.
"I summoned an ice dragon, huh?" he chuckled, refusing Ron's offer of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Last time he ate one of those beans, it was vomit flavored. Since then, his liking for them had gone… well… downhill, if you want.
"I don't get how that managed to get out, I mean, everyone was at the match, they should've seen what actually happened, right?" Hermione said worriedly, keeping a hand on his arm to make sure he wouldn't escape. Like he would… although he really wanted to.
"Ah well, it's out now, nothing we can do about it." Ron said, popping a purple bean into his mouth and immediately spitting it out. Toshiro did a quick lying-on-bed-dodge, and the sticky candy landed on the sheets just beside him. Hermione made a face and conked Ron on the head, giving him a big lecture about personal hygiene between conks. Toshiro and Harry just watched from the sidelines.
"Hey, uh… Toshiro?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for… well… saving me out there,"
The white haired boy turned to look at Harry, wide eyed. He had to admit, the sudden act of gratitude was a surprise.
"Er… well it's no big deal-"
"How could it not be a big deal? Look at yourself, you're all hurt and everything and this whole time…" He stopped talking abruptly, looking ashamed to continue. Hitsugaya blinked a few times at him, confused at first, then he understood. This was about the reason Dumbledore had asked Matsumoto to watch him in the first place.
"This whole time…" Harry continued, his voice falling to hardly a whisper. "I thought that you were here to kill me or something, or that you were… working with Voldemort…" His words caught in his throat, and he fell silent, his gaze focused on his shoes. When Toshiro did not answer, he chanced looking up. The white haired boy's face was an expressionless mask. Finally, he answered.
"I know,"
"What?"
"I knew that you suspected me of plotting to kill you." Toshiro said flatly, absently chewing on one of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. "You don't hide it very well."
"What? You knew the whole time?"
"Yeah."
"How?"
"Didn't I just say you don't hide it very well?"
Harry looked at him in awe. "And yet you didn't say anything?"
"There was no need."
"No need? Even when someone suspects you of being the Heir of Slytherin?"
"Well, it's obvious I'm not."
Harry hung his head again, chewing on his lip. "Well, I don't think that anymore."
"I'm not surprised,"
"And I'm sorry,"
"Don't be,"
He raised his head and stared at Toshiro. "What? Why?"
"Better to be watching your back than blindly trusting everyone that comes to you without thinking."
He blinked. "But I thought…"
"I told you I'm not the Heir of Slytherin. Doesn't mean I may not be lying."
"So… you are the Heir of Slytherin?" he asked, very confused now.
"No. And I'm not lying, but you don't know that."
"So…"
"But I'd appreciate it if you stopped suspecting me of trying to chop off your head. If I did you wouldn't be here anymore. Consider it payment for saving your life."
"That was my whole point!"
"Hn,"
"So…" Harry held out his hand, and Toshiro looked at it, confused. "Let's put all that beside us. Friends?"
"Uh…"
"You're supposed to shake it."
A vein started pulsing in his forehead. "I knew that! What do you think I am?" But he still grasped the scarred boy's and shook it.
"Oh my gosh, Harry, finally!"
They both turned to face Hermione and Ron, who were looking very relieved indeed. "I was starting to get tired of his constant paranoid rambling and unfair prejudice."
"Hermione!"
And so the rose of friendship of the two boys slowly began to grow from the remains of suspicion, but like all roses, as beautiful as it is on the outside, there will always be thorns. Not yet, though…
~xXx~
It was late, and the hospital wing was closed. Toshiro had been unable to escape, and was ultimately forced to stay for the night. Well, at least it wasn't scorching hot like the dormitories. Maybe he could get hurt more often.
Another bout of insomnia had come over him, and after half an hour of tossing and turning in bed he decided to get up and finish writing his report. He was reluctant to include the part about his injury, but apparently it was critical that Soul Society received all information about what was going on over there, except for maybe going to the toilet or something. That was unnecessary.
He was halfway through describing the extent of his injuries when a loud crack broke the still silence of the hospital wing. Toshiro had his hand around his wand (Hyourinmaru was currently unusable) and pointed it in the sound's direction in the time of half a second, ignoring the slight pain that shot through his ribs. The small light from the stick illuminated the thing that made the sound: its green, tennis-ball-sized eyes, bat-like pointed ears, and er… pillowcase? He remembered reading something about these guys, house elves or something. It jumped at the sight of the wand and took a step back.
"Please do not hurt Dobby! Dobby is not wanting to hurt Mr. Wizard!"
"Are you… a house elf?"
"Yes, sir, that is correct. My name is Dobby, sir. Dobby the house elf."
The white haired boy blinked at this strange creature. He had seen pictures and everything, but never one in real life. But then again, this place could hardly surprise him anymore.
"Um… hello, Dobby. My name is Toshiro Hitsugaya," He returned his wand to the bedside table and held out his right hand. The elf stared at the pale outstretched hand, and suddenly burst out into tears. Toshiro took his hand back in alarm, clueless as to what to do next.
"D-Dobby, Dobby, stop, I-I'm sorry if I… er… offended you… or anything…"
The wailing immediately stopped, and Dobby stared up at him with those wide, watery eyes. Toshiro was famous for, after his hair, his strange eyes, but he had to admit, this… person? beat him by about a million points.
"Offend Dobby? Dobby knows that sir is the great and noble Harry Potter's friend, but never did Dobby know that even his friends would be as kind to us house elves!"
"Uh… but…"
"To have offered to shake Dobby's hand…" he continued, sniffling a bit. Toshiro decided that this was getting a bit too weird and confusing, so instead of waiting for the teary creature to continue, he asked,
"Not to be… er… rude, or anything, but exactly what are you doing here?"
Sniffle. "Dobby has come to… apologize… sir."
"Apologize?"
"Yes. You see, sir, that Bludger…" He didn't continue, but proceeded to bash his head into a nearby chest of drawers. Toshiro blinked at the 'emo elf', unmoving, probably just too weirded out by everything that was going on. Then something clicked in his head.
"Wait… that was yours? The Bludger?"
"Dobby is terribly sorry sir, the Bludger was never meant for you sir!"
"You were trying to kill Potter."
"No, not kill, Dobby would never kill Harry Potter, sir!"
"Then why?"
Dobby wrung his skeletal hands, a worried look on his face. "Dobby cannot say, sir, Dobby has been forbidden to say by his masters…"
"Your masters?"
"The wizarding family that Dobby serves, sir."
Oh right. House elves were basically slaves to the wizard race. They existed to serve, and it was disgusting, despicable and pitiful. After all that they'd been through, these humans were still treating creatures that deserved equality as inferior creatures.
"Sir, you are in great danger! Both you and Harry Potter, sir!"
"Great danger?"
"Yes!"
"Is this about the Chamber of Secrets?"
He didn't answer, but grabbed a lamp and started bashing his fingers with it, shouting, "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"
"Dobby, Dobby, stop, you-" Toshiro grabbed the lamp and set it back on the table
"Forgive me, sir, Dobby has said too much!"
"Dob-"
Before he could finish the house elf's name, there was a loud crack and he was gone in a puff of smoke.
"Well that was very… fruitful…" Toshiro muttered sarcastically, about to go back to writing his report. Then he head footsteps, and quickly gathered all his things, stuffed them under the bed, and pulled the blankets over his head.
The doors opened, and a few people walked in, sounding out of breath. Another door opened, and Madam Pomfrey asked, "What happened?"
The out-of-breath people spoke, and Toshiro recognized their voices as those of Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore. They told the nurse what had happened, and there was a gasp from her when they had finished. They talked a bit more about what was going to happen, then left the room. Madam Pomfrey bustled around the bed, examining the person before retiring to bed. Toshiro, however, lay wide awake, unable to sleep because his mind was too busy processing what he had just heard.
A student had been petrified. Their worst fears had come true.
~xXx~
"Did you hear? Colin Creevey's been Petrified!"
"The first year? In Gryffindor? The one with the camera?"
"I think so, yeah!"
"Oh my gosh, does that mean Hogwarts will be closing?"
"Oh, I hope not…"
"So it's true then?" Hermione asked Toshiro quietly, shooting glances at people around them.
"Yeah, unfortunately," the white haired boy replied, stabbing his fork into a potato in annoyance. "He was sent to the hospital wing just last night."
"But… he's not… dead… is he?" Ron asked, wide-eyed.
"Of course not. If that were the case, I doubt we'd all be sitting here. Frankly, I'm surprised the school hasn't closed down under these circumstances yet."
"Hermione, how long till the Potion is finished brewing?" Harry demanded, leaning forward so as to not be overheard. "We have to question Malfoy right away, before more people get attacked!"
"I'm quiteaware, Harry, but it takes time and if not brewed correctly will have dangerous effects on the drinker!"
'You said it's done!" Ron pointed out, his voice frantic like Harry's, although Harry's was more so.
"I said it's almost done. We've got two days left."
The two boys breathed a sigh of relief and went back to their eating. Toshiro, however, had other worries.
"You're sure you're going to be asking Malfoy?"
"Of course! He's our prime suspect!"
The white haired boy laughed at those words; apparently these kids thought they were the school detectives or something. Oh well, at least they were actually bothering to pretend, and at least they had some sort of lead, albeit very misplaced. Come to think of it, he hadn't come up with a suspect yet. He had never actually tried socializing with any of the students, and now he realized how stupid he had been to make that decision.
"Malfoy just doesn't seem like the type who would go around attacking students, and-"
"Malfoy's in Slytherin, he hates Muggles, his dad was in the school the last time the Chamber was opened. What more do you need?" Harry exclaimed.
"Haven't I already explained this? All that applies to that entire table over there!"
"Even the dad part?"
"I'm sure many students from Slytherin had parents who attended this school at the time of the first Chamber opening."
"Guys, Toshiro's got a point." Hermione said pointedly, crossing her arms.
"Hermione, the Potion was your idea in the first place!"
"You've got one shot at this. I doubt the perpetrator will wait a whole month for another batch of the potion to finish brewing."
"Why not Malfoy?"
Hitsugaya sighed. Were these people really that deaf? "He doesn't seem the type! He's annoying and arrogant, but he's not a murderer!"
"Petrifier," Ron interrupted. The other three glared at him and he shut up.
"I still think it's Malfoy." Harry said stubbornly, in a tone of finality that told Toshiro that there was really no point in trying to convince him otherwise. "We stick with the plan."
Hitsugaya leaned back, sighing. "Fine. But I'm telling you, Malfoy is not your guy."
"And I'm telling you he is."
"Boys…" Hermione muttered, annoyed. Ron looked at her.
"At least they're actually talking to each other now."
"True."
~xXx~
The Diary of Rangiku the Awesome- 25th November
Dear Diary…
My hair is a total mess but it's a simple fix. And that stiff McGonagall was telling me the other day how I wear my robes too loosely, but hey, it's called fashion! Just because she isn't sexy like me doesn't mean she has to constrict me!
So… a student has just been stupefied, and I imagine taicho is feeling very tense at the moment. Meh… and he just got out of the hospital too!
Well, apparently that Potter boy doesn't suspect taicho anymore, and with good reason! I mean, taicho just went and bashed his insides up for the guy, it's hardly fair if he still thinks taicho stupefied the cat! Although… it probably is his fault that he got sick back then. Still!
I imagine taicho's trying to get to the bottom of the whole thing. He said they're going after Malfoy, or at least, the Potter Gang is. I just love my new name for them. 'The Potter Gang'. It's got a nice ring to it, hasn't it?
Anyway, taicho's always been lacking in the social department, which is where I come in! You see, diary, as brilliant as taicho is, he wont talk to anyone unless he's known them for fifty years. No less. Although, I must admit he's getting friendlier. Maybe it's 'cause he's with people of his own age –insert snicker-
Anyway, since taicho doesn't know too many people around here except for the Potter gang (I should call them the purple octopus gang or something instead. What? Octopuses are cool!), he probably hasn't come up with a suspect list. So I took the liberty of making one myself! Strange, I'm actually doing work without taicho telling me to! I think I've been sake-deprived for too long… MUST… DRINK… SAKE…
Oh well I'll continue this once I find sake somewhere, even if I have to conjure it out of thin air! That would be so cool if I could do that~~ taicho wouldn't be able to destroy my sake stores then! –insert evil laugh- WOOT!
Oh yeah, and I found this awesome looking… er… I don't know what it is actually. WHO CARES? IT'S AWESOME LOOKING! ^^ Oh, and I have to give another report to that old geezer tonight. Meh.
Yeah… I'm gonna sign off now.
~xXx~
Knock knock. "Come in," the elderly headmaster said, lifting his eyes from the yellowed parchment on which he was writing to see who it was. Well, he knew. It was simply out of courtesy.
"Hello, Professor Matsumoto. I hope you are well?"
"Uh… sure…" she replied uncertainly, slightly taken aback by the question.
"And I assume you've heard of the incident with unfortunate Colin Creevey?"
"Yes, sir. Is he alright?"
"Well, he's been petrified, but alive."
"And the school, sir?"
Dumbledore sighed, and his slowly deteriorating smile disappeared completely. "Alas, I do not know. You see, the last time an incident like this occurred, an unfortunate death followed. I do not want to expose the students to that kind of danger again, but as you can probably tell," he paused, his blue eyes hidden behind those half-moon spectacles, "this school is very important to a lot of people, students and teachers alike."
"The last time, sir?"
"Yes. You see, fifty years ago, a similar incident occurred, which resulted in the death of a girl. The culprit was caught… but…"
A long pause ensued, and Matsumoto waited for him to continue. However, he swiftly changed the subject, asking,
"So, how is or little friend Toshiro? I hear he was discharged this morning."
"Yes, as I hear it, he was just dying to get out of bed."
"I'm sure Poppy wasn't too happy about that."
Making a note of the nurse's first name, Matsumoto nodded, smirking. "Sir, about that Bludger…"
"It was a rogue one. Someone had bewitched it to chase Mr. Potter, but it was slightly off-target and hit Mr. Hitsugaya instead."
Not bothering to correct him, Matsumoto went on to ask the question both she and her captain had been worrying about. "And then afterwards, it turned to ice…"
Dumbledore looked at her sternly, his blue eyes seeming, not for the first time, to be looking into her soul.
"It was I that did that."
Matsumoto sucked in a breath. "Sir, we both know that was not the case."
"Do we?"
"Yes, sir."
The old man smiled. "Professor, I'm sure you're very tired. I'm sorry for calling you here so late."
"Sir-"
"The weather's becoming quite chilly, isn't it? I must remember to wear my coat out," he interrupted in a tone of finality. The strawberry blonde decided not to continue, she definitely wasn't getting anything out of him tonight.
"Goodnight, sir."
"Goodnight, Professor."
Biting her lip, she bowed and turned on her heel, exiting the office.
"Damn."
~xXx~
"He didn't say why?"
"No," Matsumoto said, pouting and slumping her shoulders. "He just went and started talking about the weather or something."
Toshiro sighed. "I guess it's time to go confront him myself. We can't let this go on, otherwise our identities might be leaked out to everyone."
Matsumoto sighed. "And this whole business with that Creevey boy!" Her shoulders slumped more. "And here I was thinking I could finally get away from work."
Hitsugaya resisted the urge to slap her or threaten to freeze her sake. "This is serious, Matsumoto. There has already been one attack, and there may be a death next time."
"I know, I know! Argh… this is so complicated!" She leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling. "What about that thing you've been following, taicho?"
"Yes, well, it seems that at the moment, only Potter and I can hear it, and I have no idea why." He too, was frustrated. How were they supposed to solve this mystery when they didn't know the slightest thing about it? The library only had so much information on the subject; soon he would have to find other information sources.
"Maybe you're both crazy?"
A vein pulsed. "I'll beat you until you become crazy if you keep joking like that."
"Okay, okay, gomen, taicho!" she exclaimed, flapping her hands in front of her face to protect herself from any blow that her captain might deliver.
"What about your dueling club?"
"Tomorrow." Matsumoto yawned, blinking her eyes sleepily and smacking her lips. "I guess I'd better get ready for it."
"Like hell you will."
"Yeah, you're right" she grinned, showing her full set of white teeth. "Who knows, it might actually be successful for once."
"It all comes down to whether you want it to be successful or not."
"Haha, you know me, right taicho?"
"I wish I didn't."
"You're so mean, taicho!"
-insert evil smirk-
Sorry it's short and hurried, I'm really out of time and I really wanted to get this up before I go. I already made you guys wait long enough.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed and favorited this story. Really. It makes my day to read them all.
Candied Sweets xD
P.S. I wrote this Fullmetal Alchemist oneshot (EdxWin) which is currently sitting in the box at the bottom of my profile. Please read it (if you want to, that is :P) and yeah... reviews are loved. It's supposed to be angsty, and it's my first time trying the genre. Probably my last as well :P