Bleach: The Thaumaturgy Revolution

by SvNOrigami

After Soul Society is attacked by a new and powerful being, Seireitei is in danger of being overwhelmed. Kurosaki Ichigo is sent to the past to find out how Aizen created this monstrosity, and how to stop it. But everything does not go according to plan..

3. Chapter 2

Okay, so maybe this one was a bit drawn out too but I don't care. The whole reason I put big spaces with *'s in between sections was so you guys could stop reading then come back to it later. And yes, I promise there will be action later on, but I'm not going to detract from the story in order to keep you guys happy. Sorry. Yes, the characters are OOC at times but I don't care about that either. At their core they are the same and that is what counts; their personalities as they are normally wouldn't fit into the storyline. As for professor McGonagall, well, everyone behaves differently at home to the way they do when they're working – that's all I can say. I referred to her by her first name from time to time in reflection of this.

For those of you who don't already know, Shihouin Yoruichi is a Shinigami who can turn into a cat and back again, for some reason. However, generally I will let you know if she is a cat in any of the scenes, so as to avoid confusion.

And yes, I did refer heavily to another Bleach episode. This time it was 114, though. Also, I quoted some lines from Harry Potter directly, as that's what the characters are supposed to say. By that point Ichigo and Orihime hadn't started to influence them much, so I thought it would look a bit odd if the dialogue was completely different for no reason.

Generally here I'm leaving the Harry Potter characters alone to do their own thing, but later on I'll be mixing things up a little more. Bear in mind that all good stories start off slow then build up towards the end!

Anyway. Here's the piece. Hope you enjoy it!

Chapter II

Urahara Kisuke scratched his head.

"Um... Yoruichi-san?" He asked nervously.

"What is it, Kisuke?"

"Well, um... did you by any chance take a nap in the equipment bag earlier?"

"I might have. As a cat I tend to prefer dark places to sleep... Why do you ask?"

Kisuke gave a slight laugh.

"Well, it's probably nothing, but I just noticed... The timer was supposed to read six months..."

"And?"

"Well, um..." He swallowed as he silently apologised to Ichigo and Orihime. "I think we might have a bit of a problem..."

* * * * *

"Wha... Where am I?"

Kurosaki Ichigo wondered aloud. He yawned, reaching his arms high above his head and wincing as his muscles chided him for the impact they had received the previous night. Groggily, he stood and looked about himself.

Dawn had come and gone, and the town was beginning to wake up. People were leaving their houses for work, and children were starting to run around in the streets, laughing and chattering to each other. Evidently, he had arrived sometime during school holidays – summer, from the looks of the sky. Still dazed from having just woken up, Ichigo began to look for any recognisable landmarks.

Nope, nothing looks familiar. He sighed loudly, and began to walk towards what appeared to be a shop of some sort. Guess I'll just have to ask for directions... His train of thought derailed as he realised that he had no idea where he would be asking for directions to. In fact, I don't even know why I'm here in the first place... What happened to me? Reaching deep within himself, Ichigo tried desperately to find some scraps of memory, but to no avail. As he walked, he noticed that a few of the children were beginning to look at him strangely. Disconcerted, he halted for a moment, turning to look back at one of them.

Quite why this particular child caught his eye Ichigo could not have said. The child was just like any other; fairly short, probably around eleven or twelve years old. He wore a pair of beige shorts cut to knee length, and a bright red T-shirt. His face was pale and freckled, though it was partially obscured by his thick, wavy brown hair. However, his pale blue eyes, though dull, reflected the early sunlight in such a way as to make him seem almost ethereal. Around him a small group of eight or so children of a similar age were gathered, and although among them he was one of the smallest, they all glanced at him every few seconds, as though for leadership.

After a moment, Ichigo looked away and continued walking, his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"Hey!"

Someone behind him shouted, but he ignored it.

"Hey, you!"

Ichigo stopped walking, and slowly turned around, scowling. The freckled boy and his friends had gotten closer. What the hell do they want? He remained silent until one of the others, a slightly older boy, blurted out

"Have you bleached your hair?"

Ichigo felt a familiar twinge of annoyance at the question. He used to get that all the time at... Wait. When had anyone made that observation before?

"No."

Ichigo turned and began to walk away, then froze as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Ichigo immediately turned and, seeing that the hand belonged to the freckled boy, glared at him until the boy took a step back and apologised.

"I'm sorry, I was just... Wondering if you'd like to come and play with us, that's all."

Ichigo was taken aback. Play with them? How old do they think I am? Come to think of it... How old am I? Ichigo took a moment to assess his height. Judging from the fact that he was only a head taller than the freckled boy, he would have to be about eleven or twelve. What the hell? I sure feel older than that... Ichigo shrugged. He had nothing better to do. At least if he went with them he'd be able to find out where he was without approaching anyone else.

The boy, apparently sensing Ichigo's decision, introduced himself.

"I'm Adrian. Adrian Waffling. What's your name?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo... But I guess you'd take that the other way around."

The boy cocked his head to one side and looked at Ichigo quizzically.

"Where I come from you say the family name before the individual name, so to you I'd be Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Ohh okay." Remarked Adrian, nodding in agreement (though he was still rather confused, he wasn't about to show it in front of his friends.) "Where are you from, Ichigo?"

"Japan." Ichigo replied, then froze. How do I know that? I don't remember anything... Evidently, Ichigo remembered more than he gave himself credit for.

However, he shrugged off his astonishment as Adrian began to introduce his friends. Names came and went, with Ichigo doing his level best to remember them. Of them, though, there was only one who piqued his interest. The boy in question, Dean, gave off an aura which, judging from the others' attitudes towards him, only Ichigo could detect. Nonetheless, he resolved to keep an eye on this one.

With the introductions out of the way, the group set off towards the park, with Ichigo being bombarded with questions on the way.

"So, what do your parents do?"

"I don't know... I don't think I have any parents." Ichigo fell silent for a moment at the thought, then one of the girls piped up

"So where do you live, if you don't live with your parents?"

Ichigo hesitated for a moment. Should I tell them the truth? After a few seconds' deliberation, he decided. What harm could it do? I'm not going to get anywhere by lying.

"I don't live anywhere. I only just got to this town, but I'm here on my own."

The others gasped, and the questions began to rain down even more heavily on Ichigo. He sighed, and resigned himself to them. It was going to be a long day...

Indeed it was. By the end, Ichigo was feeling almost as exhausted as he had the previous evening. He wasn't sure what exactly had done it; the tree-climbing, the bizarre games of chase or the incessant questions. Either way, he was extremely tired. Plus his lungs ached from his constant sighing. It had been an exasperating day, too.

However, as it drew to a close and the children began to drift home, either wandering back to their houses or being picked up by their parents, Ichigo began to wake up again. Worries began to fill his mind, and hunger his stomach. Even if I don't have a place to sleep, I still need to try and get hold of some food soon. Soon, the only ones left were Adrian and himself.

They waited in silence for Adrian's parents to arrive, and although both boys made as if to speak from time to time, with Adrian often glancing at Ichigo pensively, neither said a word. Shortly enough, Adrian's father pulled up alongside the pavement in a long, silver Mercedes and they bid each other farewell. A shame, Ichigo thought, staring at his feet. He had quite enjoyed the company of the young boy, who was astonishingly mature for his age – far more so than he let on in front of his friends.

A man's voice interrupted Ichigo's thoughts. He looked up to see a tall, peculiar man in a strange suit standing in front of him. The man appeared to be Adrian's father.

"Are you all right, boy?"

"Y-yes, sir. Are you?"

The man laughed.

"Well, I'm fine, boy. However, Adrian here just told me that you don't know where you're staying tonight. Is that true?"

Ichigo nodded.

"Well you know, you're welcome to come and spend the night at our house if you'd like. We've plenty of room."

Ichigo hesitated for a moment, then his eyes met Adrian's through the car window, who smiled at him reassuringly, before going back to staring into space. Ichigo nodded.

"Thank you, sir."

"Well, that's that then. Hop in, my lad! Oh, and there's no reason to call me "sir", either. The name's Adalbert, Adalbert Waffling. Of course, most people just call me Waffles, which makes sense, I suppose, in an irritating kind of way..."

Ichigo listened patiently as the man rambled on while they drove, speaking only when the man asked him a question. Soon, questions arose concerning his past...

And so it came to be that Kurosaki Ichigo took up residence in the Waffling household.

* * * * *

Professor Minerva McGonagall waited patiently in the headmaster's office as he read over the details of the two children.

"Well Minerva, they appear to be the correct age, at least. You say they appeared out of nowhere?"

"Yes, Professor. In addition to that, they both appear to be magically gifted, albeit in an abstract manner."

"Abstract indeed... Hmm, it seems we have an address for the boy now. None other than the Waffling Manor, in Surrey. Well, well, well. That is interesting."

"The Wafflings? Why on Earth would he be..." Professor McGonagall trailed off. They would get nowhere if she asked questions like that – Dumbledore would only answer in riddles, after all. She would have to be more direct.

"So, Professor, the most pressing matter still stands. Do you think that they should be allocated places here at Hogwarts?"

"Hmm..." Albus Dumbledore paused for a moment, stroking his magnificent beard.

"Well, we are rather full this term."

"I agree entirely, professor. We have far too little information on these two anyway, and-"

"However," Dumbledore interrupted. "They are a very interesting pair. Appearing out of nowhere like that... Well I must say that they have piqued my curiosity. I think we can squeeze them in, don't you?" He smiled at Professor McGonagall, who simply narrowed her eyes, then nodded, sighing.

"Very well. However, there is still the case of the girl. Even if the boy has taken up residence with the Wafflings, we have no address for her – how is she to obtain the letter?"

"I shall entrust that to you, Minerva. I have a funny feeling that she doesn't possess an address at this point in time. I was rather hoping you'd be able to find a place for her, just for a while."

Professor McGonagall sighed again, then conceded.

"As you wish, Professor. I will go at once."

"Thank you, Minerva."

With that, Professor McGonagall stood, nodded politely to the headmaster, who smiled in return, and left the headmaster's office. This was going to be an interesting year, for certain.

* * * * *

Inoue Orihime was not faring well at all. Although she had slept well last night, she had not gone so long without a meal for as long as she could remember, and it was beginning to take its toll on her. Her feet ached from walking about aimlessly, and her head ached from constantly racking her brains in a futile attempt to recall... Anything - anything at all other than that useless word. Thaumaturgy; what did it mean? Orihime scratched her head in confusion, then continued walking. Perhaps, with time, everything would just come flooding back. Even so... She winced as a stranger bumped into her, causing her stomach to give yet another groan. She really was incredibly hungry. Although... she looked around, then sighed. Perhaps a high street packed with bakeries and sweet shops wasn't the best place for her right now. Turning about, she walked brusquely down a back alleyway, towards the park she had passed earlier on. If she remembered correctly, it was only a short distance away. Perhaps she would be able to think better if she were in a more relaxing environment than the busy high street. As she made her way over, she glanced up at the sky. It was already beginning to darken, and the previously innocuous clouds were growing heavier.

She reached the park after a few minutes, which seemed to simply slip by; she was used to walking by now. Upon arrival, she sat down on one of the swings and looked up at the sky. It had been a long and tiresome day, yet somehow Orihime was almost grateful for it. This feeling that no-one was looking after her was almost... Refreshing. Yet she still couldn't shake the feeling of emptiness... Instinctively, she reached up to touch the blue, flower-shaped hairpins she was wearing. A strange sensation met he fingertips, and as she attempted to remove them to get a better look, she was met by an unexpected resistance. Not from her hair, but from within – almost as though something inside her didn't want them to be removed.

Disturbed, she tore her eyes away from the tired sky to look around the park. No-one's here... I guess I'm on my own, again. However, as she was about to rest her eyes she caught sight of two people out of the corner of her eye. There were two young boys sitting on one of the many benches surrounding the park fence. From where she was sitting, she couldn't see their faces, but she couldn't look away from one of them. He had short orange hair, which stuck up in quills, and a small yet sturdy frame. For some reason, she kept expecting him to turn around, but he simply sat, unmoving, staring straight ahead as though he was determined to get somewhere, but wasn't sure where. As she watched him, the other turned his head back. Their eyes met briefly, then he looked down, his freckled cheeks flushing slightly red, before turning away again. As he did so, a large silver car pulled up alongside the bench.

Orihime watched as the freckled boy stood up and greeted the driver; a tall, strange looking man in a flamboyant white suit. After greeting each other, the driver sat back down and the boy got into the back seat, still talking rapidly to the suited man, who, after a few seconds of listening to the boy, got out of the car once more and addressed the orange-haired boy, who stood up, nodded a few times then gave a slight bow to the man and joined the other boy in the back of the car. As he did so, Orihime caught a glimpse of his face. As she did so, her heart skipped a beat. She knew him. She had no idea how, or who exactly he was, but she knew who he was. Those eyes... Those fierce, warm, determined eyes could never be forgotten. A name leapt out of the blue into her head and she knew it to be his immediately. Kurosaki-kun...

As she watched him sit down, she noticed the other boy look up at her again. Their eyes met once more, as the car pulled away, taking the two of them away from her... Orihime shook her head, then stared at her feet, all the while trying desperately to make sense of what had happened. She could not say for how long she sat there, deep in thought, but when she finally looked up again, she was not alone. Around her the world appeared to have gone dark, though she could still see well within the park's boundaries. Startled, she whirled about, trying to find the source of the darkness. She didn't have to look far. The woman who stood before her appeared to be quite old, though her hair did not show it, being as it was raven-black. However, it was not this which interested Orihime. What interested her were the woman's clothes.

She wore a long, flowing black cloak, beneath which a luxurious emerald-green robe could be seen. Atop her head was a large, black, pointed hat.

"Are you the girl who goes by the name of Inoue Orihime?" Asked the woman. Her voice was stern and sharp, but not unkind. Orihime stuttered nonetheless.

"Y-yes, ma'am. Wh-what's happening? Why has it gone all dark?"

"Don't worry about that. I have simply placed a cloaking charm around this place to prevent us from being seen by muggles. I will remove it once we have departed."

"Departed? Where are we going?"

Professor McGonagall chided herself for failing to introduce herself properly.

"I'm sorry. Please allow me to begin again. I am professor McGonagall from Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, at which you have been allocated a place by the headmaster, professor Albus Dumbledore. If you should decide to accept, I have been charged with your care until you arrive at the school."

Orihime shook her head, confused. What on Earth is going on? Should I accept? What if I don't know if I want to go? Suddenly the answer came to her. It was so glaringly obvious that she was amazed that she hadn't noticed it before. I can't really end up any worse off than I am now if I go with her.

Orihime looked Professor McGonagall in the eye and smiled.

"I accept. However..."

"What is it?" Professor McGonagall's voice took on a kinder tone as she noticed the girl's anxiety.

"Well, it's just that... I can't remember anything about... Well, anything. I don't think I can afford to go to school." She began to tremble. "I'm sorry for wasting your time." She added, smiling shyly.

Professor McGonagall frowned. She is an orphan? I wasn't aware of this. Still, I have my orders. Plus there's something about her... I look forward to seeing how she fares at Hogwarts.

"I wouldn't worry about that if I were you. Memories return, with time. As for the money, well, I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will come up with some sort of arrangement." With that, she gave Orihime a reassuring smile and made a portkey for the two of them,with which they set off for her house.

And so it came to be that Inoue Orihime took up residence in the McGonagall household.

* * * * *

Upon arrival at Professor McGonagall's home, Orihime was quite surprised to find the suburban cottage both comfortable and stylish. Somehow, she had not imagined the woman to be one for fashion. However, the neat lawn, flanked by pretty, colourful flowerbeds and adorned with various fruit trees single-handedly dispelled this belief. What was yet to some, though, shocked Orihime even more.

Upon opening the large, intricately carved oak door, the older woman was immediately set upon by a pair of young children, whom Orihime would have been hard-pressed to differentiate from each other. What's more, she looked past the two giggling children to find a tall, handsome man with a short brown beard.

"Minerva, you're home early! I'm afraid I can't get dinner ready just yet. You might want to go and say hello to Iris, though – she's having a bit of trouble with her transfiguration coursework."

"But I showed her the small details of cross-animation transfiguration only last week!"

"I think you may have to show her some slightly smaller details if she's to master this one – it does seem rather tricky. Even I couldn't do it when I tried."

Professor McGonagall laughed, then turned to Orihime, ignoring the two children tugging at the hem of her cloak.

"Welcome to your new home, Orihime. Allow me to introduce my husband, Howard, and the twins; Jacqueline and Julian, who are going to bed straight after dinner if they don't start behaving themselves!"

The twins, who had been in the process of climbing up their mother's cloak, swiftly disembarked and ran off to play elsewhere.

"Well, I shall leave the introduction to you, if that's all right – I ought to go and inform Professor Dumbledore that Orihime is safely in my care." He nodded, and she turned to address Orihime.

"Don't worry if this all seems strange to you – you'll get used to it, I promise."

Orihime shook her head.

"Don't worry, Professor. I love it." She said, smiling sweetly. Well, it was true. After the long, laborious day of being uncertain about her future, being in a place that she could call home, even for a while, was blissful. The gorgeous aromas wafting in from the kitchen helped a little, too.

Minerva McGonagall nodded, and took her leave, a broad smile forming on her face. This was going to be a very interesting year.

"Pleased to meet you, Orihime. I take it you will be with us for quite some time, then? - No need to answer that, of course," he added, catching her worried look.

"So, are you any good in the kitchen? - Iris is useless, poor girl, and Minerva is always far too busy, so I tend to get left with it." He paused, checking to make sure his wife was out of earshot, then continued, "although that may be no bad thing – she and Iris have more in common than their brains, after all."

Orihime laughed at that, then responded

"I don't know. I feel like I want to give it a try, though." That was an understatement. Deep down, Orihime couldn't wait to be let loose in the kitchen, though she didn't voice this in case it was seen as overenthusiastic.

Howard McGonagall laughed.

"Good answer! Very well, then. Let's go get started on dessert, shall we? And first thing tomorrow morning we'll have to go shopping for your school things – we've only got a few days left until the start of term!"

* * * * *

"Ichigo! Wake up!" Adrian's voice penetrated Ichigo's calm, dreamless sleep, causing him to snap awake.

"What's wrong?" There was a hint of steel in his voice.

"Nothings wrong, but there's a letter downstairs for you. I think you should go check it out! Come on; out of bed!" Adrian grunted as he tried to drag his newly adopted "brother" out of bed.

Ichigo sighed. Adrian was irritatingly good at getting him worked up over nothing. Ah, well. Giving in to Adrian's tugging, he slid out of bed and stood up in one movement, causing Adrian to lose his balance and fall over.

"What did you do that for?" He demanded.

"Hey, you're the one who wanted me to get up, right? Well, I'm up."

That is true, I suppose, thought Adrian.

"Well okay then. Hurry downstairs as soon as you're dressed, alright?"

"Sure." Ichigo nodded in compliance, prompting Adrian to clap once, loudly, before bouncing out of the room. Sometimes Ichigo questioned his original impression of the boy as unnaturally mature, but somehow his childish moments were controlled – almost feigned. Still, it made no difference. He had a good heart, and his parents had taken Ichigo in. He had to make it up to them somehow. That was what mattered.

After hastily dressing himself in the new clothes which Mr. Waffling had given him, Ichigo hurried downstairs, to find Adrian leaning against the wall of the hallway, tapping his foot. There was a letter in his hand.

"Here you go, slowcoach. Don't worry about thanking me." Adrian laughed, handed Ichigo the letter and ran off down the hallway.

"Come join us for breakfast when you're done - Mum's making pancakes!" He called over his shoulder before disappearing into one of the many hidden passageways of the house.

In fact, to call it a house would be almost derogatory. It was a mansion. Easily the size of a small castle, it would have towered over any neighbouring houses were it not surrounded by several acres of private gardens and orchards. Inside, it was packed with lavish chandeliers and winding staircases, though certainly the most interesting aspect of it was the hidden passageways and various trapdoors dotted about the place. Mr Waffling often said that he was the only one who knew them all, and Ichigo believed him. The man could quite easily travel from his study in the left wing of the manor to the living room right on the other side in a matter of moments, while it would take any guest a good twenty minutes to navigate their way through the various hallways and anterooms. Still, it was a place to call home and, though Ichigo preferred simplicity, he had to admit that the building was quite impressive.

As he examined his letter, he recalled his arrival at the Waffling manor the previous night. Mr Waffling had seemed more than happy to have another resident living in the house, claiming that it always seemed awfully empty without guests. Mrs Waffling had been a little perturbed at first at the lack of notice, but that was soon forgotten when he asked if there were any chores he could do. Of course, the household had various maids and servants which performed all of the menial tasks, but Mrs Waffling liked people who were keen to help, and so took a liking to Ichigo very quickly indeed. Similarly, Ichigo felt immediately protective of her upon their meeting, though he couldn't say why. Ichigo did not see much of Adrian's elder siblings, though he was aware of the presence of an older brother and sister living somewhere within the labyrinth-esque manor. Mr Waffling, however, was not at all bothered by their antisocial behaviour, adamant that they were busily studying away within the refines of their quarters. Perhaps he was right; Ichigo couldn't say.

Pushing his thoughts aside, he looked once more to his letter. As far as he could tell it was plain enough, with the exception of the address, which read in green ink:

Mr I. Kurosaki

4th Guest room

Guest's quarters

Waffling manor

Guildford

Surrey

Another thing which aroused his interest was the seal on the back of the envelope, which depicted a lion, a snake, a raven and a badger surrounding a golden letter H.

Ichigo shook his head briefly. This would just be another mystery until he opened it, so he might as well just do it.

It only took him a moment to read the letter inside, as it was fairly short. However, he had a feeling that it was going to take a little bit longer for him to understand it. Perplexed, he folded up the bizarre letter, put it in his pocket and went to join the others for breakfast.

"Ichigo! Welcome back to the land of the conscious. Here, grab a seat." Mr Waffling really was mad, but he seemed to be very clever as well, which seemed to somehow make sense to Ichigo. As he sat down, Mr Waffling continued,

"So, what was your letter about?"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. Surely he already knew? Must just be trying to be polite. Ah, well. I might as well humour him.

"It's an invitation to a school of some sort... But I think it might be a joke. Here." Ichigo passed him the letter. "Take a look, Mr Waffling."

"Call me Waffles, please." He said, taking the letter. After a few moments of reading over it, he smiled.

"Aha! It is still on there after all! I'm going to kill Arsenius Jigger." Waffles looked both furious and amused. Ichigo just looked baffled.

"Ah! My apologies, dear boy. My mind slipped for a moment. Of course you wouldn't have the foggiest – my good friend," (he said this sarcastically) "Arsenius Jigger, assured me that my book had been removed from the list, yet here it is, clear as day. Well, well. I look forward to paying him back for this one..."

Ichigo was still clueless and, noticing this, Waffles continued.

"Ah. Seems like you're still not entirely sure what this is about – or are you?" Waffles stroked his chin as he said this, smiling.

"No idea. Sorry." Ichigo felt suddenly very tired.

"Well, fear not! Allow me to explain. In this world, there are two main groups of people: magical people, and non-magical people (or muggles, as they are often referred to. I myself find this term rather derogatory, but there you are.) Generally, magic is passed down from generation to generation but, from time to time, people will be born into non-magical families with magical abilities. Anyway." He paused, allowing what he had said so far to sink in.

"What I am saying is that you, evidently, have shown enough magical ability to be accepted into a school of magic – and indeed none other than the best in the world; Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry! I attended Hogwarts myself, in my day."

Ichigo paused for a moment, considering how best to say what he was thinking.

"But... Wait. You're saying that you're a wizard?"

"Yes indeedy, my dear boy! I never really bother with the whole glittery cloak/point hat façade, mind. I'm assured that a simple Italian suit becomes me far more. Unfortunately," at this point he leaned closer to Ichigo, as though he were afraid of being overheard, "that sort of thing will be a part of your uniform, so you'll have to get used to it, I'm afraid."

Ichigo by this point was very strongly inclined to believe that everything which Waffles was saying was fictional and that this was all a rather large and elaborate practical joke. However, there was something about his eyes – something which seemed to proclaim: I'm telling the truth, as plainly as I can.

"Okay... So where exactly can we buy the things on that list?" Ichigo decided once more to humour the eccentric man – after all, he had been kind enough to take him in.

"London, dear boy! Fantastic place! Have you been there before?" He asked hopefully.

"I don't think so. Sorry."

"Sorry? Sorry? My dear boy, that's fantastic! The very thought of the wonders which await you, it's... Arhhhh!" At this point, Waffles broke down into a frenzy of enthusiastic laughter, which ceased as his wife approached with a plate stacked high with pancakes.

"Aha!" He boomed. "The only thing to which laughter is subservient: food!"

With that, the extended family began to tuck in happily. Even Ichigo, despite his scepticism regarding the morning's discussion so far, found that he was really quite hungry.

After he had finished eating, Ichigo turned to Adrian.

"So, this school of magic – is that where you're going?"

"Afraid not" he answered, grinning. "I'm twelve. You always start magic school at age eleven. I had wondered last year if a letter would arrive for me, but it didn't. I'm the only one out of the three who isn't magical." He didn't sound too put down by this fact. Something which Ichigo picked up on.

"You don't seem to mind, though."

"No, not at all. My sister just graduated with outstanding results all round, and she looks well placed for a high ranking job at the ministry, while my brother's a pro sportsman. At least this way I don't have to worry about being overshadowed by them. Anyway, Dad doesn't mind."

"Indeed I don't!" Waffles broke in, chuckling. "I wasn't particularly good at the whole magic thing myself, after all. In fact, the only thing I really had going for me was my head – my theory was brilliant, but my talent was average at best. Therefore, I wrote a book on magical theory and made a fortune. Adrian, bless him," At this point Waffles took a moment to ruffle his son's hair. "Has inherited all my brains - and more, I dare say - without any of the complications of magic."

Ichigo nodded. He thought he understood. However, there were a couple of issues weighing on his mind. Firstly, he had no idea what he was doing – his main priority was getting his memory back. However, he figured, he was no more likely to achieve that in a normal school than he was at a school of magic – indeed, he may well be more likely to do so in the latter. In addition to that, though, there was the other problem.

"Um, Waffles-san?"

"What's bothering you, old chap?"

"Well, it's just... I don't think I can afford all this stuff – I mean, I probably can't afford any of it."

"Oh, don't be silly. Did you really think I'd expect you to buy your own things? Of course I'll buy your school things for you! In fact, I relish the thought of going back to Diagon alley again – haven't been there for yonks!"

"Th-thank you, Waffles-san."

"Don't worry about it! However... You might have to be ready to go rather early tomorrow morning – we'll have to try and beat the crowds, if we can."

Ichigo, abandoning any hope of salvation, merely nodded and took another pancake. He had a feeling his life was just going to keep getting weirder and weirder.

* * * * *

What next? Wondered Orihime. The previous night had been a success, but she was unsure exactly how she was going to top the pear slices fried in saké with a sweet teriyaki sauce which she had prepared the previous evening. Although Iris had not seemed too enthusiastic at the idea of such a thing, everyone had thoroughly enjoyed the bizarre concoction. This had spurred Orihime on to create something equally absurd for breakfast; a kind of baked chocolate muesli. Despite its unappetising appearance, the mixture had been very popular indeed, particularly with the twins, who Minerva was pleased to see eating something vaguely good for them. Now, however, she had been left to prepare dinner for the whole family while Howard McGonagall took a small amount of long-awaited leave to spar with his daughter, Iris, at her request. Orihime had tagged along to watch, for a while, but the experience had unnerved her slightly. It wasn't the sight of violence which did it, or the fact that the two of them were shockingly skilled. Rather, it was the fact that regardless of how fast they moved, she could easily keep up with both of them, seeing every tiny detail of their movements and mentally recording every instance when one of them made a mistake. Somehow, she had an overwhelming feeling of "I could do that" when watching them, though quite what it stemmed from she had no idea.

All in all, though, the day had been a good one. Minerva had been far more relaxed, and was very grateful when Orihime offered to take care the twins off her hands for a while while she gave the house a thorough clean. Orihime was once again surprised, however, when upon finishing the cleaning she joined Orihime and the twins for a game of twister. And won. Evidently the whole McGonagall family was full of surprises.

Tomorrow, however, would be somewhat different. Orihime would be going to a big city – one which she had never been to before. There, she would be going shopping in all kinds of weird and wonderful stores. She could hardly contain her excitement. In fact, she felt compelled to prepare something special to prepare herself for what was to come...

* * * * *

The next morning, Ichigo awoke before anyone else. It was pitch black outside, and the moon was still high in the sky. Waffles-san wanted me up early – this'll do. He gave a huge yawn, then painstakingly rolled out of bed, stretching extensively. Shaking his head, he staggered over to his bathroom and splashed water over his face to wake himself up. This was going to be yet another long day...

When he arrived in the kitchen, everything was completely silent. He ate breakfast as quietly as he could, then sat down on an expensive-looking leather settee to wait for Waffles to arrive in the kitchen. After a few minutes, he found his eyes had closed on their own. He made no effort to open them again, however – after all, they were only resting...

"Ichigo! Ichigo! Wake up, old chap! We're late!"

Ichigo spluttered awake to find that the darkness had dispersed, to be replaced by beaming sunlight.

"What-"

"No questions! Come on!"

Waffles was dashing about frantically; grabbing his car keys, straightening his tie, scribbling a message to his wife – the list went on. Ichigo watched silently as the crazed man darted around the room, then – without warning – stopped right next to the doorway and beckoned Ichigo out.

As they were driving, Waffles explained that he had overslept, and that all they could do was pray that Diagon Alley wasn't too busy. Ichigo didn't dare ask whereabouts in London Diagon Alley was.

Upon arrival, Mr. Waffles hurriedly made his way over to a dingy-looking inn, which Ichigo had the strangest of feelings that no-one else could see. However, this idea was soon forgotten as he saw two people – or rather a person and a giant- enter the building as they were crossing the road.

Waffles held the door open for Ichigo first, then entered to find that everyone present was crowding around one of the newcomers; a young boy – the enormous man whom he had come in with standing beside him, beaming proudly. Waffles sighed with relief when they reached the back door and exited into a small, run-down courtyard, and made his way over to a large bin to begin counting bricks.

"What was that all about, Waffles-san?" Ichigo asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll find out soon enough. Hopefully, we'll be able to get as many of your things as we can first, though. After you" he added, stepping to the side of.. Wait, what? Ichigo wondered to himself, his mouth agape.

Where before there had been a brick wall now resided a large stone archway, which lead into a truly extraordinary street.

Utterly packed with people in long cloaks, robes and pointed hats, the street was lined with weird and wonderful shops – ones which sold cauldrons, owls, broomsticks, spell books, potion bottles, and even – Ichigo noticed – Dragon liver, though of course that was only the tip of the iceberg. He stood there, staring, for a good few seconds, after which Waffles coughed lightly, causing him to snap out of it and walk through the archway, followed immediately by Waffles, who sealed it after himself.

"This, my dear boy, is Diagon Alley! Perhaps the most wonderful place in London, bar the ministry itself." He said in a hushed voice. Ichigo wondered why he was speaking so much more quietly than he had at the manor, but he supposed that, too, would be explained soon enough.

Evidently Waffles had done this before, as Ichigo shortly found himself with almost all of his school equipment; only the books and wand remained. For some reason, Waffles had deliberately avoided entering the book store, though they had passed it several times whilst darting back and forth to various other shops. Even now he avoided it, striding straight past (despite it featuring many of the required volumes in the shop window) in favour of a narrow, shabby-looking wand shop. Over the door, the words Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands sine 382 BC could just about be made out in peeling gold lettering. Before they went in, Waffles leaned down and whispered in Ichigo's ear.

"I will say this only once. The man who runs this shop is terrifying, so please do as he asks."

Upon entry, Waffles took a seat on the single, spindly chair and waited for the shopkeeper to appear. They didn't have to wait for long.

"Good afternoon." Said a soft voice from the shadowy recesses of the space behind the counter.

"I am Mr Ollivander." He took a step forward before continuing, allowing the others to see him more clearly. "Welcome back, Mr Waffling. I trust you do not require another replacement wand?"

Waffles shook his head embarrassedly.

"No, sir. The latest serves me fine."

"Good, good. Holly and dragon heart string, was it not?"

"Yes indeed, sir. A very good wand it is, too." Waffles drew his wand at that, as though to prove to Mr Ollivander that it was still in good condition. He seemed satisfied enough.

"Of course, I remember your first wand also. Also dragon heart string, but mahogany. Unusually brittle – I suppose you cannot be held fully responsible for it breaking."

Waffles said nothing, but Ichigo noticed that he was stroking his right wrist as Mr Ollivander was speaking.

"Yes, yes. A very curious wand indeed. I seem to recall that the dragon from which the string was taken had gone quite mad. So mad, in fact, that it broke into the Ministry of Magic. Quite how it got in is beyond me – the wards and enchantments should have made it impossible but it made it in nonetheless. After that, the story is the stuff of legends. The creature seemed not only to know its way around the Ministry building but also to be looking for something. After all, for such a creature to find its way into the Department of Mysteries by chance is utterly impossible. Furthermore, the dragon in question was said to have mutated extensively; dodging spells, breaking through warded entrances – all impossible for a normal creature, even a dragon. Took the entire Beast division to finally bring it down. Apparently, there was nothing to be found had it gone any deeper into the Department of Mysteries in the direction it was going, but many people still believe that it was looking for something." Mr Ollivander took a deep sigh at this point, prompting Waffles to interrupt him.

"One thing still confuses me, sir – how exactly did you manage to get hold of the heartstrings to work with? - If the dragon had mutated, then surely it wasn't safe to use them?"

"Ah, but there you have it. That part confuses even me. You see, I have a contact within the Beast Department who supplies me with cores for my wands, and he sent me a letter a few weeks after the attack asking if I would like to use any parts from the creature, whose body had been preserved for experimental purposes. I replied 'yes', as always, so he brought me a pair of its heartstrings the next day. What really confused me, though, was the fact that he was still willing to allow parts of it to be used after being bitten by the dragon."

Ichigo nodded silently, unsure of what to say. Fortunately, Waffles spoke for him.

"Anyway, sir, this young man here is in need of a new wand. I was hoping you'd have something which would suit him."

Mr Ollivander's face lit up upon hearing this, and he immediately darted back behind the counter and drew out a wand from beneath the desk.

"Here." He said, smiling. "Try this one. Yew and phoenix feather. Go on, give it a wave."

Ichigo did so, trying not to feel too foolish. Almost immediately, the wand was taken from him to be replaced with another.

"Nope. How about this? Yew and unicorn hair this time. Perhaps that'll suit you better, hmm?"

Evidently it did not. After a few more, though, Mr Ollivander began to appear a little flustered.

"Well, well, well. This is odd. You're the first person I've met to have such a curious reaction to my wands. Its almost as though they are afraid of you – no, that isn't it. They seem almost... Oppressed. As though they are afraid of being bent to your will against their own. However, such a thing is impossible; wands are always used in harmony with their owner. Very well. Let's try another..."

At this point, one of the wands on the shelf behind Mr Ollivander caught his eye. Quite why this was he had no idea; it looked practically identical to the others. However, there was something about it which intrigued him. He pointed at it, ignoring the one which Mr Ollivander tried to hand him.

"Could I try that one please, sir?"

Mr Ollivander followed his gaze, then blinked in surprise, before smiling broadly.

"It couldn't hurt, I suppose. Oak and dragon heart string – go on, you know what to do. But," He paused for a moment before continuing, "if this is the one, it will be very curious indeed..."

"Why is that?" Ichigo asked as he took the wand from him.

"Because – Oh, my!" His explanation was cut short as the wand released a blast of magical energy from its tip, which curved and rolled towards one of the cabinets, stopped at the last moment from cleaving it in two by Mr Ollivander's shield charm.

"Well!" He exclaimed, catching his breath. "That is most certainly the one. However..." His voice trailed off, forcing Ichigo to ask him to continue.

"What is it, sir?"

"Because the string in there is from the same dragon as the one in my old wand." Ichigo jumped as Waffles interjected.

"Am I right, sir?"

Mr Ollivander nodded mutely.

"So, how much do we owe you?" Waffles asked, drawing out his purse.

After paying for the wand, the two headed, at last, for the bookstore. As soon as they got in, Waffles collected Ichigo's books in a flash, and began to queue up to pay for them, when suddenly one of the customers turned around to look at him, gasped, looked down at the book in her hand, looked back up at him, then screamed,

"Oh my god! It's Adalbert Waffling! He wrote this book!"

Instantly, people began to converge around Waffles, asking him to sign their copies, while Ichigo simply looked about himself for a way out, panicking.

Evidently, this was the reason for Waffles' wanting to avoid the bookstore, as well as his keeping quiet upon entering Diagon Alley. Ichigo sighed. Evidently, he had been right in his assumption that today was going to be another long one.

* * * * *

"Thank you, McGonagall-san!"

Orihime hastily thanked the Professor before tucking into the fresh fruit & mint chocolate ice cream. The two of them had decided to postpone their shopping duties after arriving in London early to find that the weather had turned from hopeless to gorgeous in no time at all. As such, Minerva had decided to treat Orihime to an ice cream, for which the young girl was extremely grateful. It seemed that eating was something of a pastime for her, though she somehow managed to stay in perfect shape. Minerva supposed some people were simply born lucky. Still, she wasn't doing this just for Orihime – it was nice to simply sit and relax from time to time. Her duties as Deputy Headmistress and Head of Transfiguration meant that she did not have a lot of free time, even during the school holidays, and what time she did have was usually spent trying to keep the twins out of mischief.

She smiled at the thought of them. Who would have thought that she would miss them so much during terms? She supposed it must be the boundless motherly love she had heard so much about while pregnant with Iris. That one will grow up to be very interesting indeed. She thought to herself, remembering the problem she had had with her Transfiguration coursework. Only she would put herself up to trying to make a live dragon out of a single scale. It was even something of a proverb among the Transfiguration community that anyone who could achieve such a feat could accomplish near enough anything. Still, that was probably why she had set out to do it. To prove them wrong. Iris had a knack for proving people wrong.

Minerva took a moment away from her thoughts to glance over at Orihime, who had finished her ice cream and was busily licking her lips as she stared into space. Minerva couldn't curb her curiosity concerning this girl – she evidently had some magic in her, or she wouldn't have appeared on the list for Hogwarts, but she had no idea who she was...

I suppose there's nothing that can be done about it except to wait and see. She decided, standing up. Orihime quickly followed suit, smiling sweetly at her.

"Where to next, McGonagall-san?"

"I think we should wait and see what takes our fancy. What do you think?"

Orihime nodded her approval. Window shopping appeared to be another of her pastimes.

As soon as they set off, they saw something which interested Orihime: Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. I should have known, thought Minerva silently – of course a young girl would want to go clothes shopping. However, she did need to be fitted with her school robes, so perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing after all.

The fitting was over in no time at all, and once Orihime's new robes have been paid for, they left the shop once more. As they left the shop, Orihime passed a pale, blond boy who simply walked straight past her, without seeming to give her any notice at all. It occurred to her that perhaps he was some kind of nobility. However, he was soon forgotten as they passed Flourish and Blotts. The scene inside made Orihime freeze in her tracks, and even Minerva stopped and turned to see what all the fuss was about.

People were crowding around a tall man, waving books and quills in the air. He was wearing an expensive pinstriped suit, with long black hair held in place by a black trilby hat. Evidently the man was some kind of celebrity. Orihime grinned ecstatically as she started to walk towards the bookstore. Minerva followed her, recalling instantly which books Orihime would require for her first year at Hogwarts.

Inside, the noise was almost unbearable. The "celebrity" had evidently resigned himself to the fact that he was not going to be allowed to leave the shop until he had signed every single book which was being thrust towards him. Swiftly, Minerva dodged past the crowd of people milling around him and began to collect the required books, in the hope of paying for them while the queueing people were distracted. However, she couldn't help but feel a little intrigued.

If I'm not mistaken, that's Adalbert Waffling. Wasn't the other child taken into the Waffling household? It will be interesting to see if the boy is the reason he is here... as she gathered up the last of the books, Minerva turned, searching for Orihime. However, her eyes fell first upon another. The boy... That's him. But... He looked as though he were frozen in place, staring across the room. Wordlessly, she followed his gaze, though she thought she already knew what the object of his attention would be: Orihime...

* * * * *

Orihime struggled against the crowd, trying to get closer to the man in the middle. She was unsure of exactly what she was intending to say or do when she reached him, but the fact remained that he was a celebrity and therefore attempting to get as close to him as possible was the proper thing to do. Yet when she finally got close enough to see him properly, she found that she had seen him before. He had been driving a large, silver car, into which two boys had stepped... One of whom was...

She caught sight of him only a moment later, standing right next to the man in the suit. As soon as she saw him, his head snapped up and he looked straight back at her. Her eyes widened briefly, and she froze, paralysed in a similar fashion to him. For some reason, she thought that he looked different, though she had no idea where she knew him from. She didn't even know how she knew his name, but she had no doubt whatsoever that she did. Kurosaki-kun... Who are you? Suddenly, she saw in her mind's eye a scene, supposedly from her past.

She was standing in a clearing, looking at an older version of herself. There were people strewn about on the ground around her; people she would have sworn she knew... One of the two people – or at least, she assumed they were people, though the circular holes through their torsos made her think otherwise - present who were standing walked towards her. He was huge, at least twice as tall as her, with part of a white mask covering his bottom jaw. He asked the other, a far smaller man, a question. His voice was emotionless as he responded.

"Kill her, Yami."

She tried to scream as the beast before her drew back one of his massive hands, but she couldn't. She just stood there, unmoving, as the giant palm grew closer and closer, threatening to envelope her. She couldn't move... it was getting closer... Orihime yelled at herself to move, to get away, but no sound came out. Suddenly, the hand stopped. Where only a moment ago there had been empty space now stood a tall, orange-haired man wearing a black kimono. In his extended right hand he held the biggest sword Orihime had ever seen, the point of it pressed against the hand of the attacker. He turned, slowly, to face the older her.

"I'm sorry. I'm late, Inoue."

Orihime tried to make out what her older self said in response, but could make out nothing else. She watched as the orange-haired man dropped his head, then turned back towards the attacker. He yelled something, squaring his shoulders in preparation for something. Orihime felt a blast of energy of some sort, and the world began to spin, uncontrollably. Everything was growing fainter...

As soon as it had begun, the scene ended, and Orihime blinked as the loud, busy room returned. The boy was still staring at her curiously. Is he... The same person? How is that... Her mind began to wander as she stood there, unmoving against the tide of people flowing back and forth through the room.

Ichigo was stunned. Why can't I look away? He thought as he desperately tried to tear his gaze away from her. Who... Is she? I feel like I know her, but... He shook his head gently, not taking his eyes off her for a moment. Suddenly, a man knocked into him, thrust forwards by the weight of those pushing behind him, and when Ichigo found her once more in the crowd the spell was broken. He watched , motionless, as she left the shop with an older woman, to whom he paid little attention.

Soon, the crowd began to disperse and Ichigo and Waffles were allowed to pay for their books and leave. As they did so, Waffles sighed loudly and looked at Ichigo.

"You know, I had asked Katrina to do this instead of me, but she was a little bit busy this week preparing for an important lecture at the ministry on something or other, so as the effectively unemployed member of the household I had to come along. Not that I mind, of course, it's just that this whole book signing malarkey gets a little bit tiresome after a while. Ah, well. Say, your first year alone at Hogwarts can be a tad daunting. How about we stop by the pet shop on the way back and get you a little companion, eh?"

Ichigo remained silent. He assured himself that he was taking in everything Waffles was saying, but in truth he could not rid his head of that girl... Who was she?

* * * * *

The station was packed. Ichigo was glad he had Waffles with him, or he felt sure he would have failed even to make it to the barrier between platforms nine and ten with his trolley. Having said that, though, the sleek, black cat which Waffles had bought for him seemed to know exactly where they were going, as it had mewed loudly every time Waffles had almost made a wrong turn. As they drew closer to the barrier, Waffles leaned down to whisper in his ear.

"You remember what we went over, right? Just walk straight at it, chin up, with a sense of purpose so no-one questions you."

Ichigo nodded.

"Yeah. I remember. Thanks for looking after me these last few days, by the way, Waffles-san."

"Don't worry about little things like that. I shall see you, I suppose, next summer, providing you aren't expelled." Waffles laughed at this. "Not that you will, eh? You seem like a law-abiding chap to me."

Ichigo nodded again, silently praying that he'd be able to stay out of trouble at this "Hogwarts" place. He had no reason to believe that he wouldn't be able to, but there was still a little feeling niggling at the back of his mind that something was bound to go wrong. He dismissed it. Whatever happened, he would do his best to make the Wafflings proud. They were his family now, after all.

"Sure. See you next summer, Waffles-san."

With that, he started to walk towards the barrier. As he drew closer, he put more force into his steps, though he did not speed up. As he approached, he was overcome with a feeling of dread – what if the barrier didn't work? What if he just crashed into it? - No. Waffles wouldn't have lied to him. And as far as he could tell, Waffles was never wrong.

But even so, why could he not shake this ominous feeling? He quickened his pace so as to end the uncertainty as quickly as possible, and as soon as he saw the end of the trolley passed through, he felt a surge of relief.

That didn't last for long.

As soon as his hands touched the immaterial wall, he knew that something was wrong. He could hear a faint crackling sound, and his hands burned as though they were aflame. Furthermore, he could see red sparks flaring up around them. As the rest of him followed his hands, the feeling spread.

What's going on? Am I dying? What... Is this...?

He was certain that he was not dying, as a great energy was beginning to course through his veins. It felt both strange and familiar, as well as exhilarating. Furthermore, it had a name. Reiatsu. Wait. How do I know that? Ichigo certainly recognised the force welling up inside him, but he still felt a little wary of it. It was growing so quickly -

As soon as it had begun, the feeling was over as he passed out the other side of the barrier. In front of him sat a long train, with steam coming out of the top. Around him, people were crowding around the entrances with similar inventories to his own. At least I can be sure I'm getting on the right train, he thought with a smile. He stepped aboard, taking the only empty seat he could find – on the other side of a compartment with two boys around his own age. From the looks of it, they had only just met. One was tall, had short ginger hair, and was asking the other a question. The other boy's dark, messy hair and broken glasses looked somewhat familiar to Ichigo for some reason, though he did not react to him anywhere near as strongly as he had with the girl. I wonder if she's on this train? He thought to himself, before putting his feet up on the table. It didn't look like anyone else was going to be joining him, so he may as well be comfortable. It was going to be a long journey, after all...

* * * * *

On the other side of the barrier, Waffles chuckled slightly to himself as he watched Ichigo pass through the barrier. Fortunately, only he could see the sparks and flashes of light which were being generated as the magic came into contact with the boy's body.

This boy was going to be very interesting...

* * * * *

Orihime couldn't help but feel a little out of place. Professor McGonagall had insisted that she take the train to Hogwarts, as it was a key opportunity to meet people and make friends; often the people whom one was acquainted with on the train became friends for much of one's student life there. However, the people she was with seemed to already know each other. Orihime was, after all, fairly shy, and since these people appeared to have met each other on the platform, and so all knew each others' names, Orihime felt as though if she attempted to make conversation she would be intruding. The girl even, it would seem, knew the name of the boy's toad: Trevor, whom he had unwittingly lost. Shortly after the whistle blew and the train began to move, the girl, Hermione, recommended that they split up to search for the elusive amphibian. It was at this point that Orihime finally spoke up.

"Um, can I help?" She asked, timidly.

"Of course you can! I'm Hermione Granger. And This is Neville Longbottom," She gestured at the boy who had lost his toad. "And you are?"

"M-my name's Inoue Orihime, but I think that should be the other way around here... Um... sorry." She cast her eyes down. I started rambling again, she chided herself.

"Don't worry about it, Orihime. Pleased to meet you. Look, we're going to head off. Why don't you come with me and we'll chat on the way?"

Orihime nodded, smiling. The girl was a little bossy, but she seemed friendly enough. Together, they set off down the train in search of Neville's toad.

* * * * *

Ichigo was aware of the two boys on the other side of the compartment talking, but he ignored them. At one point a woman came through pushing a trolley loaded with confectionery, but he ignored her as well after taking a look at the wares she had for sale. For some reason, none of it really appealed to him. He had introduced himself to the others shortly after sitting down, when one of them had asked for his name, but after that he had simply rested. For a while, at least. However, he did look up when a boy burst in, panting and tearful, to enquire as to whether any of them had seen a toad. When Ichigo shook his head along with the others, the boy began to wail, before the boy with the broken glasses (who had introduced himself as Harry) consoled him slightly. He left shortly, after which the red-haired boy (who had, in turn, introduced himself as Ron) drew a wand out from his bag and began to chant an incantation while pointing it at his rat. Ichigo watched surreptitiously, feigning indifference but secretly quite interested to see what the boy was going to do. However, the spell was interrupted by the carriage door opening once more. The toadless boy had returned, with a couple of friends. Both were girls, though one was slightly obscured from view by the one in front's busy hair. Incidentally, it was this one who took charge.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one." she said loudly. Ichigo opened his mouth to speak, but the red-haired boy spoke for him.

"We've already told him we haven't seen it."

The girl ignored him, more interested in the fact that he had his wand out.

"Are you doing magic?" She asked, evidently intrigued. "Let's see it, then."

She shifted her position and sat down opposite Ichigo to watch Ron's attempt at magic. At first, Ichigo watched along with her, then froze as he heard a gasp from the girl who had been standing behind her. His head snapped around to look at her, and their eyes met for a brief moment, before they both looked down.Ichigo's head rang with thoughts – Who was she? Why did he react so strongly whenever he saw her? And why did he get such a strong feeling that he knew her?

Orihime's head was similarly filled with whirring thoughts. Kurosaki-kun... Oh no, why is he here? Should I talk to him? What's...

Both their thoughts broke off as the bolder girl, Hermione, left the compartment. Orihime, upon noticing this, immediately followed her, glancing once more at Ichigo before she left. As Ichigo's gaze re-entered the room, Ron asked,

"Hey, do you know each other?"

Ichigo blinked for a moment in surprise.

"Do me and... Who know?"

"You and the girl – you know, the quiet one?"

Ichigo gave a wry laugh.

"I have no idea."

Ron laughed as well, albeit nervously, before he and Harry went back to chatting and Ichigo went back to resting. However, the peace was short-lived as three boys entered the compartment. Sensing hostility, Ichigo raised his awareness, though he refrained from moving. Immediately, Harry appeared to recognise the smaller of the three. Quite a lot smaller, in fact – the others very much resembled bodyguards.

"They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?" He asked, ignoring Ichigo and Ron.

"Yes." he answered, evidently intimidated by the two larger boys. The pale boy in the centre then introduced himself, along with his "bodyguards" as Draco Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. It seemed fitting that only the leader should be allowed to give his full name.

After that, there seemed to be some sort of discrepancy after Ron found something amusing in Malfoy's name. This led to a battle of words, which ended with Malfoy insulting Ron to the extent that he stood up and challenged him.

"Oh, you're going to fight us are you?" he asked, sneering.

"Unless you get out now." Harry replied, clenching his fists. Ichigo could tell that he was terrified, but was doing his best to hide it. This was quite an accolade on his part, Ichigo thought, considering the size of Crabbe and Goyle. It was, however, to no avail.

"But we don't feel like leaving, do we boys?" Malfoy rebuked, still sneering.

At this point, Ichigo decided it was time to intervene. He sat up just as the boy named Goyle was reaching for one of the strange sweets on the table and gave him a look which made him freeze in place. He slowly stood up and turned, inexplicably reaching into himself for the energy he had felt when he had walked through the barrier previously. As soon as he had drawn himself up to his full height, he shot the three intruders, one by one, a look which quite simply conveyed the words do as I say or die.

"Get out. Now." His voice was cold, and devoid of emotion, yet it betrayed a feral violence within which shocked even him.

"W-we don't want to. Sorry." replied Malfoy, as Crabbe and Goyle shuffled closer to him. They really were behaving like bodyguards.

Riled, Ichigo grasped his Reiatsu and released a small amount of it, clenching his fists as he felt it burst forth from his body.

"Now." He repeated. Malfoy winced for a moment as Ichigo's voice reached him, then turned and departed, ordering Crabbe and Goyle to follow. As the compartment door shut, Ichigo sat back down, only to be disturbed yet again as Hermione re-entered. She could evidently sense the atmosphere, or perhaps she simply heard Ron telling Harry what he thought of Malfoy, because she immediately posed the question,

"You haven't been fighting, have you?"

"No... Not quite." Ron replied, glancing at Ichigo. There was something in his eyes which Ichigo couldn't quite place. Was it fear? No. It looked more like... Respect?

"Well, you'd better get your robes on quickly. We'll be arriving soon." She said curtly, before leaving. Ichigo glanced at the others, who looked back at him, and shrugged before promptly getting changed. The others followed suit, and shortly afterwards the train pulled to a halt.

It had been hard to notice the change in the well-lit carriages, but outside night had fallen. Quite a long way, by the look of the deep purple sky. As soon as they got out, Ichigo heard a loud voice calling out.

"Firs' years over here!" Ichigo looked in the direction of the voice to find a gargantuan man with a huge black bushy beard waving at him – no, the person next to him.

"All right there, Harry?"

He called for everyone to follow him, and set off through the darkness. Ichigo followed Harry and Ron silently, looking around himself for the auburn-haired girl he had seen earlier. He soon found her in the crowd, thanks to the moonlight shining off her glittering blue hairpins. However, his attention was stolen away as the crowd of people in front of him gasped. Looking forward, he saw that they were on the edge of a vast, glittering black lake. On the other side, at the peak of a high mountain, was a colossal castle, adorned with many turrets and looming towers. Looking back at the lake, Ichigo noticed and began to make his way down to a fleet of small wooden boats, regarding which the large man shouted;

"No more'n four to a boat!"

Ichigo found it all to easy to oblige, being as he was one of the last people to arrive. Seeing that Harry and Ron had been joined in their boat by Neville and Hermione, Ichigo singled out the last empty boat and leapt in, easily clearing the six-foot expanse of water between it and the bank which had evidently put off the others. As such, he was surprised when he was joined in the boat by the very same auburn-haired girl as he had been trying to find in the crowd earlier on. Startled, he quickly looked away from her, up at the night sky, hardly noticing when the boats began to move off, apparently of their own accord.

"Um..." Ichigo turned away from the stars to face her. Her cheeks had a slight red tinge to them.

"Um... What's your name?" She asked, though Ichigo had the strangest feeling she already knew the answer.

"Kurosaki Ichigo" he replied, "how about you?"

"I'm Ino-"

"Heads Down!" She was cut off as the large man yelled a warning to the students. Ichigo looked up, then ducked back down again just in time to avoid smacking his head against the roof of large stone tunnel. The girl, however, was a little bit too slow and caught her head on it.

"Are you all right?" He asked her. "That sounded painful."

"I'm fine, don't worry about me." She said, giggling slightly. Her cheeks flushed a slightly deeper red. Ichigo frowned, but nodded nonetheless before disembarking from the boat, turning to offer the girl his hand – only to find that she was already standing beside him. She smiled, then turned to face the huge doors of the castle – just in time to see the huge, shaggy man raise his fist and bang thrice upon them.

Slowly, silently, the doors began to open. Ichigo was blinded at first by the flickering torches within, but his eyes soon adjusted to the sight. As they did so, they also took in a tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes who stood in the doorway.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

A feeling of dread, followed by a rush of excitement. Ichigo knew he wasn't the only one who felt it. This year, this place, though strange, was going to be different from anything he had ever done before. It would, he knew, be filled with wonder and, well, magic – but also trials and challenges which would test him and push him to his very limits.

Bring it on.

* * * * *

Apologies again for the length – I got a little carried away. Again, I was working on this pretty much solidly for a week – my eyes are soo messed up!

Next Chapter coming soon, folks! Don't forget to review - I might even hand out a sneaky peek of what's to come in exchange for good reviews (hey, who says I can't play dirty if I want to?)

Hope you liked it!

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry to everyone who reviewed about the whole "sneak peek" thing – didn't quite work out. I wanted to keep it exclusively for reviewers, but couldn't work out how. Anyway, here's a (very late) preview of then ext chapter. I have 15 pages so far, but it'll be another 5, at least, and school work is picking up. It's a battle against the clock!

Well anyway, here it is. Enjoy.

Waffles' eyes widened as he took in the man's words. Surely he was bluffing? Surely he wouldn't really kill him..? Steeling himself, he forced his voice to cease quivering.

"You wouldn't dare. Hogwarts school is renowned for being one of the safest places in the wizarding world. Do you really think that you could get away with committing a serious crime here?"

The man laughed coldly.

"This place isn't all that. I bet we could. In fact, how about we test it, eh?"

As he finished, the man drew his wand from his belt and, in one swift movement, flung a curse at Waffles, who deflected it on instinct, amazing himself with his lightning-fast reactions. He deepened his stance and narrowed his eyes, preparing himself for what was to come. Around his attacker, the four or so other masked men fanned out to form a semicircle in front of him.

"Well, it looks like not everyone here is good for nothing after all. Still, you won't get lucky again. Especially not if I use something for which there is no counter! Crucio!"

The Cruciatus curse? Surely not – that was- Waffles cut his thoughts short. Of course they would use the unforgivable curses. It made sense, after all, since they were prepared to kill him. However, his opponent had underestimated him. He thrust his wand hand forwards, accepting and embracing the pain of the curse for a fraction of a second so as to throw his opponent off balance, then flicked the tip of his wand, along with the curse, to one side. The energy from the spell dissipated harmlessly into a wall, as Waffles prepared his counter-attack.

He backed off a little, then sprung forwards, soaring through the air and corkscrewing his body so that his arms whirled like a tornado. At a word from him a long, thin beam of white light sprang forth from the tip of his wand, curving like a whip as he span. As it struck each of his aggressors they flew backwards with a flash of light, to land in a heap several metres away.

Waffles smiled faintly as he landed on his feet. His summer tutor would certainly be proud of him for executing such a difficult technique in a tight situation. However, his opponents weren't done yet.

"Is that all you've got, boy?"

This is just an excerpt from somewhere near the start. What's going on will be explained, but I reckon you'll be able to gather pretty well what's going on. And yes, that's all you get. Sorry. I'll try to finish the rest as soon as I can, I promise.