A/N: Let's skip the chit chat and just get right into it, shall we?
Chapter Three: A Quick History Lesson
Toshiro sighed and set the sheet of paper he had been working on in the 'completed' pile and looked at the 'not yet done' pile in disdain. It was noticeably smaller than it had been a half hour ago but it was still painfully larger than he would have liked. After he had read over everything he needed to know for the mission, he had hastily gotten back to work, trying to finish as much paperwork as possible before he left Soul Society 'FOR A WHOLE FREAKING YEAR'! Perhaps he could take some of it with him? That might work. Toshiro sighed again and looked at the clock; five minutes until one o'clock. The others should be arriving any minute now. He thought.
As if on cue, Rangiku burst through the doors. "Captain Toshiro, what's this about wizards?" she asked without preamble.
"It's Hitsugaya." Toshiro snapped. "As for the whole wizard thing, I'll explain that when everyone gets here."
"Ooh, who's all coming?" she asked with the same enthusiasm as if she were asking who was showing up for a party.
"It will be me, you, Abarai Renji of Sixth Company, Kuchiki Rukia of Thirteenth Company, and the new substitute Soul Reaper, Kurosaki Ichigo." Toshiro named off as he looked over his notes. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "Come in."
The doors opened and Renji walked in. "Captain Hitsugaya." Renji said with a bow. "I was told to meet here for a meeting about a new mission."
Toshiro nodded and gestured to the couch, which Renji sat in. Toshiro glanced at the clock again; two minutes. As they waited, Rangiku and Renji silently exchanged information on what their letters said and what their theories were for the mission. Toshiro half listened as he pulled another sheet of paper in front of him and continued working, occasionally glancing at the clock. 'I'll start at exactly one o'clock. If they're late, too bad.' He thought. 'I'm not repeating anything.'
Thirty seconds to one o'clock, Toshiro set the completed paper in its appropriate pile just as a soft knock on the door was heard, followed by voices. "What the heck kind of knock was that? That was pathetic." "That was a respectful knock, thank you." "That was pathetic. I doubt anyone even heard you. Here, I'll show you how to knock." Suddenly there was a loud banging on the door, as though someone was pounding on it with their fist. "Hey, open up!" "Ichigo!"
Toshiro clenched his fists, resisting the urge to growl, as Renji opened the door. "Idiot." Renji said. "You do realize we heard everything you two were saying, right?"
Ichigo shrugged, strutting into the room with his arms crossed behind his head. "I do now." Then he turned and faced Toshiro, biting his lip to keep the bubble of laughter from escaping when he saw the Tenth Division's captain. Quickly he cleared his throat and spoke. "So, you're Toshiro, huh? Kind of short, aren't you?"
Toshiro clenched his fists tighter as Rangiku and Renji bit back snickers. Ichigo continued. "So, what's this all about, Toshiro and why am I called here?"
"It's Captain HITSUGAYA, Kurosaki!" he snapped again. "And as for why you are here, I would assume it was obvious from the two different messages you most likely received, that it was a meeting about a mission involving witches and wizards. Although, if you're wondering why you were chosen, I'm starting to wonder that myself." Ichigo scowled. "However, if you're wondering what exactly this mission entails, I expect you all to take a seat and be quiet so I can explain."
All four of them sat on the couch as Toshiro moved around some of the papers so he could see better. "Wow, that's a lot of paperwork." Ichigo commented.
"I know." Toshiro said, glaring at Rangiku, who looked away sheepishly. "Now, I'll explain the basics first before I go into what this mission is about and when I do, I don't want any interruptions at all. If, at the end of my explanations, there is something that wasn't discussed, you may ask it." Toshiro paused and waited, making sure there will be no interruptions, before starting.
"First off, as I'm sure you are all wondering, yes, wizards and witches do exist. I have spoken to Head-Captain Yamamoto and he has confirmed it. Apparently, there are several colonies all over the world, hidden from the non-magical people, also known to them as Muggles, and kept to themselves as much as possible for centuries. The one we are concerned about is in Great Britain.
"I am assuming you all got one of these?" he asked, holding up the crème-colored envelope. Everyone nodded. "A wizard by the name of Dumbledore Albus, or Albus Dumbledore as he is known over there, is headmaster of this Hogwarts school, which is a school for young witches and wizards, and he has spoken to Head-Captain Yamamoto, seeking our help, though how he knows about us and the Head-Captain is unknown by all except the Head-Captain. Before I get into what he's asking for, however, I must first give you all a bit of a history lesson so that when I explain the mission, it will not leave you quite so confused." There he stopped and eyed each of them in turn, as though daring them to interrupt or complain about the history lesson.
"Thirteen years ago, there was an evil wizard that went by the name of Lord Voldemort. He was pretty much the evilest wizard they had; he killed witches, wizards, and muggles alike, slaughtering everyone who denied him what he wanted or stood up against him.
There are three curses that are called the Unforgivable Curses, which were used by Voldemort throughout his reign of terror. One was called the Imperious Curse, or controlling curse; basically it allows the user to control the mind and body of its victim, whether it was to have it kill others or have it drown itself. Most of the people who were labeled as followers of Voldemort, also known as Death Eaters, claimed that they were under this curse and that that was the only reason they had been following him in the first place.
The second is called the Cruciatus Curse, also known as the torturing curse; this curse is also pretty much what it says; it gives the entire body a sudden surge of pain, so colossal that it has been known to cause the victim to go utterly insane. I was told that that curse was used to keep the followers in line and help 'persuade' others to join them, as well as to torture information out of the victims.
The last curse, and possibly the most atrocious of all, is called Avada Kedavra, the killing curse. This curse was pretty much Voldemort's signature move, so to speak; he used it all the time, on any victim he decided to eradicate. There's not really much to explain; basically it kills without leaving any traces behind. Not only that, but every victim of this curse has gone missing. I don't mean their bodies, but their souls. For some reason, when someone is killed by that curse, their soul disappears and no one knows why, how, or where it goes."
Toshiro paused to let them take this information in before giving them anymore. "Our concern is not with what this curse can do but with what it didn't do. There is no known defense against this curse once it hits you except maybe to dodge beforehand but even that is a risky move. Yet for some reason, only one person has ever survived it.
Again, thirteen years ago, Voldemort picked his next victims; a family called the Potters. He was especially interested in killing their son, who was only a year old at the time. Now pay attention, as this is where it gets complex and perplexing." Toshiro made sure he had everyone's attention. He was honestly surprised they were being as quiet as they were but judging by the looks of Ichigo and Rangiku, both of whom were visibly fidgeting, he knew it wouldn't be long before one of them burst with an infinite number of questions. "One night, he went to their home and killed the father, James Potter, as he tried to fight Voldemort off, at least to give his wife a chance to run with the baby. Then he killed the wife, Lily Potter, for trying to protect her son. Then he turned to the boy." Toshiro leaned into his desk, his voice getting dramatically low. "Yet for some reason, when he used that curse, the one that killed so many older and stronger witches and wizards, onto that one year old baby boy, instead of killing him, it backfired back onto its caster. No one knows why, no one knows how; but that boy stopped him." He straightened up again, his voice returning to normal volume.
"Unfortunately, Voldemort didn't die as he should have. He disappeared, waiting for his strength to return and his followers to resurrect him. He has been lying dormant for years until recently. Two years ago, with the aid of one of the teachers, now dead, Voldemort attacked that boy at the end of his first year at that school, and then again, though the details for that are a bit complex, at the end of his second year, which is actually the year that just ended. This year, however, things are going to be different, more complex, and that's where we come in. Do you have any questions about any details before I get to the mission?"
"Yeah." Ichigo said quickly. "After this kid gets attacked by this Voldy-guy twice, wouldn't they heighten security on the school or something? And why is this kid so important to kill in the first place?"
"You would think, after past experience, they would amplify security on this kid, but apparently they're not taking it as seriously as they should." Toshiro said with a nod. "And as for why he wants to kill this kid in the first place, I don't know about before, but right now I believe he's doing it because he was defeated by a one year old boy. Kind of takes a hit to the pride."
"Why don't they just hunt this guy down?" Renji asked rationally. "If he lost his strength, then they should be able to take him, right?"
Toshiro nodded. "I agree but there are two problems with that. One: no one knows where he is. No one has been able to find him. And two: the vast majority of the wizarding world believes he is truly dead. And they won't listen to anyone who says otherwise."
"Well, that's stupid." Rangiku scoffed. "It's thinking like that that will get them all killed." The others nodded in agreement.
"So what's the mission?" Rukia asked.
Toshiro looked at everyone in turn before answering. "Our mission is pretty much like security. Our primary focus will be on the boy, whose name is Harry Potter, and those who attack him. Then we focus on protecting the rest of the school. The day Harry's parents died, a man by the name of Sirius Black, who is believed to be one of Voldemort's biggest followers, was arrested by their police, but not before he killed thirteen people. One was a wizard and the rest muggles. This man was thrown into their prison, which is guarded by the most atrocious of creatures ever, which is the other reason we were assigned to this mission. These guards are called Dementors, and basically they eat souls." As he had assumed, there were shocked gasps throughout their group and he hurried on before they bombarded him with questions. "For centuries, souls have been turning up missing in the British areas and it turns out that these wizards have been using these creatures as a type of execution. They have eaten many souls and no one knows how to get them back or if there even is a way to get them back.
However, that's not all. Recently, there have been reports claiming that Sirius Black has escaped, which is supposed to be impossible because of the ability Dementors have on people. When a person gets too close to a Dementor, whether or not the Dementors are going after them or not, the person suddenly feels as though they had their energy drained and every happy thought sucked out of their bodies. They feel as if they will never be happy again. It's used by their police as a sort of way to keep the prisoners from having any hope of escape or just any hope in general.
Yet, somehow Black was able to escape and everyone thinks he is now after Harry in order to bring Voldemort back to power. And because they think he will try to attack Harry at the school, they have decided to post Dementors around the perimeter, much to Dumbledore's displeasure, though I don't blame him. Their job is to capture Black without harming students, nor are they permitted to go onto the school grounds. At the moment, the school year is over, so students are returning home, where they will be safe. Our mission to protect the school doesn't start until the school year starts. However, the mission to protect Harry Potter starts immediately."
Toshiro glanced at Ichigo. "I need you to go home, and explain to your family that you will be gone for a year. And pack up for that duration of a stay in England."
"Whoa, whoa. Wait a minute." Ichigo said, raising his hands in front of him. "A year? A whole year?"
Toshiro nodded. "Unfortunately, according to Head-Captain Yamamoto's orders, we will be spending the summer living in a house a few houses down from Harry and then moving to the school when it starts. Apparently, Harry lives with his aunt, uncle, and cousin, all of whom are muggles and are as anti-abnormal as possible. We will be living there for the entire summer, keeping an eye on Harry and keeping an eye out for Black, Voldemort, or the Dementors. Yes, Rengiku?" he asked as she raised a hand.
"How will we know what all these people look like?"
"I'll point Harry to you all when we get there." He answered. "We don't have any pictures of him at the moment. Voldemort doesn't have any either but he's almost never seen except by Harry. It should be pretty easy to spot him based on his description. Just look for the evilest looking person around. As for Black, we will be given a picture of him when one is available to the public. Now, does everyone understand?" Everyone but Ichigo nodded.
"Wait, a minute. I never said I would go." Ichigo said. "What if I say no?"
"You don't have a choice." Toshiro retorted. "This is a job for us soul reapers. You are now a deputy soul reaper and this is as much your responsibility as any of ours. If you don't like it, turn in your badge and your sword and go home now."
Ichigo scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine, but what do I say to everyone?"
"For your father, tell him the truth. Then you and he can make something up for your sisters. Same for your friends, I don't really care." Toshiro faced the room at large. "We will meet at Urahara's shop at eleven in the morning to get supplies, and for us," he indicated to himself, Rengiku, Renji and Rukia. "Gigais. Kurosaki, you won't need one but you must bring Kon, unless you want another random mod soul running around in your body?" Ichigo shook his head, shuddering. "Good. Now, everyone go pack for a long summer in Britain. Do whatever you need to to prepare for tomorrow. Don't worry about food or money; Soul Society will be taking care of that. In fact, as we speak, Captain Ukitake is being sent to the house we are to live in so he can purchase it for us and stock it with necessary items we will need, such as food and beds. You may go."
A/N: So how was that? Interesting enough for you all? I hope so, because things are going to go quickly pretty soon. I know this was short but I wanted the whole Harry Potter details in this chapter and the next bit in the next chapter. But don't worry too much; Chapter Four will be up Friday, instead of Monday to make it up to you all. Chapter Five will be up the following Monday though. I'm working on Chapter Six as we speak so be patient please.
Don't forget to review!