A/N Here's chapter one! I managed to finish it all in one day, which is freaking amazing for me. Anyway, have fun reading and drop a little review at the end!
Chapter One
"You know, we'd always wondered what you'd be like, but we never expected you to be a captain! I wonder if…"
Hitsugaya tuned James out. Ever since they'd arrived at the Leaky Cauldron a few days ago he'd been talking almost nonstop. He wouldn't have minded if he'd been talking about the mission, or even anything remotely pertinent. James, however, and been insistent on talking about him, and asking questions that Hitsugaya felt he really had no right to ask. Fortunately, he'd been able to concentrate on the mission, which so far consisted of converting spells into ones workable with reiatsu.
Magic, they'd discovered, disappeared when you died. You were simply no longer able to use it. Reiatsu worked as an acceptable replacement, able to replicate any spell magic could cast… if you knew how. Therefore they'd taken it upon themselves to learn how so they could better blend in to wizarding society.
They'd also dyed James's hair. White. Apparently everyone knew the faces of James and Lily Potter, so they had needed disguises before they even set foot in the wizarding world. Unfortunately, they hadn't been able to use modified gigai, because they wouldn't fit right. That would have been extraordinarily uncomfortable, and, as this was a long-term mission, they simply couldn't have annoyances like that in the back of their minds. So they'd used more normal methods. Hair dye and colored contacts were the most prominent.
It would have been fine if James hadn't insisted on dying his hair to match Hitsugaya's.
James said it made them look more like a family. Hitsugaya wasn't sure whether he should be insulted or not.
Thankfully Lily, the more practical of the two, had dyed her hair blonde. Any further resemblance to the Potters could now be considered merely coincidental. After all, necromancy was a forbidden art in the wizarding world.
"…Lily knew that the Academy would be the first place I'd go… something about me enjoying trouble too much to voluntarily stay out of it. She was right, as usual. So that's why we became shinigami," James chattered cheerfully. "What made you decide to become a shinigami?"
Hitsugaya's expression tightened. "I'm going out."
"Then I'll come with you!"
"Alone," he snapped, heading for the entrance to Diagon Alley. He gripped the fake wand in his hand and sharply tapped the bricks disguising the gateway, channeling a small amount of reiatsu through it to activate the enchantments.
He sincerely hoped that they found one of these Order members soon, because dealing with two would-be parents was really starting to grate on his nerves.
James sighed as he watched Hitsugaya – his son – leave.
"I don't know what I'm doing wrong, Lils," he said softly. "Every time I try to talk to him he just…" he waved his hand in a vague motion. "I mean, I just want to get to know my kid, you know?"
Lily raised an eyebrow. "I do. And maybe that's the problem," she bit her lip. "Maybe he doesn't want to get to know us. He's been acting as an independent adult for decades now, not... And then, all of a sudden two people show up claiming to be his parents. I… how would you feel, James?"
He nodded slowly.
"Just… slow down a bit. Don't try to pressure him into accepting us. Just… wait. These things take time."
He sighed again. "I know. But haven't we wasted enough time already?"
She drew him into a warm embrace. "Don't worry, James. It will all work out in the end, you'll see."
Remus Lupin wandered aimlessly through Diagon Alley. Ever since Dung had claimed to have seen someone who knew where Harry was in the Leaky Cauldron, Order members had frequented the Alley, hoping to either find some trace of the man or to find Harry himself. Remus had volunteered his time almost solely to the search effort, but even he had to admit that whoever that man had been, he was long gone by now.
Browsing idly through Flourish and Blots, a child entering the store caught his eye. It would have been hard for him to not notice, he thought in amusement, all but staring at the startlingly white hair. Sharp teal eyes glanced in his direction before flicking deliberately to the watch on his wrist. Remus looked down.
The glow coming from the watch wouldn't have been all that unusual, except for the sheer intensity of it. Remus's eyes widened and he looked back up, but the child had disappeared.
The glow started to fade.
A sharp knock at the door made James jump. Recognizing Hitsugaya's reiatsu, he quickly let him in. Did he want to talk?
"I've found one of the Order members," he stated without preamble. That was a 'no.' "Gather your things. He's probably on his way here now." And with that, he was out the door again, most likely to his own room to pack his things.
"Who do you think it is?" he asked Lily, haphazardly throwing clothes and books into his trunk. She shrugged. "How would I know? We don't even know who made it through the first war…" her voice trailed off. She slammed her trunk closed, which was somehow already neatly packed.
"You're already done?" he asked hopefully.
She raised an eyebrow. "Yes. And so should you be. You've known for days that we'd most likely have to be ready to leave in a hurry."
He gave her a truly pathetic look. "Help?"
She sighed, looking at the mess that was his trunk. "Go find the rest of your stuff, James. I'll clean this up."
"Thanks, Lils!"
Remus stared down at the fading glow emanating from his watch. He cursed and ran out the door. This was the first time there had been any change whatsoever in the spell, and he'd be damned if he lost this chance. Sirius would never forgive him. He'd never forgive himself.
He randomly chose a direction and ran, keeping his eyes on his watch. As the glow brightened and died he switched directions, making sure that, whichever way he went, the light increased. Eventually he came to a stop at the gateway between Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron. Harry wasn't in the muggle world, was he? Remus despaired ever finding him in such a confusing place. Hoping that he was still in the pub, Remus tapped the bricks and passed through the arch.
His eyes scanned the dimly lit room for a moment before alighting on a familiar form. The white-haired child from before calmly stood from the table he was sitting at and made his way toward the guest rooms. A quick glance was all it took for Remus to follow. The child paused and entered a room, clearly inviting Remus inside. He hesitated slightly before going. After all, Harry wouldn't do anything to him, if the child was indeed Harry.
Three people were in the room. One was the child he had followed, and the other two were clearly older, either in their late teens or early twenties. Were they his parents? They looked just like him, but they were too young to have possibly had a child that age. One of the older pair, the woman, smiled at him as he cautiously entered.
"Hello. You're one of the Order of the Phoenix, correct?"
Remus nodded slowly. How did she know?
"Wonderful! If we could, we'd like to meet with your group," she looked guilelessly at him and he found himself nodding again.
"I'm sure that could be arranged," he said, licking suddenly dry lips. He glanced at the child, Harry, he was certain, if the nearly blinding light from his watch was anything to go by. But who were the other two? There was something strangely familiar about them, but Remus was sure that he'd never seen them before. "We… actually, we'd like to speak with him as well," he said, waving his hand in the child's direction. "We believe that he's…" he paused, unsure how to continue.
"Harry Potter," the man, who had been staring at him with an odd look on his face the entire time, suddenly spoke up. Remus jumped.
"Well… yes. How…"
"…did we know? We'll explain when we get there," the child spoke for the first time. His voice was surprisingly un-child-like and Remus had to stop himself from staring at the boy who was supposedly his best friends' son and godson.
The werewolf took a small slip of parchment out of his pocket. It was technically for Harry's eyes only, just in case, but he supposed that, just this once, an exception would have to be made. "Read that and memorize it."
All three quickly read the address to Headquarters, the man and woman both clearly realizing the implications of what was written. Remus burned the parchment and unlatched a pendant from around his neck. "This is a portkey that will take us there," he explained quietly. The group each put a finger on the pendant.
"One… two… three…"
The world spun.
The first thing Hitsugaya did when they got to #12 Grimmauld Place was vow to himself to never, ever use a portkey again. By the time they reached their destination the world was still spinning and he could barely stand. It was not a feeling he wished to repeat.
The second thing he did was take a look around. He was not impressed. The severed heads of some kind of creature lined the hall directly after the door, which was where that… portkey… had deposited them. Chipping paint that had once been a rich, royal blue, but was now a murky gray, covered the walls. In fact, the only thing the building really had going for it was its size, and even that wasn't very impressive when compared to places like the Kuchiki manor, or even his own division's compound.
Their guide, who James and Lily had quietly told him was called Remus Lupin, led them through the manor to the dining room. Several people stood as they came in, and one had a quick, hushed conversation with Lupin, after which he nodded and ran to the fireplace.
"If you'll wait a few minutes, the Order will assemble here," he told them, choosing three seats around the long table for them to sit at. He left briefly, and entered again with another man with long black hair, gaunt features, and sunken eyes. "This is Sirius Black." He paused, clearly waiting for some kind of reaction. When none came, an odd expression crossed his features. The pair sat down across from James and Lily, though the man, Black, kept glancing at Hitsugaya. He ignored him as best he could and settled down for what promised to be a long meeting.
Members of the Order of the Phoenix trickled into the room over the course of the next fifteen minutes or so. One of them, a heavily scarred man with a distinct limp and an electric blue eye glared in their direction, whispering fiercely at Lupin, who looked slightly guilty. A large, dark-skinned man followed along with a pink-haired woman that reminded him marginally of Kusajishi-fukutaicho. Three children entered at the same time; a girl with bushy hair and two redheaded children. The last to enter was an old man with brightly twinkling eyes, a long white beard, and luridly colored robes. He glanced in their direction, eyes widening in surprise. He smiled.
"Albus," the scarred man snarled, pointing at James and Lily, "those two shouldn't be here. The only one that Lupin was supposed to bring was Potter! We should just obliviate them and throw them out."
The old man chuckled. "Remus was only doing as he was told; after all, he only brought Potters. Wouldn't you say, James, Lily?"
Lupin let out a sort of strangled sound and Black stared. Silence reigned for a complete minute before whispers broke out throughout the rest of the room. A man in the back with dark, greasy hair and a large nose sneered.
Black stood, knocking over his chair and all but leaping at the trio. "J-James? Is that really you?"
James grinned roguishly and pulled the man into a hug. "I'm right here, Padfoot. Could anyone else be this amazingly handsome, or have such a wonderful, intelligent, beautiful wife?"
"What on earth did you do to your hair?"
"Well, we couldn't exactly go around as ourselves, now, could we? Imagine the riot that would cause… 'Two previously dead wizards come back to life and wander around Diagon Alley.' That would be productive, I'm sure."
Black let out a belt of bark-like laughter. "But how? We saw you two that night…"
The old man (Albus? Europeans had such weird names.) interrupted. "I think we would all like to know the answer to that. And, of course, how you found young Harry here."
Hitsugaya scowled. Black looked over with a grin and gave him a bear hug. "Harry!"
He stiffened, throwing a look at James, who shrugged. Black just pulled back, too happy to really care that 'Harry' hadn't hugged him back.
"It's Hitsugaya-taicho," he said flatly. "And they didn't find me. We met in Soul Society."
"Soul Society?" asked Lupin curiously.
"It's what you humans refer to as 'Heaven.'"
Black froze. "What?" The rest of the Order seemed to be of the same opinion.
Hitsugaya looked at Lily, who took over the explanation. "We really did die," she started. "We stayed around as spirits for a little while before we were sent to the afterlife. After a few years James and I went to the Academy to become shinigami, or what you would call 'death gods' or 'soul reapers.' Our job is to send souls to Soul Society, or to defeat hollows, which are fallen souls that have become monsters and eat other souls. One of the shinigami on duty discovered that the search was taking place and recognized Harry's reiatsu, or spiritual power, coming from a necklace."
"But… if you met in Soul Society… that means that all three of you are…?"
Lily nodded sadly. "Yes. Right now we are in what are called 'gigai,' or fake bodies that allow us to interact with the living in ways that a normal soul could not."
"But Harry… when he fell through the veil, I was so sure that he didn't die…"
Lily blinked. "The veil? Oh! That explains so much!"
"I don't know what this 'veil' is, but apparently it gave me a new life," Hitsugaya interrupted, "because I was not Harry Potter when I died over 70 years ago. I only remember being Hitsugaya Toshiro, or, in your language, Toshiro Hitsugaya, I suppose." There was a long pause. "Call me Hitsugaya-taicho, or, if you must, Hitsugaya."
Lily laughed nervously. "Don't take it personally, Sirius. He doesn't let anyone call him by his given name."
Black nodded, confused. "Okay… What does 'taicho' mean?"
James grinned. "Captain. He's one of the second-highest ranking officers in Soul Society."
The greasy-haired man sneered. "Oh, and I suppose you had them catering to your every whim there, Potter? Managed to buy your rank? It figures; though don't expect the same to be true here."
James narrowed his eyes and Lily stiffened. "Don't you dare, Snivellus! There is no possible way to buy rank in Soul Society, and I won't have you disrespecting my so…"
"James," (1) Hitsugaya snapped, not caring to think about what James was going to say. No matter what he thought, he was not really his father, could not be. "Stand down. Having his 12th seat act so unprofessionally reflects badly on both Komamura-taicho and the 7th division."
"Dumbledore-san," he said, finally remembering the name Lily and James had told him earlier. "I do not yet know how things work here and neither do I think it my place to rebuke your subordinates. I will, however, make a suggestion," he let his reiatsu leak slightly and a chill suddenly permeated the air. "Keep them in line."
Lily cleared her throat, breaking the uncomfortable silence that followed. "Sirius," she asked in a clear attempt to change the subject, "what spell did you use to find Har… Hitsugaya-taicho?"
"Uh, Comperio Substantia," he replied.
Lily giggled. "Oh, Sirius, you are so, so lucky."
"What, why?"
She giggled again. "Sirius, that spell fell out of use two centuries ago because it kept finding the 'auras' of people that were known as deceased. If it hadn't been that spell, you wouldn't have found anything, but if you'd actually read the entire passage from whatever book you got that spell from, you wouldn't have used it. It's a good thing you're so unobservant!"
Black laughed before sobering again. "But if you're dead, why were you all allowed to come here and tell us these things?"
Lily and James exchanged glances. "Well… because Voldemort was supposed to die, but somehow managed to cheat death using forbidden arts. And because of the proph…"
Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Yes, I have a few theories regarding that, but as yet nothing is proven. Tomorrow I'll know whether or not my theory is correct. I'll let you three know."
Hitsugaya nodded. "In any case," he said, "the point was not to tell you about Soul Society. We are here because our mission is to eradicate the soul identified as Voldemort, and to learn more of wizarding society. We will be leaving after our mission is complete."
Black's face fell, and a few of the others, including the three younger wizards he had noticed entering earlier, looked disappointed.
"Y-you're leaving?" the bushy-haired girl asked softly.
Hitsugaya nodded. "Not anytime soon, as the observation portion of our mission will take some time. However, that is our only purpose here," the look he gave her was unforgiving.
She flinched.
The meeting ended soon after.
"Toshiro," the icy voice of Hyourinmaru spoke softly as he lay in bed that night in the room he shared with the redheaded boy, "you should make an effort with these humans."
"I don't see the point. Getting to know them only to leave again right after will only hurt them. And I don't make friends well. You know that."
"Perhaps. But they care, and whether you know or like it or not, you care. It will be worth it, even if it is only temporary. Besides, you might see them again, in Soul Society."
"I doubt it."
"Does it matter? At the very least, it will make your mission to understand wizarding society easier. And it will be nice to have someone to talk to, won't it? I know you miss Hinamori and Matsumoto."
"I'm not looking for replacements."
"I never said you were," the hailstone voice replied, exasperated, "Just don't waste this opportunity."
"I can't be who they want me to be, Hyourinmaru. I'm not Harry Potter, at least, not anymore."
"I'm not asking you to be. Toshiro, just try it. It won't be as bad as you think it is, I'm sure. And James and Lily…"
"Stop right there, Hyourinmaru," he sighed. "Fine. If it'll make you happy, I'll try. I had better not regret this."
"You won't."
It was a long time before he fell asleep that night.
(1) He calls James and Lily by their given names because having two 'Potter-sans' around would be confusing. Not only that, but he had to compromise. There is simply no way he was going to call them 'mum' and 'dad,' but having him call them Mr. Potter, Mrs. Potter would be just freaky…