CHAPTER 3

Ichigo had come to a pub named "The Leaky Cauldron". It had been really easy to find and that was saying something since sensing reiatsu was never really his thing. Still it made him wonder if they really were trying to hide themselves or were trying to put up a sigh for every person with enough reiatsu to see. These wizards probably thought that they were the only ones who could control reiatsu or 'magic' as they called it. He had looked for the place with the most reiatsu in London and behold, he stood before the very pub that was supposed to have a door toward diagon alley. He didn't even have to follow the map and he still had found it at the corner of the Charing Cross Road without trouble. Still Ichigo needed to at least give them credit for having made a barrier that prevented ordinary humans from seeing it and even making them avoid it without knowing, a perfect barrier that would prevent any human to interfere with their business.

Ichigo wanted to laugh out loud since the wizard seemed to be so dumb in their ways. He could already read most of their thoughts without even having to try. They probably thought of themselves as superior to humans, giving normal humans a different name so they could distance themselves from them. They also probably tried to ignore everything that showed that maybe even other races existed that also had power over their 'magic'. With a sigh he abruptly stopped his thoughts and threw them into a corner of his mind. He couldn't be prejudice, maybe some of them were like that, but just like humans who could be very different, wizards probably could be too. Ichigo didn't believe in a world of black and white. No one was completely white and no one completely black. In this world there were so many colors and he wouldn't just ignore the rest so he would be able to call a person evil or good. Ichigo had long decided that he would make himself a picture of this world and the persons that lived in it and, no one, really no one would stop him from making his own picture.

Ichigo stopped his thoughts again. His mind seemed to wander since he had become the 'king of hell' and he had often enough found himself lost in thoughts. He had a mission to do and he was damned if he wasn't able to succeed. He gave the pub another short look before he gripped the doorknob and turned it around. Pushing the door open the sight before him almost made his jaw hit the floor. This looked so old and rundown compared to other pubs, like the time had stopped for this place. He hadn't been to many pubs, the only time when he had celebrated with his friends and family after the winter war, but they definitely didn't look like that. Everything was made out of wood and the only light was coming from above. He stopped his thoughts ones again and moved toward the man behind the counter about to ask if he still had a room open when someone suddenly bumped into him. He turned around to look at his attacker only to find a middle aged woman who still looked a bit confused about what had happened before her face changed into one of shock and she started to apologize.

"I'm so sorry, I was pushed from behind."

"It is no problem Miss…"

"Miss Weasley"

"It's no problem Miss Weasley, I also wasn't looking. Also nothing serious has happened, you only stopped me in questioning the bartender if a room was still open."

"Could you be the transfer student I have heard so much about? At least you look the age. I heard that you have asked Dumbledore for permission to learn at Hogwarts in the very last moment. Something about your application being really late, that he almost couldn't take you in anymore. You are probably very happy that you were still accepted, right?"

"Yes I am the transfer student and yes I am very happy about being accepted. My name is Ichigo Kurosaki and it's nice to meet you."

"Hello Mr. Kurosaki, if you would like you could sleep at our house, it's still under renovation, but it's a lot better than here or in any other hotel and you will even get food for free." She said that with such a proud voice that Ichigo could practically tell that he would be stuffed with food like a goose on Christmas Eve before he could even protest. A quick look to the right told him that the bartender wasn't really happy about the description of his pub but seems to almost accept it, like it was the truth. Still Ichigo tried, and tried being the key word, to say no thanks.

"Isn't it too much trouble to just suddenly take in a stranger without even asking the rest of the family and I believe I am correct in thinking that you are married right?"

"Yes you are correct, I am happily married and no, it wouldn't cause us any trouble at all. Now come, take your luggage and follow me. It won't take long."

"But…"

Before Ichigo could even end his protest she had already grabbed his arm and was dragging him along, like he was the luggage. Minutes later, after having gone through enough streets to last a lifetime in Ichigo's opinion, they arrived at a bus stop. When Mrs. Weasley told him they would take the bus, he had never ever imaged that a bus, could be so life threatening, if not from an accident then from a heart attack. The talking head that he saw was okay, he could live with it, but the driving style was absolutely dangerous. Where had that man made his driving license? That thought was cut short when Ichigo needed to step aside so he wouldn't be overrun by a bed that was coming toward him. If that bed had hit the legs of an ordinary human or a wizard for that matter, they would have probably had two broken legs instead of a small bruise that Ichigo would have gotten. Still Ichigo could live with it. What really took the cake was the feeling of being shaken and smashed flat like a pancake. A few minutes later he finely was able to leave the bus and almost kissed the ground, but resisted. He couldn't have been truly hurt anyway. A short look to the right told him that they were at the right street, the street Mrs. Weasely had told him seconds before, and that the house glowing before them with reiatsu was probably their destination. It was called the Grimmauld Place.

They stood in the middle of house number eleven and thirteen, but the house that was truly glowing was the house in between, the house with the number twelve. His thoughts returned to his precious prejudice. These wizards couldn't even sense their own magic or they wouldn't have tried to hide the house like this. Even without him learning how to control his reiatsu, he had only done that out of boredom (before Nel came), he would have seen this house as clear as the day it was practically a second sun. Mrs. Weasley started to whisper something and Ichigo, even thought he had seen the house even before that, saw how the other houses on the right and left side moved to make room for the number twelve in between. The house door slowly opened to reveal three men with sticks? No, those were wands. Ichigo had learned that wizards needed wands to channel their magic and couldn't go without. Somehow sad that they couldn't control their own power and needed help. Those three men with wands pointed at him were soon pushed to the side with Mrs. Weasley snarled at them:

"Move out off the way."

"Why did you bring this boy here, have you forgotten that no outsider is allowed to even know of this place!"

"He was at the pub and searched a place to sleep, when I found him. He is a transfer student from …"

"…from Japan. My name is Ichgio Kurosaki. It is a pleasure to meet all of you."

"Molly, he shouldn't be here and you know that."

"If you wish so, I could leave." To be real, Ichigo would have happily left but Molly seemed to misunderstand him, because when he tried to move toward the door he was stopped by none other than Mrs. Weasley herself. She glared at the others while sweetly telling him:

"I asked you to come with me and I won't just send you away again after I have brought you here." She smiled at him before turning to the others and Ichigo believed he could even see a demon manifesting before him.

"Open the hallway." It was a clear command and the men almost looked like the moved as one to the side, not wanting to fell the fury of the woman. Ichigo was impressed. Her tone of voice could have almost rivaled that of his hollows. Ichigo was pushed in and before he even knew what happened he was standing next to the other man and she had taken his luggage and disappeared up the stairs. Ichigo looked to the three still dumbstruck men and said again:

"Hello my name is Ichigo Kurosaki and it looks like we will, till the semester starts, need to live with each other."

The men only stared for a while before they found their composure again and one of them introduced them all:

"My name is Arthur Weasley and next to me are Sirius Black and professor Remus Lupin."

Till then he hadn't really noticed, but Ichigo recognized these men. They had been there when he had been summoned by Dumbledore. It they were smart it wouldn't take them to long to figure out that he was the "king of hell" and that would be boring if they would know him from the start. He would try to mislead them for the time being. It would be much more interesting to see their faces and reactions when they finely concluded that it was him all along. They asked him some questions, but he was soon accepted, even if that meant that he for now was seen as a burden and unwanted. He noticed their stares in his back and how Lupin, Mr. Weasley and Siruis Black seemed to follow his every movements and inside he smirked to himself. This would truly be interesting. The inner smirk was soon lost when he was caught with two hands from behind. Two boys, who were probably twins, suddenly bombarded him with questions. He calmly answered them before the hated question appeared. Was this his hair color and where he had he gotten the dye if it wasn't.

"My hair color is natural!" Ichigo said in a calm voice, but everyone noticed how his scowl suddenly deepened and anger was suddenly radiated of his very being.

"Did you hear that Fred, he said his color is natural!"

"Yes, I heard it George, but do you believe him?"

"Why should we, we don't know him!"

"Then we should do that now, hey my name is Fred and this is George!"

"Wait; is today your name or my name Fred?"

"It should be my name today or have I misunderstood something?"

"No, I think you're right."

When the twins started to discuss about their names, Ichigo had stopped listening and had sat down on a chair near a table. When he had just made himself comfortable a girl came running down the stairs. She had bushy brown hair and seemed to be searching for something. As soon as she had spotted him, she was already darted toward him. It wasn't even a second later before his ears started to ring; he had never seen someone talk so fast. Even the midget had at least give him time to answer between one of her questions, but with this girl it was different. He didn't have a change. That was till he said:

"STOP,how do you expect someone to answer, if you don't even give them any time to?" He let out a sigh before answering a few questions she had directed toward him.

"First: My name is Ichigo Kurosaki; Second: Yes, I'm a transfer student; Third: I'm from Japan and Fourth: No they don't teach us the same magic there."

It was quiet at first, well till the twins started to laugh and roll on the floor, since they didn't have the strength to hold themselves up, that was quickly followed by light snickering coming from the adults. Not even a second later the girl's face started to slowly turn red, till even a tomato couldn't rival such a vivid color. Ichigo truthfully didn't understand till the twins laughed out:

"Someone can stop THE Hermionie Granger when she starts talking nonstop. Ha ha ha I can't believe it; she was finally stopped."

Then the twin wiped away the tears, which had started to form in his eyes. Their eyes met Hermionie's eyes for a second time and they started to laugh again. From all that laugher a boy had come down to probably see what happened. When he saw the scene they were making, he also started to laugh. When the boy had found his voice again, he for the first time truly noticed Ichigo. He walked over to him and held out his hand.

"Hallo, my name is Ron Weasley and I hope that it is nice to meet you." Ichigo gave a small smile.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, transfer student from Japan. Likewise."