CHAPTER 4

A very stressful day!

Ichigo hadn't been happy like this since long ago. It was nice to have contact with other people. Of course he had been happy when Nel started to be part of his life, but she acted her looks. She was like a little kid and those, however adorable they are can be annoying and tiring. Now he finally also had contact with older people and it was refreshing to say at least. In hell there also existed older people but somehow he never really got to talk to them and often Nel and her brothers were his only companions.

It had been a few days since he had arrived and he was fully enjoying himself, even though no one really say that since his expression expect for the scowl never really changed. This lively family also reminded him of his old friends and Ichigo missed them dearly. They was no replacement for his friends, but at least like this he could pretend that they were next to him even for just a little while. Ron was somehow like Renji, loud and thickheaded, but also very loyal always being there when one truly needed him. Hermine was somehow like Rukia in her way of speaking. Rukia would have more likely started to draw while Hermine was quickly to read a book, their hobbies nothing alike. He was somehow thankful that Hermine wasn't truly Rukia because he already felt so very tired from her constant questioning.

He had once let his own question slip and soon all hell broke loose, even thought Ichigo already knew the answer for his question.

"Why do you need to use these wands anyway?" He had foolishly asked and Hermine was quick to react.

"You don't know why we need those wands?"

When he nodded everything became quiet. Even the twins stopped playing around to listen. It was like they were waiting for a match to start. Hermine was the one that started it.

"These wands…" She held her own one high in the air. "…are used to control our magic flow, so we will be able to use it. Without our wands we can't use magic. It would be almost like we are muggles!" Ichigo had known that, but he had still hoped he was wrong and they were just using wands to make it easier to control their own 'magic'. Still Hermine's answer had brought up a new question.

"What are muggles." It became quiet again before Hermine started to go into her lecture mode again.

"Muggles are non magic people and do not know of our existents. Let me ask you something. You don't seem to have a wand and you also don't know what wands are for. Without that knowledge how are you able to use magic?"

Ichigo couldn't hold himself back. He started to laugh hard. Oh how right he was. They really had given normal humans another name to be able to distant themselves from normal humans. He received many looks thrown his way but ignored them. Those looks thrown his way were probably caused through his laugher about a normal, really not that funny answer and because he was laughing. They had never heard him laugh, not even smile before.

"What's so funny?" Hermine asked, angry that someone was laughing over her lecture.

"Sorry" Ichigo apologized "inside joke", 'with myself' he thought quietly to himself while his smile slowly morphed back into his normal scowl.

Hermine who had thought about his previous question suddenly had one of her own and lost no time to ask Ichigo about it.

"If you don't know what wants are for and don't possess one, how are you able to use magic?" She was curious. She had never seen Ichigo pull out a wand for anything. He always did everything himself, but he was also never surprised about the wizard stuff, so he would have to be a squib, but he wouldn't have been able to go to Hogwarts if he was one so that also couldn't be.

"I do my magic with my own hands. Why? Does it matter?"

"What" They all but screamed together before Hermine started to go into one of her rants "But that's not possible. You can't use magic without an item to control the flow of it. Could you demonstrate one spell of yours?"

"Yes I could, but it wouldn't be such a good idea!"

"Why wouldn't it be one?" Hermine asked skeptical.

"Because the spells I use are highly destructive. I often use them for combat and nothing else. Those spells I use are for causing explosions, ripping the soul out of the body and protection of course, like your shield spells. I also know some healing spells, but they shouldn't be used on people that are completely healthy and uninjured. Maybe I could show you pure magic in its unused form, would that be enough to convince you?"

Hermine's and everyone else eyes for that matter became large. They all stared at him for a second before Hermine started to nod her head enthusiastic.

Ichigo concentrated on his hand. He slowly let a ball of pure reiatsu appear in his hands. Everyone was so transfixed on the beautiful spinning blue glowing ball that no one expect Ichigo noticed Mrs. Weasley and a boy entering the room. The boy had black hair and a bolt shaped scar on his forehead. Even those two, when they had noticed Ichigo's swirling blue ball stopped in their tracks to stare at it. It was Hermine who noticed the arrival first and started to stand up; trying to ignore the ball, even thought her eyes always seemed to wander back at it. She gave the boy before her a full blown out smile.

"Hello Harry, long times no see. How have you been?" With that question everyone else also focused on the boy and Ichigo let his reiatsu return to his body.

"Hello Hermine, I am well, or as well as I can get living with you know. And? How are you?"

"I and Ron are fine, but we missed you. Oh and this is Ichigo Kurosaki, a transfer student from Japan. Mrs. Weasley lets him stay here."

Harry looked up and started to smile at Ichigo, but Ichigo could still the well hidden mistrust that he possessed toward Ichigo. "Hello Ichigo, my name is Harry and it is a pleasure to meet you."

"Ichigo Kurosaki, the pleasure is on my side."

In his mind Ichigo had already been making notes. Harry, Hermine and Ron were probably the trio with Harry as the head that Dumbledore wanted him to protect. Sometimes it was really funny how fate toyed with one. He had thought that it would take longer to find the trio but he wouldn't cry over spilled milk. He would have some fun another time. It was really early and he was still quite tired. Ron waked him up so he could meet one of their friends and now that that was finished he deserved his bed. He needed to go to Diagon alley later on anyway to buy his magic stick, like he had started to so lovingly call it and his other needed supplies.

It was nine o'clock a.m. when an energetic Ron came running into his room and pulled him out of bed. A short annoyed noise left his lips before he could stop himself, but he still let Ron wake him and slowly he began to stand up and make himself ready for the day. He could see Ron excitement when he told him that they would all go to the Diagon alley to buy supplies. Shortly after his conservation with Ron he was down and they all ate together before they went to the fireplace. Mrs. Weasley told him how it functioned and what to do and soon he stood in the fire and spoke the needed words clearly. Ichigo couldn't believe that the wizards only had such dumb and uncomfortable transports. A few minutes later they had all arrived in Diagon alley. Mrs. Weasley told them that they would go separated ways to be quicker and then would all meet at the same spot again in about an hour. Ichigo went to the "Gringotts Wizarding Bank" to charge a bit of his wizard money. When he went in, it suddenly became quiet and all goblins had shortly stopped their work to stare at him. Even when they had gone back to work, their eyes often wandered back to him. At the very back he believed to have found the goblin that he needed.

"I want to charge a bit of my money that I have left in your care."

"Do you have the key and vaults number?"

"Yes the vaults number is 893 and here is the key."

The goblin stood up and showed Ichigo the way. When they were far away from the main floor the goblin started to interrogate him:

"What are you doing here?"

Ichigo looked at him with innocent eyes, but still answered:

"I want to do same as all the other costumers. I want to charge a bit of my money."

"Yes I know, but why are you in the human world "king of hell?"

"Is it that easy to tell, or do goblins just have better senses and instincts?" Ichigo wondered aloud.

Ichigo wasn't sure if he had seen the goblin smile at his almost rhetorical question or if he had just seen wrong.

"When it comes to senses and instincts the wizards are as dumb and blind as normal human beings. Creatures like us still possess them and so we can tell. Our instincts tell us that you are dangerous, just not to use, till we do something to gain your attention." Ichigo slowly nodded and gave the answer that the goblin had waited for.

"I was summoned. Dumbledore asked me to so protect his school and Harry Potter from a wizard named Voldemort."

Then the goblin became quiet again. They stood before the vault and the goblin opened it and let Ichigo take his money out of his vault. He didn't talk till they were back in the lobby. Then he said:

"If you are not here to harm or steal then you are welcome to come again." Ichigo gave him a small smile and nodded. Then his face became serious.

"I thank you for your acceptance. You have helped me even thought you knew who I am. As thanks to that I will reward you with a gift that will help you in times of need. But do not use it without thinking. With this whistle you can summon me for help. Take care of it."

The last few words he said with his hollow voice his eyes having become slits, like the eyes a cat possessed and then without another word he left. The goblins even thought not showing it on the outside were shocked. They stared at the whistle. They couldn't understand why the "king of hell" had given them such a valuable gift, but they swore to themselves that they would take good care of it. It showed 'the king of hell's trust and they wouldn't disappoint him.

Ichigo went to the next shop he needed to visit. It was named "Flourish & Blotts". There he would get the books that he needed for Hogwarts. He didn't want to search for every single book so he just asked an employee there. It wasn't long before the books were given to him, the employee showed him some more that could also be useful and a huge pile of books that had made the employee's eyes grow to the size of saucers. Ichigo quickly thanked the man before leaving. His scowl aready deepened when he thought about the next thing that he needed. The uniforms that in his thoughts looked absolutely horrible. Ichigo, when the trio had showed him their uniforms for the first time, had told them that those were dresses and Harry had nodded in understanding. In his musing his feet had already transported him to the shop where those robes were sold. He stood before a shop with the name "Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions". He had made the first very brave, at least in his mind, step when he already wondered if he could just step back and leave again. Not only were those disgusting robes hanging everywhere, but it also seemed to be sellout and many people (the most of them woman) where running through the shop fighting each other to be able to get the best, wel at least in their eyes. He thought about the option to maybe come another time, but quickly dismissed the thought when he thought about stepping one foot into this hellhole again. Ichigo took a deep breath and made the second step. For once Ichigo was thankful that his father had been such an incompetent one, since through that Ichigo had needed to go shopping for food and Yuzu and Karin. He had been confronted with such a scene many times and was confident to be able to master even this one. No one really saw what exactly happened, but one second Ichigo stood at the door with empty arms and the next he stood at the door with full arms going to the owner of the shop and giving her enough money to pay for his robes. Still he hated those situations and tried to avoid them at best. He knew why he always hated it when his family wanted to go shopping. At the end he was always the one who needed to buy the things for his sisters and his father.

The wand was the next listed item that he needed. He went to "Ollivanders" and quickly entered the shop, wanting to get it over with. When Mr. Ollivanders suddenly came from a corner almost right behind him Ichigo didn't even flinch. It had happened to often in the last weeks to really affect him any longer. Still he wondered how the wizards were able to do such feat, him not noticing their arrival. Maybe it was because their reiatsu was so weak that Ichigo didn't see it as a threat, like someone not noticing an ant because they were so little and hard to see.

"I wish to buy a wand!"

"Yes yes I know. What other things would you buy in a wand shop? Hold out your hand so I can measure it."

When he had followed the instruction a flying measuring tape came out of one of the drawers from some old desk and started to measured it. Mr. Ollivanders, somehow knowing the measurement without looking at the quickly disappeared from Ichigo's sight and reappeared seconds later with a wooden box in hand. He opened it to reveal a wand.

"Dragonheart 15 inches, try it."

Ichigo swished the wand and at the same moment the desk exploded. That went on till the twenty's try. Ichigo's fear that maybe the wall wouldn't hold out for much longer and the ceiling would fall on them was growing with every new wand. Ollivander repaired the shop in the last moments, seconds later they really would have been hit by the ceiling. Trough his shop had been demolished till probably not even Ollivander could recognize it his smile had grown with every new wand. Ichigo slowly questioned his sanity. Why would he smile?

"You are the hardest case I have ever encountered. You went to almost every wand that would have suited you and still nothing. With the last one I was sure to succeed, but it seems that I was wrong again. You really are a tricky case.

"Mr. Ollivanders, would you allow me to try to find my wand myself?" Ichigo asked having enough of the explosions.

"Yes yes of course. Try as much as you like." Ollivander nodded enthusiastic, Ichigo wondered if that was just part of his character to be an optimist.

Ichigo closed his eyes took a deep breath and released his powers for a short time. He had held most of his powers back since he knew how it affected the people around him but still that power had been enough to throw Ollivanders to floor and force all air out of his lunge. They would both learn that it hadn't only affected the inside of the shop but a big part of the Diagon Alley outside the shop. Many had been forced to the ground for that second and soon every newspaper that the wizards possessed tried to find out the cause and made up wild theories that made Ichigo laugh at how absurd some sounded and were.

"What power." Ollivander said a bit breathless "Boy can you find a wand that is on your wavelength?"

"I will try!"

Ichigo closed his eyes again and tried to feel a wand that had responded to his powers, but could find none. When he was about to give up and shake his head, he felt one wand responding. Without truly thinking about what he was doing he went to the box with the wand and pulled it out. He gave it to Ollivianders.

"Mr. Ollivianders, this is the wand that responded to my call."

"This is…, I can't believe it. This is the wand that has been the inspiration of my family to open a wand shop. It was a beautiful white bone that glowed red, blue and black at the same time. My ancestors made this bone into a wand, but till now, it responded to now one and finely in my time the wand has found itself a wielder.

"If it is that important, I won't take it"

"But I must ask you to take it. I'm overjoyed that it has found itself a wielder. Please, I insist, you must take it."

And so, Ichigo brought the wand and for the first time really looked at it. It was really beautiful. It was pure white but sometimes it shimmered blue, black or red or all at the same time. Ichigo marveled about how the wand looked more like a crystal sometimes even being able to see through like it was made of glass. The handle was also carved with beautiful designs one that made Ichigo's heart warm to its very core. A moon, a sword and what looked like a masked where part of the design of the handle that was also made of a beautiful crystal like stone.

The last shop he needed to visit was "Eeylops Owl Emporium". He had thought about not going there, since he didn't really need a pet, but something was drawing him to there. When he entered it became quiet, unnaturally so since it was an animal shop and it was almost constantly loud. Ichigo ignored those smaller matters and concentrated only on the thing or being that was calling out to him. When the shopkeeper came Ichigo quickly asked him:

"Do you possess any other animals expect owls?"

"Of course I don't have any other animals than owls. This is an owl shop is it not?"

"Yes but I can still feel another presence. I would like to know what it is and maybe even purchase it if that is possible."

"To be honest a costumer ordered a rare animal, but when he saw it he suddenly didn't want it anymore and so didn't purchase it. It hasn't eaten since it was imprisoned I really don't know what to do anymore. I would even give it to you for free, if you were just able to feed it." Ichigo nodded, silently accepting the terms and followed the shop shopkeeper to the back of his shop where a cage stood with a sign on that said: DO NOT TOUCH! Ichigo looked into the cage and what he saw next surprised him. He had always known that there existed dragons, but to see one yourself was different. Ichigo held out his hand, lower than the baby dragons head, and he was sure that it was still a baby, so not to scare it, but it still flinched back at first and snarled. Still Ichigo didn't move, knowing that it was just protecting itself and waited for the baby dragon to calm down. And that it did! Slowly and still hesitantly it started to move forward. The head slowly neared the hand and the baby dragon took a hesitant sniff. Ichigo had always, apparently without knowing or control over it, projecting an aura of protection and warms that soon the dragon baby could feel as well. As soon as he had taken in Ichigo's aura through his smell the dragon baby had started to purr and rub its head against his hand. Ichigo couldn't resist the smile that slowly formed on his lips or the softening of his eyes that suddenly seems to give off warms. He slowly opened the cage and took the dragon baby into his arms and was rewarded with an even louder purr. The shopkeeper at first shocked, but soon pulled himself together again. Holding up his side of the deal, because he knew that Ichigo would be able to feed the baby dragon, gave Ichigo the baby dragon for free, also giving him something for the dragon baby to eat, so that it would not die of starvation on the way back.

Ichigo, not knowing how to take care of a dragon baby, wasn't as dumb as to believe that he would be able to find out with time and went to "Magical Menagerie", where after they had gotten over the shock of the baby dragon that had draped itself around Ichigo's neck like a cat, they gave him tips and supplies and even a book so he wouldn't be able to do anything wrong. He later brought himself a second book that stated all about dragon care and about dragons themselves much more detailed than the first that he had received.

Ichigo knew that the others were probably already waiting for him and started to move toward their meeting point. At that time the dragon made itself be noticed with a quick but still very elegant jump off his shoulder to the ground where it promptly rolled itself into a ball. Ichigo, for the first time really looked at it. It had pure black scales, somehow the color reminding him of Zangetsu, while the eyes were pure golden, which reminded him of Shiro's eyes. That also made him think about what to call it, since he couldn't always say 'baby dragon'. He quickly decided on the name Hades. It wasn't really some amazing name that one would expect for a dragon, but, but he could remember it and it was easy, at least for him, to say.

He was now carrying Hades in his harms when he noticed that he had been the first to arrive, which surprised him since he had thought that they would all meet in an hour and that should have been over long ago. When the others finally arrived as well and noticed the dragon in Ichigo's arms they started to scream, everyone because of different reasons:

Fred and George:
"Awesome, you have a dragon:"

"Where did you get it and did you really have enough money for a dragon?"

"If you have so much money could you borrow us some for the shop we want to open?"

"Can we also borrow the dragon for some pranks when we are at it?"

Hermine:

"Do you even know how hard it is to take care of a dragon, how can you be so irresponsible?"

Mrs. and Mr. Weasley:

"That dragon even if it is only a baby will not come into my house."

"Calm down Molly, he should have a reason for this."

Ron and Harry:

"That is so unfair. I don't even have a pet anymore and now you even have such a wicked dragon."

"Ron calm down, but to be real that is wicked. Where did you get it and what is its name?"

"I named it Hades and no I didn't buy it. It was a gift from a shopkeeper when he saw that I was able to take care of him. This little dragon wouldn't eat nor drink and when I came near it, it started to purr. The shopkeeper gave it to me, because he didn't want to let it die. The one that had ordered him, had not wanted him in the end and had just left it at the shop."

They all started to calm down after Ichigo's explanation. Even Mrs. Weasley had decided to let it into the house. Ron, Harry, Fred and George didn't leave Hades and him alone till late into the night and Hermine started to question him again. The evening and night were really stressful, he didn't know if he thought about Hades or himself when he thought back since he had also needed to explain Hades to the rest of the house members. He lay Hades down on one of his pillows and then quickly went to bed himself, he was dead to the world before he even hit the pillow.

I changed the name of the dragon from Ryuu to Hades. I just couldn't resist. Sorry to those that like the name Ryuu better.