CHAPTER 11

The Judge

The group stood before a pup outside of school. It was a really run down looking pub. Ichigo, Harry and Ron looked at Hermionie.

"What? I thought the father the better!"

They went inside and met the group that had assembled there. In the group that was already there were a few people Ichigo knew, like Luna, the twins and Neville. They all became quiet when they saw the trio. Ichigo had hid himself; it wouldn't be good with the rumors of him and all. Harry was the one that would teach them if they agreed not him.

"Hey, I will tell you why we came here together! We need a teacher, a proper one! That can teach us, so we can fight against the dark art."

"Why?" said one of the boys to Hermionie. "Where is prove that he is back."

"How do you want us to prove it?"

"Tell us how Sedrick died!"

At that Harry was about to scram and told Hermionie that it wouldn't bring them anything.

"Are you dump?" everyone heard and became quiet. Searching from where and whom that voice was coming from. "For what do you need prove? You don't need prove to learn how to defense yourself? It doesn't always need to be Voldemort. You could be attacked by other things that you don't even know of and if what Harry said is true and you just didn't listen at that time, what are you going to do when he attacks? Saying into his face that he isn't real and that you didn't learn how to defense yourself so he should just disappear? What are you going to do then? Is it wrong to just want to learn?" They didn't know where the voice was coming from and how to answer when suddenly Luna said:

"Can you really do the "Patronus?"

At that Hermionie answered: "Yes he can, I saw it with my own eyes. He fought of at least fifty dementors at that time!"

Ron added: "Yes, in the second year he even defeated a serpent with a sword!"

"Enough of that guys. I always had help! If it wasn't for this help, I would have surely died already."

Just when Hermionie was about to say something again Harry said:

"Those stories are good and all, but when it comes to fighting it isn't always like a game. When you are about to be killed you can't just start from the beginning. You don't know how it is to be almost murdered or see a friend die; it is the most fearful experience that one can have. You won't think at that time, you will become a hero or someone famous. You will just hope to survive and do anything to live just one day longer. You really can't understand that."

Then a smaller boy asked: "He is really back isn't he?" At that Harry just nodded.

After that everyone had started to come forward and sign the paper. They went back to Hagwarts. On the way back, Hermionie told them that she was excited to break. Umbridge had seen them come back and had created a new rule that prohibited forming or existing groups. Later that day, when the group met again to discussed their training, Hermionie came to Ichigo and said:

"Hey Ichigo?"

"Yes Hermionie, what is it?"

"I wanted to thank you for what you did back then!"

"Hermionie, I didn't do anything. Luna was the one that has made it better and what Harry said made everyone think. I just said what is on my mind and they reacted to it."

"Still, thank you Ichigo." With that Hermione became quiet again. Then she asked out loud:

"Where do we practice?"

Many suggestions were made, but they all seemed to be too dangerous. Neville was the one who (accidentally) solved the problem. He had found the room of requirement and with that they started to learn how to fight and defense themselves.

Harry had said that it was like: "Hogwarts wants us to fight back!" when they had found the room of requirement and somehow Ichigo thought it was true.

It was hard to evade the watchdogs that were sent by Umbridge. She had formed a group of students that was there to hold the students down and take care of the troublemaker, like Umbridge called them.

They had tried everything, even standing guard, but they were at the moment smarter. The room of requirement was the best place to practice. It provided everything they needed from the tools, to the equipment to practice. Ichigo, for the first real time used his wand. It wasn't so hard to channel his reiatsu into the wand! It was almost like the wand took it itself. No it was hard to remember the spells. Why did they need such dumb names anyway? He needed to read them many times, till he could actually remember them. The just learned the "Patronus", where Ichigo, when he had finally remembered the name, surprised everyone. They had all tried to make Ichigo also teach them, but he had refused. Now he had used the spell which no one noticed. Then suddenly someone screamed and run they people looked in the direction of the scream. They all scrambled into a corner when they saw what had caused this uproar. It was a tiger. It stood next to Ichigo and moved graceful around him. They all tried to tell Ichigo to slowly move to them, when Ichigo suddenly asked:

"Was the "Patronus" spell wrong that I used, or why are you reacting like this? Should I have tried to use another animal?" Ichigo mused.

Only now did they notice that the tiger was blue and glowing. Ichigo looked confused and somehow distressed. He was probably thinking that he had done something wrong. Then Neville stuttered:

"No I don't think you have done something wrong. The tiger just looked so real that we all thought he was. It scared me half to death when I saw him. How does he look so real and I even thought he made just now a sound."

To their great surprise the tiger moved toward Ichigo and sat down next to him. Then Ichigo touched the tiger and started to stroke him. They even thought that it started to purr. Ichigo asked:

"Does a "Patronus" not make a sound? They should look real, shouldn't they?"

Everyone looked at him and then Ron said:
"Yes, the more real they look, the more powerful they are, but is it even possible to produce an animal, that looks so real, can make sounds and even be touched?"

Hermionie answered him. "No for us students it's normally impossible. Only the most powerful wizards can manifest a "Patronus" that much, that they look like Ichigos. I have read that in a book, but I have never really seen it for myself. I think under the few people who can do that is Dumbledore. But even then I have never heard of a "Patronus" that makes sounds or is touchable. Ichigo, did you wish for it to make the purring sound when you controlled it to walk over to you?"

"Controlled it to move? Why do that. And what do you mean making it do what I wish. I thought it would do things on its own. It's like a living animal that you summon, is it not?"

At that everyone just stared at him with a blank face. A "Patronus" was like using his powers and making a form for it to use. It wasn't really a living thing and shouldn't be able to behave like one. It also didn't have a will and so wouldn't move without a command of his creator. What had Ichigo done to make a living "Patronus"?

"Ichigo, what did you do to create this patronus, what did you think of?"

"You think of good memories, when you create it right? The memories are connected with ones soul, and when the soul leaves it body, the memories are taken with it too. The body is will be left behind as just a shell. The body is like the connection the soul has to earth, without the body, the soul can't survive here and needs to move on. So I thought I needed to use a part of my soul to create it. I gave it like a copy of the part of my soul that holds the most my happiest memories. That forms a connection that gives it power. Or am I wrong there?"

Everyone stared at him. His conclusion of his was understandable, when one thought about body and soul like that. Soon they tried it to. The "patronus" spells really started to manifest themselves more, but they never reached Ichigos spell level.

They were starting to get better in every spell and had after weeks already learned many more spells, than they would have in a normal year of DADA.

The watchdogs, that had tried everything till now had finally seen one person of the group going into the room. They hadn't been abloe to make it in time, but trough this, they had made life harder. Umbridge now knew that they were up to something. All students were sent to Umbridge to detention with her blood quill, so that she would get the information, which she needed to find out, what the group was planning and stopping them accordingly. Harry in the meantime was starting to form a stronger connection with Voldemort. He saw dreams of what Voldemort was doing and became scared. After some time he was trying to learn from Snape how to protect his mind. It was hard and one time he had as defense entered Snapes mind. He had seen some of Snapes awful memories and was soon send out by an angry Snape.

On the corridor he met the twins and a young boy that had just been trough detention.

"After some time, it won't hurt so much anymore." The twins told the smaller boy.

Harry now remembered what Ichigo had told him and said:

"I know someone that can heal it for you!" Harry whispered to the boy.

The boy looked at Harry while the twins looked somewhat interested. Then the boy said, with tears in his eyes: "Really?"

"Yes, but you can't tell who it is that healed you. You may later bring others to him as well, if they also promise it." At that the little boy looked hopeful and nodded. The twins followed him as well out of interest and soon they were in the community room of the Gryffindors. There, like Harry thought, sat Ichigo with his dragon on his legs as he read a book. When Harry entered with the boy Ichigo looked up.

"No way, you mean Ichigo can heal him?" When Harry nodded the jaws of the twins almost hit the floor.

"Come boy and show me your wound." When Ichigo said that, it was like a command not a request.

The boy stepped forward and held out his arm, still with tears in his eyes. Ichigo put his hand over the wound and just like Harry, the hand started to glow green and the wound slowly disappeared. The boy and the twins were speechless. The wound had just disappeared and the boy noticed that it didn't hurt at all. Ichigo was disinterested and said: "If that was all, I would like to read me book to the end, and Harry the group will soon be betrayed by one of our own. They will use more drastic measures to find out the true and this time, they will success." After Ichigo had said it he went back to his book. All four people just stared at him. They knew that they would be found out , but by what Ichigo said it would be soon.

Harry and the little boy had left and the twins were about to when suddenly Ichigo said:

"I know what you are planning. You want to go with a big pang, don't you?"

"How did…"

"…you know?"

"It's really easy to read you two. You would never stay somewhere long where you can't have your freedom. But enough of this, I saw you how you looked at my dragon and if you want I will help you."

"Why would you…"

…help us?" they said after each other and together at the end.

"Why? Because it would be fun to see how Umbridge reacts to all that when the exam is written. Like a monster dragon chasing her and exploding when he touches her, destroying all those rules at the other side of the wall. I can give you a bit help with the arrangements. It would be fun to see what would happen when I put my own power, like I did with the little boy into your firecrackers. It would definite be interesting in the last." Ichigo said with a little smile on his face.

The twins smiled at that. It would have been a big pang when they would do it alone, but it looked like it would be an even bigger one with help. They could already see the face Umbridge would make, when they let the firecrackers go.

Like Ichigo had predicted, they were betrayed by a group member. For Harry it was like a punch in the guts, because it was the girl that he loved. They had all become detention and the group avoided her, like she had the plagues. Ichigo had walked up to her and said:

"I know you didn't want to. The misunderstanding will certainly be solved soon, don't worry." At that the girl smiled a bit while tears started to form in her eyes and said: "I do hope so."

The rules that Umbridge created, hang on the wall right and left from the door. There were so many that the wall was too small for anymore. Even the caretaker, that had liked the change, was now unhappy. Almost every day he needed to climb up a ladder and fasten the new rule to the wall. After the 'betrayal' from the girl named Chang, Dumbledore had to escape when they tried to put him behind bars. One thing Ichigo gave Dumbledore credit for, he had gone in an impressive way, but trough his disappearance, life had gotten harder.

He often used his free time to visit Grawp. He was the half brother of Hagrid. He was still a young giant but had already grown bigger than all of them. Hagrid had taken him in and he was now living in the forest. Ichigo had often gone alone to the cousin of Hagrid that they had been introduced to, talk with him. The young boy (even if big) was really nice to have a conversation to and sometimes he even read him a story. Ichigo remembered his sisters when he was with this Grawp and was somehow really excited to visit and play with him. It seemed like the boy wasn't often visited, because of the fear toward him and the incident with Umbridge. Dombledore, his summoner had since then disappeared, but Ichigo knew he was still around, through the connection he had formed with him when he was summoned.

Ichigo was so often with Grawp that they had formed like a brotherly bound.

Ichigo had even tried one time to wash him (that wasn't really easy with the size of Grawp), but soon gave up, because the next day he was dirty again. He also hadn't seemed to trilled with the shampoo and the water. Ichigo had soon decided that he would protect Grawp. The next days would become stressful and Ichigo didn't know if he was even able to come back anytime soon to visit Grawp. Ichigo visited him for the last time probably this week and said:

"Sorry Grawp, I will probably not be able to visit you in the next few days. Maybe I will never be able again."

The boy looked at him and started to cry. Ichigo had taught him a bit since he had visited him constantly and he had learned a bit how to talk. So he had understood what Ichigo meant. Ichigo had a hard time trying calm the crying boy, but he finally did it the boy was becoming quiet again. He had given him a whistle for his size and had told him:

"Grawp, if you are ever in danger or if you are so lonely that you can't bear with it anymore, then blow that whistle and I will come to help or just talk to you. I will never truly leave you alone, so don't worry. You will make other friends as well and then you won't be so lonely anymore."

With that said, Ichigo had winked the boy one more time and had gone away. The boy was at that time to fascinate with the whistle to really notice. It had a black color, that was even darker then the night sky without stars and the moon. It had also beautiful carvings in it.

It was a few days later that the exams were held. At first it was quiet and everyone was writing, but then loud explosions were heard and Umbridge went to the door, opened it and looked outside to see what was happening. She looked around and suddenly a smile fire was dancing before her eyes. It went inot the room and exploded, making everything go black. No one could see a thing and then an explosion from black, white, blue and red lit up the room. The walls shimmered with colors and it seems to be like flames dancing in the room. Then they heard laughs from the twins that had now entered the room on their brooms and where bashing firecrackers into the air. All the papers lit into blue and blacks fire and disappeared into thin air. The group of watchdogs that Umbridge had created where being attacked by those flying firecrackers and then the twins lit another firecracker and chucked it into the air. The sparks formed a head of a dragon and it looked so real that everyone had the need to back away. The dragon head let out a roar and then moved toward Umbridge. She run away, but the head was quicker and soon exploded at the touch. Black, red, white and blue flames spread all over the place and all the rules that hanged on the other wall where burned and chattered. The glass that fell looked a bit like glittering stars and the twins flew through it. Everyone followed them out and the twins let go of another firecracker. Even outside it became dark and it almost looked like a solar eclipse. Then they threw something into the air and a gigantic W appeared.

Then the blackness seemed to shrink and formed a black sphere. The sphere exploded and spread through the sky. It looked like many thousands falling stars and the twins were gone. Ichigo smiled inwardly and thought 'It was really a good idea to help them. Umbridge face was irreplaceable. It was really fun and interesting.' When Ichigo had finished the thought he looked to Harry and noticed that he seemed to wobble.

Harry broke down.

It was not long after that Harry woke up again and had told them about his dream. Ichigo knew right away that it was probably a trap, but he also knew that they couldn't stop Harry.

"Harry, it is probably a trap."

"Yes and what about it? Sirius is the only family I have left. I don't want to lose him to." At that Hermionie became quiet and Ron asked:

"How are we going to go to the 'Ministry of Magic' Umbridge has made that impossibly. She has barricaded all fireplaces!"

"No not all." And with that they went to her office. Ichigo almost broke down when he saw it. Before, when Ichigo was sent to detention (the first and the last time!) she hadn't had the time to renovate it but know she seems to have found the time and it was horrifying. It was all decorated in pink. The wall was pink, the furniture was pink, even the door was pink. Ichigo knew he had started to hate the color since he had met Umbridge and now he knew why. He had started to form a trauma. He could to a certain level tolerate colors, but this was too much. He would never forget it he mused, when he suddenly felt a presence coming into their direction. It was Umbridge and a few others. Ichigo made himself invincibly just in time before Umbridge cam e in. At last one should stay unnoticed and free. She quickly had captured them all and had tied Harry to a chair. She let someone call Snape to help her interrogate Harry. She had already started on her own.

"Are you working for Dumbledore?"

"No" Harry answered her trustfully and for that she hit him, because she had already made up her mind that Harry was. Then she asked a question, which made us all wonder what she was talking about.

"Where has he hid his weapon?"

"What weapon?" Harry asked confused, he didn't know of any weapon. Umbridge hit Harry again.

"The weapon that he will use to…" she wasn't able to finish the sentence when Snape came in.

"What do you want prof. Umbridge?"

"Snape has you brought the truth serum like I wanted you to? We need it now!"

"No, you used the last bit of my truth serum by using it to interrogate the students. The last bit was used for Miss Chang over there!"

After Snape had said that, he left the room. Harry screamed something at him, but when Umbridge asked what he had meant he wisely said that he didn't know and with that left the room. Then Umbridge did the unthinkable. She put down the picture of minister Fudge and said:

"What he doesn't hear of won't hurt me. If it won't function that way I will just use another. She took her wand in the hand and pointed it at Harry. Then Hermionie screamed:

"Prof. Umpridge, I will lead you to the weapon"

"What do you mean Herionie?" Harry asked.

"I won't let you risk your life for Dumbledores sake. I will lead her to the weapon and with that Hermione, Harry and Umbridge were gone.

Ichigo had waited long enough for Umbridge to be out of hearing range and had then said in his hollow voice:
"Now I ask of you to let them go, watchdogs. That is if you love your life more than Umbridge promised reward!"

The teens looked fearful around and then a masked appeared. The watchdogs ran screaming away, when they saw the eyes of the mask. They were yellow and the white was black. The group, that was left behind was all looking petrified at him expect for Ron. Ichigo made his whole body be visible again and let the mask fall down that disappeared. He then started to laugh:

"The best watchdogs ever! I can't believe it; they ran away from a mask that could just be an illusion."

"Hey Ichigo, stop laughing and free us already. You didn't just scare them to amuse yourself, did you?"

"No, of course I didn't!" Ichigo said with a smile were you couldn't really tell if he meant it ironical or not.

Ichigo freed them. Everyone stared at them and then Neville asked:

"Ichigo, what are you?"

Ichigo thought about it. Should he tell them the truth? He decided to tell them half of it. It wouldn't be fun anymore if they knew everything. When he started to talk Ron just looked blankly at him.

"I' m a creature that was summoned by Dumbledore and a few others. They wanted me to protect this school and it students, mostly the trio because they almost always get in trouble and I would get a reward; that means anything I wish for; from them. "

"What was this wish you had?" asked Ginny, the sister from Ron and the twins.

"I wished to attend this school as student!" Ichigo said with a spreading grin in his face.

"Why?" asked Luna a bit dreamy.

The next answer shocked everyone, even Ron. He said: "Because it was fun!" with the insane smile from his hollow plastered on his face. "It is very boring from where I come from. I always need to do paperwork and there is really nothing there at all. I can't even leave and was already stuck there for twenty years. The only company I had was Nel and she is not really a good conservation partner."

Then they all suddenly heard a loud whistle sound coming from outside and Ichigo faded away, before they could do something.

At that time, Hermionie and Harry had lead Umbridge to the giant (cousin of Hagrid). Hermionie had improvised and had leaded her there. She had thought that it would somehow function, but she was wrong. Umbridge had really thought that the giant was Dumbledore and had attacked him. She had had hit him with many spells and he was strongly bleeding. Suddenly the giant took a whistle and blew it. The next second Ichigo stood next to him. Ichigo looked down at the giant and suddenly he started to change shape. He became surrounded by black light and when it died down there stood Ichigo. He had white skin, a mask with horns on his face and pelt here and there and a black sword on his hips. Then Ichigo roared and the whole forest seemed to hold his breath.

"YOU will pay for what you did to this boy. He was under my protection. Now you have committed a sin and are as for now under my control. As soon as you hurt him with ill purpose you have dug your own grave. With now the right to judge you, since you have violated the laws of nature to not kill for amusement or punishment, I will banish you to hell. You will sit your penalty with the other sinners and since you have hurt one of MY protected, the penalty will start now."

With that, before Umbridge could even react, he had cut of her head and her body disappeared in a dark hole in the ground. Then he looked to the giant again and kneeled next to him. His whole body was now surrounded with light and then moved over to the other body. It also started to glow and the boy was slowly healing. While Ichigo was still healing the others had come. The first thing Hermionie asked was:

"How did you escape?"

"Ichigo scared them half to death. Later he suddenly started to dissolve after the whistle was heard. We went into the direction the whistle came from and came here. What happened?"

"I don't know if I should tell you. It has something to do with Ichigo!" Just when the others were about to asked more Ichigo said: "You can tell them. I have already told them the half of it."

So Hermionie and Harry started to tell the others what happened. The eyes were nearly as big as saucers when they had finished. Ichigo was at that time finished when Neville asked:

"Hey Ichigo, I don't understand this. What exactly did you do?"

"Umbridge hurt someone and has killed him because of suspicion. So she has violated the laws of nature to just kill when you really need it or for self defense. With that she had sinned and like all sinners, he would go to hell when she died, but trough the fact that she attacked and killed someone who was under my protection, the penalty was instantly and I had the right to kill her."

"Why would you have the right?"

"Because when she sinned, she was instantly in my hands. I take care of sinners and I punish them correctly. No one else can judge the sinners and how bad it is what they did but me. If you had killed her, it wouldn't have judged them you would have had revenge for it and with that would have sinned to."

"What do you mean she has killed someone? The giant behind you is still alive?"

"Yes he is, but just with my interference. He would have died without my healing and because I am to normally never interfere with the living, he would have died and so falls under the dead people."

"What do you mean you normally don't interfere with the living, what are you that you can judge us?"
"I am the "Lord of Hell" and with that have normally no right to interfere with the living or judge them. I judge the dead and not the alive. But since I was summoned those rules where moderated and I can interfere if it has something to do with this school or its students. Since Umbridge was also hurting the students I had the right to judge and banish her to hell."

Everyone looked at him, expect the trio and screamed: "You are the 'Lord of Hell'!"

"Yes I am and now let's move on. I thought you wanted to go to the 'Ministry of magic'!"

At that everyone nodded, but asked themselves how they were going to arrive there. Ichigo looked at Luna and she soon understood and smiled. Ichigo stood up and said:

"I call upon you my friends. I need your help so come to me, 'Thestrals'!"

They had soon, with a bit of help from Harry, Lunar and Ichigo mounted the thestrals and where on their way to the 'Ministry of Magic'.

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Hope you liked it. Please review and give me your opinion.

I have changed this chapter a bit. Hope it is better now!