A/N: Bit shorter this week, unfortunately, but I've three finals tomorrow, all back to back, and I'm not super confident in my last one (lit professor teaching history: interesting, but this one shouldn't be allowed to write exams, apparently). Next week will the be final chapter of this fic (yay!) along with an alternate final task - because Nifflers are cute and basically me, but I currently don't have time.

Much thanks to Kitsuneonna on Ao3 for beta'ing this chapter. I'll be going through over the next week uploading the edited chapters (which, in the case of chapter three, make them way more awesome than they are currently).

The next week was tense, filled with increasing stress lines among not only the school leaders, but also their professors, and many a parliament of owls swooping in and out of Hogwarts, the Beauxbatons carriage, and the Durmstrang ship.

Finally, at the end of the week, the headmasters and headmistress reconvened.

"Cornelius still has not come around," Dumbledore sighed to the group. "He will not acknowledge the threat, and is, at this point, ready to argue against allowing any foreign assistance into the country. I can forcibly negate it, but it would require a full Wizengamot meeting and hard evidence." Which they all knew would take too long.

"Well," Madame Maxime huffed, "the French Magical Prime Minister is willing to lend us a contingent of Aurors, but if your Fudge is not allowing people to enter, he cannot have a magical scandal on his hands." Her lips were pursed, clearly demonstrating how unhappy she was at the whole situation.

Karkaroff coughed out a rough, "Bah. You would not let our people into your country anyways, not the ones who could help and whom our President would send - they are too dark for your laws, though legal under the ICW laws. She will not send people. It is our problem, and my students are trained. Perhaps," his eyes cut to the youngest headmaster, "not as much as they were in the old days, but enough to defend themselves and get away if they must."

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair. "I believe that we might be able to entertain some French Aurors, then, if some came as recruiters or as a part of year-end examinations?"

"Yes..." Madame Maxime said, slowly, as if reconsidering a plan, "a few have students in the group here at Hogwarts, anyways. They could be invited, and encouraged to prepare for the worst possibility."

"Well, that is some help, at least."

The four school heads fall silent.

"And what of you, Ichigo? Have you contacted your Ministry to see if help will come? You said your students are trained, but can they cover all of our other students?" Dumbledore asked, as the youngest had yet to speak.

Kurosaki slowly nodded his head. "I have asked for permission, and if it is necessary, we can have a full group of some of our strongest fighters here. Most have come off their most recent assignments, but I'm sure they'll be willing to...help. They're a little eccentric, I believe you say, but they will help protect the students, should it come down to it."

The others exchanged a look.

"I would feel safer for my students if your people would come," Madame Maxime admitted. "Our Aurors are good, of course, but there are many people here, at Hogwarts, and there will be few of them. And not all of the professors are capable duelists."

Dumbledore nodded, and Karkaroff shrugged in something resembling agreement.

Kurosaki sighed. "Very well. But you did ask for it."

The other headmasters and headmistress had to wonder at such an odd comment.

~IiI~

Dumbledore stood to make an announcement the next day, during breakfast.

"Students, guests, in order to provide the maximum protection during the final task, we will be playing host to more visitors. Please join me in welcoming the 16th division from Japan!"

Vaguely familiar pair of paper-paneled doors appeared and slid open. Out stepped a motley crew of different hair colors and styles - including holes in their bodies, as the leader, a short, remarkable young woman with her hair in a bun and dressed in similar clothes as the students of Shinou Academy, stepped out and bowed to the head table.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Albus Dumbledore-kouchou-sensei. We are a portion of 16th division of Seireitei's Gotei 13. Kurosaki-taichou, we await your orders."

Headmaster Kurosaki stood and walked to the front of the high table before saying, "Thank you, Hinamori."

With a hand, he gestured at the girl leading the group. "Let me properly reintroduce myself. I am Ichigo Kurosaki, captain of the 16th division of the Gotei 13. Leading the majority of the division is Hinamori Momo, my co-second in command, as Ishida shares the more field-work component.

"She and the others in the division will be patrolling, along with myself and the other teachers of Shinou. As we are doing this for your safety, listen to us if we tell you to do something if there is trouble or if we are serious. Certainly there are those who enjoy a good joke in the division, but your safety trumps that.

"Now, to continue introductions. The one with blue hair is Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, then Coyote Starrk and Lillinette, Nelliel tu Odelschwanck..."

~IiI~

"ALRIGHT YOU BRATS, TURN IT BACK!"

"What?"

"Who are you, sir?"

"We don't recognize you!" the Weasley twins shouted in unison as they melted into the nearest group of students.

"YOU'RE LUCKY KUROSAKI IS SPARRING WITH ME IN FIVE MINUTES OR I'D KILL YOU, GIVE YOU TO THE HEALER, AND DO IT AGAIN!"

From further down the corridor, Ishida pushed up his glasses and muttered, "They should change the motto to 'never dye a panther's hair,' since they've already proved that graduates of this place have no problem messing with dragons."

Kurosaki snorts from his place at Ishida's shoulder.

~IiI~

"Seriously?" Kurosaki whispered when he returned to the quarters assigned to those participating in the entertaining, if at the time, completely stupid tournament in Scotland.

Someone had had the idea of creating a nest in the middle of his office – considering the initial number of blankets and the order, it was obviously meant for Starrk, Nell and Lillinette, but Grimmjow and Ishida were roped in as well. Given how Chad and Inoue were positioned, it seemed that this was probably another punishment for some argument or another (that probably ended in more collateral damage and, consequently, paperwork – which Ichigo decided Ishida would have the pleasure to fill out again, this time. He was technically an assistant captain; he had the authority to fill out paperwork).

~IiI~

It was Starrk that finds the blond girl wandering the halls, shoe-less and dreamy and constantly watching.

She's lonely.

(And he should know, seeing as he and Lillinette have spent centuries, millennia, alone – were completely alone until they split and there were two bodies and two minds.)

"Where are you going?" he asked.

The girl hummed. "Oh, I was going to the library, but then I decided to visit the Grey Lady, and I noticed that this area was distinctly lacking in Wackspurts, which is quite odd in this school. They're always around the students, and some of the teachers have quite the infestation as well. I wanted to see if there were Monflippers scarring them away – they're not known for being out, at this time of day."

Starrk raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why?"

The girl brightens. "Well, from what Daddy has managed to find, they much prefer…"

~IiI~

Then, it's the day of the final task.

All those entering Hogwarts' grounds are inspected for any type of concealment, and the French Aurors are re-briefed on their roles and the last minute security plan changes, while the Champions are meeting their families. The Japanese guards remain outside the walls, perched either on empty air or convenient roofs. Others have already relocated to keep a watch on the Maze.

The Cup is placed, the Champions are collected and instructed.

"At the sound of the cannon, Ms. Suzuki will enter, followed shortly by Mr. Potter," Ludo Bagman cries, and the cannon sounds.

Then enters Viktor, Fleur, and Cedric.

And the bushes were still, save for the wind.

~IiI~

Reina, deciding to take the advantage of her ability to walk above the silly bushes, slowly pushed her head and then her whole body beyond the tops of the bushes. There was no need to stick to the ground if one could run through the skies, and despite her worries about having demonstrated her ability in the third task, no one had apparently remembered to provide something to block her aerial abilities. Given how stunned the audience and the judges had been, she was quite surprised.

Seeing the bright gleam in the distance, and checking the locations of the other people in the maze - or at least the other creatures - Reina started forward at a run.

Kurosaki-taichou had given her this mission. She wouldn't fail, on her honor as a Shinigami.

~IiI~

Harry was racing Cedric to the cup when an Acromantula appeared suddenly from the right, and flung Cedric away, causing him to crash into the bushes. Unfortunately, the only spider specific spell Harry knew was the one Tom Riddle had taught him, however inadvertently, in second year. Previous experience indicated it wouldn't be enough to stop a spider this size, at least if one was alone.

Attempting a stunner that did nothing, Harry tried to distract it from Cedric.

He did that too well.

Still, at least the angle allowed him and Cedric to hit the same spot with a synchronized, "Stupefy!"

And there was just them and the cup.

Neither noticed a third person joining their group of two in touching the cup.

~IiI~

And then they were in a graveyard and not nearly as alone as they thought. Reina activated the button with a quick press and flared her reiatsu for good measure

"Cedric, stop calling for people - get down, there's someone here!"

At least one of them has had experience in suspicious near-death experiences, Reina thought to herself. Maboro-gitsune laughed.

But then a high voice, coming from the same location as the shadowy figure, screamed, "Kill the spare!" and there was no time for laughter.

The figure raised the wand and shouted, "Avada Kedavra!"

Reina took the opportunity to shunpo in front of the other champion, deflecting the spell with her blade, and sending it rebounding onto a gravestone.

Fortunately, she had already used the locating device Kurosaki-taichou had given her to use, and shoved the teen behind a nearby headstone as she dodged more lights and intoned a simple kidou.

"Bakudo 1: Sai!"

With his arms suddenly pinned behind his back and his legs stuck together, landing on the wand he'd used, the man could no longer hold the bundle, and it thudded to the ground.

The thing within the cloth began hissing and a large snake appeared from the grass behind Reina, only to be decapitated by Maboro-gitsune.

Oddly, the snake seemed to scream as it died.

Reina mentally shrugged. Perhaps it was something snakes did in the magical-human world.

~IiI~

Soon after, Kurosaki-taichou, Ishida-sensei, Sado-sensei, and Inoue-sensei appeared.

"Alright, Suzuki?"

"Yes, Taichou. The man is bound with Bakudo 1, and the odd doll he was carrying is not able to move well under its own power. It tried to order a snake to attack, I believe, as it was hissing before a snake attacked me from the grass. I decapitated it with my Zanpakutou, and it died with a scream."

"I see, good work." Kurosaki-taichou nodded.

"The snake screamed, you said?" Ishida-sensei cut in.

"Yes, sir," Reina replied.

"I see... Kurosaki, grab that cloth and the doll, but be careful."

"Yeah, yeah." He started for the doll and cauldron. "Suzuki, get the others back to the school and inform Hinamori-fukutaichou."

"Yessir. Will the cup work, sir?"

"Presumably. It's a portkey - and unless specially made, they tend to work in both directions."

"Understood."

~IiI~

"...and then Ishida-sensei sent me back with Diggory and Potter."

"I see. Thank you, Suzuki. You are dismissed." Suzuki bowed and moved to return to the Shinou section of the stands.

"But Ms. Hinamori-!" Dumbledore began to say.

Momo turned to stare up at the man who looked not dissimilarly to the Soutaichou and was still less than half her age.

"Dumbledore-kouchou-sensei, Suzuki is a student of Shinou Academy and under my command. She has given her report, rescued the potential hostages/victims and now it is time for my division to do its work. You are the Headmaster of Hogwarts, but this is now a military operation of the 16th division, due to our members becoming involved and specially equipped to handle the apparent problem. You are not part of it in any capacity higher than civilian," she snapped at him.

Leaving him to contemplate her words, Hinamori moved to perform the proper kidou for the announcement she'd need to make.

Reina's eyes lit up - here was yet another reason for her to aim for the 16th following her graduation.

~IiI~

"Yes, I knew it. This is the last bit of him, outside of the part in Potter."

"Great. So do we need soul candy for the kid, or do you want to get Momo to use the glove?"

"Either would work, I suppose, although how the parasitic portion is attached could be problematic...Unless...Inoue, can you reject his splitting?"

"I haven't tried it before, but it should work!"

"And we'll be ready if it works, might actually bypass a lot of the insanity of knocking a kid out of his body. Can you get your shield up, too?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes, but it'll take me longer to pull this goblin's bit back if I do."

"We'd rather you be safe than quick, Inoue," Chad said.

"Ah, ok. Please get ready."

They backed away.

"Souten Kisshun: I reject!"

Light flared.

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~Fins