Chapter 4

Thestrals

"What are those things, d'you reckon?" Harry asked Ron.

"What things?"

Luna showed up without Harry ever getting an answer. Ichigo watched as the two of them went back and forth about the maybe-there-maybe-not-there creatures. It wasn't until after the five of them had piled into the carriages that Ichigo decided to chime in.

"You're not crazy, Harry," he began. The five turned towards him, but Luna was the only one smiling. "They're called Thestrals."

"What are called Thestrals?" Ron practically begged. It seemed that now he was the one who thought he was going crazy.

"They're horse-like creatures that only people who have seen death can see. I imagine the reason you can see them now, Harry, is because of witnessing Mister Diggory's temporary demise last year. It's also the reason that only you and a few other figures could see me properly when I went to retrieve his soul. It seems that, thankfully, both Ron and Hermione have yet to face such hardships, so they can not see them. Not like you and I, or Miss Lovegood, can."

Now they all turned to Luna, who was still smiling. "Oh, yes, I can see them too. I've been able to see them since my first year here. You're just as sane as I am."

Harry chuckled nervously. "Thanks, I guess."

Ichigo doubted the sincerity of Harry's words, but choose not to comment. He was only half listening to the rest of the conversation. Hagrid popped up at one point, but by the time Ichigo tuned in, the conversation was over. Whatever had been said left a sour note in the air.

Upon entering the great hall, they went their separate ways. Luna left for the Ravenclaw table as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny headed for the Gryffindor one. Ichigo made his way towards the staff table on the other end of the hall after bidding goodbye to Winky, who left for his chambers. He immediately took notice of the distinctly pink, distinctly toad-like woman sitting on the other side of Dumbledore, whispering in his ear.

Ichigo was never one to judge someone based on appearance alone, but he knew that he didn't want to be anywhere near someone as high-strung as her. She seemed the type to enjoy confrontation and Ichigo had been spent enough time with people like that to last a lifetime. Several lifetimes, in fact.

The distinct voice of the sorting hat was lost in the background as he approached his chair, thankfully, on the other side of the headmaster. Dumbledore jumped at the opportunity to stop the unending torrent of words croaking out of the woman's throat. He grabbed the sleeve of Ichigo's jumper before he moved out of arm's reach.

"Oh, Dolores, here's another important staff member you haven't met yet," Dumbledore explained. He practically shoved Ichigo in the space between his seat and the pink woman's - Dolores. "This is our peacekeeper, Ichigo Kurosaki. I'm sure you've heard of him, yes?"

Ichigo, ever the polite one, bowed in greeting, "It's nice to meet you."

"Mm, yes, well - I wish I could say the same." Her eyes latched onto the katana on his hip. "Oh my heavens, boy, whatever do you have a weapon on school grounds for?"

Ichigo eyebrow twitched as he straightened himself back out. "Well, Misses Dolores, I wouldn't be a very good peacekeeper if I didn't have something to protect students with, should the need arise."

Dolores covered her chest and scoffed, personally offended by the idea. "Miss Umbridge, thank you. And just what do you think is going to attack these students?"

"There is more evil buried in the hearts of man than you'll find in the pits of Hell, of that, I can assure you."

Umbridge tsked. "Well, we'll see how long you'll be able to hang onto that toy of yours. I've only been here a few hours and as I've been explaining to Headmaster here, there are several things that need to be taken care of."

Ichigo frowned but didn't get an opportunity to answer over the shouts of GRYFFINDOR and HUFFLEPUFF. Sensing the end of the conversation, Ichigo excused himself and finally sat down in his seat. The staff table was eerily silent for the rest of the sortings. Ichigo only half-heartedly listened to Dumbledore welcoming the students back to the school before he began eating.

It wasn't until he heard a distinct "hem, hem" that he paid attention to what Dumbledore was saying - or trying to, anyway. He watched as Umbridge stood up and took the headmaster's spot.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Umbridge began, "for those kind words of welcome… Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say! And to see such happy little faces looking back at me! I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!"

She paused and for a moment, Ichigo hoped that she was finished. To his dismay, she took a deep breath for an even longer statement.

"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the wizarding community must be passed down through the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished, and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching…"

For such a stout woman, Ichigo wondered where she packed all of the air necessary for such prattle.

"In her head, I bet," Shiro commented out of nowhere. Ichigo nearly snorted his drink from his goblet. He ignored the stares coming from the other professors.

"...because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognized as errors of judgement. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness, and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited."

Umbridge finally finished her onslaught of conjectures and retired to her seat. Everyone in the room sighed with relief. Dumbledore finished what he had tried to say earlier before dismissing the students back to their lodgings. The students stood up and swarmed to the entrance, ready to turn in for the night.

Ichigo waited for the majority of the student body to vacate before he, too, stood up and stretched. The shinigami bid farewell to his coworkers before following the students out the door. A gentle hand on his shoulder stopped him from making his exit. He turned to address the person who had stopped him.

"Oh, Mister Diggory, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Cedric was staring at him, his lips pressed thin. He took his hand back and replaced it at his side. "Well, Mister Kurosaki, I - er…"

Ichigo smiled and shook his head. "Just Ichigo is fine. I was about to head back to my chambers, why don't you join me? I'm sure Winky already has tea brewing."

"Oh. Yeah, sure."

They made their way to Ichigo's quarters. There weren't any students left except for the occasional upperclassmen roaming around. The air between them was uncomfortable and tense. Ichigo could sense unease rolling off the man behind him.

"If I'm not mistaken, you're a prefect, aren't you?" Ichigo began, trying to test the waters. "Shouldn't you be showing the first years were the Hufflepuff area is?"

Cedric shook his head. "No. They've been going easy on me since…"

"I see. Well, I'm happy to know that you chose to spend your free time with me, at least. Ah, here we are. Right between the Gryffindor and Slytherin common rooms. They always seem to be at each other's throats as of late. Although, I've heard that Hufflepuffs and Slytherins make the best of friends, is that true?" Ichigo asked as he pushed open his door.

His chambers looked exactly the same as he'd left them at the end of last school year. Winky was setting up the logs in the fireplace, but Ichigo doubted that they'd actually light it anytime soon.

"Winky, we have a guest tonight." Winky stopped when she heard her master's voice and looked at them. "Mister Diggory, this is Winky, my elf. Winky, this is Cedric Diggory, he's a seventh-year prefect. Would you mind to get us some tea?" Winky nodded and walked to the other side of the room where a cart stood with a kettle and tea cups.

Ichigo led himself and Cedric to a low-sitting coffee table with cushions instead of chairs. The shinigami sat down and gestured for the other to join him. If Cedric minded, he didn't say anything. Winky sat down a tray with the kettle and cups before she backed away to keep herself occupied with something else.

Taking the lid off the top, Ichigo leaned in to take a whiff of the drink. "It's oolong today," he said as he poured a cup for Cedric and then one for himself. They sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping on their drinks.

"So," Ichigo began. "What is it that I can do for you?"

Cedric stared down at his cup. "To be honest, I'm not quite sure. It's just that, my father says that you're the reason I'm still alive right now, so I thought I'd at least introduce myself and thank you properly…" Cedric bit his lip. "The only problem is that I've never had to thank someone for saving my life before, so I don't know how one even goes about that."

"You truly don't remember anything from the maze?"

Cedric shook his head. "I remember Harry and I going in, but that's it. The next thing I can remember is waking up in the infirmary."

Ichigo sighed and took another sip of tea. "That's to be expected. As I've said before, your soul was forcibly severed from your body. You can't expect something tragic to happen like that and not have consequences."

"I just wish I could remember so I could support Harry. I died. How could anyone not believe him?"

"The world is full of idiots," Ichigo shrugged. "I'm surprised you're here, at Hogwarts. I'm sure the press and ministry are all over you."

"I suppose, but it wouldn't feel right to not finish off my last year here, you know? Hogwarts is a second home to a lot of people. I'll stand by Harry and Dumbledore, not matter what Rita Skeeter says."

"That's a good stance to take. With such a strong foe, everyone should be standing together instead of trying to tear each other apart."

Cedric laughed, "That's exactly what the sorting had said this evening."

Ichigo's eyes widened. "Really? I wasn't paying too much attention, I had other things on my mind."

"I suppose I'll leave it to you, then," Cedric said as he stood up. "Thank you for the tea, and for saving my life. If there's anything you need, please ask."

Ichigo stood up as well and smiled. "That sounds like a perfect way to thank someone to me. You're welcome for the tea, and for saving your life. Good night, Mister Diggory."

"Good night, Ichigo." The elder wizard walked Cedric to the door as he left.

Winky had already begun cleaning up the cups and kettle. After that, she set out a set of sleeping clothes for Ichigo. While the man was changing, Winky voiced her thoughts. "He seems like a nice boy, yes he does."

Ichigo nodded and laughed. "He's such a Hufflepuff."

Unedited