A/N: Sooooo I used to write the A/N before I finished the chapter, apparently, and when I came back to this... *checks watch*... six? years later? Uh, the A/N said I hoped this came out a wee bit quicker than the last one. The irony is strong.

This ended up being shorter because I kind of changed how in-depth I wanted to go about Rukia and Toshiro's stay at the Weasleys, but also didn't want to cram the first day of Hogwarts into this chapter either! Also, the desire to re-write the whole story (again) was strong but I've forbidden myself from doing so until I actually finish it all the way through, haha!

To all the people who've picked this up over the six years it's been gathering dust and decided you liked it enough to follow it, thanks a lot! It was a little baffling and very heartwarming to still get notifications on this even after all this time, and it's definitely one of the reasons I still remember it :D You guys rock!

To the people who were here since before that and decided to take it for another spin after seeing the notif, also thanks a bunch! I've missed y'all and am very sorry for the long wait.

And to anyone new looking at this, welcome! Hope you enjoy it from here on out, and apologies if there's a noticeable shift in how this is written. It's been a while, but I've still been writing and voraciously reading in the meantime so I'm sure my narrative voice has changed some!

Chapter 9: Summer's End

Dusk encroached over the tall walls of the Burrow. Rukia and Toshiro were back in her room after a noisy but warm dinner with the Weasleys, and the two were preparing to discuss what they had read in the thick magical tomes. The piles of books had been moved to the corners of the room, leaving only the few they had started reading stacked neatly beside the two.

They had spoken at length about what they could glean of magical theory, finding it easy enough to grasp with their understanding of Kidou.

"We should do some small test spells." Toshiro provided, gesturing to the pile of books. "Theory can only take us so far, and we should build up as much experience as possible."

Rukia nodded readily, evidently having thought along the same lines, and sifted through a nearby stack. She pulled out a small book labeled Basic Household Magic and flipped through a few pages, placing the book between them with a satisfied sound.

"These spells look easy enough." She said, pointing to the two small diagrams on either page, "They're for lighting and extinguishing candles, and it says the range is relative to the power put into it."

Toshiro studied the pages for a moment, a single eyebrow raised. "Is this really all there is? The incantation is... short."

Rukia nodded, "It's a bit odd, but we are dealing with a different form of energy manipulation. We can't expect it to follow all the same rules as kidou."

"Fair enough." He read over the pages again, "The entire process still looks close enough to what we're used to doing. It shouldn't be a problem for us."

"We should still be careful."

"Of course." He turned the book back towards Rukia, "Here, you try first, since you found the spell." She gave him a startled look, which he ignored, "I still need to go get my wand, anyways, and you already have yours."

Rukia still seemed hesitant, but she complied and leaned towards the nightstand, picking up the unlit candle there as the room grew darker and darker.

Toshiro went to grab his wand from across the room, and by the time he came back Rukia had everything set down and she was studying the page again. He settled himself again and watched expectantly.

Rukia finally sat back and picked up her wand, pointing it loosely at the candle. After glancing up at him uncertainly a couple of times, she fell into her focus and breathed deeply. Toshiro eyed the wick of the candle.

"Ignesco."

The candle lit, and two pairs of startled eyes met over the small flame. Rukia broke away first and frowned down at the fruits of her work. "Was that i-"

The flame grew alarmingly large before she could finish the sentence, and she dove to steady the base before the entire candle tipped over and spread the fire. In an instant, the flame returned to a normal size, and Rukia leaned back, breath shallow and an embarrassed flush on her face. Toshiro hummed thoughtfully.

"That was... eventful. Do you have any idea what happened?"

"I kept the connection to the spell too long." Rukia said with no preamble, though she frustratingly refused to look him in the eye. "I didn't realize it was so sensitive to intent. I won't do it again."

"I wasn't chastising you, Kuchiki." Toshiro waved away her concerns, "This is new for both of us, and there's bound to be mistakes."

Rukia looked up at that, and gave a small smile, "Right."

Toshiro quickly rearranged the materials so that the book sat in front of him, and he skimmed the page. A small counterclockwise motion, picturing the candle going out, and a short incantation to channel the intention.

Easy.

He was dimly aware of Rukia's eyes on his form, but he was used to attention, and the extra pair of eyes did nothing to break his concentration as he lifted his wand.

"Deflammo" He barely breathed the incantation, but he felt an energy source he had only barely acknowledged stir in his gut. It rose akin but different to the cold burn of his kidou, and channeled, tumbling, towards his wand as if called by it.

The energy left him in a pulse, and the candle fizzled out with a hiss and a column of smoke. He cut off the magical link quickly, feeling pleased with himself.

"Mum! What'd you turn out the lights for?" A voice called from outside the room, followed by many footsteps and the intertwining noises of the other Weasleys making similar complaints. When the insinuation of the remarks hit, Toshiro felt his face heat.

There was blessed silence, and then a stifled snicker broke from Rukia's mouth. "I think you overdid it, Hitsugaya-san."

Toshiro grumbled in response, blush traveling to the tips of his ears. Obviously, they had some practicing to do.

The month passed like that, with the two of them reading up on what they could and practicing simpler spells between activities with the Weasleys, which was its own kind of learning. Rukia threw herself into every task with intent fervor, from the more tedious chores to the wilder games, ready as always to learn through immersion. But while Toshiro often joined in at her insistence, he was far less interested in the more mundane aspects of wizarding life. They were here for a mission, and learning how to play magical children's games wasn't going to help them.

(If he just so happened to drop everything in favor of joining in when a game of exploding snap was offered? Well, some sacrifices simply had to be made for the sake of being a gracious guest.

…And for the sake of crushing the competition, but that was neither here nor there.)

Unfortunately for their mission, while information on the hows and whys of magical spells and potions came in easy supply, information on their adversary was far harder to suss out.

There were plenty of mentions about the recent wizarding war and its leader, but all the explanations were vague - glossed over with children in mind - and the few times they'd tried to find more in-depth information, one of the Weasleys steered them clear of it with a haunted look in their eyes and a wavering smile on their lips.

It was frustrating. Demeaning, even, for all the both of them knew these humans had no idea they weren't actually eleven. Eventually, they stopped trying and instead doubled down on the other half of their magical studies. It was obvious they wouldn't get the information they needed in this house, so they'd bide their time until they were someplace better suited for this specific avenue of research.

After all: summer was finally coming to a close, and every day that passed drew them closer to Hogwart's gates.