Bleach/Harry Potter fusion crossover thing. Minor allusion to For Your Dream. Mention of things learned during the current arc-- which starts around chapter 180. If your knowledge of Bleach is limited to the commerial english release, you're likely to not understand a few things.

Bleach is the creative property of Kubo Tite. Harry Potter is the creative proper of JK Rowling. This fusion would never occur in either of their actual works, so it's obvious that this is a work of fan fiction.

Hollow - Part One
The Itch
The day had begun as any normal Saturday in the normal home of the normal Dursley family. Everyone was up and active by seven thirty am, breakfast was on the table my seven-forty, and they were happily deciding where they were going to go for their young heir's fifth birthday over the morning meal.

Heir is perhaps too strong of a word. The Dursley family had a slightly above average comfort-level, but Petunia and Vernon Dursley could care less. To them, young Dudley Dursley was as proud an heir as any royal child. For him, they would do anything-- even go so far as to import the latest and greatest innovations from Japan.

The reason a comfortably middle class family had such an ability was in the Dursley family's one, single, little abnormality. Their four year old nephew, Harry James Potter.

Though they disliked the boy, and would have gladly kicked him to the curb, they were getting a substantial stipend to care for him. Not that Harry saw any of the money. Oh no, that young boy wore Dudley's old cast offs, and received his cousin's broken toys as presents.

Harry Potter did not care for material things, and did not understand his family. That was okay; as long as he left them alone, they'd leave him alone. It was a lesson learned quickly after he was able to walk and talk.

Today was Dudley's birthday. Petunia was worrying her lip, fretting over what was to come-- Harry and Dudley were still too young to be separated in the public eye, still too young for Harry to be left with the babysitter while they pampered their son. It looked like little Harry James would have to come with them.

Which was, of course, the root of the problem. Anywhere that they went would have to be special for Dudley, but not for Harry. She did not want to suffer through the little rat begging to go back.

So where to go?

"It's either the park or the zoo," Vernon grumbled into his morning brew, "Not much more choice than that."

"But Dudley's been to the zoo three times this summer already," Petunia whined, "I want to show him something new."

"Maybe next year," he placated, "We'll be able to leave the boy here, then."

Petunia sighed. This was an argument that played out every year. She couldn't win it, and she knew it, "Oh, alright..."

There was just one little flaw in their son's birthday plans.

In another time, another reality, they would have taken Dudley to the park. The result of this action would come a couple years later, when the Dursley home was torn asunder, and a terrified little boy would become a ninja. Only here, now, they decided to take Dudley to the Zoo. Disaster came upon them much sooner, but with a lower death toll over all.

It happened as they were crossing the parking lot, headed for the Zoo's entrance. Little Harry's eyes had widened with fright and he froze right on the spot. The air felt heavy and dark to him, but the Dursleys couldn't feel it.

They did nothing that he had stopped, however, and Vernon growled low in his throat. The large man stomped back to his nephew, intent on taking him over his knee for disobedience.

He never got that far.

Petunia screamed as her husband hit the ground, eyes wide and unseeing. Little Harry was outright shaking now, head tilted back and seeing something that only he could see.

It was a monster. Massive and radiating evil, a white mask hiding it's face, a large hole through it's chest.

"Ehehehehehehe!" despite it's high pitched giggle, the beast's voice was low and raspy, "You can see me, little boy? How... unusual. But... your spiritual energy is so high... You should taste wonderful!"

It lunged, and Harry screamed, scrambling desperately out of the way, heart thudding. This thing wanted to eat him!

"You're fast, boy," the beast smiled a death's head grin, and this time when it moved, Harry had almost no warning. He dodged, but it wasn't enough, as his soul was shorn from his body, connected only by his chain of fate.

Now little more than a ghost, Harry was confused to see a second chain leading from his head off into the distance. Though more pressing than figuring out if he had two bodies laying around, was the fact that he could barely move, and the beast stood over him, gloating about it's good luck, "Oh-ho, you dodged again! But not enough. You're mine!"

Mouth wide, the beast threw himself forwards again, intending to swallow Harry's soul in one bite. Potter squeezed his eyes shut, praying for a miracle, praying for something anything to come save him.

-- hear me! Hear me and call my name! I am--

"Hyourinmaru!" Harry screamed, chain of fate shattering and leaving his soul unconnected. He leapt backwards, leapt away from the beast.

"What the...?" it's eyes narrowed, "Shinigami!"

He was dressed in funny black robes, a sword held in his loose grip. He felt... powerful. Energetic. Like he was atop the world.

But he didn't have time to ponder, because the beast was coming for him again.

Let me fight for you!

He let himself go loose, his body moving on automatic. Small and swift, the young Potter dodged the beast's attack, and subsequence attempts, his sword slicing the air and removing limbs. The piercing shriek it let loose froze him for a moment, a moment that would cost him dearly, when considered later on. His sword faltered and the beast attacked again.

Harry hit the ground with nary a sound. He had dodged the worst of the attack, but chunks of flesh with clumps of tangled dark hair decorated the beast's one remaining "hand". Harry had been, for all intents and purposes, scalped. It would seem that his 'life' had come to an end, staring up at the beast, eyes glazed over.

Before the beast could finish him off, however, someone else decided to get involved. He did so by leaping over the beast from behind, and swinging a weapon that had separated into three pieces. The strange spear sliced through the Beast's white mask, causing it to scream, and then... disintegrate?

"Well shit, kid," the bald man in a matching black robe crouched before him, "What's an academy brat like you doing on Earth?" When he didn't receive any response, he frowned and swept the kid up into his arms.

"Betcha just wanted to kick some Hollow ass, huh? Heh, let's get you back to Soul Society so the fourth division can take a look at those bumps of yours, hey?"

Harry blinked uncomprehendingly at him through a veil of blood, before point shakily at his body. The man didn't even look.

"Sometimes you just can't save 'em, no matter how hard you try. Heh, you're a tough one, though. I'll see if I can recommend you for the eleventh division when you graduate. How's that for ya? Can't say Madarame Ikkaku doesn't do good deeds."

It would be the last time Harry Potter saw his mortal body, peering blurrily over Madarame's shoulder before passing out. Within a few weeks, Vernon Dursley would be laid to rest, and Harry Potter's body cremated. His ashes were spread to the winds in the hope that there was now ay to connect him to the surviving Dursleys.

To say there was confusion when Madarame brought an unknown, untrained young Shinigami to the Academy after Unohana Retsu had fixed him up was an understatement. It took weeks to straighten said mess out, and eventually the "true" story coming out.

Not that it was right by any stretch of the imagination, but if that was what they wanted to believe, than so be it.

The story was that young Hitsugaya Toushiro-- Ikkaku had decided that "Harry" was a pussy name and he needed something better-- had 'discovered' his Zanpakutou by accident. He had intended to join the Academy to become a full fledged Shinigami, but his curiosity had gotten the better of him.

He'd gone to Earth to see a Hollow, but wound up almost killed by the one he'd chosen. He had been brought back than enrolled.

The only one who knew the whole truth was the first division leader, Yamamoto Genryuusai. With Harry's mortal body destroyed by the time they had straightened everything out, he had encouraged the child to go with the story and claim it to be true.

The only problem was that it basically claimed "Hitsugaya" as a prodigy. Which meant that he would have to keep "ahead of the game". It meant long hours of studying, training and focusing on being a shinigami.

He was younger than most applicants.

He was one of the youngest graduates.

Within a year of graduation, he was the youngest Vice-Captain-- The eleventh division Vice-Captain, Kusajishi Yachiru, while physically younger, was also several centuries old.

Now, several years after that fateful birthday, Hitsugaya found himself up for promotion to Captain. Yamamoto had requested his presence, and the pale haired shinigami had no intention of failing to show.

His hair was something of a frustration. Many of the other shinigami blamed his hair on the stress he'd put himself through during his academy days, while others would laugh and say 'genetics', ignoring Hitsugaya's insistence that it had once been black.

Whatever the reason, he didn't know if he'd ever get used to it.

"There is much to discuss," Yamamoto began, even as Hitsugaya opened the door, "You have put in for the promotion, of course?"

Hitsugaya nodded. To do anything less would not have been in character for the young prodigy, whether or not it was what he wanted to do.

"Before you can be considered for the position, there is a task that you, and only you, may accomplish."

"Sir?"

Yamamoto folded his hands, "When you manifested Hyourinmaru, and broke your chain of fate, you also broke the bond between yourself and the wondering soul of Tom Riddle."

Hitsugaya frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Simply enough, Riddle bound his soul to your body to prevent himself from being sent to Hell or becoming a Hollow. When you became a Shinigami, it destroyed the bond keeping him from effecting the material world. When you body was destroyed, it opened him to becoming a Hollow, despite the bonds he carried with various inanimate objects."

"He did, I take it?"

"Yes, but that is not our only concern," the highest ranking captain gave the boy a hard look.

"Wizards are trying to resurrect him."

"Wizards...? Why would they do that?" to shinigami, and to Soul Society, the only thing worse than a Quincy was a Wizard. Which was unfortunate, as the Quincy were dead, and the Wizards were greater in number than the hunters had ever been.

The problem with Wizards was that they acted without thinking of the consequences. Their magic was powerful, constantly effecting the world around them, warping and twisting it. Such as Riddle's foolish attempt to give himself immortality by binding his soul to inanimate objects. With out an organic, living link to the world, it was easy for any such fool to fall to Hollows, and to become one itself.

The most dangerous Hollows tended to have once been Wizards. Wizards like Grendlewald, who had become Grand Fisher, and had yet to be caught.

"Riddle was a powerful, dark Wizard. An apprentice of Grendlewald's, I believe. His followers wish to resurrect him. Consider a Hollow in gigai..."

In a temporary body? Not one of the things he really wanted to hear or even think about. A gigai would amplify spiritual healing in the mortal world, and occasionally even amplify a shinigami's power. If a Hollow was in gigai, it might create a...

"Arrankar..."

"You see our dilemma," Yamamoto's eyes narrowed, "As it is in part your fault, Hitsugaya-fukutaichou, you are being sent to deal with it. The Hollow calls itself 'Voldemort', and must be taken care of before you can be commissioned Captain."

"I understand. I will head to earth immediately."

"Oh, and Toushiro?"

"Sir?"

"You will need to be in gigai to gather any information from the Wizards. Their warding spells will stop astral projection, and have been known to have a... negative impact on Shinigami."

"Understood," Hitsugaya bowed, taking his leave of the First Division Captain. He would retrieve a gigai in the closest earth-side store to inhabit. Taking an older form may be helpful, but a child's form would give him the immunity of a child's curiosity.

And he'd try to get one with black hair.

End Chapter

This story is only three parts long and is completely finished. It was finished back in November, but I've been sitting on my ass not writing anything ((except for papers for classes, which I really should have been doing instead of typing this up)), so it's no surprise that it's taken five months to get it up and out.