Uhhhh hi everyone! First of all I'd like to apologize for the horrible wait. I had a real lack of inspiration after the last chapter. I was not sure where exactly I wanted to go with the story. I have a very broad outline, but I was kinda confused about how I was gonna get there. Especially this chapter when it's not the most exciting one to write. Then when I was finally almost done in August, my computer's hard drive was wiped. So that really pissed me off. Especially since I told the people not to wipe it... assholes. Anyway, to any of my readers of my other stories, I haven't gotten much progress done on the chapters I lost for those. Sorry! I've been slowly working on rewriting this chapter as well as improving what I remembered. And also I wanna apologize for this chapter not being a super interesting one. But there's another chapter coming! I swear to all of you it has about 1000 words done and will be up within a week or two at the most.

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed the story, as well as those who have put this on their favorites and alerts. You guys are all awesome, especially putting up with my making you all wait for sooooo long.

Sooooo yeah... enjoy! Obviously I don't own Bleach or Harry Potter

Waking up to Snape's beady eyes looking down upon him and his putrid breath hitting his face was an experience that Harry never wanted to repeat. He quickly tried to get up and in his haste he accidently head butted the potions master. Snape fell back cursing. Harry had thought it impossible to increase Snape's hatred of him, but the loathing in Snape's eyes seemed to have increased tenfold. He quickly averted his eyes from his angry professor and saw Lupin who seemed to be caught between amusement and professional concern for his colleague. When he noticed Harry's gaze on him, Lupin gave an encouraging smile to Harry.

"Harry, you did much better than Professor Snape and I expected. Producing mist on your first try while encountering an actual dementor is wonderful! Hopefully you'll be able to master the spell relatively soon. Unfortunately, we're not going to make another attempt today." Harry's face fell in disappointment. Lupin noticed and let out a chuckle. "I'm surprised that you're so eager to continue. Most people would never willingly confront a dementor. But I won't be bringing you to Madame Pomfrey unconscious due to dementors for the third time in just a few months. She would either attack me for putting you in such a position or force you to take up up permanent residence in the hospital wing to keep it from happening again."

Harry let out a small laugh at both of the images Lupin's words produced while Snape muttered under his breath about his strong desire to see the later of the two scenarios, preferably with Harry in a permanent vegetative state.

"Now, let's get you back to the castle, Harry. There's still plenty of time before dinner. I know you must be dying to work on all the homework that's due this week, especially that short essay for my class."

The strange trio made their way back up to the castle. Snape could not seem to walk to his dungeons fast enough and had reached the large doors of Hogwarts before the other two were even halfway there. Harry and Professor Lupin walked at a much more leisurely pace as they discussed the topic of the previous reading assigned to the Defense Against the Dark Arts Class.

When the two reached the staircases, they split up, Lupin to his classroom to work on the following week's lesson plans and Harry to the Gryffindor Common Room. Harry walked on autopilot; he had been going up and down the stairs long enough to know all the turns and trick steps. Rather than focus on the path to the Common Room, Harry was attempting to come up with a better happy memory for his patronus charm. The memory of his friends had unfortunately not been strong enough. He found it a bit hard to believe; Ron and Hermione were the only friends he had ever known and the closest people to him.

No, not the closest. He knew with a strange certainty that the being he had encountered in his mindscape while he was unconscious knew more about him than Ron and Hermione. Actually, Harry felt as if that being knew him even better than he knew himself. For a brief moment he considered using their meeting as his patronus memory, but rejected the idea quickly. When he thought back to that meeting, his disappointment in not seeing the figure overpowered any feeling of happiness he experienced during the encounter. Harry continued to look through his memories, trying to find the happiest one, but kept on returning to that voice. Perhaps if he was able to see it…

"Well, are you going to say the password or not, you scurvy cur? You've been standing there for five minutes already!"

Harry started at the voice of Sir Cadogen, the one who had replaced the Fat Lady after her refusal to return due to Sirius Black's failed attempt to enter the Common Room on Halloween.

"Oddsbodikins."

"You may enter, brave knight! Please forgive me for my previous insult and-"

Harry rolled his eyes and walked through the now open entrance to the Common Room. In the main area, he saw Hermione sitting at a table with several books on several different subjects surrounding her along with numerous pieces of parchments. Ron was intensely looking at the chessboard and seemed to be playing against himself. Harry was surprised to see Ginny with Ron and Hermione writing what appeared to be a potions essay. Just as he was gazing her way, she saw him. Her eyes ran up and down his body in a manner that he presumed was clinical and checking for any injuries. She opened her mouth to say something but someone else had noticed Harry's return.

"Harry! You're back! That didn't take very long. Did you cast the charm?" Hermione rushed over to him and like Ginny looked over him in an attempt to see any possible harm done to him. Ron looked away from his chess game and joined Hermione with Harry. Ginny hung back a little from the trio, seemingly afraid to intrude on the close group of friends. However, her eyes never left Harry.

"Hello, Hermione, Ron, Ginny. Unfortunately, I did not manage to cast the patronus. Probably because I was up against an actual dementor," all three of Harry's listeners gasped, "But I did create some mist on my first and only try." Ron and Ginny did not see any importance in his accomplishment, but Hermione looked impressed.

"Wow, Harry! I've been doing some research and it's supposed to be very difficult to do that on your first try. Especially when you're facing a dementor." Hermione shuddered at the thought of those horrific creatures.

"That is what Professor Lupin told me."

Ron shook his head at Harry. "Willingly going up against a dementor. I always knew you were absolutely mental." Harry playfully hit his shoulder while Hermione laughed. Ginny gave a small chuckle and had actually stepped closer to the group.

"So what were you all up to while I was out?" Harry asked his friends. Hermione began to go into a long discussion on studying for their upcoming Charms exam and writing their Transfiguration essay due that week. However, Harry was only half listening. Most of his attention was directed to deciding whether or not he should go out once again saying he was going to the library and instead actually look for a place to practice the spells from the book he had borrowed (not stole, borrowed, that's his story and he's sticking to it!) from the Restricted Section. Even after a few weeks of searching he had been unable to find a suitable place. The library and Common Room were out for obvious reasons. He did not trust any of the unused classrooms as anyone could walk in at any time. Plus Dumbledore seemed to know what was always going on in the castle, so Harry was unsure if there was even a place inside the castle he could use.

"…it is six inches longer than McGonagall asked for, but I am sure that she would not mind." Harry shook his head a bit and gave a small distracted smile to Hermione.

"Of course she won't mind." Hermione's eyes narrowed a bit at his answer, perhaps sensing that he had not really been paying attention to anything she had just said. Luckily, Ron was there to save the day.

"Well, Harry, I've been playing chess against myself and would love to have an actual opponent. Even if it's you." Ron had not played Harry in wizard chess in a long time and had no idea just how much Harry had grown mentally recently.

Harry gave a subtle longing glance toward his dormitory, which contained his book and his invisibility cloak. But he had not spent too much time with Ron recently, and he was actually looking forward to seeing if he could beat the boy who was surprisingly good at chess. "All right, Ron. You're on!"

The group split up; Harry and Ron went to the chessboard and started one of many games they would play that afternoon while Hermione and Ginny returned to their schoolwork. The Common Room was enveloped in a comfortable silence as the Golden Trio plus Ginny enjoyed their afternoon.

That night, after playing multiple games of chess with Ron (and actually winning for once!) and finishing up his homework, Harry left the Common Room under his invisibility cloak with his borrowed book in his hands. It was past curfew and his friends along with many other Gryffindors had gone to sleep. However, Harry was too determined to sleep.

I will find a place to practice. There has to be somewhere in this castle where no one will be able to find me.

Harry headed down the stairs and turned onto the fourth floor. He continued a ways and made another turn and then froze. Mrs. Norris was staring right at him with her creepy, piercing eyes. He was not sure if the cloak worked on animals, but he was pretty positive that it did not mask his scent. His suspicions were confirmed when Mrs. Norris meowed loudly, calling out for Filch. His eyes widened when he heard Filch coming his way; He had no idea that the bitter squib was so close. His eyes widened further when he heard Snape's voice.

"Filch, where the hell are you going?"

"There's a student out of bed, and I'll make sure they're punished! It's what they all deserve!"

What is Snape doing here? And with Filch? It is like first year all over again!

Harry knew that Snape had an inkling, if not necessarily any certainty, of how he managed to get around the castle unseen after curfew. And he had no intention of getting caught by the teacher who would be most likely to confiscate his cloak and conveniently forget to return it. Harry quickly made his way back to the stairs, trying to be as quiet as possible. The stairs had changed once again, and the only way to go was up but in a different direction than the Common Room. He ended up back on the seventh floor and randomly chose a hallway he rarely used. Harry stopped for a moment and heard the steps and voices of Filch and Snape slowly fade away. The young teen sighed in relief and looked down the hallway. However, the relief soon morphed into annoyance. He began to pace up and down a section of the hall.

All I want is somewhere to practice magic. Somewhere no one will be able to find me. Why is that so difficult? I'm in a bloody castle of magic!

After he turned to make his fourth walk down the hallway, he stopped in shock. A door that had not been there seconds ago was now in the middle of the hall. Harry slowly headed to the door, taking out his wand as he did so. It was best to be prepared. He might just come across yet another three-headed dog. Harry carefully opened the door and peeked his head in. He blinked and then blinked again.

The room was absolutely huge with mirrors lining one of the walls and mats covering the floor. Bookshelves took up another wall and he saw from the titles that they covered multiple forms of magic, nothing dangerous but still useful.

Harry's lips curved into a smirk as he walked to the middle of the mats. "I think I have finally found a room."

The female voice then sounded in his head again, 'Hmm, could use a bit more redecorating through...'

Harry smirked in amusement at the voice, "For some inexplicable reason... I actually agree with you."

And before his very eyes...the room...changed to something else...

Hurray for the Room of Requirement! Next chapter will be much more plotty, with an interaction with Daphne, maybe Malfoy too. And maybe a few others little surprises...

Thanks for reading, you super special awesome people! And to all those with finals/essays right now good luck!