Summery - He knew very well what the power one letter was able to produce, what difference one letter could make to the world. What he never realised was that this letter was about to destroy his entire world.

Just a little note, this is not a yoai story and it not suposed to contain any romance though I may add some hints of it in here and there...

I do not own either Harry Potter or bleach; they belong to their respective owners.

'I can live for two months on a good compliment.'
Mark Twain

oxo…oxo

All was quiet in the grounds around Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry as Dumbledore cast his twinkling blue eyes over the green grass of the hill that was usually, and so often in the summer months, a bright emerald colour; glowing brilliantly in the mid summer sun. But today it was groggy; a dull green that would seem more at home as the colour of algae growing in some pond in an unsuspecting muggle's back garden. Well, that was Dumbledore's opinion at least.

It was August of 1992 and all the students were home for the holidays meaning that the old wizard had the castle practically to himself and it made the place seem even bigger to him. This was also due to several other things the most relevant being that, even with all of the teachers that resided here, it was unlikely for him to come across one of them while roaming the halls of the large school. He was never really sure what exactly they did in the few months between school years and he didn't want to invade upon their personal lives now. He knew that, if he should need them, he would be able to find them easily.

But he was nervous this holiday maybe even more than the last. In September Harry Potter would be arriving here again, like the year before, full of questions he would need to have answered. Last year he had encountered Voldemort, fought him, beaten him but almost lost his life doing so. It would have been a lie to say he wasn't worried about the boy. After all, he was still famous, known by all his classmates for a reason anyone would consider dreadful; because he had lived while his parents had died.

Turning away from his window Dumbledore wandered slowly back to the desk that was situated in the middle of his large office. Small objects of all shapes and sized winked at him in delight, their various colours sparkling in both the light of the sun and the candle he had lit to better brighten the dim room. Fawkes made a small chattering noise in the back of his throat, shuffling his taloned feet around in an attempt to get Dumbledore's attention before there was a heavy knock at his door.

The old man looked up in slight surprise; his guest wasn't supposed to be here yet. But then he smiled slightly and told the person behind the door to come in. They did so, opening the rustic wooden door to reveal a small girl with long, platted golden hair and the most extraordinary violet eyes he had ever seen. Her features were petite and childlike and she seemed no older than thirteen though Dumbledore could tell by the way she held herself that, that wasn't the case.

"Miss Kyoko Nekome I presume?" he asked her kindly, his twinkling eyes studying her as she blinked at him before nodding, her head tipping only enough to show her answer to his question and no more. Smiling kindly he stood, motioning for her to come closer as he got out his wand and conjured up a wood backed but comfy looking chair in front of his desk.

She smiled back slightly before pulling her body around the rest of the door, revealing the remainder of her petite frame to the old man before walking over to perch timidly on the edge of the seat. She was a strange sight; dressed for winter in the middle of summer. A pair of knee length, back heeled boots, a large, grey trench coat done up to the top, leather gloves covering her hands and a scarf wrapped tightly around her neck worked together to hide the entirety of her skin that wasn't her face. Dumbledore refrained from raising an eyebrow at her choice of outfit before smiling down at the girl.

"Tea?" he asked invitingly, summoning the teapot with relative ease before setting it down on the desk and dropping back into his seat. Kyoko eyed the red metal wearily before looking back up at Dumbledore with a strange glint in her eyes.

"Thank you; that would be lovely. But, do you think we might be able to have the green tea I brought with me from Japan? I thought it might be able to repay your kindness for allowing this interview with you." She asked, her voice small. Dumbledore looked at the girl in surprise before he relaxed again slightly and smiled.

"Of course my dear, but you needn't have gone to all the trouble; I am happy to have you here." he replied, his smile widening as she smiled tentatively back at him before he set to work readying the tea, taking great care to prepare it properly before pouring it into two oriental green china cups. All the while the girl's eyes never left his hands, watching them as they twisted and flicked in an intricate dance around the teapot that also managed to include his wand at times. She seemed nervous but he pinned that down to her being in his office for this interview more than anything else.

When he had finished he passed her a cup and she took it tentatively, sipping up a small amount of the moisture before placing it back down onto its saucer and moving her exquisite eyes back onto the headmaster. Dumbledore smiled again before taking a sip of his own tea, resisting the urge to sigh as the warm liquid ran down his throat, warming his insides.

"So what job is it you wanted to apply for?" he asked, his eyes lifting up so as to watch her carefully. She blinked slowly before coming out of whatever reverie she had been pulled into.

"Defence Against the Dark Arts." She stated quietly, looking down at the desk nervously before glancing back up at Dumbledore who was still smiling. The man had gotten a lot of requests for the very same job this year and he was unsure exactly why it was so popular. Nodding his head slightly the old man leaned forward, resting his arms on his desk as he eyed the girl curiously.

"And what is it that makes you want this job?" he asked, pulling back from the girl as she shied away before picking up his cup and taking a large gulp of the cooled liquid. The girls eyes flickered down to her own cup before watching his again, seemingly contemplating whether or not she should drink more of her own.

"I…always loved defence against the dark arts and my teacher said I was good at it. I also loved teaching people so I decided I wanted to put the two together. I tried teaching it at my old school in Japan but it wasn't the same so a friend told me to come here." She explained, her voice faltering only a little as she picked up her own mug and took another baby sip from it.

Dumbledore nodded before drinking deeply from his own cup; the tea was intoxicating and he found himself longing for more, even as he finished his cup. Placing the china down with a small clink, he tried to focus on the girl in front of him but his mind was foggy. Placing a hand to his head he blinked rapidly in an attempt to clear his sight.

"Dumbledore?" the girl's voice cut in, clear and sharp. Suddenly he could focus on her again, though only on her; if he moved his gaze elsewhere he found his mind began to fog again so he didn't move his eyes, keeping them fixed on the strange girl in front of him.

"That all seems to be in order; you'll start work on September 1st." the man said, his voice slightly gargled as he tried to keep the girl from noticing his state. She nodded slightly, causing his head to whirl.

"Thank you professor. I wonder, perhaps, if you could also do me a favour?" she asked, now moving closer to him with a strange look in her suddenly sparkling eyes.

"Whatever you want." Dumbledore replied, not entirely sure what he was saying. The girl leaned closer with a small, malicious smile.

"I wonder if, perhaps, you might be able to invite Ichigo Kurosaki to your school this year." She whispered.

oxo…oxo

Well, prologue done. This used to be the first chapter but I changed it because it seemed more like a prologue really…I hope you all like it and decide to review!

Dear readers,

This is where I will be telling you a little about my week/day as I write each chapter. I can't really think of much to say today though; nothing much has happened. I could tell you about the fact that I started school this week. And I could tell you that I am writing this in one of my study periods…but I shouldn't really considering I should be doing work. Oh well, I guess you'll just have to be content with the fact that I can't tell you anything…

Animeloveramy