I can now freely claim that, based on the latest chapters of both Bleach and RiF, this can be considered an AU. Some things are outright interesting, but… you know, incorporating the Thousand-year Blood War into this fic was never my plan in the first place.

To arandomreviewer: Yes, your review from before was precisely what inspired me to go down this route. As for Karin And Yuzu meeting the requirements to become Fullbringers, what can I say? Based on what is said in the manga, (nonexistent) children of 99% of the female cast in Bleach can become Fullbringers. But enough about that. My theory is that Karin and Yuzu can be Fullbringers because Masaki was a Quincy. Everything But the Rain arc gave us an answer as to how Ichigo had the predispositions. I'm also of belief that it accounts only for the child that was first born after the mother's contact with a Hollow. However, since Masaki was, in fact, a Quincy, it's not unlikely that she's come in contact with perhaps another Hollow in the period after Ichigo's birth and before Karin and Yuzu's.

Chapter 17: Ensemble

Kurosaki Karin blinked down at the 'Xcution' card she'd just been given, turning it to get a better look at what was written on the other side. Rather confusedly, she looked up at the person who'd given it to her.

"Shuu-chan? What is this?"

A mysterious, but warm smile was the only answer she got before her visitor put a finger over her mouth.

She raised a skeptical eyebrow, as if giving out a challenge.

Her favorite cousin smiled.

"It's a surprise. I'm not sure if you are going to like it, but it's worth giving it a shot. Just don't tell anyone about it, yet, okay?"

"Umm…"

"Karin-chan?"

"Ughh… fine. But I hate hiding things, especially from Yuzu and Ichi-nii."

"Isn't your brother leaving in ten days?"

"Well, yeah, but…"

"I don't see any problems, then. Besides, you'll decide whether to tell him or not after you see what it is all about, okay?"

"…okay, I guess. Thanks for the gift."

"It's nothing. Happy New Year, Karin-chan."

Neville's head was spinning. It was the New Year day. An hour ago he'd sent a card to his grandma, heard about the party that Ichigo's friend Mizuiro was throwing with Inoue's help and Ichigo finally relented and told him exactly what he'd been involved with for almost two years now.

Shinigami.

Hollows.

Ichigo's lost powers and the very reason they were lost in the first place, and even the lengths he was going to in order to get them back.

Needless to say, Neville was a bit freaked out.

"How old were you when all this stuff happened?" he asked in disbelief when Ichigo finished the story.

"Fifteen when I first took Rukia's powers," Ichigo told him while rubbing the back of his neck. "Sixteen when I lost them."

Oh, well, that was not that scar—wait a second. Something was seriously wrong with the math here.

"Fifteen?" Neville asked.

"Uhh… yeah."

"I'm fifteen."

"… your point being?"

"You're a fifth year in Hogwarts! You're supposed to be fifteen! Wait—just how old are you?"

"…Seventeen."

Neville just stared at complete and utter poker face on Ichigo's face. Was he crazy?

"You're seventeen, yet you've enrolled in fifth year?" he asked in disbelief.

"The hell? Why's everybody making an issue of my age? Hinamori's at least a hundred and nobody's asking her for excuses!"

"But Momo is a girl. You don't just talk to girls about their age," Neville wailed. Didn't Ichigo know anything about girls?

"And I'm the human here!" Ichigo snapped.

Apparently not. Neville promptly shut up at that. For a minute anyway. "Point, I guess. But she's still a girl and therefore it is not a subject you should want to bring up. Merlin, good thing I've remembered to do some homework before coming here. I never would've been able to do it here."

"You've got to stop thinking of school as if it's your whole life," Ichigo mumbled.

"What? And ignore it completely like you do?"

"Wha-? No! I don't ignore it for the heck of it. I just—I just thought there was no point in doing homework since it wasn't as if I was going to go back!"

"But you are going back, aren't you?" Neville asked. "I mean, what is the point in quitting in the middle of the year? Sure, it's not like you went to Hogwarts for the sake of learning stuff, but still."

Ichigo didn't look him in the eyes when he replied, "I'm not sure… maybe… probably. I've no idea. Guess I'll have to talk to Urahara-san before deciding anything."

Neville nodded. "But that's probably yes, isn't it? You are coming back?"

"I haven't gotten my powers back yet," Ichigo said with an uneasy shrug.

Neville sighed. Maybe it was better not to touch on that subject anymore. "So… um… do you have any idea why I haven't gotten any warnings for the use of magic on humans that are technically classified as muggles?"

"How the hell should I know? I didn't even know using magic was forbidden if you're not at school. How lame. What's the point in learning it if you're not allowed to use it?"

"Umm… you are allowed to use it if you're an adult," Neville pointed out. "And since you're seventeen, it means you're legally an adult. Not that you would use it even if you could. And I don't suppose you've got an idea how the system works here."

Ichigo shrugged. "Can't say I do."

Neville just shook his head. "I thought so. Maybe they just didn't register me because of that R-something that you've mentioned. Is it all right if I stay hopeful?"

"Geez, relax," Ichigo told him. "You haven't gotten the warning yet, then it's probably okay. Besides, you've travelled across half the world in a way no wizard would really remember to check. Isn't that enough of a clue? It's not like you're registered here… if the registration system even exists. Darn, I'll need to go around and ask about it. Yuzu's shown some aptitude with magic and it probably isn't a good thing if I just ignore it."

"Really?" Neville deadpanned. "Well, that's nice. Your whole family is a bunch of wizards and you haven't even known about it. Awesome!"

Ichigo merely groaned.

"Say, Ichigo, I've never really wondered about it before, but that poster downstairs? Is that your mum?"

Nearly inaudible hum of agreement – Neville barely caught it. "Huh… but she's not… she's not here."

"…no."

"I… I'm not really sure if it's my place to know about this, but… what happened?" Neville asked quietly. But Ichigo didn't respond immediately so he quickly added, "You don't have to tell me, of course. Really, it's none of my business and I know I wouldn't be telling anything if it was serious—"

"She died," Ichigo cut him off. "When I was nine…"

Confused, yet somewhat sympathetic, Neville watched his best friend stare absently through the window.

"I'm… sorry to hear that. She is—she was really pretty. She must've been really nice."

Ichigo didn't really say anything so Neville felt as if he was ought to keep the silence away. Before he knew it, the point, the action or even the reason for the sudden urge to do so, Neville told him, "My parents… they… they used to be Aurors. Sort of like policemen in the muggle world… catching the dark wizards… They used to be really good at it, too."

He lowered his head, suddenly unable to bear with Ichigo's understanding look.

"They're not dead…" he whispered as he realized what Ichigo must have thought. "They're just—they're just misplaced. Or their minds are. I don't know…"

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked, quietly, as if raising his voice would be considered an offence.

And before Neville was certain of whether it was the good thing to do it or not, he ended up spilling out his whole family history – something he had never done before. Ichigo understood, to say in the least. The only question he'd asked was whether those at fault were punished and everything else had been said by Neville alone.

But somehow, it felt like a good thing. Because after that whole afternoon of just talking – more like Neville talking and Ichigo occasionally throwing in a word – the gaping hole that Neville knew existed, the one which made it difficult to connect and just talk, be a friend to Ichigo – it felt as if it had been reduced to a barely existing crack. One that could be dealt with eventually.

Momo rubbed the ache away from her left forearm as she entered the fifth division compound. She was barely two steps in when she shuddered for an unclear reason. It took her a few moments to realize that she'd detected a powerful Reiatsu in the area, one that she did not immediately recognize.

"Oh, Hinamori-fukutaichō, you're back! Are you all right? You look a bit pale."

"I'm all right," she informed the division's sixth seat who came running by. "Kurotsuchi-taichō was just asking so many technical questions I didn't at all understand. I'm a bit tired, that's all. Say, has the new captain arrived yet? I've been at the twelfth division for the past few days, but from what I've heard, he's here, isn't he?"

"Yeah. The Captain said he was going to delay the introductions until you're back. Said it wouldn't be fair to do it without his second in command present."

Momo smiled a bit, but it was more of a sad smile than anything else. "So, how does he appear to be, the new captain? Is he all right?"

The sixth seat grimaced. "To be honest, I've no idea what to tell you, fukutaichō. He's… different, I guess. Has a unique way of leading the division… Some of the older members say he's barely changed at all, appears he used to lead this division before Aizen, but I don't really know. I'm not the best person to ask. I've only seen him once in passing."

Momo nodded. "All right. I'll go speak to him immediately about the formal introduction."

"You sure you aren't going to get any rest first? You look exhausted, fukutaichō."

"I'm fine," Momo told him with a smile. She had to reassure the poor officer. From what she remembered, he only joined her division about a month before Aizen's defection and he was really talented and caring. Maybe a rise in rank ought to follow, if that fifth-seat girl doesn't recover soon enough. "The sooner we get this finished, the sooner I can get some rest. Thanks for your concern, Sora-kun."

"It's nothing, really, fukutaichō!"

Momo walked to the captain's chambers steadily, feeling only a little bit drained as she reached the door of the captain quarters. Her fingers rested on the wood as old memories surged through her. She hadn't been there since Aizen had first faked his death. Looking back, it felt as if that had happened so long ago.

She… wasn't sure if she wanted to go in. She feared that if the new captain was just like Aizen, then it would be impossible for her to take on her duties and not screw up, albeit unintentionally.

Her hand dropped at her side and Momo lowered her head. No, silly. It isn't the time to be thinking about things like that. Ai-Aizen is gone… he's not coming back. Maybe that's for the better and… and maybe Hirako-taichō is interesting and nice and maybe I can make friends with him and not be reminded of the past… please make it so, Kami, please.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, she bowed down before the door.

"Hinamori-fukutaichō asking for permission to speak to Hirako-taichō!" she shouted, barely keeping her voice formal and stoic.

A heartbeat, two—

"Get inside, then, already. What're ya waitin' for?"

Momo nodded, more to herself than anybody else, and pulled the door open.

The first thing she thought was: Is this really the Captain's quarter?

The second: That is Hirako-taichō?

However, the second thought took over the precedence instead of the first and she found herself just staring at her new superior.

The blonde regarded her with merely a glance as she stood frozen at the door. "What? The kitty ate yer tongue or somethin'? Or am I just that scary?"

"I… uh… um… no…" Momo choked out.

While in Fake Karakura she hadn't gotten to see all the Vizards, from what she had seen, she would be capable of recognizing a few faces and some of the names she had picked up from the other officers of Gotei. Except, she'd clearly given wrong names to the faces she remembered. It seemed as if, as far as her logic went, the person before her – Hirako Shinji – was supposed to have very long hair and it was also supposed to be of different shade and style. This person standing before her she hadn't even bestowed with a name.

Apparently, turns out she was wrong.

"You could stop starin', then. It's creepy," he told her.

Momo nodded, but as she tried to – pointlessly – imagine Hirako Shinji with long hair, it got a bit difficult.

It also triggered up something that had been bothering her for a while, but she'd pushed it back, preferring to focus on other matters. She knew Hirako Shinji. She wasn't sure from where or anything else, but with his bangs straight and hair much longer, she was pretty sure that if nothing else, he looked really familiar.

"I… I just came to see about that formal introduction," she managed to mumble out as she tried to remember.

But then it clicked.

"Get away from her, kid!"

Oh god, so that's why he'd looked familiar before.

She blinked, shaking her head to clear it. It wouldn't do any good to her if she let the memories overwhelm her now. Coming to think of it, the memories of what would be her death as a human was not nearly as traumatizing as the fact that this person used to be Aizen's Captain.

"Oi, are you even listenin' to me?"

"Uh… excuse me!" she squeaked. Now she knew for sure that something in her head wasn't functioning right. "Umm… what were you saying, Hirako-taichō?"

"I said, we could do that thing right away and get it off our necks. Any objections?"

"Err… no sir."

"Ya sure yer alright, kid? You look like yer out of it. Wanna leave it for tomorrow and get some rest instead?"

"Mmm… I think he's all right," Tobiume piped up.

Instead of replying to her Zanpakuto, Momo blurted out the first thing that came to her. "No, no. That's all right, Taichō. I just… I just realized it was you who first brought me to Soul Society. Nothing to worry about!"

A heartbeat, two—

Momo blinked, pretty much startled because that had not in the least been what she'd been intending to say. Her new Captain regarded her thoughtfully, something she was pretty sure meant that he couldn't remember her. Well, it's not like she was going to pester him about it or anything. Hell, even better for her if he couldn't.

"I was, was I?" Hirako asked, rather disinterestedly after another second fluttered by. "Well, ain't of any importance now. Are we gonna get that load of bull off our shoulders or what? Seriously, after spendin' so long in the livin' world, some of the traditions here feel utterly stupid."

Momo watched him contemplatively for solid five seconds, earning an annoyed look from the Vizard.

"Oh, god, Momo, please! You can't decide not to like him because he's not like Aizen! Come on!" Tobiume whined.

"Umm… it would still be good if the rest of the division knew who their captain is," she told Hirako quietly. "They could just walk past you completely clueless and being clueless is never a good thing," she pointed out, surprised at how calmly she was handling this.

Hirako regarded her with a short look, a distant emotion flickering behind it before he merely groaned and gestured her to follow him.

"MOMO!"

Aforementioned Shinigami sighed. All evidence as of late was just pointing out that some higher forces held no even an inkling of affection for her.

"Oi, Karin! Yuzu! Your dear old pops is going out! Don't miss me too much!"

"Who would ever miss you, Goat Face?"

"Eh? But Otou-san, where? Onii-chan and Neville-kun left just a few minutes ago! You aren't going to follow them, are you?"

"YUZU! H-how could you ever think that about me! Masaki, my daughter—"

Otou-san's wail was cut off by Karin rather cruelly punching his nose right before he had a chance to hug their mum's portrait. Yuzu winced in sympathy, but she had long since given up trying to interfere.

"Karin-chan!"

Well, really interfere, at any rate.

"Don't sweat it, Yuzu," Karin told her sister as she casually watched Otou-san rub his nose. "Didn't you say you were leaving?" she added to him.

"Ah, yeah, Uraha—" he then caught a sight of his wrist-watch. "Oh my god, I'm running late! I'll see you latter, my sweetest daughters! Daddy's got to run! Remember to lock the door!"

Yuzu tilted her head as he stormed out of the house, nearly forgetting to shut the door. Karin ended up doing it instead and she didn't look in the least bit happy about it.

"Seriously, that old man. It's not like…" she paused, looking at Yuzu as though this was the first time she'd seen her. "Hey, Yuzu, did old man say where he was going?"

"Umm… he was about to. But then he saw his watch," Yuzu replied. "Uh… is something the matter, Karin-chan? You look like you have something in mind."

Karin smirked. "Of course I do. I was pretty sure I overheard something yesterday evening. No wonder he's in such hurry. Goat Chin is becoming really careless. Say, Yuzu, would you still like to go to Hogwarts with Ichi-nii?"

For the first instance, Yuzu was quiet. Her self-confidence had never been at its highest point and ever since Ichi-nii had gotten involved with the spiritual business, Yuzu was the only one in the family that could not even see ghosts (well, there's Otou-san too, but he doesn't count). Learning she could – or at least potentially could – use magic finally made her feel a true part of the family. Karin, naturally, was the first person to learn about it. As there were no outer changes, mostly nobody would notice it, but the look in Yuzu's eyes was slightly different from her usual look.

"It's a no brainer, Karin-chan," she replied calmly. "What is your plan?"

Karin's smirk widened.

"We're going spying! If I'm right – and I know I am– Goat Chin is meeting Urahara-san. You remember him, right? That weird guy with the bucket hat and weird clogs? Well, I just know they're up to something. It looks like dad knows him, and while I really have no idea how, and they're up to something. I know they wouldn't be nearly as sneaky if they weren't. All we've got to do is guilt trip or blackmail dad into agreeing and I doubt Urahara-san would have anything against. It's his fault for everything that happened to Ichi-nii. He's just crazy like that. I keep wondering why Ichi-nii hadn't kicked his ass yet."

"So… you're suggesting we should just blackmail Otou-san and Urahara-san into letting us go to Hogwarts with Onii-chan? But… Onii-chan mentioned he probably won't be going back."

Karin waved a hand dismissively. "Of course he will. Where's the logic in quitting school in the middle of the year?"

"Well, I guess you have a point. So… spying and blackmailing?"

"Yep," Karin said with a malicious glint in her eye. "I'd probably have to postpone that call Shuu-chan asked me to make, but this is so much better! Let's go, Yuzu!"

Yuzu refrained from asking Karin about Shuu-chan—Karin never used that particular honorific before—instead focusing on their self-proclaimed mission. If there was a chance for her not to be the odd-one-out in her family (really, Otou-san didn't count), she'd gladly take it.

"Wait for me, Karin-chan!"

"Three ways?"

"Yeah."

"Three ways, hmmmm?"

"Yes."

"Three ways?"

Ariana took a deep, deep breath, which helped her relax. Somewhat, anyway. Aside from the fact that she was not a proficient Japanese speaker (more like, she understood none of it), it turned out that a very small number of people in Seireitei had knowledge of English language. The small number included the girl she'd nearly cut in half, the girl whose memories she'd butchered, several other Shinigami that were apparently at Hogwarts and apparently the clown guy which she'd rather not associate with, if only because he looked like a freak. Oh and there was a lady with a notebook, but meh, she looked like she was only there to listen and write.

Seeing as the clown face had asked her the same question three times already, she decided to cut to the chase and ignore him this time around. Eventually, he spoke on his own.

"Only?"

Ariana barely resisted the urge to groan. The lady sitting with them (introduced herself as Ise Nanao – Ariana still had no idea which was the first and which was the last name) cleared her throat.

"Yes, only," Ariana said, growing irritated. "I'm pretty sure there are only two ways for somebody to enter Seireitei, so we're one way ahead of you."

"Really?" the mighty clown (Ariana could not, for the life of her, remember what his name was) asked. "I have personally run several experiments and proved that there are in total seven ways to enter any Soul Society.

"Well, good for you," she said testily. "Anyway, there is only three ways for a Shinigami to enter Avalon. Or better make that two and a half. The way Hollows would enter is not something we would be able to recreate anytime soon."

Ise Nanao cleared her throat again. Ariana shot her a look. The girl only slightly tilted her head.

"Two and a half?"

Ariana sighed. "The first way is to go through the Gates, which we can rule out immediately as I've been permanently keyed out of creating those months ago. Sort of why I had to break out. The second one is the gate between Societies, but that requires agreement from both sides. Then there's also the Soul Burial, but we can dismiss that one immediately as you can't perform Soul Burial on a Shinigami," she said, her voice edging in frustration.

At Nanao's prompting look, she continued.

"And the last, which I would consider the half way, is something I've been researching for the past months before going to Hogwarts. There were rumors going around, seeing how many residents of Avalon used to be wizards, about a certain experiment the magical community was conducting as a way of connecting with the afterlife. Of course, those rumors came from my very own unit, seeing as most of us were members of the research center. Those months I've spent in Avalon after Blake's takeover was the time I used to confirm those theories. When I wasn't trying to keep my head on my shoulders, anyway."

"Which means that you've spent months looking for a way to lead an army in Avalon?" Nanao asked.

Ariana cringed. "Well, not exactly," she admitted. "More of it consisted in trying to break into the research center, seeing as both the resistance and Blake's goons considered me to be a traitor. The resistance because I've never directly returned there after failing to secure help, and Blake because he knows I'd never join him. Anyway, it took some time, but I've managed to confirm the rumors – which isn't an entirely good thing."

"And how so?" the crazy clown asked. Ariana did her best not to look at him.

"How I've confirmed it or how is that not a good thing?" she bit back.

"The latter," Ise said before the crazy clown got his chance.

She sighed. "It's located in the Ministry of Magic in London and then there's also the problem of activating it. Apparently, the wizards don't know how to do it and I think I could find a way, given the opportunity and time. Third, it would require breaking into one of the safest facilities in the world. It comes off as especially difficult seeing how bad effect magic has on the Spiritual Energy. Oh, and that's only theoretically. For all I know, if put into practice, it could effectively obliterate a soul going through it. Or just explode."

Ise made a note on her clipboard, for the umpteenth time ever since the conversation started. Ariana had to admit, it was beginning to get on her nerves.

"Hmm… are you perhaps a scientist?" the crazy clown asked, forcing her attention back on him.

"You could put it that way," she informed him with a grimace. I'm the one who keeps blowing up the research center. "I'm third in command of the experimental ward. Well, I used to be. I'm pretty sure I've been stripped of that rank."

"Hmm… that does not seem to take away from your abilities?" he noted, looking at her as though he was examining her. It was downright creepy. Why was she asking these guys for help, again?

"Uh… why would it?" she asked, feeling uncomfortable under his analytic gaze. "I mean, I'm good when it comes to wielding weapon and even better with spells. Everything else is pretty average."

"Yet you've knocked out two of our elite soldiers, nearly killing one, without breaking a sweat," he pointed out.

"Umm… make that two," she said. To a raised eyebrow, she clarified, "I've nearly killed both of them. I haven't seen any other way to knock out the Captain so I've done the same thing I've done to the Lieutenant—" (well, not completely the same) "—changed those memories, effectively healed her and later on made sure the basis for my plan was set. Sure, it all went south soon enough, but—" she realized exactly what she'd been saying as she felt two stabbing looks on her and Ise looked ready to attack her any second. Uh-oh. It was definitely not her first time to say more than she should.

"So, you've come close to killing Captain Soifon and Lieutenant Kuchiki and now you are expecting the aid of their associates?" Nanao asked her incredulously. "Are you out of your mind?"

"Don't make it sound like I wanted to kill them!" Ariana countered childishly. "Really, had I not felt the other Shinigami approaching I would've healed that Kuchiki girl too. And I made sure that Soifon was completely healed before doing anything! I've done some serious damage, I know, but I went ahead and fixed it!"

"You know, that doesn't really give us any incentive to trust you," Kurotsuchi (now she remembered) told her wryly. From the look on his face, Ariana was pretty sure he actually didn't care about what she'd done. From the mad gleam in his eyes, she was absolutely sure he just wanted to know how she'd done it. Well, no way in hell she was going to tell them that. They didn't trust her already and saying anything more would only make it worse.

"Isn't it enough to just swear that it was all for a good cause and reason that both of the victims have recovered well?" she asked, her voice almost pleading. "Isn't there any oath I can swear to make sure I don't do something stupid like that again? I told you, I'm a part of experimental ward. Thinking out of the box is my specialty, but it isn't foolproof."

Well, no matter what she did now, every damage control seemed to be making the situation worse. Two indignant looks were more than enough to attest to that. Sighing, Ariana ran a hand through her hair.

"Alright, I've got a plan. I know you don't trust me, but my brother, who happens to be Albus Dumbledore, is the Headmaster of Hogwarts and a very important figure in the Wizarding world. Assuming you agree to help me stop the madman, I can make sure you gain cover either by hiring your officers in Ministry of Magic undercover or by placing them in Hogwarts from where it would be even easier to act while I attempt to open a pathway to Avalon. Plausible enough?"

The look on the girl's face only got more indignant – if that was even possible. The mad clown grinned.

"I like you."

Oh, great. Just bloody perfect.

"Say, if you ever conclude that you may need a change in surroundings and work, I assure you that Research and Development Bureau of Seireitei will always be prepared to welcome you with open arms."

More like welcome me to an asylum, Ariana thought. Nevertheless, her response was calm. "…I'll make sure to keep it mind."

From a mildly compassionate look she'd gotten from Nanao, Ariana realized it would be better to just stay away from Seireitei's Research Bureau. For her physical and mental health, if nothing else.

As for her thought up scheme… it was probably crazy enough that Ise would consider it suicidal.

"Well, here we go," Hermione said as she laid a thick, old-looking book on Harry's bed as she sat across him and Ron. "I've been doing some research on Japanese terms and words that I have heard both Momo and Ichigo have talked about, and I think I've got something."

"Huh? You've actually found a way to spell out all that?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Well, I've got to admit it hadn't been easy. And most of the words have at least two different translations, depending on the characters used to write them. For the word 'Reiatsu' I've found that the translation is 'heartfelt thanks', but it doesn't make sense in the context so I've kept digging but I couldn't find anything else. But then I found a similar term – 'Reiryoku'."

"Hmm… I think I may have heard it," Harry said thoughtfully. "I mean, it certainly sounds like I have, but I can't say for sure. It's difficult to say what they're talking and I still can't remember that night…"

"That makes one of us," Ron mumbled quietly. Harry briefly pondered whether punching him in the shoulder was going to make him feel any better, but he ultimately decided against it. Just because he was the only one that couldn't remember the events of that night clearly didn't mean that Ron had to go ahead and rub it in all the time.

"Anyway, the translation for that is 'spiritual power'," Hermione said. "The second term was Bakudō and I've had so much trouble with it. Depending on characters it can be translated to all sorts of soils, exposure and so many other things. I think it finally comes down as 'such exposure', or possibly 'way of binding' but neither makes sense in the context. The last part Ron has mentioned was Kyoko, isn't that right, Ron?"

"Umm… I think," Ron mumbled.

"Well, it probably wasn't, as that is actually a girl name, but there's Kyokkō. You spell it K-Y-O-K-K-O-U. It translates as either imaginary kid, rays of a rising sun or bent light. Seeing as what you've said Momo's spell had done, it must have been the last one – bent light. It would mean that she literally had to call out on the effect she wanted. So put together, it would be either 'way of binding bent light' or 'such exposure bent light' unless, of course, some characters are different and the entire meaning of separate parts is lost in order to compensate for something entirely different. I'm afraid that is as much as I could find with the little information I've had."

"And what about the middle part of the incantation? Could it have been something that changes it completely?" asked Ron.

"Middle? You mean, what you've informed me of is just the beginning and the end?" Hermione countered incredulously.

"Don't lash out on me like that. That what she'd said was bloody long, Hermione! Be happy I've at least figured some of it! I wouldn't be able to repeat the rest even if I remembered!"

Harry groaned. "Which means we're nearly at the same place from which we've started. We only know she'd used wandless magic, which is a difficult, nearly impossible feat especially because it made all of us invisible and she shouldn't be able to perform it and we also know that it's got something to do with some spiritual power. Then we've also got that term 'Kido'. Have you had any luck with that, Hermione?"

She frowned.

"Well, it can translate to brightness, start-up, maneuver, demon hall, return road, demon way, deceptive measures and all sorts of other things," she said sadly.

"And we've also got a lead that it is some form of self-defense art," Harry added.

"Well, I guess it can then be maneuver," she sighed. "I haven't found anything that may suggest anything else but 'Aikido', but somehow I think we can rule out that possibility."

"Yeah, that's more Ichigo's forte," Harry mumbled.

"I don't know about that," Hermione said. "Aikido is basically a defensive martial art and we know Ichigo doesn't mind engaging in fist-fights, but he's always the one attacking. I don't know, but I don't think that someone who practices self-defense art is inclined into using it to attack others."

"Well Ichigo doesn't really attack people without a reason," Ron sighed, then yawned. "Don't you think we should head to bed? It's been a tiring day and solving some pieces of puzzles that are Ichigo and Momo shouldn't be left for this late hour."

"Please, Ronald, wasn't it you who kept pestering me with questions?" Hermione bit back.

"I was just curious!"

"Well so was I, but I don't see you doing anything to find the answers!"

"You're the one who's good with that stuff, not me!" Ron defended. "And I think we should actually spend our time trying to figure out how You-Know-Who is getting into Harry's head! That's got to be dark magic and this is the house of Black! We're bound to find something."

"Then go ahead and look for it by yourself!" Hermione snapped at him, before grabbing her thick book and heading out the door. But as she opened them, she turned back and looked at Harry. "I haven't meant that I don't care."

Harry uncertainly nodded back. "I know." Barely a second later, she slammed the door shut.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with her?" Ron asked immediately. "Has she gone batty or what? Why is she constantly looking for a reason to fight with me?"

Harry resisted the urge to say that he seemed just as eager to fight with her. Antagonizing Ron any further would drive him mad and he already had enough issues to deal with. As for Hermione's animosity… well, he had no idea. But it probably had something to do with her not liking how anytime someone mentions a girl, Ron goes on talking about Momo. Even he wasn't so vocal about Cho and and Hermione certainly wasn't lashing out at him all the time.

"Try to be a bit more tactful, I guess," Harry told his best friend with a sigh.

"Tactful? What have I done to get her after my blood?"

Harry shrugged. "If it's of any comfort, maybe you should try helping her look for some other information in the library? I think she'd appreciate the sentiment."

"Yeah, and chew my head right off if I spoke a single world," Ron mumbled. "Anyway, good night, Harry."

Harry grumbled in response. He wished the holidays lasted longer. Just thinking about his return to Hogwarts in about a week was making him cringe. Though, at least there was still the DA.

Rukia frowned as she heard her soul phone beep as she skipped over from one roof to another, heading towards the Kurosaki Clinic. Her frown only deepened as she read the message she'd just received.

'Kuchiki-fukutaichō, head over to Urahara Kisuke's shop immediately for debriefing on your mission aspect and added information.'

What was that all about? Due to many information being revealed both by Kurotsuchi-taichō and Ray Ariana, her mission in the living world was put on hold and she'd headed out to Karakura a week later than what she was supposed to and now they wanted her in for even more information?

Well, this better be something good, she thought as she abruptly changed direction.

She was met with an installed screen five minutes later (the same one that Hitsugaya-taichō had installed in Orihime's house so long ago) and a very unhappy aforementioned Captain greeting her. She cocked her head, briefly asking what the matter was about. No matter which way one took it, Hitsugaya Toshiro did not look in the least bit happy about whatever information he was about to give her. He just looked even more annoyed than usual.

Behind him, she spotted Renji, Hinamori and Kurotsuchi Nemu, sporting a bored, nervous and emotionless look respectively.

Hmm… I wonder what this is about.

The wide grin on Urahara's face was not in the slightest bit relaxing.

"Have you gotten it too, Ishida-kun?" Orihime asked excitedly as she cornered the poor Quincy, followed by Tatsuki who had a rather disdainful look on his face.

Ishida – who had been trying to find anything to relate him to those who attacked him – was naturally confused.

"Have I gotten what, Inoue-san?" he asked, trying to at least somewhat keep away from the excited teenager. Honestly, it would be scary if her energy suddenly started to manifest in everybody else and meeting Mahana from his class earlier that day – who'd previously been in contact with Orihime – was rather scarring. Especially so when she started asking about his father and Kurosaki, for no apparent reason. Whatever food Orihime had given her earlier had had a similar effect as too much sugar would.

"The letter! The letter!" she shouted. "Urahara-san gave me one and Sado-kun and Tatsuki-chan have also gotten theirs, so there's no reason you wouldn't get one! Even Kurosaki-kun got it!"

Ishida couldn't be sure, but what she was talking about probably had something to do with the envelope he'd found in his room with a note glued on it, claiming that if he had no intention to hang around with Kurosaki, he probably shouldn't open it.

Ishida would proudly like to say that he'd thrown the thing in the garbage bin or that he'd burnt it, but at the moment it was still bent twice and pushed in his inner pocket while he was trying to decide whether he should get rid of it or not. Naturally, now that Inoue was pestering him about it, he was pretty sure that unless he'd give her a positive answer, she'd get him to open it right away.

"Yes, I have," he said with as much dignity as he could muster. "It is surprising that you have gotten it as well, Arisawa."

Tatsuki merely shrugged. "Someone's got the idea into their head that I want to beat Ichigo senseless until he starts actually using his brain."

"And you don't?" he asked, barely keeping sarcasm in his voice from becoming obvious.

"Whatever got you thinking that I want to be his babysitter?"

"Well that makes two of us," he mumbled.

Orihime grinned. "But you're coming, no? Kurosaki-kun is getting ready for returning to Hogwarts so it really shouldn't be a problem to not tell him right away, don't you think?"

Neither gave her a straight answer. Instead, Tatsuki murmured something about how much snow there was and Ishida said, "I don't suppose Kurosaki's got any idea of what could have happened to those who have happened to attack me."

Inoue assumed a thoughtful position while Tatsuki snorted.

"Umm… well, we thought it was some guy named Tsukishima," Orihime said. "You know, seeing as he attacked me and Neville-kun, but the Reiatsu signature didn't match. Whoever had done it is still hiding somewhere and we're going to have to look for them sooner or later, but right now this is more important, understand?"

Tatsuki and Uryu shared a look that clearly said 'not at all', but that wasn't nearly enough to deter the excited princess.

"Who's coming with me to find Sado-kun? He said he'd be around here!"

She ran off in the next second.

"Oh god, I'm going after her," Tatsuki told Ishida. "She's been jumping around like that all day, I'm afraid she'll end up crashing into a wall or something. See you."

Ishida sighed as both girls went on their merry way.

Well, now there was all the more reason to throw the damned letter away. He had no slightest clue why in the end he'd ended up opening it and reading it, but he liked to (at least in his head) blame Inoue Orihime for that. She sure knew how to present something. He had no idea where the actual thought came from, but he was absolutely certain that she would make a great merchant.

"What? Kurosaki-san, what—? You want to quit?"

"What? NO! I never said that! I just said I've been thinking about not going back to Hogwarts and I wanted to hear your opinion, dammit!"

"Doesn't that sound awfully much like quitting?"

The look of mock-horror on Urahara's face was no less infuriating now than it was just a second ago.

"No."

"Oh, well, fine, then. Just so you know, it's not nice to try and fool me like that."

"Fool you? I wasn't trying to—it's not like you've been fooled in the first place!"

"But I was! Well, never mind that now! The point is, you are going back, are you not?"

Ichigo snorted. "Do I even have a choice?"

"Of course not," Urahara grinned.

"Thought as much. Well, that clears things up," he said as he stood up from where he'd been sitting at Urahara's shop. "I'm leaving now. Gotta pack and all that."

"This has been a very short visit," Urahara mumbled. "Are you sure you don't want me to provide you with transportation to Hogwarts?"

"No thanks. I still trust the airplanes better."

"Now that's just not fair."

"Oh, yeah, there was one thing I've been meaning to ask, though."

Urahara just sighed. "Ask away."

Ichigo scratched the back of his head. "You know some guy named Ginjo? He appears to know both you and my dad and he's all about some creepy theory that there's a conspiracy behind my combat pass. I wasn't really in the mood for the stuff so I shunned it, but it worries me that he's done nothing yet. Didn't seem like a type to give up easily."

He was a bit unnerved by Urahara's neutral look. Unbeknownst to him, however, Urahara was trying his hardest not to let any flicker of surprise show on his face.

"Hmm… Are you perhaps talking about Ginjo Kugo? The first Substitute Shinigami?"

Ichigo blinked several times. "The first sub-? Hey, you know what? Never mind. It's not like I wanted to get involved with this shit anyway. I guess it's true then that he's also the substitute. And here I was thinking he was just full of bull crap."

Urahara once again had to keep the surprise from breaking out on his face. "Hmm… you don't seem worried in the least, Kurosaki-san. Aren't you worried that whatever he said could be true?"

Ichigo's eyebrows knit together, but he didn't look upset at the prospect. Neither did he feel that way. "Does it even matter?" he asked. "Truth or not, what does it change? Ginjo's still a bastard and Soul Society's still pretty much the same. I won't say something like I don't like it, even if I really don't. Maybe it's because I can partly understand the reasoning behind it – you can't just trust any person who comes by. Well, most people can't, anyway." He looked back towards the exit door. "I've really got to go now, Urahara-san. Can't leave Neville all on his own."

"All right then," Urahara sighed. "Oh, and by the way, do you know when Isshin-san and the girls are coming back?"

Ichigo merely groaned. "I didn't even know they left until I saw that message." He paused, turning back to Urahara with a pronounced scowl. "How do you know they're gone in the first place?"

Urahara just grinned, flapping his fan open. "Oh, it's nothing really," he said merrily. "It's just that Isshin-san had been here when he got the call. Those things don't just go by me!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Well, anyway, see ya."

Kisuke could have sworn he'd heard a silent 'thanks' as the shoji door slid shut behind Ichigo. Nevertheless, he chose to answer, "You're welcome."

Tom Marvolo Riddle, more commonly known as Lord Voldemort, was normally not a hot-tempered and impatient person. He loved when his plans simply fell in place and worked as they were supposed to, and for that he was willing to spend years, if only to make sure that he be the victor. Right now, that patience was on its very edge.

One may wonder why, but it was fairly simple. The waiting was driving him nuts.

Yes, it had been his own plan to try and manipulate Potter into getting the prophecy for him, as nothing else seemed to be working out. Making sure that the boy had recurring dreams about the hallway leading to the Department of Mysteries was a part of his scheme to test the limits of how much he could control what the boy saw. Except that, after what had happened with Nagini and Arthur Weasley, that had been becoming increasingly more difficult thing to do – enough to warrant Voldemort considering alternatives.

Really, there was nothing stopping him from marching into the Ministry of Magic right now, but he'd rather not reveal himself as alive just yet. There was so much more he'd be able to do in only several months, thus waiting for a perfect opportunity was not at all vexing.

What was, however, was the fact that there seemed to be something omitting his connection to Potter's mind. Like there was some sort of a memory cap used on him, yet not in its true sense. It was more like there was something actively attempting to seal away his memories and Voldemort's attempts at breaking into the boy's mind were just making it easier for the thing to work. At the same time the thing was just throwing him out. In essence, it was as if he was sabotaging himself.

A new plan needed to be thought up, no matter what Lucius thought. He was going to make sure that all of his Death Eaters were out of Azkaban by the end of the next day and then he would take a break in order to consider his options once again.

And maybe persuading the Dementors to join him immediately was not such a bad idea. It certainly had it's merit to have them on his side. Oh, how interesting it would be to gather them up and later release them in the very heart of the Ministry of Magic. So very satisfying. And of course, an invasion on Hogwarts – while Dumbledore is away, naturally. Splendid.

But better no. Those were all too risky options to consider. He needed to go down the more traveled route, at least for now. Originality and brutality may assist him later.

As for Harry Potter – he imagined strangling the boy to death. Ah, yes. There was something satisfying in the way his eyes bulged out and his face turned purple before the force of Voldemort's hold simply broke the boy's neck.

Ah, there was an image to enjoy. Come to think of it, the filthy brat should be killed by no magical means, if at all possible. It would be all that much more satisfying.

As the Hogwarts Express skidded to a halt in the Hogsmeade platform, Parvati Patil looked out the window with odd sort of detachedness. A feeling of dread crept within her and she had nothing to associate it with. As the compartment was filled with the whole lot of noise, she remained silent as she walked towards the coaches with her friends who were cheerfully talking about the newest gossip. For the first time since, well, forever, she didn't feel like joining in. Instead, she stared through the window where a thestral was supposedly dragging the coach when they got in, although she could not see it. Not that she wanted to, either. That might be even more traumatic then seeing Ichigo in his terrifying glory once again. Especially when she thought about the requirements that ability to see the thestrals demanded.

Oh, great, now she was in some sort of depression, thinking about death.

"Hey, have you heard about that new line of dresses that came out last week?" she asked to Romilda Vane, only to drive her thoughts away from depressing subjects. Seriously, what was wrong with her? She never felt this way when she was on her way to Hogwarts. Most of the time she just felt… fulfilled. And now that was clearly not the case.

She sighed.

Romilda shot her a look that indicated the girl wasn't at all happy about her story being interrupted, but Parvati didn't pay it much heed. Were it not for her hanging out with Fay all the time as of late, she would have ignored the girl completely.

Home sweet home, she thought sullenly as the castle greeted her in its magnificent way.

Ginjo stared at the door that had been shut about a minute ago, not really seeing them. If one were to look at him, they wouldn't have much to see. Somewhat skeptical look on his face and knit eyebrows, but that was all there was to it. The truth was, he was a bit confused.

Or better, really confused. So much that he almost forgot how to breathe.

Just… what.

Did Kurosaki Karin just walk out on him with a smile, telling him she was grateful for his effort but she found other things to pursue? What.

"Maybe you should just drop it," Riruka said, being the first one to actually comment on anything since the door closed. Ginjo shot her a look, but he couldn't quite find his voice. Otherwise he would've already called her a dumb bitch.

"Your brilliant plan to destroy the Shinigami, I mean," she elaborated and from the look on her face he could tell that she was savoring every single moment of this talk. "Clearly the universe is against you. Unless you can find another person with only a scrap of potential that the Kurosaki siblings had, you're pretty much doomed."

Ginjo's fists clutched instinctively, breaking the glass he'd been holding into pieces. Fortunately they didn't cut in his skin. Nobody even blinked.

"Really, Ginjo. Your odds dropped from one percent to zero point zero zero one. And you should have made sure that Karin didn't think this was actually her New Year's gift. You weren't really expecting her to ask you if she could pay you back, were you?"

Ginjo shot another glare, this time at Yukio. He bit back a frustrated yes. A part of his mind noted that this was the first time Riruka and Yukio agreed on something. That in itself was a bit frightening. Seeing as he really wasn't going to get any support from either of them, his eyes found Jackie.

The tall woman noticed it and titled her head slightly. "I've liked that kid."

Should've known.

He then looked at Giriko.

"Well, it was a somewhat unwise plan to begin with, using a twelve year old girl to bring down the Shinigami."

Fuck you, Kutsuzawa.

Tsukishima gave only a slightest twitch of his lips, but Ginjo could see how amused he was about this.

"I second that," was all he said.

Ginjo wished he could explode and blew all of them to hell.

"Fuck you," he said. "Fuck you. ALL OF YOU!"

The 'Xcution' headquarters after that was never the same again.

Review!

P.S. Has anyone heard Simple Plan's 'This Song Saved My Life'? If yes, am I the only one thinking that, metaphorically, it describes what Rukia has been doing for Ichigo since like, the first chapter?