Harry sat on the window ledge, looking out over the now flourishing forest. He would be fourteen this year, Ichigo would be fifteen...and still no word from him. Had something gone wrong? Had Harry returned to the past alone? He refused to believe that.
In three years, Hogwarts had undergone massive changes. A lot of people had been angry, but no one could doubt the increasing grades of the students. Some subjects had been dropped from the curriculum while a lot had been added. Hogwarts now offered the core subjects in a non-magical education with others being offered as electives. That had brought the Purebloods down on him but there was nothing they could do about it. At Hogwarts, Harry was King of the Castle. Putting a werewolf in as Headmaster had made them even madder and he had happily pointed out that if they didn't like it, they could go to another school. Since Hogwarts was the only one in Britain...well, very few had left. The teachers had definitely liked the increasing skills in essay writing that taking English provided.
The segregation between the Houses was pretty much gone, Slytherin had been the hardest but with Snape and Dumbledore gone, Voldemort permanently dead and then the older years eventually graduating, things had vastly improved. Kids now had friends in all Houses and except for Feasts sat with each other at any table. With Sirius on the Wizengamot a well, things were going quite well. Ousting Fudge and his Toad had taken some planning but with Amelia as Minister there was no bribery tolerated.
All in all, he was leaving the British Wizarding World in far better condition than he had thought he would. The new school year in Japan was starting in April and he had submitted all the necessary paperwork to attend Karakura High School in the same grade as Ichigo, despite being younger. He'd gotten his grades up to an acceptable level for that year and there may have been a little magical help to ensure he was accepted.
He was glad to be leaving, while the Triwizard Tournament would e lacking Riddle's interference some idiots had still decided to revive it. Remus had ensured there would be no dragons or freezing lakes in February. It would be a lot more spectator friendly than the last two tasks of the farce Harry had been forced into and safer. That was the only reason Remus and Harry had agreed to it. No Goblet of Fire either, it was ridiculous to risk the magic of students. He was just glad he'd be long gone before it began. Sirius and Remus weren't happy to not be going with him, but he was legally an adult and they were needed in Britain. He'd purchased an entire apartment building, cheaply, had it renovated and claimed the penthouse for himself while the others were being rented out. It had cost les than buying a renovated house would have since the building had been almost condemned.
He was a bit sad leaving Hermione, Neville, Luna, Daphne, Susan, Cedric, and Tracy behind; they were the closest friends he had this time around, but he wasn't as close to them as he had been Hermione and co the first time around. He'd held himself back, meaning to or not, since he had always planned to leave. Then again, if Soul Society became an annoyance, then it was possible he'd end up back in Britain with Ichigo and anyone else they wanted to keep safe.
It would be odd, not living in the castle but he still didn't trust the government enough to live even at a totally renovated Grimmauld Place. Even Sirius mostly lived at the castle, staying with Remus. There were no rules against the Headmaster having a roommate. The old Black town home was only used when he had to entertain for society.
~~
Harry groaned as Sirius hugged him tightly and Remus laughed before moving in for his own hug. "Call as soon as you get in," the werewolf demanded, and Harry nodded.
"I promise. I'm going to miss my flight if you don't let go."
They let him go and he grabbed his bag before heading through security, turning to wave goodbye before he vanished.
"He'll be okay, won't he?" Sirius asked quietly and Remus offered a smile to his oldest friend.
"He's not a child, he is the veteran of multiple wars, even without the safety provided by Hogwarts. Even so...it is hard to let him go alone. I think that's why he made sure we have the positions we do, to keep us from following and coming to Soul Society's attention," Remus admitted.
"Yeah, that makes sense. Wish I could be mad about it but that's just how Harry is."
~~
Harry stared up at the high school he had never attended last time around. He took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the strap of his satchel before walking through the gates. He hadn't gone near any of the places he had once known, not wanting to confront the memories. Even then, he had felt Ichigo the moment he had arrived, his untrained power flooded the area but even through it he had managed to detect Ishida and Urahara's shop. He made his way to the office to receive everything he needed, including his class number and he made his way towards it, heart in his throat as he realized he was getting closer and closer to Ichigo.
~~
Ichigo turned and settled in his seat as the class was called to order. Standing beside Ochi-sensei was a stranger. Not surprising for the first day of the school year, the high school drew from several middle schools, he didn't recognize everyone in the class. But there was something...almost familiar...it didn't make sense.
"Class, this is Potter Harry, a transfer student from England. Please help him as he adjusts to living here," she introduced and the teen bowed to the class before taking the empty desk beside Ichigo, offering a shy smile and Ichigo nodded in return. When their eyes met it felt so strange, like he should know him. He shrugged it off and focused on class.
~~
Sitting beside an Ichigo who had shown no recognition was harder than he'd expected, even with Nejibana's soothing presence. He carefully examined the feel of Ichigo's power, buried deep he could feel the bright thrum of his Quincy heritage and then the Hollowfied shadow of Zangetsu. Both were still buried deep within Ichigo, just another bit of proof that this was the present Ichigo and not his. At least the class work was interesting, helping to keep him from focusing on other things. When they broke for lunch, Harry hesitated, not sure what to do.
"Hey, you want to eat with us?" Ichigo offered and Harry considered for a second before smiling.
"Thank you," he offered and Ichigo shrugged, leading him over to two guys he'd only met briefly before, during a lull in the war. They headed up onto the roof and sat to eat.
"So, what brings you to Karakura, Potter-san?" one of the boys, Keigo he thought, asked.
"A change. I thought attending high school in another country would be a good experience and since I already spoke Japanese the choice was easy," Harry answered easily. They asked a few more questions about what it was like in Britain and he asked about life in Karakura. He felt Ichigo occasionally staring at him and it was enough to give him hope. When lunch ended they headed back to class for the rest of the day. At the end of the day he walked with them from the school, walking half way to the clinic before saying his goodbyes to turn down a side street.
"Potter-san?"
"Yes Kurosaki-san?" It was hard making himself be formal with him.
"Want to meet here tomorrow and walk with us to school?"
"That would be great, thanks. And my name's Harry," he offered. Yeah, it was way too soon but he was a foreigner after all. He waved and made himself walk away, back to his lonely apartment. He smiled and waved at the guard as he entered the private elevator and grinned when he found Hedwig waiting for him. She had flown to Japan to avoid quarantine and he had insisted she take her time; it wasn't a short journey. He gave her some treats and got himself something to eat before settling in to do his homework.
~~
Ichigo lay on his back, arms under his head, as he stared up at his ceiling. It was weird...he felt like he'd just...clicked with Potter...Harry, like he knew him. But he didn't and it didn't make sense. He glanced out the window at the full moon, wishing he could sleep...
Ichigo gasped, bolting upright, eyes wildly scanning his surroundings as his heart pounded, two voices in his head trying to calm him. Home...he was home...he'd been somewhere...Geta-boshi's lab...the machine...time-travel. He got up and stared at his phone, seeing the date, before he'd met Rukia. He forced his breathing to calm and then froze...Harry...Harry was here! He must have come back first, why else would he be here? He threw on clothes and then dashed out the window. Harry was a lot better than him at hiding his power but Ichigo knew him too well for him to hide completely. He knew better than to try any Shinigami or Hollow techniques while in his body, so he was forced to use Hirenkyaku, not his best skill at all, but it got him up and onto the balcony of an apartment. He could feel the magical wards on the place and smiled at the familiarity. He touched the door, feeling the wards happily greet him and then Harry was running into the hall, dressed only in loose sleep pants, green eyes wide and Ichigo grinned.
~~
Harry woke as he felt the wards sing and he frowned before his eyes widened and he threw back the covers, scrambling out into the main room and there he was, grinning at him from the sixth floor balcony...Ichigo. He slammed the door open and Ichigo was there, pulling him into his arms, holding tight. "It's you...you're back..." Harry gasped, eyes roaming familiar features. His appearance hadn't changed since the afternoon, but he carried himself differently and all Harry had to do was look into his eyes to see the grown man staring back.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry you were alone," Ichigo whispered, leaning down and Harry met him, the kiss soft and sweet.
"I was worried something went wrong," Harry admitted. He pulled Ichigo further into the apartment, shutting the balcony door.
"How long have you been back?"
"Since just before first year," Harry admitted as they collapsed on the couch together. It took a few seconds to settle, they fit together differently now since they were both still growing, though Harry was considerably taller than he had been first time around at this age.
"How are you here? Alone?"
"It's a long story," Harry answered. "There's no war though, Riddle has been gone since that year," he assured him and Ichigo nodded, obviously relieved.
"So only two mad men to deal with," he grinned, and Harry chuckled. Just Aizen and Yhwach to deal with.
"I missed you so much, it's been horrible waiting to hear from you."
"I don't know why we came back so far apart," Ichigo admitted. "I'm just glad you're here now."
"Me too," Harry closed his eyes, just soaking up the familiar, much missed, presence.
~~
Ichigo smiled down at him, seeing how different he looked, obviously time travel had enabled him to fix certain health issues much younger. He reached out to trace his scar, it had faded until it was barely noticeable, and he was glad. It would be interesting to see which of them ended up taller this time around. He wanted nothing more than to stay where he was and forget about the world, but he couldn't. "Does anyone know?"
"Just Padfoot and Moony. I was tempted to contact Urahara, but I remember what you said he was like at this point."
"Yeah, but hiding this from him is not going to be easy," Ichigo admitted. "We've got a month and a half until Rukia arrives. Dealing with that is going to be hard, the last thing I need is her sharing her powers with me again."
Harry laughed. "Yeah, you'll either blow up or have no control at all."
"Hey!" he sighed. "Ishida could be a problem; my Spirit Ribbon will be red now and he'll notice."
"I've been working on that," Harry summoned a box from the shelf across the room. He tossed it the Ichigo who opened it to find a ring.
"Shouldn't you be down on one knee?" Ichigo teased and Harry rolled his eyes.
"It should hide the change in your power levels, spirit ribbon, anything like that."
"Thanks," that was a big worry dealt with. "Still be careful."
"Promise." He kissed Harry again because he could. Part of him was glad Harry had arrived first, he didn't think he would have coped without the younger male at his side. "Wait...how are you in my class?"
Harry laughed, "Lots of studying, I officially skipped a grade. Magic was only used to ensure I was in your class. Hogwarts now teaches non-magical subjects." He went on to explain everything and Ichigo was proud of everything he had accomplished. Then they settled in to begin planning.
"Geta-boshi had to have had several plans to stick Rukia in that Gigai, there were too many variables to rely on that particular Hollow attack and her giving me her powers."
"So, what? We deal with the Hollow and then wait and see?"
"The others developed powers after facing Hollows...I ran into one before that attack. If we play it right, I could 'develop' my own Shinigami powers under the stress of an attack."
"What about me? As soon as I'm noticed it won't take much to realise I'm a wizard. Are we keeping who I was secret?"
"As much as I want to let you talk to Rukia and Ukitake about it..."
"As long as Aizen's alive it's probably not smart," Harry finished for him. The Kaien part of him hated not telling them, but it was safer for everyone. "And us? I am not waiting till Aizen is done with to claim you," he warned.
"Agreed, there's no way we're waiting that long," he promised. "Too fast and it will seem strange. AT this age I never showed interest in either gender, I'll need to work at that. Until then, I can sneak over at night. Don't suppose you've come up with something to replace my combat badge?"
"Not without stealing from Urahara," Harry admitted. It was an annoyance, but they were both stuck in their bodies until they could work something out. Harry had magic to fall back on, Ichigo was stuck with what little Quincy skills he'd learnt and short bursts of Hollow abilities. It left them vulnerable, something that neither liked. Harry shifted so he was kneeling on the couch and leaned in for another, more passionate kiss. "I love you."
"I love you, Ichigo replied when they parted. They spent the night talking and kissing but nothing more, Harry was physically only fourteen after all. Having to pretend they didn't know each other well at school was going to be hell.