Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Bleach. They belong to J.K. Rowling, Tite Kubo, and all affiliates associated with said individuals.

Chapter 1: The Battle of Hogwarts

Smoke spiraled into the sky. From a distance, it looked as though the heap of rubble and stone, the remnants of a long-crumbled castle from some bygone age, was reliving whatever battle or disaster that had reduced the once-majestic marvel of architecture to the pitiful pile of stone and cobble it was now, a sign hanging over what was left of a magnificent archway, warning curious wanderers and enterprising explorers, heedless of the dangers the unstable wreckage could pose, to stay away.

From a closer perspective, a keen-eyed observer would notice that the landscape was marred and cratered, trees reduced to splintered stumps, scorched craters pockmarking the earth. Those who had experienced war would have described the place like a battlefield, with artillery shells exploding and scarring the earth with their destructive power. The comparison was not far from the truth, but the truth was, in fact, much more jarring.

Harry hissed in pain as a cutting curse nicked his face, slicing a long gash along his cheek. He ignored the stinging pain and the blood slowly trickling down his face, the droplets of crimson life tickling as they rolled down his grime-covered, exhausted countenance as he desperately battled for his life. The heavy-set man in dark robes and a bone-like mask covering his features sneered as they fought, his wand flashing in deadly patterns, sending brilliant beams of death towards the emerald-eyed student, who desperately dived behind a heap of rubble, what was once a statue in the courtyard of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Wincing in pain from his injuries and bruises, Harry gasped for breath behind cover as blasting spells from the persistent Death Eater bombarded it, sending shrapnel and shards of stone flying everywhere. Harry took the chance to look around at the battlefield that his beloved school had become.

Everywhere curses flew, the deadly green of the Killing Curse being used unreservedly from both sides as one fought for survival and the other fought for conquest. The staff of Hogwarts and the students old enough to fight had been joined by the Order of the Phoenix as they defended the school against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. The younger students had long been evacuated, hurried to safety through a secret passage before the battle had commenced.

The barrage of curses against Harry's cover slackened for a moment, and he took his chance. Diving out from behind cover, he sent a Stunning spell with unerring accuracy at the Death Eater, striking him in squarely in the chest and throwing the large man backward, his wand flying out of his hand and clattering, harmless, to the cobblestone of the courtyard. The fall had knocked the mask from the Death Eater's face, and Harry recognized the man as Antonin Dolohov, a higher-ranked Death Eater that had been present at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.

In a surge of vindictive anger, Harry strode over to the fallen Death Eater, grinding his heel into Dolohov's face. His efforts were rewarded by a satisfying crunch as the man's nose shattered under his foot, and Harry turned back to the battle.

Casting a quick shield charm to deflect a Cutting curse, he flung back another one of his own, long gashes appearing in the black robes of another Death Eater, sending blood arcing through the air and splattering against the ground. The man yelled in pain and clutched at his bloody chest as his lifeblood seeped into his robes, staining them a dark crimson. Harry could tell that the man was finished, and it was only mercy that made him hit the man with a Stunning spell, leaving the fallen Death Eater unconscious to bleed to death, sparing him from being conscious for his unpleasant fate.

A roar made Harry whip his head around so quickly that he almost gave himself whiplash, something that would not have been beneficial at all in the heat of battle. Focusing his sight, he found himself staring at a massive troll, at least the size of the one he had faced his first year. Shit.

The troll swung its club, which was basically a small tree, clearly aiming to smash Harry into a bloody smear on the ground. Harry leapt out of the way, rolling as the club smashed into the ground. His eyes widened as he saw the dent it had made in in the cobble. Clambering to his feet, he eyed the troll warily. This was not going to be an easy fight.

He bit back a curse as the club slammed down again, narrowly missing his shoulder by mere centimeters, sending chips of stone slashing through the skin on his arm, sending rivulets of blood spiraling through the air as Harry ducked and weaved.

"Stupefy!" he yelled, but as expected the Stunning spell simply bounced off the troll's magically resistant skin, succeeding in only irritating the beast. It roared again, its pungent breath causing Harry to gag as he backpedaled, desperately wracking his mind for a solution for this problem. Casting his gaze around, his eyes fell on a jagged shard of stone, what used to be some gargoyle or other statue. Remembering his first encounter with a troll his first year, inspiration struck.

Concentrating on the bicycle-sized stone while dodging blows from the troll with the double-focus he had developed from playing Quidditch, he darted over to it. Turning back to the troll, Harry yelled, "Hey, ugly!"

The troll roared, spraying spittle against the ground, charging forward, club raised as it tried once more to rid itself of the pest standing before him. Harry narrowed his eyes, focusing as he cast a levitation charm on the sharp boulder, standing his ground. Come on, come on…

At the last possible second, Harry dived to the side away from the troll, whipping his wand while he fell, directing his improvised anti-troll weapon forward. The speed at which the rock flew, combined with the troll's momentum, sent it sinking deep into the troll's chest. Copious amounts of green blood splattered the ground, covering the cobbles as the troll gurgled in pain. With a shuddering, rattling gasp, it fell still, its blood continuing to seep from its body, mingling with the crimson already splashed on the cobblestones. Harry tried not to think about where the red had come from, turning from the slain beast back to the battle.

Another glance around confirmed Harry's growing suspicions. They were losing. Despite the protections Hogwarts had given to its defenders, the overwhelming numbers of the enemy forces were simply too much to handle. They were backed into a corner, slowly being surrounded by the Death Eaters, pushed into a huddle group as they desperately cast spells, fighting for their very existence. And then, a sound which made his blood run cold, one that he knew would spell the end of everything, echoed across the vast, scarred courtyard.

Over the din of battle, over the sound of curses and explosions and sickening splashes of blood, the dreaded crack of apparition rang out, the sound reaching the ears of every single defender of Hogwarts. In that moment, they knew it was over. They had barely been even with the Death Eaters, but with his arrival, they knew it was lost.

Hope and determination vanished, replaced by utter despair. Some dropped their wands in hopelessness, despite knowing that the act would not save them. Others fought on, still defiant, but lacking the spark that kept them going, the spark of a thought that they would survive this day. It was gone.

Black robes whipping around his body, the giant snake Nagini slithering softly on the ground beside him, Lord Voldemort approached the last group of defenders. The last remnants of the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore's Army, huddled together, throwing curses desperately at the overwhelming Death Eaters.

"Voldemort!" snarled a Seventh-Year, throwing a Bludgeoning Hex at the Dark Lord from the side. The monster didn't even spare the student a single look before killing him, sending a blasting spell through his chest, the student falling back glassy-eyed even as blood soaked the front of his robes.

Padma and Parvati Patil stood back-to-back, frantically casting spells, trying to fend off the encroaching mass of Acromantula. In their concentration, they failed to notice the dark form to the side, blurring into motion as it leapt. Blood arced through the air, and the sisters collapsed, holding their savaged throats, only to be overtaken by the mass of giant spiders. Fenrir Greyback bounded to his master's side, blood staining his lips and chin as he spread his mouth into a morbid grin.

"I congratulate you, defenders of Hogwarts," hissed the Dark Lord, casually firing off a blasting hex that collapsed a section of roof onto Anthony Goldstein. "To think that you could fight off my forces for so long… I applaud your determination to resist the inevitable. But alas, your efforts are in vain." With a vicious hiss, Nagini struck to the side, burying her fangs in the neck of Lavender Brown, who moaned and writhed with pain as the deadly venom spread, before falling still.

Holding up a hand, Voldemort ordered his Death Eaters to cease firing curses at the huddled group of survivors. "But I am a merciful man. Surrender now and I will make your deaths swift and painless. After all, the alternative is to suffer a fate worse than death."

Harry felt bile rise in his throat as he watched Voldemort so casually kill the friends and students he had fought alongside with. Raising his wand to point at Voldemort, he mustered his courage. "Dumbledore always said that death was just the next great adventure."

A hissing laugh escaped Voldemort's mouth. "Dumbledore, yes. Your dear Headmaster. What a pity he's already gone. And, though I hate to admit it, he had been right. Death had merely been the next great adventure. But now… your deaths will simply be the end of you. Dumbledore knew of the afterlife, yes. In my own findings, I discovered that it indeed existed. But not anymore. With this world devastated, it shall collapse upon itself. And so, death for you, Harry Potter, will merely be death."

Bill Weasley whispered out of the side of his mouth. "You all have to get away. The world needs you to stay alive, Harry. You're the only one who can beat him."

"What about the wards?" asked Hermione, looking at the sky, where a shimmering layer of magic prevented the last defenders to apparate to safety. "Unless someone stays behind to take them down, there's no wa-" Her words cut off as she realized what Bill was suggesting.

"No!" Harry said fiercely. "I won't let you do this, Bill. I won't let any more people die for my sake!"

Bill shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, Harry, but I'm the only one here with the knowledge to take down the wards. I know you don't want people dying for you, Harry, but please. For these people's sake," he said, gesturing to the group of defenders. "For the world's sake. Let me be the last one to die for you."

Without waiting for an answer, he turned to face the wards. "When I start breaking the wards, I need you to distract the Death Eaters. It'll only take a few seconds. When they fall, you all need to apparate somewhere safe." Bill Weasley took a deep breath and raised his wand. "Tell Fleur… tell my family that I love them," he said shakily, his voice breaking at the end. He began casting.

"Fire!" Harry bellowed, tears running down his cheeks. All around, fighters casted spells as hard as they could, buying Bill some time as he endeavored to save them all. "Reducto!" he shouted, throwing a blasting spell at Voldemort's feet, showering the Dark Lord with debris, which impacted an invisible shield surrounding Voldemort and his familiar.

A few seconds later, the wards fell. "You have to go now, Harry!" shouted Bill. "It's your last chance!"

Harry clenched his eyes shut, unable to watch as he and the rest of the fighters apparated away. As he felt himself being sucked away, he blinked, his eyes opening to see William Arthur Weasley for the last time, teeth bared in defiance as he cast spell after spell at the Death Eaters. As Harry fell into the vortex, he saw a sickly glow of green.

Harry retched as he collapsed onto the ground, tears dripping from his face, mingling with the vomit and blood on the wet grass. "Fuck!" he swore, smashing a fist into the earth. "Fuck!" All around him, the surviving defenders collapsed in exhaustion, their gasps barely reaching Harry's ears.

He stayed like that, hunched over, tears and blood dripping down his face. After an indeterminate period of time, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Harry?" a voice he vaguely recognized as Ron's asked. "Are you alright?"

A strangled gasp sounded, and Harry belatedly realized that it was his own. "It's over," he choked out, swiping a hand roughly across his eyes, spitting bile from his mouth. "It's over. We lost. That's it." He stood shakily, his trembling knees barely supporting his weight. Turning, he looked around at the surviving fighters, counting them silently in his head. Ron, Hermione, Luna Lovegood, Charlie Weasley, Ginny, Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape, Dedalus Diggle, Dumbledore's brother Aberforth, Hestia Jones, Terry Boot, Dennis Creevey, Seamus Finnegan, George Weasley, Alicia Spinnet, Lee Jordan, Draco Malfoy, and Oliver Wood.

Harry's heart sank as he took them all in, their faces weary and defeated. Twenty, counting himself. All that remained of Dumbledore's Army and the Order of the Phoenix. He knew without a doubt that Voldemort would target the Ministry next, eliminating anyone who could possibly resist his rule. From there, he would spread his control from Britain to the rest of the world, and they were powerless to stop him.

"What are we going to do?" Ginny asked gently. Subconsciously, Harry was pleased that she looked to him for instructions first, despite the presence of older, more experienced people. But consciously, Harry could only think of the people who had died fighting for their lives, protecting him, the Boy-Who-Lived. A wave of guilt washed over him, and his knees gave way. He crumpled to the ground in exhaustion. "We go into hiding," he said quietly, his face obscured by his disheveled hair. "We hide, and we survive."

"And then…?" Hermione prompted, subdued, tears slowly trickling down her face.

Harry took a shuddering breath, exhaling slowly. "I don't know," he admitted. "What can we do? We can't fight. We aren't strong enough."

"But we can't just give up!" Charlie yelled suddenly, standing, fist clenched. "Too many people died already, we can't just let their sacrifices to go waste! Percy, Mum, Dad, Fred, Bill…" His voice trailed off, ending with a choked gasp of anguish as he thought of the family he had lost. "We just can't," he said in a whisper. "I can't. I won't. I'll go fight that bastard myself, if you won't."

Harry felt a twang of pity for the now-eldest Weasley, but it was quickly overridden by anger. "I'm not giving up," he snapped, pushing off the ground. "We are not giving up. But now… what can we do? We can't fight. There's twenty of us left, how can we possibly think to stand against Voldemort?" They were all too tired to even wince at the name. Looking around, he saw everyone looking at him. He saw the expectations and hopes they, along with those of all who had died, shining in their eyes, and he suddenly felt the full weight of the burden that he carried.

"We go into hiding, and we train," he said quietly. But his voice was not lowered in grief, but in determination. "We travel around, gathering people who are willing to fight. We get stronger. And one day, we will stand again. This I swear, upon the grave of my parents, on the deaths that I have on my hands, on my very magic. I swear that one day, we are going to fight. And this time, we're going to win."

A hoarse chuckle came from the few surviving fighters, and Draco Malfoy came forward, his blond hair grimy and tousled, dirt and blood smudged across his face. "Well said, Potter, well said," the ex-Slytherin said with a genuine smile. "In which case, I pledge myself to you. I would die before betraying this promise you've made. Your promise is my promise."

Confusion etched itself onto Harry's face. "Malfoy, what-"

"Draco," the blond corrected, sending shock through his body again. "Call me Draco. The Malfoy family is no more. V-Voldemort killed my parents. The Malfoy line ends with me, and I choose to forsake that name. We'll fight together, Potter," he promised, holding out a hand.

Harry felt the tiniest smile break out on his face as he reached forward and clasped Draco's hand in his. "Harry," he corrected. "Call me Harry."

"Touching though this scene may be, Potter, Draco," the familiar drawl of a certain greasy-haired Potions Master cut in, "May I remind you that we still must devise a plan of action? Keep in mind that we must keep a low profile, not attracting the Dark Lord's attention, while maintaining our own wellbeing."

"Professor…" Hermione spoke up, biting her lip nervously. "If I may suggest something, when we stop travelling to rest for the night, we can ward the area that we're resting in. We, I mean, Ron, Harry and I, did that when we were hunting for horcruxes. It worked pretty well, and they didn't find us until Harry accidentally triggered the taboo. With more of us to add to the wards, we can make them stronger than last year…" She trailed off as she noticed Snape looking at her with an expression none had seen on the Potion Master's face before.

"That," Snape mused, with not a trace of the usual malice on his face, "was a very well-thought-out plan. Well done, Miss Granger."

Almost everyone present stared, aghast, at Severus Snape, who had just defied all expectations, shattered all conceptions, and sent the sky crashing down on everyone's heads. After a moment of staring, jaws agape, they finally managed to recover. Heads shaking, the group made their way across the field they had apparated into, not really having a destination, but with one common goal in mind: defeat Voldemort.

Greetings, dear readers! It is I, fokker333, with yet another brand-new Harry Potter/Bleach crossover! This idea popped into my head a few months ago, and those of you who follow my other story The Reaper got to read an extended summary. I started this story at the beginning of this month for NaNoWriMo, and although I haven't finished the story yet (far from it, in fact), I have completed several chapters and decided to post the first one. Please keep in mind that I may not post the next chapter of A Common Enemy for a few weeks yet, since it is still a work in progress, although I'm fairly certain that I can guarantee chapter 2 to be updated before the New Year. Be warned, however: A Common Enemy contains lots of character death. I didn't want to kill of Bill, he's one of my favorite Harry Potter characters, but his death was necessary (sadly enough). So for those readers whose favorite characters are going to meet their untimely demise, I apologize in advance. That being said, I do hope that the fact that your favorite characters will die does not prevent you from reading what I believe will be my greatest work yet. So, thank you all for reading! Please, if you liked it and want to see more, add A Common Enemy to your story alerts, or your story favorites. Leave a review if you would be so kind, those go a long way in giving me inspiration to continue writing, and I shall see you all again for the next chapter of this story. Until next time!

~fokker333