I walked through Diagon Alley looking for Hermione. I heard her before I saw her," I'm telling you something went wrong! My friend should have been here by now!"

She was screaming at the clerk of Floo-pow which is the store that sells Floo powder. Their front door is always locked so I'm uncertain how she got the front door open. Perhaps she used Alohomora?

Her hair was all frizzled out and angry looking. I decided to intervene before things got out of hand,"Hermione calm down, I'm here now".

"Where were you?!!!" She stomped in frustration.

"I ended up at the wrong destination," I replied holding my hands up in a placating manner.

"I knew it!" She said as she glared at the clerk with an facial expression that read "I told you so".

"It's not their fault Hermione, I made a miscalculation. I'll tell you when we're in private," I explained with a wink to let her know it had to do with my magical nature.

"Oh, alright", she acquiesced.

With that issue handled I addressed the clerk.

"You there good sir," I said to the man behind the counter.

"Y-yes", he nervously replied.

"I am short on Floo powder, could you fill this bag for me,? I politely asked.

"Of course," the clerk replied filling the bag, measuring the quantity, and pricing it for me.

Having paid the man and received my goods we left the shop.

"What happened?" Hermione whispered.

"I underestimated the effect my secret nature would have on the Floo Powder. It consumed my whole bag and still only took me most of the way here," I explained.

Hermione's brows raised at this," Are you serious? That's an absurd amount of magic consumed for a very short distance."

"I'm aware of that and I had no idea that would happen when... Ack!" I winced grabbing my rib.

"You're hurt!" Hermione squealed angrily.

"It's not that bad, I just stumbled when I exited the fireplace..."

"Sanatio Ossio!" Hermione cast her spell before I could stop her.

"No! Aah!" I screamed falling to my knees. It felt like a thousand knives moved about beneath my skin and eyes

"What...why didn't that work? I tested it on myself before..." Hermione mumbled.

" When and where did you learn that spell?" I asked.

"When we were studying in the library and I tested it on a paper cut. I'm sorry Ben, I'm not sure why..."

"It's not your fault, healing magic doesn't work right on me. Similar to brooms and Floo Powders altered effects. The main difference is that It's effect is very similar to Crucio and instills massive pain to me," I explained.

"My God I..." She said looking at her wand fearfully. A girl as young and pure as her never intended to do something so terrible.

"It's not your fault, I should have told you but I didn't know you already knew a healing spell. They are quite high level magic and you should be proud to have achieved it," I informed her.

"Thanks, but why doesn't it heal you?"

"Affinity," I sighed.

She cocked her head to the side showing her confusion at what I meant.

"I'll explain another time but we need to find these items before we have to get back and with the caveat of Floo Powder not working well enough for me I'll have to anticipate a long walk into our allotted time for this trip," I added motioning that we need to get moving.

"Oh, right,"Hermione replied pulling out this list I gave her before.

" A Boggart's bone, some pure silver, a unicorns hair, Cherry wood, an enchanted high quality ruby," Hermione read off the list.

"That's correct," I replied.

"Where the heck am I supposed to look for any of this?"

"We will have to ask at every shop, someone should have them," I answered.

"Fine, let's get this over with," Hermione grunted.

Several hours of searching later, we finally had just about everything but the the enchanted ruby.

"You know what? I know just the place that should have this," Hermione added.

"Nice! Where?"

"A Jewelry shop around the corner that sells enchanted Jewelry," Hermione explained.

"That'll work, how about you take the majority of our funds and get that while I grab us something to eat?" I suggested.

She nodded," that works for me".

I spent the next ten minutes deciding which street vendor had better food options. I decided on Cornish pasties and had just received our food when it occured to me, Hermione should have been back by now.

I felt the air nearby suddenly cool and a whisper of a rattling sound. I also smelled the stench of the corruption that only comes from Dementors. Somewhere nearby a Dementor was sucking energy from some poor sod. It was irrelevant to me whom, but I took note of the direction... Right where HERMIONE is!

*Panic*

I ran as fast as I could towards the Jewelers. Of all my allies, she's the one I need most. She also the one with the most capability and reason to fight Voldemort.

In my current form, I am no match for a Dementor but I'll be damned if I let that undead abomination take her soul!

Dementors are dark wizards who performed a spell to become immortal. The spell burned away their body and souls: the parts of them that could either die or be taken to the great beyond. Leaving only their minds and magical power. The result, however, was less than satisfactory. The spell created a false spiritual vessel that could hold their minds but without their emotions and with a never-ending hunger for what they had lost. Their minds were eventually consumed as well. In the end, they became a spirit-sucking sort of vampire that was close to mindless, like a zombie. Since they are made of that which is not living or dead, I hold no power over them and since I am death, I also cannot use the Patronus charm that is normally used to combat them.

Neither can they feed on me properly, however enough of them together could drain me enough to kill this body but one Dementor cannot. So what we have here is a standoff of ill suited opponents.

I ran up to the building seeing Hermione laying on the door step with a wand in one hand and the ruby she was shopping for in the other.

The wicked cloaked creature stood over her with it's foul hands outstretched. It had been draining her longer than I hoped but it still didn't have her soul. With little time left, I grabbed a stick and I let him have it!

"Get away from her, you twit!" I commanded.

The beast flinched and momentarily stopped feeding off Hermione. Dementor's, unlike ghosts and poltergeists cannot phase through physical objects. It doesn't harm them much though.

I felt the corrupted fool try to feed on me after my interruption.

It squealed,"sqruah!"

" Like the taste of death? How about you have some more!" I then smacked it with the stick again.

"You-are-death," the nearly braindead creature stated.

"That's right, and she's with me, so leave her be and get!" I demanded.

"No..." It replied shaking its head.

" What do you mean no?" I questioned ready to strike again.

"The-Dark-Lord-commands..."

That's when I realized the truth: Voldemort was already back in the world of the living, with a new body and he was looking to take out any potential threats who would oppose him before anyone knew he was back. Hermione was just one powerful witch in training who would someday stand against him.

I readied my wand and stick for one hell of a fight.