Hey everyone, remember me? Haha just kidding, anyway it has been a long time, mostly because my laptop started to malfunction so I had to save up enough money to take it to a place so it could be fixed. But anyway this chapter has been written for a while, and I only have about four more to actually type up (not including this one I also have five more typed up). And as an apology to you guys I'll give you the name of two of the characters (out of the ten) that are going to be in Goblet of Fire so drum roll please... Ichigo and Toshiro! As always I don't own Bleach or Harry Potter and please enjoy!

Chapter 10
The Patronus

Spell

Japanese

Zanpukuto

Thinking or telepathically sending messages

Talking over the phone or a letter

Harry knew that Hermione and Toshiro had meant well, but that didn't stop him from being angry with them. He had been the owner of the best broom in the world for a few short hours, and now, because of their interference, he didn't know whether he would ever see it again. He was positive that there was nothing wrong with the Firebolt now, but what sort of state would it be in once it had been subjected to all sorts of anti-jinx tests?

Ron was furious with the two, too. As far as he was concerned, the stripping down of a brand-new Firebolt was nothing less than criminal damage. Hermione, who remained convinced that she had acted for the best, started avoiding the common room. Toshiro seemed to have disappeared as well. Harry and Ron supposed they had taken refuge in Urahara's room or the library and didn't try to persuade them to come back. Whenever Ryuu would pop up he seemed to have a new injury to add to his mounting collection and soon enough his lame excuses started to pile up. They were glad when the rest of the school returned shortly after New Year, and Gryffindor Tower became crowded and noisy again.

Wood sought Harry out on the night before the term started. "Had a good Christmas?" he said, and then without waiting for an answer he sat down, lowered his voice and said, "I've been doing some thinking over Christmas, Harry. After the last match, you know. If the dementors come to the next one... I mean... we can't afford you to-well-"

Wood broke off, looking awkward. "I'm working on it," said Harry quickly. "Professor Lupin said he'd train me to ward off the dementors. We should be starting this week. He said he'd have time after Christmas." "Ah," said Wood, his expression clearing. "Well in that case-I really didn't want to lose you as a Seeker, Harry. And have you ordered a new broom yet?" "No," said Harry. "WHAT! You'd better get a move on, you know- you can't ride that Shooting Star against Ravenclaw!"

"He got a Firebolt for Christmas," said Ron. "A Firebolt? No! Seriously? A-a real Firebolt?" "Don't get excited, Oliver," said Harry gloomily. "I haven't got it anymore. It was confiscated." And he explained all about how the Firebolt was now being checked for jinxes. "Jinxed? How could it be jinxed?" "Sirius Black," Harry said wearily. "He's suppose to be after me. So McGonagall reckons he might have sent it."

Waving aside the information that a famous murderer was after his Seeker, Wood said, "But Black couldn't have bought a Firebolt! He's on the run! The whole country's on the lookout for him! How could he just walk into Quality Quidditch Supplies and buy a broomstick?" "I know," said Harry, "but McGonagall still wants to strip it down-"

Wood went pale. "I'll go talk to her, Harry," he promised. "I'll make her see reason...A Firebolt...a real Firebolt on our team... She wants Gryffindor to win as much as we do...I'll make her see sense. A Firebolt..."

Classes started again the next day. The last thing anyone felt like doing was spending two hours on the grounds on a raw January morning, but Hagrid had provided a bonfire full of salamanders for their enjoyment, and they spent an unusually good lesson collecting wood and leaves to keep the fire blazing while the flame-loving lizards scampered up and down the crumbling white-hot logs. Toshiro would only stay on the outskirts of the fire, where it was the coldest and would give Ryuu his wood to carry back and fourth.

The first Divination lesson of the new term was much less fun; Professor Trelawney was now teaching them palmistry, and she lost no time in informing Harry that he had the shortest life line she had ever seen. It was Defense Against the Dark Arts and Kido that the five were keen to get to; after Harry's conversation with Wood, he wanted to get started on his anti-dementor lessons as soon as possible. Not to mention Professor Urahara had promised an exciting lesson at the start of the term.

"Ah yes," said Lupin, when Harry reminded him of his promise at the end of class. "Let me see... how about either o'clock on Thursday evening after Kido? The History of Magic classroom should be large enough... I'll have to think carefully about how we're going to do this... We can't bring a real dementor into the castle to practice on...Ah! Ryuu, Toshiro would you stay here for a moment!"

"Still looks ill,doesn't he?" said Ron as they walked down the corridor heading to Kido. "What d'you reckon's the matter with him?" There was a loud impatient 'tuh' from behind them. It was Hermione, who had been sitting at the feet of a suit of armor repacking her bag, which was so full of books it wouldn't close. "And what are you tutting at us for?" said Ron irritably.

"Nothing," said Hermione in a lofty voice, heaving her bag back over her shoulder. "Yes you were," said Ron. "I said I wonder what's wrong with Lupin, and you-" "Well, isn't it obvious?" said Hermione with a look of maddening superiority. "If you don't want to tell us, don't," snapped Ron. "Fine," said Hermione haughtily and she marched off. "She doesn't know," said Ron, staring resentfully after Hermione. "She's just trying to get us to talk to her again."

"Actually, if you nitwits cared to pay attention you would too," Toshiro, appearing out of nowhere, shoved his way between them and walked ahead quickly towards the Kido room. "Wait! Hitsugaya!" Ryuu cried running up from behind them. "What's his problem?" Ron huffed glaring after the short shinigami. "It's because of Urahara-sensei," Ryuu panted. "What'd he do?" "You'll find out in class."

Soon enough they got to the Kido classroom. Students were still coming in, a few still carrying their book bags. Toshiro had already taken his seat in the back corner of the room and Hermione was just sitting next to them. "Ryuu," Malfoy greeted walking past them, the pureblood didn't even spare a glare at Harry or Ron anymore. "Hey Draco. How was Christmas?" The soul keeper didn't get a response. "So cold," he muttered before turning to Harry and Ron. "Class is in the training room today why don't we start heading down there?"

And so the trio of boy walked down the hall and through the sliding door. As soon as Ryuu pulled the door open they almost couldn't believe their eyes. In fact it would be impossible to believe what they saw. Instead of Urahara or Yoruichi, pinned to one of the rock cliffs was a piece of paper. Without delay and with a sigh Ryuu went over to paper and opened the envelope of which it was placed in.

Ryuu, Toshiro, class

Our vacation will be extended until further notice. Ryuu, and Hits-chan will continue your training. The headmaster of Shino Academy has had trouble in a recent growth of hollows in a nearby town of which has expressed a large amount of spirit energy within it's residence. If you need any help with your training please talk to Hits-chan or Ryuu-kun.
Have fun,
Urahara
Yoruichi

At eight o'clock on Thursday evening, Harry left Gryffindor Tower for the History of Magic classroom. It was dark and empty when he arrived, but as he entered the lamps suddenly burst to life. "Harry! For a few minutes I thought no one else was gonna show!" Ryuu cheered stumbling into view. "What'd you doing here?" Harry asked, perhaps a little rudely. "Professor Lupin asked me to help ya out today," Ryuu responded.

After a wait of only five minutes Professor Lupin turned up, carrying a large packing case, which he heaved onto Professor Binn's desk. "What's that?" said Harry and Ryuu in unison. "Another boggart," said Lupin stripping off his cloak. "I've been combing the castle ever since Tuesday, and very luckily, I found this one lurking inside Mr. Filch's filing cabinet. It's the nearest we'll get to a real dementor. The boggart will turn into a dementor when he sees you, so we'll be able to practice on him. I can store him in my office when we're not using him; there's a cupboard under my desk he'll like."

"Okay," said Harry, trying to sound as though he wasn't apprehensive at all and merely glad that Lupin had found such a good substitutue for a real dementor. "So..." Professor Lupin had taken out his own wand, and indicated that Harry should do the same. Ryuu shuffled closer to the wall fiddling with his wand in his hands slightly. "The spell I am going to try and teach you is highly advanced magic, Harry- well beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level. It is called the Patronus Charm."

"How does it work?" said Harry nervously. "Well, when it works correctly, it conjures up a Partronus," said Lupin, "which is kind of anti-denemtor, a guardian that acts as a shield between you and the dementor." Harry had a sudden vision of himself crouching behind a Hagrid-sized figure holding a large club.
Professor Lupin continued, "The Patronus is a kind of positive force, a projection of the very things that the dementor feeds upon- hope, happiness, the desire to survive- but it cannot feel despair, as real humans can, so the dementors can't hurt it. But I must warn you, Harry that the charm might be too advanced for you. Many qualified wizards difficulty with it."

"What does a Patronus look like?" said Harry curiously. "Each one is unique to the wizard who conjures it." "And how do you conjure it?" "With an incantation, which will work only if you are concentrating, with all with all you might, on a single, very happy memory." Harry cast his mind about for a happy memory. Certainly, nothing that had happened to him at the Dursleys' was going to do. Finally, he settled on the moment when he had first ridden a broomstick.
"Right," he said, trying to recall as exactly as possible the wonderful, soaring sensation of his stomach. Ryuu looked up from his wand at the single word, before casting his mind into Harry's only to get a loud explosion of the swirl of memories. He flinched as he quickly with drew in a swift, painful method the loud shouts echoing in his head. "The incantation is this-" Ryuu could hear Lupin's voice through his blurry haze as the Professor cleared his throat. "Expecto Patronum!"

"Expecto Patronum," Harry repeated under his breath, "expecto patronum." "Concentrating hard on your happy memory?" "Oh-yeah-" said Harry, quckily forcing his thoughts back to that first broom ride. "Expecto patrono-no, patronum- sorry- expecto patronum, expecto patronum-" Something whooshed suddenly out of the end of his wand: it looked like a wisp of silvery gas. "Did you see that?" said Harry excitedly. "Something happened!"

"Very good," said Lupin, smiling. "Right, then- ready to try it on a denemtor?" "Yes," Harry said, gripping his wand very tightly, and moving into the middle of the deserted classroom. He tried to keep his mind on flying, but something else kept intruding...Any second now, he might hear his mother again... but he shouldn't think that, or he would hear her again, and he didn't want to... or did he? Lupin grasped the lid of the packing case and pulled.

A dementor rose slowly from the box, its hooded face turned toward Harry, one glistening, scabbed hand gripping its cloak. The lamps around the classroom flickered and went out. The dementor stepped from the box and started to sweep silently toward Harry, drawing a deep rattling breath. A wave of piercing cold broke over him-

"Expecto patronum!" Harry yelled. "Expecto patronum! Expecto-" But the classroom and the dementor were dissolving... Harry was falling again through thick white fog, and his mother's voice was louder than ever, echoing inside his head- "Not Harry! Not Harry! Please-I'll do anything-" "Stand aside. Stand aside, girl!" Suddenly the two voices were interrupted by a third. "Expecto Patronum!"

A warm feeling washed over Harry as he jerked back to life. He was kneeling on the floor. The classroom lamps were alight again. And surrounding him was a a wolf sized fox made of silvery mist. White, sharp teeth glinted as claws reflected the glow and the three black tipped tails swung around. It stood between Harry and the box of which the dementor had once more been trapped in. "Sorry," Harry muttered, standing up and feeling cold sweat trickling down his glasses. As he stood the silver fox disappeared receding back into Ryuu's wand.

"You alright Harry?" said Ryuu. "Yes..." Harry pulled himself up on one of the desks and leaned against it. "Here-" Lupin handed him a Chocolate Frog. "Eat this before we try again. I didn't expect you to do it your first time; in fact, I would have been astounded if you had. "It's getting worse," Harry muttered, biting off the Frog's head. "I could hear her louder that time- and him- Voldemort-"

Lupin looked paler than usual. "Harry, if you don't want to continue, I will more than understand-" "I do!" said Harry fiercely, stuffing the rest of the Chocolate Frog into his mouth. "I've got to! What if the dementors turn up at our match against Ravenclaw? I can't afford to fall off again. If we lose this game we've lost the Quidditch Cup!" "All right then...," said Lupin.

"You should pick a different memory, something happier, you couldn't concentrate on that last one could you?" Harry shook his head and thought hard, and decided his feelings when Gryffindor had won the House Championship last year had definitely qualified as very happy. He gripped his wand tightly again and took up his position in the middle of the classroom. "Ready?" said Lupin, gripping the box lid. "Ready," said Harry trying had to fill his head with happy thoughts about Gryffindor winning, and not dark thoughts about what was going to happen when the box opened.

"Go!" said Lupin, pulling off the lid. The room went icily cold and dark once more. The dementor glided forward, drawing its breath; one rotting hand was extending of what looked like towards Harry- "Expecto patronum!" Harry yelled. "Expecto patronum! Expecto pat-"

Ryuu looked around as white fog obscured his senses...big blurred shapes were moving around him...then a new voice came, a man's voice, shouting, panicking- "Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off-" The sounds of someone stumbling from a room- a door bursting open- a cackle of high-pitched laughter and a slight buzzing sound. A feeling of hopelessness washed over him.

"Ryuu! Ryuu! Wake up!" Ryuu woke to the crude shaking, his eyes blinking open as he squinted into the now alight room. Hanging over him were Lupin and Harry. He felt the wood of the dusty, hard floor beneath him and propped himself up with his elbow. "That voice," Ryuu muttered before raising his voice, "that was your father wasn't it Harry?"

"You heard James?" said Lupin in a strange voice looking at both of them. "Yeah..." Harry replied. "Why-you didn't know my dad, did you?" "I-I did, as a matter of fact," said Lupin. "We were friends at Hogwarts. Listen, Harry- perhaps we should leave it here for tonight. This charm is ridiculously advanced... I shouldn't have suggested putting you through this..."

"No!" said Harry. He stood up from his crouching position over Ryuu. "I'll have one more go! I'm not thinking of happy enough things, that's what it is...Hang on..." He racked his brain and didn't notice the entrance of another. Ryuu found one, seemingly happier than the last two and pushed it towards Harry's mental presence. It was the moment when he'd first found out he was a wizard, and would be leaving the Dursleys for Hogwarts.

"Ready?" said Lupin, who looked as though he were doing this against his better judgement. "Concentrating hard? All right- go!" He pulled off the lid of the case for the third time, and the dementor rose out of it; the room fell cold and dark- "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry bellowed. "EXPECTO PATRONUM! EXPECTO PATRONUM!" The screaming inside Harry's head had started again- expect this time it sounded as though it were coming from a badly tuned radio- softer and louder and softer again- and he could still see the dementor- it had halted- and then a huge silver shadow came bursting out of the end of Harry's wand, to hover between him and the dementor, and though Harry's legs felt like water, he was still on his feet- though for how much longer he wasn't sure-
"Riddikulus!" roared Lupin, springing forward. There was a loud crack and Harry's cloudy Patronus vanished along with the dementor; he sank into a chair, feeling exhausted as if he'd just run a mile, and felt his legs shaking. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Professor Lupin forcing the boggart back into the packing case with his wand; it had turned into a silvery cord again.

"Great job, Harry!" Ryuu said. "Indeed it was excellent!" Lupin said, striding over to where Harry sat. "Excellent Harry! That was definitely a start!" "Can we have another go? Just one more?" "Absolutely not," Ryuu said before Lupin could speak. The soul keeper shot Lupin an instant message via mind. His soul needs rest before anymore of this, Professor.

"Not now," said Lupin firmly. "You've had enough for one night. Here-" He handed Harry a large bar of Honeydukes' best chocolate. "Eat the lot, or Madam Pomfrey will be after my blood, and Ryuu make sure he does. Same time next week?" "Okay," said Harry. He took a bite of the chocolate and watched Lupin extinguishing the lamps that had rekindled with the disappearance of the dementor. A thought had just occurred to him.

"Professor Lupin?" he said. "If you knew my dad, you must've known Sirius Black as well." Lupin turned very quickly and shot a look at Ryuu who suddenly found the floor very interesting. "What gives you that idea?" he said sharply. "Nothing- i mean, I just knew they were friends at Hogwarts too..." Lupin's face relaxed.

"Yes, I knew him," he said shortly. "Or I thought I did. You better be off, Harry, it's getting late. Ryuu please make sure he doesn't pass out in the hall." The two left the classroom, walking along the corridor and around a corner. Ryuu followed Harry slightly confused as they took a detour behind a suit of armor and watched as the other boy sank down on its plinth to finish his chocolate, wishing he hadn't mentioned Black, as Lupin was obviously not keen on the subject. Then Harry's thoughts wandered back to his mother and father...

"Harry, are you okay?" Ryuu asked quietly. When the other didn't respond Ryuu knelled down and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know it's hard to loose your parents, but right now look to those around you. You've made changes for better or for worse that is gonna make your parents proud. Don't let this get ya down Harry." After getting no response Ryuu left, the best thing was probably give him some time.

Toshiro and Ryuu had been hard pressed for the days following the start of the term. Ryuu had been patrolling the outer borders daily and reporting an hollow activity to his friend, in addition with the upcoming game again Ravenclaw Wood had him planning strategies everyday, and then there were Lupin's anti-dementor classes for him to help with Harry's teachings. Not to mention his homework and reports for Hogwarts and the Soul Society.

Toshiro also had his hands full. The white haired captain was in charge of fighting off hollows, which still popped up a lot. He was also in charge of watching the golden trio, mostly Harry, if Ryuu was busy or, in some cases, asleep. Along with that he had taken up the reins of teaching Kido for the class, which was not easy to say the least with idiots playing around during lessons, resulting in a few trips to the hospital wing.

"How's she doing it?" Ron muttered one day as they sat in the common room- in a rare moment of peace- doing homework. Harry and Toshiro looked up to see Hermione, barely visible behind a tottering pile of books. "Doing what?" Toshiro asked, nudging Ryuu who had fallen asleep. "Getting to all her classes!" Ron said. "I heard her talking to Professor Vector, that Arithmancy witch, this morning. They were going on about yesterday's lesson, but Hermione can't've been there, because she was with us in Care of Magical Creatures! And Ernie McMillan told me she's never missed a Muggle Studies class, but half of them are at the same time as Divination, and she's never missed one of them either!"

"I'm going to go check on her," Toshiro said, excusing himself as Wood made it to the table. "Ryuu! Why are you sleeping at a time like this! Bad news, Harry..." Toshiro looked over Hermione's shoulder, raising an eyebrow. "I believe you meant car, not bike," he pointed out to her obvious mistake. Hermione jumped, having not noticed he was there, and blushed, erasing her answer and replacing it. "I knew that! Are you here to rag on me too?" she growled.

Toshiro sat down beside her. "No, not at all. But you are overworking yourself, a very bad move if you ask me. It's unfocusing you from your other classes too, isn't it?" Hermione hesitated, "I'm fine." The shimigami tachio sighed. "At least let me help you," he said. Hermione felt the urge to beam, "Of course!"
Harry's anti-dementor lessons were not going nearly as well as Ryuu had hoped they would. Several sessions on, and Harry was able to produce an indistinct, silvery shadow every time the boggart-dementor approached him. But the Patronus was too feeble to drive the dementor away, all it did was drain Harry of energy. Nothing quite like Ryuunosuke. And Ryuu could feel angry and guilt radiating off of Harry that grew steadily each lesson.

"You're expecting too much of yourself," said Ryuu on their fourth week of practice. "For a thirteen-year-old wizard, even an indistinct Patronus is a huge achievement. You aren't passing out anymore, are you?" Lupin added. "But Ryuu can do it!" Harry protested. Lupin and Ryuu exchanged glances. "Learning Soul Keeper magic gives me a closer connection and control of how my soul reacts. The Patronus is just an embodiment of your hope and happiness that lies in your memory but is also reflected in the strength of you soul," Ryuu explained.

"I thought a Patronus would- charge the dementors down or something," said Harry dispiritedly. "Make them disappear-" "The true Patronus does do that," said Lupin. "But you've achieved a great deal in a very short space of time. If the dementors put in an appearance at your next Quidditch match, you will be able to keep them at bay long enough to get back to the ground."

"You said it's harder if there are loads of them," said Harry. "I have complete confidence in you," said Lupin smiling. "Here, you've earned a drink, something from the Three Broomsticks. You won't have tried it before Harry-" He pulled three bottles out of his briefcase. "Butterbeer!" said Harry without thinking. "Yeah, I like that stuff!" Lupin raised an eyebrow. "Oh- Ron and Hermione brought me some back from Hogsmeade," Harry lied quickly.

"I see," said Lupin, though he still looked slightly suspicious. "Well- let's drink to a Gryffindor victory against Ravenclaw! Not that I'm supposed to take sides as a teacher...," he added hastily. They drank the butterbeer in silence, until Harry voiced something he'd been wondering for a while. "What's under a dementor's hood?"

Professor Lupin lowered his bottle thoughtfully as Ryuu let out a choke like cough. "Hmm.. well, the only people who really know are in no condition to tell us. You see, the dementor lowers its hood only to use its last and worst weapon." "What's that?" Harry asked. "The Dementor's kiss," Ryuu broke in, with a broken smile, "It's what dementors do when they wish to destroy someone utterly. They clamp their jaws upon the mouth of the victim a-and suck out their soul."
Harry accidentally spat out a bit of butterbeer. "What- they kill-?" "Oh no," said Lupin. "Much worse than that. You can exist without your soul, you know as long as your brain and heart are still working. But you'll have no sense of self anymore, no memory, no anything. There's no chance at all of recovery. You'll just exist. As an empty shell. And your soul is gone forever, lost."

Lupin drank a little more butterbeer, Ryuu supposed his throat had gone dry with the morbid subject, then said, "It's the fate that awaits Sirius Black. It was in the Daily Prophet this morning. The Ministry have given the dementors permission to perform it if they find him." Harry sat stunned for a moment at the idea of someone having their soul sucked out through their mouth. But then he thought of Black.

"He deserves it," Harry said suddenly. "Do you really think so?" Ryuu asked quietly, "Do you really think anyone deserves that?" "Yes," said Harry defiantly. "For... for some things.." "No one deserves a fate as sound as loosing their soul, it's just as bad as a hollow eating your soul. You can't go beyond death, you aren't reincarnated there's nothing there after your heart stops. Just darkness!" Ryuu felt a sudden wave of memory flow over him and tears gathered faintly in his eyes. Feeling the oncoming outburst he turned and whisked out of the door leaving behind Harry and Lupin.

Ryuu ran through the hallways, desperate to get away case he did have an outburst. The thought of someone loosing their soul sickened him, soul reapers or soul keepers that were eaten by hollows never had a chance again just like... Ryuu swallowed forcing the building vomit back at the thought of the grotesque sight that had been his fault. The horror of the ordeal had plagued his death beyond belief.

Ryuu turned around the corner and ran right into someone else. The soul keeper winced as he used his injured hands to soften his fall. "Ryuu! Toshiro! Are you two okay?" Hermione asked, helping Toshiro up. "Uh, yeah. Sorry I was in a rush," Ryuu responded lightly after Toshiro's curt nod. "Is there something wrong Ryuu?" Toshiro asked. Ryuu hesitated, he knew he should tell Toshiro, of the nightmares that had claimed him, of the memory and of the slowly fading comfort of Hogwarts in place of his home.

Of course, Ryuu would have said much more if Toshiro was alone. With Hermione there it'd be too risky to say too much. "Ah, no it's nothing, just thought I sensed something. I also have to get some homework done. Bye!" Toshiro watched his friend leave, hoping this wasn't a lie and that he was alright.

Ryuu watched as the portrait of Sir Cadogan swung open to let Harry, Ron and Neville into the common room, without delay he went up to his dorm. Harry was holding the Firebolt that had been confiscated. There was a sudden, excited murmur as every head turned and the next moment, Harry was surrounded by people exclaiming over his Firebolt. Where'd you get it, Harry?" "Will you let me have a go?" "Have you ridden it yet, Harry?" "Ravenclaw'll have no chance, they're all on Cleansweep Sevens!" "Can I just hold it, Harry?"

After ten minutes or so, during which the Firebolt was passed around and admired from every angle, the crowd dispersed and Harry and Ron had a clear view of Hermione and Toshiro, the only two people who hadn't rushed over to them, bent over piles of work and carefully avoiding their eyes. Harry and Ron approached the table and at last only Hermione looked up.

"I got it back," said Harry, grinning at her and holding up the Firebolt. "See, Hermione? There wasn't anything wrong with it!" said Ron. Toshiro grumbled something quietly at that statement. "Well, there might have been!" said Hermione. "I mean, at least you know now it's safe!" "Yeah, I suppose so," said Harry. "I'd better put it upstairs-" "I'll take it!" said Ron eagerly. "I've got to give Scabbers his rat tonic."

Ron took the Firebolt and, holding it as if it were made of glass, carried it away up the boys' staircase. "Can I sit down, then?" Harry asked Hermione and Toshiro. "I suppose so," said Hermione, moving a great stack of parchment off a chair, while Toshiro flipped a page in his book that's title read; Legends of the Magical world.

Harry looked around at the cluttered table, at the long arithmancy essay on which the ink was still glistening, at the even longer Muggle studies essay, the rune translation Hermione was pouring over and the huge stack of books on the floor next to Toshiro.

"How are you getting through all this stuff?" Harry asked Hermione. "Oh, well, you know, working hard," said Hermione. Close-up, Harry saw that she looked almost as tired at Lupin. "Why don't you just drop a couple of subjects?" Harry asked, watching her lifting books as she searched for her rune dictionary which Toshiro handed her a few seconds later. "I couldn't do that!" said Hermione.

"Arithmancy looks terrible," said Harry, picking up a very complicated looking number chart. "Oh no, it's wonderful!" said Hermione earnestly. "It's my favorite subject." "Say, Harry do you know what happened to Ryuu a few hours ago?" Toshiro spoke up, not taking his eyes off the book. "Er-"

But before Harry could respond a strangled yell echoed down the boys' staircase. The whole common room fell silent, staring, petrified at the entrance. Then came hurried footsteps, growing louder and louder, and then Ron came leaping into view, dragging with him a bed sheet.

"LOOK!" he bellowed, striding over to Hermione's table. "LOOK!" he yelled shaking the sheets in her face. "Ron, what-" "SCABBERS! LOOK! SCABBERS!" Hermione was leaning away from Ron, looking utterly bewildered. Harry looked down at the sheet Ron was holding. There was something red on it. Something that looked horribly like- "BLOOD!" Ron yelled into the stunned silence. "HE'S GONE! AND YOU KNOW WHAT WAS ON THE FLOOR?" "N-no," said Hermione in a trembling voice. Ron threw something down onto Hermione's rune translation. Hermione, Harry and Toshiro leaned forward. Lying on top of the weird, spiky shapes was several long ginger cat hairs.