Part Five:
Soul Shifters



Harry's first few weeks of school went by faster than he could imagine.He found out that Mr. Hawkins-ahem,*Professor*Hawkins,was actually quite a good teacher.Sirius had written him twice already telling him he was coming back to Hogsmeade and to keep a lookout for him.Harry never felt happier being back at Hogwarts.The Halloween feast was tonight and nothing strange or unusual had happened yet.His studies were harder than ever though, and poor Hermione was already working herself to death studying for theirO.W.L.'s.She and Ron were spending an awful lot of time at the library lately and Harry was beggining to wonder what that was about.Harry was wandering around the halls one Saturday morning when he was all of a sudden hit in the head numerous times with water balloons.
"ARRGGHH! PEEVES!"Peeves was now laughing hysterically and flying away.
"Are you all right?"came a voice.Harry turned around expecting to see one of his friends, but instead seeing a boy about his age bending down to help him pick up the balloons.
"Yeah. None of them popped.He didn't fill them up tight enough.I'm sorry but I haven't the slightest clue what your name is."Harry said.
"My name is Nathaniel Manning.I'm in your house, but I don't believe we have ever spoken before."The boy said.
"Thanks for helping me with these."Harry said.
"No problem.Here let me see those."
The boy got his wand out, threw all the balloons in the air, pointed his wand at them and they dissapeared.
"How'd you learn that?"Harry asked.
"It's a gift."Nathaniel replied.
He and Harry wandered the halls for a while longer.They talked about quidditch, but that was about it.After a while he met up with Ron.
"Hey, Ron.I want you to meet someone, this is Nathaniel."he said.
"Have an imaginary friend, do we?"Ron said.
"No he's-"but when he turned around there was no one there.
Afterwards at the feast Harry was still trying to figure out what happened.He hadn't seen Nathaniel anywhere since then.He toook time to notice how good the hall looked though.With the many pumpkins and bats the atmosphere was perfect for Halloween.
"Harry, you haven't said barely anything the whole time.Are you okay?"Alex asked.Ron and Hermione were looking at him weird too.
"He is thinking about his imaginary friend Nathaniel."said Ron.
"He's not imaginary.He was there.I have no idea where he went, but he was there."Harry said.
"You had better watch out for him Harry. I read that there are things called Soul Shifters.They are ghosts who take the souls of the living so that they are able to taste, eat,drink, feel,smell-basically anything a human can do while still being dead."said Hermione.
"Yeah, so maybe a mad ghost is out to get your soul Harry."said Ron.Though he was joking, Harry felt a little uneasy about it.It was, after all, weird.The feast ended some time later, and they all headed back toward their common rooms.But for some reason Harry felt that he needed to go to the trophy room.He felt as if he were a zomby walking through the halls like this.He reached the trophy room.Over by the corner he saw Nathaniel.
"Hey, where have you been?And whats going on?"he asked.He was beggining to feel light headed.
"Come here Harry."Harry felt as if he were floating toward him.
"Now, have you ever heard of the Dementors kiss?"
"Yes."Harry said.
"Well that is what I am about to perform on you.Or something somewhat like it.You see Harry, I need your soul to be able to go on living like a regular human.I am sorry I have to do this to you, but it must be done."Nathaniel said.
He now had a hold on Harry's arms, and was holding them behind his back.Harry didn't know what to do.He felt as if all the energy he had was draining out of him.Nathaniel shut his eyes and tilted his head back.Harry could see the white light around him, and he had a weird tingling sensation all over him.And then someone whispered in his ear,"Hold on Harry.It's going to be okay."
Harry could just barely make out the blue and white light flying towards Nathaniel.Harry fell to the ground and knew nothing more than the fact that he felt as if he had been around a dementor for half an hour.