Standing like a sore thumb, out,
notice your image is different.
Traits that change, it's just too quick,
follow on clues and guess what, that's what, it's like.
Follow your ups and downs,
it's safe to say that I can't tell.

October 2nd 11PM Sunday

Sandanski, Bulgaria

My eyes remained glued to my watch as we headed out of Sandanski under the cover of darkness. As we walked out of town I pressed the small button on the side and the face glowed a pale blue. Beads of sweat began to collect on my brow and I wiped them away quickly. I watched the milliseconds speed by and began my countdown. 5, 4, 3, 2...

"I don't see why we can't shrink our things," Draco whined loudly. Khalida hushed him immediately and he glared at her. "Well, I don't," he added in a whisper, "My bags are heavy and my back is killing me.

"Furthermore," he continued, "I don't understand why we didn't take advantage of one of the many spas in town. Just imagine how good that would have felt on our aching joints."

"Time?" Khalida asked with a smirk and I sighed in resignation.

"Just one second more," I hissed at Draco, "All you had to do was keep quiet for one second more." Draco gave me a confused look as the dark-haired, red-eyed vampire held a palm out toward me.

"Um…how much is 10 galleons in dollars?" I asked hesitantly.

"I have no idea," Khalida replied and her smirk only grew as my jaw dropped.

"So I could owe you like a thousand dollars or more?" I asked and Khalida only shrugged in reply.

"What are you two going on about?" Draco huffed. My mouth snapped shut in an instant but Khalida was itching to explain.

"I bet Jenny 10 galleons that you couldn't go five minutes without complaining once we left town," Khalida explained, "If you would have kept your mouth shut for just a second more she would have won."

"I wasn't whining!" Draco exclaimed.

"Shhhhh…" Khalida and I both hissed at the same time. Draco gave us an offended look before hoisting his bag higher on his shoulder and stalking away.

"Well I wasn't," Draco whispered loudly and we shushed him again.

We'd been in Bulgaria for over a week now with no sign of the Dementors. I'd kept up my attempts at calling out to them but was only answered with a faint whispering in the back of mind. As we headed across the country the whispers became louder around Sandanski, a city in Bulgaria known for its mineral springs.

At nine we had gone to bed, well, Draco and I had gone to sleep while Khalida went out for…a bite to eat when suddenly I was awoken by a loud voice in my ear. I had jumped out of bed immediately while scaring Draco and Khalida half to death, no pun intended. Immediately the voice had lowered to a whisper once again and some force deep inside compelled me to leave Sandanski. The Dementors were close; I could feel it in my very skin.

I could see Draco's blonde head swaying back and forth in the darkness in front of me as Khalida glided along beside me. Suddenly Draco came to a halt and began shivering uncontrollably. He turned around and walked back towards us and I could see steam escaping from his mouth.

"They're close," I stated softly as the whispers became less faint. The word that they were chanting was almost recognizable now and the hair rose on the back of my neck as it repeated over and over inside my head.

"Master, master, master…" the voice whispered over and over. Soon more voices joined the first and it felt like an army calling out to me.

"Maybe you should have stayed in town," I said as I gave Draco a concerned look. He shook his head violently but continued to shiver and shake.

"It's a little late for that," Khalida stated as she pointed off into the distance. I squinted to try and make out what the vampire was seeing but all I could see was black.

"Holy shit," Khalida exclaimed in a whisper. That scared me more than anything. Khalida usually refrains from swearing and has explained to me many times how it is beneath her to use such vulgar language. I focused on where she was pointing once again and this time I saw something.

"Holy fucking shit," I said in an awed tone. Draco sank down to his knees and Khalida rushed over to help him. My focus remained fixed on the horizon.

Hundreds of shadowy figures were making their way towards us, nothing but big, black blobs moving slowly and deliberately. Once in awhile I could make out a cloak or a head but it would soon disappear once again into the huge, moving massive void coming closer and closer.

I was not afraid. Even though everything in my brain was screaming that I should run for my life, for some odd reason, I felt no fear. There was no feeling of sadness or despair and I could tell that the night air was the only thing cooling my skin.

As the Dementors came closer they circled out and surrounded us. Nothing about their actions seemed menacing though and they continued to merely float and sway back and forth. After a minute or so of simply watching them I finally stepped forward. The Dementors seemed to look at each other before one of them floated towards me, stopping only a foot or so away. I went to look the creature in the eyes but it had no eyes that I could see.

"You have called upon us young Necromancer," the voice in my head stated clearly, "and we sense the blood flowing through your veins. What do you wish of us Master?" At this he bowed before me and the rest of the Dementors followed suit. I glanced back at Draco and Khalida but they merely looked around in complete confusion.

"Why do you call me Master?" I replied with a thought.

"Because you are our Master," the Dementor explained, "We serve the Slytherin line before all others and we are anxious to serve once again." The Dementors all nodded in agreement.

"But I thought you serve the Grindewald heir," I stated in a suspicious tone. The looks that the Dementors shared after my comment could only be described as guilty.

"We have not had a master since the Dark Lord's demise," the voice stammered, "We found no reason not to serve another heir. We apologize for our mistake but if it is any consolation Grindewald's heir has never asked for our help in battle."

"So what does she ask for?" I asked curiously.

"Only that we keep her present location hidden away from the rest of the world," the Dementor explained quickly.

"So if I were to command you to take me to her," I said slowly, "Would you be able to?"

"Of course," the voice replied firmly, "You are our one and only true Master."

"Do you have any other orders Master?" another voice interrupted and the Dementor in front of me turned to the Dementor behind him and I assumed he was probably glaring underneath his dirty, gray cloak.

"I apologize for the rude interruption," the first voice said in a sad tone, "We have not fought in years or been given any orders, it has made us quite restless."

I felt a slight twinge of pity for the group. Dementors are definitely dark and evil creatures but they exist nonetheless and they now existed in a world where they had no purpose. For some strange reason I was reminded of my father and the feeling of pity only intensified.

"I have no other orders," I replied hesitantly and the hooded figures dropped their heads. I wondered to myself if it was okay to give them false hope. In the end I decided that false hope was better than none at all. "I have no orders at the moment," I corrected quickly and they snapped to attention immediately. I could almost see hopefulness in their dead and decaying features.

"Then we shall take you to see the Grindewald heir," the voice said in a firm tone, "and if you should need us you may call on us in the future." The Dementors all nodded in unison and the voice added, "We will protect you as long as you walk this Earth," and the Dementors nodded once again.

"But then why didn't you protect my aunt?" I asked abruptly, "If your master is anyone in the Slytherin bloodline then why isn't she your master as well." The Dementor seemed to think of this for a moment.

"You are meant to be our one, true master," the voice explained, "The Dark Lord's daughters were not able to take on this responsibility."

"Why not?" I asked in confusion and the black figures surrounding us began to shift nervously.

"They did not possess the magic necessary," the Dementor replied in a cryptic tone, "They were never strong enough." I nodded in understanding and it seemed as if the Dementor in front of me sighed in relief.

"So how are we traveling?" I asked curiously, "I'd like to refrain from apparating since we're trying to keep a low profile, magical or otherwise."

"We will take you there," the voice explained, "You and your companions should remain as still as possible."

"He says we should remain as still as possible," I called out over my shoulder and Khalida nodded to show she had heard me. Draco was still shivering wildly but he too nodded in reply. Khalida gave me a questioning look. "Later," I mouthed and she nodded once again.

The Dementors began to move around us, floating effortlessly above the ground. As they moved the wind started to pick up and encircle us. They began to move faster and faster until I wondered if they were planning to move us by tornado.

After a few minutes they stopped without warning and amazingly the wind stopped as well. Everything was calm for a moment until a gray light covered us and we disappeared without a sound.

We reappeared on an unfamiliar lawn in a tangle of limbs. Draco lay at the bottom, Khalida on top and me sandwiched in the middle. I shifted slightly and felt something hard jab me in the thigh.

"Is that your wand Draco," I said with a smirk, "or are you just happy to see me?" Khalida moved off me quickly and Draco pushed me away.

"It's just my wand," Draco replied angrily and even in the dark I could almost make out his cheeks reddening slightly.

I pushed myself up from the ground, groaning as I stretched. Draco stood up and brushed off his robes. Behind me Khalida bent down for a moment and then began to laugh loudly.

"What's so funny?" I asked curiously. She shook her head and continued to laugh as she strode over to hand Draco a long, thin piece of wood.

"Here's your wand Draco," she stammered between giggles, "I think you dropped it." Draco snatched his wand away from her with a growl and stalked off.

"Where do you think you're going?" Khalida and I both asked at the same time as we rushed to keep up with him.

"I see a light up ahead," he stated, "I'm assuming its Lovegood's home."

We continued to walk toward the light until a large, sinister mansion came into view. I silently hoped that the place would be more pleasant in the daylight.

"Does anyone see the door?" I asked as I scanned the front of the building. Draco shook his head.

"I see it," Khalida replied. We stopped in front of the large wooden door and no one seemed to want to knock.

"Go ahead Jenny," Draco said as he pushed me toward the door.

"Why do I have to do it?" I hissed as I backed away forcefully. Khalida rolled her eyes and raised a hand toward the door.

Just as her hand was about to make contact with the wood the door swung open and we jumped back in surprise. A woman who I assumed to be Luna Lovegood stood in the doorway. She had long blonde hair pulled into a long braid which hung down in front of her over one shoulder. A long black shawl was draped over her shoulders and she wore a simple, long red dress. Her face remained in the shadows so I couldn't get a good look at her.

"Hello," the woman said in a listless tone, "I've been wondering when you would get here."

"So you know who we are?" I asked in disbelief and she nodded in reply.

"Draco Malfoy," she replied as she offered her hand to Draco and he shook it reluctantly. "It is good to see you after all these years."

"Um…it's nice to see you again too," Draco replied nervously.

"And Miss Khalida List," Luna said in a somewhat cold tone, "it is nice to finally meet you. I have heard…much about you." She didn't offer Khalida her hand but judging by the way Khalida was glaring at her I didn't expect that the vampire would have shook it anyway. Luna turned her attention to me and I shifted nervously under her gaze.

"Miss Jenny Riddle," she said in slow and deliberate tone, "I have been expecting you for some time now. It is good to finally meet you." I reached out to shake her hand but she only continued to stare at me as if she didn't even notice the gesture.

"Er…good to meet you too," I replied in a shaky voice. "How did you know who we are and that we'd be stopping by?"

"I see a great many things," she stated absentmindedly as she motioned for us to enter.

Khalida stepped in first with Draco following closely behind her. I walked in last and eyed Luna as I passed her. She shifted slightly and the light from the candle she was holding lit up her face. I gasped in shock and fell backwards. Khalida and Draco rushed over immediately to help me back up. By the time I came to my senses Luna had already walked away.

"What's wrong?" Khalida asked in a whisper.

"Her eyes," I stammered, "Her eyes are completely black." They both gave me a confused look and I opened my mouth to explain but was interrupted as Luna called to us from down the hall.

"You would do well to keep up with me," she stated in an ominous tone, "There are many things in this place that could cause you much harm." The three of us nodded in understanding and moved to follow her. "Touch nothing," she hissed before turning and continuing her trek. Khalida followed immediately while Draco and I hung back.

"Why do I keep meeting all these weirdoes?" I whispered in Draco's ears and he chuckled softly as he held my hand reassuringly.

"I think the saying is, it takes one to know one," he replied and I smacked him on the arm. "That was really mature," he huffed as he stopped and pulled me to him.

"Draco, I don't this is a good place for this kind of thing," I stated in a low tone and he just pulled me closer. He slowly bent down and my heart leapt into my throat.

The kiss was gentle and caring. There were no tongues battling or hands groping, it was merely sweet and soft contact. Seconds later it was over and I could see Draco's eyes twinkling in the darkness as he looked down at me.

"What better place is there then a dark hallway?" he asked with a grin.

"A dark, evil hallway," I snorted. I looked off down the hall just in time to see Khalida turn the corner. "We better go, or the boogeyman might get us."

"I'm not afraid of some boogerman," Draco stated pompously.

"It's boogeyman."

"That's what I said," he stated furiously, "Now come on." He grabbed my hand and began to pull me down the hall.

There was something about Draco that made me feel better. Maybe it was the fact that I could always count on Draco to be, well, to be Draco. He is a constant and I definitely could use more of those.

I allowed myself to be dragged down the hallway as Draco rushed to catch up with Luna and Khalida. Just before we turned the corner at the end of the hall I noticed a mirror hanging on the wall. I began to turn away as we passed it but couldn't resist looking up for just a moment and in that moment, for a millisecond or two; the red in my eyes disappeared and was replaced by green. I squeezed Draco's hand tighter and felt my heart warm slightly when he squeezed my hand in return.