One Tin Soldier

Chapter 27: Trumpets Blowing

"Hey Ichigo, Sirius, what's going on?" Harry asked as he took a seat in the crowded DMLE office. "I only have an hour until my next exam."

Sirius handed a plate of sandwiches and a cup of tea over to Harry.

"Harry, what do you know about Dementors?" Urahara asked as the teen settled himself in a chair.

"I already told you last summer, Urahara-san," came the reply as Harry bit into his quick lunch.

Urahara raised his fan and tapped it to his chin. "Humor me."

Harry recounted, in between bites, what he knew and had experienced.

"When I first saw them, I thought they were mini Menos," Ichigo said, his English somewhat better. Looked like someone had hit him with a translation spell after all.

"Actually, the ones we caught in the Forbidden Forest," Urahara explained, going into teacher mode. "...are something we've never seen before. We had Division 12, Research and Development, take a look at them. The R&D discovered that they are actually Bounts that were hollowfied."

"What are Bounts?" Harry asked, confused at the term while Ichigo scowled and let out an angry growl.

"A Bount was a Soul Society experiment that went wrong, terribly wrong, several centuries ago," Urahara explained, ignoring the teen. "They were experimental souls that escaped to, and were born during different times throughout the Living World. It is unknown how many of these modified souls escaped into the Living World, and the Soul Society did their best to eliminate them. They consumed other life forces to survive which was where the vampire myths come from, but Bounts prey on souls, not blood.

"Dementors, as far as we can tell, are Bounts that were hollowfied. How and why we are still trying to discover.

"That's why they feed on souls through what you wizards call The Kiss. It is a horrible way to die, and the kissed soul has no chance of returning to the Soul Society and rebirth. That is why the Soul Society has ordered their destruction," Urahara said with an abrupt snap of his fan.

"As far as we know, a Dark Wizard named Ekrizdis was the one credited with creating Dementors," Madam Bones took up the tale. "It is said he did terrible things in his experiments, and when he was killed, all of his notes were destroyed. Later, it was Minister Damocles Rowle that seized the fortress of Azkaban, and turned it into a prison to contain them, and the dregs of our society."

"What's hollowfied mean?" Harry asked, thinking hard on where he had heard the term. "Wait, that's what Shinji and the others are, right?"

Urahara nodded. "But we are not sure how there Bounts were hollowfied. Hollowfication..." Urahara didn't look at Ichigo, who had straightened slightly. "...is a process that places a Hollow's soul into a normal soul. It's dangerous, as Hollows can't be controlled. I know of several Shinigami that were Hollowfied and the pain and torture they went through to gain control of their inner Hollows was immense. I would not recommend it. They must constantly battle their inner hollow to stay in control."

Ichigo gave another angry snort which caused everyone to give him a look. Urahara just pulled his hat down to hide his eyes.

The blonde scientist turned to Madam Bones and stared into her eyes. "Regardless what laws or procedures you have for these creatures – these Dementors – they eat souls, remove all happy thoughts and emotions. The Soul Society has now been made aware of their existence and will not allow them to continue in the Living World. They are not pleased and will be coming soon to destroy them."

"I keep telling you there's no way to destroy them! We have tried!" Madam Bones snapped back. "And even if there was, the Ministry wouldn't allow it."