So it was requested that I write a short series on Danny's addiction to ghost energy that was mentioned in A Ghostly Crisis.
It actually turned out being longer than I expected but anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it.
Warning: this is a descent into an addiction. I do not suggest you follow in Danny's footsteps. Just thought I should cover myself there.
These chapters will be short.
Anyway I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter. (Although Harry and his world is only mentioned a few times throughout.)
On with the story!
Danny growled softly as he scrubbed his face roughly. He had to stay awake. Didn't matter that he hadn't slept more than five hours in the last three days. He had exams starting tomorrow. He hadn't studied nearly enough. He wasn't repeating what happened high school. He was going to get a good grade and a good degree. If he ever wanted to follow his dream to the stars, he had to get better grades. Danny trained his eyes on the laptop in front of him and read the notes there tiredly. He could feel himself dropping off again. He pushed his chair back loudly and flicked the kettle on. He needed coffee. He sighed softly and glanced at the kitchen clock. Three in the morning. He had to get the train at seven in order to make it in time for his exam at two.
The kettle clicked and Danny grabbed his mug and sluggishly spooned in twice his normal amount of coffee into the cup and poured in the water. He ignored the milk in the fridge and dropped three spoonfuls of sugar in and stirred. He gulped down a scalding mouthful and stumbled back to his seat at the kitchen table. Why did he promise to come back whenever Danielle called him? He knew that the ghosts were his responsibility and that his clone had started school this year, but if he had known that this increase in ghost activity would last two weeks, he would have thought twice. Danny returned to reading his notes before blinking in confusion and slammed his head on the table. He had read the entire lecture without taking in a word. The last two hours of struggling to stay awake was a complete waste!
Blindly, Danny reached for his mug and knocked something over. He swore loudly and snapped his head up fearfully. He breathed a sigh of relief. He had just pushed over his thermos, he hadn't spilt any coffee on his laptop. He could not afford to lose that laptop. It had all his notes on it and he had no back-ups. If he lost that… he'd fail his exams because there was no way he could afford a replacement let alone have the opportunity to get this one repaired. Danny picked up the thermos and sat back in his seat, grabbing his coffee mug, taking a large gulp before returning it to the table. He turned the thermos over in his hands.
"The least you guys could do is leave me alone when I'm busy. These exams will affect the rest of my college career, which will dictate the rest of my life! I want a life after ghost fighting. Outside of Phantom. Is that too much?" Danny mumbled despondently. He sighed and shook his head.
"I must be tired. I'm talking to an empty thermos," Danny muttered angrily. Knowing he needed a break from his studying, he unclipped the panel on the side to check if the thermos was charged. Inside the thermos was three power units, glowing softly green. Danny pulled one of the units out and examined it silently. Half charged. Danny took another unit out, leaving the first on the table. He frowned. This one looked almost dead. He put it beside the first and took out the third. This one was fully charged. Danny scowled and was about to put the units back in, swapping the second and third unit positions. He popped the first two in and held the third in his hand, eyeing it curiously.
"I wonder. If this is just a storage unit for ghost energy… then it must be possible for it to enter or exit as needed. If I can charge a unit. Could I… is it possible to reverse it?" Danny whispered softly, deep in thought. He glanced at his laptop and scowled. It couldn't hurt to try it. If charging a unit wiped him out, then draining one should power him up.
"I need a good grade," he murmured despairingly. He'd missed too many lectures and handed in too many assignments late to be able to scrap a pass without studying. He fisted his hand tightly around the fully charged unit. He took a deep breath and shut his eyes. It was risky. He knew that. Ghost energy was dangerous to play around with. He'd seen enough explosions in the lab to know that. But he was desperate at this point. He was exhausted and coffee wasn't enough anymore.
He scowled in concentration before growling in frustration. He huffed loudly and changed into his ghost form before trying again. Suddenly he felt a rush of power overwhelm him. He gasped in shock and blinked dumbly as he felt refreshed. His mind was clear and sharp. Sharper than it had been in three days. He felt… amazing! He laughed light-heartedly before grinning at his laptop. It worked. It actually worked. He didn't even feel tired anymore. He drained his horribly strong coffee and settled back in front of his laptop and re-read the entire lecture.
I have based the exams on how my own college exams work. I have exams after semester one and then after semester two. Semester one exams are in January for me. While I haven't actually set this at any particular time other than exam time, it is mid college year.
In my college it works that three weeks are dedicated to exams and you just go to the exams when they're scheduled and there's a week free before the semester starts. So depending on when your exams fall you could need up with quite a bit of time off after the exams before lectures resume.
Anyway, it's not important but in case you guys were wondering.
Let me know what you guys think.
Until the next chapter.