Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter.
Wanderlust: Chapter 2 | Location: Unknown | Date: Unknown
It wasn't long before Danny came to the assumption that he really was in a castle. All the stone and medieval décor kind of accentuated that fact. At least it's not decorated in tacky green and gold, he thought to himself with a chuckle.
The halfa surmised that he was probably underground, having yet to run across any sort of window or natural lighting, as the walls were lined with torches. With that in mind, Danny made sure to take every staircase he came across that lead up, avoiding those that threatened to take him further into the bowels of this stone cold place.
How long would it be before he would find someone though? The mere fact that he had yet to see a soul was slightly unsettling; this place wasn't abandoned, was it? No, it couldn't be, not with all the lit torches on the walls…
The thought had occurred to Danny on more than one occasion that he should perhaps shift to his ghostly persona – that it would make finding a way out, or someone to question, that much easier – but admittedly, the ghost boy was enjoying himself, and where would the fun be if he so heavily relied on his ghostly powers all the time? Sure the dungeon-esque local was a bit disconcerting, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. Besides, this place actually seemed oddly welcoming, in spite of its appearance. Especially when Danny compared it to say… Pariah's castle. Or even Vlad's for that matter.
As Danny pondered where in the world he might be (Europe maybe? They've got a lot of castles right?), he hoped he hadn't managed to actually land himself in medieval times. If what he remembered from history class, and what Sam would often regale to him of the period, was right, Danny most likely wouldn't be meeting with a very welcoming bunch. Especially not dressed the way he was. Absentmindedly, Danny patted his pocket, finding reassurance at the slight bump he felt beneath the denim of his jeans. He could only hope his luck would hold out at least that far.
Eventually – he wasn't sure exactly how much time had passed since he first awoke and began his exploration – Danny found himself walking along a corridor lit by tall torches held against the walls. Columns lined either side, appearing as if they had been carved from the very stone in which they lay; arches inlaid along their peaks, framing the ceiling. Danny noted that at the end of the hall a junction formed. He could either proceed left or right once he reached it.
He wasn't exactly sure why, but this particular stretch of corridor, unlike the ones he had previously passed through, gave him a sort of foreboding, gloomy kind of feeling…
Perhaps it was just the atmosphere finally getting to him? Yeah, that was probably it.
"You're fine, Fenton. Nothing's gonna pop up that you can't handle." Danny told himself as he took a few cautious steps forward, his hand absentmindedly running along the wall as he passed. "It's not like some vicious, grotesque monster's waiting to rip your guts out once you round the corner." Danny paused abruptly and scrunched his face up at that thought. "Wow, okay, way to make yourself feel better…" Danny muttered to himself as he brought a palm to his face, then shook his head in an effort to clear his wandering mind, before proceeding forward once more. Dude, stop trying to freak yourself out, he mentally chided himself.
It was just as Danny made it a little over halfway through the corridor when he thought he heard something.
Were those… footsteps?
Danny stopped and listened.
Sure enough, the halls echoed with a dull tap, tap, tap; the undeniable sounds of footfalls.
The muscles in Danny's body tensed reflexively as he prepared to face whoever it was making their way towards him. Finally, Danny thought to himself, it's about time someone showed their face around here! He could only hope whoever it was wouldn't freak out on him.
It wasn't long before Danny spotted a tall, pale man with dark hair round the corner. As he noted the guy's clothing – some kind of flowing black robe – Danny felt his stomach sink. He didn't look like he was dressed in contemporary clothing…
Without the entirety of the Infi-map to point him towards the nearest portal to the Ghost Zone, Danny wasn't sure how easily he could make it in a time not his own. He found himself hoping this guy just happened to like dressing in period clothing or something. Danny brushed his hand against his pocket once more, checking to make sure the rolled up fragment of the map was still there, as well as a means to calm himself.
Well, here goes nothing… the teen thought to himself as he swallowed hard, taking a moment to better quell his nerves. He'd worry about finding a portal later, after he managed to pinpoint his current whereabouts.
Danny called out to the man, a hand extended and waving to catch his attention. "Excuse me!" The ravenette hurriedly started towards the robed man, "Hey, Sir! Can you tell me where I am?"
The guy stopped when he heard Danny call out to him, a puzzled expression crossing his face as he caught sight of the nearing boy. It quickly turned to a scowl however, his face upturning as if he'd just smelled something unpleasant.
"Surely you are aware of the fact that you are in the dungeons of Hogwarts." The man drawled, still giving Danny that contemptuous sneer. The ghost boy chose to overlook it. For now, getting answers took precedence – and hey, at least the guy wasn't freaking on him, right?
"Hogwarts?" Danny laughed jovially, "What kind of name is Hogwarts?" He missed the disdainful look the man shot him. "Seriously, dude? I've never heard of a place with a more ridiculous name," Danny absently remarked as he ran a hand over the back of his neck, up through his hair, then back down. "And where's this 'Hogwarts'-" Danny air quoted "-supposed to be?" Though judging from the guy's accent, Danny had a sneaking suspicion that his initial guess hadn't been too far off the mark.
The man didn't answer, instead electing to stare hard at the boy. Danny thought it looked as if he was mulling something over.
The halfa shifted his weight between his feet under the man's scrutinizing gaze, suddenly more uncomfortable than he had been throughout the entirety of his earlier exploration. Maybe he shouldn't have joked so lightly about the name of this place? …Nah, it's just too funny. But the longer Danny watched the man, the more he regretted not having handled his introduction in a more smooth and downplayed manner.
As he toiled over his own thoughts, waiting for the strange man clad in black to say something, Danny began to ponder whether he should chance saying something else. Distracted by those thoughts, Danny barely caught sight of the guy pulling something from his robes. Is that a stick? Danny thought incredulously. What the heck's he gonna do with a stick? No sooner had that thought crossed Danny's mind then did a jet of red light shoot towards him.
"WHOA!" Danny cried, barely dodging the blast. So much for a warm welcome. "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT FOR?!" He shouted angrily, a contemptuous glare of his own aimed at the now hostile figure. Danny didn't know what would have happened if that blast had hit him, but he'd been attacked by more than enough things in his life to know not to take unnecessary risks. "Dude, all I asked was a simple question!"
"And that itself is rather suspicious." The man drawled heatedly as he pointed his stick (a wand?) at Danny once more. Not a second later, yet another jet of red light flew from the tip of it and towards the teen; Danny swiftly dodged. "You clearly are not a student here," Robbed Guy said with a glare – did he ever make any other kind of expression? "Who are you, and how have you managed to gain entrance to the school?"
Danny blanched. This place was a school? What the heck kind of school was this? Did that make this guy a teacher? And here Danny had thought Mr. Lancer was bad, but this guy – if he really was a teacher – definitely took the cake… and then some!
The young ravenette's mind was whirling – just where in the heck had the Infi-map landed him?
"Look," Danny dodged yet another jet of light, this one a bit more orange than red, "I'm sorry if I offended you or something, but I'm honestly just lost and looking for a way home."
"Somehow, I doubt that." The man retorted as the tip of his stick… wand… whatever it was, lit up with a flash. He pointed it at Danny once more, and the halfa readied himself to doge another stream of light. …only he didn't see anything fly out at him. Had the guy decided to stop his attacks, whatever they were?
Suddenly, Danny felt his equilibrium shift, as if the world was tilting. He quickly came to the realization that he was actually being lifted into the air. Nope, definitely not done… Danny thought to himself in mild annoyance.
"Guh!" Danny grunted as he found himself suspended in midair, upside down. "What the heck… How're you doing this?" Seriously, how was this guy managing this? He looked human enough, and Danny's ghost sense hadn't been triggered, so he obviously wasn't a ghost. Was it that stick? Was it really a wand? Was this some kind of magic trick? "Would you just put me down and listen!" Danny practically shouted at the guy.
His words went unheeded. No surprised there.
Instead, the Robbed Guy commented that, "The Headmaster should like to hear about this." He then made some kind of motion with his wand (Danny was sure that's what it was) and the halfa started to move, still suspended in midair, towards him.
Danny's arms pinwheeled as he vainly tried to right himself. He groaned, frustration obvious on his face. He just couldn't catch a break, could he?
"Stupid map…" He grumbled under his breath.
AN: Whelp, you sure called it, 1eragon33.
So there was chapter two, I hope you all enjoyed it. If you want, feel free to let me know what you thought of it in a review.
How did you feel about Snape's reaction? Or Danny's for that matter? I'll admit I'm still working to get a handle on writing these characters, so there will most likely be a lot of OOCness initially. I hope you'll bear with me. I felt that Snape, cautious as he is, would be quick on the draw if he were to come across some unknown individual snooping around the school, regardless of their age or appearance. I also just really liked the idea of Danny getting stuck in an awkward situation. = 7=
Did this chapter answer your question, Alyss Penedo? If not, I suppose the next one might do a better job of that.
For those wondering, I do have an idea of where in the HP timeline this takes place, so that will be addressed in coming chapters.
Thank you to everyone that read, reviewed, favorited, and/or followed last chapter, as well anyone who read this one! I'm writing this mostly to entertain myself, so it's nice to know that there are people out there who actually enjoy this.
