Chapter 2: An Old Enemy
The room was silent after Dumbledore's greeting. Severus and Maddie were looking at him in astonishment while Danny looked unsurprised. Dumbledore sighed again and summoned his magic, intent on breaking his bonds.
"I wouldn't do that." Danny warned him, his voice amused. Dumbledore ignored him.
"Ow!" His bonds had shocked him!
Danny quirked an eyebrow. "I warned you." Dumbledore narrowed his eyes at the smart-mouthed teen.
"You can believe me or don't but the truth of the matter stands. You are in danger. Other wizards are after you. They were ordered to kill you."
Danny considered his words before lifting his hand. A green light surrounded his finger, emanating a strange sound. He pointed his finger at something behind Dumbledore's line of vision and a brilliant green ball of light soared out of his finger, hitting something and making a loud click. Dumbledore felt the bonds on his hands fall away, allowing him to finally stand up, the glowing green cuffs clattering to the floor. He started toward Severus when a hand shot out and grabbed his arm in a vice like grip. Danny glared at him and jerked his head toward the couch.
"Your friend stays there for now. In case this goes sour I need leverage." He smirked.
Dumbledore glared but plopped onto the couch with no objections. Severus sneered at Danny but otherwise stayed quiet.
Danny stood in front of Dumbledore, arms crossed. "So, what do you want?" his voice was cold and sent shivers down his spine.
Dumbledore told him most of what he knew. He told him about Voldemort and Harry and how Voldemort ordered his Death Eaters to kill him. He did not, however, tell him about Voldemort's new ally. He felt he should keep that information to himself for now.
When he finished Danny's eyes were narrowed and a gleam of anger was visible. "You decided to keep the little fact of Voldemort's new ally secret, did you?" he hissed, anger etched all over his face. Dumbledore paled. How did he…?
"I acquired a new power a few months ago." Danny explained, still glaring." I can look into someone's thoughts on command. Handy for moments like this."
Dumbledore felt his heart rate quicken. They needed Danny's trust and cooperation. And he just ruined it.
"So," Danny drawled, "what is so important about this ally that made you want to keep it from me?"
Dumbledore shifted but knew he had to answer honestly. "His ally was the one who wants you dead. He agreed to help Voldemort only if his Death Eaters killed you."
Maddie looked terrified at the prospect of someone powerful and dangerous after her son. Danny, however, didn't seem bothered at all. In fact, he looked almost bored, as though someone wanting him dead was absolutely nothing new.
"Is there anything you can tell me about this mysterious ally?"
Dumbledore swallowed but nodded. "No one but Voldemort has seen him but they do know one thing. Voldemort is afraid of him. That has never happened before. Although his ally, seems to be afraid of you." His voice was tight. He didn't even want to imagine the kind of power this teen had for someone who scares Voldemort, to be scared of him. "I believe he mentioned he had unfinished business with you. Something about 'the future can always change'." Whatever that means. Snape never told the Order this bit of information. He only told Dumbledore.
The words meant nothing to Dumbledore but they apparently meant something to Danny.
Danny's eyes were wide and his face paled. A small spark of fear shown in his eyes. He took a shaky step back with a quiet whisper of "no".
He seemed to forget about the other people in the room. He raced over to the stairs where a blue backpack was slumped at the bottom step. He gripped the strap and sprinted back to the living room. He stuffed his had in the pack, digging around for a certain device. When his fingers encountered a cold circular object, he gripped it and yanked it out. In his hand was a small metal device, the size of his palm. It was circular in shape but was flat on one side. The raised side held a type of stone in the center. A few buttons surrounded the stone. Danny invented it himself.
He pressed one of the buttons and tossed the device on the floor, landing on the flat side. The stone began to glow and a humming emitted from it. After about five seconds a wide beam of light flew out and created a sight similar to a hologram. At the moment it was just a wide arc of blue light.
Danny stared at the device before speaking one word clearly, "Clockwork."
An image of a ghost appeared on the hologram. He wore a long robe and had blue skin. He looked to be middle aged. His eyes were red and he held a staff with a clock on top.
"Hello Danny." His voice was soft and, in front of Dumbledore's eyes, incredibly turned into an old man. One that looked even older than Dumbledore.
"Is it true?" Danny's voice was hard but Clockwork didn't even blink.
"It is true."
Danny glared. "Then why the hell am I only hearing about this now?!" he shouted. His hands started shaking from a mixture of rage and fear.
"Because this was how you were supposed to find out." Clockwork replied calmly.
Danny spun around and began to pace. "How long has he been free?"
Clockwork shifted into his child form, to the astonishment of Snape and Dumbledore.
"Three days, six hours and thirty-seven minutes."
Danny paused his pacing, his back to Clockwork. "How?" He had a feeling…
"Vlad Plasmius." Clockwork told him, confirming Danny's suspicion.
Danny's hands glowed green. His arm shot out and a green beam of light flew out of his hand and slammed into a flower vase, exploding it. Dumbledore and Snape jumped while Maddie merely looked startled.
Danny was breathing heavily, his back still to Clockwork. "Thank you old friend."
Clockwork smiled, bowed to Danny's back, and disappeared.
Danny's finger glowed green once more and he shot another beam toward Snape whose eyes widened. Instead of feeling any pain, he felt his bonds break. He clambered to his feet, rubbing his sore wrists.
"So," Danny drawled, turning to the two wizards. "I believe I have a few questions…"
Dumbledore sighed. This was going to be a long night.
