Congratulation on reading the new chapter! Sorry for the wait, but life is preventing me from writing all the time. Anyway thanks for being patient. The next chapter will be uploaded as soon as possible. Thanks for everyone that followed or favorite the story, that include people who wrote a review. Now enough of that, enjoy this chapter of Phantom's Course.
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter.
It was such a dark and chilly night, that the muggles didn't notice anything out of place in the sky. Had they looked up, they wouldn't have seen a group of broomsticks overflying them, or the wizards that rode on them. This group wasn't made up of ordinary wizards. They were the Advance Guard, currently on an important mission: escort Harry Potter to the safe house of the Order of the Phoenix.
Harry was happy to travel again on his broomstick, despite the cold sting of the wind on his face. All his worries were swept away whenever he flew on his Firebolt. The view was, as always, spectacular, allowing him to see the city lights from a new perspective. He laughed as he remembered the sight of the lonely headlight's of a car going down the roads, and couldn't help but imagine it to be the Dursley's, coming back home after having realized that the best lawn competition they had gone to was just a hoax. They must have been truly embarrassed.
As time went by, Harry became increasingly curious as to where they were taking him to. His hands had become numb from holding the frozen handle of his broom for so long, and he became grateful that they had decided to fly below the clouds, for that would have made the weather more difficult to bear. Trying to at least get an idea of his surroundings, Harry looked around searching anything he could find familiar.
It was while doing this that Harry saw something suspicious. It was hard to make it out from the dark night sky and his eyes kept squinting due to the wind, but he was sure he saw a lone figure flying in the distance.
The figure wore a black hooded cloak and seemed to be about an adult's size. Harry blinked and tried to see if this 'creature' or whatever was silently following them.
Even though, he wasn't able to really prove it, the boy had got the impression that the 'thing' was facing down, moving it's 'head' from left to right as if looking around, the same way Harry had been doing. Was it looking for something? Or was it just enjoying the sight? He had no way to verify it, for the hood covered its face completely from the angle Harry was at.
Harry soon realized this figure wasn't flying in the position one would take when sitting on a broom. As a matter of fact, there was no broom in sight, no carpet either. This thing was flying all on its own.
The boy tries to remember anything from what he had learn at Hogwarts.
What creature has human shape and is able to fly without wings? He wondered. "Could it be a Dementor?" he asks himself, staring hard at the figure, but soon dismisses it for, unlike in his third year, this thing was not attacking him nor anyone in the group, and it's cloak wasn't ragged like a Dementor's, it even looked new. "I should ask Hermione about this later." He mumbles to himself.
Harry was about to get Tonks' attention to let her know of the thing following them, when suddenly, the creature lifted its head.
The boy-who-lived panicked, getting the impression it was looking directly at him. Harry was then stunned when it instead of attacking him, just waved at him and vanished from sight. He was left truly confused about what had transpired.
'B…but… Hadn't Professor Moody said he did a Disillusionment spell to conceal me?!' screamed the boy within his head, confusion becoming fear in seconds. He wasn't supposed to be seen that clearly.
Harry searched frantically for the creature, expecting an attack out of nowhere, but minutes later it became clear that it had simply disappeared. Moody barked an order, causing him to focus back on the group as they circled back, just in time to make Tonks complain that if they kept doing that they wouldn't reach the safe house until next week.
Number 12, Grimmauld Place
It was the middle of the night, and Harry Potter was finally safe within the safe house. Fred, George and Ginny had already left for bed under Mrs. Weasley's orders.
Things had been so hectic since he arrived that for a second he forgot about the strange flying creature, but now, more at ease and with free time for himself, he ushered his two best friends to the room he was staying in so that they may discuss amongst themselves before Mrs. Weasley reappeared to send them to bed too.
Harry sat on his bed, Ron took his own and Hermione sat on an empty chair that was in the middle between the two beds.
"So, what's the hurry, Harry?" asked Ron, wondering why his friend had asked them both talk out of the blue.
"Well," starts Harry, looking a bit nervous. "I was hoping Hermione might know the answer to a question that's been bothering me for hours."
The girl immediately perks up at this and looks ready to offer all the help she can, probably wishing to make it up to Harry for not having answered to his letters before. Ron, thinking along the same lines, tries to focus harder on the situation. He might not be as knowledgeable as Mione but if he could be of any help then he wished to give it a try.
"Alright. What has been bothering you?" Hermione asked, true curiosity shining through her eyes.
Harry avoided her stare, looking even more sheepish. "This might sound truly weird… but do you know of any spells or any creatures that may allow a human to fly or look like a human flying?"
Hermione's lips quirk a little to the side. A typical sign that the idea wasn't very clear to her. "Do you mean like on a broomstick or like levitation?" she asked.
Harry hums in thought. "Neither. It's closer to Superman."
"What's a Superman?" Asked Ron, completely lost.
"Never mind it, Ron. It's just a Muggle thing." His friend answered.
Hermione let the information sink in as she searched through the library that was her brain for a potential answer. Ron, on his part, just couldn't help but continue to ponder who the man Harry talked about was and what made him so 'Super'.
After a few minutes, Hermione spoke. "Well, there's no 'actual' documentation of full flying spells. Wingardium Leviosa allows an object to levitate, and Ron's father enchanted a car to fly, but to make a person actually fly and with the magnitude of control you are suggesting, that has never been achieved. One's full weight at such height and through the inclemency of the weather and random currents of wind would be too demanding on a person's energy reserves, not even mentioning the stress it would represent to the mind. There were rumors that You-Know-Who had perfected a spell, but no one knows for sure and most won't even consider looking into the Dark Arts for such ability."
"What about creatures? Anything without wings… or that can turn invisible?" Harry asked.
"Well… the majority of magic creatures need wings to fly. There is a creature called Thestral. They are said to have bat wings, but they aren't completely visible. Only those who have witness death will be able to see them. Not many creatures can turn invisible and fly. If a wizard performs a levitation spell and an invisibility spell, it would demand a lot of him and in no time he would fall right out of the sky."
Harry tried hard to remember the creature from before. He was sure that if there had been a Thestral in there he would have seen it, after all that happened in the last spring, he had become well acquaintanced with death. The sudden memory of his lost friend made his heart sank.
"Harry, why do you want to know about that?" Ron asked, curiosity finally taking the best of him.
"The-boy-who-lived" now looked more like "the-boy-who-wanted-to be-anywhere-else-but-here". Suddenly, the floorboards had become very interesting. "Well… on the way here… I might have seen a strange figure… that might have been following us… in the sky?" he admitted.
An awkward silence descended over them and Harry could feel his cheeks getting slightly warmer until the two other teens finally reacted.
"WHAT?!" they shouted. Harry let out a resigned sigh. He wasn't too surprised with their little outburst.
"Guys, I told you in here because I don't want others to know." His two friends blushed as he reminded them. "I needed to ask Hermione because if what she said is true, then what I saw couldn't have been a wizard." Harry said trying to pacify their worries.
"Alright, Harry," said his female friend with a look that clearly said 'no nonsense'. "Start explaining from the beginning, and don't you leave out any detail." Harry proceeded to tell them, trying to ignore the fuming grumbles of Hermione and Ron's disbelieving expression.
"… and that's it. Since I arrived nothing weird has happened, no surprise attacks or strange shadows, nothing. It just went away." He said finishing his tale. Hermione brainstormed some ideas about what the mysterious figure might have been while Ron, on the other hand, was in somewhat of a daze.
Once he broke out of it, Ron asked: "Harry, are you sure you weren't seeing things? It was a long trip."
Harry, now facing him, frowned. "Ron, I was being escorted to a safe house by Moody and the others after recently being attacked by a Demetor in a muggle neighborhood. I think I can safely say I was fully awake at the time."
"Well, then what could have been up there, Harry? You say it didn't had wings. There can't be many creatures that can float in the middle of the sky. Maybe… could it be a ghost?" offered Ron, trying to help.
For some strange reason, the temperature of the room seemed to drop slightly, but it quickly returned to normal. The trio silently thought at the same time that it must have been just a draft of cold wind that leaked into the old house.
"No, Ron." Hermione answered, once the awkward sensation disappeared. "Harry could you see right through the figure at all, or seen any of the common characteristics that would indicate a ghost?" she asked.
"I don't think so. It was hard to see clearly, but it looked too solid to be any ghost like the ones in Hogwarts."
"Could it have been the same type as Peeves? He's a ghost and is solid," Ron suggested.
"No, it couldn't have been like Peeves either. Poltergeists like him usually hunt in one location and stay there. During Harry's journey they flew past too many places, the area is too wide for it to be a single hunt." The girl noted out loud.
"Oh, this is frustrating. This way, I guess it would be better to find that bloody person, creature, or whatever it may be." The red haired teen complained loudly, letting himself fall over his bed for dramatic purposes.
"We can't just go out and find this guy, Ron. I mean, how would we even go looking for it? It's not like it was floating above us right now!" The group sheepishly looked up just in case. They felt a little nervous after all the events of the last few days, like they were always being watched. But they preferred not to say it out loud, to avoid sounding paranoid like Moody.
Clearing his throat, Harry pushed his anxiety aside.
"Besides, don't forget we don't know if this thing is even dangerous or human. I mean, it could have been working for Voldemort for all we know."
Ron flinched. "Would you please stop saying You-Know-Who's name?!" he exclaimed with a scared squeaky whine.
Harry simply shook his head at his friend's antics and thought it better to change subjects. Since they could speak freely at the moment, he decided to ask for other news.
"So, anything new at Hogwarts?" asked the black haired boy as he sat more comfortably at the edge of his bed.
"Well, there's a rumor about the new DADA teacher," answered Hermione.
"Ya! Snape is not the one, thank Merlin for that. They say not even Dumbledore knows who the guy is. Fred and George have been spying on them at every Order's meeting," explained Ron.
Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron's comment. "You know that's insane, Ron. Why would Dumbledore do something that risky after the incident last year?" she criticized.
"Did you ever belief he was sane from the start?" Ron sighed.
"Well… maybe he had a logical explanation to give him the post." Grumbled the girl.
"Who cares? Snape isn't happy about this either. He is in an even worse mood lately."
"How unhappy would you say?" asked Harry. It wasn't news that Snape got pretty annoyed every time there was a new DADA professor, since he wanted the position himself.
"Let's just say you should not get in his way if possible. It seems that being under the same roof as Sirius doesn't help to improve his mood either. Old grudges never fade." Said Ron waving his hands in warning. "I still don't trust him being in the Order."
"Well, he is in the order, working under Dumbledore about You-Know-Who. So it's reasonable for him to attend the meetings." Hermione said, trying to defend the annoying teacher.
"See? That's the reason Dumbledore is insane. Snape could be spying for You-Know-Who. He could be doing it right now! Telling him that Harry is right here!"
Harry glared slightly at his friends comment. "Ron, the last thing I need is to think about another possible attack. I'm finally away from the Dursley's and spending the rest of the summer with my friends. So, could we please not bring something like that right now?"
Ron flinched as he realized how his sentence could affect his best friend. "Sorry, Harry. I just don't want anything to bad to happen… that's all."
Looking at his friend's subdued demeanor, Harry felt a little guilty and chose to focus on his other friend, who seemed lost in thought. "Hermione, what are you thinking about?"
"Just… its rumors so there's no solid fact to this. But don't you feel that every year we get a new DADA professor they all turn out to be evil in some way? Apart from Professor Lupin, though his condition may make others think otherwise. Dumbledore must be desperate to find another one if he doesn't even know the person he had accepted. Not many must have wanted the position."
Following her train of thought, Harry noticed something interesting as well: that he was, in some way, responsible for the demise of the person who became the DADA professor of the year. He was also attacked by each one, at least once.
Quill disintegrated in front of him. Lockhart's memory spell backfired. Lupin's werewolf nature was revealed (Harry didn't blame him for the attack since Professor Lupin was a nice person when he wasn't affected by the full moon). 'Moody' was being impersonated and almost got Harry killed. It seemed every encounter with a terrible fate in Hogwarts was related to him and the DADA professor.
"Let's not forget that the Daily Prophet are slandering Dumbledore too." Added Hermione. The thought made Harry's blood boil.
"Ya! And it's all because he was one of the firsts to believe that Voldemort (Ron flinches) has returned. Because he believes in me. I DIDN'T LIE ABOUT HIS RETURN!" the boy shouted his last sentence. 'Not when seeing him die in front of me…' Harry thought clenching his eyes trying to make the image of Cedric's corpse vanish from his mind. He still had nightmares about that night.
Ron got up and quickly placed his hands on his friend's shoulders, noticing his friend was shivering slightly. "Harry, we believe you." He says with a determined expression as he attempts to offer comfort.
"Don't worry, we will be by your side every step of the way." Hermione says as she lays a kind hand over Harry's.
The boy opened his eyes but refused to look at either of them directly. "What about last year, when my name was pulled out of the fire?" he whispered, his eyes betraying the hurt he felt when they fought.
"… ok… I'll admit that I was a git that time. A BIG lousy git. But I promise you this time, that I will be here, by you." Said Ron, acknowledging his mistake.
Harry chuckled a bit, and his hand held Hermione's back. "Thanks guys, I really appreciate it." And he truly did. It was always good to know his friends were there for him.
Just then, Mrs. Weasley knocked on the door and poked her head in to tell them it was time to sleep. The golden trio promised to look more on the mysterious creature and the rumors later. Maybe once they were at Hogwarts and had more books at their disposal. They also agreed (to Hermione's much disapproval) to keep the information under wraps until they could get more solid evidence.
Hermione said her goodnights and went her way to the girls' room, leaving Ron and Harry to get lay on their beds. Each boy said goodnight and in a matter of minutes Ron was asleep and snoring.
Harry lay awake in bed. He thought happily that he was finally away from his uncle's wretched house and had his friends back at his side. Sirius was here too, and the house was well protected from intruders. He also took a moment to wonder whether Ron was right… if perhaps his eyes played a trick on him and had imagined that thing in the sky.
Both of his friends seemed angry for almost not telling them or the Guards that there was someone following them.
The boy finally began feeling the lure of sleep as the tiredness of the day caught up to him. He took off his glasses, snuggled into his blankets and allowed himself to get lost into the night, hoping that there wouldn't be a nightmare waiting for him in his dreams.
Little did he or the other inhabitants of the house know that there was an uninvited guest keeping them company. Invisible and shrouded in the dark, the man smiled at the sleeping teens.
"Nice kids," he thought with a grin. "Well, that was interesting. Now, I should be going to prepare for the real mission."
With that, the lone figure flew right out of Grimmauld Place, out through the roof and into the starry night sky.