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Chapter Four- Alignment

The students of Casper High had been conditioned to accept all sorts of abnormalities- the presence of ghosts and the various implications of that just for starters- but sometimes they were confronted with an event that had even them questioning the reality of their existence.

Danny Fenton- the Danny Fenton- was early for school.

He was not unaware of the stares he was receiving as he trudged through the hallways and up to his locker, but he wasn't exactly paying any attention to them either. No, his mind was focused on much more important matters- namely, the events of the previous evening. Leaning with his back against his locker, he pulled out his phone and stared blankly at the inactive screen. He needed to talk to Sam and Tucker.

To be perfectly honest, he wasn't exactly sure how he should be feeling. On one hand, the fact that wizardry and magic existed and that he was apparently a part of it was incredibly daunting- but on the other, he had slept really well last night. It was likely a sign that he wasn't taking the situation he was in seriously enough that the latter was currently of greater importance to him, but he couldn't find it in him to care- not yet at least. He had, for the first time since even before he got his ghost powers, woken up on time that morning. He had gotten dressed, eaten his breakfast, spoken to Jazz and headed to school.

It was all absurdly normal.

He knew it wasn't going to last- Jazz had informed him that Remus was now more determined than ever to have him attend the wizarding school he had been talking about, and would be dropping in again that afternoon to speak further. Hopefully their parents would be home again by then to help sort everything out, because at this point it was hardly a question of whether or not he would be going. He couldn't protect Amity Park if the untrained magic within him made him a ticking time bomb- he would definitely be attending Hogwarts; it was now a matter of finding someone to guard Amity Park while he was away.

He sighed, rubbing his eyes furiously. 'Find someone to protect Amity Park while I'm away. Talk to Sam and Tucker. Talk to Valerie while I still have a chance. Talk to Remus as Phantom. Sort out all this magic stuff,' he told himself firmly. 'Shouldn't be too hard... right?'

He repeated this to himself several times before giving up with a sigh and checking his phone. He still had half an hour before class started, which meant Sam and Tucker would probably be here in ten- sooner if he texted them and told them to hurry up. He considered this for a moment, then shook his head, shoving the device back into his pocket. He could use this time to figure out what exactly he would say to them. There was no way he was hiding anything from either of his best friends- even if he tried, he knew they'd figure it out before long anyway.

'I could always just get right to the point with "Hey guys, so... magic exists, apparently..." I guess...'

Sam would believe him right off the bat. If anything, she'd probably beg to be tested for it- Tucker too, though with less enthusiasm. He'd have to ask Remus to conduct the same test on them as had been done for himself and Jazz. Hopefully without any of the backlash.

The only problem was Valerie. He needed to talk to her before he left, but he wasn't sure how much time he had- or whether or not she'd be willing to listen.

He pursed his lips, pulling out his phone and checking the time again. He had seven minutes until Sam and Tucker arrived. He stared at the screen until this minute passed to the next, then made his decision, typing out a text.

"Sorry guys, I can't explain now, but I won't be at school today. I'm not in trouble or anything, I just need to sort some stuff out. Meet me outside my house this afternoon, I'll talk to you then."

He ignored the responding buzzing and made his way to the nearest classroom, taking a moment to check that it was empty before entering. He spared time for just one last glance around before he let the rings of transformation wash over him, the pull of gravity releasing its hold as he flew out the open window, his form invisible to the people below.

It was now or never. Today was the second-last day of school; he still had tomorrow to speak with Lancer and the principal about being absent during his final year, and he was sure his parents wouldn't mind him taking one day off once they found out about what had happened the previous night. It was the perfect opportunity to confront both Remus and Valerie without causing too much fuss.

Floating high above the school, he cast his eyes downward in search of his feisty friend and found her crouched low behind the bleachers next to the football field, staring at a small device on her wrist.

Ah, he should have known she would be alerted to the appearance of a ghost in the vicinity. At least it made things easier.

He made sure to keep himself invisible until he was out of sight to the rest of the students, moving slowly and cautiously. Her body tensed as he approached and he wasn't surprised when her familiar dark red suit enveloped her body and her gaze snapped up to glare at where he should be.

"Come out here, ghost!" she shouted in a clear voice. "Show yourself before I make you show yourself!"

She raised an arm in his direction and he swallowed nervously when he saw the ecto-blaster perched atop her wrist. He halted his movements.

"Uh-" he began, clearing his throat. "I was maybe thinking I could stay invisible until we agreed you wouldn't shoot me?" he called hopefully.

She snorted and Danny frowned when he detected a flash of some unrecognisable emotion in her expression. "Ghost boy," she muttered with a smirk. "I should have known." She shook her head, jumped to create space for her board to kick in, and rose to his level with the blaster still pointed at where she guessed his chest would be. She wasn't far off either. "Why would I do that?" she scoffed. "Isn't that what we agreed was exactly what I would do?"

"I need to talk to you."

"About what?"

"About..." Danny hesitated. "It's important. Really important. But I can't tell you anything else until you agree you won't shoot at me."

"Show yourself first and maybe I'll consider it."

"That's- ugh. Fine." A second later he was visible again and Valerie had readjusted her gun to aim at his heart. He fought the urge to edge away. "I need to talk to you," he repeated.

"Then talk."

"I need to talk to you without the chance of being blown to bits the minute I say anything!"

Valerie narrowed her eyes and Danny inwardly berated himself for snapping. He knew it was never a good idea to be brash around Valerie- not if he was trying to accomplish something without it turning violent- but he had little patience at the moment. Taking a deep breath, he held his hands up, palms facing away from her.

"I need to talk to you about something really important- to both you and me- and I can't talk about it with you pointing a gun at me."

"Can't it wait? Unlike some people, I'm busy," she retorted. Danny didn't miss her anxious glance towards the school, but he feigned ignorance.

"Whatever it is, this is more important. I need your help."

That got her attention. Her eyes widened in surprise and- involuntarily or not- she lowered her arm. ". . . What for?" she asked slowly, brow furrowed with suspicion.

"Can we talk about this on the ground?"

Valerie sighed, cast one last glance at the school, and nodded. Her gun disappeared into the confines of her suit and, once she was close enough to the bleachers, her board did too. She kept an eye on Phantom as he flew down to stand beside her, crossing her arms over her chest.

"That was easier than I expected," he admitted upon landing, still with his hands in the air.

She chuckled lightly in response, but it sounded a little strained. "Yeah, well, that whole business with Danielle may or may not have opened me up a little to listening to you every now and then. Whether or not I made the right decision, that's another story," she added seriously. "What's this about, Phantom?"

Danny took a deep, steadying breath, and lowered his arms to rest on his hips. "I, uh... I might be leaving Amity Park for a while, and I need to know you can take care of this place while I'm gone."

He was met with a blank stare. "You- wait- what?" Valerie stammered. "You're leaving?"

Danny attempted a half-smile and rubbed the back of his neck. "Not permanently, I just have to take care of something in the, uh... Ghost Zone. Some people need my help and there's a good chance I won't be back for a long time."

"A long time being how long exactly?"

"... A year. Or more. It depends on how things work out."

"A whole year?!" Valerie exclaimed. She leant closer, lowering her voice. "Are you serious?"

Danny nodded, laughing a little. "Yeah, but like I said, it could be more. I can't tell you what it is," he added hastily when she looked like she was about to interrupt. "Really, I can't- I would if I could, honest! But this is kind of super important ghost-business and as much as I know you could help if you wanted to- you can't. Not this time. Not where I'm going, anyway. What you can do is protect Amity Park while I'm gone."

"Oh please," she rolled her eyes. "Like you care what happens to this place."

"Yeah yeah, ghosts don't have feelings, yadda yadda yadda, whatever. Can you protect this place?"

"Of course I can!" she declared fiercely. "I would have done it whether or not you asked, you know."

Danny held up his hands in surrender. "I know! I just needed to make sure. And, um- I was thinking I might try and get Dani to come too. A year's a long time, after all- and a lot of work."

"Dani's coming?"

To Danny's surprise, he saw a flash of relief in Valerie's expression, but he wasn't sure what to make of it. He fought down the rising concern within him, knowing full well that if he was careless with his knowledge, Valerie would only close herself off to him. She was already having difficulty bringing herself to accept that some ghosts experienced emotion- if he said anything about her acting strangely, she would take it as her enemy being privy to her weaknesses. Or at least, that was what he suspected would happen. She had a penchant for being hopelessly stubborn.

"I'm thinking about asking her to. She doesn't have anything else going on that I know about, and I know she's capable of keeping Amity Park safe- especially with you at her side. Plus there's the added bonus of knowing you two won't be at each other's throats the whole time," he added with a laugh.

For the first time since meeting him there, Valerie fully relaxed, letting an easy smile spread across her lips. "Yeah, well... She's a sweet kid." She shifted, looking again at the school. "Look, uh- was that all? I really should get going."

"Oh! Yeah, yeah, that was it- uh, so you'll-?"

"I'll take care of Amity Park," she assured him. "And if she comes, I'll take care of Dani too."

"Thanks," he said sincerely. "It means a lot to me."

"Yeah, yeah," Valerie waved his words away, but he saw that her smile had widened. "Get out of here, ghost kid."

"Going!" Danny started to fly away, but just as he heard the small clinking of Valerie's armour retracting, a thought struck him and he turned back. "Oh, um- Valerie!"

She stiffened, visibly ill-at-ease without her armour on. "What?" she called back cautiously.

"I know you and Vlad have this whole "beck and call" thing going but please don't tell him Dani's coming, right? I mean, I know you might think that the misunderstanding from last time is over, but..." he trailed off, staring at her in worry. "Valerie? You okay?"

She had gone tense, her face twisted with that same unidentifiable emotion he'd seen before- he just couldn't place it. At the sound of her name, it vanished and she attempted another grin, failing miserably.

"I won't tell him. Get out of here, Phantom. I'll see you whenever you get back."

At this, she turned her back and walked away and Danny was left alone, a chill creeping down his spine.

She hadn't even bothered to question him. Whatever was going wrong with her, Vlad had something to do with it.

. . .

Much to his dismay, the deep, blissful sleep Remus had experienced during his first night at Amity Park's cheapest motel was not to be had the night after. The events that had taken place during his visit to the Fenton's house haunted him- it was rare to see such a violent display of magic, and the fact that it was not intentional made it all the worse. What sort of wizard had the capability of such destruction with a spell as basic as levitation?

In any case, it meant that Daniel's training was nothing short of urgent. Whether or not he had made it thus far without any catastrophes, magic had a terrible habit of revealing itself at the most inopportune times, and in the worst way possible. If nothing was done, someone was going to get hurt- and as little as he knew him, Remus suspected Daniel feared nothing worse.

He spent more time the next day than he'd have liked to conversing with Ryan, and even longer giving updates on his progress to random passers-by as he walked the streets. More people than he ever remembered meeting seemed to recognise him and were insistent that he chat with them for an inordinate length of time, ignoring his half-hearted protests and insistence that he really should be actually looking for the ghost boy, and not discussing him. He'd gotten as much information as he deemed necessary from his conversation with Jasmine, and if he managed to meet with her parents that night as he'd promised he would, he imagined he would be learning a lot more later.

Time passed as such for most of the morning- making his way agonisingly slowly around Amity Park's main streets, finding himself growing ever more agitated and regretfully short with the dizzying number of people who insisted on approaching him. In the end, as it approached midday and he found himself decidedly exhausted, he found himself wandering down a semi-crowded street towards one of the few genuinely charming cafés Amity Park had to offer. He had found it the previous day, after enquiring after the town's eateries and politely shunning any mention of an establishment by the name of the "Nasty Burger". The place was small and full of people, though none of them seemed to want to stay, so Remus was easily able to find a table to himself.

As luck would have it, it was just as the waiter was taking his order that there came the sound of shouting approaching from outside- two voices, too quiet to understand, rising in volume as their owners came closer to the crowded café. The occupants fell silent, ears straining to catch what little could be understood, and a few started to wander outside in search of whoever could be causing such a racket. When the voices suddenly quieted they returned inside, looking a little put-out, only to cringe and cry out when a crash sounded from overhead. Amidst the resulting chaos, Remus was able to make out the voices from before- louder this time and easily heard even above the panicked cries of the populace. It was in that moment that he realised, much to his shock, that he recognised both of them. He rushed out to investigate, squeezing past the people clamouring to do the same and sure enough there he was- the elusive Danny Phantom- arguing yet again with the very same ghost from yesterday.

Remus was a well-travelled man. He had suffered a number of strange experiences, and been witness to many more- he had dealt with each as they had come, and as such had gained access to a wealth of knowledge and insight that granted him the ability to deal with new situations as they arose. However, during his time in Amity Park, he had found himself feeling unsettlingly at a loss in general, and occasionally completely nonplussed. As he stared up at the two figures floating high above him, voices raised in argument, he was forced to consider himself the latter, and wonder whether he oughtn't interrupt. He had found the ghost he was looking for- but the ghost he was looking for didn't look like he particularly wanted to be found.

"Look, all I'm saying is that if you're going to get excited about something new, you should at least try and figure out how to use it!" The voice of the renowned Danny Phantom reached Remus' ears easily, seething with frustration.

'Ah, so that's what this is about,' Remus thought. At least he knew where the crash had come from now- according to the large boy-shaped dent in a sign high above them, the Box Ghost had apparently grown so infuriated with Phantom's logic that he decided to make the fight physical. The burn mark in the creature's overalls told viewers the boy wasn't going to let that happen again.

The Box Ghost's voice grew louder and more agitated in response. "I do not need to learn anything new! It is my Doomix Box and I will use it how I want!"

"Look, would you just let me show you?!"

"N- HEY!"

Phantom snatched the Rubik's Cube out of the overall-wearing ghost's hold and began to twist it furiously, the faces flying between positions in his expert grip. Its owner flew into a rage, bulbous blue cheeks turning red as he fought valiantly for possession over the small toy, unaware that they had a small audience below them watching their struggle. Remus found himself wondering again if he shouldn't interrupt, but he held himself back. He suspected any move to interfere would only have negative repercussions.

The Box Ghost had wrapped his legs around Phantom's neck and was making harried grabs for the Rubik's Cube, which Phantom was still fiddling with, holding it protectively close to his chest.

"GIVE- IT- BACK!" he shouted between lunges.

"NYAGH- NO!"

At this point it was really nothing more than a childish debate fuelled by each person's stubbornness. The Box Ghost started pulling at Phantom's hair- the other ignored him, so intent on his mission that it seemed he had outright forgotten about his ghostly capabilities. Still, Remus had to hand it to him- Phantom was doing surprisingly well with the cube. Even with the Box Ghost hindering his progress, he was done in under two minutes, to the polite applause of his audience.

He separated himself from the Box Ghost with some difficulty, then presented him with the completed Rubik's Cube.

"See?!" he huffed triumphantly. "This is what you do with it!" he spun the cube around, showing the ghost the completed faces. "It's like a puzzle!"

"It is not!" the Box Ghost snapped as he took the cube back, ruining all of Phantom's work within three seconds of rushed pulling and twisting. "It's just- agh! No, that's-" he stammered, his voice getting quieter and more pathetic the more he messed with it. "It's not..." he trailed off, then presented it to Phantom with a huff. "Do it again. Fix it."

The boy only laughed in response, folding his arms over his chest. "No way, dude. Fix it yourself, I've had enough of you for one day. Besides, I've got better things to do with my time than teach you how to work a Rubik's Cube."

"IT IS A DOOMIX BOX AND IT WILL BE YOUR DOOM! Once I have gained mastery over it, this Doomix Box will bring nothing but DEATH and DESTRUCTION!"

"Uh-huh. Sure." A bright flash of light followed and suddenly the Box Ghost was gone- and when Phantom clamped the lid of the thermos in his hands shut, his voice was gone too. It was after he had strapped the thermos to his back that the boy finally noticed the people below him and he stiffened, his cheeks flushing green with embarrassment.

"Uh, hi!" he called as casually as he could manage. "Sorry about that, uh... He's been annoying me for a while now."

"At least you got him, right?" someone called, and Phantom laughed, rubbing the back of his neck as the crowd tittered.

"Yeah, I guess. Anyway, I'll uh... I'll get out of here, everyone just go back to doing whatever you were doing or whatev- hey!" As his fluorescent eyes landed on Remus he started, then flew down towards him. The crowd parted immediately, forming a circle around the ghost boy and the man in the tattered suit that made Remus feel oddly exposed- particularly in the presence of such a supposedly powerful being, as much as his boyish form worked to dispel any and all authoritative aura. As it was, he was currently trying his hardest to force himself to speak as it seemed that upon landing Phantom had lost the impulse that brought him to the ground and was struggling to find something to say.

"Danny Phantom, yes?" Remus prompted, finding himself strangely amused by the hero's hesitance.

"Yes!" he replied quickly, with relief. "Sorry, I just wasn't sure how to start."

"That's quite all right," Remus chuckled, now feeling rightly confused. "Why-"

"It's just that I heard that you were looking for me, and it only just hit me that maybe you're not actually the person I'm looking for...?" he rubbed his neck again- a nervous habit, Remus assumed. At least he knew why Phantom seemed to recognise him now.

"It's the suit, isn't it?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"And the accent," Phantom admitted with a grin. "You are the one I'm looking for, right? It's just that we don't exactly get many visitors here, so..."

Remus nodded. "Yes, I believe I am. I've been meaning to talk to you about something important, but I fear it's something we must talk about with less of an audience," he added in an undertone, glancing at the crowd around them.

Phantom took the hint. "Is there somewhere you have in mind?" he asked equally softly.

"Can you follow me without being seen?"

Phantom grinned and nodded. He placed his hand on Remus' shoulder and disappeared from sight- and had it not been for the continued presence of the hand, Remus might have panicked. As it was, he had enough trouble keeping still when Phantom's bodiless whisper reached his ears.

"I'll stay invisible and follow you to wherever you want- just say the word whenever you're ready."

Remus stayed silent. Ignoring the confused chatter of the people around him, he pushed his way through the crowd, silently hoping that, as he had promised, Phantom was following overhead.

. . .

The walk to the motel was an odd one. Remus moved with a purpose, and somehow the people of Amity Park seemed to pick up on it. He was left alone for the first time that day- ironic, he supposed, as he was less alone than he'd ever truly been since his arrival. Phantom was indeed flying alongside him, assuring Remus of his presence with the occasional tap on his shoulder or murmured comment in his ear. They reached their destination within twenty minutes, whereupon Phantom reappeared, and Remus' first instinct was to offer him a drink.

'This is so surreal,' Remus thought as he handed Phantom his mug, unable to look away as the boy took his first sip of the weak tea the motel provided. He had regretted asking Phantom if he wanted a drink the moment he finished speaking, fearing he had committed some great offence knowing that ghosts typically couldn't consume anything. As he was learning now, he never should have worried- apparently ecto-based ghosts differed from magical ones in more ways than he'd thought.

Remus took his own mug in hand and sat opposite his guest at the tiny table in the corner of the room, fixing him with an odd stare. "A corporeal ghost," he murmured, "with the ability to eat and drink. That's a first."

"Oh?" Phantom looked at him, setting down his drink with a wry smile. "What kind of ghosts are you used to, then?"

Remus took a long, deep breath. "Magical ones. The ghosts of witches and wizards, to be precise."

"Then you're a wizard?"

Remus breathed a silent sigh of relief. If Phantom already knew about magic, he wouldn't need to explain too much. He was loath to repeat his speech on magic again. He nodded. "Yes, I am. And the existence of magic is precisely what I mean to discuss with you, if that's all right."

"Sure. Mind you, I only really know the whole "magic exists" thing, not much more" he added ruefully.

"For now, it's more than enough. It allows me to skip the basics."

It seemed prudent to explain first why the wizarding world and Amity Park had so little to do with one another- that much, Remus could say with ease. Of Lord Voldemort, he spoke little- of the destruction he caused, he spoke at length. He told Phantom as much as he could of Death Eaters and of the Order of the Phoenix, of Dumbledore and his school- even of the boy named Harry Potter and his involvement in both the death and resurrection of the great dark lord, but in the end it all came down to one sentence.

"The Order of the Phoenix, and the wizarding world at large, need your help."

Phantom had remained silent throughout all of Remus' speech, interjecting only occasionally to ask a question or clarify a point. Now he watched the man before him with his hands folded on the tabletop, brow furrowed in concentration and worry. ". . . When will we be leaving?" he asked finally, and Remus felt himself stiffen.

"Three days from now at most, but I'm hoping we can leave sooner," he replied. "There are several children here who I intend to bring with me back to Hogwarts; they've proven themselves capable of magic and it's doubtful the American schooling system will want anything to do with them- assuming the American Ministry would even consider associating itself with Amity Park and its inhabitants after all these years..." He paused. "Does this mean you'll join us?"

"Yeah, it does." Phantom smiled, pushing away his mug with a look of apology. "I just need to know a couple more things- would you offer a place to stay?"

"Yes," Remus' voice was thick with relief. "We can offer you space at our headquarters until the start of the school year, and then further lodging at Hogwarts. Do you... erm, do you sleep?"

"No, so you don't need to worry about getting me a room or anything, just knowing there's a house to go to is enough. And, uh- food isn't really totally necessary either, but if I'm there-"

"You won't have to worry about food, I can assure you of that," Remus interrupted with a knowing smile. "As for what you would be doing- I'm afraid you'd have to speak with Dumbledore on that one. As far as I know you could be doing nothing but helping out with cleaning duties." He gave a light laugh. "Not very exciting, I must apologise- I'm not making the best case here, am I?"

Phantom's smile widened. "Whatever I can do to help." With that, he stood from his chair, taking care to tuck it in. "So, is that all for today?"

"Yes, it was. Ah- how do I contact you? I can't imagine we'll have such luck as to simply run into each other again when it's time to leave."

Phantom laughed at that, cocking his head in thought. "Um, well I guess I could come check up on this place every now and then? Maybe something like... Turn the doorhandle red and I'll know you're waiting for me at the park... or something."

"How about I simply stand outside the door?"

"Fine, be boring. That works too."

With a small wave, Phantom flew upwards and straight through the ceiling, leaving Remus alone at the small table with his cold mug of tea still half-full in front of him, feeling as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.


Again, thank you so much for all the follows, favourites and reviews, you people are incredible :3

SO. HUGE delay, I know, and I'm really really sorry! I'll try my best to get this thing back on track ^-^

In the meantime, an important point:

- I won't be giving away all the names of people going to Hogwarts, but I will say for certain, just in case the events of this chapter weren't enough to confirm it, that Valerie will not be attending. This does NOT mean that I'm leaving her out of the story- she's just got her own agenda :)

That's all! As usual, feel free to send me a PM concerning any questions you might have about the story (no spoilers, sorry!) and reviews are highly appreciated!

Thanks for reading!

Until next time :D