I lost The Game several times by reading the reviews from said fanfiction. That was a consequence I did not forsee.

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter.

Chapter Ten

The Boggart

Malfoy didn't reappear in the classes until halfway through a double Potions session. He swaggered into the classroom as though he was the survivor of a horrible and deadly battle. Pansy simpered over him for a while, and then Snape told the class to settle down as Malfoy chose a place to sit, near me and Harry.

"Sir," called Malfoy. "I can't cut up these roots, sir. Because of my arm."

"Fenton." called Snape. "Cut up Malfoy's roots for him."

"There's nothing wrong with your arm." I hissed at Malfoy. He smirked in response.

I simply looked down and began to carefully cut the roots.

"And sir, I'll need my shrivelfig skinned."

"Potter, skin Malfoy's shrivelfig." he said to Harry.

Harry did so, angrily.

A few cauldrons away, Neville had done the potion more than a little wrong. It was supposed to be acid green. Instead it was a bright, florescent...

"Orange, Longbottom." said Snape, scooping some up and allowing it to spill back into the cauldron. "Tell me, does anything penetrate your thick skull? Can you not process the simple instructions of how many rat spleens or how much leech juice is required? What must I do to get this hammered into your head?"

Malfoy leaned across the table, leering at Harry. "Thinking of trying to catch Black yourself, Potter?"

"Yep, I sure am." said Harry sarcastically.

"Of course, if it was me, I would've done something long ago. I wouldn't be being a good boy and staying in the castle, I'd be out there, looking for him so that I could take care of him myself."

Snape called out, "You should have finished adding your ingredients by now; the potion needs to stew before it can be drunk, so clear away while it simmers and then we'll test Longbottom's."

Apparently, despite Snape's instruction, Hermione had helped Neville fix his potion anyway. Some points were taken from Gryffindor (whatever(1)) and Neville's toad didn't die.

In the next class - DADA - a creature was rattling around in a wardrobe. Some people looked worried at this.

Professor Lupin came in and saw the worried students. "Nothing to worry about. There's a boggart in there."

Most people seemed to feel that this was something to worry about. I was indifferent, considering I had no idea what a boggart was.

"Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces." said Professor Lupin. "Boggarts transform into your worst fear."

I blanched at that. My worst fear. Him.

"What are you afraid of, Fenton?" taunted Malfoy. "Ghosts?"

I shook my head, trying to clear my mind, difficult considering I would soon be facing him again.

Just then, the wardrobe shook and out came the boggart. Apparently, even at the distance I was away from it (for I was on the opposite side of the classroom) it took the form of my greatest fear.

Dan.

I yelled in shock and fright. I backed away, but Dan flew after me. Malfoy looked back and forth between us, finally making the connection.

"Ha! So you are afraid of ghosts!"

"Not just any ghost." I whispered. "He is more powerful than Pariah Dark himself."

"Hello, Danny." he said menacingly. "Surprised to see me? You will become me, you know. I'm inevitable."

"No!" I yelled. "I'll never become you!"

"Of course you will, Danny. It's only a matter of time."

I stumbled back a little, but planted myself between him and the others.

"Now that I'm out of that infernal thermos, what's to stop me from killing your family? Your friends? Not you. Maybe I can start with that little Goth girl."

"No! You'll never touch them!" I yelled, charging a powerful ectoblast.

Perhaps it was the sight of the destructive ectoblast I held in my hand that finally snapped Professor Lupin out of it.

He stepped forward. "Ridikulous!"

Dan vanished, becoming a floating white ball, to which Lupin said, "Ridikulous!" and it became a white balloon and deflated.

Then, feeding off of my fear, the boggart reformed into Dan.

"What's to stop you from becoming me? What makes you think you can change my past?"

"N-no. I promised." Everyone was behind me. I knew what was coming. I knew how I would respond. I shifted to put the last person, Professor Lupin, behind me.

"Ha ha ha! You are such a child. You promised?"

My eyes unfocused. I had known it was coming, but I couldn't stop it, or the response. I remembered those words. Dan... Dan had said them last time. Staring at Dan, I yelled,

"Yes, I PROMISED!" But it wasn't a yell. It was a wail. My Ghostly Wail. The hands of the other students snapped up to cover their ears, along with Professor Lupin.

It now seemed to dawn on some of the others just how scared I was. More scared than I had even let on. Lupin said the spell again as soon as the wail faded away, and the boggart finally vanished.

I was breathing hard from the energy and breath needed for the Wail, especially in human form. The other students were staring at me. I sank to the ground, anticipating questions.

And I was not disappointed.

"Who was he?"

"He was... me. More powerful than Pariah, he took over the world and he is be if I became corrupted by evil. I prevented that, but in his timeline, he destroyed the entire world."

"You mentioned Pariah Dark twice now. Who is he?"

"The King of all ghosts."

"You said something about a promise. What was that?"

"I promised my friends and family never to become evil. Never to become him."

Many questions later, the flow ended.

"Class dismissed!" Professor Lupin called at last.