All right, I'm no good at angst, so bear with me. That, and Dan has other plans as well. You'll find out what they are, though there won't be too much action on his part.

Danny was an empty shell. He still could not believe that Jazz was dead. He should have been able to protect her; he should have been stronger. Jack and Maddie were comforting each other, but he really didn't care. He just wanted to be alone.

He walked in a zombie-like trance and looked for a room. Unfortunately, he didn't know his way around and this place was very strange. He saw a picture of an old woman, wondering who it was. Danny briefly remembered they said this was the Black house, so it was probably someone in that family.

"Danny, it's not your fault." Valerie said, hugging him from behind. "It was that bastard that attacked us. Listen to me: we will beat him, no matter what. And you're not the only one who missed Jazz."

"Have you ever lost anybody like this before your own eyes?" Danny demanded. He was in no mood to be polite. "I should have been able to save her! I let her down." Dannny had tears coming out of her cheeks, Valerie trying to comfort him as best he could.

"Danny, you should be with your parents." Tucker told them. "They're feeling as bad as you are, I'm sure." Tucker and Sam were pretty shaken up themselves. It just didn't seem real. Jazz was the person you would always see and to have her gone…

"I just can't believe this is happening." Sam sighed. "I cared about her as well, but we need to finish this, Danny. Jazz would not want you to fall into depression; she would want you to be the same Danny, to stop this thing before more suffer the same fate. Yes, I know it is rather cliché, but it's true."

"Sam, leave him alone!" Valerie snapped. "He just lost someone dear to him. Danny has a right to mourn."

"He's not the only one who's upset!" Tucker defended Sam. "We can mourn later, but we have something more important to do. Namely, stop Dan before he destroys all of this. I know he could have killed us all. He left us alive for a reason."

"I know, guys, I know, but it's hard." Danny sighed. "I need some time to come to terms with this. I'm going to my room." He walked away, Valerie following. He ended up tripping on a pair of drapes and fell on his face. Despite herself, Valerie started chuckling. Nice to know some things never changed.

But a voice from the picture surprised them. "Half-breeds, Muggles, defiling the house of my fathers! Creatures of filth, ectoplasmic freaks! Disgusting half-bloods, werewolves, in my…." She didn't get a chance to finish as Danny fired an ecto-blast, destroying the portrait.

"Danny, we've been looking for you." Maddie stated, Jack beside her. Both of them appeared to be crying. "I know this is difficult, but we've got to come up with some kind of a plan, or we are going to be next. You don't have to come with us if you don't want to, but we would appreciate it."

"I'm going to make this thing pay for what it did to Jasmine!" Jack exclaimed, carrying his largest gun. "Just wait until he gets a taste of our prototypes! Don't worry, Danny; we will stop this thing, even if it costs me my life." Danny started openly crying and ran off, his friends going after him. "What did I say?"

"Jack, he's worried about losing the rest of us." Maddie chastised. "It probably wasn't a good idea to say something like that. Though to be realistic, there's a chance we'll be destroyed as well. I just hope Danny will get through. He's a strong boy, but…."

"I hope so too, Maddie." Jack sighed sadly. "I just want this to end, for this to stop. We've got to go to the meeting to figure out what to do." They walked slowly to the kitchen, where the few remaining order members were meeting. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were there, despite being underage. Ron and Harry both looked teary-eyed, since Mrs. Weasley was among the ones killed.

Lupin and Mr. Weasley were both in the corner, looking a combination of haunted and furious. The feelings were obviously unanimous, especially since they knew what probably happened to Dumbledore. But they had a duty to fill and they would follow it to the end. Though it seemed more and more evident what that end would be. Both of them lost people they cared about, but they slowly pushed their grief aside to deal with the problem.

"Okay, we've got to make some sort of decision." Mr. Weasley declared. "It's only a matter of time until he finds us. We've got to make some sort of preparation."

"Fenton, I observed that one of those devices you had was able to actually hurt the creature, unlike the ones we had." Tonks stated. "Is there any chance that you could duplicate those devices?"

"You mean the Fenton Peeler?" Maddie replied. "Given time, we should be able to make more of them. The Specter Deflector had some effect as well, but was quickly ripped off. My husband and I are working on more powerful versions of the weapons for when we face him again."

"How long do you think that will take?" Mcgonagall asked. "I imagine we do not have a great deal of time. I only hope we will be able to duplicate that technology quickly."

"We already had blueprints for upgraded versions, though we didn't expect such a need." Jack explained. "It shouldn't take more than a few days with the proper equipment. These were designed to bring down tougher ghosts, such as the one we faced before coming here. Hopefully, it'll be able to do something about the enemy we now face."

"But we have no guarantees, right?" Hermione asked, to which the Fentons nodded. "If we fail, not only will he destroy us, but he'll go after the muggle world as well. He will kill millions of innocent people."

"We are well aware of the stakes, Miss Granger." Jack replied. "It is for this reason that we have called in the Guys in White, an American organization that is designed to protect the public from ghosts. I think it's become necessary."

"I hope you realize what you've done." Lupin interjected. "You two may have ended up exposing our entire world by doing such a thing."

"But we may not have a choice." Harry sighed. "Nothing else has worked against this thing, and we need to do more than force him to retreat. He has to be destroyed."

"Hate to say it, but he's right." Ron agreed. "There may be consequences for our exposure, but it won't matter at all if our entire world is destroyed."

"Most of the wizarding governments in Europe have been destroyed and that was before he got to full strength." Mcgonagall declared. "Nonetheless, I have reservations about taking such an action."

"The exposure of your world is only possible, not a guarantee." Maddie explained. "We would not have taken this action if there was any other choice. Hermione, why are you reading a book at a time like this?"

"I think I may have found something." Hermione replied, putting the book down. "Legend says that before he passed away, the wizard Merlin had stored his magic in a place where it could be used if it was needed. Only one who would use it for a good cause would be able to."

"Okay, but who knows if that is true?" Ginny protested. "I've heard that legend since I was a toddler. I've never believed it, so why are we now?"

"This is worth investigating, however." Mr. Weasley replied. "If anyone knew the truth of this, it would have to be the unspeakables. The department of mysteries may give us the answer."

"Assuming anything's left of if after the destruction Dan's wrought in our world." Ron warned. "We may not have a choice. The longer we spend arguing, the less chance we have of actually destroying this thing."

"Almost everyone who survived is in this room tonight." Maddie pointed out. "We are going to need international cooperation. Mr. Weasley, since you work in the ministry, what can you tell us about relations between your world's governments?"

"I do not know much of that, since it is not in my department." Mr. Weasley replied. "However, what I can tell you in that relationships between Britain and Western Europe are strong. Relations with the States, though, are quite strained and several decades ago, we came close to war."

"I only hope they have been warned of the situation." Lupin sighed. "This creature will likely attack them too, and they deserve some warning to have time to prepare a counterassault."

"And we may need their help." Harry declared. "There is not much left of Western Europe, so we may need to go to them. Whatever they ask for, we will have to give it. The stakes are simply too high. There is almost nothing left of us and our allies. The only place left untouched is Hogwarts."

"And that's where we need to go." Maddie stated.

"Hold on, let's not be so hasty." Hermione cautioned. "He hasn't attacked it for a reason. I think he's leading us into a trap. He wants to destroy us all at the same time."

"Yes, we're well aware of that." Jack replied. "He'll head right for it, where we can lead him into a trap of our own. All we need to do is finish our upgrades."

"We've got to act now, Clockwork." James panted, flying up to Clockwork. "There is nothing left in the wizarding world that can fight. The Order is almost destroyed, and Danny is a wreck. Lily's trying to console him, but we aren't much luck. I hope you're prepared for a fight, Clockwork."

"James, you shouldn't have come here." Clockwork sighed, turning into a child. "Dan is currently in the ghost world, destroying everyone who he feels will rise up against him. I've warned Dora and Frostbite that he's coming for them, but Walker has already been destroyed. Word is spreading fast and few are willing to fight him. I will fight, but I can't beat him alone."

"Clockwork, gather up whoever you can and fight." James insisted. "We can't wait any longer, damn it!"

"He's right, Clockwork." Danielle sighed. "We've spent too much time deliberating. It's time for action. I, for one, am going to stand by Danny."

"Glad to see that someone agrees with me." James smirked. "Where's Sirius, by the way? We told him to stay back."

"Right where you left me, Jackass." Sirius replied in his dog form. "I saw Dan fly by less than an hour ago. He was destroying ghosts who had no chance to defend themselves."

"All right, we'll move." Clockwork sighed, turning into an old man. "I hope Frostbite will suffer his pride and flee, because Dan will destroy all of them if he refuses. We can't do anything if he stays; it'll only put us at risk. Let's go." They flew off, gathering ghosts as they went. Many were terrified, but a few were willing to stand with him.

The ghost zone seemed strangely quiet, but they were still on their guard. However, a ghost headed towards them at great speed. Sirius grabbed him by his leg and dragged him to Clockwork. "I'm here to help." He protested. "I'm Vlad Masters, not whatever's been attacking us." Unlike the Vampiric ghost Clockwork expected, he was nothing more than a green blob. He sighed and figured he owed them as explanation. "Plasmius took control of my body over a year ago. I thankfully got out, but he's been getting steadily more evil since. It wouldn't be a stretch to say he's as dark as the monster that's laying siege."

"Are you sure we should trust him?" Danielle warned. "I still remember my last encounter with him."

"I'm not who I was." Vlad insisted. "Most of my evil disappeared when Plasmius took over."

Clockwork stayed silent for a long moment. The ghosts were ready to attack if he gave the word. Finally, he spoke up. "We'll let him go with us, but keep a close eye on him." He turned into an adult. "James, Danielle, that I will leave to you. I'm sure I can trust you with this."

"I'm glad you gave me a chance." Vlad declared. "I can understand why you would be skeptical."

"We've got more important things to worry about." Sirius replied. "We'll take any ally we can get. It doesn't mean I have to like it, though."

Danny was currently crying in Lily's arms as she tried to soothe him. Sam, Tucker, and Valerie tried to help, but they had tears coming down themselves. However, Danny suddenly stopped and forced himself out of Lily's embrace. "He's going to pay for this." he snarled. "I may not have been able to stop Dan from killing her, but he's going to pay for his crimes, I promise you. I'll chase him to Mars, if I have to."

"But it might be a good idea to be careful." Lily told him. "I still can't believe your parents aren't trying to help you! What kind of people are they?"

"They're grieving as well, so don't be too quick to judge." Tucker scolded. "Unlike us, they don't have the luxury of grieving. They have a job to do, as do we."

"We'll get through this together." Valerie added. "I think it'd be a good idea to join the others. We may be able to help." Danny nodded, walking out of the room. Lily watched the children with a sad look. Like her own son, they were forced to grow up far too fast. She wanted to watch them, but wanted to spend time with Harry. She hadn't seen him in so long. Her and James, along with others, were fighting the Death Eaters killed in action, devoted to their master even in death.

They headed to the meeting, which was about to end. Harry smiled and ran up to Lily, hugging her tightly. She smiled and returned it. "Isn't this cute, Maddie?" Jack smiled. "Just wish our son would hug us more. Though I think the fact I almost strangled Danny last time. I'll just have to be more careful." Mr. Weasley joined, though Lupin looked very uncomfortable with showing such emotion. Sam had the same sentiment, backing up into a corner.

"I see you don't like showing affection." Lupin smiled. "I'm curious: did your parents frown on it?'

"No, they just didn't care." Sam replied. "I learned to suppress them a long time ago. I show them to Danny and Tucker, but nobody else. It's why I went Goth, though I admit I don't follow too much of the culture."

"Well, I'm sure you can slip just this once." Lupin replied. "In truth, I'm quite worried about this whole situation. I don't have much to lose, except that I care about Harry. Everyone else I ever cared about is dead. It's very shocking to see Lily and James again. There are so many things I want to say to them."

"You won't be able to talk to James for a while, unfortunately." Lily put in. "He went to Clockwork to tell him the grim news and urge him to help us. He's a decent ghost, but he wastes too much time observing and not enough actually doing himself. It reminds me of the Ministry."

"I don't think he could be that bad." Lupin replied. "I'm sure you remember how the Ministry was when we worked there? It's worse now and they've grown even more intolerant."

"That's just plain disgusting." Sam shuddered. "Haven't they learned anything at all? I admit my world has its share of bigotry, but this world is ten times worse. Once this is over, I'm going to clean this society up!"

"You remind me of when I was your age." Lily replied. "I only hope you can change it, though don't you have to go back to the states in a while? It's a nice sentiment, but people aren't willing to change easily."

"Yes, that's rather sad, but we have to worry about other things." Danny told him, interrupting the conversation. "Namely, how we're going to survive this. If we get that out of the way, then we can concentrate on how to improve the world, assuming we even can."

They were all silent, preparing for the final battle. No one had the guts to say it, but it was in everyone's thoughts: it was very unlikely that they were going to survive this war.

Dan laughed as he destroyed the remainder of Frostbite's people. Some of them had managed to escape, but that was of little consequence. Dora and her idiot minions managed to escape in time, presumably to help his weakling self.

"Now let's see: who else do I need to go after?" Dan mused to himself. The local ghosts had long ago ceased to be any sort of amusement. At least when he was weaker, the wizards could put up a fight, but he really did not care.

Then a thought came to him. He would have to eliminate the cheesehead before he could become a threat. Perhaps he would put up a challenging fight, though it was one he couldn't win. Dan briefly considered releasing Pariah Dark to help him eliminate the nuisances, but even he couldn't beat the Ghost King.

Supremely bored, he flew through the ghost zone, zapping any poor soul that he managed to see. A creature headed towards him at rapid speed. From what little he had of Vlad's memory, this thing guarded the skeleton key.

"Let's see if this thing provides a challenge." Dan smirked, dodging his tail. He let out a huge breath of fire, which he easily blocked. "Well, I suppose not." He fired an eye blast, knocking it back. He punched the creature savagely, but to his surprise, it still fought. It whipped him in the back with his tail, and hit him with another fire blast while he was stunned.

Dan came out of it without real injury, but there were several burns on his jumpsuit. He retaliated with lightning, frying the creature's torso. Not wasting any time, Dan extended his fingernails and plunged them in the creature's chest. He was hit by one of the creature's arms, but it had little effect.

Dan laughed as he conjured a pair of swords, cutting off one of the arms. The creature screamed and he duplicated into 4, doing the same to his other appendages. Being a ghost, it was not fatal, but the creature was now unable to fight. He charged up a massive blast, finishing the creature for good. "Well, that's that." he laughed. "Maybe I should fight the cheesehead with one hand behind my back, just to make it more interesting. I've got plenty of time to decide, and I even have a little insurance in case something happens. Wait, why am I talking to myself?"

All right, just two chapters left and this story will be done. Do me a favor and resist the urge to cut me into tiny pieces. Please read and review, the usual routine, since I like this story. I think it's one of the few crossover that don't have Vlad or Dan teaming up with Voldemort.