Salazar's Heir

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: Never have and never will.

Deathday Cat

Dear Tucker,

Rain, rain, rain. It's October in dreary old England. Nearly Headless Nick, Gryffindor's House Ghost, has been a bit morose lately.

While we watched Ginny Weasley play tag with some the ghosts (yeah, Danny too), Sir Nicholas explained about a rejection letter he had received from Sir Patrick Delaney-Podmore. Sir Nicholas, you see, has been trying to join the Headless Hunt since he died 500 years ago, but a little strip of flesh has barred his way time and time again. As he puts it: "Half an inch of skin and sinew holding my neck on, Harry! Most people would think that's good and beheaded, but oh, no, it's not for Sir Properly Decapitated-Podmore." (1)

"Hey, whatcha reading, Foley?" came the annoying voice of the school quarterback, Dash Baxter.

"A letter from Harry; he, Danny and Sam are attending a ghost hunter's academy in Scotland," Tucker reminded him, grabbing the letter back from Dash.

"Yeah, didn't you and what's her name go and visit them over Christmas break?" Paulina said, snapping her fingers as if she suddenly remembered something.

"Yes," Tucker admitted.

"Well, dweeb, read the letter," Dash ordered. "We're all ears."

Tucker gulped, adjusted his wire frames for a moments, then looked down at the letter.

I, mean, jeeze, Sir Nicholas was dripping sarcasm with every word he bit off. Luckily, Danny and I consulted with Mom and another on a solution for his predicament.

Draco Malfoy, the blond Slytherin-if you remember, is stepping on thin ice around Danny and Sam. Sam's still pissed at him and convinced Danny to leg-shackle him to Klemper for an hour.

Skulker is a new ghost, who is hell-bent on skinning Danny and nailing his pelt to the wall. He's a robotic ghost who styles himself the "Ghost Zone's greatest hunter". He does odd jobs for Professor Masters and is on his payroll.

Kwan looked a little green. "That's sick," he muttered. "Excuse me."

Tucker rolled his eyes and went back to the letter.

Apparently, Danny ran into him one night on an errand for Plasmius, Danny's ghost teacher, and thought he was going to attack a student. Danny destroyed his armor; man, the guy is puny! Would you believe Skulker is really the size of an orange with red eyes and pencil-thin limbs? His voice is squeakier than Paulina's singing.

"My voice does not squeak when I sing," Paulina's eyes flashed angrily as she stated this.

"Actually," Valerie contradicted her, "it kinda does."

"Hmmph!"

Had a run in with Argus Filch, our school janitor. I was talking with Sir Nicholas about his rejection letter, dripping water and mud, when I got hauled off to his office-a medieval torture chamber with filing cabinets-Fred and George have one drawer all to themselves.

"Don't blame the guy," Star said, examining her nails. "I mean, gross!"

"Hush," Valerie said. "Go on, Tucker."

Sir Nicholas bribed our school poltergeist into dropping a large, expensive vanishing cabinet in the classroom above Filch's office. Man, do I owe him one.

"Figures," Valerie laughed. "Only a Fenton could talk a ghost into doing that."

Tucker silently agreed.

Nick invited all the ghosts in the school and more besides. A few mortals such as Professor Masters, myself, Danny, Ron, and Hermione also were invited-Sam had a prior engagement with our ghostly friend in the Forbidden Forest.

"A future ghost hunter is friends with a ghost?" Valerie said, slightly disgusted. "Talk about ironic."

"If you mind?" Tucker asked, shooting a glare at her.

Horrible! Horrible! Horrible!

"No, I's ain't. My name's Hoggle!" (2)

Sorry, Tucker, but Youngblood had to have his say too, apparently. Here's a list; you'll see what I mean:

Light: long black tapers with bright blue ghostly flames

Food: moldy, rotting, stinking to high heaven

Music: fingernails on a chalkboard variety

The group swung their heads toward Kwan, who excused himself again.

Things got out of hand when the Headless Hunt arrived. Sir Nicholas couldn't even give his Deathday speech...

Danny here, Tuck. Featherhead just phased Harry through the wall to pursue a strange voice that's been setting the both of them on edge lately. So, let me finish the story.

I lost my temper and morphed. Grabbing the ecto-shears, I forced Sir Nicholas' head to the side and cut the last evidence of his botched beheading.

I breached ghostly protocol, but Sir Percy was beaming when Sir Nicholas threw his head aloft and cried tears of joy. His induction ceremony is set for one year hence since the deadline already passed..

Yes, I did apologize.

Sam, Youngblood, and I went to a Halloween party in the Ghost Zone where we met the Spirit of Halloween, aptly named the Fright Knight. Would you believe, he bowed his knee to me and told me some day I would prove myself worthy of my lineage? Weird.

There was danger when we returned. We ran into Harry, Ron and Hermione who were chasing a soundless voice slithering in the walls. It sounds odd, but only Harry and Featherhead can hear it.

"Dude's mental," Dash muttered.

Ron gave us a "Harry's gone mental" look when we popped in. The school's techology prevents anyone from teleporting into and off the grounds, but doesn't extend to ghosts. Thank you, Fright Knight!

Blood and feathers were splashed everywhere. Someone scrawled 'ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE! THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED.'

Filch was very distraught because someone had hung his cat up by her tail and petrified her.

Paulina whimpered. "Who would do such a horrible thing to a poor defenseless kitty?"

Professor Masters had to cover for Harry, because Filch blamed him because of their recent run-in. Featherhead, according to Harry, kept complaining for hours afterward of chickens, blood, ectoplasm, water, stones, and the color red.

"Colors have smells?" Star said in surprise. "You learn something new everyday."

I'll let you know what happens later.

Happy Halloween,

Danny and Harry Fenton

Tucker sighed as he folded the letter. "Well, that's it."

"Geeks," Dash laughed, turning to the A-list. "Who is up for pizza and a movie?"

"Me!" came the chorus, as the group turned as one and stampeded towards the Pizzathea, the only pizza/cineplex in town.

"Odd man out again," Tucker mumbled, scuffing the sidewalk.

Author's Notes:

(1) page 124, HPCS

(2) quoted from the movie, Labyrinth

(3) Yes, I know I'm jumping from plot point to plot point. There will be more action in the third story installment than herein.