Previous Chapter: Chapter 11

Chapter 20: Path of the Brave

The cries were bearing down on him, and Danny decided, more than anything, he just wanted to be out of the school and away from the nutcases inside it. He could always sneak in later and find out if they had a way back. He pelted down the bright hallway, scanning either side for an exit door or window as he ran. Portraits, tapestries, and suits of armor blurred as he ran past, discarding any door that didn't look like it led to the outside as he went.

A group of students came around a corridor up ahead and Danny skidded to a stop, changing direction even before he stopped sliding along the floor. He turned a sharp corner heading into the first hallway he spotted. His wrist gave another sharp pain as he pushed himself off the wall to make the turn successfully. At the far end of it, he caught sight of bright sunlight streaming in through two tall, vaulted windows.

Danny smiled at the sight, increasing his speed despite his burning lungs. He was solely focused on the windows and escape, his vision telescoping on the sky shining outside. Suddenly, two more ghosts drifted out from the wall, pausing directly in his path to stare in surprise.

Letting out a strangled cry, Danny tried to stop himself. His feet slid uselessly on a carpet as he spun to head back the way he came. True the ghosts were black and white and looked transparent, but Point Dexter was black and white and Danny still couldn't call forth his powers. He was almost back to the main hallway when the opening was blocked off by the old man, Dumbledore.

Pulling another 180, Danny fell for a moment to his hands and knees before he could push himself up again and stumble away. He whipped his head around franticly. Ghosts at one end, a crazy old man with a dangerous magic stick on the other, and no way to go through the walls, he was trapped like the proverbial rat. That didn't mean he'd go down without a fight.

Putting his back to the wall, Danny positioned himself halfway between the two threats. He tried to grab the sword from one of the suits of armor standing nearby, but couldn't wrench the weapon from the metal grasp, so he settled for taking up a fighting stance. Danny glared down either end of the corridor, trying to take in everything at once. He could see students trying to see out from behind Dumbledore. The whole situation was directly out of his book of worst nightmares and he had to fight to keep himself from panicking, though it wasn't working very well. He had difficulty just controlling his breathing after his mad dash through the halls.

Dumbledore held up both hands, showing he didn't have his stick in either, and took a step into the hallway. "It's alright, my boy, no one here is going to hurt you," he said in a calm and reassuring tone.

Danny spun to face him, only half taking in the man's words. "What… did… you do to me?" he shot back, breath still short from sprinting and panic seeping into his voice, despite his efforts.

"It was merely a revealing charm," Dumbledore replied in that same calm tone, "I did not think it would frighten you so and I have to look after the safety of my students."

At his mentioning of the children, Danny's eyes flicked to the crowd pressing closer behind him. Dumbledore noticed his glance and turned, shooing the students back out into the main hallway. He turned back to Danny, not trying to come any closer and keeping his empty hands out in the open.

"You need to calm yourself, my boy. You are very close to hyperventilating," the Headmaster said, looking concerned.

Danny knew it, but he couldn't reign in his breathing. Black spots were appearing in his vision as Danny heaved to catch some air into his lungs. His fighting stance crumbled as he placed a hand on the wall to steady himself. Dizziness swept through him and he swayed on his feet, his breath still raging out of control. Bracing a hand on a knee, he looked up to find the Headmaster closer, wand in hand with a concerned expression on his face.

"St-stay…back," Danny tried to growl though it came out in a wheeze. He pulled himself up a little more and stepped back in an attempt to look less helpless, but the effort was wasted with the tremors running through his limbs. He closed his eyes again, trying one more time to reign in his galloping breathing. He'd faced down ghosts, demons, and who knew what else and here he was having what felt suspiciously like a panic attack. It was embarrassing.

The thought ran through Danny's head, piling onto the understanding of how very screwed he was and all the obstacles that now existed between him and home. Instead of helping him get his panic under control, thinking only seemed to be making it worse. Leaning against the wall Danny tried to hold his balance through another bout of dizziness. The only thing that could now penetrate the fog closing over his mind was the desperate need for air. For a moment, Danny thought he felt a hand grasp his arm, holding him up, but he wasn't certain and seconds later everything went dark.

XxXxX

Danny came-to slowly. His thoughts were slow to form and his eyes slow to open. It was tempting to just lay there and doze, drifting in the comfortable world he found himself in, but there was something in the back of his mind that wouldn't let him. It was like an itch that wouldn't go away and forced his eyes open, even if they only made it half way.

He was most definitely awake. Danny knew it by looking around himself, pushing his torso to a more upright position. Still, his thoughts wouldn't sharpen with the wakefulness. It was as though he still had the haze of sleep over his mind. It left him comfortable and content in the larger sense. Calm was the best way he could describe it, even though calm was the last thing in the world he should be at the moment.

His thinking slowly cleared as he observed the room but the calm didn't dissipate as Danny look around what appeared to be a medical ward. There were lines of bunks running down in two columns along the room. At either end stood a door, but only one seemed to exit the ward. The other seemed to lead into an office with large glass windows. The ceiling swept up high above the beds, wooden beams tracing the cathedral lines. Large glass windows framed by heavy brocade drapes let light into either side of the ward.

In the office, Danny could see two figures moving. The door opened and out stepped the old man from earlier followed by a shorter woman in an old fashioned nurse's outfit. Danny knew he should be worried at the sight of the old man, but the emotions wouldn't flow right and the calm remained. It occurred to him that if he was in a medical ward they may have given something, but he couldn't dredge up the effort to care at the moment. If he weren't so calm he'd probably be freaking out right now, Danny's mouth twitched at the thought before it settled back to his vaguely confused expression.

Dumbledore came to his bedside with a cautious step. The headmaster looked down at Danny with a kind expression, "How are you feeling, my boy?" he asked.

Danny stared at him a moment, trying to draw out the unease he knew he should be feeling but it wouldn't come as anything stronger than a vague frown. "Fine, I guess…" Danny said, trying to pinpoint exactly how he felt, "A little strange."

Dumbledore glanced at the nurse briefly before turning back to Danny. "You had a panic attack in the corridor. We've given you a calming draught to help counteract it, but the potion seems to have a stronger affect than we normally see."

Another glance to the nurse and she was by Danny's other side, peering into his eyes and holding a finger for him to follow. "His eyes are slightly dilated and his reflexes seem slower than they should be. In the future, I would only give him half a dose."

Danny stared at the woman, processing what she had just said. "You drugged me?" he asked, wishing the question had come out a little more indignant. As it was, his voice sounded a little flat in his own ears.

"This is Madam Pomphrey," Dumbledore introduced the nurse, "She is the school nurse. Don't worry. The potion will wear off soon enough. We didn't want to repeat this morning. I was hoping we could talk when you woke, but if you wish to wait for the potion to wear off I could come back later today."

Danny didn't respond for a moment, everything did feel a little more distant than normal, but it was more due to inability to dredge up the expected emotions to the situation than anything. His thoughts felt clear even if his emotions didn't. "I'd really rather just find out where I am," Danny said.

Before answering immediately, Dumbledore nodded a dismissal to Madam Pomphrey. He then drew out his wand and pulled a heavily cushioned purple chair out of thin air.

"If he shows any other reactions-," the nurse started.

"I shall call you immediately," Dumbledore finished for her before turning back to Danny and settling down in the chair. "You are at Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft in Scotland," Dumbledore said. "I take it from your accent that you are American."

Danny nodded, "I'm from Amity Park, in Ohio," he said, his mind focused on what the headmaster had said before, "Witchcraft? So you teach magic here? That's what you were doing before?"

"Yes, this school is specialized in teaching young witches and wizards how to control and master their magical ability. The class you were so unexpectedly pulled into was the divination class. I believe they were holding a lesson on séances."

"That's what the pink bubble was?" Danny asked more to himself than the old man. He couldn't believe his luck, first sucked into the Ghost Zone by his trigger happy mom and then dragged out of it by a loopy teacher teaching séances.

"Pink bubble?" Dumbledore asked, "I'm afraid I don't know what happens on the other side of a séance, having never been there myself. Perhaps if you told me where exactly you came from it when pulled here might help."

Danny gathered his wits together to refocus on the conversation. "I was in the Ghost Zone, that's the dimension where ghosts come from," he added at seeing Dumbledore's questioning look. "I was lost and trying to find a way home. You see the Ghost Zone isn't set up like the normal world. It has portals and doors that can lead anywhere or anywhen," Danny frowned. That word didn't quite seem right. Maybe his head wasn't as clear as he thought it was. Shaking his head he continued, "And they don't always correspond with the real world either. If you don't know the area you're in then it can be almost impossible to find your way to a specific time or place. While I was flying around, trying to find something familiar I came across this large pink bubble. When I touched it, I was sucked inside and suddenly found myself in the class room."

Dumbledore listened to his story with a look of concentration. "Do you believe you could find your way home if we sent you back to this Ghost Zone?"

"I don't know," Danny admitted a vague sense of disappointment and frustration filtering through. It seemed the potion was beginning to slowly wear off. "It would really depend on what part I was in. If I knew the area then I could get home no problem, but if I don't then I'm really just relying on luck. Do you think you could just send me straight back to Amity?"

"I am not sure," Dumbledore said, bringing a hand up to his chin. "I have not heard of this particular occurrence happening during a séance. Generally, the spirit does not leave the warded area and is sent back to precisely where they came from, unless the wards are improperly constructed. By leaving that area, you effectively broke the connection. We would have to reestablish a link and attempt to send you back that way."

"But that would send me back to the Ghost Zone, right?" Danny asked to clarify. After receiving a confirming nod he continued, "But if this is a magic school then don't you have some way that you could just send me home? That way I wouldn't have to find my own way out of the Ghost Zone again."

"I will certainly look into a possible way to send you back to your home town. However, if I am understanding the concept of this Ghost Zone correctly, this place has many openings to many places. Would these include openings into other dimensions, timelines, and planes of existence?"

Danny nodded, briefly flashing back to all the different time lines and historical places he, himself, had visited.

"Then it is quite possible that you are from a completely different world, for lack of a better word, than ours," Dumbledore said, tenting his hands and leaning farther back. His eyes stared past the far wall and Danny could see the man's mind working through all the possibilities. "There was some research into possible alternate worlds earlier in the century, but much of that has fallen out of mainstream interest in recent times. I believe there may be a few theorists still working with the idea, but they are generally relegated to the fringe of respectable research. I do not know if it is even possible to send you back to your original home town."

Danny felt a small wave of disappointment wash through him as he slumped against his pillow. "So it wouldn't be possible," he said.

"I don't know if it would be possible or not," Dumbledore said, looking back to Danny, "I said the current understanding of such matters is incomplete. I feel certain with enough time we could open a door to this Ghost Zone and send you back to some point within that space. It would most likely not be where we pulled you from and it will take time to work out the correct spells, but it would be more feasible. Attempting to open a door into your own world may be possible, but it will most likely take much longer to work out and there is no guarantee that it would work."

"But you would be willing to try?" Danny asked, hope bubbling up again. The emotion came easier than before, though it was still distant.

"I will certainly look into the possibility," Dumbledore nodded, "if you wish to take that route. However, I caution you again, there is no telling how long it could take. It may be months, years or perhaps never at all."

The cautionary warning made Danny stop, thinking about what it could mean. He looked off toward the thick brocade curtains that hung on either side of the tall windows directly across from him. Whatever they had given him was still working, even if the edge had worn off. His head felt clear and fuzzy at the same time. If he took the risk that these people could send him back, he could be there for a long time while they figured everything out.

"True, but I could wander through the Ghost Zone for just as long and never get home," Danny said torn between the two options. Then, his mind hit on something from before and he frowned puzzled for a moment. "What about that other ghost? The one from the classroom? He knew me."

Dumbledore eyes lit up and he sat a little straighter at the reminder. "My boy, you are right," he said, standing up and flicking his wand. A silvery bird shot from the tip and winged through the door. "He should be here momentarily. If he recognized you then he may very well know another way into this Ghost Zone, if that is indeed where he heard your name."

"You don't know?" Danny asked, wondering how it had slipped the man's mind.

The old headmaster sent him an apologetic look. "The ghosts of this castle largely keep to themselves. Often times they fade into the background. I regret to say we living do not seek their advice as much as we probably should," he added with a thoughtful look.

"Well, there's always time to change that," Danny said, surprising himself a little. Maybe the calming whatever they'd given him loosened tongue as well.

The same ghost from earlier floated through the door, coming to stop before Danny's bed. He smiled at Danny before looking to the headmaster. "You asked for me, Headmaster?"

"Yes, Sir Nicholas, Danny and I were wondering if there were any portals into the Ghost Zone, as Danny calls it, from here," Dumbledore asked.

"The Ghost Zone?" Sir Nicholas asked looking confused for a moment before his eyes brightened. "You must be referring to Otherworld. Yes, I've been there. Dangerous place, I try to avoid it if I can, but sometimes my Gryffindor tendencies get the better of me and I go for a bit of exploring."

"Then there is a way back through?" Danny asked, relieved that he wasn't stuck in this world.

"Why yes of course!" Sir Nicholas replied with his bright voice, "There's always a way back into the Otherworld. You just have to know where to look. I'd be honored to show you." He looked proud from the very thought.

Madame Pomphrey appeared from her office at that same moment with a set look on her face. "Well, you're not going anywhere until you've had a night to rest. You're near exhaustion and a little underweight. Drink this." She thrust a vial of a bright blue concoction into his hand.

Danny looked at the vial with narrowed eyes until the nurse rolled her eyes and explained. "It's a nutrition potion. It won't hurt anything, only help. As far as I can tell, your problems are entirely stress related so I suggest you find a way to deal with that once you return home, but for now you'll sleep here, rest up, and let the remainder of the calming draught wear off."

Danny was all for letting the calming potion drug-thing wear off. Going into the Ghost Zone in his current state was close to suicidal. He summoned the best glare for the offered potion he could manage, but the expression didn't quite make it to his face. Certainly, none of the people around his bed seemed to notice.

"Don't worry," Sir Nicholas said with an encouraging nod. Danny thought perhaps the calming potion was also affecting his vision since Nicholas's head seemed to wobble with the action. "It truly will only help. You have my word as a knight."

That assertion actually made Danny feel better. Knowing the knights from Dora's realm, they took the title seriously, all the ghost knights Danny had met did, even the Fright Knight. It probably helped that his head was still filled with that strange half disconnected, fuzzy feeling. It encouraged poor decision-making. So Danny took the vial, held it up to the light for one last inspection, and drank it down.

Madame Pomphrey nodded in approval. She took the vial back with a final order to "get some rest" before moving back to her office.

"I shall leave you to your rest," Dumbledore said, standing up. "Perhaps Sir Nicholas will remain near incase you have any questions or need anything?" The suggestion was directed to Nicholas who nodded with a gracious bow.

"It would be my pleasure," the ghost said.

"And before you depart, if you would stop by one last time?" Dumbledore directed this one to Danny. Though both suggestions had been framed as questions, Danny had the distinct impression they were directions more than anything else.

"Uh, sure," Danny said. The potion he'd had didn't seem to be giving him any negative side effects. He was a little sleepy, but that could have been the other thing they'd given him.

With a final nod, Dumbledore swept out of the room. Danny watched him go then glanced at the remaining ghost.

Nicholas smiled, "It really is an honor to meet you," he said, floating a little closer. "I've heard of your exploits from several other ghosts that came near the doorway in the Otherworld. They sound most exciting."

"Uh, thanks," Danny said. He wasn't used to people being honored to meet him, usually it was the other way round. The only ghost he could think of off the top of his head that was initially happy to meet Danny's ghost half was Frostbite.

Danny froze, suddenly remembering the problem he'd had using his powers after Dumbledore hit him with the spell. Closing his eyes, Danny felt for the cold point somewhere in his chest. It was still there, thrumming with the familiar cool pulse. Danny tugged on it and in a flash turned into his ghost form. He opened his eyes, examined his now-gloved hands and white hair, before signing in relief and becoming human again.

"The magic should not have done any lasting damage," Nicholas said, reassurance in his tone.

Danny shrugged, settling back into the pillows. "Doesn't hurt to double check," he said.

"No, it doesn't," Nicholas agreed. "You should get some rest as Madame Pomphrey suggested. I'll be here, if you need anything."

Danny nodded, already half drifting as he closed his eyes and dropped into restful sleep.

XxXxX

The second time Danny woke his head was much clearer. His thoughts flowed at normal speed and his emotions had no problem finding their way to the surface. He felt well rested like he hadn't for who knew how long. His stomach growled, but it was the normal hunger that came after a long night's sleep.

"You're awake," Sir Nicholas's voice came from the window, bright and chipper in comparison to the darkness beyond the glass.

"What time is it?" Danny asked, frowning at the darkened windows and dimmed lighting.

"It is nearly midnight, you've been sleeping most of the day," Nicholas said. He floated closer, his faint glow mixing with the yellow torchlight in the long ward. "How are you feeling?"

Danny looked up, surprised it was so late. "Fine," he said after a moment, "Much better, actually. I think I'm good enough to try and find my way home." Really, the sooner Danny could get home there better.

"Ah, of course," Nicholas said, "I shall go speak with Dumbledore."He moved toward the door but paused. "Before I do, I would like to apologize," he said, coming closer to Danny's bed again, "About revealing your status as The Halfa. I realized from your reaction afterwards that perhaps you would want that information concealed. You have my word, for what it's worth that I won't tell anyone else of your current nature."

Danny grimaced, but tried to summon a forgiving smile for the contrite ghost. Really, the cat was already out of the bag when he thought of all the students that had been present. All schools had a rumor mill and this one had the last full day to spread the news of Danny's existential situation. Nicholas hadn't known, though, so Danny would try to keep that in mind. See if he ever told the ghost something in confidence, though. "It's fine," Danny said.

Nicholas nodded, his frown speaking volumes of his understanding of the situation. It wasn't fine, really, but there was nothing he could do to change it. Turning, he floated out through the door, leaving Danny alone.

Danny took the moment to push off the light covers and assess himself. Someone had changed him into a pair of striped pajamas that ran a little too baggy and long. Peering over the side of the bed, he found his normal clothes, washed and folded on a shelf under the nightstand. There was a curtain attached to a rail next to the bed and Danny pulled it closer to change into his own clothes. He was just pushing the wheeled curtain back into place when he heard the door to the nurse's office open.

"What are you doing?" Madame Pomphrey asked, sweeping up the aisle to Danny's bed. She held the same assurance of any ghost in their haunt, knowledge that they were on home soil and had authority.

"I'm getting ready to go," Danny said, ready to fight about it if need be. "I'm rested and ready to head home."

The nurse opened her mouth, about to reply but the double doors opened and Dumbledore entered. The doors swung shut behind him, moving through Nicholas as the ghost trailed the Headmaster.

"Headmaster," Madame Pomphrey addressed, turning to a higher authority. "I really must insist he remains the night. Whatever it is it can't be so important that he couldn't stay the night and start out in the morning."

"I've been gone from home for days," Danny said, fairly certain it had been at least a couple of days since his mother shot him. "I've slept as much as I really can stand and the Ghost Zone doesn't have night or day so it doesn't matter what time I leave."

Dumbledore made a reassuring gesture for both Danny and Madame Pomphrey to calm themselves. "While normally I would agree with you, Madame Pomphrey, I'm afraid Danny has a point, if what Sir Nicholas has described about the Otherworld is true. It really will not matter what time Danny leaves here since day and night there has little meaning."

Dumbledore turned to Danny, his full height standing over Danny's short frame. "However, I will insist that you have a solid meal and final checkup before going on your way."

Danny's stomach rumbled drawing out a bright twinkle in Dumbledore's gaze. "Ok," Danny agreed. Food would be amazing and he didn't know where the portal Nicholas knew would dump him so his next meal in the Ghost Zone was uncertain.

Madame Pomphrey harrumphed her displeasure before whirling around and disappearing back into her office. Dumbledore snapped his fingers, and a tray of chicken with mashed potatoes and vegetables appeared on the night stand. Danny's mouth watered at the scent and he plopped down on the bed, pulling the nightstand closer. Dumbledore's smile grew as Danny dove into the food. Really it was excellent.

"Ah, a young man's appetite," the old Headmaster said, drawing up a similar chair from earlier and settling himself down next to Danny's bed. A cup of tea appeared before him and he plucked it out of the air taking a sip.

"Sorry," Danny said, gulping down a mouth full. He should probably have made an effort for the better manners Jazz and Sam were always encouraging and waited to eat.

"Think nothing of it, my boy," Dumbledore replied. "You seem to need the good meal. If it's quite alright, I do want to speak to you as you finish your dinner."

Danny nodded, another spoonful of mashed potatoes already in his mouth. If only his mom could cook like this.

"I understand why you desire to make your way home so quickly, but my offer of aid will remain open. If you find that this gateway Sir Nicholas mentioned does not lead you to the correct place or if it seems as though it will be too dangerous to proceed, do not hesitate in returning here for additional help." Dumbledore gazed at Danny over the rims of his half-moon glasses, faint frown touching his face and twinkling eyes dimmed, the very picture of a grandparent offering concern and caution.

Danny imagined his threshold for 'too dangerous' and these people's thresholds for 'too dangerous' were probably wildly different, at least when it came to ghosts, but there was the chance that what Nicholas called the Otherworld and Danny's Ghost Zone were two different places. If that was the case Danny would definitely be returning if for no other reason than he didn't have anywhere else to go. "I will," he nodded, slowing in his eating for the sake of the conversation. Frowning at the food Danny took a chance, "Do you think I could take some provisions with me? Food can be hard to find in the Ghost Zone at times."

"Of course, I will have some packed and sent up as soon as you're finished." Dumbledore gestured to the ghost floating on the other side of Danny's bed. "Sir Nicholas, has offered to take you as far into the Otherworld as he dares, but it will be up to you whether you continue or return." Sir Nicholas bowed his head, floating perfectly straight almost at attention with a beaming smile.

Dumbledore paused, looking Danny over with a knowing gleam. "If Sir Nicholas recommends that you turn back for some reason or another, I highly encourage you to listen to him. You can always try at some other point."

Danny waggled his head. "Look Mr. Dumbledore," he said.

"Headmaster Dumbledore," Nicholas cut in with a correction.

Danny frowned in Nicholas's direction, he'd thought he was already being polite, but apparently these wizards were picky about their titles. "Headmaster Dumbledore," he said, "I know the Ghost Zone, and I can handle most of the things that live there. I might look young, but I can defend myself. You don't need to worry about me."

Dumbledore nodded, clearly wanting to say more, but merely offered a somber smile. "Then it seems there's little else we can do for you except wish you the very best." Dumbledore stood and Danny hastily copied the gesture, feeling he should. The old wizard extended a hand and shook Danny's. "Be careful, my boy, and remember you can always return here for refuge."

"Thank you, sir," Danny said, a little bemused at the cordial attitude so different from the shoot first reaction he got from ghost hunters or the run screaming approach civilians took. "I really appreciate all the help."

Dumbledore nodded and smiled one last time before departing. Danny finished off the last of his dinner, stomach happily full for the first time in too long. He pushed the plate away and it disappeared in wink, replaced by a bag. Looking inside, Danny found the promised supplies, a mixture of baked goods, fruit, and packaged food. He grinned, checking out the bubble turned out better than he thought it would. He stood up ready to go, only to stop as Madame Pomphrey appeared from her office again.

"Not so fast, young man," she said, bustling up with a tray floating behind her. "You still need to be medically cleared."

Danny bit back a groan as he dropped the bag back on the bed and moved the nightstand back to its place by the wall. Hopefully this wouldn't take too long.

"Stand up," the nurse gestured with her wand, waving it around Danny.

The gesture made him tense, aware that the thing could probably be used as a weapon, but her muttering reassured him that, magic or no, she was another school nurse like any school nurse.

"Really," she ranted under breath, "allowing a minor to leave with no known guardian or chaperone only to wander out to some other…world. Complete disregard for the boy's safety…"

"I'm going to be fine, I've been there before," Danny said, fairly certain she couldn't stop him leaving if the Headmaster said he could, but wanting to hedge his bets.

"Your current health suggests otherwise," Madame Pomphrey grumbled, reading over a series of floating numbers. "Your temperature's nearly ten degrees lower than average."

"That's 'cause I'm a halfa," Danny said, suddenly less sure of his escape. Nicholas's confirming nod bolstered Danny's confidence a little.

"You're a half stone under weight," the nurse shot back.

Danny didn't know how much a stone was, but hopefully it wasn't too much. "I get busy with school work at home."

"You need more vitamin C," she continued.

Really that was grasping at straws, Danny thought. He refused to answer that one on principle.

"You also have a disturbing amount of scar tissue for someone your age," Pomphrey said and this statement held real threat behind it.

Danny was good at hiding the injuries he sustained from ghost hunting. Those he couldn't hide he could blame on accidents or bullying, but he'd been very careful to keep his parents or the teachers at school from seeing the sheer number of scars. They'd raise eye brows if nothing else. Danny didn't know what the rules were here when it came to things like suspected child abuse but he really didn't want to find out.

"You don't know anything about my world, or my life, don't jump to conclusions," Danny tried to sound mature, like he had it all under control. The unimpressed look he got in return showed he had failed. "You can't keep me here, it would be kidnapping. I'm going home."

The nurse huffed in frustration. "Very well," she said, dropping the last instrument onto the tray and banishing the floating words and numbers with a wave of her wand. "Make sure you eat and rest and stop getting into so many fights."

Danny watched her return to her office with a flat stare. Good thing he wasn't attending this school. He'd hate having to deal with her every time he showed up with a new injury from a ghost fight. Smile flashing back on his face and he transformed into his ghost half, Danny picked up the bag of food and turned to Sir Nicholas. "Shall we?"

Nicholas led Danny out through the wall then down a wide lawn dark from the partial moon and limited stars shining through clouds. They entered a forest, the trees over head cutting the little light to plunge the world in blackness. Even with his enhanced night vision Danny had difficulty making out the world around him. The darkness however made finding the portal easier than it would be in daylight. Small flashes of bright ectoplasm leaked through illuminating the edges of the portal.

Nicholas flew through without hesitation and Danny followed, exiting out of a clump of glowing bushes on a small island. "The discreet location luckily prevents other ghosts from finding our portal and coming through," Nicholas said as he floated near the island. "Now, Danny, does anything look familiar?"

Danny looked around, initially relieved to find the gateway really did lead to the Ghost Zone and not some other place. Then he frowned, focusing more on the islands and doors in the area. He silently pleaded for them to look familiar. He'd take being near Skulker's hunting island if it meant he was close to home. Though with the hunter ghost dead, Danny supposed the island posed little threat now.

Minutes passed and Danny started getting desperate. He flew in a wide circled looking over island after island, door after door. Nicholas drifted next to him, gazing around them with wary eyes. The wizard's ghost was so weak it was understandable that he felt exposed in a Ghost Zone filled with stronger beings than him. There also seemed to be reluctance at being away from the school for too long, visible in the twitching movement for his hands, head and flight pattern.

"Perhaps we should head back," Nicholas said, glancing over his shoulder once more at the small island hiding the portal to the wizard's world.

Danny frowned. They hadn't even run into any dangerous ghosts. He couldn't just give up. He was about to reply when a distant island caught his attention. Squinting, Danny moved toward it. It was still a long way off, but the shape, color, and satellite islands suddenly came into sharp recognition: Dora's Castle.

"I know that place!" Danny gasped, nearly choking in relief. "That's Dora's castle! That's Dora's Castle!" He cried, so relieved he slammed to a halt and spun to Nicholas. "I know where I am!"

Nicholas smiled, strained relief filling his poster. "Wonderful! I'm happy for you and it's been an honor meeting you, but I really do need to get back. I'm too far away from my haunt as it is."

Danny only half heard him, taking another moment to fully understand the words. "Oh…OH! Yes, thank you, thank you so much!" Danny hugged the man, he couldn't help it. The relief at knowing where he was and knowing how to get home just filled him up. The impact of Danny's hug made Nicholas grunt, knocking hard enough it dislodged his head which he righted in a hurry before awkwardly patting Danny on the back.

"Yes, you're very welcome," Nicholas said, grin breaking through once his head was straight again.

Danny released him staring at the other ghost's neck in surprise.

"Botched beheading," Nicholas said by way of explanation. "Goodbye, young Phantom!" Then he was gone, heading back to the portal leading to his home.

Danny whirled around, finding Dora's castle once again. It had drifted a little but was still plainly visible. Hitching his sack of food higher on his back, Danny took off, eager to get home.

::The End::