The next evening Danny asked to see Minerva and Harry and explained how he became Danny Phantom and told them about Wulf and how the ghost was helping him to get in contact with ghosts and bring them to the school. He explained what he'd learned about the ghost in the forest from the other ghosts also, finally able to be brutally honest. Danny then took night patrol again. By Friday morning he looked exhausted, but Minerva couldn't convince Danny to stop his patrolling. Harry had started to avoid Danny, his discomfort at learning Danny's secret was clear. After a breakfast of mostly coffee, Danny grabbed his ecto-gun and thermos, which he'd taken to carrying at all times again since the ghost had started targeting him, and left to patrol the forest edge.
Frostbite had already returned to the Ghost Zone as the Far Frozen needed its leader. There had been many questions in his remaining lessons about the ghost in the forest now that the information had sunken in. Danny walked around the forest edge, thinking to himself, alert to any hint of the forest ghost.
"I really need to come up with a bad nickname for this ghost. The ghost in the forest is way too long," Danny muttered to himself and yawned. He'd promised himself to take a break from constantly patrolling after his weekly ghost hunt in the forest. He needed sleep, but he needed to show that he meant business, not only to the ghost but to the school too. He needed to show that he would protect them.
He was so lost in his thoughts that he almost didn't notice the couple walking across the lawns towards him. He didn't recognise them but they were obviously living and he'd guess that they were a witch and a wizard. They were obviously together judging by the way they held hands and the woman rested her head lazily on the man's shoulder. They were talking and laughing. Danny stopped and watched the couple walk over to him, once they were within earshot and noticed him watching them, they waved.
"Hey, you're the muggle right?" the man called. The woman slapped the man's hand down.
"Don't be rude Ron. How would you like it if people shouted at you "Hey, you're the wizard"?" the woman scolded the man. The man, or rather Ron, blushed.
"Sorry, you're Danny right?" Ron amended. The woman smiled approvingly and put her hand out.
"We're friends with Harry. I'm Hermione and this is my husband Ron. We heard a lot about you when we met Harry over the Christmas break," the woman introduced herself.
Danny smiled and shook her hand.
"Nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you as well. Especially Ron," Danny remarked and grinned at the red-head. Ron frowned.
"Look, I want to know what Myrtle said about me. And I want to say that I was a kid when I did whatever I did to upset her," Ron began. Danny put up a calming hand.
"Relax Ron, I could tell that from what Myrtle said to me. And I'll tell you what Myrtle said if you want but I'll warn you it was very rude," Danny retorted and muttered a few of the things Myrtle said in Ron's ear. Hermione giggled at Ron's blank face.
"You know what, I think I'll drop it," Ron decided, not wanting to hear the rest. Danny nodded.
"I would. That was the clean version," Danny commented before glancing over his shoulder at the forest having heard a twig snap. He knew it wasn't the ghost but he still had to be careful. It could be something just as dangerous.
"You should probably keep a safer distance from the forest, Danny. There's some really dangerous stuff in there," Hermione mentioned. Danny nodded.
"I know, but I'm fine. I'm armed," Danny answered and pulled his gun out of his pocket to show her and Ron before slipping it back into his pocket. His thermos was clipped to his belt. He really felt like he was back home. Hermione gasped but Ron looked confused.
"What is that?" Ron asked.
"An ecto-gun. Anti-ghost weapon. It's not dangerous to the living but it can pack enough of a punch to deter anything wanting to eat me," Danny explained grimly before shrugging and turning back to the couple properly.
"Muggle things don't work at Hogwarts. The magic in the air affects it," Hermione informed him. Danny smiled. He pulled out his gun and shot at a nearby tree leaving a slight scorch mark.
"My weapons run on ecto-energy. Ghost energy. As long as ghosts aren't affected by whatever is at Hogwarts, my equipment will work," Danny retorted knowingly, noticing the shocked expression on Ron's face.
"Let me guess, muggle-born and wizard raised," Danny commented nodding to Hermione and Ron in turn. Hermione nodded.
"How did you know?" Hermione inquired with a frown. Danny laughed.
"Ron's face was a bit of a give-away I'm afraid," Danny admitted. Hermione glanced at her husband before sighing in annoyance.
"Ron close your mouth," she ordered and Ron dumbly obeyed.
"Still, I think you should keep a little further away from the forest edge Danny. Looks like you got caught off guard once already," Hermione replied, motioning to Danny's faint black eye. Danny shook his head.
"That's not what happened. I'm guessing since you're Harry's friends, you've heard of our little ghost problem," Danny began. Hermione and Ron nodded.
"Harry said that it scared you," Ron mentioned, before Hermione elbowed him in the ribs with a stern glare. Danny shook his head.
"Scared is a strong word. I'm not afraid of this ghost. I just don't understand it. I know it wants something but I can't figure out what," Danny replied. Ron blushed again.
"Sorry," he muttered, rubbing his side.
"But that doesn't explain what happened to your eye," Hermione prompted, concern pronounced. Danny shrugged.
"Our ghost problem tried to kill me on Wednesday," Danny answered. Hermione and Ron gasped and glanced at each other.
"Why didn't Harry tell us?" Hermione demanded. Danny raised an eyebrow.
"I assumed he had. Since you guys are here. But he's had a lot on his mind recently and hasn't been talking to me as much," Danny replied. Hermione scowled.
"Why hasn't Harry been talking to you?" Ron ventured. Danny shrugged and began walking again, the couple following closely behind.
"That's between me and Harry," Danny eventually answered. Hermione and Ron frowned.
"Why don't you explain it to us? Harry will probably tell us about it anyways," Ron suggested. Danny shook his head.
"He shouldn't. Like I said, it's between me and Harry," Danny retorted sternly.
Hermione blushed as a thought occurred to her.
"Um, you know he's married yeah?" she ventured. Danny froze and turned to her.
"Yes, and I have a girlfriend," he informed her quickly. Hermione flushed bright red.
"Sorry, I just thought. You wouldn't say and it was between you and Harry," Hermione spluttered. Danny shook her head.
"Now I've heard it all," he muttered to himself with a small laugh. Ron glanced at Hermione before clearing his throat, eager to dispel the awkwardness.
"But, why is it between you and Harry then? What's the big secret?" Ron asked loudly. Danny glanced over his shoulder and shook his head.
"Don't worry, it's nothing for you to worry about. It's ghost related. Harry is just finding it a little difficult to understand and accept," Danny answered. They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence which Danny ignored as he resumed his patrol.
Once he'd completed his loop and began to make his way up to the castle with Hermione and Ron still following cautiously, Danny decided to break the silence.
"I'm sorry if I'm a little stand-offish with you guys. I don't mean to be but honestly the ghost caught me off guard the other day and I guess I'm trying to make up for it. You're here to see Harry, yeah? He has lessons until after lunch today," Danny ventured.
"Hey, we're sorry," Ron retorted. Danny glanced at them and shook his head.
"I know how it sounds. Sorry if I was a bit sharp towards you Hermione, I didn't mean it like that. I think it may have been a bit of a bad first impression. I'm not usually that up tight," Danny replied. Hermione and Ron smiled and nodded mutely. Danny led them into the school and up to the staff room. Ghosts floated over to them and exchanged pleasantries with Danny and a few greetings with Ron and Hermione. Once they reached the staff room, Danny quickly made himself a cup of coffee and Minerva chose to walk in at that moment.
She raised an eyebrow at Danny.
"If you need that much coffee to stay awake Danny, I think you should skip night patrol tonight," she commented, not noticing Hermione and Ron, nursing their own cups of hot tea. Danny shrugged.
"Nothing you can say is going to stop me Minerva. I promise, tomorrow night I'll take off. But I want to be careful for now," Danny replied. Minerva rolled her eyes.
"Are you always this stubborn?" she inquired. Danny laughed and drained his cup.
"You have no idea," he remarked and glanced towards Hermione and Ron. Minerva finally noticed the couple.
"Hermione! Ron! It's lovely to see you two again. How are things?" Minerva exclaimed happily. Hermione and Ron smiled and they began some small talk. Danny used the opportunity to slip out of the staff room and checked the time on his watch. Harry would be down to lunch in a few minutes.
I have to admit, I didn't plan Danny and Hermione's embarrassing exchange, but I love it. Let me know what you think.
But anyway, until the next chapter.