The next couple of weeks Danny spent patrolling Little Whinging, attending lessons with Miss Fisher, which were still in effect. Miss Fisher had even extended her stay for another year. On some days, he got a bus into London and began to look for ghosts, carrying a thermos with him at all times. He even visited home a couple of times, having gotten teleporting mastered when he knew where he wanted to go. Jazz wasn't always around though as she was starting college having taken a year off to be around for her family. So far he had only caught one ghost. The Box Ghost. Danny couldn't help but roll his eyes at that. Months without being attacked by ghosts and the first one he found was the most annoying ghost Danny had the misfortune to meet.
During his second week, Dumbledore called Danny to accompany him on a journey.
"So, remind me why we're at this run down old house?" Danny asked as he searched through drawers while in his ghost form for something Dumbledore refused to specify.
"I told you. I have a theory that Voldemort hid something important here and we need to locate it," Dumbledore answered as he opened cupboards in the kitchen.
"Yeah, but why here? I can't help but think that Voldemort wouldn't hide something important in this ruin," Danny retorted. Dumbledore hummed.
"I understand your logic. But this is important to Voldemort. His mother grew up here. That is why its state matters not," Dumbledore replied.
Danny shrugged and walked across the room. He froze as he stepped on a loose floorboard.
"Huh. Bit clichéd but…" Danny muttered to himself and knelt down and pried the floorboard up. In a small crevice sat a small silver box with intricate swirls. Danny pulled it out and blew the dust off.
"Professor. I don't know about you. But I reckon a box hidden under the floorboards is promising," Danny commented. Dumbledore turned to Danny and grinned.
"I have to say that I agree Danny," Dumbledore replied. Danny handed the box to Dumbledore who tapped it with his wand. The box glowed softly blue before opening.
Inside was a ring with a blood red stone engraved with an insignia. Dumbledore gasped.
"The resurrection stone," he whispered and grabbed the ring, slipping the box into his robe pocket. Danny frowned.
"Professor, what is that?" Danny asked. Dumbledore seemed lost in his thought as he slipped the ring onto his finger.
"Professor, what is that? Are you sure it's wise to wear it?" Danny inquired worriedly. Dumbledore looked into thin air, tears in his twinkling eyes and a soft smile. It was almost like he had seen something he loved which he thought was lost. Danny looked in the direction Dumbledore was looking and frowned when he saw nothing to warrant the expression.
Danny then surmised that the ring was the culprit and looked at the jewellery. He gasped fearfully as he saw inky black spread slowly from the ring over the wizard's hand.
"Professor! Get that ring off!" Danny shouted and ran to the wizard.
"I'm sorry. So sorry Arianna," Dumbledore whispered. Danny blinked at the remark before staring terrified as the blackness spread from Dumbledore's ring finger to his palm.
"Professor! Snap out of it!" Danny yelled and grabbed the elderly man's arm. He pulled Dumbledore's arm up and tried to pry off the ring but it was stuck. Dumbledore blinked and turned to Danny, with a confused expression before seeing the blackness spreading across his hand, having covered the adjoining fingers to the one the ring was on now.
Dumbledore pulled out his wand and with a number of movements he tried to stop the black spreading.
"I need Severus. I can't identify this curse," Dumbledore muttered worriedly. Danny nodded.
"Where is he?" Danny asked.
"He will be in his home," Dumbledore answered.
"I can't teleport there without knowing what it looks like," Danny informed him, starting to panic. Dumbledore nodded and attempted to apparate. He frowned.
"It seems this curse is blocking my ability to apparate or possibly cast spells," Dumbledore realised. Danny glanced at Dumbledore's hand. All the fingers were now blackened.
"Fawkes! Does Fawkes know where to go?" Danny recalled. Dumbledore nodded.
"But Fawkes is in my office," Dumbledore replied.
"No problem. I'll teleport us there then I'll get Severus," Danny decided.
Dumbledore nodded and grasped Danny's arm with his good hand. Danny focused on what Dumbledore's office looked like and teleported, tapping into his ghost energy. They appeared in Dumbledore's office and then Danny turned to a softly dozing Fawkes.
"Fawkes! I need you to take me to Severus," Danny informed the bird, already aware of how intelligent the red and gold bird was. Fawkes pulled his head out from under his wing and blinked at Danny. He glanced at Dumbledore before taking flight and swooping down on Danny. Danny, having used Fawkes to travel frequently in the past, caught his tail and vanished in a blaze of fire.
He appeared in a dark alley way. Fawkes cooed softly at Danny and flew off towards a small house. Danny raced after the phoenix and hammered on the door. A small man with beady eyes answered the door. Danny scowled at him.
"Does Severus Snape live here?" Danny asked, suspicious of the man, noticing a metal hand.
"Wormtail! Get in here!" Snape shouted and pushed past the small man.
"What do you want Phantom?" Snape demanded, clearly still not over their disagreement during Harry's final occlumency lesson. Danny scowled.
"Dumbledore needs your help," Danny answered. Snape blinked in surprise.
"Wormtail! Do not answer the door! I'll be back before long," Snape ordered before snapping the door shut.
"Lead the way," Snape told Danny. Danny held out a hand. Snape raised an eyebrow. Danny rolled his eyes.
"I'll teleport you. He's in his office. Hurry up," Danny grumbled, not happy to be talking to Snape either. Reluctantly, Snape took Danny's hand and the halfa teleported to Hogwarts. Dumbledore was bent over his desk, a sword in his good hand, panting like he'd run a marathon. The ring, still stuck on his finger, was cracked.
"Professor! What did you do?! You could have cut off your hand!" Danny exclaimed fearfully.
"I did what I must. Severus, please," Dumbledore murmured weakly and held out his blackening hand to the wizard. Snape pursed his lips.
"Phantom, go to my office. There should be a small green phial on the shelf. Bring it here," Severus ordered.
"Is it labelled?" Danny inquired. Snape rolled his eyes.
"I have very few ready made potions. It is the only green bottle. And if it isn't, bring them all and I will identify the correct one!" Snape snapped impatiently. Danny scowled but did as he was told.
He phased out of the office and flew down to the dungeons to find the bottle Snape described. It turned out that the potions master was right. There was only a handful of phials and only one green phial. Danny grabbed it and returned as quickly as possible to Dumbledore's office.
"Here," Danny gasped breathlessly. Snape hummed and nodded to the desk, kneeling in front of Dumbledore who was sitting down. Snape was waving his wand over Dumbledore's arm and muttering under his breath. Danny put the phial on the desk and floated backwards, watching worriedly. Snape eventually looked up and handed Dumbledore the potion, which he drank without question.
"I could only trap the curse in your hand. And it's not going to be permanent," Snape announced.
"How long do you think I have?" Dumbledore asked softly.
"Maybe a year. Maybe less. You should have come straight to me. Why on earth did you put that cursed ring on?!" Snape replied. Danny nodded in agreement, upset by the news that Dumbledore was going to die.
"I was a fool. Too caught up in my thoughts to think clearly," Dumbledore answered calmly. He wasn't acting like he'd been told he was going to die. He was acting like he'd been told the weather forecast, impartial to the outcome.
"How are you so calm about this!? You are going to die!" Snape shouted. Danny blinked as he saw actual fear on Snape's face.
"I'm old Severus. Dying is nothing to fear, correct Danny?" Dumbledore retorted and turned to Danny. The halfa blinked.
"Depends. I remember it hurting. A lot. And I'm not… I don't really know what happens when you die," Danny muttered. Dumbledore nodded in understanding.
"At least I have time to prepare. Time to teach Harry what he needs to know and to set my affairs in order," Dumbledore remarked.
"What are you talking about? Teach Harry what he needs to know. This is real Dumbledore! This curse will kill you and there's nothing we can do about it!" Snape demanded. Danny watched Dumbledore and blinked in surprise. The wizard was deep in thought.
"I need to consider our situation. Please, I need time to think," Dumbledore muttered. Snape gaped.
"You're dismissing us? You can't ignore this!" Snape whispered in disbelief.
"Severus, maybe we should give Professor Dumbledore some space. Besides… er isn't Wormtail waiting for you?" Danny interjected. Snape turned to Danny.
"Of course you wouldn't care. You're dead! After all is said and done you'll go back to wherever you're from," Snape spat. Danny glared at the potions master.
"I do care Severus. Not that you'd understand. But getting a bombshell like that… takes time for the news to sink in. Professor Dumbledore needs some time to figure everything out and he can't do that with you here panicking. I hate this as much as you," Danny growled, upset by Snape's jab. Severus stepped closer to Danny and curled a lip in disgust.
"You should have been the one to get cursed," Snape hissed. Danny scowled angrily.
"You want me gone? Get in line!" Danny snarled, his ghostly aura and neon green eyes flashing dangerously.
"Enough! I will not have you arguing in my office. Danny return to your post. Now! And Severus, please I need to consider what to do," Dumbledore interjected forcefully. Danny glared at Snape before nodding to Dumbledore and teleported back to Little Whinging. Danny appeared in a dark side street. With a growl of anger, Danny blasted the wall with a ghost ray.
"He's lucky Dumbledore was there," Danny muttered furiously to himself. With an angered sigh, Danny reverted to human and trudged back to Mrs Figg's.
He was so angered, his eyes burned green and he didn't even notice Harry on the playground swing, clearly keeping out of the house.
"Danny!? Hey, what's up?" Harry called, spotting the halfa and getting up. Danny blinked, his anger abating quickly and returning his eyes to his normal human blue.
"Harry, sorry, didn't see you there," Danny replied. Harry walked over.
"You okay? You looked furious about something. If I didn't know better, I would've thought you'd try and hurt someone," Harry asked nervously. Danny shook his head.
"Just had an argument. Got pretty heated that's all. How's your summer so far?" Danny answered. Harry shrugged.
"Alright, the Dursleys are keeping their distance. Works for me," Harry replied. Danny smiled.
"Glad to hear it," Danny remarked.
"What about you? Anything to do with the order? Other than living around here," Harry asked. Danny smirked.
"Nope. Still have lessons with my tutor. But I might have something better to do soon. I hope," Danny replied, knowing better than to tell the truth. Harry nodded.
"I'll see you around Harry," Danny concluded.
First off, I apologise to anyone who read this originally. I skipped this chapter by accident and it is an important chapter for Danny and Snape's relationship as well as for Danny during this arc. But it's here now.
Let me know what you think of it.
Until the next chapter.