AN: So, here's another chapter. I'm getting into a new rhythm and hopefully I can knock out a few more chapters pretty quick. This is the thing I know a lot of you have been waiting for, Danny has finally made it to Hogwarts. Just as a preface, things get intense. I hope you all enjoy it!
Chapter Eight: Halfa in Hogwarts
Danny was quite thankful that he was intangible as he floated towards the castle behind the old wizard. For one, it was a bit harder to see him- although Dora and Helena's whispered snickers assured him that he was indeed making a funny spectacle of himself.
The other more noticeable benefit was that any bugs flying into his open mouth passed harmlessly through his noggin, although the buzzing sensation of a gnat meandering through your throat was definitely a weird one.
Even with everything he had seen, all of the insane impossible architecture often seen in the ghost zone, this Castle seemed to top it all and was by far the most impressive. For one, it was absolutely massive, made entirely out of huge bricks of stone weathered and colored by a milenia of wind, rain, and sun.
The other thing that had him so amazed was the very air, it seemed to hum and vibrate, a deep warmth that oddly made him think of his mom- moments as a child where he'd sit in her lap and fall asleep against her, completely at peace. The warmth tenderly mixed with his cold core, rather than feeling jarring against it.
As they approached the main entrance the dim firelight kept everything aglow even as the sun sunk further past the horizons edge. He lightly let his hand brush the wood of the massive front doors, the tingle of intangibility lightly passing just over and barely through the smooth wood.
He felt the lightest tingle and the hum of laughter brush past him. His eyes widened further and he turned towards the old wizened wizard.
"Uh, Headmaster Dumbledore?" The man turned back towards the young halfa,
"Yes my boy?" Danny thought for a moment on how to phrase his question without sounding completely insane.
"Is the castle… Alive?" Dumbledore's bushy white eyebrows rose high over his half moon spectacles and his eyes twinkled with intrigue.
"That's very perceptive of you Sir Danny, Hogwarts is indeed sentient to an extent. Through the many centuries of concentrated magic, as well as the intense quantity of magic weaved into the very stones, many of us believe her to have taken on a spirit of her own. How did you notice?"
He quickly rubbed at the back of his neck, but he felt pleased to have picked up on something apparently so subtle to others. See! He wasn't that clueless.
"I can just feel it, er, her. There's a warm energy brushing past me, it kind of reminds me of my mom." Dorathea smiled,
"Danny has always been very perceptive to energy on both sides of the veil." Dumbledore seemed excited by this tidbit of information and hurried his step a bit.
"Well I can't wait to learn more, but we should continue this in my office." With an energy that seemed misplaced in someone so old they all hurried along, Danny wide eyed and open mouthed for the vast majority of the trip.
After passing moving portraits that were absolutely all over a room full of insane moving stair maze madness and going down a few corridors and through at least three hidden passageways that involved either tickling or poking the walls they at last came to stand before a large imposing gargoyle.
"Fizzing Whizbees." The Gargoyle got up and jumped over to the side like it was the most flexible ballet dancer in the world, rather than roughly a ton of polished granite. Danny's jaw was starting to hurt. With a sigh he closed his mouth and decided to just, not be amazed by anything else he saw. He could have an existential crisis over the absolute magnitude of magic existing in the 'muggle' world, after he was done pretending to be a noble knight from the 10th century. Not that he was doing very good with that at all anyways.
They made their way into a round office, with all manner of chiming, ringing, spinning, and glowing silver instruments. Dumbledore made his way to the large chair behind the desk, petting what Danny was almost entirely sure was an actual real Phoenix along his way.
After summoning a cup of tea for himself and conjuring an extra chair for his guests, even though he knew that spirits couldn't actually sit, Dumbledore smiled up at the three ghosts lightly floating above large cushioned chairs.
"Now that we've gotten our daily exercise and are somewhere secure, how can I help you? Helena mentioned the possibility of you extending aid?" Dorathea nodded.
"Yes Headmaster, however, before we offer- could we hear more from you directly on what exactly the current situation is? Helena informed us of what she could but we've still only been aware of the basics and what she knew for a matter of days." Dumbledore bobbed his head in agreement before looking at them with a deep intensity, his blue eyes nearly searing as he gazed at them.
"Before I say anything I ask that you all make a vow of secrecy. I wish to trust you openly as friends but these are dark and dangerous times and I cannot take any risk." The three ghosts of course agreed with his logic. Dora spoke for the group.
"Of course, what do we need to do?" Danny wasn't sure quite how a vow was supposed to be irrefutable proof that they wouldn't lie, but with everything he had seen today he wasn't sure.
Dumbledore smiled in relief and waved his hand across the room.
"My office is enchanted with a few compulsions to speak the truth, and with a simple spell I can place something of a binding agreement upon us all. Any deal I make would be bound to my magic- should I break it I would lose it, and by extension my life as well. For ghosts you would be vowing with a magic of your own, though it is more so your spectral energy than live magic."
Dora glanced at Danny and noticed some of his unease, while he was pretending to be a knight in her employ- she still wanted to defer to his desire. After all he was the one gracing her with his assistance, rather than the other way around. She nodded towards him, encouraging to voice his concerns.
"What if we were to accidentally say something we didn't even realize we shouldn't have. We would just… poof, be gone?" Dumbledore shook his head and smiled, amused at the surprisingly modern behavior and phrasing the knight tended to use,
"Thankfully no, even the best of us can be forgetful or mindless at times- these forms of binding contract spells have built in protection. Should you ever try speaking of something you shouldn't, you would be unable to voice the words, or even attempt to say them at all. Of course all things can be broken with enough determination, but it is more than enough to protect anyone not intending to deceive their vow." Danny let a breath out and 'leaned' back into the chair.
"Okay, I'm good with it then." Everyone nodded and Dumbledore quickly cast a silent spell, a heavy weight settling over all of them as a glimmering golden cord tied all of their wrists together.
"I, Albus Percivul Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, solemnly swear to speak the truth and keep all that I learn, witness, and observe within this room with the present company strictly confidential- on my life and magic this I vow." His golden cord flashed brightly and shifted to a deep scarlet hue. Helena spoke next.
"I, Helena Ravenclaw, solemnly swear to speak the truth and keep all that I learn, witness, and observe within this room with the present company strictly confidential- on my afterlife and spirit this I vow." Her cord flashed and shifted to a deep royal blue.
"I, Dorathea of Mattingly, solemnly swear to speak the truth and keep all that I learn, witness, and observe within this room with the present company strictly confidential- on my afterlife and spirit this I vow." Her cord flashed but kept its rich golden tones. Danny opened his mouth to begin speaking but felt a jolt of panic. What name should he use? Sir Daniel, Phantom, Fenton?
Dumbledore and Helena stared at him, patient but curious at the hesitation he was expressing. Dorathea's eyes widened as she realized his dilemma. She took his hand in her own.
"You are safe here Danny, I promise." He looked into her eyes and found nothing but truth. He hadn't really known her well for long, and even still didn't know her enough to swear that he trusted her- but he did. He trusted that this vow would keep his secret safe, should he tell all of it. He gulped tightly and took a shaky breath.
"I… Daniel James Fenton… solemnly swear to speak the truth and keep all that I learn, witness, and observe within this room with the present company strictly confidential- on my life and spirit this I vow." His cord flashed, and the braided twine had two colors streaming throughout it, one cord of a sky blue, and the other an acidic ectoplasm green.
The cords shimmered and faded away, and the heavy blanket of air quickly dispersed as well. Danny felt eyes staring intensely at him, and looked up to Dumbledore's curious gaze. He felt a bit like a lamb before a lion, or an interesting bug beneath a microscope.
"Very curious indeed. I look forward to hearing your stories- alas I believe I promised to speak first on the heavy matters we face at present." The halfa relaxed slightly as those vibrant eyes looked away from him and began wandering the room lost in thought. He took a light sip from his cup of tea as he wondered where to begin.
"Many years ago, a student came to these halls with an intense thirst for knowledge, and power. While some could temper their desire, Tom could not. His hunger grew, and as a consequence he tore his very soul apart to grasp immortality and dominance over life itself."
"His views were twisted and cold, and he had little understanding for that which didn't directly benefit him. He gathered a group of followers, they called themselves the Knights of Walpurgis, and later, the DeathEaters. Thomas himself became known as Lord Voldemort. Even today few know his name and most are so terrified they refer to him as only 'You-Know-Who'.
"Their goal was to rule over muggle and muggle-born with the power of magic- believing the lineage of ancient magical families was superior. They slaughtered many, and sadly plunged the entirety of wizarding Britain into fear and chaos."
"As a way to combat him, I formed the Order of the Phoenix, we were a band of witches and wizards fighting the dark- hoping to keep Thomas and his followers from destroying the fine balance the wizarding world has found with the muggle world. As of now, we accept and encourage all lineages, muggle-born and pureblood, to learn in these halls and carry on a life in either world, or both if they so choose, as is their right."
"On a Hallows Eve night just over fourteen years ago he became aware of the location of a family in the Order of the Phoenix- the Potter's. Due to a prophecy he heard only part of, he believed their newborn son to be destined to destroy him, and decided to kill a mere infant to further his goals. Imagine the wizarding world's surprise when the spell backfired on him and killed Tom rather than Harry Potter, a mere infant. To date he is the only person to have ever survived a direct hit from the killing curse. It is believed that the prophecy is genuine, most especially because of this."
"We all were relieved that the threat was over, but as I looked deeper I found evidence that Tom had succeeded in actually splitting his soul, giving himself the illusion of immortality. My fears were founded as truth when Harry was lured and attacked by a professor of Hogwarts- one Quirinus Quirrell."
"He had been possessed by the malicious spirit of Tom, and was attempting to gain an invaluable artifact entrusted to me by a dear friend, the Philosophers Stone. It could have been used to bring Tom back to the mortal plane had he been successful."
"Harry was miraculously able to hold him off at the mere age of eleven, but it confirmed my deepest fears. Thomas was still here, and searching for a way back to resume his blight upon the wizarding world. In Harry's second year here another possession took place, and this time it resulted in the injury of multiple other students and nearly the closure of the school."
"It did, however, offer physical proof of my theory to study." Dumbledore paused to tap his wand on the siding of his large desk, and with a click and pop a drawer opened. He quickly pulled an old journal from it and placed it on the desk. The journal's pages seemed curled up, similar to that of the legs of a dead spider. It was stained with a thick maroon ink that still seemed to be wet and glistening, and a dark aura seemed to bleed from it. Danny shuddered at the innate feeling of wrongness.
"This was a horcrux. It's a vessel used to store a fragment of soul- one of the most brutal and twisted forms of dark magic known to wizard kind. Throughout the centuries there have been many attempts to destroy and hide all known information on it, to prevent situations like the one we find ourselves in now." A sad and exhausted weight seemed to settle over Dumbledore, and with a soft coo the Phoenix flew from its perch to nestle on the back of the old Wizards chair. It trilled softly and as Dumbledore sat straighter he gently stroked the bird's head for a moment.
"Thank you old friend. Throughout my research I believe I have narrowed down the vessels to an extent. I'm still not entirely sure, but I fear there may be more than one. In fact, I have reason to believe that he made as many as seven, though I still have no solid proof of that. If this is the case, the task ahead of us is monumentous and bleak indeed."
Danny blanched, and looking at his companions he saw equally terrified expressions etched upon their faces. Being only half ghost, he couldn't imagine his soul being wrenched apart seven times. Dora and Helena seemed absolutely aghast- for a ghost the soul was the entirety of their being, that someone would desecrate themselves in such a taboo way was frightening indeed. His heart sank as Dumbledore continued.
"To make matters worse, less than a month ago, Voldemort finally managed to return to the land of the living in physical form. One of our students died, murdered by one of his followers, and Harry nearly lost his life as well. The boy is merely fourteen- yet the entire fate of the Wizarding World rests upon him. I fear there is little I can do to shield him anymore, as it stands keeping this information from him is the least I can do to provide him with a normal childhood." Anger swept through Danny.
"I'm sorry but that's bullshit." Two gasps from the ghosts to the left went unnoticed to the teen as he locked eyes with Dumbledore. The aged wizard seemed quite shocked at the outburst as well- but Danny was a modern teen, and pissing off authority to speak his mind was one of his most honed skills.
"Just because he's fourteen doesn't mean he's incapable of handling the weight- not that it's even really his to bear. How dare you let people put that on him? And then when you claim that it's weight that's going to land on him you don't even give him the power of information to fight it? I'm sorry but what the fuck dude?" Helena's eyes were incapable of going any wider, much like Dumbledores, but a swift understanding took place on Dora's face.
"I was fourteen when I died. I suddenly had the weight of protecting hundreds thrust onto me, with no idea how to use my powers. How the hell do you expect him to fight something like this when he doesn't even have all of the information! Does he even know about these horcruxes? Has he been trained? Are you seriously telling me you've been treating him like a normal student when you've known for over a decade that you're going to expect him to fight this Tom Riddle guy? What, next you're going to tell me he didn't even know about magic until he got to Hogwarts?"
A morose guilty look seemed to age Dumbledore another century, and Danny felt energy crackling around him. He didn't even notice when his intangibility dropped, but as he glanced down at his clenched fists the ectoplasmic energy surrounding them seemed to crackle in frustration. The windows began frosting over as some of the silver instruments began ringing and chiming in alarming tones. Danny noticed Dumbledore holding his wand in a defensive position.
That sign of fear and mistrust was enough to have the anger fading to a mere simmer rather than raging boil. He unclenched his fists and dropped down to stand on the floor. At some point he had apparently floated up out of the chair.
"I'm sorry, you don't have to be scared of me. I was just really frustrated but that won't really solve anything here. I know you'll have a lot of questions but just let me explain some of this before I forget." Dumbledore seemed slightly appeased but didn't release his wand, obviously wishing he had included something in their earlier vow about not causing each other any form of physical injury. He couldn't really be faulted considering all forms of ghost he knew of were incapable of malicious intent, especially to a wizard of his stature.
"Okay look- I died when I was 14 in an accident that gave me this ghostly form. My parents had attempted to create a portal to the Ghost Zone, where muggle ghosts seem to go after death. We're all different there, physical, unlike ghosts like Helena." Dorathea nodded, and she dropped her intangibility as well. Dumbledore seemed a bit more startled by her unearthly colorings but took it in stride as he glanced back towards Danny as he continued.
"Well the portal worked, and ghosts began attacking the citizens of the town I live in. I've spent the last three years working my ass off to protect them, and the entire time I've had to figure it all out as I go. The idea that someone who claims to care about Harry has vital information to helping him make it through all of this and just tries to shove him in a little box of ignorance to protect his childhood is ridiculous."
"He's had to fight this guy what, three times? Once at eleven, and again and twelve and fourteen? His childhood is already fucked dude. There's no moving past fighting for your life and just being normal after that. You can try but I assure you, his every waking moment is tainted by fear of what's coming next. The longer you try to keep him ignorant, the more he'll resent you when you finally do decide he's ready to know more." Danny's glowing eyes blazed with determination.
"I don't care what you need done- I'll do it. I've already experienced death, pain- I've seen the worst possible futures that could come to pass, and knew that their outcome was completely reliant on me. This evil wizard wants to take over the Wizarding World of Britain? Ha! I've faced an enemy that literally caused the apocalypse of the entire world in a different timeline. The weight of something like that is beyond crushing. You can't continue treating Harry like this. For one this is not his weight to bear- if you want him to fight Voldemort, that's messed up. If you're going to try to make him do it anyways at least give him help, restart that Order of Phoenix or whatever, how about some adults take responsibility instead of shoving their issues onto a kid as a scapegoat."
A single tear fell down the broken wizard's wrinkled cheek, and he let out a long sigh. Danny stood with his arms crossed, tense enough to be made of stone and unwavering in the face of the old man's despair. After a few moments and a couple more tears dripped down onto the mahogany desk Albus lifted his head and stared up at Danny. His pride gave way to his morals and he nodded.
"You are completely right. I've been so caught up in hoping to give Harry as much time for innocence and being a child, I never really considered how much I was hindering rather than helping. I have already begun reaching out to old members but I shall begin assembling people immediately. Thank you for your bluntness, few have ever told me I was wrong to my face, and in this instance I most definitely needed to hear how very wrong I was."
Danny nodded and relaxed his posture. He felt a bit awkward about being so forceful now that the tension was fading, but he knew he only said what needed to be said. He continued plowing through the social anxiety he harbored in his human half, as he always did when in his Phantom form.
"Where is Harry now?"
"He is with his muggle Aunt and Uncle, the took him in as a baby and he has lived with them since. It's not the best home for him but it is the safest. There are ancient blood wards that protect him more than most magic could hope to. I was hoping to keep him there throughout the summer until he could return to Hogwarts but I see now that keeping him out of the planning will just harm things further." Danny nodded.
"As soon as you have a safe location for your followers you need to bring Harry in and get him up to speed. Treat him like an adult if you expect him to carry the weight of one." Danny stared at Dumbledore, trying to think of where to take the conversation next.
"I'm sure you have questions for Dora and I, feel free to ask them." A pale glimmer of the earlier raging curiosity returned to Dumbledore.
"You are still ghosts, rather muggle ghosts with a stronger connection to the physical plane than a magical ghost has?" They both nodded. "What capabilities do you have? Earlier your hands were crackling with energy and frost began forming."
"That was energy blasts forming and my ice core manifesting. I have the ability to conjure pure ectoplasmic energy, as do all ghosts of our variety. My cryokinesis allows me to use the same type of energy with ice. I have a few other powers because honestly I'm still discovering them." Dora began to contribute,
"Almost all typical ghosts of our kind are capable of some basics- flight, intangibility, invisibility, and some form of ectoblast. Some of the more powerful ones have powers specific to their obsessions, the idea or desire that tethered them to the afterlife." He turned back towards Danny,
"You seem to speak like everything you've experiences was recent, your mannerisms are modern. I take it you're not from Princess Dorathea's era?" Danny shook his head.
"Like I said, I died at fourteen and have been protecting my town for three years. I'm seventeen now."
"You say you died at fourteen but you look obviously older- how has your form changed when Dorathea still seems to be around the age she crossed over at?" The halfa sighed. He was hoping he wouldn't spill all of the beans but it was honestly too much of a headache to deal with on top of everything else. Besides, the vow seemed secure and he was getting invested. May as well go all in.
With a flash of white light, two halos appeared around his waist, turning his pale grey tunic and medieval attire back to his old NASA t-shirt and jeans he had hurriedly thrown on that morning. As his glowing green eyes and snowy hair turned back to his human sky blue and raven black Dumbledore dropped his teacup and it shattered upon his desk.
"Merlin's Beard! So that explains why you swore on your 'life' then." Danny nodded and shrugged.
"They call me a 'halfa', half ghost, half human. It's a complicated explanation that delves into massive electrocution and a very particular way of dying." Dumbledore seemed stumped for more questions. While in his youth he would have been vibrating with energy and desperate for more answers, now he frankly had only one thought.
He was getting too old to deal with this.
AN: Hey all! I hope you enjoyed it, it's pretty dialogue heavy but there was a lot I wanted to cover and get out of the way. I know everyone was really open, but like I mentioned in it, Dumbledore had a bit of a truth compulsion charm on his office (in my head canon at least) and that combined with generally trusting each others sources, I figure they would all be pretty open- Especially with the security of the vow in place. I've also always just wanted to really let Dumbledore have a piece of my mind for how he handled some of the things he did regarding Harry. Next chapter will finally have some Harry in it, so I better get to writing so ya'll don't have to wait as long! As always, questions, ideas, reviews, and just general hellos are always welcome and appreciated! Thanks for all of the wonderful feedback on the last chapter!