tw for this chapter - panic attack! (because i like my sons to suffer)
this is it, folks! last chapter before it'll be updated regularly with ao3. hopefully chapter seven shouldn't take too long for me to finish writing!
enjoy!
"Okay." Jake dumped a pile of paper onto Danny's bed, who was tapping intently at his phone screen. Taking a seat at the foot of the bed, the dragon announced, "Student schedules."
Danny looked at the papers skeptically, setting his phone down on the small night stand next to him. "Could you maybe be a little more specific?"
Jake pulled his sleeves over his hands in the hopes it would get rid of the morning cold. "Minerva dropped off some extra schedules she had this morning, at least a few from each grade, so we could, like, look at them and decide on a game plan. Y'know, where to go, when, just so we have a better idea on how this school system works."
Danny nodded, sitting up in his bed. His covers fell as he propped himself up to reveal a black pajama shirt with little green ghosts. He glared at Jake, who tried his hardest to contain his snickering.
"You wearing matching pants, Casper?" Jake taunted, leaning out of the way as Danny shot a half-hearted ectoblast his way.
Danny yawned and stretched his arms out in front of him. A slight pop came from his shoulder, and he winced. "Oh, dude, how hard did you hit me last night?"
"You mean when I wiped the sparring mat with your ghostly ass?" Jake commented, leafing through some of the schedules. "Didn't think it would hurt that much."
Danny grumbled out a noncommittal reply as he disentangled himself from the sheets of the bed and scooted closer to Jake. "What time is it?"
"You're the one with the working phone," Jake replied. His phone had ceased to work a few days after arriving at Grimmauld Place, and they still had no way of charging it, since the Room of Requirement seemed to refuse to give them any electrical appliances (the lack of a video game system had really hit hard). "Though I'm pretty sure breakfast is happening right about now."
"Shouldn't we be there? To, y'know, be representatives?"
Jake scowled. "Yeah, I'm not really feeling it." His back still ached from when Danny had flipped him last night (in dragon form! How the hell did he do that?), and the thought of going to meet a bunch of wizards this early in the day made him want to stick his head under a pillow and scream.
Danny took a few pieces of paper from the mattress and rubbed his eyes tiredly as he stared at them. "Alright, let's get this over with. What are we thinking?"
Jake fished out a few fifth year schedules from the top of the pile and turned them over. "I say we start with the same year the Trio is in. We might get lucky and end up in a few of their classes, which I'd much rather do instead of following around a bunch of twelve-year-olds."
"Agreed. Do you have any of their schedules?"
Jake blinked, then ran a hand through his hair sheepishly. "I, uh. No. No, I don't. Oops." It'd been pure luck that he'd been standing outside the Room of Requirement to watch students walk by that morning, so Minerva didn't have to wait long to give them the schedules. Unfortunately, he hadn't asked for any specific ones. Besides, she looked stressed, and he himself felt incredibly tired, not really in the mood for any conflict.
Danny gave him a small smile. "That may be a problem."
Jake sighed. "Here, okay. Let's just pick a random one-"
"Let's pick a couple," Danny interjected. "So it's not just one class we follow around. And are we gonna do only fifth year today, or…?"
"We'll pick a few, maybe three? We only have to attend three classes a day, and I'm assuming they have to be full. Let's do different grades."
Danny nodded, rifling through the schedules to pick out two other random schedules while Jake grabbed one for fifth-year. The dragon skimmed the contents, then suggested, "Can we do Defense Against the Dark Arts for fifth year? Ron and Harry talked about it constantly."
"Wanna join them in their class?"
"Whatever. I don't really care when, we've got all year, after all."
Danny bit his lip. The temperature around the two dropped, and Jake shivered. "Yeah," Danny said softly. "A whole year."
They were silent for a moment. Jake stared at the other schedules, subconsciously grinding his teeth together. His chi rumbled in his chest. Sighing, he broke the silence by tapping Danny's hand declaring, "We're not doing anything first period. I say we grab something to eat, then it's a fly around the lake. How 'bout it?"
Danny looked up and into Jake's eyes, giving him a tiny grin. "That's sounds nice."
"Hold on," Jake called over his shoulder as he moved behind the curtain to his own bed, "I'm gonna get dressed into something else. You should too, Casper, unless you want everyone to see your ghost PJ's."
"Yeah, yeah," Danny groaned. "Though my outfit doesn't change in ghost form, by the way. Hey, are we gonna worry about anyone seeing us?"
"Eh. Why bother." Jake shrugged, throwing on a plain green t-shirt and dark shorts, glad he'd already combed his hair so he wouldn't take any extra time. He joined Danny in the kitchen area and watched in amusement as the ghost expressed his disappointment at not yet having "real coffee." Neither of them were in the mood for pop tarts that moment, so Jake suggested they run down to the Great Hall and try to snag some breakfast before it was all gone, and soon they were out the door.
"Nice shirt, by the way," Jake commented before dropping down a flight of stairs, allowing wings to materialize out of his back to make his descent easier (though not before making sure he had enough room to do so; they didn't need another repeated incident like their first day). "The Killers?"
Danny, who floated alongside him, looked down at the dark shirt. "Oh, yeah. I like the band."
"I haven't listened to many of their songs," Jake said. "Spud's usually the rock kinda guy. I'm more into-"
"Bad pop?" Danny suggested, floating several feet higher when Jake swatted at him.
So as not to feel any shorter than he already was, Jake stopped his attempts to land a blow and instead hurried down the hall, silently praying they wouldn't run into any students. "C'mon, Casper, you wanna eat breakfast - and real coffee - or not?"
Danny rolled his eyes. "I would never skip breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day. You cannot function without it. I can't survive on decaf-"
"I literally can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not," Jake said.
Grinning, Danny began to float faster towards the Great Hall. "I would never use sarcasm on you!"
"Because I deserve better?" Jake yelled, picking up the pace as he followed the ghost.
"You deserve all the love in the world, baby!" Danny laughed. "Except the last pastry!"
"You fuck-" Jake let out a loud whoop as he sprinted after his friend, not too keen on shifting to dragon form when students were still walking around the (unfortunately) still pretty tight hallway. Though, really, if he said he weren't using magical energy to push his legs forward, faster than any normal human, he'd be lying.
Danny slowed down a bit as he neared the entrance to the Great Hall, and Jake saw his opportunity. He jumped and tackled the ghost midair, and the extra weight caused them both to come crashing down to the ground with shouts of surprise. A few students screamed and scrambled out of the way as the two wrestled on the ground - and at this point, Jake wasn't quite sure if Danny really wanted to steal the last few pastries from him or if he just wanted to get the dragon back for beating him at last night's sparring match.
Danny eventually landed a blow on Jake's nose with his elbow and slipped out of Jake's grip as the younger boy shouted in indignation, "Not the face!"
Laughing, the halfa stepped away as Jake tried to right himself. "Why didn't you just use intangibility, you shit," Jake groaned, massaging his nose.
"This was more fun," Danny replied, "and anyway, I didn't hit you hard enough to leave a mark. That was for last night, by the way."
Letting out a breathy laugh, Jake took Danny's outstretched hand. Once he was standing, he delivered a swift punch to Danny's chest, ducking out of the way and leaping towards the nearest table to grab one of the last pastries on the plate. Turning around and meeting Danny's mock glower, Jake said cheekily, "I win!"
Danny raised his eyes to the ceiling. "Dammit." He looked around himself, prompting Jake to do the same and in turn notice the many pairs of eyes on the two of them. They'd landed nearest to the Hufflepuff table, their scuffle happening just as a group of girls had begun to leave the Great Hall.
"Merlin's beard," one of them breathed.
Jake gave her a blinding smile, waving with the hand that wasn't currently holding the pastry. Behind him, Danny snorted. "Hey, I'm Jake!"
"I-" the Hufflepuff stared at his mouth, and Jake remembered his fangs. "I'm Franny."
"Why were you fighting?" another student behind Franny blurted out.
Danny huffed a laugh, coming up from behind Jake to snag a pastry as well. "Because dragons are competitive and obsessed with food-"
"You're the one who raced me!" Jake defended.
"I didn't race you. You're the one who tackled me."
"It was implied."
Danny jabbed a finger at Jake, giving Franny and the other student a pointed look. "See what I mean?"
"I still won!" Jake waved the pastry in the air. Satisfied with the eyeroll that followed, he moved to the bench and sat himself down, taking a bite out of the pastry and ignoring the stares from the other students.
Danny joined him, peering at the pastry. "Is this cherry?"
"Raspberry," Jake answered in between bites.
"Curious," Franny murmured.
Jake looked up from his breakfast. "What is?"
She flushed. "Oh, nothing, it's just - well, I'm surprised you're eating that, I guess."
Jake cocked his head. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you're a dragon," she continued hesitantly. "And I guess I just expected you to be eating more… well, that you'd be more carnivorous."
Irritation flickered in his chest. Here we go again, with the stereotypes and generalizations.
"Diplomat," Danny coughed into his hand.
Jake sighed. Then again, it was probably unfair to condemn her for that. After all, students here had probably never been taught about any dragons other than feral ones. And, hey, the fangs might have been similar to predator teeth, too.
"Nah," Jake told her, trying his best to keep a neutral facial expression. "Dragons - I mean, Dracos - we eat whatever. Can't really live among humans if you don't eat like 'em, right?"
"You live among humans?" a different student asked from some ways away.
Jake quickly swallowed the bite he'd taken from his pastry. "What else would I use this killer bod for?"
Danny choked on his food. "Oh, God, you ruined it."
"Exactly my intention, Casper!" Jake grinned. To the students, he said, "I wouldn't wait up too much. Class should be starting soon. Hey, maybe you'll see us!"
The Hufflepuffs nodded hesitantly, picking themselves up from their seats and making their way towards the doors of the Great Hall, which had begun to rapidly empty. A few other kids shot Jake and Danny curious glances, but after the clear dismissal, no one else came to ask any questions.
Danny patted Jake's shoulder. "Nice going! No arguments!"
"I know, right?" Jake stuffed the rest of his pastry in his mouth. Through a full mouth, he said, "I'm totally diplomatic!"
Danny laughed. "Alright, alright. I'm gonna grab some coffee before all the food disappears, then we'll get outside to fly around for a bit."
Jake shot him a thumbs up.
It was maybe a few minutes before the first bell when Jake and Danny found themselves by the shores of the Black Lake, the sun still rising, bathing the sky in a golden light. A slight breeze peppered their faces, cool but not uncomfortable, and the dark water glinted before them. Remembering Filch's warning about the giant squid, neither of them felt too keen on exploring the depths.
Jake gave Danny a mock bow. "After you."
The halfa scoffed. "Oh, now I'm worthy of the Great Dragon's respect?"
"Never mind," Jake said, taking a few steps back before sprinting at the lake, jumping at the water line, and transforming in midair.
Shifting into his dragon form had always been freeing; he'd felt almost incomplete before his powers had kicked in, a few days after his thirteenth birthday, and though the first transformation had been painful - like, bones-splitting-apart-and-regrowing painful - after that, it finally felt like his skin fit around his body. Every time the life of a human became too much for him, he could escape into his chi, where scales and wings and a fiery breath would envelop him, bringing him hope and glory.
Jake breathed. Flames, straight from the magical energy in his chest, licked the surface of his skin and burned away the human shell, replacing it with his True Form, as Lao Shi called it. Now clad in crimson scales, he opened his wings and shot up higher into the sky, letting a plume of fire escape his mouth as euphoria filled him.
God, it'd been so long.
He soon felt Danny's presence next to him, the cold barely affecting him in this form. Phantom waved at him as he floated nearby and did a few flips in the air, eyes closed in contentment.
"Been a while, huh?" Jake heard Danny yell as he flapped his wings harder, flew higher.
Instead of replying, Jake let loose a roar and another burst of fire. Now several hundred feet from the ground, he tucked his wings and let himself fall face first.
Danny joined him in the dive, and soon the both of them were neck and neck, the ground rapidly growing closer. At the last moment, Jake unfurled his wings and snapped back into the air, narrowly missing Danny's smaller stature, who yelped and swerved to the side.
Jake laughed. "You forget you have intangibility, Phantom?" As he spoke, he adjusted his flight and turned to glide along the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
Still in the process of righting himself, Danny grumbled out an unintelligible reply and quickly put on a burst of speed to match Jake's as they flew. His stark white hair blew back against his head, showing all of his face, which previously would be covered by thick black hair. Green eyes squinted against the wind.
The two friends flew next to each other in silence, enjoying the serenity of the landscape. It was nice to get away from the responsibilities, the war, the Order, and Hogwarts in general.
Not for the first time, Jake found himself incredibly grateful that he wasn't alone in this. Danny both actively supported him in whatever dumb thing he wanted to do and also kept his head level, made sure he didn't lash out because of some stupid stereotype or awful racial opinion because the Dragon Council had failed to keep an eye on their charges. For someone who was expected to be a leader and representative for the entire Draco race, Jake definitely had lots more to learn on who deserved judgement and who simply didn't know better. And Danny, who hadn't even known about the magical kingdom up until a few months ago, seemed to be trying his hardest to learn about everything he could.
Jake grinned to himself, moving to the side and bumping Danny, who yelped as he flailed around in the air for a second. He glared at the snickering dragon, firing up an ectoblast in his hand. Jake dove out of the way as the energy was shot his way, narrowly missing his shoulder.
"Hey!" Jake protested, ducking again as Danny shot another blast at him.
"Combat training!" Danny yelled, both hands now bathed in an eerie green light. He flew higher, holding out his fists and allowing ectoblasts to rain on Jake.
The dragon twisted his body to dodge the attacks, thankful for his Chinese genes giving him a more flexible figure. He dove, swerved, threw himself backwards, did a few somersaults… really, his maneuvers becoming more complicated as he gained more confidence. While he had no idea how ectoplasm would affect his very magical body, he wasn't too inclined to find out.
Eventually Jake started shooting fire at Danny as well, causing the ghost to lose much of his focus as he tried to evade the flames. Though the two clearly didn't really care all that much about who won, surprisingly; both wore broad smiles on their faces, tumbling through the air as they chased each other along the edge of the forest and and miles away from the castle.
Jake, adrenaline still coursing through his body, put on a burst of speed as he dodged another attack from Phantom, flying past him and watching the trees blur beneath him. He heard Danny's calls from behind, and choosing to ignore them, continued to climb higher and move faster and faster, the wind at his back and the sun keeping him warm, free in the air as he used his wings for what felt like the first time in forever, and Hogwarts was far behind-
He crashed.
Though he didn't see what had hit him, Jake suddenly found himself falling to the ground in shock, his wings strangely paralyzed. A bit of panic seeping in, he flailed his limbs around and let his chi pull his dragon body back in the hopes of gaining back control, only to realize that it, too, seemed to be frozen.
What the hell!
His chi vibrated but didn't move, not in the way he was used to, almost as if it were stuck-
A strong pair of arms grabbed his midsection and pulled up, managing to slow their descent. Danny grunted and turned both of them intangible, so that when they hit the ground, they wouldn't take any injuries.
The halfa lifted them both from halfway into the ground and onto the surface again, where Jake lay, still only slightly able to move his body but not nearly enough to escape. His chi twitched, still wrapped around his body as he remained in dragon form, unable to pull back.
Jake's breath quickened. He was trapped.
And it wasn't even trapped in his human form. This time, he was stuck inside his scales, but it wasn't as comforting as it should've been. His skin seemed to become tighter around him, his chi continuing to send out quivers of distress, and it was getting harder to breathe-
"Jake!" Danny slapped the side of his face. "Jake! What's wrong?"
An uncharacteristic whine escaped his throat. I'm trapped! he wanted to scream. Get this skin off of me! What was wrong with him? Why did his dragon form feel like a cage?
Why wasn't his chi moving?
"Oh, God, okay," Danny muttered. His face had gone pale, paler than usual. He moved around Jake's body, running a hand along the green spines on his back, murmuring to himself. While he was out of Jake's field of vision, he called in a tight voice, "Dude, you've gotta breathe. Jake, breathe."
Jake felt his ribcage expanding and contracting rapidly, too fast to be healthy, and black spots danced before his eyes. Was that Danny speaking? Was anyone actually speaking? Where was he?
"Shit, I think you're panicking," he heard a familiar voice say. "Jake. Jake, look at me."
A black jumpsuit moved in front of him. Jake flicked his eyes up to meet Danny's toxic green ones, distantly noting how large and worried they looked.
"Breathe," Danny told him, laying a hand on the side of his head. "In and out. In and out. See, watch me. We're gonna breathe together. In… out. In… out. You're doing great. You're gonna be fine. Keep breathing. In… out. Focus on my voice. Look at me. Jake, you're gonna be okay."
Jake forced himself to focus on Danny, staring intently at the halfa's eyes, his freckles, the hand pressing comfortingly into his head. Inside his body, he felt his chi relax, the quivers stopping. Something unfurled from his chest, the tightness disappearing, and his magical energy finally pulled back from his scales and back into their normal place as he shifted back into his human form.
Jake threw his hands over his face and touched the human skin, pulled at his hair, clutched at his throat. His body shook. When he closed his eyes, he could feel his chi there in his chest, intact, still in distress but not trapping him.
What the hell was that? What the-
Jesus Christ, was he crying?
Danny had transformed back into Fenton sometime after Jake gained back control. He put his arms around Jake's shoulders, asking, "Is it okay if I hug you?"
Jake nodded jerkingly and allowed himself to be pulled close, pressing his face against Danny's cold, cold chest and trying to escape the feeling of being caged like that. A few seconds later and the arms around him started to feel too tight, so he pushed himself away, and Danny immediately let go.
The two helped each other up, Jake subconsciously leaning on Danny as his legs shook. He stared numbly at his human hands, then to the area he'd been flying towards before… before that had happened.
Jake stepped towards the area; it was a few feet away from the Forbidden Forest, by a small cliff with a dirt road that led down to what he could vaguely recognize as multiple rooftops. A village?
"Jake?" Danny jogged up behind him. "Jake, what is it?"
"Something crashed into me," Jake mumbled, stretching out his hand. At the last moment, he pulled it back, suddenly very cautious about whatever could be there.
"Do you feel anything?" Danny asked him. Nervousness tinged his voice.
There was a slight hum in the air in front of him, but it felt… dry. Itchy. Unsafe.
Jake nodded. "Something. I think…" he trailed off. "A ward, maybe."
Danny squinted at the empty air in front of him. "Why would a ward be there?"
"I don't know." Jake looked down at his hands again in frustration, then furiously wiped his eyes with his arm, suddenly angry at himself. "The fuck was that?"
"I don't know. But, Jake…" Danny swallowed hard. "Whatever it is, it can't be good. Do you think it's a threat to Hogwarts?"
"Maybe, I don't-" Jake stopped. "Wait. How far away are we from the school?"
"A few miles, I'm guessing. I think that down there is Hogsmeade. Hermione told me about it, and I think Minerva showed us-"
"Yeah, but this isn't the entrance to it," Jake interrupted. "The student way is much more accessible, and I think it's a little closer to the school. I think… this may be a way to keep threats from reaching the school."
"You mean this is a border?" Danny asked, his voice colored with shock. "But the borders aren't supposed to hurt the students. I mean." A beat, and when he spoke again, it was much softer. "Jake, you just had a panic attack after coming into contact with that thing."
Jake clenched his fists. "Yeah, that wasn't fun." He took a deep breath. Moment of truth. "It freezed my chi."
"It what?"
"It paralyzed me by keeping my chi frozen around my body, so I was unable to shift back to human form or really move at all. I was trapped."
Danny swore. "What the hell is this thing? And why would they put it there if it has such an effect on magical energy?"
Fury began to boil in Jake's stomach. "Because it doesn't affect wizard energy," he spat. "Theirs is much more spread out, whereas mine is easy to pinpoint because it's all coiled up. This was made for me."
Danny looked like he was about to throw up. "You're kidding."
"I'll betcha they put some measures for the halfa, too," Jake continued, unaware of the flames that had begun to rise above his skin in his anger. "You told the Order of your ice core, right? The teachers know what you're made out of. Or, at least, mostly. I wouldn't be surprised if they managed to find a way to attack your powers, too, if you ever touch the border."
Danny took a few steps back. "They're trying to keep us here?"
Jake's laugh was hollow, mirthless. "Why risk losing such valuable allies? Especially when they're both known to be brought here against their will?"
Hogwarts suddenly seemed much less welcoming.
The ride back was silent.
After the craziness with the Portal, learning ghosts were real, and becoming a half-ghost vigilante while evading his ghost-hunting parents who didn't know their own son was half-dead, Danny liked to think he could adapt to any situation.
Then wizards were thrown into the mix, and he was like, Okay, this is weird, but not unexpected.
Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. All that jazz.
Through it all, he'd truly believed the wizards believed in their capacity to help. Clockwork clearly trusted these guys, said they were allies, and Dumbledore had been nothing but hospitable, even if Danny and Jake were a little rude at times. The Order had let them into their ranks despite still being teenagers, and the year had started off with high spirits and a good plan on how to tackle the monstrosity that was Hogwarts.
And now?
Danny glanced back at Jake, who flew a few feet behind him in dragon form. His copper eyes were alight with fury, little bursts of smoke coming from his nostrils every few breaths. When Jake had crashed into the barrier, twitching and unable to move, eyes clouded over in panic, Danny had genuinely feared for his life. He had no way to perform healing magic on him, they were too far away to call for help, and whatever it was that had attacked him could still come back for more. But it seemed that whatever happened wore off as soon as he'd relaxed, and with it came the revelation that the wizards were trying to keep them here, in Hogwarts, not with trust, but with a barrier that had the capacity to shorten out their powers. It was a terrifying thought, especially since Draco's had magical energy stronger than a wizards, not to mention ectoplasm being capable of canceling out that magic in the first place.
Whatever enchantment had been put on the border, it was ancient and powerful.
And all this on the first day. Had the wizards wanted them to know about this? Were they going to be informed? Why not warn them? Did they not trust the representatives? Did they see the two as a threat?
Was there an ulterior motive to wanting the two there?
Danny's mind flashed to a dissection table, sharp needles glinting in fluorescent lighting. He suppressed a shiver. No way was he letting himself fall into any more traps.
"We're not mentioning this to anyone," Danny said before he could think. "The wizards need to believe they have control over us."
To his surprise, Jake didn't argue. "Yeah. I know. If they find out we know about the border, they might take even more measures to keep us here." He flapped his wings harder to pick up some speed, standing closer to Danny's side. "I'll call Fu this evening to ask him about any spells that can shorten out powers like that. Can I use your phone?"
"You can try," Danny answered, starting to descend as they reached the Black Lake. "Service is slow, and I haven't tried calling anyone yet. We also have a fireplace in our room, we can try the Floo Network."
"If it's not being watched," Jake muttered.
"I wonder where Clockwork is," Danny mused. There had been no sign of his mentor for a while now, but surely he'd appear if the wizarding was actively trying to keep them in one place?
Then again, he could see all of time. If he hadn't interfered yet, then Danny had to trust the things were happening as they should.
Hopefully.
A chiming brought Danny out of his thoughts. He landed to the ground, with Jake next to him, already back in human form. "Right on time," Jake announced as the bell continued to sound. "Alright, Casper, where to?"
Danny shrugged. "Defense Against the Dark Arts, I guess."
Jake nodded. "Alright." He began to move towards the front of the building before stopping and turning his head slightly towards the halfa. "By the way," he began, and Danny was surprised to hear a slight waver in his voice. "Thanks, Danny. For, uh, you know."
Breathe, Jake. It's okay, Jake.
Danny gave him a reassuring smile, squeezing his shoulder as he walked by. "Of course. What are friends for?"
(In his mind's eye, he saw Jazz holding his hand as she led him away from his parents, who were in the middle of dissecting a small ghost on their kitchen table due to running out of space downstairs. He couldn't get the smell of burnt ectoplasm out of his nose for a week.)
("You're gonna be just fine, Danny," Jazz said softly, rubbing circles into his back as he sat curled up on the bathroom floor, hands shaking at the memory of the new gun his parents had tried on him.)
Jake grinned at him.
You're gonna do great things, man. Don't let the haters get you down!
Danny grinned back.
Danny and Jake were the first ones in the DADA classroom. Thanks, ghost powers!
With the lack of any technology such as a SmartBoard, a projector, or any computers, the classroom definitely made up for it with the gigantic skeleton of some reptile hanging overhead. Jake had peered at the thing suspiciously, wondering out loud if it were a feral dragon or not. "Even if it is, I just hope it wasn't hunted," he told Danny. The blackboard had already been wiped clean in time for the new class, and the rows of tables were perfectly lined up, each desk separated from one another so as not to cause any distractions from the students.
Umbridge stood up from her desk as soon as she saw them, a sneer already morphing her expression into something incredibly unpleasant to look at. Danny stared at all the pink in horror.
Normally he didn't mind the color pink. But this… this was awful. This was an insult to pink.
"Hey, Dolores," Jake greeted her with fake cheerfulness. "We're here to observe the class-"
"You will address me as Professor Umbridge," the toad interrupted, "and nothing else. As for observation, I'll have you two sit in the back corner." She waved her hand towards the back, and Danny turned his head to look at two small, hard chairs pushed up against the wall. Clearly she'd been told to have them ready for the representatives, but unwilling to actually try and make them comfortable.
Whatever.
"Do not distract my class," she continued, wrinkling her nose in Jake's direction. Danny got the distinct expression it was directed at his hair.
"Alright, Dolores," Jake chirped, saluting her. "Thanks a bunch!"
Before Umbridge could hex him, Danny quickly cut in with, "You won't even notice us here, ma'am. Oh, hey, look, students. We'll be on our way now."
The few kids that had entered stared at them as they made their way to the back. Danny gave them a tight smile as he sat down, inwardly groaning at how uncomfortable the chairs were.
"I hate her already," Jake murmured. He wiggled in his seat. "Were these things carved out of a rock?"
Danny tried to muffle a laugh. "Let's just get through this. Remember, she can't be completely awful. You have to report anything of interest to the Council."
"Yo, you're right. Oh, I take it back, this should be fun."
Within minutes, the classroom had filled with students. It seemed to be occupied mostly by Ravenclaws and a few Gryffindors, all fifth year, obviously. Danny noticed Neville sitting a few rows down and grabbed his attention by waving when he looked their way. The shy boy smiled at them and waved back, setting down his things closer to the back so he could be closer.
Least they weren't completely alone.
A few other students looked their way curiously, whispers filling the room. While some approached, none actually mustered up the courage to say hello. (Except Neville, an angel who could do no wrong.) Danny tried his best to keep his facial expression friendly, and noticed Jake doing the same as he continued to fidget in his very uncomfortable chair.
"Settle down, children," Umbridge called. She waved her wand and the door closed on its own. Moving from behind her desk to the front of the room, she said, "Good morning."
Mutters of "morning" rang around the room. Jake and Danny did not join in.
Umbridge smiled tightly. "Now, now, my previous class did the same mistake. When I say 'good morning,' you answer with, 'Good morning, Professor Umbridge.' It's the same with goodbyes and any yes or no question. If I were to say, 'Do you understand?' you'd reply with…
The class stayed mostly silent, staring at her in confusion. Jake put his head in his hands, moaning softly, "Jesus fucking Christ I can't believe this woman-"
"You'd say, 'Yes, Professor Umbridge,'" the toad simpered. "Now, let's try that again. Good morning, class!"
"Good morning, Professor Umbridge," the class murmured, still relatively unanimously.
"Again. Come now, we're wasting time. Surely smart children such as you can say something so simple."
"Good morning, Professor Umbridge," the class chorused, a little louder this time.
Umbridge beamed (except it looked grotesque on her, as did every other expression). "See! Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?"
A few kids shrugged.
"That's not the way. Come on, what do we say?"
"No, Professor Umbridge," about two-thirds of the class finally said.
"Oh my God," Jake groaned. Danny snickered.
Umbridge chose to ignore the comments coming from the back, instead whipping out her wand and writing in the air. On the blackboard, chalk lines began to appear, spelling out Ordinary Wizarding Levels. "OWLS are essential in choosing your future career plans," she began. "Though your curriculum in this class has been severely fragmented, I am here to ensure you get back on track with a Ministry-approved setting that lays out all the foundations for anything you'd need to know about Defense Against the Dark Arts!"
Next to Danny, Jake grunted.
Yeah, that didn't sound good to Danny, either.
Umbridge flicked her wand, and from her desk, a pile of textbooks flew out and began handing themselves out to the students. "Wands away!" she chirped, the students' expressions falling into confusion, then disbelief, and finally, crushing sadness as they looked at the textbook and put away their wands.
Danny leaned forward to take a look at the cover from one of the students nearest to him. Basics for Beginners? Weren't these kids already into their fifth year of training?
Now slightly suspicious of the teacher's motives, Danny spoke up, "Can we get one or two of those back here, too?"
Umbridge froze, her cheeks reddening slightly. "Whyever would you want one?"
"So we can see what y'all are teachin' the kids," Jake piped up, catching on. "I mean, I'm supposed to report back anything worth noting, and I think it would make everything easier if I - we - could see what exactly it is that makes you think you need to go back to the basics." Clearly, he didn't agree with the choice of books, either.
Umbridge clenched her wand tightly but assented, sending a textbook flying towards the back. Jake caught it easily, cocking an eyebrow. "Careful, I could've gotten hurt."
A few students laughed softly. Umbridge clapped her hands loudly, gaining their attention once more. That infuriating smile was back as she said, "Open to the first page and read chapter one. We will do this for the entire period, and I want not one peep out of you."
The next five minutes were filled with nothing but the turning of pages as students sullenly did as they were told. Jake and Danny, however, looked through the table of contents and flipped through different sections in order to get a feel for what they'd be learning, except… there didn't really seem to be anything.
"I thought this was a practical class," Danny murmured.
Jake sighed, putting his hand in the air. Umbridge ignored him, despite her eyes clearly meeting his. Danny waited a few moments before whispering, "You realize you're not a student," and Jake put his hand down.
"Professor?" Jake called out. After no reply, he tried, " Dolores?"
That got her attention, as well as many of the students'.
"What," Umbridge ground out, "is it?"
"Ah, nothin' much," Jake replied smoothly. "Just wondering, uh, if we've got the right class here. Danny and I were told by the headmaster that this was a practical class? Yet there isn't really anything in here about using defensive spells."
"It doesn't even really tell you how to use them," Danny added, flipping a few pages. "It talks about what they could do and who made them up, but actually using them? Nada."
"He's right," a Ravenclaw girl realized from the front. "Don't we have to show we can do the spell during exams?"
"First of all," Umbridge said in a high voice, jabbing her finger at the student who had spoken up, "I do not tolerate anyone speaking unless their hands are raised. That includes you, dragon. And you, hybrid."
Danny bristled. "He did have his hand up. And anyway, we're not students-"
"Secondly," Umbridge interrupted, "I've already had this conversation with my last class, and I will say it again for you: none of you are being taught how to use defensive spells because there is no need to. The Ministry-"
"The Ministry is supposed to keep the students safe," Jake said. His eyes neared their coppery tone from when he was in dragon form, his jaw clenched. "I was told that this class is one of the most important in the school because it's so practical."
Well, that hadn't been outright said, but Danny wasn't going to complain. It'd been heavily implied, what with all the shit going down in the outside world, and he wasn't going to side with the toad after that comment on his half-human status.
"You have no jurisdiction over what the Ministry teaches its students," Umbridge spat. "I would appreciate it, dragon-"
"I have a name," Jake snarled. "If you can't use it, then don't address me at all."
"I would appreciate it if you stopped disrupting my class," Umbridge continued, unphased.
Danny immediately jumped to his friend's defense. "We're not telling you how to teach your class, but we are concerned with the curriculum that refuses to teach its students spells. We literally came here to make sure everything is running smoothly, that there's no threat, and now you're telling us you're not even preparing the kids?"
"And what," Umbridge said, breathing heavily, "would they need to be prepared for?"
"Unbelievable!" Jake near-shouted, jumping up from his seat. A few students flinched away. "There's a murderer loose! He's not gonna spare y'all because you're kids! Hogwarts isn't always going to protect-"
"That's enough!" Umbridge roared, slamming her hands down on the table. "I will not tolerate such insolence from a mere animal!"
Oh, shit.
Jake's eyes darkened. "Watch what you say," he hissed, and flames began to flicker over the surface of his skin.
Danny felt his core hum; static played in the air, and he knew his hair was probably beginning to stand on end. He stood rigid, prepared to stop any fight from breaking out, but also leaning towards joining in if it meant shutting that woman up.
"I will not," Umbridge sang, unaware of how much danger she was in. "Last I checked, you are only here because the Ministry allowed it. You are not human, and you pose more of a threat towards the students than any liars who say the Dark Lord is back, which he is not. It is not your place to tell us how to teach."
"Alright, lady," Danny butt in, seeing how upset Jake was getting. "You're the one escalating this. We asked why you weren't doing practical teachings, and the only answer you gave was because you don't think anyone actually needs it, when Hogwarts has been doing practical stuff for years before Voldemort was said to have returned." He ignored the gasps around the room as he said the wizard's name. "And then you have the audacity to insult my friend by not only calling him an animal, but also that he is more of a threat to the students than the literal wizard Nazi who murdered hundreds of people."
"I-"
"I'm not finished," Danny snapped. "The Dracos are risking a lot by sending their best people out to protect magic schools. Clockwork, too, is putting a lot on the line by opening up the Ghost Zone to you. So don't you ever say we don't deserve to be here, that you could get rid of us at any time - we only came because you, the Ministry as well as Dumbledore, asked us to. If you want our help, you'd better show us some respect."
You could hear a pin drop with how quiet the room was afterwards.
While Danny tried to keep the temperature around him relatively warm, Umbridge grew redder and redder. She spluttered, "Get out. Get out of my classroom."
"Gladly," Jake growled and abruptly stood up.
Danny held him back a moment. "We'll be coming back tomorrow for a full class. We're required to stick around that long."
And with that, both of them made their way out, neither looking back.
The next two periods they sat in went much smoother; they picked Charms and History of Magic, two subjects that had them sitting in the back of the room quietly, not making eye contact with any of the students. (Though the two of them silently paid attention in History of Magic; it was an interesting class, and there were so many wars Danny had trouble believing no one nonmagical had never noticed anything.
Later in the day, during lunch, the two of them found themselves in the Great Hall, sitting next to the Trio, who complained about their day.
"Potions was bloody awful, as always," Ron said through a mouthful of mashed potatoes.
"I think Snape hates me more than usual this year," Harry sighed.
"Snape's the least of your problems," Hermione said with a raised brow. "Honestly, Harry, detention? On the first day?"
Jake whistled. Over the course of the day, his mood had lifted considerably, and his eyes had returned to their normal brown. "Detention? I'm impressed."
"My twin," Danny joked, biting into a piece of chicken. "So, who gave it to you?"
Harry sighed. "Umbridge. I think Angelina is angry at me. I'll be missing Keeper tryouts this Friday."
Jake glared down at his food. "Ah, the toad bitch."
Hermione choked. "Jake!"
"We didn't even last a class with her," Danny sighed. "Ancients, she was awful. She hates everyone who isn't human and thinks they're automatically a threat to the school, apparently."
Ron stared at them. "Seriously?"
"I'm not surprised," Hermione said. "She said awful things about Professor Lupin, the werewolf, even if he was the best teacher we've had."
"What period did you guys have her?" Jake asked.
"First," Ron answered. "Harry blew up at her."
Harry flushed. "I-"
"Oh, it was bloody brilliant," Ron continued. "The hag was going on about how we wouldn't need defensive spells, how Harry was a liar, and the bloke challenges her on what she thought happened last year. He obliterated her."
"Granted, he got a detention," Hermione said. "You have to be careful with your temper, Harry."
"I disagree," Jake said. "Someone had to put her in her place. Danny delivered a whole fucking speech and everything. It was awesome."
Danny hid a grin. "What can I say? She was disrespecting you and refusing to teach the students proper defense tactics. Tip number one from a vigilante: always assume the worst."
"Amen to that," Jake sang, raising his goblet high.
"Yes, well," a voice said behind them, "unfortunately for you, Dolores didn't seem to think so."
The two of them whirled around. Minerva McGonagall stood there, impassive as always, flowing green robe framing her imposing her figure as she glared down at them.
Jake gave her a lopsided grin. "Minerva! How's it going! Long time no see!"
The witch sighed. "Yes, well. I have been rather busy. It seems you have been, too."
For a moment, Danny wondered if she knew they'd discovered the border. Her next words, however, almost prompted a sigh of relief to escape his lips.
"Professor Umbridge has complained to Albus and I about you two," Minerva said. "I hear you got into a screaming match with her during class?"
Danny's mouth formed an O. Yeah, they were in trouble.
Jake laughed nervously. "In our defense, she was really rude."
"I am aware," Minerva said stiffly. "I am also aware of her… flawed teaching methods. However, it was unacceptable to challenge her during class."
"You don't understand, she-" Danny began heatedly.
"If you ever run into her, and if she asks what punishment I gave you," Minerva continued, unfazed, "tell her I gave you a lengthy lecture on why you shouldn't challenge a teacher's authority in their class. I also told you that if something like this happens again, I will be dishing out a more severe punishment. Since it is your first offense and you can't possibly know better, being new to the wizarding world, you're getting let off easy." She spun around and made her way out of the Great Hall without giving them any time to reply.
Danny stared at her retreating back. "I guess she doesn't like the toad either."
Jake let out a bought of laugher. "She's gained a little more of my respect."
Having already gone to two and a half periods, the boys decided it would be fine to just get back to the Room of Requirement and call it a day. They said their goodbyes and bade Harry good luck at his detention, then quickly entered their room and immediately raided the mini fridge for snacks to eat, and finished it off by changing into their pajamas and sitting on Jake's bed.
Danny picked up his phone and checked the battery. Thirty percent. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
An idea formed in his head. Charging his fingers up with ectoenergy, he touched the back of his phone and slowly poured some energy into the metal.
"Watcha doin'?" Jake asked curiously, a soda in his hand.
"My phone is basically surrounded by ghostly energy at this point," Danny replied, eyes narrowing in concentration. "It's the only way it can actually work, right? So, I was thinking, it's not too much different from some of my other ghost weaponry. Like my thermos, for instance, which is charged by ectoenergy."
"You think you can charge up your phone by pouring a little bit of ghost power into it?" Jake's voice sounded skeptical.
Danny shrugged. "It's worth a try… and… yes!" He held up the phone triumphantly, which had started to glow from the inside with a faint blue light.
Jake raised an eyebrow. "What does that light mean?"
"It's what happens when ghostly energy and technology start combining to work together." Danny tapped the phone a few more times and squealed as the battery symbol in the top right corner began to climb up in percentages. "Oh Tucker's gonna love this! I think we wanted to try this before, but didn't want to ruin any phones in case it didn't work; but this is kind of a last resort, and now we can have permanent access to technology inside a magic school!"
Jake snorted. "Nerd." He stood up from the bed and made his way to the kitchen area, digging around in the cabinets for a pop tart. "Seriously, though, that's pretty cool. Can I call Fu Dog later with it?"
"Sure," Danny said, following him. "I would try to see if I could fix your phone up, too, but I don't know how it would react to ectoenergy if it hasn't been previously exposed to it."
"Like building up an immunity?" Jake shrugged. "That's fine. I'd rather my phone stay ghost energy-free, anyway."
Danny yawned and tapped the counter. It was strange to think he'd be sleeping in this room for the rest of the year. "Crazy day."
Jake sighed. "You're telling me. And it's only the first." He leaned against the counter, ran his hands through his hair. "I really hope there isn't some shady double-crossing business goin' on in Hogwarts. Don't really feel like dealing with betrayals right now."
Danny nodded. He opened a cabinet and took out a bag of decaf, shrugging to himself. At least it would taste good.
"I mean, besides Umbridge," Jake added as an afterthought while Danny worked with the coffee machine. "She obviously hates us. Minerva hates her, too, but it's weird that she doesn't really have much power over her, even though they're both teachers. Being part of the Ministry gives you a lot of street cred, I s'pose."
"Honestly," Danny commented, watching Jake take a ravenous bite out of the pop tart with a sort of detached interest, "I'm kind of offended."
"I know, right?" Jake said cheerfully around a mouthful of pop tart. "Fuckin', uh, wizards, man. Tellin' us we're super respected, only to yell at us - well, sorta - for telling off a teacher who was clearly out of line? Whack."
Danny cracked a tired grin. "Her hair? Whack."
"Her gear?" Jake continued, catching on. "Whack."
"Her jewelry? Whack!"
"Her footstance?" Jake laughed. "Whack!"
"Way that she talks?" Danny held in a snort. "Whack."
"The way that she doesn't even like to smile?" Jake was barely able to contain himself now, setting the pop tart on the table as he sniggered and leaned forward. "Wh-whack."
"Me?" Danny said loudly, leaning forward on the table as well in preparation for the finale.
"I'm tight as fuck!" the two boys simultaneously screamed, Jake pounding on the table for good measure. They howled with laughter, stomachs beginning to hurt as they shared a high five.
"Ah…" Jake snickered, drawing a finger below his eye as he wiped away a fake tear. "Good to see at least someone appreciates meme culture."
"Truly." Danny raised his mug of coffee and downed it in one gulp.
"Hey, Danny?"
"Yeah, Jake?"
"I'm glad you're here with me."
Danny smiled, tousling Jake's hair. "Me too, Shorty."
Jake made an indignant sound in the back of his throat, swatting Danny's hands away. The ghost laughed.
They'd find out what it was the wizards were trying to do by keeping them trapped. They'd get help from the outside. They'd figure out how to deal with Umbridge, and they'd work on keeping the school safe from threats that many still didn't seem to understand existed.
But for now, they'd eat junk food and go to bed early, trying to forget how long it'd be before they'd be able to go home.
HUGE thank you to all the positive reviews i've been getting. it's really cool to see that people actually enjoy this story! fun fact: i thought it up at 2 am and wrote the first chapter on impulse lmao
i've gotten a bunch of different insights into the world and how i blend them together (both on here and on ao3) and i'm glad y'all are okay with how i do it! i spend like 75% of my time just thinking up headcanons, and idk, it's just so much fun to write down. i hope i do these worlds justice!
have a lovely day, everyone! :)