Danny tugged at his collar. "Ugh, this shirt is too small."

Harry looked at his brother. Danny was sporting Harry's old light blue button down shirt and khakis.

Jazz rolled her eyes at Danny. "At least you're not wearing a skin tight hazmat suit," she muttered looking at her father with disdain.

With his traffic cone orange hazmat suit, Jack stood out like a sore thumb. The kids were certain that Jack didn't know the meaning of normal. He was made to stand out, and more often than not, it wasn't a good thing. Currently he was yakking away to some poor hostess about ghosts while the rest of the family waited for Vlad on the side.

"Vlad should be here any minute, dear," Maddie called over. Maddie was by far the most appropriately dressed member of the family. She was wearing a dazzling purple dress that hugged her more feminine parts and accentuated her lavender eyes.

"You were right about the restaurant, Mom; it's very fancy," Jazz commented. Fancy was an understatement. There was a beautiful chandelier hanging above them, the hostesses were wearing uniforms that probably cost more than their house, and the parking was valet only. Harry shuddered, remembering the drive over. There was always a risk of property and mental health damage when his father drove.

"Ah Maddie," came a smooth cultured voice. "You look as lovely as ever."

The group turned to find a tall, smirking man with long white hair tied in a neat ponytail and eyes the color of a deep ocean. He was wearing a fancy suit and a red bolo tie. He gently took Mrs. Fenton's hand and gave it a soft kiss.

"Oh Vlad, you are too kind," Maddie said sweetly. He grinned and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Danny and Harry exchanged disgusted looks. This guy was clearly pining for Maddie.

Oblivious to the sleazy gesture, Maddie excitedly pointed to a fountain at the corner of the foyer. "Jazz, look, it's a statue of Stephanie Kwolek; let's take a closer look!" With that, Maddie slid out of Vlad's arms and the girls walked away leaving the boys and Vlad behind. His smile became strained when he saw Jack noticing him.

"Vladdie!" Jack called boisterously, leaving behind a disgruntled hostess. "It's been too long!" He clapped a hand on Vlad's back, nearly taking him out.

Vlad scowled at his old college buddy and pulled away. "Not long enough," he muttered under his breath. The two boys heard the comment and grew wary.

Quickly gaining back his composure, Vlad straightened up and resumed his tight smirk. "Jack, it's always a pleasure to see you," he responded. By his tone, it didn't sound like he was happy to see Jack at all. "I hope you're still not infusing ectoplasm in your food," he drawled with a hint of disgust.

"Not intentionally V-man, but it's been known to happen occasionally," Jack replied cheerfully.

"More like daily," Danny muttered to Harry who snorted in amusement. Vlad turned his attention to the two boys and raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't realize you and Maddie had so many children. Tell me, boys, what are your names?" the man asked expectantly. His tone was pleasant but superficial. By his frequent glances toward the fountain, it was clear he was trying to make conversation but would rather be talking to their mother. He didn't really care for their answers.

Danny piped up with a smile, "I'm Danny."

"That would be short for Daniel, yes?" Vlad asked, checking his watch.

Danny nodded. When he noticed Vlad wasn't looking he added, "Yes sir, though I prefer Danny." Vlad hummed a noncommittal response then looked up at Harry expectantly.

Harry hesitated before he said, "My name's Harry, sir." He didn't like the vibes he was getting off this guy. He shifted and nervously added, "Just Harry …... it's, uh, not a nickname."

Vlad gave an unpleasant smile. "Well Harry and Daniel, you look just like your father," he said with a hint of displeasure. The boys were taken aback by his blatant dislike for their father. They looked at Jack who was blissfully unaware of his friend's scorn. His goofy smile remained on his face. If there was beef, it was clearly one-sided. Harry knew that a lesson on his family tree would fall on deaf ears, so he let the man believe what he wanted. It wasn't worth it to correct him.

Vlad looked fondly at Maddie who began walking back with Jazz towards the group. "But I must say, it's a pleasure to finally meet the sons of the lovely Maddie Fenton," he stated loud enough for her to hear.

Maddie beamed at her old friend. "Vlad, this is Jazz," Maddie said, gesturing to her daughter.

"You look as lovely as your mother, Jasmine," Vlad said pleasantly. Jazz smiled back as they shook hands. If she was upset by the use of her full name, she didn't show it.

"Aw, Vladdie! I'm so glad you're finally meeting the family," Jack commented joyfully.

"Shall we find our table?" Vlad asked, ignoring Jack completely. Turning to the hostess, who had quickly straightened up her uniform when she recognized the billionaire, he asked for a private room for the group.

Soon they began walking through the restaurant. Jack drew a lot of attention from the restaurant patrons. Some openly mocked his outfit of choice, while others chose to silently snicker in their hands.

The kids sighed to themselves, resigned to their fate of embarrassment and awkward conversations. As they walked, Danny leaned over to Harry and whispered, "Hey, Mr. Famous Wizard. I know you want to be here less than I do, so here's a free piece of advice to get unnoticed - The less you talk, the less questions you'll get asked. Pretend you're part of the wallpaper and this'll go by smoothly and quickly."

"Think that'd actually work?" Harry asked curiously with a raised brow.

Danny shrugged. "If it can work on Dash it can work here." The hostess guided them to a private room in the restaurant. "Oh one more thing," he added with a smirk. "Your lack of involvement relies entirely on whether you can find the perfect seat." Harry's eyes widened and saw Danny walk ahead to grab the furthest seat from Vlad. Harry tried to beat his brother to it but was too slow. Danny sat down while sticking his tongue out at Harry.

"Danny, don't be rude," Maddie scolded.

"That's alright Madeline, your boys are not used to such a place where manners are important," Vlad responded, making Harry and Danny turn red with embarrassment.

The rest of the group took their seats. Vlad held a chair out for Maddie to sit in, and moved to sit next to her at the head of the table. Jack sat on her other side, across from Harry. Harry sat in the middle of his siblings with Jazz on his right (next to Vlad) and Danny on his left.

"Let's order drinks first, hmm?" Vlad suggested as he opened his menu. "Oh, cheese logs! It looks like they are all out of champagne."

Harry and Danny withheld a snort at the billionaire's use of a pastry as a curse, while the waitress stuttered, "Y-Yes, b-but we do have a nice pinot noir that compliments most of our menu."

Vlad huffed. "The adults will have that then, and the children will have Martinelli's." The waitress nodded and left to grab their order.

"What if I didn't want Martinelli's?" Danny complained to Harry.

"Danny, you love Martinelli's," Harry pointed out.

"It's the principle," Danny grumbled back. Harry rolled his eyes and opened his menu.

Vlad looked at the family staring down at their menus before him and smirked to himself. It was true that he came to discuss the portal with his old college buddies, but he had ulterior motives for this inquiry. Twenty years ago, when Vlad and the Fenton parents were trying to build a portal into the world of ghosts - or as Jack put it, the ghost zone - Jack's carelessness caused the prototype to explode. Not only did he substitute a crucial catalyzing chemical with coca cola, the buffoon forewent all safety procedures and activated the portal without making sure the lab was clear. Vlad was standing unassumingly in front of the portal when it exploded. Ectoplasm shot full-force on his face, and he was quickly sent to the hospital as painful green boils grew on his face. His world was forever changed.

The five years he spent getting over the humiliating ecto-acne in the hospital, Vlad's body had been slowly morphing to handle all the ectoplasm that entered his system. His DNA slowly and achingly mutated so that it could no longer be recognized as human, but rather a half-human hybrid.

During this painful transition, Vlad became bitter. No one came to visit him in the hospital in fear of contracting the same disease. The woman he had loved since she had first bumped into him and said, ' You have mustard on your face,' went off and married his best friend. Jack even had the audacity to ask him to be his best man. He shut the man down and began his solitary journey to discover his new self.

With this new form of DNA, Vlad was able to shift from being a ghost to being a human. After he left the hospital, he sought to build his own ghost portal and learned about his new powers from other ghosts and trained in order to use them perfectly. He used his newfound powers to achieve success by stealing or possessing people to force them to make decisions that would benefit him. Slowly he climbed the business ladder using these underhanded tactics until he was finally at the top. At this point, he owned several wealthy businesses, and was rated number one on Time's Most Influential People.

He was floating in riches when he received word on the Fentons' second attempt to make a ghost portal. The bitterness had never left the aging man, and when he heard the news, his hardened heart beat with a vengeance. He couldn't let the man who ripped his youth away and stole his woman complete his life goal. Vlad wouldn't have it.

As the Fentons perused the ornate menu, Vlad focused his energy on the duplicate he created that was currently scouring for the portal's schematics in the Fenton's lab. Vlad had to make sure that Jack could never have access to the ghost zone.

He brought his attention back to the restaurant when the waitress returned with their drinks. Once the drinks were placed and the orders were taken, the waitress walked away. Seeing that his duplicate was busy rifling through the chaotic mess of the disorganized lab, Vlad gazed at the family before him. I might as well use this time to discover what has become of my 'friends,' the man thought cynically.

To Vlad, Jack had hardly changed since he had last seen the oaf. He winced as the man shouted loudly to his daughter across the table. He still spoke as if he was calling to someone down the street, and his unfailing loyalty exuded off the man. If necessary, Jack's blind trust will be useful when I eventually try to kill him, Vlad mused.

He slid his eyes onto Maddie and his gaze softened. Age had really done her well. Her wit and intelligence were still charmingly prevalent, and her cheerful presence was as attractive as it was back in college. If not more, Vlad surmised. She had enough class to dress appropriately for the occasion, though her face occasionally expressed discomfort at the unfamiliar atmosphere. That will soon change, Maddie dear. The finer things in life will be but a normalcy when you're with me, he thought longingly.

Some laughter brought his attention to his future children. From their conversation, it was clear that Jasmine was following in her mother's footsteps. She showed great potential in the academic field, and held herself with confidence and poise. She'll make a fine daughter, Vlad thought proudly. He then turned his gaze to Danny and Harry. Though I cannot say the same for the sons.

Daniel wasn't unique or special in any way. He was scrawny and scrappy, and slouched in his chair. From his attitude, it was clear he'd rather be wasting his life playing those infernal video games than enjoying the company of the high social class. Not a favorable choice, but he's still young and impressionable. He can be molded.

Vlad looked at Harry and furrowed his brow. All night Harry has been giving Vlad odd vibes. Just looking at the boy made his ghost sense build up in his throat, but it refused to be released. It was as if there was some sort of sinister essence surrounding the boy. It wasn't strong enough to make an impression, but was more of a weak underlying aura that dissipated in the wind. I'll have to keep an eye on him.

Dinner went off without a hitch. The Fentons were cheerfully basking in the fancy aura of the room and the tasty meal, while Vlad revelled in his ability to dupe the Fentons out of their lab.

So far, Harry was unimpressed with Vlad. Not only did he appear to have some sort of bottled up anger towards his father, but he also couldn't keep his eyes off his mom. He talked like every other rich snob and arrogantly boasted about his accomplishments. He was sure Danny felt the same way, if his frequent glares and subtle huffs were anything to go by. As Vlad was talking to their parents, Danny leaned to Harry and in a low voice said, "If you could cast a spell on Vlad, what would it be?"

Harry smirked, "I'd probably do something subtle to make it seem like an accident. Like maybe knock his glass over or tie his shoelaces together." Danny snickered in his hand.

"Then what?" he asked excitedly.

Harry's smirk faltered. "You know, I don't know very many spells yet. I can really only lift things and do a couple of charms and curses here or there."

Danny's eyes turned mischievous. "You could lift the fancy cake Vlad ordered and drop it on his head."

Harry snorted at his vindictive brother. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

Danny sent him a lopsided grin. "Likewise, I wouldn't want to face your epic magic powers. I wouldn't last a minute."

"You wouldn't last a second," Harry countered, grinning.

"Danno has taken an interest in the paranormal. Tell him about your ectogun, son!" Danny cringed and focused back on the main conversation. Vlad was looking at him with mild curiosity.

"I wouldn't say interest, but more coercion….." Danny trailed off when he spotted his dad's discouraged face. Knowing he was going to regret this later, Danny forced a smile and said enthusiastically, "But Dad has been great! He showed me the inner workings of ectoguns and when I was forced- uh, I mean given the opportunity - to make my own gun, it only shocked me five times!"

Harry snorted in his napkin, quietly laughing at Danny's predicament. Danny's hesitance and reluctance to explain further went unnoticed by Jack. Now that Danny schmoozed for his sake, there was no way Jack would stop inducting Danny into ghost hunting. By the look of Jack's joyful expression, he knew his brother was done for.

"How intriguing," Vlad said, not sounding intrigued at all. He took a sip of his wine and as he moved to place it on the table, the glass tipped over and spilled onto the lap of the billionaire. The glass continued to fall out of Vlad's hand and onto the ground, shattering it into a thousand pieces. Jack and Maddie instantly stood up to help their college friend and Jazz went to get extra napkins.

Danny and Harry, however, stared wide-eyed at the billionaire. Danny turned to his brother. "I didn't mean to actually do it!" he hissed. Vlad instantly looked up at the two boys with a glare. Danny gulped. "You don't think he heard me, do you?"

"Stop talking!" Harry seethed. He glanced nervously at Vlad, who had gone back to dabbing his soiled shirt. He was sure that Vlad was too far away to hear them, but just as a precaution he added, "And that wasn't me!"

"Can it go off on its own?" Danny lowered his voice to a whisper. Harry began shaking his head when a small figure caught his eye.

Harry gaped at the house elf creeping through the doorway behind Vlad, and dread settled in the pit of his stomach. "I'll be right back," he told Danny, rising from his chair. He hurried out the door towards the house elf.

"Dobby! What are you doing here?!" Harry hissed with a hint of hysteria.

"Dobby will do whatever he can to make sure that Harry Potter does not return to Hogwarts!" Dobby squeaked insistently.

Harry internally groaned. "I'm going to Hogwarts and there's nothing you can do that will stop me." He declared, hoping his aggressive tone would scare the timid elf away.

His actions had the opposite effect. Straightening himself with confidence, Dobby glared at Harry with fierce determination and snapped his fingers. Harry looked at the elf in confusion until movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. Panic shot through him as he saw the elegant cake floating above the tray at the door towards Vlad who sat there oblivious, conversing with Maddie.

"Dobby, don't!" Harry hissed.

"Harry Potter gives Dobby no other choice," the elf responded.

Harry gulped and quickly assessed his options. How was he going to explain a cake falling on top of the billionaire's head without including magical creatures that even his parents wouldn't believe? Harry took out his wand. The only option was to try to stop the cake with magic. I'm sure this counts as an emergency, he thought with determination. He took a step out of the hallway with his wand in his hand.

While Harry was in the hall, the Fentons had returned back to their seats and resumed their conversation with Vlad. Danny spotted Harry first and gasped with wide eyes. His overt gawking had gone unnoticed by the adults; however it caught Jazz's attention. She peered behind Vlad and spotted Harry with his wand outstretched pointing at a cake that was floating toward Vlad. Widening her eyes with alarm she turned to Vlad.

"Uncle Vlad," she cut in as Jack was enthusiastically explaining the science behind a ghost containment prototype, "I heard that there is a beautiful balcony over there," she pointed in the opposite direction of Harry. She looked at Vlad with big puppy dog eyes. "Would you accompany me to see it?"

Vlad was a little startled by her sudden outburst, but smiled gently at his future daughter. "Not now dear, but perhaps on our way out." He turned his attention back to Jack. This ghost containment unit had some surprisingly real science behind the design. He needed to know more since this device could cause some problems for him in the future. "Is there a reason this device is cylindrical?"

Jazz huffed in annoyance at the lack of response from Vlad, as Maddie eagerly described the schematics behind the design. She glared at Harry to silently tell him to cut it out, but Harry was too focused on countering the elf's spell to notice. No matter what spell was cast, nothing came out of his wand. It was as if his wand was broken.

The cake moved closer to Vlad and Jazz couldn't take it anymore. With a muttered "excuse me," she stood and stalked towards Harry. The cake was practically on top of Vlad's head at this point, finally catching the eyes of the Fenton adults. Before they could react however, Jazz pushed Harry's outstretched hand out of the way, causing Harry to drop his wand. Coincidentally, the cake fell at the same time, nailing Vlad in the head.

The billionaire's entire face was covered in elegant frosting. This would have elicited a laugh from Danny, but the boy was too frightened for his brother's fate.

"Harry James Potter, what in the world are you doing!?" Maddie shouted angrily. Harry, who was previously gaping at the display, jumped at the stern voice of his mother and he fearfully glanced at each of the adults. His gaze finally landed on Vlad.

"M-Mr. Masters, I'm so sor-" but Vlad would have none of it.

"You insolent rat! This is the thanks I get for treating you and your poor family out to a higher class restaurant?!" He snapped. "I should've expected as much from Jack's son!"

"Hey!" Danny cried indignantly, but before he could say anything further, Maddie stepped in.

"Now Vlad, Jack can be clumsy sometimes, but he would never try to attack someone unexpectedly." Based on Vlad's expression, he was not convinced. Maddie turned a stern gaze towards Harry. "Young man, you and I are going to have a serious talk when we get home. I don't know where this behavior is coming from, but I know I taught you better than this." When Maddie spotted Harry opening his mouth to defend himself, she added, "I don't want to hear your excuses!"

Harry frowned and crossed his arms. This wasn't fair! He was trying to help Vlad, not hurt him. He looked at Jazz for some help, but she appeared to be just as angry as her mother. She had her arms crossed and was shaking her head in disappointment. Harry was hurt. How could she think that he would stoop that low? Sure he disliked the guy, but he didn't hate him.

Harry looked over at Danny who gave him a pitying smile. His expression was easy to read. What'd you expect? This only caused Harry to deepen his brow. In the corner of the room he spotted Dobby looking scared and sad at the same time, but he held no remorse. Harry narrowed his eyes and growled. This is exactly what the little devil wanted. Who would believe him that a magical creature was stalking him to try to keep him from going to Hogwarts? Harry even thought it sounded far-fetched.

"Maddie, it was lovely to see you, but I think we are done here. I only wish we were parting on better terms."

Maddie nodded and told Jack to get the car. She turned to her old college buddy. "Vlad, I am so sorry! Is there any way we could make it up to you?" she asked with concern.

Vlad wanted to snap at her but stopped and weighed his options. He could use this to his advantage. These new inventions that the Fentons were producing were far more advanced than he expected. They demonstrated a knowledge of ghosts that surpassed even his own. "Maddie, would you and I be able to meet and discuss some of your research? It would be nice to familiarize myself with them on a more intimate level. I would love to learn how you came about the designs you are using."

Maddie's face brightened at the peace offering. "Of course! I'll take a look at my schedule when I get home and call you."

"Perfect," he said predatorially.

With that, Maddie ushered her children out of the restaurant in embarrassed haste. Vlad watched them go as he wiped his face with a handkerchief. It seems the Fenton children will need to be taught more discipline. He glared at the slumped retreating form of a scrawny green-eyed brat. "Harry James Potter," he mused. The last name indicated no relation to the Fentons, but Jack had introduced him as their son. Must be some street urchin they picked up through the years .

Besides the fiasco at the end, Vlad thought the evening was a success. He learned that Jack and Maddie Fenton lived a modest life compared to the billionaire. Granted, their immense knowledge in the paranormal was a shocking surprise, but Vlad took pleasure that their research was frequently halted due to a lack of funding. They still had to rely on others to support their endeavors, which in turn made life difficult for them.

His thoughts turned to his second task of the evening. The lab was a cluttered mess of parts and failures. At the center of a wall was the big monstrosity itself. A monstrosity that will never work. Vlad smiled as he entered his limo. He started picking through some blueprints he stole from the Fentons. The oaf put the on button inside the portal! He'll never be able to turn it on without dying first, he mused. Vlad took a minute to fantasize about the idea, then he smirked evilly to himself. And once he finally notices his error, and with all the rewiring he'll have to do to move the button, Jack will practically have to start from scratch! He sighed contentedly. There was nothing to worry about from the Fentons. It would be years before they could possibly have a functional portal.

"Harry James Potter, what has gotten into you?! This kind of behavior is not like you."

Harry squirmed in his place on the couch. "Mom, I really didn't do magic, I swear!"

Right as he spoke, an owl flew through the window with a letter for Harry. If he wasn't in so much trouble, he'd have been relieved that he finally had some contact from the wizarding world. He quickly grabbed the note and read through it, frowning the further he went.

"What does it say, Harry?" Maddie said sternly.

Dread sinking into the pit of his stomach, he sputtered, "But this doesn't make any sense!" He turned to his mother with a wince. "It's from MACUSA and they're saying I did magic - which I didn't!" Well he did try to, but it didn't work.

"I'm finding that very hard to believe, mister." She took the letter and read through it. Once she finished, she settled her frown on Harry. "This is a warning, Harry. The people in charge wouldn't hand you a warning if you didn't use magic. If you can't handle the responsibilities of a wizard, then I don't think you should be learning how to further abuse it. I'm having second thoughts about this wizarding school of yours."

Harry paled. "No! Mom, I have to go back to Hogwarts!" he cried.

"Well if you can't shape up, mister, you're not going," she replied tersely. "I want to see good behavior from you for the rest of the summer. Now go to your room and think about what you've done."

Harry slumped and trudged upstairs. His sullen gaze met the two pairs of eyes who were listening at the top step. As he passed them, they stood up and followed him. Once Harry got to his room, he plopped face first on his bed. Danny and Jazz followed silently behind him, both taking a seat on Danny's bed by the window.

"If it wasn't you, then what happened?" Jazz asked gently. She didn't think their mother handled the situation downstairs very well and wanted to make sure that Harry felt like he was heard.

"It was a house elf," Harry mumbled, turning his head to the side so that they could hear him.

"What's that?" asked Danny.

"The most frustrating being a creature could be," he growled in frustration. "I just don't understand why the MACUSA thought I was using magic!" Sitting up he added, "He's trying to get me away from Hogwarts. He's been stealing my letters and my school supply list! He also dropped the cake on Vlad's head." He sighed miserably. "But with all the evidence stacked against me, Mom'll never believe it. Heck, even the government thinks I did it."

Jazz looked at her brother with sympathy. "I'll talk to Mom once she's calmed down. She should hear your side of the story." She got up from the bed. Before leaving the room, she said, "In the meantime, you should keep your head low. Try not to draw attention to yourself, and maybe she'll forget all about it." With that, she left for the evening.

"Mom probably won't let you go to Tucker's house tomorrow night for the DOOM expansion pack," Danny stated sadly.

"Probably not." Honestly, that was the least of Harry's problems.

"Cheese logs!" Danny exclaimed, eliciting a smirk from Harry.

A week went by and Harry tried to be on his best behavior. He tried to be as helpful as he could while at the same time trying to keep his head down and out of Jack and Maddie's hair. He was in the basement cleaning up a recent explosion, while Jack and Maddie were meeting with Vlad to discuss their recent research. Harry smirked at the thought of Vlad's face when he realized the meeting was not just with his mom as they had previously planned.

Ever since the dinner party, Dobby had made himself scarce. Harry hadn't seen him since that horrible night at the restaurant. He hoped that the little elf was leaving him alone because he assumed that Maddie would go through with her threat.

No further word from Hogwarts or his friends had come, and Harry was growing nervous. Could he even still get supplies this late in the summer? There had to be some procrastinators that still needed to get their books.

Satisfied that he had cleaned the explosion well enough, he began to put away some of the clean equipment. Maybe if he finished before sunset, he could convince Danny to play outside with him. Jazz was at a slumber party so it was just the two of them for the night. Putting the last glassware away, Harry rubbed his hands together in accomplishment. He turned to leave and almost walked right into the creature that had been haunting him.

"Dobby!" Harry exclaimed, startled. He narrowed his eyes at the house elf. In a suspicious tone he added, "What are you doing here?"

"Dobby must make sure the muggles stop Harry Potter from returning to Hogwarts!" Dobby stated in a fearful tone.

"Dobby, please leave me alone! I don't belong in the muggle world!" Harry pleaded. That's when he noticed the green glowing device in the elf's hands. Fear spiked through Harry as he paled.

"Dobby, why do you have the ecto filtration prototype in your hands?" he asked nervously.

"With their precious filtrator destroyed, the Fentons will be devastated. The fact that their adopted son was the culprit will cause them to take action. Harry Potter will not go to Hogwarts," Dobby declared.

"Y-You don't understand, that thing can kill people if it breaks," Harry desperately explained.

"Dobby is certain that the prototype is too small to cause Harry Potter harm." With that, the small elf lifted the filtration high in the air. Before Harry could do anything but shout, Dobby smashed the prototype on the ground. In a panic, Harry grabbed the elf by the collar and ran upstairs. Flying into the kitchen, Harry quickly slammed the door and leaned on it with all his weight. The house shook from the explosion, and Harry slumped in exhaustion.

A shout was heard and Danny came racing down the stairs in a panic.

"What's going on?!" he exclaimed fearfully.

Harry angrily turned toward Dobby only to find that the elf was no longer there. Harry growled in frustration. "Dobby set off the ecto filtration prototype!"

Danny's eyes widened and he pushed Harry out of the way to open the lab. What remained was chaos. Shattered glassware were strewn across the floor and broken gadgets hung from their wires. Scorched blueprints and reports fluttered in the air like snow.

Danny closed the door and made his way shakily to the living room. Harry followed sullenly. "Let's face it, Danny, I'm a deadma-" Harry cut off when he saw a redheaded boy with freckles splayed across his face outside the window. "RON!"

Ron had a big grin on his face. "Hiya Harry!" Harry quickly opened the door and spotted Fred and George in a blue car behind his friend.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, giving him a shocked hug.

"Come to rescue you from the muggles, mate," Ron replied cheerfully.

"Hey!" Danny shouted indignantly, crossing his arms.

"Hey yourself, little man. You must be Danny," Ron replied, ruffling Danny's head. Danny frowned and hit the offending hands off him.

"Harry doesn't need rescuing !" Danny said angrily.

"Actually, I might." Turning to Ron, Harry continued, "There's a house elf that's been harassing me. He's convinced I shouldn't go to Hogwarts and has been making it his mission to prevent me from going at all costs. I'm pretty sure he just tried to end my life."

"Bloody hell," Ron gasped, appalled. "I thought house elves were docile."

"Yeah, well this one is anything but docile," Harry replied, putting a hand through his hair. "Sorry for not responding to your mail. Dobby took all my letters too."

Ron hummed. "I was wondering why I hadn't heard from you. I just figured your family didn't like anything magical in the house."

Danny scoffed. "Now that's just ridiculous!"

Ron raised his hands placatingly. "Hey, I don't know a lot of muggles, and our history books don't paint you guys in a good light."

Danny opened his mouth to retort, but Harry cut him off. "Ron, you hardly pay attention in History of Magic. Danny, Ron can be really thick sometimes so just ignore him." Harry shook his head to clear it. "I need to get out here. I'd be safer from Dobby with you than with my family."

Danny looked downcast. Despite Harry being right, it still hurt. Over the summer he noticed Harry's forlorn expression at the mention of magic, and Danny understood that Harry would rather be hanging out with his own friends than Sam and Tucker. He had hoped he was able to get his mind off of it, but often when he'd glance at Harry, he'd see the loneliness lingering in his eyes. Sometimes when Harry spoke to him, he'd say something that was an inside joke from Hogwarts or you had to know magic in order to understand, and Danny couldn't keep up. Harry's fallen expression would crush Danny's spirit as he felt like he could no longer relate to his brother as closely as he used to. Danny sighed in defeat. Not only had he failed to protect Harry from Dobby, but he also failed to make Harry happy at home.

"Go upstairs and pack. I'll take care of the lab," Danny said evenly, hiding his emotions. He looked at Harry who was about to protest. "I'll think of something to tell them. They won't think you did it." He then shifted on his feet. "B-But if I'm gonna sell this, you have to call within a couple of days so they know you've gone to school and didn't just run away."

"Danny you're the best!" Harry exclaimed, giving his brother a hug.

Danny gave him a small smile but pushed away. "Once you're packed, come down and say goodbye."

Harry nodded with a big grin on his face. He was going to Hogwarts!

A/N - Did you catch the horcrux reference? What'd you think of the chapter? Let me know in the comments below!