"Why are they digging through our stuff again?" Ron groaned, slouching against the dormitory's stone wall. Next to him, Harry furrowed his brow as he recalled the conversation in the common room.
"The ministry suspects someone is hiding Black in the castle," Harry replied darkly.
Ron, whose ears were turning red as McGonagall examined a hand-knit sweater covered in frills, loudly exclaimed, "Come on! We all know that Neville let him in by accident!"
Neville gave an indignant "Hey!" which went ignored.
"How is anyone supposed to fit in there anyway!?" Harry had had enough of the unnecessary invasion of privacy as well.
"Mind your tone, Mr. Wealsey," McGonagall responded sternly. From across the room Professor Lupin had just finished looking through Seamus' belongings and began pulling out Harry's trunk. Harry winced preemptively at what his unsuspecting teacher might find in the abyss.
"Casper did this all the time," Harry commented to try to get his mind off of his professor digging through his things. "A student put baby powder in the school vents once, and the principal thought it was anthrax. Searched everywhere for the culprit, but couldn't find any evidence. I think the teachers found it more funny than anything else."
"Well, I still think this is ridiculous," Ron grumbled.
Lupin pulled out a thrashing box labelled 'To Malfoy' in messy handwriting. "Keeping a boggart in here, Harry?" he asked lightheartedly.
Harry smiled. "No, sir. It's from my brother." Lupin raised a curious eyebrow, causing Harry to add, "I did what you said and sent him a letter." Harry gestured to the violently shaking box. "He sent back a box of reanimated fish sticks."
Lupin looked at him confused. "He sent you a box of fish on sticks?"
Harry laughed. "It's his version of a peace offering," he replied. "I'll probably need to talk to him when I go home, but it's the best we can do, given the circumstances."
Lupin smiled. "Well that's good news!" He set the box aside and continued his half-hearted search.
Ron leaned over. "Have you told your family that you're not going home for Christmas yet?"
Harry's smile slid from his face as the conversation he had had with McGonagall surfaced. After Sirius Black attacked the Fat Lady, security at school had increased. He was constantly under the watchful eyes of a teacher or student who thought it was their righteous duty to look out for him.
At first, Harry was mildly irritated by it all, and thought that the hype would soon diminish when nothing more happened, but when McGonagall told him the ministry wanted to keep Harry at school over the holidays so that he was under wizard protection, Harry grew vexed.
Part of him was upset that they had already taken him away from his family over the summer, and now they wanted to keep him from seeing them over Christmas, but there was another part of him that was relieved he wouldn't have to deal with the Santa Debacle or face Danny after their terrible summer. Deep down he knew he needed to make things right in order to fix their shaky relationship, but it was easier to stay here and to avoid it.
Besides, the holidays were supposed to be a joyful time of year anyway. Harry was just trying to experience what everyone else looked forward to each year. He was allowed to enjoy himself every once in a while, right?
Harry hated to admit it, but he had been putting off writing to his family. He shrugged to Ron as a response.
"Better tell them soon, mate, or they'll go mental," Ron murmured.
"Mr. Potter, need I remind you of the consequences of attacking another student?" McGonagall's stern voice rang out. Harry flinched and looked over to where she was magically lifting the shaking box of fish sticks that Lupin had set aside, Malfoys' name in full view.
"No, professor. It's from my brother, and he wrote that as a joke. I wasn't actually going to give it to Malfoy," he stated nervously, trying to appear like he meant what he said.
McGonagall eyed the box as if it personally offended her, and waved her wand in the air. " Evanesco!" The box and the fish inside vanish completely.
"Do you ever wonder where all that stuff goes?" Ron asked his friend.
Harry looked at the place where his brother's box had been and shrugged. "I've never really given it much thought."
"Come on, you know you can't stay here," Danny coaxed softly. Small eyes blinked back. "Look, I don't mind that you're here, but anyone else would freak out. They don't take to us kindly." The small blob gazed back blankly. "Don't look at me like that. I know, you're harmless. Skulker could shoot you point blank with his new polarized fusion cannon, and you wouldn't lift a finger," Danny continued with a sad smile. "But if my parents find you I'm not sure if I'd be able to help you out." Saying it out loud, he finally admitted the hard truth to himself.
Frustrated with the ghost child constantly releasing ghosts that they had captured, the Fentons had installed higher security with his ecto signature locked in, making it nearly impossible for Danny to traverse the chemically-stained tiles of the lab as Phantom without being caught. Danny shuddered as he remembered the zaps he had gotten from the last time he went down as Phantom.
The blob ghost blinked again at Danny and turned away, looking at his friends near the dumpster. Danny had been walking home when he spotted the playful beings bouncing along the walls and bins in the alley. Danny sighed. "You're not getting a word I'm saying," he stated, watching the blob join the rest of his friends in their joyful dance around the filthy alley. He shook his head as he stood up from his kneeling position and started to walk home. "Forget it."
He realized that if he had any chance of saving ghosts his parents hunted, he'd have to be vigilant and prevent them from being taken to the Fenton lab in the first place, since once they were captured and imprisoned at home, he couldn't help them. When he was only a few houses away, Danny spotted amber eyes and snowy feathers perched on his front porch.
"Hedwig?" Danny asked, surprised she had brought a letter home so close to Harry's winter break. The bird responded by softly cooing while he stroked her chest.
"I've missed you, too," Danny said, smiling before going inside. Dropping his bag at the front door, Danny walked into the kitchen.
"You took your time coming home," Jazz commented from behind the book she was reading. She was sitting at the table with a cup of tea in her hands.
"I had detention," Danny admitted. Lancer didn't appreciate his 'I got lost' excuse for being late. In hindsight, it was a poor excuse from someone who had been attending Casper Elementary since kindergarten.
"Wouldn't happen if you just told someone the truth," Jazz responded, not looking away from her book.
"Jazz, we've been through this, it's not gonna happen. There are too many risks," he reasoned with a note of finality. Jazz responded by giving him a hum of disapproval.
Danny grabbed a granola bar. Fidgeting with it, he changed the topic. "There are more ghosts coming through the portal."
Jazz looked up from her book. "Really?"
Danny nodded, quickly adding, "Nothing I can't handle," and he wasn't wrong. Since his fight with Dan, Danny had been growing stronger and more powerful. Granted, he still had just as many enemies, but Danny was not as green as he used to be. He'd even made a few allies. "A couple of heavy hitters here or there, but Tucker's ghost watch app picked up several sightings of small ghost animals, and I just passed an alley full of blobs."
Jazz furrowed her brow. "How's the public responding?"
"Panic and chaos," he scoffed. "I wouldn't expect anything less from a town full of narrow-minded fools." He had been trying to gain their favor for months now, and all he'd received was spite. "As if a blob ghost could cause any destruction."
Jazz snorted. "I don't know, that blob ghost caused a lot of trouble when he made himself into a toupee for old man Jenkins. That old codger still asks me out every time I see him." Danny chuckled at the memory, giving in to Jazz's attempt to lighten her brother's mood. "Is this something we should be concerned about?" she asked, trusting her brother's opinion.
Danny took a moment to respond. "Not yet," he began slowly. "Ghostwriter said the truce would start in a week or so, and it's recognized by everyone. I'm not sure that it transfers to humans, but I don't think they would attack you guys since it would provoke my obsession."
Jazz paused. It was the first time Danny had willingly mentioned his obsession to her. When she had first learned of his ghost side, she had gone out of her way to learn everything she could about ghosts. Talking to Danny was the easiest source of information, but whenever the topic of obsessions was brought up, particularly Danny's, he would become tight-lipped. Despite this set back, it wasn't hard to get an idea of what it might be.
"What's this?" Danny asked, spotting the paper on the table. He recognized the handwriting as Harry's. "Did Harry send me a letter, too?"
Jazz released a breath of air. "This one is actually for all of us." She looked glumly at the note. "Harry won't be coming home this Christmas."
"What? Why?"
"Read for yourself," Jazz grumbled, gesturing toward the note. Danny grabbed it and quickly read its contents.
Finishing the last few lines, he tsked. "Figures." Looking up to see Jazz watching him, he waved the letter and continued, "Don't you think that he's just using Black as an excuse not to see us?"
"That's a very negative way of thinking," Jazz replied with a frown. "Harry profusely apologized in that letter. He's really upset he can't be home."
Danny rolled his eyes. "Come on, Jazz! His actions are speaking louder than his words. He can apologize all he wants, but it was still him who decided to blame his misfortune on his family, and it was him who walked out on us. His apologies don't mean anything if he's not here to make it right." He sat next to his sister and folded the letter. "You don't need to be a psychologist to see that he'd rather be there than here."
Jazz didn't respond, which only solidified his thinking. Harry had been distancing himself from his family since before last winter. "You have to remember where he's at. He's in a place that doesn't let you talk about magic in front of a muggle, and that using your powers outside of school has dire consequences. Of course he'd rather be there where he wouldn't have to worry about screwing up like he did this summer." Muffled shouts came streaming through from below. "Not to mention, being away from the war zone we have here."
"He used to bear through it for us," Danny commented with a frown.
"And who says he still wouldn't? All we have is speculation, which isn't anything to go by. We should take Harry by his word. We owe him that much."
"Fine," Danny stated, not quite convinced, but not wanting to dwell on the topic. "Speaking of victims of society, how's the book I snagged from Ghostwriter's library?" His relationship with Ghostwriter had not begun on a friendly note. With his unwanted help, the Ghostwriter showed Danny an important lesson right in time for the holiday season. Since then, Danny had been helping him find new volumes while Ghostwriter had been letting Danny borrow books on wizardry.
Jazz glared at the book in her hands and spat hatefully, "It's horrible!" causing Danny to pause in his musings.
"Really? He told me that it had all the answers you'd need on the wizard criminal justice system."
"No, The book is excellent, but the system is horribly flawed."
"Tell me something I don't know," Danny replied, smirking. "How so?"
"This isn't funny. They're using fear-inducing ghosts to guard the prisons!"
Danny widened his eyes. "WHAT?!"
"It's like having Spectra constantly hovering over your shoulder. There are no options for parole, or bail, and retrials are few and far between. If you have a trial you are stuck in a mind-sucking hellhole until your case. The prisoners are traumatized by the experience, and can't accurately present themselves in a trial. If you receive a life sentence, your best hope is to die an early death."
"That-that's horrible!" Danny exclaimed.
"Don't even get me started on the living conditions," Jazz exclaimed back. "The prison has no insulation, no showers, and no gym. The food is usually spoiled, and they are stuck in their room to rot day and night. Any sentence there is a death sentence."
"No wonder Black escaped," Danny commented.
"Yeah," Jazz muttered, sitting back with a furrowed brow. "But I just don't understand why someone who had escaped that place wouldn't lie low instead of attacking people and trying to finish what he started. Wouldn't he want to avoid going back to Azkaban at all costs? What's so important to him about killing Harry?"
"Who knows how the crazy mind works," Danny shrugged. Looking at the basement door, he added, "I've said it before and I'll say it again, people can be just as obsessive as ghosts."
Harry trudged down the snowy path in his invisibility cloak. At Hermione's suggestion, he had decided to try to find a phone to call home and talk to his family. It had been a couple of weeks since he sent the bad news home and he wanted to make sure that they were alright. It had also been a long time since he'd heard their voices and letters and just couldn't make up for that, especially since he couldn't be home for the holidays. In hindsight, though, he felt a bit foolish for searching the streets of an all-magic village for a phonebooth. What had he expected?
Not wanting his trip to Hogsmeade to be in vain, Harry vowed to buy an extra-special present for Danny this year. He stopped in front of his destination and double-checked the street before taking off his invisibility cloak. Harry knew he would need to talk to the clerk to make his purchase. Walking in, Harry smelled the mixture of pet food and rawhide. Taking a moment to bask in the warmth of the room, Harry stepped forward.
"Hello, young chap! What can I do for you?" the store owner asked with excitement. Harry figured the owner was the kind who didn't get too many customers and doted on the ones that ventured in.
"I'm interested in purchasing an owl for my brother," he replied. Danny had asked Harry for an owl years ago, and Harry finally wanted to make good on his promise.
"Shopping for the holidays, are we?" the clerk asked knowingly. "Well, you're in luck! We have a variety of owls you can pick from, follow me." Harry followed the man to the back of the store. Owls lined the walls.
"What kind of person is your brother?" the clerk asked, pulling on a pair of gloves. "That'll help pick a good match."
"Er, he likes space," Harry began hesitantly, not even certain if he knew his brother anymore. He wasn't sure where to begin. "And he's loyal…" he trailed off, feeling awkward.
Seeing the teen's awkwardness, the clerk smiled. "How bout you tell me what kind of magic he excels in. Does he prefer transfigurations over charms?"
"Um, Danny doesn't do any magic. He's a muggle." The clerk's face faltered.
"A muggle, you say?" he asked dishearteningly.
Harry frowned in mild confusion. "Yes?"
"Oh, codswallop!" the clerk exclaimed. "Just when I thought I'd have a good profit! This won't do at all!"
"What do you mean?" Harry asked, perplexed by the clerk's changing demeanor.
The store owner scowled at Harry. "Muggles are not allowed to own owls, boy. Everyone knows that!" He turned and stalked to the front of the store, throwing the gloves violently aside.
Harry followed nervously. "But, why not?"
A sigh of annoyance left the clerk's mouth. "Owls partner with people who have magic. They do not pair with muggles . It just doesn't work," he explained, as though to a small child.
"Oh." Harry let the words sink in. He wasn't sure what to think. If owls didn't mix with muggles, then why was Hedwig so friendly with his family? Thoughts of Danny cuddling with his owl in their room and Jazz reading with her in the living room crossed his mind.
"I still don't under-" Harry began, only to be cut off by a rough shove.
"Now, if you are done wasting my time, I have other customers to tend to," the store owner spat, quickly pushing him out of the empty store.
Harry figured that Hedwig must be an exception to the rule. "He didn't have to be so rude about it, though," Harry commented out loud. Seeing people walking down the street, Harry quickly covered himself with the invisibility cloak. Deciding the trip had indeed been in vain, Harry went to find Ron. Seeing him pigging out in front of Honeydukes, Harry sidled up next to him.
"I'm back," he whispered, causing Ron to jump.
"Blimey, Harry!" Ron exclaimed.
"Shh! I'm not supposed to be here, remember?"
"Sorry," Ron continued quietly. "How was your trip?"
"There are no phones in all of Hogsmeade," Harry stated bitterly. "And on top of that, the pet shop owner said owls don't like muggles."
"That makes sense," Ron commented.
"How?" Harry asked, perplexed.
Standing a bit taller, Ron explained. "There's something about the non magical-ness of muggles that owls can't stand. My father once had a case where a dead wizard gave his muggle godson his owl in his will, and it proceeded to pluck the boy's eyes out," he replied knowingly. "Spent months in St. Mungo's and was never the same. Owls just don't like them, I guess."
"Oh. I didn't know," Harry said, glad he hadn't mistakenly purchased an owl for Danny, only to have it later cause a disaster.
"No harm done!" Ron stated proudly. He was happy he could outshine Hermione for once, even though she was nowhere in sight. Staring through Harry's chest, he added, "Looks like Filch's rounding up the stranglers, see you in the Great Hall."
Harry watched his friend fumble his way through the snow while waiting for someone to leave Honeydukes. He didn't want the patrons of the candy store to wonder why the door was acting possessed if he went in invisibly. He didn't see a good opportunity until Neville Longbottom burst out the door, squawking after the stranglers. Seizing his chance, Harry slid inside as the door closed behind him. Quickly making his way back through the hidden passageway, Harry found himself back in familiar territory as he traversed the corridors. He kept the invisibility cloak around him to avoid suspicions. The statue of the witch was not close to his common room, and any nosy student or teacher would wonder why he was there.
As Harry rounded the corner he spotted McGonagall and Lupin conversing in hushed voices. Thinking that they were talking about Sirius Black, Harry crept closer to listen in.
McGongall's stricken voice was the first thing he heard. "It was like he went mad! I had never seen Sir Nicholas so frightened- it was quite unnerving. Spouting at us to save him one moment, then telling us to flee the next. A swirl of green light appeared and he tried to get away, but it pulled him right through!"
"Did anyone else touch the green light?" Lupin asked.
"No. I tried to conjure the light back, but nothing would work."
"Perhaps that was for the best," Lupin stated pensively. "Who knows what it was. We can only hope he returns soon and can explain what happened to him," he reasoned.
McGonagall made a hum of assent as they rounded the corridor.
Harry froze at the mention of Nearly Headless Nick. What could they have been talking about? Was the green light the ghost zone? Thoughts swirled in Harry's head as he continued to the Great Hall. Sitting next to Ron, he asked, "Have you seen Nearly Headless Nick lately?"
"Can't say that I have," Ron stated with his mouth full of food, though, it sounded more like "Camph shhey phath ie hamph."
Harry rolled his eyes and opted to look for the familiar transparent face instead. "I don't see him…" he observed slowly. "I don't see any of the ghosts. They're always here for dinner." Ever since they had attended Nearly Headless Nick's deathday party, Harry noticed their wistful gazes during dinner and felt sorry for them.
"Ith dongth sheef ta brophthem," Ron chewed.
Harry sent him a glare. "You just ate your weight in Honeydukes sweets, how can you still eat?"
Ron paused before giving him a food filled grin while shrugging.
"Gross," Harry stated, before breaking into a grin himself. Taking a mental note to keep an eye out for any ghosts, Harry grabbed a plate and dug in.
"And the lysosome does what for the cell?"
A pause, frustrated sigh, and the thump-of-a-head-hitting-the-kitchen-table later came a mutter. "An area that generates excuses for why I'm late for science?" Danny asked. "The lie-some-zone?"
"Hilarious," Jazz drawled.
Tucker, however, snorted at the joke. He was using his PDA to try to remove Phantom's ecto signature from the home's security system. It was a surprisingly hard endeavor which was why Tucker thought that the Fentons had gotten a certain fruitloop to help out with their upgrades.
Jazz ignored him and read Danny the definition. They had told their parents that Phantom was spotted in the park to get a couple hours of peace. Danny had missed a lot of classes during the first month back from winter break, and she was beginning to worry that he'd have to take summer classes again.
Danny had hoped that the number of ghosts coming through the portal would return to normal by the start of the truce, but he had no such luck. As the number of ghosts coming through increased, so did the number of ghost-related incidents. Danny was beginning to feel stretched thin as he tried to manage his schoolwork on top of the new influx of ghosts. Sam and Tucker had been helping out where they could, but they were also feeling the effects of late nights and early mornings.
Sam gave a satisfied sigh as she finished cleaning their gadgets. With the increase of ghosts, their weapons needed more maintenance.
They were all startled by a blaring alarm resounding through the walls. The room was immediately immersed in red flashing light.
Jazz froze as the color left her face, and Danny sprinted into the basement. The sound of the door closing brought Jazz out of her stupor. "That's the ghost invasion alarm!" she cried, shooting up from her chair. Sam and Tucker quickly went into action and ran with her to the lab.
Danny was already at the portal control unit typing a bunch of commands while swearing under his breath. "They changed the password again!" he shouted angrily, giving the machine a small kick. He sent a worried glance at the open portal.
"Move aside," Tucker commanded, pushing his friend out of the way. Typing furiously, Tucker quickly made his way into the Fenton network.
Hearing a gasp, Danny turned to see Sam staring at the Fenton Finder in her hands.
"What is it?" he asked, moving to look over her shoulder. The grid was covered with hundreds of green spots, racing in their direction. Panic took root as he stared back into the portal. "Work faster, Tucker!"
Jazz handed him an ectogun. Disgusted with himself and his inability to properly defend his home, Danny grabbed the gun and took aim. This would be much easier as Phantom .
"They might be friendly," Jazz stated next to him. Despite her optimism, she pointed her wristray at the swirling portal as well.
"Never heard of a mob of anything that was friendly," Sam snorted, dropping the Finder and wielding the Fenton bazooka.
"There is a ghost 10 feet in front of-"
SLAM!
"I GOT IT!" Tucker shouted above the robotic Fenton Finder's voice. Danny placed a hand on the closed doors of the portal, while Jazz breathed a sigh of relief and sank to the floor.
"Took you long enough! I thought we'd all be ghosts by the time you finished," Sam chided, though there was no bite in her voice. She lightly punched him in the arm.
"Wouldn't have been a problem if Danny's parents didn't use prehistoric equipment," Tucker grumbled back, rubbing his shoulder. "The password's fudge by the way. With a three instead of e."
Danny groaned into his hands. "Of course it is," he muttered. Walking over, he asked, "Think you can do a quick diagnostic on our ectoscanners in the zone? It might give us an idea of what's going on."
Tucker nodded and went to work. The only sound in the lab was the tapping of his fingers on the keys. The silence was tense as each wondered what was going on.
"There's another large group traveling through the Grimbrook district."
"Vlad's portal's there," Danny commented, staring at the screen. Tucker adjusted a few calculations.
"That's where they're headed."
"What are the odds the rich prick has his portal open?" Sam asked, helping Jazz up from the floor.
"If he's travelling in the zone, it'll be open," Danny answered slowly.
"We need a plan," Jazz declared, pulling herself together.
"Guys, we have another problem. A rift is forming at Casper's football field," Tucker interjected. "Someone is forcing their way through. I've never seen readings this high!"
"Danny-"
"There's no time, Jazz. Go with Sam and see if Plasmius has his portal shut while I go check out the rift." He grabbed a thermos and tossed it her way, strapping another one over his shoulder for himself. "Tucker, keep an eye on the ghosts and see if any of my parents' gadgets could help us close this rift." He pulled out the Fenton Phones and handed one to each of them. "I don't know what's going on, but we can't let it get ahead of us. Be ready for anything, and try to keep yourselves safe." Turning toward the stairs, he mumbled, "Don't die," before running out of sight.
Sam and Tucker exchanged worried glances, while Jazz placed the phone in her ear. "We'll be on the coms," she stated before turning away and following her brother. Sam was quickly behind her.
Tucker opened a new screen and began digging through blueprints and Fenton design plans. He kept one eye on the moving blobs in the zone, and another on the map of Amity where the names of his friends and the ectoplasmic readings were.
"Technogeek to Clueless, your parents' blueprints are like reading a fingerpainting of a particle accelerator."
He heard a snort on the other side, bringing a smile to his face. "That's because my dad draws them. He even claims to be the artist in the family," he laughed. "The write-ups have a lot more information in them. How's the rift looking?"
"It still hasn't breached. You'll make it before it fully opens," Tucker paused to watch the growing spike of energy when a new spike popped up right next to Danny's name.
"Danny! Lookout! A portal is opening right in front of you!" Tucker exclaimed as ectoplasmic dots began flooding the area.
Danny watched as hordes of ghosts forced their way through the open portal. Flying up with glowing fists, he braced himself for a fight.
"Amiko, ne pafu! Ni nur provas eskapi."
Danny felt a clawed hand tug him out of the way. "Wulf?" Ghosts continued to race out of the portal, but instead of terrorizing the town, they continued flying, as if they were trying to get away from something. Danny looked back at his furry friend and realized it was him who had opened the portal for the other ghosts. His words registered in his head. "What's going on? What are you running from?"
"La mallumo de la regno ekestis."
"The darkness of the realm?" Danny asked. "I don't understand." Wulf sniffed the air and turned a fearful gaze in the direction of the school. He whimpered before joining the ghosts in their flight.
"Did you guys hear that?" Danny asked, watching the ghost leave.
"Sounds like this is more serious than we thought," Sam commented. "We just made it to Vlad's portal, and ghosts are already pouring out."
Danny continued his path towards the football field. "Are they attacking anyone?"
"No, they're just flying away. It's almost like they're running away."
"Don't engage. Wulf said they were running away from something. I think this rift will give us some answers. I'm almost there."
Dropping out of the sky, Danny spotted two figures in the middle of the field, one of whom was frustratingly familiar. "I should've known you had some part in this," he spat, landing softly next to the pair.
"Impeccable timing as always, Daniel," Plasmius responded dryly.
"Silence, mortals!" a tall armored figure shouted with a fiery glare. He was surrounded by purple flames and pointed his giant sword at Danny. "Your kingdom will surrender or perish!"
Danny raised his hand placatingly. "Woah, there's no need to get hostile." Looking at Vlad, he added, "Why is Sir Grumps-a-lot here, Plasmius?"
"You have the naming skills of a true Amity Parker," Tucker noted dryly from his ear. Danny wanted to respond that his names did not compare to trash like Invisobill, but thought the knight would think it was directed toward him.
Vlad looked at him patronizingly. "Run along, Daniel, the adults are talking."
Danny frowned. "You do realize there's a rift forming right above us, right?"
Vlad rolled his eyes. "I had no idea. I'm just here on a whim of nostalgia to relive the hormonal melodrama the department of education insists on nurturing," he claimed, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Getting rejected by every girl in school wasn't good enough for you to go through once?" Danny quipped.
Vlad's face soured. "Cute. Are you speaking from experience?"
"No, but I've heard enough about your mullet phase from Dad to know that you were the laughing stock of the school."
"I was not!" Vlad shouted back. Danny chuckled which only furthered Vlad's anger. "You listen here, boy-"
"ENOUGH!" shouted the knight. "You have insulted me for the last time!" He brought his sword up high. "You've had your time to surrender and now I, Fright Knight, will call upon our glorious ruler to unleash his power on this land. Bow in submission before his highness, and he might show you mercy."
Vlad and Danny exchanged a glance before looking back at the knight. Wielding the sword, Fright struck the ground in one motion, leaving his sword embedded in the white fifty yard line. Cracks spread across the ground like lightning in the sky and Danny felt the earth shake. From the ground came a rotten smell and skeletal hands. Danny kicked the sword out of the ground, hoping that by doing so, the skeletal army would cease climbing out from the depths of the underworld, but it did nothing. Instead, the sky tore open, releasing hundreds of ghosts. These ghosts were different; they were transparent and moved almost robotically. It was as if they were not in control of themselves. The tear in the sky grew until it enveloped the entire horizon in green.
The ghosts quickly flooded the field, and Danny soon found himself defending from all sides. Dodging an ectoblast, he hit the back of a specter and braced himself. Turning, he saw that he was back-to-back with Plasmius.
"Got any suggestions?" Danny asked seriously.
Vlad didn't answer right away. After a near miss with his face and an ax he asked, "Are your parents home?"
Danny shook his head but realized the man wasn't looking. Putting up a shield for both of them, he said, "No, they ran out after hearing about a ghost sighting. They're in the park."
Vlad frowned in thought and looked at Danny's earbud. "I see you have the cross-dimensional communicators with you. Are your snivelling friends on the line?"
Danny shot him a glare, while Sam screeched in his ear. "Snivelling?! Why that pompous, arrogant, condescending, evil little-"
"Why do you ask?" Danny questioned suspiciously. He was having trouble blocking out Sam's angry voice.
"My darling Maddie is working on a ghost shield that would cover the whole city. I heard that the prototype covers a two mile radius. If she was there, we could've asked her to turn it on."
Danny scowled knowing exactly where he'd gotten his information from. "Good to know there's still some creepy cameras to destroy. Tucker's in the lab and can turn on the shield."
"On it right now, Danny!" he heard in his ear.
"We'll get the word out and send people in the direction of the shield's safe zone," Jazz stated, while Sam continued cursing.
"Shield's up," Tucker stated.
"Good, Vlad and I will hold off the ghosts here for as long as we can," Danny replied. Vlad scoffed, but didn't comment as Danny's shield shattered and the fight continued. Danny and Vlad stuck together throughout the onslaught. They took out droves of skeletons and ghosts alike until a feeling of fatigue began settling in. As Danny blocked one blast, he didn't have time to block the next. Protecting his face, Danny waited for the pain to hit, but felt nothing. Looking up, Danny spotted the red sheen of the Red Huntress', or Valarie Gray's, helmet.
"Red!" Danny exclaimed happily.
"Who are the stiffs, Bill?" Valary responded angrily.
"That's not my name," Danny pouted. Valarie was unamused. She quickly grabbed his collar and raised him off the ground.
"I mean it, Spook! Who are these ghosts and why are they here?!" She then brought him close to her face threateningly. "If I hear that you're behind all this-"
"Val, wait!" Danny shouted. "I'm still trying to figure it out myself! The ghosts here, I don't think they're in their right mind. Me and that guy," he pointed at Vlad, "are trying to stop them while my fr- uh - the Fentons get as many people in the shield as they can."
She narrowed her eyes as she scrutinized his face. Seeing only honesty, she dropped him carelessly. "Fine," she spat. "But you're getting sloppy. I've already caught a dozen on my way over."
Danny watched as she joined the fight. Looking back at Vlad, Danny couldn't hold in a laugh at the irony of his situation. "The enemy of my enemy I guess," he commented before joining the fray.
A/N - This one kicked my butt (again lol), but here you go! I hope you enjoy! Next chapter will focus mostly on Danny and what's going on in Amity Park. A big shout out to The Literary Lord who created a TV Tropes page for this fic! Check it out here (or not bc I can't figure out how to add links .)