AN: So half of this chapter was written around a year ago, and the next half is completely new. I still have a bit of a murky direction for things, but going through and refreshing my memory on this story makes me excited to write again. I've graduated and gotten a full time job but I've been in a writing mood lately and I'm determined to finish this story before allowing myself to post anything else. I hope everyone enjoys it, if you have any ideas or thoughts please let me know in a review!
Also, I've gone back and edited and made a few tweaks to the previous chapters, so I recommend re-reading them. Not much has changed but I think I smoothed out a few details and fixed some errors.
Chapter Seven: Goodbyes and Greetings
As Helena drifted through the halls she gained curious glances, for her usual solemn stare was upturned into a soft smile as an excited light brightened her silvery eyes. Each portrait that witnessed her pass turned to the nearest neighbor they had to whisper and ask what the source of her joy was, but only one portrait knew, and the viridian eyed king was keeping his lips sealed.
She made her way up through the castle along its ancient winding halls, stopping before a large magnificent gargoyle and uttering a 'fizzing whizbees' with a tidy curtsey. The statue came to life, leaping to the side in a graceful movement to allow her access to an elegantly winding staircase. She rose along with it, and hovered before the door as she was unable to knock.
A gentle "Enter" sounded from within, and she smiled in gratitude. It had only been a few years previous that she had requested a sensory charm be added to the doorway so any ghostly visitors could be recognized without going straight through the door unannounced like savages.
Passing through the archaic wooden doors she felt immediately cozy, as the many enchanted and humming magical instruments that cluttered the airy office reminded her of her mother. Professor Dumbledore looked up from a rather intimidating pile of documents, adjusting his half-moon spectacles before they slipped from his crooked nose.
"Ah, Helena my dear, what can I do for you?" Feeling rather lively the usually subdued ghost smiled and tutted at the headmaster.
"Well Headmaster sir, I believe this is rather a case of what I can do for you." His left eyebrow rose, a twinkle gathering in his sharp eyes as a smile further creased his face.
"Then allow me to sit back and listen, Merlin knows these old bones could use plenty of help." Helena moved to perch over the large wingback chair before the grand desk, almost as though she was actually sitting upon it.
"I believe you remember my friend that visited, Princess Dorathea?" A nod encouraged her to continue, "As we spent time catching up, I shared the current state of the wizarding world with her, and she is of the mind that she and a friend may be able to lend assistance."
"That would be lovely, but if I may ask, what form of assistance?"
"Quite a bit actually, but I feel that it is her place to share with you what she wishes. It is for this reason that I would like to request your time for an audience so she can extend an official offer to you, as well as explain what her intents are." The old wizard leant back into his chair, steepling his fingers as he thought.
Regardless of whether or not the aid being extended would truly be helpful, he found himself curious at what a very old ghost could possibly imagine being helpful. He had the greatest respect for the ghosts of Hogwarts halls, especially after Sir Nicholas was able to save young Justin Finch-Fletchley's life by taking the brunt of a basilisk's gaze; however, there wasn't much the ghosts could do besides perhaps intelligence gathering. Either way, Dumbledore would happily socialize with any beings that wished to aid the side of the light.
"Of course, when did she have in mind?" A smile lit up Helena's face as she replied,
"The day after tomorrow would be preferable, after dinner time if you don't mind."
"That sounds fine to me my dear, I look forward to hearing from your friend. If you wouldn't mind relaying to her to meet us at the gates, it is rather jarring to have anyone crash through the wards." With a final smile and nod, the Ravenclaw ghost ignored the walls and stairs this time, and instead soared through the structure of the castle directly towards the hall that homed Dorathea's father. Luckily he was resting in this frame rather than his other, and the gentle snores rustled his blond curls.
"Rise and shine!" With a startled snort he flailed awake, squinting until he saw who floated before him.
"Helena! Do you have news?"
"I do, he has agreed to meet with Dorathea the day after tomorrow near evening. They are to wait for him at the main gates near sundown."
"Excellent! I shall let her know right away, I believe she and Sir Phantom will be able to finalize preparations tomorrow. Thank you for being our messenger."
"Of course, you know I'm always more than happy to assist." With another smile she watched as the King seemed to nearly fall out of his frame in excitement as he left for his other home, leaving his backdrop of a sunlit tower office barren bar the dust motes flittering here and there in a warm sunlight.
Danny shook out a pair of semi-clean jeans as he dressed for the morning. He was up far earlier than any self respecting lazy teenage boy should be. Grabbing one of his slightly oversized NASA shirts, he picked up the flyer for space camp lying on his desk. The smell of burnt bacon wafting up from downstairs assured him that his parents were up and about.
Taking the stairs two at a time he made his way into the kitchen. His parents seemed to be in good moods, coffee steaming before them and a paranormal science podcast playing lightly from a speaker they had on the table. It was now or never.
"Hey uh, Mom, Dad? I wanted to ask you something." Both of his parents immediately turned their attention to him, smiles on their faces and attentive gazes firmly set upon him.
"Of course sweetie, what is it?" His mom's soft voice lessened his nerves ever so slightly.
"So, I know my grades haven't been amazing lately, but I've gotten them up a bit, I even managed an A- on my physics and math finals this year... and I've really been thinking over the possibility of still striving for Astrophysics..." An excited grin lit up his fathers face, "and, well, I got a flyer for the NASA summer camp a while back, and I really want to go. I think it may get me motivated again, you know, be that last push I need to try even harder." The slightest twinge reminded him that it was yet another lie, but his need to protect and help those in danger helped him push past it.
"That sounds wonderful Son! Maybe you could be the first ghost hunter in space, serving the Fenton legacy prou-'' His fathers excited blathering was thankfully cut off before it could truly begin.
"Of course you can go Danny, It's a little late to sign up for Summer camps though, are you sure you didn't miss the deadline?"
"Yeah, today is the last day to confirm, and I uh, would need to leave tonight to make it to camp on time. Sorry for the short notice." Danny blushed and ruffled the hair that lightly brushed the back of his neck. His mother frowned slightly, but before she cold voice any complaints, his dad stood from the chair, sending it skidding a bit across the cream tile of the kitchen.
"Well then no time to waste! What do we need to get you to help Danny-boy?"
"Uh, I don't think I really need anything, I just need to pack some clothes, I already have some money saved up from those little odd jobs I've been doing here and there. I'll go pack and be down in a few to say bye before one last lunch with Sam and Tuck before catching the bus?"
"Sounds good sweetie, let me know if you need any fresh undies washe-" The embarrassed teen cut his mother off before she could finish,
"No thanks mom, all good, love you, see you in a bit!" The last few words of his sentence trailed off and out of the kitchen as he rushed upstairs. The Fenton parents both shook their heads as they turned back to their leisure morning, none the wiser to the fib they'd just been fed.
They seemed to be pretty accepting of his lie, and not for the first time Danny felt immensely grateful that they seemed to be giving him a lot more freedom as he got older. He supposed he had Jazz to thank for that somewhat. Her last few weeks at home had practically been spent hounding them about giving him 'the space he needs to continue to develop into the bright young man he was meant to be!'
Danny wasn't entirely sure what to pack, but decided to go with the basics and plenty of clean underwear that he washed himself, thank you very much. He expected that the bulk of his time would be spent in his Phantom half, so a few pairs of clothes would be more than enough.
He opted for his trusty old backpack over a suitcase, and threw in his clothes and a fully restocked first aid kit and a few boxes of his favorite snacks. He thought about adding his laptop but couldn't justify it considering his limited space and the lack of electricity at the castle. His trusty old Fenton thermos went on the top- he felt a bit vulnerable without it, he had worn it clipped on his belt in Phantom form for over two years now, and the new bulk of his sword still threw him off in flight a bit.
Last but not least he tucked his cellphone into the front pocket along with his old solar powered camping charger. He may be a 'hero' but he was still a teenager. Cell Phones were a vital part of his continued survival.
Looking around his still horribly messy room he shrugged as any normal teenager would and strutted out, closing the door behind him. Not his problem for the rest of the summer!
As Dorathea did one last sweep of her Fathers study she deemed herself ready. She didn't have anything to pack, but she had left a hefty list of documents on the desk detailing how to contact her in a hurry through her fathers portrait if needed, as well as how to help manage the kingdom in a positive direction in her leave.
She would be leaving a council of trusted towns members in charge of everything in her absence rather than a single trusted advisor as was the old fashioned way. Just as she was about to make her way out the door, one of the castle's maids knocked lightly on the threshold.
"Your Highness, there is a visitor here to see you. He is waiting in the entrance hall."
"Ah, thank you Aideen." With a curtsey Aideen floated off down the hall, dusting lightly as she went. Visitors weren't all that uncommon since she had gained control of the kingdom from her brother's grasp, but she still found herself excited each time she was told someone had come to her realm to visit without fear of being turned away or attacked. She drifted through the corridors quickly, smoothing her braided hair and the front of her dress as she went.
The ghost waiting for her was a vaguely familiar one, but only because she recognized him from some of the many wanted posters that the warden Walker had posted here and there in the Ghost Zone.
"Hello Wulf, I'm afraid we've never had the pleasure of meeting. I'm Princess Dorathea, how may I assist you?" The large man-wolf-esqe ghost turned to her, sharp canine eyes warmed with a smile that expressed deadly sharp teeth.
"Time ghost tell Wulf to help mia amiko Danny with safe travel. He say I need come to dragon Princess." The mixed and broken english was a bit difficult to grasp but got the point across well enough. If the Master of Time was sending Wulf to aid them in travels then there was no doubt that his assistance would be useful. It also notified her of the fact that this was quite important as well.
"What is it that you mean to help with in regards to our travels?"
"Clock tell Wulf that is time for mia amiko to learn power like Wulfs, travel instant much far through wall of Zone." Dora was a bit lost on what that could mean, but hoped that Sir Phantom may be able to clarify once he arrived.
"Unfortunately Sir Phantom isn't here yet, but you're more than welcome to wait for him until he arrives." He nodded and proceeded over to the fireplace that crackled warmly in the entrance way, circling a few times he curled up on the rug before it, looking like a massive cozy wolf. Dorathea shook her head ever so slightly in amusement before continuing out of the castle to confirm the guard schedule for both the kingdom and the Fenton portal.
The Nasty Burger was a welcome familiar place, the stench of over cooked greasy fries and the slight sweetness of a vanilla malt in the air. Danny leaned back in his chosen booth, stuffed backpack resting off to his side.
He felt a little uneasy at the idea of saying bye to Sam and Tuck so soon after their sort of fight, but the deep urging within his heart gave him the little push he needed. He dipped a french fry into his vanilla shake and savored the sweet and salty flavor as he chewed. He went through another seven fries before Sam and Tuck came in, they ordered their food and sat down across from him to wait.
"Hey man, your backpack looks stuffed, are you already planning on heading out?" For as much as the techno geek was teased about constantly having his nose in some form of electronic device, he was fairly observant. Sam frowned lightly as she knew Danny's answer by the guilty smile on his face.
"Yeah, we need to check things out and talk to the Headmaster to see if he'll accept our help and what all we can do. We may not even stay, it all depends on whether or not he wants to let us." Danny didn't tell his friends that his meeting with Clockwork had led him to feel and believe that their help would be accepted and far more important than anyone realized yet.
Sam and Tucker leant back as their food was placed on the table by a worker, Tucker winked at her as Sam uttered a thank you. It was his goth friend that began her questioning first.
"So, how are the ghosts going to be handled while you're gone? And how will we talk to you?"
"Well since I've taken up Dora's offer of posting guards I've only seen the box ghost once or twice, and I haven't had issues with anyone else. Before we leave for Scotland we're also going to go to the Far Frozen and ask Frostbite to contribute some forces to help protect the portal. Dora has some schedules written up for small patrols of the actual city too." His friends both nodded, and their expectant look prompted him to continue.
"Contact wise I have my phone with me and my solar camping charger, I'm not sure how great the signal will be or anything but it's something. Otherwise we can relay messages through Dora's Dad's painting and he can send you guys messages with a royal courier. And there's always letters I guess?"
The halfa felt guilty about what kind of amounted to abandoning his friends. They seemed sad about it, but with how they had been growing apart there wasn't an intense despair, more so just a disappointment that their friend would be inaccessible.
It left a bittersweet feeling in Danny's chest. On one hand it was sad to think of no longer being as close with them, but on the other it was giving him the freedom to do what he felt was right with less guilt burdening his mind.
Tucker and Sam shuffled in their seats for a moment, not sure quite what to say. Tucker finally cleared his throat,
"Well I'm sure you know this, but we're here if you need us dude. I know we can't really help with any of the fighting and we've all been drifting apart a bit- but we're your support. If there's anything we can do we'll get it done." A smile bloomed on Danny's face.
"I really appreciate that guys. Honestly just keeping me updated on things here as well as you can will be a huge load off of my mind. Maybe covering for me with my parents about NASA camp too? I know they probably won't notice but maybe some photoshopped pictures? I can send you guys texts as long as my phone works to corroborate. And I guess I could text them too, it wouldn't hurt, although I'm pretty sure both of their phones were destroyed in an ecto gun misfire the other day."
The three teens shrugged and took a moment to pick at their food. None of them really knew how to say good-bye, or fully grasped the severity and danger of what Danny was about to go attempt. To them the idea of a magical wizard war still seemed far off and silly.
They didn't realize that Danny was about to be smack dab in the middle of one of the most brutal wars currently raging on the Earth. Real magic wasn't pulling rabbits from hats- it was pure ravaging power that could shift the entire outcome of the world.
The din of the crowded burger joint acted as the perfect noise buffer as they continued talking about plans and strategies for communicating and keeping Danny's disappearance on the down low. It was nearly noon when they finally stood to part ways. There was a lot of flying ahead for Danny, and not much time to waste.
A long hug between the three and a few waves were the perfect silent farewell to spur Danny on with his travel preparations. Things with Sam and Tucker were smooth and taken care of, it was time to get to the Ghost Zone. One last visit to go see Frostbite and they would finally be on their way.
Danny sped through the Zone, still readjusting to the weight of the sword. It wasn't much compared to his unnatural strength, but the size of it still felt a bit odd as he flew. As he sped past land masses it began to feel more and more natural as he went, and he knew soon it wouldn't feel strange at all.
One thing he wasn't sure he would get used to is the feeling of loose sleeves and tunic strings fluttering around him in the breeze. He had worn his faithful jumpsuit for many years, and every change that had happened to it had been gradual and hardly noticeable until he looked back at photos.
The thin flimsy jumpsuit had slowly changed its weave to be more durable and a few low profile reinforcements had emerged. His boots and gloves had become more practical, and his belt had as well. It all just kind of made sense as a nice transition.
He had just figured it was ghost puberty to be honest.
He was still amazed that he could have changed it at any time with his own thoughts- ectoplasm was insanely weird and powerful. Who was he to think that magic was insane, if anything he was the oddity.
The halfa flew over the courtyard, flying straight into the castle this time. While he loved the happy citizens of Mattingly, he didn't really have time to stop and visit. As he let himself slow and drop to the floor in the entrance hall he gave a slight stretch and popped his back. That is, before he was violently bowled over by a dark furry blur.
"AMIKO!" What could only be Wulf had him in a death grip of a hug and dog breath was quickly gagging him until he remembered he didn't have to breathe and could just hold his breath. He gave the exuberant ghost a pat on the back before intangibly slipping out of his hold.
A light laughter off to the side caught his attention, and he turned to see Dora trying to smother her snickering. She blushed slightly at being caught and lowered her hand.
"He's been quite excited about seeing you, he said he was sent by Clockwork to teach you his method of travel." Danny's eye widened to the size of saucers.
"You mean I can learn to make my own portals? AWESOME!" The halfa jittered with excitement, it was one power he had always been envious of. While he loved flying, constantly taking long treks still wore him out and used up a lot of valuable time.
"Si Amiko, Clock says time for learning. I help travel until you able to." Danny appreciated him not using Esperanto. While he was trying to learn he was still trash at languages, Tucker was the real master of it. He still made an effort when he could though,
"Dankon mia amiko." Wulfs tail thumped against the floor happily at the thanks in his native tongue.
"Since our travel accommodations will be much faster perhaps we should work on your portal skills for a bit and then visit Frostbite?" Danny nodded.
"Okay amiko, how do I make a portal? Can you show us by making one to the Far Frozen?" Wulf nodded.
It took a while, as Wulf had some language barrier issues trying to explain what exactly it was he was looking for, but eventually he was able to express that Danny had to 'feel' for the 'fabric' of the world barrier.
Danny nearly gave himself a migraine trying to squint looking for it, when suddenly he saw it. It was like one of those strange optical illusion puzzles that suddenly clicked. The faint shimmering and rippling in the air looked a bit like a heat wave of air over a hot road in the summer. He reached out to lightly brush it and felt, not quite something- but not nothing either.
"Jes, jes!" Wulf seemed thrilled with the advancement. "Now think of place and rip!" Danny wasn't really sure how to 'rip' it, but as he glanced to the sword on his hip an idea formed. Unsheathing it was incredibly satisfying- and the soft glow of spectral ice glinted with a unique look unlike anything else.
He refocused on the rippling of the barrier he could now see and focussed intensely on the feeling of being in the Far Frozen- the icy snow that seemed comfortable and warm to him, safety and friendship, and he pictured the odd icy huts and spires of uniquely ghostly architecture. With a smooth slash he sliced at the air.
"Eh, you get there eventually." The teens shoulders slumped at the miniscule scratch he had made. It seemed like a tiny little glowing thread of a portal hovering where he had been hoping for a large fully formed portal.
"Why don't you try once more?" Dora nodded encouragingly at him. Refocusing Danny swung again, this time the cut seemed to spread enough to fit one's hand in. Slipping his own hand into it he was pleased to feel the frigid air whip along his fingertips. While it might not be a feasible size yet, it was opening to the right place. He took another few swings, each one draining his energy further.
He was a sweating panting mess after the twenty-seven swings it took to get the portal travel size. Wulf patted him on the head.
"Is very nice job, amiko." Danny allowed himself a small grin, sheathing the sword and rolling his now tired arm. Maybe he should have made a dagger, he really wasn't used to swinging a broadsword.
Wulf gave the portal a light sniff and then jumped through it. Obviously he was satisfied with its stability. Danny and Dora looked at each other and shrugged, stepping through it as well.
"Dear Gods it's freezing here! I know it's the Far Frozen but I didn't expect it to be this frozen!" Dorathea shuddered with the cold, her fire core was particularly unhappy about being in such an opposite environment.
"I'll wait for you back in the courtyard, this is too much for my core." Danny nodded apologetically as she practically dove back through the slowly shrinking portal. He watched until it seemed to collapse in on itself and completely disappear.
The two remaining ghosts found themselves just outside the city limits of the Far Frozen, and with a quick burst of flight they landed before the main structure of the city. It was similar to a longhouse, and it functioned as the council hall and a home for Frostbite.
Striding in Danny was greeted with surprised but pleased smiles and bows, and was promptly directed to Frostbite.
"Ah, Great One! What has brought this wonderful visit upon us?" Danny smiled up at the Yeti ghost and grinned apologetically.
"Well, I kind of need a favor…" Danny spent the next hour explaining the situation as well as he could, and what he needed from the icy ghost. Much like he had hoped, Frostbite was willing to go above and beyond his requests.
In fact, he offered a full thirty ghosts to assist with guarding and patrolling Amity Park. It was enough that there was likely to be a strange cold front move through the town if all of the spectral Yeti like ghosts were to visit at once. Danny was beyond grateful as he helped plan out a good rotating schedule with Frostbite and the head of the offered troops.
By the time Wulf made a portal back to the kingdom of Mattingly and Danny had said his thank yous and goodbyes his heart felt infinitely lighter. There was no doubt in his mind that Amity would be safe.
They made their way to Dora's study once they were back in the courtyard, and found her chatting with her fathers portrait.
"Ah you're back! All went well I hope?" Danny nodded.
"So are we ready to head out or is there anything else that needs to be done?" Dora looked up at her father, curious on whether he had any changes of note.
"As far as I am aware Dumbledore will be waiting at the school gates for you at sundown, and you'll be escorted to his office to speak in private. Just remember to maintain your shade forms until you are confident in your ability to trust him and away from prying eyes. I know from experience that the walls most definitely have eyes and ears." They all nodded and glanced at one another.
"Wulf, would you mind making the portal for us? I need to practice more before I'm comfortable going such a long distance, especially to somewhere I've never been." Wulf smiled and quickly tore through the air. His ability seemed far more innate and intuitive than Danny could imagine his own being. Going intangible they all stepped through the swirling mass of green.
They appeared in a field next to a lake, with absolutely no signs of civilization anywhere.
"Err, Wulf are you sure this is the right spot?" The canine ghost glanced around, seeming a bit disappointed by his apparent failure.
"Jes, I look at map many time while waiting." Dora smiled at both of them.
"Fear not, we're definitely in the right place, I can see the castle just beyond the tree line over yonder. You two likely can't see it since the wards have not accepted you yet." Things still made no sense to Danny, but he shrugged and floated along after her as they made their way blindly along the shore of the lake.
An intensely strong feeling of wrongness began to well up within Danny- a sensation of dread, confusion, and general discontent. Wulf whimpered slightly and slowed to a stop.
"Dora are you sure? I don't think we're supposed to be here. Something doesn't feel right... maybe we should turn back." Realization passed over her features as she noticed her companions discomfort.
"Ah, it's something of a repelling charm, everything is fine. It's safe to continue, once we're through the wards you won't feel it anymore." Danny still seemed unsure but continued along their path nonetheless. Wulf made it a bit further before letting out a whimper.
"I sorry amiko, do not like bad feeling. I will be at dragon castle." With a slash he hopped through his portal back to Mattingly. The two humanoid ghosts continued their flight, Danny slowing nearly to a crawl as they got closer and closer to the wards.
The massive looming gates were topped with elegant winged boars taking flight- yet Danny saw only rolling hills. As the sun began to set and lit the sky afire a warm tingling sensation passed over him, and the next time he blinked he opened his eyes to the same magnificent gates Dorathea had been admiring.
An elderly man in vibrant purple robes with lime green leaves stitched along the hems waved to them, a small orb of light keeping him well illuminated. Next to him was a shade dressed similarly to Dora, a soft smile on her face.
"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. My name is Albus Dumbledore, and I am the headmaster. Please, do come in." With a wave of his wrinkly old hand the gates silently swung open on their own, and Danny took a moment to gape at the absolutely massive castle resting amongst some cliffs and hills bordering the lake.
"Thank you Mister Dumbledore. It is an honor to see you again. This is my best knight, Sir Daniel." The princess turned to her knight, and found the teen still gawking at the castle. With a slight cough and nudge to his shoulder he snapped back to attention.
"Oh right! My name is uh, Daniel. But Danny is fine."
"A pleasure to meet you Danny. If you will both please follow me- I believe we have important matters to discuss." As they all turned to walk up the now defined pathway towards the castle Danny continued to take in the sights.
On one edge of a nearby hill he saw a massive willow tree that seemed to be swatting at the air around it, and as he gazed out over the lake he swore he saw a tentacle reach out and give him a small wave. He blanched and gave a tiny wave back.
What had he gotten himself into?
AN: Whew. Excited to be finally posting another chapter for you all. I know I'm horrible with updates but hopefully I can get a few more out soon. I'll sit down and try to write another chapter tonight and see where we go from there. But hey, they finally made it to Hogwarts! Interesting conversations and a lot of talking to come in the next chapter. As always, I hope everyone enjoyed- please leave a review with any comments or ideas!