She could feel the headache building behind her eyes. She would need to see Madame Pomfrey if this kept up.
She and Professor Snape were sitting in not-so-comfortable silence in the Headmaster's office, contemplating the recent events that had led them all to be here.
Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout were quietly talking about the young man they were about to meet, and how to go about trying to smoothly welcome him into Hogwarts, despite him not being able to attend the magic oriented classes.
They were not inducing any headaches; in fact, their discussion brought a small smile to her usually stern face.
No, the true irritant of the room would be the uninvited ministry official, who felt that her presence was crucial to the situation at hand. She had been muttering to herself non-stop ever since Professor Dumbledore left to go collect Mr. Fenton from the Hospital Wing.
She couldn't quite make out what was being said, but the context seemed to be getting increasingly violent and degrading. Her worry for how the boy would react to the negativity was what was causing most of her trouble.
McGonagall snapped out of her musings as the handle to the office door turned. All conversation within the room ceased immediately, as they looked expectantly at the door. Professor Dumbledore stepped forward first, but held the door open for the young man that they were all here to meet.
She hadn't really known what to expect from their unexpected guest, and soon to be student, but it was a bit jarring at how normal the boy seemed.
At first.
The more she assessed the skinny teenager, the more oddities she came to find. He had slightly tapered ears, faint scars on his face and neck. He moved with a grace that belied experience moving silently. He almost floated instead of walked.
His eyes were almost too bright, and a chilling ice blue. She had to suppress a shiver when his eyes passed over all the professors in the room. His gaze lingered on Fawkes for a moment longer than the rest of room.
But, beyond the subtle oddities that made this young man unique in his state of being, she could still see the teenager he really was.
She took in the messy raven black hair, the newly cleaned and mended outfit of jeans, trainers, and a black hooded jumper that hung loose on his too thin frame. His slightly nervous look around the room.
No, that's not quiet right. He wasn't just looking around the room, but casing it for potential threats. It reminded her of what Moody would do whenever he entered a room.
That thought struck her numb. How long had this boy, a child, felt so unsafe that he felt the need to check for threats like an experienced, paranoid auror, accustomed to constant combat situations.
She dare not ask, for any amount of time is far too long in her book.
"Hello my dear Professors, allow me to introduce Mr. Danny Fenton." Dumbledore said warmly.
"Mr. Fenton, these are Professors McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick, Sprout and Umbridge; some of the finest professors Hogwarts has ever seen."
She did not miss the subtle inflection of the word 'some' and would have had a hard time hiding a grin had she been less mature.
"It's nice to meet you." Mr. Fenton greeted them, in a distinct American accent.
It made her heart ache for the boy's situation even more. He was taken from such a long way away without warning, and thrust into their world.
How confusing and disorienting the experience must be. She was so lost in the implications of the boy's accent that she almost missed how his canine teeth seemed to be a touch too long and sharp to be ordinary. Almost.
"Well, now that that is out of the way, why don't we all have a seat and work out the finer points of your stay here, hmm?" Dumbledore spoke gently to Mr. Fenton, who nodded in understanding.
Dumbledore then conjured seats for all of them. Mr. Fenton jumping slightly at the sight, reminding her once again that this boy has had no idea magic even existed until he was summoned here.
All of the Professors settled into their chairs beside Dumbledore's desk, while Mr. Fenton gingerly sat in his in front of them all, carefully schooling his expression in the face of Umbridge's glare.
As soon as she caught sight of that, her anger at the stunted ministry official playing at being a teacher, swelled like a wave during a tsunami. She was hard pressed to stay seated, instead of erupting at the pink clad woman for such heinous behavior.
"Now, let's begin. Mr. Fenton. You have accepted my offer of staying here at Hogwarts, and thus we all welcome you warmly. We have a tentative schedule outlined for you, including some elective classes that you can choose from. But we will get back to that in a moment. We have a few more questions regarding your situation, Mr. Fenton."
She noticed how the boy tense slightly, but settled again with a resigned look.
"As we understand it, Mr. Fenton, you were in a… shall we say, difficult, situation before being summoned to our school. I can understand if this is a sensitive or difficult topic for you to discuss, but we would be remiss in our jobs as your professors if we did nothing to try to help you. But to help you, we need more information."
She thought that Dumbledore handled that rather well, as Mr. Fenton looked thoughtful for a moment, and then took a quick breath.
"Um… What" Mr. Fenton cleared his throat quickly, "what exactly do you want to know?"
"Could you explain in better detail what you were doing shortly before you were summoned, Mr. Fenton?" Dumbledore asked gently.
"Um, well," a shaky sigh, but as he opened his mouth to answer, he was interrupted by a soft, melodious trill.
Fawkes swooped off of his perch, and landed on the boy's leg, seeming to snuggle into his side in a show of affection that had the entire office stuck in surprised silence.
Phoenixes were not known for their affection. This was… She had never seen such a thing before and doubted anyone else had either.
"Um," Mr. Fenton began, bewildered and slightly worried, "Is this… should I… I'm uh, not really sure what's happening right now."
"Oh, my apologies dear boy. Fawkes here is a dear companion of mine. A Phoenix. He seems to have taken quite a liking to you. I have never known him to be this affectionate with a stranger before."
"Phoenix. Huh. Wait… a phoenix! As in… the mythical bird? Effectively immortal, because they burst into flame when they die, and are reborn from the ashes? That kind of phoenix?"
"The very same." Dumbledore smiled.
"Oh."
Mr. Fenton looked stunned at the revelation, and was hesitantly holding his hand above the red and golden plumage of the large bird. Fawkes just gazed at him with his bright, dark eyes.
Cooing softly at the boy, Fawkes pushed against his hand, and Mr. Fenton seemed to gain a sense of peace at the solid presence, as he began to gently pet the mythical fire bird.
"Mr. Fenton? You were about to explain your circumstances before you were summoned?" Dumbledore asked gently.
"Oh. Right."
Mr. Fenton straightened in his chair, and though he still looked apprehensive about giving them more information, he looked determined.
"I've been running for a few months now. Um, I'm not really sure how long exactly. I just knew I couldn't stay in one place for too long."
"Running from what, exactly?" She asked.
Mr. Fenton jumped at being addressed by her and not by Dumbledore, but answered her nonetheless.
"A, uh, a secret government group who studies ghosts. Or, the type of ghost that I'm used to. They, um, they're called the GIW, or the Ghost Investigation Ward. They've wanted to get their hands on me for years."
"And why would you only begin running from them a few months ago?" Professor Snape cut in.
"Well, they didn't know I was half human until a few months ago. My ghost form looks different to my human form, so they never knew I was one and the same."
"They found out you were half human, and not a full ghost? Would that not stop them from coming after you?" Professor Flitwick asked.
At that Mr. Fenton let out a dry chuckle, devoid of any humor. Fawkes trilled at him worriedly.
"If anything, they wanted me even more after they found out. You can probably imagine, half ghosts are incredibly rare. They wanted to find out how we are capable of even existing."
"There are more of you?!" Umbridge almost shrieked, causing Mr. Fenton to cringe and hunch his shoulders up to his ears. (Enhanced hearing perhaps?). Fawkes was not the only one to turn angry eyes to the ministry official.
"Well, there are only three of us, and even compared to the other two I'm considered different."
As soon as he said this, Mr. Fenton cringed slightly, as if he hadn't meant to say it.
"In what way?" Asked Dumbledore, his hands steepled before him.
The boy sighed, petting Fawkes absently, before clarifying.
"I actually only found this out recently. Before... well, before I ran away. I'm actually, truly, half and half. An 'exact balance between life and death,' or so I was told. The others were made differently than I was. The one older than me is a bit more human, and the one younger than me is a bit more ghost."
Mr. Fenton became quieter with every word he spoke, looking distinctly uncomfortable.
"So, you are unique amongst the, arguably, rarest species of hybrids in the world, and you have been running from this 'GIW' group that want to do you harm for being such. I wonder then, what exactly makes you so different from the other two half ghosts? Why is being 'exactly half and half' so special?" Snape questioned.
Taking a moment to quickly look at the Professors seated before him, Mr. Fenton took another breath.
"The easiest answer to that," he said, lowering his eyes to the Phoenix in his lap, "is that I'm much more powerful."
She could practically feel Umbridge stiffen in her chair across the room.
"I've only been like this for two years, and I've defeated ghosts that are millions of years old. Some considered to be minor gods in some cultures. I had help of course, but all the same. I'm a stable balance between both human and ghost. I've developed abilities that the other two can't develop at all. I'm not affected by the drawbacks they faced when their two sides fought against each other, making them sick and unstable... until I was able to help them past that. " He finished dryly, still gazing determinedly at his knees, while Fawkes gazed at him sadly.
Was he… ashamed? Of being so powerful? McGonagall just couldn't see how this boy sitting before her could be anything as terrifying as a being able to defeat gods.
"But why were these GIW people trying to capture ghosts in the first place? Barring the occasional poltergeist, they're harmless!" Professor Sprout broke the silence, a bit of exasperation in her voice.
Seemingly relieved at the change in topic, Mr. Fenton was quick to answer.
"Well, I'm not sure exactly, but I think that the ghosts I am used to dealing with are different than the ones you are used to because of the amount of ambient ectoplasm available to them when they died."
Continuing with a thoughtful look, "The ghosts I'm used to are similar to me in my ghost form; they are corporeal, and can have a variety of different powers."
"Unfortunately, the only ghosts anyone ever encountered were the ones that were causing trouble. This led to ghost hunters and researchers believing that all ghosts were the same chaos bringing troublemakers, that cause destruction and ruin wherever they go." He said sadly.
"This led all the paranormal scientists into some violent tendencies when they dealt with ghosts. I did my best to keep the ghosts from causing too much trouble by stopping them and returning them to the Ghost Zone, which is the dimension where all ghosts live. It's also called the infinite realms."
Mr. Fenton paused here looking up at them, and realized that all the professors present were enraptured by his explanation.
He blushed slightly and began rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, as he continued.
"But, I also tried very hard to keep any ghosts from getting caught by any hunters, especially the GIW. They were, well, they were notoriously ruthless. They purposefully created weapons that caused terrible pain for the ghosts they captured, and their research team was obsessed with capturing a ghost 'alive' so to speak, for the sole purpose of finding out how a ghost worked." He sighed.
"You can imagine then, that I was a very popular choice as a specimen, because I was both powerful and they were angry with me stopping their attempts at capturing other ghosts. When they found out I was half human… Well, they had many questions they wanted answered. How I transformed between human and ghost, how I healed, how I grew and developed more powers. How I… reacted to certain stresses. I'm sure they would have gotten very creative had they gotten their hands on me." Mr. Fenton trailed off, shuddering at the thought. Fawkes cooed at him comfortingly.
Looking around, McGonagall noticed that the other house heads and Dumbledore looked pale and shocked.
They had all suddenly realized what could have happened to the boy sitting before them had he been caught by these people. McGonagall could only thank the stars that he was now safely in Hogwarts where they couldn't reach him.
"These abilities of yours Mr. Fenton, could you describe some of them for us?" Dumbledore broke the silence.
Gaze shifting upward, as if he expected the question, Mr. Fenton raised his right hand, pushing the sleeve of his jumper further up his arm.
She could make out the patchwork of scars on his pale skin. Her eyes pricked at the sight, not allowing herself to so much as think of how bad the rest of his body may look.
"I have the basic ghostly abilities; invisibility, intangibility and flight." He demonstrated each, by making his hand disappear completely, waving his hand through both his other arm and the leg of the chair he was sitting on, and then he levitated himself a few inches above his chair.
The room fell into shocked silence at the display. McGonagall was tempted to look around for the one casting the spells on the boy to make it seem like he was doing these impossible things, but what he did next forced that thought out of her mind.
"Then, I can manipulate ectoplasm, which is essentially the energy and essence of a ghost."
He then filled his hand with glowing green light.
She could feel the power emanating from that single point, and that alone may have been palatable, but what sent her mind reeling without chance of reprieve was that it was Killing Curse green.
That color should not be anywhere near a child, let alone coming from his own hand.
She was about to reflexively rise and pull the boy away to safety, but stopped when she saw that his eyes had turned from their ice blue, to the same glowing green.
"Of course, this is only in my human form. In my ghost form my powers get stronger, but are easier to control. That's why I only like to use the more complex of my abilities as a ghost." Mr. Fenton finished, lowering his now completely normal, non-glowing, hand back to his lap.
They could only stare at him a few moments in tense silence. When Mr. Fenton began to start looking nervous in the face of their stares, she shook herself out of her shock.
"Well Mr. Fenton, thank you for answering all our questions and demonstrating your abilities for us. I'm sure I am not alone in saying that now that we have more information, we will do everything we can to help you be rid of these GIW, and anyone else who would do you harm. In any case Headmaster," she turned to Dumbledore, "I believe it is high time we get Mr. Fenton sorted and settled into his dormitory so that he has time to meet his housemates before you make the announcement tonight." She finished decisively, allowing no room for argument.
"I believe you are right, Professor." Dumbledore chuckled slightly. "Mr. Fenton, thank you for explaining everything for us, but Professor McGonagall is quite right, we need to get you sorted."
At that he rose and left to collect the sorting hat.
Mr. Fenton looked confused, but seemed to be content to wait for them to explain what was happening next, as he continued to pet the phoenix, who looked all too happy settled in his lap.
Then, Professor Sprout spoke in a worried tone.
"Mr. Fenton, just one more question," she said, just as Dumbledore returned with the dirty, torn sorting hat, "This should have been asked from the very beginning. Where are your family in all of this? Are they missing you now, or do they know why you even ran, or who was after you? Can we somehow contact them for you?" She rattled off question after question, clear concern in her voice and expression.
There was a shivering moment of silence. Fawkes trilled softly at the boy, as he stopped petting him, his fist clenched with sudden emotion.
"No... No, um, my family… they… they're dead."
She was quite content; what with Crookshanks curled in her lap, a book propped open beside her, and her enchanted knitting needles clicking away merrily, a new sock appearing slowly but surely.
This was probably the most peace she could ask for in her hectic life with those two trouble magnets.
She sighed internally. If she had never met Harry or Ron and become such good friends with them, she would certainly have a calmer life, but it wouldn't be nearly as exciting.
But, with Ron and Harry both gone for quidditch practice this morning, she reveled in the momentary peace, and allowed her mind to drift from the open book to Danny. The mysterious, soon to be additional student to the school.
He seemed to be a very nice person, despite everything he has clearly been through. He reminded her of Harry in that way.
However, she knew that while he had told them the story of how he had become a hybrid, (a very personal, and horrifying story), she knew that he was still keeping something to himself.
She had a hunch that it had something to do with why he had been 'traveling' before being summoned.
She also understood that it was none of her business, but she could tell that whatever Danny was keeping to himself was causing him a great deal of grief.
Urgh! Curse her overprotectiveness, and compulsive need to understand everything! The mystery solving streak that Harry and Ron cultivated these last four years isn't helping anything either.
Ah well. She was sure that, given time, maybe he would trust them enough and explain it all. Then they could perhaps help him through why it was causing him such pain.
Her thoughts then turned to the more sure and immediate future for Danny.
She wondered what house he would end up in, and debated with herself the possibilities until the portrait door swung open to reveal Professor McGonagall.
This was already a rather rare occurrence, but when she saw Danny standing quietly behind her, she smiled brightly at him. Gryffindor it is then.
When he saw her, she could see some of his tension ease slightly.
It didn't last long however, as the entire common room fell gravely silent when they noticed that Professor McGonagall had arrived. She then noticed that the Professor looked distinctly pale and... sad?
"Hello students, I hope you are enjoying your Saturday. I am here to introduce a brand new Gryffindor that will be joining our fifth years today. This," she paused to place a gentle hand on the pale and frightened looking Danny beside her, "is Danny Fenton. There will be an announcement at dinner tonight about his stay, so I ask that you all make sure you are in attendance at six o'clock this afternoon."
She waved her wand and a paper with the same announcement appeared on the notice board as a reminder.
"I'll leave Mr. Fenton to get more acquainted with you all, and I will see you all tonight."
She gave Danny a quick look that surely she meant to be encouraging, and then turned to leave.
And just like that she was gone, leaving Danny standing alone before the portrait entrance, frozen in place by the stares of the rest of the common room.
Well that would not do at all.
"Danny! It's so good to see you again! Congratulations on becoming a Gryffindor!" She said loudly and quickly, as she made her way over to him.
This seemed to shock everyone else in the common room out of their staring, and while a few gave some half hearted congratulations and welcomes as well, many turned to their friends to whisper and speculate about the new arrival.
Danny hadn't moved, and was still looking a bit like a deer in headlights, but he seemed to relax some when she arrived next to him and gave him a commiserating look at the awkward situation.
"So that's why there's a new bed in our dormitory, eh?" Came Dean's voice, as he came up beside them with Seamus and Neville.
Danny eyed them a moment, but seemed to be thankful for the distraction from the whispers around the room that were clearly centered around him.
"It really surprised me when the room shifted suddenly and a new bed appeared. I didn't know what to make of it! I had just told Dean and Seamus about it when you came in." Neville spoke up, a little louder than his usual volume. He seemed to have noticed all the attention they were garnering and didn't appreciate it anymore than Danny did.
"You know him, Hermione?" Seamus cut in then, a touch of accusation in his tone.
"Yes. Ron, Harry and I know him, and I'm so glad you were sorted into Gryffindor, Danny! Now we will have a load of classes together! And you'll be staying in the same dorm as Harry and Ron, and these three!" She turned back to three boys.
"Honestly! Why don't you introduce yourselves properly!"
"Ri-right! I'm Neville Longbottom! Pleasure to meet you!"
"I'm Dean Thomas, welcome to Gryffindor!"
"Seamus Finnigan, nice to meet you."
They all waited expectantly for Danny's response.
"I'm Danny. It's nice to meet all of you."
Wide eyed and smiling, Dean exclaimed "Woah! Cool accent mate! Are you American? I have an Uncle who lives over there!"
She was infinitely grateful for Dean taking the lead, as she could practically feel Danny's tension and unease unraveling with every word of the conversation.
"Yeah, I'm from Illinois. From a little town though, you wouldn't know it. Where does your Uncle live?"
From there they settled into comfortable conversation. Hermione was also satisfied that the surprise of Danny's accent seemed to have dissipated, the rest of the common room going about their own business.
She could hardly imagine how nervous Danny must have been to be thrust into a room full of strangers, especially from what she had surmised from the very little Danny had revealed about his situation from just before he was summoned.
She was glad he was getting along with his other dorm mates as well, even if Seamus was still at odds with Harry over the lies and slander the Ministry has been spreading.
She was glad that they were getting to know Danny a bit before they found out about everything, too. Him being a hybrid and a muggle would be hard pills to swallow for many, but getting to know him first should help waylay that prejudice. At least she hoped.
"Hermione?"
"What?" She startled back into the present, and found the four boys looking at her expectantly.
"We were just asking where Harry and Ron were? They've been gone a long time haven't they?" Neville was asking her.
"I still think they could be at practice." Seamus said stubbornly.
"This late into the morning? There's no way, Angelina wouldn't keep them this long." Dean stops to consider that a moment. "Or, maybe she would. Wood could have imparted all of his obsessive training practices onto the captain position to make sure Gryffindor kept winning once he left."
"I wouldn't be surprised." Seamus said absently, while Neville chuckled.
She laughed along as well, because she knew that it absolutely was Angelina keeping them in quidditch practice so long.
"Yes, they are both still at quidditch practice. They should be finishing up soon though."
They all looked thoughtful, but Danny had a confused look. Oh… wait…
"What's quidditch?" He asked.
She groaned internally, as the entire common room succumbed into a deathly silence.
So much for gently introducing the fact that Danny is a Muggle.
"Oh! It's a sport, and Harry and Ron will be so excited to explain it all to you Danny! Why don't we go down to meet them?"
She quickly hustled a bewildered Danny out of the portrait hole, leaving the stunned common room behind her.
Sighing slightly, she looked to see Danny looking at her questioningly.
"Oh, I'm sorry Danny, it's just, you were finally starting to get comfortable around Neville, Dean and Seamus, and I was so glad. But," she sighed resignedly again, "You should know that a Muggle in Hogwarts is unheard of, and some may not take kindly to you being here. I had hoped to introduce that to everyone slowly to try to ease the blow, but quidditch is seen in very high regard in the wizard world, and when you asked…"
"It was like I painted the word Muggle on my head." Danny finished, with dawning comprehension. Then his expression morphed into a grimace.
"I really screwed up then, huh?"
"No! No, it was nothing we could have kept a secret forever. It would have come out eventually, so maybe its a good thing that everyone knows now so that they can just get over it."
"Hmm, if you say so. I'm not the best judge when it comes to knowing when to tell secrets. I'm much more used to keeping them as long as I can." Danny said absently, as they walked the corridors.
She was about to ask about that concerning tidbit, when he continued, looking in awe at the expansive ceilings and numerous moving staircases above them.
"This place," Danny began, "is enormous! How did you guys even find me that first morning?"
She sighed, "Unfortunately, we are no strangers to the Hospital Wing. We actually saw you and Dumbledore walking past the Great Hall the night you were summoned, and we saw that you were hurt. We knew that the most likely place we could find you to see if you were alright would be the Hospital Wing."
"Hmm." He replied, looking a touch concerned.
They traveled in companionable silence for a time, before she asked, "So, what did you think of the sorting? Did the Sorting Hat consider you for any other houses or just Gryffindor?"
"Oh, the sentient, talking hat! That was weird… and that's coming from me! When it talked right into my head, it surprised me so badly that I phased through the chair and ended up on ground. I startled Fawkes into flying back to his perch, but I think it scared the professors more."
"Yes I imagine it would." She chuckled at the thought, remembering Danny explaining a few of his basic ghostly powers yesterday.
"Well, after that bit of excitement, the hat couldn't sort me for a bit because I had ocular clemency? Occlu… something. In any case it couldn't sort me right away because I have some sort of mental shield, (thanks to a bad experience with mind control), but once I let that down, it still couldn't decide. It probably argued with itself for over ten minutes on where it wanted to place me. Eventually it asked me what I wanted, and I asked…"
Here he became a little sheepish, as they finally made it out onto the grounds and headed down towards the quidditch pitch.
"You asked for Gryffindor?" She supplied, with a smile, ignoring for the moment, the muttered comment about mind control.
"Not exactly. I… well I asked for whatever house you, Harry and Ron were in, because you three were the only people I knew here, so… I wanted to at least know a few faces wherever I was going, you know?"
"Yes, I do. And for what it's worth, from what I know of you so far, I think you make a great Gryffindor."
"Thanks." Danny said, relieved.
They made it to the pitch just as the quidditch team was making their way out of the changing rooms. They made their way past her and Danny, giving her waves of greeting and shooting a few questioning glances at Danny.
She noticed that Harry and Ron were not among them. They must still be changing then.
As she and Danny came up to the changing room, Harry and Ron were still in their quidditch robes, and Harry seemed to be cheering Ron on for a good practice. Both happily discussing something with animated gestures.
She smiled at the sight.
She was glad to have such good, (if stupid at times), friends.
They looked up as they reached them.
"Hermione! And Danny! Good to see you! Sorry we were taking a while, but Harry and I were just going over what we did really well during practice, and we got a bit carried away…" Ron finished sheepishly.
"Yep. It's good to see you up and about Danny! Have you heard anything else about staying at the school?" Harry asked.
"In fact he has!" She said proudly. "You are looking at a brand new Gryffindor!"
Danny smiled and rubbed a hand against his neck as Harry and Ron proceeded to light up and congratulate him.
"Actually, he's met with Neville, Dean and Seamus already, but I decided to come down to meet you on your way up because Danny here," she turned to look at him meaningfully, "has a question that I think you two would be better answering than me."
Harry and Ron gave each other incredulous disbelieving looks at that, (which, truthfully, made her quite happy).
"Oh. Yeah! I asked what quidditch was…"
Danny didn't even need to finish.
And she knew they would be out here for quite a while if the looks on her boys faces were anything to go by.
Woo!
I have some time on my hands, and am excited for what is to come, which is why I finished another chapter so quickly! Yay!
In any case, I give you some more info of Danny's tragic backstory, but don't worry! All of it shall be revealed in detail... eventually.
Also! I know I keep coming back to the killing curse green thing, but I really think that the wizarding world, especially this current generation that still remembers the previous war, would find that specific color very unsettling and almost triggering. But I digress...
This chapter was fairly difficult to write, but I'm happy with this version now so onto the next!
Thank you all for reading!