Time sure was a funny thing. To think, it was almost the Christmas holidays. He loved Hogwarts, he really did, but it would be nice to see Sirius again. He missed talking to his godfather, and was determined to ask Mrs. Weasley to let Sirius come to spend the holidays with them. He hated the thought of him all alone in that dark house with no one but Kreecher to celebrate the holiday.
He was also looking forward to getting Danny out of the castle and away from Umbridge for a little while. Ever since Hagrid's lesson on thestrals, Umbridge had been going after Danny with everything she had. Reports came in from many students that their parents had been made aware of Danny's presence at the school, and the Daily Prophet had gone wild over the story of a muggle at Hogwarts.
It got even worse when they found out that Danny was half-ghost.
Even now, weeks later, he still felt a burning rage deep within whenever he remembered what was written about his friend.
'Dangerous half-breed,' 'Impossibility made real,' 'A crime against the natural order,' and most notably 'An abomination that should be caught and caged immediately,' said explicitly by one Lucius Malfoy.
Umbridge was behind it all, sending information to the prophet directly and citing it as her duty as High Inquisitor to inform the public.
The look on Danny's face as he read the articles; resigned and tired as if it was something he was used to…
Like it was the way he'd expected to be treated.
The only thing that had stopped Harry from murdering the toad right then and there was the fact that someone else tried to do it before he got the chance. McGonagall flew into a rage at Umbridge for inciting this mess, and it had taken no fewer than the other House heads and Dumbledore himself to stop her from physically attacking Umbridge in front of the entire school.
Dumbledore had of course stepped in and given a statement that Danny was protected on Hogwarts grounds by some law or case that had happened long ago when the Ministry had tried to take away another student for being a half-breed and the very founders of Hogwarts had fought for the student's right to learn and live a 'normal' childhood. The same law had protected Hagrid and Lupin, Hermione had found.
It was a right mess. Harry, having been the center of such media scandals before, had stayed steadfast in his support for Danny, Ron and Hermione right by his side.
They weren't the only ones though; Danny had united the students of Hogwarts in many ways, and now the overwhelming majority were united again in their support of their resident half-ghost.
He was very nearly bitter about the whole thing; why hadn't the school realized he hadn't wanted the spotlight when his name came out of the Goblet of Fire? He could have used their support then.
He would viscously beat these intrusive and unwelcome thoughts back as he reminded himself that this wasn't about him and his past, but about Danny right now. Danny didn't deserve any of this; they'd brought him here against his will, and he'd accepted an offer of shelter that had been offered to him. The student support was welcome, because he never wanted to see that look on Danny's face again.
It was still tough for his friend, though.
While Umbridge had lost her power to punish students as she saw fit, she did win the argument that Danny shouldn't be allowed to use his abilities unless given permission from an authority figure.
Of course, the Professors were all more than happy to give him permission; Professor McGonagall made a point of giving him permission every time she saw him to go and fly or practice his powers as he pleased, and Professor Sinistra always asked Danny if he would like to fly up and point out the planets and constellations they were learning about during every lesson.
Even with all the support Danny had now, Umbridge still found a way to know where they were when they weren't in the Common room, and always made sure to remind them that Danny wasn't to be using his abilities without her say so.
Harry shook his head, huffing out and angry breath at the injustice and how petty and pathetic Umbridge was. The media storm had blown over now, and Danny was walking beside him, joking with Ron as they walked to the corridor that concealed the door to the Room of Requirement.
"Are you alright, Harry?" Hermione asked.
"Hmm? Yeah, just lost in thought."
"Oooh. The nargles get ya?" Danny asked playfully.
"The what?"
"Luna was just telling me about them, they-"
"Danny," Hermione interrupted in a half exasperated tone, "Nargels don't exist. Luna believes in a lot of things that just aren't based in any kind of fact or logic."
"But Hermione-" He chuckled, "She knew about the thestrals at the beginning of term. Who knows what else she could be seeing that we can't?" He nudged her shoulder with his own, grinning when she shot him an unamused look. Ron and Danny smartly hid their laughter as they traveled up another staircase.
"Speaking of thestrals," Ron said after he pulled himself together, "Danny, have you been to go see them again?"
"Oh, I absolutely have. Those dragon horses are awesome and while I'm guessing they like me for the whole understanding death thing, I still haven't figured out why my ghost sense goes off around them." Danny said thoughtfully.
"Hmmm. Right. Because they aren't ghosts."
"Yes. Thank you Ron, for summing up why I'm confused my ghost sense goes off around them."
As Ron shoves Danny for his cheek, he snorts with laughter while Hermione gains a thoughtful look.
"Could your ghost sense actually be sensing something other than ghosts? Some sort of specific energy that all ghosts have but other things could have too?"
"Yeah! Like… like that old belief about thestrals and journeys to other dimensions? Could you be sensing dimension-y stuff?" Ron asked.
"Well… I guess its possible. It'd be pretty hard to find a way for me to prove it or anything, though."
"In any case, I'm sure the thestrals are glad you go to visit them." He said.
"Yep, I've gone down to see Hagrid too, whenever I'm down there... He… knows a lot about what it's like, you know." Danny rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, smiling at them. "Plus, his rock cakes? Mmm. To die for!"
As Ron smacks the now laughing Danny's shoulder, Harry and Hermione smile. He was glad that Danny had found an adult he trusted enough to talk about things.
As they finally rounded the corner to the Room's hidden door, they all concentrated on their ever familiar DA training room, and went inside to set up for their last meeting before the holidays.
Harry was incredibly glad they came early to get ready because it seemed that Dobby had decided to decorate the Room for them. There was tinsel, and wreaths lining the walls and hanging from the ceiling, and there were festive candles and lights along the bookshelves and covering a tree in the corner. However, what made his face burn and Danny, Ron and Hermione to burst out with laughter, were the baubles hanging everywhere that were plastered with his own face and the saying, 'Have a very Potter Christmas!', in bright green letters.
After his friends, the traitors, had laughed themselves silly at the ornaments, they all set to work collecting them all and banishing them.
Just as they finished that, and setting up the pillows and mats that Danny had requested of the Room all along the floor, the first few members of the DA arrived in the forms of Luna, Ginny, and Colin.
The rest of the DA trickled in until everyone was present, all sitting on the mats and pillows and admiring the Christmas decorations and excitedly talking about the upcoming break from school. He looked to Danny and they both nodded and got to their feet, hushing the chatter.
"Alright everyone, let's get started. Since it's the last time we'll be able to meet before we leave for the break, we won't be learning anything new today-" he was interrupted by several disappointed groans. He could understand, he eagerly awaited the chance to teach them all something new. But it was also a bit funny to him how eager the DA was to learn more during their meetings, considering their ever increasing classwork loads as exams drew closer.
Chuckling lightly, he continued, "I know, but it doesn't make sense to learn anything new today with such a long break ahead of us; so today we'll take some time to go over any spellwork that you want to practice, and then later we'll be at Danny's mercy."
At that, many chuckles and a few groans rippled through the DA, and he saw Danny give a sharp grin.
"Aww. C'mon you guys, I'm not that bad." Danny chuckled, "Besides, we'll be doing pretty much the same as Harry said; practicing the same forms we've learned so far, and then some free sparring at the end."
"Right then, let's get started." Harry clapped his hands and the last DA session of the year commenced.
They began in pairs again, practicing whatever spells or charms they felt needed more work, and he felt a swell of pride in his chest at how far they'd all come in the past couple of months. Watching Michael cast a perfect Impedimenta jink, Chloe nailing the Repulsion charm, Ginny shattering all the targets before her with her Reducto curse. Everyone's aim and magical arsenal had improved by leaps and bounds and he couldn't have been happier with their progress.
That, of course, doesn't even begin to account for the drastic power increase in their magic that was thanks to Danny's steady pace in teaching them how to focus their minds and bodies through close-quarters combat.
Granted, the first few sessions were difficult; they were all sore and bruised and had nothing tangible they could show for it, but Danny was encouraging and firm in teaching them the correct forms and mental exorcises that helped them all gain more coordination and confidence in their skills. The quidditch players of the DA had all taken to it readily and he, himself, reveled in his own enhanced awareness and capability to dodge when playing quidditch.
But they weren't the only ones; Hannah Aboott, Terry Boot and to many's surprise, Neville Longbottom took to the martial arts lessons with such ferocity that they could now spar with Danny for an entire minute without getting pinned. The longest any of them were able to last against him when he wasn't using his powers.
In every session, they learned something new, and everyone had so much fun that DA sessions were now held multiple times a week, whenever time could be spared.
And look at them now. Even their Professors, McGonagall and Flitwick especially, were astounded at their progress and increased focus. Magic and spell casting had never come easier to them, which was all the better for them, since the DA had begun to experiment and combine both Danny's and his own teachings to create an entirely new form of dueling.
It had all started when the Second years, Dennis and Ella, found that if you cast the Shield charm and then ran through it to rush at your opponent, the shield seemed to wrap around you like a second skin and low to mid level spells simply glanced off of you as you closed the distance between you and your opponent, allowing you to quickly use some hand to hand to take your opponent down.
It was an incredible discovery, and was immediately dubbed 'Ghosting.' It quickly became a favorite tactic used by DA members in their practice duels.
As their current session began to wind to a close with light sparring, he faced off against his last opponent of the day, Daphne. She smirked at him, eyes darting to take in his form, and he could already see her calculating the quickest way to take him down. Before she could get very far with that, he decided to make the first move.
Closing the distance between them, he jabbed at her shoulder, hoping to throw off her balance. She dodged to the side and took advantage of his outstretched fist to twist his arm around. He jumped back out of her range before she could lock his arm and went in again with a kick this time, landing a solid hit to her side that made her stumble. But she fell into a controlled roll and used the momentum to kick out at his ankle, just hard enough to throw off his balance. She quickly took advantage, grabbing his robes and flailing arm and pinning him to the ground.
"Alright, alright, you win!" He huffed, and she let go of him with a bright grin. "Well, I certainly need more practice."
"You can say that again!" Danny called from across the Room. "Great job Daphne!"
He laughed with Daphne as she helped haul him to his feet.
"That was good practice Harry, I wasn't expecting that kick."
"I wasn't expecting you to roll with it after it landed. Show me how you did that again?" She nodded brightly, and slowly showed him the movement she used, and he recognized it as one of the forms that Danny had taught them a week before.
They talked more and watched other pairs spar. All too soon, it was time for them to go.
There were many happy goodnights and Holiday well wishes, as there were only a few days of term left. Alicia, Angelina and Katie were all in a large group hug with Miranda and Chloe, making promises to write over the holidays. Fred, George and Lee Jordan were laughing with Ernie, Susan and Luna. Tracy, Ginny, Cho, Michael and Zacharias were all happily surrounding Neville, Hannah and Terry, asking them about their last match and any tips they may have to help them practice on their own over the break.
Contentment filled him up and he couldn't have stopped smiling if he tried.
How far they had come.
Hermione, Ron and Danny stood beside him, smiling and returning well wishes to everyone as he directed pairs and trios to leave the Room using the Maurader's map to make sure they weren't too conspicuous heading back to their Common rooms.
"Hey guys." It was Daphne and Tracy, the last pair to leave for the night, other than Harry himself, and the rest of the quartet.
"Daphne, Tracy? Is something wrong?" Hermione asked.
"No- Well… I'm actually not sure. We have someone who wanted to talk to you lot." Tracy said, gesturing to all of them.
"Talk to us? About what?" He asked curiously, but not without a bit of worry. Had someone found out about the DA?
"It's nothing bad, I don't think." Daphne quickly reassured, "It's just… They wouldn't tell us much, just that they wanted to talk to you about something privately, but didn't know how to get you lot on your own without causing a scene."
"So they asked you two to let us know." Ron said, nodding his head. "It makes sense, we are in a lot of classes together and they've probably noticed that we're friendly to each other, right?"
"Yes, exactly." Tracy says with a smile. "We asked them to wait for you in the unused classroom next to the statue of Janus the conflicted. You know, the one with weird ears?"
"Oh yeah, that one. I know where it is." Danny nodded.
"Good. They're waiting for you now. And… Thank you. For all of this. The lessons, and the training. Thank you for putting the DA together. Have a lovely holiday Harry, Danny, Hermione, Ron. See you next term!"
With that final farewell, Daphne and Tracy linked arms and began walking down towards the dungeons, where he knew the Slytherin common room awaited their return.
Turning back to his friends as they shut the Room's doors, he said, "Shall we go meet this mystery person then? Better make it quick, it's almost ten."
"Like we really care how late we wander the castle." Danny says playfully, earning a disapproving frown from Hermione, before she relents with a sigh.
"I suppose if it's quick. But who would want to speak with us, but worry about making a scene if they did it themselves?"
"Someone with a flair for dramatics, that's who. And we can probably guess they're in Slytherin since they asked Daphne and Tracy to set up a meeting with us." Ron says, as they follow Danny down a corridor that they had maybe traveled once in their entire Hogwarts career.
Just goes to show, even with the Maurader's map and an invisibility cloak, ghostly abilities allow for far easier castle exploration, and Danny had taken full advantage of that fact.
Now they stood before the door to an unused classroom. Danny knocked twice, and then pushed the door open, letting them all inside.
Standing alone within the dark classroom, awkward and nervous energy apparent, was Draco Malfoy.
"Draco?"
"Malfoy?"
Danny and Ron spoke at once. Harry just stood aside as Hermione closed the door behind them.
"Good. You- you came." Malfoy seemed both relieved and afraid that they had actually come, a far cry from his normal haughty sneer and confidence.
"What did you want to talk with us about, Malfoy?" He tone was even, and he was genuinely curious. Malfoy had changed ever since he'd first met Danny, his snide remarks about Hermione and Ron's families had tapered and then disappeared. He'd stopped antagonizing them during classes, even when his old cronies, Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy kept at it with much enthusiasm. Malfoy, surprising all of them, had even come to ask if he was alright after the first Quidditch match just before The Battle of the Ducks, and to ask Danny about his ghost form with such genuine sincerity and curiosity that he'd hardly believed it to be happening at all.
And now here they were, standing before Malfoy as he seemed to gather his thoughts, nervously fidgeting with the sleeve of his school robes.
"I-" Malfoy stuttered, shooting a quick look at Danny, before swallowing and looking determinedly at the ground, "I wanted to apologize for what my- my father said in the Daily Prophet, Fenton. I- I didn't- I don't- I don't agree with him." Malfoy's grey eyes met his own with a stormy surety. "I don't agree with him."
Malfoy took a deep breath as his eyes met the floor again.
"And I'm sorry to you three, as well." He said quietly. "For- for everything."
It took him a moment to comprehend that. Draco Malfoy? Apologizing? To them?
When the silence stretched a bit too long, Danny thankfully broke it.
"Draco, thanks for the apology, but I didn't blame you for what the paper said. Trust me, I know what it's like to have wildly different beliefs to your parents."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I'm not holding it against you dude." Danny smiled, and some of the tension left Malfoy's shoulders, but it came right back when he looked to him, Ron and Hermione, and realized that they still hadn't said anything.
"Why?" Harry spoke through his surprise at last, "Why don't you agree with him?"
Malfoy had always believed in blood superiority, always agreed with his father's view of the wizarding world. Malfoy looked at him, grey eyes met green, and he saw the fear, the confusion, and the conflict.
Malfoy took another breath, and then began.
"One of the first things I was ever taught was that magic was a gift. A gift to those who'd know how to wield it properly. Something sacred and pure. It was important to keep magic within magical families, or else it would be corrupted. Sullied. Dirtied. I- I never questioned what I was told. I believed my father when he said that muggles couldn't be trusted with magic, that they wouldn't understand the wizarding world and corrupt it for their own means. Blood purity was so important to my father, so it was important to me too."
Hermione shifted beside him, and he grabbed her hand, Ron doing the same, to reassure her, as Malfoy continued.
"Then, I was told of the… epic struggles and rise of the Dark Lord. How his vision for the future would've fixed everything wrong with our world. Kept it pure and sacred, and protected us from muggles, since it should have been the muggles who were afraid and hiding away from us, instead of the way it is now. I was… excited and relieved when the Dark Lord returned. Finally- his vision would be realized, and we could protect our world from those who'd tarnish it. It was everything my father had talked about and wanted since the Dark Lord's disappearance. He'd wanted nothing else for as long as I can remember."
Malfoy's hand began to shake, and he kept his eyes on the ground as he continued in a quiet voice.
"It was nothing like I thought it would be. I- I'd never thought about… never realized what it would truly mean to tear down this world to build a new one the Dark Lord was happy with. And… he's never happy. He… always wants more. More power, more fear, more control. He doesn't want to build a better world for wizards but a better world for himself, no matter what happens to those around him, including his followers. And I-"
Malfoy pauses to take a steadying breath, and looks to Danny then.
"You. You flipped everything on it's head. I'd already known that some of the things my father said about muggle-borns weren't true, thanks to Granger, but I ignored it. But you… you were everything I should have hated. A muggle hybrid that shouldn't exist, let alone be anywhere near magic, yet here you are… Doing well in the classes you can take, exposing Umbridge for the incompetent witch she is, and uniting the school in a way that I'd never thought possible."
Malfoy shook his head, as if in disbelief.
"And I realized that my father was wrong. About a lot of things. I've… been trying to think through things and decided that I'm tired of being told what I'm supposed to want and what I'm supposed to believe. And… Danny… You were right, when we first met. I was afraid. Afraid of the Dark Lord, afraid for my parents for following him. And I… I don't want to be afraid anymore."
Malfoy's words hung in the air of the empty classroom for what felt like years, but Malfoy met his eyes once more, and spoke softly.
"I know this won't make up for everything I've done, but I do apologize for my actions against you for the last four years. Could we… maybe… start over?"
Harry could only stare for a moment. He finally looked over at Ron and Hermione, seeing that they were just as surprised, but he could see that they'd come to the same decision he had.
He strode forward without a word, and stopped directly in front of Malfoy, who'd seemed to get more nervous with every step he'd taken.
He suddenly stuck his hand out in front of him, and said clearly, "Hi. My name's Harry Potter. These are my friends Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and Danny Fenton. What's your name?"
Shock consumed Malfoy's face as his jaw dropped. After a breath, he stepped his mouth closed and straightened up, before hesitantly offering his own hand in return.
"I'm- My name is Draco Malfoy."
"Nice to meet you Draco."
"It's… nice to meet you, too." Harry chuckled at the open disbelief in Draco's tone, and outright laughed when he startled as Ron draped an arm over his shoulder.
"You know, this has been nice and all, but I totally knew it would be you in here. Didn't I say it would be some dramatic Slytherin? I think I nailed it."
Danny snorts with laughter, and Hermione smiles behind her hand at Draco's immediate look of offense.
"Wha- I'm not dramatic! Get off me, we just met!"
As Ron stumbled a bit after Draco ducked out from under his arm, they fell into outright laughter, and after a moment Draco relented and gave a small smile as well.
"Nice to finally get the chance to get to know you properly, Draco. I'm sure Daphne and Tracy will be pleased to have someone else they can talk to who doesn't mind that they talk with us." Hermione said brightly.
Instead of lifting his spirits, Draco's entire composure seemed to crumble at Hermione's words.
"Dear Merlin. You're right. Everyone will know. My father will find out! And my mother… What am I going to do?"
"Whoa, wait, we may be able to help with that as well." He said quickly.
"How?" Draco asked in suspicion.
"Well, we may not be able to get you out of the situation you're in with your family, but we do have a way to help you learn to defend yourself or others if you ever need to."
"And how's that? If you haven't noticed, our Defense Against the Dark Arts education is practically non-existent." Draco huffed, his old drawl making a reappearance and reassuring him that this really was Draco Malfoy and not just some hallucination.
Danny stepped up, leaning on his shoulder with a sharp grin.
"Harry here," Danny said, "along with Ron and Hermione, founded a secret Defense training group. It's super hush-hush so don't tell anyone."
Draco's eyes widened a bit in surprise.
"A Defense training group? Who's teaching you? … Wait." His eye found Harry again, and his mouth hung open in disbelief. "You? You're secretly teaching Defense to group of students? Is that why Tracy and Daphne have jumped up in power recently? Where do you even go to train to keep it a secret from Umbridge?"
"We can answer those questions, but you'd have to sign this first." Hermione said resolutely, fishing out the DA secrecy contract from her bag. Draco eyed it for a moment, before looking at Hermione expectantly.
"You've jinxed it somehow, right? I'd be disappointed if it wasn't."
Hermione gave him a serene smile as an answer, which made Ron splutter.
"Wait! How'd you guess? And Hermione! What'll happen if anyone snitches on the group to Umbridge."
"Let's hope we never find out." Harry said shaking his head. "So Draco, what do you say? Want to join?"
The Slytherin eyed them all, one by one, and then straightened up. Holding out a hand he said, "May I borrow a quill?"
The meeting was cut short after that. Hermione gave Draco an enchanted galleon like she gave the rest of the DA members so he would know when the next session was, and he'd promised to ask Daphne and Tracy, who were both staying at the castle over the break, about the Room, the spells they'd already gone over, as well as some of the simpler forms of hand to hand that Danny had taught them. Draco was surprised and a little apprehensive that they were also learning a muggle form of fighting, but they were able to convince him it was worth trying.
When they finally made it back to the Gryffindor common room without incident, and gotten ready for bed, Harry was exhausted.
Danny and Ron were too if their still forms and the soft snores that were already drifting from Ron's bed were any indication.
Eyes drooping, he turned to the window to get a glimpse of the blurry snow drifting past the glass.
Falling down…
Down.
Down.
Danny woke with a start to the screams of his friend. Heart in his mouth and ice in his veins he jumps up and rushes towards the noise.
"Harry! Harry!" Ron was up too, standing beside Harry as he thrashed and shouted in pain, trying to keep Harry from strangling himself with the sheets of his bed.
"Hold on!" He takes the fabric and phases it off in one quick movement. As Ron and the now awakened Neville, Dean and Seamus try to keep Harry from hurting himself as he continued to shout and seize, he suddenly found himself unable to move.
How had he not felt it before? The roiling waves of venom coming from within Harry. He'd felt something similar on the night he'd first met Dobby, but this… This was something else.
Harry's mind was boiling over with rancid energy that made his stomach flip and his core throb at the thought of this horrific wounded energy being anywhere near his friend let alone coming from within him.
Whatever it was, it was w̵̙͇͐͝r̶͎̜͘o̴̟̾ṇ̶̄̈́ͅg̶̻̾.̸̼͕̏
And it was ḫ̴̮̈̓͆͝ư̸̪̭͔̼̌͑̈́͜͠r̵͔̗̂ẗ̵̠̲͖́̅i̷̩̟̐̿̐n̶̯͍̱͓͒̇g̵̹͊̆̅̚ ̷̢̑͒̀h̶̯̜̮̋͌̊i̷̻͍̮͊͝͠s̵̨̙͚̪̄̑̕ ̶̥͍͖͇͇͛̚f̵̡̛̬͎͙̮̾͘ȓ̴̜̝̮̫i̷͍̰̕͝ȩ̶̓̈́̂n̶͎̳͚̬̘̋̀̎ḓ̵̡̜̯́!̵̟̠̼̏̀͘
"Harry!" He jumped as Ron's panicked voice brought his mind back, pulling it up from wherever it was sinking, just as Harry's eyes snapped open with a gasp, the dark energy seeping back and hiding within Harry's mind once again. But it left it's mark.
They all jumped back as Harry flung himself to the edge of his bed and hurled. He could see Harry shaking as he sat back up, covered in feverish sweat.
"He's really ill!" Neville said in a scared voice. "Should we call someone?"
"Harry! Harry!" Ron continued, as Harry took great gasping breaths, wincing sharply and clutching his head in pain.
"Your Dad," Harry gasped, sitting up by grabbing Ron's hand, "your Dad's… been attacked…"
"What?" Ron said confused, his face draining of any color. Danny stepped forward, helping Harry sit up.
"Your Dad! He's been bitten, it's serious, there was blood everywhere…" Harry fought to come out of his daze with difficulty, his words getting stronger and more desperate the longer he was awake.
"I'm going for help!" Neville said quickly, and he rushed out of the dorm room, Seamus and Dean stepping back to let him pass.
"Harry, mate," Ron said quietly, pleadingly, "you… you were just dreaming…"
"NO!" Harry shouted, angry in his desperation, "It wasn't a dream… not an ordinary dream… I was there, I saw it- I did it-"
Harry cut off again with another wince that coincided with another flash of abominable energy that set his teeth on edge and again caused a weird pulse from his core.
"This is why the prophet says he's a nutter Dean!" Seamus whispered.
"How many times Seamus! Harry isn't…" He blocked them out, Harry and Ron needed his help more.
Just as Ron opened his mouth again, surely to try and deny that the terrible thing Harry had seen was just a dream. It wasn't real. His family was safe.
He reached over and took Ron's shoulder, putting a stop to whatever he was going to say.
"Harry," he said quickly, "We believe you." The relief in Harry's deep green eyes was palpable, the lines of his shoulders relaxing just bit, making the feverish shakes all the more noticeable.
"Neville's gone to get help, and when he gets back we'll tell them we need to get help to Mr. Weasley as soon as we can, alright? But first…" He put his hand to Harry's forehead and had to forcibly stop himself from flinching away from the heat.
"You're burning up, and you can't help anyone if you aren't well yourself. I should know. So just sit still until Neville gets back." He then let the cool rings of his transformation pass over him. Still keeping his hand on Harry's head, he channeled just a bit of his ice powers to help lower Harry's fever. He felt that small sliver of dark something slink deeper away from his own energy until he couldn't feel it's presence at all. He frowned at that. It was sentient? A parasite? He'd have to tell Harry about it, but now wasn't the best time.
It was silent for a few moments, and looking to the others in the dorm, he found them all looking at him in surprise, Harry included.
"What?"
"Why'd you transform?" Dean asked after another moment.
"I'm naturally colder like this, and Harry has a fever… Oh, sorry, I should've asked first. Do you want me to stop-"
"No," Harry said quickly, "It's helping, thank you. But we really need to go-"
"Over here Professor!" Neville's voice beyond the door cut Harry off, and Professor McGonagall, in a tartan dressing gown and lopsided glasses, rushed through the dorm door.
"What is it? What's-" She pulled up short, taking in the likely unexpected scene.
"Professor! It's Ron's Dad," Harry said quickly, sitting up further. "He's been attacked by a snake, and it's serious! I saw it happen!"
"You saw it happen?" McGonagall asked confused.
"I- I don't know exactly how I saw it, but I did! I swear Professor, we need to get to Mr. Weasley right now! We have to find where he is! It's somewhere dark in front of a- a black door!" Harry said, desperate for her to understand.
McGonagall gasped quietly, before looking to Ron, and then Danny, himself. Finally, she looked back to Harry.
"I believe you Potter." She said curtly. "You three come with me, we're going to see the Headmaster."
Harry immediately pushed himself up further, as Ron grabbed his dressing gown. He floated up a few inches and helped Harry steady himself as he finally got to his feet and pushed his glasses shakily onto his nose. Then they were off, down the stairs, through the portrait and hurrying as fast as they dared through the dark corridors of the castle.
Ron's face was set, his freckles standing out starkly on his bloodless face; his panic gaining more and more ground within him as he came to terms with what Harry had said he'd seen. Harry was still not feeling well, shaky on his feet and occasionally stumbling in his haste, and the feeling of his abject fear and confusion were not helping matters. Danny was almost overwhelmed by the breadth of their emotions, compiling themselves on top of his own worry.
Then they were on the spiral staircase leading into Dumbledore's office, and he heard what seemed to be an entire room full of people speaking over one another. When McGonagall rapped on the griffin shaped knocker, the room beyond silenced abruptly, McGonagall pushing the door open quickly.
"Headmaster."
"Ah. Minerva, and… Oh."
Dumbledore cut off abruptly as he, Harry and Ron crossed the threshold. It was strange. The office was empty apart from Dumbledore.
"Professor Dumbledore!" Harry gasped out, as Dumbledore shifted his gaze to his own interlocked fingers. "Please! We need to find Mr. Weasley! He's been attacked!"
As Harry again explained what he'd seen, Danny noticed that Dumbledore seemed to be doing everything in his power to keep from looking at Harry directly, which… was strange. And rude.
The flare of annoyance he felt from Harry was all too understandable, but it brought with it the reappearance of that bleeding, festering energy that lurked just below the surface of Harry's mind.
No. Not just energy. It was something he was supposed to know. Something he was familiar with, but couldn't recognize due to it being mutilated beyond repair. He watched as Harry winced again at the pain of the intruding energy, he drifted forward and again offered his chilled hand like an ice pack as Dumbledore rummaged behind them and brought out a little black teapot, and set it on the table.
As Harry leaned into the cold, he again felt the darkness recede, as if running from Danny's own energy. How was he going to find out what this was, and help Harry get rid of it? Would it hurt Harry to remove it? Could it be removed? Why did it let him see Ron's Dad get attacked? What was going on?
He was shaken out of his thoughts as the door to the Headmaster's office slammed open once again, and Fred, George and Ginny came stumbling in, followed closely by Professor McGonagall. He'd been so deep in his own mind that he hadn't even noticed her leaving.
"Ron, what's happening?" Ginny asked confused.
"Harry and Danny too?" Fred started. "What's-"
"You're father has been injured in the course of his work for the Order of the Phoenix." Dumbledore said swiftly. "He's been taken to St. Mungo's Hospital, and is being treated. I'm sending you back to Sirius' house, as it is closer to the hospital and more convenient for you than The Burrow. You will wait for your mother there."
Silence reigned as Fred, George and Ginny processed the information. When it had finally sunk in, they understandably freaked out a bit.
"Dad's been attacked!?"
"When?! How?!"
"What's happened to him?"
Their voices rang shrill in their panic and fear, and he couldn't stop himself from shrinking away from the shouted questions and overwhelming fear, Fear, FEAR!
"Enough!" Dumbledore silenced. "You will have your questions answered, but we are running out of time. You're leaving by Portkey shortly, as the Floo network is no longer safe. Mr. Fenton, read this quickly and memorize it." Dumbledore suddenly gave him a scrap of parchment that had an address written on it in loopy handwriting.
After committing the address to memory, he looked up confused. "Alright? What is-"
"Later." Dumbledore turned away again, just as a golden flash of fire burned above the Headmaster's desk and a feather gently fell onto it's surface.
"It is Fawke's warning." Dumbledore said as he picked up the feather gently. "Dolores knows that you are out of your beds. Minerva," Dumbledore turned to face McGonagall, "Go and head her off. Tell her any story-" McGonagall was gone in a swish of tartan.
"Now we are just waiting on-"
"He said he'd be delighted to have them." Dumbledore was cut off by a bored voice coming from one of the portraits on the wall, who's occupants, he now realized, were all alert and watching. The severe looking man, painted in flowing robes of silver, black and emerald continued, "My Great-great-grandson has always had an…" the dark eyes found Danny and narrowed slightly, "odd taste in house guests."
"Enough Phineas." Dumbledore said harshly, before turning back to the Weasley siblings, still avoiding looking at Harry. "Come quickly, before anyone else joins us."
Despite having very little idea of what they were doing or what was about to happen, he followed Harry and Ron over to the little teapot Dumbledore had put on his desk earlier.
"Everyone grab hold. Now on the count of three. One…" He glanced at Harry and Ron and the others, finding them all looking determinedly at the little teapot they were all holding. What even was this supposed to do?
"Two…" Oh no. He should really be paying more attention to these types of situations, why did he never…
There it was again. The writhing thing within Harry rose and with it Harry's emotions shifted. Morphed into an angry, spitting mass that wanted nothing more than to kill what was in front of him. He looked to Harry and found that the split second that Dumbledore had paused before continuing to count, Dumbledore had actually looked at Harry and met his eyes, triggering the reaction from whatever was hurting his friend's mind, forcing emotions that weren't his own to the surface.
"Three."
Danny blinked as he felt a tug on his arm, and then nothing. The teapot whisked itself away, twisting up and out of existence, bringing his friends along with it.
But leaving him behind.
He blinked at Dumbledore who blinked back, before his expression morphed from quiet surprise to dawning horror.
Which is precisely why it was so easy to hear the incoming voices of McGonagall and Umbridge as they argued, likely just in the hall outside the concealed staircase leading to the office.
Before he could work himself into a panic, Dumbledore grabbed his wrist and began to quickly pull him towards the window.
"Mr. Fenton, you need to get out of here." He said quickly, "Go to the Forbidden forrest and find a thestral, I hear you are friendly with them. Ask one to take you to the address I showed you, and they will lead you there. Now go quickly!" Dumbledore finished his very hasty whispered instructions, and Danny barely had a second to turn invisible before the office door swung open to reveal McGonagall looking outraged as she stood behind a red faced Umbridge dressed in an awful, fluffy pink robe.
"Where are they!?" She raged. "I know that they're here somewhere! Potter and that half-breed!"
"Dolores, what a pleasant surprise to see you this… morning."
"Don't play coy with me! If they have left the school grounds, the Ministry must be made aware-"
He slipped invisibly through the window into the still falling snow before he could hear anymore. Quickly running over Dumbledore's instructions in his head, he flew down into the Forrest. He'd been down to visit them often enough to know where the thestral herd liked to hang out at night, and made it there with little trouble.
Allowing himself to be seen once more, he swallowed his growing unease and confusion and general feeling of fear for his friends, and pushed it down deep. He couldn't freak out right now. His friends needed him. Ron's Dad has been attacked and Harry saw it happen, and was likely blaming himself for the attack already.
He needed to get to London.
"Hey there Rae." He patted the friendly thestral, breathing out his ghost sense at it spiraled before him. "I need help finding an address. I'm not sure how you'll know where to go, but could you lead me to number 12 Grimmauld Place, in London?" He spoke softly and clearly, remembering the address Dumbledore had shown him.
Rae stood still for a moment, pale eyes matching the snow covered ground in the dark of the early morning. Suddenly, she snapped her large wings open and took to the sky.
He followed quickly, turning invisible as he went. He tried to keep his mind on following Rae, on making sure he didn't lose sight of her as they passed over Hogsmeade, but it wandered again as it had been all night. Back to dark places and and running and pushing everything down, down, down as far as it would go, until he couldn't feel anymore.
He shook his head, just as he shook off his invisibility once they were flying over unpopulated wild lands. This was different. He had a destination, and people waiting for him there.
Speeding up slightly to match Rae's pace, he set his fears aside and focused on the feeling of wind rushing past him, and the snow falling into a sparkling haze that glittered in the light of his ghostly aura.
He hoped London wasn't too far away.
Hours. They'd been sitting in tense silence for hours.
The Portkey had whisked them away from Hogwarts and straight into his godfather's kitchen. He'd still been shaky, and the terrifying feeling of anger and hatred that had risen like an angry snake within him as he'd locked eyes with Dumbledore for only the briefest of seconds, had his mind spiraling and his breath coming in fearful gasps.
Thankfully, Ron and the others had just chalked it up to him still being ill and the rough Portkey transport. Which… wouldn't be completely wrong. Fred, George and Ginny had immediately questioned Sirius and then him and Ron about what was going on. He'd told them through deep breaths what he'd seen, but… he'd changed it to make it look like he'd watched the attack from the sidelines rather than from behind the snake's own eyes. Taking the coward's way out, instead of facing their distrust and blame that he rightfully deserved. Ron had given him a quick sidelong look, but said nothing. After telling them everything, the arguing began.
They wanted to go visit their Dad. Wanted to be there by his side to make sure he was alright. Sirius had stoped them, but it hadn't been easy.
After a few moments of a tense stand-off between the twins and Sirius, they'd all backed down, sat in the hard-backed kitchen chairs around the table, and mechanically sipped from the butterbeers Sirius had given them.
It was then, when there was another sharp flare of burning pain in his scar, and he was about to turn and ask if Danny would be willing to cool him down again, that he'd realized… he wasn't there. Danny wasn't there!
This had turned into another few panic stricken minutes of shouted questions that no one had answers to. Waves of shame and fear washed through him at the fact that he hadn't enlisted immediately, that none of them had. But of course Danny couldn't travel by magical means! Magic didn't work on him; as they could now say for certain, since a few wayward spells in their DA sessions had given them all the proof they needed.
Before too long, Phineas Nigellus, the man in the portrait from Dumbledore's office told them that Danny was on his way, since he obviously couldn't take another Portkey, let alone the Floo.
Harry was relieved that Danny hadn't been left to face the school alone, and though Ron still looked pale and drawn, he could see the lines of tension ease some as well.
But how long was the flight from Hogwarts to London? How fast could Danny fly? Would he be able to fly the whole trip without resting? How would Danny even find this place?
Questions and worries that he couldn't get answers to occupied him when they'd all calmed down and returned to silently sitting in the grimy kitchen of Grimmauld Place. Again, for hours.
So when they'd heard footsteps in the entryway, quickly followed by the kitchen door swinging open in a rush he'd jumped a foot in the air like the rest of them.
"He'll be alright." Mrs. Weasley said breathlessly, giving them all a small smile. Ron slumped a bit, and Ginny gave a small sob of relief before throwing her arms around her mother's shoulders. Fred still looked dazed, while George gave a breathy huff that might have been a laugh. Sirius came to stand behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. Looking up and seeing his godfather giving him a relieved and comforting smile eased the knot of worry that had been building since he'd woken up from that horrible vision.
"Now we're just waiting on your friend." Sirius said giving his shoulder a squeeze. "Why don't we get breakfast going while we wait for him to get here." After he'd nodded, Sirius had announced to the room that breakfast was in the works, and moved over to the stove.
Before he could make it fully to his feet to go and help, he was being enveloped in Mrs. Weasley's warm embrace.
"Oh Harry dear." She said, "Thank you. They wouldn't have found Arthur for hours if it weren't for you, and by then it would have been too late. Thank you." She tightened her hold and held him close, and he nearly broke down then and there. He didn't deserve this. She shouldn't give him her thanks or her comfort. It was his fault in the first place.
She pulled back and gave him a warm smile with tears in her eyes, then turned to help Sirius with the food.
"Hey, Harry?" Ron's voice broke through the relieved and happy chatter of the room, as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "You should come sit down and rest some more, mate. You still don't look well." He didn't feel well either, but it was better than before. Nodding and following Ron over to the chairs nearest the door, he pushed down the encroaching dread of what, exactly, he had done.
Transformed into a snake? How'd he make it to London from his bed in Hogwarts? Had he possessed a snake? Danny could do that, but not over long distances and he would never go and attack someone even if he could.
But he, Harry, had attacked Mr. Weasley. Felt his fangs sink into flesh and watched the red of the warm blooded pool around his prey. He shuddered at the memory, and concentrated on eating the eggs and sausages that were still warm on his plate.
He forced himself to join in the conversation at the table, planning the visit to Mr. Weasley at St. Mungo's sometime around lunch. They'd have time to sleep a bit then, and wait for their guard to arrive and escort them to the Hospital. Fred, George and Ginny had already left to sleep, and he sat with Ron in comfortable silence as Mrs. Weasley and Sirius discussed having everyone over at Headquarters for Christmas instead of at the Burrow. That's when the screams and shrieks made them all jump once more.
"ABOMINATION! SCUM OF THE EARTH! VILE WRETCH DESECRATING THE HOME OF MY FOREBEARS!" The portrait of Sirius's mother ripped apart the calm atmosphere and he rushed, followed closely by Ron, Sirius and Mrs. Weasley to find out what had set her off.
In the main corridor, where the screaming portrait hung behind previously closed moth-eaten curtains, lay Danny still in ghost form. He was lying in a heap, his legs turned into a misty tail that wrapped around him, hands clasped over his pointed ears and eyes screwed shut at the noise. He felt Mrs. Weasley and Sirius stop short at the sight of their friend, so it was he and Ron who fought the curtains closed, silence descending once again.
"Ow." Danny groaned as he uncurled himself, panting slightly. Suddenly he shot off the ground and threw himself around his and Ron's shoulders. "Oh my gosh! I finally made it! What's going on? Did anything else happen? What did I miss? What is this place? How long have you been here?" Danny's ghostly tail whipped around him as he stumbled to get his questions out fast enough.
Danny cut himself off as an ominous creak came from behind the curtains, and they all looked at it a moment before Sirius spoke up in a whisper.
"Why don't we take this elsewhere." He gestured for them to follow him back into the kitchen, and he noticed that Mrs. Weasley looked shocked with a hand over her mouth as she stared at Danny.
They silently guided Danny back into the kitchen, and as soon as the door shut, Ron turned to Danny.
"Danny, mate, where are your legs?" Ron said pointing to the wispy tail as Danny hovered next to them.
Danny looked down, "Oh, they do that sometimes. Usually when I want to go really fast." And with a flick, the tail morphed back into Danny's legs.
"But that's not important! What's happened? How's your Dad?" Danny asked quickly, green eyes full of worry.
"He's… He'll be alright, dear." Mrs. Weasley spoke up. They all turned to look at her standing beside Sirius.
"I'm Ron's mother, and you… you must be Danny Fenton, Ron's friend?" She introduced, a hesitance in her voice and stance.
"And I'm Sirius, but you already knew that." Sirius said before Danny could answer. "Glad to finally meet you in person Danny." He clapped a hand onto Danny's shoulder, smiling wide.
"Mum's right, Dad's fine, but still in hospital. We're going to visit him around noon."
"We're glad you made it Danny, when the Portkey brought us but left you behind, we were all worried." Harry added. "How'd you find this place anyway? And did you fly all the way here?"
"Ugh, yes. And let me tell you, going that fast for that long was tiring, even for me." Danny slumped and his feet met the floor. "As for finding this place, I asked Rae-"
"The thestral?" Ron interrupted, incredulous.
"Yep. Gave her the address that Dumbledore showed to me and she flew with me to directly above it." Danny pointed straight up. "She started to fly back when I flew down to the street. She has more stamina than I'll ever have." Danny huffed a tired laugh and then brought out the bright rings of his transformation. Mrs. Weasley gasped as Danny, black hair and blue eyes, and still in his pajamas now stood where Phantom had been.
"So you really are…?" Mrs. Weasley stopped and shook her head, before looking back up and giving a small smile. "That was a long flight, dear. Come have some breakfast, you're skin and bone."
Danny smiled appreciatively and they all sat down as more food was placed before Danny.
"So tell me…" Sirius began, a mischievous look in his eyes. "What is it like to fly so fast that you made it from Hogwarts to London in less than three hours?"
"Wow, it felt a lot longer than three hours."
"And you don't have to imagine it, Sirius, Danny can just take you flying." Ron added with a grin.
"Hey!" Danny smacked him with a grin of his own. "Stop volunteering me for stuff! But yes, I can do that if you want." Danny said to Sirius, who looked like he would like nothing more.
"You will do no such thing! The muggles will see you!" Mrs. Weasley said sharply.
"Not if I turn us invisible they won't." Danny pointed out with a grin, as Mrs. Weasley groaned.
"Oh dear, not another one." She covered her face in her hands as Sirius barked out a laugh. He grinned with Danny and Ron and felt the darkness receding further. Mr. Weasley was recovering and Danny was back with them. He gave a small sigh of relief.
"Glad you're feeling better Harry." Danny said, an unreadable look behind his eyes.
'"Me too." He replied.
I live! And I have another chapter for you! Hurray!
I tried really hard to not just rewrite the scenes from the book, but also tell you enough of what's happening that you don't have to have read the book to understand what's going on. Hopefully I succeeded.
I had to write this pretty disjointedly since I'm now working 12 hours shifts and... well... I tired.
But I enjoy writing this story, and we're getting to the good stuff now, so I hope you enjoy, too!
Thank you to everyone who likes/gives kudos/writes comments! I appreciate all of you so much, and though I don't reply to all of them, I do read and love every one of your lovely comments!
Until next chapter! 3