A boy, looking somewhere between ten and eleven, grumbled to himself as he leaned back on his rickety bed. Cool blue eyes the color of ice deep within the arctic wastelands glared down at the book in his hands as he attempted to focus. Running a hand through messy black hair, he set down the book with a sigh.
"I'm gonna go back in time and slap him in the face." the boy said resolutely, glaring at the off-white walls of his room. The only furniture in the room was his creaky bed, and an old wooden wardrobe just to the left of the dusty window that showed the small playground behind the orphanage. No posters adorned the peeling walls, no carpets muffled the near-silent steps of small feet as he put the ancient looking book back on the top shelf of the wardrobe beside a half dozen others like it. Hidden in the shadows of the worn cupboard was a sturdy black backpack, zipped securely with gleaming metal zippers. Unlike the rest of the room, it seemed to be in perfect condition.
In fact, the only personal item at all was the well-worn charcoal grey guitar that the aggrieved preteen picked up with a sigh, running his fingers over the worn pickguard as he sat back down on his bed. Idly strumming a few chords, he let his fingers fill the air with some half remembered song from his senior year of high school as he let his mind wander.
It was mid August 1990, (with Danny being eleven years old again physically, twenty three years old mentally, and about a year old chronologically), and according to the information he'd gotten on that gods accursed boarding school he would be receiving a visit sometime soon. Despite his current situation, Danny Fenton was not an orphan. He was also not an eleven year old human child, nor was he talking about a normal Scotland boarding school. Appearances are deceiving, after all. Danny's easy smile morphed into a frown as he thought back to why he was here, and why he was currently 5 foot 3, and why he was about to meet a wizard.
It all started on a fairly normal day, he was just enjoying the thrills of morning rush hour when the messenger had arrived. He hasn't even known a planet could be put on trial until-
"Why, I'm pleasantly surprised to find myself meeting someone so talented for such a young age."
Danny startled, fingers tensing and cutting off the vibration with an alarming twang as he heard a new voice in his bedroom. He turned his shocked blue eyes to the intruder, who was an elderly man wearing a horrendous bathrobe. Pink and yellow stripes clashed horribly with lime green stars, and Danny hoped against hope the old man was a wizard with poor fashion rather than some old dude with Alzhiemer's who somehow made it into Wool's Orphanage.
"Uhm, hello?" Danny questioned, slowly setting down his guitar in a way that kept his hands in the man's sight. He's helped more than a few dementia and Alzhiemer's patients return to their caregivers, and the most important lesson he learned was to never cause them undue stress. The tone of voice he used was also like the one he used when rescuing cats from trees as Phantom. "Are you lost? Do you need someone to help you?"
"Whyever do you think I'm lost?" The man's eyes, a shade of brilliant blue so like his own, positively sparkled. Danny had the oddest feeling that those eyes could see right through him even though he was perfectly visible at the moment. The man seemed uneasy, almost suspicious despite the easygoing behavior.
"Ah, that's good." Danny said with a sigh, internally trying to remember what he'd planned for this meeting. He hadn't expected a wizard intrusion for at least half a week, and yet there was Merlin the Multicolored. "I've had to help the occasional elderly person find their way back home and- no offense- it's a little unusual for strangely dressed old men to show up in my bedroom."
"Yes, I can see why you would be alarmed. However, I came here to speak with you about a special school in Scotland. I've already spoken to the matron, lovely woman, and it was she who directed me to your room and the lovely song I got to enjoy. I have always said that music is perhaps the best type of magic there is." the older man said with a chuckle, and Danny gave a small smile of agreement. He looked old, like had a pet stegosaur old. Danny's core hummed in his chest, and he tasted a faint hint of lemon even though his mouth was closed. Magic .
"Can I bring you a chair from the storeroom?" Danny suggested, as he wasn't about to let a stranger sit beside him on his bed. He had more sense than that, thank you. To his surprise, the old colorblind man simply shook his head and fingered with his garish sleeve.
"No thank you, Daniel. However,-"
"Danny." Danny interjected, before backtracking when he realized he cut the ancient man off. "Just, Danny please. You never told me your name either."
"How silly of me. My name is Professor Albus Dumbledore, and I am Headmaster of a school which takes students who fit unusual requirements." Dumbledore said, clearly working his way into a well practiced speech. Danny cut him off, again, with an excited gasp and a brilliant grin.
"You're that Dumbledore?" Danny asked, rhetorically, before blabbering on. "I'm really going to Hogwarts?"
Dumbledore paused, looking concerned and… suspicious? Danny felt a bead of sweat roll down his back at the thought of blowing his cover before the school year even began. It wasn't like he needed the secrecy, but it would be nigh impossible to convince a wizard in this world with all the prejudices he'd come to learn about to accept a half-human alien from another dimension into his school.
And he had a mission to accomplish, one he had to complete.
"My parents were magical." Danny explained, falling back on the cover story he'd cobbled together after he'd found some information on the world he was currently forced into. "I was worried I wouldn't be able to go to Ilvermony or Hogwarts."
"I heard you were… brought here recently, but I wasn't aware you were from a wizarding family." Dumbledore probed, and Danny winced at the reminder that he was currently in an orphanage.
"My parents were Unspeakables, and we recently moved from the States." Danny said, having decided on that particular cover after he tried researching the magical equivalent of scientists. Not only would that explain any of his oddities, but the fact he had two Unspeakable parents easily explains why he had no other choice but the orphanage. He was going to claim his parents were banished from the MACUSA after they did some "controversial experiments". His real parents certainly had told him (in excruciating detail) some of their ideas for experiments on Phantom. Those honestly fit the title "unspeakable".
"That does make this much easier then." Dumbledore said, relaxing against the worn doorframe as some tension drained from his old body. "Unspeakables, you say? Do you happen to know their specialty?"
Danny shuddered, remembering the texts he'd found that referenced the Unspeakables and the lengths they would apparently go to to find their answers. His nightmares of vivisection (or dissection, he wasn't sure which applied) were something he was sure they would attempt if they managed to get their hands on a halfa. "Death."
Ghost hunters, scientists, yeah his parent's job was rather morbid now that he thought about it. Dumbledore eyed him quietly for a moment, seemingly taking his shudder at the thought of Unspeakables to be one pertaining to the subject they supposedly studied. "My condolences."
"It's… fine." Danny said, ignoring the prickling sting his core underwent at the thought of anyone under his protection dying. They're fine, they aren't dead, it's a lie, calm down.
"Will you require help funding your school supplies or getting to the magical district?" Dumbledore asked, and Danny shook his head slowly, before pausing and giving a nod. A guide would definitely be helpful. Danny had been to the magical district twice, and only to buy those dusty books. Sam would be so proud, Danny willingly read those drab hand-written books and went back for more.
Another sad hum deep in his chest. Sam.
"I have a trust vault, but I don't know the way to Britain's magical district." Danny said, as he was supposed to have been orphaned shortly after arriving. It would do no good at all for him to claim that he'd been around a while only for his cover to fall apart under scrutiny.
"That's quite all right Danny, I have a clear schedule today and have some shopping to do myself as well. It's always a joy to bring a student to Diagon Alley for the first time. Lemon drop?" Dumbledore assured him, offering him a yellow wrapped candy. Danny accepted with a small smile, amused the man happened to have candy that tasted similar to his magic.
"I dare say it will be quite the adventure." Dumbledore said with a wink, having brightened like an excited puppy when Danny accepted the small candy. The older wizard waited for Danny to shove on his sneakers before striding with surprising speed from the room.
"You mean right now?" Danny asked in surprise, following the wizard into the hall.
"Of course, Danny." the Headmaster agreed, leading the raven haired boy into the courtyard and out onto the boring suburban streets. "It has been far too long since I got the opportunity to take a student to Diagon Alley."
He then turned to Danny, and held out an arm to stop him. The midmorning sun tingled pleasantly, despite Danny's preference for colder temperatures the August sunlight was like being dipped in warm water. Much better than the rain they'd been getting lately, those jokes about British weather were far more accurate than Danny had expected.
"How are we getting there?" Danny asked curiously, as the elder wizard pulled a rather knobbly wand from his sleeve. Man, this just keeps getting better and better. Dumbledore held out his wand, and a purple double decker bus literally appeared out of thin air. Danny flinched, sliding into a low defensive position before noticing it was just a bus, not a giant purple enemy.
"Come on in, Danny." Dumbledore said wryly, having noticed the flinch and subsequent flailing. Danny gave a little chuckle, and followed the old man onto the bus.
"What classes do they have at Hogwarts?" Danny asked curiously, as the bus took off with a tremendous bang. It rattled and jumped, but not as much as it did when his dad drove the Fentonmobile, so he was rather unfazed. Dumbledore seemed amused at his composure, and pleased with the question.
"You seem rather at home, even experienced passengers have some discomfort when it takes off." Dumbledore said, once again prying. What's his deal?, Danny thought with a sigh.
"My dad is- was the worst driver you could imagine, this is kind of what it was like growing up. Both of my parents were muggleborns, and I grew up with a lot of things they had when they were younger. I even went to a muggle elementary school, they wanted me to experience both worlds." Danny replied, quoting the extensive cover story he'd worked out weeks ago. The best lie is the truth, after all. Danny hoped that saying held up, he needed to lay low for a couple years and letting out that he was an alien creature from an alternate dimension is counterproductive at best.
"I see." Dumbledore said with a small smile, as though seeing Danny caring for his family was somehow reassuring to the man. "Hogwarts has a core curriculum consisting of Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, History of Magic, Astronomy, and Herbology. There are a few electives to choose from, such as Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes. There's also Quidditch, with each House having their own team."
"What are the Houses?" Danny asked curiously, having heard the infamous Hogwarts Houses mentioned before but never had them explained in depth. He had also heard enough about Quidditch to be equal parts excited and horrified by the prospect of playing the game. Danny really wasn't too sure that shoving a wooden rod between his legs and using it to move at ridiculous speeds was in the best interests of his… family jewels.
"There are four Houses created by the four founders of the school, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Each House has certain qualities or attributes they look for in their students. Ravenclaw is the House of those who value knowledge, Gryffindors are bold and brave, Hufflepuffs are loyal and hardworking, and Slytherins are ambitious and cunning. Which House do you think suits you, just to sate my curiosity?" Dumbledore asked, offering Danny another lemon candy he'd pulled from his sleeve.
Danny accepted the candy with a quiet thanks and a thoughtful frown. So the students were sorted by personality type? He could almost hear Jazz screaming in horror back home. "Hufflepuff. I wouldn't be who I am today if it weren't for my friends and family, they're the most important things a person can have."
"I quite agree, that is a common sentiment amongst the badger House." Dumbledore said with a little chuckle, and Danny stiffened.
"What?" Danny asked, crunching down on the lemon candy at the reawakened anger he felt at anything related to Vlad Masters.
"Each house has an animal representing them, chosen by the founders themselves. Ravenclaw has an eagle, Slytherin chose a snake, Gryffindor is displayed by a lion, and Hufflepuff decided on a badger." Dumbledore explained, and Danny swallowed his lemon shards before crossing his arms.
"Well, I guess I'll have to be a Gryffindor then." Danny grumbled, still miffed at the thought of being a badger. He could still hear Vlad's mocking drawl in his ear as he called him " little badger " while trying to make him his evil apprentice. And with the current predicament he found himself in.
"Whatever do you mean?" Dumbledore asked with a bemused expression, and Danny grunted before deciding to reply.
"Vl- my godfather used to call me "little badger" when I was young, and it's a really irritating nickname." Danny settled on, rather than push his luck by giving too much away. The older man laughed softly as he heard the young blue eyed boy decide to change his House because he was embarrassed over a childhood nickname.
"Why is Gryffindor your second choice?" Dumbledore asked, offering the boy another lemon drop, which Danny gratefully received. I wonder if he'll keep giving me them until we get there. Why on earth does he have so many?
"It's not." Danny said with a surprisingly believable incredulous look. "I just told you, it's my first choice." Anything but a badger.
"Of course, how silly of me." Dumbledore agreed, cheering inside despite his serene exterior. He had come today because he was alarmed, or perhaps paranoid, and wanted to see the newest Hogwarts student to have come from the same orphanage as Tom Riddle had so many years ago. He had been alarmed when he noticed the physical similarities, but it was clear this boy had nothing in common with the one who was to become a Dark Lord. Tom would have had an aneurysm at the thought of being a Hufflepuff over a Slytherin, much less a Gryffindor. The elder wizard popped a celebratory candy into his mouth, for today was certainly a good day.
"Well, bold is just another word for recklessness, and I've got plenty of that." Danny said wryly, and Dumbledore chuckled.
"I'll take your word for it, my boy." Dumbledore said with a chuckle as he heard the young American come up with a sentence that was absolutely something a member of his old House would say. He could almost hear the Hat grumbling about complex emotions already, as the hat liked to complain over difficult students. Not that the artifact ever gave him personal information, no, all Dumbledore heard was the whinging over the headache such emotional maturity was to the poor Hat.
"Where are we going anyway?" Danny asked, looking out the window. Even with his unnatural reaction time, they were going fast. He could barely make out blurry white letters on the street signs from the side windows, and the windshield showed buildings and other cars jumping out of their way.
"I believe we've arrived." Dumbledore said, and Danny instinctively braced himself when he heard the driver's foot connect with the brake pedal. The bus screeched to a sudden halt, and the odd pair made their way onto a dingy sidewalk next to an evn dingier bar.
"No way." Danny said with a grin, shaking his head at the grubby sign. "No way they get away with something that obvious."
"The pub is charmed to be muggle repelling." Dumbledore explained, leading the underage child into a seedy bar. "In fact, that is why we always send teachers to speak to muggleborn parents. The charm that negates the muggle repelling charm must be applied in person, among other reasons."
"Why, it's Albus Dumbledore!" someone in the crowd called, and the pair found themselves bothered by a small crowd of well wishers. Danny, having become well accustomed to being mobbed in public following the whole Disasteroid incident, just grabbed the older wizard's sleeve and yanked him through the annoyances.
"I was just here last Thursday, and nothing like that happened." Dumbledore mumbled, and Danny's sharp hearing picked up the muttered words while the halfa snorted at the older man's predicament.
"You didn't tell me we were going to a crowded pub!" Danny grinned, as the crowd got the idea and went back to what they were doing. Dumbledore flashed him a half annoyed half amused glance, and Danny let go of the brightly colored sleeve.
"The entrance is in the back, actually. Do you mind, Tom?" Dumbledore called to a grimy man wiping an even grimier tankard with a dirty cloth, who gave a rather cheerful affirmative. The Headmaster then led Danny into the alley behind the building, and tapped his long bumpy wand in a pattern on the bricks. The bricks shifted away to show a marketplace that Danny had found on his own (from overhead, flying invisibly) about a month and a half ago. It was cool, yes, but no stranger than some ghostly markets he'd been to.
"Welcome," Dumbledore said grandly with a dramatic sweep of his hand, "To Diagon Alley."
Danny snorted, he couldn't help it. Dumbledore looked at him inquisitively, but Danny just shook his head and hummed a song from a certain dinosaur themed movie as they entered the magical word. It was oddly fitting.