Danny bit his lip. It was a clearly well thought out plan.

"How sure are you of your plan?" Danny asked carefully.

"Fairly certain. As certain as I can be without confirmation that Voldemort did indeed make horcruxes," Dumbledore answered.

"So… so you really think that Harry will survive?" Danny prompted. Dumbledore nodded.

"I do. Ancient magic is powerful and follows specific rules. Lily Potter died to protect her son from Voldemort. As long as Voldemort is the one to kill Harry, then the magic stands," Dumbledore affirmed.

"And what if Harry sacrifices himself but someone else kills him. What if Voldemort orders one of his Death Eaters to do it?" Danny challenged.

"I doubt that would be the case Danny. Voldemort is a proud man. He will want to kill Harry himself. Trust me on that much. He has displayed that tendency before," Dumbledore assured the halfa.

"What's the rest of the plan?" Danny inquired. Dumbledore smiled.

"I will teach Harry about Voldemort's past. I will need to research it myself as there are patches I'm not certain of myself. But hopefully by understanding Voldemort, Harry will know where to look for these horcruxes if there are indeed more. Then, when I'm ready, Severus will kill me and cement his place by Voldemort's side. Severus will then to the best of his ability keep Harry from harm. Warnings, sabotage or even a helping hand here and there. I will leave Harry Gryffindor's sword in my will. It is goblin made and so will have absorbed the basilisk venom from when Harry used it to kill the one which used to reside in the school. Should Severus be discovered or killed in action… then the duty to inform Harry what he must do falls to you," Dumbledore answered.

Danny frowned.

"Wait, what about the order? When Severus kills you, the order will think he's a traitor. They'll lose their spy," Danny realised. Dumbledore nodded slowly.

"I know that. I fear that upon my death, the order will dissolve itself. The members will still fight, or will at least resist as much as possible. But I believe that the organisation will break apart," Dumbledore admitted. Danny scowled.

"What if Harry needs their help? What if the people lose hope? They have to see some kind of resistance. What if Fenton became their new spy? I could help Severus while feeding information to the order," Danny suggested.

"I assume you agree to the plan and remaining in the order for now then," Dumbledore commented. Danny sighed and nodded.

"Good, I'm glad. But I don't know about you working as a spy Danny. You are young," Dumbledore remarked worriedly. Danny nodded.

"True, but I know how to play people. It's not a good thing, I know. But I do. Phantom can work with the order and Fenton can be a spy. I can use occlumency. Voldemort won't be able to read my mind. And I'm a good liar and actor. I hid my ghost half for two years from my parents," Danny replied.

"What of the ghosts Voldemort has? Do they know of your halfa status?" Dumbledore interjected.

"Yeah, but they won't tell Voldemort unless he asks them straight. It's kind of like a ghost code or something. They've never told anyone about me before. They've used it against me. But not like that. I don't know why exactly, but they won't say anything. Besides, that's hopefully a year away. I can work my butt off this year to catch all those ghosts," Danny explained.

Dumbledore sighed.

"It is a long time before then, hopefully. There is a final part of the plan, the deathly hallows. There is a legend, one I regrettably was obsessed with in my youth, that tells of three objects which together make a person the master of death. The invisibility cloak, elder wand and resurrection stone," Dumbledore began.

"Resurrection stone! You said that when you saw that ring," Danny interrupted, pointing to the cracked ring on the desk. Dumbledore sighed and nodded.

"Yes. My wand is the elder wand. And Harry possesses the invisibility cloak. I wish for my wand to go to Severus. And perhaps I will be able to get the stone to Harry. It enables people to see their deceased loved ones. It may offer him some strength," Dumbledore resumed.

"Wait. You saw someone didn't you? When you put that ring on. Arianna. Who was she?" Danny recalled. Dumbledore looked away sadly.

"My sister. I had a friend. During the time of my obsession with the deathly hallows. Gellert Grindelwald. My brother, Aberforth. He didn't approve. He thought, as the oldest, it was my responsibility to care for our ill sister when our mother died. I wanted to travel. I was selfish. Anyway, there was an argument. Which progressed into a three way duel between myself, my brother and my friend. My sister was upset and tried to stop us. Killed by a stray spell. We never learned who was responsible. My sister was attacked by muggles when she was young. Young witches and wizards have little control over their magic and a group of muggle children accosted her to make her show them the trick. My father was sent to Azkaban for defending and avenging her. After that, Arianna refused to use her magic and… she became the host for an obscurial. They are dangerous creatures that manifest in children that repress their powers. In bouts of rage or anguish, she could become violent and very dangerous. But for the most part she was just a sweet girl," Dumbledore revealed softly.

"I'm sorry. If it means anything I know what that kind of guilt is like. It may have been only for a moment for me, but when the Nasty Burger exploded, I knew I'd failed everyone. That guilt drove me to that future you saw. I can't imagine what it was like to live with that for your whole life," Danny muttered. Dumbledore smiled gently.

"Thank you. I admit I do still blame myself. As does my brother. He owns the Hog's Head in Hogsmede," Dumbledore replied.

"So, how exactly are you going to make sure Severus gets your wand? Your will?" Danny inquired, eager to change the subject.

"No, simple wand rules. Wands can be won you see. Usually by killing the previous owner. By having Severus kill me, the wand will change its ownership instantly to Severus. If Draco kills me, then he will be in danger from when Voldemort takes my wand after my death and attempts to gain its servitude," Dumbledore gladly answered, also happy to change the subject.

"Why do you think Voldemort will want your wand? Because it's a deathly hallow?" Danny asked. Dumbledore shook his head.

"No. The elder wand is the most powerful wand in existence. Even those that don't believe in the deathly hallows, believe in the elder wand. And it's traceable. Voldemort will want a new wand as his current wand is Harry's brother. Which means the wands will not wish to battle each other. By brother, I mean that they have the same core, a phoenix feather from Fawkes. Voldemort will not be happy with any wand, he will want the most powerful wand possible and so, he will seek out my wand," Dumbledore explained.

Danny frowned.

"So that's the plan?" Danny asked after a brief silence. Dumbledore nodded.

"It is a work in progress and subject to change. But, yes. That's the plan. I wanted to tell both you and Severus as soon as possible to both give you a chance to come to terms with it and to mull it over and spot problems. Such as your idea of making a second spy for the order in Voldemort's ranks. I still don't approve, but it is a good idea, I have to admit," Dumbledore confirmed. Danny nodded slowly.

"I still don't like it. You're pinning a lot of hope on ancient spells saving Harry. What if it doesn't work?" Danny muttered.

"Then that will be my error. Not yours Danny. But my plans rarely fail. In fact I can't remember the last plan that truly failed. There have been plans in the past that have not worked as well as I had hoped, but complete failure… that's different," Dumbledore decided.

Danny nodded slowly.

"So… until term starts, hunt down ghosts?" Danny inquired. Dumbledore nodded.

"If you believe that is the best way to spend your time, by all means," Dumbledore agreed.

"Do you want me to keep staying with Mrs Figg? Harry is at the Burrow now, right?" Danny asked. Dumbledore nodded.

"If that suits. Grimmauld Place is unfortunately not an option until we are certain it is safe from Death Eaters. Harry inherited it from Sirius but there is a danger that it will not be that simple. Mrs Black was quite pure-blood orientated. Harry is a half-blood so there may be issues. Also Kreacher may have compromised the location when he set Sirius up prior to his death. A vague order to "get out" was interpreted as permission to leave the premises and make contact with Bellatrix Lestrange. As of last night, Kreacher was ordered to work here at Hogwarts by Harry. Kreacher was also left to Harry," Dumbledore informed him. Danny nodded, silently angry at the house elf for betraying Sirius and the order.

"Fair enough. Does that mean I need to hide from him for the term as well?" Danny replied. Dumbledore shook his head.

"As long as Kreacher doesn't connect your halves, I don't think it necessary," Dumbledore answered.

The plan has been laid out and Danny has regretfully agreed to it.

Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.

Until the next chapter.