A/N: Well I think I've officially killed any hope of my keeping my chapters under 16 pages long! I can't even begin to explain why this chapter took so long, and I'm not even that satisfied with it; but I've kept you guys waiting for so long, I felt bad for not submitting it. And another great response my dear readers, something I think I should thank you for…
Aki: And Welcome back to the craziest x-over evar! I am proud to announce that this is the longest I've gone on writing a fic! Thank you crazy readers! You're attention has not gone unnoticed!
Tucker: …So, you're still writing.
Aki: Yup!
Draco: And you aren't dying yet?
Aki: …I'm not sure how I'm supposed to answer that question.
Danny: Leave her alone! She's not on her meds today.
Sam: Um, aren't we supposed to not talk about that?
Harry: I think someone said it was forbidden.
Hermione: Honestly, I think we should stop talking about it. NOW.
Ron: Why?
Aki: -GLOOM-
Danny: -squeaking noises-
Harry & etc. (sans Danny): Hoo boy.
Aki: -whips out Anti-Creep Stick- Ghost boy, you are TOAST.
Danny: You know that's just a ba- HOLY #($!
Aki: -chases Danny-
Danny: -runs like hell-
Everyone Else: -sighs- Aki owns nothing. Sue her, and all you receive are her parking tickets.
Sam: Well that's that I guess. Onto the show!
-everyone else leaves-
Draco: …DAMN YOU I WILL NOT BE IGNORED! –runs after them-
-screams echo in the distance-
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Phasmatis Cruor
Chapter Five: Visibility
::-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------::
The loud tick-tock noises of clocks echoed around the empty tower, as if in attempt to make sure the owner knew how quickly and urgently time passed.
A few metal noises were heard – a strange clanging that was almost as constant as the clocks – but other than that, nothing else seemed to fill the silence. It was eerie, to say the least.
And Chronos, also known to many as Clockwork, hated it.
"If you let me go, you'd never have to worry about this stupid responsibility ever again," the voice said, insidious.
"Quiet," Clockwork muttered wearily. "I'm busy."
And he was. He had a Timestream to maintain, and that alone made his days long and tired. And sometimes very depressing.
"I could take it from you," the voice spoke again, this time sounding light-hearted and completely well-meaning. "I could take it and use it and let it be my responsibility. You could finally live, free from these shackles of power you bear."
"I said," Clockwork spoke with a voice that had a sharper edge to it, "Be quiet."
There was silence for a while. Then the voice came again, this time empty and cold. "It would be less of a mad world without you meddling. Like you did for Pariah. Like you did for me and my younger counterpart. He didn't deserve to live. I did. And now you've ruined everything." The voice never yelled. But the impact of his words was as if he was shouting at the top of his lungs.
"You are insane," Clockwork explained blandly. The amount of power within Phantom was great, but he had been driven mad by it. "Besides, you can't kill yourself. It's impossible. I just thought I'd save you the embarrassment of being proven wrong."
The creature flung himself against the barriers of his prison, a loud clanging heard once more. "I don't have to kill him," he insisted after the attempt to escape failed. "I just have to make sure he's in no place to stop me."
Clockwork turned a weary stare in his direction. "Of course," he said as the power-hungry, evil version of a good friend started punching his prison from the inside, the pure crystal shackles on his hands scraping and making sparks.
It was then that something on the Mirror caught his attention. Floating over, he stared at the events that had previously unfolded in young Danny Fenton's life, pausing in some places to make sure he had seen every detail. Then he looked at a few of the things to come.
He frowned.
In his Mirror, Clockwork could see everyone and everything at any time. There was no secret that could be hidden from him. As well, he could see every splinter of time that came apart and reformed into new futures and possibilities. Looking at Danny's timeline, he saw hundreds of different lives being lived. In these fragments of a life altered, Clockwork saw a home with a family, a business with a profit, a singer with a band, an astronaut with a dream. But he also saw death, loneliness, and sometimes even insanity.
In this case, Clockwork saw magic. And he was glad.
It was human nature's greatest power to decide what they wanted from their life, and taking it with nothing more than simple determination. It was something Clockwork often envied, and was constantly amazed by. Danny had chosen a new path – as unexpected as it was – and Clockwork was sure that though hardship would rear its ugly head and complications would arise, Danny was only going to come out of this a better person.
And Clockwork would always be there for him. To monitor. To protect.
…And sometimes, to meddle.
::-------::
"Muggles made this?"
It was dark outside, and Remus was reading the schematics to this 'Ghost Portal' with nothing but the candles provided.
"Yes," he replied to Arthur Weasley, who was looking excited and intrigued. "Jack mentioned that he had made a prototype when he was in college; but since one of his close friends got hurt because of it, he put off building a larger, better one for almost 13 years."
"This is amazing," Sirius admitted, looking rather humble. "To think that muggles can access such magic through technology is…"
"Mind-boggling?"
"More like history-making, actually," Arthur Weasley spoke up, interjecting himself into the conversation. He was trying to hide it, but his eyes were practically dancing with eagerness and curiosity. "We must speak to these people," he insisted, "Find out how they learned to break through to the barrier of the Nevernever."
Remus blinked. He hadn't heard the Outer Realms called that for quite a while. "The Fenton's get grants from obscure, but thoroughly rich supporters who are highly interested in what the pair can create. So far, they've created mostly anti-ghost weaponry – defensive and offensive – but this 'Ghost Portal' is by far the most interesting," Remus clarified with a smile. "I'm sure we could set up a correspondence with them, as their son will be attending Hogwarts this year."
"Really?" a familiar voice spoke up from behind them. "I didn't know Hogwarts took oversea students, let alone so late in their lives."
"Exceptions are everywhere," another added. "Especially in Hogwarts."
"Harry, Hermione," Remus greeted warmly. "We didn't mean to wake you."
Harry shook his head and smiled. "Me? Sleep? I don't think so."
"What is that you have there?" Hermione questioned, ever curious. She had arrived a little while ago, but she had been so wrapped up in everything that had happened, she had little time to think of her American friends. She had mentioned them in passing to Harry and Ron, but she had a feeling that they were both too absorbed in recent events to remember.
"A gift from Jack Fenton, Danny Fenton's father," Remus said, sitting up straighter. Sirius and Arthur were still studying the mechanics, with Arthur trying to explain exactly how the machine worked to a puzzled Sirius. "It's the schematics for their 'Ghost Portal'."
Harry frowned thoughtfully while Hermione's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "Really?" she asked grinning widely. "May I take I look?"
The boy next to her blinked in surprise, "You know about it?"
Hermione smiled knowingly. "Danny Fenton is one of the American transfers staying at my home," she explained walking closer to the table. "Don't you remember me telling you about them?"
Harry winced sheepishly. "Uh, no, not really."
The bushy haired girl rolled her eyes. "Honestly Harry," she said shaking her head.
"I had a lot on my mind," he said, frowning defensively.
Hermione looked pained for a moment before smiling lightly. "We all did," she admitted, "But no matter!" she said clapping he hands and gesturing to the blue papers littering the desk. "Danny told me a lot about this thing, but he never got wholly technical about it."
Harry, a bit taken aback by her sudden switch in mood, grinned tiredly. "It's never enough information for you, is it?"
"I'm afraid," Remus interjected, "That Ms. Granger may never satisfy her curiosity."
The boy snickered at the affronted look on Hermione's face. "Well," she said, trying not to sputter. "Have you figured out how this 'portal' works?" she asked indignantly, changing the subject.
Remus sighed, amused. "I'm afraid it's still all unknown – we understand what goes where, but there is little to aid in us where the 'how' is concerned."
"Owling them would be more efficient," Arthur added loudly. Sirius just ran a hand through his hair.
"Arthur's right Moony," the ex-convict said in a bewildered voice. "Nothing on this parchment is in layman's terms – no one except Arthur has made any headway."
"I could help you know," Hermione said, her face emanating her impatience. "I know quite a lot about muggle technology."
Arthur nodded, acknowledging her. "True, but I'm afraid some of this goes beyond basic mechanics," he said to her. "I can tell," he added proudly.
"If Danny had a difficult time explaining it, I can understand why," Remus said, hiding a smile.
"Well, I know one thing," Arthur said, looking confused. "It says here that the 'on' switch is on the inside of the portal."
"What?" asked Hermione, who now looked highly confused. "That must be a mistake; whatever switch or button that turns on the power source must be on the outside."
"Then how on earth did they turn it on in the first place?" demanded Arthur looking equally perplexed. "Without being trapped in the magical energy field that would have immediately been activated, I mean."
"Maybe they wrote it wrong, and built it right," Harry suggested.
Remus nodded. "It is a possibility," he conceded. "Either way, I must remind myself to speak with Danny the next time we meet…which thankfully will be soon."
"Oh!" Hermione said, putting a hand to her mouth. "The Test!" she exclaimed. "I can't believe I forgot!"
Remus chuckled. "They are fine – I have been tutoring them in your absence."
Hermione sighed in relief, which made Remus grin. "After only two months and they've already managed to catch up to a fifth year curriculum," he murmured. "I am suitably impressed."
Harry looked to Remus. "Any of them in Gryffindor?" he asked smiling.
"Sama- I mean, Sam," Hermione corrected herself and answering for Remus. "She's very much a Gryffindor," she added shaking her head in recollection.
"What about the others?" another voice interjected tiredly.
"Ron!" Hermione squeaked. "You scared me!" He had snuck up behind the two while they had been chatting.
Remus took his wand and cleaned out his cup of tea casually. "Tucker Foley is in Ravenclaw," he said before pausing and looking to Hermione.
Knowing the consequences of opening her mouth this time around, Hermione sighed again and looked to Harry and Ron. "Danny Fenton was Sorted into Slytherin."
"Wait," Ron said suddenly, holding a hand up. "You spent two weeks with a Slytherin? In your house?" he questioned with badly hidden incredulity.
Harry frowned immediately. "What was he like?" he asked seriously, side-stepping an argument waiting to happen.
"Before you get all prejudiced, I'll have you know that he's perfectly fine," Hermione said heatedly. "He's very sweet," she added before blushing and rolling her eyes. "You know what I mean. He's not Malfoy."
The two boys bristled lightly at the mere mention of their collective enemy. "He could have tricked you!" Ron almost shouted, his face starting to turn pink. "You don't know anything about him!"
Harry, although considering Ron's argument, winced at this.
Hermione closely resembled Molly Weasley when swelled with indignation. "I certainly know him better than you," she hissed. "And none of them knew anything about the wizarding world until just last month! It's incredibly unfair to judge him on knowledge he doesn't have," she yelled back. "I don't want either of you bothering him, ever, do you understand me?" she told them, in no uncertain terms, her voice cold.
Harry conceded with a nod of his head, saying nothing. Ron growled incoherently and then turned his head. "If he does anything to hurt you, all bets are off," he added suddenly.
Harry and Hermione both blinked at him, but it was Hermione who smiled, blushing. "Of course," she said, grinning a little as he blushed back.
Shaking his head and making a face, Harry waved to Remus (who looked like he was trying not to laugh) and headed back upstairs. The three Americans certainly sounded interesting.
-+-+-+-+-
The written portion of the test was, to put it mildly, terrifying.
Danny didn't like remembering his retake of the CAT's, but the pressure on his shoulders reminded him of them greatly.
The professors he'd never met before, along with Remus and Dumbledore, had created a cumulative written exam that had approximately five or six essays and a multitude of other short answer questions.
Needless to say, it was grueling – especially since they were writing with quills and parchment. Hermione had taught them how to use them, but they had avoided writing with quills as much as possible. All three of them were regretting it now; Danny swore his hand was going to fall off after the fifth hour.
"You think any of us will actually pass?" asked Tucker in a doomed voice. This was the third fifteen minute break they had been allotted since the test began.
"Of course we will!" Sam said angrily, her quill bending in her fist. "We've come too far to fail."
Danny frowned, and yawned. "Well, either way, we're going to Hogwarts," he said simply. "They can't just Sort us and then leave us. We'll try again next year if we have to," he continued, stretching. "Come on. Let's do this," he said smirking.
Trudging through the rest of the test didn't feel nearly as tiresome, and Danny felt better about his answers. He was sure the History portion of his exam was really not comprehensive at all. When he saw Sam scribbling like mad on her parchment during that section, he couldn't help a small smile lift his lips upwards. Obviously, Sam did not share his worries.
Remus had been tutoring them in Defense Against the Dark Arts, as well as Charms and Transfiguration. It was a lot, for one person to teach. Dumbledore himself took the three and gave them lessons in Wizarding History. He was the most qualified to do so, after all. Unfortunately, a class held at 8:00am was still not as interesting to Danny as the back of his eyelids. Still, Dumbledore seemed oddly interested in the three – despite the old wizard's cheerful demeanor – and it bothered Danny somewhat for a reason he couldn't quite fathom.
The other thing they had to learn was Potions. It was complicated, getting someone who was good enough to teach them; according to Remus their best expert was currently out of touch. But Dumbledore eventually found a good friend to come up and tutor the three students during their last few weeks before the exam. Apparently, --- Slughorn owed the old man a favor. Danny thought he was a bit pompous, but he wasn't a bad teacher – he knew what he was doing. It helped that Potions was starting to turn into his favorite subject; the laboratory made it seem like he was back at home.
By the time they were finished with the written test(s), it was dark outside. Night had fallen without them even realizing it. Dumbledore had Remus owl a note to the Granger's, telling the muggle couple that the three Americans were very tired. He also insisted that a night in the castle would help them acclimatize for when they actually started attending Hogwarts.
Sam, Tucker, and Danny were herded by Remus to a room that held two rooms inside – one for Tucker and Danny, and the other for Sam. It was where they would spend the night. Sam had firmly reminded Remus to firmly remind the Grangers to feed her black kitty Bast (Sam had a thing for Egyptian mythology – Bast was a cat goddess, so this fit rather well) her daily dose of tuna. Draco on the other hand, had followed Danny to Hogwarts, so he was roosting in the Owlery.
Danny groaned as soon as he hit the bed. Tomorrow they would be tested on their spell work. All practical arts, like Transfiguration, Charms, Defense, and Potions, would be tested. There would also be more written tests on some of their optional classes as well.
He had automatically picked Astronomy as his first course elective. Sam, once she had learned of Care for Magical Creatures and Herbology, hardly thought any extra classes were needed. But apparently, she had been nudged into Arithmancy (and Ancient Runes) by an enthusiastic Remus, who had insisted she was perfect for the class. Tucker was goaded into it – rather unenthusiastically – as well. Danny, on the other hand, had a headache a few minutes into that session and had to sit himself out.
Divination was a class all three had been mildly dubious to take, but after Remus remarked that it was quite easy to catch up during the next year, all three had immediately signed the proverbial dotted line.
"This is a lot harder than I thought," Tucker admitted to him after they had gotten ready for a nice, long sleep. Danny yawned, and grinned tiredly.
"If this was going to be easy, I'd be worried," he said to his friend, who laughed in return and waved a hand while turning over in his sheets. Danny soon followed suit and closed his eyes, smiling slightly to himself.
---
"I expected you to be more nervous," the strict-looking woman said in complete honesty.
Sam grinned while Danny and Tucker chuckled. "We are – we just hide our anxiety really well," the girl admitted, taking a step forward. "Am I correct in assuming that you are Professor McGonagall?" she asked, raising a hand for the older woman to shake.
The other woman raised an eyebrow and took Sam's hand, shaking it in a very professional manner. "Yes," she said simply. "I am."
"You're also the Head of House for Gryffindor, right?" she asked her eagerly. "Hermione Granger told us," she added quickly, blushing slightly.
"I am Head of House for Gryffindor, yes," Professor McGonagall confirmed, a miniscule lift of her lips the only sign of her amusement. "Now, before any more pleasantries are exchanged, I must instruct you on how this exam shall be preformed."
Danny had a feeling that this was how Professor McGonagall acted no matter who she was dealing with. Fortunately for them the session did not take long. Of course, that didn't mean it wasn't exciting. Sam managed to transfigure one of her goblets into a bird for the briefest of moments until it suddenly grew incredibly large. An amusing scene followed, in which Sam was chased around by a giant parakeet.
Tucker and Danny couldn't help but laugh. Then Tucker turned his tea kettle into a furry tea pot, and Danny got bitten by the hat he had turned into a rat. It figured, he thought angrily, that one of the few times his magic worked on the first try, it bit him on the hand – literally.
Other than that, however, the exam went well for Tucker and Sam; Danny had a few magical mishaps where nothing would happen. He was afraid it would count against him, but McGonagall assured him that she had been informed of his 'impairment' beforehand and had taken it into account. Feeling mollified and mortified, Danny could only nod and thank her.
The Herbology practical was hosted by a sweet witch by the name of Professor Sprout. Sam was beaming the entire time while Tucker was wrestling with the few plants he had in his tray. Danny did pretty well, though not as amazingly as Sam, nor as abysmally as Tucker. The three of them averaged out, he thought.
Defense Against the Dark Arts was something Danny seemed to be rather good at, despite his inefficiency with the wand and thanks to Remus and his tutoring. A dark, solemn, but still strangely familiar looking man was awaiting them when they entered the classroom.
"Hello," he greeted in a deep voice. "I am Auror Kingsley Shacklebot, a friend of Albus Dumbledore's. He requested I host your Defense exam."
The three of them, Danny thought, probably looked awed. The man was tall.
"It's good to meet you," Tucker said suddenly, trying to break the silence. Then Danny realized where he had seen him before: in one of Dumbledore's memories – he was a current member of the Order. A little impressed at his ability to remember such a thing, Danny smiled.
"Yeah, I take it you don't normally do this?" Danny asked while taking a seat. The man blinked and then smiled slightly.
"No," he admitted. "But Albus is an old friend, and I owed him a favor," he clarified. "Now review to me exactly what you have learned for this course."
Danny was amazed that his magic actually worked for this exam. Sam still kicked his butt, as well as Tucker's, surprisingly, but he was happy that everything he tried actually managed to work. The most interesting part of the exam happened when Danny pulled off his Patronus for the first time, well, ever. Sam had managed a mangled corporeal one, and Tucker had only managed a wispy silver shield.
Danny had been working particularly hard on this spell, for some reason uncannily perturbed by his incapability to make it work. For the exam, he had prepared a special memory: flying. In his haste to do the spell before, he only focused on memories with his family, or friends. There was little about his life as a ghost that he really, honestly enjoyed, but flying was definitely up there. Along with, you know, saving lives.
"Expecto Patronum." He said the words quietly with his eyes closed, but the light that illuminated the room overshadowed everything else. When he focused his eyes, he saw a faint outline of something very familiar.
Tucker, who was to his left at the time, blinked rapidly and rubbed his eyes. "What was that?" he asked bewildered.
"Danny you did it!" cried Sam happily. "You actually did it! Your Patronus went corporeal!"
Danny could only grin widely until he saw what he had finally produced.
'Cujo,' the puppy he had unintentionally adopted, was sitting on his haunches, a contagious doggy grin plastered on his mug. Danny gaped and looked positively speechless.
Sam and Tucker immediately burst into laughter. This, however, got the attention of the small dog, which growled and transformed into a large monster of a canine before fading away.
If it was any credit to 'Cujo,' his two friends looked a little more respectful.
"That was impressive for someone with such a spotty spell record," Auror Shacklebot said, walking up to Danny. "Congratulations. You have my curiosity officially piqued." He raised an intrigued eyebrow.
Danny blushed and laughed nervously. "Uh, it's kind of an inside joke," Danny said weakly. "Long story."
"Indeed," Shacklebot said, still amused, before continuing the tests.
They took a lunch break on the lawn outside. Thankfully, it was sunny and warm, so they weren't drenched when they came back in for their last few exams. The food had come in the form of pre-delivered baskets, already prepared for them in their room. Sam had nudged the two boys outside to enjoy the sun.
Danny felt like the entire day was moving as fast as molasses. Especially so when they finally trudged down to their Care of Magical Creatures exam, which happened to be situated as far away from their rooms as possible.
Following that exam, in which Sam hugged a unicorn (which made Danny snort with laughter, and Tucker fall over – offenses for which Sam punished them with two firm Silencios), they had Charms. Hosted by what honestly looked like a small troll named Professor Flitwick, Charms was the most entertaining exam they had had yet. Tucker managed to grow his hair by accident – he was supposed to be getting his hair to comb itself – and curling it Shirley Temple style. Sam hiccupped while trying to summon a pillow and caused it to explode. Danny was so clumsy; he tried not to remember his mistakes (when his magic worked). Needless to say, he walked out of this disaster with robin egg blue streaked hair and one hand painted black.
Flitwick, obviously trying to calm a panicking Danny, had squeakily informed them that all these changes would wear off in an hour or so. The tiny professor had tried to remove the odd colors (and re-arrange Tucker's hair), but to no avail. Thankfully, Flitwick also considered that impressive.
Now the three of them were on their way to their last exam: Potions.
Danny had been waiting for this one all day. For him Potions was pretty easy – add the right amount in the right order for the right amount of time, and usually, things worked well. Both Tucker and Sam had issues remembering the ingredients (and the specific details about when to pluck what, and so forth), but Danny absorbed the information like a sponge.
He wondered why he couldn't do that with Chemistry before he remembered that instead of studying, he was usually out fighting ghosts with extreme vigilance.
They entered the dark dungeon tentatively – it was, as described, very dark. Danny stubbed his toe on one of the desk legs and hissed his displeasure.
"You are late," one of the shadows in front of the classroom spoke harshly. "I have more important matters to attend to," he added gesturing towards the three prepared cauldrons, the unheard suggestion to sit echoing loudly. His voice reminded Danny of Clockwork's without the warmth (and with the addition of a British accent).
After sitting down quietly, Danny finally got a glimpse of their examiner. He was tall, dark, and gaunt – generally unpleasant looking according to his expression. Tucker and Sam were looking anywhere but his eyes, but Danny sought them out on purpose.
A sharp tingling feeling in the back of head made his eyes water. He shook his head and frowned, leaving the sinister tunnels that made up this examiner's cold gaze.
Their host glanced sharply at Danny, a perturbed expression on his face. For some reason, Danny found this more disturbing than the man's glare. "I am Professor Snape," he introduced briskly. "Learn quickly, and you will have few problems in my class. If you do not, you will undoubtedly reap whatever consequences your idiocy shall sow."
Danny would have been more offended, but he was too busy being stunned. He had never heard any teacher speak to his students like that before. Looking at Sam briefly, her outrage was rather evident; he took a deep mental breath and prepared himself for the worst.
He was right – Lancer was a picnic compared to Snape. It wasn't the exam that was hard; for Danny at least, it was the cold glaring silence that Snape seemed to permeate throughout his entire being. Judging glances were something Danny had generally become accustomed to, but this much disdain from someone he barely knew gnawed at his nerves.
Sam and Tucker left almost as quickly as Danny wanted to. Unfortunately, he was caught on the way out the door.
"Mr. Fenton. A word."
Danny groaned loudly in his head. Outwardly, he turned around to head back to Professor Snape's desk. "Yes sir?" he questioned, an honest kernel of curiosity nestled within a mountain of nervous tension.
"I would like to know how you've learned to Occlude so well," he asked in a not-question, his voice very severe.
To Danny, he might as well have been speaking Portuguese. "Sorry?" he asked back, confused.
Snape grew impatient rather quickly. "Do not play dumb boy," he hissed in a raspy voice. "Surely you don't believe yourself to be the only Occlumens in the world?"
Danny frowned. "I'm really sorry sir," he said as sincerely as possible. "But I have no idea what you're talking about."
Snape shot a quick glance at Danny's crest and raised an eyebrow. "Very well," he said. "As your Head of House, I will have ample time to find out. You are dismissed." He gestured toward the door and turned away, his black robes billowing behind him.
Danny stared after him for a moment before running out the door, trying to catch up to his friends.
----
"What the heck does that mean?" asked Sam at the same time Tucker exclaimed, "That creep is your Head of House?"
"I have no idea, and yeah, unfortunately," Danny answered to both questions, his tone glum.
"Well, either way, you're going to have to deal with him," Sam warned. "Try not to get angry at him or anything."
Danny shot her an incredulous look. "You're telling me this? I wasn't the one who was turning red back there."
Sam raised her nose into the air and huffed. "Well, I know you can have a temper if you want – so there."
The three of them trudged to Dumbledore's office, directions to which they had been given prior to their multi-faceted practical (none of them could remember where it was from the last time they were here). The last rays of sunlight were playing against the shadows of the ancient stone castle, and Danny took a deep breath.
"Well, here we are."
Tucker and Sam looked to each other. "Come on," Tucker said, a weak smile on his face. "Let's get this over with."
With this much anxiety, one would think that something terrible was bound to happen. In fact, Danny was expecting it. A quick mental calculation in his head told him that if anyone was going to flunk out, it would be him: and he was okay with that in a way (okay, not so okay, but he was trying desperately to reassure himself).
He knocked on the old oak door and waited until Dumbledore's voice called, "Enter!"
"Ah, yes," Dumbledore smiled at them knowingly. "Please sit; I'm sure you are all exhausted."
The three hopeful students would have glared at him if they weren't…well, so exhausted. "Just tell us," Tucker pleaded faintly. "I don't think I can stand waiting anymore."
Dumbledore acquiesced with a nod. "Very well. As I'm sure you are already aware, these tests were given to evaluate you on your current physical skills, as well as the knowledge you had prepared in the months prior." He moved out in front of his desk. "What you may not have known, is that these tests were merely set up as a front to examine your ability to learn."
The American teens blinked and tilted their heads collectively. "You mean…we didn't have to do all of that?" Tucker asked, his tone flat.
"Oh no, you most certainly had to prove that you could handle yourselves in the year we would be placing you. In fact, you exceeded our expectations. But the important thing was that you worked hard, studied, and continued to learn even after you were done – you all have the capacity to handle the coming year with grace." Dumbledore tossed each of them a lemon drop from seemingly nowhere. "Congratulations, you are now officially enrolled in Hogwarts," he announced, grinning widely beneath his long beard.
Much hugging and crying (in Sam's case mainly; Danny and Tucker were just remembering how to breathe properly) and laughter soon followed, and Danny looked at Dumbledore's expression to see that the old man was as pleased as they were.
They wrapped up the evening by saying goodbye and farewells to all those who had helped them that day. Danny was too busy feeling happy to notice Professor Snape speaking in hushed tones to a serious Dumbledore – both of them glancing in his direction.
Tomorrow, he thought with glee. Tomorrow our world will get really interesting.
------
Immediately after being directed onto Platform 9 ¾ by Remus (who had volunteered to take them there via side-along apparition rather than by a Floo or portkey), Danny groaned and tried not to his head on something hard and unyielding.
Tucker and Sam had disappeared among the crowd almost immediately, and Danny – frantic about just getting on the train – simply decided that the two couldn't miss the big, purple, steam-powered monster and ran on board. Draco hooted at him indignantly when he tossed the cage on top of the rest of the luggage carelessly. He sent his owl an apologetic look and clamored into the train.
The whole thing was something out of the 1900's; everything was wood carved and plush fabrics, and Danny felt like he shouldn't actually touch anything, lest it fall apart. Setting aside the thought, he went forward and started his search for Tucker and Sam.
It was odd, but he wasn't sure if he was imagining it. Every time he poked his head into a compartment asking about his friends, he received an answer of 'no' with cold glares. Thinking that he hadn't done anything yet to warrant such looks, Danny did his best to act the wallflower and simply ignore them.
It got awkward at one of the booths, however, when he stuck his head in and saw a large group of people – some sneering and some laughing.
"Um," he managed, bewildered. "Sorry to interrupt, but I have a question…."
"Oh. What do you want?" the boy with sandy-blonde hair asked him in a flat, uncaring brogue.
Danny couldn't help his irritation at the other boy's tone. "I was looking for some of my friends and –"
"Well they obviously aren't here are they? We're all Gryffindors!" he said angrily. "Go look for your friends elsewhere."
A puzzled expression crossed his face. "What does being a Gryffindor have anything to do with not being my friend?" he asked confused.
"A lot, actually," said an amused voice from behind him. "But I'm assuming you didn't know that."
He turned around and blinked.
For a moment, he thought he had been hit on the head and was seeing double, but after one vicious eye-rubbing, he decided that he wasn't. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bother you," he muttered quickly to the compartment of angry people, trying to get away.
And failing.
"Fred, I think this Slytherin is out of his mind."
"Indeed. Barmy all around I'd say, George."
"Wandering around Gryffindor territory without any friends? Insanity!"
Danny watched them like he would watch a metronome. "Uh, sorry," he said, waving a hand. "I didn't know it was illegal."
The twin red-heads (Fred and George, he presumed) looked to each other, their own expressions mildly puzzled. "And he's polite! The one Slytherin we've never seen before, and he's the one that turns out to be the nicest – unless he's playing us."
'Fred' winced. "Oh dear, that would be terrible. It's highly inadvisable to play us."
"Very true oh brother of mine," 'George' responded wickedly.
Danny's warning signal was going off like anything. "I should really just be going," he said pointing in the opposite direction. "You know, away."
They both laughed in unison which unnerved Danny even more. He was about to just make a run for it before…
"Fred! George! Stop harassing the innocents!" came an angry girl's voice.
"But he's a Slytherin!" they both cried together, turning to face the voice. Danny looked over their shoulders' and saw a smaller, red-headed girl glaring at them.
But she paused thoughtfully. "Any familiarity with the name Malfoy?" she asked, and it took Danny a moment to realize that she was talking to him.
"Mm? Uh, no, not really," he answered.
There was a moment of silence. "Is that even possible?" Fred asked quietly.
Another moment passed before the red-headed girl (with a familial resemblance to the strange twins in front of him) smiled. "You wouldn't happen to be Danny, would you? Hermione's told me about you."
Immense relief swamped him and he grinned weakly. "Right, friend of Hermione. Got it," he said grinning. "I'm Danny Fenton," he said to her. "And you are…?"
"Ginny Weasley," she said, arching an eyebrow. "Are you sure the Hat put you in the right house?"
Danny had been getting that question a lot recently. "Probably. I don't really know, do I?" he asked in return, feeling mildly annoyed that he was being treated differently because of his house.
The girl looked a little apologetic but wary. "Right. Those two are Fred and George. They're my older twin brothers as well as identical pain in the collective arse."
"Oy!" they cried. Danny couldn't help the grin that spread across his face.
"He's alright, you two," Ginny continued talking to the twins. "Hermione's got substantial evidence to back it up."
"Heh, alright," 'George' said lightly. "We trust Our Lady of Protocol."
"No need to fret," 'Fred' added. "We'll see what he's like in school first. What comes after is up to him."
Danny was very much nervous. "Right," he said in return. "It was…interesting to meet you," he said, trying to be nice anyway.
They turned and walked away, waving jovially behind them as they did. Ginny shook her head in exasperation and tugged on Danny's sleeve. "Don't mind them," she told him with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "They're on automatic response to anyone wearing green and silver."
He thought about this and turned to her. "I guess Hermione was playing down the house rivalries a bit," he said dryly. "I'm sort of afraid to meet the people that they base their assumptions on."
Ginny's expression lightened before darkening. "Yeah, and I'm sorry you're going to have to," she said with a frown. Then she blinked and laughed. "Oh, you don't even know where the Slytherin section usually sits, do you?" she said smiling.
Danny shook his head. "I was just looking for my friends," he said simply. "But apparently they've been eaten alive by the train."
It was quick, but Danny saw a real smile cross her lips. "Come on, I'll take you to find them."
After the big fuss earlier, and his difficulties, he decided this was the best way to go. "Lead on," he said, bobbing his head and gesturing in a direction. Ginny smirked and walked off, Danny following quickly behind her.
---
After a while, it had seemed like they had searched the train twice up and down to find Sam and Tucker. It was on their way past the prefect compartments (Ginny had pointed them out earlier) that Danny spotted someone familiar.
"Tuck!" he cried in amazement. "How did you get…here?"
He saw Tucker trying to become invisible against a wall and frowned. "Tucker?" he called again, Ginny at his side.
"Ah!" he cried, his PDA slipping from his fingers. Ginny's wand was out in a second, levitating it back up to Tucker's eye-level. Danny glanced at her wide-eyed.
"Sorry…habit," she said sheepishly.
"Where the heck have you been Tuck?" he asked his friend. "I think I've been up and down this train three times!"
The other boy shook his head. "Some of the others started bothering me about my Precious," Danny assumed this was the PDA, "So I took refuge out here."
Ginny looked intrigued. "What exactly is that thing?" she asked Danny. Her eyes had finally relaxed. Danny had automatically let down his polite-but-distant attitude once Tucker had appeared. He was certainly not the typical Slytherin.
"Long story," muttered Danny. "Come on Tuck, let's go find Sam."
"I'm Ginny," she told Tucker.
"Nice to meet you," Tucker said suavely. Danny resisted the urge to groan aloud. "I'm Tucker. Tucker Foley; that's T.F, as in –"
"Uh Tuck? Hello?" Danny interrupted frantically. "Remember Sam?"
The three moved onward, with Tucker sulking behind them.
---
Danny was drawn to the loud noises emanating from one of the compartments. For some reason, a nudge from his head told him Sam might be involved with it somehow.
He hated it when he was right. (Sometimes).
"…and they say it has all to do with blood!" cried a familiar voice.
Danny slowly opened the door, hoping to avoid serious bloodshed, if at all possible.
"They say they care what's on the inside, but that's just as superficial as only caring about what's on the outside – oh, hey Danny!" Sam said in a cheerful voice. Danny saw that Bast and Crookshanks were playing on the floor with one another. "Hermione and I were just discussing wizarding social issues."
"Please…please don't get her started on the house elves," muttered another familiar face.
Danny blinked and refrained from greeting Harry in a manner which suggested they knew each other.
"Hey Harry," Ginny chirped from the doorway. "Mind if we join you?"
"Oh Danny! Tucker!" Hermione finally spoke up, smiling widely. "Yes, please join us," she waved them inside, even though there wasn't much room to sit comfortably. "Harry, this is Danny Fenton and Tucker Foley, they're the other two transfers," she added as an introduction.
Harry nodded in a friendly manner, grinning slightly to both. Then he blinked at Danny. "Slytherin? Really?" he said aloud, slightly suspicious and testing Danny to gauge his response.
"I know," Ginny expressed in amazement as she interrupted Danny's not-so-well planned answer.
"And he's as muggleborn as me, as far as I know," Hermione added in a low, puzzled tone that only Harry was supposed to hear, but Danny picked up nonetheless.
"It's just," Ginny floundered for a moment, "Most of the Slytherins we know are tossers to the highest degree. You don't seem that bad."
Danny rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks," he said dryly.
Harry studied him for a moment before turning to Tucker asking, "Is that a PDA? And it's still working?"
This led to a discussion on electronics and magic, involving Hermione, Sam, Tucker, and Harry, leaving Danny and Ginny to themselves.
Ginny asked about his family, and Danny, though uncomfortable, opened up a little. "I have one older sister, Jazz," he said and then chuckled. "She's the Only Normal Fenton, apparently. Gets good grades, top of her class, still has some of her sanity left," he said ticking Jazz's traits off his fingers. "And she's popular. Pretty much everything I'm not. Which is fine! I mean, I've got Sam and Tuck, so I'm good."
Ginny stared at him for a moment and shook her head. "That's…pretty first-rate of you," she said kindly. "I mean, I'm sure you aren't completely unwelcome," she told him sincerely.
Danny just laughed. "Like I said, I don't really care much about popularity – I mean, I did (and sometimes, I still do) but it's not all it's cracked up to be," he said finally.
Sam grinned slightly when she heard this, but said nothing.
"Were there others here before us?" asked Danny suddenly. "I mean – we still have to change right? And I don't think they'd like us taking up their seats." Sam and Tucker snapped to attention at this, and the three of them glanced at the other present trio.
"I think they're still changing," Hermione cleared up. "I didn't think it would take this long though."
"Well Danny's right," Sam said. "We do need to change."
"I'm still surprised you went along with this whole uniform thing," Tucker snorted, making Ginny and Hermione quirk their eyebrows simultaneously.
"It's black," Sam said simply.
Hermione pointed at her robes. "Have you even seen the Gryffindor house colors?" she queried with a smile.
It took a moment before Sam blanched. "Purple and red do not mix," she grumbled on her way out the door, causing a few snickers in her wake.
-----
Danny, simply put, was nervous.
He had escaped Ginny and others, Sam and Tucker telling the rest that he had luggage issues to take care of before the Feast. He knew that unless he transformed immediately after he made his brief appearance, his new acquaintances would get suspicious very quickly.
Especially after Sam and Tucker both screamed at what appeared to be thin air. Danny, for the life of him, couldn't tell what the heck they were acting all nervous about until Harry made the same noise of startled fright.
"What are those things, d'you reckon?" he heard Harry ask Ron a few minutes later; just as he turned to Sam and Tucker to ask, "What are you looking at?"
Tucker shuddered. "They look horrible," he said in a pained voice. "Like…like demon horses."
Sam managed a small grin, her face still pale. "I think they look awesome," she said quietly. "But, Danny…can't you see them?"
He shook his head discreetly. "No," he said, "But I think you aren't the only ones." His eyes flickered over to Harry, who was alternating between talking to Ron and glancing nervously over to the 'invisible' horses of doom. "We should find out what they are later."
Sam nodded while Tucker shook his head. "You better get in the carriage. After we arrive, you're going to have to go ghost and follow us," Sam advised him as the three entered the carriage behind Harry and Ron's.
This scenario occurred in a desperately done escape that almost alerted others to his presence when he forgot to go intangible as well as invisible. Floating, he watched the students enter the large gates of Hogwarts, and quietly as possible, followed.
He recognized many of the professors from their practical exams – Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Snape, Grubbly-Plank, and the nice lady from their Herbology final, Professor Sprout. As well as Dumbledore, of course, whom he tapped on the shoulder to inform of his presence. The headmaster merely looked over to him and winked.
It took Danny a moment before he realized that Dumbledore could still see him, even when he was invisible.
Immediately trying to shake himself out of his shock, Danny went back to looking at the tables and saw more familiar faces. He spotted the Sorting Hat, which had been placed carefully on the same rickety stool he had sat on before. Sir Nicholas had also spotted him and waved.
"Well hello again young half-breed," he greeted cheerfully as he floated close enough that no one besides Danny could hear him – a small favor for which the ghost boy was grateful. "I thought I'd introduce you to our little group; they've been rather anxious to meet you."
Danny muffled his ghost sense as the Sorting Hat started to recite some sort of poem. "Oh, uh, really?" he managed, gulping nervously. He watched as a few more ghosts appeared from behind the walls of the Great Hall.
"Oh yes," Nicholas stated proudly. "This is the Fat Friar, the ghost of Hufflepuff, and The Grey Lady of Ravenclaw," he introduced the first two – a short, chubby friar and a mournful, but still beautiful lady – and they inclined their heads.
"Good to meet you lad," the Friar said cheerfully as the Lady smiled gently. Danny nodded, very much thankful that all of this was occurring where no one else would be able to see. But before he could say anything else another ghost arrived.
He looked terrible; gaunt and gloomy looking, with what Danny thought might be bloodstains on his tunic. "Ah yes," Nicholas continued. "And this is the Slytherin ghost, the Bloody Baron."
Danny opened his mouth to say something, but was once more interrupted by none other than the Bloody Baron himself, who had bowed his head in polite recognition.
"The young warrior I have heard so much about," the disturbing ghost croaked. Danny had a sneaking suspicion that the he hadn't used his voice in quite a while. "It is an honor."
To his credit, the other ghosts looked as stunned as he felt. "Thank you?" he suggested lamely, not quite used to the recognition he was receiving from complete strangers. He looked over to the Staff table and saw that McGonagall was just starting to read off new students for the Sorting Ceremony – Hermione had informed him of this tradition before she had left for Grimmauld.
"None of the other's usually venture this far out into the castle I'm afraid – but you'll meet them soon enough," Sir Nicholas added encouragingly.
"Sorry," he said suddenly to the four of them. "I'm not used to this." He hunched a little in apology. "And, uh, I know this is bit weird of me to ask, but could you not you know, advertise the fact that I'm only half ghost?"
The four looked to one another. "If it's alright with you, may we ask why?" the Lady queried curiously. "Surely there is no reason to hide?"
Danny sighed. "I'm just a little uncomfortable with other people –aside from my friends – knowing. At least, not yet."
The Lady nodded and smiled kindly. "Then we will gladly spread the word. Your secret is safe with us."
"Peeves will be dealt with," the Baron added before he disappeared abruptly with a nod in Danny's direction.
The Fat Friar and Sir Nicholas both nodded as well, and, before he moved away, Nicholas clapped Danny on the shoulder and whispered, "I do believe that is the most I've heard from the Baron in over 200 years – you really are a marvel." The regal looking ghost grinned and waved before leaving with the Friar.
"The Sorting is almost over," the Lady prodded him gently. "Dumbledore will introduce you; just reappear next to him and wave." She smiled at him and he found himself grinning nervously back.
"Thanks," he said sincerely, secretly happy for the support.
"You're welcome. All of the ghosts here are happy to help you if you need it, except maybe Peeves," she replied and smiled softly before disappearing as well.
Danny waved to her before he turned his attention to the Feast, watching Albus rise from his chair.
"To our newcomers," said Dumbledore in a ringing voice, his arms stretched wide and a beaming smile on his lips, "welcome! To our old hands, welcome back! This, however, is a time for a quick introduction to a new member of the castle," he turned to look at Danny, and the ghost immediately landed, turning visible. "This is our new resident, Danny Phantom – he's taken the post as our second poltergeist! Hopefully, you will all get a chance to meet and welcome him to our humble abode," he finished, bowing his head.
Danny swallowed, his throat inexplicably dry. It was deathly silent out amongst the House tables, and he wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. "Uh," he started, "hi."
It was like a dam breaking. Whispers rose into the air like rustling leaves, some harsh, some light-hearted, all curious. Danny swore he saw a few of the girl's down in the front row light up with an expression he didn't recognize.
"Well, now that he has met you all, I'm afraid it is time to feast!" Dumbledore started again, inadvertently rescuing him. Danny grinned with relief and rose into the air, waving once more before winking out of existence to the rest of the Hall's occupants and zooming away to find a secluded hiding spot. Danny Fenton needed to get back to the Great Hall as soon as he possibly could.
---
As he ran back into the Great Hall, Danny's eyes slid over to his own table and he gulped on reflex.
Okay, so maybe he was a half-ghost super hero, and he fought dangerous creatures all the time, but the thought of meeting new schoolmates was still highly unwelcome.
He watched Sam laugh at something Ginny said, and Tucker was already sitting down and talking to another person in blue and black. Sighing, Danny made his way over to the predominantly green table and sat himself down at the end, feeling a bit left out.
"Hm, never seen you before," a voice interrupted his thoughts. "You look too old to be a First Year."
He turned his head to his left and looked into the hazel eyes of a boy about his age. "Er, no, I'm a transfer," he said quietly, trying to muster up some of that courage he was so famous for back home.
"Well, it's nice to have more on our side," the boy said plainly, smiling dryly. "We Slytherins need to stick together, right?"
Danny nodded absently. "I had heard that house rivalries were pretty hard-core here," he said thinking, trying to wean some information from this unknown house mate.
The pale boy simply nodded, saying no more on the subject to Danny's disappointment. "Hey," he started, "Your accent…you're from America?" he asked Danny while taking a bite out of his roll.
The raven-haired American nodded smiling a little. "Yeah," he said and felt mildly moronic for answering monosyllabically. "Hogwarts is mostly European, so I thought I'd be a bit of a sore thumb," he added, just for emphasis.
The boy swallowed and held out his hand. "I'm Bartholomew Harper," he said by way of introduction.
"Daniel Fenton," he responded. "But call me Danny."
It was sort of surreal. After all he had heard of the Slytherin House, Danny had expected to find a bunch of angry, evil people. Harper seemed okay, which was a nice surprise, but unexpected.
Harper turned to his plate and then blinked. "Why were you late to the Sorting?" he asked him suddenly. "I don't remember you coming in."
Danny, who had forgotten to knock on wood (or something equally auspicious) after his last few thoughts, chuckled nervously. "Oh that! I just had a few things to do beforehand – luggage issues mainly."
Harper stared at him a moment before smiling slightly. "Right." He took another bite of his roll and gestured towards the food. "Only the First Years sit here. Truth is, I was late too – that's why the food is practically untouched," he explained. "Come on, eat. This food won't bite you back, I think," he added, grinning wickedly.
Danny cracked a nervous smile and took a roll. Before he could take a bite, a hand in front of his face stopped him and he yelped.
From behind him, he heard Sam's familiar cackled of achievement. "Hah! Serves you right for making fun of me earlier!" she crowed.
"And what makes you think you're allowed anywhere near this table?" asked a cold voice from Danny's left.
When he looked up, he immediately came face to face with a sneer and cold grey eyes. Danny saw Harper tense and shrink into the background.
"Well, I didn't think there was a law against walking over here," Sam said, her voice bright, but starting to tighten.
"I suggest you leave, Gryffindor," the blonde boy said quietly before smirking. "It's a bit…dangerous for you to loiter around here," he added, crossing his arms.
Sam bristled visibly. "You don't have a right to tell me what to do," she said in a heated voice, crossing her own arms.
Danny was about to just grab her and just walk away when the blonde boy closed the space between the two of them. "You practically reek commoner," he said haughtily as Sam's eyes practically sparked with ire. "And you'll find that I have every right to tell you what to do. This is Slytherin territory – and I suggest you leave before you find how painful a few good curses can be," he said the last part in a whisper.
But Danny still heard him.
"Hey!" he said loudly as he stood up, gathering half the Hall's attention to him. "Back off," he said in an irritated voice.
The blonde's expression was one of complete shell-shock. "What are you doing?" he hissed. "Defending a mudblood?"
Unfortunately, the last word happened to be the one that echoed the loudest. Sam looked as if she had been slapped and Danny saw Tucker stand up, looking furious. The rest of the houses started whispering harshly into the sudden silence. All Danny felt was confusion. And a bit of anger. The two were not the best combination of emotions.
"Uh, that's my job," Danny said matter-of-factly. "I'm her friend. Friends defend each other when jerks start egging them on," he said, annoyance finally starting to get the better of him. "And you are being a real jerk," he added for good measure.
"How dare you?" the blonde said in a voice that was doing its best not to yell.
"Mr. Malfoy, that will be enough!" a scandalized voice that Danny recognized as Professor McGonagall, pronounced. "I'd like a word with you," she said to Malfoy in a cold voice. "You two take your seats," she added to Danny and Sam in a gentler tone.
Sam nodded stiffly and looked to Danny. Danny looked back at her mildly relieved. "Thanks," she said in a near whisper. "I'll talk to you later." And with that, she walked back over to the Gryffindor table, her back still straight.
"We will speak later about this," the now named Malfoy told Danny angrily. "Mark my words." He whirled around and walked back up to his previous seating.
Harper, now coming out of hiding, pulled Danny's sleeve to get him to sit back down. "You have friends in Gryffindor?" he asked needlessly, sounding mildly amazed.
"We have been friends for a long time," Danny said, stabbing his mashed potatoes angrily. "It has not, nor will it ever be about houses!" he said in frustration. "Why does everyone get so worked up about this?" he asked rhetorically.
Harper shook his head. "Look, I don't know you very well, but you stood up to Malfoy for a friend, who just happens to also be in Gryffindor. Either you're playing an extremely smart game, or a really stupid one."
"It's probably both," Danny muttered, finally starting to cool off. This was a good thing, really, because the fork he had been holding the entire time had melted against the palm of his hand. "But this isn't a game," he said.
"I really don't think you have any idea what you've just done," another voice from his left said in astonishment.
Danny looked to the sound and saw a young girl with brown wavy hair and matching eyes. "You shouldn't be doing that – talking back to Malfoy – especially now," she said seriously. "I mean, you seem really nice. I wouldn't want you to get in any trouble."
"Tracey's right," another voice added, small and nervous. Danny immediately looked toward the sound and saw a young boy looking at him apprehensively.
"Pritchard," Harper said in exasperation, "What are you doing here?"
Tracey glanced to Pritchard and then back to Danny. "Look," she started uncomfortably. "I got off on the wrong foot and ended up at the bottom of the cauldron, so to speak," she muttered. "We aren't all rich little purebloods," she added, her voice starting to turn into a sneer.
Danny was beginning to feel overwhelmed. "Uh, look," he began. "I don't know anything about this place – and I really don't know about the whole House rivalry thing." The other three all reacted differently, but all of them looked shocked in some manner.
"No one told you how things worked here?" Harper asked shaking his head. "Well, that explains a lot."
Danny felt eyes on him from further down the table, most of them feeling ominous and not-so-great. He looked to the three who had even bothered to talk to him and smiled slightly.
"Maybe you should enlighten me," he said casually.
Pritchard and Tracey blinked at him. Harper smirked and clapped lightly. "That's the most Slytherin-like you've been all evening," he said in admiration, only slightly mocking. "I feel so proud," he added, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye.
Danny snorted and tilted his head. "Right." He scooted forward a little. "So, first thing's first, what's mudblood mean?" He must have missed out on one of Hermione's lectures – both Sam and Tucker knew the word.
Harper groaned while Pritchard looked terrified and Tracey's mouth twisted in disgust. "This is gonna take a while," the younger boy muttered.
---
Sam and Tucker had caught him before he turned to head down into the dungeons (a place he was ever so thrilled to go). Harper nodded and surreptitiously waited for him a safe distance away, i.e. a place where he couldn't hear Danny's conversation.
"Are you okay?" were the first words out of Danny's mouth.
Sam rolled her eyes while Tucker just frowned. "I'm fine Danny," she assured him. "Thanks for standing up for me." She smiled at him warmly, her cheeks slightly pink in the dim lighting of the torches.
Now it was Tucker who rolled his eyes. "You know I would have done the same thing," he said dryly. "You're just all mushy because –oof!"
Danny pretended not to notice Sam's elbow in Tuckers ribs. "I'm just saying it was a nice thing to do," she growled in a warning tone.
"Well, I'm keeping someone waiting –," Danny started apologetically.
"Same here," echoed his friends, equally apologetic. The three of them grinned suddenly and chuckled.
"Now that I've apparently established myself as a pariah," Danny added, "I've got to go make sure it stays that way."
Sam grinned. "That's my boy!" she crowed and started off in the opposite direction. "We'll meet up tomorrow; Hermione's gonna show us that library, and who knows – maybe we'll get more information on the Ghost Zone while we're at it."
Danny and Tucker winced at the fanatical gleam in her eyes. "Right," Tucker drawled. "I'll just go meet up with Terry – he's the only Ravenclaw I've gotten a chance to talk to, but thankfully I have better people skills than Danny."
Danny made a swipe at Tucker's hat – he had refused to remove it despite Professor McGonagall's insistence – and watched wistfully as the only slice of familiarity he knew left him.
"You ready?" came Harper's voice. "Slytherins don't exactly wait up for stragglers," he added. "You're lucky I know the password."
Danny turned to him and nodded. "Lead the way, oh wise guru," he said in a voice free of all sarcasm.
Harper groaned. "You are going to be so much trouble, I can tell," he muttered as the two of them left for the darkness ahead.