Chapter 4

Everyone looked at me like I was crazy, and then started yelling.

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?"

"THAT WAS A GHOST?"

"Are you ok? Did that... thing hurt you?" Ms. Weasly of course was the only one who was worried about my health. Everyone else shut up and listened to my reply. "Yeah, though I'm surprised that he was so easy to beat. He usually destroys a few buildings before I can get him." Every one froze.

They turned me slightly to point out a flaw in my words, stupid sneak attack. I shrugged, "I've had worse. It's just a-" I was interrupted by and most of the other people in the room

"YOU'RE BLEEDING!"

"THAT IS NOT A FLESH WOUND!" Mrs. Wesley of course.

"YOU MIGHT DIE!"

I shrugged, it would be scabbed over by now. "It's already mostly healed; it will be just another scar in an hour or two." Every one fell dead silent.

Hermione turned me around again, "It doesn't look like it's bleeding anymore..." she trailed off.

"Care to tell us what's going on?" Mad-eye asked. Someone in the back of the room whispered, "He's gonna say he isn't fully human." Crap. Can't have that thought going around... I can't say ghost weapon wounds heal faster, someone may get hurt by one and that would be disproved... The first even remotely possible answer that won't have a chance to be proven wrong would be... "Every now and again I would get shot by an ecto-ray, and it caused some of my cells to mutate and it made me heal faster." That should be possible, the odds of getting shot are slim to none, and if they are I can say it wasn't the right ray...

People slowly nodded, I guess they bought it. Then, "but, how exactly did they mutate?" curse you Hermione... "You know those cells that cause cuts to scab over? They got super speed, and they would help everything else go faster." I said this in as close as I could get to a lecturing tone so I would sound like I knew what I was talking about. Fortunately, they bought it.

Mrs. Wesley then decided it was time for bed and practically shoved us into our rooms. I knew the Order was having a meeting, but I didn't particularly care. As I drifted off in to my nightmares, I was only comforted by the fact that tomorrow I would get my wand...

Danny's dream...

It was a familiar scene... war zone, family and friends strapped to a vat... can't go ghost, Clockwork doesn't save them... he appears purring, he says, "you know it's inevitable Daniel, you will become me. You will join the dark lord..." suddenly I am overwhelmed, not with fear as I usually am, but with hate. "I will never become you... I have beaten you once, I will do it again. We are still as one person; I will kill who ever I must to prevent this." I snarl, I feel my newest power rising to the surface and I growl, I sound like a panther. I am a panther.

I feel the raw strength and power flood me and suddenly I am struggling to remain human. I no longer fear him, nor myself, that is over, I will stop him. No matter the cost.

End dream

I woke up. I had a charged ecto-ray in my hand, I made it disappear. Thankfully, Harry and Ron were still asleep. I checked my watch, TWO IN THE MORNING? Grrrr... Why can't I ever get a full night's sleep? I stalk down stairs, and I hear the meeting still going on. Curious, I make sure that no one is around and transform. Invisibly, I float through the door and hover near a corner. At this angle I can't see anyone's faces, but I can still hear everything.

"So... what about Danny?" someone said... Sirius I think.

Mrs. Wesley "What about him? He seems nice enough... though he does seem to have a... complicated past..."

Mad-eye "something seems off about him... and that ghost attack! If what he said is true, he could be a good addition to the order... if he can keep our secrets that is..."

If they tried to add me to the Order there would be more disadvantages than anything else, they may discover my secret!

"Why do you think he is in London?" Sirius.

"What do you mean?" Mrs. W asked.

"Well he said he was from the States, so why would he be here?"

No one knew what to say to that.

The next day, and by that I mean three hours later, I went into the kitchen to get some food. Within a few hours Harry, his friends, Mrs. Wesley, and I were in Diagon Alley. "First lets go and get you some robes Danny, Dumbledore has agreed to pay for all expenses, and given the unusual circumstances, he offered to buy a pet." We got the robes, potion ingredients, and all the books I would need, and before long, we were going to get my wand.

We entered the shop and I could hear the heart beat of someone nearby so I turned to them. He stepped into the light and seemed a little surprised that I was looking at him already. "Welcome, I am Olivander I believe you are the new student. I will be getting you your wand. Which is your wand arm?" I held out my right hand. He had a tape measure magically measure me. He turned and left bringing back many boxes containing what I can only assume to be wands.

He gave me a unicorn tail hair and oak 9.5 inches, after telling the tape measure to stop, and prompted me to 'give it a wave.' I did so, and somewhere in the back of the store I heard an explosion. He swiped it away and gave me another wand; the shelves threw themselves to the ground. We continued this for over three hours and I was surprised that no one came in. finally Olivander said, "I can only guess to one last wand..." he left, and came back a few minutes later. Wordlessly he handed it to me. Black and ectoplasm green sparks flew out of the end and briefly formed a panther.

Olivander was silent for a few seconds, then "That is thestral tail hair, and cherry. Thestrals are creatures who can only be seen by those who have seen death and accepted it. Cherry symbolizes birth. It is a wand of life and death, it is very powerful." He seemed to be about to add something else, but decided against it with a shrug.

After Olivander waved us out of the shop we headed over to the pet store and I wandered away from the group. Then I saw him. A large brown eagle owl, known as one of the largest species in the world. He took one look at me and fluttered on to my shoulder. The shop keeper came over "He usually hates people. Anyone who came near him would get attacked." She was interrupted when the owl hissed at her, and she hurriedly backed up, "You can have him for free, you'll save us the trouble of saving customers that way." She left.

I joined up with the rest of the group, and they hurriedly learned to stay away from my owl, who I decided to name Basilisk.