Disclaimer-I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter all I have are any OCs that may appear

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Vlad sat in the hospital waiting room with his head in his hands. He hadn't moved since he got there. He forced his mind onto his work. He didn't dare think of anything else. His mind still ended up wandering and every time it arrived at the recent events. He would see Maddie's face and be unable to hold back the tears. He had killed her. He had killed her daughter. He had left her son alone in the world. He wasn't sure how long he had been sat there by the time someone came to tell him that Daniel had been moved onto a ward. The news only made him feel marginally better. This was all his fault and while he would never confess that the disaster was not just an accident publicly he knew he would have to take Responsibility for what he had done. He would never be able to escape the guilt and someone would need to care for Daniel. There was no way he was going to let the only piece of Maddie he had left slip through his fingers.

Vlad slowly made his way to the ward Daniel was in. The ward had many children all together. Vlad thought to himself that he would have to organise a private ward for Daniel. The boy didn't need the chaos that this ward would be come morning but for now he just sat down beside the boy's bed. Daniel was covered in bruises and and burns. The casts that held his broken leg and arms only made the other bruised limb look more fragile. He was hooked up to various machines to monitor his condition. Vlad eventually fell asleep in the chair. Nightmares of watching Maddie die haunting the short time he was asleep.

Within the next day Vlad had Daniel moved to a private room and made sure Daniel was getting the best care possible. The day after he had gathered all the legal forms he would need to adopt Daniel. He knew he would have to discuss all of this with the social worker but there was no doubt in his mind that once Daniel was read to leave the hospital he would be leaving with him, after all he was the boy's Godfather surely he was the best option.

A week and a half after the incident Daniel was awake. It was a lot sooner than Vlad had been expecting so when Daniel's eyes flickered open to find himself seriously injured in hospital Vlad had no idea how to tell him what had happened. There was only moments between him waking up and starting to ask if everyone else was all right. Vlad had hoped for more time to compose himself but Daniel was awake and asking questions. Looking at him all Vlad could see was the parts that reminded him of Maddie. Her narrow build, her face, her worried look.

"Un...Uncle Vlad? W...W...Why are... are you crying? W...What happened? W...where's everyone?"

Crying was probably the only thing he could have done wrong here and he had gone and done it. Now Daniel knew something had happened to his family. Vlad had hoped to be able to tell him quickly without giving him any false hope.

"Daniel. They didn't make it. I'm sorry."

It was like someone had frozen time. Daniel lay there with a blank look on his face shock over whelming everything else. Then suddenly like it had sped up as Vlad's words sunk in and tears streamed down his face all merging into one line from each eye.

Vlad had no idea how to comfort Daniel. Maddie would have known what to do. Vlad stayed by Daniel all night, the boy hadn't stopped crying until he had fallen asleep. Vlad watched the occasional disintegrating wisps float around the room. Spirits of the dead that probably wouldn't get as far as a full formed ghost considering how far gone they already were. It hit him like a freight train. Ghosts. What if Maddie wasn't completely lost. He highly doubted she would become a ghost truly but what if there was a wisp. He could use that. He could artificially create a ghost. He had to move fast the wisp may have already started disintegrating.

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Danny woke up alone that morning from a nightmare he could quite remember. Yesterday was instantly at the front of his mind and he was crying again. He was terrified. Terrified that Vlad wouldn't come back. He didn't want to loose anyone else. He had been awake for a little while when Sam Manson his best friend slipped into the room in a way that very much said that she wasn't supposed to be there.

"H...hey Danny." She plonked herself in the chair Vlad had been sat in the day before. "It's good to see you."

She had been worried. Sam wasn't a crier but there was still the light puffiness round her eyes from just that. The Fentons had been like a second family to her.

Danny was glad for the company but just couldn't smile or even stopped crying. Sam sat with him doing her best to comfort him. She would freeze and stop talking every time a member of staff passed by the room to avoid getting kicked out. Danny had thought he would be left alone when a man brought him lunch which he was going to need help to eat with both his arms in casts. Both children expected the man to force Sam to leave. The man looked at Sam and then at Danny and hmmed.

"If anyone asks she's your cousin." He whispered as he reached the two.

Sam smiled and both of them muttered a thanks.

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Helen Lewis had paid many visits to the Fenton family over the years. She had always believed that the concerns of neighbours and family for the children was unfounded. She wouldn't have called herself a friend of the family but as the social worker assigned to the family she was responsible for making sure that the children were in a safe environment. Part of her wished now as she tried to get in touch with Vlad Masters for the third time that day the she had taken the children before this accident. She sighed as the dialling tone clicked onto voice mail. She left her message asking him to get in touch figuring now that he definitely wasn't home.

It was only once she had completed the message that she realised how stupid she was being. Vlad Masters would be with Danny at the hospital. The drive was rather long. So far the only people being allowed in to see Danny were family. Which until his aunts could get over here meant only his godfather. Helen had to show her work ID before they told her which room Danny was in. She had expected to find Vlad Masters not a girl she knew was Danny's friend Sam.

"You know you're not supposed to be in here right?" She asked. She didn't mind the girl being there, Danny probably appreciated the company but she also didn't want her getting into trouble.

"M...rs Lewis, S...sam... uh..." He paused, Danny was never very good a lying. "Is... is allowed. Yeah a nurse said so."

Sam nodded. "Yeah he said to pretend I was a cousin."

Danny looked at Helen worried that she might not approve.

"Alright then. Anyway I am looking for Mr Masters, have either of you seen him today?"

Sam shook her head with a disapproving look.

"He was here last night. He was gone when I woke up."

Helen frowned, where on earth was he. What right now was more important than his godchild. "I see."

The whole trip had been pointless. She toyed with the idea of speaking to Danny about where he would like to go after he was released from the hospital but even if that would make the trip worth while she wanted to give Danny more time to recover mentally.

She left the pair to their conversations, if she couldn't get in touch with Masters then he would have to wait till she had spoken to Danny's aunts about custody.

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The first aunt Helen called had been Danny's aunt Alicia. Helen was aware that Alicia was the oldest sister but had been completely unaware that this was not the first time the sisters had lost a sister. Alicia had been a mess over the phone now dealing with the loss of two younger sisters, a brother in law and a niece. When Helen had brought up the issue of Danny Alicia had made it clear that while she would offer him a home in a heartbeat her home just wasn't suitable for a child let alone an injured one. Either way Alicia was on her way and would be there within the next couple of days.

It was late evening when the phone started ringing in number 4 Privet Drive. Petunia Dursley answered the phone with a friendly hello masking the anger at a certain child in the house.

"Hello is this Petunia Dursley?" A woman with an American accent asked a lot less chipper than Petunia had sounded.

"Yes."

"My name is Helen Lewis. I'm a social work...er." Helen hadn't expected to be cut off.

Petunia had dropped the phone. A social worker. Had someone noticed the difference in treatment between Dudley and Harry. She would have jumped at the opportunity to be rid of the boy if it hadn't been for the fact they might take Dudley as well. Already her mind was ringing with what the neighbours might say even if they didn't take Dudley. She could hear the woman's voice calling out of the phone. Tentatively she picked it back up. Vernon was at work and she had to deal with this.

"What is this about?" She asked quickly.

Helen was confused. "H...haven't you heard?"

"Heard what?" Petunia asked.

"About your sister."

Her sister. She knew instantly that the woman was referring to Maddie, social services would have no reason to be involved with Alicia. Petunia hadn't been close to any of her remaining sisters for some time. She had though been closer to Maddie than to her older sister Alicia, mostly because Alicia didn't have a phone. Petunia had told Maddie over and over that Jack Fenton was not the sort she should associate with. Maddie would have been a perfectly respectable doctor if it were not for him. She was glad that social services were finally following up on her concerned calls about the children who had luckily been as normal as Maddie used to be. She knew Maddie would be distraught about having them taken way but there would be no reason to stop her from seeing them just not that husband of hers.

"I'm glad you are finally acting. That house is not a safe place for children."

"Oh... oh no. Oh god you don't know. Mrs Dursley... there w...was an accident. You were supposed to have been called."

An accident. "What! No! I... called. I t...told you lot. I told you."

"I'm sorry." Helen didn't know what to say, she had never had to break news like this to some one. "Y...Your nephew... Danny. He was t...the only ss...survivor."

Petunia slumped down onto the stairs. She should have been more assertive with Maddie over the danger that was that man. She should have given more evidence to social services of the danger the children were in. Maddie would have came round then. If only she had done that.

Helen stayed on the phone figuring that Mrs Dursley was alone by the lack of other voices, no one should have to deal with such news alone.

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I hope in this chapter I have managed to emphasise that the only reason Vlad is interested in Danny is that he is Maddie's son. He has no other reason to be interested at the moment. Also note the lack of Tucker here is not because I am writing him out he just hasn't met them yet.