Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – Danny Phantom and the Magic of Ages

By WarriorLoverInc

Chapter 6: Books

Several stacks of old dusty volumes concealed the brunette girl surrounded by the books, seemingly dead to the world in all her silence, feverishly scanning page after page and soaking up the proffered knowledge like a dry sponge.

A Gargantuan Guide to Ghouls and Ghosts was thick and interesting, but it wasn't what she was looking for.

With a sigh she snapped the huge book shut and held it by the spine in the air. As she let go, it floated off to its shelf amid the various tomes of the Hogwarts library like a cloud in the sky.

This search was useless, she thought, why did I start looking anyway?

"Because you and your friends are nosey."

Hermione squeaked in surprise and shifted—startled—in her seat. She whipped her head around, nobody was in sight.

Sinking down in her chair, Hermione decided to switch topics, feeling foolish. Nobody could have read my thoughts.

"Or maybe they could've."

Hermione jumped out of her chair, knocking over a stack of books in her haste, they immediately righted themselves. "Who's there?"

She was met with laughing silence. Shaking slightly, she grabbed a few books on elves, turned to leave…

…and ran right into the chest of Danny Fenton.

With an "Oof!" he fell over, several of the hard books landing with a thud on his stomach, chest, and head. He lay there dazed for a few seconds before he pushed the books off himself and shook the gathering metaphorical cobwebs out of his head, "Hermione?"

She just stood there looking stunned.

Danny tried standing but found he couldn't, the books had winded him, he found he felt himself weak, and his legs were trapped under an enormous volume labeled A Brief History of the Servitude of the House-Elf.

Brief? shrilled his mind. Danny didn't think that looked brief.

"Hermione?" he tried again but louder, risking being overheard by the crabby old librarian Mrs. Pince.

Hermione's mouth moved, but no sound escaped her. She pointed a shaking finger at Danny's forehead.

With a confused expression, Danny felt his brow. Something sticky and wet met his fingertips, and when he pulled his hand away, it was covered in blood.

Suddenly, Hermione broke out of her reverie, "Oh no Danny, you're bleeding! Your head is bleeding!"

"Yeah, it was probably one of your books." Danny frowned slightly at the scarlet liquid; he saw no cause for alarm.

Hermione dropped down next to him, trying to help him up, "We need to get you to Madame Pomfrey right now!" pulling out her wand, Hermione aimed at the book and shouted with a hint of desperation, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The tome didn't move.

Sighing loudly, Danny pulled out his wand and calmly recited, "Wingardium Leviosa."

The book rose into the air immediately and dropped onto one of the nearby desks. The world swayed like a tree in a storm as Danny stood and he quickly gripped the nearest shelf for support.

Hermione grabbed his arm and started pulling him out of the library; her ragged, anxious, breathing and exclaimed apologies earned her glares from Mrs. Pince.

"Oh Danny I'm so sorry! I should have watched where I was going! This is all my fault! I should've—"

An escaping laugh from Danny sent the world spinning again, "Hermione, it's alright. Really! Everyone makes mistakes. It's just a little blood anyway. I don't need to go to—"

Hermione was glaring back at him, "Your eyes are crossed Danny."

"Are they?" his voice sounded a little airy. He tried to un-cross them, the world took a nosedive.

Hermione caught him just in time, biting her lip nervously, "That was a heavy book that fell on your head. I'd fix you myself but I don't know any healing charms, and for a head injury a professional would settle my fears…"

They rounded a corner, and Hermione just about collided with Neville. Yelping, Neville's eyes resembled full moons when he took in the sight of Danny, who by now was leaning on Hermione for support.

"D… Danny!"

Danny tried to roll his eyes, but that resulted in a stumble forewords, Neville had to catch him this time, "Yes, I know Neville, my head is bleeding."

Looking up at the visage of his friend twisted by his eyesight, Danny pleaded quietly with him, "Neville! Tell Hermione I don't need to go to the nurse!"

Neville's face turned resolute and he threw Danny's arm over himself as Hermione walked over to his other side and did the same, both of them supporting the boy, "No Danny," he said. "You need the nurse; you obviously haven't looked in the mirror."

Danny moaned, there was nowhere he could go without someone to support him, he was stuck going to Madame Pomfrey, whether he wanted to or not. They dragged him through corridor after endless corridor till they reached the tall wooden doors of the infirmary. Hermione and Neville had reminiscent looks on their faces; they had obviously been here many times before.

Pushing the door open with his foot, Neville helped tow Danny into the large room. The moment they were all through, Madame Pomfrey, the tidy little witch who knew her healing, trooped out of her office to the right of the door with a sound not unlike annoyance.

She glared from Neville to Hermione, "You again." She stated more than asked. "What've you hurt this time?"

Hermione nodded towards Danny.

Madame Pomfrey was scrutinizing him up and down, making Danny a little self conscious remembering the state of his hair and robes. After peering long and hard at the gash on his forehead, she helped him to one of the many crisp white beds, "And what was it this time?"

Hermione opened her mouth to answer, but Madame Pomfrey beat her to the punch, "I suppose it was a dragon? Some forbidden spell? Did the centaurs in the forest get him?" her sarcasm was admirable.

Danny had the impression she had dealt with them plenty of times before. Muttering to herself—something about "children" and "always getting injured"—she briskly walked into her office. Danny sighed loudly when she had left, it did feel better to be lying down. As he settled further into the bed, Hermione leaned over him.

"Madame Pomfrey may seem strict," she said, "but she's very nice and cares for us. She's always working herself into a tizzy about us getting hurt."

Neville nodded. With a confused set of the jaw, he asked, "What gave you that gash anyway, Danny?"

With a raised eyebrow at Hermione, Danny replied, "Hermione's ten-ton book."

Neville's face suggested he'd never go near books again.

"What were you doing in the library anyway Danny?" Hermione questioned him.

Tentatively poking around his gash, he didn't look her in the eye. "Looking for you."

Hermione's face discovered a new shade of delicate red, "Wh—why would you be looking for me?"

Danny blew some hair out of his face. "I wanted to have an intelligent talk. Not that nobody else is," he aimed this at Neville, "but for some reason I find it fun to talk to you."

He was seemingly oblivious to the scarlet color of her face. "I… I need to go and—and tell Harry and Ron what happened!" She dashed out of the room, Neville and Danny gaping after her.

"Was it something I said?" Danny asked no one but everyone, Neville shrugged. "Girls can be weird," he stated. Madame Pomfrey came bustling in and muttered something about using the right spell while she began pouring out a liquid that he expected was definitely not pumpkin juice.

…

He didn't know where he was, but it didn't hurt. It was dark, but brighter than the sun on a clear day. Everything was silent and louder than rush-hour New York. He was standing on thin air, his own thoughts swirling around. Hours had passed yet not a second was gone.

Someone told him to do something, and he did it. He didn't know who it was, or why he obeyed, it was enough to know he existed.

There were some of his thoughts—they were the furthest away—that whispered things. Things against himself that were shoved into a dark cobwebbed corner, all but forgotten, screaming to be let out. They were the loudest, but the easiest to drone out.

Everything contradicted itself in here. Supposedly, he was the hero, the good guy, the champion. Yet, those thoughts screamed the truth, deserter, murderer, thief, liar…

You are weak, they said, exactly what you said you'd never become.

Right in front of him was always a wall. It would break at the strongest of touch, a touch that took will. But every time his will became enough to break the wall, it was staunched again. Snuffed out like a candle flame that had finally succumbed to the dark windy night.

You are doing horrible things, the Truth whispered, wake up soon, or it's too late…

…

Neville woke slowly, a moonbeam shining in his face. Yawning, he stretched. Suddenly realizing he was still in the infirmary, he jumped up, what time was it? Neville panicked, his vacated chair was right next to Danny's bed, he never remembered falling asleep.

Hearing a quiet whimper, Neville turned to see Danny thrashing in bed. Not violently, it was just a prominent twitch of the arms and legs. He threw his head back and Neville noticed his skin glistened with sweat in the faint moonlight. Turning from Danny who must've been experiencing a truly terrible nightmare, Neville scrambled over to Madame Pomfrey's office, the patients ragged breathing and gasping sobs chasing his feet.

"Madame Pomfrey!" Neville banged on the door. "Madame Pomfrey!"

Madame Pomfrey emerged in her night robes, yawning, "Oh, Neville, you're still here."

"Madame Pomfrey, I think Danny's having a nightmare." He walked over to the boy, sacred to get too close lest he do something wrong.

Feeling his forehead, where the gash was now gone, she quickly pulled her hand away, "He's freezing!" She shook him in an attempt to wake Danny. "Danny… Danny! Danny, wake up!" Danny didn't respond to any of her attempts. As a last effort, she whipped out her wand. "Rennervate!"

If anything, the charm seemed to make it worse. Madame Pomfrey, in a rare moment, had no idea what to do. "Neville!" she fluttered her hand his way, "Go get Dumbledore!"

Nodding, Neville fled the room. Halfway down the corridor, he rammed into something solid, falling on his rear end. He heard a scuffle and a sound not unlike a cloak whipping aside, then silence.

Neville scrambled to his feet, eyes widening in fear, "He… hello? Who… who's there?"

Silence.

I must've imagined it, he told himself, Gram says I do that a lot…

"I didn't hear anything, I didn't hear anything, I didn't hear anything…" murmured quietly, trying to reassure himself as he dashed off towards Dumbledore's office.

…

Harry clamped his mouth shut the moment Neville stood again.

Is he bloody mad? Harry thought, running through the halls at night!

Harry caught those thoughts, what was Neville doing running through the halls at night? Neville started off again. Harry gave it consideration; he was going to visit Danny, but…

Without a second thought, Harry began following Neville, easily keeping pace with the stumbling trot he had set. Suddenly, Harry recognized the corridors they were traveling; they were heading for Dumbledore's office. Nervously pulling the invisibility cloak tighter around himself, he tried to stick closer to the shadows in the corners, if it were even possible, he was all ready a pinkie's-width from brushing the rough stone.

They reached the stone gargoyle. Neville began worriedly wringing his hands. Harry realized he must not know the password. He was curious about Neville's actions, why would he visit Dumbledore so late at night? Inching up to the office guardian, he whispered: "Ice Mice."

Neville jumped and let out a surprised squeak as the stone gargoyle started spinning up, revealing the staircase to the Headmasters Office. Glancing tensely around, he dashed up the stairs, Harry followed closely behind him.

Before Neville could knock on the door however, Dumbledore himself opened it.

"Ah! Neville," he exclaimed, smiling warmly, "so nice to see you. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Neville looked as shell-shocked as one can get. "Uh… Professor Dumbledore sir… Danny… in the infirmary…"

Dumbledore held up his hand for silence and Harry could have sworn he saw him glance his way. "After you then, this must be urgent if Madame Pomfrey couldn't handle it."

Harry followed them invisibly back to the infirmary. All the way, he wondered what could've happened to Danny that the school nurse couldn't handle.

The American student sure was… abnormal.

But then again, Harry was one to be talking.

Madame Pomfrey answered the door immediately after Neville had knocked, she slammed it closed so fast, Harry had trouble getting through in time, and the edge of his cloak got caught in the door. He was stuck until someone opened it again. Harry tried to split his attention between the bed everyone was gathered around and trying to work his cloak free.

"Headmaster Dumbledore!" he head Madame Pomfrey exclaim. "He's freezing! I have no idea what to do…!" She was fretting with the edge of her apron, anxiously trying to pull the covers tighter around her patient. "He won't wake up and he must be having a horrid nightmare!"

"What have you given him already?"

"I tried to wake him up, manually and with a spell, and I've forced a dozen warming potions down his throat!" she was speaking frantically fast.

The edge of the cloak budged a little, Harry turned his attention back to the commotion. He could see one of Danny's legs hanging over the edge of the bed. It was a sickly blue-ish tint.

But I thought Hermione said she only hit him with a book?

With a ruffling sound like sheets being moved, Dumbledore's hand emerged from under the hospital linen, clutching a small light-blue ball in his hand. It was see-through, as if glass, with a light cerulean tinge. It shone beautifully in the moonlight.

"Iceglacies," Dumbledore frowned, "not a very powerful magic object, but whomever is in possession of it will experience extreme cold and horrible visions." He turned to Neville, "Neville, you were in here correct?"

Neville nodded, staring blankly at Danny.

"Did Daniel have this in his possession when he arrived?"

He screwed up his face in thought. "No, I… I don't think he did."

Madame Pomfrey felt Danny's forehead, a smile of relief appeared on her haggard features, "He's warming up!"

Dumbledore was still frowning, "This is very serious. Whoever placed this object on Danny will be found and severely punished." His eyes flashed for the briefest of moments to Danny's closed eyes, a look of mistrust reflected in them. Harry almost felt sorry for whoever gave Danny the Iceglacies.

. . .

Authors Note: Iceglacies are unfortunately not real… otherwise I'd give one to my brother every time he decided to annoy the heck out of me. (Not really, I'm not a monster)

Books can be dangerous, mark my words… does anyone have a better title for this? I've been racking my poor brain but I still can't think of anything better. I like the "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" part, but the "Danny Phantom and the Magic of the Ages" is too vague and I dunno'… I just don't like it.

Anyway, I'm rambling now. I said I'd do little filler, here's the "little". Heh heh… *nervous laughter*

Peace out.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

R&R Please.

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