I own nothing, not the characters, the space where this story exists, or even the eyes that you are using to read it. This is for entertainment purposes only, no money involved.
Chapter Fourteen
Preparing to the Task
The next morning was beautiful. Danny came down to breakfast to the sounds of anger and death threats from the members of the A-list group.
The rest of the Great Hall was laughing. All of the A-lists had the Gryffindor colors dyed into their hair, and the modified buttons that Danny had made.
"Nice job with those buttons, Danny." Lee said glad that Danny was on his side and not a real Slytherin. "How did you convince them to put the buttons on though?"
"I didn't they had made different buttons that would switch to 'The Potters Stink' whenever they pressed them. I just found the manual and made some different once." Danny replied with a knowing smile and a slight shrug. "It was too easy really."
"Think if he just used his tremendous powers for good instead of evil." Neville joked rolling his eyes.
"Don't listen to him Danny taking care of those stuck up pricks is good." Fred said.
"Though they are going to know it was you though. Seriously 'Phantom Rules You' was a 'dead' give away." Ginny said smiling as she emphasized the word 'dead' causing Danny to laugh.
"Enough about the amazing job that I did last night, how did your jobs go?" Danny asked.
"We got lucky with Hagrid in that he was already planning on taking the old girl to see them dragons." Fred reported.
"The only thing that you did was take away the guilt about doing it." Gorge finished.
"Good, how about you Viktor, did you manage to help Hermione feel better." Ginny asked this time knowing that Danny was uncomfortable about the subject.
"It went very well." Viktor said raising a glass to his lips. Danny could have sworn he saw a blush.
"When then everything is good in the world." Lee said.
And so it was. They went through there Monday classes and each one of them of the teachers, even Snape was in a good mood and the classes went well. They didn't get much homework so Danny was able to spend most of his time trying to work with the animals. This went on for about two weeks and Danny had not made that much progress with his training when he made an important discovery.
Danny was trying to ask a fox to sit using his aura when he placed a hand on its head. Unintentionally flooding the animal with ectoplasm. Danny quickly started to pull the ectoplasm back when he felt a curiosity in the back of his mind that was not his own. 'I wonder what that soothing green mist is.' Danny realized that he was using his ectoplasm to probing the foxes mind. Danny then realized that is own ectoplasm could send thought to the probe as well.
Danny started going into the forbidden forest and trying it on larger and more aggressive creatures. After a will of practice he could even communicate with some of the Giant wolfs that roamed the forest. Though it still took a will after they started to talk to each other with their minds before the wolf would stop trying to eat him.
Danny came to the Dinner table the day before the first task proud of the progress he had made. "I really think I can do it." Danny declared. "Though the only thing I really have to lose is my pride at this point. I don't think I would have to much trouble using my 'Spirit Weaving' to get past the dragon."
"I have also completed my training. Though Karkaroff is still getting on my case for talking to you all." Viktor said. "He don't understand the true meaning of sportsmanship. Always helping others to grow and giving it hundred and ten percent."
"Sounds good. I sure hope everyone else managed to get a plan together." Danny said a little bit of worry in his voice. Then a familiar voice called out from right behind him.
"Sounds like you haven't changed a bit, Danny. You always worried about the safety of others and never about your own."Danny turned his head to see a red haired sixteen year girl, wearing her favorite long sleeve black shirt, blue jeans, and blue hair band. It was his sister Jazz, or his adopted sister at least.
Before Danny had a chance to say something a black blur shot out from behind Jazz and tackled Danny to the ground. "Danny!" Danielle cried out.
"And there goes my back. Dani you now I am too old for this." Danny laughed before starting to lift her off of him. He faked struggling with the effort. "Well you sure aren't a little girl anymore Danielle that's for sure."
"Danny, I was never a little girl." Dani pouted crossing her arms and pouting. There was some truth to that statement.
"I don't want to interrupt Danny but are you going to introduce everyone." Fred said.
"Oh right, this is my family. Jazz is my big sister and Dani here is kind of a little sister." Danny said. No one had to say anything to Danielle as to why she was a little sister and not a daughter. It would just make things too confusing for everyone in there saying that she was his clone. The idea of cloning was not widely known among wizards how didn't keep track of muggle science like the Weasleys.
"So this is the legendary older sister of the Mad Hatter. It is a pleasure." Gorge said giving a mock bow.
Jazz started to laugh at this. "So Danny is the Mad Hatter, huh. Who is the Cheshire Cat then?"
"I don't know, but we think that Clockwork is the White Rabbit and that Remnant is the March Hare." Danny said smiling.
"Though my old friend Ore is most certainty the March Hare, I think it is unfair to call me the White Rabbit." A voice rang out before a mystery old man in a purple cloak came into vision. "After all, I am never late nor am I early, I always arrive precisely when I mean to." Clockwork was using a human form of himself to make people think that he was human, but it was still clearly him. He still had the tell tale scar over one eye and his voice still carried the power and experience of the centuries.
"You totally stole that like from 'Lord of the Rings'." Danny laughed. "Good to see you dad."
This got the entire Great Halls attention. As Danny went up and hugged to elderly figure. To tell the true he was not what they were expecting. Everyone had the image of someone Hagrid's size covered in muscles and shouting constantly like some kind of military sergeant. But this man was little bigger then Danny himself and didn't look all that strong. 'So this was the man that trained Danny.' They all thought. 'There has to be something more.'
"It is good to see you to my son. It was a shame you always lost track of time and couldn't visit. Then again even if you had visited you would just be telling me things that I already know. So will you introduce me to your girlfriend or not?" Clockwork said with a smile.
"Oh right. Ginny, everyone, this is my Dad, 'Father Time Clockwork'." Danny said noticing the 'are you serious with that name' looks. "And it is pointless to introduce you all to Clockwork, since he knows almost everything." Clockwork started to laugh and nod. "So why are you all here?"
"Tomorrow is a weekend day so we don't have to go to school." Dani said. "I want to see you kick some butt in your fighting thingy." Dani was pretty distracted looking around at her surroundings. "So this is the magical castle? I thought it would be cooler. Grandpa's tower is scarier." Dani then jumped up on Danny's back and started saying. "Danny, Danny, Danny, can you show me the place with all the owls. Please, oh please, I promise I will be good."
"Alright, alright, I will take you. Jazz will you be ok here?" Danny asked is sister.
"Don't worry about me, I will just be here telling everyone embarrassing stories about your childhood." Jazz said with a devilish grin. Danny didn't even hear her over the pestering of his daughter.
"Alright Dani we are going." Danny grabbed his staff and they shot up through the roof of the Great Hall on the way to the Owlry with Dani holding onto his hair and shouting 'WWEEEE!' all the way up. Leaving Jazz and Clockwork with the shocked schoolmates.
"I will go and talk to the Headmaster about rooming for the night and where we will watch the match tomorrow." Clockwork said before leaving Jazz who took the empty spot left by her brother.
"So how has Danny been doing? I talk to him almost every night, but when there is nothing but funny stories and good news you start to wonder if they are telling you everything." Jazz said.
"You don't need to worry about your brother; he is pretty tough and knows how to take care of himself. Heck he spends half his time fixing other people's problems." Neville told her.
"I long since gave up on worrying whether or not Danny was physically safe." Jazz said waving a hand off shocking the people around her. "Danny could take on five dragons without his staff and blindfolded without too much trouble. I want to know if he is mentally ok. He has been through a lot for someone his age, even if he tries not to show it."
"I can tell. He has eyes you would expect to see in a long time war veteran. But his smile makes you feel like the world has no problems in it." Viktor said thoughtfully. "Even with all of his hints about his past, I can't even begin to imagine what would have to happen to someone in order to be like him."
"I know what you mean," Fred said trying to get Jazz's attention. "He is more confident than anyone I have ever met. He never once backed down from a challenge or from a threat of punishment. I doubt anything scares him."
"It is usually hard for use to remember that his is just a kid. I always feel like I am taking to my fun old Grandfather when he is around." Gorge said.
"He wasn't like that until he left our home town." Jazz said with a sad smile. "He was always scared and never stood up for himself whenever picked on in school. No one could really hurt him, but still I worry about what those dark times will mean for him later in his life. I just hope there is something to that suffering building character and not breaking it." This was a shock to everyone. The Great Danny Clockwork being a scared child was as outlandish of an idea as putting tutus on trolls.
"So Danny was a weakling until just four months ago?" Lee asked.
"Oh no, Danny has been able to beat anyone in a fight for longer than that. He was just always scared to fight in front of everyone. He didn't want Jack and Maddie to find out about what he could do." Jazz clarified and it was true, even without his powers, Danny was a force beyond what most people could handle. He once feared that if he let Jack and Maddie know about his combat skills even without his powers that they would make him hunt and end ghosts with them.
Jazz continued to talk to Danny's friends for over an hour. Then Danny and Dani got back from wherever they had gone off to. "I see you have gotten back from playing tag on the moon." Jazz joked.
"No." Dani said giggling, "We were playing catch on Mars." Only Jazz realized that the girl was serious. Her Dad had taken her through the Ghost Zone all the way to Mars. "I thought that earth was suppose to look pretty from up there but it was too far away to see very well. It was only this big." Dani put two of her fingers together to emphasize just how small it looked. The effect was adorable and most of the nearby girls giggled and 'ah'ed. Dani's short attention span kicked in and she started to ask question again. "So all these people are witches and lizards?" Danny laughed but didn't correct her about being 'wizards' not 'lizards'.
"Yes, Dani." He told here. "All of them can do magic to."
"Can I do magic, can I Danny, can you teach me?" Dani was bouncing up and down again. Other then Ginny, who knew about Dani's real organs, Danny's friends looked about. The girl was from a muggle family so probably a muggle. No matter how hard she tried a muggle could never learn magic. On top of that people traditionally didn't learn magic until they turned eleven.
"I don't see why not." Danny said tossing Dani his staff. All of the boys were astonished when she caught it in her left hand and spun it around her back and throw it over her right shoulder before grabbing the spinning staff in her right hand. Danny and Dani just laugh at everyone's faces while Jazz just chuckled. "First let's start out with an easy spell to test your magic. Dani can you say Lumos?"
"Lumos!" Dani practically shouted. A ball of white little formed around the end of Danny's staff at the girl's words. "I did it, I did it Danny!" Dani was bouncing up and down in joy. Everyone watching's jaws dropped.
"So Dani is a Witch, but I thought that your adoptive family were muggles." Viktor said confused.
"But little Dani, was adapted to." Jazz said. "Do you think that we really named a second kid Danny? She came with the name. Though the whole thing was always kind of cute. Especially with how much they look alike."
"Hey Viktor, I am sorry about what this is going to do to your pride, but I just can't resist." Danny said to the astonishment of Viktor Danny continued. "Dani, I want you to do something that I am pretty well know for at this school, do you think you can do it?" Danny asked the little girl. Dani nodded enthusiastically while bouncing up and down. "I want you to think about a calm idea or memory that gives you a strong feeling and concentrate on it and imagine you are pushing that feeling into the staff. Do you think you can do that Dani?"
Dani looked at her Dad and nodded. She did as he said and concentrate on the feeling she got the first time Danny had called her his daughter. Soon Danny's staff was glowing a bright green color. Everyone in the Great Hall was shocked at this; there we rumors about how hard it was for an experienced wizard like Viktor Krum to call up a few wisps from a container of ectoplasm with days of practice. But here was a six year old girl with no training pulling it off. "Is this supposed to happen?" Dani asked Viktor was shocked that she had diverted her attention from the feeling without losing all of the ectoplasm.
"Yes that is perfect Dani, now for the next step. I want you to repeat after me. Wolra Smenra Spiritus Un Magikus and then give the staff a little wave." Danny instructed.
"Wolra Smenra… Spiritus Un… Magikus." Dani said with a little trouble pronouncing the words and her waving of the staff was a little unaligned. Everyone thought that nothing was going to happen because of the clear mistakes that she made in the casting and her lack of knowledge about the spell. So it was a shock to everyone when a ball of green light came out of the end of the staff and formed itself into a small otter. "Wow! Danny this feels so cool. I can see out of the otter's eyes. Whoops!" a disoriented Dani fell down on her bottom and started to laugh will the otter went and ran into things.
"Don't worry Dani it just takes some getting used to it." Danny said with a smile. A second later the Otter faded out of existence. "You did really well Dani, my first time didn't turn out half that well. I think that you will be even better than me once you grow up."
"Huh, really!" Dani shouted and was bouncing up and down. Danny nodded and took back his staff.
"We will need to get you your own wand though. And I don't think you are suppose to start magic until you turn eleven. But then again, Clockwork knows that I was never one to listen to guild lines." Danny said with a smile will rolling his eyes.
"I can't figure out who I feel about this." Viktor started a small smile on his face. "Shocked that she succeed, embarrassed that she surpassed me in a few minutes were I took weeks, curious as to how she was able to do it that well or scared that there is more than one Danny in the world."
"I am going with the last one mate." Fred said as the little girl started to yawn.
"I always thought that Danny was one of a kind, but here is a younger girl version of him right in front of us." Gorge said. Even in her sleepy state Dani still stuck her chest out with pride.
"She is a 'Minion Mad Hatter'." Lee said.
This caught Dani's attention. "Why do they call you a 'Mad Hatter'? You're not angry… or in a hat." Dani asked her dad who smiled.
"In England 'mad' means crazy or silly. And they call me the 'Mad Hatter' because of a movie called 'Alice in Wonderland'. And that movie is about a normal little girl that follows a rabbit down a magic hole and finds herself in another world where everyone and everything is completely insane. And two of the characters in the movie were people that sat around all day laughing and making silly jokes will drinking tea, and they were the 'Mad Hatter' and the 'March Hare'." Danny said with a smile.
"We are just pretending that the Ghost Zone is Wonderland."
"Oh, can I watch that movie with you?" Dani asked.
"I don't think you should, it would probably give you nightmares." Danny said.
"No it wouldn't I am a brave girl." Dani said before crossing her arms.
"Danny it has nothing to do with bravery. When you are watching a movie you can't fight the bad guys on the screen. In that way it is a lot scarier than any real bad guy." Danny tried to reason with the little girl. Lucky she excepted the answer. She yawned again and louder this time.
"It sounds like it is someone's bed time." It was Clockwork. "I have arranged for some guest rooms for the night and we will be in the front row to watch the task tomorrow morning. And Danny good job teaching a five year old girl about the dangerous and forgotten arts of 'Spirit Weaving'."
"Thanks Dad." Danny said with ignoring the sarcasm, he bent over and picked up the sleepy little girl. "Can you take us to the room, we better get her some sleep if we want her awake tomorrow morning."
Danny and Jazz followed Clockwork out into the halls leaving a large number of people behind in the Great Hall to make a new and maybe even greater legend about Dani the little sister of Danny 'Potter' Clockwork.
Danny reached the room and had placed a sleepy Dani down to sleep. "Daddy, can you tell me a bed time story?" Dani asked, "Pretty please, just one." She started to pout even before Danny had time to respond.
"Alright Dani, I am going to tell you the story about how Sam and Queen Dora met and saved Aragon." Danny had told Dani the story before but it was her favorite. Mostly because it was the one that had the happiest ending, everyone was set free from a tyrant. Unlike most of Danny's other stories that mostly ended up with things being the same as they were at the beginning of the tale. By the time Danny was done with the story, he's daughter was fast asleep. "… and he ran the entire sector of the ghost zone our of whiskey, the end. Sleep tight Dani." Danny said kissing her on the forehead before phasing out the door. Danny went to his spot on the roof and slept soundly, fully confident of his chances in the next day's events.
Elsewhere in the castle a shadowed figure talked into a crystal ball. "It seems that you are right, and that there was nothing special about the second Potter boy. A five year old girl used his staff and produced similar magic to his on her first try. The staff was indeed the source of the boy's power."
"Good my servant. It is just as suspected. We will steal his staff soon and use it for our own, but for now our main objective must remain as getting the older Potter child ready for the ceremony."
"As you wish my master." The shadow said before covering the ball in a cloth and shifting way.
This chapter took 1 hour 11 minutes 41 seconds
Oh god, I actually read over this one without changing anything just to see how bad my grammar was. Man is it bad.