Note: A lot of you offered suggestions and help, to which, again, THANK YOU! As I have already mentioned, me and Harry aren't on the same wavelength. I just don't like writing him, end of story. I even spelt Alohamora wrong (and currently still am).
But, alas, I will trudge through and hope it gets better (ItTicklesLikeCrazy).
To anyone who gave ideas, thanks! I can't say I'll use them, because I already know how I want everything to play out and have plenty of ideas on my own, but your ideas make me think and help inspire other ideas for the plot. Thank you :).
(Also, if I responded to your review twice/not at all…I am sorry. I'm getting a lot of things mixed up and my computer acts up sometimes…i.e. it says I sent something but then it didn't or it goes to the wrong person…bad combination. This is why I despise technology, lol)
So, Danny might come off as being OOC in this chapter. To anyone who might think this, keep in mind that he is older now. With age comes experience, and with experience comes character development. He'll always be clumsy and shy and whatnot, but he isn't stupid. And, most certainly, after being bullied for years, he's done taking everyone's crap.
Plus, well, I have the creative license to develop him this way, and that's how it is. LOL. Perks of being the author.
ALSO
I OFFICIALLY HAVE A BETA READER
To those who offered: thank you, but alas I have found one :). Her name is Laura (penname: Lectori Salutem) and she is a wonderful human being who you can thank for helping me edit/post this and all future chapters :D. A shoutout to her for not just being a beta reader, but also a fun friend to talk to ^_^.
Chapter 3: Changing Impressions
From the start, everyone knew Dumbledore was, for lack of a better word, eccentric. There was that little twinkle in his eyes that unnerved all of those who saw it, and the all-knowing, too-kind smile that made one feel as if he knew more than he let on. Wizards could say all they liked about how much of a crazy lunatic he was; but, in the end, the weirdness and oddities were all just a cover-up. Something to distract others from the true motives he held up his purple-robed sleeve.
When Harry walked into Professor Fenton's room for the first time, he could tell there was something more to Dumbledore's random hiring of an American Ghost-hunting professor.
Living with the Dursleys and being forced to watch Dudley's favorite science-fiction shows, Harry had been exposed to his fair share of laboratories. From Star Trek to Doctor Who—he'd seen it all.
But this, this was something on a whole new level.
He had tried to contain his emotions, but the second he stepped foot into the laboratory, his jaw dropped. It was huge. Huge, spacious, and completely metal. The walls and floors must have been made from the same material as the door—they, too, had animated green lines travelling around the room in odd twists and patterns.
To top it all off, the entire lab was stocked with technology. Not just typical muggle technology either—highly-developed machinery that Harry had only saw or heard of in fictional movies and book. Lasers lined up on the side, a giant flat-screen tv in the corner, a projector hanging from the ceiling, microscopes and labeled glass beakers filled with unknown chemicals—it was like muggle chemistry, just far more advanced.
How the technology was up and functioning, Harry had no clue. It had shocked him at first to see the door, but this whole room was just way too much. Magic was supposed to interfere with technology—to render it useless. Yet, here he was, standing in the most technology-decked-out room he'd ever laid eyes on. If this was how he, a muggle-raised wizard, was feeling, he could only imagine how everyone else felt.
The American's voice brought Harry out of his stupor. "Guys, as awesome as I know my classroom is, I would kind of appreciate it if you sat down at your desks."
He mustn't have been the only one shocked into awe, judging by the blushes on all the others' faces. Immediately, the Slytherins and Gryffindors parted, one group headed towards the left side of the room, and the other to the right side. The professor observed with pursed lips as they wandered to their desks, but said nothing else.
Once everyone was situated, he clapped his hands. "All right. So. I have a feeling most of you aren't used to this."
Harry glanced to his left, noting Ron's dumbfounded stare. Though, for once, he wasn't alone.
"And that's perfectly okay. I understand that magical folks such as yourselves aren't accustomed to this technology. If it makes you guys feel any better, muggles aren't either. The room you're in right now is a one-of-a-kind, super-advanced laboratory, one that not many people know about."
Impressed glances were shared throughout the class, although Malfoy, who was a couple seats across from Harry, bore an exasperated look.
"Well, first thing's first. The name's, as I told you at the feast, Daniel Fenton. I know proper etiquette calls for you to address me as Professor Fenton."
He frowned at the end of his sentence, waited a moment, and continued, "Thing is, I'm not so big on the formal stuff. It's just, I dunno, weird. It reminds me of my high school English teacher, so, er, just stick to calling me Danny, okay?"
As he scanned the class, no one said anything. Aside from a few background whirring noises (most likely from the machines), it was completely silent, and the atmosphere got slightly uncomfortable.
He continued, "I guess I'll tell you guys a little bit about myself. For starters…I am not a teenager."
His tone had gone from light and nervous to bold and serious instantly. His eyes stared sternly into everyone else's, making some students avoid eye contact and fidget. The sudden change shocked Harry. From what he gathered at the feast, this professor was of the clumsy sort—gawky and socially awkward. He stuttered most of the time, and almost reminded Harry of Professor Quirrell in the beginning of his first year.
Somehow, in a few seconds, Danny did a complete 360 in attitude—completely crumbling everything Harry thought he knew about him.
"Despite what you guys may think," he said, a tinge of annoyance in his tone, "I'm actually 22. Yes, I know, I have a baby face that old ladies feel inclined to pinch from time-to-time—but if there is one thing I demand in this classroom, it is your utmost respect. Think you can give me that?"
Hesitantly, a couple of people, Harry included, nodded.
At that response, the dark, cold demeanor was gone and he reverted back to his earlier behavior. "Great! Sorry for the scary face, but, well, I take my profession very seriously. After a long history of disrespect in my past, I refuse to deal with it anymore. I am your professor, and you are my students. Capisce?"
When no one answered, he asked again, pointedly this time, "Capisce?"
Neville raised his hand. Enthusiastically, he called out, "You, what's up?"
"Prof—I mean, er, Danny—what, exactly is 'Ka-peesh'?"
He stared dumbly at Neville for a moment before smacking his forehead. "Oh, right. British, yeah. Um, it means 'understood'. Sorry, it's American slang."
Seeing the confused looks on everyone's face, he diverted the topic, "Moving on! So, in this course, you're going to be doing more than learning. You're also going to be preparing. Preparing for what, you may ask?" His expression turned somber. "You will be preparing for an invasion. An invasion of ghosts."
Half the class snickered, most of it coming from the Slytherin side. Malfoy was the loudest, not even bothering to hide his condescending bemusement. Harry had almost let out a chuckle, but the glower in Danny's eyes intimidated him into silence.
"I'm aware that most of you think this a joke because, well, ghosts. Ghosts can't even harm us, right?"
Though Harry found truth in the statement, there was something about the all-too-pleasant tone the professor was using that made him think otherwise.
Making eye contact with every kid in the room, he stated, "That assumption is, unfortunately, wrong. You see, wizarding ghosts are harmless, yes."
He paused, seeming to calculate everyone's reactions. "Muggle ghosts, on the other hand, are a completely different story."
There were sharp intakes of breath all around, some looking stunned and others looking suspicious. Harry himself didn't know what to feel; yes, muggles died too and most likely went to the same afterlife as wizards, but he hadn't ever thought about it, much less deemed it significant enough to ponder.
Danny sighed, though afterwards straightened up in a business-like manner. "I know it's a little hard to believe, but there are other things out there that aren't related to magic. Things that go bump in the night and can be just as powerful, if not more, as a trained wizard with a wand. In this class, you will learn how to fight off these beings. You will learn what they are and how they function."
Again, he paused for a moment. He met the eyes of every student in the room, wearing a grave expression. Harry hadn't completely believed him at first, but seeing him in this state lessened some of his doubt.
"I know this is difficult to understand, especially to believe," he said with an empathetic voice, "but trust me, I've seen it. My parents, at the moment, have an inter-dimensional portal in their basement, that leads to an endless universe we call the Ghost Zone. They've been hunting and studying ghosts for years, thus the reason I'm involved in the profession today. You may not take me seriously now…"
He trailed off, staring at a couple of Slytherins in particular.
"….but…" he picked up, "You will. By the end of this course, everything you think you know about the world will change. That, I can promise you."
He attempted to smile at the class, but in the end it just turned into an awkward grimace.
"Jeez," he commented lightly, "You guys are staring at me like I just told you your pet cat just died."
Everyone was holding their breaths, watching him apprehensively. Even Harry was unsure how to act around him— to Harry, Danny seemed somewhat bipolar: easy-going one minute, rigid the next. He wanted to be able to rely on this professor, to maybe even consider him trustworthy as he did McGonagall and Dumbledore, but he wasn't certain that Danny was reliable. Perhaps, in the near future, he would know after he got acquainted better and discussed Danny with Dumbledore. But, not now. Not yet.
The professor sighed and walked over to a discrete metal door on one of the side walls. He placed his hand on the handle, about to open it, but stopped himself in favor of surveying the class behind him.
"This is the part where you can either choose to sit at your desks all day thinking I'm a psychopath, or put a little bit of faith in me and learn something that you actually might find really cool.
"I mean, I'd personally take the initiative to follow but, your decision." He shrugged, before opening the door and entering the neighboring room. Instead of allowing the door to close behind him, he left it open a tiny crack.
It was quiet in the class, the students looking around at each other as if waiting for someone to make the brave decision to go. Harry overheard Dean and Seamus behind him bickering in hushed voices about going; Dean wanted to go check it out, Seamus argued they should just leave the class.
"Can I just say…" Ron began quietly to Harry and Hermione, "That this bloke officially beats Dumbledore in the strange department."
Hermione asked curiously, "You don't like him?"
"Like him?" Ron scoffed. "Are you serious? Man's a nutter if I've ever seen one. Talking about dimensions and muggle ghosts and whatever conspiracy he can come up with."
There was a few seconds of silence before Hermione slowly replied, "To be honest…I kind of like him."
"Of course you do, you always have a crush on the young male professors," Ron pointed out. Wrong thing to say, for Hermione stood up rapidly in her seat and, on the way to following the professor into the other room, jabbed Ron in the head with her elbow.
"Bloody—" Ron swore, glaring after her and ignoring the giggles of the Patil twins and Lavender Brown sitting at neighboring desks. "What in the name of Merlin was that for?"
Harry sniggered, "Probably for 'having the emotional range of a teaspoon'."
Ron groaned, "We should probably follow her, shouldn't we?"
"Probably."
They simultaneously rose from their seats, the action encouraging a couple more students to join them. Walking across the classroom, towards the right end, Harry noticed Malfoy and his two goons, Crabbe and Goyle, grudgingly get up. They could complain all they wanted about this class, but they had to have at least been curious.
That was the only reason Harry hadn't up-and-left, after all. Of course, there was also the fact that this was a class and could directly affect his grades and, thus, his future; but, still, despite how insane Danny sounded, intuition was telling Harry to listen.
He might as well give the professor a chance. He had figured Dumbledore to be crazy, after all, until he realized how witty and intelligent the man could be. Perhaps Danny was a similar case.
When Harry entered through the partly-opened door, everything that he had thought was incredible before suddenly dimmed in comparison.
Sure, the fancy-schmancy technology in the classroom was pretty cool. But the weapons and—are those BAZOOKAS?—scattered throughout the armory was absolutely—
"Wicked," Ron whispered, eyes darting back-and-forth between all the various guns and inventions.
Yeah, except, even 'wicked' couldn't possibly describe how articulate, and dangerous, the guns looked. Guns normally weren't much of a concern in the wizarding world, but he had a feeling these guns, in particular, functioned differently. They, too, were decorated in the same green lines that had been all over the laboratory. If the door could function regardless of the castles' magic, most likely these weapons could operate as well.
The rest of the students filed in, all of them ogling over the weapons and roaming their eyes everywhere they could. Even the Slytherins look fairly impressed, which was quite a feat given that their beloved leader, Draco Malfoy, was rolling his eyes at everything and trying to get his house to follow along with him.
Further across the room, Danny stood, watching everyone's reactions with a tiny smile.
Once everyone was situated and the loud talking died down to soft whispering, Danny said, "This stuff may amaze you now, but by the end of the year you'll be unimpressed with how simple these weapons actually are."
Chuckling at some of the scared faces (particularly one Neville Longbottom) he comforted, "Don't worry! It's really not that dangerous. Thing is, though this stuff may be lethal to a ghost, it's completely harmless to humans."
A couple of students sighed in relief, Harry included . There was just something ominous about guns. Wands could kill just as easily, yes, but guns were much more brutal. More violent, more painful, more grimy. If Harry could choose, he'd rather a spell knock him out than a bullet traveling 176 mph through his heart.
"Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your perspective, we won't be learning how to use these just yet. You need to understand the basis of them first. You see, everything in this course comes down to ectoplasm. Ghosts are made of ectoplasm. Powers are generated by ectoplasm. These weapons were created using—shocker—ectoplasm!"
Ecto-what?
Blaise Zabini, voicing everyone's thoughts, inquired suspiciously, "And what, exactly, is this 'ectoplasm'?"
Danny paused, frowning in thought. "Hm. Can't really explain it now, but you'll know what it is by the end of next lecture."
The whispers had started up again. Pansy Parkinson, in her scratchy, whiny voice, complained about how absolutely absurd this whole course was to Draco and the other Slytherins. Hermione and Neville meanwhile marveled at the new, albeit unusual, material—and judging from the interested faces of those such as Dean and Seamus, they weren't alone.
Of course, there was also Lavender and the Patil twins comparing the crazy professor to "crazy Harry", but Harry had decided to neglect their comments and pretend as if he couldn't hear them.
"I'm sorry for all this new information," the professor apologized, cutting across the whispers and halting them immediately, "It's a lot to take in; trust me, I know. In the long run, though, it'll work to benefit you."
Hearing the severity in the professor's tone threw Harry off. At first, he considered the man crazy. But the more he spoke, the more genuine and, well, normal he seemed.
That is, 'normal' by wizarding standards anyway.
Granted there was this entire laboratory that more or less freaked Harry out, but other than that…Danny wasn't so bad.
Ending the lesson, the professor concluded, "Thank you for bearing with my tardiness and lecture. Unfortunately, today will be cut very short, seeing as there is not much you can learn just yet. For now, I just want you to write a four-page essay on everything and anything you know about ghosts and any spectral being. Could be a well-known myth or general fact, any information is good information."
Half the students lightly sputtered, about to raise inquiries, when the professor held his hand up.
"Many of you probably have questions, but I assure you they'll be answered in due time. On that note, enjoy the rest of your first day!"
He cheerily ushered them out of the room, waving off "but you can't do that!"s and "you can't leave us hanging!"s. Harry got the impression this was his goal all along: to stir up curiosity. Which, in retrospect, he certainly had.
By the time the last student, Lavender, exited through the giant metal door, it slammed shut in the rest of the wizards' faces—leaving confused students on one side and the mysterious professor on the other.
I probably could have spent more effort in fixing this up but…*shrugs* too lazy and too little time.
Sorry for the much longer wait than before! If I had this posted as soon as it was written, it would ruin my "flow" so to speak. I know that if I continuously post every day, I'll eventually hit some sort of hiatus and it'll take me forever to get through it. Plus, I need extra time to have it beta-ed and edited. So, one chapter a month helps regulate myself. That way, even if I'm finished with a chapter, I can work on the next one, and so on and so forth.
Speaking of, I can't wait to have the next few chapters up. I'm on the fifth chapter now and things are…well…getting interesting ;). Hint: it involves Umbridge.
Also, I should probably mention that I'm trying to stick to the canon as much as possible, so any requests for weird pairings—sorry, it's not my thing. I'm not much of a romantic anyway, so romance isn't the focus of this story (but I'll probably throw some lovey-dovey fluff in here every now and then).
Until next time!
~Amanda
P.S. IMPORTANT PLEASE READ AS THIS IS AN ADDRESS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Sorry for making this author's note longer but, in regards to how this AU universe works…
I've decided to change the years HP takes place in to fit in with the DP timeline. If I follow the DP timeline and add in the amount of years Danny has aged, this would make the setting take place in about 2013/2014 (so, right now :D). Honestly, they're really not that far apart so it won't have much of an effect anyway. But I'm just doing this so it makes sense and to answer any questions.
Keep in mind, this DOES take place in the future (for DP anyway). So, Danny IS older, and for all you know he could be married and have kids and certain people could know his secret (not that this is definitely the case, but just as a hypothetical example)…I know many of you are curious as to Danny's situation at home and how he came to Hogwarts but, again, you'll know in due time. It's not that I'm trying to keep anything a secret; it's just that I'd rather let out certain details in moderation so I don't spend an entire chapter on straight up filler information.