Disclaimer: I do not own either Danny Phantom or Harry Potter.

Chapter 7

After Flooing back to the Three Broomsticks, Vlad was ready to shoulder the bundle for the long haul. Hagrid stopped him. "Gimme a minute." He threw some more powder in the fireplace and announced, "I'd like to talk to Professor Dumbledore."

Seconds later, much to Danny and Vlad's surprise, Professor Dumbledore's face appeared in the fire. "Hagrid! You're back from London, I see."

"Yup. They've got the whole gamut o' supplies, plus summat extra."

"Very good," Dumbledore said brightly. "Tell them to check their things with Rosmerta. Transportation of it will be taken care of." With that, the professor's head disappeared from the fire.

Vlad looked on warily. "I demand to know what's going on here!"

Hagrid sighed. There was nothing to be done about the professor with the short fuse but to explain. In truth, Professor Masters has had a difficult couple of days. Viewing the communication via Floo powder seemed to be one surprise too many for the irate man.

"Professor, Floo powder has many uses, for them that can use it. We've used it to get from place to place. Another use is long distance communication. It's kinda like…" He muttered, "Bin too many years since I took Muggle Studies." Turning back to Vlad, "I think you call it a 'phone'."

Danny was surprised that Hagrid didn't seem familiar with the concept of a telephone, but reconsidered. If wizards had different ways and means, it was just another culture clash. He decided to smile in congratulations at Hagrid for coming up with the right word. He nodded.

Hagrid smiled. "And like the students and professors who come to Hogwarts on the Hogwarts Express, you won't have to worry about takin' yer things up to the school. A house-elf or two," he paused to look at Vlad's net, "or a few will bring yer stuff to your rooms."

Danny took a moment to absorb this. Vlad cooled down a little, but he was still not thrilled with yet another unfamiliar experience. "And what, pray tell, are house-elves?"

"They're creatures who work at the school. Actually, they also work for some of the wealthier Wizarding families, as well. And unlike wizards, they can Apparate and Disapparate to, from, and within Hogwarts, proper."

Vlad closed his eyes and put a hand on his forehead. "What is this 'Apparating' business? I believe Professor Dumbledore mentioned something about that yesterday."

Hagrid thought about how to describe this. "It would look like simply appearing from thin air, with a loud pop."

Vlad stared at Hagrid and furrowed his brow. "I do that when I teleport."

"But wizards can't Apparate on Hogwarts grounds," Hagrid protested.

Vlad rolled his eyes. "In case you've forgotten, we're not wizards, but we are ghosts. And I don't see why I couldn't teleport to my room directly, now that I know where it is."

Hagrid thought about this. "You could try. But the Ministry doesn't know. Ya could splinch yerself."

Vlad rolled his eyes yet again. "I don't want to know what that is." He repositioned the net to be more comfortable. "I'll meet you back at the castle. Ta!" He grabbed Danny's shoulder and disappeared, reappearing in his own room, as expected.

Hagrid, left standing by the fireplace in the Three Broomsticks, couldn't believe what he saw. The Muggle Disapparated, and silently. He shook his head in wonderment. "There's only one way to find out if it worked out alright for them," he said to himself, and started on his way back to the castle.

Reappearing in his room, Vlad released Danny and put the net on the floor. "I don't know what that oaf was making a fuss about. And this is one skill we will work on, starting this evening."

Danny took a second to get his bearings. The room was large, and curtains of dark blue and bronze hid a four-poster bed. He spun around to face his newly acquired guardian.

"That wasn't nice, Vlad. Hagrid's been helping us all day!"

Vlad looked at Danny, raising his eyebrows. "No, I suppose it wasn't. But I won't be told what I can and can't do. Further, he was annoying. If he was worried that the trip wouldn't be safe, I saw no need to take him with us." Morph jumped from Danny's hands so that he could cross his arms, and Danny frowned. "Look, Daniel. I may be your guardian, and now I'm a teacher at this school, but I still am me. I haven't changed. And I don't expect you to, either. Once you've gotten over the immediate trauma of, well, everything that's happened the last couple of days, you should be coming back to yourself."

Danny was about to respond when both his and Vlad's ghost senses went off. "What now?" Vlad asked irritably. When no ghost appeared and no knock came at the door, he rolled his eyes yet again. "Who is it?"

A gentle voice called, "It's the Grey Lady. May I come in?"

Vlad sighed. "Yes. Come in." She phased through the door.

"If you've gotten settled, the other House Ghosts and I would like to take Danny on a tour of Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall should be along shortly to take you on something similar." She noticed Vlad starting to object and she continued, "There's no need to worry about unpacking. The house-elves will take care of it for you both."

Vlad furrowed his brows and decided to worry about house-elves later. "That's fine, I suppose. What do you say, Daniel?"

Danny was shocked. Vlad has asked him his thoughts on the matter. This was the third time today that Vlad hinted that what Danny thought actually counted. It was a shock because on previous occasions, Vlad made it clear that he honestly didn't care what Danny thought, usually dismissing Danny's thoughts and/or feelings with contempt.

He noticed the other two ghosts looking at him, waiting for an answer. "Uh, sure. I'd like to go." The Grey Lady smiled and Vlad looked like he missed Danny already. Danny gave the man a half-smile. "I'll see you at dinner, Uncle Vlad." Vlad smiled as Danny opened the door, and he and the Grey Lady took off.

The Grey Lady brought Danny to the Entrance Hall to meet the other House Ghosts. All four ghosts smiled proudly, but Sir Nicholas actually spoke. "We have all heard a great deal about you, and we've been looking forward to the moment when we, the House Ghosts of Hogwarts, could actually give a tour – and otherwise spend time – with the great Danny Phantom."

Danny blushed. "I'm glad to oblige," he said awkwardly.

Sir Nicholas continued. "You will find that among the ghosts at Hogwarts, you will find as much excitement at your presence as the living students and professors have for Harry Potter."

Danny cocked his head to one side. "Who is Harry Potter? Professor Hagrid mentioned him, but I have no idea who he is."

"He is the only person to have faced a Killing Curse and lived. Well, before you, but you were already a half-ghost when you were hit with it. Also, when Harry was hit with it, the Curse backfired and put You-Know-Who out of commission for about ten years. Because of the fact that he lived to tell the tale, and it was accompanied by You-Know-Who's defeat, Harry is celebrated as 'The Boy Who Lived.' He is quite famous among wizards, but he eschews fame much the way you do.

"There is no ghost extant who hasn't heard of how you protected Amity Park from villainous ghosts, and your defeat of Pariah Dark is legendary. There are ghosts capable of physical manipulation who have built shrines to you and your great heroism."

Before Danny could respond to this, a crash sounded on the floor above them, followed by a voice yelling in anger. Another ghost phased through the ceiling headfirst. "Except him," Sir Nicholas added quickly.

This new ghost was a little man, who appeared to be more solid than the others whom Danny met here, with wicked dark eyes and a wide mouth. He hung head down, peering at the others, and caught sight of Danny. "Ooooh, an ickle student! What's he doing here so early? Done something wrong, have you? Need extra tutoring, do you? Not doing your homework? A wee student beastie just ripe for the teasing!"

The House Ghosts looked at the Bloody Baron, who in turn looked at Danny. He was curious to see what the powerful half-ghost would do when faced with this nuisance of a poltergeist.

Danny raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Who are you?"

The little man righted himself in shock. The Bloody Baron answered for him. "That is Peeves the Poltergeist. He usually wreaks havoc among the students, professors, and anywhere else he can. Unless I'm around."

"Just having a little fun, Your Bloodiness. A student in school in July? I think it's time to cool him off!" He pulled out a water-balloon from somewhere in his clothes and dropped it on Danny's head, soaking him. Danny looked askance, turned intangible to let the water fall to the floor, and blasted Peeves with a small ectoblast from an index finger.

Peeves yelped in pain. "How'd you do that?"

"Ah, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Danny Phantom," he said, turning ghost.

Peeve's eyes widened. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Phantom. I didn't know it was you. Forgive Peevsie his little joke. It'll never happen again, Mr. Phantom. I promise."

Danny chuckled, as the other ghosts grinned. "It's okay. I don't mind you calling me 'Phantom' around the ghosts, but around the students, professors, and other staff, you should call me Danny Fenton."

"Of course, Mr. Fenton. Anything you say, Mr. Fenton. Whatever you want, Mr. Fenton. I'll just be on my way."

"Oh, and Peeves?" Danny said.

"Yes, Mr. Fenton?"

"My uncle, Professor Masters, is also a half-ghost. You may know him as Vlad Plasmius." The already obsequious ghost started to tremble. "He's not as nice as I am."

"Right you are, Mr. Fenton. Stay away from Professor Masters I will, Mr. Fenton. I'll just go now, shall I?" And without waiting for an answer, Peeves zoomed out of sight.

The Fat Friar looked at Danny, concerned. "I didn't realize that Plasmius was your uncle."

Danny gave an unsettled smile. "He didn't start that way. He was good friends with my parents in college. After the accident that turned him half-ghost, he had a vendetta against my father, who was completely unaware of Vlad's anger. From the time we discovered each other, Vlad and I had declared ourselves to be arch-enemies." There was a round of nods as the more familiar situation was explained. "Even so, once he discovered that I was a half-ghost, Vlad wanted to adopt me. And once… Amity Park… the Death Eaters killed…" Danny stammered, eyes glistening.

The other ghosts looked on in sympathy as the Grey Lady stepped forward and gave him a hug. "It's alright to cry, dear. Not to worry." Danny allowed himself to cry in the embrace of the Grey Lady for a few moments.

When he was more settled, he dried his eyes and continued, "Once it happened, I didn't know what to do, or where to go. But Vlad did want to adopt me, and as I figured it was a place to go… And I figured that it was only right to call him 'uncle.' He seemed to like that when we called him that sincerely. And so I do… when I remember."

After a respectful pause, Sir Nicholas asked, "So Danny, where would you like to go first?"

Without hesitation, Danny said, "The Astronomy Tower."

Sir Nicholas murmured with a smile, "I thought as much." To Danny, he said, "Come this way." Sir Nicholas led the group through the ceiling and down the hall, and through the stairs until they got to the top of the Astronomy Tower. "On a clear night, you can see countless stars. In Astronomy class, you'll have to fill out star charts and…"

"This is farther North than Amity Park, so the stars should only be a little different, but not by much. Can you see the Aurora Borealis from here?"

"Sometimes. You can come up here some night and see what you can."

"I intend to." Danny smirked. "Even on a night that ISN'T Wednesday."

Sir Nicholas continued, "A little closer to home… If you look to your left, you'll see the Quiddich pitch."

Danny cocked his head. "What is Quiddich?"

"Ah," sighed Sir Nicholas, "it is a wizard's game. It's hundreds of years old, and the students here take game play as seriously as… Muggles take football. Almost any student here will be more than willing to fill your ears with as much detail as you care to hear. It is where you get to see the school rivalries play out the most."

"School rivalries?" Great, Danny thought. I've just shown up, and I need to learn about the jocks.

"Well, there is the ongoing lighthearted rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin," Sir Nicholas supplied.

The Fat Friar raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Lighthearted?"

The Bloody Baron and Sir Nicholas looked at each other and raised their hands in surrender. "It's not our fault that some students take it farther than necessary." Danny grinned.

"If you look straight ahead, you will see the greenhouses for Herbology." With a pang, Danny thought of Sam. She would appreciate this course, no matter how weird the plants turned out to be.

"And if you look to your right, there is Hagrid's cabin. Besides the professor of Care of Magical Creatures, he's the keeper of the grounds and keys. He tends the animals, and other random tasks Professor Dumbledore needs done." Danny nodded, and Sir Nicholas pointed beyond that. "And beyond his cabin is the Forbidden Forest. Students are forbidden from going there, as you might suspect."

"What lives in there?" Danny asked.

Sir Nicholas answered. "There are Acromantulas – giant spiders – unicorns, centaurs, and more recently, Hagrid's giant half-brother Grawp."

"Is there something that could hurt ghosts?"

Sir Nicholas thought for a moment. "Not that I'm aware of… wait a minute!"

The Bloody Baron smiled. "Now, you're thinking like a Slytherin! If you like, I'll take you some time next week. But you might be able to go on your own, invisible. Once you know where all the dangers are, you'll be able to figure out on your own where intangibility would be most useful. But I dare say that a boy of your talent and skill wouldn't need a guide. Come to think of it, by the time we take our tour next week, you should show me the sights. But we'll just keep this amongst the ghosts, or you might actually get in trouble."

"Baron!" Sir Nicholas exclaimed. Danny snickered. Sir Nicholas looked hurt.

"If it makes you feel better, Sir Nicholas, I can keep track of what I see so that we'll be able to keep the other students safe."

Sir Nicholas grimaced, displeased at the flagrant rule breaking discussed, but vaguely mollified by Danny's reassurance. He sighed. "Very well. There's nothing I could do to stop you, anyway…"

The Bloody Baron looked like he'd won something. Danny thought a change of topics was in order. "Where to, next?"

Sir Nicholas came back to himself and regained his place as tour guide. "Now would be a good time to look into the classrooms. Perhaps Potions first. This way." He headed back down to the dungeons. Danny noted how far out they were from the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room.

From there, they proceeded to explore the various classrooms and the outside of the professors' offices. Some staircases changed positions as they glided along. Danny was sure this would be more difficult to keep track of if he had to use the stairs. He would practice taking them (and timing them for position) over the course of the week, so when the students were about, he could take them the way they would. Some of the doors behind tapestries, or requiring polite requests or tickling would take more work to remember. They brought him to the East Wing of the fifth floor to admire what was left of the Weasley Swamp.

The Grey Lady had an inspiration, and asked Sir Nicholas to take them to the second floor corridor. There was a man with a mop screaming at what seemed to be a first year student. She wailed and disappeared into the bathroom. Danny momentarily turned invisible and asked, "Who is that?"

The Grey Lady answered, "That is Mr. Filch. He's the caretaker of Hogwarts. He is particularly sensitive to messes the students make, as he is a Squib – a non-magical person descended from witches and wizards – and has to clean things the Muggle way."

"It was my job to clean my parents' lab. It can be quite a bit of work. I'll go over and say 'Hello'." Turning human, Danny walked down the corridor flanked by the House Ghosts. "Hello there, Mr. Filch."

Mr. Filch jerked his head up. "A student in the halls in July? What are you doing here so early?"

Danny was startled by the acrimony in his voice. Mr. Filch seemed to be the first person in Hogwarts who wasn't immediately glad to see him. Danny answered, "I'm a foreign exchange student, and I came early to catch up on some studies and get my bearings around the castle."

"Great. Another student for me to clean up after. And now you're here a month and a half early! Young witches and wizards making magical messes…"

"Mr. Filch, I can promise you that I won't make ANY magical messes," Danny said honestly. He thought for a moment of the collateral damage he left behind after a ghost fight. "But I can offer to help to clean if I've contributed to making a mess. And I'll help you clean…without magic."

Mr. Filch looked suspicious. "Why would you do that?"

Danny stared off for a moment, searching for an answer that wouldn't betray his secret. "Let's just say that I've had experience helping my parents clean up their lab. Using magic only got me in trouble." He thought of the time he blasted his father's anniversary gift through the ghost portal.

Mr. Filch's expression softened. It didn't look kind, exactly, but it looked less sour than usual. "I'll hold you to that," he said harshly.

"I wouldn't expect less," Danny offered. Mr. Filch looked thoughtful as he packed up his mop to go to his own next assignment.

"That was kind of you to offer," the Fat Friar observed.

"Yeah, well… I know what it's like to not be given a break. At least here, I'm not going to have to deal with rogue ghosts causing trouble, preventing me from getting school work done or catching up on sleep." He paused for a moment. "I'm not, am I?"

The House Ghosts laughed. "Not at all. The ghosts most likely to visit these halls, with the exceptions of you and your uncle, are incapable of physical manipulation. Besides Peeves, and water by Myrtle." Sir Nicholas said.

"Who's Myrtle?"

The Grey Lady smiled. "Hold on a moment. I'll introduce you." They stopped in front a girl's bathroom with an "Out of Order" sign on the door.

The Grey Lady entered the girl's bathroom. Moaning Myrtle was hysterical, crying about something.

"Myrtle, I'd like you to come out and meet someone."

"I'm not coming," she sobbed. "Peeves was horrible to me earlier, and Filch just screamed at me. I won't meet someone who just wants to tease me."

"Come, come, Myrtle. The fellow is kind, and I think you'll get along."

"I don't know…"

The Grey Lady sighed. He wouldn't appreciate this, but it might work. "He's famous, you know."

"Someone famous in Hogwarts? Harryyyyy!" She soared out of the bathroom to greet him. She stopped when the dark-haired boy turned out to be someone else. "You're not Harry!"

Danny blinked. "Harry who?"

"Harry Potter! Although you look a lot like him." Myrtle said. "When he went into the Chamber of Secrets, I told him that if he died, he could share my toilet."

Danny's eyes went wide. He vaguely wondered about the Chamber of Secrets, but he stayed focused on Myrtle. "Um, I'm sure that was generous of you."

The ghost girl studied Danny for a moment. "You don't look familiar." She turned to the Grey Lady, accusing, "You said he was famous!" Danny shot a betrayed look at the Grey Lady.

"It was the only thing that could coax Myrtle to come out."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Fine."

The Grey Lady sighed. "Myrtle, say 'Hello,' to Danny Phantom." She looked hopefully at Danny, who sighed and obligingly turned ghost.

"Danny Phantom! I've heard all about you!" She proceeded to babble a blue streak, to Danny's surprise. After several minutes went by without Danny saying anything, she decided to notice. "Is there anything wrong?"

Danny blushed. "I've had my share of human fans. But I have to admit: this is the first time I've been mooned over by a ghost."

All the ghosts present laughed. Sir Nicholas said, "You can't have met many decent ghosts, I'll take it."

Danny smirked. "You could say that. Clockwork is okay. Princess Dora is nice, once she got out from under her brother's control. Wulf was a nice surprise. Even the Ghostwriter turned out to be okay, once I apologized for ruining his manuscript. But honestly... I haven't made many friends amongst the ghosts I know."

Sir Nicholas beamed. "Well, the ghosts of the Wizarding World know you for the hero you are." Danny blushed again.

"Would you come to visit me?" Myrtle asked. "Harry Potter promised, but I haven't seen him in ages!"

Danny looked at Myrtle. She looked to be eleven. "I'm sure I can arrange for that. How about next Sunday after Powers Training?" Myrtle bounced in sheer excitement. "It's NOT a date! But there's no reason we can't hang out."

"Oh!" She squealed in delight, phasing back into her bathroom.

"But no matter what she says, I will not share her toilet," he muttered.

The House Ghosts smiled, but politely said nothing on the matter. "Is there anything else you've heard of that you care to see?" Sir Nicholas asked.

Danny thought for a moment. "I heard Professor Hagrid – and you, Grey Lady – talk about house-elves. What are they?"

Sir Nicholas smiled. "Rather than tell you, why don't we show you?" Eager with interest, Danny followed as Sir Nicholas led them through the floor to a flight of stone steps, which opened to a broad stone corridor, brightly lit with torches, and decorated with cheerful paintings that were mainly of food. Sir Nicholas led him to a picture of a giant fruit bowl. "We can either phase through the wall, or you can tickle the pear in the picture."

Danny was intrigued by this concept. They spoke of it before, but now he would actually have the chance to open a door by… tickling a picture, it seemed. He turned human, as he saw no need to stay ghost for the moment. He stroked the pear, and it began to squirm, chuckling, and then it turned into a large green door handle. "Go on, open it," Sir Nicholas encouraged. Pleased with this charming bit of magic, Danny pulled open the door to see what other surprises lay in store.

He saw an enormous high-ceilinged room with glittering brass pots and pans lining the stone walls. Before he had a chance to observe anything else, something small zoomed into the foreground.

"Harry Potter, sir! Harry…" It looked up and noticed that the boy he addressed was, in fact, someone else. "Sir, you're not Harry Potter!" The little creature speaking to him had large, bat-like ears and bulging green eyes the size of tennis balls. It was dressed in an odd assortment of clothes. He wore three knitted hats of different colors, each decorated with bright pins, a green tie patterned with daisies over a maroon sweater, yellow Bermuda shorts, and equally wildly mismatched socks.

"Yeah, I've got that a lot today. I'm Danny Fenton. And you are…?"

"Dobby, sir. Dobby the house-elf." Ah. So this is a house-elf.

"You are colorful. How did you get such an outfit?" Danny asked.

Dobby smiled gleefully. "Dobby is a free house-elf, sir. Harry Potter set Dobby free! And only a free elf is permitted to wear clothes." He pointed at other house-elves, who stood at a distance, looking disapprovingly at Dobby's outfit and antics. "'Tis a mark of a house-elf's enslavement to not wear proper clothes." Danny noticed the uniform of the other elves, which were tea towels tied like togas with an insignia with a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding the letter 'H'.

The word "enslavement" caught Danny's attention. "House-elves are enslaved?" He looked concerned, but wasn't sure how to express his offended sensibilities on the elves' behalf.

Another elf stood proudly and said, "Indeed, sir, we are. It's a badge of honor to give good service to wizards, sir." He shook himself, as if he just remembered something. "Can we get anything for you, sir? Anything you wish at all?"

A startled Danny shook his head. These creatures were enslaved and happy about it. From the look of the other elves, Dobby seemed a complete anomaly. This concept messed with his head. The elf, who misread Danny's concerned look, lowered his ears sadly. "Is there anything wrong, sir?"

Danny, brought back to the present situation, suddenly realized he was asked two questions. "Uh, no. Nothing is wrong. I just… uh… I'm from America, and the concept of people being happy as slaves is just… really new and foreign to me. Sorry." The elf brightened visibly, as first – he was apologized to by someone who he perceived to be a wizard, which was something almost never done. Secondly, he realized that the young wizard was not displeased with the fact that it took so long to ask him if he wanted anything. Third of all, he noticed that – unlike the young miss who left hats all around Gryffindor Tower – this wizard would be willing to understand an elf's role in the Wizarding World.

"Then, can we get anything for you, sir?"

Danny quickly realized that to not answer affirmatively would give offense. He was hungry, after his tour of the castle. "How about a chocolate-banana milkshake?"

Bouncing with happiness, the elf said, "Right away, sir!" After shooting Dobby a dirty look for being the first elf to encounter the young sir without offering anything, he ran off to produce Danny's request.

Sir Nicholas whispered in Danny's ear, "If you want to please the elf, tell him how satisfied you are with his service." Danny nodded.

Turning back to Dobby, Danny asked, "If the other elves seem to enjoy…" Danny refused to use the words "enjoy" and "slave" in the same sentence, "their lot, how come you are so excited about being free?"

Dobby's visage darkened. He trembled. "It's still difficult to speak against the Wizarding family Dobby used to work for, sir. They…" Dobby bent close to Danny and whispered, "were bad Dark wizards, and not at all kind to house-elves." Dobby's hands itched to grab something heavy with which to hit himself, but he remembered what Harry said about needing practice and restrained himself. Barely.

The other elf returned with Danny's milkshake, apparently not having heard the conversation. Danny gratefully and dutifully said, "Good service. Thank you." The elf bobbed up and down with pride.

"You are quite welcome, sir. If you ever need anything, please feel free to ask."

Danny suddenly remembered. "The stuff we brought back from Diagon Alley! I forgot about it."

The elf smiled. "It's already been taken care of, sir. Your books, robes, things, and cat are waiting for you in your room, neatly put away. I hope it will be to your liking." Danny smiled.

He truly enjoyed the milkshake, and when he was finished, Sir Nicholas told him that it was time to return to the Great Hall for dinner. Danny thanked the elves, and told Dobby it was a pleasure meeting him (which drove them to distraction to have been so addressed by a student), and came back to the Great Hall, where Danny thanked the House Ghosts for the tour. The ghosts assured him that the pleasure was all theirs, and that he should feel free to speak to any of them at any time.

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