I thank everyone once again for their reviews, and putting this fic on their favorite and alert lists.

GhostKing666 made a very observant comment on a topic that that other reviewers have picked up on. As such, the whole concept needs to be addressed. He said: "Danny seems to be taking the death of everyone he cares about too well. If something like that happened to me, no matter what else was going on around me, I wouldn't even be able to think about it without falling into a clinical depression. It's only been a few days, Danny is getting over their deaths far too quickly and easily to be real."

I do indeed hear what you are saying about Danny's mourning. He is actually taking the losses very hard. However, he hasn't been given any time to process the losses.

There will come Friday, and he will have a little time alone to think and process everything.

But about the concept of mourning… I CAN promise you that not all severe mourning brings about clinical depression. Depression, absolutely. Personally, I lost all four of my grandparents, one of my brothers, and my mother. And I STILL get into emotional bouts, particularly over my mother and my brother (and sometimes over a grandparent who I would have liked to have a chance to know as an adult).

But I also remember that when my brother died, my mother didn't seem to have time to express her emotions. She didn't seem to have THE TIME to sit and just mourn. She felt that she needed to be strong for everyone. She felt that if she let herself break down, she wouldn't get herself back.

I don't know that she actually gave herself the luxury of mourning my brother's death comfortably until she actually died herself, almost ten years later.

(While I don't recommend my mother's route in pushing through and/or ignoring emotions, the point I'm driving home is that it is indeed possible to put off such emotions until a more convenient time.)

Danny hasn't had two minutes to himself that wasn't spent sleeping, studying, showering, or dressing yet. I recently spoke to Cynthia about the fact that I can't believe how horrible we've been to Danny... The first adult to truly embrace Danny to give him comfort was the Grey Lady.

It isn't easy. He just hasn't had time to deal with his situation yet. But trust me. He'll get there.

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

Chapter 9

After dinner, Ron, Harry, and Hermione met in the boys' room. Ron was exasperated with the twins. "I understand how come they give you stuff for free, Harry. And I even understand how come they gave you the free Daydream Spell, Hermione. We haven't even met Danny, and they're giving him stuff for free. But me, their brother? Nothing!"

Hermione gave a comforting smile, but Harry started to explain his thoughts first. "You know, I've been thinking about the many things we've heard about Danny. Madam Malkin made it clear that his uncle gives him "only the best" of things, but she said that he's polite. And it struck me that his uncle brought him to the joke shop, but didn't let him get anything fun. It isn't much, but I'd say that whatever relationship Danny has with his uncle, Professor Masters, it isn't simple. I'm not sure what to make of that."

Hermione added, "And with the Death Eaters on the loose, lots of students are without family members, or have become orphans." Harry stiffened and Hermione realized what she had said. "Sorry, Harry."

Harry shook his head. "Don't worry about it."

Hermione continued, "But none of these students have come to live at Hogwarts for the rest of the summer. And another thing: the Wizarding schools in America are said to be comparable to those here in Europe. Even if the school Danny went to wasn't as good as Hogwarts, I can't believe that it would take a whole month of tutoring to catch up."

Harry said, "I don't know what's going on, but something isn't the way it seems."

The next morning, they woke early. They needed to have breakfast early enough to Floo to Hogsmeade and get to Hogwarts in time for Danny's Defense Against the Dark Arts tutoring session. Mrs. Weasley hugged the three children, and Mr. Weasley shook Harry's hand. They said Goodbye to Ginny who stared after them wistfully, and they followed Hagrid through the Floo to the Three Broomsticks.

This time, things worked as they were supposed to, Hagrid surmised. They checked their things with Madam Rosmerta for transportation later, and they started the trek to Hogwarts. Harry asked Hagrid, "You've met Danny. What is he like?"

Hagrid considered his answer carefully. "He's a survivor. I don't know if he's had a chance ta work through his loss yet. But from what I've seen, he seems to be a good kid. Buckbeak liked him and let Danny ride him. He does look like ya, Harry, but he's got blue eyes." Harry thought about this. Whatever else Danny might be, he seemed to be considerate and brave, or he wouldn't have been able to ride Buckbeak. He was looking forward to meeting this new student.

They talked about their respective summers and their time at the Weasleys' together. They were cheerful as they entered the castle.

As they neared the classroom for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Snape greeted them. "Well, Potter, it appears that your celebrated choice to become an Auror has given you yet another exception to the rules. Professor McGonagall has asked me to let both you and Weasley into my NEWT level Potions class, even though you don't qualify.

"The only reason I've considered this exception is that you now have the ability to earn yourself some extra credit. You will tutor the newest Slytherin in both Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts. You will catch him up to speed, or you will find yourself out of my class, where you belong, and the Auror Academy will be short one." Harry glared at Professor Snape, but he recognized the truth of his words. "And now, I'll leave you to your task."

"Well, now we know what House he's in," commented Hermione.

"He's a stinkin' Slytherin!" exclaimed Ron.

Harry shrugged and opened the door. Danny sat at a desk by the window, turning as the door swung open. Harry, Ron, and Hermione filed in, and Danny rose to meet them. Harry and Danny took a moment to study each other. Madam Malkin and Hagrid were right: Danny did look a bit like him.

Danny shook off his amazement first. "Hi, I'm Danny Fenton. You must be Harry Potter."

Harry nodded. "And these are my best mates, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger."

Danny thought, 'They're three best friends, like Sam, Tucker, and me.' He gulped. "I'm pleased to meet you. I've heard a bit about you. And Myrtle says 'Hello'." He extended his hand. The gesture wasn't returned, as Harry thought of his first encounter with Draco. Danny frowned. "What's wrong?"

"You're new, and you're already teasing me about Moaning Myrtle."

Danny blinked and shook his head. "What? Who said I was teasing you? I spoke to her, and she said that she missed you." He grimaced in confusion. "When a person sends regards, they're usually thanked. I'm sorry if I said something wrong." More quietly, he said to himself, "Moaning Myrtle?"

Harry saw Danny's honest confusion. "I'm sorry for not believing you. Slytherin students usually delight in giving me a hard time, and I thought this was more of the same."

"I just got here. Why would I give you a hard time? You're supposed to be here to help me. Besides being pointlessly rude, giving you a hard time would be counterproductive. And anyway… I heard you're a good guy. So what's the problem?"

Hermione was the first to realize that Danny didn't have that arrogant air they were so used to from Danny's Housemates. "I'm sorry. The rivalry between Gryffindors and Slytherins is legendary, and since we got here in First Year, Slytherins usually are very unpleasant to us, particularly to Harry."

"Geez, Sir Nicholas and the Bloody Baron mentioned the rivalry, but they said it was lighthearted. I never realized how seriously they meant it when they said that some students take it farther than necessary."

Ron's eyes widened. "You've talked to the Bloody Baron?"

Danny raised his eyebrows. "Sure, I've talked to him. All the House ghosts told me they make themselves available for students to talk to them." Witnessing the continued stares of disbelief, he rolled his eyes. "I take it that most students don't care to avail themselves of the ghosts' knowledge."

Harry defended, "Well… sometimes. But not usually. And most students are afraid of the Bloody Baron."

"Why? Because he's covered in blood and chains? That probably has to do with why he became a ghost and didn't 'move on'." So these people assumed that because the ghost looked like he suffered, they decided he was dangerous. Wizarding World or not, some things never change.

He sighed. "Fine. Can we push past the idea that I'm in Slytherin and, apparently, you're in Gryffindor, and get some learning done? Professor Snape says that this class takes top priority."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Did he?"

Danny smacked himself in the face. "You've got to be kidding me. A professor of this school shows that he's concerned for my well-being and my career as a student here, and you're giving me grief? What is your problem?"

Hermione tried to bring some reason back to this conversation. "Harry, try to see this from Danny's perspective. He is new here. He hasn't seen the Gryffindors and Slytherins in action (although this isn't a fair demonstration, Danny. I'm terribly sorry.), and he's never seen your troubles with Professor Snape. Is there any way we can back this up and try again? We're going to be here for a month without the rest of the students. We should probably try to make this work."

Danny sighed. "Sure. Now what?"

Harry thought about what Hermione said. Most students didn't like the Slytherins because they usually looked down at anyone who didn't meet their specifications of acceptability. In the case of most Slytherins, they have no problem judging Muggle-born students harshly for no reason. And here was Harry, judging a new student harshly for as little reason. He was ashamed.

In a far kinder tone, Harry began, "Last year, due to complications of an incompetent teacher, we formed a club to work on the practical applications of Defense Against the Dark Arts. I guess we should start now where we started with the club.

"We're going to start with a Disarming Charm." Harry had Danny take out his wand and start with Expelliarmus. It didn't work when Danny did it, no matter how many times he said the words, to Harry's growing frustration.

"Look – why don't you let me see what it's supposed to look like when done properly?" Danny suggested. Ron and Harry practiced on each other. Danny's eyes widened, and he suddenly appreciated the spell the twins put on his and Vlad's 'wands'.

After about half an hour of getting no results with this and a couple of other simple spells, Harry tried a new tack. "What can you do in the way of shielding?"

Danny smiled. "Quite a bit, actually."

"Let's see it, then." Harry aimed a Stunning Spell at Danny, and Danny pointed and waved his wand but put up a shield of ectoplasmic glass. Danny was rather proud of the fact he could do that almost as well as Vlad could. True, Vlad could still manipulate his better, but Danny could produce it and put it in place as necessary.

It was Harry's turn to be surprised. He was not used to a Shielding Spell having visual results. "Okay. Now you aim a Stunning Spell at me." Danny peaked his eyebrows. He copied the motions he watched Ron and Harry do, and said the words they said, but it had no effect, as he knew it wouldn't. He didn't mean to frustrate his tutors, but he was, indeed, a Muggle. At least he learned the sounds and sights of the various protective and defensive spells, which he gathered was Professor Dumbledore's point of this exercise. But now Danny appreciated Professor Flitwick's direction of having his ghost powers look like magical spells.

Before they broke for lunch, Harry paled. "What am I going to do? Professor Snape said that if I can't catch you up, I can't take his NEWT level Potions class. And we seem to be getting nowhere."

Danny looked concerned. "It's not your fault that I can't do certain things. The professor can't blame you for my failings."

Harry's face darkened, but Hermione jumped in before Harry said something he might regret later. "Um, that's not our experience. There is another student our year, Neville Longbottom, who had a lot of trouble in Potions. It wasn't infrequent that Professor Snape blamed Harry and deducted House points in Harry's name when Neville had difficulties."

Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "Wow. That is really unfair. I'm sorry to hear it. But what are House points?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "You don't know about House points?" Apparently, Ron hadn't forgiven him for being in Slytherin. Joy.

Hermione explained, "During the school year, the House point system is supposed to be a competition to spur us on to excellence. If we do well in class, giving an answer a professor appreciates, for example, he or she awards points, or merits, to our House. If we are found breaking rules, a professor can deduct points from our House. In the Entrance Hall, there are great hour-glasses that keep record of said points. Gryffindor's are rubies, Slytherin's are emeralds, Ravenclaw's are sapphires, and Hufflepuff's are topazes.

"Anyway, besides personal excellence, the point system is there to help us encourage our Housemates to excel in studies and good behavior."

Ron chimed in, "And don't forget Quidditch."

Danny asked, "What is Quidditch? Sir Nicholas mentioned it, and said that it often stirs up House rivalries. But other than the fact it's a sport, I don't know what it is."

Ron seemed to wake up out of his surliness to talk about Quidditch. "Even in America, I'd think that you would have heard of it. But Quodpot is more popular there." Okay, now Danny felt more confused. He thought about asking for clarification, but Ron and Harry launched into an excited explanation of Quidditch. He learned about the players' positions, the balls, the points, the hoops, and the fact that Harry was the Seeker and captain of his House team and Ron was the Keeper. He got a private thrill from knowing that someone with a build like his could be a star player at a sport like this.

"In addition to the points counting to add up for the Quidditch Cup, the points from the games are added to the House points." Harry concluded.

"What happens with all those points?" Danny asked.

Hermione answered, "At the end of the year, the points are totaled and the House with the most points earns the House Cup. It's a matter of bragging rights and House pride that lasts from year to year."

Ron pointed out, "Before we got here, Slytherin won the Cup for six years running. Since our year, Gryffindor has won it every year." He didn't explain what happened Fourth Year. He didn't want to upset Harry again.

"Ah, so the competition is particularly intense. What about Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff? They don't seem to hit that competitive button when you talk about them."

Harry blushed. "I don't know. I'm sure they try for it, too. I guess Gryffindors and Slytherins usually feel for it more." He said more quietly, "Until Ron said it, I didn't know that Gryffindor won last year."

Danny tilted his head. "Why not?"

Harry sighed. "In a battle against Voldemort's followers," Ron winced at hearing the name, "my godfather Sirius Black was killed. It was my –"

Hermione shouted, "It wasn't your fault, Harry!"

Harry shook his head. "Well… Let's just say that I wasn't in the mood to celebrate the end of the year." He looked away from them. Ron and Hermione looked at him with deep sympathy.

Danny was immediately reminded of Sam and Tucker. That is how they would look at him when Danny was discouraged because of difficulties in ghost fighting.

"Look – you guys head to lunch. I have to go." Danny started to walk away from them. Once he turned a corner, he turned ghost and flew through the wall and out of the castle. He kept going until he came to a grassy patch by the lake. Sitting on the grass, Danny felt the enormity of everything and everyone he lost. All the emotions he dammed up inside him burst. He hugged his knees and cried without reserve.

He thought of his parents, who loved him. He wondered if he ever made them proud. And he never told them his secret, after the Reality Gauntlet incident. He thought of Jazz, who protected him, even when she didn't understand him. Had he ever thanked her properly for all the help she gave him? Sam and Tucker. There wasn't anything he didn't share with them. Tucker was the best friend a guy could ever have, and they've been best friends forever.

And Sam. He should have picked up on Sam from their first "fake-out make-out," but it took him the whole of a year and a crush on Paulina, and then Valerie, and then Sam's crush on Gregor – or Elliot – for him to realize how much Sam meant to him. He never told her that he loved her. And now he would never be able to.

All the people he had known and loved were gone. Valerie was still there, but it wasn't the same. He thought about the road trip that his parents took him on at Jazz's behest when they thought he was going nuts. True, Youngblood didn't make his life easy, but the fact was that his family tried to help him, and they cared. That meant something to him.

And Christmas! After the whole "lesson was learned" from the Ghostwriter, he promised to be better this year. His parents weren't going to be there for their annual never-ending argument about Santa. But no one was going to notice when he worked to be in better spirits this year.

He cried until he ran out of tears. Then he sat, rocking back and forth, miserable. His ghost sense went off. Self-preservation was the only thing that made Danny look up. Sir Nicholas stood there and crouched down to be closer to Danny, putting an arm around his shoulder. He stayed silent until Danny spoke first.

"They're gone. I can't believe they're gone, Sir Nicholas. And there was nothing I could do to protect them."

"Shh," soothed Sir Nicholas, "I'm sure you did your best."

"What am I going to do? My whole family, my best friends… everyone who honestly cared about me. Even Mr. Lancer, a teacher who took time out to help me when my grades weren't so good, is gone. Everything that helped to define me is gone."

"Danny, you're still here. And the fact that people know you tried is still here. You have a sense of purpose, your sense of right and wrong, and – believe it or not – your ability to comfort Vlad is all part of what defines you."

Danny screwed up his face. "Comforting Vlad?"

"It sounds strange to you, I know. But he does care for you. And he wants to see you healthy and strong, physically and emotionally."

Danny frowned. "He never cared before."

"That might be. But he does want you to succeed. It might surprise you to know that he has always respected you, even as he taunted and tormented you."

"Sir Nicholas, how do you know all of this?"

"Vlad is a very private person, but even he needs someone to talk to. He may not have said much, but the fact that he has put everything on hold and has come here to be with and to protect you speaks volumes."

"But he's been my arch-enemy for so long."

"True. There is no getting around that. And I'm sure it will take you both plenty of time to work on your relationship. Assuming that neither of you changes overly much, I'm sure you'll continue to clash over a great many things. That is natural, and that will be a good thing." Danny looked thoughtful. "Come. You could probably use something to eat. Officially, lunch will be over, but I'm sure an elf or two might like to see you again." Danny smiled and, together with Sir Nicholas, started walking back to the castle.