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

Chapter 11

When they entered their usual classroom, Vlad turned to Danny. "I'm very proud of the progress you're making on teleportation. We will get back to range at another time. But today, we are going to work on levitation.

"Professor Flitwick told me that in your ghost form, your levitation is creditable. However, in your human form, he said that your levitation is as pathetic as the attempt you made in the joke shop. This will not do."

"It's not pathetic," protested Danny.

"It is indeed. You can do far better. We've covered all the things you can do. I want to see you develop your powers so that you can do the things you can't do.

"I'm sure you remember the hunting lodge incident, hmm?"

"Of course I do. It was the first time we actually had a fair fight."

Vlad smirked. "It's amazing what you can do with some anti-ghost technology. But right now, I'm not talking about that Specter Deflector, or even the Plasmius Maximus. I'm talking about the eye-beams I shot at you when you showed me your temper."

Danny bristled. He remembered that Vlad had insulted his father. Danny did lose his temper, and his eyes flashed ghostly green. Vlad taunted him, saying, 'Oh, the SCARY eyes!' and shot ectobeams from his eyes, in human form, no less. Apparently, Vlad's eyes were scarier.

"Yeah, I remember. So what?"

Vlad shook his head. "You don't see the possibilities. I can show you how to use your own eye beams. Levitation in your human form. Countless other talents you already have but simply need to learn to focus to use." Vlad peaked his eyebrows. "Think of all the things I can show you now that we're no longer enemies."

His tone turned menacing. "But don't think you can try to defy me. I still have 20 years more experience than you."

Danny waved a hand, almost bored. "Is there a reason you're bringing this up?"

Vlad was mildly annoyed. He intended to needle Danny into proving himself, but Danny wasn't taking the bait. "Yes, Daniel. After the discussion I had with Professor Flitwick, I started thinking. There are quite a few possibilities available with your powers, as there always were. But mixing the magic available with the ghost powers has caught my imagination.

"There are going to be things we'll work on that will look – for all the world to see – like you are performing magic spells. Some of the things will be useful in actual defense in ways we haven't discussed yet. And some of the things you may not like at first. But you will do them. With our lessons going so smoothly, I thought a healthy reminder of our 'less smooth' moments was worth mentioning.

"Besides… arousing latent powers is only part of what we will do. Using known powers in unexpected ways may surprise you."

Great, Danny thought. For the first time since Danny's world fell apart, Vlad reminded him exactly why Danny dubbed him a "crazed-up Froot-Loop." But this time, there wasn't a way out of the situation if he didn't like what Vlad would do.

He sighed. Vlad told him "not to defy him." As long as Danny didn't find whatever Vlad told him to be "obnoxious and objectionable" (he smiled inwardly as he thought briefly of Sam's parents), he would play along. He didn't intend to stand for it if Vlad told him to do something he found morally incorrect. But for now, Vlad was right: his power of levitation in human form needed work.

The next morning, Danny went to Professor Snape's office after breakfast as directed. The professor opened the door. "Good morning, Daniel. Take a seat." Danny did, and noticed jars of interesting looking things all around the room. He caught sight of the Blood Blossom and shuddered. He looked back to Professor Snape, who was seated back at his desk.

"Mr. Weasley's unkind comment last night reminded me that I've been derelict in my duties as your Head of House. While his suspicions of you were misplaced, his general notion about Slytherins and their general attitude about Muggles is correct." Danny's eyes widened in surprise.

"It is my job to explain the general culture of our House, as it is different in nature from that of the other Houses. Salazar Slytherin, the Founder of this House, chose the students he would teach based on their character: they would be ambitious, not minding a little deviousness and creative interpretation of the rules to accomplish their goals. But he also had a blood policy, over which he had a falling out with the other Founders, particularly with Godric Gryffindor."

"Hence, the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin was born," observed Danny.

"Indeed. Salazar wanted the bloodlines of witches and wizards he taught to be strong. Therefore, he would only choose students who were Pureblood or Half-Blood as students. He didn't think that Muggle-born witches or wizards were worth his while."

Danny shivered. That didn't sound too different than the neo-Nazi mantra. "I see such thinking makes you uncomfortable. But you need to know that the general attitude of your Housemates will follow this line of thinking. Families whose Wizarding bloodlines run back generations, if not centuries, have taught their children to be proud of this fact. There is a general… pride that comes with this. Some might call it arrogance.

"There is no need for you to develop nor to express this general attitude. But it will be crucial to your existence in this House to not let it be exposed that you are a Muggle."

Danny stared wide-eyed in horror. "If there is all this anti-Muggle sentiment, why was I sorted into Slytherin?"

Professor Snape thought for a moment. "That is a good question. Sunday night, I was as confused as everyone else, beside the Bloody Baron. With the track record of yours that Sir Nicholas described to Professor Dumbledore, who then told Professor McGonagall, me, and the other members of the Order of the Phoenix – Dumbledore's organization to stop the Dark Lord – we thought you would be in Gryffindor. No other Founder of Hogwarts cared about Muggle heritage the way Slytherin objected to it, and such acts of courage seemed to warrant it.

"And then it occurred to me. In Gryffindor, you might have been careless about sharing your secrets." Danny was about to object, but Professor Snape held up a hand. "It isn't a comment against you." He rolled his eyes, thinking about his next comment. "For the most part, they tend to be a friendly, accepting bunch." He muttered, "Not of Slytherins, but nonetheless…" Back in full voice, he continued, "Because of their general attitude, they are bold, and have nothing to hide. If you were sorted into Gryffindor, as we mostly expected you to be, you might have shared all kinds of secrets with your Housemates. In that milieu, you might have grown complacent and careless about sharing such things, much to your detriment.

"But in Slytherin, EVERYONE has secrets. Sometimes they are about purity of bloodline, sometimes they are about personal weakness, physical or emotional. Out of necessity to survive, you would need to keep your secrets. As long as you keep your secret about being a Muggle, it should be just as easy to keep your secret about being a half-ghost. I realized that your Sorting was a brilliant decision on the part of the Hat."

Danny sat in thought. He was a little overwhelmed by everything the professor just told him. The professor let him absorb it for about two minutes, and then he continued. "Right now, you are still deep in mourning, and so discussing your family is a sensitive topic, understandably. Even when you feel it would become less painful to do so, do NOT share information about your parents and their profession with anyone besides me, your uncle, or Professor Dumbledore. Or perhaps a ghost you've become friendly with, who probably knows more about you than anyone here besides your uncle." He thought for a moment. "Or maybe Hagrid."

Danny nodded. "So that means I won't be able to make friends my age while I'm here," he said sadly.

"Not at all. I'm sure you'll make friends. You will just have to keep an air of mystique about you. And another thing you need to know. You are not to tell fellow Slytherins about the Death Eater attack. Most Slytherins or Slytherin families are somewhat sympathetic to the Dark Lord's cause, whether or not they are motivated or evil enough to join the ranks. The Dark Lord is of the notion that, like Slytherin, the only people worthwhile are wizards, particularly pure- or half-blood wizards." He furrowed his brow. "The difference between Salazar Slytherin and his last descendant is Salazar simply didn't want to teach Muggle-borns. The Dark Lord doesn't want them to live.

"As you have discovered, he thinks nothing of killing Muggles. Muggle-born wizards are barely more acceptable to his way of thinking. As such, it is a general rule that Death Eaters don't attack Slytherins. If you give away the fact that Death Eaters killed your family, many more of your secrets will be in jeopardy."

"Harry and his friends seem to know already."

Professor Snape sighed. "Yes, they probably do. Professor Dumbledore seems to let them in on some secrets." Fear widened Danny's eyes, but Snape shook his head. He rolled his eyes at the thought of them. "Don't worry about them. They are mostly harmless. For personal reasons, I can't stand Potter, but Professor Dumbledore trusts them." Grudgingly, he admitted, "They've earned that trust."

Professor Snape looked thoughtful. "Even Potter has his secrets. But be wary. With all the secrets that surround you and your uncle, lots of students will be curious. Potter and his friends are particularly good at ferreting out some of the deeper secrets that are usually school mysteries." With a wry smile, he said, "I do believe that you and your uncle are this year's mysteries."

"Great. No pressure or anything," Danny said sarcastically. "So what do I do? Uncle Vlad is going to teach me literature that – unless I somehow learn otherwise – was written by Muggles. That's kind of a dead give-away, isn't it?"

"I don't think you have to worry so much about that. First of all, special assignments given by a professor, even if he is your uncle, are not usually thought of by other students, except to be glad that they don't have said assignments. Secondly, no one in this House but Half-Blood students who have a parent or grandparents who are Muggles would know of Muggle authors. And since no one would wish to expose themselves, no one will either notice, care, or otherwise draw attention to such things."

Danny thought about this. Vlad's literature course may fall under the radar for this House. His secrets were still at more risk here. And now, he had to keep them without his friends. If he followed the advice of Professor Snape, it sounded like he would have no opportunity to try to make new friends as close as Sam and Tucker. He missed them, now more than ever.

"Good luck to you on your NEWT next week. You will be the youngest student to take a NEWT in many decades."

"Thanks. Although I probably won't be able to share that with anyone else," Danny said bitterly.

Professor Snape smiled. "You will be able to share your news with that Gryffindor trio. They are going to be tutoring you, and you already told them about your exam." He noticed the depressed look on Danny's face. "There is no reason to worry. Be yourself. Just be cautious. Many students will be suspicious of you for simply being a Slytherin. But I've been told that you have the strength of character to be above that.

"Feel free to come to me at any time to talk to me about anything. The secrets you share with me will be sacrosanct, and I won't pry into the secrets you choose not to share. Because of your circumstances, you will probably face far more pressure than other students, and I understand that for you, this will be nothing new. What will be new is the loss of your closest friends. You will need a pressure valve to release some of what you will go through. I hope to be able to help to relieve some of that pressure."

Danny shook his head sadly. "Thanks, professor."

"Oh, and one more thing." Professor Snape smiled slyly. "In order to amuse yourself before school starts, it might please you to know that flying brooms are pre-spelled to fly. If you should choose to join a random game of Quidditch, there is no reason you should feel left out."

Danny smiled. "Thanks, professor."

After Danny left Professor Snape's office, he ran into Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who had been waiting for him. Harry and Ron were holding broomsticks in their hands, each with a well-polished handle. They carried the brooms as though they were something special. "Danny," Harry called, "we've been waiting for you. Do you want to join us for a two-on-two game of Quidditch?"

Danny smiled, thinking of the parting comment made by Professor Snape. "Sure, I'd love to." He looked at the brooms Ron and Harry held, and then at Hermione's empty hands. "What do Hermione and I use?"

Hermione answered, "We'll use the school brooms. You didn't buy your own either?" Danny shook his head, still curious about the idea of a sport played on a flying broom. Harry, once again, thought of the oddity of Danny's uncle. But the game was at hand.

Harry spoke up. "The Quidditch pitch is always open. We can go there. Come on." The four headed out to the large stadium, picking up two Shooting Stars from the broom shed on the way. There was room in the raised stands for hundreds of people to sit. Three hoops stood at either end of the field, resembling bubble wands for giant children.

Inside, as they set up teams, Ron refused to be on Danny's team on principle. "I refuse to team up with any Slytherin for any reason," the red-head declared adamantly.

Harry rolled his eyes and Hermione apologized, "I'm so sorry, Danny."

Harry agreed to be on Danny's team. "Let's see what you can do before we start," Harry suggested. Danny nodded as he and Harry mounted their brooms. At this point, Danny was curious himself, as he never flew on a broom before. Harry started showing off some moves. Danny copied them. Harry got more complicated and fancy, and Danny kept pace with him.

Ron told Hermione, "It's almost like he's a natural at flying. I haven't seen those Shooting Stars do anything that interesting since Harry caught Neville's Remembrall in First Year."

Hermione thought aloud, "It's just one more oddity. With some magic, Danny seems hopeless. With things like this, he seems near expert." She shook her head in amazement as she watched both dark-haired boys perform aerially. Harry's Firebolt still had more speed, but Danny seemed to be able to do what he liked on his broom, forcing a mediocre broom into excellence.

Privately, Danny thought that flying on a broom was fun, but it was a bit limiting. He thought of the things he could do as a ghost, just enjoying the night air. He hadn't done so at Hogwarts, yet. Maybe later tonight, or when he met Myrtle tomorrow.

Once they started to play, Danny and Harry beat Ron and Hermione three games in a row. Harry asked, "Danny, are you going to try out for the Slytherin House team?"

Danny smiled. "Thanks for the vote of confidence. But with all the reading and work I have to catch up on, and who knows what Vl… Uncle Vlad will assign me, I'll be lucky to be able to watch the games. I imagine it takes a lot of practice to be that good, and that practice will take time that I don't think I'll have."

Harry, Danny, and Ron continued the discussion about practice schedules and the interesting obsessive behaviors of past team captains. Hermione thought about the fact that Danny almost forgot to call Professor Masters "uncle." She didn't know what to make of that, but it was interesting.

After lunch, the four of them went back outside. Danny said, "I've been told that you three are good at solving mysteries. What kind of mysteries have you solved?"

They told him about their adventures surrounding the Philosopher's Stone and the Chamber of Secrets, carefully avoiding mentioning Ginny. (Danny would have to talk to Myrtle about her take on that, tomorrow.) They discussed the Tri-Wizarding tournament (without mentioning "Professor Moody"), and the return of Voldemort. Harry's face darkened, but that was the end of the discussion.

Danny asked, "What about… Professor Lupin? Professor Dumbledore said he was one of the best Defense teachers in decades, and Hagrid seemed to like him, too." The Gryffindors noticed there was no sneer in his voice about Lupin's revelation to be a werewolf. They relaxed and discussed their favorite professor, and many of the things he taught them. They discussed Patronuses, and how they were used against Dementors.

Danny frowned in thought. "In Diagon Alley, by the bookstore, someone tried to sell amulets to protect against werewolves, Dementors and something else." Noticing the suspicion growing on the faces around him Danny continued quickly, "I have nothing against werewolves! But the sign made me curious about Dementors, and those other things."

Harry gave a half-smile. "Dementors are horrible wraith-like creatures that feed off of the happiness of others. When they come into a room, they make people feel like they'll never be happy again." Danny thought of Spectra and shuddered. "They make you relive your darkest memory. But the worst attack is the Dementor's Kiss, where they suck the soul out of a person." Thinking of Danny's weird interest in Muggles, he added, "Muggles can't see them. Neither can Squibs. Wizards can, but life is a lot better to not deal with them. Until recently, they worked as prison guards at Azkaban, the European Wizarding prison. But since Voldemort's gone public, they've decided to serve him, instead."

Danny thought for a moment. "Can ghosts see them?"

Harry jerked his head in surprise. "I don't see why not. Why?"

Danny said simply, "I just wondered."

Hermione piped up, "You're talking about the sign outside of Flourish and Blotts. The third thing listed on the sign were Inferi. They are dead bodies forced to be animated by Dark magic."

Danny shuddered again. "In America, we call them Zombies. But I didn't realize they were real." Receiving blank looks, Danny explained, "I've read about them, but you can't believe everything you read." He thought that movies were too modern to be anything but Muggle entertainment, and Professor Snape made it clear that he wasn't to tell anyone that he was a Muggle.

Ron coughed and said something similar to "Lockhart," earning him a glare from Hermione and a sigh from Harry. Harry told Danny, "Point taken."

After dinner, Vlad continued to work with Danny on levitation. He shared a general syllabus outlining which powers he intended Danny to work on. Duplication excited Danny, as that was a trick he worked on for months without complete success. To be able to do it properly… that would be awesome! Of course, now he didn't need them to defeat Vlad… Having eye beams of his own could be useful. Giving Vlad a demonstration of his Ghostly Wail gave him mixed feelings. It was a power he discovered to get out of his predicament with his evil future self, and he wasn't sure how he felt about showing it to Vlad. However, Vlad did say that he might not like everything.

Vlad gave a sly smile when he mentioned a surprise in September. This was a smile Danny learned to distrust if not fear over the year and a half they spent as arch-enemies. He wasn't sure he wanted to know Vlad's intentions.

In the Gryffindor Common Room, Hermione wrote up a list of Danny's classes. His list really wasn't much different than Harry and Ron's class list since Third Year, without Transfiguration and Divination. The trouble was getting Harry and Ron interested in tutoring Danny.

"Harry, Professor Snape says you have to tutor Danny in Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Professor Dumbledore wants us to tutor him in everything. What did you have in mind?"

Ron glared at Hermione. "It's the weekend. What makes you think we're interested in thinking about studies? It's the summer and the weekend…"

"And the Auror training Harry wants can only happen if Professor Snape is satisfied with Danny's progress!" Hermione retorted.

Harry sat down on a chair by the fire, looking over Hermione's list. Ron also sat by the fire, but his arms were crossed in defiance of the whole situation.

Looking through the list, Harry was thoughtful. "You're right. Potions wasn't too hard without Snape hovering over me. I'll review my notes and start moving through the years of the material. I don't know how he'll get it all in a month, though… The Potions classroom does have a student supply closet, so we can get everything we need."

It made Hermione proud to see Harry working this out. "Ron, what do you think?"

"I'm trying not to, Hermione."

"Ron!"

"Fine. Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures are easy enough. I'll see what Hagrid has available to see that isn't dangerous. But I'm not going to find Blast-Ended Skrewts!"

"I'm sure you won't have to worry about that, Ron," Harry soothed.

"That leaves History of Magic, Charms, and Astronomy for me," Hermione sighed happily.

Both boys looked at her. "You're the only one who knows anything about History of Magic. You were the only one I know to stay awake in the class," Ron said.

Hermione said, "It's up to us to come up with lesson plans, but we'll figure out Danny's aptitude and desire for learning tomorrow."

Ron continued to grouse, but Harry knew how important his cooperation was. And Danny did seem to be an okay fellow. He DID try, in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Maybe this wasn't an impossible task that could actually be used as a review.

The next morning after breakfast, the trio brought Danny to the Charms classroom. Harry began, "We're going to start the regular tutoring sessions tomorrow. But we wanted to know what you thought of your classes so far."

Danny thought about his list. "I've always been interested in Astronomy." Remember what Hagrid said – wizards are not into the space program, he reminded himself. Darn it! "Professor Sinistra said that my star charts were more complete than those of many Seventh Year students."

"Good for you!" Hermione said, impressed. Between Muggle Studies and Astronomy, Danny seemed to be amazing.

"Potions and Herbology look really interesting, and because of the potential danger in getting things wrong, I'd like to focus on them. History of Magic can be fun. It is history, but with the right presentation, anything can be interesting."

Ron said, "Wait a minute. You took History of Magic with Professor Binns."

"Yes. Wednesday afternoon."

"He's the most boring teacher in the school. The most interesting thing about him is his entrance to each class through the chalkboard."

"I don't know. He started with a riveting lesson about something I already knew about, and he stayed interesting. He does have a quiet monotone that is easy to tune out, I'll admit, but he somehow finds that one detail to pull me back from the clouds."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Are we talking about the same Professor Binns?"

Danny asked, "Is there more than one?"

Harry shook his head. "If you say so."

Danny smiled as he thought about Professor Binns. He sighed as he thought about the other classes. "I know Defense and Charms are immensely important. It's just difficult to get excited about classes I can't seem to succeed in. But I'll try just as hard." He looked at Harry seriously. "I don't want you to get in trouble because I can't do certain things."

Harry noted Danny's sincerity. "Thanks for saying so. Truly. Professor Dumbledore says it is more important for you to see and hear how things are done. That we can do." Harry smiled.

"Then there is Care of Magical Creatures. I like Hagrid, and these animals are interesting. I met…" Danny had to think of the other name. "Witherwings and Tenebrus. If other magical creatures are like that, they just want to be respected." He thought of the ghost animals Vlad sent against him or otherwise made their way out of the Ghost Zone. "Unless, of course, they're hell-bent on the destruction of the mortal world."

Ron and Harry laughed at Danny's choice of words. "You have no idea. Hagrid has an interesting taste in creatures when he chooses to befriend them," Harry quipped.

That afternoon, Hermione insisted that Harry and Ron set up their lesson plans as she did. Danny got to spend time with Morph, who missed him during the daylight hours.

Vlad had Danny teleport from their classroom to across the lake, back to Hagrid's cabin, and then to the outskirts of Hogsmeade. Danny was getting better at this. Vlad was proud again, and told Danny as much. As much as Danny appreciated Vlad's good will and kind words, he had difficulty reconciling Vlad's attitude today with the one he had yesterday. Danny concluded that Sir Nicholas was right: they were just going to have to work on this relationship.

After Vlad dismissed Danny for the evening (which included "quality time" as well as class time) Danny turned ghost and knocked on Myrtle's bathroom door. Myrtle peeked her head through the closed door. "Danny! I'm so glad you came!"

Danny blushed. "I told you I would. Where would you like to go?"

Myrtle thought for a moment. "We can go to the lake. The fastest way is to be flushed…"

"Myrtle, I'll spend as much time with you as you like (and I can spare, as I have to study and stuff), but I WILL NOT be flushed down a toilet. Just…no." Myrtle was crestfallen. "But we'll still go to the lake, if you like."

Myrtle beamed with joy and soared through the walls. She was going to the lake with Danny Phantom! Danny smiled and followed her.

At the lake, which was dark, Danny created a glowing ball of ectoplasm to give them some light. Myrtle was delighted and clapped her hands joyfully. Danny decided she might like to play catch with it. Myrtle was very easy to please.

Being outside in the moonlight made Danny think of flying. He invited Myrtle to fly with him, but she demurred. Danny took off, keeping her in sight, soaring around the castle. He dipped, dove, swirled, and otherwise simply enjoyed the wind in his face and hair. After several minutes of sheer delight, he came back to Myrtle who watched his aerial display.

"Danny, how come your legs disappear?"

He looked down at his ghostly tail and answered, "Well, sometimes I fly at really fast speeds, and a tail is far more aerodynamic than legs. But I can call them back any time." In demonstration, he changed his tail back into legs. Myrtle cheered.

Danny asked, "What House were you in?"

Myrtle blushed. "You know, I've been a ghost for 50 years, and this is the first time anyone's asked me."

Danny's eyes widened. "Fifty years?"

"Well, maybe a few more than that. Olive Hornby teased me about my glasses, and I was upset. I came to the bathroom and cried. It was actually in that bathroom when I died."

Danny was getting quite an education. Apparently, Myrtle wanted to tell him her story. He'd come back to his question later. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

She swelled with pride. "Oh, yes! The funny thing is, I don't know what exactly happened. See, as I hid from Olive, someone came into the bathroom. It was a boy! I was going to yell at him to go away, and then I died. The last thing I saw were great, big yellow eyes.

"Harry told me later that it was a basilisk that killed me with its stare. It lived down in the Chamber of Secrets."

"What is the Chamber of Secrets?"

"I've been down there a couple of times after Harry killed the basilisk. It's a huge place under the castle, and most people can only get there by speaking a funny language, and one of the sinks moves. Harry did that in his Second Year."

Fascinating. Danny thought, I may have to check it out sometime. But not now. "A funny language? What language?"

Myrtle looked serious. "I don't know. But Harry could speak it."

Danny absorbed this. He might ask Harry about this later. After all, the trio had told him about their adventure, but they didn't tell him about a foreign language, and they certainly didn't tell him about the entrance being in a girl's bathroom.

But he tried again. "Myrtle, what House were you in?"

"Right. I was in Gryffindor. I wasn't afraid of Olive, but she teased me something awful."

"Could you show me the outside of your Common Room?"

"Sure. Let's go!" They flew through the castle and up a flight of stairs Danny passed several times, but never thought of. At the top of the stairs, they stopped in front of a portrait. "In order to get in, you have to give the Fat Lady the password."

Danny was about to bring her back to her bathroom (it seemed like the gentlemanly thing to do), when a voice called out, "Moaning Myrtle! What are you doing up here?" He snapped his head in the direction of the voice. It was Hermione.

Coming back from the library, Hermione was surprised to see Moaning Myrtle outside the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room. But more surprising was the fact that she was joined by a new ghost. At least, she thought he was a ghost. He was much more solid and opaque than Myrtle ever was on a good day.

"I was showing my friend the outside of my former Common Room."

Hermione gaped. "I didn't know you were in Gryffindor!"

Danny crossed his arms. "You never asked."

Hermione blushed. This new ghost seemed indignant on Moaning Myrtle's behalf. Rather than get caught up in confusing feelings for not having really thought of Moaning Myrtle as a person, she asked this new ghost, "What is your name?"

Danny felt it was perfectly within his right to give her a hard time, but decided against it. After all, he was the good guy. "My name is Danny Phantom."

"I haven't seen you in Hogwarts before." Hermione stated.

Even though this comment was innocent, Danny's frustration over how little attention was actually paid to the ghosts and their feelings caused him to huff. He closed his eyes and counted to ten before being perfectly congenial. "I'm new here. I'm visiting for at least this year."

"What brings you here?"

Danny had to think a minute before answering. He wouldn't tell the whole truth, but decided not to lie, either. "I've made a few friends amongst the ghosts here and figured that it would be as good a place as any to stay for a while."

"Well, welcome, Danny Phantom. May I ask you a question?"

Interesting. She called me by my whole name. Unlike Sir Nicholas, who became 'Nearly Headless Nick,' and Myrtle, who became 'Moaning Myrtle,' I was graced with my proper given name. That may change when she talks about me later, though.

"Go for it," Danny said more graciously than he felt.

"You seem to be more solid and colorful than other ghosts here. Why?"

She stumped him in one. "I really don't know," Danny answered honestly. "Where I'm from, all ghosts are solid, unless they choose not to be. We are capable of interacting with the physical world." Sir Nicholas was rubbing off on him.

It was Hermione's turn to be astonished. "Where are you from?"

Danny smirked and folded his arms. "That is currently classified information." Hermione blinked. "But I'm sure you are busy with things to prepare for tomorrow."

"Yes," Hermione said, a little dazed. "How did you know?"

"A friend told me. Please pardon me, but I have a lady to return home before turning in for the night." He gestured to Myrtle.

Hermione blurted, "You were out on a date with Moaning Myrtle?" Myrtle blushed, embarrassed.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Do you even hear yourself speak? You might consider her feelings before speaking so coldly about how and with whom she spends an evening." Hermione shivered at the ice in his voice. "And for the record, no, it wasn't a date. I am fifteen and she is eleven. But we did have a good time, thank you very much." Vlad would be proud of his formality. He was sure of it, not that Danny would tell him about it. He put his arm around Myrtle. "Come – let me take you home. Good night, Hermione." With that, the two ghosts sank through the floor.

Hermione was shocked. Danny Phantom was right. She never did truly consider Moaning Myrtle's feelings. Or even Nearly Headless Nick, now that she thought about it. She was embarrassed, and probably needed to rethink a few things.

And then she realized something: she never introduced herself. How did Danny Phantom know her name?

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