Thank you once again for all of your reviews. Also, a great number of you put this fic on your favorite and alert lists, and I am also grateful for that. Truly!

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

Chapter 12

When Hermione met the boys in the Common Room before they went to breakfast the next morning, she didn't look ready to leave. She took a chair by the fire, much to Harry and Ron's confusion. Harry asked, "Hermione, what's wrong?"

Hermione frowned. She wasn't sure where to begin. After a couple false starts, she said, "Last night, on my way back from the library, I met a new ghost. His name is Danny Phantom. He…" She trailed off in embarrassment, as she thought of last night's conversation.

Ron cocked his head. "What's the matter? He's only a ghost."

Hermione bit her lip. "That's the thing. He, well,… Moaning Myrtle brought him outside our Common Room."

Harry asked, "Why did she do that?"

Hermione answered, "This used to be her Common Room, too. We've known her… I mean, we've known about her since Second Year, but we've never actually talked to her like a person, or we would have known that."

Harry and Ron looked at her. Ron asked, "So?"

Hermione downcast her eyes. "Danny Phantom said something that made me realize that we haven't really treated the ghosts nicely. I mean, Harry promised to visit Moaning Myrtle, and… You've never gone, have you?"

"No, but she's…"

"She was eleven. And she was teased horribly. That's why she always cries." Hermione shook her head. She never thought of Moaning Myrtle as a person before. And it was becoming clear that Ron and Harry didn't, either.

She thought for a moment. "And Ron, you made an impertinent comment to Nearly Headless Nick by the Sorting Hat's song last year."

"Did I? I don't remember. But surely, it doesn't matter."

"But Ron, what if you hurt Nick's feelings? He may not have 'blood in his veins,' or whatever, but he still has feelings."

Harry asked, "You're probably right, but why has this become important to you?"

Hermione looked at a loss. "I don't know. But Danny Phantom made me think. He… spent the evening with Moaning Myrtle. When I made a comment, Myrtle got embarrassed, and Danny Phantom defended her. That look he gave me and tone of voice he used made me stop and think. It was as frightening as the Bloody Baron, but more so, because… it really wasn't right of me to speak lightly of Myrtle like that."

Harry thought about this. When he wanted to talk to Myrtle in Second Year, she was excited. And she did sound disappointed when she told Harry she hadn't seen him. True, she caught him in the prefects' bath, but still… He never bothered to take her feelings into account.

Ron shrugged. "Are you planning to start a 'Society for the Promotion of Ghost Welfare,' too?"

Hermione glared. "No, Ron. There is no reason to do anything different. But maybe we should be careful in what we say to them." She paused for a moment. "I think I'd like to find Nick and Myrtle and apologize for anything I might have said or done unthinkingly." With that, she got up and left the Common Room.

Harry and Ron looked at each other. "You know, Ron, she's got a point. I don't think I was rude to Nick, but I might have to say something to Myrtle."

Ron thought for a minute. Nick told him enough times about his insensitivity. "I don't know. I'll have to think about this."

As Hermione made her way down the stairs, she had the good fortune of meeting… Nick. She remembered he didn't like being called 'Nearly Headless.' "Nick, can I talk to you a minute?"

He smiled at her, a little surprised. "Certainly. What can I do for you?"

Hermione looked down. "I'm… I'm sorry if I've been rude to you before."

Sir Nicholas blinked. "Why, thank you. I appreciate the fact you cared enough to say so. Of course, I forgive you. But may I ask what brought this about?"

Hermione looked away for a moment. "Last night, I met a new ghost. He said he's visiting for the year."

Curiously, he asked, "Oh? Who did you meet?"

"His name is Danny Phantom. He…what?"

Sir Nicholas smiled broadly. "Ah, yes. Danny Phantom. He is truly a hero among ghosts, and among the living in his home town."

Hermione's eyes widened, and then she cringed a bit. "I guess that explains why he was so protective of Mo - of Myrtle last night."

"Protective? He would be, if it was necessary, I'm sure. But why did he need to protect Myrtle?"

Hermione blushed. "I'm afraid I made an unthinking, unkind comment about her, and he defended her dignity. It started me thinking, and I realized that Myrtle isn't the only one I might have hurt that way."

Sir Nicholas shook his head in pride. "Yes, he would do that." He stared off in a different direction, still thinking about his hero.

"May I ask you a question or two about him?"

"I'll do what I can. He's said a lot to me in confidence, but anything else I might share."

Hermione thought for a moment. "He seems to be more solid and colorful than other ghosts. Why?"

Sir Nicholas smiled. "I'm not sure why, but where he's from, most ghosts have no problem interacting with the physical, living world. We're not exactly sure why such a difference exists, but we know that it indeed does. He is much more powerful than Peeves. Actually, he's much more powerful than many of the ghosts he knows."

"Where does he come from?"

"Ah, my dear, that I can't tell you. He has his reasons for keeping things secret at present."

Hermione nodded. Danny Phantom did say that was 'classified information.' "One more thing – he called me by name, but I didn't introduce myself."

Sir Nicholas's eyes grew wide. "Did he, now?" He paused for a moment. "Well, he must have remembered when I told him of how you and Harry, and Mr. Weasley came to my 500th Deathday Party. It was ever so exciting to me that you came. And I'm sure I told him that the three of you were coming to school early to tutor the new student." He muttered, "I'll have to talk to him about this later."

Now Hermione was curious. "What has he done as a hero?"

Sir Nicholas smiled again. "Why don't you meet me here after breakfast? I'll tell you all about some of his heroics. But remember – he eschews fame much like Harry does."

Harry and Ron met Danny at breakfast. They were about to discuss tutoring scheduling when Professor McGonagall informed Danny that his NEWT would take place this Tuesday morning. Danny thought that was perfect – he would have enough time to go over those 15 pages from the Muggle Studies textbook one last time.

Hermione got there in time for them to discuss general ideas, such as each of the trio would tutor him in two subjects each; he could probably tutor them in Astronomy. Danny was a little cold to Hermione, as he was still annoyed with her for the way she treated Myrtle last night, but he remembered that Danny Fenton didn't witness the scene. Still, he decided to only be civil. At lunch he'd be friendly with her again.

Harry would tutor him in Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Hermione would tutor him in Charms and History of Magic, and Ron would tutor him in Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures.

Danny sighed. Ron still decidedly didn't like him, but at least he understood that it wasn't personal. But, in Danny's favor, he could study and perform flawlessly (if he worked at it) whatever he would need to in the classes Ron would tutor him. A guy who hates him will tutor him for a month in the classes he took, mostly, in the memory of the girl he loved. How ironic was that?

The four of them came up with a workable schedule based on what Danny needed to know, what he wanted to know, and how harshly Professor Snape would take it if Danny didn't succeed. On Mondays, they would have Potions and Herbology. Tuesdays that weren't taken up with the NEWT would be Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms (joy – both classes Danny couldn't succeed in, on one day. It wasn't going to be hard to hate Tuesdays). Wednesdays would be History of Magic and Care of Magical Creatures. For Thursday and Friday, they mixed it up a bit – Thursdays they'd have Potions and Charms, and Fridays they would have Herbology and Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Hermione finished writing up the schedules just as they finished breakfast. Before Harry and Danny left to get their things together for Potions, Professor Snape came down to their end of the table. He and Harry glared at each other, but Professor Snape only had Hermione give him a copy of Danny's August schedule. Danny felt the temperature drop a couple of degrees, but his ghost sense didn't go off. Apparently, their glare was sufficient for that.

Vlad also noticed the glare between the professor and student. So Professor Snape doesn't like Harry, hmm? This is interesting, and has possibilities for later.

In the Potions classroom, both Harry and Danny finished setting up their cauldrons and Danny opened a textbook to where he and Professor Snape left off. He looked at Harry expectantly, but was surprised to see Harry fussing with something else.

"Danny, the Weasley twins wanted me to give you this care package."

Danny smiled. "Thanks. But why?"

Harry thought for a moment. "They decided they liked you, and said that your uncle didn't give you a chance to explore and have fun in their shop." Danny looked worried for a moment, but Harry supplied, "They said that these things are harmless and will probably meet with Professor Masters' approval."

Danny smiled again, and took the package gratefully. "Thanks again. They're good guys, the Weasley twins."

Harry nodded. "They are." He thought of them for a couple of seconds. Then he focused back on Danny. "Can I ask you a question?"

Danny said, "Sure. I may or may not be able to answer it, though."

Good enough. "Why wouldn't your uncle let you have fun in the joke shop? Madam Malkin said he only gives you the best of everything."

Danny blushed. "Yeah, about that…" He thought about how much information to give. There were only so many billionaires in the world, and that information could be looked up easily enough. "Uncle Vlad is considerably more wealthy than my parents were, and he's wanted to adopt me for a long time. But we still have issues to work out. We weren't always best buddies. I think that's about as much as I can say about that."

That was about as much as Harry could expect to get from Danny, but Danny was friendly enough about it. But Hermione's discussion was still on his mind, as was his initial meeting with Danny. "I've got one more question before we begin. Did Myrtle really send her regards?" he asked seriously.

Danny noticed Harry's change of tone. "Yes. She told me that I reminded her of you, and told me… she offered to share her toilet with you if the Chamber of Secrets adventure turned out badly. Considering the fact that the bathroom is her favorite haunt, it was a really generous offer, from her perspective." It really was. Ghosts are usually obsessively possessive of their lairs, and the fact that Myrtle offered to share with Harry, perhaps for eternity, showed how much she cared about him.

"And she said that she missed you."

Harry gave a half-smile. Hermione was right. "I'm sorry for doubting you before. You really did talk to Myrtle. I… should probably visit her after lunch."

Danny smiled. "She'd probably like that." A bit more playfully, he continued, "You know, with everything you told me about the Chamber of Secrets, you never told me that you needed to speak a foreign language to gain access to it, or that the entrance was in a girls' bathroom."

Harry blushed. "Yeah, well… I didn't know if I could trust you yet, and when I thought you mocked me about Myrtle, imagine how I would have felt if I told you about the girls' bathroom."

Danny nodded. "Understood. And the language?"

"Right. I discovered that I'm a Parselmouth." Danny shook his head. Harry looked confused but explained. "It means I can talk to snakes." Danny's eyes widened. Harry could talk to snakes? "But how do you not know this? It was Salazar Slytherin's talent, and not many people besides his direct descendants (and me, courtesy of Voldemort) can speak it."

Danny stewed for a minute. "All of this might be obvious to you, as everyone around here knows everything about Hogwarts. I might be in Slytherin, but I'm also not from here. I haven't learned every legend concerning Hogwarts, or Slytherin, or general attitudes and stereotypes based on them. I…" He closed his mouth and his eyes. He was about to say that he was new to the Wizarding World, and was about to ask if Muggle-born students got this third degree, when he remembered: he was in Slytherin. According to Professor Snape, there were things he was expected to know.

Not opening them until he could trust his eyes to stay blue and his mouth to stay secretive, Danny felt a wave of emotion wash over him. He opened his eyes, and said quietly, "There are lots of things I don't know. I didn't learn about Hogwarts until Professor Dumbledore came to get Uncle Vlad and me. Can we not worry about this right now and get back to Potions, please?"

Harry was impressed. Danny truly took Potions seriously. If he kept up this pace, Danny would be caught up before the end of August. He had no clue that Danny saw Potions as a potential life or death situation.

In the middle of lunch, Sir Nicholas drifted over. "Danny, might I have a word?"

Danny said, "Sure." He got up and followed Sir Nicholas out of the Great Hall, into a room behind where the teachers' table would be during the school year.

"I hear you spent an evening with Myrtle."

Danny smiled. "Yeah. She's a cute kid. I'm just sorry she died in her first year here."

Sir Nicholas nodded. "I knew you would be. And you spoke to Miss Granger afterwards?"

Danny frowned. "She was rude to Myrtle. Maybe I should be used to it, considering ghost and human relations back home, but besides what you guys told me about Peeves, none of the ghosts here do anything to hurt or annoy the humans. There was no call for Hermione to disrespect Myrtle."

"Indeed. And after your discussion with her, Miss Granger apologized to me for any rudeness she might have displayed, and after a pleasant chat, she sought out Myrtle to apologize for last night and any other time she might have given offense."

Danny smiled. "Good to know."

Sir Nicholas beamed with pride. "Defending the rights of others is your specialty. And relations may become brighter between ghosts and the living this year, and we have you to thank for it."

Danny blushed. "It's what I do."

Sir Nicholas nodded again. "I know, and there is no end to my gratitude for it. But all of this is not why I pulled you away from lunch (although it would have been worth it)." Danny looked on curiously. "Perhaps in your anger you lost track of a small but important detail. You called Miss Granger by her first name, when she did not introduce herself to your ghostly persona." Danny put a hand over his mouth. "Not to worry. I gave her a cover story that she was able to believe. (I told her I discussed Harry and his friends with you at the telling of the story of the Deathday Party, which is – in fact – true.)

"But you are going to have to be more careful. Students here are more clever than the average residents of Amity Park, and they may piece things together in ways you might not expect. But more clever than most is Miss Granger. She is a very intelligent girl – top of her class since First Year. Still, the concept of a half-ghost is so foreign that it will probably take quite a while for them to put things together.

"Nothing happened this time. And you know you have all of the Hogwarts ghosts in your corner, but you will have to watch what you say." Danny's face fell. "I know it will be hard without your friends. We will help you any way we can." Putting a hand on Danny's shoulder, he smiled and said, "You can always count on me. Now head back to lunch before your next tutoring session."

In Herbology, Ron was annoyed at first, because he still thought of him as a Slytherin, and not as Danny. But once they sat in Greenhouse 1, Ron did seem to know what he was talking about. Ron realized how cool it was to have the new student pay close attention to him. And it was good to show off a bit of his knowledge. He told Danny about their encounter with Devil's Snare in First Year. The line "HAVE YOU GONE MAD? ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?" still brought a smile to his lips. He did tell Danny about that, but he toned it down. A lot.

Danny decided that if Ron was capable of working with him like this, he would catch up in no time.

Harry's conversation with Danny and then Danny's departure with Nick brought Harry back to the idea that he should visit Moaning Myrtle. He did promise he would. At the very least, he had to apologize for not coming sooner.

After lunch, Harry walked along the second floor corridor. The bright painted words from Second Year were either successfully washed away or painted over. Not a trace of the horrific experiences with Tom Riddle's diary or the basilisk remained, except in their memories. He knocked on the bathroom door.

Myrtle popped her head out of the door. "Harry! I'm glad you finally came! I bet you got jealous of Danny Phantom."

Harry blinked. "I'm glad I came, too. But… Danny Phantom. Isn't he the new ghost Hermione spoke about?"

"Yes, he is. And he is as wonderful as I heard of before he got here." She told Harry all about their evening last night, and about some of Phantom's exploits. Harry never heard of the Ghost King Myrtle talked about, but it seemed to be a big deal to her that this Danny Phantom defeated him.

During Myrtle's description, Harry noticed how excited she was. Now that he thought about it, maybe it wasn't fair to call her 'Moaning' Myrtle. Here, she seemed to be as happy as any eleven-year-old might be.

For a moment, Harry thought of Colin Creevey. It is true that Harry was mortified by all the attention he got that Second Year, especially considering how Lockhart blew it out of proportion. But Hermione said that Danny Phantom avoided attention, too. Even so, this new ghost indulged a seriously excitable fan without letting it go to his head. Harry felt a little small because of it.

"Harry, what changed? I hadn't seen you since you figured out your egg." Myrtle giggled.

He sighed. "We have a new student, Danny Fenton, who told me you said 'Hello.' I realized it was only polite to return the favor."

"Danny Fenton?" Myrtle sounded puzzled. "Danny Fenton, Fenton… Danny – oh, Danny FENTON. Right. He looks a lot like you, you know. But his eyes are blue, and yours are green, and he doesn't wear glasses like we do. And he doesn't have a scar on his forehead."

Harry smiled. "That's right." He visited for a few more minutes and wished her well. He told her he'd visit her again, and this time he meant it.

On his way back to the Common Room for a bit before dinner, he thought about his visit. Myrtle was actually pleasant company. But still… He was a bit confused. Why wouldn't she know who Danny was? She sent regards with him. He shrugged, and mentally filed it under another mysterious thing about the new student, Danny Fenton.

Danny took his NEWT and got an 'O' in it. (It would be a while before it was officially registered, but they told him his grade after they marked it before him.) He danced for joy because of it, but stopped quickly when he noticed the stares he got.

The day after Danny's NEWT was July 31st. It was Harry's birthday! Ron said, "Rotten luck to be in school on your birthday, mate."

Harry smiled ruefully. "It's better than being at the Dursleys' for my birthday."

Ron and Hermione smiled as they realized that, even though this was a working birthday for Harry, he was still in Hogwarts, which was, more or less, Harry's home away from home. Danny grimaced in embarrassment. "Sorry I didn't prepare anything, Harry. I didn't bring anything."

Harry smiled graciously. "There's no way you could have known, Danny." They chatted merrily discussing some of Harry's more interesting birthdays since he turned eleven, especially when Hagrid finally delivered his letter. This cheerful conversation took them to the end of breakfast.

The day progressed along their tutoring schedule, but at dinner they were joined by a guest. "Remus!" Harry exclaimed as they entered the Great Hall.

"Happy Birthday, Harry." The wizard's eyes gleamed sadly, but he was happy enough to join Harry for his sixteenth birthday.

Danny noticed that Professor Snape was conspicuously absent. He looked like he was about to ask a question, but Vlad leaned over and whispered, "That is the werewolf. Professor Snape has a grudge against him. Between Harry, him, and me, I don't think the professor will be too sorely missed." Danny frowned, but he saw Vlad's point. He would miss Professor Snape, but it was Harry's birthday and Vlad was indeed correct.

Dinner remained a joyful, celebratory event, crowned by the appearance of a birthday cake replete with candles and gifts bestowed upon Harry. Dinner ran longer than usual, but no one minded.

Once the meal was over, Vlad surprised Danny and the other students by inviting the erstwhile Professor Lupin to their private Defense Against the Dark Arts tutoring session. As they walked to their accustomed classroom, Vlad addressed their unusual visitor. "Mr. Lupin, I don't believe that you have been properly introduced to my young charge and… nephew, Daniel Fenton. Daniel, this is the interesting gentleman we have heard so much about, and who has unwittingly spurred on my inspiration for teaching the course of study I intend for Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Remus Lupin looked slightly unnerved as Vlad's mannerisms and speech patterns seemed reminiscent of those of Severus Snape. He shook himself and smiled congenially. "Hi there, Daniel."

Danny smiled and offered his hand to shake, which Lupin took, saying, "Hi, Mr. Lupin. Please call me Danny."

Upon reaching the classroom, Vlad waved them both in. Once the three of them were seated around a table, Vlad commented, "Normally, this hour is private time between myself and Daniel, when I teach him some of the finer points in the use of his powers."

Danny jerked his head up. "But Vlad…" Danny's eyes went as wide as dinner plates.

Vlad clucked his tongue and said, "Ah, ah, ah. Uncle Vlad, if you please."

Danny bristled in frustration. Lupin took the initiative to soothe the poor, shocked teen. "I'm sorry, Danny. We haven't had time to tell you that I'm a member of the Order."

At this announcement, Danny stopped shaking but glared at Vlad. "You might have told me first," Danny muttered.

Once satisfied that Danny was at least moderately mollified, Lupin turned to his host. "I truly thank you for the honor of inviting me to your inner sanctum of time, but I'm not precisely sure what we're here to discuss."

"First of all, one of the things I hope to accomplish is to share wisdom with and from a former professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Second of all, I hope to discuss how to convey certain bits of information, considering the fact that both of us are Muggles. But third of all, and perhaps most importantly, I was infinitely disturbed to hear that your deepest secret was callously revealed by a fellow professor who merely held a childhood grudge against you." This time, Lupin's eyes grew wide. "I was rather hoping that you would have some advice on how to get said professor to keep a sacred secret."

Danny sat, bewildered at Vlad's venomous speech. Lupin covered his mouth with his hand in shock. The speech he heard in the tone that he heard it was the last thing he expected to hear.

After a few minutes, Lupin shook off his shock and thought about how to address the issues Vlad brought up. If young Danny had not been there looking as surprised and unnerved as he was, Lupin might have suspected Vlad of trying to rope him into a seriously villainous plot.

Barely above a whisper, Lupin began, "Right, then." With a pained face, he continued, "I'm not sure what he did, but apparently, Professor Snape has gotten under your skin. While I'll readily admit that he's not my favorite person, I will just as readily admit that he is a professional.

"Despite the grudge he held (and continues to hold) against me, he not only dutifully kept my secret, but produced the Wolfsbane Potion, a very complicated potion that allows me to maintain my human consciousness when I am no longer human. It wasn't until Professor Snape assumed that I put students in harm's way, particularly because of the company of an accused mass murderer," he stopped and held up a hand, "he was innocent of all charges." Putting his hand down, he continued, "It was then, and only then, that he saw fit to reveal my secret.

"It's true that Professor Snape hates me. But he only did what he saw was right by his own lights. And for many months after that, I actually agreed with his assessment." The two half-ghosts looked at him in sincere confusion. With a half-smile, Lupin continued. "In an effort to save Harry and his friends from whom I thought was a very dangerous man, I had forgotten to take that day's dose of the Wolfsbane Potion. It was only that once. Never before, since the invention of this potion, and never since that lapse, have I missed a dose. But that one missed dose, that one mistake of mine, put the lives of three students, two innocent men, and the actual mass murderer all in jeopardy."

"Wow," breathed Danny.

Mr. Lupin focused his attention on Danny. "Unlike me, both of you have complete control over when you choose to be human and when you choose to be ghost. It would be almost impossible for you to make a mistake with consequences of epic proportions, such as mine.

"As such, Professor Snape would never have cause to reveal your secrets. He cares too much for the safety of his students." He flashed another half-smile at Vlad. "And you know better than anyone that if one of your secrets is revealed, the other wouldn't be long in also becoming revealed."

Danny and Vlad sat in silence, absorbing Remus Lupin's tale. After reading the look of pained shock on Vlad's face and a look of deep empathy on Danny's face that sincerely surprised him, Lupin said in a far lighter tone, "Now about the matter of teaching…"

The month of August was largely uneventful. On the days Danny had Charms, Professor Flitwick slipped him a note at breakfast with suggestions of how to make various ghost powers appear to be magic spells. On days he had Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Snape did the same.

It amused Danny to know that Morph became friendly with Hermione's cat, Crookshanks. Hermione told him that Crookshanks was part Kneazle. After reading Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Danny realized that – among other things – Crookshanks was smarter than most Wizarding pets. It intrigued him to see how well he got along with her cat, and it quietly amused Danny to see that he didn't seem to like Vlad.

By the end of the summer, Danny was mostly caught up to the rest of the Sixth Years. In Charms and Defense, he was woefully inept, but he was a Muggle surrounded by wizards. Professor Snape was pleased with his progress, and it made Danny happy that Harry would get into Professor Snape's NEWT level Potions class.

The most significant milestones for Danny (besides the 'O' on his NEWT) were in the development of his powers. Until August, Vlad had him work on general strength training, aim, and practice with shields, both the ectoplasmic glass and the protective dome, and everything in between.

However, on the first Saturday in August, Vlad arranged for Danny to demonstrate his Ghostly Wail. Danny told Vlad about it, and it intrigued Vlad. But Danny could not safely demonstrate it without a few factors. First of all, they had to send the students away. That was easy enough to do: once Vlad told Professor Dumbledore of his plan, Professor Dumbledore informed the Gryffindor trio that August 3 was their first Hogsmeade outing, and Hagrid would go with them for security.

Harry asked about Danny coming with them, but Professor Masters didn't give permission for his nephew to go. Harry remembered his Third Year quite bitterly, remembering how that could be. Then he thought of Sirius, and that made him smile and sad at the same time.

Once the students were safely gone, Vlad had Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape present for presentation and possible damage control. Danny felt uncomfortable with all of this attention, but if he was going to develop this power, this way seemed to be the only logical way to do it. He turned ghost, which surprised Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape. All the professors present were aware that this would be happening, but knowing it and witnessing it were two different things.

Facing the lake, Danny let loose his Ghostly Wail. The four adults stared in disbelief as the trees on the far side of the lake were leveled for up to a distance of 100 yards beyond the start of the tree line on the distant shore. After two minutes, Danny fell to his knees in exhaustion, reverting to human.

Vlad looked at Danny, very impressed. Waiting for Danny to catch his breath but hoping to keep him conscious, Vlad asked. "Have you used this power before?"

Danny panted heavily. "Yes."

The eyes of all four adults grew wide. "When did you use it?"

Danny was seriously not ready to tell anyone here, including Vlad, of his evil future self from an alternate timeline. He remembered a time he was prepared to discuss. "Last Christmas." Still breathing hard, but more easily than before, he continued. "I… well, I managed to upset a ghost named Ghostwriter. Because of an ongoing argument my parents had every year, I was annoyed. I went to the Ghost Zone to destroy some Christmas baubles I bought for the purpose of letting off some steam and frustration. A teddy bear, or something, got too close to the Ghostwriter as he proudly displayed his completed new manuscript. I hit the doll I aimed for, but I also accidentally blew up the manuscript. He was particularly unhappy because it was his only copy.

"That Christmas Eve, the Ghostwriter 'taught me a lesson' on holiday cheer. Needless to say, it was absolutely miserable for me until I learned that lesson. One of the many things the Ghostwriter arranged to torment me was a whole forest of possessed, demonic Christmas trees. I used the Ghostly Wail to demolish those trees."

The adults took a moment to digest this. Professor Dumbledore asked, "Did you learn your lesson?"

Danny rubbed the back of his neck, his breathing returned to normal. "Yeah. My usual host of ghostly enemies came to help me fix everything that was broken because of that first fight I picked with the Ghostwriter." He frowned. "It wouldn't have spiraled out of control if I would have apologized immediately for destroying his manuscript. But because it was a Christmas poem, I didn't care.

"But by the end of the evening, I figured out that everyone celebrates in the way of their choosing, and that holiday spirit should be respected, even when it looks weird to me. I learned about the 'Christmas truce' that is held sacred by all ghosts. Like I said, my usual ghostly enemies helped me fix everything, and let me know that the truce extends to all ghosts, 'even half-ghosts like me.' I don't think I've ever heard Skulker be that gentle before or since.

"Anyway, I made up with my friends and family. And once everyone was in bed, asleep, I came back to the Ghost Zone to apologize to the guy I antagonized to get the craziness started. He forgave me, and became one of my closer friends who are ghosts." He smiled ruefully. "Especially because my misadventures of the evening became his new poem, which he said was much better than the first one."

The adults were quietly amused. However, this story caused them to reflect on a few things. First of all, a ghost from Danny's home was not only capable of manipulating the physical, but he was capable of changing all reality for his own purpose. Thank goodness, the end goal of this ghost was benevolent, if the means were incredibly vindictive. Second, Danny used this intensely destructive talent to save himself. They wondered what he could do with it, if he had the opportunity to develop it. Some shuddered to think of it.

Third of all, Danny learned the lesson intended. Instead of becoming bitter and vengeful towards the character who 'punished' him, Danny befriended him. This was an interesting display of maturity.

Beyond his Ghostly Wail, Danny decided that the eye beams were a relatively easy thing to learn, as it was just focusing an ectobeam through another channel. He was able to do it in three lessons. The duplication took longer. He cheered when he could successfully make one complete duplicate, but Vlad didn't stop focusing on it (for which Danny was privately thankful) until he could make four of himself at once.

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