As always, a sincere thanks to all who have read and reviewed, added this to their assorted lists, and this time granted season's greetings! A warm cup of hot chocolate and a mug of alcohol-free eggnog to all.

Several people have asked me about this in the reviews, so I figured it was worthy of a public answer. When Vlad started making Danny use his ice powers, people mentioned that they thought the first use of the power would be far more dramatic.

In "Urban Jungle," the first time in the series that Danny consciously uses his ice powers, Frostbite told him to discharge his ice energy all at once. This is what produced the expectation of the need to have a dramatic beginning.

However, probably having gone through an experience similar to that, Vlad decided to bypass the problem by having Danny use his ice powers before enough of the cold energy overloaded his system. As such, the beginning did not have to be explosive (much to the dismay of many readers who enjoy mayhem and destruction in Danny's wake. You know who you are).

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, Harry Potter, Macbeth, Hamlet, or Hair. I do own the idea of a Dumpty Humpty song having lines from Macbeth, but I'm perfectly willing to share this idea.

Chapter 20

When Draco came to dinner, his face was ashen. Even if Danny thought he deserved the detention, something looked out of joint. "What happened, Draco?"

"Your uncle…" He opened and closed his mouth a few times.

Danny put a steadying hand on his arm. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"He… equality…"

Now that he understood the problem, Danny smirked. "I'm sorry to tell you, you've had this coming. What is he making you do?"

Draco shot him a look of betrayal. "He's pretty much trying to change my whole outlook on life."

Danny looked at him a moment. "Is your baseless hatred and superiority complex against all people Muggle, Muggle-born, and hybrid so important to you that you can't bear to look at a different perspective?"

Draco flushed and frowned. "You don't sound like a Slytherin. My views have been long held by the Founder of our House…"

"And enforced by…" Danny winced as he realized that saying the name 'Voldemort' might give away too much right now. What did Professor Snape call him? Right. "The Dark Lord. Right. Countless innocent people died because… what? They're not wizard enough?"

That cut Draco short. It was one thing to lord superiority over people, but to kill them? That was… what the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters did, didn't they? "When you put it like that…"

"It sounds like Nazi Germany." Draco blinked. Danny was taken aback. "Dude, what have they taught you here? You are living in the country that survived the Blitzkrieg, and…" Danny closed his eyes and shook his head. "How is it possible that you live in Europe but you don't know about the Nazis, who only devastated all of Europe between 1933 and 1945? I might not have been the best student of history but how, in the name of all things magical, did you miss learning about World War II?"

Draco blanched. "That sounds like the time of Grindelwald. He was the Dark Lord's predecessor."

"Okay. And?"

Draco noticed his friend's eyes harden to steel. Whatever sympathy he thought he would find was just not there. "And maybe I should ask your uncle about that after I finish reading what he's assigned me."

Curiosity overtook Danny's disbelief in the gaping hole in Draco's knowledge of history. "What did he assign you?"

"Tonight, I have to read something called 'A Letter Concerning Toleration'."

"I haven't heard of that, but with a title like that, I'm not surprised."

"And later, we're going to study the American Declaration of Independence, and an 'I Have a Dream' speech."

"Cool! It's been a while since I've seen or heard the whole thing of those."

No sympathy for the work he had to look forward to was forthcoming. Draco sighed. "I've lost my appetite. I might as well get started reading. I'll see you after your class with your uncle."

After dinner, Danny and Vlad met in the Room of Requirement. Danny wanted to talk about today, but he waited until his lesson was over. Vlad looked excited too, but studies came first. When Vlad said, "Now, studies are over for today," Danny beamed.

"So, who did you visit?"

Vlad smiled at Danny fondly. "The Ghostwriter sends his regards." Danny smiled. "And I bought two copies of his Christmas poem: one for you and one for me."

Danny stopped still. There were a lot of memories involved in that poem. Vlad was surprised at Danny's reaction. Perhaps a blush of embarrassment was what he expected. This… oh. "Daniel…"

Tears formed in Danny's eyes, and the boy looked away. "They're gone. They're all… I'm sorry."

Vlad reacted before he thought about it. He walked over and hugged Danny. The boy stiffened, but didn't resist. After a moment, Vlad pulled back. "I miss them, too."

Danny cocked his head. "You do? But I thought you hated…"

"Shh… Let's not discuss that now. Today, at the try-outs, you and Draco spent a bit of time talking before you went to the field. What did you talk about?"

A whole host of emotions went through Danny as he tried to process what just happened. He wasn't sure he could deal with most of them right now. Instead, he focused on answering the question. "Draco asked me if I wanted to try out. I reminded him that I have no time to practice. But he wanted to see what I could do."

"You are very good, you know."

Danny smiled. "I'm glad you think so. They said I caught the Snitch – the small, gold ball – in record time, actually about half a minute longer than the world record." Vlad raised his eyebrows. "Knowing that I can't go to practice, the team captain told me that regardless of all that, I am the team's reserve Seeker."

"I was sure they would be impressed by your skill if they had a chance to see it. I was right."

Danny looked at Vlad. He recognized that look from when his parents used it on him. It was more than just pride; it was love. This was weird.

Vlad saw that Danny didn't look comfortable. He closed his eyes for a few seconds. When he opened them, he changed topics and spoke in a lighter tone. Danny looked relieved. Vlad still had a reward for him in mind, but he figured that he would discuss it later.

At breakfast, Vlad pulled Danny aside and told him he was going back to the Ghost Zone, but he would be back in time for lunch. Danny nodded. After breakfast, he headed to the library. Most of the students from Defense Against the Dark Arts were there, as were a bunch of other students from different years in different Houses. Slytherin students whispered about him, but he had at least three papers to work on and no patience to deal with that.

Danny's ghost sense went off. When he looked up, he saw that Peeves threw chalk at random students, chuckling at his own mischief. When Peeves hit the person next to Danny, Danny glared and said, "Peeves, do you mind?"

Peeves stopped laughing and stared. "Mr. Fenton! I didn't notice you were there, Mr. Fenton. I'll just leave you alone now, Mr. Fenton. Good-bye, Mr. Fenton!" With that, he soared through the ceiling.

The eye of every student was on Danny. Ron asked, "What was that?"

Danny shrugged. "I couldn't tell you." The stares persisted. With an exasperated sigh, Danny packed up his books and headed outside.

In Danny's absence, the library broke out into whispers. The four Ravenclaws from Danny's History of Magic class and Ernie Macmillan started comparing notes. Harry, Ron, and Hermione did the same. The Slytherins present decided that, while they had no idea why this just happened, this only raised Danny in their esteem.

The Ravenclaws and Ernie discussed the bizarre reaction of the Crup to Danny, and of Professor Binns' changed disposition in History of Magic. Peeves not only respected Danny, but he seemed to fear Danny. They never saw Peeves show deference to anyone quite that way, except to the Bloody Baron. But to a student?

Peeves saluted the Weasley twins when they told him to "give Umbridge hell for them." But that was more… encouragement to follow his natural inclination for mischief. This sudden cessation from mischief at a student's behest was unheard of.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione thought for a bit. They remembered that, over the summer, Danny had an affinity for the House ghosts. The first time they met him, he spoke of Myrtle. And now, Peeves listened to him, almost fearing him. What was Danny's connection to these ghosts? They couldn't figure it out. And, of course, Danny sounded like Phantom, but they decided this didn't mean anything more than they both came from America.

The Slytherins remembered that the first time they saw Danny, he had no problem talking to the Bloody Baron. Maybe the Baron deputized Danny in some way. The Slytherins in the Sixth Year Defense Against the Dark Arts class thought of Danny's weird reaction to Professor Masters' comment about ghosts. They didn't know what to make of this, but the idea that a student could control Peeves as effectively as the Bloody Baron made them proud of their Housemate. Maybe they could prevail upon Draco (who seemed to treat Danny as his personal project, and no one wanted to get on the prefect's bad side) to ask about Danny's effect on Peeves.

No one knew what to make of Peeves' reaction to Danny, but every student in the library was now curious about the Slytherin foreign exchange student.

While Madam Pince seemed to ignore the chatter, the Slytherins present took advantage of the Danny-centered conversation and let Harry know of their new Seeker. Everyone knew Potter was good, even if the Slytherins would never admit it in his (or any Gryffindor's, for that matter) presence, but they had no problem letting him know that Danny was far better than Potter, and Fenton didn't even practice.

At lunch, Harry looked over at Danny and shook his head. Ron asked, "Harry, what's wrong?"

Harry frowned. "Nothing special. I think I need to talk to Danny after lunch. That's all."

Sunday morning, Vlad went back to the Ghost Zone as promised. The Far Frozen was indeed out of the way, but it was no trouble to get there. The entrance was an ice formation above a cavern. Once Vlad entered the cavern, he felt the temperature drop drastically. With a perpendicular turn from the overhead entrance, the passageway in the cavern was a bit over a mile before the floor opened to the ground level.

Vlad descended to that ground level and looked around. The frozen wasteland was desolate. Why would anyone choose to live here? If he decided to form designs to take over and rule a domain (just because he could), this would be one of the last places he'd consider, at least second to the banks of the River of Revulsion.

As he wandered, a hovering vehicle stopped in front of him, and two yeti-like ghosts, at least ten feet tall, glowered at him. "You!"

Vlad was taken aback. He hadn't done anything to warrant the venom of this creature's tone yet. "Can I…"

"What business do you have here, Tormentor of the Great One?"

Vlad shook his head. "What…?"

"You released the Ghost King. You are known to cause anguish to the Great One, who defeated the Ghost King!"

Vlad muttered, "Evidently, these beings aren't fans of my work." To them, he said, "Yes, I did all that. But now, circumstances have changed." He thought for a moment. "And now I seek aid for the Great One, as you call him. I need to see Frostbite."

The two snow beasts in their hovercraft considered this. "Why do you, the Tormentor, seek aid for…"

"Yes, yes. I know he's the hero of all things ghostly. And yes, I was his arch-nemesis for over a year and a half. But apparently, news doesn't come to this cavern in anything like a timely fashion."

The two guards looked at each other. Eyeing Plasmius with suspicion, one said, "We will take you to our leader. Don't expect a warm reception."

Vlad rolled his eyes. "Of course not." With that, they waved Vlad into their vehicle, which traversed miles of ice and snow before they reached their destination.

"Wait here while I announce you," one told Vlad as the other stood guard.

Vlad smiled wryly, and thought, 'The fact that my reputation precedes me is a double-edged sword.'

"Frostbite will see you now. Know that you will have to work to find favor with him, as it is not currently granted." With that, the patrol yeti brought Vlad into the palace. The palace guards watched him with further suspicion. Vlad supposed he deserved it, with the things he's done over the course of his years in the Ghost Zone. The fact that he was sorely outnumbered by these great beings didn't daunt him; he fought the Behemoth and eventually won.

What made him nervous was that these creatures thought of him as an enemy, and might reject his call for aid out of hand. He reminded himself: this was for Daniel.

Frostbite looked regal and imposing as he sat on his throne. Vlad was brought before him. "Plasmius, Tormentor of the Great One, why did you seek an audience with me?"

Vlad closed his eyes. He would have one shot at this. If he wanted to get anywhere, he would have to 'speak their language.' Joy.

"Great ruler of the Far Frozen, I bring you news of your favored Great One." The leader nodded at him to continue. "A little over two months ago, through no machinations of mine, a marauding band of humans came and destroyed the town wherein Daniel lived. These evil people left Daniel orphaned and friendless. He sought solace with me.

"It is true that in the past I tormented the boy. But now, I am his legal guardian and have served honorably in this capacity. If need be, I can produce witnesses to vouch for this." There was a murmur among the people of the court.

"Besides his guardian, I am and have been his guide and mentor. We share countless powers, but one that we do not share is his cryokinesis. As such, I have come to seek aid and advice, for my guidance in the use of this power is limited per force."

Frostbite absorbed this while his people spoke amongst themselves regarding Danny and Vlad's new relationship. "Vlad Plasmius, your words have found favor with me and this court. Of course, we will give you advice about how to teach young Danny this skill." Vlad breathed easier. They were going to honor his request!

He was brought to a practice area and was given a demonstration. The manipulation of ice was truly versatile. There are many things he thought he could explain. Still, his best bet was to explain what he could, and bring Daniel here for a visit when there was time. This is something Vlad certainly would do.

At lunch, Danny was glad to see Vlad back at the Head table. They would discuss what happened later. After lunch, Draco sighed and left for Vlad's office. Harry met Danny outside the Great Hall.

Danny smiled. "Hi, Harry. Listen – I've been having trouble with my Potions essay. Would you go over a few things with me?"

This was better than Harry expected. "Sure. Do you have your books ready?" Danny nodded. They found a classroom and prepared to study.

Danny noticed Harry's agitation. "Harry, what's wrong?"

Harry sighed. "Nothing, I suppose. I just thought you would have told me if you changed your mind."

Danny was confused. "About what?"

"About trying out for Quidditch. I'm glad you made the team, but you were so adamant that you couldn't spare the time. It's no big deal, but it might have been nice to let me know."

Understanding dawned on Danny. "Oh, is that it?" Danny snickered. "That never changed. I don't have time to practice. I explained that in no uncertain terms. Still, Draco asked me to 'show him what I could do.' So I, um, showed off a bit. Despite my objections and insistence that I have no time, Urquhart declared me to be the Slytherin spare Seeker." Harry's grimace relaxed. "If my intentions changed, Harry, you would have been the first to know. After all, you taught me all I know about Quidditch. It would only be right to share the news with you."

Harry looked incredulously. "You mean you're only on the team because they wouldn't take 'no' for an answer?"

Danny smiled. "Pretty much."

Harry shook his head. "Slytherins are known for their ambition, and I'm sure that once they saw your skill in flying they wouldn't let you go."

"That's what Uncle Vlad said."

Harry smiled. "I'm glad he agrees with my assessment. Now what were you having trouble with?"

When Vlad met Danny after dinner, he was particularly satisfied. He began, "Today, I went to the Far Frozen, a section of the Ghost Zone where there are ghosts who share your powers over ice." With an odd smile, he said, "The people there are rather fond and protective of you. Besides extracting a promise from me to bring you there at some point, they gave me some useful suggestions concerning how to direct you to use this power."

Vlad was very exacting with his words, so his choice of words confused Danny. "They 'extracted' a promise from you?"

With a withering glance, Vlad said, "Don't ask. You will understand when we visit. Eventually." The fact that there was a whole section of the Ghost Zone of ghosts who actively liked him surprised Danny. "But now, you are going to work on focusing your ice like your ectoplasm. By the end of this week, I expect you to be able to focus ice blasts from your hands and your eyes."

"Like my ectoblasts," Danny said.

"Exactly. Let's begin."

At the end of their lesson, Vlad smiled enigmatically. "It has come to my attention that towards the start of this term, you cited the Declaration of Independence for your friend, Mr. Malfoy."

Danny said, "Well, yeah. He was being a jerk, and couldn't understand why I didn't share his anti-Muggle views. So I explained it."

"You need to know that there are times that we actually think alike that are less likely to upset you. This is one such occurrence."

Danny had no idea where Vlad was headed with this. Vlad's smile broadened. "When Mr. Malfoy mentioned your quick thinking, I decided you deserved to be rewarded for it." Danny widened his eyes. "Within the week, I think, we will finish our unit on Hamlet. I think a fitting reward would be to let you choose what you wish to learn next."

That was a pleasant, unexpected twist. Danny thought for a moment. "Could we do Macbeth?"

It was Vlad's turn to be surprised. "Of course. I commend you on your choice. What made you think of it?"

Danny blushed. "Well, in their album 'We All Fall Down,' Dumpty Humpty made reference to it. In one song, part of the chorus is 'Double, double/ Toil and trouble/ Fire burn and cauldron bubble.' I'm sure it's wildly out of context, as Dumpty Humpty made that bit talk about love and suspicion, but I thought it would be cool to read the line in its original source."

Vlad blinked. "I didn't realize that pop culture touched on something so… culturally useful for education, anymore."

Danny cocked his head. "Anymore?"

The man smiled. "When I was growing up, there was a musical play, or maybe it was more of a rock opera? Anyway, it was called 'Hair.' You can take or leave the play, but one of the featured numbers was 'What Piece of Work Is Man.' That is a line from one of Hamlet's soliloquies in Act II, scene II. And, as you observed with your song from Dumpty Humpty, the lines quoted from Hamlet are also wildly out of context."

"Really?"

"Hmm… I wonder." With a wave of Vlad's hand, an old-fashioned phonograph player appeared on their table, as did a record with the single 'What Piece of Work Is Man.' There was a crank to set the turntable in motion. "That's it? I asked the room to provide the best sound system magic had to offer. Well, it will have to do. It is curious what you can make this room do with a little imagination." He played the record.

Danny thought about this. He was bonding with Vlad over music. This was beyond weird. As much as it disturbed him, it kind of gave him a warm feeling he couldn't place.

9