Once again, I want to thank all the readers, reviewers, and the new folks who added this fic (and me as an author) to your favorite and alert lists. Let me tell you… the attention is addicting, and I love it. Thank you again.

Lots of thoughts that I've had for months now finally got a chance to see the light of day. And Cynthia initially wrote the scene where Harry brings Dumbledore the locket. I added a bit, and it corresponded to Harry's meeting with Dumbledore in HBP, but she deserves the credit for drawing it up, and giving me the inspiration I needed to fill this scene out.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, Harry Potter, or Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.

Chapter 25

Lord Voldemort sat in a tall, high-backed armchair, his fingers steepled in thought. The American child who lived through the Death Eaters' Avada Kedavra has been elusive. The town of Amity Park was known to be completely of Muggles. There were supposed to be ghosts whom even the Muggles acknowledged, but that should not have mattered. This was not to be believed! News of Muggles who became orphans from a devastating attack such as theirs were splashed about the media. Yet this child disappeared without a trace. The American contingent of Death Eaters searched the Wizarding publications since July, but not one word of the lone child who lived before the Death Eaters were fired upon by some phantom was written.

"Yaxley, what have you heard from our American corespondents?"

Yaxley jumped, as he wasn't expecting to be addressed by his lord at this time. "My lord, what we have heard is that he looks like the Potter boy. He has no magic, or someone would have mentioned the placing of the boy…"

"Indeed." This immortal child looked like the last survivor of the same curse. He found this particularly interesting, as there was no prophecy about this boy. There was nothing of note to explain the longevity of this child who, by rights, should have been dead.

Thinking aloud, Voldemort asked, "Is it possible that Muggles would know how to hide this child so effectively? Or has the Wizarding World had a hand in hiding him?"

Yaxley wasn't sure where this was going. "If you please, my lord… The wizards in America have closer ties to the Muggle World. As such, we discovered that the Muggle agencies that normally place orphans haven't been contacted. The British Death Eaters who reported that the child lived have as much information as our American counterparts. Unfortunately, that leaves us with nothing but a physical description of the boy.

"Unlike Potter, he has blue eyes, and wears no spectacles. Like the Potter boy, he is short, thin, and has black hair. More than that, we don't have."

"Thank you. You have served me well, even though the results are disappointing. That will be all, Yaxley." The addressed Death Eater bowed low and left Voldemort's presence. Voldemort mused, now he had two raven-haired teenagers he needed to find. One he needed to defeat, and one he needed to capture and learn his secrets. But he was patient. He would wait. Something had to slip sometime.

In Potions, Harry looked at Danny quietly. He still looked a bit haunted by his worst fear, but Danny set up his cauldron and his potion ingredients with his usual attention to detail. Danny said, "Professor Snape looks happy."

When Harry turned his eyes to the front, Professor Snape smiled dangerously. This can't be good. The students finished settling in, and Professor Snape announced, "You are preparing NEWT level potions. For your midterm projects, you will have a research project. In five groups of two and one group of three, you will look up potions from four chapters ahead of where we are in Advanced Potion Making to the end. You and your partner will describe the potion and what it is supposed to do. You will list and explain the ingredients and the procedures for preparing them, how long it takes to brew it, and what it should look like in its various stages of production. List the legal ramifications to the potion's use, if there are any, and if there are, any circumstances when it's permitted or forbidden to use it. You will list any safety precautions, and – of course – take them. Tomorrow, we will discuss when you will begin brewing them. Depending on the results, we will see about using said potions for a limited time only."

Snape looked around the class, and noticed which students looked relieved, excited, or filled with disgust or dread. "You have the next fifteen minutes to select which potion you and your partner will brew. No two groups may choose the same potion." That settled things as far as cheating went. "And, you will cite all of your sources, of course."

The room filled with the sound of pages flipping and quiet murmuring as the students discussed which potions they wanted to brew. Harry remembered Danny's interest in Polyjuice Potion, but Ron beat him to it. "We're doing Polyjuice Potion!" he whispered joyfully. Hermione shrugged. Harry was annoyed, but Danny sighed with relief.

Danny flipped through the table of contents. "Harry, how about this one? Felix Felicis – it's supposed to be 'bottled good luck'."

Harry smiled. "That sounds like something both of us can use. Let's go for it." He thought for a moment. "We can get started on this tomorrow, during our afternoon break."

Danny considered. Professor Flitwick decided to rethink of few of Danny's skills and needed time to come up with what else to do. As such, Danny's afternoon break became free. "Sounds good to me."

At the fifteen-minute mark, Professor Snape called on groups around the room. Ron and Hermione claimed the Polyjuice Potion. Harry and Danny announced they were doing Felix Felicis. Draco and Blaise decided on Veritaserum. Lisa and Mandy smirked and they said they chose Amortentia. Millicent and Theo chose Hiccuping Solution, and Terry, Michael, and Ernie chose the Elixir to Induce Euphoria. Professor Snape wrote permission slips to the restricted section of the library for their various topics. They would need it. After this, they discussed the midterm exam they would have on everything they covered so far.

After dinner, Vlad asked Danny if he wanted to discuss what happened earlier. Danny didn't want to. They finished exploring what Danny could do with ectoplasmic storms, and tomorrow they would do something new.

When Harry headed up to Dumbledore's office at 8:00pm on Monday, he brought the gold locket to show the professor. He knocked on the door a bit nervously; Professor Dumbledore was gone all weekend, and Harry wasn't sure if he was back yet. Harry breathed a sigh of relief when he was told to enter and walked in. Dumbledore seemed tired, but he smiled as he gestured to Harry to sit down. As before, Dumbledore's Pensieve, a carved bowl in which memories were stored, sat on the desk casting silvery specks of light on the ceiling.

As the professor pulled out a bottle of memories, Harry said, "Sir, I met Mundungus in Hogsmeade."

"Ah, yes, I am already aware that he has been treating your inheritance with light-fingered contempt," Dumbledore said. "He has gone into hiding since your meeting outside the Three Broomsticks; he likely dreads facing me. However, rest assured he will not make away with any more of Sirius's old possessions."

Phineas Nigellus Black, Sirius's great-great-grandfather, raised his head from where he had apparently been sleeping in his frame. "That mangy half-blood was stealing Black heirlooms?" Incensed, he stalked out of his frame to go to his portrait at Grimmauld Place. Harry stared after him, considering that Bellatrix called him a half-blood, and he was the sole inheritor of the Black Estate. He shrugged; that was just Phineas's way.

Turning back to Professor Dumbledore, Harry said, "I recovered some of them; or rather, Ron did."

Harry got quiet. The professor asked gently, "What is wrong, Harry?"

Looking ashamed, though he couldn't say why, Harry said, "Something weird happened. Yesterday, when we went through stuff in the suitcase…" Nervously, he pulled the locket out of his pocket. "This was among all of the stuff with the Black crest. I recognized it as the one Voldemort's mother was wearing in Ogden's memory."

Dumbledore examined it. The ornate serpentine "S" was inlaid with glittering green stones, resembling a tiny snake.

"What was weird is that I almost felt the locket call to me. After I finished my homework and stuff, I wanted to look at it for a bit. I fell asleep with it in my hand."

Professor Dumbledore asked, "Did you? And what happened?"

Harry looked sheepish. "I put it in a close pocket. I'm really not sure why, but the urge to do so was strong. But to be honest, I feel lighter for having given it to you."

"You and your friend Mr. Weasley did an excellent job, Harry." The Headmaster's expression became thoughtful for a moment. "Would you object to my holding on to it for a little while? I have a theory about this locket, which will take time to prove one way or the other." Puzzled, Harry shook his head and Dumbledore put it into a drawer of his desk. "Thank you, Harry. I will explain it all in due time."

"Yes, sir."

"And now, to our lesson." Dumbledore uncorked the vial and poured the memories into the Pensieve, swirling in the stone basin. "I am sure you recall that we left our talk at the point where Tom Riddle, the handsome Muggle, abandoned his witch wife and returned home to Little Hangleton…"

In the Common Room, Ron said, "Wow. Scary thought, the boy You-Know-Who."

Harry looked unsettled. "Yeah. But what made it more confusing is that… I don't know. Even as a kid, he was cruel. That just seems wrong, somehow."

Ron argued, "What is confusing? It's You-Know-Who we're talking about."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Ron, he wasn't always the big, scary wizard, the terror of humanity we know him to be. Harry's right. It is unfortunate that even so young, he took pleasure in causing others pain."

Harry gave her a half-smile. "Professor Dumbledore wanted to study the locket. I'm not sure why he's showing me all this, but he promises that he'll explain everything 'in due time,' whatever that means."

Hermione smiled. "Well, Professor Dumbledore promised to tell you everything." Harry looked uncomfortable, but there was nothing to do but wait until their next meeting. Recognizing the end of this train of thought, Hermione asked, "So, what have you and Draco discovered?"

Harry took a breath. This could take a while. Unless… "Do you want the long version or the short version?" Hermione looked surprised. There was more than one understanding for what they saw this morning?

Ron said, "The short version. Anything that has to do with Malfoy is better when it takes less time." Hermione wasn't sure of that logic. This was about Danny, not Draco.

Harry nodded. "We think that Danny is afraid of becoming a Dark wizard."

Both Ron and Hermione stared. "You got that from everything we saw?" Ron asked.

Harry cocked his head. "No. We didn't understand much more of what we saw than anyone else. But we heard Danny tell Professor Masters that he was afraid that one day, he was would go crazy and start killing people. He asked the professor, 'Don't you see how easy it'd be?' He's afraid of what he could become."

Hermione shook her head. "That doesn't make sense. Why would he say it's so easy, when the only defensive spell I've seen him do successfully is that shield of his?"

Harry shrugged. "No one says it has to make sense. It's his worst fear, and it panicked him enough that he fled from the room. Malfoy says that the best thing to do is tell Professor Snape."

Ron blurted, "Have you gone mental? How is that greasy git supposed to help? Students are afraid of him! Even Neville, who fought Bellatrix Lestrange, for Merlin's sake, is still scared of him!"

Harry said, "That may well be, but Professor Snape is his Head of House. Malfoy says that the professor is the 'go-to' person when Slytherins have problems."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Perhaps we ought to keep Professor McGonagall in mind, next time you have a problem." Harry's eyes grew wide. "Other Gryffindors do all the time."

Harry gulped. "Er… Okay."

After Transfigurations, Harry and Draco met and headed to Professor Snape's office. "Are you sure about this?" Harry asked.

Draco said, "I've done it before when Danny seemed… off. Professor Snape thanked me for bringing the problem to his attention. Why?" He bit back a comment about Gryffindor bravado. They needed to get along to help Danny.

"Coming to a professor to explain a problem… is kind of new to me. The last time I tried it and it was useful was when Professor Lupin taught me how to fight Dementors. Stopping from fainting was important. But to just talk about something that bothered me, or someone else?" Harry shrugged.

Draco stopped and stared at him. "You have a problem with adults, don't you?"

Taking a page from Danny's book, Harry said, "I prefer not to discuss it."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well… this is closer to normal." They continued to Snape's office, each lost in his own thoughts.

Draco knocked on the door. "Come in." The boys entered. "Draco. Harry! What a surprise to see you… both here." Both of them looked healthy and whole, and not intent on jinxing each other. What on earth was going on? "What is this about?"

Harry and Draco looked at each other. Professor Snape just called Harry by his first name. Draco never saw that before, and Harry was still getting used to it. Still… while it was Draco's idea to talk to the professor, doing something about Danny's fear was Harry's idea. Draco nodded at Harry in encouragement. Professor Snape raised an eyebrow.

Harry took a breath. "It's about Danny, sir."

That was unexpected. Professor Snape offered them both seats. "What about Daniel?"

Harry continued. "Yesterday, Professor Masters had us work with a Boggart, and Danny's fear was so bad, after Professor Masters killed the Boggart, Danny ran out of the room."

Professor Masters killed the Boggart? Well, he couldn't very well cast a Riddikulus on it. Laughing would confuse it, but killing it? Interesting.

Wait. "Daniel, with his spellwork as it is, would not voluntarily greet the Boggart. How did that come to pass?"

Harry glared at Draco, who swallowed. "I… pushed him, sir."

Professor Snape narrowed his eyes. "And why, Mr. Malfoy, would you do that to your friend who you know clearly has issues?" Draco winced in guilt, but also because he noticed that the professor switched from calling him 'Draco' to 'Mr. Malfoy.' He was in trouble.

"I… I mistook him for Potter." Snape rolled his eyes. "And I removed his wand from his pocket."

Professor Snape glowered at Draco. "For your own amusement, you not only pushed Daniel in front of a Boggart, but you relieved him of his wand so he had no way to defend himself? Even if Harry, who got an 'O' on his Defense OWL, was the one who faced the Boggart, you still would have rendered him defenseless." Draco shrank in his seat. "Do you think the room full of students needed to face a Dementor?"

"N-no, sir." That isn't what he said at the time, but facing Snape's wrath, he realized that it was more dangerous than simply humiliating Potter.

"What were you thinking?"

"I meant it to be funny, sir."

"You and I will discuss this later, Mr. Malfoy."

"Y-yes, sir."

Harry sat speechless. He just witnessed Professor Snape dressing down Draco Malfoy. He didn't know if this happened behind the closed doors of the Slytherin Common Room, but he certainly did not expect to see the day such would happen in front of him. He wondered how Professor Snape knew that Harry's Boggart manifestation was a Dementor, but now was not the time to worry about such things.

Harry cleared his throat. Both Slytherins refocused on him. "Danny's Boggart manifestation was very complicated, but after a little analysis, and listening to Danny explain it, we think his fear is very logical, although confusing."

Professor Snape put his hand on his forehead. "Daniel explained his fear to you?"

"Um, no, sir. After Danny ran from the classroom, Professor Masters went after him. I heard yelling, and came to see what the problem was."

He promised himself that he would not yell or punish Potter without getting his perspective, but Snape could not see a logical explanation for this. "And why did you follow the uncle and nephew to where they might have a private, family discussion?"

"Professor Masters was part of Danny's Boggart manifestation." That was different. That explained a lot, actually, and it excused – in Snape's mind – what would otherwise be impertinence and insolence on Potter's part.

"Go on."

"The actual vision bears description, and I'll get to that later, but Professor Masters was upset that he was part of the Boggart manifestation."

Professor Snape nodded. "Yes, I imagine he would be."

"Danny said that Professor Masters never was and never would be his greatest fear."

Curiouser and curiouser. "So what is Daniel's greatest fear?"

"Danny's worst fear is himself. We think he is afraid of becoming a Dark wizard." Draco nodded vigorously.

Professor Snape absorbed this. It made sense. It explained why Daniel went catatonic with panic when he envisioned 'the possibilities' with such a destructive force as his Ghostly Wail. Still, the boy had a tremendous amount of self-control. Between what he's seen Daniel do, what Professor Flitwick told him, and what Danny said about himself and his powers, Snape decided that he has rarely seen a person with that much power be that responsible with it at such a young age.

As his Head of House, Snape paid attention to the reports other professors made about Daniel. Whether he was right or wrong, Daniel was honest, almost to a fault, about all things study related. For any report or essay, he cited every source, and was near obsessive about proving his integrity. If a student suggested cheating in his presence, Daniel would glare at the student until the idea of cheating was recanted. It made for interesting student relations in Slytherin House, but the fact that he was consistent earned him the respect of his Housemates, as well as respect from students in other Houses who got to know him.

With so much self-control, why did he fear becoming evil? There had to be something they were missing. "Please describe the Boggart manifestation. Leave out no detail you remember, no matter how insignificant it might have seemed at the time."

Harry and Draco thought, and remembered the headstones, with names and wrong dates. The girl (Professor Masters named her 'Valerie Grey'), the red suit, the 'hover board', the broken thermos – that was particularly important, because Danny said he was most afraid of it – the blood, the boggart version of Professor Masters, the Muggle business suit, the metal gloves ('Ghost Gauntlets,' also particularly important), and the operation all came out, some in more detail than others.

Between all of these things, Professor Snape struggled to figure out how any of this made sense. He would have to have a talk with Professor Masters later, but this would have to do for now.

"I thank you both. You have been a great help." He looked at Harry. "This is what is supposed to happen when you come to a professor for help, Harry. I do hope this reaching out to professors becomes a trend. Draco, I will seek you out some time after I speak to Daniel about this later this evening."

Draco sighed. The professor was glad to get closer to the bottom of the mystery, but he still remembered who was responsible for starting the problem.

"I'll see you both in Potions. Thank you for coming."

Danny met Harry outside the library. They settled at a table, and Danny took out his copy of Advanced Potion Making, and flipped it open to Felix Felicis. Harry looked on.

Felix Felicis – "Bottled Good Fortune"

This potion guarantees the drinker good luck. Until it wears off, all of the drinker's endeavors succeed. It gives the drinker an exhilarating sense of confidence and sense of opportunity.

"It's about time," Danny murmured.

Taken in excess, Felix Felicis causes giddiness, recklessness, and dangerous overconfidence. It is highly toxic in large quantities. The appropriate dose is two tablespoons at breakfast. It guarantees 12 hours of good luck.

When it is completed correctly, Felix Felicis is the color of molten gold. When it is exposed to the air, large drops leap like goldfish above the surface without splashing or spilling.

"Sounds pretty," Harry whispered.

Because the luck is so potent, the potion is banned from being taken by players, managers, referees, and others in or around sporting events, from students and others taking exams (on exam days), candidates and campaigners in political elections, etc. A more complete list of legal implications for taking Felix Felicis can be found…

"We'll look it up later," Danny promised. This was going to be great!

In order to ensure the luck promised in its perfect brewing, Felix Felicis is tricky to make, disastrous to get wrong.

"So let's make sure not to get it wrong," said Harry. They proceeded to note the complex stirring patterns, and times to add which ingredient. "It says it takes six months to brew it."

Danny said, "It is a long time, but if we get a chance to use it, it will be worth it." Both boys grinned, and looked at the list of what would make up this 'bottled good luck.' There were two lists: one simply listed the ingredients, and one listed how much of which was needed at any stage of the six months it took to brew it. Many required multiple infusions and inclusions.

Ingredients: Four-leaf clovers, hind feet of a rabbit (any species), lucky bamboo, an entire ground elephant tusk (either Asian or African), frogspawn (tadpole to mid-morph), spiders (no bigger than a Galleon), hibiscus, aloe vera, red chrysanthemums, lilies, jasmine, narcissus, Blood Blossoms, red Chinese rose, cabbage, chicory…

Danny gasped, "No!"

Harry looked up. "What's wrong?"

Danny pounded the table with a fist. "I can't make this potion. And they say it's supposed to be good luck…"

Shaking his head in disbelief, Harry asked, "Why can't you make this potion?"

"I'm allergic to one of the ingredients."

Harry looked at the list. He knew about allergies. Hagrid was allergic to cats. But did wizards have allergies to potion ingredients? He hadn't heard of that before. Not quite believing Danny, he asked, "Are you sure? I mean, Ron's afraid of spiders, so I would understand if they made you nervous. Of course, the dead ones we use in potions don't bother him so much…"

Danny clicked his tongue. "No, Harry. I'm not afraid of spiders or anything like that. I'm allergic to one of the plants on the list. I can't touch it, or… I'm sorry."

Harry asked, "What are you sorry for?"

Danny groused miserably. "I can't even be in the same room with the plant. I have a horrible reaction. Some people have that with peanuts and stuff." He sighed. "Just because I have rotten luck doesn't mean you have to suffer."

Harry whispered furiously, "Danny! Don't be stupid. If you can't make this potion, I won't either." He thought for a moment. "Snape is going to kill us."

"There is no reason for you to forego the good luck because I have none."

Harry growled. "I think I now understand Hermione when she complains of my 'saving people thing.' There's no call for you to sacrifice your grade. Maybe Snape will let us do a different potion instead, or something."

Danny sulked at the lost opportunity to make this 'good luck' potion. Why did it have to be Blood Blossoms, of all things? Someone, somewhere, must have decided that ghosts, more likely thought of as 'evil spirits,' were unlucky, so ghosts were not only banned from using it, but ghosts were also banned from approaching the user of this stuff for the duration of the user's lucky 12 hours. He recalled Johnny 13's shadow and sighed sadly.

Regardless, Harry was ready to give up this opportunity… just for him. He looked up at Harry and smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Harry. So what other potion did you have in mind?"

Harry smiled. Poor Danny! He was glad that he could pull Danny back to near happiness. "I don't know yet. But to make up for the fact it is 'tricky to make, disastrous to get wrong,' it would have to be complicated."

Danny got into the swing of things. "And it should be necessary. The idea of a 'hiccuping potion' just…ugh."

Harry chuckled. "And something… I know! It would also be something Snape brews regularly, but resents for personal reasons."

Looking, waiting, Danny asked, "What?"

"Wolfsbane Potion!"

Danny glowed. "That's brilliant! Let's just check the ingredients, first…"

During the afternoon office hours, Professor Snape knocked on the door. "Come in." Vlad was surprised to see the Potions Master. "Professor Snape! What can I do for you?"

Closing the door behind him, Professor Snape said, "We need to talk. It's about Daniel."

Vlad offered him a seat and perked up. "What is it?"

"It has to do with your class yesterday."

With a heart full of pain, Vlad closed his eyes and put a hand on his forehead. "What about it?"

Professor Snape realized that Vlad wasn't trying to be difficult. "A couple of students came to me to discuss Daniel's greatest fear."

Vlad growled. "It wasn't me. I know I was part of the image, but Daniel assured me…"

"Calm down. They didn't complain about you." Vlad relaxed a little. "But we still need to talk about Daniel."

"I'm listening."

"The students spoke of his worst fear as being himself…"

Vlad fumed. "Students listened in to a private conversation between Daniel and me, in my own private rooms?" He remembered the sound of footsteps running from his door, so his feelings of invasion of privacy were justified.

Snape avoided answering the question and rolled his eyes. "The students were in the same class as you were in. They put the clues together. If you weren't emotionally distraught yourself, you might have as well." Vlad bristled, but he had to admit that Snape was right.

Professor Snape continued. "I understand that Daniel's worst fear is allowing himself to become evil. However, this is completely illogical, given what we know about him. Sir Nicholas dubbed him a hero…"

"One of my previous sources of frustration, but yes."

Snape took a calming breath. Vlad may not have meant to be difficult before, but he was certainly purposefully grating now. "He is earnest and honest in his studies and with his dealings with students in all things except his family, and obviously his status as a half-ghost and a Muggle. He despises using his powers against people at a distinct disadvantage. He believes in equality among people. There is nothing about him that suggests he would turn Dark.

"Even though it might have been logical," he glared at Vlad, "at one time, to fear being corrupted by you, Daniel did not have this as a part of his Boggart manifestation. You are not his greatest fear.

"What is there about himself that he could possibly see that would make him fear turning evil?"

Vlad looked at a spot on his desk in concentration. "I didn't actually think about that. I was too busy spending time calming the child to figure out why his fear made sense on any plane. The fact is that he is a very powerful ghost, and in time, will be one of the most powerful in existence. There could be a great deal of temptation…"

"But there's not. His own character indicates this would never be a problem. You said yourself that even when you were most bitter enemies, he would have helped you if you only asked. There has to be something that we're missing."

Vlad nodded and absorbed this. "So what are you thinking?"

"The students noticed the names on the headstones were those of his friends and immediate family, but the death date was wrong." Vlad started. "The Death Eater attack was in July, but the date on the stones was in the spring."

"In the spring? But why would he imagine that?"

"That is the first question to consider." Professor Snape cocked his head to the side, trying to figure out how to word his next sentence. "What is the significance of the broken thermos?"

Vlad shook his head quickly. He was so focused on the names on the stones and the presence of Valerie, Vlad entirely forgot about the Thermos in her hands. "Right. The Thermos is a ghost containment device. Did the students mention whether it was primarily green or red?"

Snape was now the shocked one. "Green. Why does it matter?"

"If the device was green, it was of Daniel's parents' design. If it was red, it was mine. As it was green, it means it was a Fenton Thermos. As such, if Daniel feared the broken Thermos… perhaps he was also afraid of a ghost he captured but escaped." But he's afraid of himself. Something isn't adding up.

Professor Snape nodded in satisfaction. He didn't know what was going on, but if Masters was thinking it through, perhaps they could solve this together. "And what of the metal gloves?"

Vlad sighed. "Another invention of his parents. They would be called 'Ghost Gauntlets,' because a ghost could not avoid them by turning intangible. Like almost every Fenton product, they were designed to incapacitate, capture, and contain ghosts." More to himself, he muttered, "I still can't believe Jack caught me that day. He was an idiot! But as he said, he was the idiot who beat me."

The professor stared at the half-ghost. He was sure those words were not meant for him. "And the claws?"

Shaking himself out of the memory, Vlad said, "Yes, well… apparently, they were a modified version of the Ghost Gauntlets. Considering that they were ghost-proof, such that a ghost caught on the business end of the gauntlets would be at the mercy of the wearer, apparently…" He thought for a moment. "The boggart version of me said that the 'operation' would remove 'those painful emotions'…"

Vlad shook his head. "But that's… Caramel apples and candy canes! That would only make sense if the operation somehow removed Daniel's ghost half from his human half!"

Professor Snape narrowed his eyes in thought. "Is that even possible?"

Vlad put a hand to his mouth as he considered. "I imagine it should be. Neither Daniel nor I was born half-ghost. We were born as human as you are. An accident, that could easily, for this purpose, be considered a procedure, made us half-ghosts. If a procedure made us half-ghosts, it logically follows that a procedure could remove our ghost halves from our human halves."

Professor Snape said, "Now we've made a bit more sense of what we know. There is something that scares Daniel about himself turning evil, and it has to do, most likely, with the separation of his ghost half and his human half. It also has to do with a different death date for his loved ones, and a ghost escaping from a Thermos. While we still have questions, I think we are much better prepared to understand the reality of it."

Both of them sat and thought this through. Professor Snape sat up. "Are you up for a parent/teacher conference with Daniel this evening?"

"I… what?"

"In the Room of Requirement. It will take the place of Powers Training this evening. We need to get to the bottom of this, and we cannot afford to have Daniel go catatonic on us again."

Vlad looked down. "I think I like the sound of that. A parent/teacher conference. Yes. We should get there before Daniel. I would like to set the room."

"As you wish."

Potions class was filled with anxiety and excitement. Professor Snape asked the students about their findings so far, focusing on how long it would take to brew their assorted potions, so he could arrange for the necessary time, space, ingredients, and specialized ingredient preparation. Some potions could not be brewed in close proximity to others, and of course these potions would have to be brewed in a different laboratory room than the standard classroom. The last thing he needed was a First Year cauldron meltdown of the Longbottom variety around some of these potions. The Hiccuping Solution would be no great loss, and could be easily made up, but the Veritaserum could be toxic if tampered with.

"Mr. Malfoy, how long does it take to brew Veritaserum?"

Draco smiled. "It takes about a full moon-cycle." Harry shook his head bitterly. That's what Snape told Umbridge when she demanded he make more for her interrogation.

"Mr. Weasley, how long does it take to brew Polyjuice Potion?"

Ron smirked. "It takes about a month. One of the ingredients needs to be picked in the moonlight of a full moon, and a different ingredient needs to stew for 21 days, so it will take some time to set it up." Hermione nodded. They did this… well, she did this in their Second Year. Professor Snape eyed the pair warily. He was beginning to think he knew where the stolen Boomslang skin of his private stores disappeared to in this class's Second Year. He always had his suspicions, but had no proof, and he remained wary.

"Mr. Potter, how long does it take to brew Felix Felicis?"

Harry gulped. "It takes six months, sir. But we won't be able to brew it."

The professor narrowed his eyes. Before their long discussion, he might have accused the boy of laziness, arrogance, or desire to call attention to himself for being different. Since that discussion, he learned that if Harry asked to do things differently, there was usually a reason for it.

"And why not?"

Danny answered, "Because I'm highly allergic to one of the ingredients, sir."

Professor Snape widened his eyes in surprise. He mentally catalogued the ingredients of the potion and remembered the Blood Blossoms. That was not just a reason, but a wholly justified reason for being different.

"Very good."

Before Snape could award points for their attention to caution, Ron asked, "Could we switch?" It occurred to him that whatever was in Polyjuice Potion might not have the same problems as Felix Felicis, and it sounded like a good luck potion would be a useful thing to have.

Professor Snape glared at him. "Of course not! Mr. Weasley, are you worried that your own potion will be too difficult? I'm sure I could come up with something you might appreciate less," he concluded silkily.

"No, sir," Ron said quickly, as he turned a shade of red that clashed with his hair. It was at that moment that Harry appreciated the idea that Professor Snape was often cruel, but it was a targeted cruelty. While it probably wasn't necessary for Snape to be that mean to Ron, Harry realized that if Danny was allergic to whatever it was, and if Ron and Hermione brewed it, it would still affect Danny if he was in the same room. He further realized how embarrassed Danny was because of his inability to do this, or that Harry lost the opportunity to brew himself some good luck. Professor Snape protected Danny at Ron's expense, but the level of Danny's embarrassment far surpassed that of Ron's.

Was this a point that drew him closer to giving the professor the benefit of the doubt? Was this part of Snape's reasoning for all the emotional abuse for all the years prior? It was twisted logic to be sure, but as Harry contemplated the implications of this, Danny volunteered, "Professor? We checked over a list of ingredients for a different, yet still complicated, potion to make instead. But it isn't in the textbook."

Professor Snape was curious. "What potion are you proposing to make?"

Harry smiled. "Wolfsbane Potion."

The professor stared at Harry. At once, he realized the resourcefulness of the boy. Not only was this potion complex (he supposed that was to make up for the complexity of Felix Felicis), it would be useful in full to any werewolf. He probably had Lupin in mind. He couldn't really fault the boy for it. And Daniel sympathized with the plight of werewolves in general, and he heard about the half-ghosts' meeting with Lupin in July. Further, the letter that earned Slytherin 20 points in the first week of classes was legendary, and actually sent to other werewolves to ask them to join the fight against the Dark Lord. While Harry and Hermione's letters also got positive responses, Danny's letter was met with enthusiastic recognition and acclaim.

"You realize that even though it only takes two weeks to brew it, the complexity of stirring and ingredients preparation will take far more care and attention than the other potions your classmates are preparing combined, don't you?"

"It's worth it, sir," Harry and Danny chorused. They looked at each other in surprise and then shrugged.

"Very well. Five points to each of you for your attention to safety and the preparation of a back-up plan." Both dark-haired boys looked relieved. Everyone else in the class looked surprised and some were confused. Professor Snape was not only NOT picking on Harry for attention seeking and trying to be different, he was being kind to Harry. Further, he gave both Harry and Danny five points apiece. He did that before, but it was still a bizarre occurrence. What was more, Professor Snape was meaner to Ron than to Harry. While it was understood that Professor Snape was usually unpleasant to students outside of Slytherin, he usually had it in for Harry. This no longer seemed to be the case.

Professor Snape usually had no problem with the disparity of treatment of Harry and Danny, though lately this was changing. Today was a more dramatic display of this change. No one could guess what was going on besides Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Danny.

When Professor Snape reached the Room of Requirement, he noted a marble fireplace with a roaring fire. The paneled walls were covered in Muggle paintings and tapestries. Beyond the hearth was a deep plush maroon carpet. Vlad was seated in a matching deep leather chair, and there were two others. Not far from the chairs was a mahogany table with embroidery on the velvet seats and backs of the surrounding chairs. The rich appointment of the room bespoke comfort and great wealth.

"Opulently ambitious, aren't we?" Snape sneered.

Vlad smiled. "Not at all. These are mere reminders of home. It's not the first time I've appointed a room in a castle for comfort. My sitting room in my Wisconsin home is far larger, and similarly appointed, but the color scheme is different. Since it is only the three of us, this will do just fine. Besides, I want Daniel to be as comfortable as possible, considering the fact that the topic under discussion will be anything but."

His Wisconsin home? That must mean he has more than one. If this room was any indication of the wealth Masters possessed, he was worth far more than the Potter, Black, and Malfoy estates combined. Daniel did say something about Vlad being a billionaire, but it was a detail the professor must have overlooked before. 'And he chose to be a teacher here. Masters may need some work on his relationship with Daniel, but the fact he left something like this to hide here with the boy says something.'

Danny opened the door to the Room of Requirement and closed it. This could not possibly be the right room. He looked across the hall. The tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy was there, so he was on the right floor. He shook his head and opened the door again. In a room with brown paneling filled with furniture and furnishings of brown, maroon, and dark purple, he did not find any type of classroom. "Um…"

"Daniel!" Vlad called brightly. "Have a seat."

Hesitantly, Danny asked, "What's going on?"

Vlad motioned to a chair close to the fire. "Professor Snape informed me that," he paused to smile, "a parent/teacher conference is in order."

Danny looked at the fully stuffed leather chairs and noticed Professor Snape sitting not far from Vlad. "Am I in trouble?"

Professor Snape smiled. "Not at all. Please make yourself comfortable." While Danny took the proffered seat, Professor Snape noted that Professor Masters felt at home surrounding himself with items reflecting his wealth. Daniel did not. Interesting. "We are here to discuss a problem that is ongoing. We noticed it last Thursday, but it came to a head yesterday."

"I don't want to talk about it."

Vlad said gently, "I understand that. You have said as much. Nonetheless, we need to talk about it. On Thursday, you gave us quite a scare, little badger. We need to resolve your fear so that doesn't happen again."

Danny looked between Vlad and Professor Snape. "What do you want?"

Professor Snape explained, "Between then and now, we have pieced together parts of your worst fear." Danny's eyes widened. "We'll come to that in a moment." Distrustfully, Danny sat quietly. He didn't know where they were going, but he didn't like where they seemed to be headed.

"This is not the first time students your year encountered a Boggart. Last time, there were many of the run-of-the-mill fears, like spiders, snakes, banshees," he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, "me." Vlad smirked as he recognized whose fear THAT was, but he schooled his face back into concern by the time Snape opened his eyes. "And all sorts of things. But this time, like last time, you did not see the Boggart manifestation of Harry Potter."

Danny perked up curiously. "What is his worst fear?"

Professor Snape gave a half-smile. "At this point, I'm not sure. Whatever it is, I'm sure it is a lot more intense than it was three years ago. Three years ago, it was a Dementor."

Danny shook his head. "But why? He can cast a Patronus."

Professor Snape said, "He's a very thorough tutor. Yes, he can cast one, and he taught the members of the DA how to cast them."

"How do you know?"

"Normally, I'd say that's not important, but after Harry produced his Patronus for his Defense Against the Dark Arts OWL, there was murmuring about the students' capabilities. The Heads of House discussed this some time after the DA was exposed and confirmed it after the Ministry incident last summer. But the better question is why Harry was able to cast it at all."

Professor Snape closed his eyes again. He still despised Black, but recognized that he was almost Harry's ticket to freedom and love, if he only would have listened. "Though Sirius Black was posthumously discovered to be innocent of the mass murders he was accused of committing, he escaped Azkaban, wizards' prison, in Harry's Third Year. Since he was thought to be in league with the Dark Lord, and was thought to have been instrumental in the deaths of Harry's parents, as well as responsible for the killing of 12 Muggles and the actual mass murderer (who was Wormtail, as we've discussed before), the Ministry sent some Dementors, the guards until recently of Azkaban, to try to find Sirius, or at the very least, to protect the school from him. That was the first time Harry was exposed to Dementors.

"On his trip to Hogwarts on the Hogwarts Express, Professor Lupin discovered that Harry's reaction to a Dementor involved him fainting." Danny looked concerned. "Dementors make a person remember their worst memories. In his Third Year, Harry's worst memories involved him watching the Dark Lord murder his parents." Snape took a breath. Seeing things from Harry's perspective opened his own eyes and increased his own shame. "I would imagine that Harry had a very difficult time getting started defending against Dementors because at the same time that it tore at his heart as he heard his mother's frantic screams before her murder, it was also the only memory he had of hearing his mother.

"Harry's reaction to the Dementors – fainting – was more dramatic than that of other students because his worst memory was more horrific than most. And Harry's worst fear was dealing with a Dementor.

"While he isn't my favorite person for personal reasons, Professor Lupin did recognize the problem, and helped Harry face his worst fear. And because of one conscientious professor's attentiveness to a student's needs, Harry is able to produce a Patronus of a quality that many wizards twice his age would be hard pressed to duplicate."

The professor refocused and looked at Danny. "Your worst fear is just as logical in your mind. Just as Harry learned to face and defeat his greatest fear, we would like to be able to make you just as strong, to be able to face and overcome your greatest fear, such that you can defeat it."

Danny listened to the professor and took a moment to absorb all of this. It sounded like Harry also had a seriously tough way to go. While it wasn't the same as coming face to face with one's own evil future self, the professor gave quite a convincing argument for why this could be necessary. "Okay." It wasn't, really, but what else was he going to say to that?

Vlad said, "Based on what we've seen and discussed and what you told me yesterday, Professor Snape and I have a few thoughts, and were hoping you could fill in the blanks." Danny recognized his own words to Professor Dumbledore the first time he asked about that Ministry incident. He nodded. He didn't see a way out of this, and who knows? Maybe something good can come of this. Maybe…

"You said that you were your own worst fear. Somehow, this fear involves," Vlad paused, as the idea was seriously distasteful and disturbing, "separating your ghost and human halves – which you've expressed, in no uncertain terms, is NOT an option – and of something escaping from a Fenton Thermos. And somehow, this connects to an earlier date of death for your family and friends. And Valerie is involved in all of this. But we are missing the key factor, which brings this all together. What are we missing?"

Danny realized that he was sitting in front of two of the most intelligent people he knew. They worked everything out. And, he realized, no one presently cared about him more deeply than the two men sitting before him. Maybe he could do this. A memory from a movie seen long ago brought a smile to his lips. 'Do or do not. There is no try.' He would do this.

"All of this began in the spring of my freshman year. Mr. Lancer announced the CAT exams – it's the Career Aptitude Test. My sister Jazz got the highest score in the history of the exam, and Irving Burns, the manager of the Nasty Burger – our favorite fast food restaurant and teen hang out – got the lowest score in the history of the test. I got frustrated as I studied; it's not easy to be the not-as-smart kid brother of the most brilliant student of the school. And I would have studied a month in advance, but I was fighting ghosts. Whatever.

"After a fight with a weird ghost from the future," the eyes of the adults grew wide, "I ended up getting the answers from Mr. Lancer's briefcase. It wasn't my plan, but unpredictable things happen around ghost fights. When I realized what happened, and that I had the answers in my hand, I was excited, and couldn't wait to get home to 'explore my new options.' Sam and Tucker didn't look comfortable, but I opened the seal." Professor Snape was about to protest, but Danny said, "I know, I know. I'll get to that soon.

"Before I actually looked inside, another weird ghost from the future attacked me, and ended up bringing me, Sam, and Tucker to Clockwork's Tower."

Vlad's eyebrows shot up. "You met Clockwork? But… I thought he was a myth."

Professor Snape asked, "Who is this Clockwork?"

Vlad answered, "He's the Ghost Master of Time. You met him?"

Danny shrugged. "Yeah. He showed me what I could become if I decided on the wrong path, or the 'dark side,' or whatever you want to call it. And it all started because I decided to cheat on a test. After seeing that possible future, I vowed that I'd never turn evil. And part of that involves me never cheating. That is not going to happen."

"But your future? What happens?" Vlad asked. The new reality of Danny's learning about his possible future was bizarre, but so was the idea that he met the Master of Time. Professor Snape simply sat back and listened.

"Apparently, in the time line where I actually cheated, Mr. Lancer had my parents bring me to a parent/teacher conference of sorts outside the Nasty Burger. Jazz came with him – she found the answers to the test in my book bag. Because of a ghost fight that messed with the cooling tanks for the Nasty sauce – it's highly flammable – the Nasty Burger was going to blow up. Sam and Tucker came to warn the five of us… the memory gets fuzzy because of incidents in time lines and paradoxes Clockwork said I couldn't understand because I was only 14."

Danny sighed. "In a time line I've only heard of, I watched my family, friends, and Mr. Lancer die in the Nasty Burger explosion, and it was all my fault." Vlad wanted to jump in and assure him it was no such thing, but Professor Snape waved him off. If Danny stopped talking now, they would never be able to get him to finish this.

"In that time line, I went to you, Vlad, not unlike I did this summer. And I guess I asked you to separate my human and ghost halves, as our ghost halves seem to experience emotions far more intensely than our human halves, or something. It's why your obsessions raged on as long as they did."

Danny took a breath and closed his eyes. "You did go through with the operation. Once my human half was separated from my ghost half, apparently my ghost half was furious with you for all you had done to me, and it separated your halves. For some reason, my distraught ghost half merged with your evil ghost half, and became the most powerful, destructive, evil ghost in existence. It was essentially me, but with your intelligence and evil inclinations.

"My evil self from that alternate time line killed my human half and went on a rampage. Within ten years, all of Amity Park was laid to waste, except what Valerie and Mr. Grey protected with a ghost shield when they took over Fenton Works."

Tears ran down his face and Danny continued. "The Observants – ancient ghosts who monitor the time line to stop truly evil ghosts from this kind of destruction – sent Clockwork to kill me. When I was in his tower, I escaped destruction from his scythe (he kinda looked like the Grim Reaper with it) by going into the future. I went to face my evil future self."

Professor Snape wondered why something like the Observants didn't step in and stop evil on the human plane. Perhaps the answers lay within the religions of the world. This part of ghost culture seemed to be very different from the world of the living.

Danny continued. "Life for me got complicated, because my evil future self didn't want me, the then-14 year old Danny, to interfere with setting up history so that he could exist. He stuck me in the future and he came to my present day time line…ugh. Whatever. He cheated on the exam while I was being tortured by ghosts in my future who he hurt and messed up. My sister – home time – figured out what happened, and somehow sent me a message that told me to visit the you in that future time.

"You told me about what happened in that bizzaro other time line, and you helped me get back home. But after meeting you, ten years after my family's death and without your ghost half… That's how I knew I could trust you NOW with a second chance. At that time, I told you, 'Maybe that's all anybody needs… a second chance'."

Vlad started. That was an interesting insight to how Daniel operated.

"But when I got back to my home time line, my evil future self was ready to kill everyone I loved. Again. He used ectoplasmic bonds to hold my family, friends, and teacher to an overheated cooling tank. The temperature of the sauce was too high, and it was only a matter of time before it blew them up." That gave both Vlad and Snape pause. Now they knew why Danny was so resistant to learning how to make these bonds.

"I fought my evil future self and just barely won, capturing him in a Fenton Thermos, when the clock ran down, and I watched everyone die. This time line.

"And then Clockwork stopped time. All six of them were protected from the blast. Clockwork told me something about how I gave my all to protect everyone I loved, and he brought me back to the Saturday morning of the CAT, and told me, 'You've given everyone else in your life a second chance. Why not you?' When he restarted time, I admitted to looking at the answers and asked if I could take a make-up test. Mr. Lancer let me, and I've been careful never to do anything that smacks of cheating since."

Danny took a breath. "That's why my… Boggart manifestation scared me so badly. The first part sort of reminded me what could have happened, if everyone died that day. With my family and friends gone, and Vlad out of commission, the only ghost fighter left was Valerie, and if she died, Amity Park was doomed. Especially if that evil future self got out of the Thermos.

"And the second part was even scarier: everyone who Clockwork saved when it was my fault died because of the Death Eaters. At this point, I'm almost convinced that it's not my fault that I couldn't do more to save people…"

"It wasn't," the adults chorused.

"But if you offered me that operation… I… Even without the operation, I have to fight, really hard, to keep every last emotion in check. I … don't you see how easy it would be?" Danny dissolved into tears, and Vlad got up and hugged him. They stayed that way for a while.

The great mystery was solved. A lot was explained, and Vlad made a lot of promises to himself about dealing with Daniel in the future. The boy was far stronger than anyone gave him credit for being. Vlad might be more powerful currently, and physically stronger, but he had nothing on his little hero.

When Danny calmed down and allowed Vlad to pull away, Professor Snape asked, "And what of your Ghostly Wail?"

Danny sighed. "The first time I saw it, I watched my evil future self use it to destroy the ghost shield around the remains of Amity Park. When… Uncle Vlad told me to think of the possibilities, I already saw the fruition of some of those possibilities. The first time I saw it, Sam drew my attention to it on Clockwork's view screen. I remember saying 'What a cool power… if it weren't being used for evil.'

"But the first time I had it, here in this time line (kind of), I was trapped in the Ghost Zone, in the future, beaten badly by all kinds of enemies who had suffered at the hands of my evil future self. I told them to get away – I had as much as I could take, and probably more than that. But they were ready to come at me again. I screamed at them to get away, and it came out as the Ghostly Wail. It knocked every last one of them unconscious, and allowed me to go find the future you." Danny looked down sadly. "I used it on my evil future self before I captured him. It took too much power. That's why I couldn't get to them in time. I…"

"Shh…" Vlad soothed and clutched Danny tightly to him again. Vlad eventually pulled away, holding Danny's shoulders. "Listen to me. Tomorrow, we are going to start training you to work with your Wail. We will work on modulation, duration, and stamina. And we will work to find positive uses for it. Imagine, for a moment, if you had full control over this power when you fought Pariah Dark. You would have been able to take out the whole skeleton army single-handedly and still have enough ghost energy to deal with the Ghost King. We are going to focus on those kind of possibilities."

Danny's eyes widened. Vlad was right. That would have been totally useful. While he couldn't think of a logical use for his Wail now, there was that time, and Christmas with the evil trees was necessary. It wasn't strong enough to defeat Tucker's sphinx, but what was it that Vlad said? 'It was a skill to learn and perfect. He could figure out the where and when to use it later.' What was more, Vlad encouraged him to find ways to use his power like a hero, and Vlad wasn't annoyed about it anymore. Maybe better things could come of this relationship. Maybe…

"Thank you for your time," Professor Snape said. He noticed the change of expressions on Daniel's face, and Danny's hope and eagerness seemed to be a good note on which to leave them. "Daniel, thank you for your indulgence. I am glad that we got that matter resolved. You've given me a few things to consider, but most importantly, I hope we have done enough to keep you well and functional. Again, I thank you both for your time. Now, I believe you have a class…"

Danny said, "Thank you, Professor." Danny looked at Vlad, who smiled at him.

"Yes, thank you, Professor." Vlad waited for Professor Snape to stand up before shaking his hand. "I can't thank you enough for what you have done for Daniel. And me."

It was Professor Snape's turn to smile. As he reached the door, he heard Vlad ask Danny, "So what did you think when you read the refrain 'And Brutus is an honorable man'?"

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