Again, a sincere thanks to one and all who have read, reviewed, and/or put this fic on your favorite and alert lists! This is especially meaningful to me, because last chapter received more reviews than any other, so far. To all of you, I give a bottle of Butterbeer and a cup of honey mead. For everyone who figured out what I would make Danny's Ghostly Wail do in the Room of Requirement, I further give you some Hamentashen and an apple each. Happy holidays!

Enough people have mentioned them in their reviews that I decided that these two topics needed to be addressed publicly.

In "The Ultimate Enemy," it appears that Dark Dan has indeed destroyed the world, and Amity Park is the last remaining bastion of humanity. I agree with this assessment. However, we have the opportunity to make this observation because we saw the first few seconds of the episode.

Danny did not have that luxury. The only bit he's seen of that alternate future time line was Amity Park. While Danny seems to be a smart cookie, I've decided that using the logic of "a 'C' student," Danny may not have extrapolated that if Dark Dan did this to Amity Park, there was nothing that said he couldn't have done this to the rest of the world. As such, Danny would only think of the destruction of Amity Park, which is pretty horrific. The destruction of the whole world is something I think he would have serious difficulty imagining. So he doesn't think of it.

In all, you are right. Dark Dan DID destroy the whole world with the exception of Amity Park until he destroyed the ghost shield, but all Danny thought of was the destruction of Amity Park once the ghost shield was down. Good catch, folks!

The second issue is a bit more general. In the Danny Phantom universe, there is a LOT of action. It is fast paced, and Danny is often overwhelmed by it all. This makes for the interesting situations we enjoy so much, and keeps us coming back to watch it.

However, this story is happening in Hogwarts. While Danny and Vlad (and the occasional odd character) are definitely from Danny Phantom's universe, they are in Harry Potter's universe. Because it is a school where the fantastic happens on a regular basis, much that sets off panic in Casper High is fairly easy to ignore, or have a completely different reaction by the teachers, students, and staff. Further, I'm not sure that I intended it when I began, but at some point I realized that I gave Vlad quite a LOT of power. In general, Danny's common enemies in the Ghost Zone are seriously afraid of Vlad, and they will respect and obey his wishes, rather than face the wrath of Plasmius.

The net result of this: there will not be many action scenes, because the ghosts most likely to cause problems are too afraid to start trouble for Danny, mostly because of where he is (if they knew where he was) and who he's with.

In response to one particular request, I had in mind to stick in an action sequence this chapter. As I explained to the reviewer who sent the request, "When I originally dreamed up the scene, I envisioned a fight scene. With this in mind, I set to writing it. But the scene and the characters took on a life of their own. Despite what I wanted, the situation itself changed, such that, well...

"I tried. I really did. I had you in mind. It was about to have all kinds of action and everything. But then... The characters enforced their personalities, especially as I've written them, and they didn't do it. They refused."

The fact is I do actually have some action sequences in mind. Some are even already written out. Unfortunately for the folks who want the action NOW, the scenes come into sequence as a story with Harry Potter-type pacing, not Danny Phantom pacing.

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

Chapter 26

When Danny came back to the Common Room, he found Draco alone in his usual spot, but Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle were elsewhere. Danny started to wonder about that, but as he came closer, Danny noticed that Draco was shaking and his cheeks were pink. Danny was concerned. "Uh, Draco? Are you okay?"

Draco looked at him. "I…" Danny might be his friend, but Draco refused to show weakness. A Malfoy never did. Even after Professor Snape chewed him out over what he did, the professor didn't let him leave the office until he stopped crying. He truly didn't mean to hurt Danny, and he deserved the tongue-lashing he received. But the good professor was ever aware of House politics, and he would not do anything to upset the balance. Professor Snape didn't let him leave until he regained control of his demeanor, and was set to face the world like the prefect he is. Still, he had trouble controlling the emotion, which came out in shaking. He was not of a mind to share his troubles with anyone.

Draco took a breath and looked at Danny squarely. "I'm sorry for what I did yesterday. It was a cruel trick, and taking your wand was unforgivable. Still, I'd like you to forgive me."

Danny opened his eyes wide. "I forgive you. It, uh…" He thought about telling Draco that it wasn't Draco's fault that he freaked, but it honestly was. Then again, as Professor Snape and Vlad pointed out, the panic attack was waiting to happen. What happened on Thursday was so much worse than what happened yesterday. Further, his wand was just as useless to him in his own hand as it was in Draco's hand. Draco didn't know that, and Danny realized that a wizard would be upset about the loss of his wand.

Danny said, "Don't worry about it. I know you didn't mean to hurt me. Harry, on the other hand…"

"I've spoken to him. We've… come to an understanding."

"Okay. Should I ask…?"

Draco shook his head. "It's a long story, and probably not worth it. But…" he closed his eyes. "It's made me act in a way that is not befitting my position as a prefect and my station in life."

Danny looked at him. "Your station in life?"

Draco winced. It seemed weird when Professor Snape told him that, too. But it did sound like something his father would say. "My father used to be on the Hogwarts Board of Governors, and I intend to be a community leader like he was. Without the Death Eater thing. Maybe."

"What do you mean, 'maybe'?"

Draco looked uncomfortable. "I'd prefer not to discuss it."

Danny widened his eyes again. Interesting. Draco's father was a Death Eater, and he was in prison because of his evil, criminal acts, including trying to kill Harry and his friends in the Ministry. This is the first time he heard Draco talk about the possibility of actually becoming a Death Eater.

Why would Draco think of that? Danny remembered how horrified Draco seemed when he discussed the Nazis (he was still amazed that Draco hadn't heard about them until he told him). Since Draco's detention with Vlad, Draco didn't mention anti-Muggle rhetoric, and he didn't seem to like the idea of killing and torturing people.

Danny decided to try his luck. "Did… the Dark Lord offer you something?"

Draco drew breath sharply. "How would you know?" he demanded.

Danny knew he had to say something. He thought it would give away too much to say that he fought with the Ghost King. "It's how Uncle Vlad explained how the Dark Lord might achieve his goal of acquiring power: offering something to the undecided but likely candidates for his cause." Besides – it didn't take too much imagination to envision Vlad as a Dark Lord in his own right. He had Skulker and those vultures as his minions, and he could command many of the ghosts in the Ghost Zone, and they took his direction. So, in other words, he might have first hand knowledge in how a Dark Lord acquires power.

Great. He had to be the ward of a ghost evil overlord of sorts. Darned Froot-Loop. But… Tonight. The way he and Professor Snape helped him work through, or at least heard him out about, his worst fears… Wow. He loved his parents dearly, but neither of them would have understood about this fear. Jazz would be helpful, as she always meant to be, but still, she was only a sister. A very special, loving, overprotective sister, but still, she was just a sister.

Vlad was actually an adult who understood, kind of, what he was going through. They still needed work, but… this was a fear Danny suppressed until July, and since then he only repressed it. Too much happened.

Clockwork was supposed to be his guardian. And he let it happen. Again. But this time, it wasn't his fault.

Danny blinked in realization, and whispered, "This time, it wasn't my fault."

Maybe Clockwork didn't interfere with Time, this time, because the deaths weren't his fault, and being with Vlad would not involve ripping out his humanity. The idea still squicked him out.

Maybe… This whole thing with Vlad could work. Danny decided to make a concerted effort to remember to call him 'Uncle Vlad.' It was weird to think, but after this evening, he felt he could actually think of Vlad like an uncle. It wasn't just an honorific any more, but almost for real.

"What's not your fault?" Draco asked.

Right. He wasn't alone. "I was just thinking about the deaths that you saw in my worst fear. They weren't my fault. And Uncle Vlad helped me realize that, together with Professor Snape."

Draco smiled. He and Harry only figured out part of the fear, but Danny was willing to discuss this much. Who knew that he could get Danny to say that much about himself? And he wouldn't have known that much about Danny if he didn't bring the matter to Professor Snape. And he wouldn't have done that if Harry didn't decide to follow Danny. And he was thinking of Potter as 'Harry.' That was because Professor Snape called him Harry.

What was this world coming to?

Tuesday evening, Terry thought it was time to put his plan into action. Yesterday, after witnessing Danny's worst fear, he decided to put together the few facts he knew about the mysterious Slytherin. (He made no fuss over Neville's worst fear. The whole school heard about it in Third Year. He was a little surprised that Neville was still that frightened of Professor Snape, but it made as much sense as his own fear, which didn't bear thinking about right now.)

Danny was an orphan who lived with his uncle. Professor Masters indicated that Danny sought to be an Auror of the Spirit Division, but that couldn't be right – Aurors needed to know Transfigurations, and Danny didn't take that class. Still, Professor Binns favored Danny, if not academically, certainly enough to remember his name. Professor Masters taught the young Slytherin Muggle literature and he didn't object. Danny was odd, for a Slytherin. He didn't have that air of arrogant superiority of his Housemates.

But that fear of his… it made no sense. There were headstones; three bore Danny's surname, so it was likely that they belonged to Danny's immediate family. The other two had birth and death dates that suggested they were contemporaries of Danny's. Perhaps they were the 'closest friends' the professor mentioned.

There was a girl in a red suit who was dead without a headstone. Maybe Danny was afraid of her dying. That could have made sense, but what was she doing by the family headstones? Maybe he was afraid that whatever killed his family and friends would kill this girl. That was logical.

But then there was Professor Masters. That made no sense whatsoever. Professor Masters cared dearly for his nephew. He got Danny a wand that no one could use except himself and Danny.

This operation that was mentioned panicked Danny like nothing else. Boggart Masters spoke of ridding Danny of 'painful emotions.' Dementors could do that with their Kiss, but the Muggle-dressed Masters had no Dementor with him. He wore metal gloves with claws. What did the gloves have to do with removing emotions?

Perhaps part of Danny's research about Aurors involved these mysterious magical weapons. But why should this scare Danny so badly? And what did this have to do with the girl in the red suit?

Monday evening, he thought about all of this, and he discussed his observations with his friends from History of Magic. "So, what do you think of all of this?"

Michael Corner, Lisa Turpin, and Mandy Brocklehurst sat in a knot, listening closely to Terry's thoughts. Lisa said, "I'm not sure. There are a lot of details about our mysterious friend that don't make a lot of sense."

Michael mulled this over. "Whatever the fear is, it involves death. But it isn't simply about death, because there are too many details for that to be the conclusion. Professor Masters' Boggart was of Danny dying. It was simple, to the point, and obviously ineffective, as the good professor demonstrated. There are too many extraneous things in Danny's fear to pin down."

Mandy narrowed her eyes. "There is a lot of death involved. That much is painfully clear. But most of the things we know are not about Danny's death. He has an affinity to ghosts, he is worried about the deaths of his nearest and dearest, and he is afraid of 'taking away painful emotions.' There are three conclusions that come to mind. One, he is afraid of his loved ones becoming ghosts. Two, he's afraid of being blamed for said deaths, and three, he might be afraid of a Dementor. 'All those painful emotions go away' when a Dementor Kisses someone. One possible conclusion is that he is responsible for their deaths, and that he will be punished."

The other three stared at her. Terry frowned and shook his head. "Why are you so ready to find fault with Danny?"

Mandy shrugged. "It is merely a logical conclusion, and until we know the facts, all possibilities remain open. No one says that it is most probable, but it is one logical conclusion."

Terry sat back and crossed his arms. "As far as logic goes, it could be a possibility, but without details and intimate knowledge of Danny's issues, all we have are suppositions, and I – for one – am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt."

Michael thought for a moment. "There are facts, there are suggestions, and perhaps we can find entertaining scenarios, no matter how unlikely they are. I think you are missing an important fact: we really don't understand what we saw. Including… wait a minute."

Terry, who wanted to share this information to better understand the atypical Slytherin student, not to condemn him, narrowed his eyes. "What?"

Michael ignored Terry's expression and said, "At the height of his panic, just before Professor Masters stepped in, Danny's eyes glowed green."

Lisa, who was curious about the fellow who was shy at the start of every History of Magic class, decided to pipe back up. "That is something we can't understand. I mean," she drummed her fingers on the armrest of her chair as she thought, "people with hazel eyes sometimes appear to have blue eyes, gray eyes, or green eyes, depending on the light and the clothes they wear. But Danny doesn't have hazel eyes. His eyes are normally robin's egg blue, but this morning they turned…" She looked up, trying to think of something that color.

She winced when she came up with it. Danny was so friendly, if mysterious and aloof, and she didn't want her friends, partners, and classmates to get the wrong idea. Still, it was the only thing she could think of. "Killing Curse green."

The other three nodded. They remembered the demonstration of Professor Moody two years ago. Lisa was right. Danny's eyes turned that same shade of green.

Mandy smirked and crossed her arms. "Another thing that suggests he isn't…"

Terry growled, "Mandy, you're not even using logic, now. It was an eye color. Suggesting that the unusual color hints at things that Dark is just as 'logical' as assuming that he's evil because he's a Slytherin."

Mandy blushed. "Perhaps. But we don't know what caused that Boggart manifestation, and it does look Dark."

Lisa rolled her eyes. "If you're finished…" She glared at Terry and Mandy. "Regardless of why he's afraid – oh, and death of loved ones is a logical fear – that color shift of his eyes is not normal. Maybe… it could mean… It's happened before…"

Michael smirked. "Are you planning on sharing with us?"

Lisa shrugged. "Danny may not be completely human. I tried to think of another time when a partial human was a student here. Professor Lupin was a werewolf, Hagrid is part giant, and the Beauxbatons Tri-Wizard champion was part Veela. It doesn't mean that whatever else Danny might be is Dark, but it would explain the eye color change."

Terry perked up. "That is logical and interesting. And it would explain Professor Masters' comment about Danny's empathy for a partial human perspective with an unfair advantage." He beamed at his friends. That comment bothered him since the professor made it. Now, it made so much sense. "Further, it means that Melissa Spradt might not have been so far off when she reported that Danny and Professor Masters' eyes glowed. That rumor lasted for three weeks. But now… we have a few thoughts to get us going.

"Lisa, maybe tomorrow you could look up more information about eye color, human, partial human, and humanoid. Today, let's talk to Anthony before he goes on patrol. He might have some insight, having heard Melissa's report first hand."

Mandy frowned. Even if she was wrong, and there was nothing wrong and Dark about Danny, full human or not, this was an awful lot of prying into the life of a fellow student. "Okay. Let's say that Lisa does that research. Regardless of her findings, I'm curious to know what Anthony and Melissa spoke about. Still, we have to consider: what do we do with this information? Danny is a student, not a Flobberworm ready for dissection and examination."

Michael shrugged. "It might give us insight into why he hides his head before history class. And don't forget: 'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure.' Knowledge for its own sake is always interesting. Even if we can't do anything with it, it would solve a great mystery and give us a better appreciation of our mysterious classmate."

Terry grinned. "That's the spirit!" They hopped up and looked around the Ravenclaw Common Room until they found Anthony Goldstein, who was reading by the fire.

"Hi there. Can I help you?" Anthony asked.

Terry, the spokesperson for the group, answered, "We'd like to know more about what Melissa Spradt said about Professor Masters and Danny Fenton."

Anthony frowned. "Why?" The last thing anyone needed was for a fellow prefect to lose credibility, and the unlikely tale she told made students give her a hard time for three weeks.

Terry explained, "Because we actually saw Danny's eyes glow green in class, and we wanted to compare notes."

Anthony studied Terry, and then the others in the group. They looked serious. "Alright. We are expected to meet on this patrol rotation. I'll talk to her and ask when she would be likely to be available for a chat."

All of that was yesterday. Today, Lisa's research on eye color turned up that such a dramatic change in color was not possible in full humans, unless they were able to change their forms at will, like Metamorphmagi. Animagi could change their forms, but not their eye color. None of the partial humans she found could change eye color, but there could be possibilities she hadn't found yet.

Tonight, though, Terry was ready to put his plan to action. After dinner, he would meet Melissa in the library and compare notes.

In Wednesday morning's Defense Against the Dark Arts, everyone noticed that Danny was all smiles. The trauma he suffered on Monday seemed nonexistent, and only eight students thought they had a clue to what it was all about. Professor Masters brought the topic back to Banshees, and this time, Danny cooperated fully, handing in his paper and participating in class discussion. Whenever Professor Masters called on him, Danny said his piece, but instead of saying 'sir,' Danny said 'uncle.' This delighted the professor, though only Danny and Harry had a clue why that might be.

Vlad called on Danny far more often than normal just so he could hear the boy call him 'Uncle.' Last night's parent/teacher conference caused a breakthrough in their relationship. Today was a very good day.

In Danny's morning meeting with Professor Snape, they discussed psychological tactics and tortures used by Death Eaters. Danny found it both fascinating and horrifying to see how Voldemort found Dark creatures and creatures otherwise discriminated against and used their bitterness and hatred against law and order. Still, even while operating within that framework, Voldemort – or rather, the Death Eaters – would let these creatures know how worthless they were considered except as pawns for the Dark Lord's will.

Danny was thoroughly disgusted, and Professor Snape was privately proud. It was one more proof that despite Daniel's worst fears, the likelihood of the boy's turning Dark was slim to none.

This discussion took half as much time as most of their other conversations. Professor Snape sighed. "Daniel, I have something to give you." Danny's eyes widened in wonder. "In the library, you will find countless books that discuss the legal issues and implications of Wolfsbane Potion. However," the professor opened a drawer in his desk, "this book is the only one that actually has the instructions for how to make it. The Board of Governors fought with Professor Dumbledore on the matter of including something this useful for werewolves in the stacks, and for better or for worse, the Board won this battle."

Danny shuddered. Vlad was right – this anti-werewolf sentiment was truly unfair. "Students aren't supposed to learn how to help werewolves?" Professor Snape watched Danny's fury build. It mirrored the anger of Professor Masters, but he could tell that this righteous indignation came from his own store of emotion, and was not aped from his guardian.

Professor Snape smiled. "The Board of Governors didn't count on the fact that I brew it monthly. I've ordered a new copy for myself from Flourish and Blotts. I would like you to give this copy to Harry to keep, after you finish this midterm project."

Danny smiled back. "Of course, sir. Could I ask you a personal question?"

Professor Snape raised an eyebrow. Danny was full of surprises, and the professor had no idea what to expect. "Please ask."

Danny furrowed his brows. He thought about this since the discussion he had with Harry. "I can tell that your relationship with Harry is changing for the better. This is a good thing. But why now? Harry's a good guy, and he hasn't really changed from the beginning of the year until now, and… I understand the value of second chances. What made you change your mind?"

This was a good question. With a half-smile, Professor Snape said, "Believe it or not, your relationship with your uncle put a few things in perspective for me. Because Harry looks so much like his father, I assumed he was like his father. But more to the point, I reflected on the injustice of the malice Vlad once showed to you. If you didn't have that life-changing accident, he might not have cared about you either way. But because of something you couldn't control and he didn't get what he wanted, he treated you badly.

"And then it dawned on me: I had done no better. All this time, I realized that I berated Harry for his celebrity status as The Boy Who Lived. But when I thought about how wrong it was for Vlad to bully you, I remembered: It wasn't Harry's fault." Professor Snape shuddered. "I guess it took seeing someone else doing what I was doing to realize how wrong it was. I could go on about pots and kettles, but that would be redundant.

"And if Vlad could put aside his differences with your father to appreciate you, well… I should be able to do at least that much."

Danny put a hand on the back of his neck. "So… You changed your mind about Harry because that would have meant that Uncle Vlad was better than you if you didn't?"

Trust a teenager to put your most embarrassing moment succinctly, so artlessly. "Yes. And," his dark eyes twinkled wickedly, "if he's 'an evil Froot-Loop,' and he can figure out how to look past his differences with your father, what would that make me if I couldn't do at least that much for Harry?"

Danny giggled. "I guess it's good for Harry (and you, sir) that Uncle Vlad and I are here." Maybe Clockwork had a handful of reasons for letting time play out this way. Maybe he wasn't the only one learning something from this version of reality.

"I suppose you're right."

After Danny dropped his morning books back in his dorm, he headed to lunch when he was practically assaulted by an overly excited poltergeist.

"Mr. Fenton! Mr. Fenton!"

Danny rolled his eyes. "What is it, Peeves?"

Peeves trembled as he bobbed in place. "I was fooling around not far from the kitchens…"

"What did you do?"

"Nothing important, I promise! Besides – the elves have a bigger problem!"

Danny threw a hand in the air, and Peeves flinched. "What are you talking about?"

"There's a blue ghost upending the kitchen supplies. Normally, I'd play along, but he… he threw the stuff out of the boxes without even touching them. I can't do that!"

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Levitation or ghostly possession?" Peeves blinked; Danny missed the point. Suddenly, he didn't. "The Box Ghost? Here?"

"Not even the Bloody Baron could stop him. But you're…" Peeves looked around. No one else was in the hall. "Danny Phantom!"

Danny sighed. The Box Ghost was the most annoying ghost in creation, but he seems to terrorize even the ghosts here. It would be interesting to face off against some ghost worthy of fighting, but the one ghost from home that figured out where he was just had to be the Box Ghost. Danny put a hand against his forehead. "Oy." Noticing that he was alone in this hall with Peeves, Danny shook his head. "I'll take care of it. Goin' ghost!"

Peeves applauded. Danny sighed again. "Where is he? My ghost sense isn't helpful here, as it can just as easily indicate you, or Professor Binns, as it would a real threat."

"Come with me." As much as the powerful half-ghost made him nervous, Peeves realized that Danny Phantom was annoyed at a ghost here in Hogwarts, and he wasn't the one in trouble. This was exciting! He plunged through the floor to a lower level.

The Box Ghost sent the House Elves into paroxysms of terror. They weren't afraid, per se, but they couldn't rescue the food the Box Ghost threw around as fast as he was upending boxes. The Bloody Baron was appalled, but could do nothing. He smiled when his hero arrived.

Danny assessed the situation and mercilessly blasted the Box Ghost with a medium sized blast. "Ow! What was that for?" The Box Ghost indignantly rubbed his smoking posterior.

A grimace of tested patience crossed Danny's lips. "Better question. What are you doing here?"

"Plasmius said we can't bother people in Amity Park, so I found a different natural portal." Eyeing Danny for any silver and green devices, he continued, "You can't confine me within a cylindrical container!"

For once, this was true. Neither Danny nor Vlad had a Thermos.

Danny rolled his eyes. "We may not have brought Thermoses, but… unlike at home, most people here are not afraid of ghosts, and the ghosts here like me. Also…" Danny's bravado stopped short for a minute. "Plasmius is not only here, he's my legal guardian."

The Box Ghost's eyes grew wide. He stuttered, "But… but, I have yet to begin with the corrugated boxes of DOOM!"

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Ya know, you've always been slow on the uptake. I may not have a Thermos, but…" He thought for a moment of Sir Nicholas's gentle admonishment. He sighed, but then crossed his arms. "Don't make me hurt you. Leave the elves, the students, and the staff alone."

The Box Ghost thought about this. If Phantom was right, the local humans were not afraid of ghosts. The creatures he attempted to terrorize were more annoyed than frightened. The local ghosts were on Phantom's side. What was more – Plasmius was here, and Phantom was under his protection. The Box Ghost knew he wasn't the brightest ghost, but even he realized that the odds were seriously stacked against him.

He noticed Danny's relaxed yet dangerous posture and decided that discretion was the better part of valor. "Beware!" he shouted, then flew in the direction of the portal.

The Bloody Baron relaxed. "Thank you, Danny. I can't do the things you do. Any of us could touch… this ghost, but he is so powerful, none of us could stop him. We are fortunate that you are here."

Danny drew a sharp breath. "I'm glad I could help. It's what I do. However, I get the feeling that if I wasn't here, the Box Ghost would never have bothered you."

The Bloody Baron beamed at Danny. Admittedly, he wasn't as good at the expression as Sir Nicholas, but he put in the effort to make it work. "You are too modest, young Phantom. That is one of the many reasons we are so fond of you. Which brings me to my next point. The Ghost Council meets on the 30th of this month. We would be honored if you could once again join us."

"I'll be glad to pop in after my classes with Uncle Vlad, but I have Astronomy at midnight."

"Understood. But I do believe you are scheduled to be in the Great Hall now."

Danny stopped. Lunch! He was so busy with the Box Ghost, he forgot about lunch. "Thanks, Baron."

Danny launched himself through the ceiling and shook his head as he flew to the Great Hall. "At home, the ghosts didn't care what was going on, or how much time their interference cost me. Here, the ghosts seem to have memorized my schedule to help keep me on track. It's just one more reason to love this place." With that, he observed no people in the area, turned human, and proceeded to go to lunch.

After dinner, Vlad and Danny met at the Room of Requirement. Danny said, "Would it be okay if I set it? The walls looked different when I thought about practicing the Ghostly Wail than they did when Professor Snape had me destroy stuff last week."

It never ceased to amaze Vlad how observant Daniel could be. He smiled indulgently. "Go ahead, Daniel."

When Danny opened the door, the Room of Hidden Things appeared. When Professor Snape was here last Thursday, the walls were of the same stone as the rest of the castle. Now, they seemed to be made of – if not simply covered over with – the pressure-proof material that lined the outside of space shuttles. This room was ready.

Vlad had to think this through. "Daniel, at the lake in August, was that your most powerful Wail? Or was it just a sample?"

Danny put a hand on the back of his neck. "I don't know. I never really thought about it before."

This Ghostly Wail was uncharted territory. The scientist in Vlad bounced in happiness at the newness of what the Wail could mean. However, Danny only saw Vlad's thoughtful mien. Vlad stroked his chin. "Hmm… Have you ever used the Wail and it didn't produce the desired effect?"

Danny squirmed. "Once. I used it to fight a sphinx. But the sphinx was too powerful."

With a calculating look, Vlad said, "Or you were not yet powerful enough. Was there a difference in the force you used against the demonic Christmas trees and the force you used against the sphinx?" While Vlad never heard of a living sphinx, his experience with ghosts told him that truly anything was possible.

Danny frowned. "I think so. I used more force against the trees. I turned human when it was over. When I fought the sphinx, I was surrounded by classmates. I used the Wail, but I couldn't afford to run out of energy and turn human. But I gave it my best shot!"

"I'm sure you did," Vlad soothed. "But the idea is that you control how much force goes into a Wail, just as you do with every power. That is important to recognize. Over time, we are going to see the difference in the effects of the different forces. That is called Modulation.

"For now, though, I want you to give your Wail the same force you did when you fought the sphinx."

"Alright. Stand behind me." Danny closed his eyes, and he remembered the sphinx with Tucker's face. He missed Tucker, but if he learned how to do this right, maybe it could honor Tucker's memory. Danny smiled.

Danny thought of the force of his Ghostly Wail when he fought the sphinx. He took a big breath and began his Wail. Objects cracked, broke, or flattened as the sonic waves swept through the room. The tower of 'stuff' immediately in front of him toppled, as did a few around it and behind it. A sudden prolonged shriek to the halfas' right caught Danny's attention. He stopped, looked nervously at Vlad, and then called, "Who's there?"

The shriek continued, and Danny flew through the stacks to find the source of the sound. Vlad came after him. Senseless child! If something suffered but wasn't silenced by this attack of deadly force, whatever it was could possibly hurt Danny! But no – the boy followed his hero complex, and looked to save whoever it was, with no regards to his own safety.

Danny came to the place of the source of the screams, but he didn't see any creature. He dove into the stuff, looking for a body. Nothing around him had a life form. The scream ceased, and Danny's search picked up a frantic pace. The more Danny searched, the more upset he became. At this point, Vlad helped him look. There continued to be no sound, other than the clatter of their moving items.

After at least ten minutes of fruitless searching, Danny cried, "No!" He drifted to the floor, and then sat with his back against some taller dross. "I'm sorry. I failed you." Morosely, he added, "That's what I've done lately. I fail to save people."

"Daniel! Stop this nonsense. You didn't fail the people in Amity Park. You were overwhelmed and overpowered. And now, we've searched but we haven't found…" Vlad's eyes tracked something oozing not far from where Danny sat. "Stay put."

"But… Uncle Vlad?" The older half-ghost followed the trail of blood back to… a tiara? Blood was flowing from a crack in the largest diamond gracing the headpiece.

"Daniel… If this thing is a source of blood, it occurs to me that it was the source of the scream." Danny was relieved. No one was hurt. "Still, we've come across some pretty bizarre things. Between all the things we've encountered as ghosts, and now in this Wizarding World, this is distinctly not normal." Vlad nodded, coming to a decision. "Come, Daniel. We're bringing this to Professor Dumbledore."

Holding the tiara in one hand and Danny's shoulder in the other, Vlad teleported them both to the top of the winding escalator in front of Dumbledore's office. Hearing voices on the other side of the door, Vlad turned the tiara invisible before knocking.

Immediately, the voices stopped. "Come in," Dumbledore called. When the password was given to the gargoyle, a chime sounded so the headmaster knew when someone approached his office. Besides the elves, only three beings in the castle had the ability to bypass the gargoyle and be able to knock on the door, and only two actually would.

Vlad opened the door to find that the headmaster was alone. The portraits on the wall were asleep, some of them snoring loudly. Dumbledore smiled as the two half-ghosts entered. "Professor Masters, Mr. Fenton. What brings you here this evening?"

Vlad said, "This." He held up the tiara, making it visible under Professor Dumbledore's gaze. Danny always thought that Vlad had a flare for the dramatic. "We found this during our Powers Training session. I've never heard of an inanimate object bleeding before."

The wizard raised his eyebrows in interest. Tom Riddle's diary bled when Harry pierced it with a basilisk fang. "May I ask where you found it?"

Vlad wrestled internally. Until now, no one but Professor Snape knew where he and Danny had their private classes. This was the headmaster, and he should know what went on where in his school. Even if he didn't know which powers they worked on. Vlad sighed. "The Room of Requirement."

Professor Dumbledore's eyes went wide. "Really? I've only recently become familiar with this room. It sounds fascinating." He brought his attention back to the item Professor Masters came to show him. "You say it bled?"

Danny nodded, and said, "I was practicing…" Vlad cleared his throat. Danny decided not to share what he was practicing quite yet. "When we heard a scream. I looked to see if anyone was hurt. There was no one. Just that. And Uncle Vlad found it because he followed a flow of blood."

The professor nodded. "I've heard of this before. It is very uncommon. May I examine the diadem?" Curious, especially because the professor said this phenomenon of inanimate objects bleeding happened before, Vlad handed the professor the diadem.

Dumbledore looked at the cracked diamond, then looked at the base of the headpiece. Almost to himself, he read, "Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure." The two confused half-ghosts watched him turn to one of the portraits. "Dilys?" The portrait of an elderly witch with silver ringlets opened her eyes, fully awake and aware. "Will you kindly ask the Grey Lady to come here?"

The witch nodded. "Of course." She promptly walked out of her frame.

Danny looked at Vlad and the headmaster. "Professor? What would make a thing bleed and scream like that?"

Professor Dumbledore looked at him. "I have a few thoughts, but I will need to study it further to be sure. As of late, I have seen or heard of two other items scream and bleed when a particular spell they contained was destroyed. I have a few more things to check, but if I am correct, you will have serendipitously helped to get us one step closer to defeating Voldemort."

"But how?" Danny asked. He knew that there was something he was missing, but Professor Dumbledore seemed to insist on keeping it mysterious. Vlad seemed annoyed by the mystery, too.

Before Professor Dumbledore could respond, the witch returned and sat back in her armchair. Danny and Vlad's ghost senses were alerted before the Grey Lady phased into the room. She glanced curiously at the half-ghosts before turning to the headmaster. "You sent for me, Professor?"

"Yes. Professor Masters and Mr. Fenton appear to have found something that may be of importance to you." At her questioning look, Dumbledore held up the bloody tiara. He waved his wand and muttered Scourgify, and it was shiny and clean once more. "I believe you know what this is?"

The Grey Lady's face showed her shock. "My mother's diadem! How did you find it? Where was it?"

Dumbledore folded his hands in front of him on the desk. "It was in the castle. All these years, and no one knew."

The Grey Lady looked at the floor, her face turning silvery opaque in embarrassment. "No, not all these years."

Dumbledore asked gently, "Where did you last see it, Helena?"

Danny shook his head, and Vlad's eyes went wide. Danny said, "Huh?"

Professor Dumbledore explained, "This is the lost diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw. It disappeared over a thousand years ago."

Vlad nodded. He didn't understand everything yet, but the pieces were beginning to fall into place. Danny looked around at everyone. "I still don't get it."

The Grey Lady bowed her head. "For you, Danny Phantom, I will explain everything, despite my underlying shame. In life, I was Helena Ravenclaw. My mother, Rowena, spelled the diadem such that it would bestow wisdom upon the wearer. I stole the diadem to become cleverer and more important than my mother. Even so, my mother never admitted the diadem was gone, but pretended she had it still. She concealed her loss, my dreadful betrayal, even from the other Founders of Hogwarts."

Danny took her right hand in his left and patted it with his right hand. "Lady Helena, I bet your Mom loved you very much. I'm glad she forgave you." Professor Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. Not only did Danny correctly refer to the Grey Lady by title, but he held her hand. Not once in his long career at Hogwarts has one of the students been able to comfortably touch a Hogwarts ghost. Then again, he never had a ghost as a functioning student before, either.

She answered, "You are very kind, Danny." She closed her eyes before continuing. "I had run away to… I think they refer to it now as Albania, in my defiance and shame. Then, my mother fell ill – fatally ill. In spite of my perfidy, she was desperate to see me one more time. She sent a man who had long loved me, though I spurned his advances, to find me." Vlad perked up. "She knew that he would not rest until he had done so."

Vlad's mind went into hyper drive. So many people here were passionate and long suffering for love that was unrequited and otherwise spurned. Besides himself, there was Severus Snape, and whomever longed for Lady Helena Ravenclaw. Professor Snape spent time doing something Dark that he's not proud of, before turning himself around. He wondered about the Grey Lady's suitor. "Did he find you?"

She frowned angrily. "Yes, he did." The generally sanguine lady took on an emotion no one in the room had seen on her before. "He tracked me to the forest where I was hiding. When I refused to return with him, he became violent. The Baron was always a hot-tempered man."

Vlad cringed. 'But for the grace of God, go I,' he thought.

"Furious at my refusal, jealous of my freedom, he stabbed me."

Vlad blanched. "No!" he whispered. He would never… Maddie meant too much.

She took a calming, cleansing breath, and she said, "When he saw what he had done, he was overcome with remorse. He took the weapon that had claimed my life, and used it to kill himself. All these years later, he wears his chains as an act of penitence… as he should."

Tears flowed freely from Vlad's eyes. Professor Dumbledore noticed this, but drew no attention to Vlad. Danny thought for a moment. "The Bloody Baron!"

"Yes, Danny. He was my unwanted suitor." Danny hugged her; she really looked like she needed it. Vlad was jealous, but said nothing.

Professor Dumbledore asked, "So how did the diadem get from a forest in Albania back to the castle?"

Still embarrassed, but encouraged by her hero's embrace, she said, "Over fifty years ago, there was a student. I had… no idea. He seemed to… to understand, to sympathize…"

Professor Dumbledore asked pointedly, "Tom Riddle?" She nodded. He muttered, "I'm going to discuss this… tomorrow…" To the Grey Lady, he said, "My lady, now that the diadem has been found, and I suspect it fell into the hands of Tom Riddle, I need to study it, to make sure – among other things – it is safe to use. Should it prove safe to use, what do you think your mother would have wanted done with it?"

The Grey Lady looked shy. "She… would probably want it given to the Head of her House, and made available to any student clever enough to ask about it." Looking at Danny, she continued, "Including students in other Houses." Danny squeezed her with one arm. She smiled at him.

Professor Dumbledore smiled and nodded. "Very good. Thank you all for coming this evening. I believe Professor Masters and Danny have a class. Care for a lemon drop before you go?"

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