Once again, I want to thank everyone who has read, reviewed, and put this fic (and me) on your assorted lists. In thanks, I want to offer you an assortment of apples and honey, dates, pomegranates, and other sweet fruits that hint to the blessing of a sweet New Year.
I wish you all a happy and healthy, blessed sweet New Year for 5770.
I had an interesting request, and the person who made it was gracious if somewhat persistent. So I figured that there wasn't a reason I couldn't follow through with it. Trevor the Enchanter has some interesting stories that he thought members who read this fic might be interested in. I agree. The ones I've spent the most time reading involve a crossover between Danny Phantom and Nightmare on Elm Street. They are very creative, and Trevor does a nice character study; however, that particular crossover series is particularly dark, graphic, and meant for a more mature audience.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom and Harry Potter.
Chapter 34
Danny and Harry materialized in the Gryffindor Common Room.
"Bloody hell!" Ron blurted. He and Hermione couldn't believe what they just saw.
Letting go of Harry, Danny said, "Excuse me?"
Ron pointed. "You're… You're…"
Hermione regained control of her mouth. "Danny Phantom!"
Danny sighed. "Yes."
"Thanks for taking me back, Danny," Harry said politely.
"You're welcome. Now, I'll just…"
Ron said, "Harry! Do you know what time it is?"
Harry looked at Danny, whose face was the very picture of exhaustion. Did ghosts get tired? "I know it's past midnight. That's why Danny brought me back here. After dinner, I went to see Professor Snape's lesson in Defense Against the Dark Arts with…" Harry realized that saying Danny's name, either of them, over and over would be confusing. "Fenton, but apparently, he got homesick when his uncle was unavailable to make it, because he was otherwise engaged."
Ron opened his hands to express that this was too much to be believed. "The professor left for one day. What's the matter with this bloke?"
"EXCUSE ME," Danny defended, "Let's think about this from Fenton's perspective, for the moment. His whole family and best friends were killed, and the only one he really has left is his uncle, his guardian. Since they've been here, they've been together every day, to give the kid consistency, when the rest of his life has been kicked out from under him. And the one guy to give him that consistency and a sense of purpose, his lifeline to his past life, was unavailable for that meeting he's come to count on. I could see why he might be a little upset." He glared.
Danny didn't think of it until now, but after saying all those things, he realized that being homesick wasn't as pathetic as he thought it seemed. Really, Professor Snape thought of everything.
Ron's jaw dropped. Wow – he never thought of it like that before. Hermione smacked Ron in the back of the head, and murmured, "Nick was right. He doesn't just stand up for ghosts. He defends whoever needs defending." To Phantom, she said, "You are absolutely right. Usually, Danny's so strong, it's sometimes hard to remember how much he's hurting." Danny blushed. Ron's eyes went wide. Harry said Phantom blushed red, but it was one thing to hear about it, and another thing to see it.
Hermione turned to Harry. "Okay. So if Danny… Fenton was otherwise engaged, where were you from after dinner until now?"
Harry grinned. "Professor Snape helped Phantom practice using his powers. They let me watch."
Hermione looked at Phantom. "Ghosts have powers?"
Danny shrugged. "They do, where I come from. My type of ghost is different than Hogwarts ghosts, and I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with wizards and Muggles. Desiree even uses magic, but it's nothing like the magic you learn here."
This threw Hermione through a loop. She never heard of ghosts having enough substance to practice magic. None of what Phantom said matched her cache of knowledge of how the Wizarding World works.
Ron asked, "How come Snape was helping you?"
Harry looked at Ron pointedly. "Professor Snape was doing a personal favor for Phantom and his mentor, who usually trains our friend here." Danny smiled. Harry paid attention.
Hermione thought about this. "I didn't know ghosts had mentors."
Harry said, "Well… Phantom's powers are intense, and I can see the need for practice and review, much the same way we need to practice casting spells." Harry frowned. "Which reminds me… while Professor Masters is an amazing DADA teacher, he's not having us practice defensive spells. I need to ask him if he would mind if we set up the DA, or something like that. Unlike Umbridge the Ministry Toad, I don't think he'll mind."
Danny floated – his feet were tired. "It might be good to open it to students from all four Houses. You know Professor Masters is all about equality."
"But the Slytherins!" Ron objected. "They would only use it against us."
Danny sighed. "Are there no Slytherin students of social redeeming value?"
Harry said, "Like… Fenton (sorry – I just can't get caught up between both of you Dannys every two minutes). And maybe Draco."
Ron stared. "Malfoy? Have you lost your mind?"
Harry shrugged. "We have an understanding. We haven't had any trouble with him, Crabbe, or Goyle since that day in October." Danny widened his eyes. What day? A lot happened in October. "And as much as Professor Masters doesn't like the attitude of certain Slytherin students, I'm sure he would object to a project that Fenton couldn't try to be a part of."
Hermione nodded. This made a lot of sense. "Danny, do other ghosts have mentors, or are you the only ghost who does?"
"From what I can tell, I'm the only one here. I mean, don't you think Myrtle might have been happier if an adult ghost took her under their advisement?"
Harry turned to Danny. "I've been thinking of that since you first said it. Myrtle seems to be the youngest ghost since she…well, since she became a ghost 54 years ago. How come she doesn't have a mentor?" He blushed guiltily. "While living students haven't really been the most supportive, the one who causes her the most grief is Peeves. Why doesn't an adult ghost take care of her? Kind of like a parent, if ghosts have such things?"
Danny almost felt sick. Vlad has wanted to be his parent since he discovered Danny was a ghost. "You are absolutely right, Harry. I'll talk to Sir Nicholas about that soon. He's Myrtle's official House Ghost, though I think the Grey Lady is more the nurturing, maternal type. Sir Nicholas is awesome and supportive, though. Well… by the end of the week, we should find a mentor for Myrtle. I'm glad you thought of it, Harry."
Hermione looked admiringly at Harry. His 'saving people thing' might get Myrtle some happiness, and she might not be called Moaning Myrtle anymore. "Danny, how did you and Harry get here?"
"We teleported. It's kind of like Apparating, but witches and wizards can't Apparate on Hogwarts grounds, or wherever there are anti-Apparation wards. I haven't found anywhere I've seen that I can't teleport to. Unless there's a place with anti-apparition wards, but I haven't found a place with those, either." Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared. Did Phantom just make a pun? "I imagine such places have to exist, but I'm not at all sure they're magical in origin. Or they might be… after all, Myrtle used to roam free, but when she became too much of a nuisance to Olive Hornby, the Ministry confined her to Hogwarts. But she prefers that bathroom…"
Danny yawned. "It's getting late, and I'm tired." And I've sustained a duplicate for close to six hours.
Hermione asked, "Ghosts get tired?"
Danny rolled his eyes. "Look – you guys spent a lot of your Second Year around Myrtle. Where did she spend time when she wasn't otherwise occupied?"
Ron said, "She didn't really do much. She cried a lot, she splashed a bit when Peeves teased her, but we tried to stay out of her way."
Danny murmured, "Interesting." He thought for a moment. "Did she say there was a special place she liked to curl up and recharge? Or, I don't know, reflect, think about death, something…"
"Yeah!" Harry nodded. "She said she sat in the u-bend, thinking about death, when the book I told you about earlier went through her."
"Really?" Danny didn't think Myrtle would actually think about that. Well… considering that besides the Council meetings she hasn't had much more to think about, that made more sense. "Right. Well, she was relaxing in her favorite, private place in her haunt. Now, I don't know about you, but I've had a workout involving all but three of my powers for at least five hours. If it's okay with you, I'd like to curl up in my favorite haunt since I've started visiting Hogwarts. Good night, guys." Danny evaporated in a green mist.
Ron stared. "And there was no crack, or pop, or anything."
Hermione asked, "What kinds of powers does he have?"
Harry answered, "The list is long. But Phantom was right. It is late. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow."
Sunday morning, Vlad woke up bright and early. After a light breakfast of a buttered roll and coffee, he read the Wall Street Journal. He saw that everything was as it should be, and he marked papers until about 10:30am or so, when he packed up and headed back to Hogwarts through the Ghost Zone. Once in the Hufflepuff hall, he teleported to his quarters where he dropped off his bag, put on his robes, and entered the Great Hall in time for dinner.
Arriving at the same time as the other professors, Vlad took a seat between Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape. "Good evening, Headmaster. I'm back."
Professor Dumbledore smiled warmly. "Welcome back, Professor. How did it go?"
Vlad grinned. "It more than exceeded my expectations. Two of the major issues have been resolved. The third is out of commission. If they are stubborn enough, they might persist. But I have forced the adversary into a long-time (even if temporary) submission."
"This sounds like a story that will be interesting to hear."
Sighing contentedly, Vlad said, "Then we shall have to find some time this week to discuss it, now won't we?"
"Indeed we will. I'm looking forward to it."
Professor Snape waited until Vlad served himself. "I think you will be pleased to know that last night, Daniel and I practiced and reviewed all but three of his talents." With a smirk, he continued, "I even had Daniel practice his Stinging Hex for me, quite extensively."
Vlad raised both eyebrows. "Did you? I'm rather curious to know how this came about."
"I have a report prepared. However, you will need my assistance for at least one of the remaining skills that requires review."
Vlad nodded. "Then I would be grateful for your continued cooperation, and I look forward to reading your report."
When Danny met Vlad and Professor Snape in the Room of Requirement, he flew at Vlad in a hug. "Uncle Vlad! I'm glad you're back! How did it go?"
Vlad chuckled. "All in good time, little badger. All in good time. For now, I'll just say I was far more successful than I thought possible." Danny grinned. Then he sighed.
"Um, Professor? I realize now that our cover story wasn't as pathetic as I thought it was. I… really did miss Uncle Vlad, and what you said was logical."
Professor Snape smiled. "I'm glad that you realize that now. I've practiced subterfuge for longer than you've been alive."
Vlad narrowed his eyes. "Why would anyone question your substituting for me in teaching Daniel Defense Against the Dark Arts?"
Danny shrugged. "Because Harry came to watch."
"WHAT?" For months, Vlad kept tight reins on which wizards knew what about Daniel's (and mostly by extension, his own) powers. And now, not only did an unauthorized wizard know, a child knew.
Danny paled at Vlad's unexpected outrage. "Harry Potter's a trustworthy guy. But he doesn't know that Fenton and Phantom are the same person."
Vlad closed his eyes. He would not express his rage in front of Daniel. While Danny might be too willing to share part of his secret, it was Severus's fault for allowing the breach in security. The elder half-ghost scowled and bent close to Snape, whispering dangerously. "Later, you and I will be having words."
Professor Snape was taken aback. The light-hearted banter between them had disappeared. The glacial chill in Vlad's tone surprised him. "As you wish."
Vlad narrowed his eyes at him, closed his eyes, and then stepped back. "Alright. You said you covered all but three powers, and you convinced Daniel to use his Stinger. How, pray tell, did you accomplish that?"
Severus smiled. "From what I've pieced together, you never had Daniel use his Stinger except, in theory, to cause me pain, which he flatly refused. Instead, we exercised using his electric charge creatively, lighting lights of various volts and wattage. Our usage is detailed in my report." Snape frowned. "From the strength of his charge, Daniel could have killed quite a few humans, and you would have had him use this power, mostly untried and unmodulated against me."
Any color Danny might have regained since Vlad's last outburst left him. It was fun to light all those lights. He hadn't thought about what might have happened if he used his power at full strength against humans. He gulped.
Vlad spun at the sound and noticed Danny's supreme discomfort. That wasn't part of the plan. He peaked his eyebrows. "Yes, well…" He was not about to admit he hadn't quite thought that through in September. Vlad had mastered his electric powers many years ago, and he only wanted to painfully shock the professor. Nothing lethal was intended at any time, and unmodulated, Daniel might very well have killed his Head of House and favorite professor. "Daniel's hero complex and sense of compassion solved that problem quite nicely," Vlad deflected. Snape glared at him.
Vlad cleared his throat. "So… what three powers did you not manage to get to?"
Professor Snape also took a breath and announced, "Weight-bearing, his Ghostly Wail, and Overshadowing."
Danny piped up. "Yeah, about that… I wasn't too keen on showing Harry the Wail and Overshadowing, and by the time we got to them… We practiced for five hours, and I was tired."
Vlad rounded on Snape again. "Five hours? How dare you?"
Before Severus could open his mouth, Danny explained, "Professor Snape came up with a lot of cool demonstrations and experiments. We had so much fun, we lost track of time." He thought for a moment. "Now that we have more of a complete set of tests, now we might make a diagnostic take a few days instead of aiming to do it all in one day."
Vlad raised his eyebrows. While he wasn't thrilled with this particular wizard at present, the fact is that Snape was just as creative as Vlad was, and anything to improve Daniel's learning to use his powers was a good thing. "Very well. And the weight-bearing. What happened to that?"
Severus took quite a bit of strength and force of will not to shudder. "Perhaps it is my unfamiliarity with your ability to defy physics. Various forms of magic can accomplish that type of thing. Regardless, I could not, in good conscience, put more weight on a child than I could rescue him from if something went wrong. I can use magic to lift about three times my own weight at once, perhaps more if people are suspended with Levicorpus. Daniel said that he could easily lift over a ton of weight. Based on his explanation and my calculations, I put that number closer to more than three tons. I just couldn't…" He shook his head.
Vlad sighed. That was fair enough. "I imagine that you are entirely unfamiliar with the strength of ghosts of our variety, and that isn't even taking into account that we are half-ghosts which makes us even MORE powerful. Your unfamiliarity isn't your fault.
"I'm sure Daniel has mentioned the property damage that can be caused by ghost fights. It isn't uncommon in these things for a ghost to be thrown from a height of, say, 200 feet, into the pavement below. The result of such? A bit of pain for the ghost in question, leaving him winded, or perhaps with a split lip (if that), and the pavement beneath him destroyed. Ghosts can lift cars, or busses if the need or desire came over them. The fact that Daniel, here, weighs no more than 105 pounds soaking wet…"
"Hey!" Danny cried indignantly.
"Does not diminish the fact that he can carry as many people as might attend a medium sized town hall meeting, and such a thing would not even leave him winded."
Danny wasn't sure if he had been insulted or not, but Professor Snape was thoroughly impressed. So he was short and skinny. At least Vlad didn't call him 'pre-pubescent.'
Professor Snape was still concerned. "What do you intend to do?"
Vlad smirked. "Something you will find obnoxiously opulent, but it will be small enough to not be cumbersome." A stack of gold bars appeared. "I envision them to be bigger than average, as 30 actual pounds is a much rounder number than the international commercial weight of 27.43 pounds of gold."
Snape's eyebrows shot up. "Why gold?"
"Because it is a very dense, heavy metal. The weight can add up quickly, but I need Daniel to be able to actually hold it. Anything else would get rather unwieldy rather quickly." Vlad threw the first five casually, in different directions, and Danny dodged to collect them. Snape's eyes widened. The weight did add up very quickly. After the first 500 pounds, Vlad stopped chucking the bars helter-skelter. Danny showed absolutely no sign of strain. It quickly became 600 pounds, 700 pounds, and it kept coming. Professor Snape kept track of it.
Shortly, Danny carried one ton. Two tons. Three tons, and Danny didn't even sweat. At somewhere near 3.5 tons, Danny said, "Vlad, this is starting to get heavy." Severus blinked.
Vlad said, "I know. This matches your personal best from last time. Do you think we can try for ten more?"
Danny wanted to shrug, but his shoulders were busy. "Okay, but no more than that." Slowly, Vlad added them. Danny accepted them.
Vlad added the last one, and Danny held it. "Done! Very good, Daniel! That is 250 of these." Danny held them for one full minute. "And down." Danny gently lowered the mass of gold to the floor. He panted as he rested from the strain.
Professor Snape stared. "With 250 of those 30 pound bars… that is 7,500 pounds!"
Vlad shrugged. "Yes, it is. Your point is…?"
"But that is…"
"That is only because Daniel is only a short and slight 15-year old. He'll get older, bigger, and stronger. Then, he will be able to carry much more than that."
Snape sneered. "You're not serious."
Vlad looked askance. "Of course I am. I can easily lift and carry more than twice that. I've endured a blow to the jaw that hit me at 112 miles per hour, and while it was painful, it only knocked me down. At various points, I've pulled Daniel from full speed (which was faster than that at the time) to a full stop. Some of the things we've gotten to as enemies were not to be believed." Lowering his voice, he said, "There was one time I specifically angered Daniel. He kicked me with such force, I was thrown hundreds of feet before I could control my own momentum in flight. Any of all of this folderol was often seen all over Amity Park."
Danny's breath returned to normal. "Bygones."
Vlad muttered, "I deserved that."
Professor Snape covered his mouth as he grinned. He thought, 'They are getting closer, but clearly, all has not been forgiven.' "So, what comes next, the Ghostly Wail or Overshadowing?"
Vlad said, "I don't know. Daniel, which would you like to do next?"
Danny sighed. He wasn't happy about showing off either talent. He wasn't being given a choice of which one to do, but which one to do first. One was a talent of complete destruction. One was a bizarre violation of his professor. He decided to put that off for as long as he could. "I think the Wail should be next. But we have to leave this room to get to the Room of Hidden Things."
Danny and Vlad turned human, and the three of them exited the Room. While Danny set the room, Vlad explained, "He says it looks the same as the room you called up when he destroyed things under your guidance, but when he sets it, the walls are lined with a NASA-approved pressure-proof substance." Severus nodded appreciatively.
Once in, Vlad directed Danny to modulate and let go. Danny had both Professor Snape and Vlad stand behind him. Standing on a conjured platform, Severus witnessed the massive destruction of towers of debris, and how much more was destroyed when Vlad told Danny to intensify.
Professor Snape decided that he could not be happier that first of all, he was not at odds with the boy. Second, the boy valued strongly a sense of fair play. After everything he saw this evening, only now was Danny beginning to tire. Vlad called a halt, they exited, and Vlad returned the room to the lab.
Professor Snape looked at Danny. "Whenever you're ready."
Danny noticed that Professor Snape actively looked forward to this. A tear ran down his cheek. Both Vlad and Severus were concerned. Vlad lifted Danny's chin with a finger. "Daniel, what's wrong?"
Danny shrugged. "When I trained at home, when it was time to test overshadowing, Tucker said he hated it. Every time. There were three times I remember best, but he always hated it. I… never told him I was sorry." He brushed away his tears with a gloved hand. "I wasn't really, at the time. It was kind of funny. But… I took advantage of him. And I can't take it back. And I can't apologize, and he hated it." He closed his eyes, and the tears continued to fall.
"Oh, Daniel." Vlad hugged him. "Shh…" What was he supposed to say now? The boy did exactly what he would have done, but the boy was clearly traumatized. That nasty hero complex!
Professor Snape waited until they pulled away from each other. "Do you want to tell us about it?" Vlad thought to conjure some armchairs. They sat and Danny began.
"The first one happened not long after I just discovered the power. I had a date for the homecoming dance. Tucker finally got a date. And Sam… well, it took me a bit, but I figured out that she really wanted to go, but she wouldn't go if she wasn't invited. I would have, but… my date wore an emotionally induced amulet that turned the wearer into a ghost dragon." The adults stared at him. "Well, I didn't know that's what it did when I gave it to her."
Vlad frowned. "Daniel…"
"Anyway, I couldn't afford to cancel on her. And I didn't want to leave Sam dateless, so I…" He closed his eyes. "I overshadowed Tucker, and had him invite her.
"For the three of us, the dance was a mess. I used my overshadowing power to get myself in enough trouble that I had a hard time digging myself out, and instead of enjoying the dance, I had Tucker keep an eye on my Dad, who chaperoned – long story – and had Sam track down Paulina. It got complicated. But you know? Tucker might have liked going to the dance with Valerie. I just… thought more about what I wanted than what he wanted."
Danny heaved a heavy sigh. "The second time, we ran into some trouble with Desiree, the wishing ghost. I didn't realize how jealous Tucker was of my powers." He blushed. "You saw yesterday. I enjoy showing off for my friends. I didn't think how that affected Tucker. He wished that he could have ghost powers. Desiree granted him that wish. It wasn't cool – the unnatural ghost thing turned him malevolent in under a week. But during that week, I wanted to overshadow him, and check out the ghost situation within him. He got really mad. It was a problem. We fixed it, but I managed to hurt Tucker again.
"There might have been other times, but the last one I remember, I was training. My top speed at the time was 112 miles per hour, and… it was right before the DALV thing."
Professor Snape glared witheringly at Vlad. "The DALV thing?"
Vlad sighed. "It wasn't one of my more subtle schemes. It almost worked."
Danny longed to say, 'Not a chance, Vlad,' but that didn't make much sense, here and now. "Anyway, Sam and Tucker took turns telling me what I had left to do, although I kept a few surprises to myself."
Vlad peaked his eyebrows. 'The boy really is like me.'
"I couldn't duplicate more than creating a second head, and I intended to stay home and practice without distraction, and then… Mom got your letter, inviting us to a mother/son science symposium from DALV. Mom was all excited. I might have gotten excited, but I was disappointed that my plans to train were scrapped."
Professor Snape said, "There was no symposium."
Vlad shrugged. "No – my plane brought them to my hunting chalet in Colorado. It was a complicated plan to force Maddie and Daniel to stay with me. The only successful part of the plan was temporarily waylaying them in Colorado." He didn't feel the need to explain the ghost mutants he sent after them, or the Plasmius Maximus. And while it was an inordinately clever ruse by Daniel to trick Vlad into wearing the Specter Deflector, it was particularly emotionally painful for Vlad – Daniel said they decided as a family to stay with him, and Daniel even called him 'new Dad.'
That was many months ago, and a lifetime of experiences away.
Professor Snape ignored Vlad's flush at an embarrassing memory. "And overshadowing?"
Danny shook his head to focus. "Yeah. That was the other surprise. I don't remember what I made him say, though it was something he never would – that way, they knew it was me talking. But when I left him, I do remember him saying, 'I hate when you do that.' At the time, I didn't even care. When I didn't pay attention and hit my head on the wall, Tucker made the same joke about me." He looked away.
Severus and Vlad looked at each other. Professor Snape asked, "What happened?"
"I guess I realized how mean it was to make him say what I had him say, because when he said it back to me, I got mad and turned part of the floor intangible, and sank him into a sub-basement level of the weapons vault."
Vlad chuckled. He might have done the same thing, in that position.
Danny glared. "It's not funny, Vlad!" The older half-ghost realized how upset his ward was, because he very specifically didn't call him 'uncle.' He stopped laughing, though he couldn't help his smile of amusement.
Professor Snape put his hands on Danny's shoulders. "We all have some regrets. It's part of the human condition. But there are two things to keep in mind. First of all, from what I understand, you were close friends, and even if your friend Tucker was annoyed at the time, he knew you had a good heart and wouldn't intentionally hurt him beyond jocular ribbing."
Danny cocked his head. 'Jocular ribbing?'
"And second, I not only give you permission to overshadow me, I've been looking forward to it. Now that I know the extent of what you can do, I am curious to see what you will make me do."
When he put it that way… Danny breathed, "Okay." He put his hand on the professor's chest and entered him.
Vlad tapped his chin. "Daniel, have you ever overshadowed Professor Snape before?"
"Yeah. Once, before the whole project with Goyle."
It amused Vlad to hear Daniel's artless ramblings in Severus's cultured, silky voice. "What happened then?"
"Well, I walked around his office, and then I flew around, looking at the cool stuff on his shelves, and then I looked at an interesting stone formation on the ceiling. Then we landed, and I exited him."
"Based on your performance in October, we know you can overshadow well, and for a significant amount of time. For now, however, you will just practice the basics." Danny nodded.
Danny flew around the ceiling a few times, careful to go no faster than 80 miles per hour; he remembered that the professor said that a certain speed unprotected would destroy human flesh. Well – being overshadowed might provide some protection, but he didn't want to risk it. He turned invisible and flew back and forth a few times. Danny rematerialized and turned intangible, sinking through the floor, popping back up and putting a hand through a table. He decided to try something the professor might find interesting. He put an intangible right hand through his left shoulder, and pulled it out.
"The targets, Daniel." Danny shot out a set of targets with a medium blast. He used a couple of trick shots around his back and over his shoulder. Vlad rolled his eyes, but was proud that Danny hit every target. Danny flew one more lap around the room, landed in front of Vlad, and exited the professor.
Vlad patted Danny on the back. "Nicely done, Daniel. Very well done." Danny looked up at Vlad and smiled.
Professor Snape was not doing so well, however. Last time Danny overshadowed him, Professor Snape was elated. Now, he stared at his hands.
"Professor?" Darn it – he forgot his ectoblast color freaked out the wizards, even though nothing was done but simple target practice.
Professor Snape looked up, away from his offending digits. "That color came from my very hands."
Danny sighed. "I don't know if it makes you feel better or not, Professor, but it is really one of the most common colors with ghosts. Most of the ghost animals I've seen are the same color. And really, most ectoplasmic emanations from my parents' inventions were the same color." He smirked. "It's only because we're here in the Wizarding World that it's so disturbing. Otherwise, it would be normal and natural, as ghosts go."
Severus patted Danny on the back. "Thank you for trying to comfort me. Nothing untoward happened. It just unsettled me. But other than that, I thank you for the experience. The hand through my shoulder was a nice touch."
Danny smiled. "I thought you'd like that. One time at school, my parents put me in a mild panic at lunchtime. I had eaten so fast, I swallowed my spork. I reached in, kinda like that, and pulled it out. I felt better, until the reason my parents were there showed up."
Severus raised an eyebrow. "That must have been some panic."
"Between the panic, the public humiliation, and my parents with ghost weapons in their hands, yeah. You have no idea, sir."
Vlad noticed that equilibrium returned to the trio, and directed Danny and Professor Snape to sit in the previously conjured chairs. "Professor, I thank you kindly and sincerely for helping Daniel train. It was a great favor to him, and to me. As I said, I look forward to reading your report. I'm sure you enjoyed it as well. Until last night, no one knew of most of Daniel's powers, besides myself. Daniel is a rather talented young man, and will only become more so with time and practice.
"My question to you regards young Harry Potter. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? I have heavily guarded the gamut of our powers as a security measure. There are many talents I prefer wizards not to know. In case you've forgotten, an insane wizard has targeted my ward for no purpose other than he failed to die. For this reason, among others, I have worked hard to create a serious element of surprise.
"Now that Mr. Potter knows of Daniel's powers, how are we to keep this secret?"
Severus raised his eyebrows, with fury in his eyes. "How dare you suggest that I have forgotten for a moment the danger Voldemort presents? For your information, Harry Potter is, in fact, targeted by the Dark Lord for the same reason Daniel is, among other reasons. I know the evil Voldemort is capable of. There is no one in this school who is more familiar with what that man is capable of. I would not willingly allow any student, professor, or other individual into the clutches of that madman. If you ever make such a remark that even hints at this, I will silence your vocal chords permanently."
Danny's eyes widened and he cringed into his chair. This was the first time he ever saw Professor Snape this angry. He was more than a little frightened of his professor right now.
The furious Slytherin continued. "Furthermore, it was not my intention that Harry should have attended Daniel's training session. When he asked me earlier in the day, I forbade him to come. There was no way for me to know that he would sneak up to the door of the Room of Requirement to overhear the conversation between myself and Daniel. I had no idea he was there until Daniel heard him. Harry knew of Daniel's 'DADA' tutoring, and was logically curious.
"I did the best I could. I had Daniel create a duplicate that was human and obviously not present while his ghostly persona practiced using his powers. Other students saw and spoke with the duplicate, so unless someone somehow figures out that a living wizard is also a ghost that can be in two places at once, your secrets remain safe, and young Harry learned that a ghost he knows to be different from those locally has fantastic powers.
"Miss Granger, the cleverest witch in her year, met Daniel in his ghostly persona. If she hasn't figured out that the two are one, I would be hard-pressed to find another witch or wizard who might possibly make the connection."
Severus's anger was still strong, but he could not sustain that level of anger for long. "And at present, there are only three students who have seen Danny Phantom. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are not only good at solving mysteries, they are good at keeping secrets."
Vlad's anger, however, only grew. In a dangerously low tone, Vlad hissed, "You have an interesting way of exposing secrets of those you can't stand. I know you hated Remus Lupin. You may even have had cause. You even convinced him that he deserved the consequences of his secrets exposed. He did not deserve what happened to him, his joblessness, his degradation, over a schoolyard grudge.
"You may not like me. I can respect that. But you have no excuse to reveal the secrets of my boy Daniel. You better hope you're right, and that no one finds out Daniel's secret because of your carelessness. I don't know what I'll do, but you will regret it."
Danny pulled his legs up and hugged them. Turning invisible wouldn't help, as it might make both of them angrier, but taking up the least possible space might hide him from their notice. Professor Snape and Vlad could be terrifying, and that was when he knew no permanent damage was intended. Now… He hugged his legs tightly, closed his eyes, and trembled.
Professor Snape noticed Danny's fear and discomfort first. Severus and Vlad's issues were between themselves, and while they might revolve around Danny, Danny was not involved. Neither Severus nor Vlad had the right to cause Daniel such emotional torment, but in their own selfish argument, they had done just that. Silently, he held up a hand, and gestured for Vlad to look at Danny.
Vlad looked in horror as he realized what he and Severus had done. He peaked his eyebrows. "Daniel?" Danny didn't respond. He just hoped really hard that these two very powerful adults who he cared about would not hurt each other.
In a much calmer tone, Professor Snape said, "I am truly sorry for what I've done, but I don't know what else I could have done."
Also, in a far gentler tone, Vlad responded, "Understood. I suppose there were circumstances beyond your control."
Severus patted the knee of the unresponsive Daniel, while Vlad slipped a hand behind the boy's back. Vlad tried again. "Daniel?"
Danny didn't uncurl, but he opened his eyes. Well, that was at least something. "Please don't… be angry anymore. Harry is a trustworthy guy. If anyone does figure out my secret (which I hope they won't), I would hope that Harry or his two closest buddies would be the ones. Professor Dumbledore trusts them, and Professor Snape trusts them. And that was before he even liked Harry. Now, Professor Snape is Harry's guardian."
Severus was startled. He hadn't expected Vlad to discover his own bond with the Gryffindor quite that way.
Vlad's eyebrows shot up. "Interesting. So that is who you chose as your ward."
Snape pressed his lips tightly together. He wanted to yell at Danny, except for two things. First, he was loath to cause any of his Slytherin students distress, and that was true even when they weren't in as much severe emotional distress as Daniel was currently in. Second, he told Harry to keep this private. He never told Daniel he intended to keep this private for as long as possible. It was his own fault for not asking the boy not to tell his guardian.
Severus sighed. "Yes. Harry is now my ward. Apparently, the Death Eaters figured it out, and now Harry and I are as bound here as Daniel is." Danny's eyes grew wide.
Vlad shrugged. "I hope you have plans for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, because Daniel and I have places to go and people to see. It wouldn't do to expose certain things after such a close shave," he said darkly.
Danny asked, "Really? Where are we going?"
"Not now, Daniel. But one thing I can promise you – where we are going will be completely safe from Death Eater danger." This left a puzzle for both Slytherins.
Danny at last released his legs and found a more relaxed position to think over Vlad's words. Professor Snape, who recognized Daniel's lighter mood and ease of tension nodded. "Are you alright now, Daniel?"
Danny thought for a moment. The severe tension between Vlad and Professor Snape had calmed down sufficiently for Danny to know that if any damage ensued, it would not be of the permanent variety. "Yeah. I'm doing better. Thanks."
Snape looked meaningfully at Vlad, who refrained from rolling his eyes. "I believe we can take it from here, Professor." He studied Daniel, who was still shaken, but was much better than he was moments ago. He nodded in confirmation to himself.
Doing his own study, Professor Snape agreed with Vlad's assessment. "Very well then. I wish both of you a good night, and I'll see you tomorrow."
Once the Potions Master left the Room of Requirement, with a wave of his hand, Vlad banished the laboratory and called up a black marble fireplace and a mahogany table between them. He clapped his hands and the elves sent up a tea set for two and a plate of scones. At Danny's surprise, Vlad smiled. "I decided that a little pampering and comfort food was in order."
After pouring two cups and gesturing to Danny to take sugar and a scone, Vlad said, "I thought you might like to know the results of my trip."
Danny left his sugar-laden spoon in the air for a moment. "So what happened?"
"First, the Foleys send you fond regards. Mrs. Ida Manson sends her warmest regards and well wishes, and would like you to write when you have the chance."
"Thanks." He missed the Foleys, and it was nice that they thought of him. Sam's grandmother, however, was a nice surprise.
Taking a sip of his tea, Vlad sighed in contentment. Daniel seemed to unwind and appreciate the intimate atmosphere he created. "After the press conference, the media reported you to have a 98 percent approval rating, and the Guys in White will leave you alone for a very long time. I can't promise 100 percent success with them, as Operatives O and K are blastedly stubborn morons who don't know when to give up. But unless they replace every last computer in their organization and start looking for information all over again, the Guys in White may be out of commission as far as you, your family, and Amity Park are concerned, for many years."
Danny sighed. "Thanks, Vlad. That means a lot to me." He dunked a scone in his now sugared tea and bit it.
"And… I don't think that Valerie will ever bother you again."
Danny dropped his scone on his plate. "What did you do to her?" he cried in alarm.
Vlad waved a careless hand. "I promised to give her a full scholarship to the college, and later, graduate school of her choice."
Danny blinked. "That's it? She'll leave me alone now?"
Vlad nearly chuckled. "That's it. Oh… and she happens to think your ghostly persona is cute."
"Arg!" Now, Vlad did laugh. Danny fumed. Why, oh why couldn't Valerie decide she liked all of him while they were on the same continent? Of course, she didn't yet know that Fenton and Phantom were the same guy…
"And another surprise you may like: your regular complement of ghostly antagonists will leave you alone, even when we get back to the States."
Danny cocked his head suspiciously. "Why?"
Vlad smiled. "I merely informed a ghost or two of the truth, and the possibility that your temper might grow as you do; nothing more. But it was most effective."
"Which truth?"
The boy was getting good at this. "First of all, you are my ward, and if they harmed you in any way, I would take offense and retaliate with extreme prejudice. Second, your powers are ever increasing. It would never do to underestimate a ghost whose powers are ever growing apace with you, and you haven't hit…" While the honest thing to say was 'puberty,' the boy might be sensitive about that. "Full maturity yet."
Danny raised his eyebrows. They talked about Vlad fixing things with the media, the Guys in White, and Valerie. The thing with the other ghosts was new.
He was getting overwhelmed, so he came back to an idea he could deal with. "Wait a minute. What about my college? When I get there?"
Vlad blinked. "What about your college?"
"I… how am I going to afford to go to college? I know it's a couple of years away. I don't know if my parents put any money aside for it, but I don't…"
Vlad held up a hand, and said very gently, "You foolish boy. Why do you think I would pay for Valerie to go to college and beyond, and would not do the same for you, at the very least?"
"But why would you do that?"
"Because I love you, and it would be my pleasure, besides my responsibility." Vlad surprised himself, but decided he meant what he said. It was the truth.
Danny jerked his head, whispering, "What did you say?"
Vlad understood Danny's shock, as it wasn't too different than his own. Still, he owned up to those words because they were true. "I love you, and it would be my pleasure." How comfortable the words were when he sounded them out.
Danny stared at Vlad. Vlad's acted possessive over him for years. He tried to control him in various ways and forms. But this was new. Since they got here, they started bonding, albeit reluctantly, and Danny didn't know what to make of it when Vlad used that tone of voice. But now, Vlad didn't talk of possession or control, or any number of Froot-Loopy things that marked the man's previous existence. He didn't demand anything. He explained simply that his motive (which was usually questionable at best) to help him and do things for him was out of love. That was something he thought he saw the end of in July. But now…
He jumped out of his chair and threw himself at Vlad, who was surprised but his reflexes helped him catch the small teen. He hugged the boy tightly. This was not a moment or memory he wanted to let go. "I love you." Vlad said it again. It was much easier that time.
Danny whispered, "I think… I love you, too." Vlad decided it would be hard to describe how life got better than this.
The next day, Vlad found Professor Dumbledore in the staff room. There were other professors present, but there was no need to keep this private. "Professor Dumbledore, I'm not sure if you are aware, but this Thursday is an American, family-oriented holiday, Thanksgiving."
Albus nodded. He was very curious about what his American professor would say. "I'm sure I've heard of it. What are your thoughts on the matter?"
Vlad said, "Well, nothing needs to be done, for the most part. There's no reason to interfere with the school day. But dinner… well, it will be the first family-oriented holiday Daniel will face without his immediate family."
Professor Sinistra gasped. "That's right! I know Danny speaks of NASA all the time. I almost forgot… of course something should be done."
Taking back the conversation, Vlad said, "Yes, well… because of the nature of the holiday, I thought it might be appropriate to arrange a private family dinner, perhaps to take place in my quarters. Could such a thing be arranged?"
Albus thought of Vlad's request. As he learned to expect, Professor Masters had, again, asked for something unusual. The headmaster looked forward to what Vlad had to say, as the unusual or unexpected quality of such things pleased and intrigued him. Yesterday, he had returned from a mission of mercy, to right a few wrongs he created for young Danny. Now, he was beginning to put together a moment of familial importance to himself and to the boy. "Of course. Come to my office this evening after you finish Danny's special lessons to discuss the details for this Thursday, and perhaps a little of this past weekend."
Vlad nodded. "Very well. I'll see you later then." He packed up and left for his office.
Professor Sinistra sat quietly with Professors Flitwick, Sprout, and Dumbledore. She said, "You know, Danny is a delight in class. He speaks so much about NASA, and is so vocal, it was foolish of me to forget he is American."
Albus smiled. "He is many things, and it is easy to lose sight of the parts and pieces when you consider the whole of his situation."
Filius nodded. "You know, it's been quite a while since the last time Danny came to me to… be tutored in Charms. I wonder what he's getting up to."
Pomona sighed. "I don't know, but he's taken to Herbology with a will. In his class, he rivals Neville Longbottom. It seems so urgent to him. It's not about the grades, like it is for some students, or for points. He acts like his life depends on his performance."
Professor Flitwick didn't glare, but he thought about it. "It very well might." Professor Sprout blushed.
There was something going on, but Professor Sinistra couldn't figure it out. "What do you mean?"
Speaking quickly, Professor Flitwick said, "He has some unusual allergies."
Pomona nodded. "Indeed. I put those few Blossoms in Greenhouse 7. No one has to go there unless they are working on special projects, and no one in Sixth Year has to worry about them."
Aurora shook her head. "Poor dear. Allergies are the last thing anyone needs. But let me tell you. Seventh Year NEWT students don't catch everything he sees. His telescope is a good one, but sometimes he sees things I didn't think were visible to the unaided human eye."
Professor Dumbledore smirked as Flitwick and Sprout looked at each other. "Severus said that Mr. Urquhart intends to use Danny in Slytherin's next game," Pomona pointed out.
The tiny wizard covered his eyes with a hand. "Severus has all the luck, sometimes."
Albus smiled. "Perhaps it's about time he did, Filius."
That evening, Vlad pulled out a couple of armchairs. He heard of a power he needed to experiment with. He didn't know if he could do it, and it wouldn't surprise him if Daniel could do it, but it would require major thinking. Daniel had already proved himself when it came to thinking 'outside the box,' and if he suggested thinking about it, Daniel might have a few ideas.
But considering yesterday's horrific emotional roller coaster, it might be more important to focus on the boy's emotional stability. When Danny got to the Room of Requirement, it looked more like Vlad's office, with a couple of green and gold leather armchairs. Danny rolled his eyes, thinking, 'Now what?' He took the available seat across the desk from Vlad.
Vlad studied him a moment. Then he said, "Daniel, this week is Thanksgiving."
Danny sat up straighter. "I forgot."
"Yes – without the advertisements blaring from every available media outlet, it is easy to forget this type of holiday." Danny shrugged. Vlad was right, but what was his point?
Vlad sighed. This was more emotional for himself than he planned for. "This is our first real family holiday, and I wanted to know if you had any thoughts on the matter."
Danny thought for a bit. It wasn't just the ads that almost made him forget. Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November was a uniquely American holiday, as far as he knew. While Draco, Vlad, and Danny himself spoke about Christmas plans as early as October, no one spoke of Thanksgiving. Why would they? This was Britain.
Hmm. This would be the first Thanksgiving without his parents and Jazz. Now that he remembered what he had forgotten, he was sad. "Maybe. I'm not sure yet. Did you have plans?"
"Well, I asked Professor Dumbledore if a more private, family dinner could be arranged. We will be discussing some of the details later this evening. I'm sure an elf or two who like you might be willing to arrange anything you ask for."
Danny smiled. "You're probably right. Do you think we can have Aunt Alicia join us?"
That threw Vlad through a loop. "Why? Do you normally see her this time of year?"
"Sometimes. It wasn't always a big deal. When she came, we made sure to say that we were thankful to have extended family. And she made sure to say that she was thankful for 'fixing the biggest mistake in her life'." Danny rolled his eyes. "When she didn't come, we said that we were thankful that we had each other. Until the stuffing picked itself up and ran away from the table."
Vlad smiled. Whatever life had in store for the Fenton household, boredom could never be counted among the general problems. "While I'm sure your Aunt Alicia might appreciate the invite, I somehow think that the wizards in this school would not appreciate an ignorant Muggle in the castle. We've managed to get away with it because we are ghosts. It isn't fair, but that's the Wizarding World for you."
Danny sighed and sat back. This was going to be rough. None of his actual family would be there. He was glad Vlad was making the effort, but unlike Christmas, which always had the thread of pseudo-hostility about it, Thanksgiving was always special. Dad's ancestors came over on the Mayflower, so it always had an extra personal significance, and that made it all the more upsetting that no real family would be with him this year.
But Vlad was working hard to be family. He wasn't sure they were up to the father/son thing yet (despite the fact he almost said as much in front of Harry), but they did say they loved each other, yesterday. That had to count for something.
As long as they were creating family from scratch, they might as well expand it. Danny had a couple of ideas, but after yesterday, he was sure Vlad wouldn't be interested. "I have a thought, but I don't think you'll like it."
The sullen look on Daniel's face pained Vlad. The least he could do was hear the boy out. "I'll be the judge of that. Tell me your thought."
"Well… Can we have Professor Snape and Harry come?"
If the comment on Alicia confused him, Vlad felt completely blindsided by this. "I beg your pardon?"
Danny frowned. He knew Vlad wouldn't like it. "Well, the way I see it, since my parents aren't here, no one cares about me like you and Professor Snape do. And he's much more than a normal teacher. No one knows as much about us as Professor Snape. Not even Professor Dumbledore and Professor Flitwick. And even though he's my Head of House, I'm pretty sure that Professor Snape hasn't focused some of his most serious life decisions on any other Slytherin's family life. And I'm not exactly sure what I think of the professor as, but it's a lot more than just a teacher."
Daniel really thought this through. "And what of Harry Potter?"
Danny shrugged. "Harry's Professor Snape's ward, which makes them as much family to each other as we are. The only real difference is that we've had a few more months to get used to the idea."
That logic was irrefutable. Vlad wasn't sure what to make of it. "You have certainly made a convincing argument. I'll have to think about it. After yesterday, anything involving personable relations between your professor and me will be no mean feat." Danny's face fell. "But I shall make the effort."
Danny gave a half-smile. "Thanks, Vlad. It means a lot to me."
"I know, Daniel. I can tell. Now, I think we are ready to discuss the next talent I hope to work on. I want to discuss the concept and possible theory of opening your own temporary portal."
Danny's eyes went wide. "I'm sure we can do it." His evil future self figured out how to do it, and he was made up of Danny and Vlad. That means, they could figure out how to do it together.
Tuesday morning, during his break, Danny found the Baron. "Hey there!"
The grim ghost graced him with one of his rare smiles he seemed to have in reserve for his hero. "Good morning, Danny. How can I help you?"
"Can you tell me where I can find Sir Nicholas?"
The Baron's face fell for a moment, but came back to himself. "Of course. He's on the third floor. What is it about?"
Sensing that he inadvertently hurt the elder ghost's feelings, Danny said, "Oh, Baron! It's not like that. I have a question about Myrtle."
The Baron narrowed his eyes. "She hasn't been doing something she oughtn't, has she?"
Danny shook his head. "Not at all. She hasn't done anything wrong. Mr. Filch would let me know." Mr. Filch didn't know that Danny was a ghost, but part of Danny's effort to give the janitor a break was to hang out and chat sometimes. When the dour man had a sympathetic ear to listen to his troubles, he was less sour with students he was less fond of.
"It's just that Sir Nicholas was Myrtle's official House Ghost, and can probably help her out."
The Baron frowned, concentrating. Myrtle had a problem? "Would you mind if I came with you?"
"Not at all." Danny walked up to the third floor, where Sir Nicholas spoke with the Grey Lady.
"I'm glad that so many students are taking advantage of your mother's diadem. Professor Flitwick says that students from all four Houses have availed themselves… Danny!"
Danny smiled. "Hi, Sir Nicholas, Lady…" Other students filed by. When they were among ghosts and professors, Danny called her by her full title. But around anyone else, she wanted to be known as the Grey Lady.
Sir Nicholas smiled back. "What can we do for you this fine morning?"
Danny put a hand on his neck. "I have a question for you, but I think it's important." The three House Ghosts present became somber, and all four of them ignored the students who stared at them.
"Myrtle has been a ghost for 54 years or so. Would it be possible for someone to serve as her mentor?"
Sir Nicholas raised his eyebrows. "Of course it would. I just never… What made you think of it?"
Danny shrugged. "Uncle Vlad and I are really getting closer, and I realize he's wanted to mentor me since the first day or so we met. And Saturday night it dawned on me – if Myrtle, who was only eleven when she became a ghost, had a mentor, she might build a sense of confidence and love, and she wouldn't react so badly to Peeves, or careless students too hasty with their words."
Sir Nicholas looked stricken. "I suppose you're right. It just never occurred to me, or any of us, really, to realize that a ghost might need help."
Danny looked taken aback. He looked around. A couple of students were still on the floor. Danny had to choose his words carefully. "But you have meetings about all kinds of things. How did you miss this one?"
Sir Nicholas's face flushed silvery opaque. "Most of the meetings refer to how ghosts relate to the living in the school, usually for the betterment of their quality of life."
Danny scratched his head. "But no one thought of the betterment of the quality of…" How did he put this? "A ghost's afterlife? Dude… forgive me for not getting this." Danny began to get upset. "Sir Nicholas, you had a Death Day party. You are unhappy when Sir Patrick reminds you that you don't qualify for the Headless Hunt. You are clearly aware of the idea of quality of life, or afterlife for ghosts."
The three House Ghosts hung their heads, guilty and ashamed. Sir Nicholas admitted, "You know, the Friar had mentioned something years ago, but there always seemed to be other things to attend to, and by then… we…" Sir Nicholas closed his eyes. "We have no excuse. This is something that should have been dealt with immediately."
The Baron confided, "She may take this as badly as Harry Potter did when Severus first approached him."
"Yeah, but the professor did it. He recognized that he did wrong, and he fixed it. Maybe the four of you should approach her, and take the lumps of guilt as they come, and then fix it. Myrtle thrives on positive attention, you know."
The Grey Lady said, "I'll go get her now. You," she said, pointing at the Baron, "go get the Friar. This needs to be done immediately. The poor girl has suffered 54 years. It should end posthaste." The two ghosts took off on their current missions.
Sir Nicholas asked, "How did you get to be so insightful, Danny?"
Danny shrugged. "I don't know that it's particularly insightful. Harry made a comment about ghosts having parents. I thought about me and Uncle Vlad, and Professor Snape and Harry, and a few regrets I can never fix. But as long as you're on the same plane of existence, you can fix things for Myrtle."
Sir Nicholas hugged Danny tightly. Danny pretended to shiver. "You are absolutely right." He whispered, "You really are a hero. Not just in flashy and bold ways, but also in private ways that count. I knew that, but I appreciate it so much more." He sighed mournfully.
"You know, Myrtle will forgive you."
"Perhaps. But I don't know if I can forgive myself."
Danny raised an eyebrow. "Sir Nicholas, you've been a ghost for over 500 years. Myrtle's only been one for 54 years, and you are about to fill a need I don't think she even knows she has. You may be angry at yourself, but personally – I think she will be grateful, if somewhat confused at first. And whoever gets the job will have all of eternity to watch an eleven year old learn and grow emotionally."
The Gryffindor Ghost patted Danny's shoulder. "Thank you for your wise words. Now, you should be off to Charms."
During Tuesday's afternoon office hours, Vlad was more nervous than he was when he realized the people of the Far Frozen were set against him. This had ramifications that were much more personal. He knocked on Professor Snape's door. "Come in," the Potions Master called.
Vlad closed his eyes, steeled himself, and entered. "Professor Masters! This is a surprise."
"Yes, well… I've come to speak of something very personal and private."
The last time Professor Snape saw Professor Masters looking so very vulnerable was October 1. He was intrigued beyond measure. "Please have a seat."
Vlad took out his wand. It was useless, but it gave his hands something to do. "Are you aware that this Thursday is Thanksgiving?"
Professor Snape sneered. "How interesting that you care to inform me of an American holiday that celebrates the beginning of the ultimate separation of the States from Britain."
Vlad rolled his eyes. Now was a heck of a time for a wizard to remember to be patriotic to his Muggle country. "Indeed. And an interesting piece of history you might or might not know is that Daniel has ancestors who were Puritans who sailed on the Mayflower."
Severus looked like he unexpectedly bit a lemon. Of course he knew that. He himself told Daniel of John Fenton-Nightingale's discovery of the uses for Blood Blossoms. He forgot to connect that fact to the conclusion that Daniel might have emotional ties to the day. And even if the boy's family was not so closely related to the historical event, it is an American holiday that Daniel probably celebrated and no longer has his family to celebrate with.
Sincerely, he replied, "How careless of me to forget. Please forgive me. Go on."
The acrimony in the Potions Master's voice evaporated. This was a useful surprise. "Daniel is keenly aware that this year he will be without any of his family connected to him by blood. While the Statute of Secrecy barely tolerates myself and Daniel, I'm almost certain the Wizarding World at large will have no use for Daniel's aunt, Alicia." This was entirely too true. Poor Daniel!
"I doubt that it was a conclusion he came to all in a day, but since his actual family no longer exists, he's made a few logical leaps in the concept of family. He has me, of course. But he brought to my attention that – interestingly enough – he has begun to see you as family."
"Me?"
"It was actually a brilliant deduction on his part. Since he has been redefining the concept of family to include me, he has decided that his new concept of family involves anyone who cares about him as deeply as his parents might have. Oddly enough, that makes me many times closer as family than his own Aunt Alicia."
Severus agreed. This was a fascinating tack for the boy to take.
"And while it is true that you care for all students under your tutelage, and you give a special loving care to your Slytherins, Daniel has observed that you care about him far more than most." With an uneasy smile, Vlad continued, "After all, as Daniel noted, you haven't made one of the most important decisions in your life based on the home life of just any Slytherin student."
Severus hung his head in thought. Daniel came to this conclusion, did he? He was far more observant than anyone gave him credit for being, and this has nothing to do with the boy's exquisite hearing or eyesight.
"Out of curiosity – how does young Daniel see me?"
"He hasn't been able to articulate it beyond the fact that it is clear you are far more to him than a simple teacher, and that no one cares about him as much as you and I, in no particular order."
Severus peaked his eyebrows. "You mentioned Thanksgiving. I'm sure you had a reason for bringing it up."
Vlad sighed. "Indeed. Yesterday, I spoke to the Headmaster about a private family dinner in my quarters. When I brought this up to Daniel, and it was clear that Alicia couldn't come, he specifically asked me to invite you and Harry to our private dinner Thursday night."
Severus raised his eyebrows. "Alright. I understand Daniel's reasoning about me. How did Harry get involved?"
Vlad rolled his eyes. "After the great leap of logic to get you included, I would have thought that Harry is obvious. Harry is as much family to you as Daniel is to me. And if you are included in Daniel's new concept of family, your actual new family should be a foregone conclusion."
"Right, then." Severus furrowed his brows and gave a mirthless laugh. "This will be Daniel's first family holiday without his actual family. Ironically, this will probably be Harry's first inclusion in a family holiday, involving his own family, such as it is." He shook his head. How much more could his life be turned upside-down? "By this logic, I suppose we should invite Remus Lupin, too?"
Vlad gave his own mirthless laugh. "Not for this Thursday, but definitely put it on your schedule for New Year's Eve."
On Thursday, as they set up for Potions, Harry said, "Danny, yesterday during my Occlumency lesson, Professor Snape said something I wanted to ask you about."
Danny looked up from his preparations. "You are taking Occlumency? It sounds cool." Well, scary, really, but Harry was learning to protect his mind from an invading wizard. "When did that start?"
With a half-smile, Harry answered, "Three weeks ago. Professor Snape liked the idea of spending time teaching me something only he could teach me, kinda the way Professor Masters spends a lot of time teaching you things that mean a lot to him."
Danny smiled. "I was right. I knew it! It's beautiful."
"What?"
"Family. It's a beautiful thing. So when are these lessons?"
"They are 8:30pm on Wednesdays." Danny sighed happily. Of course they would be at 8:30 – it freed up Professor Snape if he had to come to his Powers Training session at 7:00.
Danny shook himself out of his happy daze and continued his Potions prep.
Harry was confused. Apparently, Danny had a better handle on things than he did. Professor Snape wasn't here yet, so he tried again. "Like I said before, Professor Snape said something about you and a family dinner or something. What is this about?"
Danny felt like… he wasn't sure what. How could he tell Harry what he didn't understand himself? "It's hard to explain. But tonight is an American holiday that has strong family tradition, and it means a lot to me in general. It means even more that you and the professor are coming."
Harry felt awkward. He focused a bit more on slicing the slugs in front of him. He wasn't sure if he hit an emotional sensitive spot for Danny, but one was hit for him. "You know, last Christmas, the Weasleys and Hermione came with me to Sirius's house." He grabbed the next slug roughly. When he squished it, he rolled his eyes at himself and took another one. "It was the first time I ever celebrated a family celebration for real. The Dursleys never…" He sighed, and moved on to the next ingredient.
From what Danny could tell, these Dursleys sounded like real pieces of work. These remnants of Harry's living family did their absolute best to let Harry know he was in no way a part of their family. They didn't include him in family celebrations? What was wrong with these people?!
They tried to 'deprive Harry of happiness,' they denied him the fun and freedom of make-believe (when they could), the adults verbally assaulted him, and if he understood the hidden message, his aunt and uncle encouraged his cousin to bully him viciously. Danny might be a few inches shorter and a few months younger, but he suddenly felt very protective of his friend, as a big brother might. He was glad that Professor Snape decided to take charge and be the family Harry never had.
"Well… I'm looking forward to having you at my family holiday," he said fiercely. His eyes almost flashed green, but he caught himself in time. Then he realized… Why were these feelings so difficult to explain? "But it's not so much like you're going to Ron's, but more like you're going to Sirius."
Harry knitted his brows. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't worry about it." The tension left Danny's shoulders.
Before Harry had a chance to ask his next question, Professor Snape walked in. "Mr. Fenton and Mr. Potter – be sure to see me after class. The instructions are on the board. Get started."
Harry remained puzzled while Danny's excitement grew, but they stayed focused on Potions. It made Harry curious how Danny could keep such a single-minded focus, when his emotions were obviously on the evening's celebration. Their internal focus on their emotions and Potions made both dark-haired boys oblivious to the casual stares, glances, and glares sent in their direction.
At the end of the class, Harry and Danny came to Professor Snape's desk, where they were joined by Ron, Hermione, and Draco. Severus rolled his eyes impatiently. "Can I help you?"
Hermione said, "Yes, sir. What do you want with Harry?"
Not to be outdone in his show of concern, Draco asked, "And what's going on with Danny?"
With a withering glare, Professor Snape answered, "This is none of your concern. And since none of the rest of you answer to the name of Potter or Fenton, please state your concern and be done with it. The three of us have business elsewhere."
Ron protested, "But Professor, it's dinner time. You can't keep them from eating dinner!" He remembered that the Dursleys had no problem starving Harry, and while Harry seemed to have a better relationship to Snape than he used to, Ron still didn't trust the professor.
Snape studied Ron as if he considered how to use the boy's parts as potions ingredients. Ron shivered. "I can assure you that no one will go hungry."
Severus found it interesting that Harry didn't see fit to explain this evening to his friends. Then again, Daniel himself would be hard-pressed to explain this, and this event, in its entirety, revolved around him. And there was the idea that Harry and Daniel had a somewhat closer connection than Harry's close friends of five and a half years.
After this reflection, it was no longer puzzling why Harry would refrain from telling Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger why he would be missing at the Gryffindor table during dinner.
"But Harry's done nothing wrong," Ron persisted.
"I am aware of that, Mr. Weasley." Draco's eyes widened. He knew that the relationship between his Head of House and Harry Potter had changed, but it was still weird to see Harry singled out without promise of punishment. "This is not a punishment of any kind." Draco felt oddly vindicated.
Still, whatever this was, it wasn't involved in class, or the other Potions teams would have been involved. "But sir!" Draco complained. "You said that Danny and I are supposed to be involved in a project." He didn't mention Crabbe or Goyle, as he didn't know if Professor Masters released that information.
This tested Severus's patience, but Draco did deserve an answer. "So I did, and so I shall. But this is not that moment. I don't foresee an exchange of points in our appointment. However, I can arrange for a point deduction from anyone who continues to keep us from our appointment."
Danny's face fell. "I'm sorry. I never meant for all of this to happen. I didn't want all this…" He looked up tearfully at his professor.
"Nonsense. You have done nothing wrong." Snape glared at Ron and Draco. Hermione looked away, as she realized quite a bit earlier on that even though she didn't know what was going on, Harry and Danny would be safe with Harry's guardian and Danny's Head of House.
Severus heard rumors to the effect that what he was about to try garnered immediate results. "And I understand that Professor Masters will be most displeased if you keep us from our appointment, in which event you will have to deal with the wrath of both of us." He crossed his arms.
Both Ron and Draco looked stricken. "Sorry sir." Looking to Danny and Harry, Ron said, "I hope it goes okay for you all." Draco paled and nodded. Severus did not give a hint to his thoughts, but he was somewhere between wildly amused that Vlad's very name struck terror in the hearts of these students, and a little insulted that he no longer commanded that terror on his own.
Hermione said, "We'll see you back in the Common Room, Harry," and grabbed Ron's arm, dragging him out of the Potions classroom.
Draco patted Danny's shoulder. "I'll see you when you get back later tonight." He nodded respectfully to Professor Snape, rolled his eyes at Harry, and left for the Great Hall.
Once they were alone, Severus smiled sardonically. "It must be satisfying to have friends who care about you so deeply." Danny colored. Harry patted his shoulder. Danny wasn't looking for a fuss. He wasn't sure what Danny wanted, but this private 'family dinner' meant a lot to him. Harry could respect that.
Danny led the way to Ravenclaw Tower. Harry felt a little guilty, as he thought of the last time he climbed these stairs. It was in an effort to help Danny, true, but he was pretty sure the conversation he and Draco overheard was not one intended for anyone but the uncle and nephew.
Professor Snape was more than a little curious. Every professor's quarters were private, and the fact that he and Harry were invited was truly an honor, not to go unnoticed.
Danny knocked on Vlad's door. "Come in, gentlemen." A dining table had been set for four, but the elves seemed to have outdone themselves. A roasted and glazed turkey graced the table, as did a bread pudding, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, various dishes featuring a variety of squash and other vegetables, the ever-present pumpkin products, and a cornucopia full of fresh fruit. That was to say nothing of the selection of beverages.
Vlad and Severus sat next to each other, surrounded by their respective wards. Vlad asked, "Daniel, did your family have any specific customs?"
Danny said, "Well… It's Thanksgiving, so everyone took a turn to mention something we should give thanks about."
Vlad raised his eyebrows. That was it? He was sure that someone of Jack's illustrious ancestry might have involved mentioning family members from centuries gone by, showing off his lineage. But that was not the case. Jack might not have been able to keep from crowing about his personal successes, but he didn't make an inordinate fuss over things he was not responsible for, like his lineage. He inwardly sneered. Jack and his family put a lot of the arrogant highborn pure-bloods of the Wizarding World to shame. For a moment (but only for a moment), Vlad was proud of Jack Fenton.
A similar notion came to Professor Snape, who commented, "What a lovely custom. Would you like to start us off?"
Danny looked around at the three people who mattered most to him and said, "Okay." Danny thought about how to say this all day. "I am thankful for people who care about me. Not long ago, I once had a very loving family that loved me very much." Looking squarely at Harry, he continued, "You once had a loving family that cared about you. And even though the reasoning is really different, we found people who care a lot about us more than the family we have left does. So I am truly thankful for my new family. (Even though I miss Aunt Alicia.)"
Vlad and Severus sat in awe for a few moments. Harry sat back for a moment or two, and then said, "Danny, you just expressed my thoughts precisely (except for your Aunt Alicia). Do I have to come up with something on my own, or could I just say 'Ditto,' and be done with it?"
Danny smiled. "The only real rule was that it had to be heart-felt. I'm sure my parents had a lot of fun seeing what Jazz and I came up with as kids. Mom kept a journal of the responses of everyone present at Thanksgiving dinner in the bookshelf in the living room. Some evenings on the weekends, when she wasn't working on inventions…"
"Daniel…" Vlad warned.
Danny continued. "She would read it out loud. When we were little, it was a lot of fun. As we got older, it was more embarrassing. But on those nights, Dad looked away from his needlepoint and told us how much he loved us. Then, after a round of hugs, I tried to escape to my room, because… well… It wouldn't take long before he said something romantic, and I got away before I burst in embarrassment." He thought about saying 'die of embarrassment,' but realized how insanely inappropriate that would be.
Harry cocked his head. "Your father did needlepoint?"
Danny shrugged. "He said it was artsy and relaxing. He also made action figure plush dolls of his heroes and other people he admired."
Vlad raised an eyebrow. He knew Jack did that sort of thing in college. He wasn't aware that Jack kept up with it until his dying day.
Vlad handed a bottle of apple cider to Danny, who poured for himself and Harry. Vlad smiled at Severus, opening a bottle of wine from 1980. "I propose a toast," he said as he filled both his and Severus's wine glasses. "To new family!"
The other three smiled. "To new family."
As Vlad started to carve the turkey, Severus picked up the bottle. "It's from 1980? I know this is not a part of the Hogwarts kitchen inventory."
Vlad smirked. "Of course it isn't. I wasn't about to ask for an entirely separate menu from the school's fare without paying for it. I am glad the elves prepared it, once purchased. And this evening is a special occasion."
Intrigued with the idea of Danny's father (as this was the most Danny spoke of his parents to ANYONE), Harry asked, "And what did your mother do?"
Danny said, "When she wasn't working, she invented different types of cookies, and generally kept the house well-stocked with homemade sweets. It was a hospitality thing that we all enjoyed. But her work took up a lot of her time." Vlad shot him a warning glare, and Danny quickly became more involved in serving himself.
Harry observed, "That wine is sixteen years old. It had to have been expensive."
Danny shrugged. "Yeah. I did say that Uncle Vlad is quite a bit more wealthy than my parents were."
Harry thought for a moment. "You know, my mother was a Muggle-born. But my father was from an old, wealthy Wizarding family. I've seen part of my inheritance in Gringotts. But I would give away every Galleon I had to have one real memory of my parents."
Danny sighed. "I know." Harry nodded. He had the feeling if he explained things to Danny that he would understand. Whereas Hermione would fuss endlessly (though well-meaning), and Ron might express disbelief or outrage, Danny seemed to know where he was coming from. If he didn't feel bound to secrecy about the Horcruxes, he might have spoken about that with Danny, too.
Thinking of this reminded him of something important. "Professor Masters?"
"Yes, Harry?"
"I just wanted to get your thoughts on something. We don't have to do anything yet, but…"
Vlad smiled. "Calm down, Harry. Speak your mind."
Professor Masters was a lot less intimidating in a personal setting. That went a long way to ease Harry's worries. "Last year, I started a club for studying the practical application of Defense Against the Dark Arts. While everyone I know agrees that you are the best DADA teacher since Professor Lupin, and the psychology stuff we focus on gives great perspective, it's also true that we don't focus on casting offensive and defensive spells.
"Last year, I started the club in secret because our professor… had an allergy to me telling the truth about Voldemort's return." Severus looked at him. That was an interesting way to put it. "You really know what you're talking about. I wanted to know how you felt if I started it up again." Harry looked down self-consciously. "This time, I thought of opening it to students from all four Houses. We could all use the practice."
Vlad sipped his drink. Harry's proposal was a good one. "I would say that such a thing is well-reasoned, and well-thought out. I think it's a great idea. I'll need to discuss it with a few professors, and we may be able to come up with some faculty sponsorship and direction. From what I understand, it was student run. There's no reason it can't be again. But having a professor on hand to help with technical difficulties, or make suggestions, or even to help provide demonstrations when necessary might be useful. I'm for it."
Harry smiled. "Thank you, sir."
Something caught Vlad's attention. "I'm glad you decided to open it to all four Houses. Why would you have considered doing anything otherwise?"
Squirming uncomfortably, Harry explained, "Well… last year, Slytherin was excluded. Considering that the Inquisitorial Squad, which was Umbridge's hit squad that was out to get me, was entirely made up of Slytherins, I don't think my decision was unfair, at the time."
Vlad exchanged a glance with Severus, who said, "Dolores Umbridge, the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, served in a number of capacities in this school last year. All of them served to undermine Professor Dumbledore and make life miserable for Harry." Turning to Harry, Severus continued, "And I didn't help to make your situation easier, for which I apologize. I suspect I owe you quite a few, but…" He shook his head. "Considering last year's circumstances, I think Harry's decision was reasonable. And his suggestion for this year is a mature decision."
Harry raised his eyebrows. "Thank you for saying so, sir." While they were definitely getting somewhere in their attempt to learn more about each other and get emotionally closer, Harry was still very often surprised when Professor Snape apologized for doing things that were hurtful in the past. It made sense, but that didn't mean it was less surprising.
The four of them enjoyed companionable amiability for the rest of the evening. Vlad was pleased that his simple plan to ensure Daniel's happiness, comfort, and consolation was successful.
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