Here's the next chapter, updated in a good amount of time considering how long it is and how busy I've been. It's also a very important chapter in the story!
This chapter is based a lot off Chapter 27 of the Order of the Phoenix, The Centaur and the Sneak.
This chapter was very fun to write because of just how cool this scene was!
A response to some reviews:
No name: I'm glad you that you reviewed and don't worry about it being good or not. Your input as well as everyone else's is very valued to me.
Turkeyhead987: Please have mercy I've been running for the past two weeks non-stop, not to mention hockey...Your review made my day btw.
To everyone else, your reviews are amazing! Thank you everyone!
Anyways, enjoy the chapter! =)
Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter.
Chapter 21
Danny sat in his human form taking some time to relax after watching Harry throughout the day. He was reading a text called 'The Coolest and Strangest Potions Ever Made.' The book sensed to be more teen friendly than the rest of the books in the library. It gave bios and facts on some the most difficult and outlandish potions made by witches and wizards.
He read through some very cool potions like the 'Felix Felicis' potion or plain strange potions like the Nail Shrinking potion.
Danny was currently reading heavily on the polyjuice potion when an owl came through the window and landed on the desk in front of him.
He didn't notice the large dark brown owl until it hooted and pecked at his arm to get his attention.
Danny hissed in pain as the owl pecked his hand until he finally put his book down. He quickly got up from his chair and untied the letter wrapped around the owl's leg.
Once the letter was detached from the owl, the bird jump off his desk and flew through the open window, disappearing from site.
Danny quickly unrolled the parchment and started to read.
Phantom, you must come quickly to Dumbledore's office.
The Minister of Magic is here.
-McGonagall
Danny dropped the piece of paper leaving it to lie on the hard wood floor. Danny closed his eyes looking into the cold core inside his chest. A white halo forms around his waist going up and down slowly turning his living flesh into ectoplasm, before Danny Fenton ordinary muggle teenager stood in the tower, now the ghost hero Danny Phantom stood, ready for flight.
Saving no time to wait, Danny sprung himself into the air fazing through the wall. He flew at a constant fast pace towards the Headmasters office, phasing through buildings and weaving through the air with ease.
Once he neared the tower he turned himself invisible and intangible right outside the office bringing him to a full stop as quietly as possible. He then stuck his head through the wall looking around at the situation in the office.
Standing in the open middle of the office was the Commissioner of Magic Cornelius Fudge, with Order member Kingsley Shacklebolt accompanied by two other wizards that Danny couldn't recognize.
One was a skinny red haired man wearing expensive robes. And the other was a brown haired man wearing worn clothing standing nervously in the office.
Sitting in his fine wooden desk sat Dumbledore seemingly bored with the company in front of him and beside him was McGonagall standing loyally by his side watching over the others like a hawk.
Danny very carefully drifted through the office invisible, making no sound as he floated through the air. Danny then put himself in position above all the magical humans so then they couldn't feel his ghostly aura.
He looked over at Dumbledore once more and noticed that the elderly wizard was staring right where he was floating. He then waved his invisible hand at Dumbledore checking if he is actually seeing him.
Dumbledore nodded just slightly making it unnoticeable to everyone else but Danny knew that the wizard was able to see him.
A creaking sound started to come from the side, garnering Danny's attention. He looked over and saw Professor Umbridge walking through the office door holding onto Harry with a vice like grip.
As the door closed Harry wrenched his arm out of the witches grip. He takes a moment to look around the room seeing everyone who is in attendance.
Fudge smiled at Harry's appearance, taking a step towards him. "Well, well, well..." he said in satisfaction.
Harry replied by giving the Minister the dirtiest look he could muster
"He was headed back to Gryffindor Tower, the Malfoy boy cornered him" Umbridge said with glee.
"Did he, did he, I must remember to tell Lucius." Fudge said in thought. The man then turned to Harry.
"Well Potter. I expect you know why your here?" Fudge asked the teen.
Harry just glared at the minister with as much defiance as possible and started to answer "Yes" but changed it to a "No" mid-word.
"I beg your pardon" Fudge asked.
"No" Harry said firmly.
"You don't know why your here?" Fudge retorted.
"No, I don't"
"So you have no idea why Professor Umbridge has brought you to this office? You aren't aware that you have broken any school rules?" Fudge said with a hint of sarcasm.
"No" Harry said without much thought.
"Or ministry decrees?" Fudge asked in anger.
"Not that I'm aware of."
Danny looked over at Fudge, whose face looked more like a cherry as his faced turned red from his anger rising towards Danny's defiance.
"So, it's news to you, that an illegal student organization has been discovered within this school?" Fudge said, thick with anger.
"Yes, it is" Harry said simply, showing unconvincing shock on his face.
"I think Minister, that we might make better progress if we fetched our informant." Umbridge said stepping beside Fudge.
"Yes, yes, do." Fudge said nodding his head. He then glanced at Dumbledore behind his desk.
"There's nothing like a good witness, eh Dumbledore?"
"Not at all" Dumbledore said gravely.
Everyone waited for several minutes waiting for Professor Umbridge to return, nobody daring to look at each other through the awkward wait.
Then the door opened and stepping through was Umbridge followed by a girl with bushy brown hair. The girl was hiding her face with hands and cloak.
"Come on dear, don't frightened, it's quite alright. You did the right thing. The Minister is very pleased with you. He'll be telling your mother what a good girl you've been. Umbridge said in a sweet tone. "Marietta's mother, Minister is Madam Edgecombe from the Department of Magical Transportation. Floo Network office, she's been helping us police the Hogwarts fires."
"Jolly good. Like mother, like daughter eh? Now come on dear, look up, don't be shy, let's hear what you've got to—galloping gargoyles!" Fudge exclaimed in fright.
Danny was shocked at what he saw. The girl's face had become horribly disfigured with a series of purple pustules all close together forming the word 'SNEAK'. Fudge had gotten his cloak on fire from nearly falling into the fire.
The girl wailed and pulled her cloak's neck up above her face but everyone saw it.
'What the heck caused that!' Danny thought shocked.
"Never mind the spots dear. Just take your robes away and tell the Minister-" Umbridge said persuading the girl. But the girl just shook her head frantically giving off a muffled wail.
"Very well I'll tell him" Umbridge started with a twisted smile. "Miss Edgecombe here came to my office shortly after dinner this evening and told me she had something she wanted to tell me. She said that if I proceeded to a secret room on the seventh floor, sometimes known as the Room of Requirement, I would find out something to my advantage. I questioned her further and she admitted that there was to be some kind of meeting there. Unfortunately, at that point the hex came into operation and upon catching site of her face in the mirror the girl has become too distressed to tell me anymore."
"Well now, it is very brave of you to come to Professor Umbridge. You did the right thing. Now will you tell me what happened at this meeting? What was its purpose?" Fudge said in a fatherly tone.
Everyone looked to the scared girl but she stayed silent, obviously afraid of what was going on around her.
"Haven't we got a counter jinx for this?" Fudge asked Umbridge impatiently. "So we could have her speak freely?"
"I have not managed to find one Minister" Umbridge said sadly, but continued on.
"You will remember that I sent a report back in October that Potter had met a number of fellow students in the Hog's Head."
"And where is your evidence of that?" McGonagall cut in.
"I have a testimony from Willy Widdershins, Minerva, who happened to be in the bar at the time. He was heavily bandaged, it is true, but his hearing was quite unimpaired. He heard every word Potter said and hastened straight to the school to me-" Umbridge said smugly before McGonagall interrupted her.
"Oh, so that's why he wasn't prosecuted for setting up all those regurgitating toilets! What an interesting insight into our justice system."
"Blatant corruption!" A portrait yelled from behind Danny. "The Ministry did not cut deals with petty criminals in my day, no sir, they did not!"
"Thank you, Fortescue, that'll do" Dumbledore said softly staring right where Danny floated and nudged his head towards the distraught girl Marietta continuing to hide her disfigured face in the corner.
'Dumbledore is trying to tell me to do something, but what?' Danny wondered.
Danny then refocused his attention back to conversion below him.
"The purpose of Potter's meeting with these students." Umbridge continued. "Was to persuade them to join an illegal society, whose aim was to learn spells and curses the Ministry has decided are inappropriate for school-age-"
"I think you'll find you're wrong there Dolores" Dumbledore said interrupting Umbridge.
"Oho! Yes, let's hear the latest cock and bull story designed to pull Potter out of trouble! Go on, Dumbledore, was Willy Widdershins lying? Was Potter's identical twin in the Hog's Head that day? Or is there the usual simple explanation involving a reversal of time, a dead man coming back to life and a couple of invisible Dementors" Fudge said bouncing on his heels with sarcasm seething from his mouth.
"Oh, very good Minister" Percy said with a laugh.
But Dumbledore just smiled gently. "Cornelius, I do not deny and nor, I am sure, does Harry- that he was in the Hog's Head that day, nor that he was trying to recruit students to a Defence Against the Dark Arts group. I am merely pointing out that Dolores is quite wrong to suggest that such a group was, at that time illegal. If you remember, the Ministry Decree banning all student societies was not put into effect until two days after the meeting in the Hog's Head."
Fudge looked as though he was slapped in the face, Pecry and Umbridge were just as shocked, but Umbridge was the first to recover.
"That's all very fine, Headmaster." She said smiling like a toad.
"But we are now nearly six months on from the introduction of Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four. If the first meeting was not illegal, all those that have happened since most certainly are." Umbridge continued.
As Umbridge talked, Danny floated down towards the others when Kingsley whispered something into his ear.
"Overshadow the girl" Kingsley said in a short whisper.
The halfa now understood what Dumbledore wanted. He wanted him to control Marietta to tell Umbridge and Fudge a lie.
He drifted invisible in a swift pace making his way before the disfigured girl still covering herself in the corner. Danny stared down at the frightened form for a moment, feeling bad for the misfortunate that befallen the girl before he jumped into her body.
As Danny fazed into her body he took control of everything very quickly hoping that she wouldn't put up much of a fight. The girl's eyes instantly started to glow the same neon green as he took control of the body trying to keep the scared look and terror that Marietta had earlier.
"Evidence? Have you not been listening, Dumbledore? Why do you think is here?" Umbridge questioned.
"Oh can she tell us about six months worth of meetings? Dumbledore said with a raised eyebrow. "I was under the impression that she was merely reporting a meeting tonight."
Then Umbridge turned towards Danny.
"Miss. Edgecombe. Tell us how long these meetings have been going on, dear. You can simply nod or shake your head, I'm sure that won't make the spots worse. Have they been happening regularly over the last six months?"
Danny panicked under Umbridge's stare, as he thought of what he should do.
"Just a nod or shake, dear, come on, now, that won't re-activate the jinx."
Danny had his whole face bundled up just like the girl had left it before trying to hide the neon glow from his eyes.
As Danny was under the microscope of everyone in the room, he just shook his head.
Umbridge smile went into a frown as Danny shook his head. She gave a quick glance at Fudge before she took a step forward towards Danny.
"I don't think you understand the question. I'm asking whether you've been going to these meetings for the past six months. You have, haven't you?" Umbridge said sweetly, but yet in a twisted tone.
As the witch stared at Danny his stomach went felt like it went into knots as he shook his head again, signalling to a 'no' again.
"What do you mean by shaking your head?" Umbridge said with anger bubbling.
"I would have thought that the meaning was quite clear." McGonagall cut in. "There have been no secret meetings for the past six months. Is that correct, Miss Edgecombe?"
'Thank the forces of nature that McGonagall is here' Danny thought happily.
Danny then nodded his head.
"But there was a meeting tonight!" Umbridge said furiously. "There was a meeting, Miss Edgecombe, you told me about it, in the Room of Requirement! And Potter was the leader, was he not, Potter organized it..."
As Umbridge was speaking Danny shook his head making Umbridge's face start to boil red.
"Why are you shaking your head, girl?"
"Well usually when a person shakes their head, they mean 'no' so unless Miss Edgecombe is using a form of sign-language as yet unknown to humans-" McGonagall said coldly.
Suddenly Umbridge seized Danny inside of Marietta's body trying to pull his head towards her. Once his ghostly eyes made contact with Umbridge's eyes, her face went very pale and she let go.
Dumbledore stood up from his desk wand raised and Kingsley started towards them.
Umbridge's hands were in the air instantly as she took a step away from Danny. Once she was far enough away she started to rub her hands together as though they were cold.
"I cannot allow you to manhandle my students, Dolores" Dumbledore said, looking angry towards her for the first time.
"You want to calm yourself, Madam Umbridge. You don't want to get yourself in trouble, now" Kingsley said deeply.
"No" Umbridge said in a shaking voice staring back at Danny. "I mean yes, your right, Shacklebolt, I-I forgot myself."
"Dolores, the meeting tonight- the one we know definitely happened" Fudge said.
"Yes...well Miss Edgecombe tipped me off and I proceeded at once to the seventh floor, accompanied by certain trustworthy students, to catch those in the meeting red handed. It appears that they were forewarned of my arrival, however, because when we reached the seventh floor they were running in every direction. It does not matter, however. I have all their names here, Miss Parkinson ran into the Room of Requirement for me to see if they had left anything behind. We needed evidence and the room provided." Umbridge explained taking out a piece of parchment from her pocket.
Fudge took the piece of parchment and Umbridge continued to speak. "Once I saw Potter's name on the list, I knew what we were dealing with."
"Excellent" Fudge remarked with a smile. "And, by thunder"
Fudge then turned his attention Dumbledore.
"See what they've named themselves? Dumbledore's Army." Fudge said quietly.
Dumbledore reached over and looked over the paper and looked up, smiling.
"Well, the game is up." he said simply. "Would you like a written confession from me Cornelius or will a statement before these witnesses suffice?"
Danny saw Kingsley and McGonagall stare at each other nervously. He himself couldn't help but be perplexed at what Dumbledore was talking about.
"Statement?" Fudge said confused.
"Dumbledore's Army Cornelius. Not Potter's Army. Dumbledore's Army." Dumbledore said smiling.
"But-But" Fudge said confused then realization set in as his face turned red in his anger.
"You organized this?"
"I did" Dumbledore said with an elderly smile.
"You recruited these students for your army?" Fudge said in disbelief.
"Tonight was supposed to be the first meeting. Merely to see whether they would be interested in joining me, I see now that it was a mistake to invite Miss Edgecombe, of course."
"Then you've been plotting against me!" Fudge yelled.
"That's right" Dumbledore said cheerfully.
"No! Professor Dumbledore!" Harry exclaimed before he was interrupted by Dumbledore.
"Be quiet Harry, or I am afraid you will have to leave my office." He said calmly
"Yes, shut up Potter!" Fudge exclaimed as he smiled wide towards Dumbledore. "Well, well, well- I came here tonight expecting to expel Potter and instead-"
"You get to arrest me" Dumbledore interrupted. "It's like losing a Knut and finding a galleon, isn't it?"
"Weasley! Have you written it all down, everything he's said!" Fudge said quivering in delight.
"Yes sir, I think so sir!" Percy said while he wrote frantically down his parchment.
"The bit about how he's been trying to build up his army against the Ministry, how he's been working to destabilize me?"
"Yes sir, I've got it, yes!" Percy said scanning his notes.
"Very well then, copy your notes and send a copy to the Daily Prophet at once."
Percy then put everything away at great hast and dashed out of the room with the door slamming behind him.
Fudge then turned his attention once more upon Dumbledore.
"You will be escorted back to the Ministry, where you will be formally charged, then sent to Azkaban to await trail."
"Ah, yes. I thought we might hit that little snag" Dumbledore replied calmly.
"Snag?" Fudge said confused. "I see no snag, Dumbledore."
"Well, I'm afraid I do."
"Oh, really?"
"Well- It's just that you seem to be labouring under the delusion that I am going to- what is the phrase? Come quietly. I am afraid I am not coming quietly at all Cornelius. I have absolute intention of being sent to Azkaban. I could break out of course, but what a waste of time and frankly. I can think of a whole lot of things I'd rather be doing."
As Danny stared out at the room he saw Umbridge and Fudge's faces turning red in anger, while McGonagall and Harry both looked extremely nervous. Meanwhile the brown haired Auror and Kingsley both looked stern faced as ever. He could practically see all the portraits watching in anticipation to what was going to happen next.
The brown haired Auror was the first to move with one step forward and a hand reaching into his pocket for his wand.
"Don't be silly, Dawlish. I'm sure your an excellent Auror, I remember that you achieved 'Outstanding' in all of your NEWTs but if you attempt to- Bring me in by force, I will have to hurt you."
The man called Dawlish stepped mid step and blinked foolishly. He looked to Fudge, for some sort of clue of what to do next.
"So. You intend to take on Dawlish, Shacklebolt, Dolores and myself single handed?" Fudge said with venom laced in words.
But Dumbledore just kept on smiling. "Merlin's beard, no. I will be having some invisible help"
Everyone in the room looked at Dumbledore strangely but Danny got the message loud and clear.
He drifted out of the Marietta's body still invisible and stood himself beside Dumbledore.
"Enough of this rubbish! Dawlish, Shacklebolt! Take him!" Fudge said taking out his own wand out of his robes.
The instant one of the wands of the enemy wizards was drawn Danny turned himself visible and put up an ectoplasmic shield in a dome form around Dumbledore and himself.
"It's Phantom!" Umbridge shrieked.
The team of magical folk were using countless amounts of hexes, jinxes and spells on the dome shield but nothing would break it. Danny felt his energy slowly waning as the multitude of spells hit the shield.
"Danny is it possible for you to make a small hole in your shield for me to shoot spells back?" Dumbledore said with no stress or panic across his face.
"Just a sec" Danny said softly as he started to concentrate on making the hole.
After a few seconds of strained concentration and energy a small circle of the shield started to open up giving Dumbledore the opportunity to shoot back at the other witches and wizards. And in a flurry of movement seeming to look impossible for the old wizard he single handily took out Dawlish, Fudge, Shacklebolt and Umbridge with practiced ease and skill.
Once Danny saw that everyone had been taken care of he let down the shield. Dumbledore made his way towards McGonagall who had gotten both the girl and Harry out of danger.
"Are you alright" Dumbledore asked.
"Yes" McGonagall answered softly.
"Um, Dumbledore. She'll" Danny pointed down to the brown haired girl, "need to have her memory modified."
"Ah, yes of course." Dumbledore said as he made his way to the now unconscious girl.
He pointed his wand at the girl saying the incantation and then quickly made his way to Danny, Harry and McGonagall.
"We must make haste Danny; we cannot be here when they wake up."
"Where will you go? Grimmauld Place?" McGonagall asked obviously worried.
"Oh no, I am not leaving to go into hiding. Fudge will soon wish he'd never dislodged me from Hogwarts, I promise you." Dumbledore replied grimly.
Then Dumbledore turned to Harry.
"Listen to me, Harry. You must study Occlumency as hard as you can, do you understand me? Do everything that Professor Snape tells you and practice it particularly every night before sleeping so that you can close your mind to bad dreams. You will understand why soon enough, but you must promise me." Dumbledore said urgently.
Soon Dawlish started to stir and wake up.
"Remember, close your mind. You will understand."
Dumbledore then turned to Danny and held out his elderly hand.
"Grab hold"
Danny didn't object as he quickly grabbed hold.
Fawkes then swooped down towards Danny and Dumbledore, the wizard then grabbed hold to the phoenix's tail.
Suddenly Danny saw that his whole body was surrounded by fire Danny started to panic but he noticed how the fire didn't give off any heat or burns. It seemed unnatural to Danny, but most things in the magical world was like that to him.
It felt like an eternity to Danny but it most like was just a few seconds of being surrounded by the fire. And with a loud pop, Danny and Dumbledore both materialized beside each in front of Grimmauld Place.
"Danny, you're going to have to stay here at Grimmauld Place now." Dumbledore said while he walked down the steps.
"Wait, where are you going?" Danny asked.
Dumbledore turned and looked Danny in the eyes with his half moon spectacles.
"I'm going to be leaving to where I'm needed. And I need you to stay here and take orders from everyone in the Order. Can you do that?"
Danny nodded not saying a word. Dumbledore turned and took his wand and apparated with a loud pop leaving Danny in Grimmauld Place.
Well did you like the chapter? Please by all means leave a review to tell me what you think in a review =D
Chapters may be a little slow because of how busy the next few weeks are going to be.
I also want the next few chapters to be top notch, so that affects how fast updates will be. This will be because the end of the story is coming up soon.
BTW: GO CANUCKS GO. This is the year! They're going to win the Stanley Cup!
Until next time,
Prophet =P