A/N: Hey you guys! I've got good and bad news for all of you. The good news first! Kit/Nomi and I just won Camp Nano on one of our rps! The bad news is that no, it was not Time Twister. But, it was HP-related. Any of you remember watching Danny Phantom when you were younger? I would suggest you go ahead and read 1337kitsune's fic 'From The Beginning.' It'll catch you up fairly well on what you need to know. This is confirmation that we are writing a crossover fic between Danny Phantom and Harry Potter. In the meantime, if you're interested, I suggest reading 'A Vent Comes to Haunt', a complete Harry Potter/Danny Phantom crossover! So much of that fic has inspired aspects of my current fics, and I really recommend it. Happy reading! ~Kas


"Open." Grating and shifting stone filled Draco's ears, the sound setting him on edge and making him wish he could curl up and do something to block the sound out. Tom only watched passively, Draco's wand in hand as he glanced down. "Form a pathway for the descendant of Salazar Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four." Full of yourself, aren't you, Tom?

He wasn't dignified with a response, Tom only walking down the stone steps that formed and down into the chambers below them. It was far - very far. From what Draco could tell it went deeper than the dungeons. Most likely under the lake, seeing the mold and slime that coated the walls. "Enjoying the scenery of your final resting place?" Actually, yes, Tom, it does. It rather reminds me of Slytherin. Dark, gloomy, and slimy. "How you ever became a Slytherin I will never know. There's too much lion blood in you for that." How dare you! Draco then proceeded to throw a tantrum somewhere in between a stage two and stage three.

It went up to a stage three bordering on four when Tom began ignoring him again, not one word spared to his behavior. It wasn't until they were in front of another door that Tom hissed open that he spoke, "How much longer can you keep up your strength when dying, Draco." I'm not dying yet, Thomas! A sudden cold swept through him, and Draco wasn't certain if it was magic or not. "I would advise you to remain silent." I will not! And seeing as you're just as much in my head as I am in yours, you can't do anything to silence me!

"Can't I?" Draco fell to his knees, body unable to even twitch as the voice that spoke was no longer Draco's. "Oh, Draco. You never even noticed the diary was hidden near you this whole time, did you? It has always been within reach." The diary was on the floor now, open and just a few short feet away from Draco.

"Ho- How? Where?" Draco shivered involuntarily, the cold beginning to take him over. It was so cold, like a mist creeping over him... It was as if a Dementor was behind him, sucking away every thought he had.

"Asleep in the night, unguarded, no one to notice as you crept downstairs to retrieve a book from the fireplace. It was so easy, Draco. So much potential and wasted with how your thoughts are always so centered on your Chosen One."

"But... But he burned it," Draco said, his voice near a whisper. There was the softest sound of a footsteps, Draco's eyes trained to legs that looked as insubstational as a ghost's.

"You thought fire could destroy my diary? Could destroy one of my most prized experiments? Such a foolish child even now." Draco let his eyes travel upwards, and he came face to face with a dark-haired handsome young man. He actually rather reminded Draco of Harry... "Surprised? I've seen what I've become through your memories. Quite different as to how I am now, aren't I?"

"How are you..." Alive. Voldemort shouldn't even be alive yet here Tom Riddle was, looking as if he was becoming clearer by the minute.

"Real? A complicated bit of magic but haven't you noticed yourself becoming weaker over the past few months? Slower to respond, more quick to tire, and harder to wake up?"

"I- No, no... Stress..." Draco's eyelids drooped, though he tried to keep looking up at Tom. He had to put his hands against the ground to stop himself from fully collapsing.

"You thought it was just the stress of the year? Surely you should have been able to tell the difference. You're accomplished in Dark magic enough to know when your life force is being taken from you." Draco finally fell to the ground, his strength failing him as he shook and curled up. It was so cold... He needed to preserve body heat. "None of that brave bolstering from you now, is there? I must admit, I find I rather like the silence."

"Don't... Don't hurt him..." Everything was starting to feel so far away, and it felt as if each word he spoke had to be forced out of him. Was this what dying felt like? Is that what all those people had felt?

"Harry Potter is a threat. I've seen what he will become through your memories and words. If he is allowed to live then I have no doubt he will defeat me. That threat ends tonight." Draco's eyes finally slipped closed, and he lost consciousness.

There was nothing but cold and darkness, a steady beating in his ears that felt like it was getting softer, and further apart. Was that his heart? Was he dying? Well, yes, he was. He was dying but that was fine, he'd come back. He had to come back. After only a few moments - a couple hours? - Draco heard a noise that seemed to warm him from the core outwards. Harry.

Warm hands were on his cheeks, Harry's voice quiet and frantic, "Draco- Draco, c'mon, Draco wake up. Wake up, wake up, come on you can't do this to me."

"Ha... Ha..." He was so tired.

"That's right, it's me, I'm right here, Draco. Can you stand? We need to get out of here, Draco."

"Impressive. I would have thought he'd have lost consciousness, by now." At the voice, Draco felt Harry's arms curl around him, a hand tangling in his hair as Harry tried to lift him up to at least be sitting.

"Who are you," Harry's voice was shaking, the same as his body. "Why are you doing this! Who are you that you need to do this to people, that you need to hurt and kill people!"

"Ah... I am so glad Draco never revealed that little secret. It allows me to show you, myself." There was silence for a few moments. Silence and then Harry's hitched breathing, arms tightening around Draco.

"Voldemort."

"Ah, yes. I do so prefer that name to my filthy muggle father's."

"That's why you've been like this, why you've been focusing on tearing us down. Because you know what happens," Harry's words near cut off with a laugh, the child gently setting Draco back down so he could presumably stand. "You know how this all ends... You know that you're the one that dies."

"Quite the contrary, little Potter. I've seen the future. I know exactly how to live." Tom Riddle's voice was cold and cruel, and Draco honestly wasn't sure where he was at the moment. Was he in the Chamber, or back in the Manor? He was so tired and everything was so cold.

"This happened last time... In his time, this happened but the diary was found by someone else. I'd be willing to bet everything that I destroyed you then. And I'll do it again."

"Then let's go, Potter. The Boy Who Lived, against Lord Voldemort." It was so cold... And he was so tired.

"I've already beaten you twice- I've seen what you become! You're nothing but a dried out husk hiding in the woods, and right now you're nothing more than a memory!"

"Serpent!" Draco heard...something. He didn't know what. "Scared, Potter?"

"Not of you," Harry's voice was quiet, Draco feeling a touch to his head before footsteps were slapping across the stone floor, Harry's voice getting further away. "Come on then, Riddle!"

"Harry," Draco whimpered, shuddering and curling up tighter. He could hear Tom taunting Harry as he ran, telling him everything. Everything they had missed, that they hadn't seen, that they had been too stupid to put together. How they had never had a hope when it came to going up against the greatest wizard in the world.

"You are not the greatest wizard! You're not even the most powerful! There's a reason you feared Albus Dumbledore so much, Riddle!" There was - not silence - Time seemed to pass until Draco heard the cry of a bird. A falcon? A hawk? Everything was getting so distant, and it was only barely that Draco heard Tom's scream of rage. The next thing he knew he was being dragged against stone, Harry panting heavily. "I'm going to fix this, Draco, okay? If you can manage to move, get out of here and follow the path to a bunch of rubble. Ron's waiting there and making a path through."

No... No, that wasn't right. If they were getting out of here, they were getting out, together. When he heard Harry leaving, Draco made a quiet noise, getting his arms underneath himself and pushing himself up. He didn't care if he was going to die. He was going to protect Harry. He didn't even get to fully push himself to his knees before a burst of magic was knocking into his side and sending him skidding across the stone, "Oh, no, no, no. I don't think so. Your Chosen One's pet bird might have destroyed my basilisk's eyes, but there is a million ways more he will kill that boy."

"Shut. Up." Draco tried to rise again, his arms shaking. Forcing his eyes open showed that Riddle was more corporeal than ever, looking like any other Hogwarts student.

"And what are you going to do about it, Draco? You're dying, you're without a wand, and your Chosen One is being chased by death right this second."

"I'm going to stop you." Draco looked around for something- anything to use. His eyes landed on the Sorting Hat, though... something glimmered inside of it.

"With what?" Tom followed his gaze, laugh leaving him. "That patched and frayed piece of cloth? Dumbledore's great defenders, the Boy Who Lived and the one who traveled through time. And all he gives them is a songbird and an old hat." Tom... Tom didn't see the sword. Why didn't he see the sword? Draco gave a shake of his head and made for the hat. Tom apparently thought it enough of a waste of time he didn't try to stop Draco. Quickly as he could, being as weak as he was, Draco pulled the sword out of the hat and tossed it.

"Harry!" There wasn't a pause or a question, Harry only scooping up the sword and running to the other end of the Chamber, basilisk roaring and following after him.

"Great defenders, huh?" Harry's grin was wild and free, eyes swirling with the need to protect. Just as he always had. "Guess that means you don't stand much of a chance."

"Harry," Draco called, choking back coughs. "The diary." He couldn't breath, it felt like everything was being sucked out of him. He could only hear screaming and roaring and anger. It was only vaguely, after what felt like hours, that he felt a hand brush through his hair. A touch that made him force himself to focus as much as he could.

"-the great Harry Potter." Tom's voice was enraged, and the cold, soft cruelty had him shuddering. "You may have killed my beast, but it seems as if its last act will be to kill you." Draco reached up and held Harry's hand.

"Harry." The hand holding his was shaking, Harry's breathing rough and uneven before he forced a laugh.

"You seem to forget... I know how this ends for you." There was a sound of something scraping against stone, Harry's breathless laughter heard again. "Basilisk venom is one of the most powerful things in the world, right?"

"No... No! No, you get away! Before you damage it further! Ava- Ah!" The hand around his had left, Riddle's screaming filling the air and making everything seem to shake around them. Although with each passing moment, Draco was feeling stronger, and he lifted his head as silence rang out.

Vision clearing by the second, Draco looked around the Chamber, eyes catching on the diary. The diary that had a massive hole through it, and looked to be bleeding ink. Draco searched until he saw Harry- "Harry!"

"Got a bit careless," Harry muttered, slouched over on the ground next to Draco, hand clutching at his arm. Through the gaps in his fingers he could see the deep hole that went all the way down to bone, veins dark with the poison that was no doubt coursing through him.

"Harry no... No no no, Harry..." Draco looked around helplessly before looking back at him, tugging Harry into his lap. There wasn't an ounce of fight left in the boy, his breathing growing more shallow as talons clicking against stone alerted him to Fawkes landing beside them. "Can- Can you get Dumbledore, perhaps? We need a cure, for him." Fawkes stared at him, stared as if inspecting everything he was, before edging closer and laying his head against Harry's arm.

"Hey, Fawkes," Harry greeted, eyes slipping closed as he drooped a bit more. "You were brilliant. Hey, you'll get Draco out of here, okay? Keep 'im safe."

"No- Harry James Potter, you are coming with me, dammit. I am not losing you again-" Draco cut himself off with a sob, hunching over Harry. There was a soft cry from Fawkes, Draco sparing the creature only a glance to see he was crying as well. Harry shifted again, breath hitching as he shuddered sharply against the hold. "Harry. Come on. Stand up. We're getting you out of here."

"Draco..." Harry's voice was quiet, quieter than it had been even a few seconds ago and no- No. He was not- Not again.

"Harry, come on, stand up!"

"Draco." Harry's sharp tone had him looking down, the boy staring at his arm where Fawkes was resting his head. "Look." Draco looked down at Harry's arm and his eyes widened. Faster than it could spread the poison was being... It was like it was being destroyed. "Phoenix. Fawkes is- Of course. Dumbledore told me before the holidays, phoenixes, they have healing tears!" Sitting up in Draco's hold, Harry gently brushed a hand against Fawkes' feathers. "Thank you, Fawkes."

"You're alright," Draco said quietly, unable to keep the awe from his voice as he threw his arms around Harry. "You're okay!" He ended up knocking them to the ground with the force, Harry only laughing as he hugged Draco back just as tightly.

"I don't think I'm the only one- Riddle, can you hear him?"

Draco shook his head. "No! Silent! My head is silent!"

"Back to normal then, yeah?" Oh. This little...

"Shut up," Draco laughed. He looked to the dead basilisk, before looking around the Chamber. "You know... Many items from the basilisk are often used as potion ingredients."

"I kill a basilisk and your first thought is potions?" Harry shook his head, standing up with a quiet groan and walking over to pull out the sword that had appeared. "Can you grab the Sorting Hat? And your wand should be around here somewhere. I know Riddle dropped it." Draco grabbed the hat and looked around before smiling and picking up his wand.

"Much better." Hm. He wondered what Tom had meant by talking about Hawthorne wood and unicorn hair... Shaking his head, Draco pocketed his wand and looked back to Harry, who was tucking the sword away against his robes. "You know, we're probably rather missed, right now."

"Ah, yeah... I have a few things to catch you up on, after what happened when I left to go tell the teachers." Harry wrapped an arm around Draco's shoulder, tugging him close and grinning. "It's a bit of a walk back to where Ron's waiting."

"Then we ought to get going, though I've no idea how we're going to get out."

"Just follow me, I'll show you the way."