"Why are we here, professor?" Harry asked, following Fenton through the corridors of Hogwarts.

"You wanted to train, didn't you, Harry? We need a suitable place for that," the professor explained, putting hands in his pockets. "Somewhere where we can go wild without interference."

"But it's just a corridor."

"We can always have fun in the Chamber of Secrets," Danny smirked. "If you don't mind the smell of decomposing flesh."

Harry grimaced. "I'll pick what you have."

"Smart choice. How many times did we pass this spot?" Phantom pointed at the wall.

"I dunno... you've been pacing around, sir."

Soon, however, a door materialised out of thin air, much to the teen's surprise. He had never seen anything like it before. Not even in the Marauder's map. Danny snapped the teen out of his stupor and gestured to follow, but not without scanning the corridor once more. The two of them promptly entered the door, and before Harry's eyes was a bizarre sight. The room was so much more spacious than he had expected. He certainly wouldn't have thought to see a room half the size of a Quidditch field. Well, maybe he was exaggerating. In the middle of the room there was a standard gym equipment that the boy hadn't expected to see in Hogwarts of all places. That whole room appeared to be meant for physical exercise. Confused, the teen turned to the professor, who by then had closed the door behind them.

"Professor, I didn't know Hogwarts had a gym."

"It doesn't. Welcome to the Room of Requirement. Everything that doesn't fall under Gamp's law it can grant you. At least, that's what I've been told."

"Wait, that room? Where you found the diadem? Are you meaning to say that you..."

"Asked the room for it? No. The diadem is the real thing that just happened to be inside. In any case, we have everything we need for our training here, so we can start."

"Sir, I thought we would be practicing spells."

Danny grinned. "It will come to that, don't worry. However, you wished to get stronger, and without physical training, you won't achieve much else."

At the boy's confused look, the professor continued. "Wizards are too narrow-minded, Harry. All of them and you included rely on your spells way too much. However, just as often, it is physical ability and wit especially that decide the outcome. They naturally suspect that you will play by their rules, so I say screw them. Real-life fights are gruesome, exhausting on your body and mind. By looking at you, and I don't wish to offend, I fear that you may just drop dead from exhaustion if the fight lasts for too long. I may be wrong, but that's the impression I'm getting."

"I do sports! Well, used to."

"You mean Quidditch?" Danny laughed. "Yeah, right. It's not like the broom does all the legwork. Especially if you are a seeker. And it's fine, you need to be nimble and quick-thinking for that. But this does as much good to your muscles as a game of chess. If you exercise, it will help you a bunch, not only in a fight, but with girls, too," the professor winked.

"And how many have you got?" Harry rebutted.

"My last lady of the heart thinks I am a criminal and a future Dark Lord, so I didn't have much luck with women," Danny rubbed the back of his neck, remaining as clueless in the love matters as always. "It has nothing to do with my physical shape, though. In fact, I keep receiving sweets laced with love-potion, which is frankly very unsettling."

Harry cringed, remembering some talk the girls had in their dorms. They had certainly fallen for the young professor.

And wanted their feelings to be reciprocated.

"They were tasty, though," Danny added.

"What?! But how did you..."

"Here."

Danny flicked his finger and a set of red P.E. Uniform flew into the teen's hands. The professor wasn't going to talk about his toxin resistances.

"You can change behind that screen. Hurry up."

Harry figured that he had no choice but to go through with the professor's plans. As soon as he exited, he saw Danny standing nearby, a whistle in his hand. That man was enjoying this way too much. Immediately he commanded the teen to begin running, ten laps around a spacious room. The teen did just as he was told, while Fenton was busy writing something, sitting on one of the pieces of equipment. He was probably checking the students' work while he was at it, using pen of all things. Ink and quill would be a hurdle at the moment. Harry looked at him each time he ran past, and each time Danny could see that the boy was getting more and more winded. By the time Harry reached the tenth lap, he was panting heavily. The half ghost clicked his tongue and got up.

"There will be no montage with an upbeat song, Harry. This will be difficult."

"But.." he panted. "With all due respect, sir... you don't look like you exercise either."

Danny stared at him nonchalantly. "Look at him, still having the strength to smirk at me. I do exercise, but neither I, nor you have to become some hulking giants. Exercise is discipline, spirit and resilience, Harry. It is also a very good way to rest from your studies. There is no better way than going from physical stuff to that of mind, and vice-versa. But enough chit-chat," he clasped his hands. "We are nowhere near done. I wanna see those push-ups, so get to it!"

Harry's list of physical exercise was never that impressive. The Dursleys never even contemplated paying for any sort of activity for the boy, unless it was going around the house cleaning it up to the most pristine condition. It didn't give him any advantages, however. There was also running around Hogwarts because he was getting late. The place was honestly enormous, so it was akin to sprinting a marathon. All of this led to some below average results during his first training with Professor Fenton. They were going through the whole list of exercises, starting from the usual squats all the way to the plank and others. After each exercise, as was expected, Danny permitted Harry to rest for a minute or two. Occasionally the teen got the courtesy of water, but neither the rest, nor the proper hydration did not save Harry from the case of wobbly legs by the end of it all. The teen could barely stand, sweaty as a pig. Still, he could see that the professor's smile was genuine.

"Good job, Harry," he patted the boy's shoulder, almost making Harry collapse. "We'll make a fighter out of ya."

"How... how much time has passed?" The Gryffindor panted.

"Nearly half an hour. I asked for an equipment with a reason in mind, you know? So that's what we will be doing now."

Harry felt like collapsing when he learned how little time had passed. Still, he brought himself to stand despite the strong desire to fall over. The regimen went on, and the teen felt the exercises becoming a tad bit easier. Some of it had to do with a proper warm-up, but it was also due to the equipment putting a strain on only select parts of his body. As he was doing that, Danny went on to explain the proper way of doing the exercise, but also used the time to simply chat and put Harry's mind away from the sore muscles. After the teen dropped the weights on the floor, the professor clapped slowly.

"This should be enough for the time being. Off you go now, don't forget your homework for the next lesson. See ya next Wednesday."

"Why... Wednesday?"

"I looked at your timetable, and there isn't much. So, Wednesday it is. Unless you have objections?"

"No, sir. Are you gonna help with my homework?"

Harry still was cheeky enough, it appeared. Was he rubbing off on him in some way, Danny wondered?

-Linebreak-

The following weeks weren't all that different for Harry. He explained to his friends that Professor Fenton was going to tutor and train him. Hermione supported such an initiative, glad to see her friend dedicating his time to studies. Ron would have liked to get stronger, too, but between the upcoming exams and his position in a Quidditch team he had little time to spare. They had long since passed the point where Ron would envy his friend's opportunities.

Both of Harry's friends had accepted the fact that Fenton was far ahead of every student around, despite so small of an age gap. Everyone in the right mind could see it. He would prove to be an excellent tutor. There was also another interest involved, and it was Hermione who voiced the idea before her friends. Harry could actually learn more about the mysterious professor, like he did with Lupin two years prior. It was different, no doubt, for Fenton was not a friend of his long-lost father. The professor had no attachments that would make him open up.

During the vigorous trainings Harry wouldn't try to untie the raven-haired man's tongue. Fenton expected him to work his other muscles. However, there were many occurrences during the more theoretical sessions. Danny wished to teach Harry more complex fighting spells, something not many seven-years even studied. Phantom had to admit, the boy had a knack for those, and it would be a crime not to let that talent develop further. He also pursued a goal of his own by getting closer to the teen.

Even if he could just come and eavesdrop on what Dumbledore was saying in private, Danny couldn't be there all the time. Yes, Harry was hardly the perfect candidate, for the old man was withholding important things from him, too. However, there must have been something Danny didn't know and what Harry could shed some light on. And one day, one such interesting topic came up.

"It's actually not that hard to get in," Danny chuckled. "I told you guys in the Main Hall."

"But isn't it strange that ghosts never went in the Chamber of Secrets?" Asked Harry.

"It is odd. Perhaps there were some warding charms in place. They wouldn't work on a strong spectre, but the local ones are kept away just fine. And to think they kept a secret Basilisk there. And to think Voldemort kept a diary like a young schoolgirl," Danny laughed, Harry soon joining.

It was hilarious when you thought about it like this. The Professor had an innate ability of ruining any semblance of a threat others might have possessed.

"Dear diary," Fenton spoke in a girlish voice. "Today I started living in damp dungeon and made lotsa new friends. They like wearing edgy masks and have a fascination with death."

"We should start a club at some point," Harry joined in.

"Call it Death Munchers or something."

The two of them laughed for some time more, before Danny got even more curious.

"And what happened to this diary?"

"I stabbed it with a Basilisk fang."

"So you just tossed the thing away?" Danny asked.

"No, I didn't. I think Dumbledore had it. Do you think he still holds to the thing?" Inquired Harry.

"Everything is possible. After all, the diary did belong to his worst enemy, and for all our jokes, it may actually contain some valid information. I'd have advised you to ask him, but you don't see each other that often."

"Which is to say never at all since the last school year," Harry grumbled.

Danny clicked his tongue. "I wonder if I could take a look."

"I don't really think he will allow it, sir. Dumbledore is suspicious of you, you said so. Why are you so curious, anyway?"

Phantom gave the teen a deadpan look. "If that was your attempt at fishing out some information, it was a very poor one. But I guess it won't hurt. Not so long ago I was attacked by Death Eaters."

"You were?" Asked Harry in surprise, receiving a confirmative nod.

"Yep. They attacked me and my friends, so that makes it personal."

"Does this mean that you are going against Voldemort?"

"Pretty much," Danny shrugged and smiled. "Step by step, I will just do my own part. For one, I'm making sure that his worst enemy gets strong enough to challenge his plans. Now let's get back on track..."

And he was taking his secret work extremely seriously. His yet nameless organisation was growing in numbers and in quality, too. There were many directions for it to take. First, it was their unwilling spy among the Death Eaters. Ember was in charge of that part. Amycus contacted her from time to time, informing the diva about the happenings within their terrorist group. And Ember of course shared all the findings with Phantom. Danny was shocked to learn that Snape was present during the Death Eaters meetings, but decided to keep the info to himself. He couldn't exactly tell this to Dumbledore, lest the old man got curious about how Phantom came to learn it.

Danny thwarted the efforts of the Death Eaters in several ways and on more than one occasion. Be it ruining the requirement plans, or preventing an assassination attempt, Phantom or his newest subordinates were there to prevent it, either directly or by calling the aurors. The latter was preferable, because Phantom's recruits were not trained to properly fight dark wizards. Only select few were strong enough, with Chiara being one of them. The organisation couldn't allow themselves to become too ambitious. Too many coincidences comprised a pattern, and Voldemort would start suspecting a treason eventually.

Thus, Danny occasionally had to make compromises and let some people die. It was a painful decision, but it allowed to save many more. Phantom just needed time to find the Horcruxes and finally checkmate the bastard. And it would be better if he did so as quickly as possible.

In hopes of finding clues, Danny did actually search Dumbledore's office. When the Headmaster was absent, he sneaked inside the room, knowing that the old man would hide such an important thing in one of the two places. It was either Gringotts or the centre of his stronghold. His intangibility allowed for a swift and clean search. Phantom also wasn't worried about the pet phoenix, he had specifically picked the time when the bird was too busy being ash. The diary was located inside a locked desk. It was probably charmed, but not ghost-proof. Why would it be?

The diary was a sorry sight. A small black notebook with a giant hole in its middle, all wrinkled up, like someone dipped it in water at some point. Opening it, Phantom was, to be frank, disappointed. All he saw were the blank pages. Cursing quietly, the young man started thinking. Voldemort must have put some charm on it so that only he could read it. The Dark Lord was extremely shy, Danny thought with amusement. Still, he couldn't take the diary with himself, for Dumbledore would notice the disappearance. And that meant no removal of the charm. The teen wondered if the old man even tried to do it. Putting the diary back inside the desk, Phantom left, being full of disappointment.

But what about another direction of his work? Danny's plans for the Ministry required a network of agents as well. Phantom first expected to recruit a couple of local ghosts, but they were not allowed inside the governmental building. The task was more difficult than he had expected. He needed the people who would know the layout and who would support the cause of revolution. And one of the major woes of their society — the blatant ignorance, came to bite Phantom in the ass. Very few even among his subordinates, scratch the werewolves, were actually supporting the main idea of his movement — the equality and freedom for all races.

To find such an individual among even the rank-and-file workers was difficult, and it was taking a long while. Longer than Danny would have liked. Eventually, however, there was a contact. A very surprising one, and yet so obvious. Setting up a meeting in a muggle cafe was also a perfect away to avoid extra prying eyes and ears. Even if the man in question was unused to how everything worked among the non-magical folk. When the tall man with a ruddy face and unshaven beard came in, he was somewhat lost. Danny called him to his table, dressed more casually, but in his ghost form. He also wore sunglasses to avoid extra attention to their glow. As they sat, Phantom made an order for two cups of hot chocolate, then turning to the man with a small polite smile.

"I'm glad that you actually chose to come, Mr. Diggory. It must have come out of nowhere."

"It did," the wizard said without much enthusiasm. "I still don't know what you want to talk about. And what I should call you, young man."

He may have sounded frustrated, but Danny saw through this. He saw the man's empty eyes. Perhaps Diggory actually came because he is far from valuing his safety.

"My name is Daniel Phantom. A pleasure to meet you."

"Phantom? Is this some kind of joke?" Asked Diggory.

"I assure you, it is not. It is more of a moniker than a name, but it serves the intended purpose," Danny responded politely and officially. No matter how "no-tie" the situation may have appeared, he was talking to a Ministry official. And serious business had no room for incessant jokes.

And besides, Amos Diggory was probably not in the mood for any.

"I won't take much of your time, but I wish to establish a form of cooperation between us."

"Cooperation? I barely know you!"

"That's a problem we can amend. For now everything that matters is that I know about you. And I believe that our interests align."

"Listen, young man. I don't know what you want of me, but I am in no mood for any ventures," Amos started getting up.

This sure was quick. Danny leaned back in his seat and spoke again.

"And this mood has been around for over half a year, hasn't it? Since the tournament came to pass."

Diggory froze, his look turning angry. "You will not bring it up so casually," he hissed.

"Who says that I am being casual? I am unbecomingly serious right now, Mr. Diggory. Do you know why I contacted you? It's because I am certain that you will not pass on such an opportunity."

"What do you even want to do?"

"We share grievances against two things. I have heard about and personally witnessed the crimes committed by the Dark Lord. I am appalled by his acts, disgusted and angered. One of my biggest wishes is to put a stop to this pathetic man's series of crimes."

Amos couldn't resist a cold laugh. "Cedric couldn't do anything, Potter could not, Dumbledore doesn't do anything. What makes you think you are capable?"

"I faced things much worse than a deranged lunatic," Danny lowered his glasses and stared the man in the eyes. "Some of them are much tougher than Voldemort."

"You sure are arrogant enough to call him by name. How old are you?"

"Enough to know some things. About Voldemort, his past, his weaknesses I wish to exploit. Without doing so, he will just keep coming back to life."

Under his calm exterior, Diggory could barely contain the spark of interest.

"Alright, Mr. Phantom," he said, still sounding doubtful. "What are these 'weaknesses'? I will walk right out of the door if you choose to withhold this."

Danny blinked, not having expected an ultimatum straight away.

"Very well. But you obviously must not tell this to anyone. If Voldemort learns of it, my job will only get more difficult."

At his nod, Danny continued. "He has these objects called Horcruxes. By splitting his soul and putting it in said objects, he can grant himself another attempt at the ersatz he calls 'life'. Without destroying them, it is pointless to try attacking the Dark Lord. This way he will simply outlive us all."

"So you want my help... recovering these objects?"

"No, not really. There isn't much you can do in this regard, with all due respect."

"Then why even call me?"

Danny smirked. "I'm glad that you are more and more interested. Do you know who my other enemy is? The Ministry of Magic itself."

Diggory's eyes widened in shock. "You want to... destroy it?"

"Not exactly. I want to bring change, to make the Wizarding world more accepting and just. And unfortunately, a simple appeal to Wizengamot will change absolutely nothing. This is not a priority, but if I have to..."

"Don't bring me into this! Tell me one reason not to call the aurors."

"I'll tell you several," Danny grinned, starting to raise his fingers. "For one, this fight has only one possible end. In my favour. Second, I can simply walk out and you won't be able to do everything. Reason three — your late son."

"I told you..."

"Don't try to hide it, Amos. You hate those people don't you? It's silly to think I came unprepared," Phantom took several pieces of paper out of his pocket.

Those were newspaper cutouts, displaying the articles some which were a year old.

"They always sidelined Cedric, didn't they? Of course, compared to international champion and the Boy-who-lived, a seemingly unremarkable Hufflepuff was not worthy of their precious time..."

"Stop it..." Amos whispered, looking at the face of his smiling boy in the background in the picture.

"But he was far from unremarkable, wasn't he? He succeeded where Potter failed, he was on par with such famous individuals, and he still advised his junior on what to do," Danny said, bringing up what he had learned from Harry himself. "Still, this hardly interested the Ministry and their lapdogs in the Prophet. The article about him is barely a paragraph-long. And yet, Cedric's misfortunes did not end there."

"I told you, that's enough."

"I don't need to remind you what happened on the worst day of your life, sir. But what happened afterwards..."

Phantom moved several cutouts closer to the man.

"Mr. Potter was dismissed as a crazy lunatic for mentioning the Dark Lord. The Ministry chose to paint what happened to Cedric as an 'unfortunate incident'. We both know that he was murdered, by a killing curse no less. Everyone with brains and eyes can understand that. Yet, what did they do again? To suit their political games, to satiate their paranoia, they tried to cover the fact. Cedric's name was stripped from each and every article, they never once mentioned his death or expressed condolences to your grieving family. It was their ludicrous idea to revive centuries old deathly tournament that brought this about. And yet they refuse to take responsibility."

Danny saw that the man was on the verge of breaking down with tears. All that cold exterior, and yet he cracked so quickly. Phantom's look turned genuinely sympathetic, as he couldn't even imagine how devastated the man was. By killing Amos's son, Voldemort destroyed any future in the man's life, too.

"Is such an organisation even worth protecting, Amos? They disposed of your son's life as easily as the Dark Lord himself. You see the same thing I do. The Ministry is a corrupt, bigoted group where only the vilest of people actually get to decide not only your future, but that of every other race that lives in the Isles. My deepest wish is to stop it. I myself have faced prejudice, I was stripped of everything I cared about because I was different. We already arrived to the point of having our eyes opened, each in a different way, but what unites us both is that we both have been wronged."

"I...I..."

"Amos, I am not asking for much. We need a man inside the Ministry to leave the metaphorical key under a carpet. And someone who knows the layout. You fit both bills, sir."

"I just do not understand... are you against the Dark Lord AND the Ministry?"

"It's not like they oppose each other," Danny pointed out. "Dumbledore does, and that's why I have no intention of interfering with his plans. At least intentionally. We are not affiliated in any way, after all, I don't know what his plans are."

Taking a sip of hot chocolate, the young man continued. "They are one and the same, Amos. Think of it like this: there are many followers of Voldemort among the Ministry higher-ups. By making sure they are removed from power, we undermine his influence and his financial backing."

"But it will cause so much chaos..."

Danny tapped on the table. "Not if we are swift and efficient. I am securing the support of many important groups. And I myself have certain connections and debts to call in."

"Now that you say this..." the look of understanding appeared in the man's glossy eyes. "You wouldn't happen to be..."

"The enigmatic Lord Phantom?" He gave a small smile. "That would be me. And yes, the title is official."

"You aren't... what I imagined."

"Many people say this. I assure you, Amos, I may look not a day over twenty, but I am more than capable of fulfilling my end of the bargain. Cedric's death and oblivion in the eyes of the public will be avenged. Of that you should have no doubt."

"I need some time to think about this... can I?"

"Certainly," Danny said with reassuring tone. "Let us meet next week here at the same time. I'll hear your answer."

And Amos did agree to his offer. Phantom now had a man inside the den of lions that was the Ministry, and Ember didn't hesitate to voice her surprise about this.

By that time she had already become his second in command, albeit that role did not mean much. Phantom was issuing orders himself, as their organisation was still too small, yet relatively easy to handle. However, she occasionally joined the half ghost on his own forays that demanded the firepower of the Ghost Prince and his diva companion. That's why their next operation appeared extremely odd to her.

"Remind me again, why are we here in the middle of the fucking night, dipstick?" Ember asked and blowed a gum bubble.

"Language, Em," Danny casually said, unfolding the map that Amos had provided. "Simple, really. We are scouting ahead."

"This is a Ministry! What's there to scout, even? I thought we were going to break the door, shoot at the ceiling and all that stuff!"

Phantom sighed. "The two of us can easily get in. We can even smuggle in a couple of people, like Chiara here," he pointed at the werewolf lady. "But the rest will face difficulties."

"And I myself am curious why I am here," said Chiara. "You really should start explaining your plans beforehand, Fenton."

"While I am like this, please do address me as Phantom. We are trying to be discreet here," Danny muttered, folding the map. "But I hear you. I can try, I suppose."

"Dipstick is still new to this kind of stuff," Ember whispered to Chiara and huffed.

"Since when are you two friends?" Phantom called to them without turning around.

"No, we are not," Ember said with indignation.

"Well, you better be," Danny smirked. "We are going to split up."

"What for?" Asked Chiara.

"I am here with an extra goal in mind. I need to check some stuff out. You know, the things they keep under a lot of cartoonish locks. In the meantime, you should check several entrance points. Amos told me that there are several, I want you to find which one has the least amount of security," Danny said and handed the ladies his map. "This way we will know how the extra aurors can jump in and how the officials may try to escape. If we are to do our job as clean as possible, we cannot allow anyone escape and pose as someone legitimate in exile. See? Now I am explaining."

"And why are we going together?" Ember continued her questioning.

"Because Chiara cannot apparate from here. Well, from anywhere but the atrium. The place has many defensive charms. However, if we play our cards right, it will also mean none will escape the place. Watch out for security patrols, too. We meet at this spot in an hour. Good luck," Phantom saluted and vanished from sight, leaving the two ladies alone.

Ember cursed quietly, walking in a seemingly random direction.

"You aren't even going to take a look at the map?" Chiara asked.

"Just follow me, deadweight. We'll find these points eventually."

Chiara looked at the map in her hands, with entry points being circled by a red marker.

"You are going the opposite way, McLain," the werewolf girl said with amusement.

Ember stopped and turned around, returning to the taller girl.

"Gimme that," she said and snatched the map. "Alright, let's get this over with."

The two ladies didn't talk much initially. After all, they could be overheard by an occasional guard out of their sight. They scouted the area just as they were told.

Most entrances lead to the aforementioned atrium. The guest entrance was too cramped, meant for no more than a couple of people at the time. So that was out of question if they needed the speed. Not many in their group could apparate to the atrium, either. Floo Network was monitored, but it was still probably the safest bet. Chiara suggested that if they found several expendable fireplaces connected to the network, they could be used. However, Ember also realised that everyone would be sitting ducks, because the only exit could be easily blocked and many wands would be pointed at the fireplaces. They would probably need to secure a foothold there first.

The next spot was the official entrance used for welcoming the officials of the Muggle government. The two ladies went forward to find it. As they went, Chiara decided to try holding conversation with the teenage ghost.

"So… how do you know Danny?"

"Dipstick? Heh, I was just on my very first heist to take over the world."

"You? Take over?"

Ember gave her a dry look. "Now what's that supposed to mean?" She asked quietly, before her palm was engulfed in fire.

Raising her hands, Chiara chuckled nervously. "Hey, you just don't look a day over seventeen."

"I had a perfect plan! My music can charm people, make them do whatever I want and make them fall in love with me. By broadcasting it all over the world I would have had it. If not for one meddlesome dipstick. My tunes didn't work on him, because of all the ectoplasm inside his brains. And these stupid brains came up with the most stupid plan to break the spell."

"What was it?" Chiara inquired, seeing how Ember's cheeks flushed green. The diva looked away from her.

"I'm not telling."

"Was it something inappropriate?"

"No… Yes! I don't know!" The previously bratty ghost rambled. "Shut up!"

Chiara couldn't resist a chuckle. "So, if you knew each other only like this, why are you helping him now?"

"I dunno. I guess I just wanted to break stuff."

"Is that the only reason, hmm?" Chiara asked with a small teasing smile. "I admit, Fenton is strong, smart and is quite the looker…"

Ember's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "And just want are you planning?"

"Hey, you won't get anywhere if you stand around like this, Ember. I say you should go for it."

"Go for what?" The ghost played dumb.

"Come on, McLain. Admit it. You like him."

"I do NOT!" Ember raised her voice, as he hair ignited lightly. Chiara was taken aback initially, but the blushing face of the diva ruined said impression.

"Yes you dooo," Chiara teased. "Hey, relax. I am not telling him. It's your call, Ember."

"Yeah, and I ain't gonna come crawling to the dipstick," the girl said proudly, before a brief moment of silence, "But… theoretically… what would it take for him to notice me?"

"You could start by giving him clues," Chiara smiled.

"We are talking about the guy who is as dense as a brick wall when it comes to this," Ember mumbled.

"He can't be that clueless."

"Trust me, he is," Ember rolled her eyes. "The idiot kissed me and thought absolutely nothing of it."

"When did THAT happen?" Chiara asked in surprise.

Ember's breath was caught in her throat when she realised that she had said too much. There was no running away from that now.

"Remember the broken spell part? Yeah. That's how he broke it. By breaking the hearts of all of my adoring fans. Dispstick just didn't care and didn't see a problem. Just means to an end, he told me."

"I see… yes, this is a difficult case," Chiara turned serious. "Hm… could it be that he doesn't see you as a woman?"

"Excuse me?" Ember hissed.

"Sheesh, calm down, Ember. Don't shoot the messenger! I mean. The guy is older than you, it's what I'm saying. You are what, seventeen?"

"I am older than both of you," Ember muttered.

"Really? Girl, you have to share what cosmetics you use," Chiara joked. "Maybe it is because of the looks and attitude, though. If the actual age is not the issue here."

"So I gotta have sex with him or what?"

"I don't think it's gonna work. But hear me out: you just swear and shout at him all the time like a bratty kid."

"I heard some guys like it," Ember mumbled.

"Danny doesn't strike me as one of them. He is quite mature, isn't he?"

Now that Ember thought about it, the half ghost had matured not only physically. Danny was willing to take many burdens upon himself, and that level of responsibility was hard to find.

"Ya think I need to, what? Wear dresses and aprons?"

"No, not that. Just try to show some genuine interest in him from time to time. Even if he is dense, he is bound to notice something."

"If your plan fails, I am burning you alive, you mutt."

While the girls were busy talking about their girl things, Phantom was busy looking through the most restricted area of the Ministry — the Department of Mysteries. He had already found what he was looking for. And while the existence of the object in question was confirmed, it couldn't physically be taken away. Danny made a mental note, rejoiced beyond measure to have his suspicions confirmed. Phantom still had the time to spare, and thus he was examining what else was kept within the most secret department of the Ministry.

There were several rooms. Brain room was a nasty one, filled with containers that held no short amount of brains. They studied the thought processes there, which was both intriguing and worrisome. Danny paid little heed to that chamber, just as to the room with an endless fountain of love potion. However, the chamber that imitated the solar system brought that bit of childish joy Phantom hadn't experienced in a while. He found the models to be of excellent quality. Moving on, he went to another intriguing room.

The time chamber. It was filled with the trinkets that Stopwatch had no love for. Time Turners were something extremely meddlesome. Clockwork had told the teen about how they came to be. Apparently, they were a crude attempt to mimic the amulets the Time Master possessed, after the ghost had foolishly given one such artefact to a wizard. He refused to tell Phantom why he made such a mistake. Since their wearers were removed from the timeline, he couldn't see their actions either. And it angered Clockwork, for he sometimes had to fix the mess they made. The non-interference policy he had was the only reason Stopwatch hadn't destroyed the Time-turners. Taking one such artefact in his hand, Danny snorted.

"Hey, old man," he spoke, knowing that Clockwork was watching him always. "If ya wanna have them all destroyed, you can submit an official petition."

Receiving no response, Danny put the small golden device back on the shelf. From there he moved to a room that also was the Time Master's headache.

The Hall of prophecy. Clockwork's relationship with the seers was a strained one, too. Danny himself never perceived the ghost as a perfect being who was free from bias. Old Stopwatch never liked anyone but him and people he chose to see the future. It brought uncertainty to his visions. When people knew what would happen, there were many extra paths they could take. That's when Clockwork's power of seeing every possible route acted against him. Danny couldn't help but cackle gleefully when that thought appeared in his mind. The all-powerful Time Lord was a subject to mishaps, too, that much was evident.

However, he quickly shut up when he saw distant light seeping between the swirly globes with prophecies. Great, he had an extra audience.

Swiftly turning invisible, Phantom was about to leave, when he heard something. It sounded like something was being dragged across the floor. Danny wished he could make a light of his own and see for himself what it was, but that would give his position away. What he could feel, however, was that the sound was moving away from him and towards the light source. The teen almost decided to go and see what was going on, but then he heard a loud scream of terror.

The light source, most likely a wand, was dropped.

Without thinking, Danny lunged through several tall shelves, reaching the spot in no time. And immediately he was faced with a horrid sight.

A man was being assaulted by an enormous vicious snake. Without a second of doubt, Phantom dropped the invisibility behind them and charged a blast that hit the serpent's back. The force behind the blast was enough to propel the animal forward, with the blast itself bouncing into the ceiling. The snake hit the shelf with its long tail, almost tripping the entire structure.

Phantom's telekinesis held the thing in place. The confused reptile did not attack outright, and Danny rushed to the injured redheaded man. Security or not, he had to save him.

"Did it bite you?" He demanded to know.

"Who… who are you?" Asked the man through pain.

"For now, I am the one who is saving your life. Well?"

"It… it did. Please, get me to the first aid post…" the man rasped.

Danny glanced towards the snake. To his shock, it still was able to move after the blast that should have killed it.

"Don't walk into the light just yet," Phantom commented, even if on the inside he was greatly worried.

The snake immediately lunged at the half ghost, but Danny raised his finger. Frozen in place, the animal couldn't move an inch. Phantom moved his palm in an attempt to break its neck, but something strange happened. It's as if the telekinetic force was reflected, hitting the shelves around once more.

Danny had to hold them in place, but that also loosened his grip on the animal. The snake attacked the halfa once more, biting the young man's arm. Hissing in pain, Phantom still maintained his smirk, as he grabbed the serpent firmly with his free arm. The size of his palm wasn't even enough to wrap it around the body of the serpent beast. But it was enough to get a grip. With a roar Phantom ripped the snake off his bleeding hand, before throwing it on the ground. However, this time the snake used its tail to hi the young man's legs. Danny stopped himself in the air, and saw how the snake lunged for him again.

When Phantom turned intangible, the beast went right through him. With an unforeseen effect.

"Bleh, pwah," Danny coughed, wiping some black mush from his face. He quickly saw that the mush was slowly dissipating in the air. It was like… when he destroyed a Horcrux.

"What the hell…" he whispered, noticing that the serpent hissed at him once more. Apparently, it realised that magic was not protecting it anymore.

Phantom moved his palm again, and forced the beast to turn to him. He floated towards the frozen creature, leaning forward and rewarding it with a vicious smirk.

"Now ain't that a surprise. You wouldn't happen to be the Horcrux of the local Dark Lord?"

The snake only hissed, and Danny could feel that his telekinetic grip was being struggled against.

"Oh right, you cannot," Phantom mumbled with amusement. "To think," he laughed coldly. "That one of them would just waltz towards me!"

Danny lifted the snake's face and stared it into the eyes. "You aren't very smart, are you, Tom?" He addressed the empty air, patting the cold skin of the beast. "I can't wait for our meeting."

Phantom moved his finger down, and pinned the snake to the ground once more.

"Goodbye, little worm," he smirked and raised his leg.

It went without saying that the kick of such force would reduce any organic matter to mush.

He had no time for empty fights and chats, there was a poisoned man lying on the floor. Approaching the redhead, he easily picked up the injured man.

"Hey, are you still kicking?" Phantom asked.

"Yes… please… the hospital… second floor…"

Danny didn't have the time for elevators either. He flew them through several floors, and if Arthur wasn't so exhausted, he would have had the strength to be shocked. Reaching the nurse office that worked 24/7, Danny put the victim on the floor near the door and knocked on it. Once he heard footsteps, the young man vanished, but not without nodding towards the redhead.

"Blimey… what just happened?"