As the familiar though unwelcome tug at his naval pulled him across the world, Harry pondered where the portkey would deposit him this year. Previously, he had landed anywhere between the grassy wasteland they called a backyard and the front closet that was filled to the brim with coats and boxes. Dumbledore probably thought it was funny to change the location each year. Feeling the end draw nearer, Harry braced himself as he landed harshly on a tiled floor. A whiff of citrus and antiseptic hit his nose and Harry grimaced with recognition. His parents lab it was.
Harry did not have fond memories of the lab, but still took a moment to reminisce about the changes it had undergone throughout the years. The big, clunky transmission electron microscope still stood proudly against the wall. He remembered with a chill the first time he saw the monstrosity. His parents had forgotten to pick him, Jazz and Danny up from school, and as the minutes grew into hours their imaginations ran rampant. Thinking something bad had happened to their parents, the children ran home in a panic, only to find Jack and Maddie tinkering away on the device. They were too engulfed to notice the late hour, or the tears in their children's eyes.
Harry observed the signs of age on the TEM. The keys were worn from overuse and there were ectoplasm splotches along the corners and cracks. One of his siblings was definitely not keeping up with their chores. It was probably Danny since the job used to be his.
When Harry's chores had started to include cleaning up the equipment in the lab, he had desperately traded it off to Danny for something more ordinary. It was a hassle at the time, since Danny wasn't allowed to clean the equipment because of his young age, but they were able to get away with it since they both shared the same shaggy head. It worked for a while until Danny grew wiser and learned he was getting the shorter end of the stick.
Harry spotted a Fentonworks logo along the side panel. When Jack and Maddie had gone through their midlife crisis, they focused their efforts on the future of Fentonworks. This entailed brazenly placing their logos on any random object and claiming it as their own patent. That wasn't the worst of it though. With the need of expanding their trade, Jack and Maddie also felt a growing concern for their legacy and what they would leave behind after they died. This wouldn't have been an issue if they hadn't forced Harry and his siblings to learn how to recreate all their inventions in the off chance they didn't have the blueprints for them. He hated that he knew the ectoguns on the shelf were currently charged and ready for use.
He scowled at the weaponry. He didn't have to worry about secondhand embarrassment or hazardous waste in his food at Hogwarts. He wanted to keep avoiding the lab as he had done in previous years. He now knew some ghosts, even counted them as friends maybe, and knew that his parents were wrong. It was bad enough listening to their rants, but he didn't want to see their words in action. This sentiment was increased ten fold after Danny told him what he had seen down here a couple of Christmases ago.
Dumbledore probably knew this, which was why he was down here now. The machinery whirred quietly, and Harry took in the new and old aspects of the lab. Monitors and scanners spread across the room while hastily written notes and blueprints littered the desks. He released a shudder when he spotted a table with restraints attached to it. That's probably where Danny rescued the ghosts from, he supposed.
A green light in the corner of his eye caught his attention and Harry turned. On the back wall was a giant looming pool of light. The light danced in different hues as it swirled together in an endless spiral and Harry found himself completely mesmerized by its unearthly glow.
"Like it, son?" Jack's boisterous voice asked. Startled, Harry jumped at the voice. He hadn't seen his parents working next to the light. They were tinkering with a small box.
"What is it?" Harry asked, eyes returning to the ethereal glow. Its green light reminded him of the wolf from yesterday. "Is that the ghost portal?"
"You betcha!"
He released an awed breath. The portal was huge! It radiated untold power and left an uneasy feeling behind as it stilled something inside Harry. There was a chill in the air, as if the portal was sucking the heat from the room, but the air around it was still, giving off the feeling of timelessness.
"Jack, hand me the vial of ectoplasm."
"You got it, babe!"
Struggling to take his eyes away, Harry turned back to his parents and lowered his brow. They had hardly acknowledged him before going back to their work. They were so caught up in their invention that they didn't realize it had been a year since they had seen him last.
"I'm going to find Jazz or Danny," he stated with a strained voice.
"Good luck, son. Those kids are harder to keep track of than that ghost punk after a fight!" Jack exclaimed cheerfully without any semblance of concern that he didn't know where his own children were.
"Right, I'll just take a look around then," Harry muttered before dragging his trunk upstairs.
True to his father's word, the Fenton siblings were nowhere to be found. Biting his lip, Harry contemplated what to do next. He glanced back at the basement door. He hadn't talked to his parents in ages and, though they hardly acknowledged him, a part of him wanted to hear their incessant ramblings. He hated to admit that he actually missed it.
"What are you working on?" Harry asked, sitting on one of the desk chairs in the basement.
Jack looked at him like it was Christmas, and that Santa had personally come to prove him right. "This is the Fenton Safeguard! Made to keep ghosts out of a two mile radius. We even saved the town a couple of weeks ago!"
"Though the town seems to have forgotten that tidbit," Maddie grumbled, grunting as she used a wrench.
"If it worked, then what are you doing to it?" Harry asked skeptically.
"Adding some necessary updates," Maddie stated, giving the device a tap with her wrench. The device released an electric shudder before giving a pathetic sputter. She banged the device in frustration. "Though, the stubborn thing just doesn't want to cooperate at the moment."
Jack was not deterred, however, and bounced excitedly over to his son. He gestured to the box and explained. "You see, the Safeguard was fantastic! No ghost could enter the shield once it was up. Just what you'd expect from a Fenton creation!" he boasted, before raising a righteous fist. "But those ghost scums that were already in the shield's radius went scott free!"
"Our adjustments will change that, sweetie," Maddie consoled, patting him on the back. "We'll make it so that the ectoplasmic entities inside the Safeguard will get zapped until they leave or we can neutralize them ourselves."
"More ghosts for research!" Jack cheered. Harry gave him an uneasy laugh. Perhaps talking to his parents wasn't the best way to spend his day.
As if reading his thoughts, his rescue came in the form of an older sibling. "Mom, Dad I'm home," her voice rang downstairs. "Has Harry arrived yet?"
"I'm right here!" Harry exclaimed, quickly climbing the steps and making his escape. Walking into the kitchen, he found the owner of the voice.
"Harry," Jazz greeted with a smile. Harry returned the smile but faltered when he took in her unkempt appearance. Her hair was messy and her clothes were dirty. She looked tired, like she hadn't slept in a few days. Jazz had always been the most put together out of all of them, and seeing her disheveled state was unnerving. Something must have happened. He swallowed thickly. Or had been happening.
Harry wanted to ask her about it, and even opened his mouth to do so, but nothing came out. A pang of guilt went through him as he realized he didn't know what to say. Deep down, he had known that there would be repercussions in avoiding his family, but he hadn't thought it would be this difficult just to talk to his closest family member. Looking at his sister, Harry came to the realization that a rift had formed. Not a passionate, angry one, but a subtle, distancing one.
So, instead of asking about her well-being, Harry forced the smile back. "Hi Jazz. Where've you been?"
"Grabbing you some dinner," she answered, dropping a Nasty to-go bag on the table. His stomach rumbled in response. Though it was still the afternoon in Illinois, where Harry came from was just starting dinner. He thanked her and opened the bag. They sat and ate in what was becoming an uncomfortable silence until Jazz commented, "The fridge is more contaminated than usual."
"How is that even possible?" Harry asked quickly, thankful for a distraction from the silence.
Jazz smirked. "You'd think the ectoplasm-infused coils would be enough, but we recently had an influx of ectoplasm in the air as well. I wouldn't be surprised if the handle starts getting a mind of its own."
Harry shuddered. "Or the fridge itself," he added. He gave the fridge a cautious look, before turning a questioning eye her way. "Was the ectoplasm because of the, uh, portal?" Just remembering the feeling of the portal caused him to shiver.
"Get a good look at it?" she asked knowingly. It must have been obvious that it was his first time seeing it.
Harry shifted. "Yeah, it felt… weird… like it was both sucking out all the warmth and pouring out power. It was as if time stopped near it."
Jazz nodded. "It'll do that to you."
Silence grew and Harry struggled to keep the conversation going. Jazz, however, was unphased. She took a last bite and crinkled her wrapper. "I have to admit, I didn't think the ministry would let you come home," she said finally.
Confusion overtook his relief. "Why would you think that?"
She gave him a flat look. "Sirius Black? The mass murderer that wants to kill you? They wouldn't let you come home last year, so I figured it would be the same."
"Oh!" Harry exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "Jazz, I totally forgot to tell you! You don't have to worry about Sirius anymore."
"Wait, was he caught?" she asked.
Harry shook his head. "No, but Sirius is innocent. It was actually a man named Peter Pettigrew that murdered those people and betrayed my parents."
Now it was Jazz's turn to be confused. "Your parents? How do they play into this?"
"Right," Harry shook his head, realizing he needed to backtrack further than he originally thought. "Sirius Black was thought to not only kill twelve muggles, but also to have given Voldemort the location of where my parents were hiding. But he was innocent. Pettigrew was actually the one who betrayed them. He killed those people to try and frame Sirius. He's a coward." He spat the last part out. He looked earnestly at Jazz. "Sirius is actually a good man and saved me and my friends when my pro-, er, a werewolf tried to attack us." He left out the part where the werewolf was actually his professor. He was sick of the bias he had seen in his classmates towards his favorite teacher and didn't want to hear from Jazz too. "Sirius is actually my godfather. He asked me to live with him after the school year ended."
"And what did you tell him?" Jazz asked.
Harry faltered. He probably shouldn't have said that last part. His gaze found Jazz and saw that she already knew. She always had an uncanny ability to read his mind.
"Didn't think to tell us you were out of danger either?" she pressed, an edge in her voice. A pang of guilt went through him.
"Jazz…"
She stood up. Her face was unreadable but her shoulders exuded exhaustion. "It's fine, Harry. Who am I to judge where you'd rather live? But next time you're no longer in life-threatening danger, you should tell the people who worry about you."
Ouch.
She turned to leave, but added over her shoulder, "If you want any semblance of peace this summer, I'd keep that information about living with your godfather from Danny. He already thinks you've abandoned us."
Double ouch. Harry struggled with a response only to find that Jazz had already left. "Where are you going?" he asked, running after her. He found her grabbing her bag from the coat rack.
"Contrary to Danny's belief, you can't live on Nasty's alone. I'm going to the grocery store," she explained.
"I'll come, too," Harry offered hurriedly.
She paused and gave him a pointed look. "If this is your way of apologizing, don't. I get it. It's easy to forget what's not in front of you."
He shook his head. "No. I just want to catch up. Know how you've been," he admitted.
He looked up and saw a slow smile grow on Jazz's face, and for the first time today it felt genuine. She tossed him some reusable bags and grabbed the house keys. Harry raised a brow at the gothic print but Jazz only shrugged.
"Sam," she answered his unasked question, opening the front door.
"Did Danny finally aasssss- what happened?!" He stood aghast.
In simple terms, the town was destroyed. Trees and lampposts were upended across the streets while the nearby buildings looked like they would fall with a big gust of wind.
"Welcome home, Harry," Jazz stated sarcastically. "Battle site of the most recent ghost attack."
" Ghosts did this?!"
"We have much to catch up on, brother," Jazz stated, giving his sleeve a small tug. "I'll catch you up on the way."
Vlad scoured the torn up parking lot, cursing the Waste Management Department for not doing their job. He had had it with their excuses. They don't have enough workers? Those they have should work harder. There's no food to feed the workers? They shouldn't be eating so much anyway. Semantics, all of it.
Still, the mayor had spent a good portion of his day listening to the blubbering foreman spout ridiculous requests and excuses. He should just fire the man at this point and hire someone a bit more competent.
He picked up a boulder and peered under it. The only good that had come from their abysmal work pace was that the Casper High School parking lot had remained untouched.
He dropped the boulder and continued the search. As to what he was searching for, only Vlad knew.
"I know why you're here." Or maybe not.
The voice was annoyingly familiar and Vlad glared at the owner who was sitting on a pile of rubble. If he was surprised by the boy's presence, the man didn't show it.
"Really now?" he asked disinterestedly, going back to his search.
"The first time I saw you over here picking up rubble like a hyena scouring for food, I thought to myself 'hey, Vlad's actually being helpful for once, instead of scheming to destroy the world like he usually does,'" Phantom stated sardonically.
Vlad waved him off. "Oh Daniel, you know I only have eyes for your mother. World domination would be much too tiresome."
"Sure," Danny replied, unconvinced. He gave him a pointed look. "The second time I saw you here, I knew you were up to no good."
Vlad scoffed. "Now really."
"I know why you're here, Vlad," Danny repeated flatly.
Vlad paused his search and sent Danny an unimpressed look. "It's clear you will not leave until you get whatever you're thinking off your chest. So go on then, Badger." A patronizing smirk grew on his face. "At least your twisted conspiracy theories will give me something to laugh about later. Tell me, boy, what evil schemes do I have planned today, hmm?"
Danny narrowed his eyes. "A strange rumor is going around the Zone," he began. "Rumors of a ghost defeating the behemoth in Ghoulster's Cave. Said he walked away with a peculiar key."
Vlad rolled his eyes. "Now really, Daniel, you sound like a gossiping housewife."
"A key," Danny continued as though he wasn't interrupted. Though, his lowered frown gave his frustration away. "Said to open an ancient container."
"Did the Box Ghost get his hands on something he shouldn't?" Vlad asked casually, his patronizing smirk still plastered across his face.
"It wasn't a box, Vlad."
"And you're dancing around the subject, boy. Spit it out already," he replied irritatedly. Vlad saw where the conversation was going and didn't like it.
Sure enough, Danny did spit it out. "The sarcophagus, Vlad! You know, the one that the ancients forged out of ectoranium and fiendfyre. The one that held the world's most powerful being, in order to keep his evilness locked up. The one that you unlocked on a whim!"
"You're delusional," Vlad retorted, no longer smiling.
Danny balled his fists. "It would have stayed shut if you never stuck your dirty hands where they didn't belong! This whole mess is on you!"
"Oh and you had no part in this at all," Vlad scoffed. "Who was it that kicked the sword out of the ground in the first place? You brought the king right to our doorstep."
"Don't put this on me!" Danny angrily shouted back.
"Oh, I see now." An oily smirk grew on Vlad's face. "Drowning in your own guilt, you're desperately looking for someone to blame," he mocked. "You are going to have to face the truth whether or not you like it. You killed someone, and that can never be taken back."
"He wouldn't have died if you hadn't gone looking for him in the first place," Danny seethed through gritted teeth.
"Well, get used to it, Daniel. In our line of business, people die," Vlad replied harshly.
Danny glared daggers at the man, refusing to let his words get to him. Vlad resumed his search, albeit a little more brutally.
"You won't find it," Danny said suddenly.
"You don't even know what I'm looking for," Vlad laughed, though there was no humor behind it.
A folded cloth landed next to him. Curious, Vlad picked it up and unwrapped its contents, revealing green and red dust particles that floated away in the wind, while small shards fell to the ground.
"It's gone, Vlad. I destroyed it," Danny stated bluntly.
Vlad fisted the cloth and turned a red, murderous glare at the child.
" You, " he seethed. "You little rat ! What have you done?"
"No one will ever use the ring for power again," Danny declared. "You've lost, Plasmius."
"You will regret that, Badger," Vlad threatened, transforming with magenta glowing fists. Danny floated up.
"Not as much as you'll regret ever looking for that key!" Danny angrily reciprocated.
"Boo Berry, new with Phantom Marshmallows?" Harry read off the cereal box container.
Jazz chuckled. "Let's get one of those," she stated, throwing a box of granola in the cart as well.
Harry, however, was not amused. "Jazz, that's like the fifth thing we're getting that's Phantom-themed."
"No it's not," she replied absentmindedly.
Harry deadpanned and started counting them off on his hand. "Phantom Nuggets, Ecto Waffles, Phantom Spaghetti Boo's- shall I continue?"
Jazz let out a sigh. "Alright, you've made your point," she reluctantly admitted.
"Besides, how are Mom and Dad going to react when they see these?"
"They won't know if you don't tell them," she answered pointedly. They moved to the next aisle. "I just can't help but be grateful for all that he's done for us. He's a real hero."
Harry rolled his eyes. He had been filled in about what was being called 'The Battle of Amity Park,' including Phantom's part in it. Jazz had eagerly recounted the events including the shield, helpful ghosts, and Phantom's showdown with the ghost king. She claimed that she had hardly done anything but hand out weapons, but Harry suspected she'd been more involved than she was letting on.
"Sounds like you have a crush," Harry teased.
A deathly glare met Harry and he paled from its intensity. "Never say that again," Jazz said, low and menacing. Harry gulped.
"Alright alright!" he placated. "It's clearly a whole town obsession anyway. You're not the only one who likes the ghost… platonically ." To prove his point, he lifted a plush Phantom doll.
Jazz brightened at the toy. "Oh, let's get that, too!" Harry rolled his eyes but threw it in the cart. At least he could appease his temperamental sister.
"We should check out before you bleed the store dry of its Phantom merchandise." Looking at the cart, Harry wondered how they would get all their groceries back home. They had walked pretty far to get to a working grocery store, and the buses were still not running. Sure enough, they barely managed to shove the food into four large bags.
As they walked home, Jazz continued discussing the different ghosts during the battle.
"Sam and Tucker said they were saved by a blue dragon ghost. I actually got to see it, too. It was huge!" They turned down a shortcut alleyway.
"Where was Danny during all this?"
"Hmm?" Jazz asked, pulled from her thoughts.
"Danny? Where was he during the battle?"
"He, uh- LOOK OUT!" Jazz shoved him away in time for something to whoosh between them. Off-balance, Harry hit the floor, dropping his grocery bags in the process. He quickly took stock of the situation and grabbed his wand from his pocket. Skidding to a stop in front of them, the ghost of the hour ignored them and seemed to glare through the two siblings.
Harry turned, only to feel the whoosh of another figure. Looking back, he saw a ghost in white clothing flying towards the newly titled hero.
"Plasmius," Jazz breathed with fear.
Plasmius threw an ectoblast at Phantom who dodged it and threw one of his own. The blast hit a magenta shield and rebounded. The fight continued at a quick pace, not leaving any time to catch a breath. By the state of their appearance, the pair had been at it for a while. "King Phantom," Plasmius jeered, kicking sand in the air and using the distraction to nail Phantom in the chin. "How rich."
Phantom coughed. "You only have yourself to blame, Plasmius. It's your scheming that caused all this," he spat back, flying out of the dust cloud. "That's karma for you!" He heard a growl and waited for the older ghost to follow him. When Plasmius did just that, he came with glowing fists. Phantom let the ghost soar through him and grabbed his cape, throwing him back to the ground before he could get away. He hit the ground with a satisfying thud.
Phantom landed next to Plasmius as he stood up. "Pathetic," Plasmius seethed. "You don't deserve the title of the ghost king." He dodged a fist and grabbed Phantom's collar. "The crown is mine!"
Phantom grabbed the hand on his collar and lit it with ectoplasm. With a yell, Plasmius pulled away. "Good luck with that. I heard there was a non-transferable policy." The fight continued.
Harry's gaze was transfixed on the ghosts before Jazz's face blocked the view. "Come on, Harry. We have to get out here," she said urgently.
" Those are ghosts?!" he sputtered. Save for the token blob ghost, Harry hadn't been in Amity long enough to see their ghosts in action. He was starting to see why his parents' talked about them with such disdain.
"Yes, and they're dangerous," she replied patiently. To prove her point, trash flew in the air as Plasmius was thrown into the side of a dumpster. "We have to leave."
Harry looked at the scattered food. "But the groceries, we can't just leave them."
"Your life is worth more than a jar of pickles!" she yelled. She frantically pulled Harry up, only to push him to the ground to dodge a rogue ectoblast. The pair looked over to find Plasmius towering over Phantom who was crouched, holding his shoulder in pain.
"You're weak, Phantom. Yield," Plasmius stated angrily, holding out a glowing hand. Phantom looked up at him defiantly. Surrendering was the last thing on his mind.
A green blast hit Plasmius before either party could make a move. Surprised, both ghosts turned and found Jazz standing in the middle of the alley with a wristwray pointed at Plasmius. "It's pathetic that an old man needs to bully a child to feel powerful," she stated.
Plasmius' face soured. "You impudent-!" He paused mid-sentenced as a thought came to him. He turned a wicked eye at Phantom and said in a threateningly low voice, "Time to play your weaknesses, Daniel. We'll see how long that stubborn attitude lasts when your family is in danger."
Phantom tried to get up only to be kicked back down. Plasmius turned towards Jazz and Harry and began stalking their way. Before he could get away, Phantom grabbed his ankle and froze him to the ground. Plasmius cursed and sent Phantom a nasty look.
"This won't stop the long shot, boy," he shouted, before throwing a powerful ectoblast at the two siblings. Harry saw Phantom scramble up to catch the ectoblast, but it was moving too fast. Harry pointed his wand, knowing he wouldn't be able to dodge the blast. He racked his brain for a spell, but nothing would surface. Before he knew it, Jazz yanked him into a hug and waited for the blast to hit. When nothing came, they opened their eyes to find a green shield surrounding them. Phantom was standing there, panting heavily, with his back to them.
Seeing Plasmius preoccupied with his ice trap, Phantom quickly turned to his siblings. "Way to draw his attention, Fenton," he huffed at Jazz.
"You're welcome," Jazz replied pointedly.
Phantom frowned. "You need to leave," he stated quickly. "Plasmius is out for blood, and he'll take anyone down with him."
He turned to Harry and spotted his wand in his hands. "Put that away!" he hissed angrily. "The last thing we need is Plasmius seeing that!"
Harry frowned. "I was only trying to-" But their moment of reprieve was over. Plasmius had broken out of the ice and sent two more powerful blasts at the shield. Phantom let the shield break and met his rival in the air.
Jazz looked down at the wand. "I know you're trying to help, Harry, but Phantom is right. It would be very bad if Plasmius learned about magic."
Harry gave her a puzzled look, but decided to trust her. It seemed like Jazz knew a lot more about these ghosts than she had originally let on.
Shoving his wand back in his pocket, he turned to leave but was stopped by a wall of giant magenta flames.
"No one is leaving until I get what I want," Plasmius shouted as the fight continued.
Harry sent the ghost a fiery glare, and returned his grip on his wand.
"Harry, don't," Jazz insisted. Her voice held a warning.
"I'm supposed to just sit here and wait for crazy over there to kill us?"
"I know it's hard," Jazz began. "But using magic will draw too much attention to Amity. They'd probably erase half the town's memory with all the ghosts around."
"Shouldn't they?" The disappointment on Jazz's face told him it was the wrong question.
She was quick to respond. "You're not supposed to use magic outside of school anyway. Just think about what happened last year."
"I think this counts as extenuating circumstances, Jazz," Harry stated in exasperation.
"There's no need. Phantom can freeze the flames."
"The same guy who keeps missing and almost hitting us? Don't be offended that my faith in him is lower than yours."
To prove his point, a rogue icy blast soared between the two of them.
Harry gave her a pointed look. Jazz ignored him and followed the trajectory of the projectile.
"Come on," Jazz stated, grabbing his arm. Harry was about to yell at her to stop trying to tear his arm off, but saw where the projectile had gone. There, at the end of the alley, the wall of magenta flames stood frozen in ice. In the center was an archway perfect for escaping through. Harry turned back at the fighting ghosts. Did Phantom send the blast through us to get our attention?
"Harry!" Jazz shouted urgently. Pulled from his thoughts, Harry stopped struggling and quickly made his exit.
Phantom smirked when he saw his siblings leave. Plasmius followed his gaze and took in the frozen archway. "You must think you're clever," he spat. "But the game's over." He grabbed Phantom by the throat and slammed him against the wall.
Danny tried to hit him with an ectoblast, but Plasmius beat him to it. He sent electricity down his arm, causing the ghost boy to cry out in pain.
"This is the last time I'll ask. Give me the crown," he seethed.
"I can't," Phantom gasped, then, seeming to think of something, started to spitefully laugh.
Confused and angry, Vlad narrowed his eyes and shook the ghost. "What do you mean?"
There was no humor in Phantom's laugh. "The only way you can claim the crown is through death- My death."
Vlad tightened his grip. "Don't lie to me, boy!"
Danny wheezed. "How far will you go? All your fighting and scheming has come to this," he choked out. "The choice between your perfect family or world domination." He met his glare straight on. "What matters more to you, Plasmius?"
Vlad glared hatefully at Phantom.
"Can you kill the son you always wanted?"
His fist was so tight that his knuckles were white. Danny struggled for air.
"Leave the love of your life to mourn the death of a child."
Barely breathing, he asked, "Are you going to kill me, Vlad?"
Plasmius showed no remorse as he continued to suffocate the child. The crown was almost in his hands and his rival was too weak to fight back. He released all his anger and frustrations into his grip. Phantom was starting to pale from the lack of oxygen. No more would he have to deal with the teenage menace getting in the way of his schemes. He could have everything he wanted!
Maddie floated through his mind hugging a smiling Daniel. Almost everything. Killing Daniel would wreck Maddie and though he'd never admit it, he was quite fond of the boy himself. Challenging him and watching the boy grow had been one of his favorite parts of moving to Amity Park. The perfect family or world domination? Daniel's voice rang. Vlad fought with himself and realized the truth behind the question. His ghostly obsession was fighting his human ambition.
The seconds dragged to minutes as Vlad warred with himself. To Danny, it was as if time slowed. His throat contracted with the need for air and his arms were too weak to fight back. The torturous minutes felt like hours. Finally, Vlad loosened his grip. Danny slid down the wall, gasping for air. When he looked up, Plasmius was gone.
"That's what I thought," Danny muttered to no one in particular. He leaned his head back on the wall and took in the fresh air.
"What was that?!" Harry sputtered as they finally rounded the corner of their block. He was panting heavily with exhaustion. After escaping the alley, the two siblings all but sprinted home.
"That," Jazz stated breathlessly, "Was a ghost fight."
"Are they always this violent?" he gasped.
Jazz gave him a sly smirk. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were actually showing some concern, little brother. What happened to losing all ties with the muggle world?"
Harry turned red. "I never said that."
"You didn't have to. I gathered as much after your fight with Danny."
Harry's heart sank. "He told you?"
Jazz's expression was unreadable. "Only that you didn't like living with muggles. After the comment about your godfather, however, it was a natural conclusion."
"I never said I didn't want to live with you."
Jazz gave him a sad smile. "You didn't have to."
Harry shifted uneasily. "This whole ghost thing isn't exactly muggle, anyway," he muttered, trying to change the subject.
Jazz's expression turned thoughtful. "What makes you think that?"
They walked through their front door. "For one, muggles don't believe in them."
"The people of Amity Park do," she countered.
Harry shrugged. "But that's different."
"I don't think it is." She gave him a penetrating look. " You didn't believe in ghosts until you saw one."
"I didn't grow up with wizards. They all believe in ghosts."
She looked out the window. "You know, there are ghosts who were muggles. Would you consider them magical?"
"Well yeah, they have to have magic in them to be ghosts," Harry reasoned.
"Why is that?" Seeing his blank stare, she added, "What makes something magical and something else not?"
Harry knew there was an answer- there had to be- but he couldn't figure out what it was. His frustration grew as he racked his brain for an answer.
When none came, Jazz let out a heavy sigh. "Maybe muggle is just a term to describe the mundane, and magic the extraordinary."
"No, Jazz," Harry protested. "Magic's just- I don't know, it just is. "
"Sound logic, by the famous Harry Potter," Danny snarked, walking into the house with four familiar grocery bags. He gave the pair a grin and moved to the kitchen. "Just a heads up. Sam and Tucker are on their way over," he called over his shoulder.
"Those bags," Harry started, evading Jazz's disappointed gaze and frowning at the goth print. He followed Danny. "Where did you get them?"
Danny shrugged. "Found them in an alley. Can't really mistake them for someone else's, if you know what I mean," he chuckled, dropping the bags on the table. "You weren't scared on your way home, were you?" he asked, teasingly.
Harry sputtered while Jazz smacked Danny on the back of the head. "There was a ghost attack, as you very well know," she carped.
Harry looked between the pair. "How could he know? It just happened!"
Danny lifted up his flip phone. "There's a thing you wizards refuse to acknowledge. A work of genius. It's called a cellphone," he chided. He began putting the groceries away, that is, until he pulled out a plush phantom.
He deadpanned at Jazz. "Really?"
Jazz returned the flat look. "I can always give it to Paulina."
"Looks like Cujo has a new chew toy," Danny replied, shoving the toy in his pocket.
"Who's Cujo?" Harry asked, feeling out of the loop.
Danny looked at Jazz's accusatory face. It all but said that he had brought the topic up, so he had to deal with it. Danny glanced back at Harry and answered, "Just a stray, I've, uh, half-adopted."
"Can I meet him?"
"Maybe some other time," Danny shrugged, before giving him a crooked smile. "So how long's the pit stop going to be this time?" Jazz let out an exasperated sigh in her hands.
"Pit stop?" Harry asked.
"We all know you don't want to be here. How long until you're, quote, 'rescued from the muggles?'" The last part was said in a poor Ron imitation.
"Danny, you aren't helping," Jazz reprimanded with an exhaustion well beyond her years.
Danny lost his smirk. "It's not my fault we're treated like second class citizens by the magic folk," he grumbled.
Harry frowned. "That's not true."
Danny quirked an eyebrow. "Did Jazz tell you what happened to Vlad yet?"
Jazz shook her head and turned to Harry. "The night you left, they erased his memory so that he couldn't remember what you did to him."
"Yeah?" He faltered when he saw their blank faces. "I knew that already," he stated bluntly.
"You do?" Danny asked in shock. He didn't notice that he dropped the Boo Berries.
"Well yeah, that's standard practice when a muggle is exposed to magic," Harry told them.
"When a muggle is- do you have any idea how you sound?" Danny exclaimed.
"I-I don't see the problem," Harry admitted, feeling his defenses go up.
"Harry, taking away a person's memory is very damaging to their mental health," Jazz explained patiently. "It isn't something that should be a standard practice."
"But, there's a need to keep things secret," Harry reasoned.
"Not at the cost of someone's dignity," Danny shot back.
"But, people have gotten hurt in the past!" Harry exclaimed. "Just look at the Salem Witch Trials! People were burned for their magic."
Danny shuddered as he was brought back to the night of blood blossoms, burnt hair, and Tucker's bad breath. Jazz stepped forward and pointed at the stack of books on the counter.
"I've read your textbooks, Harry, which state the Salem Witch Trials were a sham. Witches would protect themselves with spells and would time and time again put themselves in the flames to have a good laugh at the self-righteous muggles."
"There was even a guy who would dress as a woman to join in the fun," Danny commented. He not only knew the man from Harry's History of Magic textbook, but he also met the guy when he travelled back in time. Sam and Tucker had thought the 'lady' was joking, but Danny saw his wand. With the ghost situation somewhat deescalated, he had been able to set his focus on Jazz's goal. Even if it meant reading a book or two.
"The Witch Trials were terrible," Jazz continued, "but they were not as deadly as you're thinking. It was more a case of both sides provoking the other, though it does not excuse that one side was clearly more violent."
"Regardless," Harry began, "the Witch Trials just prove that muggles and magic don't get along. It's still better that they don't know about us."
"They?" Danny scoffed. "You know that includes Jazz and me, right?"
"You know what I mean, Danny, and it's not just my opinion," Harry argued. "It's in our nature. The magical creatures feel the same." Seeing Jazz and Danny give him skeptical looks he explained, "Apparently, Hedwig's an anomaly, but owls are not friendly to muggles." He struggled to remember what Ron said months ago. "Something about their non-magicalness."
"But that's ridiculous, Harry," Jazz interjected. "You've seen multiple Hogwarts owls act cordially with all of us. One even took shelter in my hair!"
When she put it that way… "But why else would muggles not be allowed to own owls?"
"Sounds like some institutionalized racism to me," Jazz claimed.
"I don't think that's what it is," Harry stated.
She gave him a pointed look. "Then what do you think it is?"
"It's just… different." He was getting frustrated by his own lack of defense. Fudge was a bit narrow-minded, but he knew that the ministry must have a reason for such laws. He narrowed his eyes as an unpleasant feeling settled in his stomach. He didn't like his sibling's new attitude towards magic. They couldn't let him have this one joy.
"Barring a muggle from owning an intelligent creature, removing their memory when they know too much? I don't know how else you can explain it," Danny mocked. "They dehumanized Vlad when they took his memory."
Peeved, Harry shouted, "Would you quit it with Vlad?! He's a horrible man! I wouldn't want him to know about magic anyway."
"So what if he's a jerk?" Danny shot back, ignoring the fact that he agreed with Harry's sentiments. "It doesn't give you the right to lord your knowledge and power over someone who is defenseless against it!" He wasn't sure how true that last part was, but it got the point across.
Harry seethed. "You're mixing my words."
"I'm not," Danny argued. "You're just turning a blind eye to what you don't want to see."
Harry threw his arms in the air. "People would not just sit by and let something like this happen unless there was a good reason."
"Not if they're erasing the minds of the opposing side."
"You're being intentionally difficult, Danny!" Harry cried out in frustration. "Is this because of what happened last summer?"
"No," Danny frowned. "It's because your minis-"
"Then stop trying to make my summer worse than it already is! I'm already away from magic, I don't need you judging where I come from, too."
"Harry-" Jazz shouted.
"Oi, Danny! I've got a new update here that won't patch itself," Tucker barged through the front door.
"Yeah it will, you set up the automatic updates months ago," he called back.
"Such cheek," Tucker tsked, entering the kitchen. "You'd think he was a king or something with all that precociousness." He hesitated when noticed the tension in the air. "Uh, did I walk in on something I shouldn't?"
"No," Danny responded, turning to leave the kitchen. Before he left, he finally looked at Harry. His eyes were cold. "If there's so much proof that we can never get along, then maybe you should just erase my memory and be done with it. Then you'd never have to deal with me again," he muttered before walking away. Tucker gave them all a confused look before following his friend.
"What was that all about?"
"Fenton Mind Scrambler," Danny replied emotionlessly. He was wondering why he still kept Harry's secret for him.
"That thing that was used on Vlad? Yikes, I thought you destroyed that a while ago," Tucker commented.
"Me too," Danny replied.
Once Danny left, Jazz rounded on Harry. "Did you have to provoke him?"
Harry shrugged. Not wanting to stay, he made his way out of the kitchen. "It's as you say, Jazz. Why keep my ties with the muggle world?"
"That's not what I meant," Jazz replied softly, though no one was there to hear her response. She sighed and looked around the room. "Ancients, this is hard."
.
A/N- I'm back people! The end of the school year (and covid) came like a wildfire but I was able to hash out Harry's stay with the Fentons. I hope the conversations are believable and flow naturally. As always, thank you for sticking with this fic! I love writing it and your enthusiasm for it brings me joy!
