Things couldn't have been going worse for Harry. His name shouldn't have even been in the goblet! Who would have put his name in instead of their own? It felt like the world was perpetually against him. He looked away from another 'Potter Stinks' badge and back at the papers in his hands.
'He's choking back tears-'
"This is rubbish!" Harry seethed. "And not true! I didn't say any of those things!"
"I know, Harry," Hermione placated. She was looking at him over her last piece of mail, a letter from her parents. Through the chaos, it was a relief that someone still supported him. He couldn't say the same for Ron. "The press exaggerates everything. Anyone who knows us knows we are not dating."
"Still, I don't like it."
"I don't like it either," she agreed. Harry shoved the newspaper aside. It wasn't worth losing his breakfast to continue reading this garbage. "It was poor journalism if you ask me. The article has little facts, few details, and was outright opinion-based. It has no information on any of the other contestants and while I'm flattered that she called me attractive, did she really feel the need to preface it by saying I'm a muggleborn?" Hermione sighed with restrained frustration before giving Harry a hesitant look. It was as if she was deciding between holding a ticking bomb or handing it to someone else to deal with. Harry didn't appreciate it. Finally coming to a decision, she handed him a page from her parents' letter. It was a flyer. "My parents sent this over with their letter. You might find it interesting."
Harry read the front page: VOLDEMORT WAS THE PRODUCT OF A CORRUPT SOCIETY!
Curiosity piqued, Harry quickly flipped the page and continued:
Calling all Muggles and Muggleborns living in the magic community,
Do not let the incident at the Quidditch World Cup get swept under the rug. It was a blatant attack against an innocent family. These hateful acts speak of a prejudice that runs deep, not just amongst our criminals but also in our culture! Acts like these will only continue as the government ignores the true cause. Voldemort may not be around anymore, but his ideals are still amongst us!
We must call the ministry to a higher standard. Just because we have grown up in a muggle household does not mean we are lesser people and should not be treated as such. Let us rise above the place they are trying to put us in. No more should we have to bear our loved ones getting their memories erased. No more do we sit silently as wizards who injure muggles for 'fun' go scott free. No more are we an island, lost in the sea of inferiority.
My name is Jasmine Fenton and I want to offer support for whatever hardship you may be suffering due to the unjust system the ministry has fostered. If we band together, we can create a network of muggles and muggleborns who can help and support each other. Please contact me at-
Harry took in the two familiar phone numbers. Shocked was too soft of a word.
Hermione gave him a moment before speaking up. "Her words have merit, Harry." She knew she was skating on thin ice, but pushed on to stave an outburst. "The ministry's performance was insufficient during the whole ordeal. After the events at the Cup, they were more concerned about the mark in the sky than the muggles who were injured in the crossfire. Despite the extensive investigation and the number of witnesses, they have yet to arrest anyone. Either the Department of Law Enforcement is an office of incompetent trolls or they are covering for their colleagues."
She tried to make eye contact with Harry, but he was too focused on the flyer. Her gaze went to the paper as well.
"Still, I don't think she'll get many calls. It was pretty confusing for my parents to read since they don't really know what goes on here. And those who live in magical communities will not like the provocativeness of the message. The wording is too harsh for many people to actually follow-"
Harry was hardly listening. He couldn't believe the lengths to which his sister had gone. Who else had received this? Did they know who she was? Embarrassment and anger began to surface. Why couldn't she just let it go? She had no reason to be sticking her nose into his business! He was doing just fine avoiding his muggle problems. Why'd she have to bring them back up? If anyone found out that she was related to him- This couldn't continue. This had to be stopped. No matter the cost.
Harry's gaze landed on the ghastly article. 'I love my parents, and every night I think of them before I go to bed. I wish they could be here celebrating with me'. The article was laden with similar puke-inducing cringe. It wasn't true but would be perfect to get his point across. Harry hesitated a moment, thinking about how Jazz would react when she read the article. It would probably hurt. His resolve hardened. If it got her to stop, he didn't care.
"Can I have this?" he asked, interrupting Hermione and lifting the newspaper.
"S-Sure," Hermione replied, a bit thrown off. "But Harry I-"
"Great. I'll be in the owlery if you need me."
Hermione tried to call him back, but Harry ignored her.
"What is the MACUSA doing?!" Evelyn hissed from her crouched position under a raised flower bed. Hector, her friend/coworker, raised a brow at her stance but didn't comment. He knew if he asked, she would spout some ridiculous claim of inspecting the soil, but he was sure she was hiding from the chaos around them. And chaos it was. In all his years working for the Department of Mysteries, Hector had never seen something like this before.
"Sitting on their butts with a bottle of fire whiskey, that's what," she ranted irritably. "And why is no one panicking?!" She gestured erratically at the pedestrians who didn't give the ghosts a second glance and continued on their path as though it were any other Sunday morning. Had the Phan Club been there, it would have been a different story, but it was Sunday, and like most teenagers, they were sleeping in.
"They don't seem like they're causing too much trouble," Hector began, only to duck from a rogue projectile.
Hector looked back and winced as Evelyn's face was replaced with snow. "No trouble at all," she mocked. She shook off the mess and grabbed her wand. "Someone has to deal with these menaces."
"Wait, Ev. We are researchers, are we not?" He took her lack of response as encouragement to continue. "Then we should watch and study." Evelyn still looked uncertain. "Please, Ev. I've never seen a tangible ghost before."
Her will didn't last long. "Oh, alright. But when the head of the department comes down on us, I will not hesitate to throw you under the bus. Not to mention something must be done about all these muggles!"
"Whatever you say," Hector replied, but his eyes were already back on the ghosts and the wintery expanse that they had created. One of the ghosts, a teenager by the looks of it, was blocking his face as a barrage of snowballs fell on him from an older ghost in footie pajamas.
"Cut it out, Klemper. I don't want to play with you today," he complained. "Most teenagers are still asleep at this hour!"
The other ghost, Klemper, paused for a moment and laughed. "Silly, Phantom. Sleeping is for living."
"No, it's not!" Phantom shouted indignantly. His voice turned into a shriek as a mound of snow dropped from the sky, taking Phantom with it.
"Snowball fight is over," declared Klemper happily. "Now we build snow fort."
Phantom's head poked out of the mound and spat out some snow. He spotted Klemper in time to see the ghost wave his hand in command. The mound, with Phantom inside, floated in the air for a moment before landing as a giant fortress complete with moat. Phantom stood as a guard atop the watch tower with an ice helmet and spear.
A bit dazed, Phantom took in his appearance and groaned. "What about your friends in the Far Frozen?" he whined more than asked.
"They're busy," Klemper stated simply.
"Well so am I!"
Klemper pouted. Tears began to well up in his eyes but froze before they could leave. Danny, who was completely done with this manchild, released a frustrated sigh.
"Look, I can't play with you today, but I promise I'll come to the Far Frozen later this week. How does that sound?"
But the oversized ghost had already moved on to his next target, a couple who were walking down the street.
"For the last time, Klemper, they don't want to play with you!" Phantom tried to argue. He began flying off the castle.
With his mind already made up, Klemper ignored Phantom. "Will you be my friend?" he asked the couple. When they spotted the ghost, they looked down and quickened their pace only to slip when the concrete turned to ice.
Phantom quickly steadied the pair and turned to Klemper. "Leave them alone! They don't want to play with you," he repeated irritably.
"Then Phantom will play with me," Klemper demanded.
Phantom pinched his nose. All hope of getting back to bed before his parents woke up and started working on their loud machines vanished with his sanity.
"Fine, but we're doing it in the Zone."
"No, we play here!"
Phantom stood firm. "We're not negotiating this. Either you go to the Zone freely or you go in the thermos."
As the big ghost burst into tears. Hector looked back at Evelyn.
"Amazing!" he exclaimed. "They can even go in and out of tangibility!"
"Pardon me if I don't find a child placating a mentally challenged adult as amazing as you do," Evelyn stated flatly. "Come on, we can notify the MACUSA later to deal with the witnesses. Let's find the Fentons."
There was one teen in Amity Park who thought of herself as more of an adult. It could have been her above average intellect or impeccable self-care routines, but most would say it was because she had to grow up sooner than she should have. So unlike most teens on a Sunday morning, Jazz Fenton was already up and writing away on a piece of paper. Her parents were still sleeping so the only sounds in the house were Jack's distant snoring and the scratching of pen across paper.
Danny's search for Wulf had not been successful. He had searched high and low for his furry friend, but it was clear that Wulf didn't want to be found by friend or foe. His suggestion to go to the Ghost Writer, however, had proven to be fruitful. Despite Danny's hesitance, the Ghost Writer had turned a new leaf in his regards to her brother. After their brief but pleasant exchange, it was clear that Jazz would be welcome to peruse his library at any time. Danny was welcome, too, under proper supervision. Soon, it became a common occurrence for Jazz to borrow the Specter Speeder and read all day in his library. At this point, she considered herself well-versed in muggle-wizard relations, which was why she was baffled by the response she received from her flyer.
To say she was disappointed in the muggleborn community was an understatement. No one had taken her flyer seriously. One person even had the nerve to call and say how delusional she was for thinking the ministry mistreated muggles. It was as if they were so blinded by their trust in the ministry that they couldn't see it for what it really was. She would need to think of a better strategy if she was going to reach these people.
It was with these thoughts that she was writing another letter to Dumbledore. He seemed like a wise man. Maybe he could give some pointers as to how she could reach the families of his school.
She heard her father's deep voice in the adjacent room. From the sound of it, the peace of the morning was coming to an-
DING DONG!
-abrupt end.
"I'll get it!" Jack called out.
That was a relief. Jazz was in low spirits and couldn't deal with another irate neighbor her parents had upset. Not to mention the inevitable ghost warding goo that would drop on them as a defensive measure.
She released a sigh. It was times like these that she wished their family was normal. Not that she would ever voice this. She knew her brothers needed her support, even if he adamantly refused the notion. She had to be strong for them. A part of her knew that she was just hiding behind other people's problems so that she didn't have to deal with her own, but everyone had their own ways of coping, right?
"Babe, there are two scientists here who would like to learn more about our research!" Jack's loud voice yelled.
"I'll be right down, Honey!" Maddie called back with excitement.
That was a red flag. Anyone who wanted to know more about ghosts had a hidden agenda. Jazz pricked her ears but couldn't hear anything besides a distant murmur. She looked at her phone sitting on her desk and bit her lip. Danny was probably still out fighting whoever she heard him leave for. She didn't want him bolting home if it was nothing. On the other hand, he should know what was going on in case he needed to go into the lab.
She decided to send a brief text. She punched the send button and a moment later heard Danny's phone go off in the other room. Figure`d. Sighing to herself, Jazz stood and went to greet their guests. Their guests, who were obviously wizards playing as scientists if their poor disguises were anything to go by. Another red flag.
"Jazz, these are doctors Evelyn and Hector from England's National Research Facility," Maddie introduced.
"Uh-huh," Jazz replied, unimpressed. "Why are you guys dressed so strangely?"
The man, Hector, puffed out his chest. "These are standard uniforms, young lady," he boasted.
"Don't be rude, Jazz," Maddie chided with a tight smile. She turned back to their guests. "Please excuse my daughter, the lab is this way." Jazz watched the group leave. Sensing it would be bad to leave them alone since magic was sure to be involved, she waited a moment more before following the group quietly so as not to be heard.
There was a good spot behind the Specter Speeder to hide. She barely had time to get comfortable before her father went into full ghost rant mode. The wizards politely listened, though after the first hour, it was clear they were uninterested. It wasn't until Jack showed the group the Ghost Portal that the wizards had perked up.
"Just gotta type a few things in here, quick DNA scan, and BONZAI! There she is!" The portal's wide expanse spread before the group. The wizards looked at it with awe.
Jack continued his rambling but the wizards were too taken by the portal notice. Evelyn was the first to be shaken out of her stupor. "Excuse me," she interrupted politely. "But I'd like to have a word with my partner." Without waiting for a response, Evelyn grabbed Hector and pulled him near the speeder.
"Hector!' Evelyn whispered urgently. "It has the same essence as the Veil!"
Hector was still looking at the portal. "But Jack said they've been collecting samples from the portal. It must not be as lethal."
"Didn't you hear? They even sent a mouse in and it was unharmed when they pulled it back," Evelyn excitedly added.
"When was that?" Hector asked, finally turning away from the portal.
She rolled her eyes. "Right before he went into edible ecto-fudge and after he discussed the 'malice of all ghosts'," she gave a disgusted look. "Ugh, if I have to listen to one more tangent I swear."
Hector chuckled. He gave her a mischievous grin. "I say we curse them now, grab the portal, and high tail it. Their data is clearly fudged." he smirked at the glare his partner gave him. "Besides, we can learn more about the portal and tangible ghosts on our own than by listening to the drivels of a questionably sane man."
"I agree," Evelyn said. "You take the big guy, I'll take Dr. Maddie Fenton." Before Jazz could do anything, the stunning spells were cast and Jack and Maddie fell to the floor.
Fear spiked and Jazz grabbed an ectogun and held it up at the two surprised wizards. It wouldn't harm the pair, but they didn't need to know that. "Unless you want to destroy the house and everyone in it, I wouldn't dismantle the portal," she claimed.
Evelyn stepped forward. "Explain," she demanded, pointing her wand at Jazz.
"The ecto-filtrator is volatile. It's only meant to be released when it needs to be changed. If you do it too soon, kaboom."
"You think I'm supposed to believe a ten year old?" the woman shrieked. "Daughter of these quacks no less?"
"Seeing as these quacks created what you are trying to steal, yes," Jazz stated evenly. "And I'm fourteen."
Hector decided to take a turn. He gave her a gentle smile and waved his arm at the lab. "Ghosts, ectoplasm, portals. These kinds of things, almost magic-like, are simply beyond your scope of understanding."
"I was wondering when the 'you're just a muggle' comment would come up," Jazz said with narrow eyes.
Hector did not back down. "But I have a point. Our kind has been studying the Infinite Realms long before your parents or any other muggle thought of ghosts as anything but a fairytale to soothe mourners. Simply put, we know more, and with the portal, we can extend human knowledge far past what was previously learned."
"Would you even share your discoveries with the muggles who created your key to understanding?" Hector opened his mouth to respond, but Jazz wouldn't let him. "Don't bother. I already know magic folk would rather eat troll bogies than share their information with muggles."
Hector gave a half-hearted smile. "You're not even supposed to know about ghosts."
"If you're not willing to learn from muggles or share your information, then how are you so sure that you know more about the Infinite Realms than we do?" Jazz shot back.
"Well listening to Jack gave me a good idea…" Hector smiled.
"Then I question your credentials if you are using one person's obsessive jargon as your basis."
"Enough," Evelyn shouted. "You," she pointed at Jazz with her wand. "You know how to dismantle the portal without it exploding-"
"-No, it's not possible," Jazz cut in.
"And I don't believe you." Jazz frowned, as frustration grew. They acted like she knew nothing about the portal that had lived under her house for the past two years. As if she hadn't already spent painstaking hours trying to shut down the portal for good. She opened her mouth to argue, but the lady continued. "It's highly doubtful, but on the off chance there was an explosion we can contain it and use 'Reparo' to fix it." Was she trying to appease her in order to get her way? Evelyn twiddled her wand in the air. "Perks of having magic," she smirked. Yes, yes she was. "So why don't you give it a try. If you know so much that is." And that was manipulation.
"I don't need to prove myself to you by showing you I'm right," she stated calmly.
"Would 'Reparo' even work on technology?" Hector asked.
"I doubt it since magic and technology don't mix," Jazz answered.
"What would you know," Evelyn seethed.
"Besides the fact that two wizards stormed into my house, attacked my parents, and are now trying to steal their life's work?"
Hector winced. "When you put it that way…"
Evelyn sent him a glare. "Muggles shouldn't even have this, Hector. The fact that this whole town is unphased by ghosts is in violation of the Statute of Secrecy."
"A muggle is allowed to have magical objects in their home as long as there is a wizard that lives with them," Jazz recited. "Harry Potter may be at school, but he still lives here in the summer."
"That's up for debate." At Jazz's puzzled look, he continued. "He told us he was never coming back."
Seeing Jazz falter, Evelyn pressed on with a wicked smile. "You know, Harry was the one who told us all about your parents' portal in the first place."
"Wanted it gone if memory serves me correctly," Hector added, holding his chin.
Evelyn took Jazz's simmering silence as a victory. "Now that we have that established, why don't you help us take it down?"
"I won't," Jazz stated, taking a step back. Her gun was still aimed at the pair.
"Fine, then we'll just do it without you," Evelyn stated, pointing her wand at the portal. "I suppose we should close the doors before we do anything drastic."
"Ev, wait. Jack said something about a code and genetic lock," Hector interjected. He looked back at Jazz who was eyeing them warily. "I think we'll need her."
"Well, clearly she's not going to help us," Evelyn pointed out.
"She won't help us willingly." He gave his partner a calculating look before saying quietly, "No one would know if we forced a muggle to do something and then obliviated them after."
"Are you suggesting…"
"Yes."
Evelyn looked back at Jazz. "Make it quick," she decided.
Hector wasted no time and pointed his wand at Jazz. Jazz released the trigger, but was too late to stop Hector from shouting, "Imperio"
As the gun erupted, Hector saw a bright green light rushing toward him. He recognized the color and thought he was going to die in this no-name town under the roof of lunatic scientists, but when the light finally encompassed him, all he felt was a tingle of uncomfortable warmth.
Realizing he was still alive, Hector looked up and found Evelyn's alarmed face in front of him. Pushing her away, he answered her unasked question, "I'm fine. It was just an illusion." He looked around. "Where's the girl?"
"By the portal" Evelyn replied. They both watched as the redhead began typing on the computer next to the portal.
"Good, good," Hector patted himself down to make sure that he was in fact alright. He had just finished checking himself over when he heard noise coming from upstairs. "Brilliant, just what we need."
Danny was still shaking snow out of his hair by the time he opened his front door. The wood flooring creaked with the sound of his steps as he walked across the living room. The house was devoid of noise signifying that his parents were not home. Knowing them, they had probably heard of Phantom's and Klemper's violent slushy encounter and decided to high-tail over there. Odds were that they were currently knee deep in snow unaware that the conflict had ended rather peacefully.
Klemper had refused to go back to the Zone causing an impromptu snowball fight at Amity Park's soccer fields. Some kids had thought the fight was for fun, not seeing it for the battle of wills that it was, and proceeded to join the attack against their beloved hero. Danny didn't last long and surrendered under a snowy grave. He couldn't be too upset about it, though. Klemper had had so much fun that he didn't even mind when Danny pulled out the thermos and sucked him up.
"I gotta tell Frostbite to keep a better eye on you," Danny grumbled, not keeping his voice down. If his parents were not home then there was no need to sneak around. He walked into the lab without any hesitation.
"Stupefy!"
Instinct took hold but Danny barely had time to duck out of the way. Standing, he saw two people who were obviously wizards pointing their wands at him.
"Wha-"
"You missed! You dolt! Stupefy!"
Danny dodged the blast and bumped into someone. He turned and saw Jazz, eyes glazed, staring blankly at the computer screen. She was typing the Fenton access codes.
"Jazz!"
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Danny ducked once again and stood in front of his sister.
"Watch it, Ev. You'll take the girl out, too," Hector yelled.
Anger began to seep in and Danny glared at the couple. "What did you do to her?!" he asked.
"Never you mind, boy," the woman, Ev, shouted back.
But Danny could easily see what was happening. "You have her under your control, Why?"
"Wouldn't you like to know," the woman unhelpfully said.
Hector raised an impressed brow. "You deal with mind control often?"
"Enough to know when it is happening," Danny shot back. He stuck a hand behind his back and reached for his sister. Finding her back, he stuck an intangible hand through to try to overshadow the pseudo thoughts. It was a stretch, but it appeared to work as the sound of the keyboard slowed to a stop.
"Danny, what's going on?" Jazz asked, disoriented. Everything came back to her, though, when she spotted the wizards before them.
"How'd you do that?" Hector asked Danny.
Danny's smirk held no humor. "Wouldn't you like to know."
"Doesn't matter," Evelyn said. She wiggled her wand. "We can always make you tell us."
"What you're doing is illegal," Jazz cut in. "Look, we won't tell anyone if you just leave now."
Danny looked over at Jazz skeptically. He shouldn't have taken his eyes off their enemies because at that moment the pair across the lab shot another spell at the two siblings. He spotted the spells too late and let his instinct take hold again. He grabbed Jazz and turned them both intangible right in time for the spell to pass through them.
Jazz gasped and grabbed Danny's arm in fear. It wasn't fear of the wizards, but of what her brother had just revealed to them.
The two wizards hadn't moved from their spot but openly gaped at the siblings.
"What just happened?" Hector asked, looking from Jazz to Danny.
"I saw it too," Evelyn said back. She narrowed her eyes at them. "What are you?"
"What are you talking about?" Jazz asked, her voice too high to be believable.
Of course the lab only now activated its defensive system. Belatedly, a gun appeared from the roof and sent an ectoblast which hit Danny straight in the gut. Danny hit the wall and slumped to the floor.
"Jack said the defensive systems only attacked ecto-entities," Evelyn said. She gazed at Danny with interest.
"Ecto-entities that are actively using their powers," Hector added, catching onto what she was saying. His free hand touched the place where Jazz's shot hit him. "Even their weapons only hurt those with ectoplasm."
Danny stood and glared at the pair, but Jazz blocked his view. "You leave Danny alone!"
"You're clearly human, though. Perhaps a hybrid? Is that even possible?" Hector mused, ignoring Jazz.
"Oh, the Ministry will love this!" Evelyn squealed.
"Nevermind the ministry, think of the research."
They were beginning to sound like his parents when they had caught something new. Danny released a chuckle, drawing the two out of their musings. "You're gonna believe that the inventions of two wacky scientists only work on their intended targets? I hate to disappoint. Actually, I take it back, I'm pretty happy to disappoint."
"The boy has a point," Hector muttered.
"A point," Evelyn retorted, lifting her wand, "we can test. Imperio!"
Danny pulled Jazz down as they ducked out of the way. They took shelter behind an old containment box.
"Let's escape to the Zone and regroup," Danny said, looking around.
"Mom and Dad are still here." Jazz pointed to their stirring bodies. Anger flooded through Danny at the sight. "Besides, they're trying to dismantle the portal."
Danny looked at Jazz with alarm. "Are they suicidal?!" The container grew whiskers, legs, and a tail. It lifted itself off the ground and walked away.
With the transfigured container gone, the wizards started throwing more spells out. Danny and Jazz dodged as best they could, but there were just too many to dodge. Danny jumped in front of Jazz as a spell intended for her hit him.
Tell the wizards about your abilities. A voice in his head demanded. It was alluring and filled him with happiness, but Danny had felt the similar temptations of mind control from his time in the circus. Between the two, the crystal was much harder to break free from.
"That's not gonna work on me," Danny spat. Another spell hit him and he was raised in the air by his ankle.
"Ha!" Evelyn exclaimed with satisfaction. "Now, just, hang on a moment." She chuckled at her joke.
They both turned back to Jazz, who did her best to avoid the volley of spells, but she did not last much longer.
Jazz scrunched her eyes, trying to hold herself back. It wasn't until Danny saw her relax and turn to the wizards that he knew she had succumbed to the spell. "Danny is a halfa. Half-ghost, half-human. He can do anything a tangible ghost can do." Jazz then blinked and looked at Danny with horror.
Well, he didn't have to hold back now. He turned intangible expecting to drop, but was miffed to find he was still floating. Glaring at the wand-wielding wizards he formed a blast in his hand. Sensing his powers, the guns above swiftly shot him back to the ground. Well, that was one way to get rid of the spell.
"Fascinating," Hector whistled. "Honestly, this trip is producing way more than I thought it would."
"Danny?" Jack asked with shock. Having recovered from the stunning spell, Jack had woken up in time to hear Jazz's admission and Danny's display of ectoplasm.
"That's not our Danny," Maddie cried. She grabbed the bazooka which was unfortunately within arm's reach. "What have you done to our son, ghost?"
The wizards were stunned into silence as they watched the scene unfold.
Danny winced. "It's me, Mom," he tried to placate. Maddie released the trigger without any hesitation. Danny dodged out of the way only to be hit by his Dad's misfire. The bazooka exploded behind him, sending him flying forward. Before Danny could move Jack grabbed his collar and held him down.
"Mom! Dad! That's really Danny!" Jazz's panicked voice shouted.
Hector and Evelyn's shock soon turned to horror as Jack took out a green knife and held it to Danny's neck. "Uh, Doctor Fenton. I hate to break it to you, but that is your son. I'd put the knife down."
"My son is not made from ectoplasm!"
"Just let him explain!" Jazz pleaded.
"So he can spout some lies? I don't think so." Maddie pulled out a taser from her belt and walked up to Danny. "You're going to tell me exactly what you've done to my son, ghost scum, and then you and I will have a nice chat on the surgical table." She pressed the button mercilessly and Danny's screams penetrated the room.
"That's enough," Evelyn shouted pointing her wand at the same time that Hector pointed his. Together they shouted, "Confringo!"
The spell, however timely it was, had unforeseen consequences when used twofold. Every wizard who had ever learned this spell knew that extreme caution should be taken when using it against another being. In fact, the blasting curse was originally only meant to be used on inanimate objects. In the 1923 Witch Weekly's November volume, professional house wife Claire Oxwhip listed the curse in her article as 'the best method to use when reorganizing your living room furniture or boxes in the attic.' It was used as such by many eager house witches who sought to be better than the envious house elf. Envious was the term used here because only the rich old wizarding families had house elves, and though they were lower in status, it could not be denied that house elves were good at their job.
It wasn't until professor Quentin Trimble, an old headmaster at Hogwarts, had suggested its powerful force be used as a defensive measure that it became commonplace in duels. He even went so far as to place the curse in his third edition of The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection, a book that is still taught today at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry by a Mister Alastor Moody.
Simply put, using the blasting curse on a person was only meant for dire circumstances. And though the circumstances were indeed dire, the double force of the spell struck the Fentons like a maelstrom. Their bodies were crushed into the wall with such force that their vertebrae shattered on impact. Doctors Madeline and Jack Fenton died amongst their beloved weapons and research in the Fentonworks Laboratory. Their last action was doing what they loved most: fighting ghosts.
Danny gasped in agony as he waited for the waves of electricity to cease. He had no idea what was going on beside the volts that were slowly receding. When they finally left he tuned in to the angry voices around him.
"Don't you guys know any healing spells?!" Jazz's frantic voice asked.
"Even if we did, it wouldn't help them now," Evelyn said.
"You killed them!"
"It wasn't our intention," Hector said back.
Danny's core ached, and he had an awful feeling it wasn't from the physical reminder of his death. Sitting up, he looked to where the group had congregated. His parents were on the floor and he knew in that instant that they were dead.
"We were just trying to help your brother," Evelyn stated. Tears welled up in her eyes. "They sounded like they were going to kill him."
At the mention of her brother, Jazz looked at him. A lot was shared in that gaze until Jazz couldn't take it any longer and bursted into tears.
"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry!" Evelyn sobbed next to her. She hadn't planned to be a killer. The situation had escalated to the point where it was out of control. Hector said nothing, but stood behind the pair watching. All the color was gone from his face.
"I am sorry, too," he finally said with resignation. "B-But as Ev said, we were only trying to protect your brother." He looked over at Danny. "Your parents were cruel."
"You didn't even give them the chance to see that they were wrong," Jazz sniffed.
Hector didn't take his eyes off Danny. "I've dealt with people like them long enough to know they would've never backed down." He took a step forward. "You are not safe here, but we can help. We can take you back with us where no one can harm you."
"No one but you, that is," Jazz shouted. She stood up angrily and jabbed a finger in his chest. "You were just talking about Danny as if he was something to be studied!"
"Well, I cannot deny that I'm curious," he admitted. He looked back at Danny. "I bet you're curious about yourself, too. We can learn together."
"You would just place him in another research facility. New hybrids are always placed under heavy surveillance before they are deemed safe to return to society." She gave Danny a scared look. "They would never deem you safe, Danny. They don't understand where your powers come from. Wizards don't know much about tangible ghosts besides what they gained from some war they had with them years ago." Leave it to Jazz to look into ghost-wizard relations on top of muggle-wizard relations.
Hector laughed. "Your sister doesn't know what she's talking about. We even have a portal of our own if you'd like to take a look. What do you say?"
Danny frowned. "No." As if he would ever doubt the one person who had always been there for him. He stood on shaky legs ignoring the throbbing in his chest.
Hector's face darkened. "Then I will have to take you in by force," he concluded, lifting his wand. He quickly sent a stunning spell at Danny who dodged and threw an ectoblast at the man. The blast hit Hector's hand and he dropped his wand at the same time the guns on the ceiling shot at Danny. Finally expecting it, Danny dodged the shots and looked back at Hector who had wrestled Jazz to regain his wand. He sent off another spell, but Jazz jerked his hand upward so that it hit the ceiling.
"Ev, take care of this one," Hector growled, glaring at the eldest Fenton. His attention was taken away as yet another ectoblast was sent his way, and unlike the ectogun, Danny's ectoblasts hurt. Hector pulled up a shield ("Protego!") and was satisfied to see the blast rebound. Good to know.
Evelyn was not ready to come to terms with what she had done, but was willing to put it aside for now. After all, it was what was expected of proper unspeakables. She took a deep breath and looked at Jazz, only to find that she was no longer there. Turning her head, she only had time to glimpse the bottom of a shoe before it hit her in the face.
Jazz had a history of being a poor shot. Granted, Danny spent tireless hours getting her up to speed, she still felt uncomfortable using a gun. For this reason, instead of using the ectogun she had holstered to her hip in her mind-controlled state, she relied on her hand-to-hand combat skills. These skills were not much better, but Jazz had spent a longer time trying to harness them than gun handling. Seeing how her opponent didn't seem to have any fighting experience, save for wand work, Jazz quickly overtook Evelyn. She quickly snatched the wand out of her hand with relief. Wizards were much easier to handle when they didn't have their wands.
Sitting on top of her opponent, Jazz glanced up at Hector and Danny and saw that it had become somewhat of a dance. Hector shot spells and dodged whatever attack Danny thought of and Danny blocked or dodged the spells. The guns above missed him most of the time, but it was getting harder and harder to recover when he was hit. Better that than whatever spell Crazy has cooked up, Danny thought to himself as he rubbed his shoulder from another ectoblast.
Hector used stunning spells with the hope that the boy couldn't dodge forever. He really only wanted to knock the boy out until they got him back to London. It wasn't until Danny had frozen his feet to the ground that irritation took hold. His shots became more erratic as well as more potent. He was missing more and more while Danny got in more shots. He was frustrated that his plan wasn't working.
For Danny, this fight did not feel like any fight he had had before. His core ached with the need of attention while at the same time it demanded action. His heart, on the other hand, just wanted to be left alone to process all that had happened. His parents were- no, focus. They are trying to take you away from Jazz. Jazz! How was she dealing with all this? Not well if their exchanged glance was anything to go by. Focus! Make sure this guy never comes back here again!
Danny formed the nastiest ectoplasmic goop, dodged the guns, and waited for the wizard to break free from his icy constraints. He tossed it into the air so that as Hector took a step forward the goop met its target.
When a ball of goopy green slime landed on his head, hand, and wand, Hector paused and burst into insane laughter. Danny eyed the guy warily but Hector was too engulfed in his thoughts to notice. Of course. This whole time he had been giving direct shots. What he was missing was some creativity. He was a wizard was he not? He looked at the boy menacingly. He could work with this.
"Glacius!"
Danny raised an unimpressed brow at the frozen ground. Did he not establish that he had ice abilities? Did he not think that Danny would be able to handle himself on an icy floor? Danny was caught unaware when a spell rebounded off a wall and hit his feet which instantly became jelly-like.
"Woah!" Danny waved his arms in the air until they found purchase on a pipe coming from the ceiling.
"That won't do," Hector muttered. "Flagrante!"
Danny ducked, thinking the spell would land on him when actually it was intended for the pipe.
"OUCH!" Danny yelled as the pipe turned red with heat. He jerked away only to slip on the ice with his jelly legs.
Danny landed in a heap and slid to a stop in front of the portal. He glared angrily at the guy who stepped forward victoriously. Jazz moved to defend Danny only to have the wand in her hand ripped from behind her.
"Stay where you are," Evelyn warned, pointing her wand. She faltered as she glanced back at the deceased Fentons. "Hector, I sure hope you know what you're doing.," she said, hesitantly.
"Now's not the time for second thoughts, Ev. You'll thank me later," Hector said. He was ready to cast a stunning spell, but took a moment to relish in Danny's defeated glare.
"Wait." Jazz stepped forward. Her options were becoming limited and she could feel herself becoming frantic. If these people were to take Danny back to the ministry, they would never let him leave. Not only that, but news would spread, and more people would be after him. He'd be a bird in a cage. And if the portal…
Hazel eyes met glacial blue. The exchange was brief but it told her enough. She had to protect him here and now. Despite the costs. Danny's eyes turned fearful when Jazz broke the connection.
"If you won't leave us alone, I-I'll destroy the portal w-which would explode, t-taking you with me," she stammered, grabbing every ounce of courage she had. Tears began to fill her eyes with her conviction.
"Jazz..." Danny looked at her horrified.
Hector, however, let out a boisterous laugh. "You're trying too hard, girl. It's easy to see you're bluffing."
Jazz opened her mouth to respond, but Evelyn cut her off. "Enough! It's not like you'll remember any of this in the morning!"
"Then you give me no choice." Jazz pulled her ectogun out and pointed it at Danny. "I'm sorry," she told him. The tears running down her face expressed the truth of the statement as well as the weight of her decision. She released the trigger, hitting Danny in the shoulder and sending him through the portal. Before the wizards could react, Jazz jammed her finger on the genetic lock. The activation of the portal's door echoed against the concrete walls. Above the portal, a red alert flashed, casting a blinking glow throughout the lab. Anger filled the wizards' faces. Jazz glared hatefully back. "You want to dismantle the portal, then fine." She ripped the ecto-filtrator out of the wall. "Enjoy your portal." She tossed the filtrator towards the pair. It exploded before it made contact.
Danny fell through the portal as the doors closed behind him. It took a moment to gather his bearings and determine where he was before he turned around. The pain from the ectogun was the last thing on his mind as he used all his weight to pry open the doors. He couldn't forget what he saw in Jazz's teary-eyed apology. There was fear, remorse, and fiery determination. She had been ready to go through with her threat.
The doors slipped through his fingers as the portal dissolved in thin air. There was no mark or scar left behind in its wake. It was as if it had never been there to begin with. Like the impact of what had caused its disappearance was nothing more than a gentle breeze in the afternoon.
But all Danny could think of was that the doors never disappeared.
"W-What?" he croaked. Dread began to settle as tears threatened to form. The only possibility of what happened ran rampant through his head.
Refusing to accept the thought, a desperate idea floated in his head. Vlad has a portal!
Flying faster than he had ever clocked, Phantom raced through the Infinite Realms. His heart was in his throat when he reached the cliche football that granted entry to Vlad's mansion. He didn't have time to dwell on the password, 'Maddie Masters', as it would churn unwanted emotions of his dead mother. Instead, Phantom quickly punched in Vlad's obvious yet disgusting password and sped through the billionaire's mansion. He was probably setting off every alarm Vlad had, but he couldn't care to use caution.
When Danny finally reached his house, he found what he desperately hoped was not there. In place of his quirky and unique home that had once stood at the corner of the street, there was rubble, ash, and a blazing fire. The house was unrecognizable save for the cracked and sparking Fentonworks sign that lay in the middle of the street. Transforming, Danny fell to his knees. In that moment, he knew his family was dead. Something inside broke and tears began to fall.
.
.
A/N - I've thought long and hard about this. It had to happen.
