Chapter 4: Midnight Troubles
"Yeah, that's me." Danny moved back till he felt his back brush against the stone. Comforted by the fact if they started yelling spells he could just phase through.
"That. Was. Wicked!" The boy with the bright hair edged closer. "How'd you do it? I've never even heard of a spell that makes you go through objects. That has to easily be a Newts-level charm at least!"
"Err…" He didn't know how to answer. What on earth was a Newts? "Well, I… just kind of do it?"
The kid he'd kicked had shifted back to the safety of his friends. Yet he peered at Danny with a puzzled expression. "Do you mean you did it without a wand?"
He just stared dumbfounded at the boy. "…Yeah?"
"That's impossible." Danny was taken by surprise when the girl marched forward, hands on her hips as she glared skeptically. "You can't just cast an advanced-level spell without a wand. That's ridiculous! Not even the greatest wizards of our time can cast high levels of magic without some kind of tool."
"I-" He looked at all four of them, mind racing. "Of...Course I used a wand. Can't you guys take a joke?"
The girl's eyes narrowed further, studying his face. "Really? I didn't see you holding a wand."
"Well, you weren't looking close enough kid."
"Oh lay off him, Hermione." The redhead scoffed, pushing his way past her to get to Danny. "It doesn't matter how he did it. What matters is the look on Professor McGonagall's face. That was priceless!"
The other two laughed as they remembered. But the girl, Hermione, merely scowled and studied Danny. She watched him like a hawk, eyes searching for something that would give away all his secrets. It unnerved him, her stare. It was like she was glaring into his personality.
"Who are you? From what I overheard from the professors none have seen you before. So evidently you're not a student here at Hogwarts."
"I'm Danny. And I am a student." Crossing his arms Danny frowned. She was way too nosy for her own good.
She didn't like his answer. "You-"
"I'm Ron Weasley." The first boy cut in, amusingly offering a hand to shake. "The talkative one here's Hermione."
The girl huffed in reply, turning her attention to other things.
"And I'm Neville Longbottom."
Danny cringed and rubbed the back of his neck when he saw the kid was still holding his stomach. "Sorry. I've got a killer front kick. Though I wasn't expecting to find anyone lying on the floor."
Neville simply smiled and shook his head. "It's okay. It's my fault I got locked out of the common room in the first place."
Though he smiled, he just seriously wanted to get out of there. But didn't want to appear rude in front of the girl's investigating eye. "Okay, so we have Ron, Hermione, and Neville." He pointed to each of them in turn and looked over to the last member of the group." And you are?"
The boy with the glasses hesitated, almost like he was afraid to answer. It was a curious response; one Danny hadn't expected. Was the kid afraid of him? It wouldn't surprise him if he did. The people of Amity Park were terrified at the mere sight of a ghost. It was possible that witches and wizards held the same opinions.
"I'm Harry…Harry Potter."
Danny could feel the others turn their eyes onto him, almost like they were waiting for him to respond, especially the girl. He felt nervous from all the attention and looked away from the stares. Was this kid's name such a big deal?
"Harry then. Nice to meet you."
The boy blinked up at him in disbelief, his green eyes confused. To Danny, it seemed like his reply wasn't the answer he'd been expecting him to say. Ron opened his mouth to speak but Harry quickly cut him off, cheeks reddening.
"Nice to meet you too! Well look, Neville and-" Harry quickly looked back at him. "-Danny, right? We've got to be somewhere so we'll see you later-"
"-Don't leave me!" Neville cried out as the boys started to leave, making everyone flinch at the noise. "I don't want to stay here alone! The Bloody Baron's been passed twice already!"
Ron rolled his eyes and looked back up at Hermione and Neville, an annoyed look on his face. "If either of you gets us caught, I'll never rest until I've learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about, and use it on both of you."
Hermione was about to protest but Harry quickly shushed her and beckoned the group forward. Danny watched the four stroll away with amusement. So even in a magical school there were rule-breakers. But he was curious as to what on earth those kids were doing so late at night. Sir Nicholas had told him the teachers patrolled the school at night to protect them. So whatever these kids were doing couldn't be safe. But the mission of hunting down the shade came first.
"Aren't you coming?" Danny stopped in his tracks when Neville called back to him.
"Best I don't. You guys might get in trouble because of me."
Yet Ron ignored his response and nodded excitedly. "You should come! Malfoy will regret challenging us when we turn up with the guy who used advanced magic. He and Crabbe will be petrified at the thought you'll do something to them!"
Danny couldn't help but feel a twinge of irritation. He didn't like to be used. Especially as a means to bully someone else for their enjoyment. But… he shrugged, realizing if the shade was stalking the halls, then these guys could be in danger. "Fine. I'll guess I could tag along for a bit."
The boys seemed thrilled he was coming, Ron the most. " This is going to be amazing!"
"It won't be amazing when you're expelled," Hermione whispered, earning a glare from Ron.
The group began to sneak through the school, and Danny watched on in amusement. They darted along corridors, jumping at every noise. When they spotted Danny casually walking with his hands in his pockets they sent him dirty looks. But he knew they weren't in any danger. Even with how amateur they were sneaking, he would immediately hear if something approached. And if he did, he had plenty of time to warn them.
They returned to the giant marbled staircase, and after a pause rushed up the third floor. They dashed along, quickly making their way inside a room labeled "Trophy room". He remembered this room from Nicholas's tour, "A room dedicated to the achievements of Hogwarts greatest, I among them you know!" The kids made their way to the far wall, edging along it instead of walking through the many glass displays, holding cups, shields, and plates sitting in towering cases.
In the far corner, they finally stopped and listened for any sound. To Danny's surprise, Harry and Ron pulled out sticks from their back pockets and held them up like swords. That must be those wands they were talking about. He peered at the wands closer. Other than the carved handle there was nothing oddly special about them.
"He's late. Maybe he's chickened out," Ron whispered. The others nodded, and a feeling of relief passed around them. Obviously, they didn't want to come here in the first place.
Abruptly a low scraping sound echoed from the far corner of the room, making them all freeze.
A door had creaked open, a strange shuffling as something dragged along the ground, an evil chortle ringing out. "Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner."
With a glance at the terror-struck kids Danny enhanced his vision, eyes flickering green. He caught sight of a shadowly man slinking into the room, followed by a large tabby cat. For a horrid moment, he thought it was the Cat lady again. Only to relax when this cat had different markings and colors.
He felt a small tug on his sleeve as Harry signaled madly to follow. The others pressed themselves closer to the wall, scurrying towards a door on the other side of the room. Their new threat moved leisurely around, the amber glow of an oil lamp lighting his way. "They're in here somewhere…Probably hiding."
Sneaking through the door they found themselves in a long gallery full of suits of armour. Harry pressed his finger to his lips and guided them down the hall. Their footsteps tapped softly on the marble floor, ringing a little too much for Danny's liking. A thud from behind them thundered out and Neville squeaked in fright. Bolting forward he tripped.
As he fell Neville grabbed onto Ron's arm and the two fell right into one of the large suits of armour. Danny tried to dash forward and grab the back of Neville's shirt, but it was too late. There was a mighty crash as bits of the metal clanged against the stone as the armor went flying.
"Run!" yelled Harry.
They ran without thinking of the threat, no longer caring how much noise they were making. Danny hesitated to follow, wanting to just go invisible. Those students would probably get caught and thrown into detention- or whatever magic schools did for detention. Yet he couldn't just disappear! He chewed his lip, torn about leaving those kids. What if they got into trouble? What if they bumped into the shade and got seriously hurt? He couldn't let that happen on his watch.
He swiftly caught up to them, glancing behind to see if the man had opened the door yet. It remained closed, for now.
"In here!" Hissed Harry, surprising Danny as he pulled back a tapestry to reveal a hidden passage. They tumbled in, running down the dusty cobweb-filled passage. After what seemed like forever they burst through the other side, now miles away from the trophy room.
"I think we've lost him." Harry sputtered through gasps. The others were all doubled over trying to catch their breath, Neville sounded like he could barely breathe through his nose. Seeing it would look weird if he wasn't breathless himself Danny intensified his breathing, leaning against the wall trying to look drained. Looks like all those times faking he was still pathetic in gym class were paying off.
"I told…you," Hermione panted, clutching her side. "I told you this…would happen."
"We've got to get back to Gryffindor Tower," Ron muttered. "Before we get caught."
"Good thing it's safe now." Danny spun back to the hidden passage, listening for any sound of heavy footsteps. "It doesn't look like he followed us. You got lucky."
"Doesn't mean we're safe from Filch. He and Ms. Norris are looking out for us now. Just our luck he ends up reporting to the professors about us."
Danny looked curiously at Ron, eyebrow raised. As fun as it was to run around with these kids, he still had no idea why they were out there. "That reminds me. What on earth were you guys doing up to in the trophy room? Doubt you wanted to do some late-night sightseeing."
Harry had just recovered his breath, reddening at Danny's question. "We kind of accepted a challenge to fight in a wizard's duel."
"A dual?"
"Yeah…"
Despite himself, he couldn't hide his amusement at the talk of "dueling". He couldn't imagine it, these two and some other kids fighting with a bunch of sticks in their hands. At least it would have been fascinating to watch.
"Malfoy tricked you," Hermione scolded, pushing her mass of curls out of her face. "You realize that, don't you? He was never going to meet you. Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room and Malfoy must have been the one who tipped him off."
The boys didn't answer her, instead tried to ignore her completely. But the redness on the tips of their ears told them they both realized they had fallen into a trap. Harry straightened, checking the hall to see if they were still safe. "Let's get out of here."
Suddenly Danny gasped, icy mist pouring out of his mouth before he could stop it. In the moonlight, the others saw it too.
They all stared at each other in shock. Danny stunned a ghost was nearby and the kids were because he was unexpectedly spewing fog in front of them.
Hermione was the first to speak. "What was-"
The doorknob of a classroom rattled and in a whoosh, something came shooting out with a cackling laugh. The kids twisted around and groaned in unison, obviously knowing who it was. But Danny stiffened, loosening his shoulders at the ready at the sight of the little ghost in front of them. This ghost wasn't like Lady Grey, it was like him. Glowing, real, and very solid.
The small ghost twisted in the air above them, his bold, patchwork suit making him into a flash of multiple colors, a jester hat jingly on his head. His curly, black hair floated wildly about his face as he spotted them, squealing in delight.
"Shut up, Peeves." Hissed out Ron. "Please- you'll get us thrown out."
The ghost cackled, waggling his finger at the kids. "Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties?"
"Please Peeves! Shut it!"
Peeves giggled at their distress but stopped short at the sight of Danny. He whizzed over their heads, hovering until he was right in front of his face. Danny didn't flinch, merely glaring back at the ghost defiantly. This odd, non-student behavior caused the little ghost to frown, befuddled at what he was sensing from him.
"Somin's off about you. You feel different from all the little kiddies around Hogwarts. What are ya?"
Danny scowled and crossed his arms, debating whether to flash his eyes green to give him his answer. But then he remembered the others.
"I think you're mistaken, kid."
Peeves gasped and puffed out his chest, faking an offended look. "Peeves ain't no little kid! I'm a full-grown, responsible adult!"
Danny raised an eyebrow. He doubted that.
They glared at each other, tense. To Danny's disappointment, Peeves moved ever closer, frowning as he tried to figure out what he was sensing. "You feel like a ghosty. But you've got living weirdness mixed in too…Weirdo."
Danny twitched and flicked his eyes back to the kids, a counter to his remark already forming on his lips. Peeves caught the movement, breaking eye contact with him and like a switch his attention back to the students, Danny forgotten.
"Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty."
"Not if you don't give us away. Peeves, please," Harry begged.
Danny noted the curious look Hermione was giving him. Damn! She really was too smart for her own good!
"Should tell Filch, I should," said Peeves almost kindly, but his eyes glittered wickedly. "It's for your own good, you know."
"Get out of the way!" snapped Ron, and to both Danny and Peeves's surprise, punched out at him. Peeves merely when intangible and Ron's fist passed harmlessly through. However, the ghost cackled and took a deep breath.
"STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves bellowed, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!"
The kids didn't wait and ran from the yelling ghost. Danny however, was a bit more uncertain. Seeing how Peeves was grinning madly he recognised the ghost was merely playing tricks on them. Relaxing at the thought Peeves wasn't about to start shooting rays everywhere Danny followed the kids, who had made it to a door at the other end of the hall. Ron grabbed its handle and pulled; only to find it locked.
"This is it!" He groaned as he tugged helplessly at the door. "We're done for! This is the end!"
Footsteps began to sound at the other end of the hall as Peeves shouting grew shriller.
"Oh, move over." Hermione snarled. She grabbed Harry's wand and tapped the lock. "Alohomora!"
With a gentle click, the door swung open. They tumbled in, quickly shutting it behind them. The kids quickly pressed their ears to the door, listening for danger. But Danny was looking into the room, hoping to survey it before they entered. Yet he stared in horror at what was in front of him. No way, that thing couldn't possibly be real!
"Which way did they go, Peeves?"
In the edge of Danny's mind he could hear Filch talking to the ghost. But he could only focus on the giant sleeping form across from him.
"Say please."
"Don't mess with me Peeves, now where did they go?"
"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please."
"All right — please."
Danny watched as the thing started to wake, its noses twitching. He felt Neville turn from the door and caught sight of it too, a slight choke coming from his throat.
"NOTHING! Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn't say anything if you didn't say please! Haha! Haaaaaa!"
There was a loud string of curses and the sound of heavy footsteps moving away before the hallway they came from fell silent.
"He thinks this door is locked," Harry whispered in relief. "I think we'll be okay — get off, Neville! What?"
The other three finally turned and saw the horror Danny and Neville were seeing. The boys paled while Hermione squeaked, gripping Harry's wand tighter.
It was a dog, a massive dog that glared down at them. On its stocky body were three snarling heads, fangs bared and drooling. The creature observed them for a bit, lifting one of its giant paws and banging it to the floor. The kids were frozen in fear, trembling as it edged closer, sniffing.
Danny's mind raced. What was he going to do? Fighting this guy wouldn't be difficult. Only if he was alone, that is. With the kids here the risk of them getting hurt was way too high for him to take. He flinched out of his thoughts as the dog snarled. Without warning it sprung at them, jaws snapping.
The kids screamed, reaching for the door handle. But Danny didn't hesitate. He threw himself in front of them. In seconds he transformed, bright light startling both the dog and the students. He raised his hand's palms and called forth the strongest shield he could, green light fizzing in his hands.
It slammed into his shield with an almighty clang. Finding the way blocked the three-headed dog thrashed upon the barrier, clawing and chewing at the surface. Gritting his teeth Danny glanced over his shoulder noticing they were just standing there watching him with the door half-opened, jaws dropped and shaking.
"W-What-"He struggled as the dog strengthened its attack. "-Why are you just standing there?"
Danny huffed. Digging his feet into the stone and with a grunt flung his shield away, sending the dog soaring down the corridor with it.
"Run!" Danny thundered, snapping them out of their shock. Without another word they bolted from the room. Danny quickly followed and slammed the door shut, thankful to hear it lock. He watched them sprint away and sighed. Great, now he'll have to explain why he suddenly transformed into a glowing hazmat-wearing ghost.
As he was about to fly after them he saw Peeves fade into visibility. The little man giggled and took a deep breath, ready to once again reveal their position. Danny shot forward, hands raised.
"STU-"
Quickly he covered Peeves's mouth with a gloved hand. "I wouldn't if I was you. Don't you know the story of the boy who cried wolf?"
Peeves turned, eyes widening as he saw a ghost behind him. Danny grinned. "It doesn't end well for the boy."
He felt the ghost gulp, pushing out of his grip. "Where'd you come from!? Never seen a ghosty like you before."
Danny chuckled back, letting a little of his energy ball in his palm. "I'm new."
Peeves gave him a nervous grin, backing away. He obviously wasn't the fighting kind of ghost. However, before Peeves hit the wall he froze, as if seeing him for the first time. "Wait a sec…You're that boy with the Firsties! But how'd you turn into a ghost?"
"Doesn't matter how. Just stop yelling."
There was a pause. A moment where the two began to size the other one up. Then suddenly Peeves reached down to one of the display cases lining the wall and threw a vase at Danny's head. He caught it easily before it hit the wall, grimacing. "Hey, throwing things at someone you've just met isn't nice. Not that I can talk…"
Peeves yelped passing through the wall and Danny quickly followed. They ended up in a small classroom filled with rows of desks, the blackboard covered in strange symbols. Peeves flew to the teacher's desk, grabbing chalk dusters and a handful of books without touching them. The items flew around the ghost as Peeves snarled and started throwing them at Danny. But he went intangible, not bothering to dodge the pathetic throws this time.
"Hey- Would you, - Hey! -OKAY STOP!"
Peeves froze, book hovering above his head as Danny raised his palms. He waited, thinking Peeves had finally come to his senses.
"Okay… Now, let's…let's talk, alright Peeves?"
Peeves hurled the book at him.
"Alright, that's it! No more fun and games." He dodged the final book and sent off a weak blast, sending the ghost crashing into the wall in a cloud of chalk.
Danny glided over before the little ghost could make a run for it and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him close. "Okay listen up pal, because I'm only going to say this once." Peeves gulped and nodded wildly.
"You leave those kids alone. From what I saw they did nothing to you. And you better not tell anyone about me. And I mean anyone Peeves! Because if you do-" Danny let his eyes flash brighter. "I'm not going to throw just books at you."
"Y-Yes Yes! Poor old Peeves gets its. Won't tell any living soul about your half-livingness. And dead afterness too! I gety's!"
Danny let go of his suit and Peeves shot up, nodding so fast it was a wonder his neck didn't snap. "I leave you right alone if you leave poor, weak, old me alone too."
"You got it."
Peeves high-tailed out of the room in a flash and Danny prayed the ghost would keep his word. He sighed and scratched the back of his head. Sometimes he hated being a bully to ghosts. But, the brute force seemed to work…Most of the time anyway.
He gasped. The kids! He had completely forgotten about them!
He went invisible and soared out of the room, following the route they had come. It didn't take long for him to find them, they were almost back to where they first met. That, and they seriously made way too much noise.
Quickly he flew ahead and faded back into visibility. They halted dead in their run, Neville quickly squeaking in terror. But Danny quickly saw to cover his mouth.
"Shhhhhh!" He hissed, looking around. "You don't want that mad cat guy coming back do you?"
Once he saw Neville or the others weren't going to start screaming, he removed his hand. "Good. That's better."
"Who…What are you." Hermione gasped, eyes glued to Danny's form curiously.
"Not here." Danny straightened his legs and turned back to normal with a soft thud. "We're way too much in the open, and who knows who could be listening…"
The kids blinked from the light, still uncertain. Danny sighed and thumbed behind him. "Come on, you guys said something about a common room?"
They stared at him speechless before Harry snapped out of his shock and took the lead. Danny stayed close behind, eyeing the hallway for anyone who might have seen his change. Confident no one had, he closed his eyes and tried to fight a sudden wave of fatigue. He was getting so tired from all this drama today.
The kids were edgy with Danny behind them, but they walked in silence till they came back to the spot where the five of them had first met. Harry walked up to a painting of a very large lady in an old vintage-looking dress.
To Danny's absolute amazement, the lady moved, smoothing out her frilly dress as she stood from her chair. It was even more surprising when she spoke.
"Where on earth have you all been?"
"Never…mind- pig snout, pig snout," Harry said in a hurry and the portrait swung forward, revealing a narrow passageway.
They scrambled in, quickly looking back to see if Danny followed. He did, hesitantly after the whole talking painting thing. Entering the dark, round archway they made their way forward, till they entered a circular room filled with comfy chairs and thick rugs. The air was warm and smoky from a large fireplace, the stone around it carved with a pair of lions. There was a homey yet expensive air to the room, making Danny suddenly feel drained. Everything that had happened to him in the past few days catching up. He yawned. The soft chair by the fireplace looked extremely inviting.
"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in the school?" Ron finally broke the silence. "I mean, has the headmaster lost his marbles!?"
Danny was glad the others had turned their attention away from him, quietly staggered over to one of the armchairs and sank into the plush cushions. It was like heaven to his back after sleeping on a hard wooden floor. Not to mention laying on the rock all day in the Ghost Zone. He exhaled closing his eyes and propping his feet up on the footrest.
"You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" Hermione snapped. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"
"The floor?" Harry still sounded shaken from the events. "I wasn't looking at its feet, I… was too busy with its heads and-"
Danny could feel their eyes land on him. He sunk lower into the chair, pretending to be asleep and avoid questions they might send his way.
Hermione huffed. "No not the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. Obviously, it was guarding something."
Now that caught Danny's attention, no matter how exhausted he was. The dog was protecting something? The shade maybe. Or perhaps something else? That little bit of information was definitely important.
"Who cares if it was guarding something!? I'm never going to think about that monster again!" Ron spat out.
Neville finally spoke. "I-I'm with Ron on this one. We shouldn't be messing with stuff like this…w-we…"
"Almost got eaten by a three-headed dog, that's what." Harry finished off.
To Danny, their voices were starting to get further away, muffled to his ears as he began to drift off. He yawned again, head dropping.
"Danny!" Hermione had walked up to him without him noticing. When he didn't respond, she repeated his name louder, kicking the footrest. He frowned, suddenly confused as to who was yelling at him.
"What is it, Jazz?"
"…W-What!? Aren't you going to answer my question? What are you? You're not a student, you're not even a wizard! And you just took on the Cerberus like it was nothing!"
Danny rubbed his eyes and stretched, remembering where he was. "Tomorrow alright. I'm too tired to start explaining things. I just…need some shut-eye." He leaned back into the chair, returning his head to his chest.
"Unbelievable!" He heard her walk off towards the others. "I hope you two are pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed or worse, expelled. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed before anything else tries to kill us."
There was a sound of feet stomping away and Ron snorting. "No, we don't mind… You'd think we dragged her along, wouldn't you."
The others didn't reply and Danny suspected they must have left. Yet he jerked when a hand grabbed his shoulder, eyes swirling between blue and green as he wrenched them open. Harry jumped back in fright, hands raised and eyes nervous.
"...Are you alright?"
Danny blinked, shaking his head. "Yeah, just…really worn-out…"
He closed his eyes and could feel himself losing consciousness again. Why couldn't these kids just leave him alone and let him sleep?
There was the sound of footsteps on the carpet. "What should we do?"
"He can't stay here. Someone might come down later."
"Where else can he go? We don't know which…no if Hermione's right he wouldn't have a house, would he?"
Neville coughed. "He could stay in our dorm?"
"I guess" Danny could literally hear Harry's frown. "But won't we get in trouble?"
"We've already broken the rules twice today. I doubt breaking them again isn't going to make much of a difference."
This time they were more cautious in waking him up, pulling Danny back to his feet. He was annoyed, but let them guide him up a flight of stairs. Right now, he didn't care what happened or where they were going, as long as it was somewhere he could sleep in peace. Near the top they quickly entered a room, shutting the door quietly behind them. Though not quite quiet enough.
"Ugh…what's going on guys?" a voice echoed out in the darkness.
"Go back to sleep Dean," Ron said bluntly.
"Hey, isn't-?"
"Shut it, Dean!"
Neville appeared with a quilt and a pillow he had pulled out from somewhere. "What are we going to do? We could share-"
Ron cut in. "There's no way I'm-"
Danny snatched the quilt and pillow from Neville, quickly draped it over his shoulders, and cocooned himself in it. Dropping the pillow he all but plummeted onto the rug-covered floor, right in the center of the room. He ignored the amazed pause from everyone and got comfortable immediately, falling into a deep sleep. Finally, a comfy spot to sleep, at last.
The boys watched as Danny rapidly fell asleep insanely fast, his breathing becoming even at once. Neville had headed to his bed, whispering to Dean about stumbling across the older boy in the hallway, coming up with a story to let it slide over him.
Ron leaned over to Harry, muttering softly so the others couldn't hear. "What do you think he is?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know… he transformed into something that helped him fight the dog. I bet it's the same magic he used at breakfast. And did you see his eyes? Creepy."
Harry frowned, recalling the scene in his mind as much as he could. "Can't all wizards do stuff like that? Transform into things, like how Professor McGonagall can turn into a cat."
"No. Animagus is completely different from what this guy did. I mean… he could be a Metamorphagi… But they're so rare."
Ron caught Harry's dumbfounded look and explained, remembering his new friend still didn't know much about the wizarding world yet. "Animagus wizards are the ones who can turn into animals. Metamorphagi changes what they look like."
"So…Danny changed his appearance?"
"Yeah…but it doesn't explain the green barrier… Wait- he just used magic without a wand! Of course, wizards can do small bits of magic without their wands. But to make a strong barrier out of thin air! That breaks all the laws of magic."
"Unless he's not a wizard."
"Then what could he be?"
They both looked at Danny, unease starting to fill their minds. Was it even safe bringing him up here? For all the boys knew this teen could be some dangerous creature that might attack them in the middle of the night. They jumped as the teen suddenly groaned, eyebrows furrowed as he muttered something into his pillow the boys couldn't understand. With a sigh, Danny rolled over in his sleep, apparently plagued with some troubling dream.
Harry sighed. "Whatever he is we'll find out tomorrow. Let's get some sleep."
"If I can sleep. All I'm going to dream about is getting eaten by that monster."
"Me too."
Harry crawled into bed and Ron quickly did the same. However, he found he couldn't doze off, his mind racing with what had happened. He heard Ron's light snoring start and soon the others were all fast asleep. But still, Harry lay on his back looking at the crack in his curtains, moonlight streaming into the room.
Hermione's words stuck in his mind. That dog was guarding something. Could it be the item Hagrid took from the safe? It made sense, after all. Hagrid did say whatever it was would be safest at Hogwarts.
He turned his head, seeing the boy's form faintly in the moonlight on the floor. Then there was Danny. Who was he? What actually was he? If Hermione was right, he had no reason to be at the school. Harry removed his glasses, placed them gently on his side table and sighed, laying back down.
Danny didn't know who he was. When Harry had told him his full name he didn't get all excited or in awe of him like most did. No, he had merely shrugged, not bothered in the slightest what his name meant. Either Danny didn't care he was Harry Potter, the boy who'd lived or he seriously didn't know anything about him. But it didn't make sense. Danny might not be a wizard, but he still was part of the magical world. Right?
Just as Harry turned to his side he heard Danny roll over again, muttering. But this time his face must not have been muffled by the pillow, and Harry faintly caught what he said.
"No…I'm not…you... don't kill them…"
Harry closed his eyes, those words ringing in his head as he finally drifted into sleep. In the end, he dreamed of snarling dogs and Danny's glowing green eyes, followed by a bright green flash and an oddly familiar, high-pitched scream.
AN: After reading some of the reviews I've decided to post the timeline I use. Of course, I removed any characters/events that haven't appeared yet. It's loosely based on the fan timeline of DP, but I pushed it forward a little to fit.
1991 – Harry Potter (11) starts at Hogwarts (Danny arrives at Hogwarts, Chapter 6: Potion Master.)
1992 – Harry Potter stops Voldemort from getting the stone/ in AU, and is killed. Note* Jack and Maddie marry.
1993 - Jazz is born (If AU, a war between Magic Folks and Muggles breaks out.)
1994 – Jazz is 1 year old, (If AU, Jack and Maddie are killed.)
1995- Danny is born.
1996 to 2008. Nothing I can say…
2009 – Danny becomes a Half Ghost. (14)
2010 – Danny (15) fights his evil self, then 4 days later travels back in time to 1991. ( Episode 10, The Fright Before Christmas has not happened yet!) Note* Harry is now 31.