Chapter 8: My Dear Nemesis

Quickly Danny moved into action. Flipping around he landed back on the stone floor, getting ready for anything. He could feel the wizard tense next to him, raising his wand higher. Danny himself tensed at the thought of another skirmish with this weird ghost. Yet Luna didn't appear like she wanted a fight just yet. Remaining where she was against the pillar she calmly watched them, arms loosely crossed in front.

A completely crazy thought crossed Danny's mind, if he played this right he could have a chance to get some well-needed information.

Stepping in front of Severus so he didn't have a clear shot to blast her, Danny tried to give the impression he wasn't unruffled about her sudden arrival.

"What are you doing here?"

The other ghost snorted in amusement. "It's Halloween. Nothing wrong with a little ghost haunting."

"Yeah? Well, I don't think you're exactly welcome here anymore," He crossed his arms as she suddenly came closer, giving the wizard a warning glance over his shoulder. He wouldn't have minded one bit if Severus blasted her into tomorrow, but that would only end in disaster. He turned back with a drawn-out sigh. "After what happened, I'm surprised to see you're still standing."

"Likewise. Bailing on you wasn't part of my plan."

Danny couldn't help himself. "So you didn't plan on becoming holey? Shame; I think it suited you."

Luna laughed and rubbed the spot which once was nothing but a gaping hole. "Word of advice kid, wouldn't recommend getting hit by that anti-ectoplasm spell. Hurts like hell…"

"Thanks. I'll put that down in my notes. Right next to the one about getting strangled by loopy ghosts."

She huffed, a twitch of a smile crossing her lips. "Wise move. Not going berserk this time but instead trying the witty banter. I see you're finally learning."

His eyes narrowed at the comment. "What the hell are you playing at? I know you've got some plan for all of this chaos with Harry and Voldemort, but I've got no idea why you're suddenly acting all chummy?"

"Good question." Luna then turned her gaze to Severus, a bored expression on her pale face. "Don't you have a troll to take down? If you don't hurry soon, you're going to miss the show."

The wizard bristled with fury at her command and he raised his wand towards her. But just as the spell was about to part his lips Danny stopped him. "Go."

"You cannot seriously-"

Danny turned his back on Luna- even though months of ghost fighting told him it was the worst thing to do. "This is between me and her. You have to go and warn everyone about the troll." He winked as Severus merely glared down. Danny rolled his eyes when he saw the wizard wasn't appearing to get his "hint".

"I'll handle this; you just go deal with the troll." He repeated, quickly mouthing Albus. The wizard only showed a small twitch of his lip that he had caught onto the message and without another word hobbled away.

Turning back to the issue at hand Danny felt his stomach drop when he saw Luna had an amused smirk on her face. Crud, did she spot the message? But if she had, she didn't say anything, merely waiting for him to continue. It was awkward, the uneasy silence. Added to the fact the sounds of panic in the school still faintly echoed down the halls.

"Well, are you going to answer my question or what?"

Startling him Luna walked away to lean against the windowsill, now paying no mind to him. It made for an uncomfortable stalemate, Danny unsure what to do at the lack of fight she was showing. At least this small moment of nothing gave him a chance to think about the situation. And observe his enemy for the first time.

It baffled him that right here was the ghost who had changed time. This ghost who constantly looked like she was suspended in water, was the one who was trying to kill Harry and bring back the evilest of wizards? Danny knew what villainous ghosts were like and how they worked; his life was full of them. They boomed out diabolical plans, proclaimed themselves the greatest of all ghosts, and made his school nights a waking nightmare.

But Luna acted differently from what he was used to. Sure she'd shown in their last fight she could be cruel, brutal and didn't care one bit if he got hurt. But she was too calm right now, too sure of herself that it put him right on edge. Instead of telling him how stupid he was and smashing him into the ground, right now Luna just behaved too... normal. She was an all-new kind of enemy for him, one completely unpredictable.

"You know," Luna said loudly, making him jump. "I really do love Hogwarts. It's got a sort of charm to it that I've never seen in a place. Reckon there's no other place like it in the world. Though... maybe that's not quite true."

He remained silent. Let her rattle on. The longer she did the sooner Albus could come and deal with her. And the less chance he'd have to fight her.

Looking down at her fingers she rubbed them together, frowning like something was wrong with them. "It's got ancient magic protecting it, that's for sure. Difficult to remain within, and even more difficult to manage. Takes a lot of energy to deal with a place like this. And it's protected by more than just complex enchantments. Fortification Runes have to be etched in here somewhere…"

He tried to follow her, but he had no clue what she was talking about. Could she mean Hogwarts had ways to keep her out, like old spells or something? But that couldn't be right, she was right here.

Luna sighed, resting her head on top of her arms. "So full of dark history, this place. So full of secrets…"

He couldn't keep silent anymore. "…You're full of secrets."

Blinking, Luna looked over her shoulder at him, like she just remembered he was there. "Hey, I'm trying to give you a break. Be nice."

"You're being freaky, that's what. Can't you act as normal villains do? You know, brag about your evil plans so I can figure out how to stop you?"

"I'm not making it that easy Danny."

He huffed as she fully turned around. For a moment she seemed to debate something, uncertain as they both stared each other down. Each knew their talking was only delaying a fight. Even now in a way, they were battling.

She ran her tongue along her teeth, tone becoming serious. "Secrets are everything kiddo. They hide truths. Protect others from the truths and bury things one should never know. You of all people should understand, what with your own secret."

"Yeah, but my secret won't kill anybody."

"Not true." She grinned, fangs flashing. "You're protecting yourself from getting killed."

He stilled. No matter how much he hated to admit it she was somewhat right. He always worried about what would happen if everyone learned he was half ghost. Visions of being captured, examined and dissected by his parents or faceless scientists haunted him in the early nights of his powers. That fear had only increased when the Guys in White had shown up in Amity Park. Not seeming to care about all the good he had done.

He shook his head from the thought and glided closer to her, crossing his arms tightly. "What are you now, some sort of shrink?"

"A shrink? Pfff. Of course not! If anything I'm the one who needs a shrink."

Interesting. So Luna admitted she was completely crazy? " Good. Glad I'm not the only one who thinks you're insane."

She smiled somewhat smugly and drifted over to him till she was right in front. "No ghost's truly sane. Deep down all of us are bonkers. Some just more than others."

Worried at her nearness Danny drifted back. However, she made no move to attack him. Her expression was quiet as she crossed her arms, black hair madly swaying like it had been caught in a current.

"Sometimes kiddo to stay sane in this life, you must destroy your humanity and in turn yourself. That's the only way you can survive."

His mouth suddenly went dry. Those words sounded so much like what had happened in his alternate future. And it wasn't the first time she'd mentioned she knew. "How do you know?" He whispered back.

The panicked, puzzled look she gave only made him angrier. "Know about that. About Him. Only Clockwork and my friends should know. Is it… is it because you can control time?"

He noted her look of relief. It was so quick he almost missed it. Why she was relieved at his question he didn't know, not that he cared. He was still trying to understand how they were still talking and not punching each other.

"I don't control time. Can't. That honor goes to the Master of Time and he alone. I can just… move through it."

He frowned. "Then how did you change time then? And how come Clockwork can't fix it?" Danny knew he was pushing his luck. Any moment she might snap and realize she was telling things she shouldn't. Quickly he glanced at the way Severus had left. What was taking him so long?

"Like I said; I move. If I, let's say, killed Albus when he arrived, I'd just change the future and the whole timeline. And everything will change into a new path." She snickered when Danny's face dropped in horror. So she had noticed his message! "As for Clockwork, even the Master of Time's got his rules-"

"-I won't let you." He raised a glowing green hand, keeping his voice as steady as he could muster. "I'm not letting you kill anyone here. You got that?"

"Could you really though?" Gradually Luna edged closer until his building blast was almost touching her chest. Her amber eyes turned into slits as her hair fanned out around her, making Danny realize just intimidating she could be.

"Could you really stop me from killing Albus?"

He refused to let himself gulp in front of her and nodded. It was the way she had said it. The abrupt, almost predator aura suddenly pooled off her. The energy faulted in his hand.

"What about," She whispered, eyes never leaving his. "Could you stop me from killing you?"

There was no warning. One minute she was gazing down at him and the next her hand was at his throat, nails lightly brushing his exposed skin. It took Danny seconds to realize what was about to happen before he dashed away, putting as much distance between them as he could. His heart thumped madly in his chest as he squeaked to a stop. Luna watched him without emotion, her hand still hovering in the air where his neck had just been.

"You won't kill me." He said with a weak smile. Couldn't let his nervousness show. "You said so yourself; killing me would be digging your own grave to your plans. Besides, do you think I'd even let you?"

"Not yet."

A shiver trickled down his spine when she said those words with the same blank, expressionless stare. All the humor had drained from her voice, replaced with nothing but a cold, heartless tone. The mood swing made Danny quickly draw forth his intangibility, ready to disappear beneath the floor if he had to.

Leisurely Luna let her arm drop and almost like she had become bored of him, drifted away. Relief filled him as he let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, feeling the tension leave his body. That had been weird, the sudden personality change hadn't been what he had expected. Now that was how his ghostly enemies acted.

As he watched her float down the hall, confused about whether to let her leave or blast her while her back was turned. Suddenly he remembered the real reason he had been stalling her in the first place. He needed to keep her here till Albus arrived and couldn't let her wander the school on her own.

With a groan, he called out to her. "Wait! You didn't answer my question."

She froze, looking back with vacant eyes. "Haven't I?"

"No!"

"Oh…that's such a shame, for you..."

Sighing loudly Luna dropped through the floor, disappearing below. Danny tugged at his messy hair in frustration. He couldn't believe she was toying with him again!

Racing after her through the halls below, Luna sunk deeper down into the lower levels of the castle. She wasn't hard to follow. As he rounded each corner she would slow down slightly, almost like she was letting him follow her. Rushing through the entrance hall the pair ended up at the deepest part of the dungeons. And it didn't take long for Danny to figure out where she was heading.

The ghost portal shimmered in its vivid aqua light as they entered the tiny room. Once there Luna drifted unhurried to the portal, twisting slowly in the air to face him while Danny readily himself for yet another weird talk or worse. With no way for Albus to reach them. All too aware things could get serious fast.

He floated closer, holding back a wince when his chest ached near the portal. The familiar icy feeling spread from the spot, growing stronger with every breath. Shuddering he tried to rub the ache away. Couldn't afford one of those strange cold attacks now.

The ghost turned back to him, her back resting slightly against the frame of the portal. Running a hand through the ectoplasm she drew her attention back to him, all hostilely she had shown moments ago gone. "So, you want answers, huh? I guess… a few clues couldn't hurt."

Wary at the sudden return of her mood, Danny found himself crossing his arms again. "That would be nice since I have no clue who you are."

"That's an easy one. My name is Lu-"

"I already know your name!" He snapped, starting to get annoyed with her games and from her grin, she knew it.

"No need to get mad alright? I'll tell you soon enough…Maybe. You are such a good little detective after all."

She was mocking him again! He scowled and raised a glowing hand. "Stop avoiding the question!"

His threat made Luna sigh, shoulders slumping in mocked defeat. "Fine, I guess I'll continue from where I was so rudely interrupted." She pretended to clear her throat. "Let's see, where was I? Ah, that's it …It's hard to see now, but I'm not your villain! I'm so much more than that Danny, I'm trying to correct everything."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "That's... it? "Correct everything"? So, your idea of correcting a timeline is killing an eleven-year-old boy and reviving an evil wizard, who will start a magical world war that will end up destroying the whole world? I take back what I said; you're not insane, you're psychopathic."

She hissed, her hair suddenly whipping around her head. "That was uncalled for!"

Danny grinned, so he hit a tender spot. "Hey, it's not my fault you're crazy even for a ghost. Hey! You know what? You should go and team up with Skulker and Plasmius. You three would be perfect together what with all your stupid plans."

"You're joking?" Her lips pulled back to expose her fangs as she scoffed. "Teaming up with those two…" She paused, head tilting. "You know what? That doesn't sound too bad. The Ghost's Zone's greatest hunter and a master strategist teaming up with…me. We could do some serious damage." Grinning wickedly Luna flew right up to Danny. "So much damage I doubt the great Danny Phantom would survive it."

He tried to hide his rising panic with an angry scowl. She wasn't serious... right? He'd been joking about the Skulker and Plasmius thing. But did she really…?

Luna sighed and drifted lazily back like she was gliding through water. "But I don't think Skulker would play nice with me. And Plasmius…well, let's just say I don't-"

All of a sudden she froze, body going rigid. Eyes wide she hovered motionless in the air, completely still. Danny frowned nervously when the seconds ticked by the ghost didn't stir.

"Umm, Luna?"

Jolting in alarm, she whipped back towards the portal with a sharp intake of breath. "It's…in motion...Crap, I've run out of time…"

Suddenly she disappeared, dashing into the Ghost Zone.

Danny didn't know if it was wise to follow after her, she was obviously nuts. But he wasn't about to let his enemy run away either. He slowly stalked into the Ghost Zone, gasping at the change of air and the abrupt increase of power that coursed through him. He just had time to see Luna sitting on a floating platform holding the bridge of her nose when his core exploded in coldness.

He cried out in pain, gripping his chest tight. It was so much worse than the attack at the Quidditch pitch. He could feel his whole torso seize up and felt the thin frost on his body become heavier. He panicked, clawing at the ice on his chest as it grew. Dimly he felt hands clutch his shoulders, pushing him up straight.

"Calm down. Concentrate. Only on your center. Stop thinking of the pain."

Danny gritted his teeth, unnerved his enemy had him in a defenseless position. He grabbed at the arms holding him, feeling the ice spread from his fingertips in a blast of blue light.

"Focus!"

Through his squinted eyes he saw the ice covering their arms, spreading outwards in jagged spikes. He realized with a gasp it was his ghost powers doing this. They were literally freezing them in ice!

His teeth chatted, mist gushing out of his mouth as he began to freak out, he could even feel the inside of his nose start to freeze. "I-I can't."

"Then do not dare complain about this!"

Out of nowhere, water burst around them, encasing them in a sphere in seconds. Danny gasped, inhaling the water as it swirled around them like a torrent. He pushed against her and the pressure, only to be crushed tighter in the hold as she held him in place. Was she stupid?! If his core was freezing everything, then surrounding them in water was the worst thing to do!

He tried to break away from her grip, feeling his core worsen. Every time he built a blast in his hands it instead glowed bright blue, making the water turn to slush. This was bad! If this kept going on they'd end up being frozen solid, if he didn't drown first.

He…he was getting warm. Danny frowned as he slowly began to sense the icy feeling fade away. He could even feel the storm of water melting the ice off him, breaking off in the torrent. For a while, he merely enjoyed the feeling of his body feeling back to its normal self -till he remembered who was holding him.

He gasped in bubbles and in panic blasted Luna away from him. The moment she was thrown out of the sphere the water stopped, hovering in the air. Sluggishly it turned green, turning back into the ectoplasm of the ghost zone. Danny spat out as much of the dense water as he could, grossed out when ectoplasm blew out of his nose.

Thrown from his blast Luna smashed onto the stone platform, skidding on the surface. She pulled herself up clutching her stomach, coughing.

"Y-you… Dingbat."

Danny frowned at the insult, and as much as he wanted to throw his own back, he didn't bother. Luna stood, spitting out green as she glared at him.

"I try to help you and you go blasting me!"

"You… How do I know you're not the one making my ghost core go crazy" He pointed at her, anger rising in his voice. "I've never had this problem with my core before I fought you. For all I know it was your blast at the lake that mucked up my powers!"

"You're seriously blaming me? I've got nothing to do with your little power issues." She balled her fists and purple flames flared up within them. Danny tensed and readied a blast himself, the green energy growing bright in his hands. If it was a fight she wanted, then it was a fight she was going to get. But this time was ready for her. This time he was going to win.

He waited for her to make the first move this time, thinking madly about a way to defeat her. Luna watched him like a hawk, spinning her energy faster between her fingers. Taking a breath he readied his ray, a plan coming to him.

"As far as I'm concerned you're the reason I'm stuck here. So unless you want to admit that, then I think I've got a right to blame you for everything that has happened to me."

She laughed deeply, flames growing almost black as she held them up. "Are you threatening me?"

Danny pretended to ponder her question. "Hmmm, let me think: Yes!"

He brought his hands together and fired, a green ray shooting towards Luna as fast as he could send it. The ghost acted just as fast, dodging his attack as sending her own hurtling to him. Danny twisted, feeling the purple flame sting against his cheek as it passed inches from his face. Dashing away from the spot he fired again, and again; trying to break the shield Luna had raised around herself.

He scowled when his attacks did little to her defense, but something was bugging him. Why wasn't she charging him as she had done at the lake? Every time he took a break with his attack she countered back, firing her own purple rays at him. But she wasn't moving, depending on her shield when his ray got too close for comfort. She'd shown him before she was fast. And her water ability was strong. So why wasn't she using any of them now?

"What's wrong?" He gasped when he barely missed one of her rays. "Afraid I might beat you if you get too close? Where's all that bravo you were showing me before?"

Luna smirked at his taunt. "Far from it kiddo; I know you can't beat me. No amount of baiting is going to change that. I'm out of your league!"

"Yeah? How about now?" Summoning all his strength Danny sent a beam of green at her shield, gritting his teeth as he put all his power behind it. He couldn't hold it for long, and once the smoke cleared he frowned at the sight of Luna's perfectly fine defense. He hadn't even cracked it.

Dropping her shield Luna flexed her fingers, the ectoplasm in the air around them growing heavy as it transformed. With a grin, she pointed her hand to him. "Let me prove to you how pathetic you are."

Danny didn't bother with a shield this time, he flew straight to the stone platform, getting behind just in time as the jet of water smashed into the surface. He could feel the pressure as the stone dug into his gloves as he pushed back. It left his mind reeling. How on earth could he break through that shield of hers?

Then it hit him; Luna put her shield down when she attacked. He needed to somehow trick her into lowering it so he could have an opening.

The rock began to crack and Danny gulped, casting his shield around the platform. Think! He needed to think of something. Just like the last time he was trapped under her water. But then, even with what he had thought was a good idea he had still ended up flat on his back-

That was it! Suddenly Danny knew exactly what to do. Still, it had a slim chance of working and he would only have a few seconds to do it. But if it worked, he was sure he could beat her. Preparing the energy, he readied himself.

Luna meanwhile watched as the green aura vanished from the rock, the platform violently shaking as it began to break apart. She smiled, so Danny was starting to run out of steam, was he? This ended up being all too easy.

With one final burst of power, the platform shattered, water and rubble flying in all directions. Luna expected to see Danny fly away in the torrent. But to her disbelief he burst through it, hurtling at her with his fists raised. He roared, a pure look of determination etched on his face as he charged at her with speed Luna hadn't thought he was capable of yet. But it wasn't fast enough.

She sent a blast dead-on, watching on in amusement when Danny didn't dodge, letting the hit smash into his chest. He cried out as the purple ball sent him whirling back, gripping the spot where the flame had burned into his hazmat suit.

"Nice try Danny, but you're stupid to think charging me would work."

Danny opened his eyes with a wheeze and smirked, fighting back the pain. "T-That's my line."

And with one last huff, he disappeared in a puff of green smoke.

Clank! Luna froze, her mind abruptly muddled at what had just happened. At the sound she twisted around, finding behind her a furious Danny punching at her shield. He yelled, fist glowing neon to her horror her defenses cracked, fine-line fractures blocking her vision of him. Turning as fast as she could Luna tried to attack back, but he was three steps ahead of her. The shield broke, shards fading away as Danny raised his other fist, a fully charged ball of ectoplasm hovering in his palm.

Danny lashed out with the strike, his blazing fist smashing into Luna's gut. At the hit, he heard the ghost grunt in agony as his energy pushed her away. The sound made him even more confident to keep going. Quickly he readied his second punch, sure this final blow would mean his victory. But Luna had snapped out of her confusion and snatched his fist as it came for her, a vicious snarl crossing her lips. Pushing away from him she sent her blast, this time hitting Danny's real body. The force sent him flying back into one of the floating lair doors, the doorframe splintering as he crashed.

Groaning Danny detangled himself from the wreckage, feeling like his chest had just been hit by a sledgehammer. But despite that, he couldn't help feeling happy at tricking Luna. Severs her right for underestimating him.

"W-what, how did you do that?" Luna was gripping her stomach, glaring at him with a mix of amazement and fury.

He laughed whole-heartily- and immediately regretted it when his whole body hurt. "Didn't know I can duplicate myself? Looks like you don't know all my cards." He pushed himself up, brushing the transparent woodchips from his hair. "Maybe we're both in the same league after all."

She bristled, hair fanning out as her arms burst into purple flames. Danny tensed, realizing Luna was about to get deadly serious. He had got lucky with his idea back there, but she wouldn't fall for the same trick again. Worse, he was starting to feel drained after making that duplicate. Still couldn't hold one for more than a few seconds. If he didn't do something soon, he was going to lose this fight, and badly. That meant he only had one move left to try; his Ghostly Wail.

It was a dicey move. So far every time he had used his most powerful ability it had exhausted him of all his energy. But he wasn't going to let her treat him like a punching bag today. It was time for him to start winning some of these fights.

He chuckled, faking he was making an ectoblast. "You know what? I should thank you for going into the Ghost Zone, makes this so much easier."

"Oh? Why's that?" Luna sneered raising her palm, not one but three flame orbs swirling around her fingers.

"I can do this!" Danny leaned back and took a deep breath.

Immediately Luna's flame vanished, recognizing with horror what he was about to do. This time she wouldn't be able to stop him, and swiftly she raised a shield just as he closed his eyes, letting loose the strongest Ghostly Wail he could muster.

The soundwave shot forward, destroying everything in its path. Danny heard an almighty clang as the wave hit Luna's shield, but he squeezed his eyes tight as he focused everything he had left on the wail. There was the amazing feeling of power, a rush that flared his ghost power into life. And then…draining.

He struggled to hold the attack till his strength gave out. A surge of dizziness made the white rings appear around him, quickly turning him back to normal. He panted, gripping his knees as he tried not to pass out. It seemed he still couldn't quite use his Ghostly Wail without reverting.

After blinking away his blurry vision he looked up to see the damage it had caused his enemy. Floating around the chunks of debris Luna was unmoving, surrounded by the fading fragments of her shield. He waited for her to stir. But as time went by and nothing happened he grinned. He'd done it!

Still feeling lightheaded he moved toward her. It was slow now he was solid, having to push his way through the Ghost Zone like he was swimming in mud. Danny nervously approached her still form, fist raised in case she jumped up.

Luna's eyes were closed, her mouth slightly open as a trail of green ran from her ears. He waved his hand by her face, pulling back fast fearing she'd wake. When it was clear she was knocked out Danny couldn't help but grin. He actually had knocked her out! Now he needed a way to contain her. If only he had a thermos-

She suddenly jolted up and before he could react she twisted around and slapped him.

Danny cried out and gripped his stinging cheek as Luna lurched away from him. However, she didn't get far before she curled up on herself.

"Argh! Ow, ow ow ow! My head!" She tugged at her hair as ectoplasm started to flow from her nose.

In dread seeing Luna was wide awake and moving Danny struggled to call back his ghost form, but the rings barely appeared before they fizzled out of existence. Of course; this couldn't be the one, the only time he got lucky.

The ghost blinked up at the flash of light, the two locking eyes. Danny tightened his fists and readied to fight back against her. Even in his weaker form he wasn't going to go down easily. He thought she would use this chance to waste at him. But instead, Luna flew sluggishly back toward the Hogwarts portal.

"No!" Danny knew if she got back to the school he wouldn't be able to protect Harry till his powers recovered. And the way he felt that was going to be while. He kicked off the chucks of floating stone, using them to propel himself forward. He cut ahead of her, gripping onto her torso as she tried to dart past.

They ended up in an odd tug-of-war, Luna woozy from the throbbing headache and Danny fighting waves of dizziness.

"Ah! Let go of me!" Luna reached around and gripped the back of his sweater. He grunted at her tugging, holding on tighter trying to madly think of a way to stop her. She was building speed, becoming stronger with each passing second. Just as his fingers started to slip his ghost sense exploded out of his mouth, taking the two of them by surprise.

He just caught sight of a glowing form when Luna wrenched him off her and threw him at the ghost. Danny slammed into it hard, both tumbling off into the Zone. Blinking off his fuzzy vision he tried to untangle himself from the ghost, ramming it away to see where his enemy had gone.

She stared at him some ways off, puzzlement and pain crossing her face as she gripped the side of her head. Her eyes were locked on the groaning ghost behind him, but Danny refused to look away fearing she'd send some of her water his way.

"I-I think," she muttered suddenly, a weak smile forming on her lips. "This is a sign to retreat… For now…" And with that she went invisible, disappearing into the Ghost Zone.

"Dammit!" Danny untangled his scarf which had tightened around his throat, almost ripping it in half. That could have just been his best, his only good opportunity to defeat her and one step closer to saving Harry. But like always he'd mucked it up. Fuming, he whipped around to the ghost behind him, wishing somehow to vent his temper.

"Hey! Next time why don't you, oh, I don't know; move when you see someone hurling at you? What a-"

He stopped, jaw dropping when he finally got a good look at the ghost. Oh no. No way! Why couldn't this day have ended up perfect and happy, instead of going from bad to worse?! The ghost was gripping his stomach in pain where he had been body-slammed, oblivious to Danny's rising terror. But Danny couldn't stop looking at his red, pupilless eyes. He couldn't believe it. It couldn't be possible he was here. But there was no doubt in his mind it was him.

"V-Vlad!?"

At the mention of his name Plasmius whipped up, his eyes widening as he looked up at Danny. "Your-?"

Anger suddenly filled Danny. No! Why was it always when things started going his way, the Fruitloop just had to come and muck everything up?! He didn't have the time or the strength to deal with the half ghost right now. He struggled again at his powers, the rings splitting briefly before disappearing.

"Perfect." He looked back, glowering. "Go away Plasmius, I don't have time to deal with your creepy schemes tonight." Swiftly he turned to drift his way back to the portal.

"Wait!"

Danny ignored him, rolling his eyes. First thing was to get back to Hogwarts and warn Albus of the threat. Luna seemed to be hurt by the Ghostly Wail but she could still do some damage. Right now Albus was one of the only ones-

Bam! All the wind left Danny as he was tackled in the back. His vision was spotted with black dots as he struggled to not pass out as they flew headlong toward the portal. He didn't need to look to know who it was. What the hell was Plasmius thinking attacking him so…Fast!?

They blasted through the portal and Danny quickly fell in dread as the wall came into view.

He didn't have enough power to go intangible and Plasmius certainly wasn't.

He raised his arm. "Vlad wait!-"

The wall rushed up to them and Danny knew nothing else.

###

"…Hey….Hey! ... Can you hear me!?... WAKE UP!"

Danny groaned, his body stirring at the sound. Everything hurt. He struggled to open his eyes only to find them glued together. Something gripped his shoulder and pain shot through him, pulling him into consciousness. Finally, Danny forced his eyes open, blinking away the blurriness.

"Hey... Are you alright?"

He frowned, that voice sounded familiar... Suddenly his vision became clear and he found himself looking up at Plasmius. In his confusion he lashed out and punched him, sending the half ghost howling back as the sound of his nose cracking rang through the room.

Danny jumped up, only for the world to violently tilt. With a groan, he slumped back onto the ground clinging to his spinning head. Perfect, of course, he had to hit the wall in his normal form. He could take more damage after the accident. But unlike his ghost side, his normal body was still vulnerable.

Plasmius had moved away, holding his nose as it bled green. Startled he stared down at the ectoplasm in his palm while Danny tried getting up slowly this time, trying not to throw up as the room spun. He touched his forehead and felt something sticky. Great, he was bleeding too.

Danny glared over at half ghost, seeing him still staring at his hand. "What t-the Hell do y-ou think you were doing!? Didn't it Cr-cross your mind to at least go intangible before you made me into a pancake!"

Plasmius didn't speak, he didn't even show he had heard him. He just continued to look at the dripping ectoplasm, his hand starting to shake.

"Plasmius!" Danny hissed as he stood, wobbling. "VLAD!"

The older half ghost flinched and swung around. Surprised filled Danny, Plasmius was flinching at him? That was new? Danny slowly leaned against the wall, his ears throbbing like a drum. With a huff he finally had called the strength to summon his ghost core, transforming. Immediately the pain lessened as a cool wave rushed to his head.

He closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind. However, the peaceful silence was broken when Plasmius spoke.

"You… were human in… there. But now you're… how?"

Danny winced at how loud he sounded and pried his eyes open, looking at Plasmius staring at him with surprise and to Danny's astonishment, fear. He gripped his head in his hand, rubbing his temple.

"Are you joking? I'm like you, you idiot, half ghost." Danny looked up and tried to stretch his ghost sense out, hoping to feel Luna. But no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't focus! Damn, this headache was making his head numb!

"Half… ghost?"

Plasmius's voice drew Danny's attention back to him. The guy looked so confused so… unsure. Something at the back of Danny's mind was warning him about something, but he merely groaned and sat down in the air as he rubbed his splitting headache.

"Has your age started catching up to you now, making you forget things?"

A flicker of anger crossed Plasmius's face, all too familiar. That vanished as he looked down at himself. Danny watched muddled as he squeezed his eyes closed, appearing to tremble as he struggled with something.

Suddenly black rings formed around his waist and reverted to his human side. But Danny froze at the sight of the man. Now he remembered what his sore brain was trying to remind him. He had completely forgotten he was in the past!

The Vlad in front of Danny looked nothing like the sly billionaire he was so used to. He was so used to the neat, pristine attire he was always in, that the casual clothes of jeans and a worn emerald and yellow sweater unnerved him. The man had always taken pleasure in mocking Danny for his un-neat trashy fashion sense, so seeing him in something similar… Was strange.

Gone was Vlad's signature ponytail, replaced with short-cut hair that spiked out. Mainly this was due to the mass of bandages he had, a patchwork of white and tan squares on his face. They didn't just cover parts of his head, but down his neck as well. Even through them, he could still make out the half ghost's surprised and wary expression.

Danny floated back, feeling the stone dig into him. Words Plasmius had told him the night they met rang in his mind. "Why? So you can go back to stumbling through your adolescence, desperately trying to get control of your powers? Powers, by the way, that I've had for twenty years".

Twenty years. Clockwork had sent him twenty years into the past! So that meant… Oh man, he had messed up.

Vlad looked at Danny's frozen, horror-filled face, all surprise leaving him as he narrowed his eyes.

"Who, no… What are you? And how on earth do you know my name?"

Danny gulped. Oh, Crud.

###

Clockwork watched from his lair the confrontation of the half ghosts. His grip on his staff tightened as he quickly viewed the future, watching the consequences of their meeting. So many changes. So many different paths. Time was becoming unstable, rearranging itself in a whole new direction. Clockwork sighed, closing his eyes and waiting for those fools to arrive.

"CLOCKWORK!"

He remained still as the Observants flew into his tower. The largest one flew forward, eye red and filled with rage.

"This must stop at once! The timeline is becoming corrupted! You were warned before of the results of your actions. And now it is plain for all to see your plans were nothing but failures waiting to happen!"

"You are thinking of this in the wrong way, like usual. Phantom is fixing the timeline of the boy, just like I planned. If all continues as it should, my plan will succeed."

"Fixing!? Those half ghosts are destroying all of the correct future timelines. The two have met at the wrong time, years before the young boy was even born! How can you tell us he is fixing the problem?"

Clockwork held back his scowl, turning back to his mirror. Those foolish Observants always rushed to conclusions without thinking. With a tap of his staff, the mirror re-showed the moment Danny entered the school.

The lead Observant growled. "Fix this now Clockwork! Restore time and put the boy back in his correct place, you-"

"I cannot."

The observant eye narrowed. "Cannot? How dare you tell us-"

"Did you not listen? I cannot change this timeline. My hands are tied in this matter at present. Until Phantom stops the event change from happening, I cannot alter what is to come."

There was a long silence. "You mean, that ghost is stopping your powers!?"

"Yes."

He shifted to his child form, hearing the nervous mutters behind him. It was simple to understand their uneasiness. Clockwork was the Master of all time, there was nothing Clockwork couldn't rewrite- within the rules, of course. He was one of the most powerful ghosts to even exist in the Ghost Zone. So for a mere, foreign ghost could easily be stopping his strongest power… it terrified the Observants.

The Time Master chuckled and turned to them. "Do not fear. Though the timeline is violently shifting, change is not always a bad thing. Good might come out of this yet." He looked back at the mirror, seeing Danny crouched in the dark classroom huddled with his phone. "Now…if that is all you have to say I suggest you leave me. I have much to do and so little time to do it."

There was a series of pops as the Observants teleported one by one out of Clockwork's tower. However, the leader remained.

"This isn't the end of this matter Clockwork, if the young half ghost destroys any more of the order of time, we will have no choice in following through with our original plan." His voice was stern as he teleported away.

Clockwork shifting to his adult form, the thought hovered in his mind. Killing Danny was something he refused to be a part of. The boy had shown true strength and resolution in saving his future, a strength he had not seen in a ghost for a long time.

With a tap of his staff, Clockwork changed the mirror to the battle Phantom had fought with the ghost. Luckily with Danny's encounter, he could finally see the creature who was causing all this trouble. But as Clockwork watched the fight, something struck him odd about the ghost. A few moments later he saw why.

He couldn't follow her timeline. No matter how hard he tried the only times he could watch her was when following Danny's timeline. He tried with the Headmaster and the professors. It was all the same.

But it was impossible. The only way he wouldn't be able to see her was if she didn't exist. Yet there she was, physically affecting the world around her.

Another change of the mirror and Clockwork leaned forward, watching as she braced herself against Phantom's wail. She struggled to hold her ground and for a split second, he swore she blurred, her form seeming to morph and adjust as if her whole presence in reality disappeared and reappeared.

Clockwork's brow furrowed, rewinding the scene to study it again. "What precisely are you, Lucrezia?"