Time Shift Woe

by Genko-Yoru

When Clockwork notices someone has changed the past and in turn destroyed the future, he turns to the only ghost hero who can help. Danny Phantom is sent back twenty years into the past to correct the timeline and save Harry Potter from being killed. However, Danny soon finds out his mission might be harder than even Clockwork thought.

18. School's Out

Chapter 18: School's Out

Late morning, Danny was seated at his desk, rolling out another thing he had "borrowed" from the library. As he smoothed the yellowed parchment with his fingers, he tried to forget his stupidity last night. It was dumb luck that he had stopped blabbering about his hometown when he had, as he had almost spoken of time-damaging things. It also didn't help that Vlad had seemed to take his explosion of information as a sign of allyship. Vlad had been way too chipper this morning and Danny had quickly shown him with an annoyed scowl that his slip-up didn't change anything.

Sighing, Danny cupped his chin in his hand and studied the rough layout of the school grounds. It wasn't a detailed map; a lot of places were missing or unfinished. But it showed the basics, the forest, the village, and most importantly, the Black Lake. It was that giant black blob of ink that grabbed his attention, a plan forming with it.

Self-consciously he glanced over his shoulder, making sure that Vlad wasn't watching. Though the other half ghost was busy reading a solid book, Danny still found himself nervous planning his mission with him nearby. He still hadn't crossed out the theory that Plasmius was tricking him. Besides, it didn't hurt to stay vigilant.

Turning his attention back to the map Danny placed his finger where the school entrance was and traced his finger up to his destination. He did this a few more times, memorising the route he would need to take. For his plan to work, he wouldn't have time for hesitation. He would have to fly fast.

"What are you doing?"

Danny snapped out of concentration; Vlad had snuck up on him without a sound. In alarm, he jerked up, his knee slamming into the table painfully. The thud made the map curl up, Danny quickly catching it before it rolled over the side. Quickly his surprise was replaced with fury, eyes flashing green. "Would you not do that!?"

"I thought you would have heard me?"

"Well, I didn't!" Danny hissed, straightening the desk back. Oh how he wanted to blast the spying Fruitloop. "It's none of your business what I'm doing!"

From the look he got was clear Vlad disagreed, but instead he shrugged. It was when he moved to the bookshelf beside the desk that Danny noticed the book in hand. As he slid it back into its place, Danny fought down the embarrassment of his overreaction. He'd just come over to return the book. Unless… that was just an excuse to pry.

"That reminds me," Vlad spoke suddenly, Danny straighten as his suspicions were correct. " I remember you saying that you would answer some of my questions. I think…you're a little overdue with that."

Danny madly thought of a way to stop the direction of this conversation. "Then why have you waited until now to ask me? I mean…you had plenty of time to hound me before. Why now?"

"Hmm," Turning Vlad crossed his arms, leaning lightly against the bookcase. "Even if I asked, you would have never answered me truthfully."

Danny rolled his eyes, slumping back onto the desk. It wasn't his fault that the very existence of time was at risk with everything he said. "I told you that night there are some things I can't tell you."

"Because terrible things will happen?" Vlad quoted him and Danny glared back.

"Extremely terrible things will happen. I'm not just saying that to get out of answering. I'm serious that it won't end well for us if I do."

Vlad seemed to think about what he'd said carefully, making Danny wonder if he should have told him that. But after a while he nodded. "Okay. I'll respect that you can't answer everything. But I want things cleared up as much as you can. As you can imagine, I have… a few concerns."

Sighing Danny balanced the rolled-up map upwards so it wouldn't escape off the table. "What do you want to know?"

This made Vlad ponder for a bit, clearly debating which of the hundreds of questions to ask. Which of course Danny assumed meant it was going to be one of the bad ones.

"You said that you have something you call a… ghost core?" Vlad paused, watching Danny confirm it. "Well, doesn't it bother you that something so… volatile is living inside of you?"

The question wasn't something Danny had suspected him to ask. After thinking about the freezing core in his chest he shrugged. "Not really."

"But what if it's dangerous?" Vlad seemed more uncomfortable at the reaction he'd gotten. "I mean, ectoplasm is highly toxic. It's bad enough touching it let alone having it travelling throughout your body."

"What… could I do about it? It's not like I can just get rid of it." Danny suppressed a shudder at old memories. " All I know is that it's there and it works. And if it's somehow poisoning me or whatever then… oh well." He shrugged with a little more energy to deliver his point. Despite it trying to turn him into an icicle lately, it wasn't a danger to him.

Though Vlad wasn't happy he didn't push him. " Then is there anyone else with this… condition?"

"…Not that I know of." Leaning back in his chair he grew serious. That question was the very thing that had haunted him the first few months of getting his powers. "There could be more of us. But from what I know… you and I are the only ones."

"…Then that's an exclusive club."

At hearing that Danny frowned. If that was an attempt at a joke, it was a pretty lousy one. " Yeah, well, it's not exactly a club people are lining up to join."

He unrolled the map, unable to stop a chuckle. And who would want to join this freakshow anyway? Like Harry and Ron had first thought, he could do some awesome things. But it wasn't all sunshine and roses. The responsibility of these powers and the heavy risk that came with them massively outweighed the fun stuff.

"Only two. Then that means you must have self-taught everything you know."

Danny just nodded, surveying the map again. It was kind of true. But he had learned most of it from the ghosts he fought. That trail of thought made him internally cringe. Plasmius had been one of the ghosts that he'd learned the most from. But he couldn't tell say that little piece of irony.

"Is there anyone else that knows about you?"

"A few…my best friends back at home know. Some at this school know too, like the Headmaster and Harry. But I don't exactly broadcast it around."

" Oh, I can understand that," Vlad muttered sourly, causing Danny to glance up. It made sense after how much he denied he was a half ghost. But for a second Danny heard a little bit of Plasmius creep in. Ignoring that thought, he returned his finger to the beginning of the school. He had to memorise exactly which way to go so he wouldn't get lost.

"Do your parents know?"

Danny stilled, suddenly staring at the map without seeing it. Slowly, he took a deep breath.

"No. They don't."

It was the way he said it; so cold and blunt that it transfer into the room around them. Danny's sudden foul mood frosted the air, it becoming heavy with it. For a moment he fought a mix of emotions, the icy feeling threatening to break through. In an attempt to stop it he crushed his hand into a fist, sending a thin layer of frost into the air. "Look, Vlad; that's one of the topics that's completely off-limits. I don't want to talk about them."

"I see." There was something behind the way Vlad had spoken. It sounded almost like understanding why he didn't want to speak of them. Even though that was impossible. Danny grumbled and returned to the map. Vlad could think whatever he wanted, as long as it meant he'd never ask again.

He ran his finger down the path one more. Staring at a map was one thing, but now he needed to make sure that the location was perfect for his counterattack. He rose, pushing passed the other half ghost to grab the thick sweater draped over his bed. Danny smirked as Vlad jumped as he passed, pleased that he'd freaked out the Cheesehead.

"You're going out?"

"Yeah," Roughly he tugged the woolly thing over his head, feeding his arms through. " I've got important planning to do."

"Then…" Vlad hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to continue. But seeing the puzzled frown seemed to reassure him. " I'm coming with you."

Danny couldn't hide his amusement at that. " Err, no you're not."

But it seemed that Vlad had other ideas, moving in front of him. "I can't stay locked up in this room forever."

"You left it fine the other night," Danny was suspicious. Was this truly some master plot like he'd thought? He knew the Cheesehead well enough to know the kind of double-layered schemes he could weave right under his nose. Sometimes he fell for it, but this time he wasn't.

"That was different. This is wanting to start on our agreement."

"You're going to have to wait till next time, because there's no way you're coming today."

Still, the refusal seemed to go right over his head. Or maybe, he was deliberately ignoring it.

"As I said; I'm not asking you to teach me directly. I just would like to see how you use them-"

"-Well it's still no! Do you think I have time to babysit you when I've got my own problems to deal with!"

That finally hit a nerve with him, Vlad scowling. " I won't get in your way."

"Ha! Like I'd believed that." Without another word, he phased right through him to get to the door. There was no way he was risking Vlad being seen with him. That and he was highly unstable. There was no telling what he'd get up to. As Danny opened the door he shook his head in dismay. Truly what had he been thinking? This school was starting to drive him crazy.

But as he closed the door he found that Vlad quickly grabbed it just before it closed. It alarmed Danny at the sudden force he used to stop him as it jarred to a halt, making him restless. The other half ghost glared down at him, gripping the doorframe tightly.

"I am coming with you."

It took a second for the surprise to melt away from Danny as he growled in frustration. " Hell no!" Using all his strength to wrench the door out of his grip and slammed it shut with a loud bang. But as Danny made his way down the hall the door opened again, causing him to turn around with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh come on Cheesehead! Can't you take a hint?"

Vlad ignored him and shut the door behind him. " I thought we made a deal?"

"Yeah, and now I'm severely regretting it…" Mumbling he stuffed his hands into his pockets and made his way to the staircase.

"So you're breaking your word already!? Why doesn't that surprise me? I suppose I should have known that it was stupid to even think I could trust you."

"Excuse me? You're the idiot that came back! You didn't have to come back and make that truce, you know. If you're having doubts then you can leave. I meant what I said that I won't stop you."

There was silence after that, Danny sure that Vlad had finally got it through his thick skull that he didn't want to be anywhere near him.

"I thought you told me to trust you."

Danny paused, looking back at Vlad with genuine confusion. When had he told him that?

Seeing his bemused look only further heightened Vlad's anger. " That night on the bridge, don't you remember? You told me yourself to trust you."

"So… what's your point? I told you that so you wouldn't fall seven floors to the ground."

"Trust goes both ways."

Danny frowned at that. Trusting in his archenemy? It was impossible to trust Plasmius because he knew behind everything was a scheme. That was clear when he returned. Vlad wouldn't come back to a person he knew hated him without a motive, a goal that he wanted to get his hands on. Sure, he had the advantage that Vlad had no idea just how connected they were. But that still didn't mean that he needed to trust him!

But… Danny squeezed his eyes shut with a loud grumble; Vlad was annoyingly right. The half ghost had said he was going to try and trust him. If Vlad was going to help him stop Luna, then he did need to start acting like they were on the same team.

"Ugh…Fine." Huffing he turned back, seeing that the door to the room was gone. "I suppose since the school's practically empty it should be okay. But if something happens, I'm blaming you."

Danny saw him visually relax and he realised Vlad must have been expecting conflict from him. It was weird, the idea that Plasmius was concerned about him. He knew he'd never get used to it.

Not wanting to wait any longer he headed down the stairwell, knowing that if he was serious Vlad would follow. He didn't dawdle, knowing that they couldn't be spotted. Danny might be able to pretend he was a student, but Vlad was obviously not one.

In next to no time they were down on the ground floor, the oak entrance looming above them. Danny gave the hall one quick survey before heading over to the entryway.

"How do you plan to open that? Unless you're telling me you have the strength to pull them open." Vlad muttered, peering up at the heavy doors. Danny paused and blankly turned to the man.

"You're joking, right?"

"What?"

"Vlad, we're half ghost. And what do ghosts do?"

" …You made your point, you don't have to patronise me."

"They go," Danny strolled to the door and phased his arm through. "Through things!"

Vlad just glared at him as Danny pulled a face. But before the half ghost could respond Danny gripped his sweater and dragged him through with a sharp tug. He just heard Vlad's gasp of disbelief before they both were greeted with the freezing winter wonderland of Hogwarts grounds. Dismissing his grumbles of protest Danny breathed in the crisp air, enjoying the feeling. Even as he rubbed his chest, he couldn't feel the ice powers at the moment. That was… a plus.

"Come on… If you wanted to follow me then you better keep up-"

Danny froze, feeling a tingle course down his spine. There was no ghost sense, but he was sure the strange feeling was something troubling. He gazed up at the school, peering at the many frost-covered windows that loomed down. Danny didn't know why, but he was sure that he was being watched. And that feeling felt familiar-

"Danny?"

He jolted at his name, gaze returned to the ground. He'd practically forgotten that Vlad was here, or was it that he was getting used to being alone?

"What's wrong?"

With one more glance at the school, Danny shrugged with a shake of his head, starting his way down the sloping path. Yet he was certain someone was observing him from the castle above. Standing up a bit straighter he marched down to the woods.

The snow was heavy under his feet, but thankfully not too deep. Swiftly he made his way to the beginnings of the Forbidden Forest, wanting to get out of sight as quickly as he could. Thankfully once under the cover of the closely-knitted trees the snow thinned, making the progress easier. Recalling the map in his mind Danny twisted his direction slightly to the right. It was oddly eerie walking through the muffled woods, barely any sunlight could enter this gloomy place.

After a short time he finally found the spot he had been hunting for, relieved that his route had been correct.

It was a small clearing, just big enough to allow the smallest patch of pale blue sky to peek through. There were not many places to hide, no bushes or rocks in sight. But the clearing was perfect for a fight. Or in this case, an ambush.

"Is this necessary, coming out all this way?"

Danny sighed when he was bluntly reminded that he wasn't alone in his thoughts. Twisting back he watched Vlad stalk into the opening, shivering.

"Of course it's necessary! This is all part of my master plan."

"Plan?" Sharp blue eyes frowned back at him, nervously looking about the woods. It was strange that Vlad was suddenly so nervous about being outside. But instead of asking why Danny just rolled his eyes.

"Duh, my master plan in saving Harry from getting himself killed."

Vlad's frown deepened, but he moved closer to him with a sigh. "What is this great plan of yours then?"

Danny hesitated at that. It felt so wrong to tell his plan. But then he knew if Vlad was going to help, he needed to know at least some of the details.

"Okay," He resigned, checking to make sure they were truly alone. "I know you… read my notes, so you should know a little bit as to why I'm here."

Vlad nodded slowly. "Yes… you said that you're here to stop this kid Harry from being killed for something that you call a shade."

"Yeah. A friend of mine- the same friend I was trying to find, told me about Harry and the danger he's in. Kind of warned me that Harry was going to die if I didn't stop him."

"This friend of yours knew he was in danger?"

It was Danny's turn to nod slowly. "My friend, he's… kind of like a ghostly fortune teller, I guess? He knows about things before they happen. So…he told me that I needed to go to Hogwarts and stop the shade from… getting something and killing Harry."

"And he sent you here," Vlad answered less in question but a confirmation of a fact he wanted. Still, Danny nodded shyly in agreement.

Suddenly Vlad crossed his arms, looking down at him nervously. " Can I ask you something?"

"Err, sure?"

"Why did you come here to save this kid? You don't know him and even if you save him there must be something that you personally gain from all this?"

Danny shuffled on his sneakers, scratching out a large hole in the snow. " I…well, this shade right? He isn't just some ghost thing. He… was a person once. A wizard."

"A... wizard?" Vlad couldn't help but smirk at that, Danny bristling.

"It's true! You know that this castle isn't normal, how is believing that wizards and witches exist any different from the fact that we're half ghosts!" Danny kicked the snow harder, deliberately sending it towards him. "Whatever. The main thing is that he was evil. Killing people all the time kind of evil. But he wants to return to a body… I suppose. So he came to this school because within it is something that could return him to power."

At this point, Vlad had stepped back, but he was still following on. " Then what's this Harry got to do with this guy?"

"Well, it's complicated… I don't know all the details myself. But Harry was the one that helped stopped him. Something to do with his mother or whatever; I can't quite remember what Clockwork told me. But that shade got a grudge against the kid. And he wants to kill him."

"That sounds…serious." Vlad gazed down at Danny. "But you still haven't answered my question; what's all this got to do with you?"

That made Danny scowl again, knowing that he wasn't going to be able to avoid the question. But how much detail should he go into, he wondered? It was a dangerous line that moved closer to who he was.

"Let's just say… If I don't do this, a lot of people I care about might get hurt. Or worse."

Vlad frowned at that, clearly wanting to ask more. But remembering his attitude this morning he dropped his questions. Searching about the clearing, Vlad watched the mist from their breath float out into the air. "I suppose that would make you… focused on this mission of yours."

"Yeah."

"Then, what's being out here got to do with this plan."

"That's just it." Danny turned and strolled out into the middle of the clearing. "I was thinking…Harry is just a kid. A weak kid. Unlike me, he doesn't have any powers that could defend himself from Voldemort. But I know that when the shade does make his move, Harry will somehow get involved. And that's what can't happen… I need to lure the shade away from Harry. Instead of the two meetings and killing each other, they need to be far away. So… when Voldemort makes his move I'm going to lure him here; to this spot. That way I can fight him without any risk of me damaging the school or that kid. And if it all goes well, no one will die and I can stop the shade from reviving himself. "

He looked back at Vlad, spotting him deeply thinking about what he said. At once the man's eyebrow raised in amusement. "That's a terrible idea."

"What! - Um, how is that a bad idea?! What part about luring a murderer away from a defenceless kid is a terrible idea? That sound like the best plan ever!"

Vlad shrugged. "You asked me."

"I wanted feedback. Not you being useless!"

The man huffed at that, shuffling over to where he stood. "Okay… then…how would you lure this shade to you?"

"How!?" Danny fumed, annoyed that his idea was being rejected. What did he mean…how? His face dropped as he realised that he didn't know. How was he going to lure that shade away? Quickly thinking he looked around the clearing, suddenly coming up with a solution. "It's…easy luring him out! The shades after this stone could revive him. That's what he's truly after…I'll take the stone from its hiding place and make sure that he sees that I have it, so he'll come after me. Then I just lure him here and bam! I defeat him and this mission is done!"

"So…" Vlad suddenly grinned, obviously enjoying this. 'You're going to steal this stone yourself, basically doing the job for him?"

"I'm not the one stealing it. I'm protecting it! If I've got it he'll chase me to the other side of the world to get his evil fingers on it. It's perfect. If I don't do something then he'll kill Harry!"

"It still a terrible plan."

"Why?" Danny hissed, crossing his arms. "Why is it a bad idea? Give me one good reason."

"Well… I think you're forgetting something."

"What, that you're extremely annoying?"

"No. That you have another enemy."

"Yeah what about Luna, oh…" Danny deflated. He had forgotten all about her. Vlad had seen the problem that Danny hadn't even thought of; if he lured the shade out of the castle, what was going to stop Luna from killing Harry? Grumbling now he thought of a counter. "That's…"He frowned, looking up at the half ghost. "That's where you come in."

As Vlad paled Danny grinned smugly, keener about the idea the longer he thought about it. "While I'm fighting Voldemort out here, you can distract Luna for me."

"What!? Oh no; I think you misunderstood me when I said I would help you. That didn't involve any fighting on my part."

"Um, you said, "help me in any way I can". In my books that involves fighting, it's what half ghosts do." And are extremely good at, Danny added with a cringe. Plasmius knew how to throw a deadly blast when he wanted to. He might not know how to yet, but if his future self was anything to go by, then he had the potential.

"Fight- I barely know what these powers are!" Vlad scoffed, not believing they were talking about this. " I think you're rushing this. I don't even know how to use this power, let alone fight a real ghost with it! What makes you think I'll be able to survive?"

"I'm sure you'll be a fast learner," Danny grumbled, recalling all the times Plasmius had kicked his butt. Yeah, he figured that Vlad wouldn't have any problems learning that.

But at the reveal of Danny's new plans, Vlad seemed to freak at the idea. " The way you say it… you make it sound easy. But think for a moment about what you're asking me to do. Telling me to fight… something that could very well kill me! Doesn't that sound at least a little bit ridiculous to you?"

Danny shrugged. "Not really. You just, you know; punch them." He made the motion with a hand, looking at his panicked in amusement. " You just dodge the blast and send one back. It is easy."

"Easy…" Vlad echoed weakly, backing off a little. " I don't think you understand what you're saying."

It was Danny's turn to frown, why was Plasmius of all people not getting it? "I don't think you understand. Fighting is what ghosts do. Do you think that all ghosts want to be best buddies with each other?"

"Is that what you do?"

"Of course, I explained that last night," He shifted his stance, suddenly aware of where they were. "When I'm not trying to survive school, I'm kicking out the annoying ghosts that cause me trouble."

Abruptly Danny got an idea; a crazy idea. But Vlad had said he wanted to learn these powers. And what better way to learn than from experience?

"Yeah," Danny gave him a lopsided smirk that caused Vlad to tense. " I fight them…like this!"

In seconds he went ghost. Before Vlad knew what was happening he sent a blast his way from the tip of his finger. Granted; it was a weak blast, barely able to send the half ghost tumbling back onto the ground. But it was enough to get the message across. As Vlad yelped in surprise Danny lazily drifted into the air, tucking his legs underneath him. This was starting to get fun.

Vlad sat up in horror, quickly patting his chest where the had blast hit. Danny looked at him sheepishly. "Oh my bad, my finger slipped."

"You…shot me?" Once it was clear that there was no damage, Vlad looked up at him in disbelief.

"Oh no Cheesehead. I didn't shoot you. This-" He summoned a ball of energy and let loose the blast onto a tree trunk. The impact caused the trunk to half exploded into a shower of bark and dust, a deep indent in the trunk smoking visibly. " That's shooting you. I just…pushed you." He smiled as Vlad stared at the hole in fear, throat swallowing slowly.

Coming to his senses Vlad got to his feet, brushing the snow away from his clothes. " And you thought hitting me was a good thing to…demonstrate that?"

"Well, I'm more of a practical person when it comes to learning. That's how I did it. And besides, you're the one that wanted to watch me use my powers in the first place." He flexed his fingers.

" I guess you're advice is that I should… fight to figure out how to control them?" Vlad answered guardedly, staring at him.

Danny blinked slowly, before grinning mischievously. "That would help. And I could definitely help you with that."

There was an awkward silence, Danny waiting for Plasmius to appear. Honestly he kind of wanted him to grow a backbone, he was worried that he was becoming rusty from the lack of practice. But it was clear that Vlad was waiting to see what he was going to do, watching his ghost form closely. Danny itched to start a battle, moments from tackling him. It would be nice to finally be able to beat the crazy Fruitloop for once.

But instead, he sighed loudly, twisting around to lie in the air with his hands behind his head. "But I guess you're too chicken to handle me."

He couldn't see the half ghost, but he knew from the sigh that he was relieved Danny hadn't done anything. Yet there was anger in his voice. " You think I couldn't stop a kid like you?"

"Absolutely!" Danny replied sharply, tilting his head back to glare at him. " I might get my butt kicked now and again, but I always win in the end!" Grumbling he floated back upright. "You think you can take me on? I'd like to see you try it! Come on Vlad; if you're so confident, I dare you!"

Vlad's mouth dropped slightly as Danny drifted closer, eyes narrowing. He took a further step back, sweat building on the top of his brow. "I…" His eyes darted about, trying to find the best escape route. " I was just… Um, asking. I didn't mean- I wasn't implying I wanted to fight you."

Danny glared for a moment. When he couldn't tell if he was lying he huffed, turning away. "Whatever." He grunted, shifting his gaze back to the clearing. Thanks to Vlad he'd all but gone off-track from the reason he was out here. But it didn't matter what Plasmius's opinions were, it was a good idea to separate Harry and Voldemort. Now he just needed to add Luna to that equation. If only he could hold a duplicate for more than a few seconds!

Vlad moved away from him, muttering softly under his breath. Sadly for him, Danny could still hear him in his ghost form perfectly. " Someone has a few loose screws…"

Danny whipped around, furious. "What!? The only loopy idiot I see right now is you!"

Stunned that he'd been able to hear him, Vlad swiftly rebuffed back. " I'm the only one here trying to be normal! From my perspective, you're the one that whenever I say something you throw a tantrum like some little kid!"

That was enough for Danny. Twisting around he sent a blast at the half ghost; this one was quite a bit stronger than the last. Vlad had no chance of dodging it the way he was now, and with a gasp the green blast smash right into his chest, sending him skidding across the ground. Just to be safe Danny drifted up out of reach.

"I'd be careful, Vlad," Danny called out, raising another blast in his hand. "If you haven't noticed we're at a magical school. Nothing here is "normal". But wait; your just too thick-headed to see what's right in front of your face!"

While he yelled out, Vlad got back to his feet as quickly as his sore body would allow. Gazing up at him, Danny could see the fury on his face. His red eyes narrowed up at the teen. Without warning the black rings appeared, passing over him. At that Danny raised his glowing hand higher, reading for the attack he knew Plasmius was about to send his way.

"Bring it, Cheesehead." He growled, gliding higher up into the trees.

Plasmius shifted his stance, preparing himself and with a huff jumped up into the air. Danny readied his attack, hoping to catch him halfway. But just after only a few moments in the air, Plasmius eyes widened in horror. Before Danny could think what was wrong the half ghost gasped and plummeted back to the ground with a heavy thud, sending snow everywhere.

Danny froze, the blast he'd built up flickering away in his palm. It slowly dawned on him what happened. A smirk grew across his face and before he could stop himself he was roaring with laughter.

"You…Ha, Ah man, I wish I had gotten that on camera!" Danny choked out, gripping his aching side. Plasmius however wasn't the least bit amused about the fall, but he was watching Danny in bewilderment and a touch of curiosity. It still amazed him how quickly the kid could change from pure resentment to a typical teenager.

As Danny continued to laugh away, Vlad struggled to return to his feet. But it was obvious that he was struggling with gravity itself. As he stood his body seemed to hover, causing him to sway off balance and fall back down. Either way, it all was highly amusing to Danny.

"Seriously Vlad, do you need a hand?" He snickered as the half ghost finally sent him a death glare.

"No thank you I don't." Vlad snapped, standing completely still in the hope he wouldn't tip over. "How are you doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"That." Vlad waved his arm loosely in the air. "Floating."

"Ghosts do that, float." Danny lazily twisted in the air until he was upside-down; though he still didn't dare take his eyes off Plasmius. " It's like the main thing they do."

"But how do you do it?"

Danny shrugged. " Don't know. I've always been able to fly. I don't think about it." That was true, Danny didn't have a clue how he was able to fly. From the very first time he'd gone ghost, he knew somehow deep within that he could fly. Of all the powers he had, it was the one that came naturally.

His answer like always didn't please Vlad at all. He frowned, staring at Danny as if he could somehow figure out this hidden secret if he looked hard enough. With a pause, he shifted again, bending his knees like he was about to jump. With a lunge, Plasmius shot up into the air again, but this time it was much faster. With a yelp Danny turned intangible as he bolted through him, smashing into one of the trees behind. Vlad didn't let the shock of the leap stay, and with a cry grabbed at anything he could get a hold of. Bark and pine needles were flung in all directions as Plasmius gripped a tree limb in terror.

Danny turned around, now perplexed. "You… really can't fly." After he said it he grinned. So Plasmius hadn't started all high and mighty like he pretended to be. Something so basic, so fundamentally ghost was this difficult. He understood struggling with invisible or becoming intangible at will. But he could admit that learning that he was better at something made him feel delighted.

Vlad had heard his comment, trying to twist around to face him attempting to steady his position. " Of course, I can't fly! You don't just-" He slipped, madly pulling himself up on top of the branch. "- Y-you might be able to do it, but normal people don't just zoom up into the sky!"

"Good thing you're not normal then," Danny grumbled, drifting down to the opposite tree. "Though this explains why you almost turned me into a pancake…" He remembered that night when he had been smashed painfully into the wall. Plasmius must have tried to catch up to him, but lost control and tackled him instead.

Plasmius obviously didn't think anything about this situation was funny or ordinary, starting to think of the best way down. In Danny's mind they weren't too high up, nothing like the bridge that Vlad had almost tumbled through. But at the stricken face that Plasmius was making it almost made their truce worth it.

"You're going to have to fly down there sometime, you know."

Vlad scowled down again, searching the ground. "I'll just… climb down-."

"But hey, why are you worried?" Danny kicked off the branch, drifting lazily in the air with his hands tucked under his neck. " You said that this is all a dream, right? If that's the case you'll be fine!"

At that Vlad frowned. "What makes you say that I still think that none of this is real?"

"Because it's written all over your dumb face." Danny drifted closer. " If you really thought this was real you'd be able to use your ghost powers with no problem by now."

"I don't-"

"Well then prove it!" Grinning Danny floated away so he couldn't jump at him. " Jump! Anyway, I've run out of patience for this stupid waste of my time. If you're going to be this annoying you can just climb down and make your own way back."

Vlad gripped the trunk tighter, yet Danny could see the frustration. It was like he was fighting something deep inside himself, whether that was accepting he was now a half ghost or something else entirely. But Danny saw the change. Feeling that intense stare from Plasmius as he studied his ghost form, trying to work out the pieces. He tensed, shifting his footing and then leapt.

Like Danny had suspected, Plasmius fell to the ground. But not as fast as he had expected. For a moment he seemed to hover, then dropped to the ground lightly. As he landed on his hands and knees, Vlad seemed momentary stunned at the strange descent, but Danny wasn't at all impressed.

He snorted, crossing his arms. " Geez, you really are pathetic. If you are going to be that useless you can forget about our deal. I've got enough deadweight from Harry to be worrying about you."

Plasmius jolted at Danny's comment. " You're not being serious? You're asking me to do something impossible!"

"Flying is basic for a ghost. If you can't do the most basic thing then you'll never be able to keep up with me."

With that Danny started moving away. He didn't need this headache when he had other things to worry about.

"Wait!" He heard Vlad call out, trying to run to catch up with him. Danny rolled his eyes.

"Just give up Pl- Vlad! You should have gone back home when you had the chance." Danny increased his speed, hoping that Plasmius had finally got the message and decided to leave for good. Yet as he flew through the wood a sudden blur shot past him, a blur that Danny felt just missed him by a hair. Ahead the half ghost smashed into one of the trees, feet pushing hard enough to cause the wood to crack. He looked up at Danny, burning red eyes narrowing.

" I don't give up," Plasmius said darkly and before he could stop himself Danny gulped. Not good.

"Y-yeah? Well then prove it!" This time Danny didn't just drift off as he had before; he bolted forward through the woods. Secretly he wanted to burn off the sudden adrenaline that had built when the half ghost passed him. For a second, the Plasmius he knew was there and the reality of this appeared. As pathetic as the man was now, he still would become one of the strongest ghosts that he knew. That glare had been proof of that.

Plasmius had seemed to accept Danny's challenge, but he wasn't really flying but using the trees to propel himself forward. But with each launch he was getting faster, getting better at controlling his movement. And Danny wasn't having that. With a huff, he tried to remember where they were on the map and dashed to the left, abruptly breaking away from the forest to glide over the frozen Black Lake.

Twisting sharply Danny flew up into the air, making sure to keep higher than the treetops. Below the frozen mass creaked and groaned, Danny eyeing the ice warily in case it responded to his new powers. Not long after Plasmius burst out of the trees, but immediately saw that he had run out of objects to grab. He cried out in alarm and for a moment he seemed to slow, his flying powers battling gravity. But he couldn't stop his descent. With a skidding thud! Plasmius slammed into the lake's surface, the ice reverberating the sound around them.

"Nice landing! I'll give it a six for effort!" Danny called out, watching as Plasmius realised what he was lying on.

"What's wrong Vlad? You about to lose control again!" Seeing it was safe to approach he glided down till he was just above the lake's surface, just so he could get a clear view of Vlad's face.

"…This is a lake." As slowly as he could Vlad moved his hands underneath him.

"Wow. Good job figuring that out, I never would have got it."

"No you idiot! It's frozen over! You don't just casually walk on one of these things!"

"Uh-huh." Danny crossed his arms, debating whether he should do something about that insult. Vlad had carefully risen to his knee, gently testing the weight with one foot. " Of course it's a frozen lake. But it's been frozen solid for weeks. And if it's able to hold you without breaking, it's fine."

Vlad ignored the last jab, looking carefully at the ice. "I'm more worried about it cracking from my…fall." Taking a deep breath, he scouted around them. "We're quite far out. It might look thick, but the loose snow covering it could be making it seem deceptively thicker than it is. I can't tell if it's clear ice or not."

Danny raised his eyebrow. "Talking from experience?"

"Yes, actually." Vlad finally stood, eyes never leaving his feet.

"Aw, you've fallen into a lake before? Man, that's sad."

Plasmius scowled, and now coming from his ghost form it was all the harsher. "You want me to break the ice and give you a front-row seat to what it's like?"

"As if you could. You'll be the one taking a dip."

To Danny's utter amazement Plasmius rolled his eyes at him and looked back to the tree line. They had moved almost to the centre of the lake, although the bank wasn't too far away. But between the safety of solid ground was a plain of unknown ice.

"So… how are you planning on getting there?" Danny drifted closer, enjoyment growing. "I mean if you could fly it would be no problem- but wait! You can't!"

"And I suppose you have no intentions of helping me?"

"Nope. This is what you wanted to do! Then-" At that moment, Danny caught movement in the corner of his eye. He whipped his head around hoping to catch the source, yet the bank was empty. But he was confident that he had seen the shape of a figure there mere seconds ago. But besides the trees there was no cover, nothing but flat snow and odd tufts of grass. If someone had been walking on the shoreline they couldn't just disappear like that. Unless it was a ghost.

Eyes narrowing Danny drifted closer, searching the horizon carefully. He heard Plasmius call his name in confusion but he didn't reply, not daring to look away. Was it Luna? Was she invisible watching them, waiting for the perfect moment to strike? The thought surfaced a bubble of anger in his core. He raised his hand, energy building in his palm as he was about to send a warning shot-

-There was a loud crack! Danny turned just in time to see the ice break apart, Plasmius falling into the black water below with a yell. There was a splash, the ice chunks clanking together, and then there was nothing but rippling water.

"You've got to be kidding me…" Danny sighed defeatedly at how utterly pathetic the Cheesehead was. He'd been joking about falling into the lake. Grumbling he turned back to the bank. It still was empty, attack returning to his hand. Plasmius could deal with getting back to dry land on his own. He was currently in his ghost form anyway, he'd be fine. The possible threat lurking over by the trees was more important than dragging that stupid Fruitloop out.

However, as he began to ready himself to bolt over, he paused, turning back. As the slushy water drifted about Danny frowned. Something about this didn't sit right… or maybe it was the way Vlad had freaked out about the frozen lake that had somehow rubbed off on him too. Still, the ghost hadn't surfaced yet.

"Ah man, I really am turning pathetic." He was starting to hate this hero trait he had. Swiftly Danny rushed towards the hole and dived into the Black Lake.

The first thing that hit him was the cold, biting into him sharply. At first, he thought it was his ghost core having an ice attack, yet it was just the sub-zero temperature. Blinking his eyes it took a while to adjust to the gloom, the glow of his ghost form not helping. Finally, the water became somewhat clearer, though the ice roof above made the depts impossibly shadowy. Instead, he looked about for any sign of a glow and spotted a faint shine further down to his left.

He sped towards it, catching sight of the half ghost floating there. Danny grabbed the man by the back of his coat and shot up, crashing through the ice above. Keeping up his speed he scouted for the spot where he'd seen the figure and flew over to it. In no time at all they had made it to the bank, Danny casually dumping the stunned and spluttering ghost onto the snow and letting the freezing water drop off himself. Dismissing Plasmius, he began searching the ground, checking every detail on the dazzling white floor.

He'd been right. There, so clear in the deep snow were two sets of footprints. They were small though, struggling to make their way. Following the tracks, they stopped just at the end of the shore and didn't continue. Danny frowned in confusion, studying the area. They were a large indent in the snow, round and messy like someone had thrown themselves onto the ground. But no tracks were leading away. Nothing to show that whoever had been there left. And yet Danny moved closer to the edge of the dent. He was sure he could hear something...

The sound of Plasmius coughing up water broke his attention. Grumpy he twisted around. "You do realise you are the most pathetic ghost I've met. And that's saying something." He caught sight of Vlad hunched over. At his insult Vlad's face twitched in anger, but he stood and stumbled over to him. Danny shifted away, Plasmius still dripping with water as he didn't know he could phase it off.

"Thank-"

"-No way!" He quickly cut him off, furious at the mere thought that Plasmius wanted to thank him. "I only dragged you out because it's obvious you're a moron! But next time you get yourself out of trouble!" Returning to the dent he studied it closer. Could Luna be lying there invisible? But that didn't make any sense as his ghost sense was dormant.

After his comment, Danny had expected Plasmius to finally snap back at him. Yet the half ghost remained oddly silent. Though by the way he was staring at nothing he probably thought he had gone utterly crazy.

"What…are you looking at?" Vlad shivered from the icy water, but Danny made no move to remove it.

"Nothing." He looked at him, not happy that he'd secretly moved closer. Though he was curious to see Plasmius had an arm wrapped around his waist. Vlad caught where his sight was and straightened, turning away a little. " One…one of the ice pieces hit me on the way down."

"Seriously?" Danny rolled his eyes pushing past the man to stomp away. " Ugh, you are a moron! How am I going to deal with Luna if I've got to babysit you all the time."

That finally hit a nerve with the other. " You're still going on about that!? When are you going to get it through your thick skull that your plan of me fighting her isn't going to work!"

"Then you want to trade?"

"What? No! I don't want to do anything that involves fighting-"

"Hey!" Danny turned back and drifted over to Vlad to jab a finger at him. " You said you'll help me in any way you can. The only way you can help me involves fighting. When things get crazy, they'll be people coming at you. And I'll be too busy with my own problems to protect you. You're going to have to toughen up!"

Vlad stared at him in stunned silence. But to Danny's surprise, he looked away. "I'm nothing like you."

Despite himself, Danny felt like he'd been slapped. Did… did Plasmius think he was somehow better than him? Maybe it was the fact that Vlad was in his ghost form, looking too similar to the selfish jerk that made his life miserable, but rage boiled within him. His fingers curled into fists as he shifted his stance.

"Punch me."

Vlad jolted at his request. "What!?"

"Punch me! Give it your best shot!"

"Are you out of your mind!?" Vlad took a step back, making Danny angrier. Completely forgetting about the risk, he shoved Plasmius away, almost sending him crashing to the ground if he hadn't saved his footing at the last moment. Danny could feel the ectoplasm burning under his skin. He wanted to teach his crazy, needs-a-cat Fruitloop that he wasn't weak.

"Are you too afraid to punch me? Huh, or are you just a coward scared of me? Come on Plasmius, do your worst-"

Even after he'd said it he trailed off in horror, Vlad equally surprised. In his head, Danny cursed himself for his mistake. It had just come out naturally, an old habit that was too easy to slip into. Yet the damage was done, and Vlad's face shifted in frustration.

"What does Plasmius mean? You called me that the first time we met."

As the half ghost edged closer, Danny could see him growing in irritation. Instead of seeing the massive red flags he couldn't help but smirk, now that was the half ghost he was looking for.

"Hmm, I wonder what it could mean? So what are you going to do about it?"

Vlad's red eyes narrowed. " Excuse me?"

"I don't have to tell you anything about Plasmius. In fact, I don't have to tell you a thing about anything. And you know what? After seeing how hopeless you are using your ghost powers I'm starting to second guess my truce agreement."

He was trying to push as many buttons as he could, and it was working. Ignoring the now fuming half ghost Danny saw that Vlad's gloved hand was suddenly surrounded by a faint green hue. He might not be aware of it, but Plasmius was preparing a blast. For him to move, Danny knew he needed to push him more. Taking a deep breath he readied an emergency shield and prepared his next move.

"If you're not going to move, then I will!" With a grin Danny struck, raising his fist and aiming at Vlad's jaw. Thinking that it would be the perfect way for the half ghost to attack, he failed to understand that while Plasmius might not be skilled in ghost fighting, that didn't mean he was going to let himself get hurt. With surprising speed, Vlad tilted his torso and dodged Danny's punch. As he punched forward he felt his wrist being grabbed tightly and with the other Vlad lurched out and gripped the collar of his hazmat suit.

"Enough!" He snapped out in a sharp, livid voice that wiped the smug grin off Danny's face in an instant. At once he went into defence, phasing out of Plasmius's grip and jerking away. He moved into his fighter stance; fists raised at the ready for a second attack. The tension grew, both glaring at each other, waiting for the other to move first. But it must have registered with Vlad what had just happened as the rage melted from his face. He stepped back confused, though Danny didn't let his guard down for a second.

Giving them more space between them Vlad let his hands drop to his sides. "That's …enough of this." Unlike before he spoke more softly.

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Even though you were three seconds away from blasting me in the neck?"

That comment made Vlad flinch and he looked away from Danny. Suddenly the black rings frizzled around his waist and quickly parted. "Don't be ridiculous…" He muttered; the brow furrowed in concern.

Seeing Vlad in his normal, younger self broke Danny's rising tension, breaking the spell that this Plasmius was going to skirmish with him. The transformation was a clear sign that Vlad was done with attempts to aggravate him and transforming back as well Danny frowned. Now that his mind cleared, what the hell had he been thinking!? Did he seriously think that making Plasmius fight him would ever end well? He really was losing his mind here at this school.

Now there was the worry that Vlad was going to ask him more about his ghost name, a name that he shouldn't know yet. But instead, Vlad walked past him without a word, heading back towards the woods. Once he was gone Danny let out the breath he hadn't realised he was holding, rubbing the back of his neck. He really was an idiot.

"…We should head back." It amazed Danny when Vlad called out to him, turning to see he'd stopped just at the tree line. The half ghost paused, before looking over his shoulder. "Unless… you have another ingenious plan you want to run by me."

For a moment Danny blinked, slowly processing what had been said. When it did he rolled his eyes, stomping across the snow. "It wasn't that bad of an idea, especially since I thought of it on the spot. I still think the ambush will work. I just… need to iron out the details." Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Danny couldn't help the smug look return across his face. "You know… despite what you told me about not being able to fight; you did almost form a blast at me. And you dodged perfectly."

Vlad didn't seem as excited at that news as he was. As Danny walked up to him he noticed that Vlad was still damp from his "swim" in the lake. As he passed he poked him in the arm, passing on his intangible powers to phase the water away. The half ghost jumped as the droplets pattered to the ground.

"How did you do that?"

Danny shrugged. "The same thing you did when you almost fell seven stories to your death." He didn't wait for Vlad to answer back and headed back into the woods, knowing that he'd hound him about it later anyway…

###

As quickly as they had appeared the two half ghosts moved away from the Black Lake, their voices drifting away into the woods. Once again the bank of the frozen lake returned to its still silence, besides the odd hoot of a hunting owl and thud of snowfall. Yet at the place where the small dent lay in the snow, the air seemed to shimmer.

Danny's hunch had been right. After a few painfully slow minutes passed and it was certain the danger was gone, the sound of rustling came from the spot. Like water, the silky, translucent fabric slid off the two wizards hiding there.

Harry found his breath again, heart hammering in his eardrums as he lay on his back. That had been close. It had been a fluke that they had spotted Danny quickly hurrying down the stairs on their way to the Great Hall. Not wanting to lose him they dashed back to grab the invisible cloak and run back. But once they were outside the teen was gone, his and another set of footprints heading into the Forbidden Forest. They had been hesitant to enter, after all, it was forbidden for a reason. However, Ron had insisted they keep trying in the hope of sighting him. Though Harry believes his friend was only doing it to keep him away from the school, and the classroom that held the mirror.

So they had scouted the edges of the woods along the lake, where it was a little easier to stomp through the snow. That was until Danny exploded out of the trees at high speed, terrifying them.

As they both calmed down Ron carefully peered over the rim of the dent, eyes glued to the trees. "Blimey, that was close!" He whispered it faintly in case it wasn't safe.

"Yeah," Harry muttered, his mind not quite focused on what was around him. Ron had his wand tightly in his grip and Harry couldn't help but chuckle. Not much good they could have done to those ghosts. He was sure it was all over when Danny glared down at them. Those neon-green eyes had searched the ground like he knew they were there. For a moment Harry feared that the cloak didn't work on ghosts. They had been even more sure they were done for when the other ghost had appeared beside him.

Pulling himself up carefully with Ron he grabbed the cloak, draping it around their shoulders. Thankfully it seemed the two half ghosts had moved on, allowing them to relax. His friend beside him leaned in closer, eyes madly searching the trees.

"Did you see-?"

Harry nodded; how could he not have seen the other ghost? If he had thought Danny's ghost form had been eerie, the other one was even worse with his palish blue skin and burning maroon eyes. Even more so when it sounded like they started fighting, Harry had been seconds away from calling Luna for help. But thankfully it hadn't come to that.

"Do you...do you think they're gone?"

"One way to find out…"

Harry pulled the cloak completely around him as he stood, only his head bobbing about. They both waited. But nothing happened. Ron breathed out a huge sigh of relief. Standing there Harry suddenly felt the longing again, gaze drifting back to the school. His friend knew that look and quickly took hold of Harry's arm, guiding him away.

"There's no point hanging around here. Oh! … I know! Let's go and visit Hagrid!"

Harry scowled in frustration. He didn't want to visit Hagrid; he didn't want to do anything except go back to that classroom. But looking towards the cosy stone cottage Harry recalled an old idea.

"We… we never asked Hagrid if he knew how to defeat a ghost."

Relieved that he was starting to think of other things besides that mirror, Ron nodded encouragingly. " That's right! If anyone would know, it'll be him. And he'd be the only person that wouldn't tell another teacher about our questions…I hope."

"We can trust him." Folding up the cloak and stuffing it under his sweater the pair made their way to the house. They had hoped that when Hermione returned to Hogwarts, they would have figured out who Nicholas Flamel was. But learning a way to keep Danny away would at least be something. And it was also nice to think of the warm room and a cup of hot tea waiting for them.

Knocking on the door brought with it the loud barking of Fang. A few grumbling shouts later the large wooden door swung open, the groundskeeper's wild face filling the gap.

"Harry! Ron! Blimey, what are you both doing out in this weather? come in- Down Fang! Down!"

The boys squeezed in and stamped the loose ice off their shoes, dodging the wet tongue of Fang. After a warm greeting and thank you for Christmas presents the three sat around the table, warm cups of brewed tea in hand. The boys had politely refused the rock cakes that he offered them; Hagrid happily munched on one much to their amazement.

"Almost back to yer classes now, eh? Hope you two have been doin' yer homework. Won't do yer exam mark's much good if yer not!"

"Of course we are!" Ron blurted out too fast, earning a raised eyebrow from the man. " Well, I mean maybe not much lately… but we've got time to catch up, right Harry?"

But Harry was staring dully into his mug, mind elsewhere. Both Ron and Hagrid shared a concerned look. The groundskeeper gruffly cleared his throat. "You alright Harry?"

"Oh… I'm fine." Blinking he looked up at him, seeing the deep worry etched beneath his wild beard. Harry could help the tinged of annoyance. Of course, he was fine! First Ron and now him. "Hagrid…we were wondering if you knew a way to keep a ghost away?"

Surprised, the man pondered his question for a bit. " Why'd you'd want to know that? This isn't about any funny business yer both plotting. I warned yer all to stay out of it!" His eyes narrowed, looking suspiciously at the pair. They quickly thought around his suspicion, it was bad enough he knew they were trying to find out about Flamel.

"Oh no, Hagrid! It's just…" Ron thought of the safest excuse they could use. "We heard over the term that there have been sightings of different ghosts haunting around. We just thought it would be smart to learn a way to defend ourselves against one if it showed up."

"Hogwash! Yer got nothin to worry about. No ghost's going to harm yer while Dumbledore's around! Besides, yer learn more about spirits and spectres in yer second year."

"But it wouldn't hurt to learn early, right?" Ron tried to sound as innocent as possible.

Leaning back to take a large sip of tea Hagrid sighed. " Look, even if I told yer, it's too dangerous taking on a ghost- and don't you two go try and take one on to prove me wrong!" He locked them with a stern, glare waiting for both to shake their heads. "Yer only learn about dealing with ectoplasm safely anyways. Not even a seventh-year could take one on alone, and that goes for our Peeves too. If the little dodger wasn't satisfied with just pranks."

That didn't sound good to the boys, Harry feeling the sweat build on his brow. If only Hagrid knew that there was a ghost out there that could hurt him. "Couldn't you just tell us a little bit?"

Frowning the groundkeeper looked over to where Fang lay happily in front of the fireplace. "I'm no expert…I never…err well, let's say I was never good at the topic. We've never even had to worry about ghosts here at Hogwarts. The only time we've had to do somethin was when Peeves got out of hand."

"What… did Peeves do?" Ron asked genuinely curious.

"Well… years back we had a bit of trouble with old Peeves. See, he never used to leave the castle but for a time he started venturin out into the Greenhouses. And that meant he brought his pranks along with him! He'd move dangerous plants right to the entryway to spook the students and kept stealing all the pots and plopping them over students' heads in class. Yer know how he is. Professor Sprout was at her wit's end with him as his cold aura kept hurtin the plants. But one day that troublemaker refused to enter the greenhouses anymore."

"How did the Professor manage that!?" Both boys were amazed that someone was able to stop Peeves. Everyone knew how much of a pain the tricker was, other than the Headmaster and the Bloody Baron he didn't listen to anyone. So the thought that something had stopped his tricks was just as helpful as finding a way to stop Danny.

" Don't know how it worked." Hagrid shrugged. " But I do know she planted some stuff about the greenhouses, worked so well that even the Hogwarts ghosts don't go there. Not that they did in the first place."

Harry and Ron shared a look; if they could get their hands on whatever plant Professor Sprout planted maybe it would protect them. Though there was a small problem; they couldn't enter the greenhouses until their second year. And if they asked her to let them in she'd want to know why and Snape would find out. But Ron also wondered whether it was worth trying to get their hands on the plant. If it was powerful enough to stop a ghost, wouldn't it be bad for them too?

"Wouldn't it be dangerous planting something like that where students are?" Ron queried as Harry nodded sombrely. Yet Hagrid just snorted with laughter.

"They're harmless! I use the flowers meself!" He gestured to a large jar sitting next to other jars of herbs that Hagrid kept. Harry frowned at the contents, the petals reminded him of the rose petals Aunt Petunia would collect from the garden and stuff in little floral bags. "I put em in everything, stews, cakes, even brew them into a tea. Lovely if you want a sweet tang in somethin."

As Hagrid took a deep drink of his tea Ron straightened, a plan forming. " Can we have some?"

"The Blood Blossoms? Sure."

The boys froze. "Blood Blossoms?"

"Yep, named that for their beautiful deep red colour. Turn any liquid that colour too!" Hagrid took down the jar and unhinged it, handing some of the petals to them. Curious, they took a careful nibble and were greeted with an odd taste that was like sweetened lemonade. At the surprise on their faces, the groundskeepers chuckled. "Nothin better than a cup of brewed Blood Blossoms to sweeten yer day."

That was all the motivation Ron needed. Leaning forward he tried to be as casual as he could. " Do you think we could take some with us? With all this study we have to do it would be nice to have."

"Sure! Think I've got an empty tin somewhere." As the man dug around in a cupboard the boys grinned at their triumph. After the small biscuit tin was filled and passed over the visit passed by uneventfully. However, it was clear to Ron and Hagrid that the more they chatted Harry seemed to pull inwards into himself, his heart not in the conversation. No matter how hard they tried to get him to join in, he didn't at all. Sighing Harry stood, smiling faintly at Hagrid.

"We better get going. Thanks, Hagrid, for the tea." Noting Ron's distressed look, Hagrid frowned in puzzlement, not understanding what was going on here. He pegged it to Harry missing his school friends who had left for the holidays. The groundskeeper nodded and farewells were said.

Back out in the freezing afternoon the two boys slowly made their way back up to the castle, the tin tucked under Harry's arm.

"At least we now have something that could work." Ron shuddered at the cold, glancing about for unseen enemies.

"Yeah… but I don't see how petals are going to do anything."

At the thought, Ron bit his tongue at the visual of Harry throwing rose petals at Danny in an attempt to keep him away. It was too comical of an attack. But the smile faded as he remembered just how serious this was. "But if it works, it can't hurt to have."

Sighing Harry nodded, the pair hurrying into the warm entrance hall. But just as they made their way to the start of the staircase Harry paused, staring towards the corridor to their right. The corridor that led to the unused classroom.

"Harry don't." Ron moved back to his friend, his voice in a warning and a hint of fear. " That mirror is bad news, just forget about it."

Even still Harry sighed longingly. How could something that showed his family be evil? For a second, he wanted to shake off Ron and head to the room. He was just jealous that he couldn't see them. The mirror seemed to call him, wanting him to return. And Harry wanted to return to it; more than anything. Yet the faint tug of his sweater turned his attention away to his best friend. And even in his muddled state, he could see the fearful plead on his face.

"Come on, let's go back and play that chess game I promised you."

Reluctantly Harry let him drag him up the stairs. But he didn't worry; he'd have all the time in the world tonight…