Chapter 22 - Double Exposure

The days had started to pass by at an incredible pace, at least to Danny they did. After Luna's talk, once again things fell quiet, all his enemies appearing to be waiting. That same waiting had passed over him, though he still watched Harry at a distance whenever he could.

He had spent this afternoon surveying next to the wooden bridge. At this time the school was only filled with murmurs of voices, drifting through the corridors from classroom doors. The courtyard he now stood within was empty, the air finally starting to warm. Though he still found himself rubbing the icy ache from his chest.

The enclosed courtyard's archways gave him a perfect view of the surrounding grounds, the odd student searching for patches of sun. Danny observed them, wondering whether they would even notice if he transformed right then and there. Everyone was so focused on their exams that he doubted they would have noticed Voldemort himself drifting through the halls. Yet tomorrow, those dreaded exams would finally start.

Danny sighed, cupping his chin in his palm. He had pushed Vlad too far, as now he wasn't keen to leave the room with him. Not that he blamed him. As usual when Luna manifested she change things. Questions were answered, but more just appeared with them. Something… something was missing. Danny knew that her attack on time had an ulterior motive, far bigger than she was telling him. Yet it frustrated him after all this time here, he still didn't know.

Gaze drifted to the lake, questions nagged on his mind. Why had Luna been at Hogsmeade? She might have said it was to meet Voldemort and his host, yet it was an odd place to meet. Unless she spent the whole time invisible the chances of her being seen would have been high. And those guys living in the village weren't as clueless as Amity Park was.

Was it just to scheme with her buddies? Or had Luna herself been waiting for him to journey down to town? It was a concept that unnerved him.

Soon his thoughts were cut short by the sounds of the school moving, students leaving their classes to start spending their free time studying or loafing. Still cautious of hidden plans Danny disappeared, strolling back into the smoke-scented halls to return to the room.

Danny weaved through the crowds of students, not eager on passing through and dumping a chill onto them. As he walked, he saw that he was close to Harry's charms class, and decided to change his route to quickly check in on him.

As Harry's first-year class rounded the corner he pressed himself between a stone pillar and the wall, watching the three friends pass by. Thankfully Harry looked perfectly fine, though the exhaustion still lingered under his eyes. As the group passed Harry abruptly paused, bending down to tie his shoelace. The others stopped to wait but the boy brush them off, telling them he'd catch up.

The class soon was gone, disappearing around the corner. Yet Danny frowned as to why Harry was taking so long, unmoving on the floor. At last the kid stood, but made no move to follow after them. Instead, he peered around the hallway, pushing his glasses nervously up his nose.

"Danny?"

His jaw slacked when he heard Harry whisper his name. It was impossible that he could see him! Yet the kid was trying to find him, knowing somehow that he was hiding nearby. Checking to see if the hall was indeed empty Danny flickered back into sight, causing Harry to jolt when he saw he was right beside him.

"How did you know I was here?" Danny asked him sharply, fearing that his powers might be slipping out of his control without his knowledge.

Harry seemed to swallow as he shuffled on his feet. "You… You're cold. When you're nearby the air temperature drops around you."

"It does?" Frowning Danny touched his chest. In his normal form he shouldn't be doing that. A tinge of fear coursed down his spine. Were these new ice powers starting to bleed into his normal state and not just when he used his powers? The news brought with it a terrible revelation; if Harry could sense him, then others could too.

Harry just nodded in reply, still appearing to be nervous. Danny realised that he was probably acting weird and quickly smiled at him. " I'm glad to see you're okay after that whole crazy business in the woods. Probably wasn't the best idea for detention. At least… not something that they're teaching you to handle."

He tried to play it off, but Harry didn't react. Instead, he took a deep breath and gave Danny the most serious look he could muster. " You know that Voldemort's here and is trying to steal the Philosopher's stone, don't you?"

It was the second time Danny's jaw dropped. He couldn't… he couldn't have heard that right? But Harry's determined expression didn't waver. It left him grasping at straws, trying to regain ground. " W-what!?… I- How?!… How'd you find out about that!?"

"I found out that was Voldemort in the Forbidden forest. The one in the dark cloak. That was him, wasn't it?"

Danny felt his shoulders fall. So much for trying to hide it from him. "Yeah… It was."

Harry nodded to himself like all his theories had been finally answered. Despite the fear that held in his eyes he tried to keep a brave face on. "He wants me dead, doesn't he?"

Nervous about where this was heading Danny glanced around the hallway. There was the rumble of voices, but most had moved to the lower levels. " He… I don't think that's his main goal… It's the stone he wants the most."

"It's hidden under the third corridor, where the three-headed dog is?"

"Yeah," He didn't like the tone in Harry's voice. Despite the fear, there was confidence. Which to Danny sounded like he wanted to get involved. " Harry, don't even think about it. That stone's not going anywhere, believe me. As for the shade and his stupid host… you don't have to worry about him hurting you. I won't let him get close to you." Smiling Danny tried to look a least a little bit confident. " I'll protect you from that vapour-headed Voldy alright?"

Harry's serious look faltered, surprise crossing his face. He seemed to be suddenly unsure, maybe he hadn't expected Danny to say he'd protect him. But he wanted Harry to feel safe, it was so important that he didn't get involved in the time event. To let him know that he could handle the dangers that were lurking around.

After a time Harry seemed to frown, his weary green eyes locking onto his shoes instead. " Danny… why are you here at Hogwarts? I know that you must be here because of the stone. But… why are you really here?"

Once again, Danny hesitated. He didn't want to spark his imagination. Things might be stressful enough in the time event. If he told him the truth, then Harry and his friends might want to help stop those villains. That would only put him in a danger that he didn't dare risk.

Danny answered with a shrug, his smile feeling forced. " I guess you could say I'm mainly here for the fun of it. Anyway, don't worry about stuff like that! Instead, you guys should be worried about those exams tomorrow. I know I would be, what with my declining grades and poor attendance."

His dismissal of the truth didn't go past Harry, mouth quickly opening before snapping shut. Once again he faltered when abruptly he began fumbling underneath his flowing black robe.

"I… I wanted to thank you, for what happened. That's why I wanted to talk to you. I… I wanted you to have this." From the mass of fabric, he produced a dark glass bottle, holding it close to his chest. " Fred and George have a stash of Butterbeer that they hand out when we win a game. But I… wanted to give you mine, since you saved us from the three-headed dog…"

Realising he was muttering Harry stopped and quickly held out the bottle to him. His frantic gesture was like he wanted him to take it before he changed his mind. Danny glanced between the item and Harry's anxious face, then took the cool glass in his hand.

"Um… thanks? I guess. But seriously, you don't need to give me anything. Saving people with my powers has basically become my part-time job." He watched as Harry seemed utterly stunned, almost like he hadn't expected Danny to take it. Stepping backward quickly he shook his head, blurting out as he started to make his way after his friends.

"Oh no! It's nothing! I- I don't drink the stuff anyway. Well, I have to catch up with the others. See you, Danny!"

He tried to respond but Harry was already trotting down the hallway, waving franticly goodbye. What had that been all about? Shaking his head Danny thumbed the label, chuckling. He had to hand it to Harry, he was braver than he thought to remain in Hogwarts knowing that his worst enemy was lurking about. But his smile faded remembering now Harry knew. How… how did he find out that information?

Frowning Danny checked before turning invisible, and heading back to the room. One thing that had deeply bothered him was Harry sensing his coldness. Especially since he hadn't noticed that little detail himself.

Avoiding running into a bunch of Ravenclaws milling around the tapestry, he passed through the wall and into the warm, quiet magic room. Once he reappeared Vlad looked up to acknowledge his return, before gazing back to the book he was reading.

Danny pouted for a moment, eying the oak doors behind him. "Am I cold, Vlad?"

"Horribly."

Panic settled into his gut, gripping his chest to reach his ghost core. "R-really?"

"Cold, short-tempered and extremely stubborn."

"I meant temperature-wise!"

Vlad huffed in amusement, though he didn't look up. " Yes. You do drop the air temperature around when you're nearby. Especially when you are in one of your moods."

Rolling his eyes Danny ignored Vlad's bait. Instead, he stomped over to his armchair, falling into it heavily to study the drink Harry had given him. Now that he thought about it, Harry must be investigating the stone. No one besides the odd teacher and Albus knew about it. Either Harry had randomly stumbled across the information or someone deliberately told him.

The time event flashed into his mind, Clockwork's warning words to him returning. Voldemort and Harry must meet at some point if his life was lost in getting the stone. There was no doubt in his mind now that Harry was going to try stopping the shade by himself. It had to be.

Pushing that unease from his mind, he returned to the bottle in hand. He had never heard of such a thing before. "You ever heard of a drink called Butterbeer before?"

"No."

Danny rotated it around, finding nothing else on the label besides the cursive writing of the name. Part of him suspected it was a wizarding world-only drink, but oddly he felt worried about it. Surely Harry wouldn't have given him something bad, would he?

He voiced his worries to Vlad. " You don't think… that it's alcoholic, right? Harry gave it to me and he's eleven so I doubt it. But it kind of looks suspiciously like the real thing."

"Let me see."

Vlad held out his hand and Danny leaned across to pass it over. He studied the label closely, before abruptly uncapping it with one fluid motion.

"Hey!"

But instead of drinking it, Vlad sniffed the opening. His nose wrinkled immediately and he pulled it away, eyeing it disgustingly. " Well, I can quite comfortably confirm that it isn't real beer. Though it smells sour, could be off."

Eyebrow curling Danny reached over to retrieve it. " You can tell by the smell?"

Vlad cringed, leaning back in the chair once it was back in Danny's hand. "You… could say that when you've spent enough time around people that drink it, it becomes something you can pick up on."

As much as Danny wanted to ask, he just rolled his eyes at Vlad's smirk. He was worried such talks would lead to college, and then closer to his parents. Instead, he returned to the drink. Now that it was open he could smell a faint sour scent wafting from the top. It reminded him oddly of washing soap and pepper. Curious, Danny took a sip.

At first, it was surprising sweat, warm and pleasant on his tongue. There was a rich honey-like favour to it, the liquid itself almost as thick. However, at once, a nasty aftertaste came, bitter and strong like charcoal. Like licking a bottom of a toaster tray.

Danny stuck his tongue out in response, "Ugh, that's foul."

"Told you it was off."

"It's not off… it's more like," Trying to place it Danny took another sip, scrunching his face as the bitter tang hit him again. " It's got a nasty aftertaste or something. Like at first it tastes really good, but it punches you afterwards."

Re-reading the label again he frowned, trying to swallow the taste out of his mouth. "Man these wizards are weird if this is something that they enjoy drinking."

Vlad huffed, flicking over to the next page. As Danny was trying to figure out through cautious sips whether the drink got better over time he was interrupted.

"Is it normal for ghosts to overshadow each other? "

The question caught Danny off guard. " I don't… I don't think so? I think it only worked with us because you're not experienced with your ghost form yet. I'm sure if you wanted to you could have kicked me out. I know if you tried to overshadow me, I would kick you out in a second. Why you ask?"

" Just curious. I figured ghosts could possess things, like objects. But I thought there might be rules when it comes to living objects."

Danny placed the bottle on the table, nudging the chessboard out of the way with it. "Well… I don't know everything about that ability. Usually I don't like overshadowing people if I can help it. It feels… weird. You can feel their consciousness drift away when you enter their body. Normally if you overshadow a person they don't remember what happened, just feel a bit disordered from the experience afterwards. Guess you're immune to that feeling because of the ghost in you."

"Huh." Was all Vlad replied as he continued to read. It bugged Danny, he was the one asking. The least he could do is try to pretend he cared.

Sitting back into the plush armchair, Danny decided to try a different topic. "Harry knows that the shade is in the school. And he knows all about the stone."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Must have somehow found that out all on his own. If he knows, that means then probably his friends do too."

" That's not good."

"Harry's going to try and stop the shade by himself."

Finally, Vlad locked his blue gaze back to him. "You have to tell that Albus guy. He needs to know."

"You think Albus is going to stop him? This is his greatest enemy, the guy that killed his family. I know from watching him that Harry will attempt to stop that shade, whether I or Albus tell him otherwise."

"He's an adult. And basically his principal. He'll listen to him more than he will you."

"Geeze, thanks." Grumbling he tried to push down his unease. What would Albus even do if he told him? Already he'd told him they must wait, learning that Harry knew might not change anything. That wizard probably wouldn't dream Harry would be crazy enough to try.

"I'm warning you now Danny; don't get involved with this. This whole thing stinks of one big trap."

"Really, why's that?"

Without looking away from the pages Vlad held up his fingers to count. "One; the fact Harry has learned about this so close to the exact date you fear is too suspicious. Someone told him. Two; Why would someone tell him? To get him to do the very thing that you don't want to happen. Your enemy knows this. Knows you will risk anything to save him which screams trap. And three; I don't trust Albus. He's hiding key details and most likely wants to throw you under the bus instead of risking himself."

"Even if you're right, what can I do about it? The whole point of me being here is to protect Harry! After all this time I can't just quit!" He could feel himself getting angry, the chill creeping into the space.

"I've told you what you should do! You don't have to do anything about what I said. But this all seems too suspiciously convenient."

Because one of my enemies knows the future. Danny mentally added to himself. He too felt exactly like Vlad, this was a trap. But truly until he had to rush in and protect Harry, there wasn't much he could do. He could stalk Quirrell until it was time, but then Luna would kill Harry. Same with the opposite. He could stop Harry from heading down the trapdoor, but that would mean Voldemort would get the stone. In the end, he knew with dread he was going to have to let parts of the time event happen, relying on his wits to figure something out in the heat of the moment.

Sighing Danny stood, pausing to take one more sip of the drink. "No. It doesn't get better." He swallowed while shuddering. Slamming it back down he ignored Vlad's disappointed sigh and headed off to his side. Might as well take a short nap until he patrolled the third corridor tonight.

###

Later that night Vlad was still sitting in the armchair, book resting across his lap. But he wasn't reading. Neither had he been before either, only pretending to. Instead, he was deep in thought, worry hovering over him like a cloud.

Madness. This whole thing was utter madness. He was mad for even staying! Whatever had come over him these past months he couldn't understand. Any sane person would have fled this madhouse by now. Yet he foolishly decided to stay in the most dangerous spot he could be.

But as stubborn and eccentric as Danny was, he was still just a teenager. A teenager that didn't realise how crazy this all was.

Sighing, he closed the book and let it fall softly to the floor next to him. Rubbing his temple did little to ease the headache there, but it helped clear his mind. That encounter in the woods had kept replaying in his mind over and over, of the female ghost stepping towards them in the dark.

Why hadn't he noticed it before? All this time such a massive difference had been right there and it was only now that he remember it!? It was right there, and after discussing it with Danny he was now sure he was correct.

He had to tell him. Even if it pained him to admit that he'd been freaked out by that ghost, he couldn't hide this. He had to know such an important detail. A detail like this could get him killed.

But would he believe him? Vlad's gaze drifted over to the drawn curtain, conflicted. Danny still didn't trust him, still hiding key facts. Blast it, he didn't quite believe it and that was after every deranged thing that had happened to him!

No, he had to mention this. Already he had tried to work out his theory with the chessboard, hoping the theory had been enough for him to be open to believing him. Even if his idea wasn't true, it was better to be overly cautious than not at all.

Stretching he decided he would wait until morning, the last thing he wanted was to be tackled to the ground again. Then once he told him, Danny could do whatever he wanted with his advice. Use it or ignore it like he usually did.

As he went to rise he was surprised when Danny pulled across his curtain quickly. The teen paused when he spotted that he was still awake, giving him a grumpy glare. Mumbling he shook his head like he was waking himself up, looking thoroughly annoyed with himself.

"You can't seriously be thinking of patrolling again?" Vlad frowned. Lately, it seemed like he never slept for more than three hours at a time.

"Got to," Danny grumbled, stomping off towards the door. At his gruff reply, Vlad sighed. He had to hand it to him, Danny's sheer determination and obsessiveness was… impressive.

Just as Danny was halfway to the entrance he attempted to summon his weird light, and jolted to a stop. The rings flashed away quickly, a choking gasp coming out of him that caused Vlad to pause. Danny just stood there frozen, eyes wide as he stared at nothing in particular. Suddenly he cupped his hand over his mouth, the unmissable sound of him trying to hold down whatever wanted to come up. Vlad stood motionless by the armchair, unsure how to react to his sudden strange behaviour. For a moment it seemed like Danny seemed to have won in his odd struggle - until he dropped to his knees and completely lost control.

The barfing snapped Vlad out of his daze and immediately realised what was happening. Quickly he made his way over, a furious scowl crossing his brow. "I told you that drink was sour, you idiot!"

Danny just grunted in reply, arms wrapped around his torso. Vlad tried to hold back any more snarky comments, but it was his own damn fault for continuing to drink that stuff. Yet the damage was done. Now the fool was going to have to deal with a stomach bug for a few hours.

As he went to help him up Vlad jumped when there was a scraping sound behind him. He looked up in time to see one of the armchairs move across the floor and over to them. Swallowing down his unease he returned to Danny. Now wasn't the time to worry over the freaky behaviour of this room again.

Gripping under his arm to heave Danny up he paused when he noticed something. Danny was hot, so warm that before he even touched him he could feel the heat coming off his skin. For a normal person that would make sense, but Danny was by no means "normal". He was cold, sometimes icy to even stand next to.

Danny did little to resist when he dropped him into the armchair, though he mumbled and complained about it the whole time. Once he was settled Vlad studied him, placing a palm on the teen's forehead to confirm that he was boiling up.

"What are you feeling like right now, Danny?" He'd had his share of stomach flu in his time, but this seemed different.

It took a moment for Danny to answer, and he debated whether he had even heard him. Finally, it seemed he gained enough focus to respond to him. " It hurts… feels like my chest is on fire…"

"Your chest?" That wasn't right. Maybe he had mistaken his stomach. But Danny nodded, eyes opening to look at him. At once Vlad spotted that his eyes were flickering between their usual blue and his neon green, confirming his theory that this issue was ghost-related.

Vlad found himself gazing over at the bottle nearby. Perhaps it was paranoia playing its part, but maybe this was more than drinking something off.

Rising back to his feet it dawned on him that this was beyond anything that he could deal with. If this had supernatural origins, something serious, then Danny needed medical attention. And sadly there was only one other person he knew in this crazy place. As much as he hated to drag him into this, he might be able to do something.

He made up his mind. " Don't move, I'll be back soon." Waiting for a small acknowledgement Danny had heard him Vlad turned towards the door, rushing to grab the handle.

And paused.

This is a trap. That was all he could think of suddenly. He had been relying on Danny's protection from that insane creature, it was the main reason he'd even stayed here in the first place. Yet now he was out of action, unable to do anything if things went south. Exactly what his enemy must have wanted. What they must have planned on.

"I would take out the queen and knights first," Vlad muttered his own words back, heart starting to race. If he left this room he would be stepping into danger, a danger he had absolutely no idea how to deal with. But as he glanced back to Danny curled up in pain he was surprised to suddenly feel angry, a flash of heat coursing through him. All this time he'd been shoved around and tormented. Called weak and stupid. It was starting to get annoying.

Inhaling deeply, Vlad opened the door and left the room. He debated whether it was wise to leave the door open, but decided against it. That would leave him vulnerable. The moment he closed it the door faded, disappearing back into smooth stone. Beyond the dark moonlit hallway was empty and briefly, he caught his bearings. The only way he knew to get to his office was from the outside tower. It wasn't the safest route, but pushing that away he swiftly began his journey to the end of the hall.

Exiting the building he was at once hit with the chilly air, a light wind catching him off guard. Thankfully the moon was out and the sky clear, illuminating the long bridge. Vlad paused, surveying his surroundings before increasing his speed to reach the other side.

He had made it halfway when he felt it. At once his chest burned, the ashen taste returning to the back of his throat. Immediately he tense, oddly knowing that the threat was behind him. Just in time he twisted out of the way, missing a bright ball of purple light that thundered where he'd been.

Skidding to a halt Vlad faced his opponent, the ghost sitting on top of the slanted roof above the door. Panic hit him, realising that he was going to have to fight her and readied himself to prove that his theory was right.

"Well, well, well," The ghost lowered her hand, expression hard to read. "Here I was minding my own business when none other than Vlad Masters stumbles into my way." A sneer appeared, fangs flashing in the moonlight.

He remained still, studying her face. Her solid amber eyes locked onto him, black hair swaying to its own breeze. And her voice… yes, he was sure of it. He had been right!

His lack of response caused a chuckle to escape her. " What is this? Could you actually be afraid of me? How wonderful!"

"Why would I be afraid of something like you?" He had no idea where that confidence in his voice came from, but somehow that panic he'd felt didn't seem to exist anymore.

The ghost scoffed and almost appeared to roll her eyes. " Of course, I suppose you're assuming Danny will come rushing in to defend you like before. But I'm guessing that might not be the case now, right?"

Vlad narrowed his eyes and her excitement grew.

"I was right! Oh, I do hope he isn't in too bad shape!"

"So you're the one who poisoned him?"

"Me!?" Acting offended she placed a hand over her chest. " I certainly didn't poison the kiddo! Even I don't need to stoop that low," She rose, hovering over the roof as she tapped her forehead with a grin. " No, all I needed to do was plant a simple, little lie into someone's head and they'd do the rest for me. Amazing how useful fear is."

Seeing her stand up, Vlad shifted himself in preparing to sprint. Inside his chest he could feel his heart thumping along in fear. Yet he could also feel that strange, aching heat there growing, suddenly itching to come out.

" Doesn't look like Danny can protect you now Vlad, getting ready to run?"

Vlad tensed and reached for that heat inside. It didn't take long for those strange black bands to appear, the bizarre lightness washing over him as he suppressed a shiver. " I don't intend to run this time."

At his glare she scowled briefly, hair flaring out in response. But as quickly as it appear the look returned to a grin. "Good, just the way I prefer it!"

She shot forward fast, faster than he thought was possible. For a second he was afraid, certain that he was crazy before his legs propelled him forward to leap out of the way. He heard her land heavily behind him, cracking of the tiles under her impact. Quickly Vlad concentrated, trying to remember how it felt. Disappear. He had to disappear completely, and thankfully he was rewarded when his body tingled all over.

"I'll give you a tip. Even invisible ghosts can still sense where you are, almost exactly." She turned her head to look right where he stood, though Vlad knew from his arms that there was nothing there to see.

Not taking her sight to the spot he was she twisted fully around, hands raising. " It's because you're using energy, you see. Any use of ghost powers can let off a tiny aura that an experienced ghost can pinpoint you. Here, I'll show you."

And with that, she vanished.

Vlad panicked, quickly bolting for his position and moving out of the way. He knew an unseen attack was coming, and there wasn't much room on the narrow bridge. The air seemed to move near him, and he twisted out of the way as what he assumed was a fist sailed past his head.

His concentration broke, reappearing at once. There was a terror of trying to figure out where she'd strike next. How could he sense something that he couldn't even see?! In the corner of his vision, he sported a blur of the air, it dawning on him that she must be behind. He attempted to twist around but wasn't fast enough to avoid a blast slamming into his right shoulder.

The attack sent him flying down the bridge, Vlad stopping his momentum with his heels. He grunted in pain, breath catching in his throat briefly. Now he understood why Danny had said his attack hadn't been a real shot!

Dismissing the ache he looked back at the ghost, seeing that she was preparing another shot. Vlad inhaled sharply and tried to recall that feeling in his hand again, remembering the building in his palm that had left a hole in the wall. Kicking himself up he held up his hand and release that buildup. Like before a ray of green light shot from his palm towards her. She dodged out of the way, her shield appearing as his attack slammed into the entryway he'd come from.

It surprised him at the damage it caused, part of the stone falling away. His chest tightened, did something like that just hit him? Glancing down to see if there was any wound before he jolted, knowing that he'd let her out of his sight. He just had time to see a blur rush towards him before he felt his collar tug, the ghost pulling him to the side of the bridge. Vlad felt the hard stone barrier dig into his back as the ghost tightened her grip.

"Nice try, but a weak attack like that is nothing to me."

Vlad grunted under the grip, realising he was in a horrible spot. She had pushed his body over the barrier, over that seven-storey drop below. Knowing that there wasn't much he could do physically, he decided to chance a more risky move.

"You're not… you're not the same."

She laughed. " Of course not, I'm far stronger than you in almost every way!"

"No," Vlad reached up and grabbed the arm holding him, pulling himself up closer to her face. "You're not the same ghost that I met that night."

Luna froze, even her hair seemed to freeze. What he said seemed to slowly dawn on her, solid eyes widening. Suddenly she let go of him and dashed up into the sky, stopping to hover from a distance. Vlad caught himself from falling backwards, steadying on his feet.

"What did you say?" She whisper, so low he almost missed it.

Adjusting his collar Vlad straightened his stance, confidence building with each word. " I realised… that you're different to the ghost that threatened me that night. In behaviour, voice, and even the way you talk. And when I saw you in the woods that night it confirmed my theory. You've confirmed it right now. There are two of you. Two ghosts. Whether you're overshadowing her or you're in the same body I know now there are two individuals here."

Vlad couldn't hold back a smirk as he watched her reaction. "Your eyes are a dead giveaway."

At first, she didn't reply, jaw slackening a little. Gradually what he'd told her came to light, her expression shifting to pure rage. For a moment it seemed like she was fighting within herself. Squeezing her eyes shut the ghost regained her composure, fixing him with a dark glare.

" I shouldn't be surprised that you'd figure it out. How clever of you." She drifted back down to be level with him on the bridge, stepping on top of the opposite stone wall. "But you know, that's quite some important information about me. Information that I don't practically want Danny to know about."

" It would destroy your plans, wouldn't it?"

To Vlad's surprise, the ghost shrugged casually. "Honestly? Not really. Lucrezia just isn't a fighter. She's never really been one for hand-to-hand combat, hence why I'm here instead." She sighed tiredly, running a hand through her long hair. " I told you this was a bad idea Lu, now look at the mess I have to deal with."

Vlad stilled, the confidence of revealing what he knew was disappearing fast. Now there was a threat of a second ghost appearing." Lucrezia's here now?"

The ghost's glare refocused on him. " We're always together, in some way. But you don't need to know any more than that." At the threat in her voice, Vlad raised his arms at the ready. She leaned forward, a smirk forming on her face. " In fact, I don't think I can leave this either. It doesn't matter if Danny learns that there are two of us now, it's far too late for him to do anything about it. But it's clear you're a bigger threat than I first thought!"

Without warning a purple ball of energy rushed over to him, Vlad stumbling out of the way just in time. The ghost bolted at him, fist raised and with a yelp he dashed away. To his surprise he moved faster than he expected, feeling that weightlessness of gravity as he landed behind her. He saw an opening, her back turned and fired another ray in the hope of stopping her.

Abruptly a purple barrier rose behind her, his attack doing little to break it. Casually the ghost turned her head back to him, grinning.

"Thanks Lu."

At once Vlad knew he couldn't win. This was two to one, the other ghost still had consciousness within as if they were sharing a body. But unlike them at that time, these two were working together. There were no blind spots and he could barely control whatever this power was himself, let alone go toe to toe with these creatures.

The ghost read his face and knew he'd realised it, as clearly she was toying with him. This wasn't a real fight at all. If it was, he'd already be dead.

"I'm honestly surprised you would even risk facing me if you knew the truth. Either your quite courageous or you're dumber than I thought."

Vlad backed off, wondering how far he was to the door. "But you knew I'd come."

She smirked. "Yes. There was a chance you wouldn't, but I suspected that you would. But let me ask you this; is it worth risking your life for him when we both know that he's going to betray you in the end?"

He paused, using his annoyed face he made to glance behind him, he wasn't too far away.

" Oh it's true Vlad, I know far more about you than you think. I know Danny as well. You could even say… I might know the future. Try and deny it all you want, but he doesn't want you here, probably is only humouring you to keep you out of trouble. But once this is done mark my words he'll abandon you without a backwards glance."

" And I am supposed to believe someone that told me not too long ago they love planting ideas into others' heads?"

The ghost laughed not kindly. "Don't say I didn't warn you. Though not that it matters much anyway." She shifted her position, a dark expression crossing her face. " I'll make sure you don't make it that far to see it."

Before he could respond she rushed forward, sending a blast his way. He leapt backwards towards the door but was stunned when something resisted against his back. Vlad just had time to spot a glowing border of a shield before the blast slammed hard into his chest.

It was agony, taking all of his air out and leaving him for a moment unable to breathe. The barrier stopped him from flying back, only jarring his shoulder blade against it. He had no time to react as the ghost grabbed him by the throat and pushed him painfully against the barrier.

"Oh, how the tables have changed, eh Plasmius? Not so strong and confident now!" He felt the hand on his neck squeezed like a vice, the strength of the grip making him panic as he tried to pry her off. She moved closer to him, face now filled with rage.

"I'm going to enjoy watching you be the one squirming this time." She muttered darkly as Vlad's lungs began to panic from the lack of air.

Suddenly the ghost gasped, eyes widening as she instantly let go of him. Vlad fell heavily to the stone, gasping for breath as a flash of blue light filled his vision. Quickly, after a few beautiful breaths, he regained himself and looked up at his surroundings.

The ghost was still nearby, though her attention was no longer on him. The purple shield above was oddly melting, heat pooling off it that made Vlad shudder. And down the other side of the bridge, standing in the entranceway of the tower was the headmaster.

"I warned you that you are not welcome here." Any of the humour and lightness in his voice that had been there when they met was missing, only anger. With the wind whipping through his robes and white hair, he looked far more formidable than just a crazy old man.

Vlad returned his attention to the ghost, who was watching the headmaster's approach with mild frustration. She had raised her hands in front as if waiting for another burst of blue light.

"Yet you can't keep me out, can you?"

Her back was turned to him, all attention on Albus. Even though he was still struggling he knew an opening when he saw one. Quickly he built the energy into his hand and let it rocket towards her. But just like before, just at the impact a shield protected her.

Luna sighed tiredly, peering over her shoulder. " Useless. Even if you both try, neither of you are strong enough to deal with us." The ghost looked back at the headmaster. " And times running out. Though you already know that, don't you?"

By now the man had closed the distance, eyes narrow with the hand that held his wand high. " You can tell your master that the stone-"

"-Voldermort is not my master. Unlike others, I no longer have any fear of him. Maybe it's because I know how this will all end." She chuckled. " I don't care in the least whether he gets the stone or not, he can do whatever he wants. You on the other hand, are another headache entirely."

Albus raised his hand higher, wand tip seeming to glow in threat. " Begone!"

She laughed again, and Vlad wondered whether she would attack. But suddenly in a puff of purple smoke, Luna was gone.

Somehow he had a feeling that she was far away, relaxing his aching muscles in response. That had been close, and now that the adrenaline was fading he was left feeling horrified at what had occurred. What the hell had he been thinking!? Taking on a monster like that!?

Albus strolled over, returning his wand deep into his scarlet robes. " I thought I heard a commotion. Luckily, I decided to investigate when I did."

Vlad rose carefully to his feet, both from the aching in his chest and the fear he'd lose control of gravity again. "Thanks… If you hadn't arrived when you did…." Suddenly he felt a drain in his chest, those weird black rings appeared and drifted over him. He winced, now everything hurt a hundred times worse.

"Indeed. I have been wondering when our ghostly friend would appear again. It seems I'll have to patrol outside the castle more often these next few days."

He nodded before it suddenly came back to him why he was out here in the first place. "Danny! Cinnamon Rolls I completely forgot! I was coming to find you. I think… he might have been poisoned. He's fallen suddenly ill, and it looks supernatural to me."

At once the wizard moved, only needed to hear that much before hurrying in the direction of the room. Vlad followed as quickly as he could manage, thankful to be back inside again.

He didn't even need to tell him about summoning the door, the old man paced quickly three times before the wooden entrance carved itself into the stone. Albus entered and he followed, shutting it behind them.

Danny hadn't moved from the armchair, hunched over and clutching his torso in pain. Albus rushed to him, placing a hand over his forehead.

"What makes you think he was poisoned?" His tone was gruff, all business.

Vlad crossed his arms, almost wincing when he pushed on his newly formed bruises."He returned with a drink this afternoon. It tasted off, sour. But naturally, he continued to drink more of it."

"Did you drink any?"

"No."

Albus frowned, raising his chin to look closer at his face. Danny opened his eyes at that moment, they were still flickering in hue.

"Albus…"

"It's quite alright now Danny, I suggest now you focus on resting." Satisfied when the teen flopped back with a grunt Albus turned back to him. "Now where is this infamous drink?"

"On the table." Vlad thumbed over his shoulder, Albus rising to retrieve it. Picking it up it was clear he was curious, sniffing the top.

"And do you know who gave this to Danny?"

"It was that kid, Harry."

"Harry!?" For the first time his calm, stern composure broke into genuine shock. A dumbfounded look crossing his wrinkled face, and then took another sniff of the bottle. To Vlad's surprise, he took a sip, swirling it around his mouth before abruptly swallowing it.

"How peculiar… Vlad, if it is possible could you taste this for me? Do not swallow a single drop of it, spit it out at once; but I think I might need a second opinion here."

Puzzled, and a little suspicious, Vlad took it from his hand and took the tiniest amount. It was at first sweet, like honey- before it abruptly tasted utterly foul. He had no quarrels spitting out the bitter thing, shuddering at the nasty aftertaste.

" I see it didn't sit well with you?"

"No. It's foul, bitter."

"How strange… to me it tastes like any normal Butterbeer, perhaps a little overly sweet…"

He took the drink from Vlad's hand and bent down to pick up a bowl that he swore had not been there. Emptying the container with a lite tap Vlad was curious to watch a thick golden liquid pour out, a small clump of a soggy dark red mass fell out after it. Leaning over the bowl he frowned, trying to figure out what he was looking at.

"Are those… rose petals?"

"Vlad," Albus whispered in a soft, commanding tone " Do not use any of your ghost power. Not even a tiny bit. Keep them dormant."

" Why?" He studied the bowl suspiciously, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck prickle.

"These are commonly known as Blood blossoms. Perfectly harmless to humans. But they are a natural ghost deterrent and cause extreme discomfort and pain to ghosts in its presence."

Vlad paused, processing this new information. At once a burning rage surged through him, rippling from the centre of his being.

"And you made me drink that!?" He thundered, and instantly felt a sting in his chest, wincing from the sharp pain. Albus stepped back, holding the bowl away from him.

"Do not use your power! You seem to have immunity while in your normal form, but if you summon it forth it will hurt you!"

"It would have been nice to check the contents before you asked me to drink it!" He hissed back, rubbing his chest. The fool probably did that on purpose! Even though he wanted to push it further with the idiot he sighed and instead decided to ignore him, turning his attention back to Danny. He was not going to like this.

Like he had feared a tall, antique glass appeared on the floor beside him, Vlad moved to fill it and returned to the armchair. Nudging his shoulder to get the teen's attention he pushed it into his grip. " Come on. Looks like you'll be drinking a lot of water in the next few days."

Danny held the glass closer, frowning as he shivered. " W-what?"

Vlad paused, dreading telling him. " You got poisoned. Apparently with some kind of ghost repellent. Which means… which means you can't transform for a while.

There was a moment of silence before the storm hit. "WHAT!?" He roared, freezing the glass completely solid. Vlad leapt back from the blast of cold air, shuddering.

"Danny be careful!" He scowled when his use of ice powers caused him to writhe in pain. At least he hoped that had taught him a lesson.

"He's right, I'm afraid." Albus moved over to join them, sending the teen a sympathetic look. " You will need to hold off transforming into your ghost form until it leaves your body. However, it should be only for a day or two. You are lucky that it appears to not affect your human form."

"But!" Danny had retained control, yet he looked utterly devastated at the news. "But I-I need to be able to transform! The shade! Harry- it could h-happen any day now!"

" Yes. It is likely he will make his move soon. But like I told you, that is exactly what I've prepared for. He will not get that stone, I've made sure of it."

"But Harry knows!?" Vlad was tense when he saw Danny's powers fluctuate again, the chill seeping into the air. " He k-knows that Voldemort is here!?"

"Of course. There is no doubt that he has found out by now. And knowing Potter, he is probably planning to stop him. But I assure you everything will be alright."

As Danny groaned in a mix of pain and frustration he stared at the headmaster. Maybe it was the fact he was still aching from being beaten up by that ghost, or that he was tired of being pushed around. But he couldn't stay silent anymore.

"Because you intend for Danny to do your dirty work for you, isn't that right?"

Albus looked at him through his half-rimmed glasses, yet it was hard to read his true emotions. Vlad was all too aware that he still held the bowl in his hand. A smart move.

He continued, not bothering to hide his distaste for the man. "This isn't something small that we can brush aside; this was a deliberate attack against Danny. A targeted attack designed to make it difficult for him to fight back. Harry gave that bottle to him knowing that it would hurt his ghost side. Whether it was in a malicious attempt or the kid had no idea what he truly gave him it doesn't matter. This isn't a joke."

Glancing at Danny, Vlad looked quickly back to Albus once he saw how confused the teen was. " She has turned Harry against him. I don't know when, but that ghost has somehow manipulated that kid to see Danny as an enemy. And now that misinformation has caused this. From what you said this could have severely hurt him!"

"Yes… I know." Albus seemed to droop, his disappointment that he hadn't stopped that happening etched behind his spectacles. It was a triumphing moment for him that he was admitting that he was hiding things.

Danny, as he had feared didn't buy a word of it. "What!? No! Harry wouldn't… How…W-who told you that!?"

Vlad grimaced " Your ghost friend, that's who. This whole thing was a trap, one that I fell right into. Though at least we learned something out of it."

"You… fought with Luna?" He sounded concerned, taking Vlad a little by surprise. Before he had loved to constantly entertain the idea of them fighting each other.

Dismissing the subject he just shrugged, rubbing his bruised chest. " I wouldn't call that fighting…"

"Your friend here was lucky that I was wandering the halls tonight. If I hadn't been the outcome would have been quite different."

A flicker of irritation came over Vlad. " And I'm grateful. But that's avoiding the point here. This is something that you need to deal with. Not Danny, not me, you. This is your place, so this is your problem to deal with!"

Albus sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. " I am. What you both do not understand is that this isn't as easy as rushing in and attacking our enemies head-on. I know from watching you fight that this is how ghosts handle threats, but in the Wizarding world that is not our way. That tactic will not work with Voldemort. And while I am trying to do my best to protect Harry, I also have hundreds of other innocents within Hogwarts that I must protect too. All I can do is prepare."

"It doesn't seem like it." Vlad scoffed back, earning himself a smile from the wizard.

"No, I suppose not. But in the next few days, we'll see if it's enough. For now Danny, rest and try not to use your powers. The more you rest, the quicker it will pass. This time unlike before when I told you to recover, take my advice wholeheartedly." He held up the bowl and bottle for them both to see. " I'll take these to dispose of so that you don't have to worry."

Danny groaned in dismay and Vlad knew he wasn't going to enjoy the arguments that were going to come out of this. The headmaster strolled to leave, but he couldn't help but follow him out, leaving the door open with his hand.

"You weren't wandering the halls where you? You knew we were fighting."

Albus looked back and gave him an apologetic smile. " Yes. I have a strong know-how of what goes on in this school. I have my own form of invisibility, you could say. But it is nowhere near as perfect as yours."

His smile faded. " But I overheard your conversation. I agree that there are more plots involved than we first believed. But that there is more than one ghost… I am not so sure."

" Even after she admitted it herself?"

" There are two individuals at play here, that is certain. But I don't think there is a pair of ghost twins running about in the shadows. I would have noticed it. But it might explain why none of my warding attempts has worked against her."

Vlad kept quiet. He didn't want to give this guy too much information, whether he knew about ghosts overshadowing abilities or not. While he had helped them tonight, he still had his doubts about him being sincere.

The headmaster must have read his thoughts, his smile returning. "You know, you are not quite who I expected you to be, Vlad."

"What does that mean?" There was an eerie feeling of deja-vu that came over him, Lucrezia had told him the same thing.

" I was expecting you to be more, ah…" He paused, a sudden twinkle coming to his sky-blue eyes. " I was expecting you to be much older!"

"Oh really." At once he was ticked off, and from Albus's chuckle, it must have fallen onto his face. With a wave of farewell, he retreated down the hallway. Vlad grumbled, consciously running a hand through his hair. Just because it was now whiter than he didn't make him old! He couldn't wait to fix that once he got home.

Returning to the room he shut the door and strolled to where Danny glumly sat. "How are you feeling?"

"Like my core is on fire," Danny muttered, gripping where his supposed ghost core was. Vlad sighed and dropped his questions, not wanting to poke the bear too much.

"D-did you really fight Luna just now?" His sudden quiet tone made him remember his pathetic attempt at holding her off.

"As I said, it wasn't fighting, more like me getting pummelled to the ground…Danny, I think that there might be two ghosts involved here."

"Wait Huh?" Abruptly he looked up at him with puzzlement, struggling to catch up with the sudden change of topic. " What do you mean two ghosts?"

"With your ghost enemy, Luna. I'm sure that there are two of them that are working together."

Danny scrunched up his face as he debated it. " That doesn't make sense. There can't be."

"Well, she seemed to agree with me." Vlad was starting to get frustrated with his stubbornness. " I asked her and she confirmed herself there were two of them. I'm certain there are definitely two ghosts here."

"But that can't be! I would've sensed if there was another ghost around Luna!"

"Then… then maybe the other one is overshadowing the other! It seems like they were working together when I confronted her."

"S-she can't be." Danny gripped the arms of the chair in frustration. " Vlad, I would still know! My ghost sense isn't always that strong, but when I fought her up close I still would have felt another ghost core. I… I don't think… Luna's only one ghost."

Madly trying to think of a way to get Danny on board with his idea, he thought of something else. " Then… what if there are two of them but they're sharing the same body permanently. When I confronted her it seemed like there was two consciousness… the shield!" Vlad grew excited when he found a point that proved it. " One is controlling the defence while the other attacks. Lucrezia is the one that makes the shield while Luna is the offensive."

Danny lent back, brow creased as he thought about what he said. " I guess… it is possible. Her shields are annoying at how quickly they appear. But… If that's true and Luna has multiple personalities or something then how does that change anything? She's still a threat, two minds or not."

"What if one of her is not a ghost?"

At his suggestion Danny chuckled, shaking his head. " Then what are you suggesting? Are you saying she could… I don't know… that's she's like a half ghost that instead of like us she switches personalities when changing instead of forms?"

"Don't ask me, you're the ghost expert here." Vlad felt the mood shift at this idea. Danny seemed conflicted, still fighting off the pain of the poison but now struggling with the thoughts of their enemy. Even Vlad didn't know what to think about it. From what the teen told him there weren't any others like them. But the idea that there was another that was that powerful, that malicious, unnerved him too.

"She can't be… Clockwork would have told me." That mention of the name perked Vlad's interest, it wasn't the first time he'd heard Danny mention it. But as much as he wanted to ask he pushed that down; enough had happened tonight.

He sighed, feeling a drain run through him from all the excitement. " Let's drop that idea for tonight. I think we both need to rest."

"She didn't hurt you, did she?"

Vlad peered down the front of his shirt, already spotting the discolouration on his skin. " I'm going to have a horrific bruise tomorrow. But I'll live."

He was blunt, hiding his unease. In truth, the damage he got should have been enough to send him to the hospital, yet despite the ache in his chest, he felt fine. Glancing to where he had left a chunk out of the wall he felt a tingle down his spine. All too well he recalled the time Danny had hurt his arm badly, only to smugly show him the healed smooth skin the next day. Such things… weren't normal.

He waited to see if Danny could walk on his own, and after a few wobbly steps, he seemed able. Albus had seemed to tell the truth. As long as he kept his ghost powers dormant the pain was kept at bay. Though he was now worried, Danny didn't seem to understand how to sit still. And if there were more traps waiting, he would stubbornly rush into them.

But he had told him what he thought, shared the knowledge that he found. He guessed…it was now up to Danny what he would do with it.

AN: Ah, Ha! I made the week! Though I was worried I jinx myself as last night I had a blackout and lost my internet...thankfully not tonight! I was excited about this chapter for a long time. I had always wondered if anyone had noticed Luna's eye colour change and dialogue tone in Chapter 15, but I didn't dare mention anything to spoil it. As to what Luna is... well that answer is fast approaching...

Thank you all again for your reviews, favs and follows! I love hearing your feedback on my story, and whether I'm doing it right! I'll see you next week!