Chapter 23: Trust In Me

For Danny, the next two days were agony. He was now trapped within the magic room, curled up in the armchair "resting". Vlad was insistent that he didn't do anything that he deemed to be stupid. A part of him agreed, knowing that he would recover faster if he did. But Danny was all too aware of time ticking away, agonising hours drifting by. It was only a matter of time till the shade would strike, and Harry's life would be in grave danger.

But any attempt to escape the room had failed. Vlad seemed to be awake at the same time he was. Almost too perfectly timed, Danny thought suspiciously. Though he understood the half ghost wasn't doing it in a place of malice, the fear of the time event happening without his knowledge was utterly terrifying. The twitch had returned, an edginess that left it difficult to sit still. He couldn't fail, not after everything.

His mind drifted back to their conversation yesterday morning, Vlad trying to pull his thoughts away from his grumpiness. " You need to come up with a new battle plan."

"Why?"

"Because… Well, that poison has weakened you. You might be okay in time, but there's a chance that you won't. And since your ambush plan is now too dangerous to do, you need to try something else." Vlad had set his mug down, gaze lingering on the chessboard for a moment. " Maybe you should involve those teachers in helping you? Or you could get the other ghosts here to help."

"What I need to do is talk to Harry." Danny had scowled when he said it, knowing that it was going to cause an argument. Ever since he'd learned that Luna had turned the kid against him it was all he wanted to do. He had to explain everything. Tell Harry what was going on. If somehow he could get him to believe the truth, it might stop him from trying to face Voldemort on his own.

Like he thought Vlad paused, thinking carefully about his next words. "I know you're worried about him. But it's like Albus said, there's nothing you can do. If you go up to him, do you honestly think he'll believe a word you say?"

"Of course, he will! Once I explain how much of a jerk she is, why I'm here, Harry will understand."

Vlad sighed, leaning back into the armchair he sat in. " That's what she wants you to do Danny! Whatever she told him means any attempt to sway his mind won't work! And you're in no condition to defend yourself if things go south!"

Grumbling, Danny sunk himself deeper into the plush cushions. " Well, what choice do I have? Any minute the shade might try to get his wispy hands on the stone. It could be now. It could be tomorrow. I don't know if I'm stuck in here!"

"Let that man deal with it. I'm sure if something happens he'll be overjoyed to let you know about it."

Danny rolled his eyes at Vlad's distrust of the old wizard. If the other half ghost had his way he would let the event happen and destroy all of time. But it wasn't fair of him to judge. Even though he didn't say it, he knew Vlad was only worried about him. Just as he now was with the idea of Plasmius fighting Luna. It wouldn't be a fair confrontation with how the both of them were now.

Vlad had spoken little of the fight himself, but Danny had spotted the bruising on his neck to know that she hadn't been gentle. Instead of talking of the battle, he'd spoken more of his theory that Luna was two ghosts. He clearly was still hiding that he had met her before but claimed the theory came to him after his overshadow. Danny had tried to explain that's not how that power worked, and it didn't make sense why one ghost would overshadow another just to control them. He'd only done it due to the fact he was pathetic at fighting.

"But what if she is the same." Vlad had argued. " She said that Lucrezia is terrible at fighting, maybe that's why?"

"Just because she doesn't like fighting doesn't mean she can't. Look, if Luna was overshadowing her, then all those powers, attacks and strengths she uses Lucrezia can do that too. And!" He added quickly when he saw Vlad about to counter. " If you're right and they are working together, how could we tell who's doing what? Luna might have been lying the whole time to confuse us. For all we know, there is only one ghost!"

The problem with this is that meant the other idea was rolling back into possibility. Could she be a ghost with two minds? Or the worst theory, was she half ghost? At once it brought the Fenton ghost catcher fiasco back to mind, his ghost side and him tearing apart to form two different personalities. What if Luna was the same but her human side was a completely different person?

He shuddered. No. That wasn't possible. He didn't think they were the same. Yet… he remembered their talk, where she had said he had helped her in the future. Could it be that the reason a future version of himself helped her was that they were the same? It worried him that it might be true, especially since she had time powers…

Clockwork. Danny froze when an idea dawned on him. The Time ghost could change his form, his age. Maybe that was happening with Luna, changing her form through different times-

"-Danny," Vlad drew him back to the present. " Don't overthink it with Harry. What's that kid going to do anyway? Most likely what will happen is that he'll get caught wandering around the school at night, and that will be the end of it."

"From my experience watching him, if he wants to do something he'll try it. It's not the first time he's snuck out before."

" Still… you need to think about yourself. It's that chessboard metaphor again, you've learned a new piece." Vlad took out a black pawn and placed it next to the piece that represented Luna. " She's turned the one you're protecting against you. But what else could there be? I'm sure there's more."

"Of course there's more." He turned to stare at the fireplace, thankful that he wasn't freezing right now. The only good thing that seemed to come out of all of this was that his ice powers had fallen dormant in the presence of the Blood blossoms. That had been a bonus. " But I'm likely too late to do anything about it."

Vlad was about to say something but relented with a sigh. Instead, he grabbed one of the ghostly books and dragged it onto his lap. Danny shuddered as the mist escaped his lips, the half ghost transforming. Danny found that he still smirked every time, much to the man's annoyance he'd been right all along.

He wasn't as worried about Vlad changing as he had been, now that he knew he could somewhat control his powers. However, the most he could get out of him was to transform. Any offer to demonstrate anything else was always rejected. Still, he tried to explain that the best way to learn was through practical experience. But Vlad just rolled his eyes at his suggestion every time.

Thinking of ghost forms Danny carefully tested his own, reaching for his ghost core. He'd been relieved this morning that he could transform now, but it was still painful. Even as he called it forth, reaching for his familiar chill a burning ache pounded in his chest in response. Wincing he let it die down, annoyed that it was lingering on for much longer than he liked.

He'd just have to hope that when the time event happened, he would be ready. Until then Vlad was sadly right; he needed to keep resting.

" Vlad, Were you sure that Luna was waiting for you when you went to get Albus?"

"Mhmm," He replied, half-focusing on the glowing words. " Yes. It was like I told you, there were pieces you couldn't see moving. You had been attacked to a point that you were out of action, which meant it was a trap for me. That I knew."

"The knights and the queen…" Danny paused, recalling who was the queen. That meant she would also try to get Albus out of the way too. But the thought made him chuckle. As if that old wizard would let her and the shade walk over him. It was impossible! Albus had already taught her a lesson before, and he trusted that his plan to stop Voldemort from getting the stone would work.

Vlad heard his chuckle. " I know you love to think everyone acts violently, but getting rid of something doesn't always mean killing them."

"I know that. Just that Albus wouldn't fall for tricks like that."

They sat in silence afterwards, Danny glancing at his watch with worry. It was almost midnight now; he'd been hoping that Vlad would go to sleep. They were in the middle of the exams, with only a few days left. Everything seemed too perfect. Too quiet. And he itched to go and check it out.

Suddenly his ghost sense went off, surprising him. Vlad abruptly jolted upright, likely surprised by the presence too. They both looked at each other, it being clear that the feeling wasn't from either of them. Danny dropped his feet to the floor, trying to work out where the feeling was coming from. Maybe it was the fact that he was so tense, but he was instantly ready to spring up and transform, ready for a fight.

From where the fireplace sat a translucent head drifted through the wall, pausing to observe the magic room. At once Danny relaxed as Sir Nicholas moved into the space, clearly amazed at what he found.

" Why I never, all this time there's been a room here… I suppose that is Hogwarts for you!"

"Hey Nicholas," Danny stood up to greet him, yet froze when something dawned on him. "Wait, how'd you get in here?"

At the sight of Danny the old Gryffindor ghost beamed warmly, head tilting to the side with a wobble. "Phantom! Wonderful to see you are on the mend! I heard you were quite unwell." Straightening his collar his smile faded. " Albus told me you would be here, should I not be able to?"

Danny frowned, he was sure that when he had first summoned the room he had wanted it to be impossible for a ghost or that shade to get in, but now it seemed that both could waltz in any way. Though, he wondered whether the headmaster had something to do with this.

Before he could answer Sir Nicholas caught sight of the other half ghost. After a confused pause of remembering he turned his attention to him.

"Ah! That's right…Vlad, wasn't it?"

Vlad had frozen to study their new arrival, still in his ghost form. He raised his hand in greeting, though he didn't look too comfortable about it.

"Yes… Hello."

Nicholas seemed to completely ignore Vlad's unease and seemed happier that he'd gotten a response this time. While he beamed happily Danny tried to get his attention back.

"Nicholas, why did Albus say we would be here? Has something happened?"

"I almost forgot there. Why yes, I was doing my normal patrolling of the halls when the headmaster found me. Told me that I must inform you that he had to leave the school this afternoon, and won't be returning till the morning."

Time seemed to freeze for Danny. "He's…gone?"

"I'm afraid so. An important owl arrived stating he must head to the Ministry of Magic at once. An unavoidable meeting is being held that he must attend. Albus advise me to tell you as he thought you might want to know."

Danny could feel his heart thundering in his ears, both adrenaline and panic rising. "No way-"

"-Danny." A sharp warning caused him to twist around. Vlad rose from the armchair, struggling to regain his footing as he drifted slightly from the ground. " It's a trap."

"It's the event! This is what Voldemort has been waiting for!" Ignoring the gasp of horror behind him, his anger grew. "This is the moment he's wanted, Albus is gone which means no one's protecting the stone."

Whipping back to the ghost he tried to keep his voice level. "Does Harry know!?"

"Potter? I… D-did I just mistake you, but did you just say You-Know-Who!?"

"Yes, evil shade wanting to come back. That's him. Do you know if Harry would know about Albus?"

If the transparent ghost could turn any paler, he did then. "I… do not know if he does. I assume not. But I do not know."

"If Luna's spoken to Harry then there's no doubt he does. And that means he's going to think he can handle this by himself!" Danny gritted his teeth and transformed, wincing at the stinging pain that shot through his entire body. Swallowing down the sick feeling he straightened. He'd just have to deal with it.

Vlad however immediately stepped in his way. " Even if Harry has followed them down there, you can't hope to fight them all off. Not in the condition you're in. Even if Luna is only one ghost, there are still three of them and one of you!"

" So you just want me to sit back and let Harry die?"

"No! You need to get help. You said there are others here that know, those teachers that have helped you. Tell them. Get them to deal with this."

Danny shook his head. "There isn't time! By the time I get them up and ready Harry could be dead! I need to go to the stone now!"

Vlad huffed in frustration, raising his hand in defeat. "You stupid kid! Still, you don't listen!" Danny was livid and was about to tell him so when a voice stopped him.

"I shall come." Both the half ghosts stopped their argument as they looked at Sir Nicholas. The old ghost puffed up his chest in an attempt to make himself look strong. " I might not have the fighting power as you two, but I have my uses!"

"Nicholas… I seriously don't think you should come. Maybe you should go and tell Minerva what's going on." His worried words were dismissed by the Gryffindor ghost.

"Nonsense! Perhaps this will finally prove to those naysayers that I am brave enough to join the hunt!"

It took a lot of effort for Danny not to slap his forehead. Sir Nicholas would only be putting himself in danger, useless against enemies that could destroy him. His quest on proving himself was only going to mean he had another person to watch out for.

But from the determined expression on Sir Nicholas's face, he wouldn't change his mind once it was made up. Knowing that they needed to hurry, Danny turned to his other headache.

"You don't have to come."

"What?" Vlad surprisingly looked furious at the suggestion.

"Let's not joke here, you're still not strong enough to fight a real battle. If I'm trying to protect Harry that means I might be too busy to help you. You should stay here. Or… better yet you could go and get Severus and Minerva, tell them what's going on."

"And you honestly think they'll trust the words of someone they've never met before?"

Danny wanted to argue back but stopped himself. He was right, the only other person that really knew he was here was Albus. Maybe the Cat lady would trust him if he explained. But without Albus's word, it might seem like Vlad was leading them into a trap.

But they were wasting time, how long had it been since Albus had left? It might be long enough for the shade and his host to make their way down. For Harry to follow them. Rubbing his sore chest he made his decision. This was always going to be like his fights at home, him vs Luna. If that was how it was to go down then so be it. He'd figure it out as he went.

Turning back to the old ghost he took a deep breath, readying himself. "Okay. We're going to have to move quickly to the Third corridor. If the shade and his host are ahead of us then we need to catch up. If we're the ones that are ahead, then we need to find a spot to hold our ground. Nicholas, have you ever been down the trapdoor?"

"Never. It was only built this year for the protection of the stone. Us ghosts avoid it."

"Well, then we'll just have to do this the old fashion way." Looking back at Vlad he fixed him with a stern glare. He was giving him another chance to back out. Both knew that he couldn't do it, that if Luna had threatened him she meant it. Sure he'd figured out how to make an attack, but that still wasn't enough against a ghost of her power level. Danny didn't want to resort to his Ghostly wail down there if he could help it.

But Vlad seemed weirdly stubborn with his decision. "We better hurry then."

Sighing Danny nodded, and immediately flew off into the hallway beyond. He knew that the others would follow, though he didn't have time to check how well. His mind was building into a rising panic, core increasing in its ache. Back home when he had a ghost fight coming he'd secretly had a feeling of excitement, a rush that he was about to use his powers. But now… he found that he was scared. So much was riding on winning this fight. So much work and planning leading up to the moment that now that it was happening it seemed unreal. He almost wanted Albus to be wrong.

The halls were dark and quiet, not a soul moved through the passageways he passed. Danny hoped to run into the two teachers, but his luck seemed like it had run out. Reaching the level of the corridor he slowed when his ghost sense weakly went off. Rounding a corner he paused when he spotted the haunting form of the Baron. The bloodied ghost turned his hollow gaze to him, a low, croaky groan exhaled out in his words.

"Something passed through."

Danny nodded politely, watching the ghost disappear through the wall before continuing. Ignoring the fact that he was a ghost, he never liked being around him. Something just felt off about the Baron, though he couldn't figure out why.

Soon, he had made it to the door that held Fluffy and with dismay it was wide open. Danny waited tensely, watching in case something lurked unseen around it. Yet despite the fact it was open, nothing else seemed abnormal about it.

Sir Nicholas arrived shortly after, surveying the surrounding with a frown. " It appears that we are too late."

"Yes, it's-" He was cut off when something bumped hard into him, sending him thumping into the stone wall. Thankfully it was nowhere near as powerful as Vlad's first tackle of him, but it still hurt.

"Geeze Vlad, be careful!"

"Sorry." He muttered as he when to straighten himself up. Danny pushed the half ghost roughly away but still kept a grip on his shoulder so that he stayed still. He imagined glumly that if anyone was watching they would sure look like a pathetic rescue team.

"Are you both alright?" Sir Nicholas queried as Vlad fought to keep control of his gravity.

"We're fine. Someone here just loves tackling people." Danny would have normally rolled his eyes at Vlad's death glare, but he was freaking out too much about the time event. Someone must have already headed down the trapdoor, which meant they'd have company. Was it the shade and Luna? Or was it Harry…

Quickly thinking, Danny plotted out a plan. "We don't know what's down there, but at least we know about Fluffy… So that's a start. We all should remain invisible and intangible while we're down there, at least until we know whose in front of us." He tightened his grip on Vlad's shoulder. " I'll channel my powers through to you so that you don't accidentally let down your visibility. The last thing we need is for you to have your powers stop working and revealing where we are."

Vlad nodded, but he frowned. " Wouldn't that ghost sense us even if she cannot see us?"

"Well, yeah. But we'll have a small element of surprise till she does." Danny slowly let his powers wash over them, thankful that it didn't cause his core too much distress. It seemed like he was only going to have trouble with his stronger powers. Seeing the old ghost vanish from sight Danny drifted over to the open door, ready for anything.

Immediately he spotted Fluffy, the monstrous dog sitting at the far end of the hall, one of its large heads chewing at its nails. Danny's eyes were drawn to the trapdoor, the hatch wide open. So they were too late.

He felt Vlad grip his arm suddenly. " What…is that thing?"

At the whisper the dog's left head perked up, nose twitching. "That's Fluffy," Danny whispered, his smirk coming out in his voice. " Don't worry, he's just a harmless three-headed dog."

Vlad seemed to choke in disbelief as the dog rose to its feet, a growl rumbling as it searched the hallway. But it couldn't see them, only faintly hear their voices. Slowly Danny moved to the hole in the ground, to the black descent below. Squinting he could just make out the form of some sort of twisting roots, curling in the darkness.

Abruptly Danny tensed, tightening his grip on the half ghost as a warning. "Don't move."

Fluffy had stepped over to them, his large body passing right through. Danny smelt his musty dog scent, its shudder as Fluffy felt their cold ghost forms. But then he was gone, moving towards the door sniffing wildly.

Danny wished he could see the expression Vlad was making, but it wasn't worth dropping his invisibility for a laugh. Instead, he finally spotted a strange object, a harp resting off to the side. Why on earth it was there, he had no idea. But he knew it wasn't there when he and Severus entered this place.

" Let's go." He said firmly, dropping into the hole and dragging Vlad clumsily through. He fell quickly but controlled, down into the circular pit towards the mass of roots below. As his eyes adjusted to dim he realised that it wasn't roots at all, but more like a pile of vines, sickly-looking leaves clinging to it. He halted his descent and jolted violently as Vlad almost dragged him down.

Regaining control Danny studied the odd plant, which seemed to be moving ever so slightly. "What is that thing?"

"Devils snare, by the looks of it." Sir Nicholas's disembodied voice echoed near, much more serious than before. " A clever trap indeed. As you run from the Cerberus you fall into a squeezing trap, which the more you struggle the tighter the hold. The work of Professor Sprout, no less."

"So… Should we be worried?"

"Oh no Phantom, not at all! We're perfectly safe as we are. Ah, see there is a passageway on the side, to our left. The way forward, no doubt!"

Not wanting to be hanging in the air with an unpredictable half ghost any longer Danny rushed to the passage. Seeing that the narrow tunnel was empty he let go of Vlad, both reappeared. The man stumbled to his feet, looking rattled about the whole trip.

"Are you all right?"

Vlad seemed to take a moment to compose himself before glaring at him. "What do you think?"

Danny chuckled, watching as the old ghost joined them. Sir Nicholas patted Vlad on the shoulder. " Do not worry! I doubt there is much down here that can hurt us ghosts! In fact… I am certain that the both of you would be the most dangerous creatures down here!"

"Wow… what a relief," Vlad muttered weakly, clearly the ghost's comforting words were having the opposite effect. Danny however didn't have time to respond with his own comment, gaze returning to the passageway. It seemed to go on for a while, the walls slick with water and grime. It was going downwards that is for sure.

"We better hurry. Any signs of trouble turn invisible, alright?" Making sure they agree Danny headed off down the tunnel, making sure to keep his pace slow enough that he could reach out to Vlad if he needed to.

There was something about this place that worried him. The dangers of the two traps they'd encountered made him wonder whether he should have found Harry first. What if that kid tried to come down here, only to fall into the vines and be crushed to death? Danny shuddered, realising that it wasn't just Voldemort that might be the cause of Harry's demise down here.

Shaking his head he pushed on. No way would Harry come down here on his own. He never would have gotten past Fluffy.

After going down the slippery tunnel for what seemed like forever, he paused. A noise had started to reach him, a buzzing, clicking sound that was coming in the direction below them. Danny tried to figure out what on earth that sound could mean, but couldn't figure it out.

By now Vlad had moved next to him, frowning in his puzzlement at the noise. Not wanting to risk it he grabbed the man's arm and made them both vanish, with Nicholas doing the same. With caution they moved downwards, till the narrow passageway opened into a large, high-roofed room.

At first, Danny had no idea what he was looking at. It seemed like the air was filled with butterflies, fluttering through the air in a shimmering cloud. It took a moment of focusing on the shapes to see that they were keys; wing keys flying in their hundreds.

"Ah ha, I knew it! It's a gauntlet!"

Danny jumped as Sir Nicholas's booming voice thundered beside him.

"A gauntlet?"

"Yes! A series of challenges for one to test their worth for the stone! Leave it to our Albus to come up with a clever way of protection, he truly loves those old heroes' fables. I imagine each professor was asked to come up with a test, of magic prowess and wits. This must be the work of Professor Flickwick, his charms work is all over this."

Danny studied the mass of winged keys fluttering above them. " If that's so, this should slow down anyone trying to get to the stone."

"But if we can easily get through," Vlad finally spoke, his tone guarded. " Then with the help of a ghost, our enemy can too."

"Yeah." It abruptly deflated any hope he had that the shade would get stuck. Luna could just fly them all through this easily. Just like they were.

Ahead of them was a pair of weathered carved doors, closed and looking quite heavy. It was clear what one needed to do to get to the other side, Danny observing the waiting broomsticks nearby.

"It's a good thing… that ghosts don't need keys." He smiled thinly as he spoke, starting to drift over to the waiting door-

-Until a scream cut through the air.

Danny froze in horror, his heart leaping into his throat. It was a girl's high-pitched scream, filled with terror. He didn't think, didn't dare not spring into action. Shaking off Vlad's attempt to grab him he bolted forward, flying through the wooden doors.

Once he was through he halted, befuddled at the sight before him. The room was as large as the one before but far longer, enclosed with shadows. Dead centre was what looked like a life-size chessboard, its remaining stone pieces standing on top of a glossy marble floor. Fire pillars bordered the space and cast the room in an eerie, amber glow. And there, standing before one of the tallest figures was Harry. Danny hovered slack-jawed as the great stoned figure moved, removing the crown from its head and dropping it to Harry's feet. It bowed low, as the other pieces glided to the sides to reveal the door beyond.

"HARRY!?" Danny thundered in panic, shooting forward in utter disbelief that he was there. Harry whipped around to face him, eyes wide in terror behind his glasses. Quickly he took out his wand and pointed it directly at Danny, who came to a stop in front of him.

Slowly Danny raised his hands in a peaceful gesture, letting himself drift a little back to give them some space. "Relax Harry, I'm not here to hurt you."

While the kid tried to look tough his arm was shaking. His clothes were dishevelled, his hair looked like it had been caught in a great gust of wind. Harry seemed conflicted about what he should do, taking a step back to keep a distance between them.

"Harry, don't!" A shrill voice caused Danny to glance around at his surroundings. Off to the side was Hermione standing not too far from them, her wild curls flying in all different directions. And at her feet he saw Ron, lying still on the marble floor.

Swallowing hard he turned back to Harry, ignoring the shaky wand pointed directly at his chest. " Take it easy Harry, there's no reason to start shooting spells here."

" I won't let you hurt her."

"Harry," He spoke as carefully and as gently as he could, knowing that the kid was just frightened and confused. " I don't know what Luna has told you about me. But I'm your ally here. I'm not hurting anyone. Well," He couldn't help a casual shrug. " I do want to punch Voldemort in the face for coming down here, so that's not entirely true."

A flicker of conflict creased Harry's brow, unsure what to make of what he told him. But before Danny could start to explain more a loud cry rang out.

"Harry Potter! What do you think you are doing!?" Danny didn't look away when Sir Nicholas yelled out. But Harry peered over his shoulder with a jump.

"Nick?" The wand lowered a little before it dawned on Harry that he was dropping his guard. Raising it back high he squared his shoulders. "I'm not letting you get the stone, Danny! You can't take it."

"Preposterous!" The Gryffindor ghost sounded furious at the accusation. " Phantom is one of the few protecting the stone! I'll have you know he has worked tirelessly for months to make sure it does not fall into the enemy's hands. And to protect you, I might add! He is not the one that you should be holding your wand against Potter!"

Drawing Harry's attention back to him Danny changed back to normal in a flash, dropping to the floor with a soft thud. "It's okay. I'm here to help you. Not a threat, not after the stone, okay? And if you don't believe me and want to blast me with whatever spell you have, then go for it. I'm not going to stop you."

Harry stared into his face, biting his lip as he decided what to do. But abruptly Hermione was there, standing between them with hands on hips.

"Oh for goodness sake, stop it, Harry! Danny is not our enemy! I can't believe after everything I told you two, you and Ron as still convinced that he's after the stone! What did I tell you, it was stupid to believe what that ghost told you! We all should have gone straight to Dumbledore." She was chewing Harry out like she had been waiting for this moment for a long time. Danny let his arms drop limply to his sides, debating whether to interfere.

"But, Hermione-"

"-No! The only reason Danny hasn't told us was because he wanted to protect us! If you had just gone to Dumbledore as I told you, he would have told us Danny was our friend!" She huffed and turned to face him with a sudden, worried look on her brow. " Professor Dumbledore has left the school, likely he was tricked by Snape to give him time to steal the Philosopher's stone. We have to hurry and stop him before he gets to it."

"Yeah, I figured that… Snape!?" It was Danny's turn now to be confused. "What's Severus got to do with this?"

"What do you mean, Snape's the one working with Voldemort to get the stone." Harry sounded confident in his theory, and even Hermione nodded in agreement. Danny paused for a moment, before sighing tiredly.

"I… I guess he does act super suspicious sometimes. But it's- no we don't have time for this. You shouldn't have come down here, it's not safe for you. You need to go back."

Harry had put his wand away, but his brave expression had come back. " But we have to stop him! Voldemort can't get the stone, he'll use it to come back. Snape's probably already got his hands on it as we speak!"

"Yes, and that's why I'll deal with it. You guys though need to get out of here. Go and get word to Albus that he needs to come back, or go report what's happening to a teacher."

Instead of agreeing, it only seemed to make the two more sure they needed to help. "But there's no time! We have to stop him now before he gets away!"

"I agree with Phantom." Nicholas had drifted over, frowning as his head threatened to wobble off. "This is not a battle for children. It is best that I take you to Professor McGonagall's office at once."

Danny felt a strange, sudden chill at the idea. And that had nothing to do with his ice powers. Even though he wanted to send Harry away; far away, there was the threat of Luna. If Voldemort was ahead, he needed to stop him from winning. But was it right to let Harry leave without real protection? What if Luna knew that would happen and was waiting back there for Harry to be defenceless? To strike him down without his protection.

"Your friend needs medical attention." Vlad's sudden report drew everyone's attention away. The half ghost had crouched down next to Ron, hand lightly brushing his head. "He's alive, but has a nasty hit to the head."

Danny heard the sharp intakes of breath from the others, knowing it was probably their first time seeing the other half ghost. He strolled over to Ron, already spotting the purple bump forming on his temple.

Vlad looked up at him, his red eyes, Plasmius's eyes boring into his. "What do you want to do?"

Looking over at the others, Danny's mind reeled. He pondered all their options, all the outcomes he could think of what would happen in the time event. He rubbed his chest, the aching of the Blood blossoms lingering. He knew from experience how one tiny mistake could destroy everything. What was the best route that would protect everyone? There was one way he could see, one way that would ensure that both Luna and the shade came solely after him, and kept Luna away from the other half ghost.

Taking a deep breath, Danny gazed back at Vlad. " I need you to take Ron with you to the infirmary. Then send word-"

"-No, absolutely not." The man rose to his feet, shaking his head as he went. " I know what you're doing Danny."

" Just like you said, Ron needs help. So I'm entrusting his safety to you-"

"-You're getting me out of the way." Vlad's eyes narrowed angrily. "You and I both know you're in no condition to fight them all on your own."

"Then you want to get in a situation where people get killed-"

"-You know what the right course of action is! We all head back up and get those teachers to deal with this while you protect Harry. What you want to do is stupid, reckless and pointless! You are injured, and your enemies know it and will use that to their advantage. This isn't the time to act like a child!"

Danny bristled under the glare. If they did go to get help that might give Voldemort all the time he needed to resurrect himself. Which might cause the timeline to be destroyed and him to fail his mission. Instead of telling him that, Danny narrowed his own eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me Luna threaten to kill you the night you left? Yeah, you should feel guilty. I found out. You shouldn't have hidden something so major from me.

Flustered by his reveal Vlad recovered quickly. "And would that have changed anything if I did?"

"Of course it would have you stupid Cheesehead!? I would have never let you near her if I knew she wanted you dead!?" He snapped angrily back, feeling his eyes glowing green in response. He was mad less with Vlad and more with himself, for letting Luna play him right into this trap.

Sir Nicholas had moved over by this point, trying to get in between them. "Gentleman please, this is not the time to be fighting with each other."

"No your right Nicholas, this isn't the time." Still glaring he poked Vlad in the chest." We both know that you're still hopeless in a fight! You'd only get in my way between me protecting Harry. I can't look out for both of you. If I let Harry go with you, either way, we both know you won't survive. So for once, Vlad listen to me!"

They glared at each other in silence. Danny could tell Vlad was livid at what he had told him. He could see it in the way he was fighting to keep himself from snapping back. For a moment he actually thought Vlad was going to punch him, fist clenched at the ready. But instead he scoffed, turning his head away.

"Fine. If that's what you want to do, then go right ahead. Get yourself killed. I don't care anymore."

Bending down he picked up Ron carefully, now completely ignoring Danny. At his total dismissal he was surprised that it stung a little. Somehow he had expected Vlad to fight him more, trying to argue that what he was planning wasn't right. But his easy surrender wasn't what he thought he'd do, and it made his anger evaporate.

Looking between the two in puzzlement Sir Nicholas moved closer to Vlad, keeping his voice low due to the tension still in the air. "I will come with you. It would be easier if I explain the situation to Madam Pomfrey, as… to your presence here."

"Thanks." Was all Vlad curtly said, before storming off to the entrance they'd come from. Danny was surprised when he walked through the solid doors without aid, he hadn't known he'd figured out how to do it on his own. The Gryffindor ghost quickly followed, disappearing after him.

Danny sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Nice one Fenton…" He muttered tiredly. Why was it that he was so good that mucking things up?

Pushing his thought down Danny returned to the others, who were looking at him with a mix of worry and curiosity.

"Sorry about that guys… Just some half ghost issues, that's all."

"So he was the other half ghost." Harry blurted out, and when Danny gave him an intrigued frown he shifted nervously on his feet. "That ghost… Luna told me that he was here. That there were two of you."

"Yeah? And what else did she tell you?"

"Well, not a lot. She told me that you were here because of the stone, and-"

"-And she gave you something! Don't forget the whistle Harry, though I do hope you listened to me and got rid of it."

"Whistle?" Danny had an ill feeling settle in his stomach when Harry nodded.

"She gave me something that I could call her with if I was in danger. A kind of metal whistle. I used it in the forest when Voldemort came towards me, but no sound came out." Harry looped something off his neck, holding it in his palm so he could inspect it closer. At once Danny didn't like the black object, something foreboding seemed to pour out of it. He recalled that night, remembering that he and Vlad had heard a piercing echo through the woods. Had this been it?

This had been all part of Luna's plan, he thought in horror. To make it look like he was working with the shade, so she could act like she was protecting Harry. All part of her cunning plot.

Angry Danny snatched it from him and threw it away, the thing ringing on the marble. Ignoring the sting of both his hand and core he summoned a ball of green ectoplasm, shooting the blast to destroy it. The whistle seemed to wheeze in the heat before it melted into a black oily puddle.

"That was bad, wasn't it Danny?" Hermione whispered fearfully to him.

"It wasn't ghost-related, that's for sure." In fact, it felt weird to him when he touched it, reminding him at once of the shade. But Harry didn't seem hurt by it thankfully, but it definitely had been some sort of tool Luna had used against him.

Seeing that he was causing the others to worry he shook his head, smiling at the two. "Come on, we wasted too much time here already. And if you guys are sure about this… Lead the way."

The two nodded, running past the now frozen chess pieces and to the door waiting for them. Harry pulled the ringed handle, the hefty door creaking open. Immediately a wind blew through the opening and Harry scrunched his nose in disgust.

The next challenge room was something that Danny was not expecting. The room stunk with a foul, sour odour that he didn't want to think about. On the floor, lying flat on its face was a large ugly looking creature. It was alive, though whatever had hit it in the head had got it good.

"I'm glad we didn't have to fight this one. Come on, I can't breathe." Harry whispered in a croak as they carefully stepped over the creature. Danny didn't want to speak, he was too busy trying to block his nose and mouth from the stench.

Quickly they exited this chamber and entered the new room, shutting the door quickly behind them. Stepping through a short tunnel, they found before them another round room, this one much smaller. A single iron-legged table stood in the middle, several little bottles lined up in a row.

"If that was Quirrell's… then this must be Snape's," Hermione muttered, stepping towards the table. At once there was a whoosh sound and Danny jumped aside as a wall of purple flame rose behind them, blocking their way in. With the same sound, another wall of flames rose to the door in front, inky black flickering on the stone without smoke. Danny waited for anything else to happen, but other than their paths being blocked nothing stirred.

"Look!" Hermione suddenly rushed to the table, grabbing a roll of paper that had been resting there. Harry rushed to join her, but Danny was strolling into the room more carefully. He was on high alert, reaching out all his senses as far as they would go. He wasn't comfortable with this. No doubt behind that wall of dark flame lay the mirror and his enemies in waiting.

He approached the flame, letting his intangibility run through his hand. Carefully he passed it through, happy that nothing seem to hurt him. He smiled, wondering if it was just normal fire or whether the enchanted flame couldn't affect his ghost powers. He'd have to ask Severus later if he had the chance.

"But how do we know which one to drink?"

Harry's rising frustration turned him back to the kids, who were staring intensely at the group of bottles. With the paper hovering close to her face, Hermione read it carefully.

"Give me a minute."

As she started circling the table Danny cleared his throat. "Um, guys?"

"Wait… could it be… no, this one?"

"Hey, guys?" He said a little louder, though the two were completely focused on the table.

"Got it!" She suddenly clapped, grabbing one. "The smallest bottle will get us through the black flame, and to the stone."

"Guys!?" He snapped loudly, causing the two to jump. "Or… you could ask the half ghost nicely to walk you through?" He passed his hand through the flame, watching it dawn on their face.

"Oh! I completely forgot…" She flushed in embarrassment, " Sorry Danny, it slipped my mind."

He shrugged, walking over to join them at the table. " That's fine. I would have too."

"It's a good thing you can pass through, there's only enough here for one person." Harry peered closer at the bottle in her hand. " If it wasn't for Danny I don't think we both could have passed."

"Your right. But it's not pointless." She took another bottle, this one at the far right. "This one will take us back. Even with Danny here, we might need both of these to come back through here later."

Danny's smile faded, looking at the two. As much as he didn't like it, he needed them to know what was going to happen. "Guys, I'm not going to lie to you. But Voldemort is likely in there with his host. Things… things could get ugly quickly. I want you both to promise you'll run if things get out of control. I'll protect you, but… if Luna's in there too I might have to resort to my most powerful move. I need you to always stay behind me. I'm not joking there, you'll need to keep out of my range if I have to use my wail."

For the first time, he saw their fear. Knowing that beyond the flame was the shade. They might be witches and wizards, but they also were just kids, kids who never had their lives in this much danger. It pained Danny to put them through this, he was so used to fighting that he didn't think about it anymore. But the time event was on the line, and if Harry and Voldemort were to meet, that was going to happen whether he wanted it or not.

Harry's fear faded quicker and turned to his friend. "Hermione, use that bottle and go back.

"What?"

"This is too dangerous for you. No- listen! Go take one of the broomsticks in the key room and go to the owlery. Send Hedwig a message to Dumbledore, he needs to come back."

"But Harry! What about Snape… what if Danny's right and You-Know-Who is in there!"

"Well," With a rueful smile Harry pointed to the scar on his forehead. " I was lucky once. I might get lucky again."

Hermione was pained, quickly looking at Danny for backup. But he rubbed the back of his neck instead. "He's right Hermione. I think it's best if you do go back and get Albus. I'm not trying to be rude, but you two… aren't that strong. It will be easier for me if there is only one person I'm protecting. Two… might be harder."

"Danny's right. We'll hold them off and give you time to get the word out."

The girl's lip trembled, tears threatening to leak. Suddenly she threw her arms around Harry, tightly squeezing.

"Hermione!" Cheeks reddened Harry gently tried to escape her hold. She let go, wiping her eyes.

"You're a great wizard, you know that Harry"

" I'm not as good as you." The embarrassment was still there on his face, eyes flickering to look quickly at Danny.

"Me? Books! And cleverness! There are more important things, friendship and bravery and…oh be careful, won't you?"

"You're both brave!" Danny couldn't help but cut in. " I still can't get over the fact that you made it down here on your own! That's impressive. I'm confident there aren't many students in this entire school that could have done that."

They both had a small flush of pride. Likely they were delighted that a half ghost like Danny was calling them brave.

Harry stepped back to stand beside Danny. "Go on. We'll be careful."

She nodded, taking the small round bottle in her hands and uncorking it. Taking a long drink Hermione shuddered, wincing.

"It's not poison?" Harry breathed anxiously.

"No, but it's like ice."

"Quick! Go through before it wears off!"

Hermione took a few steps back but was still hesitant. "Good luck you two… take care-"

"-Go!"

With Harry's words, the witch turned and walked through the purple fire. She didn't stop, the flames seemingly did nothing to her and soon she disappeared. Harry took a deep breath and gazed up at him.

" I guess this is it."

Nodding Danny went ghost, flinching as his core burned when the white rings parted over. His reaction didn't go unnoticed by the boy, and the half ghost raised an eyebrow at him. Though this wasn't the time to discuss the past and instead floated up off the ground.

Holding out his hand he smiled as confidently as he could muster. " Don't worry. I'm going to protect you in there. Just make sure to stay close to me. If Luna or Voldy get dangerous, grab me and I'll fly us out of there."

Though he reached for his hand, Harry hesitated. "Are you not…scared to go in there?"

"Me? Oh I'm terrified. Petrified even." Danny chuckled when he saw Harry's shocked expression. "But I'm not allowed to be scared. That's my job today. I'm going to go in there, fight whoever and make sure you come out of there in one piece. So… to answer you're question Harry; no, I'm not scared."

Harry peered up at him through his circled glasses, eyes wide and in awe. He smiled softly, taking Danny's hand and letting him pass his intangibility over. The boy shuddered, but once he settled Danny moved over to be in front of the black flames, and paused.

This was it. The time event. The moment he had been waiting for all this time. Beyond here, he would face his greatest challenge. The reason he was here at Hogwarts, all of this had all led up to the moment. Harry's confrontation with the one who had taken his family. Who he was destined to confront. Danny would let it play out for as long as it could, then he would make sure the shade and Luna didn't get the stone and then get Harry safely away. He had this.

Looking back at the boy he smirked, trying to hide his own fear. "Ready?"

Harry nodded, and Danny drifted forward into the flames. He felt nothing, happy to see from the kid's bewildered face he too was safe. Together they stepped through into the final chamber.

On the other side, Danny paused immediately, seeing the towering form of the mirror. It shimmered in the firelight, almost like it was on fire. Two figures stood in front of it, shadows dancing in the flickering light. He heard a gasp from Harry next to him, probably surprised to find out Quirrell was the host all along. But Danny was frozen, staring at the other figure beside him.

It wasn't Luna. It wasn't even a ghost.

The man turned around, his face faintly familiar yet he couldn't quite place it. Through a mess of dark mousey hair and deep-shadowed glasses, he looked over to them at the top of the stairs. Spotting Danny he grinned wickedly; that smile was all too familiar despite the missing fangs.

"Hey there kiddo, you finally made it!"

AN: ...Here we go...