Chapter 32: Of Path That Broke

Vlad found that he was gazing at the frosted window, finding it was easier to look at than his interviewers. They'd already been trapped in this room for what seemed like an eternity, Vlad wishing they would finish this. Sadly, it seemed their attempts of ratting out information were only increasing, making it harder for him to keep track of the long, repetitive list of questions. The meeting room was narrow, too warm, too close together and Vlad was edgy of slipping up. Across the heavy oval table one of the men obnoxiously cleared his throat, signalling for him to pay attention.

"Apologies again for the short notice. We understand that our timing isn't... the best, considering the season. But our company is still concerned about your well-being. And after everything that has occurred, it's our department's number one priority."

Holding back a scowl at the obvious lie, Vlad turned from the window. His two interviewers looked tense in his presence, their matching black suits airing seriousness and professionalism. But Vlad wasn't fooled by their show anymore. He knew what they were.

" I thought all companies would be closed until after the New Year?"

" Not ours, Mr Masters; there is never a time of rest for us." The speaker was obviously in charge, his hands clasped in front. But his white knuckles showed how tight he was holding them. Sighing Vlad shifted forward in the uncomfortable, plastic chair. The burning in his chest was increasing by the second, warning him of his time limit. Let the game begin again…

" I've told you all already. I have no memory of that gap between the accident and when I was found. Nothing. How many more times do you want me to say it until you're happy?"

Piercing, beady eyes stared back at him, clearly searching for hidden answers in his words. "We understand that this is frustrating to you, Mr Masters. Something you would like to forget and move on from. Our team is tired of the paperwork as well, I assure you. But you have to understand the… legal obligations we have here. Let me make this clear; the project that you and your team were assigned to was top secret. The number of non-disclosure agreements and government contracts you signed should have told you that. Our superiors are rightly concerned with the aftermath of a failed project. If there is anything you remember, we have to know."

It was taking a lot of strength not to laugh. This had nothing to do with his well-being at all. All it was is them trying to figure out how to cover themselves legally from any fallout if he wanted to sue for it. But there was one other reason, one that Vlad nervously knew he needed to hide if his life depended on it. It likely did depend on it.

Once again a wave of pain pulsed through his torso. " I told you. I don't know anything."

His partner had been writing down notes the whole time. But now he spoke up, voice raspy with frustration. " Mr Masters; we need to get to the bottom of this. You might not see this as an issue, but our organisation does. You were involved in a likely fatal accident with one of our donated substances. Then while you were stuck with an intensive, serious medical trauma you vanished from a comatose state for almost a whole year. To only randomly appear alive and completely healthy with no memory. An almost impossible feat, one that breaks all logic of how you are still alive. Considering the… nature of the substance used in the project that warrants investigating, don't you think?"

Vlad shrugged, gaze dropping to the table. But at the same time pushed his right arm tighter underneath his jacket. He could feel it. Knew that he was losing control as his arm flickered in and out of visibility. No matter what he couldn't let these two discover something had happened to him. That he had been affected by the ectoplasm of the portal. If they learned he had become… that, he feared- no, dreaded what they would do to him.

The first guy must have seen his reluctance, pressing harder. " I know you think this just is all legal coverup. You're a smart man, Vlad. We know that. But understand this is of concern to your health, and your safety. The lack of memory along with the fact that you suddenly reappeared unharmed makes us think something… more sinister might have occurred to you. The fact you can't remember is also oddly… convenient. Please Mr Masters; can you think back to anything unusual at that time? Even if you believe it to be silly or implausible. Anything strange we need to know."

Like ending up teleporting into a ghostly supernatural realm, then ending up on the other side of the world in a magic school. Vlad took a shallow breath, feeling the invisibility starting to creep up his arm. Calm down. He needed to keep this under control at all costs.

The agent leaned over the table, the stern expression softening as he tried to play with Vlad's emotions. " If you've been threatened not to tell us, or you fear telling us might result in danger to yourself. That is why we're here. We want to help you Vlad, but we can't help you if you keep us in the dark."

"You think I'm lying to you?"

His blunt question took his interviewer off guard. " No! I don't doubt there are gaps in your memory. From the reports we received from the hospital, it is a miracle we are talking to you at all! But what we think… there might be a part you believe isn't important that could be. Flashes of memory or things you think aren't helpful that would solve this."

Vlad sighed, a wave of weariness washing over him. " I know you hope I'll just magically remember something. But I have nothing. You know the same that I do; I was blasted in the face by the project. Then the next thing I remembered was I was being dragged to a police station. That's all I have."

Two sets of eyes drilled into him, trying to worm out any cracks in his argument. But as the silence dragged on, Vlad didn't back down. He stared them out, refusing to say anymore, cringing internally that he had used the M word. Slowly it seemed to dawn on them that he wasn't going to give them anymore. That he was done talking.

The main interviewer withdrew back slowly, nodding. "…Thank you for your time, Mr Masters. And apologies again for forcing you to come out so soon after Christmas." Then he dug into his pocket, pulling out what looked like a business card. His partner tensed, now still waiting as he held it out to Vlad. " If anything comes back to you, you can call me on this number."

Taking the card carefully Vlad looked at it. Swiftly he halted any shock appearing on his face, heartbeat thudding in his ears. There was no phone number on the card. All that was on it was a coat of arms, a great bald eagle soaring in from out of frame to perch behind it, proudly shaking its wings. Vlad took a moment to compose himself after seeing a moving image, feeling the heavy tension that had appeared.

"So… I just call this number here?"

Vlad tried to make it come out as normal as possible. The moment his question registered the two relaxed, the one who had handed it to him breathing out in relief. " Yes. That's connected to my office directly. Know you can always contact me if anything changes."

Nodding Vlad rose, shaking both of their hands with his left while still hiding his right deep in his pocket. He saw they were confused at the hand choice, but accepted it without question. It was clear he had passed a test. A test where he likely shouldn't have seen the moving image on the card. But swiftly Vlad retreated to the door, finally wincing from the burning when they could no longer see his face.

He couldn't help it though. Like his out-of-control arm it was like his hearing grew sharper, focusing on the two. Behind him, he heard the note-taker whisper to the other, so softly a normal person would never have heard it. " He must have had an insanely strong Memory Charm placed on him to be that oblivious…"

Not wishing to hear anymore Vlad slipped out of the room, trying not to bolt too fast to draw attention to himself. Moving through the short hallway he beelined for the elevator and summoned it. It seemed to take forever for the metal doors to open, Vlad worried that at any moment those two would appear.

When the doors shut into the tiny space Vlad breathed an utter sigh of relief, slumping against the wall. Once the anxiety passed it was replaced with a flash of anger. Pulling out his right hand he watched it shift between visibility, heat running through his centre.

All this time… they'd been played at like fools. Here he thought their portal was going to revolutionise science forever, that this new ectoplasmic substance could be a new energy source. And yet the whole time, the funding, the project. It was all created by a bunch of magical crack jobs playing with them like lab rats. He crushed his hands into fists, feeling a surge of power strong enough to make the light in the ceiling flicker.

Quickly Vlad struggled to regain control, panicked at the thought of trapping himself in this cube with a blackout. Once the anger faded dread settled in its place. Those magic freaks hadn't given up on him. They must know his strange events had some kind of magical element. But they couldn't figure out what, thankfully. And it was important that they never figured out what that was.

With a ding, the elevator doors opened, and Vlad snuck out into the foyer. It had to always be an office building, somewhere surrounded by lots of people. Vlad had been trying his hardest to avoid people at any cost. Weirdly, it was as if all that happened had seemed to make these powers explode out of control. They appeared at the worst of times, disappearing, phasing through objects. The worst had come from the surges, the static coming off him frying now an almost uncountable number of machines.

Moving past the front desk and out into the cold winter's air, he was annoyed there were still people milling about. The end of Christmas had caused more frenzy in the shops than he hoped, those that hadn't been able to stock up now rushing to fill the gap. It made for larger crowds around his apartment complex and Vlad pulled the collar of his jacket closer in a bid to hide.

Stalking around the edges to avoid anyone recognising him, he drifted to the sides of the plaza, aiming to cut across the park back to his apartment. There was this itch he was being watched, that someone would notice something strange about him. Or on the opposite side, Vlad himself would see something strange which would expose him.

Since he had returned from... that place, he was suddenly aware of things that he had never noticed before. It was like a blinder in front of his eyes had lifted, and the world was different. Now he was aware that he was surrounded by supernatural elements. He wondered whether it was an aftereffect of the school or his sudden ghostly abilities.

As he strolled through he spotted a pair of strange, spindly creatures huddled double underneath a bench. They were using it to cover from the falling snow, clawed hands hovering over a lit tin. For a brief moment, their eyes connected, before Vlad jerked his head to the side when he saw their astonishment. No one around must have been able to see them. He shouldn't be able to see them either. And yet he now could, sensing their suspicious gaze boring into his back.

It wasn't just his interviewers that had revealed they were from magic. He knew others around him were too. At times he spotted moving images, oddly dressed individuals that he had never batted an eye to were now threats. How many people he knew were secretly part of that world? The thought made him shudder.

Moving through the park and back onto Main Street he quickened his pace, knowing that home wasn't far now. Stopping at a crossing he waited for it to change with a small crowd of others, ignoring them the best he could. He'd make it. He was confident that he'd hold off the episode until then. Yet abruptly he heard his name.

" Hey Vlad! Slow down!"

He stilled, looking over his shoulder with a sinking dread. He didn't recognise the voice, and his nerves were spiked thanks to that mess with the wizards. Jogging up to him was an unknown face, panting as he stopped behind him. Vlad hated that it caused people to look their way curiously.

"I'm sorry but…Do I know you?" Vlad couldn't help but use a little irritation, waiting as the guy recovered. He straightened, cheeks burning from the cold and sweat.

"Ah… you wouldn't really know me like this. But… I'm Tam, remember? With all the drama with Harry."

Vlad had been running through all the people he knew around town, but the mention of Harry jolted his memory. But when he did remember, he froze in horror. If he was recalling right he had seen this man before, deep underneath a special school, while fighting over a tiny ruby stone.

Feeling his confidence start to crash Vlad took a step back and debated how to get out of this situation unharmed. As his panic grew he hid his right arm deep underneath his jacket. He could feel it flickering again, and the crowd was standing beside them watching.

"You do remember me, right? I know. We didn't exactly meet properly back then in person, so-"

"What do you want?" Trying to keep his voice level Vlad struggled to remain calm. He knew if he didn't, it would spread up his arm, moving to other parts of his body. And Vlad couldn't afford to turn invisible in front of others. Not when those magic freaks could be still close.

If the guy, this Tam saw he didn't want to talk, he didn't show it. Smiling, he adjusted thick-framed glasses back onto his nose, breath frosting in the winter's air. " Well, I've run… into a personal problem. And other than Danny and Lu there isn't a whole lot of people I can discuss things with." The crossing still hadn't changed, more people joining around them. " I'm desperate enough to ask you for some help - which I understand with what happened with Harry and Danny sound's quite strange-"

"- Well I'm sorry, but I can't help." Thankfully at that moment the lights switched. Without waiting for an answer Vlad twisted away and stormed off. Calm down, he needed to calm down. From the corner of his jacket he saw his elbow vanish, it spreading further. Sadly he knew that he was being followed, the wizard catching up.

"Look; I know you and I didn't start off on the right foot. And we were technically opponents when it came to Danny's stubbornness. But that was ages ago Vlad! And the only reason I'm even talking to you is that I know that you might have the right… skills to help me with a little something-"

"-I don't know what you're talking about." Vlad had sped up now, the stares of others they passed causing his powers to spread passed his elbow. " You've got the wrong person. I can't help you."

"Wait for a second! Let's talk this out! I think there's been a huge misunderstanding!" Still, he refused to stop following him, Vlad knowing that he needed to shake him off before something else happened with these horrid powers. Quickly he rounded a corner before Tam and gratefully saw there wasn't anyone else in view. As swiftly as he could Vlad let the dam of these powers overflow, turning completely invisible. Then he pushed himself into a doorway, just as Tam rounded the bend.

The wizard jolted to a stop seeing that Vlad had vanished. Pressed into the doorway, Vlad had a fleeting moment of horror that Tam would be able to find him. Instead, he searched around the street, clearly frustrated he'd lost him. He thought that the wizard would finally give up and leave him alone, but he was horrified when Tam took a deep breath and yelled out.

" I'm staying at the hotel round the corner for a week! Only a week! If you change your mind at that time, let me know! Ask for Thomas O'Deirdre!" As he finished a couple appeared behind him, giving Tam a mortified, puzzled look at his outburst to seemingly no one. Finally he left, Vlad waiting unseen in case this was a trap.

When it appeared that no other bizarre events were about to happen Vlad leaned against the door, watching the fog of his breath mist out from nothing. Why was it that when he finally thought some normality was returning to his life, that freaky, insane world refused to disappear? He thought he was past all this. The nightmare on the other side of the world had ended. Yet echoes of its past were still haunting him, refusing to go away.

Turning invisible seemed to cause his surge to strengthen again, he was running out of time. Remaining invisible Vlad retreated to the safety of home. As he went he was careful not to bump into anything, stepping on the least snowed pavement to stop a trail. The problem he'd learned these last few months was that even invisible, animals still seemed to sense that he was there; cat's especially. So whenever a dog walker trotted along he swiftly avoided their path, worried the frantic barking would draw attention.

Then at last, the tall shadow of his apartment complex was before him, Vlad passing through the glass door into the foyer. Entering the empty stairwell he dropped his powers in the blind spot, wincing as they swelled out of control. He moved quickly up to his landing- and immediately jumped when there was a sharp yelp next to him.

Vlad hadn't noticed the small, portly form of his landlord, moving past her without knowing. Thankfully she hadn't seen his abrupt appearance, but his silent arrival had terrified her. Twisting with a hand over her chest she recovered from her flusher. " Good heavens, Vlad! Announce when you're around! You're going to give me a heart attack one of these days!"

"Sorry, Miss Medlar, I forget." Vlad stepped back to give her space, adding to his list of mistakes today. There was something in her steely stare that told him she wanted to talk. And sadly he suspected he knew what it was about.

Her painted nails clicked on her beaded necklaces, watching him closely. " I needed to discuss with you… that. You know what I mean, Vlad."

He sighed, wishing that he hadn't revealed himself this soon. " I know I'm… I'm trying, Miss Medlar. Luck isn't on my side lately."

" I think it's more than just some bad luck." His landlord pursed her lips. " Considering what happened, I should be blessed that you're here! But… I was lenient, at first- understood it was going to be hard. But now every time you find work something happens! First, it's a bad environment, bad boss, bad employees, then it's a wrong job or something broke or even blew up! If you can't figure out some kind of permanent work then… this can't continue."

Vlad stared at the faded carpet and pondered an excuse to cover himself, but she didn't give him a chance.

" What's upsetting me about this is that I know you can pay your rent. Before the accident, you were one of my best tenants! Unlike… Room 36." As she scowled up at the ceiling Vlad couldn't help but join her. Everyone in the building knew of the noisy nuisance that was Room 36. Those tenants must hold the record for the most complaints from everyone, always some kind of banging or mess came from those guys. But oddly they never stopped nor left, no matter how many letters they sent Miss Melder.

" Vlad;" her tone forced him to look at her. " You know I can't keep favourites. Others are already talking. Random paycheques and missing weeks aren't going to cut it anymore. I don't care if it's not enough to pay my rent completely, but you need to find something! Show me you're making an effort."

He looked away again, the abnormal burning ache growing in his chest. His landlord didn't understand it wasn't by his choice that he was fired from every single job he landed. It was impossible to do the most mundane task when these… powers flew out of control. How could he help if items passed randomly through his hands and smashed to the floor? Or the times he hid as his limbs started disappearing. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop them. And the more he forced them down, the worse these episodes became.

They were silent for a time, each waiting for the other to say something. Finally, she resigned, sighing. "Okay. I will give you one more month. Only one. If you can't settle on something Vlad then I'll have to give you notice. That's all I can do for you, dear."

There was no point in arguing, nodded in agreement with her conditions. Deep down he knew he should consider himself lucky that she was being this kind. Most wouldn't. She didn't have to help him once his old apartment was gone. Even if the new one was smaller and more run-down, it was something. Yet she had helped him more than anyone else had. It was a miracle she put up with him at all.

With the conversation over he quickly retreated to his door, worried about the chances of him falling through the carpet. With a swift turn, he opened it with the key, locking the door quickly behind.

Once in the sanctuary of his apartment, he slumped to the floor, taking a shaking gasp as that horrid core in his chest flared again. Thankfully it was only his right arm that vanished, but he was wary of sinking to the neighbours below. From the hum underneath they were home, unlike the last few times he'd fallen into their place. Waiting for the burning pain to pass Vlad pushed down a flash of fury. Perfect, a new issue to his already crumbling life. One month to figure out a way to stop whatever this was.

Rubbing the ache in his torso he stilled hearing a heavy thump from within the apartment. For a moment the pain vanished from his mind at the thought someone had broken in, tense. But then the black form of Dinah trotted down the hall, white-tipped tail held high. He relaxed, sighing as the tension vanished. If she was calm, then they were alone. As she reached him Vlad picked the cat up, scooping her into his arms as she almost rattled in her purring.

" There's my old girl, miss me?" Immediately he forgot about his problems as Dinah rubbed happily against his chin. Even in his relief to see her well, Vlad couldn't help but study the pepper white running through her once-midnight coat. Every day it seemed to grow worse, filling him with unease. "Look's like you're hair's going to be as white as mine soon."

Pushing her against his shoulder he stood, moving into the simple, narrow space he called home. Quickly he checked if everything was still in its place, the windows locked tight. Happy that everything was as he left it, Vlad's worry about events returned. Peering down at the snow-covered alleyway he watched for any odd figures lurking. But no one was moving below, the street empty.

Still, he stood there watching for a time, gently petting Dinah as she kneaded into his shoulder blade. Seeing that wizard again… he hadn't thought much of Hogwarts since he'd returned. It was a bad memory, something he wanted to forget. Part of him hoped that pushing it away would make these powers disappear also. Yet it reared its head again, refusing to be forgotten. That crazy time that he had begged had been nothing more than a dream.

For the first time in a long time, he thought of Danny. He had mixed feelings about that kid. On one hand, he was angry, furious after everything he threw at Vlad he just disappeared without a word. He thought if he ever saw him again he was going to give him a piece of his mind. And yet… with how the others in that place worried over his disappearance, Vlad couldn't help a tinge of worry too. Danny didn't seem the type to leave without saying something. Though… if he recalled Danny had seemed off after supposedly winning.

The other half ghost. He was a complex puzzle. A boy who somehow could spend almost a whole year away from his family, then disappear like the ghost half he was. Not for the first time, Vlad wondered who on earth Danny Phantom actually was. And not for the first time he wondered whether, like his time at Hogwarts, he was real at all.

Sighing Vlad stepped away from the window, easing down onto the sagging armchair taking care of Dinah. But now that wizard Tam had appeared, confirming that it hadn't been a nightmare. And those people were still trying to interrogate him to slip up, knowing that there was more to what happened to him. That he was lying.

Suddenly his chest felt like it was on fire, the effort he'd forced onto himself all day snapped. Gasping Vlad almost threw a startled Dinah onto the armrest, bolting to the narrow, windowless bathroom. The moment he closed the door he lost control, black rings bursting around his waist. Vlad tried like always to halt them, but they wouldn't be stopped.

For a fleeting moment, he caught sight of his deathly pale form in the mirror, before Vlad squeezed his eyes shut, leaning heavily against the sink. The energy of this form fluctuated, the light above flickering. Taking deep breaths from lungs that didn't need them Vlad pressed his forehead against the cool mirror, waiting for this newish attack to pass.

It didn't matter how hard he tried, these episodes were growing more common. Nothing seemed to help. The more he refused to use these… powers, the more he tried being normal, this would happen. It would build throughout the week until he transformed again into this… thing. It was why he couldn't be out in public for long anymore. If one of these episodes happened in front of people, in a place he couldn't hide… he could never let that happen. No one must ever find out.

Over time the pain in his chest ebbed away now that core had got what it wanted. Cautious Vlad opened his eyes, seeing the glow of red, pupil-less gaze greet him. He turned away, he couldn't look at himself like this. This… frightening form. If anyone saw it he knew what they would think. Monster. Freak. Demon spook. That's what this was. But he was safe here, in this room with no windows, hidden. As long as he kept this hidden until… something changed, he would be okay. As Vlad's thoughts flew into a torrent of emotions, the aura around his body grew brighter. All he needed to do was wait a few hours until it eased, and then he would have a few safe days before it happened again.

Then, Vlad became aware that Dinah was calling, a low, wanting call that she couldn't reach him. Underneath the gap in the door, her black paw curled up, reaching out. Vlad laughed, though it came out hollow, echoing. But he was scared too. Dinah hadn't seen this yet… he was terrified the old cat would be so frightened she'd drop dead on the spot.

Her cries were becoming too loud though, and he feared it would bring the neighbours through the thin walls. All of them acted strange around him, sympathetic and judgmental knowing his illness. Carefully he pulled open the door, stepping as far back as the tiny room allowed.

The moment she saw him, Dinah froze with a deep rumble, puffing up at once. The sight upset Vlad and he immediately crouched down, pulling the strange black glove off. " Dinah, it's me. It's okay darling." Slowly he held out his hand close to the petrified cat. With huge, round pupils she looked away from his form to sniff at his fingers. It seemed like an eternity, Vlad waiting equally still for the outcome.

Then she rubbed her head against his outstretched hand. Vlad exhaled sharply, happiness filling him as she relaxed into a purr. The moment he sat down on the tiles Dinah stepped into his lap unbothered by the chill, content with his pets. " You smart girl. At least someone doesn't mind me like this…"

That thought made him pause, it wasn't quite true. That old loon Albus hadn't seemed bothered at all, nor Danny. But then… that wasn't really an achievement considering their own freaky abilities. Scratching her chin his rent problem crashed into him. What the hell was he going to do? Miss Medlar had given him a single month to find something he couldn't do. He barely was getting by as it was, all the money he did make mostly going on Dinah. If he didn't figure something out quickly, things could end badly.

His thoughts briefly returned to Tam, remembering he was still staying in the area. But shaking his head he forgot about it. No way was he going to get involved with that wizard! It was madness, and obviously a giant trap. He had bigger things on his plate than whatever he wanted.

He thought through his options. Vlad knew Miss Melder would take Dinah in if things ended up badly. She had saved her the last time when his old apartment had been cleared. So he didn't have to worry too much about her. But the thought he was about to become homeless again, now with this affliction terrified him. With its growing strength, this… half ghost power seemed to be becoming dominant.

Frowning Vlad looked down at his gloveless hand, staring at the green pulsing through the skin. As he did he let his hand flicker in and out of invisibility, testing it. Below Dinah watched, pupils growing wide. Suddenly she swiped as his hand vanished, her pink paw hovering as it pressed against his invisible hand.

Vlad hummed in thought, his gaze falling onto the sink cupboard beside him. Suddenly an absurd, insane idea flashed in his mind. Slowly, he moved his unseen hand over to the cupboard, placing it against the wood. Then concentrating he let it pass through the surface to the inside. Vlad focused on what he wanted to do, then removed the still-hidden hand out of the cupboard. Returning it to normal Vlad stared at his hand, at the bottle he'd taken unseen from the cupboard.

"Huh...that's interesting…"

AN:...Looks like Danny's timeline wasn't the only one affected by the magic world! I really wanted to start diving deeper into the magic/ Harry Potter side more than I did in the early parts. Though sometimes I deliberately had Danny [and Vlad] ignore some of it as they believed it didn't matter as they thought they would return back to normal. There's so much lore to explore and expand with the blending DPxHP together!

Oh! Since this is a Vlad chapter, I thought I might share a fun fact! When I first planned to write this crossover, Vlad was actually the main character, and Danny wasn't even really in it! The first idea was of Plasmius stealing the Infi-map and using it to go back in time to steal the Philosopher's stone for "Why not, it's powerful!" purposes. Stealing it causes Harry to die against Voldemort and destroys everyone's timeline. This is where Clockwork appears, whacks him over the head and tells him to "Fix it!" Quickly though I had no idea how that would be fixed, which is where this story came from. In fact, Vlad was supposed to appear at Hogwarts as early as chapter 2 originally. [Instead of meeting The Grey Lady, he was to meet Vlad.] But I thought that was way too soon, so he was moved to chapter 8.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading it! See you in the next update!