Final Preparations
Previously:
Harry grinned darkly at that. Right. Stay alive for whatever is going to happen in his near future. Still, he glanced at his brother, he had Danny on his side. A powerful being that just so happened to be his twin, someone who accepted him for all his flaws and thought it natural to stay with him through all this.
............
Waking up to warm sun rays tickling his nose was definitely something Harry found himself enjoying.
As he slowly regained consciousness, the young wizard tried to snuggle a bit more into the heavy yet fluffy blanket that cocooned him. It almost made him giggle with giddiness and contentment, such warmth and peace. When he heard a soft chuckling from his left, he blearily opened one eye and glared at Danny, who was watching him in amusement and was definitely taking a photo of him. Harry propped himself up in fake annoyance and rolled his eyes before smiling into the camera, proving that he was an innocent boy who could do no wrong.
Danny didn't say anything but looked at him approvingly with a thumbs up and Harry rubbed his still tired eyes while smiling. He stopped when he didn't feel his glasses and jerked up, looking around the room in astonishment.
The potion worked! He could see everything clearly and it was so much better without sunglasses. Nothing was out of focus, he could even make out the details of some books that were sitting in the corner of the other side of the room. Everything was just so clear.
Knowing that he would never have to worry about blurry eyesight again, some tears threatened to fall but for once he didn't particularly mind. After all, they were tears of pure joy. He looked back at Danny and took him in, his brother wasn't blurry on the edges anymore like the last couple of days. His glasses really hadn't been the right description after all, Harry mused. Danny had amazingly blue eyes and Harry wondered if people with good eyes could usually make out the details in someone else's eyes from this distance.
Danny just raised an inquiring eyebrow- no words or feelings necessary to understand him and Harry felt oddly proud of that. He grinned back and looked around pointedly, Danny smiling back in understanding and then climbed out of bed to join his brother and draped an arm around him
"Don't you look well rested this morning."
Harry scoffed "Undrstatement much. I feel amazing! My sight is perfect! I slept without any dreams or pain and now I know for sure that yesterday was the best investment ever."
Danny chuckled at his admission and nodded "I'm glad you think so. Now we really do look much more alike, except for our eye colour but I have green eyes when I go ghost, so..."
He waved his free hand around "Whatever, right?"
Harry frowned "Do glasses really change what you look like that much?"
"Yes. Definitely. No glasses suit you much more, I'll have you know. I guess it makes sense, we have a similar face and I was told by several trustworthy people that it's very likeable the way it is."
Harry just looked at Danny in amusement "Oh? And who would that be?"
Danny blushed a little and rubbed his neck before answering without looking at Harry "Sam... mom and, well, a couple ghosts."
"Which ones?"
Danny just waved him off "You wouldn't know them-" when he looked at Harry's unimpressed face he sheepishly continued "ah, just... Ember, Johnny- err, Skulker once, too. Pandora and Spiegel. I think that's all, no wait, Dora also!"
"They all told you your face looks good?"
"Yeah? Like, most of them said it differently but I have been told quite often that it suits me and makes me handsome."
"...handsome, huh." Harry thought about that word for a bit "So, would that make me handsome, too?"
He got a blank stare at that "I guess, yes. We are both handsome."
A new wave of warmth filled Harry at that, he has never been told that. Sirius said it once and a couple people said that his dad had been good looking and since everyone always compared them he must be, too, but it just didn't feel like it counted. The Dursleys certainly didn't think so and always called him ugly, scrawny or disgusting. So he may have a complex here.
Danny seemed to know exactly what he was thinking about, if his stoic face was anything to go by. He seemed to be brooding and Harry let him, until his twin interrupted his own thoughts "Would you hate me if I would make the Dursleys pay? I won't kill them but I have a few ideas to make their lives miserable..." he stopped when he noticed Harry's astonished expression
"You actually meant it?"
Danny frowned "That our 'dear relatives' have to pay for what they did to you? Yes, of course. I don't know why no one has ever checked in on you or helped you but since you won't return, I think I can destroy them. That way there'll be no way that anyone would send you back."
Harry stayed silent for a while. Did he want Danny to avenge him? Wasn't it enough that he wouldn't have to see them ever again, if Sirius' and Danny's words were to be trusted?
Honestly, no. He remembered his life before Hogwarts, before finding out that he has been lied to for ten years. How he had to work like a slave, a small one who didn't know that laundry detergent is poisonous and tried it once because he had been so hungry. How his Aunt hadn't cared and how Vernon had just locked him up in his cupboard with nothing but a bucket, so that he wouldn't 'bother' them.
The pain when four year old Harry wished it would all just end, wished for someone to rescue him, to take him far, far away. And how he, after he had miraculously gotten better two days later, was denied food as a punishment for being 'useless and lazy'. That was just one example.
He remembered when Vernon first started to use his fists as a punishment more and more often, whenever Harry made a small mistake or just breathed the wrong way- the way how everyone at school and in the neighbourhood ignored the obvious bruises that littered his too small and thin body.
And after finding out about his magic? Things didn't get better. Sure, he got Dudley's second room but it quickly became his new prison and the continued near-death experiences he accumulated throughout every single school year didn't exactly help in keeping his head down during the summer. He became snarky as a defence mechanism, the only way to at least prove to himself that he wasn't weak, wasn't submitting. Not that it helped- it made things worse, actually.
So, yeah. The Dursley's deserved whatever Danny had in mind, he turned to his brother and nodded grimly "Do it. I don't care, what they did wasn't good- even I know that..." he stopped and then whispered "thank you."
Danny just leaned closer and hugged him silently, they stayed like that for a while, until their stomachs growled. They snickered, they didn't have dinner yesterday, so no wonder they are hungry.
The twins simultaneously looked over to Ron, who was still snoring loudly, content to just sleep on. At one, the two stood up and got ready for the day, leaving the redhead to rest.
...........
As Danny got ready, he thought about this week's plan: he had three exams (Charms, Transfiguration and Care for Magical Creatures) today and no actual classes, in two days time he'd be tested in Potions, History and Astronomy. Two days after that he'd finish with Ancient Runes, Herbology and DADA with Dumbledore himself (since neither Remus nor Sirius had a valid teaching license).
He remembered his professors' astonished, shocked but also proud faces when they realized that he was basically all caught up already in just four and a half weeks. Though to be fair, he didn't have to hand in any homework or write tests, etc. He also had the aid of a perfect memory and several clones. Still, he could admit that he was at least a little bit proud of himself. Jazz definitely was. She had practically squealed after he told her last night via video call how much he's studied.
He did feel a bit bad about leaving Harry behind after both his twin as well as Ron had fallen asleep. The halfa knew that sleep was important, so he hadn't wanted to wake his brother up. His eyes still had to heal and the day had been rather exciting. Danny still felt happy when he thought about their shopping trip, it had been a lot of fun.
However, last night he had continued looking for stray or captured ghosts and practiced his portal powers a little more. At the same time, he caught up with his friends and sister, who told him about some sort of puddle ghost that was completely harmless and apparently extremely adorable. They also told him that the people have started to notice his- Phantom's- absence. To be fair, he didn't think that one through.
How long until his former classmates at least realized that Phantom's and Fenton's disappearance coincided? Sam had assured him that no one has caught on yet and worst case scenario they'd come up with something. They could force Bertrand to walk around as Phantom for a bit or ask Amorpho, they'd manage either way.
That had reassured him a bit. Unfortunately, he hadn't met any new ghosts last night but he is now able to open a torso sized portal and hold it open for at least five minutes. He could also open it close to a person or place he imagined. That would really come in handy tonight when he'll start with his plan to destroy the abusers that call themselves relatives.
He smirked darkly to himself while he brushed his teeth. Harry, who stood next to him, just kept going, having a feeling of why Danny looked like that.
After finishing, the twins stepped into the kitchen, where Hermione, Ginny and Sirius were already eating breakfast. The halfa was still amazed how Mrs Weasley was able to always create such delicious looking meals. It was so good, even his ghost half craved it by now- the reason why he was hungry.
They greeted those present and sat down, filling their plates with fruits (and bacon for Danny), Harry still preferred light food but it was getting better. Sirius was reading something called The Quibbler, not reacting much at all and Ginny had immediately started talking to Harry, drawing him in with her predictions for the next Quidditch Championship.
Hermione, who sat across Danny, regarded him carefully, looking between Harry and Danny, probably noticing their similarities even better now without Harry's glasses. She smiled carefully and Danny smiled back, which probably was the invitation she needed to start a conversation about the differences between Britain and the USA. Danny couldn't really compare since he hasn't seen much of the kingdom so far but she filled him in while he told her about Amity Park.
It was a calm morning and when the other twins and Ron trudged down, it got even more pleasant. Within the blink of an eye it was 9 o' clock and Danny went to his first exam, Charms.
Professor Flitwick was almost vibrating with excitement, grinning up at his promising student and Danny smiled back, mentally preparing for the hour long theoretical examination followed by the practical one. He could do this easily.
He was right, all he had to do was explain the theory behind several spells and later demonstrate them while simultaneously either holding back his magic or going 'full out', to proof his control.
No need to mention he passed with flying colours, same with the other exams (granted, he could only show his understanding of magical creatures but not prove it, though his teacher did bring two nifflers for him to demonstrate on). All of his professors were proud and McGonagall even looked at him after showing him his results and sternly said "I do hope you keep this up at Hogwarts, Mr Potter- Gryffindor House might benefit from having another bright student like miss Granger."
She left after that and Danny just rubbed his neck, there was no way he would study this much again, he'd have to concentrate on the 'homework' he'd been given by Clockwork and Ghost Writer anyways.
Feeling accomplished for the day and also proud of himself, he went looking for his brother. Curiously enough, he wasn't in the dining room, so he checked their room next, where he entered a heated conversation between Ron and Harry
"And I'm telling you, I'm not jealous!" Ron shouted and Harry just seemed aggravated, Hermione sat on Danny's bed, looking uncomfortable but not interfering.
"Then why do you want me to spend less time with Danny?"
Everyone stopped and Danny immediately went invisible, fortunately, no one had noticed him when he first entered. Now he could listen in without making things awkward...er. Ron looked abashed "It's just, we haven't seen you since summer break started and now you are here but you either only spend time with your brother or come to us with him. We aren't doing anything alone- without him at least."
"So you are telling me that I should start to ignore my own twin who has done nothing wrong, just because you apparently don't like him?"
Ron shook his head quickly "No! I don't hate him, he is an okay guy from what I can see but I just want to spend some time with just the three of us. You know, the Golden Trio again." The redhead looked hopeful, trying to tell Harry something with his eyes but Danny's brother apparently didn't notice
"Maybe you should start thinking of us being a golden quartet or something then. I'm not going to start to leave Danny alone. I barely know him. I only learnt about him this month! No one had the guts to tell me 'oh hey Harry, by the way, you have a twin who we think is dead. Now run along, you have Potions next.' Instead, I learned that I still have real family left alive a little while ago and you want to take that from me? What's wrong with you!"
Both Hermione and Ron flinched at the furious edge in Harry's voice. Danny could feel the anger from their connection but he simply kept it at bay, honestly, he didn't know them well, true, but he didn't think that they would try to split the twins. Just because they didn't know each other well. Sure, they definitely weren't friends yet but Danny honestly thought that they at least tolerated him.
He came back to the present when Hermione spoke up for the first time "Harry, you got it all wrong. Ron," she glared pointedly at the one in question "didn't communicate the issue very well."
She took a deep breath when she saw Harry's eye twitch "We don't want to take Danny away from you. He is actually pretty cool and I like him but it just feels like you have been ignoring us since you arrived, in favour of spending time with Danny. Going so far that you even joined him in his classes and-"
Harry just cut her off "Oh, I've been ignoring you, huh? Wonder what that's like..."
Ron grimaced "Mate, we told you that we didn't have a choice, we wanted to write you but Dumbledore made us promise not to!"
Hermione nodded along "That's right, you can't fault us for that. I thought you had forgiven us?"
Danny watched his twin rub his face tiredly and felt his emotions run rampage. His brother was furious, sad and hurt and the halfa just wanted to go and comfort him. He tried sending some reassuring emotions over but Harry just ignored them, though he did relax marginally "Have not, actually. And really, if I can't fault you for promising such a stupid and unnecessary thing then you can't fault me for wanting to spend every minute I have with my bloody brother. I want to get to know him better, he is all I have left, but you don't get that, do you?
"You still have your parents after all, you will never understand how I feel and now you act all jealous because I'm trying to be around Danny? Ron, I thought last year was bad but this really takes the cake, what the hell you guys. You are my friends- my best friends! What you are doing right now is just hurting me more and I really don't need that on top of everything else!"
His friends at least seemed to understand Harry's point and Danny silently hoped that they would apologize, no such luck though. Ron did look apologetic but his words contradicted him "Yes, we are your best friends, so we want to spent time with you and only you. We aren't asking for much, just an hour to just the three of us or something. Also, I thought you knew that I see you as my brother? Mom certainly sees you as part of the family, same as everyone else. Does that mean nothing to you?"
Danny's and Harry's eyes went wide in astonishment, what the hell? Were they under an imperious or why were they acting so... mean? Harry shook his head slowly, looking from one friend to the other "I appreciate everything your family has done for me, Ron. I really do. You showed me what a loving family is like but it's not the same. I have an actual twin brother, an actual family member who sees me for who I am."
"We see you for who you are!" Ron threw in and Harry sighed
"Yes, you do, most of the time. If I may remind you of last year? You wouldn't believe me at all. And I did forgive you because we are best friends and you and Hermione are so so important to me, but Danny already knows things about me I haven't even told you guys and it'll stay that way. Especially if this is your attitude. What do you think would happen if I suddenly started to actively avoid Danny, hm? Ginny, Fred and George also accept him but they mostly hang out together somewhere else.
"Danny doesn't know anyone else here, he is the new one and I won't leave him hanging! I'm sure he'll make his own friends at Hogwarts but I want him to know that I'm always there for him. So you either accept that for the rest of our summer break he'll be by my side- if he wants to, or I'll spend time with only him and Sirius and actually ignore you. Show you what that's really like."
He crossed his arms and stood there, waiting for his friends' reaction. The two in question looked at each other and their expressions seemed to be sad, so Harry hurt him with their words? Maybe that'll show them what good their 'intervention' did.
Hermione had tears shining in her eyes but she tried to smile "I see. Then that's okay. It, it makes sense, really. Of course it does. It's just, we are scared of losing your friendship, you know?"
The younger wizard didn't look impressed "You won't, that's a stupid thought. Why would I end our friendship simply because of Danny?"
"Because you've distanced yourself from us." Ron tried to explain "It already shows, we barely even talk. We only see each other at breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner. When we are cleaning you are there, sure, but mom doesn't want us to talk much, so that's useless and any other time, you're either somewhere with him or accompanied by him. We haven't had one real conversation with just the three of us."
Harry looked a bit confused "I didn't even notice. How is that bad, though?"
"Like we already said: we don't know Danny well, can we really trust him? Are our secrets safe with him? What if he goes dark?"
Now the twins just rolled their eyes and Harry answered "There is a simple solution for that: spend time with him. Also, believe me when I say that I would trust Danny with my life and magic. He is a wonderful person, he deserves to be around, you can't just keep him at arms length."
Ron swallowed at that and shared an uncertain look with Hermione. The witch cleared her throat "You are right, Harry. We didn't mean to hurt you, I just hope you understand our point, yes? We'll try to get to know him better but that doesn't mean we'll befriend him."
"You don't have to and I heard your point but that won't change anything. Can we please talk about something else now, it's just the three of us, after all. Isn't that what you wanted?"
They shared another look but seemed at a loss at what to do and Harry took that as his cue to leave, Danny stepped aside when his twin reached the door and turned back to his friends once more "If you do think of something, I'll be around. Can't leave, after all."
He left and Danny swiftly followed him, as they walked down the stairs, Harry turned his head in his direction and murmured "Wanna turn visible now?" Danny's mouth opened in shock at that and he quickly reappeared next to his brother, who didn't seem startled at all "How did you know?"
Harry smiled slightly "Several things, actually. The most obvious being that the door opened by itself and then closed again."
"Wait, how did you see that? Your face was almost fully turned away from it!"
His brother just looked smug "What can I say? I have excellent eyesight, I see things I've never been able to see before. That wasn't all though. You could have just left again but I could feel your emotions, they coincided with mine- mostly and you tried to calm me down."
"Well, yeah, but that still doesn't mean I was in the room. I can feel your emotions even from the dining room or further away."
Harry nodded and shuffled around a little uncomfortably while he lead them to the comfortable couch near the fire place in the library "I could also sense you. Like, I knew something was there. Something... dead? It's hard to explain, I think it's because of the heir ring. Since I've put the ring on, I feel differently. The shadows around us actually give off feelings or just vibes and I can sense you around, especially when you use your powers. I don't know why, is that bad?"
Danny sat there for a while, dumbstruck. A human (wizard) who could feel the dead? "Are you a necromancer?"
His twin blinked at him "What?"
"A necromancer. Someone who can reanimate dead people, talk to them, force them to follow their command, you know. They use dark magic and its practice is strictly forbidden, at least in Europe. Some indigenous people still practice it but you need to have the talent or the most you'll be able to do is create inferi."
Danny could see the confusion on his brother's face and nudged him playfully "Inferi are reanimated dead bodies. It is incredibly difficult to create them and one has to be really powerful and dark leaning to accomplish such a thing."
Harry took that in "So anyone can create inferi if they are powerful enough but not all of them are necromancers?"
"Exactly. Every powerful wixen is hypothetically able to tap into necromancy but that doesn't make them necromancers. Real ones can feel the dead, communicate with them and call for them, they can easily control them. Inferi are beings that necromancers don't usually make. Too much work. They can reanimate a dead body much easier."
Danny watched his brother raise an eyebrow "How do you know so much about that?"
The halfa huffed "I'm a ghost! At least half the time, of course I want to know all about the ways to raise the dead and talk to souls. I learned about necromancers from Ghost Writer- he is like a teacher to me. Then, like a week ago, I found a dark book here where I found out about inferi and actual necromancers and the differences. It's really interesting."
He looked pointedly at the many books in the library and Harry smiled sheepishly "But, what I don't get is how that works? Sure, when a wizard or witch calls for a dead magical being, their ghost form will show up, right?" when Danny nodded, the younger brother continued "So that makes sense, but what if I wanted to call the ghost of a muggle? Wouldn't someone like your ghost part show up? How would I control them?"
The half ghost laid his head on the arm rest, planting his legs over Harry's lap at the same time, before answering "Here is the thing: None of the no-maj ghosts remember their past life. They remember their deaths and the cause of it, they'll also bring their human emotions along that amplify when they become ghosts, which then turn into obessions and their whole personality. At least when you are a human born ghost.
"If they are called, then it's the soul that's going to show up. You could say that the no-maj ghost ceases to exist to become nothing but a soul with all memories intact once more. When they are dismissed they either return to their ghost self, not remembering much of the interaction or they are sent off to wherever people go after they die. Same with the reanimation of their bodies. If a necromancer were to try to, say, reanimate the body of Skulker, Skulker's soul would be forcibly pushed back into it, his ghost core ceasing to exist for the time being.
"It's actually a rather uncomfortable procedure but it's been decades since the last real necromancer existed. Plus, the chances of reanimating the body of someone who became a ghost are less than you'd expect. Only every twentieth person becomes one. At least that's what Pandora told me. And that doesn't mean they'll stick around, when they feel like they've accomplished their obsession, they'll fade."
They sat in silence for a while, following their own thoughts, until Harry broke the silence "There is so much I still don't know. It feels so wrong to have you explain so much to me. The only thing I could tell you about is Quidditch."
"That's not true! You know more than you realize, I'm sure."
Harry smiled down at him, playfully tickling Danny's defenceless feet, the halfa laughed "Jokes on you! I'm not ticklish there!" The boy-who-lived stopped and pouted "Too bad. But I'm really glad that you are by my side, I don't want to look stupid next to you, you know."
Danny furrowed his brows "Don't talk like that. You're definitely not stupid, I wouldn't know half of the things I do if it weren't for my eidetic memory. If you want to better your memory, then you really should learn Occlumency. It'll protect you from people who want to read your mind and it calms you down and allows you to organize your thoughts better. Which means that your memory capacity will improve automatically."
The older sibling stopped for a second before he softly added "How do you feel now? I know you are still hurt but what do you want to do now? Thank you for standing up for me, by the way. I probably shouldn't have eavesdropped but I just couldn't help myself."
Harry grinned before his face became expressionless "Don't worry about it. I just don't know what's gotten into them, there is always something, you know? I usually understand where they're coming from but not this time. When you think you know someone... As far as I'm concerned, we'll continue as if the conversation never happened until we actually start fighting, then we'll make up somehow and everything goes back to normal."
"Sounds stressful."
"It's alright. I just... I could really use their support and they didn't even say anything the last few days. Just two days ago we were all playing exploding snap, how is that not spending time with them? Am I in the wrong?"
Danny shook his head "Definitely not. When I had feelings for this one girl, she joined my friend group, my friends didn't like her but still accepted her, that's how friends should act."
"Seems reasonable. What happened to the girl?"
"Ah, weeell, she is also known as Red Huntress and she used to hunt my alter ego, so my friends weren't too happy that I caught feelings for someone who actively tried to hurt my ghost half. It didn't work out in the end anyways. We stayed acquainted until she started hanging out with Ellie and we became allies. At least as Phantom and Huntress. Now we are friends, hard not to, since she is dating my cousin. We also have a common enemy. Vlad. You see, it'll take time but I'm sure it'll be alright."
The twins looked at each other, Harry had calmed down but he did look a bit incredulous "Your life is so weird."
"Tell me about it, my after life isn't much better."
"Pff, you seem to manage."
Danny nodded "I am, now. Wasn't like this a year ago, I tell ya."
Harry smiled and then looked down at his ring, frowning "So, getting back to the whole necromancer thing, do you think I have the potential to be one? Or is it the ring?"
"I really don't know. Maybe Sirius knows about its properties, we could ask him later."
"No, Sirius hasn't come out of his room since breakfast, you know what that means and I don't want to disturb him... what if he gets angry?"
Harry's brother just sighed "I'm sure he won't be. He just needs to know that he is not alone anymore and can drink away his worries. His awesome two nephews need his attention!"
They laughed and decided to visit Sirius after dinner, if he still didn't show up then.
...........
Dinner was in stark contrast to breakfast. The atmosphere was awkward and not even Molly Weasley knew what to do. Fred and George tried to ignore it, just like Ginny and Danny. They pretended not to notice the tension between the Golden Trio and tried to joke around- without success.
Harry was gloomy and Hermione and Ron didn't feel much better. The two looked at Harry worriedly when they thought he wouldn't notice but decided not to start a conversation with him either way. Harry concentrated on his food and let his frustration out through his and Danny's bond. His twin didn't seem too disturbed by it and just sent lighter emotions back.
Sirius didn't show up and that worried the raven haired twins even more than the dispute with Harry's friends.
Since Danny first met his uncle, he knew he wasn't well. How could he not? Sirius only seemed to be more relaxed when Remus was around or when he could talk about Harry. The halfa would oftentimes find the older man sitting in the kitchen, drinking and definitely not sleeping like he should. In short, his health was deteriorating, even though he pretended that everything was fine. When Uncle Remus was around, Sirius was able to sleep a bit more but his partner wasn't there at the moment.
Plus, he just learned a bit more about Harry's life and Danny's ghost half, that probably didn't help. So yes. The twins were very worried for their uncle.
They immediately excused themselves as soon as they were finished. Molly didn't look too happy but allowed it, she probably wanted to escape the tense atmosphere just as much.
When they entered the fugitive's room, the smell of alcohol burnt in Danny's sensitive nose and he shared a worried glance with Harry. The whole room was a mess. The bookshelf was broken and the books were strewn around the floor without care, same as a couple of empty flasks. The bed in the middle of the room was broken in and the pillows had lost all their stuffing, same as the blanket. It seemed as though a dog went on a rampage, scratching the walls and the heavy curtains, that hid the large window. It was also the entrance to the small balcony outside that allowed a view over the backyard of the house.
Perched on the railing sat Sirius, one leg swinging over it in the open, a bottle of fire whiskey placed next to him. He didn't move an inch and Danny's chest hurt seeing his uncle figure like this. What happened since this morning?
The twins slowly crept closer and opened the balcony door, their uncle didn't so much as twitch. Seemed like he was spaced out pretty badly. Danny could smell the alcohol coming off of him in waves and he shivered, he knew from Valerie how bad an alcohol addiction could be. She told him about her older sister who tried to drink away her depression and worries and ended up in a deadly car accident just three years ago. She was 18 at the time.
The halfa watched as Harry stepped next to his godfather and placed a soothing hand on the man's left shoulder. Sirius flinched and his head whipped over to look at his godson, his eyes misty and far away looking, not really seeing him. Harry just stood there, as if he was used to this and Danny felt really bad. Was his brother actually used to drunken behaviour? Has he seen Sirius like this before? When?
He went over to stand next to him and gazed at his uncle, swallowing hard "Hey, Sirius. You with us?" The older man's eyes suddenly refocused and zoomed in on the two teenagers standing next to him, raising an eyebrow "Harry... Danny, what are you doing in my room?", he then turned his head, gazing at something they couldn't see and murmured "You shouldn't see me like this."
Harry just shook his head "Well, we're here because we're worried about you, of course. You didn't show up all day and missed both lunch and dinner, booze isn't a good compensation."
Danny nodded along in agreement and watched as Sirius put his head in his hands, hiding from them. The half ghost considered him unimpressed "If you are ashamed of your behaviour, why are you doing it? We aren't mad or anything but it might be helpful for you to come inside and get away from- you know, fire whiskey."
Sirius harrumphed "It's not all fire whiskey, some of it is Dragon Digestif." Danny had no idea what that was but his brother inhaled sharply when he heard it and looked accusingly at Sirius "That stuff is pure poison! Don't you care about yourself?!" There was a panicked tone in his voice and Danny could literally feel his twin's horror. If Dragon Digestif truly was as atrocious as they made it sound, then Harry was probably terrified that he might lose Sirius.
He quickly made up his mind, transformed into Phantom and went invisible, grabbed both his uncle as well as Harry securely in his fists and sped off into the evening light. The other two wizards were so shocked, they didn't realize what was happening- well, Harry did but he stayed calm. Sirius tried to wiggle out of his holding in his panic but that was both stupid and not going to happen, so he stayed where he was until Danny dumped him on the grass near a church.
He did set Harry down a bit more carefully and then erected an ecto shield to ensure that no wixen would find them. With their safety taken care of for now, Danny stomped over to Sirius and grabbed the man's collar, glaring at the still intoxicated man. The fugitive's eyes were blown wide open in fear and Danny made sure to let his eyes glow an even more intense green, peeking into his soul, baring his fangs for a second before he calmed down again.
He used his hand to reach into Sirius' system, destroying the alcohol, rendering him sober. It was a neat little skill his body already did for him automatically. In other words: he wasn't able to get drunk no matter what (as several 'experiments' at recent parties have proven) and he quickly figured out how to extend this power to other intoxicated mortal people. However, he couldn't do it too often on the same person, because their body could get addicted to his ectoplasm instead. Which would be even worse than an alcoholic one.
After he rematerialised his hand, Sirius was breathing heavily and looked around a little confused, before he stopped when his eyes found his nephews. He groaned "Pups, we really shouldn't be outside. It's too dangerous."
The twins raised their left eyebrows and Harry inquired sweetly "Besides that, how are you feeling right now?"
"Pretty good, actually. Could've sworn I was out of it. Danny, what did you do? I feel amazing!"
The halfa in question grimaced, he forgot that most will forget they were drunk after he sobered them up "You were drunk. Very much so. It wasn't nice to look at."
That got him a soft "oh" but Harry pushed on "You were drinking Dragon Digestif! Even Hagrid almost passed out the last time he tried some. Don't you care about yourself?!"
Danny knew of course who Hagrid- the frigging half giant, was. So he could now understand why drinking this ominous Dragon Digestif had freaked Harry out.
Sirius just had his eyes shut and had gotten a bit paler "Listen, I barely remember that. I just know that I went to breakfast and suddenly it's night."
He opened his eyes and glared at Harry "You really shouldn't be outside unsupervised. It's too late, what if Voldemort finds you?"
The young wizard snorted "Well, we got you, right? Also, Danny has erected an ectoshield, no one will find us. At least no one magical. So just enjoy being outside for once."
The fugitive seemed to ponder that and shook his head, still unsure "I don't even have a wand. I couldn't protect you, my magic core hasn't been the same since... well, you know. I'm lucky I'm at least able to transform into my animagus without issue.
"So it's true?" He asked Danny "this weird ectoplasm stuff blocks magic?"
"'This weird ectoplasm stuff' is a ghost's source of, well, life, for a lack of a better word. And yes. No one will be able to track us, or spy on us with magic. We are as safe as we can be right now."
The twins sat down on the grass next to their uncle and the three stayed silent for a while.
Sirius was beating himself up over the fact that his pups had seen him drunk and out of it. That shouldn't have happened, he should've been more careful. Usually, no one really looks for him when he decides he needs alcohol to function.
He should have thought of Harry and Danny. Of course they would worry. And of course they had to come looking for him today. Though, he was still amazed that he didn't feel anything. No dizziness or an upset stomach. Whatever his ghostly nephew had done to him had been wonderful. Still, he'd rather not have them see him drunk and unwell.
The man glanced over to where the twins sat close to each other, Danny pointing at stars in the surprisingly clear nightsky through the ectoshield. He followed his finger with his eyes and recognized the summer triangle: Vega, Altair and Deneb. It felt like an eternity since he just sat on some grass and got to spend time with people he loved.
Sirius wasn't ashamed of the quiet sob that tore through his throat but he made sure it was the only one. No need to interrupt his pups.
It didn't take long for Harry to turn back to his godfather. Sirius looked both wistful as well as apologetic and sad. If only he could help him long-term, whatever he had to deal with was eating him up and Harry really didn't want to lose his godfather. They just met two years ago and he and Danny only a little over a month ago. He knew his brother shared the sentiment and he spontaneously decided to read up on the magical law system.
Just last year he might've been able to just go to the Minister and, under Veritaserum or something like that, tell them what really happened and they would've listened. Giving Sirius a hearing and trial and eventually setting him free. Now, the only option was to send Pettigrew himself as evidence to them. After all, no one wants to believe a liar.
Harry took a long and suffering sigh, Danny snorted and was shoved in retaliation. Let him wallow in hopelessness in peace! They were all a bit tired, he assumed, the day had been a long one.
First Ron and Hermione, he still couldn't quite understand what's wrong with them and now Sirius. Also, his heir ring was seriously beginning to freak him out. Like, it's nice to feel his brother when he's near and assumingly every other ghost as well but every single shadow felt like it was calling out to him. Luring him towards them, promising sweet nothings.
He shuddered and it didn't go unnoticed by his company.
"Are you cold?" was Danny's sensible question and Sirius just saw his chance and added "Maybe we should head inside, make sure you don't get sick."
The twins turned to him, incredulous "Do you want to go back in that house?" They asked at the same time, momentarily excited that they did, before looking back at heir uncle. Who was scratching his head and then shook his head "No, of course not. It's wonderful to be outside. It doesn't change the fact that I don't want to put you both in unnecessary danger.
"I'm truly thankful that you brought me here and that I'm sober enough for it, too. Speaking of, I'll try to make sure you two won't have to see me so low again. But we should't forget that I'm responsible for you, I know we talked about how you are different from others your age and certainly more independent, but that doesn't mean you don't deserve someone you can count on. I want to be that person."
Danny gave him a small smile "If you want us to count on you, you'll have to completely stop drinking. A glass of wine on the weekends or at parties is more than fine but drinking your worries away never helps. Then we can try to work together." Harry nodded along, fully supporting Danny's proposal.
He saw the resolve in Sirius' eyes strengthen and the animagus flashed them a grin "Okay, it's a deal."
Harry's brother raised an unimpressed eyebrow "And we can bring you out with us every night. Sound good?"
Sirius' smile turned more strained but eventually he conceded.
The twins high fived and then the three set back and watched the city. The church garden they were in was peaceful and nearby was a small fountain, splashing softly in the summer breeze.
Now was a good time as any to ask about the ring, Harry numbly thought and held his hand with the ring on up for Sirius to see "So, weird question, but does the Heir Ring give you necromantic powers?"
He got a couple confused blinks in return "No... not that I'm aware of. I certainly never became one after I was made the heir. Why? Does it hurt? Does something feel off? Maybe it's cursed-"
"Sirius, relax. I'm not hurting, I just feel, different. Like, I can feel when Danny is close by, it's like his ghost aura is calling out to me and the shadows, too."
"The shadows?"
"Yeah, every shadow you see, be it one made from the moon light, artificial light or the sun is whispering to me. It's not annoying or anything, just new. Different."
His godfather was silent for a few minutes, before he slowly answered, still sounding unsure "I can tell you for a fact that you're not a necromancer, if you were, you would've already killed someone. Taken their life force. You probably could control Danny, even. So, at least it's not that.
"There used to be a special magic in the Black family. Like the metamorphagus one Dora has. It's been generations since it's been seen last. We called it Shadowing or something like that, I don't really know. Don't laugh, it's probably not its actual name! I've only ever read about it once in an old family book and that was decades ago. It said that the carrier of the special magic awakens it through the heir ring. That means that some generations, the heir doesn't have it, because their sibling is the carrier.
"It allows one to use the shadows around them and to be closer to death. You are distantly related to the Black family, so I suppose you carry the gene. Now, I say closer to death but really it's just the ability to be more aware of the Deathland. A place where dead souls are, mostly hidden in the shadows. That's probably why they whisper to you and why you can feel Danny. I'll have to look for the book again. When I find it, I'll send it to you, alright? If something new happens though, please tell me immediately."
Harry gave his agreement and pondered the new information. He was silently glad to not be a Necromancer, but still. 'Closer to death' he really didn't need more of that in his life. He already survived the killing curse, accidentally killed a person at age 11 and has a brother who is legally dead half the time. Fate really loved to laugh at him, huh?
He went to ask another question, but Sirius was already half asleep. He suppressed a grin and nudged his twin "Do you know what this 'Deathland' is?"
Danny seemed a little lost but he answered nonetheless "It's a bit complicated, I guess. I am not all-knowing, so I'm not entirely sure. I have learned from one of the many, many books Grandfather and Ghost Writer forced on me that souls always move on, unless they become ghosts, obviously. Their memories can linger however. Every soul leaves an imprint on Earth and these imprints aren't really anything else, they can't do anything at all from beyond the Deathland, which by the way is also known as 'Lugar Eterno'. The Deathland is a place only few can visit. It's separate from the Infinite Realms and found in the, well, shadows, apparently.
"Seems like you are one of the rare beings who can interact with these mementos. I don't know what that means though." Harry noticed how disappointed his brother seemed to be that he didn't have the complete answer. The younger wizard smiled thankfully and waved him off
"Don't worry Danny, you already know so much and the answer was more than helpful. Thanks, you're really awesome, you know?" His twin blushed and coughed nervously
"I'm not that awesome, you are way better. The way you've been dealing with everything that has happened to you so far is just mind-blowing. I would have broken under the stress and expectations."
"Don't the ghosts expect you to become their king? Don't the people in Amity Park expect you to protect them? Isn't that a lot, too?" Harry asked worriedly. He knew from experience that putting yourself down made you feel less insecure and worried and he knew it wasn't very healthy but he didn't want his brother to do the same. Especially when he didn't have a reason to "You've so much on your plate already and you're only 15. Don't talk your feats down like that. You're incredible."
The halfa snorted "And you aren't?"
"No, I only ever got lucky so far. Or had help. I'm nothing special compared to you, or Hermione who is so damn smart or Ron who is such a strong strategist. I'm okay with that. I just want to keep everyone safe somehow." Harry bit his lip after confessing this. It wasn't anything new and he always had such thoughts running through his head. He really got lucky in life or death situations. So far. Who knew what will happen this year. He already got attacked by dementors and had to attend a trial.
He halted when he felt frustration rolling over him, coming from Danny's and his link. He raised his brow questioningly and watched his twin take a deep breath "Bro, what? You've been defying the odds since you were 11. No, even before that. Since you were dumped at the Dursley's. How can you talk like that? How about we agree that we're both pretty awesome. You're definitely powerful and from what I can tell extremely loyal which I don't see very often. Sure, I fight a lot and a lot is expected of me. But you have the whole wixen community breathing down your neck, watching your every move. The moment you do something they don't like they slander you, the moment you do something heroic they fawn over you. Dealing with such things is certainly more than what I do. Plus, Voldemort.
"I don't have a dark lord out for my blood, there is Skulker who wants my pelt but it's more of an inside joke by now. Heh, 'inside'. You're in danger pretty much every second while I'm mostly fine- I protect because I can and because of my obsession. You protect because you didn't have a choice and were put in situations you can't control. And I don't even know all of it yet. You've got to tell me about everything some time. I'm pretty curious, ya know." Danny smiled at him near the end and Harry felt infinitely lighter
"Where have you been all my life?" He asked sarcastically and Danny gasped before he beamed
"No need to make things cheesy, Harry. Besides, I won't abandon you now, you're stuck with me. I won't leave until we can do the twin-speak fluently. We just have to get better than Gred and Forge- I mean Fred and George." His sheepish expression made Harry laugh.
The two continued to stay there a while longer, Sirius sleeping peacefully behind them, snoring away. When the churche's bells chimed 12 a.m, they decided to head back to Grimmauld Place and Danny carefully placed Sirius on the sofa in the library, since his room wasn't really habitable right now. When the twins entered their room, Ron looked up at them sleepily and hurt crossed his face for a short second before he turned over without another word, turning his back to them.
Harry tried to hide his own pain at the reaction but of course Danny has already felt it. He clapped his shoulder supportingly and went to get ready for bed. Just ten minutes later and they lay in their respective beds, wishing each other a good night.
Danny waited until his brother's breaths evened out before he changed for the second time that night and flew back to the church. On further inspection he realized the church was named St. James, which was kind of ironic, when he thought about it.
'Back to business, Danny' he thought and began to create a portal, thinking of a certain someone. Relief flooded him when a torso sized portal appeared and he sticked his head through, blinking when the feeling of the Infinite Realms washed over him. The halfa grinned when he spotted his friend "Hey, what's up?"
Sydney Poindexter looked up from the book resting on his lap, grinning bitingly when he spotted Phantom's face "Phantom," he inclined his head a bit, coming closer "I heard you left for Britain. You're a- wizard? Already bored?"
Phantom rolled his eyes playfully "Actually, no. A lot has already happened. I even met a never-born. His name is Silvas. Can you believe he was bound to some witch for three years? He was not amused."
Poindexter's shock turned into anger at that "Tch, wixen folk is annoying. I met one in 1968. He was a student here but could't control his magic. Still, he used the bit he could control to bully other students. I couldn't do much against him, worried that he would somehow influence me."
They floated silently for a while before Danny cleared his throat "There is something I need your help with actually- it's not about magical people, don't worry." He looked at him pleadingly and Sydney appeared intrigued, waving the young halfa to go on "Well, my twin, Harry, grew up in an abusive household. And when I say 'abusive' I mean it. I'm talking about mistreatment, neglect and corporal punishments. There were locks on his room's door and his so-called 'room' can hardly be called that. The worst part is, his- our relatives don't think they did anything wrong. I need your help to completely and utterly destroy them.
"Make them regret ever laying a hand on Harry. Ensure that they can never show their faces in society again. Can you do that, please? I would avenge Harry myself but it'd take time and I don't have that." Danny bit his lip, worried that Poindexter would turn him down.
He needn't have worried, Sydney looked utterly furious and he venomously spat "I hate bullies, but abusers, especially ones you should be able to trust and get love from are disgusting and the worst scum." The ghost calmed down a little and nodded to himself "Of course I will help you. When I'm through with them, they won't be able to think straight anymore." A nasty grin appeared on his face and Danny watched his teeth sharpen and eyes begin to glow in a bright yellow.
He had thought for a while how to best get revenge on those despicable humans without straight up killing them and then he thought of Sydney Poindexter. A ghost who haunted locker 724 in his school, a locker he had been shoved into regularly when he had still been alive. A ghost born with the obsession to bully bullies and help those too weak to protect themselves. He was the perfect choice for his plan.
Danny's eyes gleamed in response to Sydney's transformation and he spoke up "Alright, here is what I hope you'll accomplish: The Dursley's- I'll bring you to them later- hate everything out of the ordinary. Which is partly the reason why they treated Harry so badly. From what I've gathered and what Harry has told me so far, they want to be seen as 'normal, upstanding citizen', if they were to go, say, crazy, then they would get what they deserve."
His friend's face lit up in understanding "So, they would hate it if their house suddenly got haunted... a bit of possession here and there, a few awful screams and threatening messages. Following them around during the day, never giving them a reprieve." His grin widened and looked horrifying "I can to do that. Leave it to me."
Phantom shook the outstretched hand and pulled the other ghost through the portal. Poindexter stretched a little (though he had no real limbs and joints) and looked around "So this is London, huh? Not as exciting as I thought it'd be. Whatever. Show me these Dursley's."
Within thirty minutes Danny brought the older ghost to Little Whinging and showed him the house. It looked so inconspicuous, it made their stomachs churn and Sydney softly breathed "Yeah, it reeks of normalcy here. Time to change it up. Give me three months and the Dursley's will end up in a mental institute, after losing their 'perfect' facade in this quaint neighborhood."
For just a second guilt wanted to rise up in Danny's guts but he forced it down. They deserved it. Harry was traumatized and forever scarred because of them. Maybe they will change one day, come to their senses but first they had to suffer. Phantom was a bit shocked that his obsession wasn't pushing him to help the Dursley's after all. Instead he saw Harry in front of him, the bruised neck from the first day they met, the dirty rags he had been forced to wear and his anger came crushing back, he turned to Sydney "I'll leave you to it buddy, thank you. I'll check in every two weeks or so."
That got him a thumbs up and Danny watched Poindexter disappearing in the unsuspecting house. He turned around and flew back. It was just short of half past one when he came back, fortunately, his roommates were still fast asleep and he couldn't help but smile softly at seeing his twin looking so relaxed. He hoped his brother and his friends would make up soon. Harry didn't deserve the jealousy.
With a thoughtful expression, thinking of the long day, he fell asleep.
...........
Meanwhile: Voldemort's secret hideout
The Dark Lord listlessly moved through his office, ever since Loyd Rainstedt told him about the ghost, an idea has been forming in his genius mind. He had to admit that his actions until now have been highly irrational and hadn't been thought out well enough.
No more.
Having an army of subservient, powerful ghosts by his side would definitely ensure victory. He just had to get more of them. But how? Did they haunt places on Earth similar to wizarding ghosts or were they different in that aspect? He didn't know enough and not knowing felt uncomfortable. He had to rectify that. However, there weren't any books on the subject, as far as he could tell, so he was counting on Rainstedt to bring him new information- and soon.
Just as he thought that, his pacing got interrupted by a sharp knock and he lazily waved the door open, permitting both Rainstedt as well as Walden Macnair entry. The two men bowed respectfully and Voldemort twirled his wand, while Nagini raised her head from the fireplace and tasted the air sleepily.
He hissed to her to go back to sleep and enjoyed the obvious stiffening in his followers stances "Now," he hissed "what is it that you interrupt me for at this time?"
Rainstedt swallowed before he began "My Lord, I found information, Macnair has helped me gathering it." After a pointed look from the older man, Walden Macnair quickly handed two books over to their lord "These are the only known books at the Ministry that contain information on muggle ghosts, they are from 1830, so they might be a bit outdated..."
Voldemort gingerly took them and spoke with a dangerous edge "I shall be the judge of that. Is there anything else?"
Loyd nodded and bowed again before explaining "I have found a place that is rumoured to have sighted many muggle ghosts, it is a town known as 'Amity Park', situated in the US. I had to use muggle technogoly but it seems that the ghost I met was seen there as well. Fighting the other ones."
Their lord cocked his head to the side in visible interest and a dangerous smile edged onto his pale, snakelike face "Well, isn't that interesting." he looked at Walden and the ministry official straightened up under his scrutiny "I think it is about time you visited our... allies in America, do you think not?"
The other wizard caught on and smiled, bowing once more "It would be an honour, my Lord."
Voldemort nodded approvingly and stroked his new books carefully "And if you were to bring a souvenir or two I would be most pleased. However, I hope I do not have to remind you to stay inconspicuous, you will have to blend in with the muggles. I do not wish to hear that Death Eaters couldn't keep themselves in check and have my plans ruined before they even started. Still, you may take a few of my minions with you for support. Be back within a week. Dismissed."
Macnair bowed a third time "I shall not disappoint, my Lord." turned around and left, but not before he could hear Voldemort's whispered "No, you won't."
After Macnair was gone, Voldemort placed the books on his office table, turning back to Rainstedt "Loyd," he said "it was high time for you to retire, yet you continue to follow me. I am most pleased with your loyalty."
The other man smiled and looked down in clear submission "Anything for you, my Lord. I would have given you my ghost had I known you would be interested. It is a shame really, that this 'Phantom' managed to defeat me."
His lord grinned again and Loyd tried not to shudder "Yes, it just speaks of its prowess. I have to have it."
"Have it you shall. If I am not wrong, then the ghost is still in Britain. I will do my best to find it for you."
He got an approving nod and was swiftly dismissed as well. Voldemort looked over at his beloved Nagini and idly wished that all of his followers were like Loyd Rainstedt but alas, he had to deal with several idiots. Soon he would free his minions kept at Azkaban and then his plans could be set in motion.
For the first time in a decade he felt anticipation rolling through him.