Chapter Text
What Danny had been expecting that morning was the normal day to day slog through meetings, hearings and paperwork that had long since become routine. Many ghosts had even approached him with requests for aid over the years, ranging from territory disputes to wanting help locating a lost item. But in the more than two centuries since his official coronation, he’d never had a request of this magnitude. Neither in scope, or personal favor.
No, instead of the usual parade of never ending favor-seekers (or let’s be honest, ass kissers) during his daily court, he’d been approached by a young, newly dead couple that clutched one another's' hands tightly as they drifted over to him. They bowed respectfully, as was custom, before the husband blurted out something that had the whole of the normally chatty court fall silent.
“We need you to raise our orphaned son.”
Danny paused, as did they all. Then blinked, processing the request. No, demand. “Excuse me?”
The wife spoke up, shooting her spouse a small glare before looking up at the Ghost King, her eyes full of determination and a fiery stubbornness that reminded him of his own sister, Jazz. “Your Majesty, we understand how unusual our request is, but I assure you that we have reason. Our names are Lily and James Potter and the world that we are from is one of magic hidden beneath the surface of the mundane. We are witch and wizard, and everything that we know and love is under threat by an evil, dark wizard whom calls himself Voldemort. This snake in human skin plans to achieve immortality through any means, regardless of who gets hurt along the way, and take over the world, enslaving or killing those that aren’t what he deems as ‘pure’, which is basically anyone that isn’t from a purely magical family and doesn’t cater to his whim.”
He raised an eyebrow, curious and slightly concerned as he sat up a little straighter in his throne. The Halfa hadn’t come across legitimate magic before, outside the simple and small-scale stuff like healing potions, tarot, simple curses, etc. He was interested in learning more about a dimension where it seemed to be the defining cornerstone for an entire society, maybe even multiple. But to hear about what sounds like a wizard-Hitler was worrisome.
“I see, and how does this relate to your request for me to raise your orphaned child?”
James, seeming a bit more collected now, answered him. “For fear of sounding narcissistic, my wife and I are- were ,” He corrected himself. “key members of a group that we called The Order of the Phoenix. It was organized in an effort to oppose him and his followers. We had gone into hiding after discovering that our son, Harry, was likely the center of a prophecy that speaks of Voldemort’s defeat. Somehow, he had also learned of the prophecy and started trying to hunt us down with the intent to at the very least kill our son, but we were too well hidden. At least we thought we were.”
His expression pinched, guilt and betrayal darkening his gaze as Lily stroked his back soothingly and continued for him, her voice tense with conflicted emotions. “We were betrayed by one we called our close friend, a brother even. He was the secret keeper for the spell that hid us, a spell that would have meant that we could never be found unless he told someone where to look. He told Voldemort, and he found and killed us. I managed to defend our son by sacrificing myself, and the killing magic meant for our newborn son rebounded onto him instead. Despite this, he somehow survived. As spirits, we watched as his body disintegrated. Yet his wretched, mutilated soul did not move on or even become a ghost. It fled, more shadows than soul. We learned soon after from his other victims that he used some kind of twisted dark magic to split apart his soul and anchor it somehow.”
She closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, a deep dread filled them. “Eventually, he’ll find a way to remake himself a body, try to kill our son again, and continue his malicious campaign. And if he somehow succeeds, he could very well try to spread his conquest. Evil like his has an unquenchable thirst, more will never be enough but yet he still greedily drinks.”
Danny raised a hand to his face and rubbed it over his mouth and chin thoughtfully, taking a moment to mull over their words. He lowered it, shifting to sit up properly now. “And you believe that he may find a way to extend his reach here eventually. That he’s so powerful that you felt the need to request the High Ghost King himself to essentially adopt your orphaned child and interfere with the timeline and fate of your dimension.”
He let those words sink in as they shifted a little but their determination remained unfaltering. Without turning away from them, he called out a name. “Clockwork.”
At his summons, the Ancient of Time drifted over from where they hovered off to the side of the throne room, their form shifting from child to elder to young man in the seconds it took. “Yes, my King?”
“What can you tell me of the effects my interference or lack thereof will have?”
Clockwork hummed thoughtfully, ignoring the way that the newly dead parents tensed at the question, the wife bristling a little. She looked like she was going to say something before Danny raised a hand to her, his expression briefly shifting to one of sympathy that caused her to pause.
“There are times where my involvement may cause a worse outcome. Clockwork, my grandfather and mentor, is the Ancient of Time. They see all timelines and help me ensure that I do not cause a negative ripple effect.” His words seemed to soothe her as she nodded stiffly and settled back into her husband’s arms. Danny turned back to the Ancient as they smiled in their characteristically knowing way that he’d long grown accustomed to and gestured for them to continue.
“There are many timelines where the young boy succeeds, aided by friends and allies, but most paths lead to much death. Regardless though, it is likely he shall be just fine. Should you choose to remain uninvolved however, there is a chance that this Voldemort will learn of the Realms and attempt to infiltrate.”
The King frowned a bit, considering their vague words. Basically, the decision was up to him. He internally sighed a little and turned back to the couple, needing more details before he made a final decision. “So why is it that you wish for me to raise your son instead of just acting as a guardian angel of sorts? Why not let him be raised by living family or friends?”
Lily winced before taking a steadying, if unnecessary, breath as James gave her shoulders a reassuring hug. “The only ones that the Order will likely take him to is my estranged muggle sister and her young family. She is my only living family and both she and her husband greatly detest magic. We haven’t even really spoken since we were girls, after we learned I was a witch, outside of the occasional life update letter. She claimed that I was a freak of nature, and I strongly doubt that they will treat him well. James has no living family other than Harry, and our son’s godfather was arrested for supposedly killing the traitor and several muggles when it had been the traitor who killed the muggles and faked his own death. The wixen courts are hardly just and he most likely won’t even get a fair trial, since that would mean they would actually have to do their jobs.” She sniffed derisively.
“And even if he did, most outside the Order, and even some in it, don’t trust or like him because of his family’s history of bigotry and tendency towards dark magic.” James added with a solemn expression. “We trust him without a doubt, but after our deaths and the betrayal, even the Order’s faith in one another isn’t going to be as strong. As much as it pains me to say it, we can’t afford to let that doubt be cast upon our son too. Of course, if you can somehow prove his innocence or at least get him a fair trial so he doesn’t go to that horrid prison, we would be eternally grateful. But we know that what we ask is already a lot. We also want our son to be able to live somewhat normally, without the weight of the prophecy being placed on him until he’s ready to bear it.”
Danny's lips quirked a little at the irony of them asking him of all beings to raise their son as a normal boy. He glanced one last time over at his grandfather in a vain attempt to glean anymore hints before looking back at the couple. What the hell, he could use a vacation from being a king anyways. Plus he never got to enjoy Ellie’s baby years, so it would be great to experience raising a baby at least once.
“Very well, I will accept your request.” They visibly sag with relief, looking to one another with renewed hope. “But I must ask, do you wish to be involved? He is your child after all.”
The couple exchanged looks before mutually shaking their heads, smiling bitterly. Lily spoke, tone somber. “We aren’t going to be able to remain for much longer, we were generously granted enough time by Death to find someone that could take care of our son. With you agreeing, we’ll be moving on soon enough.”
At his frown, she continued. “Death has no love lost for us Wixen. Our souls were cursed so that if we decide to become ghosts, we exist in what we call a Tantalian State, forever just out of reach of what we long for, with no way to move forward or back and we have no abilities outside floating and going through walls. We want to be there for when our son’s time comes and he joins us in death.”
“I see… I will have to have a discussion with Death at some point, as that seems unusually cruel for them.” He mused mostly to himself, waving casually to one of his secretaries to schedule a meeting with them. Death was one of the only beings that he had no power over, they were instead about as close to equals as they could get. Danny’s responsibility was to lead the dead, neverborns and the Ancients and maintain interdimensional balance, ensuring that Existence remained intact. Death was an aspect of Existence and kept energy and souls recycling alongside their spouse, Life. Both of whom tended to treat Danny as their child, considering his status as a True Halfa made him the perfect balance between them. This could give him the leverage he needed to learn why Death held such a heavy grudge against an entire subspecies of humans and whether or not he could convince them to let it go.
“Now then, since what time we have left is limited, I need you two to share with me all that you know of your world. Important people, places, how your magic works, its currency system, even things as simple as popular foods. If I am to blend in and raise your son, I can not go in with nothing.” Beside him, Clockwork let out a stifled snort, earning a heatless glare from Danny. Honestly, even after all this time they still won’t let go of how hot headed and impulsive he used to be.
James and Lily exchanged looks with one another, a strange uncertainty and curiousity mixed in their silent conversation before Lily looked back up at the King. “We aren’t sure if it’ll work now that we’re dead, but there’s a spell of sorts that lets us basically take copies of our memories, preserve them and allow us and others to view them as many times as we want. If you’ll allow us, we could try to pull the memories that you need, and maybe…” She trailed off for a moment before finishing, her voice fragile. “Maybe we could leave a message for Harry?”
Danny’s expression softened, understanding the pain that they were experiencing. His own parents had gone through something similar after he revealed himself to them before his coronation. They had gone through all the stages of grief and even seemed to event new ones as they struggled to process what they had done to him, both directly and indirectly.
“Of course, one of my knights will guide you to an empty sitting room so that you may try. I will join you shortly, as I must begin preparations for my extended leave. If you need anything, all you need is ask.”
Relief washed over the couple and they turned to follow the knight that stepped forward with a respectful nod. Once they were gone, his court broke out into harsh whispers that were immediately quelled with a raised hand. “Oh please, like you all aren’t relieved to have a break from me.” He joked with a smirk, demeanor relaxing now that he didn’t have to put on his Great King persona.
“Now, let’s talk about what I’m gonna need you guys to do while I’m gone.”
***
Three days passed before things were finalized, with multiple layers of contingency plans put into place in case something happened that didn’t require his immediate attention. He also had sent a missive out to his friends, Jazz and his daughter Ellie (his parents had decided to move onto the afterlife to wait for reincarnation, wanting to atone and try again), alerting them of what’s going on and how to reach him if necessary. They’ve long since gone off to do their own things, but they all get together at least once a year if they can to catch up.
After another few days of reviewing the successfully retrieved memories from the Potters, he finally set out to locate the sector of the Realms that connected to what he was electing to call the Wixenverse. Thanks to his tutelage under Clockwork and Wulf and his somewhat more recent evolution to the Ancient of Space, Danny’d long since mastered opening portals to any point in time and space that he wanted. That being said, going to a new dimension meant that he had to be in that dimension’s sector at the very least.
Unfortunately, since he needed to be in an exact place at an exact time in a brand new dimension, he had to locate its exact correlating coordinates in the Realms. And so, he searched. Even using the memories shared with him by Lily, it still took him a while to find the spot. When he finally did, he took a few moments to make sure that he was presentable and not in his mortal brain-melting eldritch form before summoning his scythe. Next to his cloak, the edges lined with yeti fur and the inside looked like it was cut from deep space, a veritable feast of stars, nebula and more, it was his favorite item of his Royal Regalia. The scythe’s blade seemed to absorb light around it, as though he had shaped it from a blackhole. The snath was a thin staff of solid, blued glacial ice with sigils etched and lined in silver and the handle was wrapped in grey leather to provide a better grip. It was simple, but elegant.
He admired it for a moment, as he likely wouldn’t be able to wield it again for a while, before he spun it in graceful circles, the snath glistening in the eerie glow of the surrounding clouds of ectoplasm. One last circle and the blade sliced the air in front of him, the seams of reality peeling to the sides and allowing him passage. Danny stepped through and into a new reality, emerging in front of a trio of people dressed in robes, the largest of which dwarfed the other two and was currently holding a baby, bundled up against the chilly autumn air. All of which stood in various states of alarm.
It took the Ghost King a moment to recognize them via the memories shared with him by the Potters, and when he did he smiled, his scythe melting back into the ether as the tear in reality melded back together seamlessly. “Greetings, I do believe that you are holding my new charge. If you could gently hand him over, I would be most grateful.”
“Absolutely not!” The older woman, Professor Minerva McGonagall, protested as loudly as she dared in the uncharacteristically dim and quiet neighborhood, quickly moving to stand between him and the baby, wielding a stick at him. As if that would pose a real threat to him. Not that he intended on becoming an enemy. “Who are you!? Are you working for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?”
Having expected the reaction, he snorted softly and shook his head. “Certainly not. If anything, I’m his worst nightmare, even if he’s yet to be aware of me.” He grinned, exposing rows of long and sharp fanged teeth. “Now where are my manners?” He gave a half bow, just enough to let his floating aurora-like crown bob where it hovered above his head, the bands of light flickering with different colors, drawing attention to it.
“I am Daniel Janus Phantom, High Ghost King of the Infinite Realms and recently declared Guardian of young Hadrian “Harry” James Potter by his recently deceased and departed parents, Lily Jane Evans Potter and James Fleamont Potter.” He stood up straight once more as he pulled out a vial containing a glowing, silvery green filament. “If you need proof, I have brought this memory with me from James Potter himself before he and Lily passed on to the afterlife.”
The elderly man, Professor Albus Dumbledore, narrowed his eyes somewhat suspiciously as he carefully extended his hand for the vial despite his companions' protests, his voice deceptively calm. “We do not possess a pensieve at the moment. Are you willing to wait, your Majesty?”
“Of course, I would expect nothing else but a verification when you are dealing with an unknown such as myself. However I must insist that Harry remains with us and out of the hands of his aunt and uncle, per Lily Potter’s personal request.”
“I can not-” Danny cut the old man off.
“She expressly requested that I am not to allow her sister to have Harry, as he would likely experience severe neglect and abuse if not outright abandonment, especially after the moment that he displayed possessing magic.”
Dumbledore’s expression pinched slightly, barely perceptive to anyone looking for it let alone those not. “Very well.”
Danny smiled more pleasantly this time. “Now then, shall we? I do believe that there is a wixen pub in London where we can discuss things. The Leaky Cauldron, if I recall correctly?”
The large man, a half giant named Rubeus Hagrid, grunted in confusion as he shifted his hold on Harry to better cradle him. “How dya know ‘bout that? If y’er some kind of ghost? Though I’ve nev’r seen one as solid as ya.”
“The Potters were gracious enough to share with me some of their memories so that I may better blend in. And yes, I am a ghost. Simply a different variety from the wixen kind. As I’ve been recently made aware, Death has quite the grudge against you magic folk, and I’m curious as to how you managed to upset them so much that they cursed your entire subspecies.”
McGonagall narrowed her eyes, confusion blending with suspicion. “And how do you intend to blend in? Not to make offense, but you would stand out even among the more… eccentric wixen.”
The Ghost King chuckled a little. “Not to worry, I can blend in just fine. This is not my only form, I do have a human one, but the change is… flashy, and I doubt that you would want to draw attention to us after going through the effort of dimming all the lights on this street.” He gestured to the darkened streetlamps.
Hagrid shifted nervously and started backing up towards his flying motorcycle. “Well then, s’pose that Harry ‘nd I’ll meet ya at the Cauldron.”
“Yes, Hagrid. We shall meet you there. Do you require transportation, Your Majesty?” Dumbledore bobbed his head to the half giant, then looked up at Danny’s imposing figure.
“No, I shall be just fine, but I appreciate the offer.” He began hovering above the ground, his legs being replaced with a long, slender spectral tail that made the younger two wixen swallow nervously. “But if Mr. Rubeus Hagrid does not mind, I would like to fly alongside you and Harry. I might have the memories to draw upon for directions, but I’d much prefer having a guide until I can take the time to explore.” Not completely true, his spacial powers allowed him near instant understanding of the shape of the world and its locations, but this would allow him to stay beside Harry and perhaps get some information out of the loose lipped half giant.
The trio exchanged uncertain glances before Hagrid reluctantly nodded in agreement, climbing onto his motorcycle after gently securing Harry back into his carrier in the sidecar. Danny flew over to hover beside him and gave him a reassuring smile, making sure to keep his lips closed since he could tell that his sharp teeth unnerved him. Hagrid smiled nervously back and started up his bike as Danny turned to the other two.
“Oh and please, call me Danny, or Phantom. We shall likely be working closely together for the foreseeable future and I’m considering this to be a sort of holiday for myself, so the stuffy royalty stuff isn’t entirely necessary. See you at the Cauldron.” He flicked his tail in a sort of wave before he flew off alongside Hagrid, the Ghost King easily keeping up, leaving behind the other two wixen as they started to discuss the strange being’s appearance and claims, looking worriedly at the vial of memories resting in Dumbledore’s palm.
***
The flight with Hagrid was largely uneventful, the sky was overcast and the half giant refused to fly above the clouds, much to Danny’s disappointment. Hagrid at least seemed to start to relax a little around the Halfa, especially when Danny started making puns. Being that they were both hybrids, Danny felt a sort of kinship with the large man, not that he could admit his own hybrid status. From what he gleaned from the Potters’ memories, he knew that the information would be spilled to whomever managed to get Hagrid gabbing about Danny, whether it be intentional or not. He definitely didn’t need that spread around, at least not until after he’d managed to settle down and secure his new, if only temporary, life in this world. So for now, he kept it to himself.
He did however, accidentally manage to get Hagrid talking about magical creatures, having commented that he has a pet ghost dog named Cujo that liked to come and go as he pleased. Hagrid had practically leapt at the opportunity to gush about magical dog-like creatures like cerberus’ and crups, which then led onto other magical creatures. By the time they reached London, Danny knew a great deal about many of them, which he certainly found fascinating.
As they started the descent, Danny offered to teach Hagrid about stars at a later point, which he had started to politely decline, claiming he wasn’t smart enough to learn about them. The Halfa instead pointed out that he’d basically given him an excellent lecture on magical creatures in the duration of the short flight. This made Hagrid pause before agreeing somewhat sheepishly, unaccustomed to praise.
During the whole flight, baby Harry had not once stirred, unusual for a 15 month-old, but Danny didn’t sense anything was wrong, so he just let the little tyke sleep in peace. He however voiced his concern to Hagrid, whom reassured Danny that one of the nurses had placed a small calming spell on Harry to help him sleep since he’d been too panicked after… well. He didn’t have to finish that sentence. Danny winced in sympathy for Harry. Even if he could never consciously recall last night, it would still affect him for the rest of his life. Maybe even after.
Hagrid touched down a few blocks from the Cauldron in an alleyway and slowed to a stop, glancing over at Danny. “‘Fore we go out on the street, is there a way for ya to hide yaself? Not sure if the ole’ Muggle Blindness will work on yer whole…” He gestured to him before pausing and sheepishly adding on, “No ‘ffense.”
Danny snorted quietly and smiled. “None taken. I can go invisible, if you’d like, and place my hand on your shoulder so you know where I am.” The ‘So you don’t think I’ve wandered off.’ went unsaid.
Hagrid grunted awkwardly and nodded. “If ya don’t mind.”
With a hum, he floated over to his somewhat unwilling companion and placed a hand lightly on his shoulder before slipping himself off the visible spectrum. He could feel a barely suppressed shudder from Hagrid and did his best to warm up his naturally freezing touch.
After collecting Harry from the sidecar once more, Hagrid walked to the Cauldron, pulling Danny along like an invisible balloon. A few minutes later, they slipped into the mostly empty pub, the normal crowd having vacated hours ago and most of the patrons renting rooms had gone to bed.
Once they were inside, Hagrid quietly asked the bartender for a private dining room for four people and a baby. That got him a raised eyebrow, but the worker just nodded and handed him a key with the room number on it and the half giant wandered off after ordering some standard fare to be delivered outside once it was ready.
The moment the door closed behind them, Danny faded back to visibility and removed his hand from Hagrid, pulling away to look around the room curiously. Hagrid meanwhile set up Harry in a baby basket in the corner before sitting at the table, nervously twiddling his thumbs.
Nearly half an hour passed before the door at last opened to reveal McGonagall and Dumbledore, food and drink floating in after them. Danny watched in mild fascination as the table was set up all on its own. Sure, things like food and drink can float and move on their own in the Realms, but this was a mortal world and it worked on something completely foreign to him.
He shoved his curiousity to the side for now as he joined Hagrid and the other two at the table, the grim expressions on both Dumbledore and McGonagall told him that they’d watched the memory. Silently, he raised an inquisitive eyebrow at them. McGonagall took a deep breath before speaking.
“We have… verified your claims. The memory was untampered and was indeed from the Potters. However, we have many questions, and we would like to discuss pressing details, such as Sirius Black’s apparent innocence in this matter.”
“Of course. I’d be concerned if you didn’t have any questions. As for Sirius Black, I’m afraid I can’t provide any definitive proof myself, however I have an idea as to how to use his unfortunate situation to our advantage.”
“How could this possibly be advantageous, if he truly is innocent then we should do everything in our power to prove his innocence.” Her voice was indignant with disbelief at his apparent callousness.
“Simple, we use his trial to weed out Voldemort’s spies and sympathizers, and find out whom is easily misled. From what James told me, Pettigrew is a rat animagus. Fitting form, honestly. Now if he’s as cowardly as I suspect, he’ll go to ground for as long as he can. Maybe even for years, and so long as we can’t find him, we can’t truly prove Sirius’ innocence. But we can keep him from going to Azkaban and put him in hiding.”
She huffed with exasperation. “An unregistered animagus? That is concerning. Especially since he was never the greatest student. To think that he managed to become an animagus on his own worries me.”
Danny laughed. “Oh he wasn’t the only one, James and Sirius are animagi as well, they did it to better keep Remus Lupin company during full moons. They chose to stay unregistered as they didn’t trust your government. For good reason it seems.”
The witch spluttered with indignation and protest before pausing and mulling over his words. Meanwhile Danny turned to the suspiciously quiet Dumbledore with a quirked eyebrow. The elderly man stared back a deceptively placid expression as he spoke. “You mentioned earlier that you have other forms, including one that allows you to blend in with humans. Will you share it now?”
He hummed quietly as he stood up and backed away from the table a couple steps. “Very well, but you might want to shield your eyes. As I warned prior, it is very flashy.”
Hagrid didn’t need to be told twice, standing between him and Harry while he covered his own eyes, McGonagall choosing to squint while Dumbledore just watched normally as a blindingly white ring spawned in the air around his midriff, splitting in two and going in opposite directions. Wherever they passed over, his ghostly, regal appearance was replaced by a solid, human form, revealing a tall and broad shouldered man in his mid thirties. His hair was black and kept in a long, braided ponytail, a touch of grey speckling at his temples. His eyes were icy blue and skin a light tan, speaking to either a mixed heritage or a great deal of time in the sun. All in all, he looked like he could be a relative of the deceased James Potter. When he grinned, his canines were still a tad too long and sharp, but nothing too extreme.
Or at least Danny thought so. He was a little out of touch these days with what was considered ‘normal human’. His human body’s aging had slowed to a crawl after taking the crown, every decade’s worth of aging seemed to take a century. He wasn’t entirely sure though if his human half would eventually die and he’d become a full ghost or if he’d stop aging all together at some point. Clockwork was oddly ziplipped about it, even for them.
“See? You can’t even tell me apart from the normal human, muggle or wixen.” He held out his arms in a ‘ta-da’ gesture.
They all seemed to look surprised by the stark difference in his appearance before McGonagall cleared her throat. “Right then, now that that’s settled, let us get on with settling on an agreement.”
Danny hummed, taking a seat once more as he reached for the licorice snaps, not even blinking as they came to life and snapped at his fingers. He just tossed a couple into his mouth and chewed on them contently while McGonagall pulled out a roll of parchment and unfurled it, handing it over to the Ghost King.
“We took the liberty of putting together a rough draft for a binding contract. Please feel free to look over it and voice any questions, suggestions, modifications or rejections.”
He took it and skimmed the scroll’s contents with the air of someone far too accustomed to it. “Mm, I’ll have to dispute the caveat that I have to answer to the Ministry’s laws. While I can agree to behave, I can not in good faith oblige laws that go against my own.”
“Such as?” She raised an eyebrow at him.
“Slavery, for one. Slavery, even supposedly agreed to by the enslaved, is wholly unacceptable. Then there is also the fact that your Ministry refuses to acknowledge the equal rights of sapient magical creatures like Centaurs, Merpeople and Goblins, let alone the House Elves that you have enslaved. In cases where I can, I am obligated to provide support to minorities and disadvantaged groups. If I didn’t, I would be awfully hypocritical considering how my home dimension considered ghosts to be non-sapient. That’s not even taking into account the dreadful treatment that hybrids and cursed beings experience.”
He gestured to Hagrid. “Even one of your most loyal allies was racially discriminated against and denied due process because he was framed for a crime he was physically incapable of committing. So you are fully aware of how critically biased your government is. As such, I can and will not abide by their laws.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Hagrid’s eyes widen in disbelief that a total stranger had readily taken his side on the decades-old shitshow. McGonagall shifted near imperceptibly in her seat, glancing over at Dumbledore before looking back at Danny. “I suppose that is reasonable, however we do not know what laws you follow and that could be a risk to us, Harry and the Wixen community at large.”
She did have a point, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully with his free hand as he leaned back. “How about this, I’ll agree to follow the laws that apply to safety and secrecy so long as they don’t conflict with my duties to raise and protect Harry and to my own people. However if they go against my morality or my own laws such as the ones relating to slavery, I retain my right to ignore it. After all, I’m not a citizen of this dimension, let alone community, so I’m not legally obligated to follow any of them. I will also provide you with an abridged edition of the laws of the Infinite Realms, strictly the ones that pertain to this situation, as otherwise you would need an entire library just for them alone.”
Dumbledore and McGonagall exchanged looks in a wordless conversation before they nodded in agreement. The three of them continued breaking down and combing over every last part of the agreement while Hagrid awkwardly tended to Harry, feeling very much out of place. They eventually got to the section that pertained to Danny’s human identity and how he planned to blend into society.
“Money is no issue for me, my coffers are quite expansive so I can easily exchange some of my own currency for your own. As far as an identity, I believe that my human form looks similar enough to James to pass as an estranged older cousin that you found to step in and raise Harry in lieu of his Godfather. For the first ten years, I plan to raise him with a blend of muggle and wixen culture. I don’t have magic, as far as I’m aware, but I have more than enough abilities that I can easily pass off as magic. If you wish for me to test whether or not I have magic, I highly recommend that we do so as soon as possible so that I can learn to control it before word about ‘James Potter’s long lost cousin’ spreads. However once Harry starts attending school is when I’ll defer a bit more towards you. I’d prefer to stay with him on campus, but I understand that that may not be possible, but at the very least I would move to Hogsmeade and visit him regularly, when he’s not busy with his studies of course.”
“Do you-” Dumbledore started speaking before being cut off by Hagrid, who perked up. “Professors! ‘E could be an astronomy professor! Professor Florian mentioned lookin’ to retire ‘n the next few years, I’m sure she’d be willin’ to stay on ‘till Danny’s ready.”
“An astronomy professor? Where on Earth did you get the idea that he is qualified to teach that?” She looked over at Hagrid with a surprised look as he smiled sheepishly until Danny chuckled softly.
“I ah, offered to teach him about astronomy on our flight over. One of my… interests is space. In life, I had aspired to be what muggles call an astronaut, someone highly trained in order to be sent into space in specially crafted rockets to study and explore the cosmos. I do believe that your dimension has had its muggle space race by this point, not that the wixen community pays much attention to the muggles in that regard. But yes, I would be qualified to teach astronomy, though I would have to read up to see how far your studies have come so I don’t accidentally teach things that are decades ahead of your discoveries.”
“I-I see… Well then, if Professor Dumbledore agrees, then I see no reason to say no. You’ll have to pass an aptitude exam first, as all prospective professors do, but that would be an ideal position for you it seems. It is one of the classes that requires the least and direct knowledge of magic.”
Dumbledore nodded his agreement, stroking his beard thoughtfully as he looked over the Ghost King. Danny couldn’t really tell what he was thinking, but he gave off the same scheming energy that Vlad once had. Maybe not malicious, but definitely in an ‘ends justify the means’ way. He didn’t like it. But for Harry, he would tolerate him. For now at least.
“In that case, I’ll just spend my free time catching up on this world’s history and faking magic, if I don’t have any.”
“If y’er not from here, ‘ow come you think ya might ‘ave magic?” Hagrid reached over to grab a plate of food, picking at it.
“Honestly it wouldn’t be the weirdest thing to happen to me.” Danny snorted, a wistful smile spreading on his lips. “When I first became a ghost, I kept getting new abilities basically every other week to combat the ghosts that kept invading my haunt, which is a ghost’s territory. It got to the point where I could hardly keep track of what I could do. Since I’m settling into this dimension for the foreseeable future, there’s a chance that my body and core might adapt and add new abilities to allow me to better defend myself and my charge. Who’s to say that magic won’t be one of those new abilities?”
“What d’ya mean by ‘bilities? Are ya talkin’ ‘bout things like how ya went invisible earlier?”
That certainly got the other two’s attention. Danny nodded with a small smile. “Exactly. All ghosts have a basic set of abilities, flight, invisibility, phasing through objects. Things like that.”
He glanced at Dumbledore, watching his reaction to his admission. He wouldn’t give details, but if they had to work together, he had to give them something to gain some degree of trust. “Of course most ghosts have additional abilities unique to them, depending on various factors such as their deaths, what they enjoyed doing if they were once living, etc. Also, I’m not sure as of yet how it is for wixen ghosts, but please do not ask how a ghost died. It’s usually extremely traumatic and many will instinctively lash out without meaning to.”
They all nodded with various degrees of energy, though McGonagall looked a little bit queasy at the thought. “May we ask as to what some of your abilities are?”
Danny hummed thoughtfully as he debated on how much to share. “I suppose I can tell you some of them. Cryokinesis is one of my more versatile and preferred abilities, I can do just about anything with it. And as you saw when I arrived, I can also open portals between dimensions and I can also do so to places that I’ve been to. I’m also extremely quick, I can fly faster than the sound barrier.” A gross understatement, but they didn’t need to know just how fast he actually can fly. “I can summon constructs made of ectoplasm, which is essentially what a ghost is made up of, and fire blasts of energy. Things like that.”
“You seem to be… awfully capable, yo- Phantom.” McGonagall managed to catch the slip, much to Danny’s delight. Even after centuries of rule, he still hated how stuffy it could get when interacting with other ghosts, he was looking forward to not having to use his titles for once.
“I have to be, the Infinite Realms are, as the name suggests, infinite, and there are many beings that exist in them that could crush dimensions in the blink of an eye. The title of High King is passed on through Trial by Combat if there is no Heir, or if the Heir isn’t strong enough. Should another ghost defeat me, they claim my throne and that could lead to the rise of another Tyrant King like my predecessor. Not that I really wanted to rule in the first place.” He frowned a little.
“Then why would you fight for the title and not support someone else?” She raised a thin eyebrow.
“Because there was no other option. My predecessor, Pariah Dark, was king for millennia before it took six Ancients to trap him in an Eternal Slumber. An Ancient is basically the embodiment of a concept. Dreams, Storms, Time, Order, etc.” He explained, anticipating the question before continuing. “A foolish, blindly ambitious but cowardly former enemy of mine sought the power to rule ghosts and humans alike and released Pariah, mistakenly believing that he could claim the title without a fight. It led to the invasion of my hometown and at the time, I was still newly dead and lacked the contacts and allies to explain things or aid me. I fought to defend my home. I didn’t even know that victory would mark me the new King.”
“You were that strong as a newly dead?”
“Well, I had the aid of a suit that doubled my strength at the cost of losing energy twice as fast, but yes. I chose to keep the crown afterwards because the alternatives were either said cowardly enemy that caused the problem in the first place, a long list of enemy and frenemy ghosts, or later the Ancients that started to guide me but had other responsibilities. Even now, centuries later, there hasn’t been anyone that I feel I could trust to not mess up all the work I’ve put into restoring the Realms.” He then snorted as a look of fondness passed along his face. “Of course I have my daughter, but she’s got too much wanderlust and is far from interested.”
Danny then shakes himself a little and sat up a bit straighter. “Anyway, our conversation has wandered a bit too much. To get back on topic, as we discussed earlier, I would appreciate it if I could apply for the astronomy professor position in ten years.”
She hummed thoughtfully as she looked to the Headmaster, who nodded in agreement. “Very well then. But you will be given the same accommodations as any other professor. Is that acceptable?”
“Of course, I wouldn’t have it any other way. As far as my identity goes, I’ll be Daniel Asterus Nightingale, a child of one of James’ female Potter relatives. The last name is why you had difficulty tracking me down until I recently got a delayed owl from James due to me living in another country, asking for help and I arrived too late. That should cover why no one’s heard of me before and why I showed up now of all times.”
The witch’s expression turned thoughtful. “That should work, especially since Death Eaters and their sympathizers have been shooting down owls to access the letters they carry.”
Danny couldn’t help but snort a little at the name.
“I’m sorry, was something I said funny?” The corners of her lips quirked down a fraction. Dumbledore and Hagrid similarly tensed up.
He waved his hand with an apologetic smile. “No, no, I apologize. I just find the name ‘Death Eater’ to be rather… silly. Childish almost. It’s like they wanted to find the most edgy name possible to show how dark and mysterious they are when it sounds more like they’re trying too hard. I know that they’re a threat to be taken seriously, but you have to understand how ridiculous the term ‘Death Eater’ sounds to a ghost. Especially one that was once a teenager in a society that had a lot of angsty teens that wanted to sound intimidating but were about as threatening as toothless, newborn puppies.” The ghost chuckled softly, recalling his and his friends' own edgy phases.
The three wixen relaxed once more, looking conflicted.
“S’pose it is kinda funny when ya put it that way…” Hagrid mumbled. “But ya really shouldn’t say stuff like that, they’re act’shly dangerous and’ve hurt ‘nd killed a lotta people.”
That sobered him up again and he sighed as he mulled over his next words carefully. “I will keep that in mind. It has been a long time since I’ve directly interacted with the living, so I forgot the weight that death can have on you. I do find a life cut short saddenning, as I prefer people to live full and joyous lives, but it can be hard to be as bothered by it as you are when I’m not only aware of what lies on the other side, but have a semblance of control there, depending on where the soul ends up. I am technically only here to raise Harry so that he can live the life that he was meant to, but I assure you that I will do what I can help him defeat Voldemort.”
“If I may ask.” Dumbledore spoke, his voice level but Danny could practically taste the curiousity. “If you are as strong as you claim, why do you not simply put an end to him and his Death Eaters for good? Surely it would be far more simple than taking the time to raise a mortal child that you have no affiliation to.”
“There are a few reasons. Mainly being that I can not interfere directly too much without potentially causing an even worse timeline.” He admitted, looking the old wizard in the eye. “I have it on good authority that Harry’s part is pivotal to ensure a prosperous future in this reality and that will reflect in the Infinite Realms.”
He paused for a moment before smirking a little. “Also, I really needed a vacation from being King, I haven’t had one since before I was crowned. If I had to hear out another request for help finding a lost item or border conflict I was going to go nuts from boredom.”
That caught them off guard enough to earn some chuckles, the tension in the room finally starting to relax. After that, they were finally able to hammer out the finer details of the contract, with Danny insisting that Dumbledore do something to start the process in getting house elves and other sapient magical creatures freedom and proper rights in wixen society, starting by freeing the Hogwarts elves and hiring them as real staff to be a good example for others. It would take time of course, as many were so brainwashed that they claimed they liked being enslaved, but starting was half the battle.
Afterwards, Dumbledore had Hagrid set up a room in the Cauldron for Danny to stay in while McGonagall went back to Hogwarts to get a list of the books that the Ghost King would need to study. This left said ghost alone with the Headmaster and baby Harry, the latter of which still slept peacefully but would likely wake soon from hunger.
Danny leaned over the basket with a fond smile as the old man stood off to the side, silence stretching between them for a few minutes before Danny finally spoke. “I know about the prophecy by the way. And I know that you intend to subtly train Harry to be the ultimate weapon against Voldemort. Just know that I won’t let you do anything that could get him killed.”
That caused him to look over at the ghost, whose gaze remained on the baby. “If you know about it, then you know what may need to happen someday.” His voice was somber but resolute. It irked him.
He finally turned to the old wizard, expression pinched. “I can assure you that even a prophecy is not set in stone. A prophecy is like an outline, how you interpret and act on it is entirely up to you. I’ve learned that the hard way, since I myself was a prophecy child. Except mine could’ve just as easily led me down the path of the total annihilation of Existence itself instead of being tasked with maintaining it. I chose my path, Harry can choose his as well. I’ll make sure of that.”
Sadly he spoke the truth. When he was older, Frostbite showed him the full story that had been the prophecy of him defeating Pariah Dark. That the prophecy spoke of a boy of two worlds defeating the dark and bringing a final peace to Existence. The thing is, no one knew if that had meant he would lead them to a better future or if he would be their final End. Dan’s timeline hadn’t exactly been a confidence booster in that regard either. It was why he consulted his Grandfather so much, even now.
Dumbledore tensed, almost imperceptibly, as Danny spoke. “So you can play your games, whatever they may be, but do not think for a moment that I will let you force him down a path that he doesn’t want. He may be my charge as of only recently, but there is something that you should understand and respect of us ghosts. We are not bound by blood, and we are fiercely protective of those who we claim as family. He needs to get used to being at risk, but I won’t let him come even close to his death until Death themself tells me that it is his time.”
With that, the Ghost King turned back to his charge, eyes drifting to the uniquely shaped lightning bolt scar that stretched from his hairline and down to split his eyebrow, the flesh raw and raised. His own Lichtenberg scars pulsed in sympathy as he gently stroked the thin mop of black hair on his head, expression gentle. Yes, while Harry might only have been his for a short time now, Danny knew that he would care for him as his own child and he would give him the best life that he could. He would swear it on his core.