Note:If you catch spelling or grammatical errors in this chapter or in any of the others, please refrain from putting them in the reviews and send them to me by PM instead.

This is in answer to a challenge someone gave me through a private message that I only took up after brainstorming some possibilities with my sister, known on this site as 'Blackjay'. And I wanted Danielle to be the same year as Harry for this, since it was requested to have the DP part to be from my own stories. This, therefore already makes Danny too old to be in Hogwarts, given those rules.

I know people have wanted me to write a third story to my DP fanfictions and I realize a crossover isn't exactly what you might have had in mind. Honestly, I don't really think of this as a sequel to them at all. But unless I come up with something that would work as a trilogy conclusion, this will have to make due for now.

I'm technically still pretty busy, but if I'm going to get any better at writing, I'm going to have to keep going with it and the only reason I've decided to sit down and do this is probably because the majority of the story is already written by J.K Rowling. You may notice that I'm taking large chunks of her book and putting them in this one almost word for word. It may get boring depending on how many times you've read the books.

This particular story takes place during the summer after Clash of All Time. Before all you smart fans start pointing out contradictions with the timing of my own stories, I'll tell you right now that I'm well aware of it already and frankly don't care, as I think of this as more of a "What if" situation that happens on the side rather than one that has any real connection with my own stories.

Anyway. I should also tell you that I plan on referring to some of the changes they did for the 5thHarry Potter movie in addition to the book. So keep that in mind as you read this next fanfiction as well. So here we go at long last. The start of a new story as to not leave those alert lists to waste.

Disclaimer:I do NOT own Danny Phantom (Except my design of the older version of Danielle) or any of the Harry Potter books or movies.

Chapter 1: Demented

It was a very hot day in Little Whinging. According to the news in fact, it was the hottest day of the summer thus far. Most of the residents of Privet Drive had long since retreated into the shade of their cool houses with their windows left wide open at the unlikely chance of welcoming a breeze.

The only people left outside were two look-alike teenagers: a boy and a girl. Truth be told, the two looked so much alike that all the locals who asked had already mistaken them as twins, or at least brother and sister, before the correction was made that they were simply cousins. The confusion was justified. Both teens had jet-black hair and blue eyes of the exact same shade. Even their manner of dress was so similar in color, if not style, that one had the right to suggest that they had planned it.

No one living in Little Whinging had seen these two children before, but the boy had been commented to be, at first glance, strikingly similar to a "delinquent" neighbor that had been reported to be attending a place called St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys.Both the teens couldn't help but snort at the concept of the name when out of earshot. They may have been visiting from overseas, but a name such as that sounded like it could have been made up.

Danny and Danielle Fenton didn't seem to be bothered by the heat of the day as much as one would think. While this alone would be questionable, aside from being new in the neighborhood with no news of recent move-ins or any hotels nearby, no one was even outside to notice much. This was more of a relief to the Fenton cousins. Back in their American hometown, they had quite the reputation, therefore had all kinds of attention when so much as walking down any street, such as the one they were currently on.

The two cousins walked silently down Privet Drive together, enjoying the nice change to have some peace and quiet without having to stay inside their house to get it. They heard muffled sounds of a television broadcasting the seven o' clock evening news as they were passing an open window from number four. Just as their distance from the square house was dulling out the sounds of the news, several things happened very quickly in succession.

A loud, echoing crack broke the sleepy silence like a gunshot; a cat streaked out from under a parked car and flew out of sight; a shriek; a bellowed oath, and the sound of breaking china came from the house they had just passed. Both teens spun around at the noise in time to see a black-haired bespectacled teenage boy suddenly jump up from behind the large hydrangea bush beneath the window of number four. However, the boy's head collided with the window before he could draw up to his full height and the resulting crash made a woman from inside the house let out an even louder scream than the first.

"Ooooooh," Danielle grimaced in seeing the boy swaying slightly, clutching the top of his head from the impact with the window he had evidently been hiding under. Her older cousin, Danny was still frantically looking around for the source of the noise that had started the disarray.

The boy that had been hiding seemed pretty tall and had on rather baggy and faded clothing, considering how skinny he was. Danielle also noticed that in his right hand, he was holding what appeared to be a very straight and thin wooden stick.

Just as the kid had barely staggered upright again, two large purple hands reached through the open window behind him and, to Danielle's horror, closed tightly around the boy's throat. She quickly shook her cousin's arm to get his attention and pointed towards the kid that was being suffocated. Danny's eyes widened in seeing this. Out of reflex they had adapted from back home, they both took several hurried steps forward in an attempt to assist the teenager when the owner of the hands suddenly yelped and released him; almost as if he had been bitten or electrocuted into doing so.

Panting, the raven-haired boy fell forward over the hydrangea bush, but straightened up and stared around an instant later as though the giant hands had never been there to begin with. With the immediate danger passed, Danny and Danielle ended up doing the same. There was no sign of what had caused the loud cracking noise, but there were now several faces peering through various nearby windows. They saw as the kid hastily stuffed the stick in his jeans as if trying to look innocent: A trick that Danny in particular recognized far too easily as something he himself had done multiple times in the past before he became as famous as he and his cousin now were in Amity Park.

"Lovely evening!" The fat, mustached man that had been choking the boy shouted, waving at the lady across the street in number seven, who was glaring from behind her net curtains. "Did you hear that car backfire? Gave Petunia and me quite a turn."

He continued to grin in a horrible, manic way until all the curious neighbors had disappeared from their various windows.

Danny and Danielle however, were not fooled. If anyone knew a cover story, the Fenton cousins did. And that crack sounded far from having to do with any car. Especially with it sounding that close at hand and all cars within view seeming to be perfectly intact. Additionally, they were not going to turn a blind eye to what looked like a near murder attempt of a child that couldn't have been any older than either of them.

By this time, the kid with glasses had noticed the two of them standing there. The Fentons looked at each other for a second, nodding. Then they smiled to the boy, waving as they turned, pretending to be convinced by the story the man that nearly strangled him gave as they walked several steps away from number four. Once they were sure that no one was looking though, they clasped hands and suddenly vanished from sight, having turned invisible; one of the many supernatural abilities that they possessed. Then they quietly but quickly turned straight back for number four, finding the purple faced, mustached strangler grimacing at the boy in rage. A woman with a thin horsey face had appeared behind the wide man's purple one. She looked livid as she was asking the kid something the cousins didn't quite catch.

"Yes—yes. Good point Petunia! What were you doing under our window, boy?" The man was asking in addition by the time Danny and Danielle had come within earshot, completely unsuspected by the trio.

"Listening to the news." The kid responded in a resigned voice.

The man and woman inside the house exchanged looks of outrage.

"Listening to the news! Again?"

"Well, it changes every day, you see," said the boy.

"Don't you be clever with me, boy! I want to know what you're really up to—and don't give me any more of this listening to the newstosh! You know perfectly well that your lot..."

"Careful, Vernon!" Breathed the woman called Petunia, and the man, Vernon, lowered his voice so that the boy could barely hear. The two invisible teens had to creep to at least a foot away from them to hear what he was saying, "…that your lot don't get on our news."

"That's all you know."

Petunia and Vernon goggled at him for a few seconds, then Petunia said, "you're a nasty little liar. What are all those—" She too lowered her voice and the Fenton's couldn't tell what word she was mouthing in between. "—doing if they're not bringing you news?"

"Aha!' said Vernon in a triumphant whisper. "Get out of that one boy! As if we didn't know you get all your news from those pestilential birds."

The kid hesitated for a moment, as if what he was about to say next made him melancholy.

"The owls…aren't bringing me news," he said tonelessly.

"I don't believe it," said Petunia at once.

"No more do I," said Vernon forcefully.

"We know you're up to something funny," said Petunia.

"We're not stupid, you know," said Vernon.

"Well, that's news to me," the boy said, his tone angered before he suddenly wheeled around. He nearly ran headlong into the invisible kids, had their reflexes not saved them by turning them completely intangible (another of their abilities) in time for him to walk straight through them unnoticed before he crossed the front lawn, stepped over the low garden fence and was striding off up the street.

As the Fenton cousin's couldn't even see each other, they were unable to share glances in reaction to the boy's rudeness to his elders. However, it was not needed for them to agree that the boy would likely be getting into trouble for it later. Those two adults certainly seemed to be the type to hold a grudge. At the moment however, the Fentons both found the conversation they had just overheard to be rather strange. Firstly, had the boy forgotten that that man in the house had previously tried to strangle him? And what was the man meaning by his lot? Did he not consider the kid to be normal? Or even human? Then there was that thing about owls bringing him news. What could that have been about?

Maybe we should follow him.Danny thought directly to Danielle's mind through telepathy as to not be heard and therefore suspected by anyone else. Especially while invisible.

They did so for a ways before Danielle commented telepathically, He looks kind of likeyou, doesn't he? You think that's the "delinquent" the locals have told us about?

Danny may not have been able to see her, but based on her tone in his head, he could tell that she had been using air-quotes on the word delinquent.

Suddenly he felt something press him in the stomach, knowing that it was Danielle's invisible arm stopping him urgently in mid-step. He looked up and saw that the kid had wheeled around and was looking behind him staring in their general direction.

In a panic, Danny looked down at himself, seeing that he was indeed still completely invisible. And they were too far behind that boy for him to have possibly heard their footsteps. Weren't they?

To Danny's relief, the kid turned around and proceeded his way down the street. Though he still kept looking behind him every couple of steps as if expecting someone to be following him. Or perhaps he was thinking more about that cracking noise that had happened earlier.

Eventually, the kids had followed the boy to a playground where they watched him vault over the locked gate and set off again across the parched grass. When he reached the swings, he sank into the only one that wasn't broken, coiled his arm around the chain and stared moodily at the ground.

"Dani, why don't you keep your eye on that kid for a while?" Danielle heard Danny say at her right. "I'm going to go and see if that gang is up to no good again."

Danielle nodded in response to her older cousin before remembering she was invisible. "Okay." She said verbally.

A few nights ago, they had caught a brawny kid and his friends mugging a ten-year old. They had seen them vandalizing the park and throwing rocks at passing cars as well. It was a wonder the neighbors weren't saying anything about them. Normally, either one of the cousins would have gone all-out superhero-mode on them and turned them over to the police, but what business was it of a few foreigners to interfere with the overseas justice system? The only reason they were in Britain was in response to a distress call from the Prime Minister and that problem had long since been taken care of. They were simply tourists for the remainder of their time here, not law-enforcers.

"Don't forget we're due to check in with mom and dad back at the hotel." Danny called, turning off his invisibility as he set off down the street.

Danielle made herself visible again and approached the park fence, staring at the dark-haired boy on the swing. She may not have known much about him, but based on his overall behavior, she concluded that despite his appearance, he was not the "delinquent" the neighbors had made him out to be. Sure he was giving lip by the end of his conversation with that couple back in number four Privit Drive, but now he looked rather lonely, sitting in that otherwise vacant park.

She stood there, just looking at the boy as he continued to stare at the ground in his own musings. Eventually, she made a decision. Not wanting to bother jumping the fence the way he had, she turned herself intangible and walked right through it, the boy obviously too absorbed in his own thoughts to notice her use of power, nor her approach. The now lit street lamps cast a shadow from behind her that the boy must have begun to notice only as it was coming within a foot of his toes. He finally looked up when she was about ten feet away from him and seemed taken aback in realizing he had an audience. Danielle was now close enough to notice that he had a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead and wondered how he could have gotten one that looked like that.

"Hi," Danielle said with what she hoped was a friendly smile. Normally, she was a bit shy when it came to introducing herself to people back at home, granted, most people already knew who she was on the spot, making it even more awkward. Her cousin had suggested she make a bit more of an effort to meet new people, since their fame didn't seem to reach as many ears overseas.

"Hi," The boy responded almost quizzically. Then he looked around at the locked gate as if wondering how she had gotten in. As if boys were the only ones who could climb fences if they wanted to. "The park's closed." The boy said with a confused expression.

"Which is why I was wondering what you were doing here?" Danielle retaliated with a smile.

The boy simply sighed, shaking his head. Then his expression changed and he looked at her again in consideration.

"What?" Danielle asked nervously.

"Your accent." The boy observed. "You're not from here are you?"

Danielle shook her head. "Nope. My name's Danielle. Danielle Fenton."

"Harry. Harry Potter." The boy responded simply.

"Nice to meet you, Harry." Danielle stepped up to Harry and held her hand out for him to shake it. He looked at it hesitantly and glanced back up at her through his round glasses as if suspicious of some sort of trick.

"What's the matter? Is it offensive in Britain to shake hands with somebody you meet?" Danielle asked.

Harry shook his head. "It's just… no one around here has ever bothered to before. Not with me anyway. I have quite the reputation, see."

"I think I'll be the judge of that for myself, thank you. Besides, I just told you that I'm not from here, didn't I?"

After considering her for a moment, Harry hesitantly took her hand and shook it.

"So are you from the States, then?" Harry then asked.

Danielle nodded with a smile as she situated herself by the support bar of the swing-set, as the only working swing was already occupied by Harry.

"And where do you live?"

"Privet Drive. Few blocks away." Harry said, pointing ahead.

In hearing this, Danielle wondered if he was meaning number four with the violent porky man. He lived there?

The sound of voices led both her and Harry to look up. The street lamps from the surrounding roads were casting a misty glow strong enough to silhouette a group of people making their way across the park. One of them was singing a loud, crude song. The others were laughing. A soft ticking noise came from several expensive racing bikes that they were wheeling along.

Danielle recognized those people. It was the gang that she and Danny had to stop from beating up that kid the other day. Danielle glared at them from a distance and wondered if Danny probably just caught them doing something else atrocious. She happened to glance over at Harry and found that he was scowling in their direction as if hoping they would see him and dare to pick a fight with him.

She looked back and they both watched warily and silently as the gang crossed the grass, not looking in their direction. Then their voices died as they headed along Magnolia Road and out of sight.

At that time, Harry got to his feet and stretched.

"Well, I'd better be off. My aunt and uncle will kill me if I'm home any later than my cousin."

"Okay." Danielle scoffed. "I probably should be going too, actually."

"You want any help over the fence?" He asked.

Danielle shook her head with a smile. "I got in by myself, didn't I?"

Harry shrugged casually and proceeded to the gate. After they both vaulted it with ease, they set off down Magnolia Road. Harry walked rather quickly, having longer legs. Danielle had a hard time keeping up without having to at least jog.

About half way along, the gang came into view again; they were saying their farewells at the entrance to Magnolia Crescent. Danielle followed in step behind Harry as he stepped into the shadow of a large lilac tree and they waited.

"…squealed like a pig, didn't he?" One of the boys was saying, to guffaws from the others.

"Yeah. At least until the American prat had to take all the fun out of everything again," said another.

Harry suddenly glanced at Danielle with a questioning look. Danielle shook her head, but still smiled inwardly, knowing it was mostly likely her cousin that was the American prat they were referring to. Though she had had her own fun with them a few nights ago as well.

"You'll get him next time, Big D," said a third.

"Same time tomorrow?" said the leader they called Big D.

"Round at my place, my parents are out, and neither American do-gooder can bother us there," said a fourth.

"See you then," said Big D.

"Bye Dud!"

"See ya, Big D!"

Harry and Danielle waited for the rest of the gang to move on before setting off again. When their voices had faded once more, they headed around the corner into Magnolia Crescent.

"Do you know those guys?" Danielle asked Harry in a whisper as they walked quickly.

"My cousin, Dudley, is their leader," said Harry.

Danielle slowed down, staring at Harry, surprised to hear this. Before she could respond however, he had already strode fifteen feet ahead, coming within hailing distance of the one called Dudley, who was strolling along at his ease, humming tunelessly.

"Hey, Big D!"

The gang leader turned.

"Oh," he grunted. "It's you."

Danielle lagged behind, as to not be noticed by the gang leader just yet. She wondered how this was going to play out.

"How long have you been 'Big D' then?" said Harry.

"Shut it," snarled Dudley, turning away again.

"Cool name," said Harry, grinning and falling into step beside the one he had said to be his cousin. "But you'll always be Ickle Diddykins to me."

"I said, SHUT IT!" said Dudley, whose ham-like hands had curled into fists. Danielle tensed, ready to step in if necessary.

"Don't the boys know that's what your mum calls you?"

"Shut your face."

"You don't tell her to shut her face. What about 'popkin' and 'Dinky Diddydums,' can I use them then?"

To Danielle's surprise, Dudley said nothing. The effort of keeping himself from hitting Harry seemed to be demanding all his self-control.

"So who've you been beating up tonight?" Harry asked. His grin fading. "Another ten-year-old? I know you did Mark Evans two nights ago—

"He was asking for it," snarled Dudley.

"Oh yeah?"

"He cheeked me."

"Yeah? Did he say you look like a pig that's been taught to walk on its hind legs? 'cause it's not cheek Dud, it's true…"

Danielle saw even from this distance that a muscle was twitching in Dudley's jaw. Harry was looking quite satisfied with himself. She did wonder why the gang leader had not already landed a blow on the scrawny bespectacled kid that was provoking him, though Harry seemed to be handling himself rather well and she herself was enjoying seeing the brawny kid squirm. It reminded her of a jock bully of a similar build from Amity Park who used to always pick on Danny before finding out he had the power that he did.

Wait. Was that why Dudley hadn't already thrown a fist in Harry's face? Did he think Harry had something over him that he was scared of?

Suddenly feeling curious, Danielle continued to quietly follow as the boys turned right down a narrow alleyway she guessed was a shortcut for them. It was empty and much darker than the streets it linked, due to a lack of streetlamps. Their footsteps were muffled between garage walls on one side and a high fence on the other.

"Think you're a big man carrying that thing, don't you?" Dudley said after a few seconds.

"What thing?" asked Harry.

"That—That thing you're hiding."

"Not as stupid as you look, are you Dud? But I s'pose if you were, you wouldn't be able to walk and talk at the same time…"

Harry pulled out the thin wooden stick Danielle remembered seeing him with back at Number Four that he seemed hesitant in letting the neighbors see him with.

"You're not allowed," Dudley said at once. "I know you're not. You'd get expelled from that freak school you go to."

"How do you know they haven't changed the rules, Big D?"

"They haven't," said Dudley, though he didn't sound completely convinced.

Harry laughed softly.

"You haven't got the guts to take me on without that thing, have you?" Dudley snarled.

"Whereas, you just need four mates to be behind you before you can beat up a ten-year old."

Danielle decided to step in this time and have a bit of fun of her own. "And then get beat up yourself by a foreigner."

Both boys' heads spun in her direction as she walked up to them. She felt great satisfaction in seeing Dudley's face pale in seeing her. "I'm assuming my 'American prat' of a cousin gave you a smack-down you deserved tonight as well."

"No kidding?" Harry asked, looking at Dudley again with a now smug look. "So much for that boxing title you keep banging on about. How old was your opponent anyway? Seven? Eight?"

"He was sixteen for your information," snarled Dudley at Harry, "And he was out cold for twenty minutes after I'd finished with him and he was twice as heavy as you."

Danielle rolled her eyes with a scoff. "Yeah, I'd be more impressed if you said the guy was twice your weight, tubby. Not that it matters anyway, since I, being smaller than the both of you, already flipped you head-over-heels myself."

Harry looked at her with a perplexed look as if he didn't believe her, but when he looked back at Dudley, seeing that he was going red in the face, he seemed to look impressed.

"My aunt is a ninth-degree black belt." Danielle explained when noticing Harry's expression. "She…taught me a few tricks."

"And the other American I've heard about?"

"Her son. My cousin. Same deal."

Dudley looked like he wanted to take a swing at her for mentioning this defeat, but thinking better of it as he turned to Harry.

"Not this brave at night, are you?" sneered Dudley.

"This is night, Diddykins. That's what we call it when it goes all dark like this."

"I mean when you're in bed!" Dudley snarled.

He had stopped walking. Harry stopped too, staring at Dudley. Danielle had also stopped short, warily watching the two boys with curiosity.

"What d'you mean I'm not brave in bed?" said Harry, completely nonplussed. "What—am I supposed to be afraid of pillows or something?"

"I heard you last night," said Dudley breathlessly. "Talking in your sleep. Moaning."

"What d'you mean?" Harry said again. Danielle noticed a hint of nervousness in his eyes now.

Dudley gave a harsh bark of laughter then adopted a high-pitched whimpering voice. 'Don't kill Cedric! Don't kill Cedric!' Who's Cedric—your boyfriend?"

"I—you're lying—" said Harry automatically. Danielle could tell he was losing his confidence though.

"Wait, who's Cedric?" Danielle tried to intervene to break the tension that was obviously building.

Dudley continued to taunt, ignoring the girl entirely. " 'Dad! Help me, Dad! He's going to kill me, Dad! Boo-hoo!' "

"Shut up," said Harry quietly, "Shut up, Dudley, I'm warning you!"

" 'Come and help me, Dad! Mum, come and help me! He's killed Cedric! Dad, help me! He's going to— "

Dudley's sentence stopped short as he backed into the alley wall. Harry was pointing the smooth stick directly at Dudley's heart as if it were a hunting knife. Danielle tensed again in seeing this happen. She was normally sure that she'd be able to break up a brawl between two guys, but if Harry really did have powers that would make a big bully like Dudley suddenly back away in terror—

Suddenly, Danielle realized that her tension wasn't because of the brawl taking place between the two boys. There was an odd tingling that was happening throughout her body as though her ghost powers themselves were reacting to the presence of something: Something that was steadily drawing near.

"Don't ever talk about that again," Harry snarled at Dudley. "D'you understand me?"

"That girl's watching! You'll get in—"

Danielle wasn't, in fact watching them, but looking up and down the alley and towards the sky with shifty eyes as the tingling sensation she felt was getting stronger and more disturbing.

"Uh...guys, maybe we should—" she tried to say, but was interrupted and completely ignored by the boys that were oblivious to the danger that Danielle was becoming uncomfortably sure of.

"I said do you understand me?"

"Point that thing somewhere else!"

"Guys, really, I think we should—"

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

"GET THAT THING AWAY FROM—"

Dudley gave an odd, shuddering gasp as if he had been doused in icy water. The star-strewn indigo sky was suddenly pitch-black and lightless—The stars, the moon, the misty streetlamps at either end of the alley had vanished.

Danielle ducked to the ground in a hurry. It was a reflex she had picked up in case someone was ambushing her, which was always likely back home. Everything was silent. Not even the grumble of cars and the whisper of trees could be heard. She felt panic slowly rising inside her, remembering a time she had gone blind. Had it happened again? Had she also gone deaf? Had Harry just done something to the whole alleyway to effect her and his cousin like this?

Suddenly, Dudley's terrified voice broke Danielle's ear, disproving her theory of going deaf.

"W-what are you d-doing? St-stop it!"

"I'm not doing anything! Shut up and don't move! Both of you!" That was Harry. And he sounded as surprised by the sudden silent darkness as she felt. So maybe he wasn't the cause of it. That's when Danielle was reminded of the tingling that was happening throughout her whole figure.

"Harry, what's going on?" whispered Danielle, noticing he was staying surprisingly calm in such an unexpected situation.

Dudley wasn't caring what anyone else was saying. "I c-can't see! I've g-gone blind! I — "

"I said shut up!" Harry sounded somewhat urgent, as if he knew what this phenomenon meant.

Danielle closed her eyes (though it didn't make much of a difference) and concentrated hard to try and hear something. By now she noticed that the tingling was now accompanied by a cold, fearful chill creeping around her body. She also started feeling really hot on the inside. She knew this feeling. It was usually what happened when she sensed a ghost was nearby. But it wasn't as strong. And what was with this cold that was being mixed up with it? Danny had an ice power, but this felt much more eerie; Like fear itself was descending upon her. And the tingling...the tingling felt like it was happening more with her powers than her body.

"I'll t-tell Dad!" Dudley whimpered. "W-where are you? What are you d-do—"

"Will you shut up?" Harry hissed. "I'm trying to lis—"

Harry fell silent and Danielle knew why. She had heard it too. There was something in the alleyway apart from the three teens, something that was drawing long, hoarse, rattling breaths. Danielle felt panic rising inside her as she recalled a time she had faced a beast on the attack while she was blind. This felt somewhat the same, and though she had defeated that monster in the end, she was already feeling hopeless. It was as if the confidence inside her was suddenly sucked out of her with every breath the entity was drawing in.

"C-cut it out! Stop doing it! I'll hit you, I swear I will!"

"Dudley, shut—"

WHAM!

Danielle heard a fist make contact with a body and felt someone collide into her from behind, making them both fall over. Then there was the sound of something small and wooden clatter to the ground.

"You moron, Dudley!" Harry yelled. Evidently Harry was the one that was shoved into her. As she struggled to get up from under Harry's weight, she heard Dudley stumbling away.

"DUDLEY, COME BACK! YOU'RE RUNNING RIGHT AT IT!" cried Harry.

Before Danielle could ask what, there was a horrible squealing yell, and Dudley's footsteps stopped. But she thought the entity was closer to her? So there was more than one? They were trapped in the alley between two of those things?

"Harry? I think there's one over on this side too!" Danielle said as she used the brick wall to pull herself to her feet.

"GUYS, WHATEVER YOU DO, KEEP YOUR MOUTHS SHUT!" Harry's voice was still coming from closer to the ground, so he must not have gotten up yet.

All right! Danielle decided. I'm not going to let people get hurt just to keep face around here! Having no other choice, she held out her hand, and a torch-sized flame ignited, floating in the palm of her hand, which illuminated the alleyway.

A towering, hooded figure was gliding smoothly toward her, hovering over the ground, no feet or face beneath its robes, sucking on the night as it came. A pair of gray, slimy, scabbed hands slid from inside the creatures robes, reaching for her.

Danielle shrieked in surprise at seeing the dark figure and impulsively directed the flame from her hand at it. With an explosion of heat, the fire smote the robed creature square in the chest, setting its robes aflame. Danielle didn't give it any time to react before she charged her other fist with bright yellow extoplasmic-energy and fired. The creature was blown back from the force of the fire explosion, but to Danielle's astonishment, was not at all bothered by the additional plasma-ray. In fact, the creature rushed eagerly at the ray of light, which somehow slowed down as it was about to collide with where its head would have been under its hood.

Danielle stared as her own plasma ray seemed to de-materialize into a vapor-looking substance in front of the creatures face. Then the creature simply sucked in the air around it and seemed to drink in the energy until it had disappeared entirely.

Danielle felt her heart skip a beat as her eyes widened in horror. What was worse was the fire she had used to set the creature ablaze at the start didn't seem to be doing much in her favor either. With every breath the creature took in under its hood, the cold around her was returning and seemed to be overpowering the fire that she thought would surely consume it, even if her plasma ray was useless.

Perhaps it was a bad idea that she and Danny had already separated for the night. She could probably use his help at the moment. But how was she supposed to call him? She hadn't brought a Fenton Phone with her and there was no way he was within telepathic range. He had said he was going to meet her back at the hotel.

With its whole figure now nearly completely extinguished of the fire Danielle had set to it, the creature began gliding towards her again, stretching forth one of its slimy, scabbed hands. This time much more eagerly, as though it had loved the taste of the exto-plasmic energy and was now craving even more...and knew exactly where to get it from.

Danielle panicked at the creatures approach, shooting another plasma ray at it, but the energy simply disappeared within the creature's next breath: Vaporized and swallowed as the first one had been and making the creature even hungrier for more.

Danny! If you can hear me, get over here!Danielle called through her mind and kept shifting back and forth between scanning the skies and concentrating with her eyes shut tight to try and see if she could get an idea of where her cousin was. As the robed creature drew nearer, however, she couldn't find herself able to focus the way she thought she normally could. All she was hearing in her head as the creature drew near again was voices that sounded distant, but were familiar. And frightening.

Danielle couldn't help leaning against the wall of the alley as she felt herself growing faint and surprisingly short of breath. The swirl of horrible memories in her head felt to overwhelm her mind and the tingling steadily growing stronger as she felt her powers pressing against her insides, as though the creature was beckoning them to it with its scabby, outstretched hand.

The creature was now no more than three yards from her and still closing. Danielle felt her knees buckle beneath her, her vision going blurry and her strength steadily draining as she felt the ghostly energy within her threatening to tear from her very being if the creature managed to so much as touch her.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

Danielle nearly jumped at the shout of what she thought was a strange language just before a bright flash of white light erupted from behind her and an enormous silver animal with antlers leaped over her head. Its antlers caught the black creature in the place where the heart should have been; Danielle watched in awe as the creature was thrown backward, weightless as darkness, and as the silver entity charged, the robed figure swooped away, bat-like and defeated.

Her strength and awareness suddenly returned, Danielle wheeled around on her hands and knees to see that Harry was on the ground, pointing the stick at where the cloaked thing had been only seconds ago, now glowing at the tip with the same sort of light the animal that came from nowhere was glowing with.

The silver animal had returned and stopped only two feet in front of Danielle. The light it was giving off was so brilliant, she had to squint it to see beyond it. Harry was now looking at her, horror-struck. He looked between the antlered animal and her, his chest rising and falling with every deep breath he was taking in. Just then, his expression changed and he looked behind him as if he had just realized something.

"THIS WAY!" Harry shouted at the dear thing he had summoned. Wheeling around, he sprinted down the alleyway, holding the now lit stick Danielle realized must have been more of a magic wand aloft. "DUDLEY? DUDLEY!"

Danielle instinctively ran and had gone barely a few steps when she suddenly stopped, seeing Dudley in the light of Harry's lit wand, curled on the ground. His arms clamped over his face. The second cloaked figure was crouching low over him, gripping his wrists in its slimy hands, prizing them slowly, almost lovingly apart, lowering its hooded head towards Dudley's face, as if about to kiss him…

Danielle wasn't sure what to make of this scene, but she knew her plasma ray was useless and her fire was too wild and widespread a shot to use without also putting Dudley in danger.

"GET IT!" Harry bellowed, almost at the same moment, and with a rushing, roaring sound, the silver antlered animal he had conjured went galloping past him. The silver antlers caught the black robed creature; the thing was thrown up into the air and, like its counterpart, it soared away and was absorbed into the darkness. The stag centered to the end of the alleyway and dissolved into silver mist.

Moon, stars, and streetlamps burst back into life. A warm breeze swept the alleyway. Trees rustled in neighboring gardens and the mundane rumble of cars filled the air again.

Danielle blinked, taking in the abrupt return to normality, though fighting to keep herself from shivering. The memory of the way she felt around those creatures was still so strong, it was as though it was still happening. It was as though she had been a mere touch away from losing her ghost-powers completely.

After a few deep breaths, she finally regained herself enough to look around. She saw Harry standing there, breathing hard and dripping in sweat with an expression of utter disbelief, just as she was.

"Harry?" said Danielle.

He jumped at her voice and he took several steps back as if afraid of her, making her stop in mid-step, confused.

A quiet whimper came from Dudley's curled figure on the ground, reminding them both of his situation. Harry rushed to him and bent down to see if he was in a fit state to stand. Danielle came up behind him and bent over, putting her hands on her knees as she looked down at the pathetic state the gang leader was reduced to.

"Is he gonna be okay?" asked Danielle, though, still feeling a bit off-balance herself.

"I think so," said Harry.

Then he looked up at her as if worried she'd do something drastic. He looked back down the alley where he had seen her standing when he had called forth the silver animal.

Danielle bit her lower lip guiltily. "I wasn't supposed to see that, was I?"

Harry sighed heavily, running his hand through his already messy hair.

"I won't tell anyone, if that's what you're worried about." Danielle quickly said. "Not after I'm pretty sure you just saved all of our lives."

"It doesn't matter. I'm still dead for this." Harry said miserably.

Just then, both of them heard loud, running footsteps behind them; instinctively raising his wand again, Harry spun on his heel to face the newcomer. Danielle tensed up, doing the same; her heart pounding. Was Danny back? Had he heard her after all? Or were those creatures coming back for another round?

An old woman came into sight. Her grizzled gray hair was escaping from its hairnet, a clanking string shopping bag was swinging from her wrist, and her feet were halfway out of her tartan carpet slippers.

"Mrs. Figg!" Harry called, surprised.

Danielle saw as he made to stow his wand hurriedly out of sight but—

"Don't put it away, idiot boy!" Mrs. Figg shrieked. "What if there are more of them around? Oh I'm going to kill Mundungus Fletcher!"

Note:If you catch spelling or grammatical errors in this chapter or in any of the others, please refrain from putting them in the reviews and send them to me by PM instead.

Okay I know. Like I said, word-for-word. It will start getting a little more different as we go more into Danielle's perspective in the next chapter. In the meantime though, I'd like to know what you guys think. If it doesn't get a good response, I'll go ahead and just scrap the whole thing.