I'm back! Thanks be to all those who followed, favourited and reviewed! Enjoy the chapter! :D

Chapter Five- Exposition

The higher Danny flew, the heavier he felt.

"The Order of the Phoenix, and the wizarding world at large, need your help."

He bit his lip, looping around a nearby billboard and landing softly to sit on top. Remus' words echoed in his mind, drifting from one ear to another, the sentence warped and garbled by the pit of anxiety building in his stomach. It wasn't as if saving lives was anything new to him- but this was a world he didn't know, and with his only link to it damaged and erratic he wasn't even sure if he could help.

He thought back to his brief conversation with Mr. Lancer and felt the burning sensation of guilt building in the back of his throat. He'd meant it when he said he could handle himself, but that was before he'd met Remus. That was before he'd found out he was involved in something so much larger than he'd ever thought possible. Not to mention how flippantly he'd dismissed Lancer's concerns- the man had noticed that Danny was worse off than usual and had taken the time to express his worry over his condition and Danny had blown him off, as usual.

Frowning, Danny lamented that his regret towards his teacher should have to come at a time when every other aspect of his life seemed to have it out for him as well.

Lifting his hand, he squinted at his palm, his jaw involuntarily tensing as if he expected it to burst into flame.

'Lumos,' he thought, recalling that first spell that had, in a matter of seconds, altered his future for good.

Swallowing, he flexed his fingers as he felt a flutter in his stomach. He looked at the city around him, pursing his lips before flitting to the roof of a nearby building and crouching behind the low wall around the perimeter. He knew he was probably just being paranoid, but until he was confident that he had full control of his magic he didn't want random citizens being witness to his budding attempts at casting a simple spell.

After another glance at the skies, Danny returned his attention to his hand, thinking back to Remus' brief lesson on conduction. If it followed that it was easier for him to cast magic due to his natural ease in channelling ecto-energy through his body, he wondered if it was possible to cast a spell without saying the name of it. He'd never felt any particular inclination to shout the names of his attacks while he was fighting- his infamous catchphrase was more of a war-cry than anything else, a psych-up in preparation for battle.

So, if he didn't need to name his moves in a fight... could he do the same with magic?

It occurred to him that there were a number of people who would berate him for experimenting with forces he didn't understand.

Taking a deep breath, Danny released it with force and focused, letting not just the word but its meaning course through his body.

"Lumos."

A half-second passed and the point above his hand flickered, then died, then burst to life. The resulting light that shone from his palm had him shouting the counter-spell and recoiling, burying his face in his arms and curling into a tight ball facing the wall. His hand prickled as though being lightly stabbed with hundreds of tiny needles and he rubbed it furiously, hissing through his teeth and blinking quickly to rid himself of the lurid green spots in his vision.

"Well that was a bad idea," he muttered to himself, adding 'ask Remus what the hell' to his mental list of things to do in the very near future.

He spent a few more minutes lying there lamenting his stupidity before pushing himself back to a sitting position and glaring half-heartedly at his hand. At the very least, he knew he didn't need to rely on his voice- he just wasn't so sure anymore that it was a good idea.

He needed to talk to Sam and Tucker.

Sighing heavily, he rubbed at his eyes again, half-wishing he had a PDA of his own to keep track of his mounting pile of responsibilities. Glancing at his watch, he frowned, puffing out his cheeks. He still had an hour until his friends were out of school, and Jazz had texted him at some point to confirm that Remus would be visiting at seven pm to discuss their schooling with their parents, who were getting home a little after six. He should probably take the time to speak to Lancer before the guy went to his parents with his worries, but Lancer was probably busy with school work. He couldn't contact Valerie twice in one day, even if it did concern- no, especially since it concerned Vlad. She'd only think he was being a nuisance and shun him even more- no, that was best left for Dani to handle. Valerie had a pretty big soft spot for the ghost girl so he had no doubt she'd be able to work the truth out of her.

Running a hand through his hair, Danny stood on his toes and stretched, his muscles aching after hours of sitting tense-shouldered and still. He cracked a grin at the memory of teetering stiffly on the edge of the tiny wooden chair in Remus' motel room, cradling a mug of disgustingly watery tea, wondering if Jazz would ever believe that he'd been able to sit still for more than an hour straight. He contemplated texting her about it, then snorted, shaking his hand to rid it of the last of the needles and laughed, taking to the air.

The heavy feeling slowly left him as he flew above the cloud layer, letting an easy smile spread across his face. Despite his growing worries, being able to expend energy like this after feeling so exhausted for so long was exhilarating, even blissful. Ducking back below the clouds, Danny shook the water from his head and pulled out his phone, quickly scrolling through the contacts and fervently thanking his past self for thinking to buy Dani her own phone.

After a few short rings, he grinned at her cheerful "Sup?"

"Hey cuz! Don't suppose you're busy with anything, are you?"

He heard her snort on the other end of the line. "Not with anything important, no. What do you need?"

"Okay, so... This might take a while to explain."

. . .

". . . Wow."

"Yeah, pretty much."

Danny, perched on one of the topmost branches of a tree in the most secluded area of the local park, sighed and leaned back against the trunk. Venting about everything that had been happening since they'd last talked was a great relief, but it was also a sharp reminder of everything he had to stress over, leaving him feeling drained.

"And you'd be gone the whole year?"

Danny felt a sharp twinge of worry. "Yeah... I know, it's pretty long time, so, uh..." He rubbed the back of his neck, leaning forward. "If it's too long, that's fine- I know it's a lot to ask-"

He could practically hear her raising her hand to interrupt him. "Danny, shut up. Just stop talking. Honestly, it's not like I'm doing anything around here anyway, mostly just screwing around with people and stopping petty crimes which, don't get me wrong, is super fun and all but I could use some serious work for a while. Plus I'll get to see Valerie again! We could team up and kick some ghost butt together now that she's, you know, not trying to kill me now."

Danny's heart sank at the excitement in her voice and he swallowed nervously. "Yeah, uh... About that, Dani- there's another favour I need to ask. About Valerie," he clarified. He took her silence as a cue to continue. "It's just that she's been acting really weird lately and I think it might have something to do with Vlad. I don't know what exactly, but I'm worried about her and there is zero chance of getting her to talk about it with me, given, you know," he waved his hands around, giving a short laugh, "Valerie ghost enemy number one."

Dani hummed in agreement, and though he couldn't see her, he knew she was nodding. "Yeah, I getcha. Don't worry, I'll ask her about it, it's bound to come up sooner or later." She paused. "She would be okay with teaming up with me, right? She's not acting weird in that 'shoot everything I see' sort of way, is she?"

"The opposite, actually. Nah, I mentioned you might be coming and she seemed really happy- or, not happy exactly, more like relieved?" Danny huffed in frustration. "It was hard to tell. Either way, thanks for doing this Danielle. I honestly don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you to count on."

"Damn straight! I'll be in Amity Park in about a week, probably. You go do your weird magic thing and I'll call you when I get there."

"Thanks again, cuz."

"What ever would you do without me?"

Truthfully, it took Danny a moment after she'd already hung up for the idea that she might be a magic-user to even occur to him, and he was hit with the sudden and violent urge to facepalm. He considered texting her about it, but if she was anything like him- and let's face it, there wasn't anyone who outmatched her in that regard- she was already testing herself at that very moment. He spent several minutes staring anxiously at his phone screen waiting for the text that would confirm it, and when none came, he assumed failure. Honestly he was a little relieved- she had enough to worry about without an extra dysfunctional set of powers to learn to deal with.

Breathing a long sigh, Danny frowned when he spotted the clock on his phone. He still had half an hour before Sam and Tucker were out and he couldn't think of anything that might fill the time. He could always go talk to Jazz, but she was probably working out more college stuff- she'd have to defer for at least a year now, after all- and he didn't want to risk being at home in case his parents decided to show up early. He'd never get his chance to explain things to Sam and Tucker if that happened, and the results of that could well be disastrous.

He took it as a sign of exactly how bored he was when he caught himself thinking of releasing the box ghost from the thermos just to fill time and quickly came to a decision. Putting his phone away, he sped off in the direction of the school.

. . .

Between handling his duties as a teacher and as vice-principal of Casper High, Mr. Lancer rarely got time to himself. Usually he'd make his way to the staffroom to spend time with his co-workers, or be drafted into some nonsensical school issue that was, at the heart of it, nothing more than an overzealous parent unfamiliar with how the education system actually worked.

Today was different. Today, his students were busy deferring to Mrs. Tetslaff, likely being worked to the bone in the name of physical accomplishment and Mr. Lancer sat at his desk in his empty classroom staring blankly into his coffee-stained mug with his hands clasped beneath his chin. Danny Fenton had been absent today and somehow he didn't think it had anything to do with illness- not that it ever did, but he knew for a fact that the boy had been here this morning before his sudden disappearance. It had been a popular topic of discussion that day amongst the students; the kid turning up early was not just rare, it was unheard of.

'And then he disappears.'

Lancer rubbed at his forehead and released a long, weary sigh. He could easily attribute most of his wrinkles to Daniel Fenton- he was sure two more had cropped up in the time between now and when they'd spoken last, himself and that pale, shaking shadow of the boy he'd met when he'd first started school. Back then, things had been simpler. Fenton hadn't looked like the walking dead every day of his life, and while he hadn't exactly been the most eager student, he'd gotten by without it seeming like a monumental effort. Nowadays... things were different and he wasn't entire sure when they'd gone wrong.

A soft knock at his door had him straightening in his chair, half-heartedly fixing his tie and clearing his throat. "Come in."

To Lancer's genuine surprise it was the very object of his worries that peeked cautiously around the door and he had to struggle to hide his shock. He failed miserably, it seemed, as Fenton smiled ruefully and entered the room fully, closing the door behind him.

"Mr. Fenton," Mr. Lancer managed to say after clearing his throat a second time. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked dryly, sparing a wry grin for the boy. He looked better, Lancer noted. The shadows under his eyes didn't seem so pronounced, at least.

His attempt at humour rewarded him with a quick, laugh and Danny rubbed the back of his neck- a nervous habit Lancer was very familiar with.

"Um- well, actually, Mr. Lancer... I need to talk to you about something."

Mr. Lancer straightened, leaning forward and gesturing for Danny to take a seat. The boy dragged one of the chairs from the front of the room before Lancer's desk and sat on its edge, drumming his fingers on his knees. He inhaled deeply, then spoke in a rush.

"Okay, so you know how you spoke to me yesterday and I said I knew how to deal with- with the thing that was bothering me?"

Mr. Lancer frowned, then nodded. Clearly the issue was just as serious as he assumed it had been.

Danny caught his concerned look and averted his eyes, taking another breath. "Well, I, uh- I kind of..." he halted abruptly, furrowed his brow, and ceased drumming his fingers. A few seconds passed and he took yet another shaky breath, released it, and looked at Mr. Lancer head-on. "Actually, Mr. Lancer, the truth is I've been... really stressed-out recently. You remember two years ago? The accident? Um... Well, since then, the ghost-fighting equipment has been going kinda haywire around me, and living in a house made of ghost-fighting equipment makes life pretty crazy to say the least. I..." he trailed off, rubbing his neck again. "It's been making school really difficult for me, and lately it's been worse than ever. And I don't want to make my mom and dad stop their research or anything like that just for my sake- I know they would, but they shouldn't have to. Not really. So, um... I've been thinking of going to boarding school. Just until I finish high school."

Mr. Lancer didn't even bother to hide his shock. Of all the things for Danny to talk to him about, this was least expected. Of course he knew about Danny's accident- there were few members of staff who didn't. It had been a huge deal when it happened but then, seemingly at the boy's insistence, it simply faded from importance. It was hard to believe that he had been suffering in silence for so long- but not impossible, he realised with a frown. Danny could be surprisingly stoic when he wanted to and it wasn't always a good thing.

". . . Have you spoken to your parents about this yet, Daniel? The principal?"

"Not yet, no. I, uh- I wanted to talk to you first, since you took the time to talk to me. Unless that was like, against protocol or something?" he added hurriedly. "So uh- sorry? I mean, I guess I've talked about it with my parents a couple of times before, but never seriously- and I figure Principal Ishiyama would rather hear about it from my parents than from me, so..."

Mr. Lancer nodded and leaned back in his chair, heart pounding wildly. In all his years of teaching he'd never had a student display such trust in him; he honestly wasn't sure what to make of it.

A full minute passed in silence as Danny waited for Lancer to reply, but the man wasn't entirely sure what to say. When the minute stretched into two, Danny coughed quietly, rising awkwardly from his chair.

"So- uh- basically, um. Thanks for putting up with me all these years. You've been a really great teacher."

It was at that moment that Danny caught sight of the clock and for the briefest moment his expression held nothing but pure relief. It was quickly gone though, in favour of a smile that was tentative but true. "Thanks again," the boy said, and before Mr. Lancer could call him back, Danny was gone, the door closing with a click behind him.

Mr. Lancer stared after him as the end-of-school bell rang loudly in his ears. There was one day of school left. If he didn't respond to Danny by then, he wasn't sure he'd get the chance again.

. . .

Since leaving the room, Danny had been releasing one long, continuous breath, and was quite sure he was going to pass out any second now. When the edges of his vision started to turn dark he took his first breath in, huffing slightly as he dodged students left and right, eager to bump into him in their hurry to get home.

He had only intended to say as much as 'I'll be gone for a year' before heading to meet Sam and Tucker, but in the end, he was a little glad he'd told Lancer what was as close to the truth as he could manage. It was at least one less thing weighing on his conscience, but at the same time, he still had one day of school left and Mr. Lancer would undoubtedly want to discuss it with him.

There they were, waiting at his locker like he'd asked them to. They spotted him approaching and both rushed to meet him, shoving past people as they went. Pressing a finger to his lips and nodding towards outside, Danny doubled his pace, passing them by without bothering to make sure they were following him. They were well-practiced in silent communication by now and there were rarely any misunderstandings. That didn't mean things couldn't go wrong.

They were almost to the exit when Danny found himself being seized by the front of his shirt, lifted, and slammed against the wall. His head collided with the hard surface and he grunted in pain, just barely holding himself back from retaliating against the idiot currently squeezing the life out of him.

"How come you weren't at school today, Fenton?"

Dash's voice accompanied by the low giggling of his cronies reached his ears shortly before the sound of rubber hitting fabric, a squeal of pain and a thud as he fell to the floor, gasping for air. Sam and Tucker stood in front of him, staring down Casper High's head jock as the boy hopped around, cradling his shin and glaring right back at them. As Danny rose Dash seemed to recover, but he still refused to come any closer.

"Can't stick up for yourself, huh, Fenton?" he spat, struggling to regain bravado and, to his friends at least, succeeding. "Gotta get your dork friends to do it for you?"

"Beat it Dash," Danny said tiredly, rubbing the back of his head and scowling. "I don't have time for you right now."

"You don't get to decide when you got time to be whaled on, Fenton!" Dash made towards him, but Sam and Tucker were still blocking his way- Sam a tad more aggressively. "Because you were gone all day I had to beat up the nerds in the marching band! I beat them up yesterday! Do you know what it does to my cred when I gotta beat up the same people over and over? It makes me look weak! What are you gonna do about that, Fen-toad?"

To his credit, Dash did look genuinely upset, which made it all the more hilarious when Danny, subtly channelling his power, made part of the floor beneath his feet intangible and sent him falling to the ground. While Dash's goons were busy helping their leader to a stand, Danny grabbed his friends' hands and made a run for it, down the hall and out the front entrance, the furious sound of his name fading into the distance.

"I don't know what his problem is about beating up the same people-" Tucker panted as they ran, "-when he beats you up every day."

"Maybe he's trying something new," Danny suggested dryly.

They sped around to the back of the school and straight under the bleachers. The jocks were gathering for afternoon practice on the football field, but it was unlikely anyone would be paying attention to them there. Crouched in the shadows, they took a moment to catch their breath, then suddenly his friends were all-business.

First things first, Sam punched Danny in the shoulder, fixing him with a stern glare. "So where were you all day then, huh? Would it have killed you to reply to any of my texts?"

"Huh? Oh." Danny smiled meekly at her, still rubbing his arm. "Sorry about that, Sam. I honestly forgot, there's been so much happening today. I figured I'd just wait until I met you guys here to explain everything."

"You've gotta stop doing that, dude," Tucker said, sitting cross-legged at his side. "I mean usually I'd get it, but these past few days have been crazy- we were worried sick for you, man!"

"Mm." Danny grimaced, involuntarily hunching his shoulders in shame. "I'm sorry guys, really I am. I've... had a lot to deal with since yesterday."

A few seconds passed while his friends stared at him, then in an instant their annoyance seemed to vanish. They shared a glance and scooted a little closer, Sam reaching forward to gently push Danny's hand away from the spot where she'd punched him.

"Sorry," she said quietly, then she snorted. "You still deserved it though. You look a little less dead today, if that's anything."

He huffed and shrugged, but couldn't hold back a grin. "Well, I got a pretty good sleep last night, which was great- kinda dulled by the fact that it came after I passed out, though."

"What?!" they both exclaimed. "Passed out? From what?"

Danny laughed apprehensively and felt his heart rate pick up. This was it. Time to spill everything he knew. "Well, uh..." He hesitated, then steeled himself. There was really only one way to introduce it, he supposed.

"So, uh. Magic is real," he said firmly. "Aaaand... I'm a wizard, and my magic's all jacked up because of my ghost half so I gotta go to a school in Scotland for probably a couple of years to learn how to control it, and the wizarding world is kinda crumbling at the hands of an evil dude named Voldemort, and an organization called the Order of the Phoenix needs my help to save the world, and Jazz is a witch so she's coming with me, and this dude called Remus said there were other magic-users in Amity Park so he's scouting for them now, and I'd kind of really like to get you guys tested too just in case, and either way I'm gonna really need you guys' help with this 'cause I'm kiiiinda freaking out 'cause-" Danny took a deep, deep breath, released it in full, and breathed in again. "Magic is real, I need to help save the world, and I need you guys to help me do it."

He got two blank stares in return, then Sam and Tucker reacted in unison.

"What?!"

. . .

Danny could practically feel his friends' gazes boring into the side of his head as he sat straight-backed on the edge of the of the small wooden chairs in Remus' motel room with Sam and Tucker seated comfortably on the floor with their backs to the wall. He had another mug of tea cradled in his hands- not that Remus knew this was his second today- that he politely sipped every now and then, his friends doing the same. He had a feeling the man would understand if he pushed it away, but disgusting and watery though it was, the tea gave him something to do that wasn't paying attention to the way his friends were looking at him. They had taken well to the explanation he'd given them, but it didn't stop them from sending worried glances his way every five seconds. He couldn't blame them really, but it was starting to get on his nerves. Introductions had been quick, and while he clearly hadn't been expecting Danny's company- nor that of his friends- he had been unfailingly warm in his interactions with them.

"And you're sure you're feeling better, Daniel?" Remus asked as he sat across from him, using that same gently concerned voice he'd used when they'd first met the day before.

Danny nodded. "I'm feeling loads better, thanks," he replied with a small smile. "May not have been the best way to get some sleep, but it was definitely needed. I did end up taking the day off school, though."

"Doubtless it was necessary, especially given everything you need to sort out within the next few days. I... am assuming you told these two everything, yes?" He gave Danny a knowing look that the boy was all too familar with. He hadn't known Sam and Tucker any more than ten minutes and already he knew what to expect from the three of them.

He grinned at that, rubbing awkwardly at the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah... Sorry about that. I know it's meant to be secret and all, but honestly, I couldn't hide anything from these two even if I wanted to."

"True that," Tucker said, comically raising his own mug in a toast.

"We would have found out sooner or later, really," Sam said, fighting to hide a grimace before setting her tea aside, barely touched. "Besides, it's not like it's the weirdest thing to learn after living in Amity Park for your entire life. Recent ghost phenomenon aside, it's always been pretty strange here... You're sure you can help him, right?" she added, her tone belaying her uncertainty for the future of her friend. "What's happening with his pow- magic. That's not too weird?"

"Of course," Remus assured her, "magic is a fickle thing even when un-tampered with, but with dedication and a willingness to learn, Danny could become a very proficient spell-caster. I don't begrudge you informing your friends, Daniel," Remus turned back to him, "but I must insist you inform no-one else. I'm sure you and I can trust these two to keep the knowledge of the world of magic on the down-low, so to speak, but I can't say the same for many of the other people in this town."

"Not that anyone would believe them after spouting news about a ghost invasion every other day," Tucker said as he rose to his feet and wandered to the kitchenette. "You got any more sugar here?"

"Help yourself," Remus replied with a touch of amusement. Shifting in his chair, he clasped his hands on the table before him. "I suppose there is that, but I would prefer to be cautious. Now then, what was it you wanted of me?"

"Uh-" Danny swallowed, suddenly marginally less at ease. "Uh- I was wondering if- if you could maybe test my friends? For magic? Um- I mean, I've already explained everything, like I said, so-"

Remus held up his hand, cast a glance at his watch to check the time, then smoothly pulled his wand from his robe. The corner of his mouth twitched at the breathless "Woah" that came from the young lady now making her way over and he held the wand handle-out towards her, gesturing for her to take it.

"Is- is it okay?" she asked tentatively, but it was in her hand before he could even say yes. She laughed breathlessly, much to the delight of her friends, holding the wand in an easy grip. After a moment she halted, glancing between the object and its owner, pursing her lips. "Um- so- so what do I do? Do I just wave it, or...?"

Remus lightly shook his head. Goodness knew what could happen to this place if he allowed untrained magic to run rampant- Ollivander's shop exploding into flames every third student was one thing, he wasn't sure he had the money to pay for any repairs to this place. He gave her the same instructions he'd given Jazz and Danny, and he, Tucker and Danny waited with bated breath, the atmosphere thick with anticipation.

Sam inhaled steadily, readied her grip on the wand, and said in a strong, commanding voice, "Lumos."

None of the inhabitants of that room could readily admit they were surprised when the tip of the wand shone with brilliant light, but it didn't stop Sam from shouting an ecstatic "YES!" at the top of her lungs and shoving the wand into Tucker's hands before squeezing the very life out of Danny while their friend conducted the test on his own. The process repeated, Tucker let out air he hadn't known he was holding onto when the wand shone for him as well and suddenly he was surrounded by flailing limbs and delirious, joyful babbling. When they finally had the mind to return Remus' wand the man was beaming, and though he would have loved to answer them then, he stopped them before they could bombard him with questions. There was a time for questions- seven o' clock, to be exact- and everyone would need to be there.

In an instant the three were shoving each other through the door in their haste to leave, calling delighted thanks and farewells behind them, to the returned promise that he would be seeing them soon.

When that happened, he reflected, they could only hope their families would be as overjoyed as they were.

So. First of all, thanks again to everyone who favourited and followed, and all of your wonderful reviews were amazing!

This chapter, like the title suggests, is mostly explanations and discussions and buildup for things to come, so it may seem a little bit boring, but hopefully not too boring!

I really must apologize for the huge gap in updates- I won't go into detail, but a lot of stuff's been happening which has left me with, unfortunately, very little time to focus on my dearest fandoms~

There is, however, good news and bad news!

The good news: I got into uni!

The bad news: I have less time to write...

But! I am feeling energetic and enthusiastic and raring to get some chapters DOWN!

In the meantime, some answers to questions:

- Yes, Fenton tech will work at Hogwarts! Since Fenton tech runs primarily on ecto-based-energy, the charms on Hogwarts that nullify electrical forces in relation to electronic devices would be absolutely useless against them.

- Will Danny's secret be revealed to the entire Order? I'm afraid that falls under the "spoilers" category, so I can't answer that until it becomes clear in later chapters -_- Sorry!

- Will I actually update on time for once? Maybe! I'll certainly try my absolute best to get the next chapter out by next week, but I can't promise anything, I'm very sorry :I

In the meantime, I will always have time to answer all of your PMs regarding the story and any questions you might have, and reviews are incredibly appreciated!

Thank you all so much for reading and for putting up with my terrible schedule :3

Until next time! ^-^