"Ehm...Ember...what are you doing?" Asked Danny upon entering the girl's room.

He saw that the previously stuffed hotel apartment was now steadily losing all signs of being inhabited.

"Duh, packing my stuff," the singer rolled her green eyes. "Got sick of the ambience. So I'm moving."

"You can order your minions to pack it," Danny leaned against the wall and crossed his hands.

"Right. And let them ruin my stuff because they are brainless idiots?" Ember got up from the floor and decided to leave things be for the time being.

Danny chuckled. "So, where are you moving?"

"Well, my tour is long since over, so we'll store everything in the usual place. The musicians will wait there as well," the girl sighed and fixed her hair. "But me?" She then smirked. "I think I'll go somewhere more quiet for a change."

"You hate the quiet, though."

"I'm willing to bear it. Even living among those doofuses in pointy hats. Gotta set them on fire one of those days," she cackled. "Yeah. I already rented a neat home in Hogsmeade."

Danny blinked. "How did you get the wizarding money?"

"Your new goblin buddies helped me out. Not like I have direct access to their bank."

"Well...can't say I dislike having you this close. But Hogwarts is still off-limits to strangers."

"Oh come on, Babypop," Ember winked as she turned to her belongings once more. "Nobody will notice if you leave your window open at night."

"But you can go through walls."

"Urgh," the girl groaned and lied on the floor, face down. "Dumbass," came a muffled voice.

One day before the students would have returned to Hogwarts, the two of them took a bus to the wizarding village. Danny followed Ember to the shack, making sure she didn't get into trouble. Each encounter with the locals added more water to the rumour mill, and Ember made sure to let everyone know that the young man by her side was taken. By the time Danny was free to go to Hogwarts and unpack his luggage, the whole of Hogsmeade now knew about the professor's lady of the heart, who couldn't be more different from him. Danny had asked her to be nice to the locals, but Ember usually left a dubious impression when not on scene. With that, the halfa finally set out for the school.

It was somewhat refreshing to come back to the institution after the holidays. Even if the corridors of the vast castles were almost empty. Phantom casually greeted occasional ghosts and teachers, breathing in the Umbridge-free air while it still lingered. But before opening the door to his room, he smirked and phased his hand inside, feeling s small box taped to the door.

"I thought they have given up by now," he chuckled, before pushing the box onto the floor and opening the door.

Evidently, the box was supposed to zap him with electricity when he touched the handle. The twins were shamelessly ripping pages out of his book.

He was proud of them.

Nonetheless, soon Danny had his belongings cluttering the shelves once again. With the sense of duty fulfilled, the halfa would have probably gone back to Hogsmeade, knowing he would have the chance to say hi to the rest of the staff during next breakfast. If not for one particular wizard with a luxurious beard blocking his path.

"Good day, Professor Fenton," smiled Dumbledore. "I'm glad to see you are still with us."

"Was there ever any doubt?" Danny grinned and put hands behind his head. "I'm not the one who backs away easily. Even when I'm confronted by such thing as actual work that has me do something."

The old man chuckled. "And you are still in upbeat spirit. I trust that your holidays have went well."

"Well, I met some old frenemies of mine, actually did some treasure hunting and I lost my virginity...you didn't have to know the last part."

"That's...quite eventful," Dumbledore wasn't quite sure how to react.

"Did you want something, sir?"

"Since you asked this yourself..." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled mischievously. "How about we continue this conversation in my office? I'll have some tea prepared."

Danny shrugged, but on the inside he was already wondering what all of this was about. "Sure. I have some time to spare."

Their walk to the Headmaster's office was mostly quiet, with Dumbledore occasionally asking mundane questions about the progress Fenton's students had managed to make before the holidays. Both of them were content with the progress, certainly not the worst during the last decade. Once they were in the office, seated in their respective chairs, Dumbledore initiated the actual conversation.

"Not so long ago I learned that you have been spending some time with young Harry."

And Dumbledore's knowledge came from Weasleys, who had learned of this directly from the source. It didn't feel exactly right, but while surrounded by members of the Order and his friends, Harry didn't hold it as some sort of secret. Danny blinked and looked at the Headmaster. It wasn't like they did anything illegal.

"He asked me to train him a bit. The kid just felt that he was lagging behind the Dark Lord's minions. With his record, I just thought it appropriate."

"I am not judging you in any way," Dumbledore raised his hand. "On the contrary, I am most glad about such development."

"Then why bring this up?" Danny raised an eyebrow and took a sip of tea.

The wizard sighed. "Because I have need of your abilities. I'd like Harry to learn a particular skill — one that you seem to be a master of. Occlumency."

The halfa leaned back in his seat. His resistance to mind-reading or control was more of him building up the willpower to resist those. It wasn't some magical skill Dumbledore was thinking of. That, and ghostly resistance to magic made sure that no wizard could get into his head.

"With your constant prying, I'm not surprised you know of that, too," Danny sighed. "But what made you come to me?"

"Precisely because you are knowledgeable and are already tutoring the boy."

"That's not what I'm asking, sir. Did something happen to him while I was gone?" The halfa asked with worry. "He left before the start of the holidays, and I haven't seen him since."

"He is fine, I assure you," Dumbledore smiled. "But some things came into light, and I'd like him to learn Occlumency."

The half ghost sighed. "I'll see what I can do...but without a wand it will be problematic."

"I know you will manage. I admit, Daniel, that I was suspicious of you initially. But I have realised that I can trust you, a complete stranger half a year ago. That's why I think that we can work together on more things than just teaching."

"You gay or something?" Danny huffed, but received no answer. "Go on, I could use some ego boost."

"You know that I am trying to get through to the people and make them realise that Voldemort is back and poses danger."

"Yeah, the newspapers made it abundantly clear, right next to the block on ways of cooking Chinese chomping cabbage."

"Was it good?"

"Worth a try...that's not my point, though. So?"

"They are correct to some extent. But I am also trying to take actions and subvert the actions of the Dark Lord."

Danny already knew that part. But Dumbledore had chosen to tell this himself, so the old man clearly meant business.

"So are you inviting me to your super special club?" The halfa asked.

"The others were largely opposed to this, but I managed to convince them that we can trust you enough to at least cooperate..."

"So, I get to help you, and you in return won't even give me your membership card. For shame," Danny rolled his eyes, tapping on a chair. "But...I think there is something we can cooperate on."

"I'm listening."

The halfa leaned forward. "Voldemort is somehow still alive after pathetically dying. And I know only of one way about it. Horcruxes, sir."

The twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes was that of curiosity. "So you arrived to the same conclusion I did. What else do you know?"

"He has a number of those. One of them was within the diadem I so graciously returned. Emphasis on WAS. I am not so careless."

"So you can also destroy them? It requires some enormous skill or resourcefulness..."

"Not much different from the normal exorcism I perform with a blindfold on," Danny shrugged. "But the soul shard was too tiny to contain a normal part of his essence. Apparently, he made several."

Dumbledore's attention was fully on the young professor. He believed the somehow twisted story of the boy's deductions, especially since they seemed valid enough.

"So I already destroyed the one inside a diadem. By using some...questionable means, I learned that another Horcrux was inside Voldemort's family ring, which, I guessed it, was right in his ancestral home."

Now the Headmaster was at a loss. In just four months...

Danny obviously couldn't tell about Nagini, for it was Phantom's kill. And he couldn't explain how he came to that point, so the professor just omitted that one. Instead, Dumbledore decided to brag a little.

"I can also vouch that another part of Voldemort's soul was destroyed alongside his diary."

"Yes, HARRY did a good job," Danny responded. "So, we know Voldemort is so arrogant that he stuck a Horcrux inside the Founders' trinket. I am sure that he continued that pattern. So, with diadem exorcised and the Griffindor's sword being as reliable as a brothel girl, I think he went for the other two. If we find them, we can find the Horcruxes. You are more resourceful than I am," Danny admitted. At least publicly, the old man had him beat. "That's why I decided to share my findings."

The Headmaster initially didn't know what to say. Fenton wasn't just an enigma they had suspicions about. That boy was a relentless hunter and talented seeker, who was confirming his tales about being an auror for hire.

"I see...hm...I think I have a slight idea where to find one of them. I'll have to see to it...do you wish to set out for them yourself? I can arrange a day off for you."

Danny started to wish he had come sooner.

"Yes. I'll appreciate it. WHEN we find it. Which one are we talking about, by the way?"

"Slytherin's locket," Dumbledore mumbled, fiddling with his beard. "You gave me a lot of room for thought, Daniel. I am more than impressed."

"Wait with these until later," the halfa grunted and got up, stretching his muscles.

"But I wonder...you are a very commendable..."

"Witch hunter?" Danny asked in amusement, raising an eyebrow.

"Wizard," Dumbledore chuckled. "Voldemort used to be the same way. Yet something guides you that doesn't make your pursue the same path."

Danny smirked. "Maybe I just postponed my world conquest," he responded. "Gonna outlaw pants and introduce world-wide taco-Mondays, just to piss off everyone. Maybe this is why. If he found some joy in this life and didn't spend it in eternal fear of death, we wouldn't have him around. But then again, another nutcase would have taken his place, so what point is there to even wonder?"

Dumbledore kept a small smile. "The carelessness of youth, how I miss it," he said, taking a final sip from his cup. "But speaking of 'taking place'. Have you read the news? About another 'Lord'?"

"Phantom?" Danny asked. "I remember the name from America."

"And what made him come, what do you think?"

"Well, I do specialise in their kind...I know that they are not bound to a place, necessarily. But gorging on ectoplasm makes them far more dangerous than poltergeists. Phantom is old, for even Fenton-Nightingale left a mention of him. And problem with his kind is that over the years they do not fade, as long as the thing tying them to mortal plane is there. What that thing is is the most cherished secret of theirs."

"How marvellous."

"They belong to their world, not ours, though," Danny spoke. "Part of my job is sending them where they belong, because those that make it here are rarely the harmless ones."

"So that is why the ghosts of Hogwarts know of you?"

"Yep. Usually a ghost of high calibre would come and scare off every other spectre. Sometimes even consuming their ectoplasm. That's why your usual ghosts appreciate my work," Danny smiled, feeling that Dumbledore took the bait in the form of some intriguing new creatures, enough to shift the conversation from a very tenuous topic. "Well, gonna hit the town!"

"Seeking to rejoin your flame?" Dumbledore chuckled.

"How did you...well, yeah," Danny shrugged. "She'll be pissed if I don't come back as promised."

"Have a good evening, then, Daniel. I'm glad that we finally had this talk."

"Likewise."

-Linebreak-

To say that Harry's own holidays had been a hectic ride would be a grave understatement. It all began on the night he had witnessed the attack on Mr. Weasley, revealed to him in a lucid dream. The very fact of him somehow being able to see through the eyes of Voldemort's vile, serpentine pet, was off-putting, but the barrage of new information did not end there. What he himself saw, what the unfortunate Ministry worker witnessed and confirmed, was even stranger. Arthur spoke of a young man with white hair, with echoing voice and untold powers. If Harry's consciousness had not been there to witness such mysterious man, fellow members of the order would have suspected the effects of the snake's potent venom. And since then, Harry and his friends had been wondering about who that man could have been and what he was doing in the Ministry, for evidently he was not a part of the staff.

There were, of course, other things to concern himself with. He was worried about the Dark Lord's influence, anxious to learn more, but the Order was still withholding the information from him. Now, however, he was beginning to suspect the reason. Perhaps, the ability to see through the other's eyes worked both ways. And that idea scared him, if he was honest with himself. But even so, Dumbledore could have told him about such little and insignificant thing, he thought sarcastically. But luckily, he had people he could confide in, still. His godfather Sirius was there, and his friends had not gone anywhere. The former was all too happy to indulge his godson, having been confined to the headquarters for God knows how long. But even Sirius could not share much. At such moments Harry found himself missing the DADA professor, who had almost zero reservations, even if he had some skeletons too, evidently. Nonetheless, staying in the Order headquarters beat the Dursley's abode.

But now, here he was, back at Hogwarts, full of uncertainty, doubt and questions he couldn't get answers for. Still, maybe studying could get his mind off of difficulties...if he got to studying, that is. One redheaded devil on his shoulder would certainly persuade him to postpone things as much as possible. If Hermione on his other shoulder would not intervene, that is. Luckily, the semester was off with a good start, with a DADA lecture. But as the time was coming, the professor was nowhere to be seen, and thus the students were busy recollecting their holidays and conversing on all sorts of different topics.

"I've been thinking, Harry," Hermione spoke from behind him. "You said that that man from the Ministry was shooting green spells?"

"I think so...what are you getting at?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"There is another person who can do just that, right?" The girl kept asking questions aimed at making Harry realise everything himself.

The boy's expression was that of realisation. "The professor, too...I never thought about it like this. You don't think..."

"That our teach was on a stroll through the second most guarded place on the isle?" Asked Ron, before pausing. "That does sound like him."

"Yes, but they did look different. Maybe Professor Fenton is like Tonks but doesn't show it?"

"Maybe you should ask," Hermione encouraged. "This question shouldn't ring any bells for him, I think."

"Hey, you guys talking about professor?" Seamus butted in. "Have you heard the latest rumour?"

"What is it?" Harry turned all ears.

"They say he got laid by that new girl in Hogsmeade."

Harry's shoulders sunk. That wasn't the information he had been yearning for. Nor did he need it. "Good for him," he mumbled.

Ron whistled. "Blimey. His vacation was better than mine," he said, receiving dry stares from his friends. "What?" He asked in genuine confusion.

"Lavender Brown is heartbroken. Same goes for several others," Seamus lowered his voice so that the girls in question couldn't hear.

"Professor doesn't sound like the kind to just go for some stranger," Hermione mused.

"You didn't have hots for him as well, did you?" Ron asked slowly, and the girl's look turned into glare. She simply huffed.

"Enough, guys," Harry sighed. "This isn't our business, really."

"Yer right," Ron nodded. "But now I kinda wanna see who the teach fell for."

Before the discussion could turn even more awkward, the door was opened, and the professor, dressed in his usual short-sleeved shirt and pants, strolled through the classroom, a grin on his face.

"Good morning, everyone," he spoke. "Hope you all enjoyed your days off. I know I did. Not because I was tired of seeing you, guys, but because some rest is always welcomed and good for health. Don't forget that as you prepare for the upcoming exams. I, on my end, will make sure that you are well-armed for the coming battle with Ministerial bureaucrats. I hope you have been reading the materials I asked you to study, because that's where we are starting off. Unless you already have questions."

A hand was raised.

"Yes, Mr. Zabini," Danny asked the Slytherin teen and sat on the edge of his desk.

"Why are we spending time on removing curses from objects? As far as I know, this is not a part of the exams."

"Good question. There are a lot of things that are not on the exams which I'm teaching you. I've read the model of the future O.W.L.s and trust me, even with topics of my choosing sprinkled throughout, you will be able to seamlessly pass them. But my goal is to make you well-equipped to deal with any future threat, not just pass your exams. That's why we will go over the basics of curse-breaking, so that that ring you bought at a shady thrift store doesn't turn you into a frog or worse."

At this, Danny put the Gaunts' ring on his desk.

"Speaking of rings," he chuckled. "During the holidays I decided to unwind by doing the old fashioned marauding. I'm joking of course, but here's one such cursed object I managed to find. Its value will inevitably increase once the curse is gone, so I decided to wait until the job is done."

Everyone present sweat dropped. Did...did he decide to use them to increase the trinket's value?

"Anyhow," Danny clasped his hands. "We will be practicing with this one. I checked, its curse makes you quickly wither and die ONLY if you put it on. So don't worry," he chuckled. Although Neville was as pale as a paper sheet.

Nobody wanted to know HOW he learned that part. Truth be told, Danny almost had lost an arm. Thankfully, he spent the entire night regenerating it, purging the disease of the curse from his body before it was too late. Normal humans would inevitably die, for the curse was truly potent.

"The curse in this ring is no child's play. I have no delusions, you won't be able to remove it. Neither can I, because I cannot wield a wand. But we still can make use of it. Alright, what is the first step of dealing with a cursed object? Mr. Malfoy?"

"You have to use charms and identify the type of the curse," he responded.

Danny smirked. "I may have already spoiled it, but would you mind coming here and showing how one does this harmless verification?"

The blonde rose from his seat and approached the teacher's desk. He took a look at the ring encrusted with a black rock, before swishing his wand and uttering a spell. A tiny gust of smoke erupted from the tip of the wand, covering the ring.

"Muggles have such a thing called 'litmus paper'. It helps determine chemical composition of an object, and here we have the same concept. The first step is safe, because this check doesn't trigger any safety measures. There are different categories of cursed objects, as you already know. For instance, you see that the smoke turned greenish," he said as it dissipated. "Which means we are dealing with a killing artefact. Have five points, Mr. Malfoy, you and your House," Danny gestured for the seat, and the student complied.

"Now, we have determined the type, which makes us realise which path to take on the way of removing it. Those who read the material know that getting rid of a curse isn't as easy as cleaning your dishes. At least, if you haven't left a used pan for a couple of days, then yes, it will be something akin to what we have now. What professional curse breakers do is weakening the curse first, stripping it bit by bit. Now we are treading a more dangerous territory, since we are attacking the curse directly. At this point I should still advise you to bring a discovered cursed trinket to a professional, now that you have the method of knowing your enemy."

Danny picked up the ring and fondled it between the fingers, making some students very uncomfortable.

"Don't worry, this is where we end the practical part," Danny chuckled. "I'll follow my advice I just gave and go and ask the professional."

He flipped it like a coin and put it in his pocket.

"Let's get more organised now. As I said, the process of curse removal is a long, arduous one. Some of them take weeks and claim the lives of several curse breakers. In order not to trigger safety measures of complicated spells, they take all the time. After all, what is the removal in the essence, who can tell me? Mr. Potter."

"Dark magic is slowly siphoned away...it's a bit too simple..."

"It is," Danny chuckled once more. "But you aren't wrong either. Bit by bit wizards pull magic from the object. But dark wizards obviously don't want you to play with their toys, so they make sure that pulling magic out is as difficult as possible. For instance, what if, when sensing manipulation, the cursed object released the same magic that fuels the curse? The amount big enough to murder the one who tampers with it. That method is far from common, only seen in some very complicated curses, which are so full of magic that they have a lot to spare for such wasteful means. Bet this ring has something like that. Yes?"

"But sir," said Hermione, "There are objects that hold curses for millennia. How big should the difference be?"

"It's...a bit on the metaphysical side. Basically, it's not how much metaphorical mana you pour into an object, but rather...imagine a piece of paper," he came up with a metaphor, "and keep folding it. At some point you will be unable to, without some effort. That's basically what enchanting or cursing an object is. And another person, in return, will have to spend more time unfolding the former's piece of work. Thus, here's the answer: the longevity depends on the amount of labour, how well you stack the magical effects. Hope I cleared this up a little. Once again, the nature of magic is a complicated subject that is not on your curriculum even. Wait a year, would you?" He smiled and winked.

"Yes, thank you, professor."

Danny felt pleased. The title had a very nice ring to it.

The lesson went without a hitch, in a manner that had become a commonality for the youngest professor. And once the lesson was over, Harry was packing his things in the bag, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw Danny smiling at him.

"Stay behind for a moment, Harry, we have to talk about something."

"Uhm...sure, professor," the teen said, wondering what this was all about.

Eventually, there they were, standing near or sitting on the teacher's desk, alone in the classroom.

"Did you have a nice rest, Harry?" Asked Danny.

"Well...it could be better, but it was nice enough, I think."

The professor sized him up and sighed, taking out the dreaded ring. "I had a talk with Dumbledore yesterday. The guy invited me to cooperate with his 'Order'."

Harry's eyes went wide. Did Dumbledore actually decide to invite him? The teen couldn't help but agree with the decision.

"That's very good sir," he smiled, glad to finally hear some good news. If Fenton was in the Order, then he could be a closer confidant.

"Maybe. I'm still somewhat on the fence. I seem fine on my own," Danny smirked and put the ring on the table. "What I didn't say during the lesson is that I stole this thing from Voldemort himself."

"Wh...what," Harry breathed out.

"Yep. He turned this ancestral ring into a Horcrux. So I decided to destroy it."

Harry kept staring at the man in front of him like he had grown a second head.

"Sir...that's amazing," he said, looking at the artefact which belonged to his archenemy.

"It wasn't all that difficult. Nobody was guarding it," Danny shrugged. "Still, I felt like sharing this with you."

"Professor?"

The halfa sighed and threw his head back. "I've been thinking for some time. Between this stuff and Dumbledore asking me to teach you to defend your mind, I felt like you should know more about the foe you face."

Harry couldn't believe his luck. Here he was, trying to persuade the halfa for the whole semester to share his knowledge, but now Phantom was ready to lay everything down before him.

"But I have a question of my own, first," Danny continued. "I'd like to know what happened between your departure and you having to learn Occlumency."

Harry was initially doubtful, wondering if he should say it, but since the professor was in the Order now...

"I...somehow saw that Mr. Weasley was attacked by a snake in the Ministry. While I slept I was looking through its eyes and somehow...felt the same way it did at some points."

Danny stared at the teen. That was something new even for him. Although another worry appeared in his mind. He had to have seen Phantom. But he was not going to bring that up more than needed.

"That's certainly interesting..." Danny mumbled. "So it took place in reality?"

"Yes, sir. Mr. Weasley was found wounded that very night."

Phantom clicked his tongue. "And you should be taught Occlumency precisely because Voldemort may get into your head...yeah, that's not how it works."

"What do you mean?"

"Legilimency — the art of reading minds, is not at fault here. It is about close contact, about interpreting vague memories. See the problem?"

"So...he can't get in while we are far away from each other?"

"He shouldn't," Danny got up. "And yet, you looked through the eyes of his snake, not even his....something doesn't add up..."

Some magical bond of a pet and its master was not sufficient enough. Voldemort was connected to it with a Horcrux, but where was Harry in all this?

"I'll teach you to resist influence," Danny spoke. "Even if I don't believe this to be Legilimency, some protection is always neat. But we have to find out what's going on."

"Yes, sir...you talk of Horcruxes, but you haven't explained what it is."

Danny was quiet after this, before sighing once more. "Yes, you are right. No point in hiding this knowledge anymore. Horcruxes are pieces of shattered souls, stored inside certain objects. They are phylacteries of sorts, and some Dark Wizards create them through foul rituals to store their own in there. That's how they seek to become immortal. Well, they never will be, but they will keep resurrecting, unfortunately."

Harry kept listening, pieces of puzzle slowly falling into place. "So that's how he managed to survive..."

"Yep. Furthermore, our resident snake enthusiast created several of them, which is unheard of. Perhaps that's why he is barely human, appearance-wise."

"You've seen him?" Asked Harry in surprise.

"Heard from certain people. That's why I am trying to destroy these artefacts first. Only then can we go after Voldemort himself."

Harry nodded slowly. "Thank you for clearing this up, sir."

"Don't mention it," Danny smirked and patted Harry on the shoulder. "Don't go around telling this to everyone, though. Immortality is far too tempting as a concept."

Perhaps it was hypocritical of him, a man who would cease ageing at some point, to say. But Voldemort and many others were proofs of that saying.

"Alright. But have you been doing this all on your own until now?"

Danny smirked. "Well, I had some help. Anyway, meet you same time as always, kiddo. Now off you go for the next lesson," he handed the boy a note. "Just in case you will be late."

Harry smiled. Definitely one of his favourite teachers. But then, he remembered something.

"Sir, have you read the last degree?"

"The what?"

-Linebreak-

"For Ancients' sake!" The halfa exclaimed, his shout once more rippling through the usual quiet of the staff room.

"Professor, Fenton, please, keep it down," sighed McGonagall and took off her glasses, sitting in an armchair.

"You read this too, ma'am," Danny kept complaining as he ripped the page from the board of announcements. "Teachers are hereby banned from giving students any information that is not strictly related to the subjects they are paid to teach," he parodied Umbridge's obnoxious voice.

"I can read, Daniel," responded the older professor. "There's nothing at this point which should surprise you."

"And each time I am amazed by the depth of that woman's nosiness," Danny sighed. "What does that even mean? I can't even talk to kids about Hogsmeade or yesterday's weather? It's bullshit. She made it so vague on purpose."

"Then make sure not to get caught."

"Well, I..." Danny blinked and turned to face McGonagall. "Are...are YOU suggesting I break the rules?"

She simply rewarded him with a barely visible smirk. "She is undermining the basis of every education — teacher-to-student communication. We all break those rules, I'm sure you can evade those just as fine. But please, refrain from the outbursts here. It is a place of quiet, Daniel. And besides, who can tell if Dolores decided to come in at any second."

Danny tapped on his chin. "Hm...you know what? I think I have an idea..."

A single trip to Dumbledore's office, which entailed a very confused, but eager to do such mischief Headmaster, Danny was hereby confident in his power. That's what he came to be reassured of when he was talking to the Weasley twins in one of the corridors.

"...I would suggest modifying Exploding Snaps. Maybe add some new funny effects, not just explosions."

"Oh, this sounds neat," said Fred as George wrote this down.

"Professor Fenton," a voice sounded from behind. Turning around, Danny faced Umbridge. "Are you ignoring the Ministry degrees? It specifically said..."

Instead of answering, the halfa shoved a piece of paper into her face. Dolores took it in her chubby fingers and began to read.

"As you can see from this recent financial report, I am paid to teach DADA, give consultations on hobbies, act as councillor, give away financial advice and fizzing whizbees..."

"Enough!" Umbridge exclaimed. "You are a rule-breaker, Fenton."

"The degree clearly stated that as long as I am PAID to talk about this, there is no problem," Danny lowered his head to her eye-level. "And you actually wrote laws for the country with such finesse? That's sad."

"The degrees are sufficient."

"Yet I found a loophole. Now do you mind?"

"I won't leave this as is..." Umbridge growled and stormed off, under the snickers of the twins and the professor.

"That was smart, teach," said George. "How did you convince Dumbledore to pay you this much?"

"He doesn't pay me more," Danny's shoulders sank. "We just split my normal pay and directed it elsewhere. My actual teaching now pays twenty times less. But hey, imagine how many things I can put in my resume now. They will be dying to hire such a multitasking person."

But now he wasn't fearful about being caught training Harry. To be honest, he technically could teach him without fear, since he was basically teaching him Defence still. But the halfa wanted to spite the toad. But perhaps he would still have to postpone it just a bit, until Umbridge's rage blew off.

-Linebreak-

Nonetheless, the practice still took place eventually. However, it started off on a rather weird note.

"Excuse me?" Danny blinked, looking at a very embarrassed teen.

"I asked if you could give me some advice..."

"I heard that part," Danny raised his hand. "But I never thought someone would ask me for a relationship advice."

"Well, you have a girlfriend."

"Harry," Danny spoke slowly. "In my case, Ember grabbed me and brought me to the bedroom. And from then..."

"Oh," Harry looked away.

"And besides, we've known each other for years, most of which were spent with her trying to literally, actually kill me."

"That's...odd..."

"Yep. But her current feelings are genuine, as are mine. So, I think the best advice I can give is the most basic one, kiddo. Just be yourself. If she doesn't like you the way you are, then it has no chance of working out."

Harry sighed. "Easy for you to say. Girls send you chocolate just because."

"Hey, kid, each year so far you have been performing all sorts of feats. Teenagers are just stupid," Danny nudged him. "Anyway, let's get started with the actual practice," the halfa chuckled.

Harry was still sitting on the chair, as Fenton circled around him, all in the middle of the Room of Requirements.

"This is how we will train: it is within my power to get into your head. Take over your body even..."

"You...can do that?" Asked Harry in shock. That sounded very creepy.

"Yep. Don't worry, you know I won't try anything nasty, like running around the halls in a tutu..."

"This sounds oddly specific..."

"We'll start off easily," Danny grinned deviously. "I will simply tap into your mind, and you are sure to feel a foreign presence. Try to force me out. One, two..."

Without counting to three, Phantom dug his fingers into Harry's head, and he had not lied, Harry sure felt it, like his brain was suddenly feeling too tight within his own skull, his vision was getting blurry, and he was feeling nauseous. One blink later, and the teen found himself sprawled on the floor, with the halfa standing above him with a somewhat amused expression.

"Needless to say, first try was a washout," Danny said.

"What happened?" Harry rubbed his forehead.

"I possessed you," Danny clicked his tongue. "I hoped that a veiled threat of humiliation would be of aid, but you can't jump over your head."

Harry grunted and got up. "How long was I out?"

"A couple of seconds, just enough for me to make a very comical wake up call," Danny smirked. "I do sense a strong will in that cranium, but that alone is not enough, as you can see."

"You didn't even warn me."

"And you thought that Voldemort will politely ask if he can start this magical lobotomy?" Danny raised an eyebrow. "A single look into your eyes and voila. He knows what you ate for breakfast and sees you wetting your diapers during infancy. Because he must be a very good practitioner of Legilimency."

"I get it," The teen sighed. "So, how do I resist?"

"It's largely the same to trying to state awake. Because that's what possession is, I shut down your brain for a time and take all bodily functions on myself. Occlumency is largely the same — shake off the veil that is put over your eyes. Keep your mind active. There are different strategies we can try. Let's start with the simplest one, the one I labelled 'Fenton white noise tactic'," seeing the confusion on the teen's face, Danny continued. "Simply try thinking of anything that comes to mind, feed your opponent garbage instead of the actual information, like composition of different Quidditch teams, the different uses of Mandrake or the increased price of milk. Anything goes. But there is a downside, care to guess?"

"I can think of something important by accident?"

"Yep," Danny nodded. "And that knowledge will be like an open book. So there are risks if you are not good enough.

"What are the other ways?"

"The opposite of the former. Completely emptying your mind. Will doom you against me, because a vacant place is easy to take, but against Voldemort it can work wonders. THIS is legilimency. And I'm ashamed to say that I have no way of properly training this," Danny sighed. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright, professor...maybe you could try my wand?" Harry showed it to Fenton.

The halfa chuckled and shook his head. "Harry, you know that my problem is not the lack of wand."

"But have you tried? Maybe it's just those wands just refused to work."

Danny's lips thinned. "My own wand betrayed me at some point. Can't expect some random one to work."

"I've never heard of wands doing that..."

"Well, there's at least one," Danny remarked. "Anyways...we need to find a way of training you..."

"Hm..." Harry scratched his temple. "Sir, you said that emptying my mind is the key, but you will take over my body immediately?"

"Yes."

"But can you fixate how well I do it?"

"Theoretically," Danny then realised what the boy was getting at. "Oh, I see. So instead of you trying to resist my possession, you train how to open yourself to my attacks as much as possible...This might work."

-Linebreak-

"Babypop...what are we doing?" Asked Ember.

"What does it look like?" Responded Danny and lowered the colourful binoculars.

"Like we are stalking a bunch of children," the girl crossed her hands, blowing the hair away from her eyes.

"We aren't 'stalking'," Danny sighed. "I'm just making sure that Harry does it right."

"Dipstick, this is Valentine's day, not the Rapture," Ember deadpanned.

Everyone passing the couple gave them occasional odd glances, but the people of Hogsmeade mostly ignored them, too preoccupied with their own celebration.

"I know, Em. I just feel like checking."

"Why would you...wait," the girl cackled through her palm. "You were giving him advice, weren't you?"

Danny rewarded her with a dry stare.

"Oh Ancients, you were!" Ember started laughing openly. "Oh. The poor guy is fucked. And not in a good way."

"Should you be saying this as my girlfriend?" Danny asked, before receiving a kiss on the cheek.

"I love you, Babypop, but you are the last person I would ask."

"You can leave if you want," Danny sighed.

"And miss the result of your impeccable mentoring? Fat chance," the girl snatched the only binoculars. "You still owe me the chocolate."

The halfa blinked before shaking his head. "I promise," he chuckled. After all, she had gifted him hers, surprisingly enough. She really was a softie beneath it all. Luckily, he had already bought the treat. "Oh, here they are!" He said in a hushed tone, hiding behind the corner.

The two spectres watched how Harry and Cho Chang were walking down the Hogsmeade street. They didn't seem to be conversing much, and it was evident that the awkward silence was weighing on them.

"I told him to just speak on whatever he wanted," Danny mumbled.

"Well, he must have done that," Ember commented.

Was he really at fault here? The halfa was slowly starting to feel guilt.

"So...how do we change this?" He asked.

"Hm. We have to untie their tongues."

"I'm suddenly having second thoughts..."

But he didn't have the time to finish, as Ember excitedly grabbed his hand and pulled him after herself. They may have possessed ghost powers that allowed to turn invisible, but it seemed that both of them were enveloped by a sense of adventure, also known as, yes, stalking. So, they tried to blend in, but it was admittedly very hard, especially since an occasional student would come and say hello to the professor. The plan was to instigate a talk. Danny knew that both of the teens were seekers of their respective Quidditch teams, so that was probably the most nutritious soil. But how to give them a clue... Ember had him beat. She grabbed a barker from another end of the square, the one who was advertising the recent additions to the shop of sport gear, and pulled him closer to the two, while Harry and Cho were staring at the windows of another shop. Fearing Ember's look, the barker continued his job from a new spot.

"Well, they seem to be talking now," Danny commented, as he saw the two pivot towards the shop.

"Watch and learn, Dipstick. The most beautiful cupid is at play," Ember smirked.

"Since when are you a cupid?"

"Since I managed to hump the prince," she pointed her finger at him and clicked her tongue.

"Fair enough," Danny shrugged.

"Well, they should be there for a while..." Ember smirked. "Let's go somewhere until then."

"They shouldn't be that long, they are probably just going to stare at the displays."

"Come ooon, Babypop," she took his hand. "I don't wanna just sit around. Let's grab some booze."

"Aw, I thought you'd go there," Danny pointed at Madam Puddifoot's teashop, specifically decorated for Valentine's day, stuffed with pink, cheesy decorations like haggis with foul intestines.

"I think I will hurl," Ember groaned. "What?" She asked the smiling young man. And his smile did have some gloom in it.

"You just reminded me of someone. Doesn't matter. If we want to keep tabs, we are really ought to stick close."

Ember's lips thinned. Her interests were often this inconsistent, and since she was aiding, the girl was willingly denying but she didn't want to leave Danny to his devices, still. So, they waited until the two teens left the shop in somewhat lifted mood. The scheme seemed to have worked, but the next stop on their way was the dreaded pink teashop.

"Do we have to come in?" Ember whined.

"Cannot say I'm excited to go, either. Besides, we will be easily spotted unless we stay invisible all the time."

"I thought you'd want to dress as a waiter and put on fake moustache."

"Would I look good with those?"

"Honestly, no. My shoe will be prettier."

Danny pouted. "You'll still love me, won't you?"

"I will, Babypop," she fondled his cheek. "But it will just hurt each second I have to look at you."

The halfa sighed, taking the moustache from his pocket and throwing those into the nearest bin.

"Wait...you actually..."

"Let's go to the broomsticks," Danny responded curtly.

Besides, he reasoned that Harry really needed to do things himself. He had advised that very same thing, after all. Perhaps it was secretly a desire to actually see if his methods of interacting with women actually had some merit, if he had inadvertently done SOMETHING to earn Ember's affection. Because he wasn't even sure if the one-way effort satisfied him.

The two spectres were originally intending to hit the tavern, but Danny was suddenly enveloped by a sense of self-reflection. He wanted to make Ember feel loved, too. His invisible duplicate was already on his way to fetch the present, and a detour was also made. Ember was curious about certain wizarding candies, and the effects they could have on ghosts. So, the sweet emporium was a place where they spent some time, eagerly burning through the common wallet. As it turned out, candies that did not strongly affect the body worked fine for her. But it was a good time, and they did have many laughs along the way.

Eventually, as Ember was munching on apple rings from the paper bag, the two of them finally reached their destination.

"Hello, Danny," said Rosmerta. "You came here for usual? Or the special celebratory one?"

"Celebratory butterbeer?" Danny raised an eyebrow.

"No, the celebratory cocktail. Strongly recommend, but only the first ones will be on the house."

Ember was the one to respond, "Hey, lady. Gimme this stuff already."

"Em..."

The girl sighed. "Please."

Rosmerta huffed good-naturedly and nodded. "Very well, you can sit there," she pointed at a couple of free seats.

"I'll be back," Ember whispered, before heading in direction of a restroom.

Once she was gone, Rosmerta leaned forward.

"Everyone here is wondering, Danny-boy," she said. "How come you get along with someone so different?"

"What do you mean?" Asked the halfa.

"Come on. You are polite, helpful. She, on the other hand..."

Danny narrowed his eyes. "This is my business, ma'am. She hasn't done anything while I was gone, has she?"

"Except from angering several of my customers with her remarks? No, I don't think so..."

At this Danny chuckled. "Then me and her are more similar than you think. You just haven't been on the receiving end of mine."

Rosmerta nodded and went back to the counter, as Danny slowly headed for his seat.

But he didn't make it there without a small incident.

"Hello there, could I take a moment of your time?"

The overly cheery tone made Danny think that Umbridge had decided to exchange her kitten cups for a beer mug, but no. Turning around, he saw a mid aged woman with unkempt blonde hair, who eyed him with curiosity.

"Uhm...can I help you?" Danny tilted his head.

"Are you, by any chance, professor Fenton?"

The halfa blinked and crossed his hands. "Yes, that would be me. What do you need?" He asked politely.

"I couldn't help but notice that the subject of many rumours across Britain walked in with a woman just as curious."

"Skeeter! Stop bothering him!"

From the crowd emerged Hermione, who was glaring daggers at the woman.

"I'm sorry, professor. She just doesn't know when to sit down and wait."

"No problem, Hermione...but who are you?" He turned to Skeeter.

"I am..."

"Was."

"...a journalist for the Daily Prophet," the woman spoke not without certain dignity.

"Alright. So is there any particular reason you two are hanging around together?"

"This is what I'd like to know myself, but miss Perfect is not telling me, until Potter chooses to come," Rita sighed dramatically. "But I'd love to interview you as well while we are at it. Is it true that your parents were killed in an incident of accidental magic?"

"Listen here..." Hermione started.

"It's alright, Hermione, thank you," Danny chuckled. "That's actually one of the tamest theories, I'm pleasantly surprised. But no, it was a purposeful murder by a now dead Dark Wizard."

It...wasn't exactly a lie.

"Then..."

"What did I miss, Babypop?" came a voice from behind Danny, before Ember emerged, putting her head on Danny's shoulder.

Hermione blinked. Her face seemed oddly familiar...

"Look, I don't give interviews," Danny spoke. "We are kinda busy. She is a journalist, Ember."

"Wait...Ember, as in Ember McLain?" Asked Hermione.

"Well, well. Someone's got the taste in this hole," Ember smirked and pulled her hair back.

"But I thought you were a muggle singer," Hermione mumbled thoughtfully.

"Meh, I just don't stick around for long. I'm here only for Dipstick," the diva chuckled.

Hermione wondered just what could bring together an auror for hire and a rock singer, but it was evidently not the time to ask, especially since she finally saw her friend far in the crowd.

"Harry! We are here!" She called.

Both spectres turned towards the boy, who was now alone. And that filled Danny's stomach with dread. He was back far too quickly. Still, he tried not to show this.

"You are quite early," the girl said, "We weren't expecting you for another hour."

"There's...I'll tell you later," Harry sighed. "Oh, hello professor."

"Eh...yeah, good day to you, too, Harry," the halfa smiled, before feeling a hand on his own.

"Come on, Babypop, we have our own things to do," said Ember and started pulling Danny away, sensing his discomfort.

"Tell me later how it was, Harry!" The halfa called over his shoulder.

And once they were seated at their chairs, with the tasty beverage nearby, the ghost girl looked at her boyfriend.

"It's probably not even your fault, Danny," she tried to reassure.

"I hope you are right," he mumbled, tapping on the table. "Still, something must have gone wrong."

"You are worrying too much. It's not your life, Babypop. Let kids be dumb as always."

"Coming from you it sounds rich," Danny chuckled. "Alright. I'll ask him later. Until then..."

"Let it be just the two of us."