My pitch black cloak whipped around in the wind as I shot through the night sky. I knew exactly where to go; not only could I see the location inside my mind, I could also feel the huge amount of magical energy looming in the distance.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, indeed.

I had a simple goal, one that was unlikely to go wrong in any way that could harm me or anyone else in the long run. In an immediate sense, however, there was something that might cause a bit of trouble: the school's wards. If I was correct, I should be able to pass through because of my good intentions, but I wasn't sure if it would hurt or not.

Well, knowing my luck, it probably would.

Sensing that I was almost at my destination, I picked up speed and braced myself. With a crackle of violent energy, my body slammed into the wards. I counted myself lucky that I had thought to turn back my clock to the correct age for a first year before I got here. The decrease in size helped reduce the burning sensation of the magic.

With a surge of white energy, I rocketed through the barrier and tumbled to the ground with a grunt of pain. I groaned softly from where I lay face-down on the grass, but jolted upright when a deep, kindly chuckle reached my ears. A man with an extremely long beard and half-moon glasses was standing a few meters away, gazing at me with a spark of curiosity in his eyes.

"Who are you?" I blurted out thoughtlessly, too busy examining the sheer amount of power this man held to think of moving my mouth.

The man blinked in surprise, then smiled warmly. "I believe that I should ask the same of you."

Smiling sheepishly, I nodded, "Yeah, good point. Sorry for my manners. I have a lot of names, but my most well-known title is Chronos."

The man's eyes widened, the spark evolving into an enthusiastic twinkle as he responded, "It's a distinct pleasure to meet you. I am Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, or simply Professor Dumbledore to my students. I am the headmaster of the school you are attempting to invade," He paused, observing the apologetic wince I sent his way, "An action which, I am sure, has a perfectly reasonable explanation."

Rubbing the back of my neck in discomfort (a habit I never outgrew), I smiled toothily, "Y-yeah, actually. I came to check for two names on the list of first-years that'll be attending this year." I didn't miss the slight flinch when the Headmaster saw my sharp fangs. I didn't let it bother me; it's not like there was anything I could do about the fangs anyway.

"Which names?" Professor Dumbledore inquired, shaking off his mild shock.

"Harry Potter and Daniel Nightingale." My response was firm and my voice didn't waver, but I did groan internally at the name 'Daniel'.

The Headmaster was once again intrigued by my words, obviously not expecting to hear the name of the child he left on a doorstep a decade ago. I imagined he was expecting it even less from a spirit that introduced itself as the literal master of time.

"Why, may I ask, are you interested in those two boys in particular? Surely, a spirit of your caliber has more important things to worry about."

Snorting in amusement, I closed my eyes briefly as I scanned a few of the immediate timelines. Maybe honesty was the best course of action this time around? I nodded to myself and responded, "A spirit of my caliber, hmm? I'm about to tell you something that literally no one else in this world knows. Are you prepared for that?" I spoke in a mock-serious tone, but garnered a genuine response.

"In that case, we should move this discussion to a more secure place. Come, to my office." With that, Dumbledore turned and strode towards the castle's entrance. I followed silently after him, taking in the medieval-style exterior and interior until we reached a gargoyle-like statue.

"Now what?"

"Gingersnaps."

"Wha-" I cut myself off when the statue moved, revealing a staircase, "Oh. Gotcha."

Albus raised an eyebrow again. "I was under the impression that you, as the spirit of time, knew all."

I shrugged. "Potentially. I can see all possible timelines whenever I want, but it's really tiring to do that constantly. That and I've only been the time spirit for a relatively short time," Heh. Time, "In a few more years I might be as good as you thought I already was… but I like surprises."

By the time I finished my explanation, we were both seated comfortably in chairs inside the Headmaster's office. He nodded in comprehension. "I see. Does that mean that your physical age matches your real age, or perhaps your time spent as a spirit after death?"

"Neither," I admitted with a shake of my head, "That's actually the main topic of the discussion I wanted to have. See, I never died, but I wasn't born a spirit either. Because of this, I an an incredibly rare subspecies of spirit. The only term I can give you is a slur, unfortunately: halfa."

"That name… it suggests that you are-"

"Yep." I interrupted, "I'm a half-spirit, half-human hybrid. I know that wizards don't approve of half-humans, but I'm sorry to say that you don't have a say in the matter at this point."

"No, no, I certainly won't hold it against you. I must ask, however - how could such a creature even come to exist?" Albus' voice dripped with confusion.

"There are only three of my kind to ever exist. Two - my uncle and I - were caught in the opening of a portal between two dimensions. We both became living spirits. The difference is that he was contaminated with high levels of ectoplasm, or spirit energy, while I was caught directly between the dimensions. That's why I am far stronger than him, despite having twenty years less experience."

Albus had a strange look on his face, equal parts pity and the ever-present curiosity. "And the third?"

"My sister. She was created by my uncle by accident, and because of that she was born, for lack of a better term, as a half-spirit." I smiled sadly at the thought of Danielle. I missed her, I really did, but she would be happier the way things were now.

"I… I see. And what does any of this have to do with those two children?" The man questioned, nodding his head slowly.

"Right," I relented, "Since I'm half-human, I do have a human form and a human name. My name is Daniel Nightingale, though I prefer to be called Danny." As I said this, I shifted to my human form. I think Dumbledore just gave up on the situation at that point, since he didn't seem all that shocked at the action.

With a smile, he accepted the information. "You've been through quite a bit for such a young child, haven't you?"

"I'm not a child," I grumbled, pouting slightly with my arms crossed, "I'm actually eighteen! You can't judge based on appearances, sir, especially when you know the sort of feats magic can achieve."

Dumbledore allowed me that with a considering look. "Of course, I apologize. Now, am I correct in assuming that you are here to protect and guide Mr. Potter?"

"Of course. He will be in the center of most of the wizarding world's major events for the next few years, and if we don't want Dark Prince GloomGloom to become a thing he's going to need a lot of support from someone with good ideas. That is, someone who he feels comfortable with, like a kid his age, but with better reasoning than a normal eleven-year-old." I wasn't a fan of being vague, but I did want to explain my reasoning somewhat. The poor kid had already been abused by non-magical humans for his whole life, I wasn't about to let him go without support for the rest of it if I could help.

Luckily for everyone involved, the Headmaster seemed to agree. "Of course. I imagine that there is no better person for this role than the Master of Time himself. If you believe this is the best course of action, I will trust your judgement, and ensure that both you and your ward can attend, though I strongly suspect that you had no true reason to worry."

"True, but you know what they say. Better safe than sorry." I joked, transforming and floating up from my chair - my business here was done, "I have another errand to run before I should return to our friend, so if you don't mind, I'll see you another day."

"Ah, Mr. Nightingale?" Albus stood from his own chair, stopping me from leaving, "One more question, if you will?"

"Um, sure."

"You speak without moving your mouth. Why is this?"

"Oh, that's simple! I'm using thought projection to speak, since my vocal chords aren't functional. In other words, I'm technically mute." I explained casually, having long since stopped being bothered by it. It's not healthy to dwell on such things for two years, especially since it didn't really affect me in the long run. "Is that a good enough answer?"

The Headmaster allowed me that much. "Of course, of course. Thank you, Mr. Nightingale."

"Danny is fine, sir. I would say Mr. Nightingale was my dad, but I actually just prefer informality with people I consider allies."

"In that case, I suppose I'll see you again soon, Danny."

Word Count: 1611

I know there are questions, but they will all be answered in due time. You can feel free to ask, anyway; I might answer a few questions directly.

Thank you for reading, and please have a nice evening!