Chapter 5: The Prisoner

At the appearance of the knight, everyone in the entrance hall seemed to become frozen with shock. All but Danny of course.

The knight pounded his right arm across his chest and bowed slightly to Danny. "My Liege." His voice was dark and echoed out from behind his helmet, his glowing eyes the only thing visible through the small slit.

"Fright Night, I'm sorry but this is an emergency." Danny apologized, crossing his arms over his chest. "I've recently learned that Dan has been released and is now helping an extremely dark wizard."

Fright Night stiffened. "The Dark One has been released? Do you know by whom?"

Danny glared. "Plasmius."

Fright Night immediately unsheathed his sword, which too was flaming, and brandished it beside him. "I shall hunt him down and punish him. He shall not be able to escape me for long."

Danny held up a hand, halting the Knight's actions. "You shall do no such thing. We can deal with Plasmius later. Dan is the bigger issue. That's why I'm calling." He blew out a breath. "I need to stop Dan and help the Wizarding World in this war, but that means I cannot be in the Ghost Zone as often as I should be. I need you to take over my duties for the time being. Unless it's a true emergency or something you know I need to take care of personally. Do you understand?"

Fright Night nodded before sheathing his sword once again. "I do my Liege. However, there is an issue that I fear you must attend to personally first. I was about to send a messenger to you when you called."

Danny's eyes narrowed. "What happened?"

"A human appeared in the Ghost Zone several weeks ago, injured but alive."

Danny stiffened. "What? Why wasn't I informed immediately?"

"I've only just learned this myself my Lord." Fright Night clarified. "It appears that the human came through an old, stable portal. One that hasn't been used in many years. It also happens to be located very closely to the prison."

Danny clenched his teeth. "Walker."

Fright Night bowed. "Indeed Sire. Walker apprehended the human and threw him in prison."

Danny started to pace. "I've told Walker a million times that his rules do not overcome the law! Humans in the Ghost Zone is not against the Zone law!"

"I've expressed this to him myself, my Lord, when I went to verify the human's predicament. Walker refused to release the human to me or my men and, as you know, he has control of all the prison enforcement officers." Fright Night's voice grew frustrated.

"No, I wouldn't imagine he would give up the human easily." Danny griped, running a hand through his hair. "Very well, I shall leave in a moment and attend to the matter. Then I must return here." He gave Fright Night a hard look. "I trust you will handle my affairs accordingly."

Fright Night pounded his arm across his chest once more. "You have my word, My Liege."

Danny stared at him for another moment before nodding. "Very well, dismissed."

Fright Night's image disappeared from the blue beam which shown brightly for a second or two before vanishing back into the metal device.

Danny blew out a frustrated breath before rubbing a hand down his face. As if he didn't have enough problems to deal with.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!"

He jumped. Oh yeah, he forgot about everyone else.

Mrs. Weasley was the one who had shouted. Her face was almost completely drained of color and her eyes were so wide they appeared close to falling straight out of her head. Looking around, Danny saw that her reaction wasn't that far off from everyone else's. Ron looked like a small breath of wind would knock him over. Hermione looked almost frantic, her eyes darting from the device to Danny and back again. Mr. Weasley was staring at the device intently, trying to figure out how it worked. And Harry was staring at Danny with a wary expression, as though he was suddenly unsure about their new ghostly friend.

Danny sighed. He didn't have time for this. "Well, since you all heard everything, I don't have to waste time explaining. I have to go to the Ghost Zone real quick and then I'll be back. Should only be gone for an hour, maybe two."

He scooped up his device and started making his way towards his backpack, which seemed to snap everyone else out of their stupor.

"Now wait just one moment!" Mrs. Weasley blustered. "You aren't going anywhere! You are under the protection of the Order!"

Danny narrowed his eyes. "No, I'm not. I am here to stop Dan. I do not need your protection. If anything, I am here to protect you." He shoved his device back into his bag. "I am still the Ghost King, which means I have responsibilities. This human is locked up in Walker's jail and I am the only one who can get him out."

"Why?" Hermione blurted out, flushing slightly when Danny looked at her. "Why are you the only one who can do it? I mean, I guessed it has to do with the whole King thing but…"

Danny shook his head. "No, actually it has nothing to do with me being King. It has to do with the fact that Walker and I have a history, a bad one. I was sentenced to one thousand years in Walker's prison for bringing a human object into the Ghost Zone." He rolled his eyes. "I then proceeded to break out with all the prisoners."

"He sentenced you to one thousand years? Just for having a human object?" Harry asked, appalled. That was worse than what the Ministry tried to do to him last year.

Danny shrugged. "Yeah, then, after I broke out, Walker turned my town against me by overshadowing the mayor and made it seem like I kidnapped him."

Ron's brow furrowed. "What's overshadowing?"

Danny smirked. "I'll show you." His eyes flared a luminescent green before he vanished from sight.

Harry looked around. "Um, what is he - ?"

Ron cut him off, his eyes now the same green Danny's had been before he vanished. "This is overshadowing." His voice, too, was the same as Danny's. "It's where I can take over another person's body completely." He smirked at their surprised faces before leaving Ron's body. He reappeared in the same spot he was before he overshadowed Ron. Ron, who didn't remember anything the moment Danny took over his body, looked around at everyone staring at him.

"What? Did I miss something?"

Hermione leaned over and quietly whispered to him what Danny had done. Ron's face turned pale. "But-! I don't remember any of that!"

Danny shrugged. "Yeah, no one ever does. My best friend, who I overshadow when he's annoying me," he smirked, "has no idea what I make him do but he's become aware enough that he now knows when I do do it." His smirk fell when he realized he spent way too much time explaining things and he needed to go now. "I'll explain more later but I really need to go. I'll be back soon. Goin' Ghost!" He suddenly cried, widening his stance as his transformation took hold.

The others stared in wide eyed disbelief as a glowing white ring appeared around Danny's waist before splitting in two, each ring traveling in opposite directions revealing a completely different appearance once the rings have passed. Once the rings disappeared, Danny was almost unrecognizable. Where before he was wearing a t-shirt and jeans, he now sported a skin tight black and white jumpsuit. The main part of the suit was black, but the gloves, belt and boots were a soft white. A symbol was blazed across his chest of what looked like a spiked D with a P on the inside. His raven hair was replaced with hair the color of snow and his once blue eyes were now a brilliant green which stood out on his now pale skin.

This was Danny Phantom.

He waved his hand, which glowed the same luminescent green as his eyes, through the air next to him creating a portal to the Ghost Zone.

The last time he fought Dan, Dan had used that same power to send Danny into the Ghost Zone. It took Danny a really long time, and a lot of training sessions with Wolf, before he got it right. It came in handy during moments like this, where his parent's portal was no longer an option.

The portal was wide enough to show everyone a small glimpse of the Ghost Zone. The dark, sickly green of the Zone made the others shiver involuntarily while the floating doors created confusion. Danny barely took notice of their reactions before he lifted off the ground and flew into the portal, which closed behind him.

The room was silent once the portal vanished. Everyone staring at the spot it previously inhabited with incredulity.

"That. Was. Wicked." Ron's voice was hardly above a whisper but loud enough it broke everyone out of their stupor.

Mrs. Weasley gave herself a violent shake before speaking in a trembling voice, "W-well, there's nothing we can do about this now." She then slowly went back up the stairs, Mr. Weasley right behind her in fear that she might topple over.

Hermione was biting her lip. "I don't know how I feel about that power of his."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "What? Creating portals like that is pretty cool. Gotta be easier on him, I reckon."

She shook her head. "Not that one! His overshadowing one." She lowered her eyes as her voice turned softer. "Don't you think it's a lot like the Imperious Curse?"

Harry grew cold. He hadn't even thought about it like that.

"I mean," she bit her lip again, "forcing someone to do something against their will? That's exactly what the Imperious Curse does."

Ron was looking troubled but tried to defend their new friend. "I don't think Danny uses his powers like that. He seems like a good bloke."

"Yes, but he did say he uses it on his best friend when he annoys him." Hermione argued.

"You mean the same best friend that is going to be coming here soon?" Harry raised an eyebrow. "Hermione, I think if his best friend knows Danny does it, and still considers him his best friend, then I don't think it's as bad as you think it is."

Her face scrunched up. "Maybe he's alright with it, but I'm not." She huffed before crossing her arms and marched out of the hall.

Harry and Ron looked at each other.

"Merlin, I don't think Danny realizes what's waiting for him here." Ron whispered to Harry, not wanting Hermione's keen ears to hear him.

Harry could only nod.

~o0o~

Danny flew through the Ghost Zone, his legs having transformed into his Ghost Tail so that he could move faster. He was incredibly frustrated. Even after becoming King, there were still a few enemies of his that refused to change their ways. Walker was one of them. The other big annoyance was Skulker, who was still determined to hunt Danny until he had his pelt hanging on his wall.

Amazingly, all of Danny's other ghostly enemies seemed to accept Danny's new role as King rather graciously. They had agreed to stop trying to invade the human world as much as they used to but they were allowed to every once in a while, to satisfy their obsession (if it is a part of their obsession that is). Most ghosts don't feel the desire to come to the human world, preferring to stay in their own realms. Others, like the Box Ghost, were no real threat at all and so were pretty much left alone.

When Danny was first told he was the new Ghost King, he tried to deny it. Until Clockwork told him about all the good he could do as King that is. While Pariah Dark was the first and only King of the Ghost Zone, he was by no means loved by anyone, so when news of Danny's new title became known, most of the Zone rejoiced. Because while Danny was by no means the most popular ghost in the Zone, he was the most honorable. Even when his enemies had been forced to work with him before, they all grudgingly agreed that Danny was undeniably a Good Ghost. A true rarity in the Ghost Zone. Therefore, there were only a very few that were truly upset about Danny's ascent to the throne. Walker among them, as one of the first things Danny did as King was to create the Zone Laws, which were to be followed by all members of the Ghost Zone and which trumped Walker's ridiculous Book of Rules.

Because Danny is half human and his family and friends are human, the rule of no humans or human objects allowed in the Ghost Zone was immediately abolished, as well as Walker's entire list of rules which, once Danny had had a proper read through, were deemed completely ridiculous and over the top. Danny had ordered Walker to give up on his rules and follow the Zone Laws, of which he is required to. Walker's rules were not part of his obsession. His obsession centered around his prison and keeping the prisoners in order. His ridiculous rules were of his own making once his power got to his head. Occasionally Danny would have to forcibly remind Walker of this, like right now for example.

And if Walker ever gave him trouble, one of his best and most trusted warriors would help straighten him out.

Danny started to slow his speed when he noticed the prison ahead. It was a dark and shabby place, floating in the middle of nothing like all Ghost Realms do. The barbed wire and armed guards enough to discourage anyone from trying something funny.

Unless they were Danny, of course.

Danny knew he was spotted the moment he saw one of the guards take off flying back inside the prison, probably to warn Walker. He descended down until he was floating right above the guards at the gate, the two guards stationed there staring at him in nervousness. Danny narrowed his eyes at them.

"I trust you know why I'm here. Do not make me any angrier than I already am." He practically growled at them, his previous frustration, which faded as he flew, coming back with a vengeance.

The guards immediately opened the gate before bowing so low, their heads almost went past their tails. Danny gave a curt nod before transforming his tail back into his legs, landed on the ground, and waltzed right through, guards stationed outside all bowing to him as he walked past which Danny tried hard not to notice. That's one of the things he hated most about being King.

The prison's doors opened as soon as he got near them, leading to an empty courtyard except for three ghosts standing/floating in wait.

Walker was standing in the middle of the yard, two guards flanked him, floating a good foot off the ground. Walker's white suit and skin seemed to shine brighter against the green of the guards next to him as he stared at Danny with a mixture of smugness and nervousness. A strange combination that only Walker seemed to pull off.

He gave a mocking bow to Danny as his guards gave their usual deep ones.

"My Lord, to what do I owe this pleasure?" His deep voice had a mocking tone, red eyes shined with frustration.

Danny glared, feeling some satisfaction when the three of them stiffened up in nervousness. "You know exactly why I'm here Walker. Fright Night has already spoken to you about it."

Walker ground his teeth subtly. "Ah, yes, the human." He practically spat. He jutted out his chin. "I was only keeping him here until he was healthy once more, Sire. As I'm sure Fright Night told you, he was quite injured when he arrived. I've only been making sure he received the proper care before sending him on his way."

Danny raised an eyebrow, anger bubbling up through his chest. "And you didn't bring him to Frostbite why? He is the one in charge of human injuries after all."

He shifted. "I just figured that since he appeared almost at my front gate, it would be more prudent, Sire, if I were to have him looked after here."

Danny narrowed his eyes. "Bring me to him. And you and I will be having words about this later, Walker."

Walker bowed again, his eyes glinting with hatred. "As you wish, Sire."

He turned around and began to march through one of the many halls, cells lining each side. Some with occupants, most without. Ever since Danny threw away Walker's Book of Rules, Walker had to release most of his prisoners, to his great frustration. He hadn't been able to arrest as many ghosts either, since the new Laws are easy enough for the ghosts to follow. Hence the newfound hatred for Danny.

They proceeded to walk for several more minutes before arriving in the newer wing of the prison. The wing was created just after Danny had first met Walker and they both learned that humans can phase through the Ghost Zone as if they were the ghosts. This wing was made so that humans could no longer have that ability.

There were only a few cells in this section of the prison, as there wasn't any need for more, and only one was occupied. In a dark cell at the end of the hall a figure was hunched into a ball on the small, uncomfortable bed. His hair was dark and matted and his clothes were dirty and ripped. He had his knees pulled up and his head tucked down, his arms wrapped around his knees. He didn't move when they stopped in front of his cell.

Danny felt a mixture of anger and sadness. Anger at Walker for doing this in the first place, and sadness that this man is probably terrified being here.

"What's his name?" Danny kept his voice soft, trying not to scare the prisoner any more than he already was which seemed to fail as the poor man flinched so hard, he almost fell off the bed. He didn't lift his head.

"We don't know, he hasn't said anything since he arrived." Walker's voice was almost bored.

Danny turned to him. "Open the door."

Walker ground his teeth but pulled a key out of his pocket, slipped it into the lock and opened the door with a loud 'clang'.

The prisoner flew himself off his bed and scrambled to the far corner of the cell. His face was visible now. He looked like he was once handsome but now his face had a sunken quality to it. Like he hadn't had food in years. His eyes were a dark grey, almost black and they shown with pure terror as they stared at Danny and Walker.

Danny softened his expression and slowly entered the cell, raising his hands to show he means no harm. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. My name is Danny. I'm here to get you out of here and bring you home."

The man didn't react. Either he didn't hear Danny (unlikely) or he didn't believe a word of it, which Danny couldn't blame him for.

"I know you're scared." Danny said softly. "You don't belong here. I can take you back to the human world but you have to trust me. I just want to help."

The man swallowed, his gaze swinging from Danny to Walker. "W-what is t-this place?" he croaked, his voice harsh from disuse and hydration.

Danny kneeled down, not wanting to crowed the man. "This is the Ghost Zone. It's a sort of parallel world to the one you're from. You came here through a portal but this is not where you belong. I can take you back."

"H-how?" he whispered, his eyes wide.

Danny gave a soft smile. "I can create portals to the human world and Ghost Zone. I can take you back and bring you somewhere safe where you can heal."

He swallowed. "H-how do I k-know you're telling the t-truth?"

Danny held out a hand. "You're just going to have to trust me."

The man stared at Danny's extended hand for almost a minute before he slowly reached forward and grasped it. His grip was weak and his hand was bony but Danny tried not to think about it at the moment. He helped the man stand, albeit shakily, before he started leading him out the cell. He gave Walker one last glare before helping the man shuffle slowly down the hall. It took them almost twice as long to reach the courtyard as the man could barely walk, let alone walk normally. Once they reached the yard, Danny removed one of his hands holding the man up and held it out in front of him before giving it a slight wave, creating another portal that would lead to his parent's house.

The man jumped and almost fell to the ground, Danny's hand on his arm the only reason he remained standing. "Sorry!" Danny apologized quickly. "I forgot to warn you about that. This portal will take us to the human world. Don't worry, you'll be completely safe.

The man swallowed before giving a shaky nod. Danny grabbed him once more and gently flew them through the portal, arriving not moments later in his parents living room. The man stumbled as soon as the portal closed behind them so Danny had to almost drag him over to his parent's couch. The man collapsed on the couch just as Danny heard his mother come through the kitchen into the living room.

"Danny! What are you doing here? I thought you were going to be gone for a while!" She said, confused. She rushed over and gave him a hug all the same. He had only been gone not even two days and she already missed him.

"Sorry mom, there was an issue in the Ghost Zone I had to take care of." He looked at the man who was now watching mother and son in confusion.

Maddie noticed the frail man for the first time. She gasped, her hands flying over her mouth. "Oh, you poor thing! What happened to you?" She rushed over to him and immediately threw the blanket on the back of the couch over his shoulders. The man watched her in an almost fond way, like she reminded him of someone he knows.

Maddie did a double take when she noticed Danny's appearance. "Danny, you're still a ghost."

"Oh! Right," Danny quickly changed back, almost forgetting the rules of the house. No being Phantom in the house unless it was an emergency. The house weapons still needed to be reprogrammed to ignore Danny's ghostly signature.

The man jumped at Danny's transformation, staring at him in befuddlement. "What are you?"

Danny shifted. "Um, sorry. Really should have explained that before. My name is Danny, I'm actually half-ghost. This is my mom, Maddie." He gestured to his mom who was coming back from the kitchen with a steaming cup of coffee.

"I didn't know how you take it, if you take it at all," she amended, having noticed his British accent, "but I just put a little cream and sugar in it. Figured it would help you get warm and give you a little energy boost. We don't have any tea." She said apologetically.

The man stared at Danny a little more before gently taking the steaming cup from Maddie. "Coffee is fine. Thank you." He took a sip and immediately a little tension seeped out of his shoulders. "Thank you, for getting me out of there." He said, giving Danny a grateful look.

He smiled. "It was no problem. What happened to you was against Zone Law. You never should have been there."

The man raised an eyebrow. "Zone Law?"

"Yeah," Danny nodded. "The Ghost Zone has its own set of laws. One of which is that it is not illegal for a human or human object to be in the Ghost Zone. If a human were to find itself transported to the Ghost Zone, a ghost called Frostbite is supposed to be notified and he would give medical attention, if needed, and get them back to the human world. Walker," Danny scowled, "has a hard time letting go of the past. That's why I had to go personally."

"Why you?" he asked, his head tilted slightly. "You're only a teenager."

Danny smirked. "I also happen to be the King of the Ghost Zone."

His eyes widened. "Oh, well… I guess that explains it then." His voice was slightly sarcastic.

Danny smiled. "By the way, I never did get your name."

The man swallowed the last of his coffee before replying. "Sirius. Sirius Black."

Danny's brow furrowed. Sirius… wasn't that the name of Harry's godfather that died a few weeks ago? And this man appeared in the Ghost Zone a few weeks ago…

"Tell me," Danny said slowly, watching Sirius's reaction closely, "do you happen to know a Harry Potter?"

Sirius leapt to his feet, his expression a mixture of fear and protectiveness. "How do you know Harry?!"

Danny raised his hands. "I met him a few days ago. He told me his godfather, Sirius, died a few weeks ago. Is that you?"

Sirius's mouth gaped open slightly before sinking back down to the couch. "He thinks I'm dead?"

Danny wasn't entirely sure whether Sirius was really Harry's godfather or not but there was always one way to find out. "Okay, I think it's time to go."

Maddie rushed up to Danny and gave him a hug. "Oh, I wish you could stay longer. Do you want me to say anything to Sam and Tucker?"

He smiled. "Nah, I'll just call them later. Or even come by later. We'll see. Come on Sirius, let's go."

Sirius gingerly got up from the couch, laying his empty coffee mug on the table. "Where are we going?"

Danny changed back into Phantom and created another portal. "To see if you are who you say you are." He said before grabbing Sirius's arm and pulled them both in the portal.