Life's Curse, Death Gift, written by SadieYuki, is a Danny Phantom and Harry Potter crossover in which Danny and Harry are twins.
Danny also has a scar that he has kept hidden after an incident when he was small, masking it with foundation but it burns occasionally but come the end of his Freshman Year, it burns like hell, it's worst yet. After that Danny finds himself in the wizarding world and discovers he has a family beyond his own and magic. There Danny has to choose to stay or go and learn magic and its world, reunite with old relations, and all the while hiding his ghostly secret from everyone.
The story’s main focus is on Danny and can be viewed on FF
and A03
This work has examples of the following tropes :
- Accidental Truth: Danny reveals to Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Fred and George while Harry is the boy who lived, he is the boy who is half-dead.
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Maddie Fenton is Lily Potter nee Evans' first cousin and whom Lily trusted to give her son Danny before she died. In addition in contrast to their canon series, Danny Fenton is the twin brother to Harry Potter.
- Age Lift: A minor example but Danny got his powers slightly earlier than canon. At 13 as opposed to 14.
- Always Identical Twins. Not the case with Harry and Danny who are fraternal but still are very alike. It is the case with Fred and George Weasley as per canon. Played for Laughs when Fred Weasley meets Danny and states they look nothing like twins, despite the only differences being their eye colour, the fact Harry wears glasses and scars.
- Ascended Extra: The Hufflepuff students get to be more detailed, since Danny is sorted there.
- Berserk Button: Danny’s family and friends not being safe in Amity Park and Danny's decision to go back to the Wizarding World was a minor inconvenience, which as Danny is fully aware is not. Ron pressed it the first time and Danny ran away from Grimmauld Place and no one could find him for hours, the second time it was Harry and Danny accidently revealed he was half-dead. In addition to disappearing again.
- Bodyguarding a Badass: Applies as Danny is hiding the fact he is a half ghost from everyone apart from Jazz and extension Tucker and Sam and while he is more than capable of looking after himself of external threats like witches and wizards, The Order of the Phoneix is unaware of that.
- Cain and Abel: Harry secretly worries about Danny turning against him, courtesy of his past experiences with the Wizarding World scapegoating him on a whim.
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: Both Harry and Danny exhibit this much to the other’s dismay.
- Cool Big Sis: Jazz may tease Danny (and actually be his second cousin), he nonetheless loves her and confides his doubts to her when he needs reassurance. Her being this actually causes part of Harry's envy towards Danny, as he was stuck with Dudley while Danny enjoyed an "ideal" relationship with Jazz. Jazz also suggests to Danny about duplicating himself to make it easier to catch up on his work and later for Danny to fake a brain aneurysm and goes into detail into how he can pull it off after his accidental confession
- Cool Uncle: Sirius to Danny. While he is also this to Harry, he plays more of a parental role. He is allowed to play the uncle role a lot more to Danny because Danny already has guardians and doesn’t need a parental figure.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: In-Universe. Danny is underestimated and no one is currently aware of his true strength or identity as Phantom who could defend himself from danger and foes like the Death Eaters.
- Demoted to Extra: Somewhat with Sam and Tucker. While Jazz still plays a major role on the sideline in her contacts with Danny, Sam and Tucker roles have been diminished somewhat, they show up in short scenes and phone calls to Danny, but since they are Locked Out of the Loop about the events surrounding Danny in Hogwarts, this trope applies
- Everyone Has Standards: No matter his relationship troubles with Danny, Harry awkwardly tries to comfort the other boy when Danny goes to pieces after seeing his boggart as his Bad Future self.
- Fish out of Water: As he's dragged in the Wizarding World, Danny naturally feels overwhelmed and lost in front of a whole new culture. Justin reassures him this is quite normal for a muggleborn to be a mess.
- Freudian Excuse: Sirius guesses Harry is so hostile towards Danny because he grew up with Dudley who enjoyed bullying him, so he's naturally reluctant to have a brother because the closest thing he had to one was utterly awful.
- Future Me Scares Me: Dan as it turns out in addition to being Danny's ultimate enemy is also his bogart.
- Glory Seeker: Zachariah Smith accuses Harry from claiming Voldemort is back because he wants the attention. The argument is thoroughly demolished by Danny who points how obviously uncomfortable Harry is with all the attention.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Harry deeply resents the fact that Danny got to grow up with loving parents and a Cool Big Sis while he was stuck with the Dursleys who couldn't care less if he dropped dead. He knows he's unfair towards Danny, but it's hard for him to let go of his envy.
- Irony: Played for Laughs. The only house Danny didn’t want to go in was Hufflepuff for its badger mascot, due to what Vlad nicknamed him as. He ends up in Hufflepuff.
- As it turns out Squibs are unable to tap into their energy vial in life with magical energy and are ostracized in society as a result but in death some have been able to fill it with ecto-energy becoming deeply powerful and even remember their past life. As opposed to most wizards who have become translucent and permanently intangible
- Locked Out of the Loop: Invoked by Danny to Sam and Tucker who don’t know he is a wizard and has to make up increasingly ludicrous excuses. Harry is also on the receiving end of it and is literally the last person in Grimmauld Place to find out he still has a twin and family alive. It doesn’t end well.
- Living Emotional Crutch:
Word of God confirms that at some point neither Harry or Danny would not want to be away from the other by the summer after their fifth year. It is yet to see why however. - Missed the Call: As it turns out Danny did get a letter from Hogwarts when he was eleven. He didn’t go in part because he didn’t believe in the letter's content at the time but also because he just met Sam.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: A Downplayed example with Danny. While he has shown progress in his work and studies over the summer, most are not aware of what he is truly capable off, as a Combat Pragmatist who has fought dozens of powerful and deadly ghosts who have threatened his hometown. Including the Ghost King Pariah Dark and his Evil Future Self, Dan.
- Oh, Crap!: Invoked several times by Danny when things tend to go sour. Including notably when he appears as Phantom in Hogwarts Great Hall.
- Our Ghosts Are Different. Discussed.
- Part of the problem Danny has is the ghosts in Amity Park and the one the Fentons hunts are very different from the ghosts at Hogwarts and other places in the Wizarding World. As it turns out this is a Justified case.
- As it turns out The Fat Friar explains the reasons why the two are different. The ghosts Danny fights and encounters the most are muggle or ghosts born in the zone, the ones at Hogwarts are wizards or witches are both and there is a distinction between the two. Every being has a vial that can only hold a fixed amount of energy. Magic and Ecto-energy are able to co-exist but they take up room in that vial. When someone is born the vial is empty but as they grow that is filled and as witches and wizards become adults that vial is filled. Muggles are unable to fill this vial but upon their deaths are able to fill it with ecto-energy.
- Wizards remain for emotional attachment whilst muggles remain due to material obsession.
- Age also plays a factor in connection to Danny being able to use both ecto-energy and magic and as the Friar points out it is also because he is alive. It could also be implied the method in which Danny died could also factor into this. In the case of wizard children who weren’t mature, they still remain as intangible ghosts but because Moaning Myrtle was a teenager when she died she still has limited control over her bathroom and its water where she died as opposed to most adult ghosts who have no such power.
- Out of Focus: Vlad Masters/Plasmius, Danny's Arch-Nemesis has been this. This is due to Danny leaving to the Wizarding World leaving Amity Park behind but when Jazz contacts Danny the issue is Vlad is searching for Danny’s whereabouts, currently the Fentons have been tightlipped. But currently no one knows what he is scheming but whatever it is. It doesn’t bode well.
- Polar Opposite Twins: Downplayed with the Potter boys. Both of them have a temper and a Chronic Hero Syndrome, yes, but Harry is more outwardly fiery and prone to action over reflection, while Danny knows how to keep his anger in check and focus a lot on studying. Harry had no qualms leaving his abusive relatives behind to dive in a brand new world because it was much better than the Muggle society, Danny hesitates before giving Hogwarts a chance because he doesn't want to be separated from his loving parents and sister. Harry's moral compass had him sorted in Gryffindor, Danny's worry over his friends had him sorted in Hufflepuff.
- Pop-Cultural Osmosis Failure: The muggleborn Justin laments the lack of people able to understand his reference to comic books, and is overjoyed when Danny gets one.
- Rage Breaking Point: Both Harry and Danny reach it when they first meet. Harry due to being Locked Out of the Loop about the instances in the Wizarding World since Cedric’s death as per canon and Danny after debating whether to go meet his twin and had to wait a month studying and catching up to Year Three. Their reunion culminates both of their frustrations which them screaming at each other about their different life experiences and trauma and with Danny blurting out “You’re the ‘Boy Who Lived’, while I’m the ‘Boy Who’s Half-Dead!.” And in shock doesn’t disprove it and instead immediately runs off.Their relationship continues to be on the rocks after that but does seem to gradually be improving.
- Reminder of Duty: Amity Park is this for Danny and he is torn between leaving it and staying to defend against the ghosts. He does leave but not without ensuring preparations are in place.
- Secret-Keeper: Maddie and Jack know about Danny’s magic but not his ghost powers and in contrast to that Sam and Tucker know Danny’s about his ghost half. Jazz is the only living person apart from the Hogwarts Ghosts who knows Danny is both at the moment and Danny confides in her for advice in both worlds. Currently.
- Secret Identity: Danny Fenton is secretly Danny Phantom. Downplayed but he is also a Potter and also keeps that tidbit secret from others in the Wizarding World.
- Separated at Birth: Not exactly at birth — Danny was given to the Fentons when he was fifteen months old, and he's reunited with his twin when he's fifteen years old. It goes... rather poorly.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Danny. Word of God confirms he has PTSD and its implied he is depressed. In fact when trying to get Molly Weasly away from her bogart his own appears from behind him. His Bad Future Self Dan. With Danny being traumatised to fight back initially. When later confronted by Harry, Danny refuses to even speak about it. Also applies to Harry who witnessed Cedric die.
- Shout-Out: Justin jokingly compares Cujo the dog to the Incredible Hulk for being green and a nightmare to deal with when he's angry. Danny concedes it's quite appropriate. When Umbridge is appointed as Hogwarts High Inquisitor, Danny jokes "No one expects the Umbridge Inquisition". Referencing Monty Python
- Trauma Button: Danny accidentally pushes Ginny's when she finds him writing in a diary, and the diary writing back — it's actually a Two-Way Journal allowing him to stay in touch with Jazz.
- Troll: A minor example but Jazz does tease Danny a bit on when he gets sorted in Hufflepuff and promises to get him a bunch of University of Wisconsin swag whose mascot is a badger which Danny hates.
- Twin Telepathy: Played With. The scar Danny has is a one sided emotional connection to Harry. Word of God has yet to seen this connection with Harry be extended to also an emotional connection with Danny. Yet.
