Diagon Alley
Danny's mouth fell open and he could only stare, his brain trying to process all of the different things it was receiving right now. There were so many funny shops and people dressed in dresses (or cloaks), walking around, holding animals or books. One or two even left a Quidditch Shop with actual brooms. Danny knew that they could fly with them but it was still weird to see so many stereotypes he grew up with to actually turn out to be true. It made him wonder if No-Majs used to know about the wizarding world, actually, that would explain the witch hunts in the 15th century. He noticed Remus looking at him and rubbed his neck in response, giving his godfather a sheepish grin.
"We should probably start with getting you some money and then head for your school uniform." Danny tilted his head to the side "Money? Like, a different currency, right?" He vaguely remembered Frostbite saying something about Goldens and Giggles(?). Remus nodded absently and explained "Yes, we have Galleons, Sickles and Knuts. Though there are 17 Sickles in a Galleon and 29 Knuts in a Sickle. Your parents left you a bit of money that you can access already, the rest will be given to you when you turn 17."
"What do you mean with 'the rest'?", the man grinned wolfishly "The Potters used to be purebloods and have patents on a few things and the winnings of those will be given to you... also, the vault you and Harry have access to at the moment is but a trust vault, enough to pay for your Hogwarts fees and some other things, but everything else is still in the actual Potter Family Vault." Danny nodded along with the explanation while they headed to 'Gringotts Bank' before asking "So 17 is when we become adults?" Remus nodded "You learn fast Daniel." Danny cringed, so far only Molly, Arthur and Dumbledore have called him that and he didn't like it "Remus, do you mind calling me Danny? I always feel like I'm in trouble when someone uses my full name." The older wizard looked surprised "Did I call you Daniel? Sorry, even Lily and James hated calling you that and they gave you the name. You've always been Danny to us."
For some reason Danny felt a warm sensation building up in his stomach. He may not have known about his biological family until a few days ago but he somehow missed them. He wasn't stupid, he knew that things could have played out differently and he might not be standing here today. What if his parents had decided to send Harry away first and then him? Would the roles be reversed? Would he be the child of this prophecy Frostbite told him about? There were so many 'what if's'?' that he didn't even want to think about it further.
Before they entered the bank, Danny looked at Remus uncertainly, asking him about something that has been eating at him for the last two days "Do you think Harry will accept me?" Remus looked startled for a moment before he averted his eyes "I'm not sure, it may take a while. He's been through a lot since his first year at Hogwarts and just two months ago he lost a friend to You-Know-Who. He has been lied to and was being played, so he might not trust you at first. Actually, I think his friends, the ones you've met yesterday, are suspicious of you as well."
"Huh? Why?", Danny asked while he looked at the Goblins who were working behind podiums, their nails were incredibly long!
"Because they don't know you, you are a new variable no one has expected to show up. They might even feel like you are trying to become their friend to use them against Harry." Danny halted "Why would I do something like that? Like you said, they don't know me, also, I would never do something that could hurt someone! Intentionally!" Remus shrugged apologetically "It could be, I don't know, I can't say I always understand children but just go your own path, it will be worth it."
After saying that, they reached the end of the queue they had stood in and were met with the bored eyes of a goblin who seized them up. "Daniel Potter would like to see his vault." said Remus casually and handed him a key. The goblin looked at it and raised a barely existing eyebrow "So you're alive," he drawled "Very well, follow me."
On that happy note they entered a rusty old cart and then Danny was rushed through the dungeons and its many paths, it was exhilarating as it almost felt like flying but it was over way too soon. After seeing all the gold in his (their) trust vault and watching Remus fill a pouch with several dozen Galleons, they went back and left the bank immediately.
Afterwards they went to Madam Malkin's to get his school robes, though she seemed surprised when they told her that he was not yet sorted, that paired with her initial confusion of being told that he was not Harry Potter (just look at his eyes!), made the whole thing rather awkward and Danny was glad when they left.
While Remus went to purchase a sturdy trunk for his belongings (a.k.a books, clothes and a literal cauldron???) Danny stood outside of Eeylops Owl Emporium, listening to the hooting of several owls and trying to ignore the stares of those who were not in a hurry and noticed him. At one point a greasy wizard walked over to him and told him with a couple curse words that he was "a dirty liar, filled to the brim with pride and arrogance" and in his anger of having to listen to some stranger badmouthing his brother, Danny's eyes flashed a poisonous green and the air around the wizard cooled down several degrees. The man's eyes almost popped out and he ran away, screaming how there were 'dementors' or whatever that is. No one bat an eye, though some looked around as if unsure.
After several more minutes a slightly dishevelled Remus returned with a fist large trunk in his hand. Danny eyed his new trunk suspiciously "I don't think I can fit anything in there, Moony." His godfather just laughed "Don't worry, your trunk just has a shrinking charm, a feather-light charm and an expending charm on it, it's way more comfortable to transport something you barely feel, don't you think?" Danny didn't look convinced but he could guess what kind of charms Remus has cast upon his trunk thanks to his explanation, they probably would come in handy. It was a light brown trunk with golden stripes circling around it and considering that both Frostbite and Sirius told him about the different houses, he could guess why Remus chose one that resembled the colours of Gryffindor.
They continued their shopping trip and went to get quills and parchment, as well as potion supplies for his first four school years and two cauldrons (one for practicing and one for school) before they eventually entered Flourish and Blotts. Danny was amazed by the many books on display and Remus seemed delighted in Danny's interest in books. The pair stayed for almost an hour, buying all his necessary school books up to fourth grade and getting some extra books that Danny was interested in, especially the books on Astrology captured his interest, he also purchased some books on wizarding politics and world history (the wizarding kind) as well as a book about plants that he intended to send Sam. Considering her minor plant abilities, curtesy to Undergrowth, he believed that she would appreciate learning about magical plants and he was confident that she would find some in the wild.
Now, Danny wasn't a book worm, far from it, if he could choose, he would rather play video games all day but he had just been thrown into a completely different world which he didn't know much about, Frostbite was a big help but he doubted that he knew everything a proper witch or wizard should know at his age. He remembered how confused and embarrassed he felt when the whole GZ had a truce on Christmas and he didn't know about it. He started learning about ghost culture and politics immediately after that- so what if he broke into Ghost Writer's home? As soon as the ghost managed to escape Walkers prison however, Danny profusely apologized and Ghost Writer allowed him access to his books. Learning from this he promised himself that he would not look like a fool in front of his future class mates and his twin, who had a lot more time to learn about this stuff. He also was a little bit excited because magic was awesome!
After receiving more curious glances because he just bought schoolbooks for four grades, Danny urged Remus to leave. Putting all of his purchases into his trunk they made a short stop at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour where Danny tried Chocolate Chili (delicious) and Sticky Toffee Pudding (also delicious). While eating their ice cream they talked about Hogwarts and Remus' time there with the rest of the Marauders. Danny enjoyed hearing about the pranks and all the rules James, Sirius and also Remus broke, even though Moony somehow managed to mostly stay out of the punishments. It got a little dark when Moony told his godson about the traitor Peter Pettigrew and promised him to tell him that story when they got back.
Looking for another topic Remus suddenly perked up "Danny, before we get your wand, would you like to get an owl? Or a pet in general? You are allowed to bring an animal to Hogwarts, most students bring an owl for their mail but you could also get a toad or a cat." Danny wrinkled his nose, he had nothing against cats per se but after learning that Vlad had actually heeded his stupid advice and had bought himself a cat named Maddie he somehow started to mistrust all felines. If one cat could stand the fruit loop and cuddle with him, then all cats were evil and nothing could change his mind. Not even Sam, who adored cats. Danny was more of a dog kind of guy anyways, just look at Wulf and Cujo.
He looked over to the Owl Emporium and shrugged "Sure, I wouldn't mind an owl, maybe I could even get into contact with Harry." Suddenly Danny desperately wanted an owl and ran to the entrance without waiting for Remus' answer. While he already started looking at the different owls, who seemed either scared of him or aggressive towards him (thanks ghost-half), Remus slowly followed him inside, minding the birds who seemed even more aggressive when he was close to them. Danny would have thought this hilarious but unfortunately he had a similar problem, until he found an eagle owl, that did neither seem scared nor angry at his presence. Carefully and minding the owl's beak, he reached out to caress its head. When it lay into it to get a pat, Danny knew he found his owl.
For the first time since entering a shop in Diagon Alley, the seller did not look at him twice or with disdain and instead gave him advice on how to take proper care of his owl. Danny was also told that Eagle owl feathers held healing properties if added to the right potion and that he should feel lucky that the owl chose him, since her kind was rather picky when it came to an owner. After paying 30 Galleons, 15 for the owl and another 15 for supplies and a cage, he happily left the shop, ignoring the now screeching owls behind him. Remus followed him just as eagerly.
While he looked at his first real pet (Cujo didn't count), he pondered over the letters he would write Harry and what to put in them, Harry didn't know about him yet, after all. Remus sighed while he looked at his godson and wondered how he should explain Danny that he couldn't write Harry for the same reason that Harry wasn't yet at Grimmauld Place. Remus could imagine how desperately Harry would want to come if he suddenly got mail from someone who claims to be his twin. As much as he wanted them reunited, he couldn't and wouldn't disobey Dumbledores orders.
"Listen Danny, as much as I would prefer things to be different, you can not write to Harry just yet, how about setting in first and you can write him in a couple of days. Your owl has to get to know you first as well ." There, now he didn't outright forbid him to write his brother and even found a plausible excuse. Danny looked at him disbelievingly but seemed to accept it nonetheless, for now. He kept stroking her and his owl hooted contentedly, while Remus watched Danny smiling at his pet, he felt a pang of grief. He missed James and Lily and both Harry and Danny reminded him so much of them, it hurt. At least he had Sirius and he would do anything to not lose him (again).
Finally they made their way to Ollivander's, the one stop Remus had been looking forwards to to show Danny, but now he held an owl cage in his hand and stood outside, watching his godson look around inside. If Danny was anything like Harry, then this could take a while, so Remus sat down on the nearest bench and summoned a new book he had purchased earlier and started reading while waiting for his godson.
When Danny entered the wand shop he wasn't too sure what to expect but he was excited nonetheless. He waited patiently in front of the counter and looked at the many rows that were filled with boxes, some were coated in dust and some looked rather new. He wondered how long some wands had to wait to find their witch or wizard. The longer he waited, the more anxious he got, what if he didn't have magic after all and it was just his ice core acting up when he waved Snape's wand five days ago? But both Dora and Frostbite told him that he was a wizard, surely they couldn't be wrong? Losing his patience even though he could hear someone rummaging through the several rows in the back, thanks to his enhanced hearing, he called out a croaked "Hello?" and continued to wait.
Finally an old man with white hair appeared, probably Ollivander and a delighted shine entered the man's pale silvery eyes "Ah, Mister Potter, how delighted I am to be of service to you." Danny took a step back, suddenly feeling unsure "You know who I am? You know I'm not Harry, right?" The man chuckled "I remember each and every wand I have ever sold, Mister Potter, so I know that I sold your brother a wand that is eleven inches, holly, with a phoenix feather core. I expect an interesting result for you as well." If that wasn't ominous, Danny didn't know what was. So he just didn't say anything and watched as Ollivander went and grabbed several wands after asking Danny a few questions and measuring him.
When he finally returned he was almost beaming with excitement "Try this, 12 1/4", Holly, Dragon Heartstring, very sturdy." Danny grabbed the wand and immediately felt that it wasn't right, he placed it back down without another word and took the next one "10 1/3", Alder, Thunderbird Tail Feather, surprisingly swishy", which started to freeze the moment Danny touched it and Ollivander immediately snatched it away, murmuring "No, no, most definitely not. Perhaps, but no, so young? Maybe later..."
Danny was left confused and tried several other wands that just didn't feel right or outright froze up when he touched them. Eventually Ollivander sighed and Danny thought that he would now be told that he wasn't a wizard after all but the wand maker just went to get another box that was coated in dusk. He looked between Danny and the box back and forth as if unsure if he made the right decision. When he opened the box, an almost black wand was revealed and Danny's interest perked up, he grabbed it and a blue and silver mist ascended from the tip. The halfa felt cold, but it was a cold that embraced his ghost core and made him feel much more awake and powerful than before. He hoped that his eyes didn't turn green when this overpowering feeling slowly subsided.
When he looked up he was met with confused eyes of Ollivander who cleared his throat when he noticed Danny staring at him "Very... interesting I must say, Mister Potter. Anyways, this wand is 12", Yew with an Ice Phoenix Feather core, rather sturdy." "Why is it interesting?" Danny asked, eyeing his wand suspiciously, though it just lay in his hand and seemed to vibrate with affection. Ollivander looked at his own wand for a while before he answered "You see, yew is known to grant its possessor power over life and death and likes to be closer to people who are about to die. The Ice Phoenix Feather core is one of the very few cores that exist of such a majestic bird. While it shows your aptitude towards strong and powerful spells, it also underlines a possible affinity with death and destruction. A wand like this, as unique as it is, should not be in the hand of a 14 year old who has his whole life still ahead of him. I'm not sure what to make of this but be careful. You are powerful but even the most powerful ones can not escape death forever."
With that Danny payed for his wand and some cleaning utensils and left the shop, looking at his wand warily. It was 12 inches long, like the wand maker said and the handle was sleek and black, with small ingraved runes that seemed to glow in a dark green but were almost invisible. The rest of the wand was a rough and very dark brown wood. All in all it looked like what he imagined a wand to look like. The information he got from Ollivander was a little disturbing though, he knew of course that he wouldn't die any time soon, he was already dead, at least half-dead, so maybe that's why the wand chose him. However, knowing that you now own something that is considered to have an affinity to death made him queasy, what if he killed someone with his wand? He was suddenly very glad that he would have to learn how to control his power before he entered Hogwarts and still had time left for that.
Outside he met up with Remus who jokingly told him that he had enough time to read half of his book while he was inside. When Danny showed him his wand, he withheld the smaller details. No point in scaring his godfather, right?
Finally they finished shopping and both wizards realized how hungry they actually were, they only had breakfast and some ice cream since then and it was now early evening. They decided to head back to Grimmauld Place, so that they could eat Mrs Weasley's heavenly food instead of stopping at the Leaky Cauldron where people would just stare at Danny. He hated the attention and could imagine that Harry didn't like it either.
He looked down at his owl, which he decided to call Arianrhod- or Ari for short, after the welsh moon and star goddess. He always enjoyed everything that had to do with Astrology and its folklore, so when he found an owl who did not shy away from him, he realized that calling her after a deity who could transform into an owl and was said to be able to peep through the souls of the dead, it would fit perfectly. He smiled and he and Remus talked about the advancements in technology and the fact that wizards and witches seemed to be ignorant about the muggle or No-Maj world.
When they came back and Danny brought his new trunk into his shared room, he was greeted with deliciously smelling lamb stew in the kitchen. He was surprised when he listened to the other children's conversations and learned, that they had to clean a room the whole day today and they would continue cleaning it tomorrow. He politely asked if he could be of help but Mrs Weasley shushed him "No, dear, you have to study. Minerva McGonagall , the deputy headmistress of Hogwarts and the Transfiguration professor, sent us a schedule for the upcoming weeks, so that you may be up to the standard of a fourth grader at Hogwarts by the end of summer. For that you will have self-study in the mornings and in the afternoons some of your professors will teach you how to use your magic. As far as I've heard you have the weekends for theory only."
The kids and Sirius stared open-mouthed at the Weasley mother, Danny of course knew that he would have to study a lot but he never thought he would have no free time whatsoever while he was here. For the first time since deciding that he would go to Hogwarts he doubted if it was worth it. No, he berated himself, it was. He just had to remind himself that he would go to a magic school, with his twin brother, he could and would study for that.
He turned to look at Hermione who looked disbelievingly at Mrs Weasley "There is no way he will manage four whole years within six weeks! Even with a time-turner it would be difficult." Molly nodded and so did Remus who read over the note McGonagall had sent earlier "It will probably be more of a crash-curse and they will narrow it down to the most important parts. Enough to enable him to join fifth year and pass his OWLs." the Weasley mother conceded.
The others seemed to accept that, though they were still miffed about having to clean while Danny was exempt from it, even though he had a good excuse.
The halfa himself just went to bed after wishing his uncles and the rest in the kitchen a good night. He had to be awake tomorrow so that he would actually manage to learn. Still exhausted from the shopping trip he landed face first on his very soft pillow and fell asleep the very next second.