5/27/13

Forgot to mention this earlier, but this story takes place during Harry's 5th year and season 3 of Danny Phantom (Phantom Planet has not happened yet). The setting's a bit overused, but I like it.

Chapter 2- Three up, Two across from the Dustbin

"Harry Potter, we meet at last."

"– Listening to the news! Again?"

"Well, it changes every day, you see –"

"– DUDLEY, COME BACK! YOU'RE RUNNING RIGHT AT IT! "

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

"The Chair recognizes Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister –"

"Kill the spare –"

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Danny snapped his eyes open, taking a few seconds to realize that he was literally on the edge of the bed. Arms quickly flailing, Danny fell to the ground.

Thump.

The good news was his blanket came down with him, so he had landed on the soft fabric and not the hardwood floor - well, his body did. His face got smushed against the cold ground. Pushing himself up, Danny brushed any dirt and dust off his pants. He rubbed his eyes. Well, that wasn't exactly how he planned to get out of bed. He was fully awake now, at least, which meant he could focus on more weird matters. Like what he just dreamed.

What the heck was that? His dreams had never been like that. Usually, they'd be about school, Paulina (not that often, of course), Sam and Tucker, and sometimes annoying ghosts - heck, even Mr. Lancer appeared one time - but no way had he ever dreamt of random people. Especially those he didn't have a clue as to who they were. He recalled one scene where two guys ran away from cloaked shadow monsters. Another scene showed a squat woman being introduced to the court, apparently. The last scene had two guys shoot light out of sticks they were pointing at each other.

Those two had appeared in the other scenes before. One of them was a teenager like Danny. He had appeared in all the scenes, actually. He had dark hair and glasses, and a zigzagged scar decorated his forehead. His name was mentioned several times also, and not just in the dream. A couple yesterday had said it... Harry Porter? Potter?

The other guy had creeped Danny out. The middle-aged man had red eyes, horribly pale skin, and slits for his nose. He reeked of evilness, with that maniacal look on his face. If those weren't signs of a lunatic, Danny wasn't sure what was.

Now, why did he have those dreams? They made no sense to him.

Danny shook his head. He'll figure out that matter later. There were still things he needed to do today. He gazed around the room.

Room 11 was cozy, but a bit too old-fashioned for Danny's taste. With a medium-sized bathroom, wooden drawers, a cozy bed, and a seemingly forever-burning fireplace, it didn't look as rundown as the bar beneath it. A mirror stood at a corner, but there was something odd about it. He thought he heard it talking last night. The curtained windows painted the pastel walls with light, revealing to him that it was probably morning. Or afternoon. Whatever the time was.

Speaking of time, Danny should probably leave now to find Jazz and his parents. It'd be best to find them as soon as possible.

After brushing his teeth, dressing in the outfit he wore yesterday - he had quickly washed and dried them out last night while he slept in the extra pair of clothes he'd kept in his backpack- and quickly packing all of his stuff away, Danny descended down the wooden stairs with his things in his backpack and appeared back at the pub, where the bar was at. He glanced around.

When he had entered the pub last night, he had anticipated probably a dingy place with its owner and maybe a few wacko customers, and he was proven right. The bald owner had cleaned the glasses at the bar while the customers had sat around drinking tea. The customers also wore some odd robes. It was exactly what he expected.

Then he had tripped and fell, getting himself soaked in tea and other bar beverages - which was alright, considering the other fluids he had been drenched in before. Tom the innkeeper had helped him out and even set him with a room once he realized Danny's situation. So really, the Leaky Cauldron wasn't too bad.

What was he doing down here again?

Oh right. He had to pay for last night before leaving.

He made his way to where the register was and waited.

Tom, who was wiping down a table a few feet away, noticed Danny at the register. The innkeeper's face brightened, Danny noticed, and he strolled his way towards Danny, stopping once he was behind the counter. "I hope you had a good night's rest, Mr. Fenton," he greeted Danny.

Danny gave a smile back. Tom was a nice guy. Something about the old man made him friendly, and Danny can't just help but feel at ease around him. "I did, thanks."

"That's good," Tom replied, nodding. "Now, you sure you don't want any breakfast before you head back to your parents?"

"No thanks." Danny grabbed the wad of cash out of his backpack and asked, "How much did last night cost?"

Tom took one look at the money and instantly replied with an, "Oh, that's the muggle money."

"What?"

Tom thought for a moment before exclaiming "Ah," as though he finally understood what happened - Danny sure didn't. "I had forgotten whether you Americans use British wizarding currency or not. I suppose not. Do you, by any chance, have galleons or sickles on you?" he queried.

"Er, this is the only money I have," Danny replied slowly. What other cash would he have? Euros?

Tom was silent, lost in thought. "Well I suppose I can accept the pounds," he started, "but make sure to exchange for some wizarding currency soon if you're planning on purchasing British Wizarding items, alright? You can do so at Gringotts, which is in the north side of Diagon Alley, if you're not sure know where it is."

"Uh..." Danny started. Wizarding currency? As in money for wizards? The idea seemed crazy. Maybe it was just a way British people call their money. So what does that make the pounds? Huh. He should ask for directions, just in case. "How would you get to Diagon Alley?" he questioned.

Tom gave him an odd look. "Why, Diagon Alley is just behind- Oh! Did you mean how to open the gateway?"

What? What gateway? Agh, the next time he traveled to somewhere, he was going to learn what was going on with the place beforehand. Danny didn't respond.

"Well, behind this pub is the courtyard, which leads to Diagon Alley," Tom explained, gesturing towards the back of the pub, "but you're quite aware of that already. On the brick wall, tap the brick that's three up, two across from the dustbin by using your wand. Remember, three up, two across. The gateway will open, and then you're in Diagon Alley, just like that. Does that brighten things up for you?"

Danny answered, "Um, yeah, it does. Thanks Tom," despite the fact that he had no idea what Tom was talking about.

After paying for the pub fee, Danny decided to exit out of the pub and not search for this Gringotts place. If he had no usable money, he'll just walk to the hotel.

The weather outside cleared up that morning- which was interesting, considering how bad it was last night. The storm disappeared but there was a bit of wind left. A bit of sun peeked out from the clouds, so several people were bustling about, stepping on the puddle-covered sidewalks and crossing the streets. One guy in a suit nearly got hit by a car, and the buffy-looking driver honked and screamed at the guy to "Watch where you're going, you idiot!" Nothing too boring, but Danny still preferred to get back to his family and leave this crazy area.

So, Devonshire Street was on the other side of town, and the hotel was called Premier. Wait, which side of the town was it on? Did he have to go left? Right? He irritably crossed his arms. He would've been at the hotel already if he was able to fly. Dumb cameras. London installed way too many for his taste. Maybe he should go back in and ask Tom where Devonshire Street was. He might know. Yeah, Danny shoul-

He spotted a spot of orange hair across the street. His face beamed when he realized it was Jazz. "Jazz!" he shouted.

He watched his sister jerked her head towards the sound. When she saw him, a giant smile spread on her face. She ran through the street to meet him.

His sister smushed him with a hug once she reached him. "Danny!" she breathed. They hugged for several seconds before Jazz let go to face him. "We've been looking for you for over half an hour!" She looked out of breath.

"Well, It's good to be found," he joked. His brows slightly furrowed before he asked her, "How'd you know where I was- or even the area I was at?"

"Well last night, you asked about Charing Cross Road before your phone died," Jazz began, "and that was the last place you mentioned, so I had mom and dad go in a taxi with me around that area. Since I also told you to find a place to sleep at, I asked the taxi driver what some of the hotels were near Charing Cross. He didn't give us anything! He dropped us off at Charing Cross Road, and from there we had to split up to find the hotel you were staying at." She frowned, staring at the Leaky Cauldron's sign. "But I swore I passed this area two times already. I can't believe I never noticed this pub." She shook her head. "Let's get back to mom and dad. I bet they're still looking for you."

Danny wondered if his parents had been shouting his name while still in their hazmat suits. He winced at the thought of his dad in his bright orange suit yelling "DANNY!" into a poor stranger's ear. He realized his sister was way down the street. He hastily called, "Hey, wait up!"

He ran after her.

The next few days, Danny and his family went sightseeing. So far, they've visited the Big Ben, the Tower of London, Hyde Park, and a bunch of other places. They also got kicked out of the London Dungeons because Danny's dad Jack thought he saw ghosts haunting people - which turned out to be British teenagers attempting to scare tourist kids. Needless to say, they were never coming back there.

Today, Danny's parents took him and Jazz to Leicester Square, which wasn't too bad. They came across theatres, stores, and shops and walked around the park. Several strangers stared at them though. Maybe it was his parents' hazmat suits. Orange and aqua weren't exactly colors that blended in.

Right now, his parents were telling him and Jazz about how they were allowed to be on their own for a bit.

"Remember to meet back here in two hours, okay kids?" his mom reminded as his dad waited in line for some ice cream. "Don't wander too far away from here, and make sure to stick together."

"Yes, mom," they chorused. They waved her goodbye and crossed the street to the other side.

The first stops they went to were bookstores, unfortunately. Jazz chose them. And they bored Danny. By a ton.

"C'mon Jazz," Danny complained as his sister grabbed a red book from the shelf. He leaned against a wall and crossed his arms. "This is the fourth bookstore we entered. Can we go somewhere else now?"

"Hold on a second, Danny," Jazz said distractedly. She was flipping through the pages and glancing at its words. "You know, if you hadn't drowned your phone, you would've been able to go without me."

He stuck his tongue at her.

Jazz didn't look up from the book.

Danny stuffed his hands into his jacket pocket. His sister was completely occupied with the book, so now he was stuck in a store with nothing to do. He looked out the glass window that revealed the busy streets. The people all carried shopping bags, entering and exiting various stores. Come to think of it, the apartments across the street seemed familiar. When had he seen them before-

His eyes widened. The Leaky Cauldron. It was right around the corner. Now would be a good time to investigate what was going on with that place. He really wanted to find out more about this diagonally place and why those people wore robes.

He looked back to Jazz who was still engrossed in her book. Maybe she'll let him go by himself. He'll come back in about ten to twenty minutes. It's not like he was going far.

"I'll be right back, Jazz," he said.

"Alright Dan-" she finally looked up from the book. "Wait, are you going out of the bookstore? I have to come with you!" She reluctantly closed the book and started to return it to the shelf, but Danny stopped her.

"Hey, I won't be gone long," he coaxed. "Besides, I'm just checking out something. It'll take only fifteen minutes. Twenty, maybe."

She hesitated. "Well, as long as you're coming back."

"C'mon, when's the last time I didn't come back?"

"When you got lost."

"...that was a different situation?"

Jazz gave him a look that said 'Sure...' but nonetheless she agreed. She went back to her book.

Danny thanked her and happily exited out the front door. He turned right, towards where the pub should be.

So this was the courtyard behind the Leaky Cauldron. Well, it wasn't much. For one, it was a walled up yard, with only a metal trash can against one wall. Completely empty.

He rubbed the back of his head with one hand. He can't believe he had entered through the Leaky Cauldron again just to sneak into an empty yard. What had Tom said that day when Danny paid? He had to tap a brick that was three down, two across- no wait, two up, three across - uh, two down, three across? This was confusing him. He was supposed to tap some brick, that's for sure. Maybe it was like in those movies he watched, where you pressed the brick like a button and the wall would spin around to reveal a secret lair, except instead of a lair, there'd be a giant place filled with people. He wondered if there was a secret society behind the wall, hiding underground to avoid the police or something. That'd be awesome.

Danny approached the wall and pressed his hands on each brick to see if any would sink into the wall. The brick he needed should be near the trash can, but he hadn't encountered it yet. He expanded his search to farther bricks.

Two minutes passed, and so far no luck. His arms were starting to cramp, and he was standing on the trash can, trying the high bricks. He inched his hand towards a brick at the very top. He was almost there.

His foot stumbled on the trashcan and Danny crashed to the ground. "Ah!" He fell on his side, the trash lid landing on top of his chest.

He rubbed the back of his head. "I seriously need to stop falling," he muttered to himself. "It's becoming too much of a habit."

Danny got to his feet. Okay, this was getting frustrating. He'll just use his abilities and walk through the wall. He hastily glanced around for any security cameras. There were none in sight, which was good for him. He quickly turned intangible - and invisible, since it wouldn't do well to have someone see a teenager pop out from the other side of the wall - and walked through.

The air changed. It developed a stuffy, suffocating feeling and for a moment he couldn't breathe. He couldn't see anything. Everything felt tight.

Seconds passed, and he was through the wall. He stumbled as he arrived at the other side, finding the world spinning around him. Danny reached for the nearest thing - a sign stand- for support and grasped on it tightly, staring at the ground and breathing heavily, waiting for everything to stop moving. Gradually, the world halted from its rotating frenzy.

Danny felt exhausted. Walking through the wall drained most of his energy. Sheesh, was it even a wall? There was something magical about it, that's for sure.

He paused in his thoughts. Magical? Where did that come from? It could've been another thing, like advanced ghost-hunting technology or something. That would've made more sense. But no, he chose "magical." Why that peticular word? Well, he supposed the feeling was magical, in a way. It was an unfamiliar experience for him.

Danny looked at the sign he was holding on to.

"WELCOME TO DIAGON ALLEY," it read. So he found the place he was looking for. His ears registered the noise around him. He looked beyond the sign.

His jaw dropped at the sight in front of him. Oh wow.

Well, his secret society theory wasn't so far off.

...Has it been a month already? Er, sorry about that. Life kept me busy. And distracted. Busy and distracted.

And I still have my finals left. Arrghh.

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