The only child of wealthy but neglectful parents, Daniel grew up in a beautiful, impressive, and utterly sterile mansion in Manchester. He was schooled by a private tutor and brought up by a live in nanny until he was old enough to care for himself, and often had little to no human connection aside from his caregivers. As a result he became rather close friends with both. His tutor, Martin, became sort of a surrogate father to him. While rather distant and professional, he remained the only adult in the household who was able to answer Daniel's numerous questions about the outside world to any degree of satisfaction.
<p>
His nanny, Abigail, inspired in him a love of reading from the moment he was old enough to comprehend her bedtime stories, which were often chosen from the works of Hans Christian Andersen and the brothers Grimm. He missed her terribly when his father deemed him old enough to survive without a nanny and would often beg to have her over for dinner--a request which his family would sometimes less than graciously indulge in.
<p>
His father's book collection roved from wall to wall on bookshelves that had been specifically fitted to the home, ranging from the living room to the bathroom to the huge, luxurious bedrooms, and every room in between. As his parent's job's kept them out of the house all day (in the case of his mother) or locked in a study (his father), Daniel entertained himself by reading the many books contained in the house. He dreamed not of becoming an astronaut or a firefighter or an explorer like other little boys, but a librarian.
<p>
This obsession with books as well as a lack of proper socialization made Daniel an outcast with other children his age, which he rarely saw anyway as his mother had deemed the outside world "dirty, unsafe, and distracting"; and so Daniel's only friends were books, and the occasional crow that he could temp to his window with scraps of food from his lonely dinner.
<p>
Any attempts to go outside and join in the outside games of the neighborhood children usually resulted in a scolding from his mother and odd looks from the other children, who regarded him as sort of an escaped ornamental animal caged in the huge mansion on the hill. Despite this he did manage to make one friend when he was old enough to sneak out without getting caught. Aster, a girl too dreamy to have caught on to the boycott that the other children had placed on Daniel, and creative enough to keep up with his healthy imagination. They remain secret friends and often leave notes for each other hidden amongst the hedges.
<p>
Despite a less than fair childhood Daniel grew up polite and quiet and kind, if a bit odd. He has a particular liking for birds that may stem from his long held wish to grow wings and fly away from his gilded cage and see the real world.
<p>
This desire managed to manifest itself on Daniel's eleventh birthday when he woke up and was unable to keep his feet on the ground, instead hovering delightedly (and half frightened) from room to room, alarming and astonishing his parents until his Hogwarts letter arrived and things were sorted and explained.