Chapter I

Albus Dumbledore was enjoying his free time in his office. It was July 31st of the year 1991. Dumbledore, who was the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft And Wizardry, was contemplating on whether he himself should go and rescue young Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, from his relatives who would have surely neglected him.

He had decided to send Hagrid, the half-giant, to Privet Drive. But suddenly, his instinct told him to go there himself. Obeying his instinct, Dumbledore started to head out to Privet Drive.

He walked out of the castle doors and decided to pay a short visit to his brother before apparating from there. He walked through the streets of Hogsmeade briskly, reaching the rather seedy Hog's Head.

Unknown to anyone, Aberforth often reported about any tidbits of information that he overheard from his rather, seedy customers. Most of the customers were thieves or former Death Eaters, who had escaped using the "I was under the Imperius" excuse.

Dumbledore entered the bar and crept without drawing any attention to him, into the back room, awaiting Aberforth's arrival. After all, it would not do well if the great and oh-so-mighty Albus Dumbledore himself were to visit the seedy Hog's Head bar.

Dumbledore went to the window and looked at the back yard of the pub. It was kept in a disgusting manner. Many goats grazing the fields. Of course, his brother had a fascination with goats. Once, he had enchanted goats to play poker and just got off the hook with a warning from the Ministry.

The whole pub was rather dirty. Even during their youth, Albus was quite the tidy person. He kept everything perfect, wanted everything in its right place. But, his brother was quite the opposite. He never cared about tidiness. Things would really be messy in Abeforth's room.

Albus would often go on a long lecture whenever he saw the dirtiness of anything his brother owned. Once, when Albus started lecturing him, Aberforth became tired of it and kicked his ass (seriously) and told him to mind his own business. Of course, Albus learned not to lecture him from then. Instead, he would give a disapproving frown. Aberforth, of course, didn't care about it.

"What brings you here, Albus?" asked his brother who had entered the room just then, waking him from his daydreams.

"Oh, the usual, brother of mine. Just wanted to know if you got any information from your customers. Last I heard from my sources, Tom was in the Albanian forests."

"I should've known, you're a wolf in a lamb's clothing, Albus. You come here only when you want information. Otherwise, you don't come here at all."

"Ah…. Aberforth, I'm a very busy man. You know I'm the Head of the Wizengamot and Chief Warlock of the International Confederation – ", started Dumbledore but was rudely interrupted by his brother.

"Enough of your damn titles, Albus. I didn't get any information for you. Now get the hell out of here", said Abeforth. "I have much work to do."

Aberforth stormed out of the door to deal with customers just as Albus started to lecture him on proper respect and courtesy.

Albus sighed and thought he would never improve and exited the pub. It was a wonderful morning and nothing could wrong for Albus. On these thoughts, he apparated to Number Four, Privet Drive.

Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice.

Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a

Street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was

busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. He finally found Harry's Hogwarts letter and proceeded to Number Four.

Nearly ten years had passed since the Albus had left Harry, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door. Dumbledore proceeded to knock loudly thrice on the door. After a moment or two, the door was opened by a scruffy woman wearing an apron.

"YOU! I WILL NOT ALLOW FREAKS INTO MY HOUSE", said Petunia Dursley and tried to close the door but Dumbledore managed to step inside the house. If looks could kill, Albus would have died by Petunia's glare. "You might as well come in and sit, as you have FORCED your way into our house."

Dumbledore stepped into a hallway tiled in black and white; the whole place was spotlessly clean. Petunia was followed by the older Dumbledore

followed. Petunia now had a sharp-featured face that appeared more anxious and she was looking over her shoulder suspiciously at Dumbledore, hoping he would not use his "freak powers" on her when her back was turned.

"Good afternoon," said Dumbledore, holding out his hand. Petunia and Vernon Dursley simply gaped at him, as if some contagious disease might spread to themselves, once the duo reached the living room.

"My name is Albus Dumbledore. I come here with a letter for Mr. Harry James Potter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Oh yes. Well — well then — you'd better go to Harry's room. Yes."

"Alas, I was wondering whether you could tell me anything of how Harry's behavior and personality is."

"He was a strange baby too. He hardly ever cried, you know. And then, when he got a little older, he was. . . odd. I knew that he had inherited that "freak" thing. He scares the other children. Why, he even hurt my poor Dudley once."

She got to her feet, "I suppose you'd like to see him?"

"Very much," said Dumbledore, rising too. She led him out of her office and up the wooden stairs.

"Here we are," said Petunia, as they turned off the first landing and stopped outside the second door in a long corridor. She knocked twice and entered.

"Harry? You've got a visitor. This is Mr. Dumbledore. He's come to tell you — well, I'll let him do it", she said curtly and left the room in a hurry.

It was a small bare room with nothing in it except an old bookcase and an iron bedstead. A boy was sitting on top of the gray blankets, his legs stretched out in front of him, holding a book.

He still looked like James, with his messy and jet black hair. Of course, his eyes were quite intimidating. Those emerald crystals shone like it could see through your entire soul.

"How do you do, Harry?" said Dumbledore, walking forward and holding out his hand.

The boy hesitated, then took it, and they shook hands. Dumbledore drew up the hard wooden chair beside Riddle, so that the pair of them looked rather like a hospital patient and visitor.

"I am Professor Dumbledore."

When he received no response from Harry, he continued his speech. Oddly, Dumbledore was reminded of another boy, one he lost to the darkness fifty years ago, Tom Riddle. Suppressing a shudder, Dumbledore started to explain to him about magic.

"My name is Professor Dumbledore and I work at a school called Hogwarts. I have come to offer you a place at my school — your new school, if you would like to come."

"Hogwarts," Dumbledore went on, as though he had not heard Riddle's last words, "is a school for people with special abilities It is a school of magic ."

There was silence. Harry had frozen, his face expressionless, but his eyes were flickering back and forth between each of Dumbledore's, as though trying to catch one of them lying.

"I can do magic?", asked Harry.

Dumbledore now was really in a deja-vu.

(A/N: Italics are Dumbledore's flashback of Tom Riddle)

"It's. . . it's magic, what I can do?"

"What is it that you can do?"

"All sorts," breathed Harry. A flush of excitement was rising up his neck into his hollow cheeks; he looked fevered. "I can make and break Dudley's toys without touching them. I can establish my will over smaller animals . I often hurt Dudley whenever he annoys me."

"I can make filings move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want them to do, without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who annoy me. I can make them hurt if I want to."

"I knew I am gifted. The Dursleys, the called me "freaks" but now I can show them I am better."

"I knew I was different," he whispered to his own quivering fingers. "I knew I was special. Always, I knew there was something."

"Well, you were quite right," said Dumbledore, who was no longer smiling, but watching Harry intently. "You are a wizard."

"At Hogwarts," Dumbledore went on, "we teach you not only to use magic, but to control it. You have — inadvertently, I am sure — been using your powers in a way that is neither taught nor tolerated at our school. You are not the first, nor will you be the last, to allow your magic to run away with you. But you should know that Hogwarts can expel students, and the Ministry of Magic — yes, there is a Ministry — will punish lawbreakers still more severely. All new wizards must accept that, in entering our world, they abide by our laws."

"Yes, sir," said Harry.

"In Diagon Alley, you can buy your school things," said Dumbledore. "I have your list of books and school equipment with me. I can help you find everything —"

"I am more than capable of doing it myself, just give me the things I need, any money to use and I will do it myself," said Harry. " I don't need you, sir."

"I don't need you," said Riddle. "I'm used to doing things for myself, I go round London on my own all the time. How do you get to this Diagon Alley — sir?"

Dumbledore handed Harry the envelope containing his list of equipment, and after telling Harry exactly how to get to the Leaky Cauldron , he said, "You will be able to see it, although Muggles around you — non-magical people, that is — will not. Ask for Tom the barman — easy enough to remember, I have also enclosed your key to your trust vault with which you can easily withdraw money from Gringotts, a tall marble building."

"You know, I can talk to snakes, command them, and make them do my bidding. They accompany me, they find me. They like me. They follow me everywhere," said Harry.

"I can speak to snakes. I found out when we've been to the country on trips — they find me, they whisper to me. Is that normal for a wizard?"

"Good-bye, Harry. I shall see you at Hogwarts," said Dumbledore and abruptly left Privet Drive in a shock, leaving behind a widely smirking Harry Potter.

A/N: Information on how Harry got Dudley's second bedroom will be disclosed in the next chapter.