The Meeting with a Stranger

In a small room of an impeccably clean house there stood a petite, rather lumpy bed. This bed was not empty though; no, it held a boy that hung his head in shame. He was drowning in his grief as he sat and pondered the situation he was left to deal with.

It's been one day since this boy was back at Privet Drive and he couldn't help but question the recent events that took place only days before. How did this happen? Why does everybody leave me? How the hell am I going to go on with all of this? How the hell do you make it stop hurting? First my parents, then Sirius then Dumbledore, each died for a cause I have to finish. As the dilemma of what lay in store for him really sunk into his mind, his grim and dark thoughts rushed ever faster. "I don't want it anymore, I can't do it anymore," he exclaimed in a fierce deadly growl to the heavens hoping someone other than the Dursley's could possibly hear him.

"BOY YOU QUIET DOWN IN THERE NOW!" bellowed the voice of his "beloved" uncle Vernon. "I SWEAR IF YOU DON'T SHUT UP I WILL LOCK YOU BACK IN THAT CUPBOARD OF YOURS!" Unfortunately it seemed a Dursley did hear him.

Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, the Chosen-One, the forever and always boy-that-remained alone in the end, sat and reflected on his life. A soft hoot took him out of his thoughts and brought him back to the here and now for a brief second. "Sorry Uncle Vernon", he shouted back apologetically, "It's just until my birthday and then we'll be at The Burrow, then we'll go on the adventure," he said to his snowy white owl, Hedwig.

He looked at his room, his prison, and wondered if this was how it was supposed to be. Was the hero supposed to wallow in self-pity and rise above it to end the death and destruction? Am I supposed to be the phoenix? How can I possibly handle this? After all, he reflected darkly, the horcruxes could be anywhere…

As often as these grim thoughts appeared in Harry's mind, Ginny suddenly shifted to the center. She understood what Harry had to do and why he ended their relationship. She counted on him to be the hero everyone expected. It's all too much Ginny…

Out of nowhere; in the back of his mind, he felt something, an extremely powerful presence that was interacting with the protective magic surrounding number 4 Privet Drive. He never felt something like this before, but this was the first time anybody had ever tried to breach the wards. They're here, he thought. Voldemort and his Death-Eaters finally tracked him down. His first instinct was to grab his wand and rush into battle to save the day.

Just before he grabbed his wand, a mad thought came to mind. Unbidden and so unlike him, he thought, why even bother when I'll just die anyway. Briefly, he stopped and resigned to his fate, trying to struggle with his sudden madness. Never in previous times would anyone be a witness to Harry Potter giving up on a fight against evil, but he had indeed changed in the past days. He was no longer inquisitive either, and the burden of having to be the saviour of the wizarding world hadn't worn well on him. The new sudden madness was suddenly fought off however; not even Harry Potter could change that much, even if he was in a depressed state. He walked out of his bedroom door, wand in tow, to the top of the stairs and stared down at the front door.

The doorbell rang and Aunt Petunia instantly lurked out of her bedroom to answer, all the while muttering moodily as to who it could be at such a late hour.

"Hello how may I help you?"

At the door stood a man in a black muggle suit. He wore a rather colourful striped tie with a silver shirt underneath. It was very business and professional like but not very practical for the summer days, not even in the cold night air. His head swished left to right, looking for prey. He then stared straight into Petunia's face.

"Hello, my name is Allan Tsai, I'm here to speak with a Harry James Potter," his accented voice sounded jovial but his blue-green eyes hid power and a thin veil of annoyance at this woman. He sounds American, Harry thought.

She gave him the once over and asked, "What has the boy done?" She used an icy tone indicating that she was expecting this. After all, to Petunia, only Harry ever got unexpected night time visitors. However unfair her judgement was though, it did happen to be true.

As he merely looked at Petunia; Harry again saw the flicker of annoyance in his eyes, but his voice masked this. He replied; "Oh nothing is wrong, I just wish to speak to him. You see I have some important business concerning his future. I'm a tutor that was assigned to him by the school to see if he can advance in his classes."

Harry wondered what this was all about and stared intently at the stranger. This Allan Tsai stood at just about six feet and had a strong build, but was thin and wiry enough to look like he could shoot his hands and punch you in the face so fast that you'd feel the punch 3 seconds after. And if Harry was correct, Tsai was trying to fight down that urge right now.

He had black spiky hair that was about two inches long on the top and faded to nothing on the sides. He sported a goatee on his face, which contrasted his Asian facial features. Tsai's glowing blue-green eyes had an almond shape. His nose was small and round. The two most distinguishing features he had was a scar that ran from his left eye all the way down to the bottom end of his cheek and a gold earring on his left ear in the shape of a star that glinted in the afternoon sun; it highlighted his 25-year-old face. To Harry he didn't look unsavoury, but he did hold an air of confidence and power that made Harry wary of this man's actions. In addition Harry thought, how the bloody hell did he get that? Indicating the scar Tsai had.

"He's upstairs in his room, the door at the end of the hallway to the right. DO NOT do any of that mmmmaa… stuff in my house! Now go and be quick, we have enough trouble with your kind around here!" Petunia spat at him, while Allan just smiled and proceeded up the stairs.

Harry raced to his room, and slammed the door. After seeing that man, Harry found his Gryffindor courage and locked his face in concentration. He'd be damned if this man was going to take him down without a fight. He held his wand towards the door readying an incantation in his mind. Instead of the door opening what he got next was a man tapping his shoulder from behind him.

Harry jumped up and turned around. He screamed from the top of his lungs and fell backwards, arms failing like a certain cartoon cat and mouse duo.

The man named Tsai looked on with a smile to his lips trying to fight down the laughter inside him. "Hello Harry, what do you plan to do with that thing?" pointing to the wand slacking in Harry's right hand.

Harry straightened the wand and readied a stunner when Tsai just waved his hand and disarmed him. "Harry, please I am not here to hurt you."

Harry, always the stubborn one, did not look at it that way. So, what was a boy to do when presented with a stranger that was going to hurt him? Harry knew what to do, but thinking he could surprise him…

SPLAT! How the frig did I end up down here? Harry wondered, as his tongue tasted the floor of his room.

"Really Harry, I guess subtly is another thing I will have to teach you. A blind, senile coot could have seen that coming from 80 yards away. Now listen Harry before things get drastic, I have someone here that wants to see you. FAWKES come out and say hi to Harry!"

In a ball of flame, Fawkes appeared and landed on Harry's shoulder. Trilling his song of courage, he nipped at Harry's ear. "How did you do that? Has he been with you the whole time? WHAT IS GOING ON?" Harry shouted indignantly as the stranger stepped closer and took Fawkes's leg to remove the letter that had Harry written on it.

"Seriously you got some lungs kid. Good thing I put up a silencing charm before I apparated here. I knew there'd be trouble," he chuckled. He handed Harry the letter and said, "Now are you ready to listen or do I have to rough you up a little more?"

Harry took the letter and began to read.

Dear Harry,

If you are reading this then I have gone to my last great adventure. Please do not mourn me long because trust me that I am happy where I am now. Remember that you are special. Not because you are Harry James Potter The-Boy-Who-Lived, but because you are Harry Potter a boy who has grown into a grandson I have never had. I am proud of you, on whom you are and what you will do.

Now you are wondering whom this man is that carries Fawkes. He is an old student of mine named Allan Genki Tsai, a very powerful wizard and a very trustful fellow. He was once considered my favourite student, until a certain green-eyed, unruly black hair boy appeared. Not that I have favourites. Ahem, anyway, he even gave me a bag of Gummy Bears once. Most delicious those were, I hope you have some with you when you read this.

Allan is here to do what must be done to help you survive. Allan knows about everything we have studied and is willing to help. Allan is also a man you can learn from and holds a great deal of knowledge.

If he has come into Privet Drive then my fears are correct. Since my untimely demise, the wards around the house are failing. It was, after all, my magic that helped bind the original spell to the house. Normally he would not have been able to come in without permission from me, but with his breach that means the house is unsafe. You might have felt it when they came down through a surge in your mind. Please go with him, he will protect you.

Trust the love you have around you Harry, do not let it go. It is your key, your power, your light. You are a powerful wizard and your parents and Sirius are just as proud as I am of you. I will tell them that you are great and you are their perfect son when I get to see them. Please live life and do not let it pass you by, if anybody deserves that it is you.

With all the love a possible grandfather can posses,

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Harry felt his eyes get a bit watery and looked up at Allan, who is eating from a bag of gummy bears, as if sizing him up and asked, "So where to now?"

Allan replied with a smile.