Dumbledore mouth fell open in shock. He had never been happier in his entire life. Finally, after 8 long years he could finally apologize to the young man and make up for his past mistakes.

"Harry, my boy, I cannot express in words how happy I am to see you safe and healthy." Dumbledore said while wiping a tear from his eye. "Come with me. I will take care of you and you can meet your family again."

"You are mistaken Dumbledore." said Harry. "There is no way I would go with you when you didn't even help me and why would I want to meet my family that ignored me and rejected me from ever having a proper childhood."

Dumbledore's mouth fell open in shock at Harry's words. Never in his extremely long life had he entertained the notion that a young boy would not want to go back to his family; especially in a society run by purebloods who emphasized family.

"Actually I should thank them for ignoring me because then I would never have met my current guardian and learned all I have about magic." Harry smiled coldly at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore felt growing horror rising in his body. Currently Harry was on the path to darkness and Dumbledore feared he would become like another promising young student who had fallen to the darkness, Tom Riddle. He knew that it wasn't his fault that made Tom become Lord Voldemort but he couldn't help but feel that it was.

Harry suddenly focused back on Dumbledore. "Anyway, I have to stay at the castle because my name came out of the Goblet. Is there any way to take me out of it?" Harry asked.

"I am sorry, my boy, for not helping you earlier. It is one of my most regretted decisions that I have made. As for the tournament, there is no way for you to back out of it and, as you said before, you have to stay in the castle for the contract to be fulfilled." Dumbledore said.

"Of course there is no way to get out of the contract and I really don't want to have to destroy the Goblet so I guess I have to compete." sighed Harry.

Suddenly the other man spoke up. "Harry, are you sure that you want to stay here?" he asked.

Dumbledore frowned at the man. "Of course he wants to stay here and make it up with his parents and brother. Where else would he go?"

Harry snorted in amusement and shook his head at the headmaster's naivety. He couldn't understand the Dumbledore's thought train and quite frankly he didn't want to know it.

"Could you erect privacy wards? I really don't want him to hear this." Harry asked his companion while jerking a thumb over his shoulder towards Dumbledore.

"Of course I can. Do you doubt my skills?" he asked. The mysterious man waved his hand and suddenly the most powerful privacy wards that Dumbledore had ever felt were erected.

Dumbledore was shocked at the relative ease that the man put the wards up and was slightly worried when he didn't use a wand to put them up. He tested the strength of the wards slightly and was shocked when the man suddenly looked at him like he knew what he was doing.

Inside the privacy ward, the man asked "Harry, are you sure this is the right choice? You know that your family is in there and will try to talk to you."

"I am sorry for leaving you but this is something I have to do. I need to confront them and find out why." Harry replied.

"I knew you were going to say that." the man sighed. "If you're going to be leaving me at least take this as a gift." he said as he held out a moleskin pouch enchanted to be expanded indefinitely.

"No!" Harry said. "You have already given me enough. All I could ask for was you to care for me. That is all I will ever need."

"Harry, you made an old man who had spent far too many years locked up in a dusty library come out into the open and live again. Taking you in was the least I could do for you. Now this is something that I want to do for you." the man said.

Harry tried to smile at the man but failed bitterly as tears slowly filled up his eyes. The man saw this and drew him into a hug.

"I will always be with you, whether you want it or not. All you have to do is ask for help. Remember that you do have friends to help you with everything and do not be scared to ask for help. I love you like the son I never had Harry." the man whispered into Harry's ear.

"I love you too… Merlin" Harry said back, his voice cracking. Slowly he drew away and wiped his eyes clear of tears. With a nod to Merlin the privacy ward fell.

"My boy, are you ready to come back to your family?" Dumbledore asked, unaware of the depth of what had transpired.

At this Harry stood up tall and replied in a firm tone "Yes."

As Dumbledore levitated the fake Alastor Moody, Harry cast one last look back at Merlin.

Merlin slowly raised his hand in a farewell to his adopted son. He would miss his presence around him, constantly asking questions but he felt it was for the best. Harry would have had to gone out into the world some time and at least where he was now, Merlin knew he was protected.

Harry sighed one last time and turned back towards the castle. As he gazed up at Hogwarts he couldn't help but be impressed. Even from the outside the castle radiated power like no other place. He knew that, while he would be safe from physical harm, he wasn't so sure what his mental state would be after being locked up in a castle with his family that abandoned him.