Beta-ed by FlyingLovegood.

Tom, the wizened landlord of the Leaky Cauldron received quite a surprise when the Headmaster of Hogwarts himself turned up on his doorstep that evening, with a little child in tow no less. Normally, most of the school businesses were taken care of by Hagrid, with whom he was on familiar term. Dumbledore was a likeable and respected man, but for him to appear in these kinds of places was quite rare. However, he decided not to question the unexpected presence and greeted Dumbledore with his usual smile.

"Ah, Headmaster. What can I do for you?"

Dumbledore nodded in greeting.

"Good evening, Tom. Forgive me for disturbing you at this hour, but I was hoping that you could do me a favor and give little Edward here a place to stay for a few days." The Headmaster gestured at the boy who was hiding behind him. Tom looked at Edward curiously. The child had messy dark hair, pale skin and his particularly large ears stuck out comically. He was really scrawny, a fact that was heavily accentuated by the oversized clothes, which made Tom wondered whether he had been malnourished. The boy was staring at him with deep blue eyes. From the look on his face, it seemed like he was seizing Tom up and trying to decide whether to trust the landlord or not. Feeling a little uncomfortable under the child's gaze, Tom turned his attention back to Dumbledore.

"Of course. I'll be happy to be of help. How long is he going to stay, headmaster?"

"Less than a week, I suppose. I will send Hagrid here to pick him up."

"I understand." said Tom. Leaving Dumbledore alone with the boy, he went off to prepare a room.

The Headmaster turned to Edward.

"Listen carefully, Edward. I have to go for now. You'll have to stay here for a while, okay? If you need something, talk to Tom."

"You are…leaving?" Edward eyed Dumbledore questioningly, clearly disturbed by the prospect of being left alone again. Sensing the boy's distraught, Dumbledore stooped down so that his face was on the same level as Edward's and looked straight into his eyes.

"Don't worry. I'll have someone pick you up soon." Dumbledore said with his strangely calming voice "Just don't go anywhere too far from here. We'll definitely meet again."

"You promise?" Edward asked, his tone filled with uncertainty.

"I promise."

Edward observed his new accommodation. It was a nice room that had some highly-polished oak furniture, a large wardrobe as well as a very comfortable looking bed. Edward opened the wardrobe. He needed a change of clothes. Why was he wearing adult clothes in the first place anyway? There was no way of knowing that now. Losing memory was a very irritating feeling, like some parts of you were missing, but you didn't have a clue what they were. He wished he could at least remember his own name. Being called Edward sounded so foreign to his ears. But every time he tried to recall something about himself, he got more and more frustrated as the knowledge slipped away from him just as soon as he pulled it to the surface of his mind. He was stranded here in a world he didn't know anything about. Had he been here before? Or had he always been here? All those questions just keep popping up, and no one could give him the answer. He supposed he should count himself lucky that he met someone who was willing to help. Professor Dumbledore. He was sure that he had never encountered the man before, not that he remembered anything before today, but there was just something about him that made Edward feel like he can trust him. Now that he had been given time to think, he had been able to calm down and look at his situation rationally. But back there; had he been left alone in that state, he wasn't entirely sure what could have happened.

Pondering everything that he had gathered up to this point, there was only one single thing that made sense to him. He had magic. Somehow, he had retained his knowledge about that fact. Magic was natural to him, and he had possessed it all his life. That much he was certain of. But to admit to having it to Dumbledore felt so strange, even though the other man already knew it. He had the distinct feeling that it was something he wasn't supposed to do.

After rummaging through the stack of clothes that was mostly adult-sized, he finally managed to pull out something that looked like it would fit. The clothes he was wearing were dry now, since Dumbledore did something to them, but still, it was hard for him to move in something so large. He had already tripped over the fabric several times. Taking off his shirt, he picked up the new one and flung the old one aside. However, something fell out of it, something circular that hit the ground with a clanking noise and rolled several meters away before Edward managed to grab hold of it. It was a crystal orb that glowed when he touched it and he could feel some sort of power coming from the object. He had no idea what it was, just a vague feeling that this orb was something very important. Perhaps, if he kept it, it might provide some clues as to who exactly he was. Finding a leather pouch along with a few coins attached to the leather belt that went with his old clothes, Edward put the orb into it and placed it under his pillow. Flung himself onto the bed, he realized just how tired he was after all the things that happened today. Well, he would probably have a long time later to think about them. For now, he let himself drifted into a peaceful sleep.