Shadows. Green. Avada kedavra. Leave Harry alone.
All turned to white, as the voice returned to Harry.
"Don't wait for the Hogwarts Express, they'll catch you," the voice warned, as Harry thought back to Hagrid's explanation of Platform 9¾.
"You must find your way to me. Find your way to Hogwarts. Don't trust the wizards, stick to the Muggle world."
Harry desperately tried to speak, but he couldn't.
"You may know who I am, Harry. My name is Albus Dumbledore, and I need you to keep the stone safe. Please, Harry. Keep it safe."
Harry didn't know what to do.
He had just woken up on the uncomfortable park bench and realised that, throughout the course of the day, he had gotten no closer to figuring out how he was going to get to Scotland. It was so far away, and he had no hope of getting onto a plane. Hitchhiking had come into his mind as a possibility, but even an eleven-year-old knew how terrible an idea that was.
Knowing it was illegal to be sleeping in a Muggle park, Harry sat up and grabbed his bag, leaving the park and setting off down the street for some breakfast.
Cody's Cafe, a gorgeous little cafe in a laneway off of Charing Cross Road, opened at the crack of dawn and served Harry, their first customer of the day, bacon and eggs with sausage and orange juice. Harry liked that they didn't look at him oddly for being a young boy without his parents, as they were likely too tired to care. Instead, they served him his breakfast and cared only if he had enough money to pay for it.
A waitress came over to take his food when he was done.
"Coffee, m'dear?" she asked, and Harry shook his head.
"No thanks. Actually, I was wondering if you could tell me how to get to Scotland?"
The waitress looked at Harry quizzically, before considering the question. "Scotland? Well, erm, where abouts?"
"Dufftown."
"Dufftown? That's up Inverness way. I suppose a plane would be the easiest way, but there's always the M6 as well. You just keep driving and you can get anywhere in Scotland."
"Is there anything else I could do? Preferably not a plane or a car."
The woman crossed her arms and thought deeply.
"Well, I suppose there's always the train."
The train! Of course! Why hadn't I thought of that?
"There's one that leaves from King's Cross," the woman continued. "Will take you straight up to Inverness or Aberdeen, and you'll be able to find your way to Dufftown from there."
"Thank you!" Harry exclaimed, scooping up his belongings and tearing out the door.
"What an odd little boy," the woman mused as she watched Harry take off, before returning to the kitchen to wash Harry's plate.