The day before they were supposed to leave for Hogwarts Albus announced that he was going to start packing up the house. Harry assumed he was speaking figuratively until he started systematically dismantling the kitchen around them. Harry barely had time to leap up out of his chair before Albus whisked it up and collapsed it down into a cardboard box.

'Surely we're not taking the furniture?!' Harry exclaimed with alarm.

'Oh no,' Albus said quickly. 'We wouldn't have anywhere to put it. You'll be going in the dormitories and I'll only have one small room.'

'Then why - ?' Harry gestured emphatically at Albus who was now disconnecting the stove.

'We need to leave the house as we found it,' Albus said simply.

'As we found it ... ?' Harry repeated. He strained his memory but could not recall the house ever being any other way. He certainly always remembered it having a stove.

'It was quite empty when we first came here,' Albus assured him. 'Old, abandoned and falling down.'

'Well then, can't we leave it a little better than we found it?' Harry said sharply.

Albus paused in the act of stippling off the wallpaper and considered. 'I suppose,' he said slowly, lowering his wand. 'It wouldn't do any harm.'

The wallpaper fell the floor in a long curl, like fresh apple peel, and Harry heaved a sigh of relief.

'Is there anything you want me to do?' He asked. 'I don't suppose I'll be able to help with the magic - '

'No, no, no,' Albus said quickly. 'Just pack up your clothes and your books and things for me. I've put a trunk outside your room.'

Harry did as he was told, trying not to linger too much over his old toys and notebooks. The trunk had been magically extended so he didn't need to worry about being selective; he just packed up everything as neatly as he could and then hurried back downstairs.

By that time Albus had already stripped most of the house. Harry found him standing in the middle of the living room, right where the coffee table used to be, looking around himself at all the empty space.

'I think that will do for now,' he said thoughtfully. 'Shall we take a tea break? There's still some things we ought to go over before we leave.'

'Alright,' Harry agreed.

The chairs were all gone of course, so they both had to sit down on the floor. Albus summoned two cups of tea from thin air and handed one over to Harry.

'You know that things will be very different at Hogwarts, don't you?' He said. 'I'll be headmaster and you'll be one of my students. We won't be able to behave as we have at home.'

Harry nodded and took a sip of his tea. 'I know. I'll have to live like all the other kids. Sleep in the dormitory. Eat at the house table.'

'Yes,' Albus said slowly, 'But it's not just that. You'll have to try to talk to me as the other students do.'

Harry frowned a little. 'What do you mean?'

'Well,' Albus began, 'When you're talking to me you should address me as 'Sir' or 'Professor, ' just like you would any other teacher.'

Harry started at him blankly.

'And if you're talking to another teacher about me you should refer to me as 'Professor Dumbledore,' Albus continued, 'but if you're talking to a classmate you can just call me 'Dumbledore.' Most of them do.'

Harry started to laugh. 'Are you joking?' He demanded. 'What will you call me? Mr Potter?'

'Oh no,' Albus said quickly. 'I'll always call you Harry, but that won't seem that unusual. Teachers can use first names if they wish.'

'What about when we're alone?' Harry demanded. 'I don't need to call you 'Professor' all the time, do I?'

'No,' Albus replied, 'but I think we should try and get into the habit. It might be difficult to remember otherwise.'

Harry rolled his eyes and lay back on the floor. 'Okay, professooor,' he said, drawing out the word.

He lay there in silence for a few minutes while Albus finished off his tea.

'I know you're happy to be going back, but will you miss living here?' Harry asked. 'Will you miss this house?'

Albus set his teacup down. 'I will,' he said softly. 'I love Hogwarts, of course, but this has been a home just for us. I've never had something like that before. Something private and domestic. Not since I was a child, anyway.'

Harry smiled to himself, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. There was a hole right above his head where the chandelier used to be.

'It's been nice to take some time off too,' Albus continued.

Harry snorted. 'Time off?' He repeated. 'You never took time off! You were writing letters every single day and you left for two weeks last month to sort that crisis in Paris!'

'I knew you were still annoyed about that,' Albus said grimly.

'You said you'd only be gone a day!'

'Well, you said you could take care of yourself,' Albus countered, 'and I came back to find the house full of snakes!'

'I got lonely!' Harry protested.

Albus chuckled. 'I know,' he said fondly, 'but it was a lot of trouble getting your friends to leave. The one in the toilet was especially stubborn.'

He got up and stood over Harry, peering down at his face.

'How are you feeling about moving?' He asked.

'I'm fine,' Harry said, swatting away Albus's beard.

'Is there anything you'll miss?' Albus asked. 'Other than the snakes, of course?'

Harry thought for a moment. 'The treehouse,' he said eventually. 'Although I suppose I'm too old for it now anyway.'

'Oh, I've packed that,' Albus said cheerfully.

'You haven't!' Harry exclaimed. 'Where on earth will you put it?'

'I'll find somewhere inside the forbidden forest,' Albus replied. 'You should be able to get to it without being attacked by anything too dangerous.'

Harry laughed. 'Thank you. I've always wanted a secret hideout surrounded by deadly monsters.'

Albus laughed too then he reached down, grabbed Harry by the wrists and swung him round playfully across the polished floorboards. Their mingled laughter echoed throughout the empty house.

They got up early the next morning and did one last sweep of the house to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything. The place seemed very white and bare now, like a carcass picked down to the bones. There was nothing of theirs left anywhere.

'Well then, shall we go?' Albus suggested. 'I've already sent our luggage through.'

'May I go up to the roof first?' Harry asked. 'I'd like to take one last look at everything.'

'Of course,' Albus replied. 'Take as long as you like.'

Harry spent a long time looking out over the gardens and woodlands, trying to fix the image in his mind, before climbing down again.

He found Albus in the living room, waiting by the fireplace with the jar of floo powder in his hand. The fireplace was the one of the few things in the house that was still intact and it looked just as it always had done, black tiles gleaming and a full fire blazing in the grate.

Albus smiled at him encouragingly. 'Are you ready?' He asked.

Harry nodded, a lump in his throat. 'Is what I'm wearing alright?' He asked.

Albus looked him up and down. 'Of course,' he said. 'Why wouldn't it be?'

'I thought maybe I ought to wear robes,' Harry replied. 'I'm surprised you're not.'

Albus shrugged. 'I suppose I've gotten used to used to dressing how I like. I'll start wearing full robes again when term starts.'

He held out his hand to Harry. Harry took it and for a moment they both stood perfectly still and then Albus threw the powder onto the flames, turning them green, and they walked through them together.

'Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts School,' Albus ordered.

The fire shifted around them and everything dissolved away in a wild, swirling rush. Harry closed his eyes and held his breath as his childhood home disappeared forever.
..

They came out seconds later in a large, circular room with smooth stone walls. It was obviously a tower room but it was impossible to tell how high up it was. There was no furniture, but the walls were covered with portraits of old, serious-looking wizards.

There was also a large tabby cat curled up in front of the door, as if it was guarding it. It looked up as they entered, its yellow eyes bright and curious.

'We've got someone here waiting for us,' Harry said cheerfully.

Albus seemed greatly amused by this. Harry glanced at him suspiciously, wondering what the real joke was, then he turned back to the door and understood immediately. The cat was gone now and in its place there stood a rather severe-looking woman with a tight bun of hair and square glasses.

'Professor McGonagall!' Albus exclaimed. 'You really didn't have to sit up here and wait for me you know. I would have come and found you.'

The woman raised her eyebrows at him. 'I've been waiting for you for the last seven years, Dumbledore. A few hours more waiting in your office floor hardly makes any difference.'

Albus stepped neatly out of the fireplace, and Harry, who was still holding onto his hand, tagged along like a frightened six-year-old.

'It's good to see you, Professor,' Albus said warmly.

'You too,' Professor McGonagall replied, 'and —my goodness! This must be Harry!'

'That's right,' Albus said, beaming down at Harry. 'I'm sure you'd recognise him anywhere. He looks so much like his father.'

'Exactly like him,' Professor McGonagall agreed. 'Except for the eyes, of course. He has Lily's eyes. I'm sorry, Harry, you must be tired of hearing this.'

Harry shook his head quickly. 'No, not at all. It's lovely to hear.'

Professor McGonagall face softened noticeably. 'Your parents were two of my favourite students,' she said. 'So talented, so dedicated. It was a privilege to teach them.'

'Thank you so much for saying so,' Harry replied. 'I'm very pleased to meet you, professor.'

'Such lovely manners,' Professor McGonagall commented approvingly.

Harry blushed and shook his head.

'Manners are just what I was taught in place of adequate socialisation,' he joked. 'I'm afraid I don't have any social skills whatsoever, although I can recite a lot of sixteenth century poetry.'

McGonagall looked taken aback. She raised her eyebrows at Albus. 'He's grown very like you,' she said. It sounded like an accusation.

'An accident, I assure you,' Albus replied apologetically. 'Children are so prone to picking up bad habits. A surreal sense of humour is probably better than most.'

'Well I suppose the damage is done and nothing can be done about it now,' Professor McGonagall said grimly. 'Are you feeling up to meeting anyone else yet or do you want some time to settle in first?'

'We'll be down in a little while,' Albus promised. 'I just want to show Harry the view.'

Professor McGonagall's eyes slid over to the stain-glass window.

'Of course,' she murmured. 'That's the only disadvantage of travelling in by floo powder. You don't get a first glimpse of the place.'

'I wanted to fly here,' Harry told her, 'but Albus said it was too far.'

He realised too late that he had called Albus by his first name, but Professor McGonagall didn't seem to mind.

'You're a good flier then?' She asked.

'I think so,' Harry said modestly. 'I've never flown with anyone else though.

'He's very talented,' Albus insisted. 'I'd say he flies even better than his father. Just you wait until you see him.'

'I look forward to it,' Professor McGonagall replied. 'I really hope you'll be a Gryffindor, Harry. We desperately need some talent for our team.'

Harry assured her that of course he would be a Gryffindor, which seemed to amuse her. Then she left them alone and he and Albus went over to the window.

They stood together in silence for several minutes, looking out at the grounds, then Albus asked, 'Well, what do you think?'

'There's a lot of it,' Harry said breathlessly. 'The forest looks huge.'

'It is,' Albus agreed. 'Although it was far larger when Hogwarts was first built. Over the years witches and wizards have cut back a lot of it, which is a great shame.'

'It looks ... a lot like home,' Harry said slowly. 'Only bigger.' He felt himself go red. 'That's not an coincidence is it?'

'No,' Albus replied. 'It's not. I couldn't resist reshaping the countryside to suit my tastes. I hope it's a pleasant surprise.'

'It is,' Harry assured him.

The next few hours passed very quickly. Harry was rapidly introduced to the majority of the teachers, all of whom seemed utterly delighted to meet him, and then Albus took him on a quick tour of the castle.

'It's impossible to show you everything in one day,' he said regretfully, 'but I can definitely give you the highlights.'

Harry quickly formed the opinion that the things Albus Dumbledore considered highlights were probably not thought so by anyone else, but the stories that accompanied them were all very funny though so Harry did not resent being given an unconventional introduction to Hogwarts. The only thing that worried him was how large the castle appeared to be and how many twists and turns were in its corridors.

'I'm bound to get lost in here,' He said nervously.

'Oh yes,' Albus agreed. 'You'll get lost the second I let you out of my sight, but that's nothing to be afraid of. After all, ending up where you meant to go is always quite dull. It's much more exciting to end up somewhere completely unexpected.'

'What about finding my way out of that exciting, unexpected place?' Harry countered. 'It seems like Hogwarts has a lot of places to get trapped. I don't want to end up starving to death in some mysterious cupboard that only appears every other Tuesday.'

'Oh, that hardly ever happens,' Albus said brightly. 'It's been over fifty years since a student actually died and that was no accident, that was just plain murder.'

'I feel very reassured,' Harry said sarcastically. 'What about that story you literally just told me five minutes ago about the professor who disappeared for two weeks because he got trapped in an enchanted teapot.'

'Yes, but he didn't starve, did he?' Albus said.

'Only because he was surrounded by tea!' Harry protested. 'I don't want to end up anywhere I have to eat my way out of.'

'I promise that I will never let you get trapped in a teapot,' Albus said solemnly. 'Anyway, people always turn up. That's what I say every time someone goes missing. They always turn up eventually.'

Harry decided to let the subject drop then, if only because he didn't think he could cope with any more of Albus's attempts to reassure him.

Albus was just showing Harry an especially ugly painting of trolls attempting to perform ballet when they were approached by a tall, dark man with greasy black hair.

When Harry turned to face him he actually recoiled a little, in shock. Like many of the other teachers he seemed to recognise Harry immediately, but unlike the others he didn't look a bit happy to see him.

'Ah Severus,' Albus said brightly. 'It's good to see you.'

He put an arm around Harry's shoulders and nodded down at him. 'This is Harry,' he said. 'Harry, this is Professor Severus Snape.'

Harry held out his hand and smiled politely. 'It's nice to meet you, Professor,' he said.

Snape stared at Harry's hand as if it was something dead and slimy so Harry drew it back hastily.

'Sorry, is that not done?' He said. 'I'm still new to this. Meeting people, I mean.'

Several of the other teachers had shaken his hand and appeared eager to do so but he supposed that was because he was famous. It was unlikely they greeted every student so warmly.

Professor Snape certainly wasn't about to give Harry a warm reception. He glared over his head at Albus, ignoring him entirely.

'What's he doing here?' He demanded.

Albus appeared puzzled. 'Harry will be starting school this year,' he said simply. 'You know that, don't you?'

'Of course,' Snape snapped, 'but what's he doing here now? Why isn't he arriving with all the other students?'

'Well, he's with me,' Albus replied.

If Professor Snape was expecting any further explanation than he was sorely disappointed. Albus just stood smiling pleasantly while the other man glared at him.

'Where's he even staying?' Snape demanded.

'I thought he could go in the Gryffindor dormitory,' Albus said. 'It's empty now, of course, but he'll be fine by himself.'

'Don't you think that's a little premature?' Snape hissed. 'You can't know for certain that he's going to be a Gryffindor.'

'I could get sorted now,' Harry suggested helpfully, 'then we'll know for certain.'

Snape gave him a cold look. 'Sorting is always done on the first day of term in front of the whole school. I would have thought Professor Dumbledore had told you that already.'

His eyes flickered back to Albus and they seemed to grow even colder.

'Of course, if you think it's worth breaking over nine hundreds years of tradition for your own convenience then please, be my guest.'

'Oh no,' Harry said quickly. 'I wasn't saying that. I didn't realise.'

'Well, perhaps Harry could stay in the Slytherin dormitory,' Albus suggested, 'and then you could keep an eye on him.'

Snape looked appalled.

'I know you've been away from Hogwarts for a long time Dumbledore, but surely you must remember that the location of each house common room and dormitory is supposed to be a secret from the rest of the school.'

'Oh yes, of course,' Albus said nodding. 'Well, I'm sure I can find a suitable room somewhere. It's only for a few weeks, after all.'

Snape was silent for a moment. He looked as though he was struggling to find something else to complain about but failing to do so.

'Well you must do what you think is best headmaster,' he said quietly. 'You always do.'

Then he turned on his heel and walked away without another word. Harry waited until he was gone before turning to Albus and pulling a face. Albus smiled at him and shook his head.

'I'm sorry about that,' he said. 'People can be very rude when they're caught off-guard. He obviously didn't expect to find you here.'

'He seemed furious about it,' Harry replied. 'I though he was going to insist on having me thrown out.'

'Luckily, he does not have that authority,' Albus replied. 'A point which he himself seemed keen to emphasise.'

Then Albus's expression cleared and he began to speak brightly once more, keen to resume his tour of Hogwarts's unappreciated wonders.

'Come on,' he said. 'There's a hidden tunnel I want to show you that runs right under the school. It doesn't actually go anywhere, just loops around, but it's filled with hundreds and hundreds of lost socks. I think there's a creature living in there somewhere who keeps stealing them from the students, but I've never been able to catch him at it.'