Harry gulped. Somehow, the old man gave off both a welcoming aura and an intimidating one.
"Beans?"
"E-eh?"
"Bertie Botts' Every Flavour Beans. Magic beans. Has all kinds of flavors. Even I don't know the flavor you'll get."
He gave a warm smile with a wink, taking out a small white packet from his robe. His wrinkled hand reached forward to where Harry was.
"I-I'm sorry. I'm not supposed to take candies from strangers."
The old man froze a little bit before chuckling, storing back the beans into his robe.
"Very well. You look so tense I thought you need some refreshments as we speak."
He reached into his robe again, only this time, he pulled out what looked like a magic wand.
"See this, Harry? This is a wand. A real magic wand. Like I said, I am a wizard, just like you. And just like many others in the other world."
Harry raised his eyebrows.
"What? You mean Earth also has—"
"Yes, Earth also has witches and wizards. We are very good at hiding, you see, so the rest of the non-magic world, Muggles, as we call them, have no idea in the slightest about our existence."
Harry blinked. He wasn't sure how to react to this sudden revelation.
"And you, Harry, you are a special wizard. The Boy Who Lived. The only person who had ever survived the wrath of the Dark Lord Voldemort. But ah, I believe i"m getting ahead of myself."
Harry nodded. The old man had lost him completely.
"To tell you everything would mean I will intrude in this charming little dwelling longer than I would wish. And so, I have made this little book that you could read in your spare time."
He reached into his robe once more, taking out a large leather-bound book and placing it on the nearby table.
Harry was starting to think the robe's pocket was magical as well.
"But, in summary, something quite unprecedented had happened. You are here not because of my plan. No. Something else must have called you here. I haven't been able to determine what it is. However, you being here is even better than you staying with those unpleasant folks on Little Whinging. You are safe from the Dark Lord's reach as only I know the secret of dimensional travel. Not to brag, of course." He added with a smile. "I assume she treats you well?"
"Y-you know about Ayesha?"
"Of course. She's quite famous in the region. Her medicine is simply top-notch."
Suddenly, he stood up from his couch.
"Now, I shall take my leave. Don't worry. I'll be visiting you from time to time. In fact, the next time I come, I believe I may just bring you back to Earth. You need to get your own wand after all."
"A-a wand?" Harry stood up as well. That's exactly what he needed to unlock his skill.
"Indeed. Look forward to it." He winked again before walking towards the door. "Oh, almost forgot the hat. Accio!"
To Harry's astonishment, the tall pointy hat flew right to the top of his head, as if there was a vacuum on top of the old man. W-was that, magic?
"I've written some basic spells in that book. Feel free to check them out." He opened the door and stepped to the outside.
"W-wait, I still have—"
With a loud poof, the old man disappeared.
When Ayesha and Nio returned, Harry explained what had transpired. As expected, neither of them had any idea who that old man was. They certainly didn't know anyone with the name of Albus Dumbledore.
"Hmm, maybe he really is from your world, Harry…" Ayesha tilted her head, pressing one finger below her chin.
"And he said he can bring you back? That's amazing! You should be really happy then!" Nio grinned from ear to ear.
"Dimensional travel, huh? I wasn't sure if magic even existed, but now, after meeting you, and knowing about the old man, it must be! How wonderful!" Ayesha covered her mouth and giggled.
"But…" Nio's smile abruptly stopped. "If you're going back, that means you're not going to be around anymore…"
"Come now, Nio." Ayesha placed her hand on her sister's shoulder. "We can't be selfish. Harry has his own home. It's been fun living with him this past year, but if it's time for him to leave, then we can't stop him, can we?"
"I know, Sis… but still…" Nio looked down with a downcast expression on her face.
Seeing this, Harry quickly opened his mouth and corrected the two. "H-hey, I'm not leaving! I'm just going back for a while! He says I'm better off staying here than in my old home and I agree with him so don't be sad, alright?"
Without thinking about it, Harry put his hand on Nio's head. It caused the little sister to blush as she averted her gaze.
At least before she knocked his hand away. "H-hey! You don't get to do that! Only Sis is allowed to give me a head pat! You're younger than me! I should be the one giving you headpats!"
Seeing this, Ayesha couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle.
Harry didn't wait until he began his reading. That night, he plopped himself on the couch and devoured it like the hungriest bookworm there was.
And what he found there took his breath away.
It was almost like reading a fantasy book, only it was all real. The world of witches and wizards was far more fascinating than he had expected. The book described their history, from the MIddle Ages all the way to the current, modern age.
The book then focused on the wizard society of Britain, with only some minor mentions of the other nations' wizarding societies. He learned about Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, the Ministry of Magic, and a bunch of other things he couldn't remember with just a single read.
He couldn't last long until he was getting sleepy, however, and so, after the urging of Ayesha, he decided to go to sleep.
He had a lot of time to read it later after all.