Chapter Seven
The potion, once one of Harry's hairs had been added, had turned the exact color of Harry's green eyes. Dumbledore drank the potion and, to Harry's amazement, it seemed to work instantly and painlessly. When Harry, Ron, and Hermione had taken it, it had felt like their skin was peeling off. Snape's lips curled in disgust, having another Harry Potter in the world. "Oh my," Dumbledore said in a muffled voice. "I forgot how short you children are." Dumbledore's wizard robes were draping over his face, since they were three sizes too big. "Reducio," he said, pointing at his robes and shrinking them to his new size. He also transfigured his half-moon spectacles into frames more resembling Harry's.
Dumbledore tried fruitlessly to straighten his new hair, which was just as thick and unruly as Harry's. "Any advice?" he asked. Harry had never needed to give Dumbledore advice before, so he was quite amused.
"Lots. First off, no magic around them! That includes wearing robes and, more importantly, never saying any magic type words. Especially 'Hogwarts' and 'magic' and 'Muggle'. And my Aunt Petunia pretends that she never had a sister, so don't bring my parents up. What else? Oh, never criticize Dudley. Not that you would, but anyone here could tell you how tempting it is. Just try to avoid them as much as possible and don't bother being nice because they'll think you're after something. And if they say that Aunt Marge is coming for a visit, just run away."
Dumbledore, Lupin and McGonagall all looked quite taken aback. "Sir, just don't say I didn't warn you," said Harry.
"Harry, I'd like you to wear your invisibility cloak whenever you're outdoors. We can never be sure about how many of our operatives are being trailed by Voldemort's servants. Besides that, the fewer members of the magical community that know your whereabouts, the better."
Harry wished that it wasn't such common knowledge that he owned an Invisibility Cloak, but he listened to Dumbledore and put it on as he, Lupin, Hermione and the Weasleys made their way outside towards the boundaries of Hogwarts' grounds. It was very strange for Harry to see himself walking ahead of him. It was even stranger knowing that the boy ahead of him was Professor Dumbledore. Once they were past the school, Dumbledore apparated to Harry's house. "Well, Harry, you're going to go back with Arthur and Molly to their house while I do some things for Dumbledore," said Lupin.
"Are we going to see Sirius anytime soon?" Harry asked. He had hardly had the chance to talk to his godfather.
"Yes, he's going to be staying with us once he gets back from his mission. I'd expect him to return by tomorrow night. Whenever a wizard disappears these days, we either find the physical evidence very soon or never."
It was a quiet ride back to the Burrow. Harry was dying to speak to Ron and Hermione in private. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy the rest of the Weasleys' company, but he had always been much more open with his two best friends, whether talking about Voldemort's plan or his trials back home. Harry was quite happy when Hermione accepted Mrs. Weasley's invitation to stay for a few days. Once they reached the Burrow, the three of them retreated to Ron's room.
"This is brilliant!" said Ron, who had obviously been just as anxious as Harry to talk about last night's events. "Dumbledore being you, I mean. I wonder if those nasty Muggles are catching on yet."
"I wonder if Dumbledore has been locked up yet," said Harry, as he watched the Chudley Cannons fly through the posters on the walls.
"I'm just hoping that he'll blow up at least one person in your family," said Ron.
"Aren't either of you worried at all? I mean, it must be pretty life-threatening if Dumbledore saw a need to personally use the Polyjuice Potion," joined in Hermione. Harry had been thinking the same thing, so he was glad to have Hermione around to say it.
"I've just thought of something that worries me a bit more. You know, Harry, Dumbledore is going to know what you look like naked." With that, both Hermione and Harry started bludgeoning Ron with his pillows, and all three of them broke into a fit of laughter.
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Dumbledore appeared behind the house of Number Four, Privet Drive. He had been at this place once before, fourteen years ago when he left Harry on the doorstep. Nobody had wanted the famous Harry Potter to live with a bunch of ignorant Muggles, but Dumbledore was sure they couldn't be that bad. Remembering that he was still in robes, Dumbledore transfigured them into jeans and a T-shirt and then walked around to the front door. Stopping himself from knocking on the door, he pulled on the handle. A rather large boy was sitting on the sofa, his attention focused on a television set. "Dad, he's back!" Dudley yelled, shooting Dumbledore a hateful glance.
A large, beefy man came down the stairs. "Back are you?" he asked.
"Er…yes," Dumbledore answered, trying to mimic Harry's halting style of speaking.
"You said two weeks. It's only been ten days," Vernon Dursley continued, visibly upset that Harry had come back earlier than expected.
"My friends had some other plans today so I decided to come back early," Dumbledore answered.
"No doubt they got sick of you and chucked you out," Vernon sneered. "Well, as long as you're here, go do your chores."
"Right. Er…what were they again?"
"Trim the hedges, mow the lawn, and clean the toilets."
"And I can't use magic?" Dumbledore hadn't taken Harry's advice to heart, but as Mr. Dursley turned a deep purple, he knew he was in for some trouble.
"How many times have I told you not to speak of your abnormality in this house?" Mr. Dursley bellowed. "Go. Cupboard. Now." Dumbledore obviously hesitated a second too long, for Mr. Dursley rushed up to him, grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, and nearly threw him into the cupboard under the stairs.
"Dear me."