Harry was shocked. Not spending the summer with the Dursleys? Whatever he had expected to be the reason for the visit from Nicolas Flamel, that wasn't it. In fact, he was speechless, jaw hanging open as he entirely failed to formulate a response. Mister Flamel, fortunately, seemed to be patient to wait. After what seemed like forever to the young boy, he asked, voice trembling slightly, "Do you mean it, sir?"

Flamel leaned forward in his chair. "Of course I'm sure, I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't, Mister Potter. That is, of course, if you're interested-" he calmly explained just before getting jumped by an eleven year old, who was presently hugging him as if he was terrified he would vanish the moment he let go.

"Of course I want to! Please, please let me spend the summer with you! You'll take me to Hogwarts after, right?" he asked. Nicolas frowned a little, but made sure Harry didn't see it, wondering what kind of child was so absolutely happy to leave his family.

"Of course I'll bring you back to Hogwarts when it's time for your second year, why wouldn't I? And are you sure you shouldn't ask your family?" Flamel asked the young boy, who stiffened at the mention of the Dursleys and stepped back, completely mortified from his behavior. Hugging a complete stranger! Now there was no way he would want to take him along for the summer! But he was still asking anyway...

"I'm sure they don't mind. They'll be glad to get me out of the house, really..." he said, looking dejected, finding the floor suddenly fascinating. Nicolas frowned again, but decided that if what he suspected really was true, it would bear having that particular conversation somewhere else.

"I see... Well, Mister Potter, you better be packing your trunk, shouldn't you?" he asked, and while his eyes didn't twinkle in the same way his well known friend's did, the same kind of feeling could be heard in his voice. Harry looked up, confused.

"What? But-" he started.

"Now, none of that. If you still want to come, you better start packing your things for Hogwarts, unless you'd rather come back here before you leave for your second year?" Flamel teased gently. Harry went still for a moment, before leaping up from his seat on the bed, quickly looking around the room to make sure everything was in his trunk (And it was, for it was infinitely safer to keep his freakish items hidden away from the Dursley's) before starting an incoherent babble of thanks that was quickly hushed by the kindly old alchemist. "Now, while you're doing that, I will just go confirm with your relatives about this plan, and we'll be off."

Ignoring Harry's sudden look of horror, he vanished.

A few minutes later, he was sitting on his trunk while Mister Flamel was standing, looking very lost in thought.

He had vanished from Harry's room, and Harry had looked out his window to see he had reappeared equally silently outside and was strolling up to the front door to meet the Dursleys.

The row that followed had only entered the house so that their shouting wouldn't be heard by the neighbors, and was a scathing testament to how much the perfectly normal Dursley family hated anything that wasn't equally perfectly normal.

To Harry, it was everything he had expected when he saw a wizard try to introduce himself to his relatives.

However, once it became clear this strange, unknown man was here to take away the child under their care for the summer, or so he said, the Dursleys were immediately happy to get rid of him, shouting out for the "BOY!" to get down there and leave with him.

And so Harry fidgeted on his trunk, and Nicolas started to pace in thought.

"Er- I mean, Mister Flamel?" he asked timidly, not sure even now if he would accept him now that his family showed what they thought of him. Nicolas looked up from his pacing, and went to stand next to Harry's trunk again.

"Yes, Harry?" He asked, surprising Harry slightly that he wasn't "Mister Potter" anymore, but didn't give it much mind.

"You still want to bring me along, right?" he asked, almost flinching when the older wizard sighed and went back to his pacing for a moment.

Flamel knew well that Harry Potter was something else, and not for any of his specific deeds. No, he was a very unique soul indeed, which is why he was considering more then just a summer away from home, if the boy accepted. No, what he was wondering is why Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, Heir to the Ancient And Most Noble House of Potter (In spite of it's more recent mixing with half-bloods, as some would inevitably think would discredit such a title,) seemed to have such a hard time accepting that anyone would want him around.

However, from what small experience he had with his caretakers, he had an idea, and he didn't like it. He ceased his pacing, and turned to face Harry. Perhaps he needed to be more clear.

"Mister Potter. I have invited you to spend the summer with me because I want you to spend the summer with me. This is because I do in fact want you around. Is that clear?" he asked, and Harry looked like... Well, as if a muggle had just transfigured a rabbit into a hat in front of him.

"I- You mean it?" he asked.

"I mean it," said Flamel.

It was only through force of will Harry didn't start hugging him again.

Side-Along Apparition, as Flamel called it, was a very strange feeling indeed. It wasn't too unpleasant, but Flamel just smiled and said that it usually was, very much so, and it was one of the benefits of traveling with someone who had lived long enough to master all forms of magical travel regularly used. Harry was fascinated at this, and wanted to learn to master it as well, but was disheartened to find that he couldn't legally Apparate by himself until he was a grown up, even when it seemed so familiar to Harry, but he was quickly distracted by the fact that Nicolas Flamel, master alchemist and famous wizard, lived with his wife in a quiet little cottage in Devon, to the west of Little Whinging, instead of- Harry didn't know, a grand castle? A huge estate? Something rich and tasteful for the man who could make gold from any pure metal, but when he asked, Nicolas just said that he had a fine quiet little life here. However, more along the lines of what he expected was this:

"Well, it is true that I own quite a bit of property all over the world- I've been considering moving back to France for some time now, and most of the properties I have there are quite a bit more extravagant then this old place, I'll admit," he offered cheerfully.

Harry dutifully followed Flamel in, and was quickly directed up to the guest room while Nicolas had a word with with wife. Perhaps this summer really would work out.