Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 07: Dumbledore
"Dumbledore?" Harry stared at the strange old man with curiosity. There was a familiar feeling there, but also a sense of wariness.
"You are probably wondering where you are and what I am doing here," Dumbledore started. "But first, let me ask you something… what is the last thing you remember?"
"Mmm?" Harry had to filter out everything from his dreams, as it was beginning to mix with his real memories. "The last thing… I was at home. My uncle was screaming at me, he…" He was trying to kill him, wasn't he?
"There was a strong light. My chest felt hot. I… I don't know what happened after that," Harry finally said.
He wasn't sure if he should talk too much about the treatment he received from his aunt and uncle, as he didn't want to get into more trouble.
The last time he tried to speak with a school professor about it, they were notified about what Harry said and got extremely furious.
That time, Harry spent an entire week inside the cupboard with no food.
Dumbledore noticed that Harry was not willing to speak anymore. "Very well, then I will tell you where you are. This is a hospital, Harry.
Something happened at your home, and you got hurt. But perhaps I should add that this is not a normal hospital either."
"It's a hospital for freaks?" Harry asked.
"What?" Dumbledore looked confused by the question.
"Yes. My aunt Petunia usually told me that one day, she was going to get me locked up in a place for freaks like me."
Dumbledore frowned. "No, Harry. This is a hospital called St. Mungo's." The old man sighed. "I don't know how best to explain this, but… you and your uncle were hurt during an outburst of accidental magic."
"Magic? But there is no such thing as magic." Harry was sure of that. His aunt and uncle made sure to remind him of that fact.
Dumbledore sighed. "This is not how I planned for you to find out, but… magic is real." As he said this, the old man pulled out a wand from his robes and conjured a small flame that floated slightly above the tip of the wand.
He then gave the wand a whisk, and the flame changed shapes, turning into a small bird that flew around for a bit before disappearing.
"Whoa!" Harry looked astonished.
'It's like in my dreams!' he realized. This person was like those people in his dream world.
'Does this mean that it could all be real?' Harry wondered. Either that or he was still dreaming, but that didn't seem to be the case.
For a moment, he even considered asking this person about it, but Harry had no idea how to go about explaining his strange dreams to this person.
He also didn't know how he was going to react. This one seemed like a kind old man, but what if he got angry like his uncle always does?
So in the end, Harry remained silent about it.
Seeing the reaction on Harry, Dumbledore smiled gently. "Yes, magic is real, Harry. And you… You are actually a wizard."
"A wizard?" Harry tilted his head. "Is that someone who can do magic, like a sorcerer?"
"Yes, but… we don't use that term any longer. Where did you hear it?"
Harry got a bit nervous, thinking that he might be in trouble.
"T-television," he said, the first thing he could come up with.
His cousin was always watching that thing and would sometimes talk about the shows and movies he watched.
"Ah, yes, the television," Dumbledore responded before grabbing a chair and placing it next to his bed. "Harry, there is something else you need to know. Your parents were also a wizard and a witch."
"They were?" Harry sounded surprised. "My aunt only told me that my father was a drunk and my mother was a stupid woman for going with him and getting killed in a car accident."
"That's what they told you?!" Now it was Dumbledore's turn to act surprised. He could understand that his aunt Petunia would have to invent a story to justify their deaths, but this was not what he expected.
Feeling more curious now about the kind of life Harry had in that house, Dumbledore aimed his wand at Harry, but did it in a very subtle way so the boy would not notice.
Then, he whispered under his breath. "Legilimency…" The mind-reading spell found its intended target.
Harry did indeed miss the old wizard's movements, but he did feel something when he looked into Dumbledore's blue eyes.
There was an unpleasant tingling sensation at the back of his head.
He reacted by pure instinct and looked away, breaking eye contact with the old wizard, and a moment later, the unpleasant sensation stopped.
It had only lasted a couple of seconds, but during that time, Dumbledore had found what he was looking for. He had seen many of Harry's memories and the kind of life he lived in that house.
"Oh no…" The words left his lips.
Harry noticed the distress on the old man's face. "Sir? Are you okay?"
"No, I'm sorry, my boy," Dumbledore said. "This is not how I intended for any of this to happen. I meant for you to be safe in that house and grow away from all the drama."
Harry did not understand what this person was now talking about. And he was also not used to having an adult apologize to him, so he didn't know what to say.
But then he saw something change in the old man's expression. His eyes became filled with determination, as if he had just decided something.
"Harry, I will one day apologize properly for all of this. I want you to know that I only wanted the best for you," Dumbledore said, aiming his wand at Harry. "I will make things right. This is not how you were supposed to find out, but there are still a few more months before it's the proper time."
"Ehm… sir?" Harry was getting nervous. He may have just discovered the existence of magic, but he could already tell that wands were dangerous objects… weapons, just like the staff that Merlin wielded in his dreams. And now this wand was pointed directly at his face.
"I'll fix this," Dumbledore said as his wand gained an eerie shine. "Obliviate."
That foreign word was the last thing Harry heard before everything went dark again.
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