Dumbledore was a busy man. Running Hogwarts was not his only duty, although having hundreds of children to look after was certainly a responsibility all in itself. The Ministry demanded daily that he give advice on matters concerning the wizarding world. So when his deputy headmistress asked him to go check on one of his past charges he was reluctant to do so. Besides, he was sure the child was fine in the care of his mother’s relatives. There were many other children that needed his attention at the moment. However, Minerva was persistent. A trait that had amused him when she was a headstrong Gryffindor and one that he admired in the headstrong teacher.

So, after a week of listening to the woman fret over the boy he finally agreed to go check on the boy. Of course he dressed in muggle clothing, a bright orange jumper, and brushed his long white hair neatly before leaving for Privet Drive. Upon arrival, he was rather amused and surprised to find that the street had changed very little since the last time he was here four years ago. Pleasantly, he rapped on the door, hoping to put his former student at ease by the end of this visit. There was a scuffling noise inside and then the door opened slightly to reveal a huge pair of green orbs staring up at him.”

“Hello?” He asked softly, looking shyly at the funny looking man standing on his porch.

“Hello, Harry. Are your aunt and uncle home?”

“No. They left to take Dudley to the toy store.” Harry was bewildered to how this man could possibly know his name.

“Ah, a babysitter then perhaps?”

“No, I’m not worth the money.” He told the old man in a matter-of-fact voice, repeating what his Uncle Vernon had said.

Dumbledore frowned down at the boy, his twinkle dimming ever so slightly. He didn’t understand how those words could be spoken so calmly. “May I come in, child?”

“Uncle Vernon said that I’m not allowed to let in strangers.” The five-year-old told him simply, although he did not close the door.

“And how wise of him.” Dumbledore said thoughtfully. “Well, perhaps I could simply come and stand in the foyer?”

Harry seemed to think it over before nodding and opening the door to admit his future headmaster. Walking over to the kitchen door he pointed to the threshold and informed him ‘not to cross that line’. Dumbledore inclined his head in agreement and leaned against the wall, observing the young boy. His hair was a greasy mess and there was dirt on his face, he was unnaturally pale as though he spent little time in the sunlight. What concerned him the most was that he could see the boy’s bones quite clearly and he appeared the be severely underweight.

Frowning he asked, “Harry, are you hungry?”

Harry’s eyes grew wide and he shook his head violently, however this was betrayed by a rumbling in his stomach. The boy looked down and placed his tiny hands on his stomach. Stubbornly he said, “I’m not.”

“It sounds like you are, dear boy. Come here, let’s get you something to eat.” He took out his wand and conjured up a plate of food with a Stomach Expanding Solution on it, courtesy of his new Potions Master. Harry’s eyes grew huge and he backed away from the old wizard.

“Bad.” He said softly, looking extremely anxious. “Magic bad.”

“No, it’s not bad, look.” He took a small bite of the food and gestured for the boy to come over. Harry did so hesitantly, and sat down in front of Dumbledore in the foyer. Tentatively he picked up the fork and began to eat, eventually he lost his self-consciousness and began to wolf down the food so fast that Dumbledore had to encourage him to take his time. When it was gone the boy looked down at the empty plate looking extremely betrayed. Quietly, Dumbledore made the plate refill itself and Harry’s eyes lit up causing the headmaster to chuckle fondly. Gently, he placed a hand on the boys shoulder and to his surprise the little boy flinched and whimpered. Frowning, feeling a sense of foreboding he pulled aside the thin fabric of his ratty tee-shirt to reveal the boy’s skin underneath. A large purple bruise had formed there. Further down his back were marks that looked like they had come from a belt.

A rare scowl passed the man’s face at the idea of someone hurting a helpless child. “Harry, how did you get these bruises?”

He looked away and then let out a tiny sob and buried his face in Dumbledore’s thick, soft beard. “Not supposed to tell!” He wailed forlornly.

Sadly he said, “I won’t tell anyone, child.”

“I got in the way and Uncle Vernon got mad.” Said the little boy, voice muffled by the beard.

New determination coursing through him he stood up, bringing the little boy with him. “Harry, I’m going to take you away from here.”

“Why?” Asked the little boy, staring up at him.

“Because your relatives aren’t taking care of you the way they should be.”

Harry looked confuse, “But they let me stay here. They told me that I’m lucky they kept me, they’re good people.”

It pained Dumbledore to listen to the little boy and he promised himself that he would apologize to Minerva for not listening to her sooner, “No, they’re not, Harry. You deserve better, I’ll take you somewhere where you can get better.”

With this he began to survey his options, there were very few open to him. Dumbledore was too public a figure to take in the little boy, Remus was not financially sound as he turned down repeated teaching offers at Hogwarts, and all the Potters were deceased. Finally, a thought came to him and he knew exactly where he would be taking the boy. This could very possibly be the best thing that ever happened to either of them.