"There you are Mr. Potter. I must advise you, if you want to appear able to handle your own affairs, it would be wise to show up to meetings on time."

"You said nine," Harry pointed out.

"I said our meeting was at nine. That means we should have been inside starting the meeting already. It's always wise to show up to a meeting early."

"I'm sorry," Harry said as they climbed the steps together.

Silver looked over Harry's attire and new hair cut and said, "At least you look presentable today." Harry had made sure to scrub his hair clean last night, wanting it to look as good as he could with his new haircut, and was wearing his new slacks and polo shirt.

A goblin was waiting for them when they came in. He looked at his watch, but didn't say anything about their tardiness as he led them to an office and told them to sit down.

Silver had been right. It had taken several hours to get the new accounts in order. He'd questioned Harry about an extra account he opened with no title but Harry had only told him he wanted an extra account to hold monies he might need to use. When they left the meeting with the goblin in charge of new accounts, Harry told Silver, "About how much would four percent of the monthly rent and profit be?"

"Almost a hundred Galleons."

"I'd like four percent to go into the unnamed account then. Don't pull anything from the legal funds account though."

"May I ask what the unnamed account is going to be used for?"

"I'm not sure yet," Harry admitted. He didn't really need the money since he still had plenty of funds in his personal account, but he wanted an account he could spend out of if he needed it.

"I'll arrange it," Silver said, trying to hide the doubt in his voice about Harry suddenly being involved in the Potter family holdings as he now was.

"I'm not going to do anything stupid with the money," Harry told him.

"I would never suggest such a thing," Silver said, though he looked as though that was exactly what had been running through his mind.

* * *

"You there."

Harry had just stepped away from Podmore's door when a hushed voice beckoned to him. He turned, looking for the source, and finally found a hunched witch with the crookedest nose he had ever seen staring at him. She was half hidden behind the open door to the sweet shop with dirty windows.

"Me?" Harry asked.

"You."

Harry frowned and looked around. Aside from the two of them, they were all alone in the dingy alley. Not even Justin or the other kids were out sitting in front of the orphanage. Aware that Knockturn was known for all types of dark wizards and creatures, Harry cautiously took a few steps towards the open door, but didn't go close enough for her to grab him if she had designs on kidnapping him or chopping him up to use for ingredients in her treats.

"You're a client of Podmore's?"

"Yes."

"You have money then."

"I suppose," Harry said. If she was thinking about robbing him, he thought it would hardly be worth it. He only had a handful of Sickles and Knuts in his pocket.

"Come in and look at what I have to sell."

She stepped back and opened the door the rest of the way, causing the bell to jingle over her head.

"Er."

"Buy some treats to take to the orphanage," she said, trying to convince him to come in. Harry thought he wouldn't mind buying some things to take to the kids, though he wasn't sure he wanted to buy candy from a shop with such dirty windows and cobwebs in the corners. Keeping his hand on his wand in his back pocket, Harry went inside. The floor was dirty and there were several dried leaves he crunched over as the door closed behind him. He turned, but the witch wasn't there, and when he spun around, wand out, he found her suddenly behind the glass display case.

"I sell sweets, I don't eat children," she said, cackling.

Harry put his wand away, but was aware that she had muttered, "very often." When he gave her an uncertain look, she cackled again.

"Look, the prices are cheap," she said, indicating the sweets behind the glass.

Harry moved forward to look. Despite the fact that the rest of the shop was dirty, the glass display case was clean and the candies inside looked like they were all handmade.

"I don't know what most of these are," he said.

"Charm Chocolate, Chocolate Skeletons, Crystallised pineapple, Glacial Snow Flakes, Jelly Slugs in five flavors, Peppermint imps, Fizzes in twelve flavors, Licorice wands..." there was more, but she stopped listing things off. Harry had seen some of these things on the trolley on the Hogwarts Express, but he hadn't tried many of them.

"I don't know what to buy," he admitted.

"Haven't you eaten any of these on the Hogwarts Express?"

He frowned. "Not much."

"The woman that runs the trolley is my sister. She buys all her candy from me."

Harry raised his brows. He wondered what Ron and Hermione would think if they knew the candy they ate came from a shop on Knocturn Alley.

Looking over the prices Harry said, "A handful of all the flavors of fizzes, and a pound of crystallized pineapple."

She looked like Christmas had come early, but she paused before moving to fill his order. "Aaand?"

Harry frowned. The prices were cheap and he certainly had enough money to buy more. "And 17 peppermint imps," he said, "but that's it. I'm not spending all my money on candy."

She cackled with glee and began measuring things out into clear plastic bags.

"Try one," she said, offering Harry a free Glacial Snowflake. It was a delicate, thin white snowflake the size of a cookie. Harry took it carefully, afraid it would crumble at his touch. When the candy touched his tongue, it melted instantly, giving a refreshing cooling sensation and a mixture of flavors he wasn't sure were tropical or something else. It was good, and he wondered that he'd never tried one before now.

"That's brilliant," Harry said, unable to keep the smile from his face.

"I know. I'm the only one who makes them. It's too bad no one buys them."

Harry frowned, looked around the dingy shop again, and then kept his mouth closed.

"Yes, I know it's dirty," she said. "I'm too old to clean it. I get up every morning at four to come in and make candy, and when I'm finished I have barely enough energy to tend the shop."

"If it were cleaner-"

"It wouldn't matter," she said. "Children don't come down Knockturn alley. There are a few who do, but business is always slow. The sales from the Hogwarts Express are what keep me going."

Harry handed her the money for his purchase and then turned to leave, but he stopped at the door, thought a moment, and then turned back around.

"Why don't you sell on Diagonalley?"

"Rent is expensive there and there aren't any open spaces."

He frowned. "I have five sickles left, how many of those Glacial Flakes will that get me?"

"Fifteen."

"They're worth a lot more than that," Harry voiced aloud as he returned to the counter.

"You're haggling in the wrong direction," she said, putting fifteen glacial flakes in a bag. Harry handed her the money, and then left the shop, turning once he was outside again to look once more upon the dingy windows. The dirt and grime was so thick you could barely see inside.

Trying to push the shop from his mind for the moment, he crossed the alley to the Orphanage to deliver some of the treats he'd purchased.

* * *

Justin seemed to have accepted Harry's peace offering of candy. Harry had given every child in the orphanage a fizz of their choice, a large piece of crystalized pineapple, and a peppermint imp. They had all been delighted, and Mrs. Ginger had explained that the younger children frequently stood outside the sweet shop and pressed their faces to the glass to stare in at the candy they could not afford. Once a year on their birthday Miss Ava took each child to the sweet shop and allowed them to pick out just one item as a birthday present.

The day after he'd given the children the bulk of his candy purchase, Harry found Justin waiting for him on Diagonalley just outside the Leaky Cauldron.

"There you are," he said grumpily. "I thought you would sleep all morning."

"I was doing homework," Harry said, surprised that the boy who seemed to dislike him had been waiting around for him.

"D'you want to do something?" Justin asked.

"I have plans. If you want to help I'll give you a sickle."

He raised his brows. "You think just because I'm an orphan I want your money? Or your candy?"

"I don't think you want either," Harry said, pulling the bag of Glacial Snowflakes out of his ratty backpack. "I'm going to sell these and if you help I figured you'd like a cut of the profit."

"Oh," Justin said, deflating.

"If you hate me so much, why were you waiting for me?"

"Better than wasting away on Knockturn," he said.

Harry and Justin went to the steps in front of Gringotts and stood front and center so they could see both alleys.

"I haven't had one of those before," Justin said.

Harry pulled one out and broke off a tiny piece. When Justin's face lit up at the taste, Harry said, "The sweet shop on Knocturn sells them."

Harry tried approaching a woman and her child to ask if they wanted to buy one, but they seemed to be in a hurry and passed him by without giving him a second look.

"Dumb," Justin said, and Harry turned to glare at him. "That's not how you do it," he said.

"Well you try then."

Justin took the bag and began shouting at the top of his lungs to anyone who would hear. "Rare delightful treat straight from the arctic circle! Made by angels! Incredible taste you've never dreamed of!"

Harry was surprised when several children ran over, followed by their parents soon after. Justin turned and gave Harry a smug look but Harry didn't care since it looked like they were going to sell all of the treats within just a few minutes. Harry had gotten three Glacial flakes for a sickle, but was now selling one for three sickles. Barely twenty minutes had passed before they were gone and Harry and Justin were counting out 45 sickles.

Harry tried to give Justin the one sickle he'd promised but Justin didn't take it. "That's not fair," Justin said. "I sold most of them."

"I'm not keeping the money," Harry said, "except the five I spent on these. And I promised you one sickle."

Justin frowned at him. "Where's the rest of the money going to then?"

Harry motioned for him to follow and led him down Knockturn Alley to ‘Tantalizing Sweets' where he'd bought the candy. The witch looked surprised to see Harry return.

"Yes?" she asked, eager to have not one, but two customers in her shop now.

"I bought fifteen glacial flakes yesterday for five sickles."

"Yes?" her voice lowered like she was wary that Harry wanted his money back. Instead of asking for his money back however Harry pulled out the 45 sickles.

"We sold the glacial flakes for three sickles each out in front of Gringotts. Harry pulled out a sickle and handed it to Justin again, who took it this time. "Justin did all the selling so he gets some of the profit. Harry removed five more and put them in his pocket. "These are the five I paid for the candy to start." Then he handed the other 39 sickles to the shop owner, whose eyes went wide.

"You're giving them to me?"

"It's your product. I told you you were selling them for too little. They're amazing. They should be at least three a piece."

"No one comes to buy them," she said.

"Well maybe they will now that some people have tasted how amazing they are."

She looked skeptical.

"She's right," Justin said. "No one's coming down here. The only chance is to sell out there. It's not like Fortescue is going to complain. He only sells ice cream and pastries."

"I'm far too old to walk up and down the alley selling," the witch said.

Harry turned and looked at Justin, who was flipping his Sickle back and forth between his fingers.

"Justin will sell them," Harry said, "but one sickle for all that work isn't enough. He's only got one now because that's all I promised him."

"You would sell them for me?" the woman asked Justin. Justin looked uncertain but after a moment Harry realized the boy was just thinking things over.

"How much would you give me?" he asked.

The woman opened the money pouch and handed Justin four more Sickles. "If you can sell 45 Sickles worth, I'll give you five."

Harry was pleased as he watched Justin and the shop owner (Tilly Tupper) work out the details, and by the time Harry left with Justin they'd decided that Justin would come every morning and pick up 30 Glacial Flakes and a few bags of Jelly Slugs in the hopes of making himself 11 sickles a day.

"I want brand new robes for school this year," Justin said. "Every year we get hand-me-downs from the older kids. Just for once I want something brand new that's just mine."

Harry nodded, understanding completely as he was walking around for the first time in his remembrance in clothes that were just his and not hand-me-downs from Dudley.

"They'll run 10 Galleons," Harry said.

"Then I'd better sell a lot of candy."

"You should ask her tomorrow if you can earn an extra sickle cleaning her shop," Harry told him. "It's pretty gross in there."

"Yeah," Justin acknowledged.

* * *

Justin clearly had a gift for selling things, and when Harry checked in with him the next day was happy to find that he'd sold out of the items Tilly had sent him to sell on the steps of Gringotts.

Justin was outside the orphanage eating his lunch when Harry found him and told him all about it.

"She was so happy she sent me away with my Sickles and an extra bag of Jelly Slugs," he said. "I gave them to the other kids."

"How come I don't see the other kids out much?" Harry asked. Sometimes he saw kids on Knockturn but hardly ever out on Diagonalley.

"If you're under eight you can't leave the courtyard without an adult. Kids nine to 12 can go out on Knockturn but only from there- to there." He pointed between Tantalizing Sweets and a shop on the other side of the Barrister's office. "The rest of us can go down the rest of the alley and down Diagon if we tell Mrs. Ginger or Miss Ava where we're going, what we're doing, and when we'll be back. If we cause any trouble though our privileges get revoked and we have to hang back in the courtyard."

Harry nodded, taking in the new information.

"So they know you got a job?"

"Yes."

After Justin finished with his sandwich, he invited Harry inside and Harry followed him up to the older boy's room on the second floor. Justin showed him a hole in the wall by his bed where he planned on hiding his money.

"You think it'll get stolen?" Harry asked. "You could open a Gringott's account."

"Those accounts cost money. You have to put in at least a hundred Galleons to open one."

"Oh," Harry said. "I didn't know that."

"No one's going to steal it, but better safe than sorry."

Harry looked around the room and noted there were many holes in the walls, some clearly caused by rough housing and others caused by the pure state of decay the building was in.

After Justin put his money in the wall for safekeeping he and Harry went back out to the second floor landing and sat with their feet hanging over the edge between the railing spindles. Harry thought it was rather boring but didn't mind sitting with someone his own age for a while. All of his homework was finished, he didn't have any questions for the Barristers or appointments with them, and he had nothing better to do to keep himself occupied.

Harry found that sitting on the landing wasn't as dull as he thought it was going to be however. He'd barely been sitting there for ten minutes when he heard a familiar voice from down below.

"Is that-"

"Professor Snape," Justin said, but Harry didn't need his confirmation because a moment later Snape came into view carrying a cardboard box that looked like it had books and robes in it. Snape began talking to Miss Ava, and when he glanced up at the second floor landing, Harry laid back quickly so only his feet and legs were visible dangling over the edge.

Justin didn't point him out and after a few moments it sounded as though Miss Ava and the Professor had walked into the dining room.

"What's he doing here?" Harry asked, sitting up.

"Why'd you disappear?" Justin asked.

They stared at each other. "I didn't fancy being shouted at til' my ears bled," Harry said.

"Snape used to live here," Justin said. "His mum died when he was 15 so he lived here until he was 17. He brings stuff by sometimes. Sometimes people lose robes and books and stuff like that at Hogwarts and he brings the stuff here if it doesn't have a name on it. That's how we get half our school robes."

Harry felt guilty then. He had two used sets of school robes sitting in his trunk at the Leaky Cauldron. Perhaps he should donate them as well. Justin was taller than him so he wouldn't have to wear Harry's used robes, which he was sure Justin wouldn't appreciate, but maybe a younger boy could wear them. They didn't have holes or stains in them anyhow.

When they heard Snape approaching the downstairs hall again, Harry laid back on the floor one more time and listened.

"The school funds are set for the next year," Snape said.

"I'm glad the Headmaster gives free entrance to our children," Ava said. "We wouldn't be able to send anyone without his gesture."

"My vegetable garden is nearly ready for its first harvest. Within a week I should have tomatoes, cucumbers, and a few other things to bring by."

"You're very generous Professor," she said, though Harry could tell her voice had changed somehow.

Snape cleared his throat, said goodbye, and Harry listened to the sounds of his receding footfalls.

"What was that about?" Harry asked.

"She fancies him," Justin said. "I think he might like her too but it's strange ‘cause he won't give her the time of day."

"And he comes by a lot?" Harry asked.

"Depends on when he has stuff to bring by."

Well that was the end of Harry hanging around the orphanage, he thought. He would very much like a Snape-free summer.

After a few minutes Justin was called downstairs to do chores so Harry left and decided to see if Mr. Podmore was available. He was, as it turned out, but he was irritated to see that Harry had just come to see him without having business to attend to.

"I'm busy Potter. I'm your barrister, not your babysitter."

"I don't need babysitting," Harry said.

"Yet here you are pestering me. You're nearly as bad as the children at the orphanage. Find something to keep yourself occupied until I have news for you or paperwork to fill out." When Harry didn't move, Podmore looked up from the form he was filling out and said, "something that's not in my office. I have court in half an hour anyway."

Harry sighed and left the office, but wished he'd stayed inside just a little longer as he found Professor Snape passing by outside.

"Potter-" Snape sneered as soon as he caught sight of him. His lip curled up in disgust and Harry wished, not for the first time, that he could figure out just what was so disgusting about himself so he could change it.

"What would you be doing down Knockturn Alley when I know for a fact your sorry carcass is supposed to be in a room above the Leaky Cauldron?"

Harry held in a sigh and tried to fight the urge to say something sarcastic. Snape acted as though Harry had done something wrong to land himself in this position. He motioned to the sweet shop next door to the barrister and said, "I was going to the sweet shop." It wasn't true of course, but he didn't know if Dumbledore knew that he had a barrister yet and didn't want Snape to tell him. Snape's eyes didn't move to the sweet shop though, and instead flickered to the door Harry had just come out of.

"Yet you were in the barrister's office."

Harry shrugged. "I wasn't paying attention. I guess I walked into the wrong door." He turned to go into the sweet shop, but Snape moved to step in front of him.

"It is... surprising to see the famous Harry Potter down Knocturn Alley. One might think you are up to no good, especially since you are supposed to remain at the Leaky Cauldron."

"The Minister of Magic only told me not to go out into Muggle London," Harry said. "And Professor Dumbledore just told me to wait here until I was collected. I was never told I couldn't go out."

"I am telling you," Snape said.

Harry opened his mouth, but then closed it. He didn't want to push his luck. Technically Snape had no authority over him outside of school, but he could easily go to the Headmaster and tell him, and Dumbledore did have authority over him. He might not be able to send Harry back to the Dursleys for another couple of weeks until court, but he could insist that Harry stay in the Leaky Cauldron.

"I'll go back there now," Harry said, being careful not to promise the man he would stay there when he intended to spend the majority of his time on Diagon and Knocturn.

Snape narrowed his eyes. "See that you do."

Harry turned promptly and walked back down Knockturn away from Snape, and afraid that Snape would check that he'd gone back to the Leaky Cauldron, Harry went back to his room. He'd have to be more careful going out if he didn't want to run into Snape. It was naive to think his teachers spent all their vacation time at Hogwarts, and if Snape was going to bring supplies to the orphanage throughout the summer he would have to make himself scarce.

Harry wrote a letter to Podmore asking if Dumbledore could make him stay at the Leaky Cauldron since he was his guardian, and detailed his encounter with Professor Snape, and sent it off with Hedwig. He didn't get a reply until after dinner. It was a short note attached to an official looking document. The note told Harry to keep the document on him at all times and to present it to Snape or Dumbledore or any other person claiming Harry would have to stay at the Leaky Cauldron. Harry had to read the document several times before it sunk in as it was mostly legal jargon.

WIZ 24729, SUBSECTION B17, AMENDMENT 147

Pertaining to minors or adults under guardianship of a non-parent (defined by WIZ 24729, SUBSECTION B16):

Persons as defined above who are not being legally detained by Wizarding Auror Authority are to be permitted access to the following: place of work or apprenticeship during scheduled work hours, facilities administering medical treatment, educational facilities during scheduled educational hours or terms, Gringotts, offices of legal aide, and routes leading to and from aforementioned locations for purpose of traveling to and from aforementioned locations.

Guardians must make a reasonable effort to allow access to the aforementioned locations. Guardian's not allowing access to the aforementioned locations must prove to the Wizarding Welfare Authority that it would be unsafe for the ward to travel to or from these locations, or to be present at these locations. If safety is proven to be an issue, the guardian must cooperate with Wizarding Welfare Authority to provide safe access.

When Harry finally understood what the law said, he laughed out loud. Dumbledore couldn't prevent Harry from going to school, the hospital, the bank, the barrister or anywhere that he worked, even if he could convince someone it wasn't safe.

He used his wand to make two copies and tucked two of them away in his trunk before folding the other copy up and sticking it in his pocket. He had a feeling if he showed this to Snape the man would rip it up and then laugh at him. Even with extra copies however Harry didn't want to run into the man again and spent the rest of the evening thinking about places he could hide on Diagon and Knockturn if he happened to see Snape again.

The other issue was that he wasn't going to school, the hospital, or work. He supposed he could say he was traveling to and from Gringotts, but he couldn't be going to and from Gringotts all day. The same could be said of the barrister's office. Podmore had already made it clear that he didn't want Harry hanging around his office all day, and Harry thought the same might be true of Mr. Silver. His eyes scanned the law document again. He supposed if he could get a job like Justin he would have reason to be out on Diagon and Knocturn throughout the day. Having a job might give him something to do as well.

* * *

Harry was frustrated. He'd spent an entire day going up and down Diagon looking for work. The problem was, no one wanted to hire a boy who was under 16. Harry had found that the apothecary on Diagon was looking for an apprentice, but they'd learned about apprenticeships at school and Harry didn't want to be bound to a 2 year contract. If he entered into an apprenticeship the master he was bound to would be his legal guardian and could insist that Harry stay there to learn their trade instead of going to school.

He could have gone to shops down Knockturn, but was afraid to do so. The more he went to Podmore's, the orphanage or Tantalizing Sweets, the more he saw unsavory looking characters hanging back in the shadows and around the corners of Knockturn Alley. He thought there must be several shops dedicated solely to dark artifacts as well, and didn't want to be employed by any of those, let alone risk stepping foot inside one of them.

"Mr. Potter."

Harry turned from where he'd been sitting at a table outside Fortescue's and found Mr. Silver.

"Sir."

"I have been going over the ledgers. Profits from one of the shops has gone up this month."

"Tantalizing Sweets?" Harry asked.

"How did you know?"

"Tilly hired a Hufflepuff to sell candy out on the steps of Gringotts. They've been selling a lot the last few days." He'd seen Justin out selling every day this week and he always seemed to sell out of whatever Tilly sent him out with. It had only been four days since he'd been hired, but Harry had a feeling it had been a big boost in sales for the witch.

"They made an extra 6 Galleons."

"They'd make more if people went down Knocturn. I'd ask her to hire me but I don't want to take sales away from Justin."

"Hire you?"

"I need a place to work," Harry said. "I've been looking all day."

"Why would you need to work?"

Harry pulled out the legal document and showed him. "When Professor Dumbledore finds out I'm not at the Leaky Cauldron he's going to insist I stay inside. I need a place to work to give me reason not to be locked away all day."

"Am I correct in assuming you are in part responsible for the increase in sales at Tantalizing Sweets?"

"Yes," Harry said. "So?"

"You own 10 shares in that business, meaning you get 10% of profit, and you collect rent on that building. Technically you are conducting business by traveling to the shop. As owner of the buildings, and as a business man having interest to see profit go up so you can collect more profit shares, both alleys are your place of business."

"That's brilliant," Harry said. "I didn't think of that."

"If you make wise decisions and follow wise counsel on your business holdings, you will never have to work. Your financial needs would be met for life and you would leave your descendants a substantial inheritance as was left for you."

"You don't have to worry about me," Harry said. "I'm not going to mess things up. I don't know enough about business to do anything anyway."

"That is what some may find worrying."

Harry raised his eyes. "By some you mean you."

"I wouldn't presume to-"

Harry stood up and waited for him to finish, but he didn't.

"Presume," Harry said. "You said you've been dealing with all the family holdings and businesses, so you know more about it than anyone else. You have to care because it's your job and because your pay is coming from the profits, and if I mess that up you make less money. It's ok," Harry said. "If I do something idiotic you should say something. I'm just a kid, remember?"

"In that case," Silver said, "the fact that you know so little about business is worrying. If you step in and begin changing things without being aware of the intricacies of running a profitable business, you could do more damage than good. The livelihoods of every shop owner on the alleys is at stake. If you make the wrong changes you could cause them to lose everything. That affects your profits, my pay, and their entire family."

"So I did the wrong thing with Tilly's shop?" Harry said. In truth he hadn't even been thinking about him owning shares in her shop or the building she paid rent on. He just knew her candies were worth more than she was selling them for and wanted to prove it to her, and ended up wanting to help Justin out along the way.

"I wouldn't pre-" Silver paused, remembering that Harry had told him to speak what he thought. "Just be careful Mr. Potter," he said. "Small changes can have lasting effects."

Harry nodded. Silver went through the door leading to his office above Fortescue's and Harry sat back down at the outdoor table to think. Podmore had talked a lot about proving things. Everything seemed to need proof. Dumbledore would have to prove it was unsafe for Harry to be on the alley or that it was unsafe for him to live anywhere but 4 Privet Drive. Harry would have to prove he could take care of himself if he was going to reach majority early. That probably extended to his use of the alleys as well. He'd have to prove he was conducting business if he wanted to be out and about, but Silver seemed worried that he'd mess everything up. Harry was worried about that too. He really didn't know anything about business. If this were Ron's problem he would ask his dad. Harry didn't have that luxury though. If Hermione were having to deal with this she'd find a book. There was a bookstore on Diagon and a used bookstore on Knocturn, and he supposed it wouldn't hurt to spend a little money on books if he was going to learn something from them.

He rose and headed towards Flourish and Blotts, but was stopped before he made it halfway down Diagon. Albus Dumbledore was heading towards him, and even if he wanted to hide he knew he wouldn't be able to hide forever since the man knew what room he was staying in.

"Harry my boy," Dumbledore said when he spotted him, giving him a warm smile.

"Sir," he said.

"I trust you have been enjoying your stay in the Leaky Cauldron?"

"Yes sir," Harry said. "You didn't say I couldn't go out though..."

The Headmaster held up his hand and motioned for him to move to the side of the alley to a less crowded spot near a wall where they could talk without having to shout to be heard.

"I expected you to stretch your legs," he said. "One couldn't expect a youngster such as yourself to stay cooped up inside on warm summer days. I trust you haven't spent all of your money on ice cream though?" Clearly he'd seen Harry sitting at the table outside Fortescue's.

"No sir," Harry said. Dumbledore had a way of speaking that made him feel calm, but he wasn't sure if he should feel calm or on edge since the Headmaster was probably there to collect him and take him back to Privet Drive.

"Good, though one couldn't blame you if you had."

"When I saw Professor Snape he said I had to stay inside the Leaky Cauldron," Harry said.

"Yes, he did mention he saw you coming from Mr. Podmore's office on Knocturn Alley. One must be careful Harry, as Knocturn Alley is not the safest place for a young man to be, especially after dark."

"Yes sir," Harry said. He knew the man was trying to pry information, but if he wanted it, he'd have to come straight out and ask.

"I was made aware of a petition to the court for you to not return to your aunt and uncle's house. I spoke to Harrison Silver but he said you had not approached him about your case. I did not imagine you had gone to Mr. Podmore for legal aide."

Harry didn't say anything and wondered if Dumbledore would keep talking to fill the silence. He did. "I must ask why you did not come to me about this first before approaching a barrister."

"I didn't even know you were my guardian until the barrister told me," Harry said. "I didn't know I had to tell you."

"Ah," the Headmaster said, looking uncomfortable for the first time in Harry's remembrance. "In order to get you out of the orphanage and into your family's home, someone had to take custody of you."

"I think I would rather have lived at the orphanage sir."

"Now dear boy, your family means well."

Harry frowned up at him and then pointed at his black eye. "I don't want to go back there sir. I don't think they mean well. They don't even like me. I keep telling you I don't want to go back and you keep making me go back."

"I only want what's best for you Harry," he said, eyeing Harry's eye, which it appeared he'd been ignoring up to that point.

"There's got to be someplace else," Harry said. "Stick me back in the orphanage."

"I don't believe that would benefit you. My goal is to keep you safe."

Harry's mind flickered to the legal document in his pocket. Dumbledore had mentioned wards on the Dursley's home before, and protection, but Harry had never understood how he could be safe under aunt Petunia's strict rules and uncle Vernon's iron fist. "So you're going to make me go back."

"I'm afraid it's for the best Harry."

Sarcasm was clawing Harry's insides trying to make its way out. He wanted to bite Dumbledore's head off, but the sad look in the man's eyes quelled the urge. He did seem to care, but Harry couldn't understand how he could send him back to the Dursley's if he cared. Ron had always claimed Dumbledore was barmy, and he'd heard Draco and a few others say similar things. Maybe that was the problem.

In as respectful a tone as he could muster, Harry said quietly, "The court will have to decide then."

"I would rather not have to drag the issue through court," Dumbledore said. "Any damage you may have been subjected to at home will be aired before the entire court as well as the media."

"Find me someplace else to live then," Harry said. "Anybody who cares about me wouldn't put me back in a house where this kind of thing happens." He couldn't help but let his feelings seep through his tone when he was upset like this. As the Headmaster's sad blue eyes traveled back to Harry's black eye, Harry felt like he was completely alone in this. Dumbledore had been the only person to ever say he cared about him, but it certainly didn't feel like he cared. Harry walked away, leaving Dumbledore staring after him in the busy alley. Instead of going back to his room, he found a quiet place outside the robe shop and settled himself down on the ground in the shade with his back against the cold stone wall. Podmore and Silver had to care about what he wanted and his case because he was their client and he could fire them if they didn't. It didn't sting then when Podmore told Harry not to hang around or ask him for too much advice, or when Silver acted like his servant and spoke carefully around him. The encounter with Dumbledore on the other hand bit at him like an icy wind. What Dumbledore said confused him more than ever. I care, but not enough to keep you safe. I don't want your injuries aired in front of everybody, but I want to send you back to keep getting beat up. Harry thought about it until his head hurt and tried to figure it out, but he couldn't. The nearest he could figure was that what Dumbledore was saying would be like if Ron kept pushing him down and kicking him, but then saying they were still friends when his actions weren't friendly at all. As far as Harry was concerned, actions spoke louder than words.