Dumbledore

He continued sifting through the station, lost in his thoughts, It had been an eventful year, he had entered the elven kingdom, become inseparable with their princess, gotten stronger, much stronger, wooped some Elthurian ass, mostly younger ones who seemed outraged an outsider was so close to their princess, all fun and games. 

 Then he had been banished for killing an Elthurian Elder. It was a long story, but the Elder had been planning a coup, so he was banished for five years for killing him instead of capturing like he was supposed to, but it was a light tap on the wrist and he could probably go back the next year, just something to calm the masses. 

So, Harry had left and had enjoyed himself, he had received unlimited funds from the Demidova's, who knew heading a kingdom meant you would be rich and although he had missed his friend, you can't be bored when your ten-year old kid with superpowers and unlimited money. 

He had acted as a vigilante as well, killing one or two rapists, he hated them with a passion and had discovered a passion for food like never before, Asian food was his favourite so far, specifically Korean, their kimchi just always hit the spot, though he had quite enjoyed Nigeria's odd but delicious food as well. 

Arab food was also something he could go on and on about especially Hummus, but that was a story for another time. 

But today was special, Albus Dumbledore would be paying him a visit, the lost Potter, brother to the boy-who-lived and he had to act the part, now Harry could act as a timid scared orphan with no skills, but he had his pride to maintain, He had already confounded a bunch of ruffians to think Harry was the older brother type who fed them when they had no food instead, alas acting like that around his family would quickly get tedious, he doubted he could keep it up for a week before he cracked. 

 So, he moved around Westminster subway, wearing baggy old clothes and rubbing some dirt onto his face and hair, looking the part, until a particularly portly man caught his eye. The man looked out of place – shoes too polished, clothes resembling something from posh spy movie, completely mismatched for the surroundings. 

Observing that the man's pockets were securely zipped, Harry decided to make use of one of his gifts, his deadly charm. 

"Hello, sir. You look a bit lost. Can I help you?" Harry altered his voice, making it higher and deliberately slower, opening his eyes a bit wider to project the practiced impression of a helpful child. It worked; the man's tense shoulders dropped a bit. 

"Ah, of course, lad. Can you tell me where Zone 1 is?" the man asked, relief evident in his voice, the lad was dirty but a pretty face went a long way, even if was smudged in dirt.

"Of course, sir," Harry replied, maintaining his tone as he guided him toward Zone 1. He took the man's hand and expertly maneuvered through the crowd, remarking, "You don't look like you come here often, mister," purposely mispronouncing 'often' as 'of-tan' for a touch of innocence. 

His ploy worked as the man seemed amused and slightly more comfortable in turn further lowering the man's guard. 

"My car broke down, couldn't hail a cab, so I ended up here. First time in this station, and luckily, I met you, lad," the man explained. 

"Well, you know what they say, sir, God works in mysterious ways. Maybe you avoided an accident or something worse because your car broke down." Harry touted, imitating something he used to hear the sisters say back when he was younger. 

The man chuckled heartily. "Maybe you're right, lad, maybe you're right," he said, amused and taken up with the "innocence" of the child in front of him. 

As they reached Zone 1, Harry seized the moment. "Well, here you are, sir. I'll be off," walking away slowly, not expecting a reward, at least in the man's eyes. 

"Wait, lad, here's some money," the man said, handing him a fifty-pound note. 

Harry smirked inwardly, noting other ruffians closing in on the wealthy man that had taken out a fifty pounder quite casually. His generosity had exceeded Harry's expectations, and he decided to drop him a hint before making his exit. 

"Sir, you should hasten into the train; it's not often someone of your wealth wanders down here, and people have noticed." 

The man looked around, noticing the undesirable attention, and nodding his thanks, practically ran into the train while Harry made his way to a safer area. 

After pocketing a couple more purses, Harry had made almost a hundred pounds. He made his way out of the station to a side alley where a couple of boxes were lined up. 

Grinning Harry ran and jumped off the wall onto the boxes, then pulled himself up onto the wall onto the rooftop of a store where his dusty cushion was lined up against the wall. Parkour was dangerous, but something he enjoyed, it helped that he could cheat, getting an extra spring, or not taking much damage from dangerous falls. 

'still got it' Harry mentally congratulated himself at his acrobatics

He sat down onto the cushion as a dusty wave of air was released, sighing with content as he leaned into it, counting his earnings for the day, the money didn't matter, but he did get a rush, not using his magic and pick pocketing unsuspecting douche bags. 

He perked up a bit, feeling the magic in the air shifting. 

"Quite impressive, young man," a voice sounded out, visibly "shocking" him as he looked up at an old man wearing a purple dress and a large white beard with a pair of spectacles resting on his nose. 

 Harry ran without a word, grabbing onto the rooftop behind him, lifting himself up, and running down the length of the rooftop, fully expecting the old man to apparate after him as he turned a corner. 

Albus Dumbledore was intrigued as he saw the boy, whose letter he had in his pocket, move around the station silkily, his hand darting, grabbing some cash from a wallet! 

He had been observing him for a while after he had graciously been told where the boy could be found for the day, and he was startled. He hadn't handed out letters much in the past couple of decades, but he had been the Deputy for quite a time, and this was a first. 

As he observed the boy talk and then lead a man of larger quantity towards a train, he moved closer, finding his tone completely altered from when he had caught snippets of the boy talking. 

He had cast a notice-me-not and was about to approach the boy when he first caught him in action. Subsequently, he decided to wait a bit before talking to the boy and finally made his move after the boy had left the station. As he apparated again, he appeared in front of the boy who was catching his breath. 

Not taking any chances this time, "Perfectus totalus," he intoned as the boy was frozen, levitating the boy to a more open space. He sat down on a chair that he conjured from mid-air and was about to utter the incantation to unfreeze the boy when he felt his charm dwindling as the boy started moving. 

Surprised, Dumbledore looked on as the boy started moving, breaking the admittedly weak charm. The boy exhibited something far beyond the average wizard and calmly sat down in front of him, looking at him intently. 

Harry was impressed, Dumbledore had calculated the magic perfectly and had done it subconsciously, he could feel the power rolling off the old man and Harry had to reign in his blood lust at the admittedly mountainous challenge.

"Who are you, old man?" asked Harry, "Why are you here, and how did you find me?" 

"I am Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft. But before we get any further, I am quite surprised at your response; it is not the usual one." 

"You can bloody teleport and paralyze me, old man. There's no point in me running now, is there?" 

Dumbledore looked down at the child, he had Lilys features, yet hints of James peeked through though that was obscured due to the unpleasant state the homeless kid had been in, but one thing struck Albus, it was the eyes, the deepest of greens, and just as intense as they were deep. 

"Not really the reaction I expected my boy" half questioned half stated Dumbledore. 

Harry wasn't exactly a stranger to the magical world, but Harry wasn't willing to let the headmaster know what happened and chose to throw him off. 

His facial features contorted, giving off an arrogant sneer, "Strange things have happened around me since I was a kid, I figured something was different, can't say I'm surprised its magic." 

Dumbledore frowned, instantly drawing parallels with another boy he had visited, but Harry gave off a much different vibe, the boy was more jovial, more social and regarded kindly by the ruffians in the streets, he was respected and from what little information they gave him, he made sure no one ever went hungry, even if there was no one who was really close to the kid. 

In hindsight it made sense, most kids believed they could do magic, or had some superpower when they caught a glass mid drip or something along those lines happened, coupled with the fact that no adult influence was present in Harry's life, and you had a kid who believed he could do magic or at least something similar. 

Dumbledore chuckled, "Well, that is not what I would usually expect, but it is an interesting response, nonetheless. You look remarkably different yet like your parents, Harry." 

"You knew them?" questioned Harry 

Albus immediately picked up on it the boy though his Parents were dead, "I know them, Harry." 

"Wait, they're alive?!" Harry asked his eyes widening slightly in "surprise" and "shock", he really was the best actor wasn't he, mentally patting himself on the back. 

"Harry, you disappeared from your home ten years ago. No spell could track you. We thought you were dead until yesterday when my Deputy gave me a letter with your name on it." 

"I'm assuming that's why you came to meet me, and apparently, I somehow disappeared from my magical family's home and ended up in an orphanage, and what you guys just assumed I was dead?" Harry bit out keeping his anger in check, that part had been true, and the anger was genuine, he didn't know why they had left him and abandoned him, but now he was rather happy he did, although that still didn't excuse their actions.

"The thing is, Harry, you didn't disappear just any day. It was the day your house was attacked by the Dark Lord Voldemort, and your parents were knocked unconscious. But when they came to, there was just one crying baby left and no Dark Lord." 

In that reflective moment, Dumbledore revisited the chaotic day when Lily and James had desperately searched for Harry, following the Goblins' assurance that he wasn't dead, evidenced by his trust vault remaining open. A frantic search for the child ensued, employing spells from Albus's extensive knowledge to the vast resources of the Black and Potter libraries, yet yielding no results. This dilemma troubled Albus deeply, for it meant something shielded Harry even in such proximity, defying the spells. The question lingered: who or what? 

Harry snorted, "The name's dumb, sounds like a fucking disease." He paused, lost in thought. What did that mean? They hadn't abandoned him, but something extraordinary, even by wizarding standards, had occurred, interesting thought Harry, He continued, "So am I going to meet them now?" 

Dumbledore assessed Harry's disheveled appearance, with dirt-streaked, oily skin and hair darker than the Weasleys' or Lily's. "Right after we do something about your clothes, and you clean up?" 

Harry wasn't sure how to feel, he didn't feel excited or anxious, his Parents where strangers and Harry was more than just a child, if he had to put it into words, it was whatever. 

"How are we going to get there?" asked Harry. 

"Ah, you might call it teleportation, although in wizarding terms, it is known as Apparition. Just grab my hand," Dumbledore explained, extending his hand for Harry to take. 

Harry grasped it, feeling the world twist as Dumbledore teleported them to Hogwarts, He never got used to side-along apparition even as he groaned; queasiness evident on his face. 

"Well, you took it quite well," Dumbledore said jovially, noting Harry's discomfort, his eyes twinkling with amusement at the boy's visible unease. 

Harry looked up to respond, "Old man, if-" but fell silent. Before him stood a majestic castle, its towering spires reaching for the sky. Hogwarts buzzed with enchanting energy, ancient stones bearing witness to centuries of magical history. Harry was left speechless, a mix of awe and disbelief washing over him, but it wasn't really its appearance, Demidova castle had been equally as grand no it was the magic. 

The castle hummed with energy, so much that Harry almost felt overwhelmed, it was like the castle was calling out to him and before he could comprehend it, he was reaching out to touch the castle wall. 

His hand made contact and he closed his eyes in satisfaction, and let out a groan of content, it was like nothing he had felt before. 

He stayed like that for a moment before looking back at Dumbledore who was smiling at Harry, his eyes ever twinkling, "the castle, its alive isn't it?" 

Dumbledore smile grew a bit whimsical, "sentient but not alive Harry." 

"What's the difference?" questioned Harry, as he finally removed his palm from the walls of the castle to look at Dumbledore. 

"It doesn't grow, it doesn't breathe and dare I say it, it will be present here long after you and I pass, but it feels, it knows, and it is aware in a sense.

"Interesting." Harry muttered to himself but was interrupted by Dumbledore. 

"Come now Harry, take a shower while I gather up your parents." 

Harry followed the headmaster up the castle, to his office, taking in the sights, he made sure to act appropriately surprised when he saw moving paintings and house elves till they reached his office and he entered the attached bathroom, there he washed away the dirt on his face and body, not seeing any shampoo or soap, Harry was annoyed, wrapping a towel around his waist he exited the wash room.

Opening the connecting door to the headmaster's office with a bang Harry conveyed his annoyance, "Hey old man, you're nasty, how do you shower without soap, and all that hair and no shamp- 

Harry stopped to take in the occupants of the room, there where almost a dozen and he could see an amused Dumbledore looking at him, "It's magic my boy, simply ask for what you need." 

"Harry?" questioned a red-headed woman tentatively. 

Harry ignored her in favor of Dumbledore, "unbranded products aren't of the best quality, consider upgrading", and re-entered the bathroom, they could wait for him to finish his shower.