"You mean she knew that Granger had betrayed me and wanted nothing to do with her." Harry corrected him. "What did she do?"
"The first time Miss Granger tried to use Hedwig to send a letter, your owl bit her hand to the bone and raked her talons across Miss Granger's head. She took off and hasn't been seen since." Dumbledore told him.
" Good for her. I hope she is okay, but at least she like Remus is free of your world of double-standards." Harry was pleased by the news that Hedwig might still be alive. He hoped she would return to him now that he was free but if she didn't he at least took comfort in the knowledge that beloved familiar wasn't serving one of his two-faced former friends. "If there is nothing else we need to discuss, then I will see you in September."
Dumbledore looked a little sheepish as he said, "There is one other matter."
"What now?" Harry couldn't think of anything else the old bastard could want to do with or to him.
"We need to make arrangements for where you are going to be staying until the start of term." Dumbledore finally said.
" You will be making no living arrangements for me!" Harry got to his feet tired of dealing with the interfering old wizard.
"You are still considered a minor, Harry," Dumbledore backed up at the icy glare. "We have been trying to come up with a suitable wizarding family for you to live with for the next month and a half, since you no longer need to be hidden from Voldemort or his Deatheaters."
"I will not say this again ." Harry growled. "You will be making no living arrangements for me! If I must live with someone, then it will be the Dursleys. At least I know to expect a stab in the back from them." Not to mention, Harry thought to himself, it will give me chance repay the Dursleys for their many kindnesses .
"One more thing Dumbledork I want no contact with anyone from the wizarding world, unless I choose to initiate it. No letters. No packages. No nothing. If anybody sends me anything they will get it back with a very nasty hex attached to it. Do we understand each other?"
At the Headmaster's nod, Harry pushed past him and went out the door.
Dumbledore heard him say, "Griphook, would you please take me to my vault?"
.....
Dumbledore waited in the lobby for Griphook to return with Harry. When Griphook came out of the vault area there was a tall, well-built wizard with golden brown hair with him, instead of a slender dark-haired one Dumbledore had been expecting. A quick check of the orb he was carrying revealed that wizard to be Harry.
Walking up to him Dumbledore softly commented, "Nice glamour charm, Mr. Potter."
The grey eyes just glared at him and Dumbledore found himself strangely grateful that wishes couldn't be made reality otherwise he might be lying on the floor, dead.
"I will just escort you to the Leaky Cauldron." Dumbledore told him. "I have made arrangements with the Ministry for a car to take you from there to your Aunt's in Surrey."
Harry said nothing. He walked up to a desk and requested that the wizard money be converted to muggle currency. He also requested a security pouch to hold it. A few moments later the goblin handed over a pouch and the requested muggle currency. Placing the folded currency in the pouch, Harry headed for the door, ignoring Dumbledore.
Wisely deciding to say nothing further, Dumbledore moved quickly to catch up with Potter before he disappeared from sight.
If anything the crowd in Diagon Alley had grown even larger. Harry couldn't help wondering how the Alley could contain it without exploding out into the non-magical world. He pushed his way through the crowd well aware of the fact that Dumbledore was following him.
.....
Harry managed to get through the crowd and into the Leaky Cauldron a few minutes ahead of Dumbledore. If he could maintain that lead, he might just make it out the door into London and disappear before Dumbledore caught up with him. If he could have found somewhere to duck into that would get him out of Dumbledork's sight for even a few moments, he would have changed his appearance, but there were just too many people in the Alley for him to do that without being seen.
Handing over the room key and enough Galleons to cover a night's stay, Harry turned, intending to head back through the door into London. However when he caught sight of the group of red heads near the door, he froze like a deer caught in the headlights. He hadn't expected to see the Weasleys here.
They must be looking for me. Harry thought, noting the way they were checking all the entrances to the pub and everyone who came through them. He also noted that not all the heads in the group were red. There was a bushy brown one in among the sea of red. Awfully brave of Granger to come here looking for me. I never took her for a fool before.
....
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