A Stolen Past

Confrontation

As soon as the door was closed, Dumbledore flicked his wand, causing both his and Harry's traveling cloaks to vanish, and said, "I apologize for the secrecy, but I'm afraid that you and I may be about to do something that is not entirely ethical, and I'd rather not let Molly get wind of it. Oh, she would approve, of course; however, I'd rather not give her something she can hold over my head for the rest of my life. Now, before we get started, I need to ask you: do you know how to use that wand you have sticking out of your back pocket?"

"Er- yeah. I think so," Harry replied hesitantly.

"Excellent," said Dumbledore. "Would you mind demonstrating for me?"

"No, not at all," Harry said. "But won't I get in trouble for using magic outside school? Mrs. Weasley said something about that."

"Harry, I am your Headmaster, not some law enforcement official from the Ministry of Magic. And between you and me, the Ministry has no way of knowing when underage magic is performed anyway. For the most part, they rely on wizard parents to keep their children in line. The few like yourself, who live only with Muggles, are the only ones who are really watched. However, I have a feeling that - given the circumstances in which you find yourself - the Ministry will no longer be watching the Dursleys' home for signs of unauthorized magic."

"Why not?" asked Harry.

"Because whoever is behind all of this had to make sure that the Ministry would not be notified if you were to perform accidental magic. Of course, this also means that we are dealing with someone who has very important connections within the Ministry. We must tread carefully until the time is right - hence the need for the hooded cloak. Now, if you don't mind, I would like you to demonstrate some magic. Anything you like."

"Okay," said Harry, drawing the wand he had taken from the dead Peter Pettigrew. It felt slightly awkward in his hand, and he suddenly realized that - other than the engraving spell Mrs. Weasley had helped him do for Hassseth's headstone - the only thing he had used a wand for was the Four-Point Spell.

Pointing the wand at one of the pillows on the bed, Harry said, "Accio." The pillow zoomed toward him, but before it had a chance to reach him, he Banished it to the far side of the room before making it hover and saying, "Diffindo," as he made a slashing motion with the wand. The pillow split in two, spilling feathers all over the floor. Harry ended by using the wand to re-stuff and repair the pillow before returning it to the bed. With a nervous smile, he turned to see the Headmaster's reaction.

"Very good," Dumbledore said in an even voice that betrayed no trace of emotion. "I was thinking more along the lines of transfiguring a teacup into a mouse, or something of the sort, but I suppose that even after all these years I am still biased toward my old subject."

Harry looked at the floor, suddenly embarrassed by his wanton destruction of property, regardless of the fact that he had immediately repaired it. "Sorry, Professor," he muttered. "I don't really remember any Transfiguration."

"No matter," Dumbledore said, laying a hand on his shoulder. "You will soon enough. In the meantime, what you do remember should suffice in the unlikely event that you should need to use it. Now, as you have probably guessed, we shall be paying your aunt and uncle a visit this afternoon."

For the next five minutes, Harry listened with rapt attention as Dumbledore outlined his plan for getting the Dursleys to cooperate. When he had finished, he instructed Harry to take hold of his arm once again. Doing his best to prepare himself for the unpleasant experience of Apparition, Harry obediently grasped Dumbledore's arm and they disappeared.

When they reappeared with a loud crack, Harry immediately looked around and discovered that they were standing a few doors down from the Dursleys' house, just out of sight of the street. Following Dumbledore's plan, he trudged down the sidewalk toward the home of his aunt and uncle, not bothering to look up until he had arrived on the front porch. He gave three loud knocks, and then waited apprehensively.