Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

Harry Slithers-in: Chapter 1.2 Dumbledore

Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was preparing for the new school year. This year Harry Potter, the boy who had defeated Lord Voldemort nearly 10 years earlier, would be starting school. The initial contact with the Dursleys, Harry's guardians, had not gone well. Although Petunia Dursley, Harry's mother's sister and closest living relative, had taken Harry in she and her husband had not treated Harry well. Hagrid reported they had not told Harry anything at all about his parents and had in fact lied to him about how they had died. This was just one of many problems they would likely have to deal with in regard to Harry.

Dumbledore planned out how he would deal with Potter. Firstly, Harry would be met at Kings Cross by Molly Weasley and her family. Hopefully Harry and the Weasley's youngest son, Ronald, would become fast friends and this would lead to Harry being sorted into Gryffindor. This was the second part of the plan and would allow Dumbledore to plan exactly how to handle Harry once he was re-assimilated into the wizarding world.

At least that is what Dumbledore hoped would happen.

Shortly after 11am, however, Dumbledore received word from Molly that they had not met a boy matching Harry's description at the station. She said she had briefly caught a glimpse of a boy with untidy black hair just as he was pushing a trolley through the barrier but the boy was accompanied by a woman who appeared to be in her mid-thirties. Molly had not described the woman other than to say she had medium brown hair and a slim build. Dumbledore hoped it was Petunia but he was far from certain it was.

He relaxed a little when Hagrid told him that Harry had been with the other first years when he escorted them to the lake for their boat ride to the castle. He was with two girls and a boy and seemed to be friendly with them all. It was now obvious that someone else had helped Harry before the Weasleys had found him. It was just one of those chance random events that ruin the best laid plans. He hoped it wouldn't have too bad an influence on the outcome.

When Harry's name was called Dumbledore began paying more attention to the sorting process. Even though he was interested in all his new pupils Harry held particular significance. When the sorting hat called "Slytherin," Dumbledore couldn't help but show a small degree of shock. In that one second of time his carefully laid plans for Harry's future came crashing down around his ears.

A quick glance along the staff table showed he wasn't the only one surprised by this outcome, although some of his fellow staff were better skilled at hiding their shock than others. Hagrid in particular was clearly showing his feelings while Snape was glaring at Harry's retreating back with a look of utter loathing.

At the Slytherin table there was a general air of delight. Two girls, Tracey Davis and Daphne Greengrass, were especially happy to greet him. Both girls hugged him as he sat down while, a short distance along the table, Draco Malfoy was showing more restraint but was clearly just as happy.

After the sorting the feast began. Dumbledore concentrated on his meal while listening to the staff around him. A few were talking about the sorting but not many. The main topic seemed to be lesson plans for the year. Dumbledore was watching Snape who was currently talking to Quirrell. He had asked Snape to keep an eye on Quirrell because he suspected Quirrell might be working for Voldemort and that is what Snape appeared to be doing. From there Dumbledore turned to Hagrid but he was looking solely at his food and nothing else. Dumbledore could guess what Hagrid was thinking about though; Harry Potter.

Dumbledore looked out over the students. At the Gryffindor table was Ronald Weasley who Dumbledore noticed would regularly glance at the Slytherin table with a look of displeasure, no doubt directed at Harry Potter, the boy who was meant to be a Gryffindor. Next Dumbledore looked at the Slytherin table. While doing that he briefly caught Harry's eye. He gave the boy a sad smile a saw look of confusion on his face.

After the meal Dumbledore gave the usual start of term notices then dismissed the students.

The first couple of months passed relatively quietly, although some students did try to open the door to the forbidden corridor. Dumbledore was quite certain it was the Weasley twins who had tried this but couldn't prove it. Not that it mattered anyway and Fluffy was trained to not pursue anyone once they left the corridor in which he was stationed.

Halloween, however, provided the first shock of the term when a troll was found in the castle. Quirrell claimed it was in the dungeons but it was in fact discovered in a hallway near a first floor girls' bathroom; and it was discovered by Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley who had gone in search of Hermione Granger, a first year Gryffindor girl. Working together the two boys managed to defeat the troll before any staff arrived. Dumbledore was both surprised and delighted that Harry was willing to help a student from another house who was in danger. Perhaps things weren't as bad as they had first appeared and Harry might still become the person Dumbledore wanted him to be? It seemed there was still hope for a desirable outcome.

Dumbledore had in his possession an invisibility cloak that had belonged to Harry's father James. The plan was to return the cloak to Harry, it's now rightful owner, as soon as Dumbledore was satisfied Harry could handle the responsibility but now he had decided to give Harry the cloak at Christmas rather than wait until he was older. Having done that Dumbledore waited to see how long it would take before Harry started using it to sneak around just like his father had.

The answer was a few hours. It was barely after midnight when the alarm in the restricted section of the library was activated. Nobody was found but Dumbledore was certain it was Harry. The fact that a few minutes later another alarm had been set off in the classroom in which the Mirror of Erised was being stored seemed to confirm it.

The following night Dumbledore went to the room with the mirror and waited. As he had expected Harry returned to the room, this time accompanied by Tracey Davis, a girl he seemed to spend all his free time with. Dumbledore waited quietly while they examined it, finally deciding to intervene when Tracey told Harry the secret of the mirror.

"A very fine deduction, Miss Davis. I am impressed."

Both Harry and Tracey started in shock and then turned around to face Professor Dumbledore.

"I didn't see you, sir," Harry said.

"Nor I," Tracey said.

"It really is quite remarkable how being invisible makes one so short-sighted," Dumbledore said, smiling benignly at the two first years.

"Sorry sir. We shouldn't be out this late," Harry said.

"Miss Davis, I must credit you on your logic in so quickly realising how the Mirror of Erised works. Many older, wiser people have wasted away in front of it, trying to figure out if what they see is real or even possible. You solved the riddle in a matter of minutes, a very commendable effort. To realise what the mirror does so quickly is outstanding, especially for someone as young as yourself.

"To explain more fully what you see. Harry, you see yourself with a loving family, something you have no memory of while Tracey, you see yourself as superior or, at the very least, as an equal with people who have often looked down on you."

"Does that mean the mirror shows us whatever we want to see?" asked Harry.

"Not quite. You see, the Mirror of Erised shows you the thing you want more than anything else in the whole world. But one must remember to live in the real world and not to become absorbed in the fantasies of one's mind.

"I am going to have the mirror moved tonight and I must ask you not to go looking for it. If you do indeed find it again you will know what to do and how to handle it. Now, I would recommend you both cover yourselves with that wondrous cloak and return to your Common Room, before someone else finds you here," Dumbledore said.

"Good night sir," Harry said as he placed the cloak over himself and Tracey.

"Good night, Professor Dumbledore," Tracey added as they left the room.

Dumbledore stayed in the room for the rest of the night but no other students came along. In the morning he moved the mirror back to the last chamber along the chain from the third floor corridor, using the secret tunnel direct from his office that only the Headmaster was allowed to access. This way he could bypass the security features protecting the chamber and, at the same time, avoid being caught doing it.

The New Year brought no new surprises. Indeed it seemed as is if nothing out of the ordinary was happening at all at Hogwarts. This at least enabled Dumbledore to keep up to date with the Ministry of Magic. The Minister, Cornelius Fudge, often asked Dumbledore for advice and, although it was less than enthralling, Dumbledore always obliged with advice and even the occasional visit.

It wasn't until the third term that anything out of the ordinary happened. Hagrid was acting suspiciously and Dumbledore believed he may have a new dangerous creature he was trying to raise in his cabin. Dumbledore decided not to do anything at first but to wait until something happened.

The day after Ronald Weasley was admitted to the hospital wing with an infected wound the mystery was solved when an unsigned note was delivered to his office. The note said Hagrid had a dragon in his cabin and that it had bitten Ron. Dumbledore was certain the letter was from Harry Potter even though there was no name on it.

A visit to Hagrid's cabin confirmed it was a Norwegian Ridgeback, a type of dragon with venomous fangs. This explained everything and Dumbledore helped arrange for the Dragon's secret removal from the school. This was accomplished but not without Draco Malfoy being caught by Professor McGonagall who did not believe the story he told. Dumbledore took no interest in the punishment.

June meant exams. While the staff and students worked diligently in this area Dumbledore was able to concentrate on other matters.

On the last day of exams he received an owl asking him to come to the Ministry of Magic urgently. Although he was not entirely convinced it was genuine he decided to go just to be sure. He travelled to the Ministry at a leisurely pace but when he arrived he found nobody there was expecting him. It was now clear it was a diversion to get him away from the castle.

Dumbledore hastened back to Hogwarts and headed directly for the third floor corridor. As he reached it he was met by Hermione Granger and Tracey Davis who were carrying a groggy Ron Weasley.

"Where is Harry?" Dumbledore asked, then added, "Has he gone after him alone?"

"Yes," Hermione said. "He asked us to alert the staff that Quirrell is trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone and get Ron to the hospital wing. Ron's been knocked out by one of McGonagall's chess pieces."

Dumbledore sent them to the hospital wing before climbing through the trapdoor. He easily bypassed the security features and hurried into the chamber where he found Harry being choked by Quirrell who had also clearly been badly hurt. He dragged Quirrell away and watched as the man's body crumbled before his eyes while checking to see if Harry was alive.

Dumbledore did nothing while Voldemort's spirit extracted itself from what was left of Quirrell's body and fled from the chamber. Instead he concentrated on saving Harry. Once Harry was stabilised he transported the still unconscious boy to the hospital wing where he found the other three students.

"Is Harry…?" Tracey began but Dumbledore cut her off. "Harry will be fine. He will need time to recover from his ordeal, however. Poppy? Do you have enough potions or should I ask Severus to make some more?"

After quickly checking Harry she replied, "I have enough for now I think. The replacement potions can wait until morning. I have checked Miss Granger's wrist and it will be fine by morning. Miss Davis has done a fine job over taking care of it. Thank you for your help, Miss Davis but I must ask both you and Miss Granger to leave so I may tend to my patients."

A few days later, after Harry had regained consciousness, Dumbledore had a long conversation with him where he explained several things but he was careful not to give Harry too much information. No matter how mature he seemed or how well he had handled the situation he was still only 11 years old and didn't need to be burdened too much bad news. Dumbledore felt Harry needed a few more years to mature before he learned the truth about everything.

At the end of year feast Dumbledore made an announcement that caught everybody by surprise. He announced that since Gryffindor and Slytherin students had worked together so well their houses should share the house cup for the year. This announcement left a lot of confused people, students and staff, but he felt it was the right thing to do, and he was the Headmaster, after all.