Chapter 5: Magical Interference

Dumbledore stood in front of number 4 Privet Drive waiting for someone to answer the door. It was just mid-afternoon so Petunia should be home alone. Petunia opened the door, her greetings dying on her lips at the sight of the old wizard.

"What do you want." She asked sharply.

"Why, it was such a lovely evening, I thought I'd check in on dear Harry." Dumbledore responded genially.

"That freak will never step foot in this house again." Petunia spat angrily, moving to slam the door shut. Dumbledore forced his way in before the door could be shut on him. Petunia was fuming.

"This is the only safe place for Harry. Without the blood protection anyone could attack." Dumbledore smoothly stated, moving his way to the living room.

"They can attack all they want. That boy should never have been born, if his own kind want him dead all the better." Petunia answered.

"Surely you don't mean that." Dumbledore responded in surprise.

"Get. Out. Of. My. House. That boy destroyed my family. Him and all his kind can die. I will have no part in it."

"I see." Dumbledore spoke quietly, trying to figure out his next plan of action. When he first arrived, he could not feel the blood wards. Originally, he had thought it was because the boy wasn't living at the house currently, but now, perhaps it was broken instead. In that case, Harry would be in far more danger than he first imagined. He had to find Harry, and soon.

"Where might I find the boy?" questioned Dumbledore.

"A man named Silas is his guardian. That's all I know. Now leave, I don't want any of your kind near my family again." Petunia responded coldly.

Dumbledore stood up and quietly left. It seemed he had a lot of work ahead of him. He'd have to find a suitable family for Harry to grow up in, but first, he had to find out where this Silas boy lived.

"Point me" Dumbledore stated, taking out his wand, using Harry as his focal point.

- Page Break -

Harry was panting hard, having just finished his group karate lesson for the day. He was still far too weak, though his form was perfect. After a couple hours rest, he'd have more training with Silas. Today, they'd be testing his ability to put all his abilities together in battle. He'd spar against Silas, able to use anything he knew other than weapons since his aim was still abysmal. This was only the second time they were doing this. After the backfire of using chakra and running, Silas had decided to add this type of testing to Harry's regimen. If the kid couldn't use his abilities in a real fight, they were useless.

It was during Harry's two-hour break that an old man with the most eccentric taste in clothes, wearing an orange button up shirt with silver stars on it with light gray slacks, with long white hair and beard walked into the dojo. Master Chris walked out of his office to talk with the man, weary of the elder.

"What can I do for you?" Chris asked politely.

"I'm looking for Harry Potter." Dumbledore explained. "I was told I could find him hear." He easily lied.

"Who are you?" Chris questioned suspiciously. That kid had been through enough crap in the last year to last a lifetime. No way was he letting some old coot speak to him without a good reason.

"I am simply an old friend of his birth parents. I recently found out he'd been moved from of his Aunt's house and want to make sure he's being taken care of." Dumbledore responded calmly, looking around the building in hopes of seeing the boy.

"Is that so. Hey, Silas." Chris called the other master over from his class. Silas looked over, noticing the old man, set his class on their next activity, and walked over to see what was happening.

"What's going on?" Silas questioned while taking in everything he could about the old man. He looked nuts, but his eyes screamed trust me, which immediately made Silas weary.

"He says he's an old friend of the kids birth parents. Wanted to make sure the kid was being looked after right." Chris responded, never taking his eyes off Dumbledore.

Silas was immediately on edge. If this man was a friend of the kid's parents and knew about the change in guardianship, he had to have known about the abuse and did nothing to stop it. Silas kept his face as indifferent as he could, but anger still shown through his eyes.

"Why don't we talk in my office, Mr. Dumbledore." Silas requested, turning away and walking towards the room at the far end of the dojo. Harry should be outside cooling down about now. Kid didn't like staying inside if he didn't have to be.

"So, tell me, what business do you have with me?" Silas interrogated.

"You are the boy's legal guardian then?" Dumbledore responded.

Silas stared at the man, giving a sharp nod in confirmation. He didn't trust this guy nearly as far as he could throw him. The concerned grandfather look would never work on an ex-military officer.

"Harry must stay with blood relatives; his parents had many enemies, only his family can protect him." Dumbledore explained.

"His family, as you put it, would have seen him dead. I understand if you're worried about his safety, but I can take care of any threats that come up." Silas responded sternly.

"What exactly do you mean when you say his family would see him dead?" Dumbledore questioned lightly. He had to get information, with any luck this was an exaggerated issue and Harry could return to his aunt's house. If the blood wards were truly destroyed there was no place Harry would be safe.

"Do you want to see his medical history? He had multiple broken bones that had healed incorrectly, malnutrition, and bruised ribs. Those..people..would have killed him." Silas spat the word 'people' like it was the most extreme insult he could think of.

Dumbledore sat there shocked. He had known the muggle family did not like magic, but the boy was still family. He had truly believed Harry would be safest with them even if it wouldn't be the happiest of households. No wonder the wards had broken. Blood wards only held as long as the people within believed themselves family.

"I had no idea." Dumbledore replied brokenly. He had truly wanted Harry to be safe. While it may be necessary for the boy to fight later in his life, Dumbledore had hoped he'd at least have a decent childhood to enjoy.

"May I see him?" Dumbledore asked sadly.

Silas studied the man, looking for any sign of deceit. He looked genuinely remorseful. Silas debated the safety of letting the man speak with the kid. It would be good for Harry to learn about his parents.

"Very well, but I will be here the entire time. You make one wrong move and I won't hesitate to send you away." Silas responded sternly, looking directly into Dumbledore's eyes. Dumbledore nodded his consent and waited in the room while Silas went to find Harry.

When Silas returned, Harry stood timidly behind him, unsure about the man in front of him that was supposed to know his parents. His Aunt had told him his parents were good for nothing drunks that died in a car crash. Not that he fully believed them, but still, he had never met someone who knew about his parents.

"You look so much like your father, Harry. Except your eyes, you've got your mother's eyes." Dumbledore stated kindly.

"You really knew them then?" Harry questioned nervously.

"Yes, I am the headmaster of the school where they studied. They were both very talented."

"Really?" Harry questioned in awe. He had never heard anyone praise his parents before. It brought a strange warmth to his chest he had never felt before.

"Tell me, Harry, what do you know about your parents?" Dumbledore asked.

"Nothing at all sir. I was told they were drunks that died in a car crash." Harry responded, looking at the ground.

Dumbledore sat back in shock. The Dursley's were supposed to tell him about Hogwarts and his parents so he wouldn't be completely blindsided once he entered the wizarding world. The fact that he was called freak, told his parents were horrible people, and had so many injuries at such a young age broke Dumbledore's heart.

"Harry, look at me." Dumbledore said softly, waiting for the boy to do as he asked. "Your parents were strong and courageous people. They did not die in a car crash."

"Then…then how did they die, sir?"

"First, tell me, do you believe in magic?"

"I don't know. My…those people, they always told me there wasn't any such thing as magic, but they lied a lot." Harry replied quietly.

"Magic is very much real. Both your mom and dad had magic, as do I, and so do you." Dumbledore explained somberly.

"What does this have to do with anything?" Harry questioned confused.

"Everything, my boy." Dumbledore stated, surprised when he saw young Harry flinch. He looked to Silas for an explanation. Silas looked at the kid sadly before answering Dumbledore's unspoken question.

"The word 'boy' is not to be used when talking about Harry." Dumbledore's anger returned full force at the explanation. It had been a long time since he'd lost control of his magic, but now, it swirled angrily just below his skin.

"Your parents were Aurors. Wizards and witches that fight against criminals." Dumbledore started explaining. "When you were born, the wizarding world was at war. Your parents fought against the Dark Lord Voldemort. Unfortunately, your parents' house was found and the Dark Lord killed them." Dumbledore explained gravely.

"They were killed?" Harry asked in surprised sorrow. Dumbledore nodded in confirmation before continuing. "Strong magical wards called Blood Wards were placed on you the moment your mother died. These would give you the strongest protection from your parents' enemies known to wizards as long as you lived with blood family. That is why you were placed with your aunt, she is the only blood family you have."

"I won't go back there!" Harry yelled, terrified.

"No, those wards have broken. We need to find someplace safe for you though. Without the wards you have no protection." Dumbledore stated calmly.

"No! I won't leave Silas! He's my family." Harry screamed his protests, losing all control at the thought of being forced to leave the first person who treated him like a person and was helping him learn how to fight back. Terrified that someone could take him away. What if others treated him the same as the Dursley's, what if they thought he was a freak to be killed? The room began shaking violently, cracks slithering up the walls at the forceful magic and chakra mix that Harry was unleashing in his fear and anger. Dumbledore had never seen such a violent explosion of accidental magic before. All the papers in the room were flying through the air. It was as if a hurricane was blowing through the office, Harry in the eye of the storm. Strong winds pushed Silas and Dumbledore away from the boy.

Silas forced his way towards Harry, intent on helping him control the power he was unleashing. It took a lot of effort to get close to him, but finally he was able to wrap his arms around the kid, holding him tightly as he spoke over the wind.

"I won't let anyone take you away, Harry. You are my son from now on. I don't care if people are after you. I'll make sure you're strong enough to protect yourself. It'll be ok. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

Harry slowly calmed down at those words, spoken over and over again by Silas. "I'm here" those words had never been spoken to him before. No one had ever been there for Harry. No one accept Silas. The wind and shaking died down before disappearing completely. Harry leaned into Silas, unable to hold himself up with his own power after his tantrum, tears falling freely down his face. Quietly, Harry apologized.

"It's O.K. We're still working on control. Rest now. I'll finish talking with Dumbledore. Go lay down." Silas ordered softly. Harry nodded into his chest, using what energy he had left to enter the nurse's room just down the hall to lay down on one of the beds.

"The kid stays with me." Silas stated firmly, glaring at the old man that had caused his ward to have a mental breakdown.

"You already knew about his magic." Dumbledore stated in surprise.

"Of course I did. The kid has little control. I've been helping him learn to control his power, but he still has outbursts like that when he has nightmares." Silas responded.

"You will be in danger if you continue to look after him." Dumbledore warned.

"I used to be in the military, I'm used to danger. I can protect myself. I may not have magic, but I'm not defenseless. You'd do well to remember that."

"Very well. It is obvious Harry has bonded to you. I will not interfere again, but be warned, Voldemort may be gone for now, but he is not dead. When he returns, Harry will be in danger along with anyone he cares for."

"I understand. Harry will be safe here. Now, please leave. I think you've caused enough damage for one day." Silas spoke tensely. Dumbledore gave a sad smile before disapparating back to Hogsmeade.