He then made sure he had everything he would need and placed a notice-me-not charm on himself, not wanting to draw attention to the fact that he looked very much like his father without having met with Dumbledore and figured everything else out first.
He then exited the pub and took his first glimpse of Diagon Alley as it was now.
The alley itself did not look all that much different though there were a few different shops and the ones he did recognise looked more recent and fresh than he remembered.
He began walking down the alley and quickly found a newspaper stand where he bought the day's edition of the Daily Prophet. "August 14th 1976, it worked" he whispered in relief having appeared exactly when he was supposed to.
Having ascertained that the jump back had gone according to plan he made his way to a clearly newly opened Madame Malkin's and purchased a whole wardrobe of clothes, though he found the style to be rather eccentric for his liking.
He had kept his wardrobe simple and had opted to buy fitted jeans rather than the flared ones that Madame Malkin had recommended. He was fairly happy with the rest of his purchases as they were much more neutral and not as garish as the flared trousers and found that they were actually rather normal in comparison, much to his relief.
He also bought various types of shoes and trainers and even managed to buy some clothes to exercise in, something he had promised Filmore he would continue to do. After he had finished his clothes shopping he entered Quality Quidditch Supplies and bought himself a Comet 200, the best that was available at the time and was content with the broom, though he knew it would pale in comparison to his firebolt.
He had considered going to Gringotts to open up an account so that he could store the vast amount of gold he was carrying but decided against it for the time being knowing that it was likely that unwanted questions would be asked of him. He would simply have to carry it around with him though he was not completely comfortable with the idea.
With his shopping done he returned to his room and decided that he would make his visit to Hogwarts the next day and not prolong the inevitable any further than necessary, something that he was very nervous about.
Everything depended on the outcome of tomorrow and he knew it, though the thought of the meeting with Dumbledore left him feeling more than a little anxious.
(BREAK)
Harry awoke for the first time in months the next morning by his own accord and not by being forced from his bed by several stinging hexes and expletives courtesy of Filmore, certainly a welcome change.
It took a few moments for him to gather himself and remember exactly where he was and sighed at what he would be facing today. But for the time being, he had his morning exercises to complete before he even wanted to dwell on anything else.
He pulled on some of his exercise clothes and exited the pub, giving Hedwig a treat on his way out and began running through the streets of muggle London passing Charing Cross station and eventually finding himself in St James Park, where he completed a few laps of the area before making his way back to the Leaky Cauldron where he finished up with his press ups and other exercises.
He took his shower and though it was warm outside, he relished in the hot cascade of water that soothed his tired muscles before dressing and heading down for breakfast.
"Good Morning sir" Tom greeted him with a smile. "Would you like some breakfast?" he asked.
"Could I have some porridge please and maybe some fruit?" Harry requested feeling rather hungry from his morning efforts.
"Right away" Tom obliged with another smile.
Harry began eating the food and contemplated the way in which he would handle the situation with Dumbledore. Although he had spent much time with the man over the years, this one could be rather different. The Dumbledore of his period was very open-minded but he could not be sure how this younger version would react to him. He only hoped that he was not deemed insane by the headmaster and sent to St. Mungo's.
He desperately tried to formulate a plan that would work, but could not come up with one that he was certain of so he decided that he would take everything as it came and do whatever was necessary to ensure that the man believed him; he had to make him believe.
He finally managed to steel his nerve enough to exit the pub and apparate to Hogsmeade.
The walk from the village to the gates of Hogwarts felt like it lasted for an eternity as he became wrought with nervousness once again and continuously second guessed himself the entire way.
He finally reached the gates only to find that they were locked and he breathed a sigh of relief at the apparent pardon he had been given, though he doubted he would have the nerve to come back again if he left.
He sighed again and dragged his hand through his hair before turning to leave when he was stopped in his tracks by the sound of a very familiar voice.
"What yeh doin' 'ere, Students ain't spose' to be 'ere durin' the summer" Hagrid informed him.
Harry tentatively turned to face the half giant, the sight of his friend warming him and giving him a sense of relief.
The man looked as he always had to Harry, complete with his brown moleskin coat, though the visible skin around his eyes was less wrinkled.
"Oh, sorry, I thought yeh were a student 'ere you look like a lad tha' goes 'ere" Hagrid apologized with a frown. That statement gave Harry an idea and he inwardly thanked the man for the unintended help.
"Actually I was hoping to enroll here and was hoping I could speak to Professor Dumbledore about it" Harry replied with a smile.
"I dunno know 'bout that" Hagrid returned uncertainly. "These gates 'ere are spose to stay locked", he explained.
"I'm happy to hand over my wand" Harry offered.
It was then that a large, heavily salivating dog bounded up to the gate, wagging its tail madly, trying to get Harry's attention.
"Hello there" Harry said in greeting and began stroking the monstrous thing through the bars. "You're a messy boy aren't you" he chuckled as the dog continued to drool, leaving a puddle on the ground between them. The dog barked happily as Hagrid pulled the behemoth away.
"Get back Dozer, ruddy dog" he grumbled. "Dozer?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow. "All 'e does is sleep" Hagrid answered with a shake of his shaggy head.
"Ahh" Harry deadpanned.
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