Dumbledore nodded and smiled slightly but it was almost a grimace. It was unnatural on his wizened face. Harry quietly thanked him again for letting him keep the clothes.
After a moment of walking Dumbledore seemed content to wait for Harry.
"Am I really going to this school?" He asked after reading the letter again. "I don't have any money or an owl. I wouldn't know where to buy any of this." Was he going to have to stay? He was hyperventilating slightly.
"Your parents did not leave you destitute, Harry. You have funds at the wizarding bank, Gringotts. We can purchase your books and school items in Diagon Alley, I can help you find everything there. Clothes too, since I would be loathe to return you to your family, and I doubt you wish to return. Do you have any personal affects you wish to take from your… room?"
Harry shook his head.
"You would help me find everything?" He asked.
"If you wish."
Harry nodded quickly, and Dumbledore seemed to smile in earnest.
They continued to walk, with Harry occasionally asking questions about the wizarding world. Harry asked about his parents, if Dumbledore knew them. Dumbledore told him about a man named Voldemort, who other wizards were afraid to say the name of, and how Harry had survived that night with nothing but a scar upon his forehead.
"Voldemort was destroyed, Halloween night ten years ago. His supporters were arrested and imprisoned. You are quite famous in the wizarding world Harry. There isn't a child that doesn't know your name."
Harry struggled to believe him. How could he be so important? As if knowing what he was thinking Dumbledore continued.
"I must apologize. I didn't know the Dursleys would be so terrible to you. I had thought they would treat you like family."
Harry wasn't sure what he meant. As far as he knew, the Dursleys did treat him like family. They couldn't not treat him as family considering he was family. However they treated him was the way family must be treated, almost by definition.
"It's alright, sir. How do your family treat one another?" He asked, before realizing his mistake and apologizing for such a personal question.
Dumbledore seemed to age in those moment. "It's quite alright, young man. I am a Headmaster, and curiosity is a virtue we seek to encourage."
There was a pause as they turned a street corner.
"Was that boy, the one you were thinking about, was he like me too?"
Dumbledore smiled softly.
"No, I don't believe so."
Harry felt confused, but that appeared to be becoming the norm by this point, so he let it drop.
"Are you prepared to depart?"
Harry nodded, smiling brightly.
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Harry had been shocked at the piles of gold in his vault. Just a day ago he could never have considered such a thing, never mind belonging to him. It was a ghost of his parents touching upon his life. He was also curious about what Dumbledore had retrieved from Gringotts but, between the dizzying revelations of the day, and how rude it would have been to ask, he stayed quiet. Dumbledore retrieved the parcel with a wink aimed at the boy, before dropping the key to his trust vault into Harry's hand, which he gripped like a lifeline.
Dumbledore had taken him to the alley and, after helping him purchase his schooling supplies and a beautiful snowy owl, had checked him into a room in a place called the Leaky Cauldron. Harry felt was an odd name for a place. Dumbledore had also made sure to scare away any wizards looking to meet Harry. The young wizard thought it was odd people wanted to meet him so badly, but he decided it might be smart to imitate Dumbledore and just ignore it.
He felt especially pleased to hold his wand. He often held it just to feel it in his palm, indulging in the sensation of the wood against his skin. A supple, eleven-inch branch of Holly, with a slightly carved handle and a phoenix feather core. He felt proud to hold it and it gave him a rush just to feel it's electric touch against his palm.
He was concerned about its brother, or rather, the owner of his wand's twin. Ollivander had called it curious but Dumbledore didn't seem at all surprised. Which Harry supposed made for a curious situation.
Dumbledore had recommended several books for Harry to purchase, alongside several sets of both wizarding and muggle clothing. Harry had taken Dumbledore's suggestions to heart. Harry, now in his room in the Leaky Cauldron, did not have much to do except read – unless he wanted to be ogled at by passersby in Diagon Alley, should he feel the desire to explore it – so he mostly stayed cooped up and read his new books, comfortably ensconced in his room where Tom would bring meals. They food was good too, and he felt warm sitting by the fire in his room.
He learned that he loved the smell of the burning logs. The Dursley's fireplace likely hadn't been lit since the building was constructed. Too messy, too much work. It was new, and therefore wonderful.
A few days into his stay, he received two books from Dumbledore, An Introductory Guide to the Mind Arts, and The Mind, The Maze for his Birthday. Harry had never received a present before in his life and he had to wipe away a few tears when he opened it.
Harry fell asleep holding it close to his chest.
Dumbledore had also delivered several potions. He had stated his concern that Harry had been malnourished and his growth had been discouraged by the Dursleys. His father was, Harry was told, taller and broader at his age than he was now. So, the potions were a means to correct his mistreatment under the Dursley's 'care'. They wouldn't make him buff, like the people from Dudley's television, but it would help him fill out and make him taller. Unless Dumbledore was wrong, and Harry was supposed to be this tall.