|
came staggering up the front steps. Well, she wasn't the first. We took her in, and she had the baby within the hour. And she was dead in another hour." Mrs. Cole nodded impressively and took another generous gulp of gin.
"Did she say anything before she died." asked Dumbledore. "Anything about the boy's father, for instance." "Now, as it happens, she did," said Mrs. Cole, who seemed to be rather enjoying herself now, with the gin in her hand and an eager audience for her story. "I remember she said to me, 'I hope he looks like his papa,' and I won't lie, she was right to hope it, because she was no beauty — and then she told me he was to be named Tom, for his father, and Marvolo, for her father — yes, I know, funny name, isn't it. We wondered whether she came from a circus — and she said the boy's surname was to be Riddle. And she died soon after that without another word.
"Well, we named him just as she'd said, it seemed so important to the poor girl, but no Tom nor Marvolo nor any kind of Riddle ever came looking for him, nor any family at all, so he stayed in the orphanage and he's been here ever since." Mrs. Cole helped herself, almost absentmindedly, to another healthy measure of gin.
Two pink spots had appeared high on her cheekbones. Then she said, "He's a funny boy." "Yes," said Dumbledore. "I thought he might be." "He was a funny baby too. He hardly ever cried, you know. And then, when he got a little older, he was. . . odd." "Odd in what way." asked Dumbledore gently.
"Well, he —" But Mrs. Cole pulled up short, and there was nothing blurry or vague about the inquisitorial glance she shot Dumbledore over her gin glass.
"He's definitely got a place at your school, you say." "Definitely," said Dumbledore.
"And nothing I say can change that." "Nothing," said Dumbledore.
"You'll be taking him away, whatever." "Whatever," repeated Dumbledore gravely.
She squinted at him as though deciding whether or not to trust him. Apparently she decided she could, because she said in a sudden rush, "He scares the other children."
 |  |
|
