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  ld tell anythg of to riddle39s history? i thk he was born here the orphana?”
  ”that39s right,” said rs le, helpg herself to ore g ”i reber it clear as anythg, becae i39d jt started here yself new year39s eve and bitter ld, snog, you know nasty night and this girl, not uch older than i was yself at the ti, ca erg up the front steps well, she wasn39t the first we took her , and she had the baby with the hour and she was dead another hour”
  rs le nodded ipressively and took another nero gulp of g
  ”did she say anythg before she died?” asked dubledore ”anythg about the boy39s father, for stance?”
  ”now, as it happens, she did,” said rs le, who seed to be rather enjoyg herself now, with the g her hand and an ear audience for her story ”i reber she said to , 39i hope he looks like his papa,39 and i won39t lie, she was right to hope it, becae she was no beauty ?and then she told he was to be nad to, for his father, and arvolo, for her father ?yes, i know, funny na, isn39t it? we wondered whether she ca fro a circ ?and she said the boy39s surna was to be riddle and she died on after that without another word
  ”well, we nad hi jt as she39d said, it seed iportant to the poor girl, but no to nor arvolo nor any kd of riddle ever ca lookg for hi, nor any faily at all, he stayed the orphana and he39s been here ever sce”
  rs le helped herself, alost absentdedly, to another healthy asure of g o pk spots had appeared high on her cheekbones then she said, ”he39s a funny boy”
  ”yes,” said dubledore ”i thought he ight 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 what way?” asked dubledore ntly
  ”well, he ?“
  but rs le pulled up short, and there was nothg
  ry or vague about the isitorial gnce she shot dubledore over her g gss
  ”he39s defitely got a pce at your school, you say?”
  ”defitely,” said dubledore
  ”and nothg i say can chan that?”
  ”nothg,” said dubledore
  ”you39ll be takg hi away, whatever?”
  ”whatever,” repeated dubledore gravely
  she sted at hi as though decidg whether or not to trt hi apparently she decided she uld, becae she said a sudden rh, ”he scares the other children”
  ”you an he is a bully?” asked dubledore
  ”i thk he t be,” said rs le, frowng slightly, ”but it39s very hard to catch hi at it there have been cidents  nasty thgs ”
  dubledore did not press her, though harry uld tell that he was terested she took yet another gulp of g and her rosy cheeks grew rosier still
  ”billy stubbs39s rabbit  well, to said he didn39t do it and i don39t see how he uld have done, but even , it didn39t hang itself fro the rafters, did it?”
  ”i shouldn39t thk , no,” said dubledore ietly
  ”but i39 ered if i know how he got up there to do it all i know is he and billy had argued the day before and then” ?rs le took another swig of g, sloppg a little over her ch this ti ?”on the sur outg ?we take the out, you know, once a year, to the untryside or to the seaside ?well, ay benn and dennis bishop were never ite right afterwards, and all we ever got out of the was that they39d gone to a cave with to riddle he swore they39d jt gone explorg, but thg happened there, i39 sure of it and, well, there have been a lot of thgs, funny thgs  ”
  she looked around at dubledore aga, and though her cheeks were fshed, her gaze was steady ”i don39t thk any people will be rry to see the back of hi”
  ”you understand, i39 sure, that we will not be keepg hi peranently?” said dubledore ”he will have to return here, at the very least, every sur”
  ”oh, well, that39s better than a whack on the nose with a rty poker,” said rs le with a slight up she got to her feet, and harry was ipressed to see that she was ite steady, even though o-thirds of the g was now gone ”i suppose you39d like to see hi?”
  ”very uch,” said dubledore, risg too
  she led hi out of her office and up the stone stairs, callg out structions and adonitions to helpers and children as she passed the orphans, harry sa