分节阅读91

  w, were all wearg the sa kd of grayish tunic they looked reanably well-cared for, but there was no denyg that this was a gri pce which to grow up
  ”here we are,” said rs le, as they turned off the send ndg and sped outside the first door a long rridor she knocked ice and entered
  ”to? you39ve got a visitor this is r duberton ?rry, dunderbore he39s e to tell you ?well, i39ll let hi do it”
  harry and the o dubledores entered the roo, and rs le closed the door on the it was a sall bare roo with nothg it except an old wardrobe and an iron bedstead a boy was sittg on of the gray bnkets, his legs stretched out front of hi, holdg a book
  there was no trace of the gaunts to riddle39s face rope had got her dyg wish: he was his hand father iature, tall for eleven years old, dark-haired, and pale his eyes narrowed slightly as he took dubledore39s eentric appearance there was a ont39s silence
  ”how do you do, to?” said dubledore, walkg forward and holdg out his hand
  the boy hesitated, then took it, and they shook hands dubledore drew up the hard wooden chair beside riddle, that the pair of the looked rather like a hospital patient and visitor
  ”i a profesr dubledore”
  ”39profesr39?” repeated riddle he looked wary ”is that like 39doctor39? what are you here for? did she t you to have a look at ?”
  he was potg at the door through which rs le had jt left
  ”no, no,” said dubledore, silg
  ”i don39t believe you,” said riddle ”she wants looked at, doesn39t she? tell the truth!”
  he spoke the st three words with a rgg force that was alost shockg it was a and, and it unded as though he had given it any tis before his eyes had widened and he was grg at dubledore, who ade no response except to ntue silg pleasantly after a few sends riddle sped grg, though he looked, if anythg, warier still
  ”who are you?”
  ”i have told you y na is profesr dubledore and i work at a school called hogwarts i have e to offer you a pce at y school ?your new school, if you would like to e”
  riddle39s reaction to this was ost surprisg he leapt fro the bed and backed away fro dubledore, lookg furio
  ”you can39t kid ! the asy, that39s where you39re fro, isn39t it? 39profesr,39 yes, of urse ?well, i39 not gog, see? that old cat39s the one who should be the asy i never did anythg to little ay benn or dennis bishop, and you can ask the, they39ll tell you!
  ”i a not fro the asy,” said dubledore patiently ”i a a teacher and, if you will sit down cally, i shall tell you about hogwarts of urse, if you would rather not e to the school, nobody will force you ?“
  ”i39d like to see the try,” sneered riddle
  ”hogwarts,” dubledore went on, as though he had not heard riddle39s st words, ”is a school for people with special abilities ?“
  ”i39 not ad!”
  ”i know that you are not ad hogwarts is not a school for ad people it is a school of agic”
  there was silence riddle had frozen, his face expressionless, but his eyes were flickerg back and forth beeen each of dubledore39s, as though tryg to catch one of the lyg
  ”agic?” he repeated a whisper
  ”that39s right,” said dubledore
  ”it39s  it39s agic, what i can do?”
  ”what is it that you can do?”
  ”all rts,”
  eathed riddle a fsh of excitent was risg up his neck to his hollow cheeks he looked fevered ”i can ake filgs ove without touchg the i can ake anials do what i want the to do, without trag the i can ake bad thgs happen to people who annoy i can ake the hurt if i want to”
  his legs were treblg he stubled forward and sat down on the bed aga, starg at his hands, his head bowed as though prayer
  ”i knew i was different,” he whispered to his own iverg frs ”i knew i was special always, i knew there was thg”
  ”well, you were ite right,” said dubledore, who was no lonr silg, but watchg riddle tently ”you are a wizard”
  riddle lifted his head his face was transfigured: there was a wild happess upon it, yet for rean it did not ake hi better lookg on the ntrary, his fely carved features seed how rougher, his expression alost bestial
  ”are you a wizard