An Exquisite Pain

Vauxhall Orphanage

Luckily, Mrs Cole hadn't noticed Riddle and Danielle's exchange. She continued chattering on about the other orphans, their names, and their personalities. Danielle forced herself to pay attention, if only to distract herself from Riddle, who was just inches away from her.

A few minutes later they emerged out onto the street. It had turned sunny, and everyone seemed marginally happier out here. Danielle even noticed a young girl laughing and playing in the snow. She felt her spirits lifting already.

Mrs Cole led them over to a battered-looking black streetcar. Danielle wasn't sure if she would be allowed to sit in the front or not, so she dutifully slid into the backseat. To her discomfort, Riddle got in beside her. She wasn't sure why she felt so unnerved by him in enclosed spaces like this. It had been the same way in the train. Perhaps her mind subconsciously told her that if he tried to attack her, she stood a better chance of fleeing if she was in a wide open space, rather than closeted in a tiny car.

In the end, she kept one hand poised on the handle of the door the entire ride to the orphanage, just in case. Dumbledore wouldn't have let her leave Hogwarts if he felt it was too dangerous…right?

Vauxhall Orphanage was just as Danielle had imagined it: a tall, imposing brick building that looked as if it had been standing for centuries. The windows looked like dark eyes staring down at her, warning her to run away. It almost looked like Hogwarts, except it had none of the castle's warmth and cheer radiating from it.

But she shouldn't be so scared. She a) had nowhere else to go and b) it couldn't be that bad. Besides, two weeks wasn't a very long time.

"Here we are," Mrs Cole announced far too cheerfully as they drove through the gates (more like the gates to a prison, Danielle thought sadly) and parked in front of a snow-covered fountain.

As they trudged up to the front doors, she noticed a group of ravens perched on one of the roof's spires. One squawked loudly and swooped down towards them, narrowly missing Danielle's head. She barely had time to duck. Was it some sort of omen? She glared at the offending bird as it scooped up something on the ground in its beak and flew back up to the others.

Riddle was smirking. Obviously he had watched the entire thing. The arsehole, I bet he wouldn't be smirking like that if I kicked him right in the—Danielle thought furiously, but didn't get to finish her thought before the door swung open and Mrs Cole led them inside. She would save that satisfying fantasy for later.

The front entryway was long, narrow and tiled in black and white. Danielle caught a glimpse of several young, curious faces peering out of doorways at them before Mrs Cole turned right abruptly and guided them up a rickety staircase. "Your room is right up here, Clara," she said, pointing at a door. "Tom's room is just down the hallway—call him if you need anything. I expect you'll need time to unpack. Dinner is at six o'clock sharp. We'll introduce you to the rest of the children then and—"

"Mrs Cole?" a soft voice asked from behind Danielle. "I think Dennis's fever is coming back again."

Danielle turned to see a plain-looking girl with mousy brown hair and gray eyes wearing an ugly sort of tunic. Was this the uniform? She hoped not.

Mrs Cole sighed. "Again? Well, I suppose you'd better bring him some medicine, Amy, or get him some water."

The girl, Amy, nodded. She stared curiously at Danielle for a second, giving her a weak smile, before looking over at Riddle.

The change was perceptible. A small gasp escaped the orphan girl's mouth before she ducked her head and ran down the stairs as if she expected to be pursued.

Danielle glanced over at Riddle. He met her gaze coolly, raising his chin slightly as if daring her to ask. A chill ran through her.

Mrs Cole seemed oblivious to this changed atmosphere. "That was Amy Benson," she said to Danielle. "She's your age. Her mother was taken advantage of, poor thing…"