An Exquisite Pain

After Effects

The low hum of voices was what brought her back. Dumbledore was talking to Mrs Cole. No…he shouldn't be here…it was dangerous…she'd ruined everything…

"Miss Ashford?" Dumbledore asked her. Cringing, Danielle opened her eyes.

She was in her room, lying flat on her bed. The faces of Dumbledore and Mrs Cole hovered over her.

"She's awake," Mrs Cole said, relieved. "How are you feeling, Clara?"

"Sore," Danielle mumbled, reaching up a hand to rub her forehead. "How long was I out for?"

"About an hour," said Dumbledore. He looked more solemn than Danielle had ever seen him. "You have several bruises, but you should be fine." With a quick incline of his head to Mrs Cole, she slipped out of the room.

Danielle sat up straighter in bed, her hands tightening around the covers. "Where's Riddle?" she began as soon as the door had shut. "Where's Billy? I used underage magic—will I be expelled from Hogwarts? What—"

"One question at a time, Miss Ashford," Dumbledore said, smiling slightly. "I managed to sort things out with the Headmaster and the Ministry. You will not be expelled from Hogwarts; however, you will receive a warning." He handed Danielle a crumpled piece of paper, which she didn't even bother to open. "As for Mr Stubbs, I modified his memory so he has no idea the incident ever happened. At present, he is quite well, and anxious to see you."

Relief swept through Danielle. "He's all right then. But…what about…"

"Mr Riddle?" Dumbledore asked, his face turning grave again. "He is fine at the moment."

"Fine?" Danielle blurted. "He is not fine! He tried to kill me!"

"Miss Ashford…Mr Riddle does not appear to remember the incident."

Danielle, about to launch into an angry tirade, stopped short. "What?"

Dumbledore looked at her seriously. "I was questioning him earlier. He has no memory of what happened."

"But—that's impossible!" Danielle said. "How does he not remember? Sir, are you sure he's not lying?" He is Voldemort, after all.

"Trust me when I assure you he is telling the complete and utter truth," Dumbledore said. "The last thing he remembers is speaking to Mr Stubbs at the fountain."

"Well, I hope you told him what happened!"

"I did, though I under exaggerated quite a bit," said Dumbledore. "With his…with the way he acted, it is best he knows as little as possible. He was not surprised; however, he was remorseful."

"No he wasn't," Danielle disagreed. "He'll grow up to be—"

Dumbledore held up a hand. "I must not know about this, Miss Ashford. No matter what happens, nobody must know what you found out today. Do you understand?"

Danielle's mouth fell open. "But sir! Tom Riddle is evil! Mrs Cole told me his mother said—"

"Mrs Cole has told me his story also," Dumbledore interrupted her. "I daresay you know much more about Mr Riddle than I do."

"Yes, I do," Danielle said, disbelief evident on her face. How could Dumbledore not want to know that one of his students would grow up to be the most powerful Dark wizard of all time and kill hundreds of thousands of people?

"However," the Transfiguration professor continued, "Whether he remembers it or not, there is no doubt that Mr Riddle tried to harm you today. As a result, I will be keeping a very close watch on him from now on. I would advise you not to go anywhere alone with him if you can help it."