Y E L L O W

Chapter 13

Walking down the grim streets on a rainy day, a man made his way towards a building in the distance. His amber hair and the flamboyant cut of his plum-colored suit catching the eyes of the few outside, but he didn't pay them any mind.

Passing by the iron gates, he took a moment to admire the rather lively garden in the courtyard that fronted a worn-down square building surrounded by high railings and mounded the few steps leading to the front doors. He knocked.

On the other side, a scruffy Emily who was busy with mopping a rather stubborn stain in the hallways of the bottom floor heard knocking of the front door and ever the most chipper of the staff hurriedly made her way to the doors and open them in a cheerful greeting. Before anything could come out however her eyes landed on the coloring of the man’s robes and for a moment, she forgot that there was a person in front of her and wondered if the poor man was either color blind or maybe he just didn’t know how to dress properly.

“Good afternoon. I have an appointment with a Mrs.Cole, who I believe, is the Matron here?” Dumbledore explained.

“Oh, um…just a mo…” Emily knew that she was caught staring. “MRS.COLE!!!”

Hearing a distant voice shout back in response, the young woman squeaked. “Come in, she’s on ‘er way.”

Dumbledore stepped inside.

Inside the hallway that was a tiled black and a grey that could have been a white at the time flooring, the place was a tad shabby looking but was spotlessly clean. Emily, after warily glancing to the back of the stranger shut the door to prevent anymore rain from coming in and looking at the puddle and mud forming under the mans feet grimaced because she had just cleaned that area.

Down the hall Mrs.Cole appeared and hurriedly made her way towards them. Her face and frame once skinny and harassed was now an average built but her eyes still had a hard edged to them. Dumbledore couldn’t help but eavesdrop in a conversation she was having with a child she was with spell.

“…And take the iodine upstairs to Martha, make sure that Billy isn’t sneaking food to Elizabeth the 3rd again, and that Eric’s blisters are now oozing all over his sheets again?” Both their faces contorted into disgust, “Chicken pox on top of everything else…”

Mrs.Coles eyes fell to Dumbledore and she stopped dead in her tracks.

Peaking over the many towels, Emma noticed the stranger in the doorway and the first thing that came into mind was if someone had taught this man how to dress.

“Good afternoon,” He held a hand out in greeting. Mrs.Cole ignored his hand and watched him warily. “My name is Albus Dumbledore. I sent a letter requesting an appointment and you very kindly invited me here today…”

The Matron blinked, before remembering that letter.

“Oh yes, well then you’d better follow me to my office and Emily…” The look on her face said everything.

Take care of Eric’s Chicken pox for her.

She ignored the squawk from the young woman as they left.

While the adults left, Emma stared after the man. She couldn’t help but feel that something was off about him and it wasn’t because of the fact that he stuck out like a sore thumb in the background of the shabby walls of the orphanage.

If Emma was to be honest, it was almost the same feeling she got whenever she was around Tom.

Mrs.Cole didn’t say anything to the man, choosing to simply fold her hands together over her desk and waited.

Dumbledore, unfazed by the tensed stare down from the Matron and continued, “I am here as I’ve mentioned before to discuss the future and arrangements of one of the orphans here by the name Tom Riddle.”

“Are you family?” Mrs.Cole asked.

“No, I’m a teacher.” He admitted, “I have come to offer the child a place at my school-““What’s the school name then?”

Dumbledore paused, watching the way the woman’s sharp eyes studied him. “It’s called Hogwarts…”

“And how come your interested in Tom?”

“We believe that he has qualities we are looking for.”

“You mean he’s won a scholarship? How can he when he has never entered for one.” She would know, anything having to do with the children goes though a background check through herself personally. Sober or not.

“Well his name has been down since birth..?”

“Anything having to do with the children I check personally, Mr.Dumbledore. Who would register him, his parents?” There was no doubt that Mrs.Cole was an incredibly sharp woman when it's matters involving the children. Dumbledore had to admire that quality, he admitted while slipping his wand out.

It just means that the children here were in good hands.