cold as you ||t. riddle||

𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒖𝒆

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𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖑𝖔𝖌𝖚𝖊  
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20 June 1938

Wool's Orphanage with its mighty grey walls reaching up to the gloomy London sky wasn't a place anyone would call home. The caretakers loomed the empty halls as if guardians at a prison and those unfortunate enough to have spent their lives there, knew nothing other than the cruelty and misery inflicted upon them.

Elena Mortem was one of those rather unlucky people, or so she thought. Until the day she learned she was better than anyone in this prison could ever be. Since that day she kept her distance, never bothered herself with those inferior. Everyone thought she was a monster, but she knew she was anything but that. She just needed to find out what she was.

Since the summer of 1934 all she did was wait for a sign, wait for a day when her life would finally begin. She opened her eyes to the same white walls, wore the same clothes, took the same path to the dining hall, got the same things to eat -an apple and a piece of bread- and returned to her room.

Many psychiatrists had come and gone trying to get her to talk, but this little girl didn't want to open up to anyone. She never felt the lack of interaction however. Every single person that she saw, she knew exactly what they were thinking. Some hated her, some were scared of her and some wanted to do things to her that made her wish she could control this gift- this curse.

Elena followed her routine as always, nothing seemed out of the ordinary until she came back to her room. A man at around his fifties sat on her bed, the book she had been reading- Le Rouge et Le Noir- in his hands. He looked up with a soft smile, closing the book as he spoke, "How wonderful to see you Elena."

Elena waited to hear his thoughts, it always happened sooner or later, she just needed to wait. So she did, five minutes passed, and then ten. The man just sat there equally silent until she finally said something, "Who are you?"

"My name is Albus Dumbledore." He tilted his head, "You think I am a psychiatrist, don't you?" He smiled softly, "Well, you're wrong. That man was a charlatan, I, on the other hand, am a professor."

"How- How did you?" Could he read minds as well?

"Come sit down." He patted the bed.

"I'd rather not, thank you." Elena waited impatiently for an explanation, but it didn't come until she had to ask. "You say you're a professor. What do you want with me?"

"I want to invite you to our school. Hogwarts is a place for people like you, people who can do things others can't." Dumbledore said, Elena held her breath. This man before her was like her... and him. "When I first came into this room you tried to read my thoughts. You are powerful, not many people among our kind have this gift, but you need to learn to control it."

"I don't understand, sir. What exactly do you teach?"

"Magic, Elena. Hogwarts is a school for young witches and wizards. At Hogwarts you'll learn to control your gift, I will help you. Now, if you choose to come you should be at King's Cross Station, September 1. I will make sure you have everything you need. We can continue our conversation at Hogwarts, now I must go, I have someone else here I'd like to invite to our school."

"Someone else?" she asked, praying that the man wouldn't say his name.

"Yes, a young wizard. Tom Riddle. Do you know him?"

Elena's heart started beating so fast she thought she might faint. She looked away. "We've met before."

"Then I expect to see you both at Hogwarts. Goodbye Elena, for now."