The last week of vacation goes by quickly, Tom's mood is up and down, but I know he's trying hard. He also gets on very well with my mother, but my mother loves almost everyone anyway.
Today is September 1st, and we're already on the train to Hogwarts in a separate compartment.
"So, do you think... you're ready for school?" Tom sits down in one of the seats in the train, and he nods his head slightly. His attitude is actually a bit better today, but he still feels nervous, and he keeps on fidgeting with his hands in his lap. He looks over at me, and he whispers gently:
"Yes, I'm ready for school. I just have to remember that I need to keep this in check... my emotions. I can't let the other students get to me, I need to keep it together and just do my studies and avoid any unnecessary drama."
"Tom and avoid unnecessary drama? I'll believe that when I see it, " I say jokingly to tease him a little and make him smile. There I see, I've succeeded in getting him to laugh a little. He gives me a playful grin, and he smiles. "Oh, don't act like it's always me who starts the drama..." He says teasingly, and he pretends to look offended.
"Touché" I kiss him gently and say "if you want to talk, I'm here okay" His eyes seem to light up for a moment as I kiss him, and I've starting to see the old Tom that I know and love. "I know. You're the only one I can talk to about this...and I'm glad you're here for me." He says as he holds my hand, and he squeezes it gently. I nod and sigh. I lower my head, then touch my forehead and take off my cloak. I have the feeling that I'm getting sick, maybe. Tom looks at me worriedly because he notices my pale face, and he seems a bit concerned. He places a hand on my head and asks: "You feel alright? Do you have a fever?"
"I don't know" I lean my head against his shoulder and close my eyes "I don't feel so good" He pulls me towards him and he holds me close, and I can feel the heat radiating from his body. I feel the comfort and the warmth of his touch as it warms ME up inside as well.
"Would you like me to take you to the hospital wing?" He asks softly.
"By the time we get to Hogwarts, it might be better if I close my eyes for a moment, okay?" Tom puts my head in his lap and strokes my hair, then he nods a little, and he continues to stroke my hair as I lean against him. My head is resting on his lap now, and I close my eyes to try to get rid of the uneasiness. The train ride continues in a peaceful silence as I rest.
On arrival at hogwarts, we walk hand in hand through the corridors, but I feel increasingly worse as I sway a little, and Tom immediately stops, worried and holds me. Tom stops, and he tightens his hold around me, looking at me with a look of worry on his face. He keeps his eyes on my face, hoping to get some clue on just how much I'm suffering right now. His expression looks pained as he keeps his eyes on me, and he whispers:
"You're not feeling well at all, are you.."
"I..." I don't manage to finish the sentence and lose my balance because I feel weak. Tom catches me immediately and carries me in his arms to the hospital wing while I'm babbling nonsensically. He rushes as quickly as he can with me in his arms, and he immediately runs inside the hospital wing, and he shouts:
"Nurse! Nurse, we need you! I'm bringing in a student who feels weak, and she seems to have a fever! Please, we need someone to take care of her as soon as possible!"
Within several seconds, a nurse quickly runs over to me as Tom puts me down on a bed, and they immediately start checking my temperature and examining me. Tom steps back to allow them to do their job. I'm barely conscious when I see the nurse looking worriedly at Tom
Nurse: "What happened? She's burning up?" Tom looks over at the nurse, and he nods his head. "Yes, she hasn't been feeling well all morning, even during the train ride here, and she just lost her balance and almost passed out with fatigue. She's very weakened right now, and she's feeling feverish. I think she has a fever."
Nurse: "This is not a normal fever. We need space now. Please get out"
Tom's face darkens when he hears this and refuses to leave the hospital wing. "I'm not leaving her here alone." Tom tells the nurse. Now, his tone feels serious, almost threatening. He's going to stay here with me in the hospital wing no matter what the nurse says.
Nurse: "She's not alone and is in the best hands here. You want us to save her life, don't you?" Tom suddenly realizes how serious the situation is. It was just a fever... Tom feels the sudden dread and anxiety sweep over him, and he stares at me as the nurse talks to him firmly. He realizes just how serious the situation is and how he needs to let the nurse take care of me. He hesitates, and his eyes are on me. He doesn't want to leave me alone, but he knows he has no other choice. Tom nods his head, and he says softly: "I trust you. I will stay outside and I'll wait."
Tom stands outside in the corridor and slumps against the wall. He puts his hands over his head and can't believe what she has said. What happened? It was just a fever, and suddenly I couldn't talk and lost consciousness? He can't understand it, and he stays sitting right there on the floor. The whole day, he misses dinner, the introduction ceremony, just everything until late at night When Tom realizes just how much time has passed and how many things he's missed because of this incident with me, he feels a sense of dread and panic rising within him. He's trying his best to stay in control and to stay rational, but he can't get the image of me completely losing consciousness out of his head. He's also trying to understand what happened and how it went so quickly from being just a fever to almost passing out and now in a bed being taken care of by the nurse. He's starting to worry.
The nurse comes out of the infirmary
Nurse: "Ah, good that you're here. I need to talk to you. Do you know Miss Grey well?" Tom is still leaning against the wall, and he lifts his head when he hears the nurse. He nods his head, and his expression becomes solemn and serious as he answers back to the nurse: "Yes, I do. She's my girlfriend, and I know her pretty well. Is there something wrong?"
Nurse: "Unfortunately, I have to tell you that we were barely able to bring the fever down, which is probably because the reason for the fever..." she stops for a moment and sighs as if the words are difficult for her. Tom listens to her voice carefully, as if he's trying to process everything that she's saying to him, hoping that he's not misunderstanding the situation here.
"And the reason is..." He says in a strained voice, and she can hear the worry in his tone. Nurse: "She was poisoned. Please think about how this could have happened but before anything else... she will have to get through it. If she gets through the night, the fever will go down. Do you want to see her?"
Tom's expression hardens as soon as she mentions the word "poison." He's horrified, and his mind starts racing with all the possible scenarios of what could've happened. His stomach turns, and he feels so concerned and worried for me. Now, he wants to see me as soon as he can.
"Yes, I definitely want to see her. Please...take me to her right now, please..."
YOU ARE READING
Tom Riddle - Downfall
Fanfic"The monsters were never under my bed. Because the monsters were inside my head. Because all this time the monster has been me." This is the Story of Tom Riddle and his life in Hogwarts when he was 17 and Lucia Grey, a popular girl from Slytherin bu...
