The Pretender | Tom Riddle

41 | their reality

41 | their reality

[a/n, Tom and Seren have returned to their own reality]

"Professor! Professor Dumbledore! Seren's waking!" A voice shouted, light seeping through her closed eyelids as she regained consciousness. A hand pressed against her forehead, her brows scrunching together in confusion as her eyelids felt sticky trying to pry them open.

A light grunt escaped her dry throat and before she knew it a goblet filled with water was being pressed against her lips. Her vision was blurry and after blinking a few times it began to clear. In the room four people were present. Remington Lestrange. Benjamin Lestrange. Abraxas Lestrange. And Professor Dumbledore, a live and breathing Dumbledore. Where was Tom? How long had they been unconscious? Where was her mother.

"Your mother sends her regards," her father answered brushing his fingers through her hair, "She stayed behind doing some business at the Ministry."

"What happened," she asked attempting to sit up. Professor Dumbledore stood back in the medical wing, "It seems you and Mr. Riddle had fallen ill, something viral I presume. He is still asleep."

"It's been about 20 hours, Miss Lestrange, your temperature was rising, Florence tried waking you during your sleep because you were coughing your lungs out practically," Dumbledore explained, Abraxas found Tom in the same condition and you were both sent here."

"Where's Tom?" She asked with furrowed brows looking around. "He has been moved to a separate unit since it seems like what the two of you had was contracted by each other."

"The headmaster says you can be dismissed from the last month of the school year Reny," her father told her gently. To think he had been one of the ones Tom confided in as a Death Eater. She inched away from his touch making him retract his hand, "Your mother doesn't see the point in it but I don't want you to fall into this deep slumber again. Your body was burning up and Bastin is readying your room."

She turned to Dumbledore, "Where would Tom go."

"Well," he cleared his throat preparing a lie, "Unfortunately his parents are currently in Paris and I wasn't able to get a hold of them. He'll probably stay here over the break as well."

"But..." Seren shook her head in thought, "Father I don't think it's necessary I return. It's only a month and I've never been in this state before. If Tom has to stay here, shouldn't I also?"

Dumbledore looked to the others, "If you all don't mind waiting outside for a moment. I'd like to speak to Miss Lestrange about the possible cause of sickness."

Nobody turned the professor down and began to file out of the room. Dumbledore waited until the doors to the infirmary shit before turning his attention back to her. "Isn't it endearing to know there are people who care about you? Your father came first thing in the morning after hearing the nose even if I assured him everything was alright. Not everyone is lucky enough to have that."

"I want to see Tom," Seren said sternly even if the professor didn't listen. He raised his wand, a small square appeared in the air and as she looked closely it seemed to be a window to the room Tom was staying at. He was still asleep, the only person present in the room being a healer who tried bringing his temperature down.

"Unfortunately he has not had a visitor yet," Dumbledore told her, "As I said, only a few are lucky to have people who care about you."

"Tom has people who care about him," Seren said furrowing here brows, "And I want to see him."

"In a moment," he said as he approached her cot, "First I'd like to know how it went."

"What?" Her heart raced.