Masquerade¹ → Tom Riddle ✓

chapter seventeen

Madame Truckle was rather disappointed to see Evelyn in the Hospital Wing later that night. When she returned from her short break to find Evelyn's unconscious body sprawled across one of the beds, her face fell. Nevertheless, as a healer, it was her job to heal Evelyn and return her to her usual state.

Evelyn was unconscious for days, no matter what Madame Truckle tried, her condition didn't improve. She looked as though she was a porcelain doll, her face the colour of a moonbeam with her bone-white hands hanging lifelessly beside her body. Upon opening her eyes several days after being admitted, Evelyn saw Madame Truckle hurrying towards her with Headmaster Dippet following closely behind her. Dippet waited by the end of her bed as Madame Truckle began mixing a variety of herbs into a paste and shovelling them into her mouth. Evelyn was too weak to chew, instead, letting them dissolve on her tongue and slip down her throat.

Evelyn was disoriented to her surroundings, barely able to match the audio to the visuals around her. "Headmaster, I would wait before you question her." Madame Truckle stood protectively beside Evelyn.

"But-" He began to object, stepping closer to Evelyn.

"No. But nothing, she is still weak. Nothing she says will be of any use to you." Madame Truckle turned him away, leading him to the door. She gave Evelyn one last glance before hurrying away to tend to the other patients.

Evelyn slept for hours, yet when she awoke, she was still plagued with tiredness. When Evelyn tried to sit up, she felt the blood rushing around her body, sending stars into her field of vision. She grasped hold of the railing on the side of her bed, using them to lift herself up and steady herself. On the small tables beside her, there was a note: a small piece of paper was crumpled into a ball and upon further inspection, Evelyn could just about make out the words.

Eagles are easy birds to kill

– T.M.R

Evelyn barely had a chance to think before Madame Truckle walked up to her with a smile, "Get some rest, Headmaster Dippet wishes to speak with you tomorrow morning."

Madame Truckle walked off again, leaving Evelyn alone with her thoughts. She knew that rest would help to heal her body, but sleep didn't welcome her as a friend. She laid awake for hours, her eyes tracing the intricate designs on the ceilings until sleep eventually greeted her.

Professor Dippet came and woke her early in the morning. He left her with Madame Truckle to dress, waiting for a while in uncomfortable silence. Once Evelyn came out of the Hospital Wing, she was shaking, as though an electrical current was pulsing through her. Dippet took her arm, carrying as much of her weight as he could as he led her to his office. Evelyn couldn't even begin to feel uncomfortable at the thought of her Headmaster holding her up, she was grateful that he was supporting her, without him, she thought she might fall.

Evelyn thought about what she would be able to say to her Headmaster. She couldn't possibly consider telling him about Tom but she wasn't sure she would be able to lie to him and conceal everything that she knew. If she spoke, she knew there would be consequences from Tom, she knew that she wouldn't be able to pretend she hadn't said anything and either way she had no evidence.

"Miss Rivers, would you care to tell me about the night you were cursed?" Dippet asked her, helping her down to her seat before taking his own.

Evelyn paused for a moment to compose her thoughts. "Well, sir. I was just finishing my prefect duties when I realised that I had to speak to Professor Dumbledore, so I was going towards his door when suddenly everything went black. The next thing I knew, I was in the Hospital Wing."

"Why were you needing to speak with Professor Dumbledore?" He questioned without hesitating.

"I was going to ask him about doing something for extra credit, you see I've been slipping behind in my studies due to stress." She said with as much confidence as she could muster. She wasn't entirely lying, the stress had begun to take over her whole life and she knew her grades would soon start slipping if she didn't get back onto the right track.