章節 59: After the end comes a new beginning III
Third Person P.O.V.
As soon as Tony left his son's sight. His hands cupped his nose and mouth, and he collapsed onto his knees on the ground. Tears fell from his eyes as happiness, sadness, and relief convoluted his lips into a crooked smile hidden under his palms.
"Oh thank Merlin. Thank Merlin my boy's alright. Thank Merlin my Tom's alright." [1]
Tony was breathing between quick sobs. His nostrils quickly blocking up with snot as tears continued to descend in waterfalls.
This was the scene Samuel Potter came to, he almost dropped the flower bouquet he was holding in surprise out of concern for his friend. The flowers in Tom's room had become wilted; hence, it would be a shame to accidentally damage the newly bought fresh flowers.
While securing the bouquet in one arm, Samuel rushed over to Tony's side and knelt down.
"Tony what's wrong? What happened?"
With his face still half covered, still dripping with snot and tears, Tony shakily lifted one hand and pointed to Tom's ward door. Samuel had almost rush into the room in panic, but he caught sight of Tony's pointed hand in time which had changed into a thumbs up; A big grin had stretched across his face.
Relief and joy washed through the Samuel, and he had to consciously stop himself from half-running half-bouncing into Tom's ward.
"Did he have his meal yet?" Samuel asked then Tony shook his head.
Samuel quickly shoved the bouquet into Tony's arms, their smiles almost a photo-copy of the other.
"I'll get his meal. You compose yourself!"
Samuel ordered almost commandingly. A trait that had almost become second nature to him as he lead the investigative Auror groups of a foreign nation on a man hunt, as well as managed Tony's wellbeing according to the commands of Tony's not-yet-but-should-already-be wife, Pepper Potts.
If only she were allowed to stay at the same wizarding inn as Tony, but alas, she is neither a family member of a magical nor a citizen of this country. Aside from Tony's (and Tom's) businesses have binding her to America with invisible chains called 'responsibility'. Pepper also decided that it was best if Tony (instead of herself) were to stay by Tom's side, both for Tom's and Tony's sake. Hence, she stayed in America to keep the media, the public, and S.H.I.E.L.D. out of Tony's hair until Tom recovered.
Samuel soon returned with a tray holding a nutritious meal as well a vial of a potion that helps the patient's digestive system quickly recover function after waking from a long coma.
Samuel and Tony entered Tom's ward, and were greeted with Tom's joyful wave and a calm smile. They also passingly glanced at Tom's pet, who wouldn't leave his side during his entire stay at the hospital, that was nestled in his hair.
Tom's head made an almost ethereal bed for the tiny reptile, as it's own fluffy midnight blue fur and scales blended into the black strands of Tom's hair as though it were a tiny galaxy.
Samuel couldn't hold in his surprise at the sight of Tom's waken appearance.
Tom's hair was of no surprise to Samuel as he already knew of how it came to be and had already become used to it. Whatever vile concoction Tom had swallowed left him full of leathery scales and coarse fur, that it all had to be completely removed.
Just 5 days prior, when Tom had been deemed magically and 'chemically' stable for potion-induced reconstruction work, the mediwitches had used a couple strands of Tony's hair for a potion that would recreate all of Tom's hair follicles.
The actual hair strands were a mere side-effect that would quickly grow out once Tom's own hair made with his own cells started growing again.
No. Samuel was surprised to see Tom's red irises. He had previously heard the mediwitches mention that Tom's eyes would maintain the color of a bat's for a while until all the ingredients were metabolized out of his body. Apparently, bat wings was one of the ingredients that were added to the Polyjuice potion Tom had ingested, and had contributed to much of his physical changes.
The mediwitches had also mentioned that all physical differences Tom currently had were either temporary or superficial- meaning different in appearance but not function; hence, there was nothing to worry about.
But Samuel just couldn't help worrying about Tom's eye color since it reminded him of an Albino's (red irises are the absence of pigment) and made him want to give Tom a pair of sunglasses. Tom's ever-pale skin analogous to the Irish despite growing up in the ever-shining California sun, does not help his image either.
However, unlike Tom's hair which was promised to return to it's original platinum blond pigment with due time, his irises were now permanently (until otherwise proven temporary) red since they couldn't determine how fast or slow Tom could metabolize the final ingredients out of him. It may last anywhere from years to decades.
Mediwitches determined that Tom's original pigments (silver irises) still exist within his eyes via a couple reflective light tests, so they couldn't really figure out why they still looked red. They could only attribute it to the original function of Polyjuice potion (Altering what you see, not what is there).
Hence, it was nothing a simple color changing charm can't fix. Even a first year could master the spell thus it was deemed to not really affect Tom's life and they left it as is.
"So. How are you Tom? Hungry? I brought you your food."
Samuel smiled as he approached Tom, tray held stably with both hands.
"Yes! I'm absolutely famished thanks!"
Tom's eye's brightened at the sight of the food. As soon as his tray was placed down on the bed-table that magically appeared on his lap, Tom took the potion with a practiced motion and downed it in one swig before digging into his food.
No one took notice of how he miraculously knew what to do without instruction, as though he had done this many times before, since their minds were all too occupied with concern for the young wizard.
"I must say Tom. With your new hair, no one would guess that you were adopted!"
Potter starred at Tom's head with a beaming smile, not knowing what else to do other than complement the friend he hasn't spoken to in many days. However, his concern grew with the ever growing silence that greeted him.
. . .
". . . what?"
Tom stared at Potter with a blank look – trying to comprehend what exactly he meant when he said "new hair". Tom's head tilted ever so slightly before his hand came up and brushed through his hair several times before a stand got caught between two of his fingers. This time he felt it "pluck" from his head, so he knew it was his.
Bringing it down, he noticed that it was the same length and shade as the strand that he held earlier. Tom's head slowly tilted left and right, reminiscent of a confused pug often seen in videos on the internet.
Tom lifted his gaze to stare at the white wall behind his Dad and Potter, gaze still blank and unfocused.
"Tom?. . ."
Tony voiced his concern before placing a firm hold on Draco's other hand that lay on his lap above the pearl white hospital sheets.
Tom's eyes momentarily shook before focusing on the hand that held his before slowly tracing that hand back up to the face of it's owner.
"May I request a mirror please?"
Tom's earnest gaze further deepened Tony's concern for his wellbeing. But Tony's concern was now in disbelief, as though the thoughts that came into his mind did not make sense.
Samuel stood up and asked the Medi witch strolling down the hall just outside Tom's ward for a hand mirror. Within a couple minutes, the mediwitch left and returned with a mirror at hand. Samuel was ready to grab it, but the mediwitch refused saying that she must stay in the ward for as long as the patient had it since they cannot leave potentially sharp or otherwise dangerous objects around patients. Samuel agreed and quickly ushered the mediwitch into the room.
Tom glanced at the mirror, and nodded his head to the mediwitch politely before taking it in his hand. Tom starred at his reflection for more than a couple seconds, forgetting to blink for at least 20 of them.
The sight that beheld him shocked him to his core, threatening to expel the soul out of it's earthly shell.
For Tom no longer had the colors that shaped his identity. The colors that defined his worth. The colors that stabilized the foundation of all his pride and arrogance.
Now he looked like….
Hold on.
Draco blinked and rubbed his eyes. He directed his gaze to his lap before returning to the image on the mirror. But this time, a light shone from within his irises (not literally).
Draco smirked to himself, as his pride and arrogance skyrocketed once more. Marveling at himself within the grand palace that became of his mind. Draco preened at his new discovery.
For even without Malfoy colors, he still looked like a pure-blood. Now resembling his mother's heritage more than his fathers, but both lines were comparably distinguished.
Tony couldn't believe the sight that beheld him. His fears were confirmed. For indeed the reason why his son had become so soulless, was out of concern for his hair. But now discovering that it actually looked good on him, Tom was once again back to his self-enthused splendor.
Cold sweat quickly dampened his back. Tony could not accept the narcissism that was blatant within the only son he raised. But something within him whispered that it was his own fault. His friends would always call him a narcissist and/or a diva, to which he simply filtered out of his mind.
But for his son's eyes to turn so soulless when there hasn't even so much as a sign of depression after all of the life-threatening events that occurred throughout Tom's life…. Tony could only be forced to believe.
Believe in the strength of his son's self-love that was probably inherited from himself.
Swallowing down the bitter taste in his mouth. Tony promised himself that he would re-teach Tom to the best of his capabilities. In order to teach sin son, he would begin with himself. Starting Monday he would contact Banner for a psychology session with the goal of reflecting on himself. He stared at his son with all the love of the world in his eyes.
The truth is often hard to swallow, but if it's for his son there is nothing in this world that is too hard for Tony to digest.
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[1] Hahaha like that Tony said "Merlin"? <3 I like it. It shows Tom and Samuel's effect on him. For some reason I also cried a bit when I wrote this scene. Probably because I tried to place myself in Tony's shoes, to get some idea of how he would feel and react after seeing his son in a coma state suddenly wake up the next day pretty bright and cheerful, and kind of joking around like normal.
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[AN: whew… that was a lot of third person narrative. Hope you guys didn't get bored! I was really struggling with Third Person P.O.V. since I am so out of practice with it. But thought that it would be the best type of P.O.V. to use in this chapter.]
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