Extreme Unction (Tom Riddle saga)

Chapter 8

"Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi"
"I show not your face but your heart's desire"

The Mirror of Erised

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The festivities' vibes were still lingering in the whole castle as Evelyn adapted again to her routine in the hospital.
Spending a peaceful Christmas and welcoming the New Year at Hogwarts with her family was the best gift, but her happiness broke in the blink of an eye as one evening she saw the worst view crossing the doors.

"Evelyn!".
The shout and the urgency in that voice woke her from her dizziness.
Tom was carrying a bleeding Richard.
Evelyn helped the boy to lay down on the nearest bed while he was delirious and complaining for the pain.
"Apparition lesson. He got splinched" Tom explained briefly.
Evelyn saw her hands shaking as she tried to stop the bleeding from his missing shoulder.
"Dittamus. Here" the matron said handing her the moisture "It will be alright. It will end quickly".
"Mum, it hurts" Richard cried in shock.
"I'm here. Drink this" she poured some painkiller potion on his trembling lips.
Time seemed standing still as the healers worked on fixing the mess.
In the end Richard was sleeping quietly and whole once again. Evelyn felt a heavy hand on her shoulder.
"There's nothing more you can do" Tom said softly "You need some fresh air".
"I don't want to leave him" she said stubbornly and sat next to her sleeping son.
Tom didn't insist and pulled a chair for him.
He was distraught too.

Evelyn focused on her own breathing as she stared at the peaceful face of the boy.
Richard was struggling to learn Apparition.
After many unsuccessful lessons, his first step was facing the most traumatic part of the magic.
Probably he was shocked enough to avoid trying again and he would never pass the exam.

The Apparition license wasn't that important, but Evelyn knew that it could be a damage for Richard if he never got it like everyone else.
Like he wasn't complete as a wizard.
Evelyn shivered as old fears haunted her again.

The cries of her son attracted her like moth to a lamp at night.
Evelyn strumbled while running to her little child, and reached him, freeing him from some branches that had wrapped around his limbs.
She hugged him and comforted him, but Richard was fast to forget dangers and soon was running again in the garden crushing flowers and chasing insects.
Evelyn waited for him to be far enough so he couldn't hear her, then she turned to glare at the wizard who was standing by a tree with an upset face.
"What the hell are you doing?" she hissed dangerously.
Tom rolled his eyes and approached her to talk confidently to her without attracting their child's attention.
"I can't take it anymore. The Lestrange keep boasting about how their children showed early signs of magic, while we can't say the same for Richard. He's already six and he never showed anything".
Evelyn inhaled, failing to prevent herself from being hysterical "And what do you want to do? To throw him into a pool and see if he pushes his magic out to survive or drown instead?".
Tom clenched his jaw and didn't dare to reply.
Evelyn felt choking in the anger and disappointment.
Her husband was supposed to teach and protect their child, not being a danger to him.
"He's our son, Tom, not a student of yours. I won't abandon him, even if he will turn out to be a squib" she hissed straight at his face, then turned and marched to pick Richard in her arms.
She walked away without turning back.

Evelyn hated choosing.
But if she had to choose between Tom and her son, she had to do that.
Tom was an adult. He could take care of himself alone.
Richard was still a child, he had no one else to protect him. He was the most vulnerable creature.
Evelyn was scared too that he might not be the perfect son, that he could have no magic power at all or other imperfections. But he was her son, she had to accept him as he was, without forcing him to be someone else.