The envelope was placed into his violently trembling hands. Tony held onto it like a lifeline, closing his eyes.
Dumbledore's gaze did not leave his, almost emotionless.
"Enclosed is the will of your birth parents, Maria and Howard Stark. I hope in some way, the closure surrounding the former mystery of your family tree will help you cope with your grief." Dumbledore stated. Tony nodded.
"Thank you, Headmaster." Tony replied back, his voice low, dead.
.::.
Tony stood not too far from Frigga and Odin, for the first time in almost two since he had last spent Thanksgiving over at their place. He could remember the week in a ever changing tide of either bitterness or fondness.
Odin had his hand resting on Tony's shoulder. Respectfully...almost fatherly.
'He could've been my father-in-law,' he thought, his heart aching. When Odin had been first introduced to Tony, well that hadn't quite blown over well. It took a while, a lot of grudges were eventually forgiven and Tony became a regular visitor along with Loki to the Odinsons' summer home-particularly because of Loki's fondness for Frigga, his adoptive mother.
From what had once been many heartfelt conversations and laughter between Tony and his newfound family in the Odinsons was now utterly silent.
Because Thor was in Azkaban.
And Loki and Tom were dead.
.::.
"They attacked the Potter household," Dumbledore had explained, his brows twitching ever so slightly, "Tom went on to attempt to assassinate their young son, Harrison, but his mother intervened, killing the both of them. We don't quite understand how Loki survived, but he took the child, and the Tesseract, and ran. He deposited the boy with Thor, who attempted to hide him. Loki refused to surrender the Tesseract-"
"Stop!" Tony snapped, tears dribbling down his face. "Loki... I know him, he's not like that! He'd never...he's..."
"Gone. I'm sorry, Anthony." Dumbledore said, tone not faltering once.
.::.
Tony closed his eyes, remembering how Dumbledore had described Loki and Tom at death.
"There was nothing left of your brother or partner to collect. Their bodies disintegrated into nothing. And no one is to visit the older Odinson while he serves his time."
Tony glanced towards Frigga, who was wiping away her quiet tears, her usually bright and cheery face now covered with a black lace veil, and took her hand gently, rubbing her knuckles with his thumb. It was the least he could do to comfort her.
"I'm sorry." he murmured, eyes casting downwards as he fought away his own horrid tears.
Odin sighed from beside him, shaking his weary head, his eyelids fluttering shut as he took in a shaky breath.
"I was looking forward to having you as a son, Anthony Stark," Odin muttered, acknowledging Tony's recent surname, "Loki was always a troubled boy, he always got himself into messy relationships..."
Tony nodded. Thor had told him, about Loki's former boyfriend in Norway. Svadilfari had been his name, he had been absolutely charming when they had first became friends, but things quickly changed from a seemingly harmless date turned into something much more dark, so deep and disturbing Loki couldn't bring himself to talk to anyone for weeks. The story Loki had stated about how he had supposedly "burned down" the wizarding school there had been a lie, his family moved to protect him.
"I didn't hear him slip out," Tony said, his voice greased madly with grief, "I didn't know he was even in communication with Tom anyore, or the Potters..."
He trailed off, swallowing down the bile rising in his throat and glanced back to the little altar in memory of both Tom and Loki, before he broke away, clenching his fists and taking a step back.
Then another step. And another. No one called back after him, no one tried to stop him.
The love of his life and his brother were both dead. The grief was too much.
The moment he got out of the small building, Tony Stark screamed it all out.
.::.
The pair of electric blue eyes glimmered through the dark, crackling and sizzling, veins as icy as those two orbs tracing his face, and to his wrists and hands.
He was shaking. He couldn't think straight, not since it had affected him. Not since he was chained here, left here to die.
He shuddered again, his tongue desperately pressing against his tightly sewn lips, nostrils flaring as once again he fought to have his mouth open and free.
The throbbing started again, something being pressed against each of his temples, a burning sensation. If he could scream, he would've, but nothing was coming through. He only had his thoughts, his memories that were slowly slipping away one by one, each time that voice came back, so familiar, so haunting.
'Anthony, Anthony Riddle, I know Anthony. Where is Anthony? I want Anthony...Anthony!' was what his mind was shrieking rampantly.
A rough hand grabbed his jaw, bringing him to stare at a vaguely familiar figure, who only grinned in response.
"Did you miss me, spawn?" it boomed.
The sharp pain returned, white flashing across his eyes, before he fell limp, the power of the Tesseract still infecting his brain.
'Anthony...who is Anthony?'
