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Contradictory Obligations

Wounded Warrioress

"I don't believe you can't do anything about the words they cut into her arm. You believe she deserves it, don't you? I've heard you hurling the M-word around at school plenty of times."

"Mr Longbottom, I think I've already explained why the treatment for these wounds has to wait. The things that are necessary for her survival need to be done first."

Rodolphus didn't feel like explaining about magic instabilities and their physical consequences once again. Longbottom probably didn't understand it anyway.

Rodolphus glanced at the clock on the wall. The counter spells would have done their work soon. Then it was time to wake the patient up from the sleeping charm he had put her under for the treatment. When she woke up, they'd know if the dark curse that had been used on her had damaged their brain as well as her magic.

Rodolphus checked her pulse and the frequency of her breathing once more. Everything was regular. She had been extremely lucky. Apparating while a curse of this power took its toll could have easily been fatal. Alice Fawley was one of those people who seemed to have nine lives.

"I don't like the way you're looking at her," Longbottom said. "You love this, don't you? Having her lying in bed here so helplessly."

Rodolphus fought the urge to throw him out of the room. Alice received personal protection but that didn't mean one of her colleagues had to remain in the room with her all the time. Longbottom wouldn't be able to tell if Rodolphus gave her a wrong dose of potion or changed a spell in a way that made it harmful rather than beneficial anyway.

Bellatrix kept demanding this kind of thing if he had patients which she considered "unworthy" of his treatment but he had no intention of doing so. Frank Longbottom's presence had nothing to do with that. He obviously wasn't even able to tell the difference between an examination and inappropriate interest in a patient.

Rodolphus swallowed his anger. Longbottom's inability to do anything to help his colleague probably added to his frustration. There was no need to take his remarks personally.

"Mr Longbottom, I know that finding your colleague in such a state must have been a shock for you. I still think we should keep this on a professional level though. You're not helping her if you question everything I do."

"My apologies," the young Auror said. "I got carried away."

Rodolphus wasn't sure how sincere the apology was but it was more than he had expected.

"Quite understandable under these circumstances," he said.

"Can you tell me what happened to her? What caused the magic damage? The Cruciatus curse? There's nothing that can be done then, is there?"

Rodolphus was glad to receive questions. This way, Longbottom at least acknowledged his expertise. "The damage wasn't done by the Cruciatus curse. An unknown curse has been used on her probably during her escape. It was meant to disrupt her magic to keep her from apparating and kill her if she got away after all."

This curse had been quite ingenious. Rodolphus was rather proud because he had been able to lift it without knowing exactly what it was.

"They obviously had an interest in keeping her alive or they would have used the Killing curse when she tried to escape. Someone attempted to use the Cruciatus curse on her but it didn't work properly because of her training. This probably saved her life. She wouldn't have been able to survive the combined effects of the unknown curse and the Cruciatus curse."

"So Scrimgeour's training actually saved her life," Longbottom noted. "Maybe someone should tell Healer Derwent."

"He'll see it in my report. She was given some mildly poisonous potions to weaken her, my colleague from level 3 already informed you about that. They probably noticed that their Cruciatus curse didn't work and resorted to other methods instead. That's why she was so badly injured but cuts, broken bones and burn marks are easily to heal if they're done by simple spells and not a cursed knife like the words on her arm."

"Those bastards," Longbottom hissed. "I hope she remembers who did it so they can rot in Azkaban."

Rodolphus wasn't sure if he hoped this as well. He was always worried that Bellatrix might be among his patients' torturers but so far, no one had seen her face. He didn't really believe she had been involved here. Knowing his wife, Rodolphus assumed that her skills with the Cruciatus curse would allow her to break someone's trained resistance. He quickly shoved this thought aside. Longbottom being skilled in Legilimency was extremely unlikely but you could never know for sure. For the first time, he was relieved that there wasn't one of the older and more experienced Aurors staying with them instead.

He looked at the clock again. "It's time now. I'll wake her from the magic-induced sleep. Please do not interrupt me in any way while I perform the spell. This could prove very dangerous. Looking at her and even touching will be unavoidable in some parts."

"Alright," Longbottom said, pressing his hands tightly together. His worry about the state his colleague would wake up in was clearly visible upon his face.

Rodolphus focused on his spell and forgot about everything around him. This was only about his patient, himself and their respective magic. Things looked good as far as he could tell. Her magic had reorganised itself under the counter spells and there was no harmful power at work anymore. Another benefit from her ability to resist the Cruciatus curse.

The physical injuries had healed without a trace with the exception of the cursed knife wounds but the curse didn't seem to do anything besides keeping normal healing spells from working on the wound. Rodolphus hoped that they would allow nature to do its course.

Alice opened her eyes and looked at him. "Rodolphus, is that you?" she asked, her voice barely audible.

"Yes it's me," he said and made a note. If she recognised him right away, severe damage was unlikely.

"I'm at Saint Mungo's," she muttered anticipating the question he would normally ask next.

"Yes, you are."

"Why? There's no need. I'm fine."

This statement was absurd given her condition but Rodolphus wasn't overly surprised. She always claimed she was fine and there was no need to keep her in when she woke up at Saint Mungo's. If she ever reacted differently, he'd know that there still was something seriously wrong.

"Can you move your arms and legs?" he asked.

Alice tried it. Everything seemed to be alright. "Yes, I can. I have this strange feeling though. As if I were floating."

"Yes, that's an after-effect of the sleeping charm," Rodolphus told her. "It will wear off soon."

Longbottom approached them. "Is she alright?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, she is," Alice said her voice already clearer. "And you can ask her directly."

"Oh Alice, I'm so sorry," Longbottom said.

"For what?" she wanted to know.

Rodolphus thought this was a fair question.

"I should have prevented this. I ran away like a coward while you were the only one brave enough to help the children."

"You followed your orders," Alice said. "Scrimgeour will probably have my head for not doing so."

"I should have protected you."

"My goodness, Frank Longbottom when will you finally get that I'm an Auror and your colleague. I'm not your little sister you have to protect all the time." She coughed from speaking so loudly. Rodolphus handed her a cup of water.

He decided that it was better to put an end to the conversation at this point. Alice wasn't in a state to argue yet. "Mr Longbottom, I think there are quite a few people waiting outside who'd like to know how Miss Fawley's doing. Would you inform them that everything went well and tell us who's there?"

Frank didn't look too enthusiastic but he did as Rodolphus had suggested.

"So you're calling me Miss Fawley now?"

"Well, I thought it was more appropriate in this situation."

Alice rolled her eyes. "I bet he's been getting on your nerves all night."

"He's been extremely worried. Mr Longbottom was the one who found you and you were rather seriously injured," Rodolphus said wondering why he was defending this idiot.

"I think he simply has a problem with women working as Aurors," Alice said. "He acts as if I were the person he's supposed to guard and not his colleague."

"You should discuss this with him when you're better again. I know you won't like to hear this but I need to tell you: You won't be able to use your magic today and you need to take it slowly afterwards as well. You've been seriously injured and it will take some time until you'll be able to return to the field."

Alice sighed. "I feared that. It was this stupid curse they threw at me when I disapparated. Blue and orange light. Never seen anything like that."

"I'm sure your spell experts will figure out what it was," Rodolphus said.

"I hope so. The rest wasn't too bad. Scrimgeour's S&V-training was worse actually. I didn't know they wouldn't kill me of course but I've never been quite sure with Scrimgeour either. Maybe he wanted to get rid of me because I asked too many questions."

"You shouldn't say something like that," Rodolphus said. The training she had received must have been really tough. He only ever heard about it if an Auror had to be hospitalised which happened quite frequently but they barely told him anything.

The door was opened and Frank Longbottom walked in once again. "Dorcas is here on guard duty with me, Molly Weasley and Gideon Prewett are waiting outside too. They want to thank you because you've saved Mrs Weasley's children. Senior Auror Scrimgeour would like a word with you as well."

Alice sighed. "Well, I'll talk to Scrimgeour first then I think. He'll have lots of work to do back at the Ministry."

Longbottom left and a few moments later, Rufus Scrimgeour walked into the room. With his mane-like hair and proud demeanour he reminded Rodolphus of a lion. Someone who made an effort to show his Gryffindor background.

"Good morning, Mr Scrimgeour. Do you wish for me to leave when you're talking to Miss Fawley?"

"Morning, there's no need. We're not discussing anything confidential in here anyway."

Rodolphus wondered if he could intervene when the conversation grew too straining for the patient or if it was better to keep quiet.

"Morning Alice. So you've been patched-up again?"

"Yes Sir, I'm feeling fine." With a glance in Rodolphus' direction she added. "I'm supposed to go easy for the time being though."

"I bet you should," Scrimgeour said. "This was a narrow miss indeed. A foolish thing you did there, chasing after five Death Eaters on your own. Brave but foolish."

"Are Bill and Charlie alright, Sir?" Alice wanted to know.

"Yes, they are. They're with Fabian at the moment. Crouch's not sure if you've earned the Order of Merlin or your dismissal."

"Maybe we could go for something in between," Alice suggested.

Rodolphus hid a smile. No matter what she had said, she wasn't intimidated by her superior.

"Yes, yes, Alice. You know we need to avoid falling into enemy hands alive at all costs, don't you?"

"Yes, Sir, I do. I assure you, I betrayed nothing."

"I believe you that. It's been the second time you were captured though. They will get to know you. They know you're not one who can be forced to talk easily now and will come up with something worse next time."

Rodolphus wondered if he needed to interrupt. Discussing the "next time" with a torture victim who was still severely weakened from her injuries went against any protocol he had learned. Alice didn't seem to be overly disturbed though and she hated over-protectiveness as Frank Longbottom had already been forced to experience.

"I don't think the Death Eaters are intelligent enough to think that far," Alice said.

"Never underestimate the enemy!" Scrimgeour reprimanded her. "You have been lucky a few times but this doesn't mean you'll always get away with a black eye. Next time, you might lose the eye or your life. You're supposed to be brave but not reckless."

"Yes Sir. I promise I'll be more careful in future."

"Good. I will monitor your behaviour and if you're not true to your word, there will be consequences. You can't continue endangering yourself and others who want to protect you."

"Yes Sir. I'll keep that in mind."

"Good. I can't deny that this has been an impressive feat. I didn't believe it was possible to apparate with such injuries at all. Next time, you should apparate directly to Saint Mungo's rather than to the Ministry though. You've been lucky that Longbottom was still there."

Alice smiled at the praise. The idea that there might be a next time didn't seem to bother her too much.

Rodolphus was quite sure that Scrimgeour honestly cared about Alice and her well-being. He was certain that he had not meant to endanger her life during the training.

"That's all for now," Scrimgeour said. "I hope you'll recover soon. The Ministry needs every man and woman on board."

He stepped away from her bed and paused as he reached Rodolphus. "Excellent work, Mr Lestrange. Do take care. You-Know-Who probably doesn't like what you're doing here." He lowered his voice slightly. "I know you won't like to hear this, no one does but: Be careful with this wife of yours. There are some suspicions and never forget, if someone turns over to the Dark Side, there's nothing and no on that matters to them anymore."