"Neville Longbottom. I think It has a certain ring to it, Ali."
Frank Longbottom grinned as his wife stuck out her tongue at him. He loved tormenting her, and by the Gods if she wasn't more beautiful when she was mad. He suppressed a laugh as she slammed her hands down on to the arms of the recliner she rested in.
"If you think for one moment, Frank, I'm calling my baby 'Neville'," She pulled a face at his choice of name, and leaned forward to heave herself out of the chair. Frank extended his hands to help, but she batted them away in irritation. "I can still move about Frank, I'm not an invalid yet" she snapped, pressing her hands to the small of her back as she walked across the small lounge, her six-month-pregnant stomach protruding before her.
Resting her right elbow on the tall mahogany fireplace, Alice Longbottom surveyed her husband warily. Ever since they had had the charm cast in St. Mungo's to determine the gender of their firstborn, Frank had come out with several boys names per day, each one becoming more outrageous by the hour. Like Neville. Honestly, did the man want his child to be bullied when he went to Hogwarts? He seemed to be pressing with this one. At his insistence, she'd looked through all the godsforsaken baby name books until she'd found one that had the name 'Neville' in it. The book had almost been older than Alice herself, she'd noted, pleased to have a valid argument against her husband's choice.
"Frank?" She tried to keep her voice neutral, and failed. Clenching her fists at her sides, she began a mental chant in her head. He is my husband. I will not hex him. He is my husband. I will not hex him.
"Yes, dear?" Bloody bastard was openly chuckling at her! How dare he! She'd show him. In the blink of an eye, she'd drawn her wand and sent a non-verbal nose-nipping hex at him, grinning in satisfaction when she heard his surprised yelp of pain.
"Bloody hell, Alice! What was that for?" Frank rubbed the bridge of his nose, wincing as his fingers ran over where her hex had contacted with him.
"Your tormenting me!" She yelled, gesticulating wildly with her wand causing sparks to fly from the end. "I don't want to hear one more baby name from you until he's born! I mean it! Not one more variation of James, Paul, Percival, Bartemius, or NEVILLE!"
Frank look at his wife and merely grinned. This was the Alice he loved best. Pregnancy suited Frank, it made Alice temperamental and he could easily frustrate her. She'd shouted at him so loudly he could hear his mother calling from upstairs, wanting to know was Alice alright? Her hair had come loose from the tight confines of the bun she wore at the nape of her neck her face flushed from shouting.
"I mean it, Frank," she repeated, putting away her wand and crossing her arms across her chest. Frank stood from the arm of the sofa, and walked over to his wife. Moving to stand behind her, he proceeded to take the hair-pins from her hair, letting each one fall from his fingers to the floor.
"Frank..." She protested lightly, knowing full well he wasn't listening to her. He let his hands run lightly through her chocolate waves, pulling any loose knots out with his deft fingers. She gave a small moan of appreciation and tilted her head backwards to give him easier access to her head. Frank chuckled again and continued his ministrations. After some time, he noticed her eyes become heavy as she struggled to keep them open. Deftly, he moved his Alice to lie back on the couch, her head resting on the arm.
"The healer said not too much excitement for you, love." He murmured into her ear as he covered her with a blanket. She mumbled something incoherent and wriggled herself lower into the couch, pulling the soft coverlet up over her ears. Frank smiled tenderly at the sight of his now sleeping wife and marvelled that such a woman would choose him over the dozens of suitors her father had entertained for her. He knew he was not the prettiest oil painting in the gallery. Nor was he ever going to rival the richest wizard with the largest Gringotts vault. Of course, the Longbottom family vault was far from empty and Frank was not exactly destitute, but compared to Alice's father, Edward Carrow, Frank Longbottom was a pauper.
The Pure-blooded Carrow family spanned generations and were infamous for their wealth and muggle-hating ideology. When Alice was at Hogwarts, three years behind her twin siblings Amycus and Alecto, she had saved several muggle-born students from their wands. It had made her unpopular with her parents and siblings and she sought refuge within Hogwarts on most of the holidays. As soon as she reached a legal age, she joined the Order of the Phoenix at Albus Dumbledore's request, left her family home forever and never looked back.
A slight creaking coming down the stairs startled Frank out of his reverie. Quietly closing the door to the main living room, he went to offer his mother his hand as she descended the last few steps. Irritated, she swatted his hand away. "I may be old, my boy, but there's life in the old girl yet. Away with you! Into that kitchen and I'll make us a spot of lunch. Alice asleep?" Augusta Longbottom barely glanced at him as she trotted off towards the kitchen, leaving her son to trail behind her.
Augusta busied herself in the kitchen, charming several utensils to butter bread, slice a joint of ham, and stir the tea respectively. Not too long later, Frank was presented with ham sandwiches and a mug of hot tea. Grinning up at his mother in thanks, he tucked in with gusto, making short work of the food. He took a long swig of the tea, forgetting for a moment how hot it was and burnt his tongue. Clicking her tongue in annoyance, Augusta put down her own sandwich and fetched him a glass of cold water to soothe his burnt mouth.
"Serves you right for being such a glutton." Augusta chided handing over the glass. Frank took it gratefully and drained it, swilling the cool liquid around his mouth a few times before swallowing. He sighed in relief. "Have I told you you're my favourite mother?" He asked, a faint gleam of mischief in his chocolate eyes. Augusta shook her head at him mockingly. "That, my lad, is because I'm your only mother. Now, then, get out from under my feet, and get out of my kitchen. You were only supposed to be calling in for lunch and you've been here nearly all afternoon. You'll only annoy Gawain if your here any longer," she reproached, mentioning Frank's boss Gawain Robards, head of the Auror office within the Ministry of Magic. Pulling a face at the mention of work, Frank stood and pulled his Auror robe from the back of the chair where he'd thrown them on arrival and fixed them about his shoulders once more.
"I'll just see if Alice is awake so I can say goodbye." He called over his shoulder to his mum. She tutted loudly. "For gods sakes! Leave the woman be!"
"She's my wife and I'll annoy her if I want to!" Frank mirrored his wife's earlier image and stuck out his tongue at his mother, and managed to duck in time as she threw the wooden spoon she had been washing at him.
"I see you, Frank Longbottom, and don't think your too big for me to be giving you a clout or two."
"Sorry, mum."
"See that you are."
Augusta turned her back on him, muttering about ungrateful sons. Frank opened the door to the living room to see Alice curled exactly where he had left her. Dropping to his knees in front of her, he kissed her forehead softly and made to rise again when her eyes fluttered open.
"Your leaving?" Her voice was husky with sleep and she tried blinking rapidly to clear her eyes. Frank brushed her hair back and stroked her head soothingly.
"Just work sweetheart. I'll be back tonight. Try and get some more sleep." Rising as he did so, Frank kissed his wife once more. He arranged the blanket across her shoulders and she smiled up at him. He picked up his wand from the coffee table and slid it up his sleeve before opening the door.
"Frank?" Alice sounded as though she were half asleep once more.
He paused in the doorway but did not speak.
"Be careful." It was not a request. He nodded once and closed the door behind him. He called goodbye to his mother once more and made his way outside to the Apparition point at the front of their garden. With He Who Must Not Be Named at the height of his power to date, Frank's job as an Auror was particularly perilous. Steeling himself for the afternoon's work, he Apparated away.
He'd been completely oblivious to his wife's worried gaze watching him from the living room window.