The Tale of Brave Frank and Fair Alice
D: Not mine, even though I really really really wish it was right now, so Frank and Alice would get better…
A/N: This was actually written for my friend Neville Foreville. She is in the process of converting me from my continuous cannon "Neville/Hannah" to "Neville/Luna". So, you're going to see that in here a little bit. Please read and review, because feedback is better than my mom's homemade cinnamon rolls, and a Jamaican gecko with a top hat.
There have been many great and dramatic romances throughout Hogwarts history. There was young quirky Arthur and his fiery girlfriend Molly, complete opposites and yet they had 7 children together. There was Black sheep Andromeda and her muggle born Ted, a forbidden romance that proved love's power. Then, of course Lily and James, who not only created the boy who lived, but went through six years of awful chat-ups and rejection only to fall madly in love. All these love stories were considered great, and his parents seemed to dull in comparison, yet the story of Alice and Frank was still Neville's favorite.
When he was little and would ask his Gran about his mum and dad, Neville thought kissing was gross, but he still asked to hear their story every night. Whenever he felt lonely, or anytime he found a picture of them, he would ask to hear their story. And so, his Gran would begin,
"Once Upon A Time, there was a young man, about twelve years old, by the name of Frank. Frank was a brave Gryffindor boy, but somehow he lost all his courage when he was around Alice. Alice was a beautiful and kind Gryffindor maiden, though she was quick to fight for her friends. She was a year younger than Frank, but he still managed to spend enough time with her to fall head-over-heels by his third year."
When Neville was ten years old he had his first crush, a girl that lived down the street from him. He was scared of her, she could ride a two-wheel bike with no hands and she knew where her dad kept his hunting gear. He never meant to kiss her, but he did, and she punched him. That night, to find a glimmer of hope, he asked to hear the story again.
"Brave Frank could not get the attention of the fair second year girl, no matter how hard he tried. He would follow her after class, carry he books, he would listen to her problems. Alice and Frank became best friends. But, Frank always wanted more, and although he didn't know it then, so did Alice. He saw her with a boy in her year one day, Remus Lupin his name was, and he thought she was flirting. Frank knew then and there that he never wanted the fair Alice to flirt with anyone besides himself ever again. And so began the short story of the pursuit of Alice."
In the middle of his second year at Hogwarts, Neville got homesick. He was scared of all the muggle-born threats, he was scared for his friends, and he didn't know what to do. He owled his Gran, begging for the story, and she wrote it all down.
"It took days for young Frank to work up the nerve to face Lady Alice. He was worried sick, pacing the floor, muttering what he would say to her. His dorm mates thought he was crazy. Maybe he was. Either way, the day after Christmas break, Frank charged up to Alice and asked if she would be his girl. Alice said yes, and even though they were young, their love made them wise beyond their years."
The year Snape was headmaster was awful. There was darkness and pain everywhere, and Luna was his glimmer of light. So, the night before she went into hiding, his Gran told his the story once more, just to dull his heartache.
"No one believed they would last, Brave Frank and Fair Alice. They had their ups and downs through the years, but they were far and few between, and the engagement seemed to appease them even more than usual. Frank proposed in his fourth year, Alice's third. She laughed in face and said she was far too young, so he instead promised he would propose once more someday. That promise meant the world and more to the pair. Frank proposed once more in his seventh year, just beyond the shrieking shack. Alice said yes."
Neville and Luna dated all through the end of their Hogwarts years, and after he proposed to her, just beyond the shrieking shack, they were married. And so Neville asked his Gran to tell his parents' story once more at the Wedding. It was the last time she would ever tell it.
"Alice and Frank were married the spring after Alice graduated, and three years later, Neville was born. They were overjoyed. They were happier than any other couple they knew, Brave Frank, Fair Alice, and Sweet Neville. But, every happy story must end, and sometimes the happiness ends with it."
Though Neville's Gran died many years before his children were born, her story lived on. Frank Dean, Alice Augusta, and Leanne Susan heard the story of their deceased grandmum and grandad so many times they would tell it with Neville."
"And even though they never remembered, they never really forgot either. Whenever Neville would visit them, Fair Alice would give him a token of her love. A bubblegum wrapper. And even though Fair Alice and Brave Frank never said another word to each, a blind man could see the love in their eyes when they looked at each other. And now, they live happily together with all their loved ones who have already left this world."
And so even though there was no surprise or chase to their romance, Alice and Frank managed a rare thing: eternity.