Disclaimer: My initials are not J, K, and R, therefore, I do not own the Harry Potter series.
Alice felt her husband's arms around her waist no sooner than she had stepped through the fireplace.
"Alice!" Frank said, half in a gasp, looking pale and exhausted. "Thank Merlin you're home. I've been so worried. "
"I missed you," Alice whispered back, pulling her husband as close as she could. They stood there in silence for a moment, the sound of their heavy breathing synchronized. "It's getting worse, Frank. Being an Auror is more dangerous than ever," Alice said after a minute, trembling slightly. "They're everywhere. People we know could be under the Imperious, or... Today I went to get a cup of coffee during break. The waitress was a Death Eater under Polyjuice. There were only two of us... We had to fight them all off by ourselves."
Frank's heart sank. Each day got darker, and nothing was scarier for him than staying home alone with Neville, not knowing where Alice was or if she was alive. He held her and stroked her hair as her tears fell onto his shoulder. "Well, I do have a little bit of good news for you."
His wife looked up at him with question and disbelief in her eyes.
"He's finally asleep." To Frank's relief, Alice smiled and even let out a small chuckle.
"Oh Frank," she said, her voice still a bit choked, "I'm so proud of you!" and she hugged him again, this time quicker, tighter, and more confidently. "You must be exhausted yourself. Why don't you go to bed? I'll watch Neville for the night."
Frank thanked her gratefully and took her hand. The two of them left the parlour and headed down the hallway, and Frank placed a kiss on Alice's forehead before entering their bedroom. His wife turned the opposite direction, stopping at a small, cosy bedroom with sky blue walls.
Alice sighed at the sight of her sleeping baby, his round head barely poking out from under a knit blanket. She couldn't help but reach a hand out and pet his little tuft of blonde hair, which was the same shade as his fathers. Neville's eyes opened slowly, staring up at his mother for only moment before fluttering shut again as he fell back to sleep. As Alice smiled and leant over the cot to get closer to him, she cast a shadow over his body, and he stirred in his sleep. It was in that instance, that Alice knew she would do everything she could to make sure her son grew up in a world that was safe. She fought Death Eaters on alternating days, sick and vile people who savoured the thought of causing pain to another human being. Having their world coincide with the pure image of the cherubic little baby in the cot in front of her, his round cheeks moving slightly with each gentle breath he took, was an unbearable thought. Never would Alice let the demons she fought during the day get anywhere near her family, and she vowed that she would do anything she could to keep her son away from this war. In that moment her own life seemed a negligible sacrifice to stop the spread of evil and ensure a bright future for Neville.
Her lips brushed his cheek in the softest of kisses, and she settled into a rocking chair beside his cot. "I'll end this for you, Neville. I'll keep you safe. I promise," she whispered, before drifting off to sleep.
For the Snakes and Ladders Challenge, with the character Alice Longbottm
Big thank you to my beta, why the caged bird sings :)
