Neville and Alice

"I'm so close to achieving my dream. And by that I mean the dreams of the Longbottom family. Neville will be so happy when I finaly find the cure for his parents. The cruciatus curse has caused this family so much unhappieness. But now it is time to break this!"

These thoughts of Draco was what kept him going for all these years. Since he became an exceptional healer, he has been obsessed with the Longbottom. He has tried for several times to break the effects of the cruciatus curse but he has never succeeded. However it was the least he could have done for Neville and his friends since he hasn't done them any good back in Hogwarts.

He believed he was very close because the effects of the potions he has made have slightly reversed the effects of the curse for a very short time. So something in that potion must have been working. However there was so much ingredient he used that he could not find the perfect spell and potion combination for it to work. He spend months and months on the potion. It seemed to work but every time he used it, the effect of the potion would get even shorter.

Neville of course new of these experiments of Malfoy as he visited his parents far more often now. But he didn't wished to be haunted by his memories of his parents by being around them when they were lucid for such a short time. So he would see his parents for a short period of time and he would leave immediately.

But now, something has changed. When Alice first took the potion, she immediately remembered her son. She asked for him multiple times but Draco couldn't explain to him why he wouldn't come as he didn't know either. But the cries of a mother were too strong for Draco and he felt the need to send an owl to Neville explaining what has been happening. It was rather a surprise for Neville, of course. Since his parents have been admitted to St. Mungo's, which was around when he was 2 years old, he didn't know them. At all! He only knew what everyone around told him. So this, of course, caused and uneasiness on him. He never actually knew her mother.

But the thing that he didn't knew was, his mother knew him. She could remember and love her son, even through the horrible state that was caused by the curse. For the times that she became lucid, she screamed for his son. She remembered that his son came to visit every holiday and even more, she remembered what her son telled her, that Harry Potter defeated Voldemort once again and her son helped him by destroying a horcrux of his. She was so proud of her son.

When Neville came to the office of Draco, he immediately started asking questions. Was she alright? How much could she remember? And all sorts of things. But Draco knew he wouldn't be able to answer those questions so he began walking to the incurables wing to his patients. He knew that Neville was following him because he could hear the voice of him constantly asking questions to him. When they finally came to the room, Neville was very nervous. He was going to talk to his mother for the first time.

But when Draco turned the key and opened the door, there was a scene that Neville didn't wanted to see. Alice was on her bed, lying there, humming an old song. Both of them knew that she wasn't lucid anymore. As much as Draco had a solution for that, the potion's effect would wear off too quickly. Neville nevertheless insisted on giving her the potion. Draco did as he was told.

For the fist time in years, you could see Alice crying. In all that time when she was insane, she has't shed a tear a bit because there wasn't a reason to. But now seeing her son, standing in front of the door, she was speechless. She immediately got up and ran to hug him, which scared both Draco and Neville. Neville hesitated at first but then she hugged her even stronger. However the potion didn't work on Frank. No one, even Draco, didn't know why.

Nevertheless, Neville gave Draco a thankful look because all he could think about was, he was never going to be alone, without his parents again. This look meant that all the horrible things he had said or done to him were forgiven.

For all these years passed, Alice never went insane again. Draco knew that he had done his job well.