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CHAPTER 8

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FRANK listened intently as Alice pointedly kept her eyes down as she started to tell her side of events in a quiet, shaky, out of breath voice, and the two of them were no longer alone as Remus refused to leave her side, and by this time, the other Marauders alongside Lily had joined them in separate armchairs and they all sat around the fire. As friends.

They were all nursing cups of hot chocolate, courtesy of Moony, and Frank forced himself to remain calm as Alice lifted her chin and looked at him.

"Wh—where's Barty, Frank?" she whispered in a hoarse voice as her gaze flitted from Sirius and then back to her boyfriend. "Where is he?"

"With Slughorn in his office. I went and woke him as soon as I left the corridor to let him know what had happened and to come to help me search for Crouch," Lily murmured in a dark voice, tossing her red hair over her shoulders as she sandwiched herself to Alice's immediate left, with Remus to her right. "I never knew old Sluggy had it in him to yell so much. He's always so quiet and polite in class. I heard him mention possible expulsion for this."

Alice nodded, feeling somewhat satisfied that Slughorn would keep an eye on Barty, and with Remus and Frank and the others here, she felt safer than she had at any given point since 'Frank' had woken her.

She exhaled a shaking breath and took a sip of her hot chocolate before continuing, not really sure where to start telling her tale. "It was maybe a couple of hours ago…Y—you woke me up, Frank, b—but it wasn't you. Crouch used Polyjuice Potion, Frank."

"I'm so sorry, Alice," Frank whispered, his voice low and hoarse, almost shaky as he was afraid he did not want to hear the rest of his girlfriend's tale, but knowing that Professor McGonagall would be coming in a few hours, and judging by the looks on everyone else's faces, they weren't going to be going back to sleep anytime soon. Not after this. Everyone here had dark circles underneath their eyes from lack of sleep and fretting over Alice.

But he had promised himself that he would hear Alice's side out, and Remus shot him a dark look, silently warning him not to ask too many questions for now and just let the poor girl talk and say her piece.

Alice nodded, the glimmer of tears shining in her eyes once more, and she seemed to take comfort in Remus rubbing small circles into the small of her back.

"I—I really th—thought it was you, Frank. And I was confused…and scared…a—and I felt freaked out until the Polyjuice Potion effects wore off and I saw it was Crouch, and then I felt betrayed. I really thought it was you. He—he sounded like you. But he wasn't acting like you. I thought maybe you'd finally lost your mind and gone insane, Frank. Like maybe this was your idea of a prank, but a really bad joke. I told him over and over again to stop, that he was hurting me, that it wasn't funny, and that we should go back, but Barty didn't want to listen."

"What did he do to you, Alice? What exactly h—happened…?" Frank stumbled over his words, cringing and thinking how horribly awkward and traumatic this must be for poor Alice to have to recant the events of whatever Crouch had tried to do to her in the third-floor corridor, feeling more and more uneasy about all of this with each word that tumbled out of his girlfriend's mouth.

Alice had been so bloody scared of him a little while ago, had even decked him a solid hit that hurt! Alice should have known for herself by now, well into almost a year and a half into dating one another that Frank would never, ever hurt her, but whatever she had just experience clearly had his girl doubting that.

It was Peter, of all people, who broke the silence.

"What happened then, Alice?" he asked in a nervous, breathy voice that sounded squeaky, as he twisted his fat hands together.

Frank snorted, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. There was a reason Pettigrew was called Wormtail by the others and could transform into a rat. The boy exhibited more characteristics of a rat than anyone he knew.

He wasn't sure why, but it had always unnerved him, and he swore Pettigrew blushed and looked away, refusing to meet Frank's gaze, though when Alice started speaking again, he forced himself to pay attention to Alice, shoving aside thoughts of the rat-like boy out of his mind for now.

"I feel so stupid, you guys!" Alice muttered under her breath, letting out another forced laugh and giving her head a little shake. "I should have known Crouch would have tried to pull something dumb."

"You aren't dumb, Alice," Sirius barked in a hoarse, grating voice as he leaned forward slightly in his chair to look his friend in the eyes. "If Crouch were disguised as Frank and looked and sounded like him, how on earth could you have known? What happened to you isn't your fault."

Sirius pursed his lips into a thin line, honestly still feeling sickened at the sight that he had walked into, Crouch possessively holding onto Alice's delicate, bird-like wrist, hard enough to break it if he was of a mind to, and to cause Crouch to instill in Prewitt a sense of belief that Longbottom would ever lay a hand on her in anger was just disgusting.

"He was furious with me when he saw this," Alice whispered meekly as she lifted her hand and flashed the ring she wore to the other Marauders, who quickly nodded in understanding and exchanged grim looks with one another, knowing all too well of his obsession with her. "But why would he go to such an effort to disguise himself just to trick and hurt me? I barely know Barty, a—as a friend, a—and he doesn't know me! Why did he want to do this?" she pleaded, looking around the room at her friends, her blue eyes glistening bright with angry, betrayed tears.

"Did he hurt you, Alice? Any place other than your hand? You okay?" Frank asked, swallowing down hard past the lump in his throat.

Alice nodded, inhaling a deep breath as she closed her eyes and exhaled slowly through her nose. She repeated this a few more times until she sanguinely opened her eyes and lifted her chin to meet Frank's gaze. "H—he didn't get that far, Frank. I—I mean, he—he tried to, b—but he didn't. I'm okay. I guess hearing you guys come for me scared him."

Frank nodded slowly as his mind struggled to process his girlfriend's words, not wanting to interrupt Alice in mid-sentence in the middle of her explanation, but at the same time, he wanted to demand a more thorough answer, thinking Alice's version wasn't good enough. Professor McGonagall was going to demand more information, and so, probably, he hoped, was old Slughorn.

So, in that regard, what the bloody hell had happened to his girlfriend? Was she injured besides her bandaged and bruised left hand, and the cut above her left browbone? Was Frank going to have to hunt down Crouch and kick the crap out of him for what he had done to his girlfriend? It seemed, so, yes…

He blinked and forced his attention back towards Alice, who had resumed speaking, not seeming to want to meet anybody's gazes, and instead, stared down into her mug of cocoa.

"It was really weird, Frank. H—he looked like you, your voice and everything, and…and…" The young woman narrowed her eyes, staring up at Frank. "At least they look like your eyes now. It really is you," she breathed, blinking back tears, and seeming to take comfort in Lupin's gentle embrace as her best friend rested his chin on her left shoulder.

A small, trembling smile as her bottom lip quivered violently as it tugged at the girl's mouth as, without any kind of warning, she practically propelled herself forward and flung her arms around Frank in a hug.

"Y-yeah, it's me, Al." Frank felt his voice and breaths catch in his throat as he carefully hugged his girlfriend back, wanting to be mindful of any unseen injuries she might have that she wasn't telling them about.

And yet, despite what Alice had relayed to all of them in front of the fireplace here in the Gryffindor Common Room, her answer was still so horribly disjointed and kind of rambling and all over the place, not making a damned lick of sense.

Frank still wasn't entirely sure what had happened, but it seemed like his girlfriend had been spared the worst of Frank's fears, but it was still not very clear to him what she'd suffered from Barty's cruelty. It was no secret among the rest of them that he fancied her.

But even Frank had not wanted to believe that Barty Crouch Jr. would stoop so low as to resort to Polyjuice Potion with intent to trick Alice into leaving the Common Room, and tried to…

No! He forced his mind to grind to a halt, not wanting to think of such a horrible thing happened to his sweet, innocent girlfriend. Alice's grip around the column of his throat as she pulled him down into the hug slightly increase as the young brunette witch inhaled a shaking breath, followed by a thin, choked little sob.

"I—I didn't want to believe that you'd do something like this to me, Frank, b—but it was just…I—I was scared! I—I didn't mean to hit you earlier, Frank, I—I'm so sorry!" she wailed, cutting herself off with another violent, half-choked sob, her fingers curling into tight fists around the material of Frank's thick sweater, practically clawing at her boyfriend's back as though attempting to reassure herself that Frank was really here, by her side, and that he wasn't going to go anywhere, and trying to pull herself closer to her boyfriend than was physically possible, wanting Frank to save her.

Frank froze, feeling rooted to his spot and more than a little unsure of what to do in this given situation in front of their friends.

Just a few hours ago, Alice had been terrified of him, not even letting him get close enough to touch her wrist to check on her injuries, and now she seemed to want a full-on embrace, hug and all, and she was sobbing into his shoulder, her tears drenching his sweater and clinging to Frank like he was the last man on this earth.

To say that Frank Longbottom did not know what to make of it was something of an understatement.

"Y—you're okay, Alice, I promise," he whispered into the shell of her ear, doing his best to reassure his girlfriend that he and the rest of their friends were not about to let further harm come to her. "We won't let him hurt you."

He rested his hand at the back of Alice's head and held her close, allowing his fingers to sift through her short dark strands, doing what little he could to provide some small modicum of comfort. It made his blood boil in his veins to think of Crouch taking it a step too far and taking advantage of Alice's trust in Frank like this.

It was almost unthinkable, unfounded, and was a new level of pure low for the young sixth-year Slytherin, and no expulsion from Hogwarts would be justice enough, in Frank's eyes.

Alice shook her head no in response, still sniffling and crying. "H—he grabbed me really hard, Frank, and I thought it was you. He squeezed my wrist hard enough that I thought he broke it. He was so strong, and I know you're really strong," she whispered, not even realizing that her right hand had come to settle on top of her bandaged and injured hand and picked at a strand of her gauze dressing that had come loose, and only stopped when Remus gently smacked her hand away. "Thanks, Rem," she murmured softly.

"I'm sorry he did this to you, Alice. I hope you know that I'd never hurt you…" Frank swore under his breath as he blinked back the onset of tears as they tightened in his throat, constricting it.

The thought of sweet Alice Prewitt honestly thinking that Frank would ever dare lay a hand against her in anger was heartbreaking, and he swore he felt his heart cry out at how his girlfriend must have felt so betrayed before she knew it wasn't him.

"Crouch, he tried to…" Alice began but shook her head upon glancing around the room and seeing her friends' outraged faces. If it was at all possible, her blush deepened. "Barty didn't do it. He wanted to, but you guys came in and ruined it at the right time. H—he had me shoved against the wall, and I kept trying to stop him from breaking my wrists." Alice paused to draw in a breath, closing her eyes and exhaling shakily before forcing herself to calm down. "I was so scared, Frank. I—I couldn't do anything to stop him. If you guys hadn't found me when you lot did…" she swallowed down hard as a lump in her throat formed, rendering it hard to speak.

"Merlin's Beard, Al," Sirius exhaled from his perch on the chair next to Lily. His face had paled, a muscle in his jaw twitching as the handsome Gryffindor and the youngest Black student had no words with which to describe his anger. Sirius never was big on saying the right thing at the right bloody time, that was always Moony's thing, offering emotional support when it mattered most.

But he had to try, Merlin damn it. After all that Alice had done for them in times past, coming to their rescue, calming their professors down enough to convince them to not give detention…

Sirius, just like Remus, James, Lily, and Peter did, in his own way, loved and cared about Alice Prewitt like she was a sister, and he wanted for the young witch to know that she had their support.

"Are you okay?" he asked simply, finally finding his voice.

Alice slowly nodded her head. "Y—yes, I—I think so. Thanks, Sirius. I screamed for you guys to find me, as loud as I could, not caring if I got in trouble if the caretaker found me, and since you guys found me before he could actually do anything, I guess it's ok."

Alice exhaled and squeezed onto Frank's middle a fraction tighter, resting her cheek against the crook of Frank's shoulder.

"We aren't letting you anywhere near Barty, Alice," James spoke up in a hardened and clipped tone, his eyes flashing like steel behind the lenses of his glasses. "He's not coming near you again. If he even gets within a hundred yards, I'll jinx him until he can no longer stand," Potter growled, no semblance of warmth in his tone.

But to the rest of the Marauders' surprise and Frank's, Alice shook her head no in response, a sad smile reaching her blue eyes.

"That's sweet of you, James, but I don't think it will help. What if Barty makes himself look like one of us again using Polyjuice Potion?" Alice whispered, unable to repress the chill of fear that wafted down her back at the thought of being tricked by Barty Crouch Jr. for a second time the same way again. No way.

She gritted her teeth in annoyance and gave her head a curt shake to attempt to rid her mind of the flashing images of his face.

"I like to hope that I'm not a daft bimbo, Frank," she said, hardening her voice and Frank could sense the shift within Alice as she became fearful and angry as she turned her gaze towards him. "I would never follow a random stranger away from the Common Room, or anywhere else, for that matter," she added, glancing around at her friends, who all collectively nodded their agreement.

"You aren't, Alice, and you wouldn't," Remus piped up, sounding slightly angry that his best friend would truly hold such a low opinion of herself. "Please don't talk about yourself like this."

Alice nodded. "You're misunderstanding me, Remus," she spoke up softly, her hushed voice barely above the faintest whisper. "Crouch was able to look exactly like Frank, the face, the hair, right down to his voice, even. I've never seen anything quite like it at all. Everything."

Here, she turned towards Frank and fixed her boyfriend with a pointed stare.

"It was you in front of me, Frank. I would not have followed Barty out of the Common Room otherwise, and I think Crouch knew that," she growled angrily. She looked towards her friends and let out a tired, exasperated sigh.

Judging by the looks on their faces, except for Remus, they didn't get it, and she just had to make them see her side of this.

"If Crouch could do that on just a single vial of Polyjuice Potion, he could look like anyone of us at any given point in time. How would we ever know if he's disguised himself as one of us? This is a really big problem, and I don't think you get how serious it is," she said hoarsely, blinking back a fresh onset of salty tears.

Frank barely was able to stifle his groan of frustration as he turned away from Alice to collect himself, squeezing his eyes shut and exhaling slowly, forcing the mounting tension in his body to slowly leave his shoulders. Alice was right, damn it. Now what?!

Polyjuice Potion notwithstanding, if Barty Crouch Jr. could disguise himself to make himself look and sound like him, the one person who, aside from Remus, Alice trusted the very most, considering he was her boyfriend, a fact Crouch had used to manipulate and exploit her, assuming Barty wasn't expelled for what he had done, then it was going to be hard for the rest of them to know if he was secretly among them in disguise. It was sneaky.

Snakes in the night, the whole family. There's a reason he got Sorted into Slytherin, Frank thought bitterly, grinding his teeth.

Slowly, he lifted his head and sanguinely turned towards his girlfriend, who, alongside the rest of his friends, was waiting for Frank's answer as to what they should do to protect her from him.

"Well, for starters, we don't let you go anywhere alone, Al. We'll stick together as a group as much as we possibly can, yeah?"

The others nodded in unison their agreement somberly.

"He can't use Polyjuice Potion to make him look like all of us at once, so we'll just stick close to you, Alice, and it won't be so bad."

"But you're the one I trust the most, Frank," Alice whispered, her gaze flitting from Frank and then to Remus. "And you, Rem."

She watched, interested, as a light pink blush speckled along Lupin's cheeks before the young Gryffindor prefect looked away.

Alice opened her mouth to speak further, but before she could, the group's attention was diverted behind them in the direction of the back of the Fat Lady's portrait as it swung open.

Alice felt her breaths increasing as a Gryffindor prefect, Mary MacDonald, stumbled in as the young girl drew near, looking thoroughly worried about something as her hazel eyes settled on Alice.

"Prewitt, here you are, about bloody time I found you, I've been looking for you," she managed in a hoarse voice. "McGonagall wants to see you in her office," she spoke up, before walking away from the Common Room and up towards the girls' dormitories.

Alice cringed, suddenly wishing the floor would open up beneath her feet and swallow them all whole. "Oh, my Merlin…"

"Al, it's okay," Lupin urged soothingly, rising slowly from his chair, and coming to stand next to Alice. "Frank and I will be right beside you the whole time," he promised, rubbing small circles over the small of Alice's back as the petite little brunette quaked in fear.

Alice, despite the immense wave of trepidation and fear that threatened to consume her at the thought of telling McGonagall what happened, felt a small smile tugging at her lips as the others moved to stand in a protective circle and collectively group-hugged their friend. They had all been so worried about her once the others had learned what had happened.

It hadn't taken long to get them up to speed. It made her feel somewhat guilty, but it was also nice. She had friends that had cared that she had gone missing, who noticed and worried, had looked for her, and had saved her life.

They were all so caring, so perfect, and Alice wondered what she had done in her life to deserve such wonderful friends as these.

"Just one step at a time. Let's start by walking to McGonagall's office, and then we'll go from there, all right?" Lupin murmured, giving Alice's shoulder a firm but reassuring squeeze.

Frank nodded his agreement, silently shooting Remus a grateful look, trying to think his friend with just his eyes and convey his gratitude. Remus shot him back a look that said he didn't need to.

Alice swallowed nervously and clambered out of the portrait's hole in the wall as the Fat Lady begrudgingly swung wide open, murmuring darkly under her breath about being woken up in the wee hours of the morning, and how she would never get any sleep.

She wanted to feel relieved as she reluctantly allowed Remus and Frank, who were flanking either side of her, each boy had their arm intertwined in hers, careful to be mindful of her injured, bandaged hand, but she knew a lot of questions about what Barty had attempted to do to her in that third-floor corridor were coming.

Difficult questions. Questions she wasn't sure she wanted, much less would be able to answer. "I'm right here, Alice," Remus whispered, squeezing onto her hand lightly. Frank muttered the same and reached over and gently pressed his lips to hers in a kiss.

Alice nodded, squeezing back as best she could. She was grateful that Remus and Frank were here by her side, and the young witch was quick to realize that things couldn't possibly get any worse than they had when Crouch had lured her and trapped her inside of that empty classroom in the third-floor, out-of-bounds corridor. She was safe now.

Professor McGonagall would listen, yes. She did not think either of them was in danger of being expelled, least of all her, considering she'd been lured out of the Gryffindor Common Room under false pretenses.

She was not on trial here, but for some reason, Alice still felt like she was in trouble. Alice's only hope as they approached McGonagall's closed office door was that their Head of House would listen to her and that at some point later this morning, she'd be allowed to talk to Crouch, despite her friends' initial misgivings at not leaving her alone.

Crouch was her problem to deal with. Hers and hers alone. Not Frank's, not Remus's. Hers. It was this thought that propelled her forward and gave her a newfound sense of courage and resolve as Alice gingerly raised her knuckles to knock on the door and announce their presence.

Alice knew, perhaps better than either of her friends, that this vicious cycle of Crouch's violence and insatiable lust had to stop.

And she, like it or not, was the only person who might have a chance at ending it for good, once and for all, but the only way she could do that was if the others allowed her to talk to Crouch. Alone. Alice blew out a breath and steeled her nerves as they heard McGonagall's stern, disapproving, and disappointed voice from the other side of the door bid them all enter, the door was unlocked.

This was it. After this, there was no going back.

Alice, as Remus held the door open for her and stepped aside so she could enter, was smart enough not to look back behind her as the door shut.

A difficult conversation that was had, indeed. The next chapter involves Alice conversing with Professor McGonagall about what happened, and may or may not feature a surprise guest from a certain vulture-hat-wearing old witch ;)