Still a flicker of hope that you first gave to me
Alice and Frank survive the attack. Barely.
Mentions of torture (off-screen)
Through the midst of complete and utter agony, Alice reaches her fingers across the floor. The dark green rug that once felt nice on her feet, now burning her bruised and burnt skin as she lays there, close to death, or worse.
Frank is barely holding on. His head is turned towards her, and his brown eyes find hers. They're glossed over, but there's still a spark there. Not the spark that Alice is used to, but still life, and even the smallest spark can give way to the biggest fires.
They had tried to defend themselves, but the attack was a shock, as though the people knew when Alice and Frank would be the most vulnerable. And considering one member of their group, she can understand how they got that information. "I'm scared," she had called to Frank, trying to shield them both from the onslaught of attacks.
"I've got you," he had replied, and maybe that wasn't the truth, just words bathed in desperation, but he had tried his best, and that's all Alice could hope for.
They haven't come for Neville. That was her biggest fear. Really, her only one. If they come for her, for Frank, she can accept that because that's something they've been aware could happen since the day they joined the order. It's something they both risked, but Neville is innocent. He didn't agree to any such risk.
The group wants them, not Neville - and they will endure and suffer this in order to keep them distracted enough to keep them away from Neville. Alice knows Frank feels the same. They would die for Neville.
Lily already did. James too. They haven't even had time to mourn. The death of three friends, the imprisonment of another. They've been trying to reach out to Remus so he doesn't feel so alone, but Remus has quietly asked for some space as he deals with it. They've planned to reach out again next week to invite Remus to dinner because they need to heal together. They have to look after each other.
They thought it was over - well, the worst of the threats. But the betrayal of one of Frank's best friends - Neville's Godfather no less - was something they had never planned for. They had to choose between the two best friends, and they went with the wrong choice, it seems. He may be in disguise, wearing a mask, but they know him. They can see the coward, the traitor behind the mask.
His fingers find hers. It's a lot of effort, but their hands brush, but they're a little too far to hold hands. With all the pain, the struggle to keep her mind, this touch soothes them both, she can see it in Frank's eyes. Tears fall from her own, cold against her skin. They don't have long left, but they have this moment. It's almost like saying goodbye.
If this distracts them long enough for Kingsley to get here, so be it. All that matters is Neville.
Alice looks around, her eyes finding Barty. She hopes for a flicker of remorse, a flicker of anything, and wonders to herself if his eyes have always been this cold and empty? How had they never seen it? She opens her mouth, ready to curse out Bellatrix, but before the words can leave her lips, she hears her husband's voice, and horrified, she watches this woman turn to him.
"Maybe he's not disappeared, maybe he's just found a nice Muggleborn witch to settle down with, rather than dealing with your crazy bullshit. If I were your boyfriend, I'd be hiding from you too."
The three men back up as Bellatrix strides over, hate in her eyes. Her words are intelligible as she starts to screech, and Alice waits for it to happen. She's going to lose her husband, and maybe that'll be the thing to break her.
But Bellatrix is screaming, and shouting threats, and the others are too scared of the insane witch to come any closer, and before she can use the spell she's used to torture them for hours with, before she can take Frank's life away, the door blasts open again and the Aurors come rushing in.
If they had been any later, Alice isn't sure that either of them would've made it out.
Her gaze finds Kingsley, and he immediately understands what she wants him to do. The fight around them is brief. As skilled as the group are, they're no match for Kingsley and the others.
The Aurors start to call for healers, but it's Kingsley that walks from the room, heading towards the crying baby. It's Kingsley that brings Neville out to them, and, as the pair are taken for recovery, Alice wills Kingsley to look after her son. Until she's back on her feet.
"I'll bring him to Augusta," Kingsley tells them. "I'll watch over them and keep you both updated." He reaches for Alice's hand, but she winces at the touch, and he quickly withdraws, just gently rocking an upset Neville as he stays in their line of sight.
As they're prepped to be moved to St. Mungos, Alice manages to turn her head, the carpet hurting her face and bringing tears to her eyes. Her gaze finds Frank's again, and there's that spark once more, and she feels a fresh wave of love for him.
She was going to draw attention to herself to try and buy him time, but he got there first. He'd give up his life to buy her another minute.
And they'll get through this. They'll live to bring up their son, and Neville is finally with someone safe.
It's hard at first. Most days, Alice doesn't feel like herself. It's like the world around her is a blur. On the days that make sense, more often than not, Frank seems to be in the same haze.
"Any longer," the doctors tell them. "One more bout of the curse…" On her good days, Alice understands what they mean. Any longer and their minds would have been gone. Would have never returned to them.
The days where they are both feeling like themselves are few and far between, but Alice lives for those moments. Those are the days when they can both see their son from the comfort of the ward, when Augusta brings him in. She hates it, but she reminds herself of the words that the healers have told them. They could be completely gone, and that reminder is what makes her value that whilst she's trapped here, trying to recover, she's still here. Frank is still here. They'll get better eventually.
Neville is safe. That's what matters.
The days turn into weeks and those turn into months. A year passes. Two years, and it's a fight - a daily fight for her mind to be as it was so she can finally go back to her life, but as time passes, the days where they're themselves outweigh the fog and the haze. They miss the milestones in Neville's life. His first words are for his grandmother. His first steps are when Kingsley goes to take him out for the day. His first bit of accidental magic happens for Remus.
Kingsley comes to visit. Remus comes too. Alice watches as the pair bond, forming a friendship during their chats, and she's glad that Remus opens up to someone else. He needs a friend because Remus feels that loss more than anyone - except for Harry, that is. Remus has lost everything too, but whilst Harry has a family to go to, Remus has no-one. The four make plans for when Alice and Frank are better, but those all seem to be in the distant future, because when will they ever go back to normal?
The fog scares her, the haze. She sometimes wakes, restrained, because she's lashed out, hurt herself. It's terrifying, not knowing your own mind. Not being in control.
But they're not alone there. With friends and family coming to them. The fog gradually recedes, and they reach their fourth year. The damage to their minds, healed. The memories of what happened will always remain though, and they're different people than the ones who were brought into this hospital.
Neville visits, talking about trips out, and Alice forces the jealousy away. It's like a mantra now, telling herself that at least she's here. At least Frank's here. At least they have each other in the hospital. Neville talks a lot now. How Kingsley set up little undercover missions for them in the manor when Augusta had to visit her brother when he was poorly, and how Remus takes him out for ice-cream and to the library.
She reminds herself that Neville is happy, and loved, and cared for. That's all she's ever wanted. They still see him, and it's more and more often that he visits, now that they're getting better. It's why she fights so hard, it's why she pushes herself. It's why she doesn't let herself give up and let her mind slip. She fights, and she will always fight.
Finally finally the Healer comes to them, a smile on his lips. They're bordering on the fifth year. The room they share there has so many personal touches that it feels like home. It has for a while, though it's missing the one thing that they really want. Their son. They wait in hope, but they're both scared. Her hand clutches him, and she mourns the wedding ring she used to have. They can't wear them here.
Last time they thought they were well enough to be allowed out, the Healer said they need to stay for another six months. They fear he'll say it again.
The healer sets down his clipboard, and the release forms are there, waiting. The couple stare at them, barely able to believe their eyes.
"You're ready to go home."
1656 words
Hogwarts - Quidditch Lessons 1 - Task 1 - Stichstock: Write about trying to keep something or someone from harm
Writing Club - Bromance to Romance - 7. (word) disguise
Written in the stars - 2. (character) Neville Longbottom
This or That - 7. (Action) Taunting someone
Showtime - 9. A Soft Place to Land - (relationship) Mother
Film Festival - 11. Colour: Green
Lizzy's Loft - 15. The Unknown - You will come back to me
Elizabeth's Empire - 24. (prompt) Write about someone who never gives up. BONUS
Angel's Archive - Dark green
Amber's Anime - 14. (character) Neville Longbottom
Lyric Alley - 13. Survived my darkest hour
Artist Appreciation - 3. Flicker: Prompt - (word) flicker - BONUS - Title: Still a flicker of hope that you first gave to me
Resolution Evolution - Writing: 8. Write a fic with a word count between 1,005 - 2,100 words
Buttons: Actions: 3. Crying / Emotions: 5. Sadness
Fight Club - Fight: (character) Alice Longbottom
Gobstones - Yellow stone - survival / Accuracy - 7. "I'm scared." / "I've got you." / Power - 9. Word: Effort / Technique - 16: angst