A/N: Here's Chapter 13. As Rowling usually does something important with
this chapter, I'll try to keep the tradition alive. This is going to be a
VERY short chapter. Just to warn you. However, in my opinion, it's very
interesting. The ending may leave you hanging as well. (Joyous laughter).
I'd like to thank my cousin for her lovely comments on my story and on myself for that matter. I love you like a sister, Addie! -Anna Dearest
Chapter 13
There was the sound of soft singing. A woman with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes was standing above a crib with two sleeping children in it. On a bed behind her were two boys, both with the same hair color as her.
They were all woken up by the sound of a huge crash, as though the front door to the small home had been broken down. The woman began trembling. She laid one hand on one of the infants' head and began crying softly. Sounds of someone stumbling towards them soon brought her out of this state. She stood tall and made her way out into the living room of the cozy home.
"I see I was expected," a cold voice laughed. "Expelliarmus!"
The woman was knocked backwards into a wall behind her, while Voldemort lazily caught her wand. He swept into the adjoining room where the four children were. His eyes wandered onto the twin girls, and then the two boys who were huddled by each other in the corner.
"Caleb?" he sneered. "Can ever recognize your own father?"
The boy being addressed shivered uncontrollably. The two stared in horror as Voldemort approached them, blue eyes equally wide. The sounds of the their mother stumbling to her feet could be heard in the living room.
"Come here, boy," Voldemort spat, "or they'll all have to pay for your filth!" He gestured wildly at his twin and at the crib, that still held the two baby girls. The boy being addressed as Caleb stumbled forward, trembling from head to foot. Voldemort kept his wand trained on the three- year-old with a triumphant smirk on his snakelike face. "This is what happens to those who poison the bloodlines of the great few. Do not worry, Caleb. I am after all your father, so I promise to make it quick and painless," he held the small boy's face between his thumb and pointer finger. As the woman stumbled into the room, Voldemort let go of the boys' face, and raised his wand. "Avada Kedavra!" he cried vehemently.
"NO!" the woman, who'd just reached the door of the room, cried. She threw herself across the room and straight at Voldemort, knocking him to the ground, seconds too late.
"You give birth to a Squib, then try to protect it!" he spat, standing up and dusting off his robes. "You'll get the same, but I feel you could use a little pain first! Crucio!"
The woman writhed a screamed on the ground, her cries echoing off the walls and ceiling. Finally he let up, and she too fell to death beside her son, at the hands of Voldemort.
And in the shadows, stood a lone figure, unseen and unheard by all those in the nightmare. And slowly, too slowly, she was brought back to present.
**********
Meanwhile, in the halls of St. Mungo's, the nurses who worked late into the night paced the halls between the wards and tended to their patients. Security had been increased in the building since Voldemort's return, and someone was always on duty, always watching for any signs of suspicious activity.
Frank and Alice Longbottom had found it quite suspicious, especially for Aurors who had lost their minds, that the door to their ward was creaking open. They gazed around the room to see the one remaining occupant, known as Gilderoy, lying in bed, thumb in mouth and mumbling incoherently. Both of them got up to inspect the cause of the disturbance, shrugging off what could only be a feeling of unease.
**********
The witch at the front desk of St. Mungo's was sipping pumpkin juice and flipping wearily through Witch Weekly. She hardly acknowledged the hooded figures sweeping through the doors and into the halls of the magical hospital. When the half dozen people stopped in front of her desk.
"May I-?" but her voice died in her throat. Her mouth began opening and shutting like a fish out of water as she searched for her normally overused voice.
"Sorry to startle you dear," a feminine voice sneered. The owner of the voice had her wand trained steadily on the receptionist. "We just came to visit our friends, the Longbottoms. You may know them. They are long-term patients after all." There were hoots of laughter at this sick joke. The witch just sat their, still openly gaping, not even reaching for her own wand, too shocked at the disturbance in her peaceful world.
"Now," the voice snapped from behind the mask. "If you could tell us where the Longbottoms are? Their names are Frank and Alice, if that helps."
The witch didn't move, just sat there in horror. Her training as a receptionist had NOT prepared her for this. The female Death Eater tapped her foot impatiently before coming to a decision.
"Stupefy!"
She reached out for a list of names on a long parchment and located Longbottom, Frank and Alice. They'd come to finish what they started, and they wouldn't leave until they had.
**********
Frank trotted jovially up to the door. It appeared they had visitors, and visitors usually meant that nice young man, Neville. The other woman that was with him wasn't always pleasant, but Neville's presence more than made up for that.
He reached out for the doorknob, not considering what was behind it, not considering the consequences, or who else it could possibly be. With a cheerful smile on his face, Frank opened the door to greet the visitors.
**********
Kingsley Shacklebolt sat in his small cubicle at the Ministry, pictures of Sirius looking down at him. He'd been there all night trying to figure out another place where the escaped convict could have 'been.' He sat drumming his fingers on a desk while he examined all the information he had prior to this evening. Now that Sirius was still alive, he needed to lead the Ministry in the other direction.
Kingsley didn't look up until he heard the stumping of a wooden leg making its way to his cubicle. Looking up, he saw that the source was Alastor Moody, looking very grim indeed, but hurrying all the same. Mad-Eye stopped in front of his cubicle; his normal eye trained on him while his magical eye whizzed around in its socket.
"Security words at St. Mungo's were breached," Moody growled. "They need most of us Aurors there pronto."
"Alright," Kingsley sighed, "I need a break, and this does sound like something important."
With that being said, both Aurors Apparated out of the Auror headquarters of the Ministry. Neither of them expected what they would find.
**********
"Hello," Frank beamed, "May I ask who you are and why you're here so late?"
"Hello, Longbottom," the same feminine voice barked out, "I'm here to finish some business. Business that involves you."
"Really? How may I help you?"
"It's not hard, Longbottom. Not at all."
The woman speaking stepped inside, revealing that she had five or six people with her, all donning the same black cloaks and masks. They all followed the woman, who appeared to be leading them. She nodded her head towards Frank and Alice, who they quickly restrained.
"You don't remember me at all, Frank?" the voice cooed.
"N-no!" Frank said fearfully, but he was lying. At the sound of her voice, and the restraining hands of the people holding him there, he could see something. It wasn't much, but it was frightening. He could see flashes of red light and the sounds of people screaming.
"Perhaps once we begin, it'll help your memory? We'll just have to see. I certainly helped Nevvy's memory." The woman cackled cruelly.
"Neville?" Frank said, cocking his head to the side.
"Yes, Neville! It's a shame that you can't even remember your own son! That'll all change now though. You won't be alive to remember! Crucio!"
Frank waited for something, anything, to happen, but oddly enough, he felt no pain or anything. That is until he heard Alice screaming. This continued for some time until the wand was turned on him.
The burning of pain was the only thing truly clear in his mind, but there were other things too. Pictures of memories past, of the screams coming from his own throat and that of his wife's. 'Wife?' he thought. 'I have a wife?'
Soon enough, the pain ended. Frank looked up to see the same woman cackling with glee. She still had her wand pointed at Frank, until she turned towards Alice once more.
"I'm only trying to help you remember," she said in a mock sympathetic voice. "Crucio!"
Alice squirmed in the hold of their tormentors as she screamed in pain. Her pain was nothing compared to what Frank was feeling.
He could see pictures, of this woman, Alice, who he'd known for years, as a round-faced girl among her peers in some kind of school. He could see her still, standing in a wedding gown. And then he saw her holding a child that seemed to possess the best of both sides.
It all came tumbling down.
"LESTRANGE!"
A/N: Isn't that a lovely place to leave off? I'd love you input. Thanks again for reading! -Anna Dearest
I'd like to thank my cousin for her lovely comments on my story and on myself for that matter. I love you like a sister, Addie! -Anna Dearest
Chapter 13
There was the sound of soft singing. A woman with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes was standing above a crib with two sleeping children in it. On a bed behind her were two boys, both with the same hair color as her.
They were all woken up by the sound of a huge crash, as though the front door to the small home had been broken down. The woman began trembling. She laid one hand on one of the infants' head and began crying softly. Sounds of someone stumbling towards them soon brought her out of this state. She stood tall and made her way out into the living room of the cozy home.
"I see I was expected," a cold voice laughed. "Expelliarmus!"
The woman was knocked backwards into a wall behind her, while Voldemort lazily caught her wand. He swept into the adjoining room where the four children were. His eyes wandered onto the twin girls, and then the two boys who were huddled by each other in the corner.
"Caleb?" he sneered. "Can ever recognize your own father?"
The boy being addressed shivered uncontrollably. The two stared in horror as Voldemort approached them, blue eyes equally wide. The sounds of the their mother stumbling to her feet could be heard in the living room.
"Come here, boy," Voldemort spat, "or they'll all have to pay for your filth!" He gestured wildly at his twin and at the crib, that still held the two baby girls. The boy being addressed as Caleb stumbled forward, trembling from head to foot. Voldemort kept his wand trained on the three- year-old with a triumphant smirk on his snakelike face. "This is what happens to those who poison the bloodlines of the great few. Do not worry, Caleb. I am after all your father, so I promise to make it quick and painless," he held the small boy's face between his thumb and pointer finger. As the woman stumbled into the room, Voldemort let go of the boys' face, and raised his wand. "Avada Kedavra!" he cried vehemently.
"NO!" the woman, who'd just reached the door of the room, cried. She threw herself across the room and straight at Voldemort, knocking him to the ground, seconds too late.
"You give birth to a Squib, then try to protect it!" he spat, standing up and dusting off his robes. "You'll get the same, but I feel you could use a little pain first! Crucio!"
The woman writhed a screamed on the ground, her cries echoing off the walls and ceiling. Finally he let up, and she too fell to death beside her son, at the hands of Voldemort.
And in the shadows, stood a lone figure, unseen and unheard by all those in the nightmare. And slowly, too slowly, she was brought back to present.
**********
Meanwhile, in the halls of St. Mungo's, the nurses who worked late into the night paced the halls between the wards and tended to their patients. Security had been increased in the building since Voldemort's return, and someone was always on duty, always watching for any signs of suspicious activity.
Frank and Alice Longbottom had found it quite suspicious, especially for Aurors who had lost their minds, that the door to their ward was creaking open. They gazed around the room to see the one remaining occupant, known as Gilderoy, lying in bed, thumb in mouth and mumbling incoherently. Both of them got up to inspect the cause of the disturbance, shrugging off what could only be a feeling of unease.
**********
The witch at the front desk of St. Mungo's was sipping pumpkin juice and flipping wearily through Witch Weekly. She hardly acknowledged the hooded figures sweeping through the doors and into the halls of the magical hospital. When the half dozen people stopped in front of her desk.
"May I-?" but her voice died in her throat. Her mouth began opening and shutting like a fish out of water as she searched for her normally overused voice.
"Sorry to startle you dear," a feminine voice sneered. The owner of the voice had her wand trained steadily on the receptionist. "We just came to visit our friends, the Longbottoms. You may know them. They are long-term patients after all." There were hoots of laughter at this sick joke. The witch just sat their, still openly gaping, not even reaching for her own wand, too shocked at the disturbance in her peaceful world.
"Now," the voice snapped from behind the mask. "If you could tell us where the Longbottoms are? Their names are Frank and Alice, if that helps."
The witch didn't move, just sat there in horror. Her training as a receptionist had NOT prepared her for this. The female Death Eater tapped her foot impatiently before coming to a decision.
"Stupefy!"
She reached out for a list of names on a long parchment and located Longbottom, Frank and Alice. They'd come to finish what they started, and they wouldn't leave until they had.
**********
Frank trotted jovially up to the door. It appeared they had visitors, and visitors usually meant that nice young man, Neville. The other woman that was with him wasn't always pleasant, but Neville's presence more than made up for that.
He reached out for the doorknob, not considering what was behind it, not considering the consequences, or who else it could possibly be. With a cheerful smile on his face, Frank opened the door to greet the visitors.
**********
Kingsley Shacklebolt sat in his small cubicle at the Ministry, pictures of Sirius looking down at him. He'd been there all night trying to figure out another place where the escaped convict could have 'been.' He sat drumming his fingers on a desk while he examined all the information he had prior to this evening. Now that Sirius was still alive, he needed to lead the Ministry in the other direction.
Kingsley didn't look up until he heard the stumping of a wooden leg making its way to his cubicle. Looking up, he saw that the source was Alastor Moody, looking very grim indeed, but hurrying all the same. Mad-Eye stopped in front of his cubicle; his normal eye trained on him while his magical eye whizzed around in its socket.
"Security words at St. Mungo's were breached," Moody growled. "They need most of us Aurors there pronto."
"Alright," Kingsley sighed, "I need a break, and this does sound like something important."
With that being said, both Aurors Apparated out of the Auror headquarters of the Ministry. Neither of them expected what they would find.
**********
"Hello," Frank beamed, "May I ask who you are and why you're here so late?"
"Hello, Longbottom," the same feminine voice barked out, "I'm here to finish some business. Business that involves you."
"Really? How may I help you?"
"It's not hard, Longbottom. Not at all."
The woman speaking stepped inside, revealing that she had five or six people with her, all donning the same black cloaks and masks. They all followed the woman, who appeared to be leading them. She nodded her head towards Frank and Alice, who they quickly restrained.
"You don't remember me at all, Frank?" the voice cooed.
"N-no!" Frank said fearfully, but he was lying. At the sound of her voice, and the restraining hands of the people holding him there, he could see something. It wasn't much, but it was frightening. He could see flashes of red light and the sounds of people screaming.
"Perhaps once we begin, it'll help your memory? We'll just have to see. I certainly helped Nevvy's memory." The woman cackled cruelly.
"Neville?" Frank said, cocking his head to the side.
"Yes, Neville! It's a shame that you can't even remember your own son! That'll all change now though. You won't be alive to remember! Crucio!"
Frank waited for something, anything, to happen, but oddly enough, he felt no pain or anything. That is until he heard Alice screaming. This continued for some time until the wand was turned on him.
The burning of pain was the only thing truly clear in his mind, but there were other things too. Pictures of memories past, of the screams coming from his own throat and that of his wife's. 'Wife?' he thought. 'I have a wife?'
Soon enough, the pain ended. Frank looked up to see the same woman cackling with glee. She still had her wand pointed at Frank, until she turned towards Alice once more.
"I'm only trying to help you remember," she said in a mock sympathetic voice. "Crucio!"
Alice squirmed in the hold of their tormentors as she screamed in pain. Her pain was nothing compared to what Frank was feeling.
He could see pictures, of this woman, Alice, who he'd known for years, as a round-faced girl among her peers in some kind of school. He could see her still, standing in a wedding gown. And then he saw her holding a child that seemed to possess the best of both sides.
It all came tumbling down.
"LESTRANGE!"
A/N: Isn't that a lovely place to leave off? I'd love you input. Thanks again for reading! -Anna Dearest