A/N: Ah, now my little fanfic is two months old! Here it is. For some
reason, I could NOT wait to type up the first part. A little out of the
ordinary, I know, but in case you haven't noticed so far in this story,
that's my way.
As to K-Black's question, you'll just have to find out.
-Anna Dearest
Chapter 14
"LESTRANGE!"
Frank's voice sounded strange to him, foreign. The pain of the Cruciatus Curse brought back so much, too much.his life, his end, and his job as an Auror. His head throbbed in excruciating pain, trying in its own way to cope with the newly attained information.
The room went quiet. Alice's, his wife's, screams stopped, and she looked up at him with the same pained, remembering eyes that he himself must have possessed at that moment. Bellatrix Lestrange's wand hand shook slightly and her confusion clearly shown through her mask.
"Lestrange.." Frank said again, whispering it this time. His voice was weak and hoarse. He tried vainly to remember what day it was, but he was left in the dark. All memories of his stay in the hospital since his early demise were gone, replaced by a blank that Frank could not fill. As far as he knew, today was November 20, 1981. He still believed it to be the day after his home had been attacked.
Alice stared terrified around the room, shivering in the pain and cold. Frank reached into his right pocket, where he'd always kept his wand, only to come out empty handed. Alice whimpered, seeming to have just as little luck.
Bellatrix, seeming to have recovered from her temporary shock, again aimed her wand unwaveringly at Frank. She left her breath out in an icy hiss as she gritted her teeth and made a futile attempt at keeping her temper, fear, and hesitancy in check.
"So, finally you remember me," she spat, then added some sarcasm for effect, "I'm a little hurt that you didn't remember me."
"I can imagine your shock at my indifference," Frank replied coolly, his past catching up with him. If he hadn't already been leaning against the railing of a bed in the ward, he'd long ago have fallen over.
"Well," Bellatrix bit out, "I guess now we'll finish this anyway."
Bellatrix Lestrange once more aimed her wand straight at Frank, intending to inflict maximum harm before murdering him. But as the door was blown backwards off its hinges, her plans were once again interrupted.
**********
Kingsley and Moody Apparated into St. Mungo's. Moody had been taking time off of the school job and spying at the Ministry, and now was a perfect opportunity. It didn't take them long to realize that something was definitely wrong, as the witch at the front desk was Stunned and a few Aurors were standing watch, trying to bring her back into the land of consciousness.
"Search the hospital," one of the Aurors said, turning around to face them. "We've no idea where they are or whether they're still here."
So, Kingsley and Moody set off down the sterile hallways of the hospital, both watching their backs and searching for signs of Death Eaters. It wasn't until a few minutes had passed when Kingsley was struck with a sudden idea, no matter how absurd it seemed. He reached out and grasped the arms of the paranoid ex-Auror with him, who jerked around growling.
"What?"
"The Longbottoms."
It took only seconds for comprehension to dawn on Moody's disfigured face. With a 'thump' every other step, the older man hurried down the corridor at surprising speeds, Kingsley right behind him.
He stopped at a door that was cracked open, allowing bits of conversation to drift through the stifling air and towards the two men calmly standing outside the door.
Other Aurors hurried down the corridor, noticing their position and backing them up in a sort of mutual knowledge of what may lie beyond the door. Finally, when it seemed that Lestrange was about to make her last move, and they had gathered as much as they could form the broken pieces of conversation, they burst through the door, startling the occupants within.
"Look, Longbottom," Lestrange sneered, wand still on him, "now we have an audience." Kingsley stood in the doorway next to the aged Moody as they took in the scene before them, drinking in every detail. Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Rabastan Lestrange, along with Lucius Malfoy, and two other unidentified Death Eaters all stood in the room, wands either trained on Frank or Alice Longbottom. As to Frank and Alice, both seemed to be in a great deal of pain, though it was for the most part emotional scars that had just been rubbed raw by an iron grate.
"Alastor? Kingsley?" Frank inquired, voice full of an innocent curiosity that seemed almost boy like. He closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side, as though pulling a particular memory off the shelf. Then he pulled a grimace of frustration across his wasted face and turned back to Bellatrix. "If you're going to do anything to me, get it over with. I hate anticipation."
The male Longbottom didn't seem to notice the slack-jawed looks he was receiving from all of the older Aurors, not to mention some of the newer recruits. Could it possibly be true? Had Frank Longbottom just addressed people, who he couldn't even previously remember, by name? But Frank continued glaring at Bellatrix and the rest of the Death Eaters, never taking his eyes off of the woman who had ruined his chances of a normal life.
Finally, Moody sensed to regain control over his body. He snapped his jaw shut with an audible click and turned to face the Aurors. All of those who dared to take their eyes off of Frank now shivered as Moody's magical eye pointed into the back of his head, still aimed at the Death Eaters.
"Well," he hissed, "don't just stand there, we've got them outnumbered by far!"
He then turned around and stumped quickly the rest of the way into the room, followed by his coworkers. They then began dueling the helpless Death Eaters, who were now frantically trying to fight back against the rain of blows issuing from the pack of Aurors.
Finally, one by one, Voldemort's supported Disapparated with a pop. All that was left in their wake were the irked Aurors and a couple of befuddled Longbottoms. Both groups stared at one another for a while, neither making a move or a sound.
Frank and Alice were deathly confused. As far as they could tell, it was just November twentieth, but the way their former companions looked just confused them even more. By all the changes in the looks of the Aurors, especially Moody, as he was missing a rather large chunk of his nose that they'd previously remembered him having, they had aged nearly twenty years in a matter of merely a day. Husband and wife exchanged confused glances before turning back to the matter at hand.
"So, Alastor," Frank smiled nervously, "what happened to that there nose of yours?" Frank took his pointer finger, tapped his own nose, and cast a mock condescending look at the ex-Auror.
Alastor Moody just stood in shock, opening and closing his mouth as though he were exercising the worn out hinges of a door. A few of the Aurors backed towards the door, unable to face the idea that the long ago insane couple had regained some semblance of sanity and humor.
"F-Fr-Frank?" Moody asked, taking a tentative step forward. This caused Frank to frown, as Alastor had always either been calm and collected or completely paranoid. There was never an in between.
"Alastor, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost," Alice commented, standing up on unsteady legs and gazing curiously at him.
"Yes, Alastor. We just saw you yesterday evening. What's wrong?" Frank added his bit.
"Yesterday?" Moody choked on the words. "Frank! Alice! It's been fifteen years!"
A/N: Yes, it's another one of these endings, to another short chapter. I seem to be becoming rather fond of them, don't I? Well, sorry. Next chapter is MUCH longer. You have my word and you can hold me to it. Though, I don't know how long it'll take. -Anna Dearest
Chapter 14
"LESTRANGE!"
Frank's voice sounded strange to him, foreign. The pain of the Cruciatus Curse brought back so much, too much.his life, his end, and his job as an Auror. His head throbbed in excruciating pain, trying in its own way to cope with the newly attained information.
The room went quiet. Alice's, his wife's, screams stopped, and she looked up at him with the same pained, remembering eyes that he himself must have possessed at that moment. Bellatrix Lestrange's wand hand shook slightly and her confusion clearly shown through her mask.
"Lestrange.." Frank said again, whispering it this time. His voice was weak and hoarse. He tried vainly to remember what day it was, but he was left in the dark. All memories of his stay in the hospital since his early demise were gone, replaced by a blank that Frank could not fill. As far as he knew, today was November 20, 1981. He still believed it to be the day after his home had been attacked.
Alice stared terrified around the room, shivering in the pain and cold. Frank reached into his right pocket, where he'd always kept his wand, only to come out empty handed. Alice whimpered, seeming to have just as little luck.
Bellatrix, seeming to have recovered from her temporary shock, again aimed her wand unwaveringly at Frank. She left her breath out in an icy hiss as she gritted her teeth and made a futile attempt at keeping her temper, fear, and hesitancy in check.
"So, finally you remember me," she spat, then added some sarcasm for effect, "I'm a little hurt that you didn't remember me."
"I can imagine your shock at my indifference," Frank replied coolly, his past catching up with him. If he hadn't already been leaning against the railing of a bed in the ward, he'd long ago have fallen over.
"Well," Bellatrix bit out, "I guess now we'll finish this anyway."
Bellatrix Lestrange once more aimed her wand straight at Frank, intending to inflict maximum harm before murdering him. But as the door was blown backwards off its hinges, her plans were once again interrupted.
**********
Kingsley and Moody Apparated into St. Mungo's. Moody had been taking time off of the school job and spying at the Ministry, and now was a perfect opportunity. It didn't take them long to realize that something was definitely wrong, as the witch at the front desk was Stunned and a few Aurors were standing watch, trying to bring her back into the land of consciousness.
"Search the hospital," one of the Aurors said, turning around to face them. "We've no idea where they are or whether they're still here."
So, Kingsley and Moody set off down the sterile hallways of the hospital, both watching their backs and searching for signs of Death Eaters. It wasn't until a few minutes had passed when Kingsley was struck with a sudden idea, no matter how absurd it seemed. He reached out and grasped the arms of the paranoid ex-Auror with him, who jerked around growling.
"What?"
"The Longbottoms."
It took only seconds for comprehension to dawn on Moody's disfigured face. With a 'thump' every other step, the older man hurried down the corridor at surprising speeds, Kingsley right behind him.
He stopped at a door that was cracked open, allowing bits of conversation to drift through the stifling air and towards the two men calmly standing outside the door.
Other Aurors hurried down the corridor, noticing their position and backing them up in a sort of mutual knowledge of what may lie beyond the door. Finally, when it seemed that Lestrange was about to make her last move, and they had gathered as much as they could form the broken pieces of conversation, they burst through the door, startling the occupants within.
"Look, Longbottom," Lestrange sneered, wand still on him, "now we have an audience." Kingsley stood in the doorway next to the aged Moody as they took in the scene before them, drinking in every detail. Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Rabastan Lestrange, along with Lucius Malfoy, and two other unidentified Death Eaters all stood in the room, wands either trained on Frank or Alice Longbottom. As to Frank and Alice, both seemed to be in a great deal of pain, though it was for the most part emotional scars that had just been rubbed raw by an iron grate.
"Alastor? Kingsley?" Frank inquired, voice full of an innocent curiosity that seemed almost boy like. He closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side, as though pulling a particular memory off the shelf. Then he pulled a grimace of frustration across his wasted face and turned back to Bellatrix. "If you're going to do anything to me, get it over with. I hate anticipation."
The male Longbottom didn't seem to notice the slack-jawed looks he was receiving from all of the older Aurors, not to mention some of the newer recruits. Could it possibly be true? Had Frank Longbottom just addressed people, who he couldn't even previously remember, by name? But Frank continued glaring at Bellatrix and the rest of the Death Eaters, never taking his eyes off of the woman who had ruined his chances of a normal life.
Finally, Moody sensed to regain control over his body. He snapped his jaw shut with an audible click and turned to face the Aurors. All of those who dared to take their eyes off of Frank now shivered as Moody's magical eye pointed into the back of his head, still aimed at the Death Eaters.
"Well," he hissed, "don't just stand there, we've got them outnumbered by far!"
He then turned around and stumped quickly the rest of the way into the room, followed by his coworkers. They then began dueling the helpless Death Eaters, who were now frantically trying to fight back against the rain of blows issuing from the pack of Aurors.
Finally, one by one, Voldemort's supported Disapparated with a pop. All that was left in their wake were the irked Aurors and a couple of befuddled Longbottoms. Both groups stared at one another for a while, neither making a move or a sound.
Frank and Alice were deathly confused. As far as they could tell, it was just November twentieth, but the way their former companions looked just confused them even more. By all the changes in the looks of the Aurors, especially Moody, as he was missing a rather large chunk of his nose that they'd previously remembered him having, they had aged nearly twenty years in a matter of merely a day. Husband and wife exchanged confused glances before turning back to the matter at hand.
"So, Alastor," Frank smiled nervously, "what happened to that there nose of yours?" Frank took his pointer finger, tapped his own nose, and cast a mock condescending look at the ex-Auror.
Alastor Moody just stood in shock, opening and closing his mouth as though he were exercising the worn out hinges of a door. A few of the Aurors backed towards the door, unable to face the idea that the long ago insane couple had regained some semblance of sanity and humor.
"F-Fr-Frank?" Moody asked, taking a tentative step forward. This caused Frank to frown, as Alastor had always either been calm and collected or completely paranoid. There was never an in between.
"Alastor, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost," Alice commented, standing up on unsteady legs and gazing curiously at him.
"Yes, Alastor. We just saw you yesterday evening. What's wrong?" Frank added his bit.
"Yesterday?" Moody choked on the words. "Frank! Alice! It's been fifteen years!"
A/N: Yes, it's another one of these endings, to another short chapter. I seem to be becoming rather fond of them, don't I? Well, sorry. Next chapter is MUCH longer. You have my word and you can hold me to it. Though, I don't know how long it'll take. -Anna Dearest