A/N: Here's another update. -Anna Dearest
Chapter Eighteen
"My head...." Frank mumbled, sitting up slowly.
"Frank?" a voice to his right asked.
"Alice?" Frank's head whipped around faster than he thought possible, causing it to throb dully. He took in the appearance of his wife. Her eyes were red and puffy, a box of tissues clutched tightly to her chest. "What happened, love?" he asked.
"It's Neville!" she sobbed. Frank quickly moved over to his wife's side on her bed.
"What about Neville?" he asked, his voice tense.
"He-he-he, well he was, You-Know-Who!"
"You-Know-Who's gone, Alice," Frank replied sternly.
"He came back and took Neville!" she wailed.
"W-what?!"
"It's been fifteen years, Frank," Alice said quietly, suddenly calm. "We've missed fifteen years of our son's life. He was at Hogwarts, too. He was at Hogsmeade, and there was an attack. He was kidnapped."
"He was at Hogwarts?" Frank questioned, just as quietly. Memories of his son, just as an infant flashed through his mind. Alice nodded slowly. "And he's been kidnapped?"
"Yes," she hissed. The door to the infirmary creaked open as Albus Dumbledore made his entrance.
"I see you too are both awake and reaquainted," he observed calmly.
"What's this about Neville being kidnapped?" Frank asked angrily, standing up from his position on the bed beside Alice.
"I see you mother took the liberty of telling you," Dumbledore replied in a sad tone. "She left just a few moments ago."
"Mother....oh, mother!" Frank said, comprehension dawning on his face. "But what about Neville?"
"You son, a sixth year at school, was kidnapped weeks ago while visiting Hogsmeade on the weekend."
Frank looked in disbelief at Dumbledore, before shifting his gaze to his wife, who simply nodded under his gaze. He sank back onto the bed and put his head between his hands. A sudden memory, a face Frank had seen for only moments when he had regained consciousness the first time.
"Black!" he hissed. "What is Sirius Black doing here?!?"
"Sirius Black?" Alice gasped, a hand clamping over her mouth. "Here? At Hogwarts?"
"I see your mother did not explain that much," Dumbledore replied calmly, conjuring a chair before them. "Sirius Black is innocent. He was framed by Peter Pettigrew, who was made the Secret Keeper without my knowing. He then faked his own death and left Sirius to take the blame and rot in Azkaban."
"Oh," was all the couple could muster.
"But you're sure?" Frank asked finally.
"Most definitely. There were witnesses who have seen Pettigrew, including Remus."
"That explains a lot," Frank mumbled.
"But what about Neville?" Alice pleaded. "What do we do?"
"Currently, I have spies searching for your son at various Death Eater hideouts. We have seen evidence of your son's prescence in a few areas, though we have not actually seen Neville."
"Will we be able to get him back?" Frank asked, his voice hard. He had missed fifteen years of his son's life. He'd be damned if he missed much more.
"I'll be honest," Dumbledore said, heaving a heavy sigh. "The chances of retrieving Neville in one peice become slimmer everyday. However, we have not yet given up hope."
"Very well," Frank sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
"In the meantime, get some rest. You'll need it."
"Wake up, Nevvy," Bellatrix cooed sarcastically. "We have a surprise for you."
Neville's eyes flickered open and he groaned involuntarily. Bellatrix Lestrange towered above him, a triumphant smirk in place on her lips. She grasped his upper arm while her husband got his other arm. They then hauled the boy to his feet, eliciting another moan of pain from him.
"Now, now," Bellatrix cackled, "Don't get excited yet."
"What-?" Neville slurred.
"Come on," Bellatrix said gleefully, hauling Neville out of the cell and down the corridor, surrounded by her fellow Death Eaters.
"I see you brought Longbottom," Voldemort sneered, looking at the pitiful excuse for a teenage boy. "Bring him forward."
"Yes, My Lord," Bellatrix replied eagerly, bringing Neville forward. She left him crumple to the floor in front of another cell. At the back wall of the cell across from him, Neville could see a sliding door that trembled with the pressures being put on it from the other side.
"Open the door," Voldemort instructed. A Death Eater near the wall pulled on a long rope hanging from the ceiling. Growls could be heard from the other side. In what seemed to be an achingly slow motion, that really only took seconds, the door slid open, revealing the most hideous creature that Neville had ever seen.
In truth, it reminded him of the pictures of werewolves in their text books. However, something was terribly wrong. This creature was humongous, beyond the size of a normal werewolf. The eyes were purely golden-yellow, yet malicious. Neville shivered as the creature growled and snapped its jaws threateningly at the bars. The teeth themselves were huge and pointed, spaced properly and dripping with saliva. The fur on the beast's back rose as the creature howled in frustration at his entrapment.
"Meet Kyle Westerly," Voldemort laughed.
"W-what?" Neville stammered, eyes wide and still fixed on the growling beast before him.
"Kyle Westerly," Voldemort repeated. "A werewolf. Once a normal werewolf, transforming only during the full moon, much like one of your former professors. A peaceful man, a brave man, I hear. Look at my power, Longbottom. Do you feel so brave now?"
Neville's gaze fell to the floor and his shoulders became hunched. Voldemort smirked and stepped towards him.
"Someone always loses, Longbottom. He won't be the last. I don't know if you've caught on, but I plan on winning."
"Cornelius," Dumbledore said warniningly, "I only ask for your cooperation."
"But the GIANTS, Dumbledore?" Cornelius Fudge gaped from his position before the aged Headmaster.
"Would you prefer Voldemort get to them first?" Dumbledore asked coldly. A knock on the door alerted them to the arrival of McGonagall. She swept into the room with a curt nod to Fudge, handing a letter to Dumbledore, who sighed and put his head in his hands.
"It appears he beat you to it, Cornelius."
Chapter Eighteen
"My head...." Frank mumbled, sitting up slowly.
"Frank?" a voice to his right asked.
"Alice?" Frank's head whipped around faster than he thought possible, causing it to throb dully. He took in the appearance of his wife. Her eyes were red and puffy, a box of tissues clutched tightly to her chest. "What happened, love?" he asked.
"It's Neville!" she sobbed. Frank quickly moved over to his wife's side on her bed.
"What about Neville?" he asked, his voice tense.
"He-he-he, well he was, You-Know-Who!"
"You-Know-Who's gone, Alice," Frank replied sternly.
"He came back and took Neville!" she wailed.
"W-what?!"
"It's been fifteen years, Frank," Alice said quietly, suddenly calm. "We've missed fifteen years of our son's life. He was at Hogwarts, too. He was at Hogsmeade, and there was an attack. He was kidnapped."
"He was at Hogwarts?" Frank questioned, just as quietly. Memories of his son, just as an infant flashed through his mind. Alice nodded slowly. "And he's been kidnapped?"
"Yes," she hissed. The door to the infirmary creaked open as Albus Dumbledore made his entrance.
"I see you too are both awake and reaquainted," he observed calmly.
"What's this about Neville being kidnapped?" Frank asked angrily, standing up from his position on the bed beside Alice.
"I see you mother took the liberty of telling you," Dumbledore replied in a sad tone. "She left just a few moments ago."
"Mother....oh, mother!" Frank said, comprehension dawning on his face. "But what about Neville?"
"You son, a sixth year at school, was kidnapped weeks ago while visiting Hogsmeade on the weekend."
Frank looked in disbelief at Dumbledore, before shifting his gaze to his wife, who simply nodded under his gaze. He sank back onto the bed and put his head between his hands. A sudden memory, a face Frank had seen for only moments when he had regained consciousness the first time.
"Black!" he hissed. "What is Sirius Black doing here?!?"
"Sirius Black?" Alice gasped, a hand clamping over her mouth. "Here? At Hogwarts?"
"I see your mother did not explain that much," Dumbledore replied calmly, conjuring a chair before them. "Sirius Black is innocent. He was framed by Peter Pettigrew, who was made the Secret Keeper without my knowing. He then faked his own death and left Sirius to take the blame and rot in Azkaban."
"Oh," was all the couple could muster.
"But you're sure?" Frank asked finally.
"Most definitely. There were witnesses who have seen Pettigrew, including Remus."
"That explains a lot," Frank mumbled.
"But what about Neville?" Alice pleaded. "What do we do?"
"Currently, I have spies searching for your son at various Death Eater hideouts. We have seen evidence of your son's prescence in a few areas, though we have not actually seen Neville."
"Will we be able to get him back?" Frank asked, his voice hard. He had missed fifteen years of his son's life. He'd be damned if he missed much more.
"I'll be honest," Dumbledore said, heaving a heavy sigh. "The chances of retrieving Neville in one peice become slimmer everyday. However, we have not yet given up hope."
"Very well," Frank sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
"In the meantime, get some rest. You'll need it."
"Wake up, Nevvy," Bellatrix cooed sarcastically. "We have a surprise for you."
Neville's eyes flickered open and he groaned involuntarily. Bellatrix Lestrange towered above him, a triumphant smirk in place on her lips. She grasped his upper arm while her husband got his other arm. They then hauled the boy to his feet, eliciting another moan of pain from him.
"Now, now," Bellatrix cackled, "Don't get excited yet."
"What-?" Neville slurred.
"Come on," Bellatrix said gleefully, hauling Neville out of the cell and down the corridor, surrounded by her fellow Death Eaters.
"I see you brought Longbottom," Voldemort sneered, looking at the pitiful excuse for a teenage boy. "Bring him forward."
"Yes, My Lord," Bellatrix replied eagerly, bringing Neville forward. She left him crumple to the floor in front of another cell. At the back wall of the cell across from him, Neville could see a sliding door that trembled with the pressures being put on it from the other side.
"Open the door," Voldemort instructed. A Death Eater near the wall pulled on a long rope hanging from the ceiling. Growls could be heard from the other side. In what seemed to be an achingly slow motion, that really only took seconds, the door slid open, revealing the most hideous creature that Neville had ever seen.
In truth, it reminded him of the pictures of werewolves in their text books. However, something was terribly wrong. This creature was humongous, beyond the size of a normal werewolf. The eyes were purely golden-yellow, yet malicious. Neville shivered as the creature growled and snapped its jaws threateningly at the bars. The teeth themselves were huge and pointed, spaced properly and dripping with saliva. The fur on the beast's back rose as the creature howled in frustration at his entrapment.
"Meet Kyle Westerly," Voldemort laughed.
"W-what?" Neville stammered, eyes wide and still fixed on the growling beast before him.
"Kyle Westerly," Voldemort repeated. "A werewolf. Once a normal werewolf, transforming only during the full moon, much like one of your former professors. A peaceful man, a brave man, I hear. Look at my power, Longbottom. Do you feel so brave now?"
Neville's gaze fell to the floor and his shoulders became hunched. Voldemort smirked and stepped towards him.
"Someone always loses, Longbottom. He won't be the last. I don't know if you've caught on, but I plan on winning."
"Cornelius," Dumbledore said warniningly, "I only ask for your cooperation."
"But the GIANTS, Dumbledore?" Cornelius Fudge gaped from his position before the aged Headmaster.
"Would you prefer Voldemort get to them first?" Dumbledore asked coldly. A knock on the door alerted them to the arrival of McGonagall. She swept into the room with a curt nod to Fudge, handing a letter to Dumbledore, who sighed and put his head in his hands.
"It appears he beat you to it, Cornelius."