A/N: We're already at Chapter Twelve! Yay! I've decided to get rid of the
happy fluff attitude for a while and focus on "darker" things. So there
will be more angst and more pain. Just to inform you.
Disclaimer: No money is being made from this story (I wish) and everything but the plot and new characters belong to JKR and her associates.
Chapter Twelve: Frank and Alice Longbottom
Nine...ten...eleven...James counted angrily as he pulled the glittering red pins out of the map. Some of them poked into his skin, but he ignored him. He threw them into the bin lying by his desk. James began to rip to pictures of Sirius up, his moving Azkaban haunted face being shattered into pieces. Those too went into the dustbin.
"That's already better," he said grumpily. He sting of Sirius's long imprisonment still was a very hurtful wound to him. "How dare they!" he thought, as he began to retransform the room. By and by, the room hadn't changed much when he was done, but it certainly was an improvement. On his desk lay new pictures, photos of Harry and Lily during the summer, Sirius whooping up and down the street, Remus bent over a book...James smiled. He fingered the picture of Harry and Lily, holding tightly to its gold frame. Harry grinned widely, Lily ruffling his already untidy hair. A wave of sadness washed over James. While he had been there, had stood by his son in whatever form he could, in all reality he wasn't there. He didn't get to hold his son when he was sad, comfort him, and give him advice when he had no one else to turn to. Harry was so old, now past the childhood that James so desperately wanted to be apart of. They had missed so much. They could never regain all the long years that should have been full of memories, memories Lily and James had been looking forward to sharing for the rest of eternity...he set the photo back down, and shook his head. The others would be arriving soon and it wouldn't be a fine example for his fellow Aurors to walk in, finding tears in their leaders eyes. James opened one of the drawers in his desk and pulled something out. He unwrapped a small white cloth, and out fell a long stick of gold. James picked it up and stared at it. The words "Peter Pettigrew" were engraved on the flat surface. At first, James had wanted to pull the hand off the clock, and destroy it. But right before he did, he changed his mind and gently pried it off. He had tucked it away, putting it in his office. James didn't know how long he would keep it...maybe forever, as a reminder of the beautiful friendship the two once had together.
"How could he?" James mumbled sadly. For some reason he couldn't feel anger. It just completely shocked him how the happy boy he had gone to Hogwarts with, helped with homework, was one of the grooms at his wedding, the boy with whom they made a solemn pack to be friends forever, could have turned so bad, so...James sighed. Suddenly a girl with bright purple hair came bounding in, taking a good look around the room. James quickly put the clock hand back into the desk.
"That's much better. I like Sirius and all, but looking at his face everyday got on my nerves."
James chuckled at the girl, and smiled. The others were popping in to, grinning at the change in the room.
"Yes Tonks, I agree. Sirius is like a brother to me, but it would get annoying having to look at him every single minute of my work day," James said to Tonks who was slumping into a chair. By the time everyone arrived, the room was already bustling around, turning papers in and out of drawers, and sending paper owls through the doors. James was just about to sit down to a mountain of paperwork when Kingsley Shacklebot came over to him, bending in closely to James, voice in a hushed whisper.
"What should we do about Lucius Malfoy? From what we can see, he's trying to worm his way out of Azkaban. He's been bribing Fudge." James frowned as the man waited for an answer.
"What do you mean? I've had people keep a close eye on Fudge."
"Well he's been giving even more donations to St. Mungo's, and it seems to be making a difference in Fudge's opinion of his trial."
James rubbed his hair in thought, still frowning slightly. Suddenly something lit up in his eyes.
"Get me all the donation records of Lucius Malfoy!" he said sharply. James went scurrying around barking orders and a witch handed his a thick manila envelope. He pulled out the papers, flipping through them quickly. James ran his fingers down the exceptionally long lists, staggering at the large numbers. He checked the dates, his eyes narrowing. He turned to Tonks, who was watching him with interest.
"Tonks? Could you please get me The Longbottom folder?"
She nodded and seconds later came back with even more papers. Silently James looked at the first sheet, scanning the date with his eyes, which widened. He laid the sheet next to the one of Lucius Malfoys.
"Look at the dates..."he pointed at two dates, one on each paper. Tonks leaned in and looked down. Her eyes which looked puzzled turned to a dawning realization.
"It couldn't be..." she said weakly.
"Come on," he said, grabbing her arm.
"Where are we going?"
"We're going to do some field work," James said curtly. They apparated out of the office, and into the lobby of a white building.
"Tonks, change your hair. We're trying to look professional."
"Fine," Tonks sighed, screwing up her face. The purple spikes were replaced by waves of blonde. "Better?"
"Better." James walked up to the main desk, at which a very bored witch sat.
"May I help you," she said, eyes barely looking at the two of them.
"Yes, we're here on investigation. We need to speak to the doctors of a certain Frank and Alice Longbottom," James said professionally.
"I'm afraid I'm going to need to see some I.D. before I can let you pass," she said, eyes narrowing, though she looked much more interested in the two people in front of her. James sighed and pulled back his black robes. A large silver badge with the words "James Potter: Head Auror" was pinned in the enfolds of the materials. Tonks did the same, though her badge was bronze and a lot smaller. The girl looked at the badges closely and nodded her head.
"Sixth floor, the only ward there is. Ask for the Healer-in-Charge, Edward Rizinsky."
"Thank you very much," Tonks said politely, running after James who was already walking away. The two made their way up to the top floor, entering the elevator. Healers were walking in and out, some carrying trays of food or vials of potions. They finally reached the highest ward. As they walked up, they bumped into a healer, walking away from two beds at the end of the room.
"Can I help you?" she asked sweetly, pulling her blonde hair back away from her face.
"Yes, we need to talk to Edward Rizinsky about the Longbottoms."
"I'll get him," she said, and then sighing sadly, "It's such a shame what happened to them, and to their son. He comes here on most holidays. Poor dear. From what I've heard, they were very much in love, Alice and Frank Longbottom."
"Yes, they were very much in love," James said softly, eyes misting over as at the thought of his two old friends.
"You speak as if you knew them. Did you?" the healer asked, slightly surprised.
"As a matter of fact I did. I knew them very well."
"Like I said, it's a dying shame. I'll go get Healer Rizinsky now." She bustled away, and soon a middle-aged man was standing before them.
"Please come into my office," he said, leading them away. Once they were sitting down, the man began to file through papers. "Now, what can I do for you?" he asked not looking up. James immediately became agitated and tried to keep his voice under control.
"We need to discuss the Longbottom case in relation to Lucius Malfoy's donations to St. Mungo's," James said. Rizinsky looked up from his papers, eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Mr. Malfoy has been very generous to this establishment for a very long time and he has been unjustly put into Azkaban. I am among those who support him."
"Very long time you say? Sixteen years to be in fact?" James said, voice rising. Tonks looked at him warningly.
"Yes, I would say that was about the right time frame," the healer said placidly.
"Look at this," James said dangerously, throwing two papers on the desk. The doctor eyes them, and looked back up.
"What about them?"
"The dates! The dates!"
The doctor looked back down again, tracing his finger to the dates. He stared at them for a moment, and then slowly put the papers down.
"So?" he said slowly.
"So?" said Tonks incredulously. "The dates are near each other. Mr. Malfoy's began to make his "generous donations" just days after the Longbottoms were brought here!"
"That is just a coincidence! As I said before, Mr. Malfoy is an upstanding member of society, who has been wrongly accused," he paused, and James looked like he was at his breaking point, but the doctor continued. "Wrongly accused by your crazy son! If anyone should be here it should be him!" There was a rush of robes next. James had leapt forward towards the doctor, Tonks grabbing tightly onto James to pull him back, the doctor slumping against the wall. He cowered as James towered over him.
"Never...say that...about my son...ever...EVER!" James yelled, raising his wand. Tonks pulled his arm down.
"James!" she said sharply. James sputtered a bit, breathing sharply. Tonks swore she heard him mutter something along the lines of "acting just like Lily..."
"Lets go," James said, once again pulling Tonks away. As they walked out the sweet healer smiled at them.
"Did you find what you needed?" she asked. James still seemed to be reeling, so Tonks answered for him.
"Yes, we did. We've got to be going."
"Would you like to see the Longbottoms Mr. Potter?" the woman said kindly, "They don't usually have visitors, and you seemed to have been close friends with them..." James paused and turned around. Some part of him very much wanted to see them, somehow see the cause of his anger. But another feeling crept up on him. Fear. Pure fear. The fear he felt when Harry had bumped his head on the table as a baby, when Lily was sick and had to be brought to the hospital, when Remus nearly killed himself during a transformation. The fear he felt when their door burst open one October night many years ago. But he knew he needed to do it...for some reason, even if he didn't know what it was.
"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I would like that very much. Tonks, you can go back to the office. I won't be long."
"Are you sure James?" Tonks asked quietly, looking nervous.
"Yes, I 'm sure."
"Alright..." she said undecidedly, walking back into the elevator.
"They're just at the end of the ward Mr. Potter," the healer said.
"Thank you," James said, slowly moving down the aisle. He peered around the curtains. And there on the beds sat Frank and Alice Longbottom. What he saw made him gasp and he wondered what had happened to the happy couple he once knew...
"I don't know if I can ask her James! I know she'll say no!" said a Frank Longbottom nervously.
"Frank, I've seen the way you two look at each other! She'll say yes!" James said exasperatedly. "I thought the same thing when I was going to propose to Lily. And she said yes to me. To me! I'm fifty times less husband material than you are, and a beautiful girl said yes to me! I swear to god if you ask Alice, she'll say yes. Trust me!" James slapped Frank on the back, who was still looking nervous. He glanced over at a girl, a very pretty girl across the room who had a sweet round face and brown-blonde curls. Her eyes were sparkling blue as she laughed with the red head next to her. The band suddenly struck up a slow tune, and James whispered in Frank's ear again.
"Now's your chance!" James walked off to Lily and grabbed her in his arms. They began to dance around the room, staring deeply into each other's eyes. Frank took his eyes off the couple and back to Alice who had begun to walk over to him.
"Frank Longbottom!" she said in a tone of mock anger, failing desperately to keep a straight face. "The song has been playing for ten seconds and you still haven't asked me to dance!" She smiled, all her sweetness shining through. Frank didn't even have to be asked twice. He held her close to him, and he could feel her heart beating next to his. For a minute they danced close together. A soft flute instrumental began to play. Frank suddenly stopped. It was now or never. He took a breath. Alice looked at him worriedly.
"What is it Frank?" she asked, a slightly shocked look on her face. Frank didn't answer, but right there in the middle of the dance floor, he got down on one knee. Alice gasped slightly. The movement around them seemed to stop, though the music was still playing.
"Alice, I love you," Frank started. He could make out James and Lily staring happily at him, urging him to go on. "I need you, you make me ten times better than I am. You," he took a breath, "are everything that I've ever needed. Alice, will you marry me?" Frank reached inside his robes and pulled out a small black box, which he popped open. A small gold ring that held a diamond sat in the middle on the velvet cushion. Frank waited for her answer, holding his breath in tightly till he felt he would explode. His mind went numb as he saw tears in her eyes. "I knew she'd say no..." He wanted to get up off the ground and run away...run far away...but he was glued to the floor. As he was working up the will to move, she did something he wasn't expecting. She nodded her head.
"What?" Frank said numbly.
"Yes, stupid, yes. I'll marry you!" She flung her arms around his neck, and he stumbled backwards. It took him a moment to realize she had agreed. But suddenly he felt a wonderful surge fill him. He slipped the ring on her finger and twirled her around the room. The crowd clapped and Frank could hear James whooping. He could also make out a distinct "I told you so!"
"It sounds so good..." Alice said softly, burrowing her head into Frank's neck.
"What?" he asked laughing, looking down into her perfect baby blue eyes. She looked at him exactly as Lily looked at James and Frank felt warmth surge through him.
"Mrs. Alice Longbottom..."
Alice's once bouncy curls were a wispy white and they lay dead around her face. Blue eyes deadened and haunted, not really looking at something...Frank was humming to himself, not happily, nor really sounding like anything, just humming. His brown hair too was graying, and he was playing with some wrappers.
"Frank? Alice?" James asked weakly. Surprisingly, they looked at him. "Hey guys..." James said slowly moving towards them. He reached out towards Alice, hoping her image would disappear as he touched her. But she didn't. He fingered her hair for a moment, Alice not really noticing.
"Why aren't you better?" James said desperately. "Why? With magic, magic can heal anything..." a gentle sob escaped his lips. They weren't them anymore...they weren't his friends. "Come on Frank, talk to me..." James pleaded to the man. In turn, Frank just walked over to James and held out his hand. James, surprised at his reaction opened up his palm. Frank put a wrapper into his hand, and James un-crumpled it. It was a Drooble's Best Blowing Gum wrapper. "How can you be you? How could this happen?" James said closing his eyes and imagining the look on their faces when the had Neville...
"They're so beautiful aren't they?" Alice said happily to Lily, as Harry and Neville slept next to each other. Neville's brown hair blew around softly in the wind that was blowing through the open window.
"Hopefully they'll be great friends one day," Frank said smiling at his baby boy. James nodded his head and ruffled Harry's jet-black hair gently. The little boy shifted slightly.
"Isn't this perfect Lily," Alice said smiling. "We both have our own baby boys, the men of our dreams," Alice kissed Frank and they held each other tightly, "What could ever go wrong?"
"We should have known..." James said softly, "Everything always goes wrong." He held on tightly to the wrapper and held onto Alice's hand. At first it was very cold, but suddenly something made it very warm. James looked into her eyes and for one split second he thought he saw something inside of them. Something that wasn't strangled by insanity. But the look was gone as quickly as it had come. James slowly backed away, finally walking back down the hallway, leaving his old friends behind. It was at that moment he truly felt lucky to exist. To even hold Lily and Harry, knowing it was them, being able to feel them, love them. A single tear fell down his cheek and he put the wrapper carefully away in his pocket.
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"He was crying...James was crying...please understand me...please see something..." the woman thought. But before she think anything again, a sharp pain slammed into her head and she fell back into her state of insanity. Though she couldn't think, she could tell the man was leaving...a familiar man...who was he? She knew him...she knew him very well...but who was he?
"It's James idiot! James Potter! He's alive again remember?" said a voice in her head. The pain was back again...that horrible pain...the girl began to hum to herself, mind turning into a complete blank.
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"My lord...Potter is asking questions about the Longbottom's," said a one of two men who were bending on a knee near sweeping black robes. Voldemort spoke harshly with an icy voice.
"Curse James Potter! Of all the filthy humans to come out of that veil, he had to be one of them. Drooble!" he said sharply.
"Yes, M'Lord?" the second man said nervously.
"We made a deal Drooble. You'd help keep the Longbottom's indisposed by giving Malfoy the money for his donations, which helped keep my faithful servants in the hospital. I've heard you are thinking about stopping giving us our donations. Maybe it is we who should withdraw our support from your organization, perhaps exposing you scheme. You'd be thrown in Azkaban." Voldemort laughed cruelly.
"No, Lord, no!" Drooble said hastily. "We at Drooble's Best Blowing Gum have no intention of slowing down your funding. None at all!"
"Well, maybe it is you Rizinsky, who should be exposed," Voldemort said in a low hiss. "The Longbottom's seem to be regaining control of their minds, and we can't have that now can we?"
"L-lord," Rizinsky said, voice rising, "It is hard to keep such a firm grip on their minds with my new Trainee Healer. The girl keeps such a close watch on them. It is hard to use some of my more harsh methods."
"Then we will find a way to dispose of her. I expect better results from both of you...maybe you need a reminder of what the consequences will be if you fail..." Voldemort raised his wand and the two men kneeling on the floor squeaked loudly and cringed. They both knew what was coming.
"CRUCIO!"
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A/N: Phew! I finally finished. It took me awhile, so I'm sorry to the long wait. I wanted to finish a few chapters before I posted, so the post will come at more regular intervals! Thank you!
Disclaimer: No money is being made from this story (I wish) and everything but the plot and new characters belong to JKR and her associates.
Chapter Twelve: Frank and Alice Longbottom
Nine...ten...eleven...James counted angrily as he pulled the glittering red pins out of the map. Some of them poked into his skin, but he ignored him. He threw them into the bin lying by his desk. James began to rip to pictures of Sirius up, his moving Azkaban haunted face being shattered into pieces. Those too went into the dustbin.
"That's already better," he said grumpily. He sting of Sirius's long imprisonment still was a very hurtful wound to him. "How dare they!" he thought, as he began to retransform the room. By and by, the room hadn't changed much when he was done, but it certainly was an improvement. On his desk lay new pictures, photos of Harry and Lily during the summer, Sirius whooping up and down the street, Remus bent over a book...James smiled. He fingered the picture of Harry and Lily, holding tightly to its gold frame. Harry grinned widely, Lily ruffling his already untidy hair. A wave of sadness washed over James. While he had been there, had stood by his son in whatever form he could, in all reality he wasn't there. He didn't get to hold his son when he was sad, comfort him, and give him advice when he had no one else to turn to. Harry was so old, now past the childhood that James so desperately wanted to be apart of. They had missed so much. They could never regain all the long years that should have been full of memories, memories Lily and James had been looking forward to sharing for the rest of eternity...he set the photo back down, and shook his head. The others would be arriving soon and it wouldn't be a fine example for his fellow Aurors to walk in, finding tears in their leaders eyes. James opened one of the drawers in his desk and pulled something out. He unwrapped a small white cloth, and out fell a long stick of gold. James picked it up and stared at it. The words "Peter Pettigrew" were engraved on the flat surface. At first, James had wanted to pull the hand off the clock, and destroy it. But right before he did, he changed his mind and gently pried it off. He had tucked it away, putting it in his office. James didn't know how long he would keep it...maybe forever, as a reminder of the beautiful friendship the two once had together.
"How could he?" James mumbled sadly. For some reason he couldn't feel anger. It just completely shocked him how the happy boy he had gone to Hogwarts with, helped with homework, was one of the grooms at his wedding, the boy with whom they made a solemn pack to be friends forever, could have turned so bad, so...James sighed. Suddenly a girl with bright purple hair came bounding in, taking a good look around the room. James quickly put the clock hand back into the desk.
"That's much better. I like Sirius and all, but looking at his face everyday got on my nerves."
James chuckled at the girl, and smiled. The others were popping in to, grinning at the change in the room.
"Yes Tonks, I agree. Sirius is like a brother to me, but it would get annoying having to look at him every single minute of my work day," James said to Tonks who was slumping into a chair. By the time everyone arrived, the room was already bustling around, turning papers in and out of drawers, and sending paper owls through the doors. James was just about to sit down to a mountain of paperwork when Kingsley Shacklebot came over to him, bending in closely to James, voice in a hushed whisper.
"What should we do about Lucius Malfoy? From what we can see, he's trying to worm his way out of Azkaban. He's been bribing Fudge." James frowned as the man waited for an answer.
"What do you mean? I've had people keep a close eye on Fudge."
"Well he's been giving even more donations to St. Mungo's, and it seems to be making a difference in Fudge's opinion of his trial."
James rubbed his hair in thought, still frowning slightly. Suddenly something lit up in his eyes.
"Get me all the donation records of Lucius Malfoy!" he said sharply. James went scurrying around barking orders and a witch handed his a thick manila envelope. He pulled out the papers, flipping through them quickly. James ran his fingers down the exceptionally long lists, staggering at the large numbers. He checked the dates, his eyes narrowing. He turned to Tonks, who was watching him with interest.
"Tonks? Could you please get me The Longbottom folder?"
She nodded and seconds later came back with even more papers. Silently James looked at the first sheet, scanning the date with his eyes, which widened. He laid the sheet next to the one of Lucius Malfoys.
"Look at the dates..."he pointed at two dates, one on each paper. Tonks leaned in and looked down. Her eyes which looked puzzled turned to a dawning realization.
"It couldn't be..." she said weakly.
"Come on," he said, grabbing her arm.
"Where are we going?"
"We're going to do some field work," James said curtly. They apparated out of the office, and into the lobby of a white building.
"Tonks, change your hair. We're trying to look professional."
"Fine," Tonks sighed, screwing up her face. The purple spikes were replaced by waves of blonde. "Better?"
"Better." James walked up to the main desk, at which a very bored witch sat.
"May I help you," she said, eyes barely looking at the two of them.
"Yes, we're here on investigation. We need to speak to the doctors of a certain Frank and Alice Longbottom," James said professionally.
"I'm afraid I'm going to need to see some I.D. before I can let you pass," she said, eyes narrowing, though she looked much more interested in the two people in front of her. James sighed and pulled back his black robes. A large silver badge with the words "James Potter: Head Auror" was pinned in the enfolds of the materials. Tonks did the same, though her badge was bronze and a lot smaller. The girl looked at the badges closely and nodded her head.
"Sixth floor, the only ward there is. Ask for the Healer-in-Charge, Edward Rizinsky."
"Thank you very much," Tonks said politely, running after James who was already walking away. The two made their way up to the top floor, entering the elevator. Healers were walking in and out, some carrying trays of food or vials of potions. They finally reached the highest ward. As they walked up, they bumped into a healer, walking away from two beds at the end of the room.
"Can I help you?" she asked sweetly, pulling her blonde hair back away from her face.
"Yes, we need to talk to Edward Rizinsky about the Longbottoms."
"I'll get him," she said, and then sighing sadly, "It's such a shame what happened to them, and to their son. He comes here on most holidays. Poor dear. From what I've heard, they were very much in love, Alice and Frank Longbottom."
"Yes, they were very much in love," James said softly, eyes misting over as at the thought of his two old friends.
"You speak as if you knew them. Did you?" the healer asked, slightly surprised.
"As a matter of fact I did. I knew them very well."
"Like I said, it's a dying shame. I'll go get Healer Rizinsky now." She bustled away, and soon a middle-aged man was standing before them.
"Please come into my office," he said, leading them away. Once they were sitting down, the man began to file through papers. "Now, what can I do for you?" he asked not looking up. James immediately became agitated and tried to keep his voice under control.
"We need to discuss the Longbottom case in relation to Lucius Malfoy's donations to St. Mungo's," James said. Rizinsky looked up from his papers, eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Mr. Malfoy has been very generous to this establishment for a very long time and he has been unjustly put into Azkaban. I am among those who support him."
"Very long time you say? Sixteen years to be in fact?" James said, voice rising. Tonks looked at him warningly.
"Yes, I would say that was about the right time frame," the healer said placidly.
"Look at this," James said dangerously, throwing two papers on the desk. The doctor eyes them, and looked back up.
"What about them?"
"The dates! The dates!"
The doctor looked back down again, tracing his finger to the dates. He stared at them for a moment, and then slowly put the papers down.
"So?" he said slowly.
"So?" said Tonks incredulously. "The dates are near each other. Mr. Malfoy's began to make his "generous donations" just days after the Longbottoms were brought here!"
"That is just a coincidence! As I said before, Mr. Malfoy is an upstanding member of society, who has been wrongly accused," he paused, and James looked like he was at his breaking point, but the doctor continued. "Wrongly accused by your crazy son! If anyone should be here it should be him!" There was a rush of robes next. James had leapt forward towards the doctor, Tonks grabbing tightly onto James to pull him back, the doctor slumping against the wall. He cowered as James towered over him.
"Never...say that...about my son...ever...EVER!" James yelled, raising his wand. Tonks pulled his arm down.
"James!" she said sharply. James sputtered a bit, breathing sharply. Tonks swore she heard him mutter something along the lines of "acting just like Lily..."
"Lets go," James said, once again pulling Tonks away. As they walked out the sweet healer smiled at them.
"Did you find what you needed?" she asked. James still seemed to be reeling, so Tonks answered for him.
"Yes, we did. We've got to be going."
"Would you like to see the Longbottoms Mr. Potter?" the woman said kindly, "They don't usually have visitors, and you seemed to have been close friends with them..." James paused and turned around. Some part of him very much wanted to see them, somehow see the cause of his anger. But another feeling crept up on him. Fear. Pure fear. The fear he felt when Harry had bumped his head on the table as a baby, when Lily was sick and had to be brought to the hospital, when Remus nearly killed himself during a transformation. The fear he felt when their door burst open one October night many years ago. But he knew he needed to do it...for some reason, even if he didn't know what it was.
"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I would like that very much. Tonks, you can go back to the office. I won't be long."
"Are you sure James?" Tonks asked quietly, looking nervous.
"Yes, I 'm sure."
"Alright..." she said undecidedly, walking back into the elevator.
"They're just at the end of the ward Mr. Potter," the healer said.
"Thank you," James said, slowly moving down the aisle. He peered around the curtains. And there on the beds sat Frank and Alice Longbottom. What he saw made him gasp and he wondered what had happened to the happy couple he once knew...
"I don't know if I can ask her James! I know she'll say no!" said a Frank Longbottom nervously.
"Frank, I've seen the way you two look at each other! She'll say yes!" James said exasperatedly. "I thought the same thing when I was going to propose to Lily. And she said yes to me. To me! I'm fifty times less husband material than you are, and a beautiful girl said yes to me! I swear to god if you ask Alice, she'll say yes. Trust me!" James slapped Frank on the back, who was still looking nervous. He glanced over at a girl, a very pretty girl across the room who had a sweet round face and brown-blonde curls. Her eyes were sparkling blue as she laughed with the red head next to her. The band suddenly struck up a slow tune, and James whispered in Frank's ear again.
"Now's your chance!" James walked off to Lily and grabbed her in his arms. They began to dance around the room, staring deeply into each other's eyes. Frank took his eyes off the couple and back to Alice who had begun to walk over to him.
"Frank Longbottom!" she said in a tone of mock anger, failing desperately to keep a straight face. "The song has been playing for ten seconds and you still haven't asked me to dance!" She smiled, all her sweetness shining through. Frank didn't even have to be asked twice. He held her close to him, and he could feel her heart beating next to his. For a minute they danced close together. A soft flute instrumental began to play. Frank suddenly stopped. It was now or never. He took a breath. Alice looked at him worriedly.
"What is it Frank?" she asked, a slightly shocked look on her face. Frank didn't answer, but right there in the middle of the dance floor, he got down on one knee. Alice gasped slightly. The movement around them seemed to stop, though the music was still playing.
"Alice, I love you," Frank started. He could make out James and Lily staring happily at him, urging him to go on. "I need you, you make me ten times better than I am. You," he took a breath, "are everything that I've ever needed. Alice, will you marry me?" Frank reached inside his robes and pulled out a small black box, which he popped open. A small gold ring that held a diamond sat in the middle on the velvet cushion. Frank waited for her answer, holding his breath in tightly till he felt he would explode. His mind went numb as he saw tears in her eyes. "I knew she'd say no..." He wanted to get up off the ground and run away...run far away...but he was glued to the floor. As he was working up the will to move, she did something he wasn't expecting. She nodded her head.
"What?" Frank said numbly.
"Yes, stupid, yes. I'll marry you!" She flung her arms around his neck, and he stumbled backwards. It took him a moment to realize she had agreed. But suddenly he felt a wonderful surge fill him. He slipped the ring on her finger and twirled her around the room. The crowd clapped and Frank could hear James whooping. He could also make out a distinct "I told you so!"
"It sounds so good..." Alice said softly, burrowing her head into Frank's neck.
"What?" he asked laughing, looking down into her perfect baby blue eyes. She looked at him exactly as Lily looked at James and Frank felt warmth surge through him.
"Mrs. Alice Longbottom..."
Alice's once bouncy curls were a wispy white and they lay dead around her face. Blue eyes deadened and haunted, not really looking at something...Frank was humming to himself, not happily, nor really sounding like anything, just humming. His brown hair too was graying, and he was playing with some wrappers.
"Frank? Alice?" James asked weakly. Surprisingly, they looked at him. "Hey guys..." James said slowly moving towards them. He reached out towards Alice, hoping her image would disappear as he touched her. But she didn't. He fingered her hair for a moment, Alice not really noticing.
"Why aren't you better?" James said desperately. "Why? With magic, magic can heal anything..." a gentle sob escaped his lips. They weren't them anymore...they weren't his friends. "Come on Frank, talk to me..." James pleaded to the man. In turn, Frank just walked over to James and held out his hand. James, surprised at his reaction opened up his palm. Frank put a wrapper into his hand, and James un-crumpled it. It was a Drooble's Best Blowing Gum wrapper. "How can you be you? How could this happen?" James said closing his eyes and imagining the look on their faces when the had Neville...
"They're so beautiful aren't they?" Alice said happily to Lily, as Harry and Neville slept next to each other. Neville's brown hair blew around softly in the wind that was blowing through the open window.
"Hopefully they'll be great friends one day," Frank said smiling at his baby boy. James nodded his head and ruffled Harry's jet-black hair gently. The little boy shifted slightly.
"Isn't this perfect Lily," Alice said smiling. "We both have our own baby boys, the men of our dreams," Alice kissed Frank and they held each other tightly, "What could ever go wrong?"
"We should have known..." James said softly, "Everything always goes wrong." He held on tightly to the wrapper and held onto Alice's hand. At first it was very cold, but suddenly something made it very warm. James looked into her eyes and for one split second he thought he saw something inside of them. Something that wasn't strangled by insanity. But the look was gone as quickly as it had come. James slowly backed away, finally walking back down the hallway, leaving his old friends behind. It was at that moment he truly felt lucky to exist. To even hold Lily and Harry, knowing it was them, being able to feel them, love them. A single tear fell down his cheek and he put the wrapper carefully away in his pocket.
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"He was crying...James was crying...please understand me...please see something..." the woman thought. But before she think anything again, a sharp pain slammed into her head and she fell back into her state of insanity. Though she couldn't think, she could tell the man was leaving...a familiar man...who was he? She knew him...she knew him very well...but who was he?
"It's James idiot! James Potter! He's alive again remember?" said a voice in her head. The pain was back again...that horrible pain...the girl began to hum to herself, mind turning into a complete blank.
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"My lord...Potter is asking questions about the Longbottom's," said a one of two men who were bending on a knee near sweeping black robes. Voldemort spoke harshly with an icy voice.
"Curse James Potter! Of all the filthy humans to come out of that veil, he had to be one of them. Drooble!" he said sharply.
"Yes, M'Lord?" the second man said nervously.
"We made a deal Drooble. You'd help keep the Longbottom's indisposed by giving Malfoy the money for his donations, which helped keep my faithful servants in the hospital. I've heard you are thinking about stopping giving us our donations. Maybe it is we who should withdraw our support from your organization, perhaps exposing you scheme. You'd be thrown in Azkaban." Voldemort laughed cruelly.
"No, Lord, no!" Drooble said hastily. "We at Drooble's Best Blowing Gum have no intention of slowing down your funding. None at all!"
"Well, maybe it is you Rizinsky, who should be exposed," Voldemort said in a low hiss. "The Longbottom's seem to be regaining control of their minds, and we can't have that now can we?"
"L-lord," Rizinsky said, voice rising, "It is hard to keep such a firm grip on their minds with my new Trainee Healer. The girl keeps such a close watch on them. It is hard to use some of my more harsh methods."
"Then we will find a way to dispose of her. I expect better results from both of you...maybe you need a reminder of what the consequences will be if you fail..." Voldemort raised his wand and the two men kneeling on the floor squeaked loudly and cringed. They both knew what was coming.
"CRUCIO!"
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A/N: Phew! I finally finished. It took me awhile, so I'm sorry to the long wait. I wanted to finish a few chapters before I posted, so the post will come at more regular intervals! Thank you!