Wow, i havn't updated in aaaaages. Sorry, i've been busy with school and stuff, not to mention new Harry Potter to read and obsess about!

Thankies for reviewers (Including Russian League - wow, new name!) and i hope you enjoy this new chappie.

It was hard to return to normal. It was hard to see familiar faces and well-known places, and know that things would never be quite the same again. Over the next few months Ali and Frank clung to each other for support. They could never have managed alone.

But life has to go on, even when you don't want it to. The end of a hard winter brought a fresh spring. And, before you knew it summer had floated across Britain with a casual ease, bringing with it, wedding bells.

They were married in mid-June on one of the hottest days on record. The ceremony itself was quiet. A small registry office with just close friends and relatives, but the reception was huge. It seemed the world and his wife squashed themselves into the hotel garden and white marquee they'd hired for the day. Ali constantly found herself having long and intricate conversations with people she was sure she'd never met before. But as Ali regularly had long and intricate conversations with herself, this was all that difficult.Once or twice the pair did feel pangs that their late friend could not be there to see them on their happiest day, but they managed to enjoy themselves well enough. The smiling faces and frantic waving on the wedding photos were proof.

Apart from matrimony, there was one other thing Alice and Frank found themselves joining shortly after Michael's death. The Order of the Phoenix. They had their scheduled meeting with Albus Dumbledore, and he was quick to welcome them into the fold. Life in the Order was far different to life at the ministry. The members knew far more about the Dark Lord's movements and motives than even the most high up of aurors. The personal effects of his reign of terror were also more strongly felt. There was not a single person who came to their regular meetings who did not have a loved one lost, a sad story to tell.

Most of their friends from Hogwarts had been in the Order from the moment they first left school, others had only heard about it more recently. It was great, catching up with old mates, tossing around memories and good times, but the threat over their lives was intensified greatly by their membership, and it's not easy to forget something like that.

The Order, being a secret society, had escaped notice from the ministry. But despite this, Ali and Frank found out quickly that they were not the only aurors to have been sworn in. Quite a few of them, through all ranks and abilities, fought for the ministry during the day, and for the Order at night. It was hard to say which work was more dangerous, probably the Order stuff, as they did not have the support and back up at the hands of the other. This showed in the death rates reached by both sides. In general, the ministry lost ten aurors a month to the Dark Lord's cause. The Order lost twice this. Death with the Order was also a lot more personal. The fallen at the ministry were usually just unlucky, in the wrong place at the wrong time, hit by random Death Eater who probably had no idea who they'd killed. Order members were picked off one by one. The set attacks had been well thought out with chosen prey. Horrible curses were used. Whole families were murdered together.

But Ali and Frank pulled through. They survived death on countless occasions, as well as the much more difficult to avoid, grief. Many they knew and cared for were murdered. Often they saw it happen. You can never make yourself immune to the feelings you feel at the death of one you care about. Never. But you can learn better how to deal with them, how to cope. Ali and Frank learnt how to cope, together.

They did pass their auror training, and Ali did end up top of the class. It felt like the little slip of paper they were handed gave them the right to enter the real world. They were finally, undeniable, true aurors and true Order members. It was the official start to their magical careers. They had no idea, as they looked out on their families and friends sitting in the crowd and cheering, how tragically it would end.

Did they change? Had their personalities been altered by their experiences? Were they better? Stronger? Different people? Maybe in some ways they had altered. How could they not given what they'd seen? But deep inside they were the same. Their thoughts were still that of good, not evil. Their responsibilities were still to their loved ones, not to themselves. Their hearts were still very much to each, no one else. Frank was still serious and thoughtful. Ali was still giggly and friendly. But you still could not deny how much of an impact certain events had had on them.

About a year after their graduation, they were sitting in their flat (they'd brought a slightly larger one after their marriage) wasting away a lazy Sunday afternoon. It was not often the Longbottom's were allowed such free time, auror and Order duties were almost non-stop, but everyone needs time off once in a while. They were stretched out on the sofa listening offhandedly to the wireless in the background. Some soothing sounding blues was swirling through the air. The everyday noises of muggle Leeds floated through the window, laughter, talking, and cars. Frank was reading his newest novel and Ali was flicking through her favourite magazine. Her head was resting on his shoulder and she wiggled uncomfortably.

"You have such bony shoulders."

Frank was surprised, she sounded oddly snappish.

"Sorry." He handed her a cushion and she placed it next to her head before resting again.

Thirty seconds later she grumbled.

"Your feet are cold." She kicked them away from her so they fell of the end of the sofa.

"Sorry." Frank pulled them back up but placed them a good distance away from her. He started reading again.

A minute or so later.

"That page turning is getting on my nerves, can't you do it more quietly?"

"Honestly Ali." He put down his book and stared at her incredulously. "What's got into you this morning? You're being a complete grump."

"I am not!" she protested, "You're just being…annoying."

Frank raised an eyebrow.

"By turning the page."

"Yes, you don't have to do it so loudly."

"And your magazine is silent?"

"Oh, you wouldn't understand." With an affronted sigh Ali got to her feet and padded into the kitchen. Frank could hear her banging cupboard doors as she bustled about.

"We're out of tea bags!"

Frank ran his fingers through his short hair.

"Well go to the local shop and get some."

"Why should I go?" Ali asked storming back into the living room with her hands on her hips, "you were the last person to use them!"

"Actually your wrong there," he replied calmly," I don't like tea remember?"

Ali glared at him for a moment then turned back into the kitchen, muttering darkly.

Frank shook his head and smiled in amusement. He got up and followed her. Leaning casually in the doorframe, he watched her stomp about, complaining about everything from the lack of milk to the colour of the curtains.

"Ali," Frank said soothingly, "look, I can go to the shop for you if it's such a big deal."

"No, leave it," said Ali in her best, hard done by victim impression, "don't go to all that trouble for me."

Frank smiled again. She could be such a drama queen. He slipped forward and put his hands round her waist.

"Come on, your not acting like your normal self. What's up?"

"Nothing! I'm fine."

"Liar. You must have snapped at me at least thirty times already and it's only half twelve."

She pulled his hands away.

"Get off! I'm not in the mood."

"Ali," he tried to put a hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off.

"I said GET OFF!" She ran forward to the counter and leant on it, staring out of the window onto the quiet back street. A feeling of hopelessness had overwhelmed her and she suddenly felt like crying. She'd been lying when she'd said she was fine. In fact she'd been feeling dreadful for days. Her head was pounding and her emotions were all over the place. When she'd woken up this morning all she'd wanted to do was pull the covers over her head and go back to sleep. She was completely shattered, yet she must have got at least ten hours sleep the previous night. To sum it all up, she was a complete wreck.

"Frank looked at her in concern. He hated seeing her upset. After a few moments of tense silence he tried again to speak, keeping a safe distance away.

"Ali, I'm sor-"

"No," she pushed herself back up and ran her hands down her face. She pushed down hard on her eyelids, trying to release the pressure inside. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you. I just been feeling so-"

A strange beeping had filled the room. Ali broke off and stared round, before shaking her head in realisation. A small black box was sitting innocently on the sideboard. The noise did not seem to be coming out of it, but they knew it was.

Striding forward, Frank grabbed it and opened it. It was just as plain inside made of cold metal and coated in plastic, it should have weighed quite a bit, but to hold it was almost weightless. Frank pulled his wand from his belt and a traced a circle through the air around the box, muttering an incantation as he did so. A faint humming joined the sound of beeping and blue light bunched in a sphere around the little black box. When the light became so thick you could hardly see the box, Frank drew his hand back. It floated unattended in the air.

All at one, the noises ceased and the light brightened. The voice of Elizabeth Allen, the auror head since Michael's death, filled the room as though she was standing right there.

"Everyone. I know it's short notice, but I needyou allat head quarters straight away. Everyone, we need all the help we can get. Rank information will be given in ten minutes so make sure you're here. Usual secrecy procedures please. See you there."

The light went out instantly and the box fell with a clatter to the floor. Frank scooped to pick it up, his expression was concerned.

Throughout all of that Ali had been leaning against the cabinet, examining the ceiling tiles. To someone unfamiliar with the communication methods favoured by the ministries aurors, this must have looked quite odd. Frank had been staring at the box and concentrating on the voice, while Ali had acted as though it wasn't there. The thing was, to her, it wasn't. All she could see was the box, plain as before, hanging in mid-air. There had been no blue light and no voice. If it had been her wand used however, if it had been her saying the incantation, it would be Frank seeing the half story.

This may seem odd and pointless to some, but actually, it was rather ingenious. Only wands recognised by the ministry could use the boxes, and only those who used the wand could see what happened. That way, if a Death Eater ever managed to steal one (they were issued toaurors as they entered fourth year) then he could not use his own wand to work it, nor could he listen in on correctly charmed one. It would have been possible I suppose, for a Death Eater to steal an aurors wand as well as his box. But because of the difficulty of using another wizard's wand, it was believed a complex charm such as the one that had to be used on the box would be impossible.

Frank slotted the box onto his belt. Its lightness made it easy to carry around.

"What did it say?" Ali asked, straightening up.

"It was Elizabeth, she wants us to go to Headquarters."

"Why us? Isn't it meant to be our day off?"

Frank shrugged.

"She said everyone, maybe it's a large mission. Have you heard off any coming up?"

Ali shook her head and grabbed her jacket from the hook by the door. She threw Frank his.

"Come on, we better get a move on or they'll go without us."

Frank caught his coat but didn't put it on.

"Ali, about what you were saying, are you still fine to go out? If your not well then-"

"It doesn't matter!" Ali snapped, "It's not important compared to this." She apparated out of the room.

Frank bit his lip and followed suit.

Aaaaaw, he's worried... And he has reason to be, find out why soon!