Chapter One
Thump. Thump.
Is that… a heartbeat? How? Is it mine?
But I'm dead, aren't I?
Oh well, At least I'm warm here and not burning in hell, anyway, why am I still here? Shouldn't I be on my way to my afterlife or whatever equivalent to it, instead of floating in this dark and warm space? I don't know how long it has been since I died, did anyone miss me? Grieve for me?
Ah, I can hear humming, I wonder who is humming? And why am I hearing it?
It's quite uncomfortable here, why is the space shrinking, No I want my space. I try to move my limbs, to stretch and get my space only to hear voices. They sound so distant, maybe there are other souls here with me in this space
"Frank! Come here, they moved", Squealed an excited voice, making me wonder why she is so excited, and how they know the other soul's name. After all, no one talked to me or told me their name and I have been here for a long time (for me at least). Maybe… No, I don't think it's possible, I'm sure I'm just a soul floating away in a void or something, but why do I have this strange sense of Deja Vu?
"I'm here, I'm here, so my darlings finally moved, did they kick you, my love? Are you in pain? Do you need a medi-", spoke a male voice, clearly concerned, only to be interrupted by the excited voice, "No, love, I'm perfectly alright, and it doesn't hurt, they were just stretching."
"Alice, I'm just worried, After all, pregnancies are not something to be careless about, especially when you're pregnant with twins", exclaimed the male voice, which I now Identified as Frank.
"Indeed, Alice, twins are rare in our circles, except for in some of the families like Prewett, Lestrange, and carrows, to name a few. I think you being a Prewett, even if it's a branch family, made this miracle possible", said a new older Male's voice. Hmm…these names kind of feel familiar, but why can't I remember where I heard them from, why is everything becoming so fuzzy?
"They are indeed a miracle, our miracle", Alice's voice said fondly.
Ok. So it's official, I'm currently in the womb of a woman Alice, who will be my mother if this is my new life. So I'm going to be born in a few months, but why am I aware of all this, I heard babies can hear heartbeats, voices, and music, but to hear this amount of conversation is just ridiculous. Maybe they hear it but just don't understand it, interesting…
Wait, maybe I'm hearing and understanding this because of some of the strange circumstances I'm currently in. If I'm going to be reincarnated, shouldn't I be a clean slate, with no memories, what's happening?
Oh, their voices are fading, why can't I hear them anymore? Why am I getting tired? I thought souls or fetuses don't get tired, I'm going to rest, but whatever happening is beyond my imagination, maybe I'm in a coma and imagining all of this scenario, I just hope it doesn't hurt when I'm born or wake from a coma, whichever is happening right now.
As time went on, I found out, that I'm going to be born again, all the while being aware of it. Oh my god, it's going to be so traumatizing that I'll die again. Maybe it's not that serious, but come on a girl could hope. Maybe If I gained awareness/ memories after I can function on my own, I would be over the moon, but now I have to start again with an adult mind. Potty training is something I'm certainly not looking forward to, to be honest. But at least, I have a new life, where I can try to be someone I want to be, maybe that's too much to hope for, but baby steps, right? But recently, I'm getting more lethargic, perhaps a higher being heard my thoughts. It's getting closer to my mother's labor date, but still being this aware, is creepy, I just hope there's some explanation for it. I still feel kind of familiar with the conversations, I'm hearing, but why?
Huh? Why is it so cold, where's my warm space, why does it hurt? I tried to say this, forgetting I can't speak in my soul or fetus's form, but I heard a baby's cry which was immediately followed by another, when I could finally form a coherent thought in my mind which was a jumbled mess of why, how and where, I realized that I'm crying or wailing. But all of it felt like I'm in underwater because I can't see or hear clearly. Maybe it's a baby thing? Then. How did I hear voices so clearly, when I was in my mother's womb?
My thoughts were interrupted when I felt my cold body become warm, as I was bundled in a blanket. I couldn't identify the color, because everything felt so disorientating and I can see some color as blobs here and there. It felt familiar when I was placed in the arms of the woman on the bed, whom I had never seen before, and I realized while I was out of it, that they were talking and decided to listen.
"Yes, your wife and your children are fine. There are no complications as this is one of the smoothest deliveries, I've seen. Now, do you have any names in your mind, or shall I come again a bit later, after you decide their names?" said a voice that had a kind tone in it. I don't recognize this voice, is she a doctor? Or a nurse? Maybe she's my parents' relation, who come to help with my mother's delivery.
"Yes, we already picked their names, since we learned of them", said an excited voice, which I recognized as Frank, who's my father if all the conversations I've heard were to be believed. "My son will be called Neville Frank Longbottom, and my daughter will be called Aurora Alice Longbottom." Wait a minute, I knew there was a catch, Longbottom, Neville, Alice, and frank? I knew those names, aren't they fictional? So when I heard the names Lestrange and Prewett, I wasn't misunderstanding. I thought being reincarnated with memories was a miracle itself, but to be born in a fictional world as a character that didn't exist in the harry potter universe, is on a whole another level.
I know, I'm not a prodigy, but why did it take so long for me to connect the dots?
"Neville and Aurora, welcome to the family, both of you are our family's pride and joy", Said a new voice fondly, I think it's our grandmother, Augusta Longbottom. My eyes are still not functioning enough, I can't see her, and everything's so blurry.
"Our miracles", agreed an older male voice, so familiar.
"Dad, I think, we should inform the others, that our miracles, came so unexpectedly, that we forgot about them. I'm sure they'll start rioting if they know we forgot them", chuckled Frank, dad I corrected mentally. So the older male voice is my grandfather and husband of Augusta Longbottom, I don't remember him from the books or movies, No, I should stop thinking about this as movies and books, this is my reality now, this is my new life, I should embrace it and cherish it.
"Yeah, Dad. I don't know about Remus and Peter, but I'm sure James and Sirius will be whining about it for a long time. Lily is also expecting, so maybe they'll get admitted today. But, I just hope they don't throw a party, here in St. Mungo's.", continued mom, giggling louder, jostling me slightly, when she heard Grandmother muttering about those boys and their ideas. Making grandfather laugh loudly at the idea of two man-boys running away from the mediwitches while wearing party outfits and sporting colorful hair.
"Alice, are you tired? Do you want me to hold one of them?" asked dad, with concern lacing his voice. "Yes, dear. I'm feeling a bit tired", admitted mom. "I'll take Aurora, Frank", said grandmother, taking me gently from my mother's arms and into her arms, rocking me slightly, making me aware of the sleepiness that was slowly approaching me.
"John, look Aurora, has your dimples, she also has your hair", exclaimed Grandmother to our grandfather, causing our father to say "but that's my hair as well, mother", who was then quieted by grandmother's shush. It seems our family is more close-knitted than what was portrayed, but how can you see it with only two people being conscious during the whole portrayal? I must try to stop whatever, caused us to fall apart, but how?
"Indeed, Augusta, she also has her mother's blue eyes. But Neville seems to have frank's brown eyes and Alice's blonde hair", replied Grandfather who seemed content watching his wife and son's antics.
As they conversed, I slowly fell asleep as exhaustion caught up to me. I hope my second attempt at life goes better than my first, I prayed as I succumbed.
Alice had always thought that she would marry after she became successful in her career and stable in life. After all, despite being born into a family, that doesn't think marrying your close relatives, meant being pure, she was still expected to have a child, as soon as she could, even if they were in the middle of a war. Because they must not let their line fade out. Oh, how she wished, that she could just tell them to go and birth new heirs themselves. But, no, a pureblood must never act uncouth, they say. That's why she wanted to be a brave and successful witch who could stand on her own legs instead of being a damsel in distress as muggles portray women to be. Thank goodness magicals weren't that stupid. But they still wanted women to always keep giving birth to worthy new children, who would continue their lines as their priority. She knew Aurors, were respected well enough, as there are plenty of well-known female leaders. There, they can choose their priorities themselves, instead of being led around the nose by others. These thoughts made her a Gryffindor, maybe being only ambitious and not cunning is not enough for a Slytherin? Well due to the political climate, it certainly was not advisable to get sorted in Slytherin, unless, you had enough money and power to come out unscathed.
As a Gryffindor, She worked hard for her grades, got great friends, and even got to practice combative magic, which could help her in her plans. Of course, fate always had her way. Puberty hit her hard, she knew she had a goal and wanted to work hard on it, but her friends and admirers also didn't help much in that matter. Especially her gorgeous, muggle-born friend, Lily Evans had an unstoppable admirer in the form of James Potter, an extraordinaire in pranking and he called himself one of the marauders.
His antics, caused her to focus on her now husband and father of her precious children, Frank John Longbottom. Frank was a year ahead of her and a Gryffindor. Despite being confident and sunny, he never was a show off as James, which made her curious. After all, he was also someone who was working towards being an Auror, if rumors were to be believed, the Hogwarts rumor mill fluctuates between being entirely truthful to being entirely by faked a bunch of attention seekers, who just wanted to get entertainment, in the dreary school time.
Before she knew it, she fell in love. But she didn't want to be rejected, so she continued to work hard on her goals, so she can achieve them earlier and then have a say in her marriage matters, what if her parents reject her love? Be it Frank or someone else? Alice decided she will handle the matter when it happens and stop worrying about it.
But when she was in her fourth year, Fate once again made an appearance in the form of Frank, who asked her out. Which, of course, made her blank out, and gape rather unattractively at the said, teen. A memory that still made Frank chortle whenever he remembers it. It certainly didn't help as the marauders, decided to take a picture of it, and later gave it to Frank in exchange for immunity from detentions, as Frank was a Gryffindor prefect.
Alice, said yes to Frank, and the rest was history.
Alice didn't become a prefect, which she was thankful for in secret, as she already had too much on her plate, what with OWLs and NEWTs and even masteries to keep her choices open if she didn't want to be an Auror in the long run. But she did become a prefect, when her friend, Lily became the head girl of their year.
Frank had joined the Auror trainee program, right after he graduated. While Alice was in her final year, he proposed to her, which ended up with Alice crying tears of joy and accepting, Lily threatening Frank, James, and Sirius throwing a massive party in the Hogsmeade, and the rest of their friends congratulating them with a grin.
After Alice also graduated with more than enough outstandings in her NEWTs to be qualified to be an Auror, she was also recruited by Auror.
She met Augusta Longbottom and John Longbottom, parents of her fiancée next summer, and they got along very nicely. Despite her persona, Augusta was pleasant company, as she was also a great conversationalist, with a wide range of topics, which made Frank exchange bemused glances at each other.
Alice introduced her parents, Philip Prewett and Callista Prewett nee Macmillan to Frank and his parents. Instead of the expected protest or fights(verbal, of course), they were very accepting and said to Alice that they knew about her thoughts and that's why they didn't arrange a marriage contract for her when she was young, which made Alice tear up. Alice was very close to her parents, despite the difference in their opinion on marriage, especially arranged marriage. It was also another reason why she didn't date anyone before Frank, as she didn't want to disappoint her parents and disgrace their family, by making them a laughing stock among the pureblood circle.
As the war in the Britain Wizarding world raged on, there was a high demand for Aurors, which meant instead of training for even more years, accumulating experiences, and doing some miscellaneous work, like breaking up petty disputes, new Auror trainees were constantly sent to the field, with a fully trained Auror mentor to supervise and guide them.
To Alice's luck, she got Auror Moody as her mentor. His name was Alastor Moody, but he was more known as 'mad-eye moody'. Although he was very paranoid and suspicious, it certainly saved them more time than they could count.
In 1979 Alice married Frank, with the blessings of her family and friends. As she had dreamed she had a career as an Auror, a family that cared for her, and friends she could rely on. What more could she want? Alice thought, fondly.
So, it came as a surprise, when she felt her magic acting erratically. Frank was so worried, that he immediately took her to St. Mungo's to check her. He thought maybe she was affected by a curse that the death eaters had thrown at her during their last fight, even though Alice assured him that it never made contact with her.
They were then told by the healer there, that Alice was pregnant and she had to be more careful as their child needed to settle down. After all, pureblood had a hard getting pregnant and there was also a higher chance for miscarriages because of their inbreeding. They thought that since both Alice and Frank were purebloods, despite not being closely related, they thought they would also have a harder time getting conceived.
After finding out about the pregnancy, both of their parents started to fuss over Alice and tried their best to make her feel comfortable, which warmed Alice's heart. When they visited the healer again for a more comprehensive exam, they were again congratulated as they were going to have twins! Although Alice was a Prewett, they were not that closely related to the main branch, which had produced twins each generation. It seems, that Alice somehow got that gene, which made her ecstatic.
Alice then took a leave from her work, so it would be safer for both her and her children, after assuring her colleagues and friends that she would rejoin them after a few months and that she would be doing paperwork until she was fit enough to reenter the field.
Just a few weeks after this exciting news, they heard that Lily was also pregnant. James had somehow sunk his claws into Lily, despite the fact lily had been rejecting him since their first year. Both of them were meant to be each other against all odds, it seems.
They were also married after us, and while James went to be an Auror, Lily had decided she wanted to get mastery of both Charms and potions, and continued her studies. Of course, Sirius Black went to be an Auror as well with his best friend and brother in all but blood, James Potter.
As time flew, Alice was told to be more careful as her labor date was approaching. Unexpectedly around that time her parents had to go abroad due to some of their distant relative's death and had to handle the matter of inheritance. Just an hour after they left Alice went into her labor and was admitted to St. Mungo's and they had their miracles, Neville and Aurora.
When Alice, held them in her arms, she knew that she would love them and protect them from anything, even from the war, no matter what it takes.
But, for now, she's going to take a rest, after all, giving birth was such a hard thing, she still thinks giving birth for the sake of line was bad, who would want to go through such hardships if not for love? With these kinds of thoughts swirling around her head, she fell asleep, while holding one of Frank's hands, with a soft smile on her face.
