Hermione stroked Alice Longbottom's hair. It had a wave to it from the braids it had been confined in. Her hair was a deep brown. There were no high lights from the sun. She hadn't been outside in years. Hermione swallowed down her tears, and trailed her fingers through the She'd brushed it out carefully. The woman actually seemed happy.
She closed her eyes and felt the comfort of familial magic. This woman was her mother now. Her muggle sensibilities battled with her innate magical knowledge, but it was true. She could sense the link between them. She wasn't a cuckoo in their nest. She was a Longbottom.
"I need to learn our family tree, Mum." Hermione leaned her forehead against her mother's shoulder. "You weren't a Longbottom to start, but I can feel your magic in mine. We are family."
"Of course you are." Hannah frowned up at Hermione. "Neville goes on and on about how wonderful it is to feel you around him. It's why I suggested this. Didn't you know?"
Hermione shook her head and blinked back tears. She wiped at them with the back of her hand, but couldn't stop the flow. She glanced over at Hannah and saw her friend wipe at her eyes as well.
"I knew things changed, but this is more than I expected. Alice is a part of me. Her pureblood lineage has been poured into me, but it doesn't feel new. It feels like it's always been there. I could find my way to any of them in a maze without any difficulty. I can feel Neville at a pretty good distance and Augusta as well." Hermione shrugged one shoulder slightly. "I didn't think the magic would affect Frank and Alice."
"They were magically linked to you as well." Hannah sighed and tried to smile. "If this works, they'll get to know you."
"You don't think they will resent me?" Hermione worried her lower lip with her teeth. "They had no choice in this."
"They might be shocked, but they will love you." Hannah smiled easily at the thought of three generations of Longbottom women taking on the world.
"When you marry Neville, will I be able to sense you in this way?" Hermione grinned. "Or do you think it will intensify the bond we have already?"
"I suppose we will find out." Hannah grinned. "But don't we have enough on our plates without planning my wedding. "I think Narcissa and Augusta are going to have you running for cover soon enough."
"I think it will be Lucius. Did you hear him going on about the proper cut of gown for my figure?" Hermione giggled and Alice blinked.
"I'm trying to forget." Hannah smirked and ran a scan of Alice. "She's showing more activity in her prefrontal cortex in the time we've been here, but her baseline was higher. I think we should try working with Frank now."
"You don't think I'm helping her?" Hermione gently hugged Alice before sliding off the bed.
"She's more responsive to begin with. I need to do a baseline with Neville or Augusta to be sure of her improvement." Hannah tapped her wand on the chart clutched in her hand. "If I see an improvement in Frank, it will be worth it to bring them in."
"Well, let's do this." Hermione grinned. "I want to give my family some hope."
"I have an idea." Hannah worried her lower lip and glanced at Frank. "You're not going to like it, but I think it's our best chance."
Hermione took a deep breath. She knew deep down that she would follow through with Hannah's plan, but knowing she wouldn't like it didn't help her comfort levels. It was easier to accept Augusta and Neville as family. It was a choice they had made.
"I know your worried about your bond with them, but all of this depends on it." Hannah sighed. "We're going to need to build bridges with their psyches if we have any hope of succeeding."
"What do you want me to do?" Hermione closed her eyes briefly and glanced at Hannah.
"I want you to sit in front of him and wrap his arms around you." Hannah worried at her lip again. "Then I want you to let yourself think about Bellatrix. I want you to let yourself feel that again."
Hermione took a step back and shook her head. It was an automatic response. She knew it, but she couldn't stop it.
"I know." Hannah blinked rapidly. "It's a lot to ask, but he's deep in there. Wizards are instinctual. They like to pretend to be logical, but magic isn't. It reacts."
"So, you want to see if his magic will react to help him protect me." Hermione closed her eyes. "I understand."
Hermione moved next to Frank's cot. This was not how she wanted to help, but it might help. She took a deep breath and stroked her fingers through his short hair.
"We can try something else." Hannah sounded desperate. "This is too much."
"If it's got you this upset. It might just work." Hermione climbed onto his medical bed and sat between his front legs. He didn't complain. He didn't react at all. His magic didn't reach out to her. She could barely find it.
Hermione scrunched up her face. Letting her defenses slide, coldness filled her. She hated doing this. She closed her eyes and let the memory free. She shivered and was lost in the maelstrom of pain.
Bellatrix cackled and danced about as she writhed on the floor. Her body aches and she couldn't let her mind go. She had to stay. She had to fight. Harry and Ron needed her to be strong. They needed her to last long enough for them to escape. She screamed as the pain built and spilled through her again. The world was lost in the white soundless blaze of it.
Hermione was lost in her memory. She didn't feel Frank's arms wrap around her or hear him choke out a spell that called forth a giant silver bear that roared and spun itself into a whirling shield of impenetrable silver. Hannah rushed forward, but was pushed back by the shield. Alice slid from her bed and moved with a easy, silent tread. Hannah never saw her.
Alice pressed her knee into the blonde's back and sent up her patronus with her captive's wand. The silver toad shimmered and coalesced slowly. Alice's hand shook as she held the spell and readied it to take her message.
"We are under attack. Outlook grim. Send back up." Her voice broke and she rubbed at her throat with her other hand as she coughed out the words. She flicked the wand and her toad hopped away. Alice glared down at the blonde beneath her and pressed the wand to the base of her skull.