Shadow - 4/5 for the Five Drabbles Competition at HPFC.
Alice only realized her eyes were open when the blinding light faltered for a moment. A shadow fell over her, and it took a moment to adjust her gaze and focus in on the face. She grappled for a second with the frightening thought of not recognizing, and then a name fell from her lips.
How could she ever have forgotten? "Neville!"
He was red-eyed from crying, tall and broad, and beside him...
Alice pushed herself into a sitting position, shocking her body but ignoring the fuzziness in the periphery of her vision. "Frank!"
She took in his youthful appearance with hunger, amazement, and confusion.
She was dreaming, it had to be, because when she slowly lifted her hands to her eyes, they were no longer spotted with the curse's damage. When she blinked, she opened her eyes to find the same scene in front of her.
A cruel hallucination, but then it spoke to her.
"He's cured us, Alice," Frank said. His smile was genuine, and Alice felt instinct take over as she smiled back.
"Who cured us?"
"Neville. A spell to undo the damage. It's been - more than a decade, Alice. But he's done it. Our boy has done it."
Alice didn't understand.
She didn't have to, because then Augusta Longbottom - older than she remembered, but just as intimidating - was there, smiling down at her, and Alice knew she couldn't be dreaming because Augusta had never smiled like that at her. Her imagination couldn't have created that image on its own.
"He might finally be worth his name," the older woman said. "I'm glad you're awake. They'll keep you here for some time, just to make sure recovery continues."
Alice was speechless, but then Frank was pulling her to her feet and into a tight hug. Neville was behind her and wrapped strong arms around them both. Alice knew that even if her knees gave way as they threatened to, they would continue supporting her.
"The war is done - for good," Neville whispered. "And we're going to be a family again. I have so much to tell you."
The fog in her mind slowly cleared away, and she tightened her hold on Frank and Neville. "I love you both," Alice said. Never again would she let go.