Seeing with the Heart
By fancyspinner
Disclaimers: these characters do not belong to me. This story is AU to HBP and DH. I also take liberties with some events in GoF.
Author notes: I'm dividing the chapter into segments. I'm sorry it's taken an age to get this out. I've been reworking the story a smidge starting with the prolog. I hope to update much faster in future.
Comments, suggestions and constructive criticism welcome.
Chapter 4: the first weekend Part 1
In Albus' office…
"Well Minerva? Should we tell them now?"
The two respected professors sat in an almost restful silence drinking copious amounts of whisky.
Less than 24 hours since they'd received the news and they still couldn't quite grasp what had happened even with the terrific haze whisky allowed them. They couldn't really keep putting off telling Alastor and Severus about the Longbottoms. Albus sighed.
"Of course." They exchanged a look that seemed to both offer and take strength and courage.
"You know, like harry, I was almost placed into Slytherin?" Albus murmured musingly to Minerva.
"I see!" If her tone was a bit caustic, the leader of the Light was too wasted to take note.
"Why do you feel the need to share this now?" … and I suppose just as importantly, how do you know where Harry was almost placed?"
"Oh I'm just feeling particularly old today. As for Harry's placement, how could he have survived some of the things he's gone through and not almost been placed In Slytherin?"
Minerva didn't bother to hide her glare.
"We're going to discuss your disregard, greater good, or not. Now, you're stalling, old man," and with those words she called first Severus and then Alastor through the fire and waited.
The two men almost fell over one another tumbling out of the fire place. Strangely enough, Severus gently caught Alastor as his prosthetic leg almost buckled beneath him.
"What's the problem, "Albus??" The words were growled out; Alastor not in the mood to deal with the older man's convoluted conversations.
Minerva was busily pouring fire whisky. He noticed with the trained eye of an auror that Snape seemed to be rattled by this fact.
"There's no easy way to tell you this. Frank and Alice are dead."
The words didn't make sense to either of the men, at first, but when they did there was silence.
"No, that's not true." Severus said forcefully.
The words were spoken as fact and Albus and Minerva looked at each other. Albus decided to let Minerva handle the two men.
"Severus, Alastor, they past quietly."
Alastor reached for one of the glasses and chugged it. In a moment of empathy, he handed a glass to Severus who drank it down.
"What about funeral arrangements? What's going to happen to their bodies?" Severus' words fell like glass shards into the silence.
Better to focus on practicalities then the fact they were truly gone.
"Who will watch Neville?" Alastor asked what he felt was a more pertinent question.
"He's just about of age," commented Albus.
"Because they were living, their Will was not active, now it will be. The two of you were asked to care for Neville. You were both left all kinds of items from their vaults. The reading will take place after the burial." Albus' voice sounded distant to the two men.
"Thank you for informing me, Albus. I need to go." Severus was on his feet before the last word had left his lips. Then he stumbled slightly.
"Albus, he's … calling."
Severus' eyes implored relief. After all, in order to keep his cover, he couldn't just take off whenever Voldemort called.
"Go, Severus" and with an almost betrayed look, Severus went.
Alastor looked at Albus for a long moment.
"How could you just send him?"
"He needs to be there. With the Attack on Neville."
"Don't give me that!"
"Alastor, we planned for this and he needs to be there to report."
Alastor didn't bother to dignify that poor excuse for a justification with an answer; he just rose and walked towards the door.
KKKKK
Deciding to do some investigating, Alastor made his way to the Hospital Wing and that meant dealing with Poppy. He braced himself, oftentimes that was like dealing with a Dragon crossed with a Manticore. There was no help for it though He did need to speak with Gregory Goyle so he'd have to put up with his friend's glares. He felt relief run through him when he didn't see her.
Gregory Goyle was laying quietly eyes closed. Next to him lay Vincent Crabbe. The boys looked so peaceful that he hated to wake them. Instead of waking the primary victim of the accident he awoke the other boy.
"Mr. Crabbe?" He placed a gentle hand on the boys shoulder and gave it a little shake.
The eyes snapped open and he smiled as the boy reached for his wand.
"No need for that. I just have some questions for you and your friend.
"Leave Greg alone. I'll answer your questions."
Alastor managed not to gape. So, there was more loyalty in Slytherin House than he knew.
"We'll do it your way, for now. Who would want to attack Mr. Goyle?"
Vincent thought for a bit. Should he trust Moody? There were many reasons not to trust the man. He hated Slytherins as a matter of course, both Greg's family and his own were Deatheaters in truth, Moody was Law enforcement…
Alastor sighed. He could hear the child's mind as it considered. He had many gifts and one of them was the ability to skim thoughts. It wasn't typical mind arts that one had to practice, it just was.
"Mr. Crabbe, I'll make you an oath to listen to whatever you have to say without judgment."
I'm supposed to believe that?"
"I, alastor Moody, swear upon my magic to investigate the events surrounding the accident that placed Gregory Goyle in the Hospital wing with impartiality, So Mote it is!"
The magic that shimmered between Vincent Crabbe and Alastor Moody flashed gold and vanished.
"Bloody hell! You're Serious!"
Alastor ignored the stunned young man's language and pulled a quill and parchment out of his robes.
"All right lad, start at the beginning."
Vincent did and as he spoke Moody's expression grew pensive and then slowly changed to amusement, amazement and finally anger.
"So let me get this straight, lad. You're telling me that the two of you have been fooling Slytherin House for years?"
Vincent nodded.
"And you're not sleeping together?"
Vincent flushed.
"I don't see how that matters, sir!"
"Well, you see, your House mates will be expecting a certain type of behavior and you're giving it to them. The problem is that if you keep doing what they expect, the next one in the hospital, or dead, could be you."
"Look, he's my best friend. I know he's not right in the head, ok? I'm not going to abandon him though!"
"I'm not asking you too! I just want you to be seen around school. I'm going to talk with Snape and we'll work this out together. We could use a pensive to prove what you're saying but you would both be dead by the end of the school year and I won't allow that!"
"Why do you care?"
Alastor and Vincent both spun, wands at the ready, and saw Gregory's eyes opened and filled with amusement.
"How long have you been awake, Greg?"
"For a while. Since when you were telling Moody about Pansy and Blaze."
"Ah."
"To answer your question, I care, because I want to deny Tom more followers and because I'm here to. Make sure you kids are safe."
"That'll do."
"You boys had anything to eat?"
They shook their heads.
"Right then. Let's do something about that."
KKKKK
Undisclosed location…
"What news Severus?"
"My Lord, as you requested we have begun to divide the Ministry 6. Longbottom is in the hospital and is in an unresponsive state. Mr. Weasley appears to be suffering from some sort of sleep disorder and Ms. Granger appears to be grief stricken, according to my source in Gryffindor House."
The door to the dark Chamber opened softly and a masked figure slunk into the room.
"My lord," the female voice spoke softly, breaking into Snapes report, "I bring news."
Snape paused, his heart skipping a beat as the voice was one that he knew, from order meetings. He kept his face blank and his shields from rippling but this was very bad indeed.
TBC