Chapter 9 - The Hospital Visit

The group arrived at the hospital with minimal accident, other than Harry falling out of the floo and breaking his glasses…again. They checked in at the main desk and then proceeded up to the ward that contained the Longbottoms.

"Thanks for coming with us, guys," Neville said.

"No problem, Neville, my mother was your godmother and yours, mine, so you're practically family."

Neville gained a look of pride and confidence, while Augusta had a look of thanks on her face, which Harry caught and understood. They all entered the wing and went over to the Longbottoms' beds.

"Hi, mum. Hi, dad," Neville stated.

Neither of the Longbottoms gave a look of recognition at Neville's statement. In fact, both gave no reply at all.

"All my life, I've wished that I could have them back, but I know that it is never going to happen," Neville said gloomily.

"Harry, do you sense what I sense?" Hermione inquired.

"Yes. It's almost as if there is a block preventing them from recognizing anything."

"What? What is it?" Augusta asked.

"Have any of the healers ever mentioned a block on your son and daughter-in-law?"

"A block?"

"I think that their minds are still there, but they can't wake up, or break the block."

"Do you think that you could break the block?"

"We can most certainly try, if you want," Harry stated.

"Gran, if there is a chance to get Mum and Dad back, I want to try it."

"Alright, Neville. You may proceed," Augusta said nervously.

Harry went to Alice, while Hermione went to Frank, then they both performed Legilimency on them.

(In Alice's Mind)

"Mrs. Longbottom, are you there?" Harry asked into the darkness.

"Who are you?" Alice Longbottom asked coming out of the shadows.

"I am Harry Potter, Lily's son," Harry replied.

"My godson, Harry Potter?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"How did you get here? I know that I'm trapped in my mind, so how did you get here?"

"Well, we came with Neville to the hospital and my wife and I sensed the block, so now, we are trying to unblock it."

"Neville's alright? Bellatrix didn't harm him? How is he? How do we get out of here? Hang on, did you just say wife, as well?"

"Whoa, I'll answer each question, just give me a minute. Yes, Neville's alright. No, Bellatrix didn't hurt him. He's fine. We get out of here, by me leading you out, through a door. And yes, I did say wife. Anything else?"

"What do you mean by a door?"

"Well, I want you to imagine that this is a room, right now and that there is a door by which you can exit the room."

"Ok."

The darkness shifted to a comfortable sitting room and there was an ornate door on the other side.

"Alright, now let's bust out of this joint."

"Huh?"

"Sorry, muggle saying. It means let's get out of here."

"Oh."

Harry took Alice's hand and led her out of the room. When that happened, Harry came to from the trance he had been under when he entered Alice's mind and Alice's previously glassy eyes gained focus. She started looking around the room and her gaze caught Neville.

"Neville?"

"Mum?"

"It's me, sweetie."

Neville launched himself at his mother and for the first time in a long time, his mother hugged him back.

(Meanwhile, in Frank's mind)

"Mr. Longbottom, I know this is hard to understand, but I'm telling you the truth. I am Harry Potter's wife, and even as we speak, he is trying to bring your wife out of her trapped state, very similar to what I'm trying to do with you."

"It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that I am trying to wrap my head around the fact that I have lost so much time with my son."

"Well, at least Neville still has you. Harry doesn't have any parents. James and Lily died in Voldemort's attack, while he escaped with a scar. If that is indeed what happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we don't believe that Voldemort was actually the dark lord mentioned in the prophecy."

"Why?"

"What do you know about familial magic?"

"Families can't hurt other members of their families."

"Voldemort is Harry's great-grandfather; therefore, he couldn't harm him, correct?"

"Yes. Ah, you think that he was controlled to do what he did or someone else did it entirely?"

"Yes, sir."

"You don't have to call me sir. Frank is fine."

"Alright."

"Now, what do I have to do to get out of here, Mrs. Potter?"

"Hermione. And all you have to do is imagine we are in a room with a door that we can get out of."

He imagined an old Victorian parlor and an old Rosewood door. They went out of it and Frank too came back into his senses. The first thing he saw as he looked around the room was his wife and son hugging.

"Alice? Neville?"

"Frank?

"Dad?"

He gingerly got off his bed and went over to where his wife and son were hugging and he drew them both up into a hug. Then, he motioned for his mother to join them. As the Longbottoms, were having their reunion, Hermione went over to a quietly crying Harry and wrapped him in a hug.

"What's the matter, Harry?"

"I'm happy for Neville, and I am happy for my parents' portrait, but I wish that I could have that."

"I know," she said, hugging him even tighter.

"Hey, you two alright?" Severus asked coming up behind them along with Minerva.

"Yeah, we're fine."

"Harry, your parents would be proud of you for doing what you just did."

"I know, Uncle Sev. Its just I miss them. I want to be able to have my parents hold me and hug me, since I don't remember them and I didn't have a good childhood."

Hearing that, Severus and Minerva both joined them in their hug and Harry, although he was still sad, felt incredibly better. Their hug was interrupted, though, by Neville coming up to them.

"Harry, I can't thank you enough for what you have done."

"It was nothing, Neville. I just did what my parents would have done."

"Mum wants you to come over."

"Alright."

Harry went over to Alice and she pulled him into a big hug.

"Thank you so much, Harry, and you too, Hermione."

"It was no big deal," the two said in unison.

At that moment, the healers came in and were shocked that the Longbottoms were up and talking as if nothing had happened. They recovered quickly and immediately set to work examining the Longbottoms. Near the end of their examination, they asked what had happened.

"Well, simple, really, we went inside their minds and brought them out," Harry said.

"But it should be impossible," one healer said.

"Not to a Potter."

The healers were shocked again and scampered off at a look from Severus.

"We'll have you two out in a few days, son," Augusta said to Frank.

"Alright mother. Just don't take too long."

"We won't, Frank," Hermione began, "after all, we have more we will need to update you on. In the mean time, if Dumbledore should come, alert us immediately. He is NOT to be trusted. We'll come and check on you, until we can get you out of here."

"Alright," the two Longbottoms said.

Augusta and Neville said their goodbyes promising to return as soon as they could. The group then flooed back to Potter manor to enjoy the rest of their day.

"Ah, thank heavens, you are back. I was going crazy with the mutt over there," Remus said as they stepped out of the floo.

"You look fine to me, Uncle Moony."

"Well, I'm not. We both cleaned up after you all left and the mutt tried to get me dirty again. Thankfully, I caught him and put him in a muzzle and he's all tied up."

"Ha-ha-ha. Uncle Moony, it is lunchtime. I think that you can let him out."

"Fine, but don't sit him next to me. He's a slob."

"Am not," Sirius said as the enchantments were lifted.

"Are too," Remus shot back.

Sirius stuck his tongue out at that and almost immediately put it right back in as Harry had cast a mild stinging hex at it.

"That wasn't nice," Sirius attempted to say with his swollen tongue.

"I'm the son of Prongs, I don't have to be nice."

The group laughed all the way to the dining room, while Sirius just pouted. They enjoyed their lunch, but now it was time to have some further explanations. So they adjourned to the living room, where Remus asked the first question.

"So, what happened at the hospital?"

"Well, long story short, Hermione and I broke the block on the Longbottoms' minds and now they are up and about. We think that Dumbles may have put a block on them, so that he could mold Neville to be a suppliant."

"Oh," Remus said in a shocked state.

"Well, I want you and Hermione to explain why you are married and disrespecting Dumbledore," Sirius interjected.

"Padfoot, Hermione and I have a soul bond. We discovered this, when Minerva and Severus took us to Gringotts to deal with some family issues. Apparently, the Headmaster had arranged a marriage contract for me with Ginny, and Hermione with Ron. Well, to calm Hermione down I had to kiss her and we finalized our bond. As to why we are disrespecting Dumbledore, well we just covered some of it, the rest is that he has been stealing money from me with the help of Molly Weasley. Also, just to throw it out there, Severus is my uncle on mom's side and Minerva is my great-grandmother on mom's side. Did I miss anything, Hermione?"

"Love potions and Riddle, dear."

"Ah, thank you. Ron and Ginny were apparently attempting to give Hermione and I love potions. We caught them, but since they are under Dumbledore's thumb, we can't do anything about it. Also, what do you know about Tom Marvolo Riddle?"

"I remember him," Augusta began, "he was a prefect during mine and Minerva's time at Hogwarts. Also, received an award for services to the school. He later married Minerva. I thought that he was killed, though?"

"No. Tom Marvolo Riddle is still alive, just called something different."

"What?"

"Voldemort."

"WHAT?" the ones who didn't know the story shouted.

"Calm down. First of all, we don't think that most of the things he was accredited to doing, he actually did. And the things he did do, we think he was forced to do. After all, Sirius, you couldn't hurt me do to the bond between godfather and godson. The same applies to him through familial magic. As he is my great-grandfather, he couldn't have hurt me or mum that night. So we don't think that he actually did anything and it is all Dumbledore's doing."

"Do you have any proof?"

"No, but until we find Tom's spirit, we won't be able to find out anything. Now, any other questions?"

A chorus of "No's" were heard and the group disbanded to reflect on what was learned. Harry and Hermione went to the library to look up books on soul bonds. To their dismay, the only book they found, didn't go into particulars about the bond, just what they already knew.

The group all met up again for a very subdued dinner and after that they all retreated again to their rooms for some much needed sleep. However, Minerva didn't go to sleep right away. She was thinking about Tom.

"Why did you have to go and help Dumbledore? Why couldn't you have just stayed with me and Rose? Then, at least, she might not have been kidnapped and placed elsewhere. I miss you and wonder if I hadn't done something different that you might still be here."

With her opinion voiced, she was exhausted and slipped into a well-deserved sleep, not knowing that in the town of Little Hangleton, a being formerly known as Tom Riddle was slowly waking up from the Voldemort stupor that he has been in for so long.

(A/N Just thought I'd leave it there, since I don't want him fully waking up yet. Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, but my train of thought left me after the Yule Ball and I had school and worse, I got sick three days before Christmas. I know that this is no excuse, but I was literally, out of it. Anyway, read and review, please. Also if you have any suggestions, I will gladly take them.)

Riddle Potter 23