CHAPTER 37: MOVING FORWARD
(Frank POV)
Frank Longbottom is the son of Michael and Augusta Longbottom, both coming from a long line of pureblood wizards. He was learned in the various ways of formality, dealing with other people, all of which were taught by his parents, though mostly by his mother. He was rather fortunate, for Augusta, upon his birth, quit her job as an Auror to become a full-time housewife. The Longbottoms never hired a maid, and Frank's mother was the one who took care of their home. It would not be an exaggeration to say that everything was clean, orderly and overall very noble-looking. After all, his mother was somewhat a bit of a perfectionist (perhaps much of a perfectionist.).
Frank was also well-versed with the different kinds of magic, and he found that he was actually quite good at Transfiguration. For some reason, he would always learn quickly, a lot faster than his mother, who happened to be an ex-Auror, serving as his tutor, anticipated. And this made Augusta pleased and proud of her son.
His father, too, was kind and caring, even though he rarely stayed at home. There were even times when Michael would come home at night only two or three times a week, depending on the amount of work that was being given to the Dark Wizard Catchers.
Yes, Frank Longbottom had a lot of potential, and to add to this fact, he was also a humble person. When he entered Hogwarts, he did his best in every subject (though he always limited himself, trying not to overexert himself, as his mother Augusta had told him to do his best, but warned him not to do it to the point when it would affect his health, as his mother knew that he was rather vulnerable to common diseases.), but never bragged whenever he got the top marks.
He is in the upper tier of his batch, along with the Marauders (except perhaps Peter, who was barely above average and even abysmal at Potions), who he became friends with, and he particularly enjoyed the company of Remus Lupin, who was the most quiet member of the group.
The round-faced boy, Frank, was normally a passive type of person. He was rarely over-eccentric, and the only person who ever managed to get him worked up was his girlfriend Alice.
Alice Sera Chaucer, a kind and wonderful person. She was, as far as Frank could tell, perfect, perfect, in every single way. She was kind, loving, friendly, beautiful. She was a shy person, and only ever talked when it was necessary. It would not be an exaggeration to say the Frank almost viewed Alice like a goddess, a symbol of beauty and perfection, and he liked her for it.
His Alice, as far as Frank was concerned, was indeed someone that should be looked up to by every single female on earth. She was, without a doubt, the perfect role model for every other woman on the planet, and people should follow her example…
Whatever Alice did, she did so magnificently. Frank could not help but watch in satisfaction, whenever they had their meals, as his girlfriend, would elegantly sip on her coffee and bite on her piece of toast…
"The toast is burnt… the egg is too salty…" wailed a familiar, yet unfamiliar, female voice, who was munching grudgingly on a slightly burnt piece of slice bread…
What in the name of Merlin? thought Frank.
…which is why the round-faced boy, who arrived at Hogwarts late Sunday evening via Floo Network, could not believe the sight that greeted his eyes…
Frank stood frozen, shocked, as he saw his girlfriend, Alice, who was behaving shamelessly, rubbing her cheeks on the cheeks of a girl with silver-hair…
Frank Longbottom was normally a passive person. He was shy and timid, and was someone who avoided trouble as much as possible, and always kept his cool, except when it concerned a certain black-haired female… just like the current situation…
When the round-faced boy arrived the night before, everyone was already slumbering, and, being very tired himself, fell asleep the moment he fell on his bed...
Frank woke up rather early that Monday morning, and the first thing he did was wait in the Gryffindor Common Room for Alice. However…
Flashback
"WHAT?! SHE'S IN RAVENCLAW NOW?!" shouted Frank, who rarely raised his voice.
"Shhhhh… stop shouting… you're going to wake the entire House!" hissed a girl named Bridget, who actually put her hands between her ears.
"But how?"
"The Sorting Hat said it made a mistake and transferred her to Ravenclaw."
"What? Is that even possible?"
"I don't know."
"How did…"
"I don't know!"
Frank was about to open his mouth to speak, but the female Gryffindor cut him off, looking irritated…
"Look, if you want to know what happened, I suggest you ask your girlfriend about it…"
End of Flashback
It was shocking, absolutely and utterly shocking. The worst part however…
"Was Chaucer really like that?" inquired a Gryffindor female voice, who was sitting together with four other females…
"No, I don't think so," replied another female dressed in the Lion's standard uniform. Then she lowered her voice. "She used to be really shy actually. I guess that's what happens when you hang around Dark Wizards too much… especially the Dark Lady herself…"
"We should just consider ourselves lucky that we don't take the same classes as the Ravenclaws… "
"It's worrying me, though. I mean, she looks just like one of our seniors…"
"Come to think of it, except for the silver hair, she looks just like Evans… makes you wonder if they are related…"
"Could Snape be responsible for that? I mean he did… after all…"
"…Could the girl be some sort of monster? A shape shifter perhaps…?"
"She could probably control your mind or brainwash you… I mean, just look at what happened to Alice Chaucer…"
"The Imperius Curse?"
"Probably… probably worse…"
"She's probably already done the same to all the Ravenclaws… I mean, just look at them…"
The round-faced boy could not take it anymore…
He never knew. He never realized something was wrong, In truth, the real reason why he did not ride the Hogwarts Express on August 31st was actually because he was in France, having a vacation with his parents. It was a very important family reunion, and since his parent wanted him to come (being an only child after, all), he decided to do so. The event was significant, and his parents made sure that the Hogwarts Headmaster was informed, who was an understanding person and allowed it...
Frank actually felt bad about having to lie to Alice about having a severe cold, but he thought that would be make him look cool, and martyr-like, compared to telling her that he was going to extend his relaxation time…
The round-faced young man regretted his decision of going to France. Had he gone on board the Hogwarts Express as planned, perhaps none of it would have happened…
It's her… it's her fault… thought Frank, who was seething, completely forgetting about everything else for the moment, completely forgetting about the fact that the silver-haired girl was the one who saved his life back at the Evans household… completely forgetting the fact that they were in the Great Hall, that there were students and teachers present… completely forgetting that Alice was also there…
The round-faced young man, unable to think completely straight, finding the bits of information he received too difficult to digest, did the first thing that came to his considerably destabilized mind…
"STUPEFY!" shouted Frank, sending the Stunner towards the silver-haired girl…
-BREAK-
(Alice POV)
Flashback
"Now, that was just plain rude," the black-haired girl heard Ilya say, the normal cheeriness not present, her voice filled with cold displeasure. "Couldn't you at least have let us finish our meal first?"
"You're the Dark Lady, aren't you?" growled the voice, and Alice was sure now as to who it belonged to.
"Frank," said Alice in a low voice, but loud enough for everyone nearby to hear…
End of Flashback
At first, the black-haired girl thought that she was not having a good day. Now she knew just how wrong she was…
For it had now taken an even worse turn…
"Someone call a teacher," Alice heard a third year Ravenclaw student saying. Unfortunately, for some reason, none of the teachers were around yet… What impeccable timing…
"Alice?" said her round-faced Gryffindor boyfriend, whose voice had now mellowed down to its usual friendly tone, though the former Gryffindor female noticed that he still had not lowered his wand, and was still pointing it at Ilya…
Great… just great… thought the black-haired female to herself.
She knew it. Alice knew she would have to face it eventually. The black-haired female former Gryffindor sixth year knew it. She knew that she would have to face her boyfriend eventually, to tell him what had happened…
In truth, Alice had actually been trying to think of a way to explain things to Frank. She had actually contemplated on sending a letter to him, but no matter how she tried, she could not find a way to do so, and decided to just send him a simple get-well note everyday…
"ALICE!" shouted Frank, and he started running towards the black-haired girl… but after taking two sprinting steps he froze.
A moment of silence passed, as the black-haired former Gryffindor realized the reason why Frank stopped dead on his tracks.
"Ilya?" Alice heard Severus and Rose asked inquiringly, noticing that everyone in the Great Hall was also tense, as a chilling hostile intent was now emanating from the silver-haired girl…
The black-haired female Ravenclaw was worried…very worried, for it was the first time that she had seen her silver-haired friend like this. The nearest she had felt such enmity coming from her was when they first met, when Ilya and Severus battled against the Death Eaters and rescued them at the Evans' residence, and even then the hostile intent was felt for only a fleeting moment, for Ilya was undoubtedly an expert at hiding and controlling her emotions. Even when she was standing by Ilya's side, when they briefly faced Lord Voldemort during the Hogwarts Express incident, Alice could not actually feel any hostile intent from her back then, as her friend was hiding her thoughts and emotions to be able to put her plan against the Dark Lord into action…
This time, however…
Ilya was continuously releasing her hostile intent, and it was not letting up. Some of the students (except Ravenclaws) were now discreetly starting to leave the Great Hall, too frightened to speak, wanting only to get away from the source of the menacing aura that was causing their uneasiness...
Yet Alice knew… there was no doubt as to who was the target of the hostile intent…
"Ilya, please…" began Alice to her silver-haired friend, looking straight at her emerald-green eyes, which were currently devoid of warmth, cold as ice…
"PROFESSOR! THEY'RE OVER HERE!" shouted a female voice suddenly…
Distracted, Alice, as well as the other people in the Great Hall, turned to direction of the voice…
-BREAK-
(Alice POV)
Two people were walking briskly… a blonde girl with pigtails who was wearing the standard black robe with the red and gold theme of the Gryffindor House…and…
The two stopped in front them…
Rose moved in front of the group to talk with the teacher, but the teacher spoke before the blue-haired girl could say a word, but addressed someone else…
"Please explain why you did this…" began the old man with silver hair, his gaze focused on Alice's boyfriend.
"But sir," ranted Frank furiously. "It wasn't my fault. It was…"
"Mr. Longbottom, I cannot begin to express how disappointed I am with you…"
There was no benign smile upon the Headmaster's face, no twinkle in the eyes behind the spectacles, as the man who seemed to have the natural gift of authority reprimanded the round-faced Gryffindor for his actions.
"…Ms. Lorena, please escort Mr. Longbottom to your Head of House… "
"Yes, Professor Dumbledore," replied the female Gryffindor blonde, who looked disappointed (She probably thought we were the ones in trouble, thought Alice to herself.)as she and Frank silently headed off in the direction of the stairs, though not without the round-faced boy taking one last glance at Alice before leaving the Great Hall…
"Frank," whispered the black-haired former Gryffindor to herself, as the Headmaster started heading for the teacher's table, telling everyone to forget about what happened and go back to eating…
It was hard for her to control the tears that had unconsciously formed in her eyes after the brief exchange. Silence can sometimes speak louder than words. Alice had known the round-faced boy well enough to guess what he was thinking. The look that her boyfriend gave her was not that of someone who was concerned…
It was the same look that Frank stared with whenever he was looking at the Slytherins. He was staring at Alice with distaste and disgust…
It was unspoken but the message the clear.
He hates me now… Frank hates me now, thought Alice bitterly.
-BREAK-
(Alice POV)
There was no doubt about it. It was a painful fact to accept, but there was no other explanation…
The one that Frank may have liked and was in love with was not Alice… he had only been in love with her mask, the fake persona which Alice created to be accepted by others. If Frank was really in love with Alice, he would have accepted her true self… accepted the fact that she wasn't exactly what he thought she was like… accepted her even if she was not up to his standards… accepted her for who she truly was… and sadly, it doesn't seem to be the case.
"Alice," inquired Ilya, as the black-haired Gryffindor noticed that the enmity was no longer present, a worried and apologetic expression on her face, the warmth back in her emerald green eyes. "I'm really s..."
"ILYA!" shouted Alice, as she gave the silver-haired girl a hug attack, similar to the one which a first year named Evelyn always did when she was around, feigning cheerfulness in her voice, not noticing that the sob was still discernable, as she forced back her tears, though she failed to stop a couple from streaming down her face. "Don't forget your promise! Burger and… what is yakisoba anyway?"
"They're… uh…Japanese… fried noodles," replied the white-haired girl, and the black-haired girl let go of her embrace, noticing that her friend seemed to be choking. "I'm not sure if you'll like it though…"
"Of course I will," replied Alice, as a mischievous formed on her face. "The dishes you cook are delicious… If I were a guy I'd probably fall in love with you Ilya… Severus doesn't know just how lucky he is… "
"He's probably thankful for your 'Dark Lady' reputation," added the blue-haired girl named Rose, a smirk also forming on her face. "At least he doesn't have to worry about other boys chasing after your skirt…"
"Hey!" said the raven-haired young man irritably. "Would please stop talking as if I'm not here?"
"Whether or not I'm popular with the boys is of no relevance," said the silver-haired girl sincerely, as she latched herself onto one of her boyfriend's arms. "Sev will always be the only guy for me."
"Whaaa…"
Alice could not help but smile, at the stunned look on the raven-haired young man's face, turning red as a tomato, at the words directed at him by Ilya.
"Well, if he is the only guy for you," began Alice, the mischievous smile on her face widening. "What about girls?"
"Huh?" said Ilya and Severus together, undoubtedly surprised.
"Consider yourself lucky that Ilya is devoted to you, Severus Snape," said Rose, who seemed to be playing around, yet Alice noticed that the blue-haired girl seemed half-serious. "But if I ever find out that you are just toying with her I will take her away from you and make her mine."
"W-what-did you say?" inquired Severus, wearing a dumbfounded expression on his face. "You can't be serious?!"
"I am serious," replied the blue-haired girl simply, but with weight on her tone.
"But you're a girl!"
"That doesn't matter!"
The raven-haired young man had a dumbstruck look on his face, before giving the blue-haired girl a look which is similar to one which a guy gives his rival suitors, for the hand of a girl, or the look of a jealous husband threatened by another guy's advances on his wife.
"That will never happen though," said the silver-haired girl. "Sev will never betray me. He will never leave me for another… right Sev?" The silver-haired girl was now looking at her boyfriend, emerald eyes on black ones.
"Of course," replied the raven-haired boy honestly, without hesitation, smiling gently at Ilya. "I swear that I will never allow you to suffer. As long as I'm alive, I promise that you will never be alone."
"Thank you," replied the silver-haired surprisingly meekly.
Silence reigned for a few seconds.
"But if ever such a time comes," said Rose. "You know that I'm always here for you, Ilya."
"You're talking as if you want me dead, Ms. Prefect!" said Severus with a scowl.
"It's not like that, Severus." replied the blue-haired girl apologetically. "I mean if ever the two of you have a falling o…"
"That will never happen!" the raven-haired young man almost shouted, and it was obvious that he had been giving a huge effort to keep the volume of his voice in check.
They haven't noticed, have they?! Or maybe they're just ignoring them?! thought Alice to herself, feeling amused, as her companions did not seem to realize that many students, mostly their fellow Ravenclaws who were all within earshot, were staring at them, witnessing their little scene. Well, then I guess I better…
"Severus is right, Rose," began the black-haired female Ravenclaw to her blue-haired female friend. "She will never be yours..."
The raven-haired young man was nodding in agreement…
"… because Ilya will belong to ME!"
"WHAT?" shouted Rose and Severus together, while the silver-haired girl started giggling, the blue-haired girl and the raven-haired young man now both looking dumbstruck, not noticing that their some of their fellow Ravenclaws were wearing the same expression on their face, while there were some girls and boys who were giggling and snickering.
Yes, it was painful. The fact that many of her former acquaintances and close friends no longer liked. First Lily… now Frank… Alice knew that there were people who she used to be in good terms with now shunned her, but…
-BREAK-
(Alice POV)
"Detention...all four of you… AND TWENTY POINTS FROM RAVENCLAW!" shouted an upset-looking Professor McGonagall, who, unfortunately, passed by, stopping to witness the entire event. "FIRST LONGBOTTOM AND NOW THIS?! HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT SUCH PROFANITIES SO EARLY IN THE MORNING!"
"You're just jealous since you don't have a love life," muttered Alice, as the Deputy Mistress now headed for the teacher's table, but then the Head of Gryffindor House suddenly stopped, then turned around…
"Would you mind repeating what you just said, Ms. Chaucer?" said Professor McGonagall in a low and calm voice, although the vein twitching on her forehead was a huge giveaway.
Whoops… thought the black-haired girl to herself.
"To think that you used to belong to my House…" began the presumably old-maid Professor, but another female voice cut her off.
"It wasn't her Professor," said Rose, the model student, Ravenclaw Prefect, seriously. "It was me."
"Ms. Garnet?"
"No it wasn't her, it was me…" said Ilya cheerfully.
"Ms. Emiya?!"
"No, it wasn't them, Professor, it was definitely me," said Severus, his voice sounding convincingly blunt.
3…
counted Alice in her thought as the Deputy Headmistress began taking in air…
2…
the Transfiguration Professor's lungs were now filled to the brink of their capacity...
1…
Here it comes, thought Alice.
"MR. SNAPE! DID YOU ACTUALLY THINK I WOULD NOT RECOGNIZE A FEMALE VOICE WHEN I HEARD ONE?!" shrieked the Deputy Headmistress. "WHAT DO YOU TAKE ME FOR, A FOOL?! ANOTHER TWENTY POINTS FROM RAVENCLAW! "
Oh, wow, thought the black-haired former Gryffindor to herself, finding it hard to keep a straight face, and, as Alice noticed, the same could be said about her three closest friends, as well as the students who were within earshot.
"HOW DARE YOU TALK TO YOUR TEACHER LIKE THAT! HOW DARE YOU TRESPASS ON MY PERSONAL LIFE! I WILL BE HAVING A TALK WITH YOUR HEAD OF HOUSE ABOUT THIS, MARK MY WORD!"
Fortunately for them, and unfortunately for the Gryffindor Head of House, the Ravenclaw Head, Filius Flitwick, was a cheerful and rather carefree person. They had nothing to worry about…
"So if we were trespassing in your personal life, Professor McGonagall… no offense meant of course, but based from your reaction," began the white-haired girl in a mock inquiring tone, who wasn't shouting, but made her voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "Does that mean that it's true… that you really are an old maid?"
At Ilya's words, gasps suddenly echoed throughout the Great Hall, every single person now had their eyes on them in interest…
Alice could not help but watch amusedly, as the Head of the House of Lions, who was normally proud and haughty, quietly left the Hall, without taking breakfast, lost for words, struggling to keep the way she strode graceful…
"We're really sorry," said the white-haired girl sincerely, as she approached the other Ravenclaws, who were looking stunned, and bowed her head. "Our actions made us lose our lead in the House Cup…"
Their Housemates stood up, almost at the same time, with a serious look on their faces.
Instead of complaints and insults, however... the Ravenclaw table burst into applause and laughter, in a standing ovation…
"THAT WAS AWESOME!"
"I always knew she was an old maid!"
"UNREAL!"
"EVEN THE MARAUDERS WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO PULL OFF SOMETHING LIKE THAT!"
"To think the day came that we got to see McGonagall act like that!"
Their fellow Ravenclaws were now gathering around them, some even shaking their hands, congratulating them on what they, as intellectuals, saw as a 'job well done.'
Alice could not help but smirk inwardly at the turn of events…
It may be true that Alice had lost the friendships, and apparently the respect of some of her old acquaintances, but then again… perhaps they never really were her friends. After all, true friends will accept you for who you truly are.
And now she had such people around her. The loss of her old friends, especially the loss of her relationship with Frank, words no longer need be said, still hurt…
But with the help of Ilya, Rose, Severus, and all her new companions… Alice knew… that she can continue moving forward with a smile…
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Another chapter out!
I must admit I am rather tempted to start on the sequel, but I opted not to, since I might not be able to give this one enough attention if I did so. I actually am itching to get to work on it, but to be honest my current fic is not even halfway finished if I were to follow my original plan. But enough about that... Time to get back to my piling school and office work...
Yeah another thing. During Harry Potter's time at Hogwarts in the Harry Potter Books, Severus Snape was the most hated teacher, for the Head of Slytherin favored students of his own House while unfairly treated those of the others. But when Severus Snape was still a student, who was the most unpopular teacher at Hogwarts? Well, I just picked McGonagall to take that role. After all, Slughorn, the current Slytherin Head of House at the time, was more like a Hufflepuff than he was a Slytherin, because of his cheerful demeanor and little Slug Club (even though he was in Slytherin during his student days).
So, yeah, most unpopular teacher, definitely the strict Minerva...But enough about that...
And like always, I hope you enjoy reading this fic.
Later then, people...