Notes: I hadn't realized it had been so long since I last updated. I WILL FINISH THIS STORY! My updates maybe few and far between but I hate leaving a story unfinished.
Once Mrs. Weasley was calm again, Buffy left and headed back downstairs to finish opening her gifts. Giles, Sirius, Remus, and Ethan were still in the sitting room. Ron and Harry had left, and Ethan and Remus had taken to playing chess. Hermione had gone somewhere else to work on her studies, and Giles was still reading.
"Everything alright Buffy?" Remus asked.
"I think so. I sent Percy some cookies and a letter wishing him a Merry Christmas and reminding him that he has a family that loves him. I asked him that if he didn't want to see his family then at least see his mother. He agreed and Mrs. Weasley is going to meet him at the Burrow at three."
"That was good thinking Buffy" Remus told her.
Buffy beamed at the praise Remus had given her. She sat back on the floor and continued going through the packages she received.
When Mrs. Weasley left for the meeting Sirius, Remus, and Buffy kept the other kids busy. Sirius engaged the twins in a conversation about pranks. Remus engaged Hermione while Buffy pulled Harry, Ron, and Ginny into the kitchen to help with lunch. It had worked as a perfect distraction as the other children hadn't realized that Mrs. Weasley and Ethan Rayne, who went with Molly so she wouldn't have to go alone, had left the house. It wasn't until lunch was ready that any of the Weasley children realized that they hadn't seen their mother.
"Where's mum?" Ginny asked. "We should let her know lunch is ready so we can leave as soon as we eat."
"Your mother left with Ethan to go see your brother Percy. He sent your mother a message this morning. It seems he had a change of heart but only wanted to speak to her." Remus told them. "Ethan went with her just in case since your father has already been attacked."
"The prat probably wanted to make her cry again." Ron hissed.
"Lay off Ron, Percy just trying to find his way. He's the odd man out in the family. He doesn't have anyone who really gets him. If he didn't have the trademark Weasley red hair, I think he was adopted."
Ron, Fred, and George's eyes lit up a bit at the thought of that. Ginny was the only one of them that didn't react.
"Percy will come around. I believe talking with your mother will help them both."
Remus and Buffy brought lunch to the table and told everyone to eat up so they could be ready upon Mrs. Weasley's return.
Mrs. Weasley and Ethan returned during lunch. Mrs. Weasley was smiling when she entered the dining area. She went over to Buffy hugging her tightly and thanking her once again. Once lunch was over, the all the Weasley's, (except for Percy and Charlie,) Harry, Buffy, Remus, Ethan, and Sirius all headed for the car that Remus borrowed for their trips to the Muggle world. Ethan drove them so the driving spell was not needed. All the adults were up front, and all the children were in back. The ride to St. Mungo's was short as there was barely any traffic. Ethan parked the car nearby and they all walked to the entrance. Molly led the group to where Arthur's room was located. When they entered, Arthur was sitting up in bed eating his turkey lunch. Mr. Weasley was pleased to see everyone and accepted the presents they were giving him. He enjoyed all his presents but truly enjoyed the muggle gift from Harry and Buffy. They had given him an old muggle radio and a toolkit for him to take the radio apart with or for him to listen to. When Mr. Weasley told his wife about the stitches, most of the group made a hasty exit, claiming tea. Remus had stayed in the room talking to another werewolf who had no one visiting him. Bill led the way, with Sirus and Ethan bringing up the rear. The lift they were taking to the fifth floor stopped on the fourth to let someone on, and they were all shocked to see the former Professor Lockhart standing there.
"Oh hello, just going up for a spot of tea." Lockhart said as he entered the lift coming from the spell damage area.
"Professor Lockhart?" Ron asked, shocked at seeing the former Hogwarts Professor wearing a lilac hospital gown.
"You want an autograph right? Come! Come! I have loads of them. You can all have one." Lockhart said as he pulled Ron out of the lift toward the ward. Harry, Buffy, Ginny, Hermione, Sirius, and Ethan followed. Fred, George, and Bill continued to the fifth floor for tea.
Lockhart dragged Ron into the ward to where his bed was located before letting go of him.
"I know I have some somewhere." The others heard Lockhart say as he searched under his bed. "Ah-ha! Found them!" He said holding the candid shots. "So how many do you lot want? Ten? Fifteen? How about twenty? You can give them to all your friends, so no one feels left out."
"Um…no thanks." Ron told him.
"Nonsense. I'm famous, you know. Not sure why, but I know I am because I get fan mail every day."
"Of course, you are but we have your autograph already." Buffy told him hoping that they could escape soon. Lockhart looked at the rest of them as if he was just noticing them.
"Do I know you?" Lockhart asked looking at the others but mostly Harry and Buffy.
"Yes, you used to teacher Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts." Harry told him.
"I did?" Lockhart asked, confused. "Of course, I did. I bet I taught you everything I know."
"Which wasn't much." Buffy said through the link to Harry. He nodded to her slowly.
"Gildroy, you have guest and on Christmas Day! You never get guests. You poor lamb. I don't know why. You're such a sweetie." The nurse said as she came up to the group with her bag of gifts.
"Actually, we found him in the hallway trying to get on the lift. Said he was going to get tea. Then he dragged my young friend in here to give him an autograph." Ethan told the nurse.
"Gildroy you naughty boy. You know you aren't supposed to leave the ward." Lockhart ignored her as he began signing his pictures. "He must have slipped out while I was bringing in the Christmas presents. We always keep the door locked for his safety. He likes to wander as you can see and then he has trouble remembering his way back." The Nurse sighed. "Thank you for telling me about what happened. We would be looking all over for him if he had gotten on the lift. You're welcome to stay and keep him company for a bit. Like I said he never gets visitors, and it can be lonely for him. I need to get back to delivering these presents."
"Be a dear and put those in envelopes." Lockhart said, plopping his signed photos into her hands.
Several minutes had passed and they were getting ready to leave before Sirius got bored. As they stood to go it was Harry that noticed the woman and young man coming from the closed currents further down in the room.
"Neville is here with his grandmother." Harry told Buffy through the link.
"He's visiting his parents." Buffy responded back.
"Mrs. Longbottom, are you leaving already?" The nurse asked, causing the other children to look to see Neville.
"It's Neville!" Ron cried out upon seeing Neville. Neville jumped at the sound of his name.
"Children we should be getting back." Sirius said seeing Neville's look.
"I want to go say hi." Ron said getting up from the chair he was sitting in. "Hi Neville. Did you know Lockhart was here? Who are you visiting?"
"Friends of yours, Neville, dear?" His grandmother asked.
Neville didn't answer, looking like he was wishing the floor would open up and swallow him up just to not have to do this.
"Yes Mrs. Longbottom, we are in the same house with Neville." Buffy responded hoping that her answering for him might somehow comfort Neville.
"You must be Buffy, which means this one is Harry. Neville speaks highly of both of you even though you froze in your first year."
Buffy had the decency to blushed and Neville looked even more mortified.
"Grams!" Neville hissed, nut his Grams just ignored him and moved on to Ron and Ginny.
"And you two are clearly Weasley's. There's no mistaking that red hair. Yes, I know your parents-not well, of course, but they're good people…you must be Hermione Granger. Neville has told me how you've helped him out of a few spots. Mr. Black. It good to see you."
"You as well Mrs. Longbottom." Sirius replied.
"I'm afraid I don't know you." Mrs. Longbottom said looking at Ethan.
"Ethan Rayne at your service." Ethan said, taking her hand and kissing the back of it. "I'm the new Muggle Defense teacher at Hogwarts."
"Ah yes. Neville has talked a lot about you as well. It is good to have a face to put with the name. Neville's coordination has improved quite a bit since he's been taking your class. I'm afraid Neville takes after his father in that department." Neville's grandmother said as she pointed back to the beds where a man and a woman were at.
"Neville is that your dad?" Ron asked. Buffy wanted to groan. Couldn't Ron see how uncomfortable Neville was with this.
"Neville, you haven't told your friends about your parents?" Grams asked sharply.
"No, only Buffy." Neville told her.
"You knew and didn't tell us?" Ron looked at Buffy.
"It wasn't my story to tell Ron. Neville told me because I asked him."
"My son and his wife were tortured into insanity by one of You-Know-Who's followers. They were Aurors, you know, and very well respected in the Wizarding community. Highly gifted the two of them."
Mrs. Longbottom paused when Neville's mother approached slowly. Her feet were bare, and she was in her nightgown. She reached for Neville's hand and placed an empty wrapper in it. She closed his hand keeping hers over his for thirty seconds before walking away smiling happily. Neville and his grandmother were both shocked.
"That was new." Mrs. Longbottom spoke. "She gives Neville a wrapper every visit, but she has never held his hand like that."
Buffy knew by what she had just witnessed that Alice Longbottom was still in that body somewhere fighting to come out. Alice was communicating with Neville the only way she could, and Neville received her message even if he didn't understand it. Buffy had watched as he slowly slipped the wrapper into his pocket. She would have to look in her wandless magic books to see if there was anything that could help Neville's parents.
After Mrs. Longbottom and Neville had left, they all returned to Mr. Weasley's room. They didn't hear any screaming so they figured the fight must be over. They all walked back into the room to see that Bill, Fred, and George had returned.
"Everything go alright? Was your visit with Lockhart that bad?" Bill asked.
"No, we ran into Neville and his grandmother." Ron told them. "They were visiting his parents. I didn't know Neville's parents were here."
"Yes, poor Alice and Frank." Molly said thinking about the two.
"Do you know who tortured them?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, my demented cousin Bellatrix and her psychotic in-laws torture them after Voldemort was defeated." Sirius told them.
"That woman Kreacher got a photo of in his den?" Hermione asked.
Sirius nodded and no one spoke for a long time until Lockhart shouted angrily at them for not taking the autographs he was signing. Not too long after that they returned back to Grimmauld Place.
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