Omphalos: the central point.
May 17, 1980
They stood close together in the shadowed entryway. The orange glow of the lantern flickering on the front porch seeped through the frosted glass door and provided the only light. It gave a fiery quality to his dark, sparkling eyes, and her honey-blonde hair was died the color of rust in the muted lumination.
"I wish I had you at my back," he murmured, pushing one of her rusty ringlets behind her ear.
"Me too," she sighed, glancing out into the darkness that stretched indefinitely beyond the lantern light outside. "Two and a half months," she added, placing a hand on the swell of her belly between them.
Frank Longbottom chuckled. "You reckon Moody'll let you leave the office for the rest of the year?"
Alice made a disgruntled noise. "He does know you are as much a parent to this baby as I am, doesn't he? But he'll let you risk your neck. Sexist old codger," she added, although she was unable to keep the affection out of her voice.
Frank chuckled again. "I'll bet by Halloween he'll be desperate enough to employ even a new mother in field work again. He knows you're the best he's got. Hold out for the light at the end of the tunnel, Ally. Although, keep in mind that that light is flying curses, yeah?"
"I'll try," Alice muttered as he leaned down to kiss her. "Still bloody unfair that you get to see all the action."
"Speaking of, I better get going before I miss it all. Take care, love."
With one last kiss, Frank stepped away, swung the black traveling cloak around his shoulders, slipped out the front door. Alice leaned up against the glass and watched his blurry form disappear into the night, unable to stem the wave of jealousy that swept over her.
Then something moved inside her, a fluttering in her abdomen. Immediately, everything turned inward as she rested her hands on either side of her stomach. She still stared off into the darkness, but she no longer saw it. The small stirrings of life inside her easily became the center of everything.
Alice closed her eyes with a sigh and turned from the door. Each movement focused within. "Anything for you, my love," she murmured, smiling slightly in spite of herself.
A/N: Shorter again. This was what it was supposed to be like from the start. Anyway, this word made me think of Rose of Sharon from The Grapes of Wrath (call me crazy, but it is my very favorite book next to The Outsiders and, obviously. Harry Potter). Happily, though, Alice's internal focus is not eclipsing and she gets a happier ending. Well, sort of. Her baby does, at any rate.
I also meant to mention the unnamed boy from May 15, the Dumbledore chapter. I intended him to be Aberforth, hence the bookends remark at the end, since Albus and he looked so much alike as children but ended up being so different, but a few of you interpreted it as Grindlewald, which I can totally see and rather like. I had originally planned on including him, but I thought the timeline was a bit off as he didn't meet Dumbledore until after Albus was out of school, but I suppose he might have already been living with his aunt… it could go however you want it to go, I suppose. I was very vague with him, wasn't I? But I meant him to be Aberforth.
As always, thank you for your lovely reviews. :)