There were four elephants in the room.

The first, and most ominous, was that Bellatrix Lestrange had managed to find and torture Remus Lupin. And she still had not been caught.

The second, more obvious elephant, was Remus' furry little problem, which was now visible and plain as day. Remus lay in his hospital bed surrounded by doctors and visitors, most of whom had had no idea about Remus' lycanthropy. Now, he was covered in fur, the long snout on his face preventing him speaking. He had not transformed completely, but his body had reacted to Lestrange's curses.

"It's not permanent," the Head Healer explained as he wrapped Remus' furry hand in potion-soaked gauze. "He'll be back to normal in a week or so."

That was the third elephant. The Head of the Spell Damage ward was Cornelius Peck the Seventh, whom Lily had explained to James was having an affair with Emmeline Vance. While Healer Peck tended to Remus, his insane wife was rocking backwards and forwards on the floor at the other side of the room, alongside the other more chronic sufferers.

The fourth elephant was Alice.

Alice stood between Augustus Longbottom and Lily, watching Healer Peck wrap Remus' arm in bandages. She was silent and wore a content, almost contemplative expression. If it had not been for her hospital gown, she would have looked like any normal hospital visitor.

James could see that Lily was no longer focused on Remus, having been assured that he would be alright. Instead, her gaze was lost. She was too intoxicated by the close proximity of Alice Longbottom and her eerily ordinary behaviour.

"I'll keep checking in on him throughout the night," said Peck. "He's in good hands."

"Thank you," replied Sirius earnestly. "He's been treated by healers before who don't like his kind."

Peck sighed. "We fear what we do not understand, I suppose. And there's very little academic writing on the biology of the werewolf."

"What does this mean for him?" asked James, suddenly fearful. "This half-transformation, does it change his condition? Is he worse?"

"Not at all. Actually, partial transformation was probably a defence mechanism." Peck looked at Remus' semi-conscious form. "His werewolf form acted as a barrier between his attacker's curses and his own mind. It's fascinating, really."

James was pleased with the news, but he appeared to be the only one. Lily, Sirius and Augusta Longbottom looked gravely miserable, as did the team of Aurors standing nearby, murmuring together, swapping facts and ideas about Lestrange's wearabouts. James desperately wanted to go up and talk to them. Hey, I'm an Auror-In-Training, I can help you! But how pathetic would that sound?

"Alice," Augusta touched Alice's arm. "Let's give Remus some privacy. Let's go back to Frank."

Alice resisted Augusta's gentle pulling. She continued to watch Remus thoughtfully. Then, as she turned to follow her mother-in-law away, she noticed Lily.

She looked at Lily as though something in her face surprised her. She studied Lily's face quickly, before letting Augustus drag her away.

Lily watched her go, confused and astonished.

James wasn't sure what he'd rather: For Alice to shiver and mumble to herself like Frank currently was, or for her to act like this... to show little glimpses of her former self, stirring a little hope in her friends that she might come back.

The doors to the ward opened, and Isabelle hurriedly walked in.

"How is he?" she asked, coming towards them.

"He'll be fine," replied Peck before Sirius could speak. "Though me may be a little skittish for a while. The Cruciatus curse is a difficult one to process."

Isabelle nodded, then turned to the Sirius. "The Minister is re-locating his department."

Sirius looked confused. "Where?"

Isabelle took a slow breath. "Sweden."

"What?"

"Permanently."

James and Sirius looked horrified.

"It's not a panic move," explained Isabelle. "They were going to go to Sweden anyway. There's a big international lycanthropy thing going on there because the Swedish are nice to their... um-"

"You can say it," said James.

"-lycanthropes."

James internally rolled his eyes.

"The department head had intended them to go next year with the next cohort, but... seeing as four department members were attacked, well... they're bringing the move forward."

"But he can't possibly go..." said Sirius. "Look at him! He's in no condition to move beds, let alone countries!"

"The move is in two weeks."

Sirius looked at Healer Peck. "He won't have recovered by then, though, will he?"

Peck looked awkwardly between Sirius and Isabelle. "Like I said... he'll be better within the week."

Silence fell among the group.

"We'll go with him," said James finally. He looked to Lily, who seemed to agree with his idea. "We've got to go somewhere, so we'll go with him."

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

Half an hour later, James was sat on Frank Longbottom's hospital bed beside Cornelius Peck. They watched Alice, who was sat on the bed opposite, being fed pieces of cut-up pear by Augustus.

"How bad is she?" James asked Peck.

"Not as bad as some..." replied Peck, glancing at the other end of the room. "But it's impossible to rehabilitate someone who doesn't want to get better."

"She wants to stay ill?"

"She doesn't know she's ill."

When Augusta finished feeding Alice, she left her to tend to Frank.

James knew not to bother asking about Frank's recovery. He wouldn't get one. While Alice still looked like herself (albeit a bony, greasy version of herself), Frank looked like a different person entirely. His hair was going grey at the temples; a true tragedy for someone who'd been the school heartthrob. He'd started to lose his leanness in the war, but now he was a bag of bones. He was a poor-postured, trembling, mumbling stranger. Even his voice was different.

"He'll calm down over time," said Peck quietly. "But he'll never be the same. I don't even think Frank's in there anymore."

James felt his chest grow heavy. He saw Frank, and could barely compare him to the strapping, tall boy who won Quidditch match after Quidditch match.

Frank let out a loud moan when Augustus tried to feed him some apple. When he moaned, Alice looked over her shoulder at him. She leaned back on her hands and watched.

"What about Alice?" James asked.

"She's high-functioning for now," said Peck. "But she'll get worse."

"Worse?"

Peck looked at Alice pityingly "Too many patients, not enough Healers... we need her attacker's wand if we want to fix her by magic. It'll be faster than by face-to-face therapies. But that requires intensive twenty-four hour care. And, um..." he nodded in the direction of Frank and Augusta. "No money."

James was confused. "But Alice's family are-"

"All dead," Peck interjected. "All Alice has is her mother-in-law."

"You're telling me all that's getting in the way of Alice's recovery is lack of money?"

Peck looked pained. "She won't be the same either, Mister Potter. But... Frank was attacked for a long time. He doesn't remember anything. But when you take out a wand in Alice's presence... she cowers."

Alice was still in there. She remembered the attack. She knew and cared for Frank. She even recognised Lily, James was sure.

Alice had money. She was a Prewett. They were not the richest family in the wizarding world, but if they were dead, surely Alice had inherited everything they had...

Only, she was not the last Prewett alive. Fabian and Gideon's sister was a Weasley now, but she was more in-need and less radical than Alice. It was possible that all the Prewett money went to her.

But he'd seen her house! Surely if she had money..?

James looked over at Lily, who was playing with Harry and Neville. They were sitting together, giggling at an enchanted cat's shadow which pranced and jumped on the wall by the box of children's toys.

"I have an errand to run," James announced to Peck, standing up. "I'll be back shortly."

James rushed over to Lily, and crouched on the floor beside her.

"I'm going to Gringotts," he said.

"Ok..."

"Alice and Frank were never poor, were they?"

Lily furrowed her brows. "They weren't rich, but they were okay..."

"What's happened to their house?"

"Augusta's living in it..."

"Right, where's Augusta's old house?"

"She sold it. To pay for Frank and Alice's hospital stay."

James balked. "What, seriously?!"

Lily looked utterly bewildered by James' questions. "Yeah... Mrs Weasley told me."

"Well, Emmeline's bloody boyfriend didn't tell me!"

"SHH!" Lily poked him in the arm.

James didn't know what an entire house's selling price bought in hospital care, but clearly it did not buy enough. It didn't buy his friends' recovery.

"James, what's going on?" Lily asked. "What's bothering you?"

James looked round the ward manically, a feeling of injustice surging him on like adrenaline.

"Augusta Longbottom is poor, and she's retired so looking after Neville is going to eat away at her pocket, right? So she won't be able to afford any of the therapies that Alice needs. Peck mentioned that finding Bellatrix's wand will make things easier, so we've got to remember that for when Bellatrix is caught."

Lily thought for a moment. "So... Bellatrix's wand can help Frank and Alice because it tortured them?"

"Her wand can help Alice, yes."

"What's that got to do with their money?"

"Alice has money. I know she does. Her parents must have left her something. But she can't get at. If Augusta could access Alice's money, or we could, we could pay for Alice's treatment. "

"And Frank's,"

James swallowed. "And Frank's."

"Well... great!" said Lily. "But we don't need Alice's money. We can pay for it ourselves!"

"I know we could... but I want to Augusta to have access to Alice's money. Raising Neville is going to be hard without it."

Lily nodded. "You're right. Let's go." She began to stand up.

"You stay here," James told her. "I'm coming back. I'll need to talk to Augusta... and Peck."

"James,"

"Yes?"

"...Sweden?"

James looked at her. She looked hopeful. Almost... excited.

He smiled. "In a house by a lake."

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

Gringotts was abnormally crowded. Wizards' general respectful fear of goblins had clearly been suspended, and witches and wizards were banging their fists and shouting for goblins' attention and cooperation. The goblins themselves, as usual, did not hurry.

No sooner had James got his bearings and joined a queue, people started to recognise him. A few heads turned around him, then a few more, then many more until every person within a ten-person radius was watching him, whispering. The bank was quieter now.

What was he supposed to do? Smile and wave?

He kept his gaze low, pretending to be lost in thought.

"James Potter?" A tall, balding man in front of James in the queue was holding out his hand nervously. "It's an honour, Sir. I'm Miles Wolfe. You were at Hogwarts the same time as my eldest, Gilroy."

"Of course. How is he?" James had never heard of a Gilroy Wolfe.

"Very well. Travelling, bless him."

James was surprised Mr Wolfe hadn't said that his son had been tortured and killed by Death Eaters. It was the sort of response James expected nowadays.

"Forgive me, I don't mean to bother you, but... my boy Gregory here is a huge admirer of yours..."

From behind Miles Wolfe stepped a small, lank, pimply teenage boy. He was half-smiling, looking at the floor.

"Hi," said the boy, Gregory. "Um, will you please sign my Tiger Eye?"

"What?" asked James dumbly.

From his robe pocket, the boy withdrew a booklet.

The words "Tiger Eye" were printed in gold lettering at the top of the cover. Underneath was a picture of James, with Lily and Sirius, standing in the foyer of Sirius' shop at his opening party.

"I... hadn't heard of Tiger Eye until recently," James told the boy and his father. "What is it?"

The boy shrugged. "It's cool," he said. "It's for pro-blood equality wizards," the boy looked up at James for the first time. "You'd like it."

James read the sub-headings around the side of the cover. 'REVIEW: Black's Muggle Emporium'... 'Muggle Inventions To Tame Your Mane... 'What To Expect at Fritz Ivory's Gremlin Tour'... 'Why Bellatrix Lestrange Has Not Been Caught'

"Gregory, my boy," the father prompted. "Go and borrow a quill from the goblins' desk for Mister Potter."

The boy looked around at the goblins and gulped.

"No need," said James. "I have a spell."

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

Ten minutes after magically searing his signature into the boy's copy of Tiger Eye, James was able to be seen to. He took out a large amount of gold from his vault, and as he rode back to the main hall with the goblin escort, he looked around at the other vaults wondering which was Alice's. He knew it would sound suspicious if he asked, and the goblin would not tell him.

Once they were back in the main hall, James followed the goblin back to his desk. "I have a query," he said.

The goblin rolled his eyes. The queue to his desk was snaking out of the front door, as were all the others.

"What do you want?"

"Gaining access to someone else's vault..."

The goblin waited.

"Is it impossible?"

The goblin stared at him for a long moment before reaching inside his tailcoats for his wand. When he flicked his wand, a thin pile of papers floated down towards his desk from mid-air, then arranged themselves into a scroll. The goblin picked up the scroll of parchment from his desk and handed it to James.

James took it, unsure. "What is this?"

The goblin looked away from him towards the queue. "All it needs is a signature."

James balked. "And that's it?"

"That is it."

"It's as simple as that?"

The goblin looked at him, leaned forward, and grinned menacingly. "As simple as that."

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

By the time James returned to the ward, Lily had adjusted to having the silent presence of Alice Longbottom beside her. She had joined Lily not long after James left, when Lily had busied herself playing with Harry and little Neville, and had stood behind where Lily sat and watched her play with the toddlers. She watched contemplatively, but not fondly. Lily kept looking up at her, hoping to see a flicker of warmth in Alice's face as she watched her son play with Lily's. But Alice was watching the children like one might watch minnows swimming in an aquarium: with mild, objective interest.

"Lily," James said as he strode towards her. He waved a scroll in his hand. "This is all we need. If Mrs Longbottom signs this, she can access their vaults. She'll have enough money to take Neville away..." He stopped, and looked at Alice, who was looking back at him.

"Alice?" James asked.

Alice let out a short giggle. She looked embarrassed at her outburst, and started chewing on the ends of her hair.

James looked back at Lily. "Does she know her own name?"

Lily shook her head. "Peck said she can't understand anything."

James took a step closer to Alice and hesitantly placed a hand on her shoulder. Several beds away, Augusta was watching them warily as she comforted her shuddering son.

"Alice?" James tried again with no response. "Lily, what was it you lot used to call her?"

"Oh, she won't remember that."

"But what was it?"

"Forest."

Alice vomited. Both James and Lily stepped out of the way as a pool of sick spread out on the floor. Lily quickly, pulled Harry and Neville out of the firing line, dazed at what had just happened.

As a healer came rushing towards Alice, along with Mrs Longbottom, James and Lily shared a stunned look.

Suddenly, Alice's condition was no longer a prison. It was just a cage.

"Is she alright?" Augusta asked, watching Alice with concern. "What happened?"

"We said her name," replied Lily, still shocked. "I said her nickname aloud. She recognised it. She definitely-"

"That's highly unlikely, dear," Augusta replied, gently leading Alice away from the puddle of sick. "It's probably the over-excitement of so many visitors. Back to bed, dear."

"Mrs Longbottom-" James took a big step towards her, holding the scroll out to her. "I got this from Gringotts."

Augusta stared blankly at it.

"It... it's an order to pass over access to Frank and Alice's vault to you."

Augusta looked away from the scroll, uninterested. "Have you read it?"

"Um, no. The goblin told me-"

"Read it. Clause One. The signed document must be returned to Gringotts with a Certificate of Institutionalisation from the Ministry."

James looked down at the scroll. "Right... so..."

"They must be a permanent resident of Azkaban or St Mungo's. Which means I would have to give them up."

Lily's heart plummeted. She looked at Alice, who appeared a content young girl, surrounded by family, oblivious to the misery around her.

"Permanent resident?" James echoed. "But what if they get better?"

Augusta gave a small, heartbreaking sigh. "They won't."

"But..." Lily began. "Alice knows her name. She knows me. Surely with enough exposure, she'll-"

"You're clutching at straws, dear," said Augusta hopelessly. "Look at her. Her mind is lost. And as for Frank..." Augusta shut her eyes. She took a few breaths before speaking again. "They'll never leave. But I'm not prepared to sign away my motherhood, not for all the money in Gringotts."

James and Lily did not argue as she lead Alice away to her bed.

James looked down at the scroll in his hand as though it were libellous. Lily felt a tug at her feet, and saw Neville playing with the laces on her shoes.

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

Dear Mrs Longbottom,

I hope you are well. I am sorry we parted on difficult terms. I made enquiries about financial situations of this ilk only because I want to help. As a father, my care is for Neville as a son, and you as a parent to a son of your own. Seeing the light gone from Frank and Alice's eyes breaks me. I'm sure Dumbledore told me something poignant about good people and suffering, but I can't remember what it is. Would it even help?

We have fled the country. There were many factors influencing our decision and although we are sad to leave, we know that we are safer abroad. We're happier, even. We have not had the chance to travel, or even breathe calmly, until now. We do not know when we shall return to England. It is likely that we will remain gone until after our baby is born.

I have left instructions at Gringotts for a sum on ten thousand galleons to be given to you from our vault upon your request. I would have explained this at the ward, but I guessed you would argue. This is not charity, nor is it a gift. I implore you to use this money to take Neville away. The Mad Witch will hurt anyone she pleases.

All The Best,

James C. Potter.

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

A/N: ten thousand sounds like a lot. I did the conversion. It's about two grand.

Thanks for reading.

N x