Now mostly written on train rides ;)
Read, enjoy and review :)
All eyes were on Frank and Snape, when suddenly the doorknob began to turn. The door, however, had been locked by Helbert earlier.
The sound of the door knob was followed by that of a knock. And then another.
"Hello? What's going on in there?"
The unexpected sound of Gibbon's voice nearly sent Alice in another state of panic and let everyone else draw their wands.
Helbert stepped away from Frank and towards the door.
"I am exermining the patients. There is no need to worry."
"Spleen?" replied the voice. "They aren't even your patients. And why lock the door?"
Spleen cursed under his breath. "I'm running some diagnostic tests and did not want to be disturbed."
First there came no reply, and Draco hoped that Gibbon had just left, but then, "patients have complained about someone yelling in there. Open up."
Spleen looked over at Snape and Frank, who were oblivious to what was going on.
The moment dragged on, and Spleen neither said nor did anything.
An "Alohomora," could be heard from the other side of the door.
"Shit," mumbled Spleen, before raising his wand in the direction of the door.
The door burst open, hitting the wall behind it loudly. Gibbon was standing there with two other men behind him. All had their wands drawn.
Gibbon looked at the occupants of the room, his gaze lingering on Alice, Frank and Snape.
"What is going on here?" he asked. He turned towards Snape. "What is he doing with the patient?"
"Healing him," Spleen answered reluctantly, the knuckles around his wand tightening.
Gibbon lowered his wand. "Healing? But that..." he looked at Alice, who stared at him wide eyed. "But that is impossible."
"Apparently not," answered Spleen.
"Fantastic," said Gibbon, taking a step towards Alice, who moved away from him. "Wow. A real reaction. I did not think I would see the day."
"Quite miraculous," agreed Spleen.
"We'll have to run some tests immediately," said Gibbon.
"I am afraid that is not possible," said Augusta. "I will be taking them home with me."
"I would not do this if I were you, Mrs," said Gibbon. "They should be supervised until we can be sure that they have healed properly."
"They have," said Gibbon, "Mrs. Longbottom is feeling fine, am I right, Mrs. Longbottom?"
Alice just looked at him with wide, panicked eyes.
"She does not look fine," growled Gibbon. "And you are not her healer. Whatever experiments you have been conducting, no matter how fruitful, have been illegal."
"I was informed of the treatment and I agreed," said Augusta.
"I am afraid it is not that easy, Mrs. L-"
"DEATH EATER," came a roar from the so far silent Longbottom in the room.
Everyone turned towards Frank Longbottom, who had jumped up. He rushed towards Neville and tore his wand out of his grasp.
"Incarcerous," yelled Frank, his wand pointed at Gibbon. Thin cords shot from the wand, and the next moment, Gibbon was wriggling on the floor, bound and gagged.
The other two men who had been with Gibbon started to move, but with a swift movement of his wand, Draco sent them flying out of the room. Another wave, and the door was closed and locked.
Frank, meanwhile, had turned around and was now aiming his wand in the general direction of everyone. His eyes were wild and crazy, and they reminded Draco of Sirius' eyes when they had first found him in the Forbidden Forest.
"Who are you? Identify yourself? Are you followers of You-Know-Who?"
"Frank," called Augusta.
That had him momentarily distracted. Long enough for Snape, who had been following the whole ordeal looking rather dazed, to get out his own wand and call "Expelliarmus!" He then lazily caught the wand midair, but kept his own trained at Frank. "Sit," he ordered, and Frank followed the order without question.
"Mother?" he asked, while Augusta threw herself on him, embracing him. He looked around the room, his eyes finally resting on his wife, "Allie?"
Alice just smiled.
"As lovely as this reunion is," Snape drawled, "we have to get out of here."
"Right," agreed Helbert. Noises on the other side of the door were growing louder. Healers and security were probably gathering there. He turned towards Alice and Frank. "We don't have time to explain, but we are on your side. There are Death Eaters out there and we need to get you out of here. We can't apparate out of here and we are on the third floor."
Of course there was no easy way out, Draco thought. When had anything ever been easy since he came back? "We'll have to fight our way out of here," he finally sighed.
He took the silence of the others as agreement. They could not leave Alice and Frank here. As soon as the Dark Lord heard of their recovery, they would be easy targets, especially with so many followers running around the hospital. And they had attacked one of the healers, more or less keeping him hostage.
"The main entrance and the floo network are out of question, security has them probably locked down by now. Our best bet is the emergency department, the only place in the hospital without any anti-apparation wards." Helbert pondered this for a few seconds. "Out and to the right. The door is locked so prepare to cast as soon as we reach the end of this ward. The stairs are at the end of the hall. We need to get down. On the ground floor we should be able to apprate out of here."
"The children will aparate side-along with me, Augusta will take Frank along and Helbert Alice," Snape ordered. Everyone nodded their heads.
Snape grabbed Gibbon and used him as a human shield as he positioned himself in front of the door. Then he nodded towards Draco.
Draco cast "Alohomora" and the door sprang open.
About ten people were standing on the other side, all pointing their wands at them. When they saw the bound and gagged Gibbon, however, they hesitated.
Snape was ready to attack, but someone else was faster. Augusta was suddenly standing next to him.
"Alarte Ascendare!" she yelled, and the people closest to the door were sent flying through the air.
Snape then sent the rest of them into the wall behind them with a wordless Everte Statum.
"Let's go," urged Helbert, dragging the two Longbottoms with him.
They all ran through the hall together, always making sure that Alice and Frank were in their middle.
There were hardly any patients running around the hall. The healers probably evacuated them, Draco thought, or they simply sent them to their rooms.
Draco and Neville went last. They cast Protegos while they ran, but some spells they just couldn't block. Fortunately for them, the witches and wizards following them were more adept at undoing the damage caused by offensive magic than at causing any themselves. Unfortunately, that also meant the hexes they sent their way did not stop them for long.
They were almost by the stairs, when Draco felt a spell hitting him in the back. The impact had him stumbling to the ground.
Neville turned around and his eyes widened in alarm.
Draco felt fine. Which was strange. He got up and kept on running, but the others came dangerously close.
Snape, who had reached the stairs first, let everyone else pass, so he could check that they hadn't lost anyone. Looking at Draco, his eyes widened as well.
That's when Draco noticed the blond hair in the corner of his eyes. "Shit," he mumbled and turned to Neville midrun. "I look like me again, don't I?"
Neville just nodded.
"Fumos Duo!" yelled Snape, once Draco and Neville had passed him, and the hall behind them filled with smoke.
They all sprinted down the stairs.
Once downstairs, Snape cast a quick Muffliato. "Where to?" he asked.
Their followers could already be heard coming down the stairs.
"Hyde Park," yelled Augusta.
Snape grabbed Draco and Neville by the shoulder, and the next things Draco knew weren't the white walls and sterile air from the hospital but a warm breeze and a lot of leaves. They were standing outside between some bushes in a park.
"Has anyone seen you?" Snape asked Draco.
"Huh?" asked Draco, still a bit disoriented. Then he remembered that he wasn't in his disguise anymore. "I don't know."
Snape just nodded.
A few seconds later, the other four members of their odd group were standing in the park as well.
A pedestrian had seen them, but Snape cast a quick Confundo and sent him on his merry way. Then he cast Muffliato around all of them.
"Not the best place to apparate to, but the only thing I could think of on such a short notice," Augusta said. She was staring at Draco, holding on tightly to her wand, but not pointing it at him.
"Uhm-" Neville started.
"So, that is why you never mentioned your new friend's name in any of your letters?" Augusta asked.
"I didn't?" Neville asked, scratching his head and looking sheepish. "Well... this is my best friend, Draco Malfoy."
Augusta just stared at him, unblinking.
"A Malfoy?" Frank spat. "The Malfoys are all Death Eaters. Step away from him, Allie." He took a step towards Draco.
"Uhm- no, we are not." Draco took a step backwards. Even though Frank had no wand, it was obvious that he had been an Auror. His aura was definitely intimidating. "I-I'm not," he stuttered.
Neville stepped between them. "He is on our side."
"And which side would that be?" asked Frank.
Neville looked perplexed. This was probably not how he had envisioned his first conversation with his father.
"Frank," chided Augusta, "this is your son you are talking to."
"My son is still a baby," Frank said sharply.
"No," came the soft voice of Alice. She put a hand on Frank's shoulder and he seemed to calm down somewhat.
"Mr. Longbottom," Helbert started, just as he had with Alice, "there has been an accident. You and your wife have been in what could be compared to a comatose state for the last 14 years."
"If this is your idea of a joke, it is not funny," Frank replied coldly.
"Frank," Alice said, "look at us. Look at your mother. I do not know what happened, but I know that the world has changed. And look at... look at our son. Look at his eyes, they are the eyes of our little boy."
"This is ridiculous," he mumbled, but did as his wife told him. He looked at Neville. "This has to be a trick."
"It's not," said Neville.
"It has to be. You are all lying. I did not miss 14 years of my son's life!"
Alice broke into tears, and the way Neville looked, he was close to following her example by now.
"Frank, I know this is hard to believe," said Augusta, "but don't you think he resembles Alice? Can't you see it? And he is using your wand. I am your mother, I would not lie to you."
"It is impossible." Frank closed his eyes, shaking his head vehemently. "No, no, no,..." he whispered over and over again.
For a long time, no one else said anything.
"What kind of accident?" Alice finally asked, looking at Helbert, blinking the last of her tears away.
"The Cruciatus Curse has been used on you for... a very long time. After that you were unable to communicate with anyone. Only now were we able to find a solution for your problem."
Alice shook her head. "I knew that time had passed. I feel like time has passed, but I cannot tell how. I- I felt things... I- I-" she reached for her temple, "my head hurts when I try to think about it. But I know that you," she looked at her son, then reached for his cheek with one hand, stroking it with her thumb," were there. Quite often. You talked to me. I don't know what you said, but I know that you were there. I did not feel so alone then. And you gave me sweets, sometimes." She smiled.
Neville nodded his head. He closed his eyes, leaning against her hand.
"You are my baby," she said, "I can tell."
Neville brought his hand up to cover hers. A tear ran down his cheek.
"Is he dead?" Frank suddenly asked. "Is that bastard at least dead?"
This time it was Snape who answered. "He hasn't been seen for 14 years, but... some people believe he might return one day."
"That man in the hospital," Frank said, "that was Gibbon, a Death Eater. Why is he not in Azkaban?"
Snape gulped. "Not everyone involved was found guilty."
"This is outrageous," said Frank.
"Frankie," whispered Alice, "can't this wait?"
Frank looked up and at his wife. Then at his mother, and finally at his son. He closed his eyes again and started to shake his head.
"We should find another place to talk. And I would like to examine you two," Helbert said.
"We can apparate to my house," Augusta said. "Septimus - if that is your real name - you and Draco are welcome to join us." She turned her gaze on Draco. "You are perhaps not who I would have chosen as a friend for Neville, but you have helped to make this possible, and for that I will forever be grateful."
Draco smiled at her. "Thank you. But I think I will have to be at King's Cross soon. My parents think I am on the Hogwarts Express."
Augusta nodded her head.
Neville gave Draco a bone-crushing hug. "Thank you. Thank you so much. None of this would have happened without you."
"You're giving me too much credit. You and Snape did most of the work."
"You know what I mean," whispered Neville, giving Draco a meaningful look.
Draco glanced at the others before smiling at Neville.
They wished each other a good break. Then Draco held on to Snape and they apparated to King's Cross.
"Draco," he could here his mother's voice from the door. At the station, Snape and Draco had gone their separate ways. Even though Snape had looked exhausted, he, at least to Draco, had appeared... it was hard to put into words, but as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Draco had then hidden until the train arrived and his parents were there to pick him up. Now he was lying in bed, feeling rather happy and exhausted himself.
"Yeah?" he mumbled, already half asleep.
"Can we... talk?" and there was something in her voice that made him worry instantly.
He sat up. "Sure."
His mother came in and sat down on the bed next to him. He would have loved to see her face, read her face, but it was too dark, so he had to rely on her voice to discern what was wrong.
"What happened to you?" she finally asked. It was quiet. A whisper. Uncertain, yet determined.
"W-What?"
Narcissa was quiet for a while. And just when Draco started to believe he had just dreamed her presence, she said, "You have changed." It took her a while, before she continued. "It... Sometimes it feels like you are a completely different person. Sometimes I don't recognize you at all anymore. And it's not just you growing up. That's what I originally thought when you stopped writing me in your third year."
"I've written you letters," Draco interjected. More vehemently than necessary.
"Yes," sighed his mother. "About once a month. Before that you used to write once a week. Elaborate letters. Not..." she trailed off. "Never mind. I knew something was off, but I told myself it's just my boy becoming a man."
Oh dear. Draco felt his heart grow heavy. Of course his mother had noticed something. Neville had figured it out within a year, so why had he thought he could fool his own mother?
"And then you came home over Christmas and it wasn't just that you acted differently. It wasn't just what you did, but how you did it. How you talked, how you walked, how you held yourself..." her voice wavered. "Sometimes I thought you are a different person altogether, using Polyjuice or something."
Draco gulped. Had he really been too occupied to notice his mother's worrying?
"But when I look at you," she brought her hand to his face, "I know you are my son. A mother knows these things."
Draco put his own hand over hers. "Mother..."
"You are my son and I love you. I always will. But I feel like I don't know you anymore."
There were so many emotions in her voice and had Draco been able to see her, he was certain he would have seen tears on her cheeks.
He didn't know what to say, so he pulled her into an embrace.
"I love you, mother."
He could hear a stifled sob. "Oh my baby. I thought it didn't matter. I would just get to know you again and everything would be alright. But now it does matter and it scares me so..." she trailed off and Draco tightened their embrace.
"I'm sorry," Draco whispered.
They stayed like this for a few minutes.
Narcissa then took her son's face in her hands and put a kiss on his cheek. "Be save, my darling. I love you. I always will. Don't ever forget it."
And with a last kiss on his forehead, she left the room.
TBC
Inspiration for the second half: A New Beginning by LullabyKnell - a oneshot about a timetravelling Draco from Narcissa's point of view.
Frank is not rejecting Neville or anything, he just has a really hard time accepting that he basically lost over a decade of his and his family's lives... he'll come around :)
Hope you enjoyed this one. Let me know in a review ;)