HP Fic: Sweeter This, Alice/Frank Longbottom Rated R
Title: Sweeter This
Characters: Alice & Frank Longbottom
Rating: R for violence, bad language, and adult situations.
Disclaimer: Not mine
Warnings: Het. Violence, torture, angst. These are Neville's parents -- you know what happens.
Summary: Genfic, Alice and Frank Longbottom and the end of the first war with Voldemort.
A/N: In honor of Mother's Day, I give you this extremely depressing piece.
Thanks to ion_bond for the beta.
"Fuck," said Alice, when she saw the stunner hit Frank. Ooh, she thought, must try harder to stop swearing before the baby comes.
Frank had grabbed her wrist and snatched the Portkey out of the hands of the surprised-looking Death Eater just two seconds shy of the scheduled port time. They were both tugged away immediately, but the Death Eater had been dragged along also. They landed just outside Ministry Headquarters -- an abandoned street strewn with rubbish and bordered on either side by uninhibited store-fronts. The mission hadn't been official Ministry business -- something for the Order. But this was familiar turf for the both of them, so it'd been the most logical destination for the port.
The Death Eater, a tall hulking wizard with large gap teeth and cruel eyes, had made a run for it as soon as they stopped spinning. Frank and Alice had taken off after him, though at seven months along Alice wasn't so much running as waddling very fast. "Sod this," she said, aiming her wand. That's when the large bloke, casting spells over his shoulder, made the lucky shot at Frank. Frank collapsed right in front of Alice, who had a time of it stopping. The awkward distribution of her extra weight threw her off balance. She sent one wand blast at the Death Eater before flapping her arms vainly for counter-balance. She tipped dangerously forward, then, after overcompensating the other way, she landed flat on her arse with a plop.
Her equilibrium was off, but her aim was spot on. The gapped-toothed Death Eater was down with thick twisting ropes rapidly encircling his body. He was trussed like a mummy by the time Alice pulled herself up. She cast a band across his mouth to end the stream of invectives issuing from him. His eyes still seethed with hate. She tossed a silent itching curse at him -- just for good measure.
"That was my husband, you pathetic arsehole", she muttered quietly when he started to squirm. She moved to rennervate Frank.
"Honestly, Frank," she said, as he came to. "If you're not going to help, could you at least stay out of the way?"
"Sorry, Alice." Frank said good-naturedly.
"Aww," she laughed, giving him her hand and pulling him to his feet. "You all right, then?"
"Right as rain." He kissed her and pressed a hand against her belly. "How's Algernon?"
"Doing summersaults. Duelling gets him so excited."
"Just like your mum, huh, Algernon?" Frank leaned down and spoke directly to her stomach. "She gets very excited after a fight, too. That's how you got to be where you are, as a matter of fact."
"Don't call him that," Alice said, shoving his head away gently. "It's bad luck to name them before they're born. Besides, I told you, we're not calling him Algernon."
Frank just grinned, started dusting off his robes and looking around, absently, for his wand. She watched his wide shoulders relax, almost undetectable, beneath the folds of his Auror robes. Frank was relentlessly cheerful and sweet-tempered but he did worry, sometimes. She knew he did, though he seldom showed it.
"Good thinking, that Portkey," said Alice, scanning their surroundings. There wasn't much of a chance that any of the other Death Eaters had followed them, but you could never be too careful. "I thought we were dead for sure. Do you know who that was? You-Know-Who, himself."
"Yeah, I can't believe he got away, again," said Frank, picking up his wand from under an old, yellowed scrap of newspaper.
"Frank, I can't believe we got away. What are we up to, now?"
"Three." Frank smiled at the trussed-up Death Eater. "Who's that then? Gibbon? Why's he turning all red and twitchy?"
"Dunno," said Alice with a shrug. "Allergies?"
"Oh, yeah, ragweed's bad now, isn't it?"
***
Among the really dedicated gossips, the question of how little Alice Dobbs had managed to snag Frank Longbottom was one of endless speculation. He was a friendly, well-born, and universally well-liked Auror and she, a chubby, short girl from an insignificant wizard family, with a round face, wispy hair, and an acerbic attitude. By the time she started working in Magical Law Enforcement, Frank was already somewhat famous. He was considered quite the eligible bachelor among the London witches, with his modest good-looks, his family name, and his preternaturally sweet nature. But she'd been his neighbour and playmate since childhood, and when she finished her training with every indication of being a potential top agent, it's seemed only natural for the head of Aurors to partner her with Frank on various missions. It was a partnership that grew more natural and intimate with every battle and narrow escape.
Alice knew the most popular explanation for the sudden, hasty wedding, but Frank had been hers long before that.
"Are you sure, Alice?" Frank had said, lying in her bed, his head rested on her breasts, and staring at her stomach.
"No, Frank. I'm just making shit up." She stroked his curly hair, tangling it up with her fingers. "Of course, I'm sure."
"Ooh, you best stop swearing before the baby comes." He lifted his head up and shifted around so he could look at her. "I hope it's a boy. We'll call him Algernon."
"We certainly won't call him that. Your Uncle Algie's a menace."
Frank had just smiled. "Now we can get properly married," he said thoughtfully. "And you can move up to Pendle with Mother and me."
"Really, can I?" said Alice, sarcastically. "I said no the last time you asked me to marry you, Frank. You think this changes things?"
"It changes everything, Alice, you know that."
She had to admit that was true. She hadn't planned any of it, but when it happened, she had been surprised to find how suddenly and desperately she wanted it. Maybe, it was the war -- it made everyone so impetuous. She didn't know. All she knew was that she needed this, this pledge of Frank's that stirred imperceptibly inside her. A ransom to the future that proved they had no intention of losing the war.
"Do we have to move into your mother's house?" she had said, finally.
"It's my house, too. You can't want to stay in this flat." Frank sat up on the bed and stretched his arms out. Frank was by no means tall but he could touch either wall when he did that. Alice was a great deal shorter and could practically do the same thing. It hadn't mattered when she had first moved in that the flat was the size of a small cupboard. All she'd needed was a place for her bed and the dark-eyed lad she liked to keep in her bed.
"Longbottoms have lived there forever, and we'll be near your dad," Frank continued. "It's a lovely house; it just goes on and on. We'll add our own floor, I think it's up to six -- you don't mind stairs. It's a great place for children. There are loads of rooms to explore and the garden is massive."
"I don't know..." she said.
Frank snuggled against her and kissed her breasts reverently. He had an endearing fondness for her breasts which suited Alice fine. She knew they were her best asset -- large, round and heavy. Frank ran his hand along her stomach and slid down her body.
"What you up to, Frank Longbottom?"
"Fancy going for twins?"
"It doesn't work that way..." she sighed. "Hey, why are you stopping?"
"I just thought... If not Algernon, then Trevor, maybe."
***
"Frank, darling, have more trifle," Augusta Longbottom said sweetly. "It's your favourite. I made it just for you, the hero of the Ministry." Frank had just got a new promotion and Augusta was beaming. "Don't you think you've had enough, there, Alice, dear?" she added in a dry voice.
Alice smiled cheerily. "I'm eating for two, Mother Longbottom."
"Yes, but unless you're eating for two enormous mountain trolls, I think you've had plenty." Alice continued to smile but in a much more sinister way. "Frank," Augusta continued, "Try a meringue. Do you want another sandwich? You need to keep up your strength for capturing all those horrid dark wizards."
They were having tea on a late Saturday afternoon. Friday had been Alice's last day at the Ministry and with Frank's promotion; they'd made a casual party of it. The Potters were there. Sirius Black. Moody and Dawlish from the Auror's department. Alice's dad was around, too, sipping his brew silently in a corner.
"Oh, thanks Mother," said Frank, grabbing the meringue eagerly. "Alice really does all the work. I've just been resting on my laurels. I don't know what we're going to do without her. She's one of the best Aurors we've got right now. Even Scrimgeour says so."
"I can't believe I'm going to have to take off nearly a year in the middle of a war," said Alice, attempting to sneak a meringue without her mother-in-law noticing.
"Yes, I imagine they'll have a hard time of it, with you gone, but I'd hate to think having my son's child was a burden on you," said Augusta sharply, pulling the plate of meringues out of Alice's reach.
Alice turned to frown at Frank who just shrugged sheepishly.
When Augusta finally wandered off to talk to her guests, Alice grabbed two biscuits and half a sandwich. She chewed her food and watched her mother-in-law chatting with the Potters.
Alice was twice as big as Lily Potter and their due dates were practically identical. Lily's long limbs were still slim and graceful; her stomach was just a delicate little swell. Alice had to admit that she, herself, had taken on the exact shape of a Quaffle. At least she wasn't crying at the drop of a hat and for the most ridiculous reasons. That had stopped with the puking, thank Merlin. Now she just had backaches and a constant need to pee. And, of course, a deep-seated dislike of her mother-in-law that probably had nothing to do with being pregnant.
"Being in a family way certainly agrees with you, Lily," Alice could hear Augusta saying. "You're positively glowing. Have you seen our Alice? She's just turned all puffy and red."
"Frank," said Alice, leaning over to whisper to her husband. "I'm beginning to suspect that your mother has secret ties to You-Know-Who. It might be prudent to haul her into Azkaban -- just to be on the safe side."
"Oh no, you're not starting that again." Frank was just finishing his second serving of trifle.
"Come on, Frank. What's the point of being an Auror if we can't abuse our power a bit sometimes?"
"Mother loves you," said Frank, he leaned down to put his ear against her belly. He loved to listen for the baby's movements. "She's dead proud of you. You should have heard her carrying on with Griselda Marchbanks about you the other day."
Alice knew it was true, but still... "She has an odd way of showing it."
"Yes, well, that's just how she is."
Augusta's voice carried over to them. Something about "daughter-in-law" and "looks like she's been stung by ten-thousand bees."
"Just one teeny, tiny interrogation," pleaded Alice. "You know, Crouch has given us blanket discretion to use Unforgivables."
"Alice..."
***
Frank stood behind Alice, who sat upright in their bed. Frank was beaming at the yawning red bundle in her arms.
"You've done well, Mother," he said.
"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with you calling me the same thing you call the vulture-topped hag," Alice said. The baby felt so delicate in her arms, she wondered if it might break if she wasn't careful.
"Come on, for the sake of the boy." Frank said.
"Hello Neville, lad," said Alice, lifting the baby up a bit so that he could see Frank who was standing behind her. "You see your daddy?" The baby blinked myopically. "Take a good look, because if he calls Mother "Mother" again, he's going to find himself on the nasty end of a Cruciatus Curse."
"Hello Neville," said Frank cheerfully.
"Your daddy is a big mummy's boy," Alice said, rocking the baby gently. "Are you going to be a mummy's boy too? You are, aren't you? You're mummy's little boy, aren't you?"
She'd been working in the vegetable patch when her labour started. It had been a very stupid idea to plonk down and start gardening that far along but the lettuces needed planting. She couldn't get herself up when the pangs started. She had to send up sparks with her wand. When Frank arrived he couldn't move her either, and nervously suggested that she stay there and he'd bring the midwife out.
"I'm not having the baby in the garden, Frank," she cried.
When they finally managed to get her into the house and into one of the upstairs bedrooms, she proceeded to deliver safely after eight hours of what Augusta described as excessive carrying on. "Honestly, I never made such a fuss when I had Frank."
And now they were here, Alice exhausted and Frank delighted. "Alice, isn't he perfect?" Frank said, leaning down to kiss her cheek.
She watched the tiny fists sway in air and the miniature toes curl and uncurl and she had to agree that he was.
***
"Uncle Algie, quit poking him," said Alice to the wizard stooping over Neville.
"Got the look of a Squib about him," said the old man, prodding Neville's belly with the end of his wand.
"He's not even two years old," said Alice.
"Maybe we could try..."
Alice levelled her wand at Uncle Algie's head. "Touch my Neville again, and you'll find out I'm no Squib," she said, threateningly.
"Best watch yourself, Uncle," said Frank, chewing on a sandwich. "Her slug spewing jinx lasts days."
Alice picked Neville up out of the cradle and crossed the room to sit next to Frank. The family was eating lunch in the parlour. Alice was just having veg in an attempt to reduce. She balanced Neville on her knee, took a bite of carrot, and then handed Neville his bottle. She had to admit he was the best-natured baby. He hardly ever cried and was quite content to stare at his own fingers for hours. He squealed with joy when anyone held him, even Uncle Algie. He was adorable, too, chubby with a perfectly round head and large brown eyes. He had a full head of soft curls and dimples in his cheeks.
"It's really just clean-up now," Frank was saying. "Without You-Know-Who, the Death Eaters have been in total disarray."
Yes, they'd won, but at what a price, she thought. She remembered pretty Lily Potter, young and graceful, with her thin, long limbs. The poor little boy, she thought, without a mother. She clutched Neville so hard he pulled the bottle from his mouth and gave a surprised yelp.
"Still, it'll be nice to get back to work," she said, pushing the bottle back into Neville's mouth. "Over a year. I've been bored stiff." Neville grabbed a fistful of her thin hair and yanked. She smiled. He was so strong.
"Yeah, but the garden's never looked better," said Frank.
Besides Neville, the garden had been her sole obsession for the last year and a half. In fact, she'd spent all that morning mulching the unused beds. It wasn't that she particularly loved gardening but it was something to do. She'd inherited her green thumb from her father, a stout, quiet man who always seemed to be outdoors, leaning on a shovel or with a trowel in his hands. Neville loved "helping" her, digging in the rich black soil and crawling after the gnomes.
Alice had repaired most of the dilapidated old greenhouse herself and used it for her seedlings and herbs. Early on, she had managed to bring the self-fertilising shrubs and boxwoods back from the brink of death and they formed the west wall of the garden. She put in a row of flutterby bushes against the south fence and planted the small hill there with wild dittany.
She had added two new herbaceous borders and they shimmered with color in the dim autumn sunlight. The climbing roses that formed a backdrop were vermillion orange. The yellow rudbeckia, rainbow dahlias and the pink puffapods were still blooming interspersed among purple thistles. The tall spiky seed heads of the teasels were brown but looked lovely mixed in among the white and red phlox. A patch of black-eyed susans burned like a small conflagration near the bulb garden which was loudly occupied with Amaryllis, bouncing bulbs, fanged geranium, honking daffodil, and Freesias. The screechsnap, unfortunately, had not done so well that year.
The vegetable patch had beets, pumpkins and gurdyroot that she harvested every morning. There was an old cabbage patch, too, but it had become so completely overrun with flesh eating slugs that she hadn't bothered with it.
She filled the inside the house with potted philodendrons and flitterbloom. Every room had at least one large, healthy rubber plant. She had cultivated gigantic hanging flowers for the parlor. The window sills were all crowded with mother-in-law's tongue which she kept around to make a point.
"And," Frank continued. "It's given you so much time to bond with Mother."
"Yes," said Alice in a sarcastically cheery voice. "That's been the especially nice part."
"See, that's what I like to hear," said Frank happily. Alice gaped at him. Sometimes he said things that made Alice wonder about his intelligence. She knew he was smart enough; it was just that his willful innocence came across as complete cluelessness so much of the time.
"I'm not sure how you've been exactly on leave," said Uncle Algie, ripping into a bag of crisps. "You helped bring in the Carrows, didn't you? And you captured Mulciber all by yourself."
"Not by myself," said Alice. "Neville helped. Didn't you, my brave boy?" She hauled Neville up so she could trumpet his round, soft, belly where the skin peeked out from under his shirt. Neville dropped the bottle, giggled and clapped his hands.
Augusta huffed, "What kind of mother takes her child out on a mission...?"
"You know perfectly well it wasn't planned," said Alice, assertively. "I just ran out to get some nappies and there was Mulciber, his ugly old self, right in front of me in the queue, buying a pack of cigarettes. What was I supposed to do?"
"Get help," said Augusta. "Not just toss your baby behind a shop counter and start blasting the Chemist's to bits."
"Neville didn't mind, Mother," said Frank.
"No, he just sat in his pram and laughed the whole time," said Alice. "He loved it." She stood up and lifted Neville high above her head.
"Of course he did," said Augusta proudly. "He's a Longbottom, isn't he? Our Neville's going to be as wonderful a Dark Wizard Catcher as his parents when he grows up, I'm sure of it."
Alice swooped Neville around in circles while he shrieked with joy. "I hope by the time he grows up," she said, "There won't be any Dark Wizards left that need catching." She smiled up at Neville and he smiled back down at her, waving and blowing her kisses.
***
"Can you two look into it?"
"What is it, exactly?" Alice asked, perusing the parchment in her hand. They were in Frank's cubicle, he was sitting and she was leaning against his desk. Scrimgeour was standing in the doorway.
"Nothing, probably," Scrimgeour said. "Just a tip -- an old witch living in Ottery. She's been floo-ing the Department every day this week. Claims to know something about a bunch of Death Eaters hiding in Cornwall. She's probably just a nutter but she wants to speak to an agent in person. She says she in mortal danger." Scrimgeour looked at his watch. "We promised to send a pair of Aurors. I know it's late. I'd go myself but..."
"No, it's all right, Rufus," said Frank amicably. "We'll go on the way home tonight."
"Thanks," said Scrimgeour. "Oh, you best take taxis," he added as an afterthought. "We're supposed to be limiting unnecessary Apparating into Muggle villages. The Muggles are in a bit of a state from all this recent nastiness. No point risking further exposure. You can always Apparate home." He turned and walked back toward his office.
"I'll get my travelling robes," said Alice, handing Frank the parchment. "Oh, if we have to go all the way to Ottery St. Catchpole by Muggle taxi we won't get back to Pendle for hours. It'll be way past Neville's bedtime."
"It's all right," said Frank, gathering up his briefcase and wand. "I'll floo Mother we're running late. She'll put him to bed."
"Yeah, but I won't be able to give him his good-night kiss before he goes to sleep," said Alice. "I promised him every night."
"Alice, it'll be nothing," said Frank. "We'll be back in no time. You can give him his kiss then. "
"Yeah. He won't mind. As long as you don't let me forget."
"I won't."
It was probably nothing. They'd been getting a lot of calls since Voldemort's disappearance. People were seeing Death Eaters everywhere. A day didn't go by that someone didn't report seeing Sirius Black and he was in Azkaban. Frank and half the Auror Department had seen to that.
"Hello, Ma'am," said Alice to the ancient, scrawny white-haired witch who answered the door of the address they'd been given. "I'm Alice Longbottom, Auror, from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. This is my associate, Mr. Frank Longbottom."
"You've got the same last name," the old witch said, suspiciously, making no move to let them in.
"Yeah, funny coincidence," Alice smiled. "Real joke around the Ministry as you can imagine."
"Yes. You'll want tea, I gather."
"Sure, but I'd like to get straight to the questions." Alice pulled a notepad and quill out of her pocket and followed the old witch through a tiny lounge and into the kitchen with Frank trailing behind her. "Now, you told the fellow by floo that you were in mortal dang-" Alice dropped the pad.
The witch was pouring hot water from her wand into a couple of chipped teacups. Her hands trembled. But what caught Alice's attention was the blackness spreading like spilled ink from her scalp down the tresses of her long white hair. She looked at Frank to see if he saw it, too. His eyes were wide and he already had his hand in his robe pocket.
"Frank, Polyjuice."
"Yeah."
The rapidly metamorphosing witch screamed when Frank's wand blast hit her, but she managed to get something nasty off first. Shit, she's quick, Alice thought. Frank didn't look right. The witch's blast had sent him flying out of the kitchen and across the lounge. He stood up, staggered backward and then fell to the floor. Alice heard a crack and spun around instinctually to send a stunner charm at the massive figure that Apparated behind her.
There were more cracks. She was sprinting towards Frank when a surly young Death Eater suddenly appeared between them, his wand aimed at her heart. A gravelly voice shouted from behind her, "Did he get you?"
"Yes, dammit. Where were you?" That was the Polyjuice'd witch. Somebody had revived her.
She was surrounded; she'd been counting the Apparations and she guessed there were four, counting the witch. She could see two in front of her that meant two behind. She had recognized who they were and knew she was in trouble. She had to get her back against a wall. Alice looked at Frank. He was pale and biting his bottom lip so hard that blood had started to trickle down his chin. She turned around and sent an Impediment Jinx at the gravelly-voiced wizard behind and then turned to face the two who blocked her path to Frank.
"Take down that bitch already, you incompetent bastards," shouted the wizard with the rough voice who was leaning over the black-haired witch. Rodolphus and Bellatrix Lestrange. Alice got at least three blasts off and then made a run towards Frank. She stretched out her arm and pointed her wand behind her. If she could just get to him, just touch him, then with a side-along Apparation, they'd be home. They'd be safe. She managed one last jinx before she felt the blow that sent her flying.
***
When Alice woke up, she was lying flat on the kitchen floor. There was a pale, cruel face hovering above of her. The face was familiar. Alice was still disoriented from whatever they'd hit her with, she couldn't remember where she was or what exactly was happening. A name from her school days floated into her foggy mind.
"Black?"
"Lestrange now, actually." Alice saw Frank, tied up and unconscious. She remembered. Rolling to one side, she dove toward Frank.
"Don't move," said Bellatrix. Surprisingly, Alice found she wasn't moving as soon as the words were spoken. Imperio. Damn. They must have cast it on her while she was unconscious. She tried to throw it off but without her wand it was impossible.
She scanned the room. There were only two other Death Eaters that she could see. The fourth one was probably outside standing guard.
Frank was a few yards away; his left eye was swollen and purple. She felt a surge of pride. He must have put up a fight while she was out. She hoped that might account for the missing Death Eater.
"We have a few questions," said Bellatrix, who was glaring down at her. "Answer them nicely and everything will be fine."
"Bellatrix Lestrange," said Alice. "Don't tell me you're still alive, you evil, mental bitch."
Who's screaming, she thought for a moment before she realized abruptly who and why. Crucio, thought Alice. So this is what it's like.
***
The pain stopped with a nauseating suddenness. Alice collapsed and started retching. She hadn't even realized she'd been standing up. She'd been pulled upright somehow by the force of the curse.
"Frank!" she shouted. He was conscious now, very conscious.
"Sorry, Alice. S- Sorry, sorry." His voice was desperate and sad. He was curled up in a ball and shaking hard. His eyes were bulging. She could tell he was trying very hard not to scream.
"Stop, he doesn't know anything," Alice pleaded. "Please. I don't understand what you want."
She didn't know what they wanted but she knew who they were. Bellatrix Lestrange was casting the Crucio. Her husband, Rodolphus Lestrange and his brother Rabastan, Alice knew from their file. Alice glanced around for them. Rodolphus was in the lounge looking bored and thumbing through some home and gardening magazines he'd found on the coffee table. Rabastan was missing. The fourth one, a pale young man with straw-colored hair, she also recognized, but not from any Ministry files. Barty Crouch's son. That was going to come as a shock to quite a few people. She looked away quickly. She didn't want him to know she'd recognized him.
"The Dark Lord, where is he?" said Bellatrix, sharply. "What has the Ministry done with him?"
"He's dead." What did they think?
"Really, now?" Bellatrix leaned down low to snarl into Alice's face. "Where's the body, then?"
"Cremated. Tossed down a sewer," said Alice calmly. "I burned it up myself right after I pissed on it."
"See," said Bellatrix, rising and turning her back to Alice. "This is the kind of crude and disrespectful behaviour that reveals what a low-born, little blood traitor you are." She swung around, dramatically. "Let's try again. Where is the Dark Lord?"
"Dunno. Fucking your mum?"
"Sorry, wrong answer."
The white hot pain blossomed within her again. It hurt everywhere. From her studies, Alice knew most wizards had to localize it -- the head, the heart, the neck. But Bellatrix, apparently, was well beyond that. The pain seemed everywhere and at the same time nowhere. Nowhere Alice could grip it, anyway. Nowhere she could rip it out. She heard Bellatrix's laughter over Frank's eventual screams.
***
The pain ended again. Bellatrix looked slightly dishevelled from her efforts. Her face glowed with sweat. Frank was still screaming -- every shriek cut right through Alice. Had they not stopped it once on him since...?
"Look, let him go," she shouted. "I- I'll tell you everything."
Bellatrix waved her wand and Frank was suddenly silent and still.
"You're right; we had the Potter place booby-trapped." Alice fought hard to steady her thoughts. "It's a new spell -- very powerful. The Ministry developed it. It's top secret." She looked at Frank. His face was a bloody mess and his eyes were swollen. But it was his guilty expression that was the worst part. "We have You-Know-Who in custody," she continued. "Let my husband go and I'll tell you everything you need to know to set him free."
"No let her go," Frank said loudly. "I'll tell you what you need to know. She's a new mother. For the sake of our little boy, let her go."
"Little boy, huh?" said Bellatrix. "I don't know. Little boys are very dangerous things these days." Bellatrix flicked her wand and Frank was screaming again.
Alice stared dumbfounded. Her chest was tight; she could barely breathe. Frank.
"Look, you fat cow," said Bellatrix crouching down in front of her. "We're not idiots. This is how it's going to work. You tell me everything we need to know, and then I'll give you and your husband both a quick death. Otherwise, I'll continue the Crucio while Rodolphus, here, tracks down that little boy of yours. Then we'll all watch you strangle him under the Imperius Curse. Understand?"
Buy time, Alice thought, buy time. Neville was safe, Augusta Longbottom had her faults but Alice was sure she could take down an entire battalion of Death Eaters if they came after what was hers. It was bluffing anyway. They were just a handful of lost sheep. They were desperate. This proved it. She just needed time. The Ministry knew where they were and the Order would find out, too, soon enough. It was the same place. The same tiny house in Ottery St. Catchpole where they'd arrived earlier. She could tell that. The Death Eaters hadn't moved them. Either they hadn't thought of it, or, more likely, they had nowhere else to go. They're weak. She had to remember that. They're the ones who have lost, she told herself. Still her mind raced.
"You're taking too long to answer," said Bellatrix darkly.
Alice's eyes stung with tears but they weren't from the curse. It hurt too much to make you cry. They were for Neville. "No," she said as placating as she could manage. "You give yourselves up. Surrender and I'll ask the Ministry for leniency for all of you. You may be able to avoid Azkaban all together. You can plead Imp-"
With the pain on her, she keened uncontrollably, but she could still hear Bellatrix clearly over her own wailing. "Alice, have you ever seen a man break his own fingers while under the Imperius Curse? It's very amusing. Why don't you show her, Frank?"
***
There was no end to it. She gathered everything she knew together -- Ministry passwords, Order secrets, potion antidotes. She was ready to lay it all at Narcissa's feet for one moment of peace for her or Frank. Frank. But she knew there was no point. Alice's thoughts felt scattered and untidy. Neville needed something. She forgot to give Neville something, she kept thinking, but she couldn't remember what. Why was Frank making so much noise? She grabbed at little snaps in her head, swatted at the accusing voices that buzzed around her. Meanwhile, the pain didn't diminish. She just needed time. Dammit, Frank you said we'd be home in time. You said it'd be nothing. She could hear Rodolphus flipping through the pages of his magazine.
There was a final stop to the spell, for her anyway. Alice couldn't tell if Frank were under Crucio anymore or not. He wasn't screaming, but that could have been because his voice was gone. His eyes were completely blank. Frank, you said you wouldn't let me forget. She stared confused at Bellatrix.
"She's gone too, I think," Bellatrix said. "Quit it already, Barty. It won't bring him back," Crouch was hitting Frank with the Rennervate spell over and over. "They're useless now."
"Dammit Bellatrix," he shouted.
"What? This was your idea."
"Should I kill them?"
"Y- "
Rabastan burst through the front door, out of breath. "Aurors. Everywhere."
Loud pops and cracks became audible through the walls.
"I thought you said this place was un-fucking-plottable," yelled Crouch.
"Rodolphus?" grimaced Bellatrix.
"I did my best --"
"Let's just get out of here --"
Alice could hear the magic shriek and crackle all around her. She had to give Neville something. She gripped her knees and rocked back and forth. I've forgotten. The figures in the room changed from dangerous and ominous to somewhat more familiar. She was relieved they were there but she had no idea who they were. She hoped one of them would know enough to tell Neville not to be sad.
Characters: Alice & Frank Longbottom
Rating: R for violence, bad language, and adult situations.
Disclaimer: Not mine
Warnings: Het. Violence, torture, angst. These are Neville's parents -- you know what happens.
Summary: Genfic, Alice and Frank Longbottom and the end of the first war with Voldemort.
A/N: In honor of Mother's Day, I give you this extremely depressing piece.
Thanks to ion_bond for the beta.
"Fuck," said Alice, when she saw the stunner hit Frank. Ooh, she thought, must try harder to stop swearing before the baby comes.
Frank had grabbed her wrist and snatched the Portkey out of the hands of the surprised-looking Death Eater just two seconds shy of the scheduled port time. They were both tugged away immediately, but the Death Eater had been dragged along also. They landed just outside Ministry Headquarters -- an abandoned street strewn with rubbish and bordered on either side by uninhibited store-fronts. The mission hadn't been official Ministry business -- something for the Order. But this was familiar turf for the both of them, so it'd been the most logical destination for the port.
The Death Eater, a tall hulking wizard with large gap teeth and cruel eyes, had made a run for it as soon as they stopped spinning. Frank and Alice had taken off after him, though at seven months along Alice wasn't so much running as waddling very fast. "Sod this," she said, aiming her wand. That's when the large bloke, casting spells over his shoulder, made the lucky shot at Frank. Frank collapsed right in front of Alice, who had a time of it stopping. The awkward distribution of her extra weight threw her off balance. She sent one wand blast at the Death Eater before flapping her arms vainly for counter-balance. She tipped dangerously forward, then, after overcompensating the other way, she landed flat on her arse with a plop.
Her equilibrium was off, but her aim was spot on. The gapped-toothed Death Eater was down with thick twisting ropes rapidly encircling his body. He was trussed like a mummy by the time Alice pulled herself up. She cast a band across his mouth to end the stream of invectives issuing from him. His eyes still seethed with hate. She tossed a silent itching curse at him -- just for good measure.
"That was my husband, you pathetic arsehole", she muttered quietly when he started to squirm. She moved to rennervate Frank.
"Honestly, Frank," she said, as he came to. "If you're not going to help, could you at least stay out of the way?"
"Sorry, Alice." Frank said good-naturedly.
"Aww," she laughed, giving him her hand and pulling him to his feet. "You all right, then?"
"Right as rain." He kissed her and pressed a hand against her belly. "How's Algernon?"
"Doing summersaults. Duelling gets him so excited."
"Just like your mum, huh, Algernon?" Frank leaned down and spoke directly to her stomach. "She gets very excited after a fight, too. That's how you got to be where you are, as a matter of fact."
"Don't call him that," Alice said, shoving his head away gently. "It's bad luck to name them before they're born. Besides, I told you, we're not calling him Algernon."
Frank just grinned, started dusting off his robes and looking around, absently, for his wand. She watched his wide shoulders relax, almost undetectable, beneath the folds of his Auror robes. Frank was relentlessly cheerful and sweet-tempered but he did worry, sometimes. She knew he did, though he seldom showed it.
"Good thinking, that Portkey," said Alice, scanning their surroundings. There wasn't much of a chance that any of the other Death Eaters had followed them, but you could never be too careful. "I thought we were dead for sure. Do you know who that was? You-Know-Who, himself."
"Yeah, I can't believe he got away, again," said Frank, picking up his wand from under an old, yellowed scrap of newspaper.
"Frank, I can't believe we got away. What are we up to, now?"
"Three." Frank smiled at the trussed-up Death Eater. "Who's that then? Gibbon? Why's he turning all red and twitchy?"
"Dunno," said Alice with a shrug. "Allergies?"
"Oh, yeah, ragweed's bad now, isn't it?"
***
Among the really dedicated gossips, the question of how little Alice Dobbs had managed to snag Frank Longbottom was one of endless speculation. He was a friendly, well-born, and universally well-liked Auror and she, a chubby, short girl from an insignificant wizard family, with a round face, wispy hair, and an acerbic attitude. By the time she started working in Magical Law Enforcement, Frank was already somewhat famous. He was considered quite the eligible bachelor among the London witches, with his modest good-looks, his family name, and his preternaturally sweet nature. But she'd been his neighbour and playmate since childhood, and when she finished her training with every indication of being a potential top agent, it's seemed only natural for the head of Aurors to partner her with Frank on various missions. It was a partnership that grew more natural and intimate with every battle and narrow escape.
Alice knew the most popular explanation for the sudden, hasty wedding, but Frank had been hers long before that.
"Are you sure, Alice?" Frank had said, lying in her bed, his head rested on her breasts, and staring at her stomach.
"No, Frank. I'm just making shit up." She stroked his curly hair, tangling it up with her fingers. "Of course, I'm sure."
"Ooh, you best stop swearing before the baby comes." He lifted his head up and shifted around so he could look at her. "I hope it's a boy. We'll call him Algernon."
"We certainly won't call him that. Your Uncle Algie's a menace."
Frank had just smiled. "Now we can get properly married," he said thoughtfully. "And you can move up to Pendle with Mother and me."
"Really, can I?" said Alice, sarcastically. "I said no the last time you asked me to marry you, Frank. You think this changes things?"
"It changes everything, Alice, you know that."
She had to admit that was true. She hadn't planned any of it, but when it happened, she had been surprised to find how suddenly and desperately she wanted it. Maybe, it was the war -- it made everyone so impetuous. She didn't know. All she knew was that she needed this, this pledge of Frank's that stirred imperceptibly inside her. A ransom to the future that proved they had no intention of losing the war.
"Do we have to move into your mother's house?" she had said, finally.
"It's my house, too. You can't want to stay in this flat." Frank sat up on the bed and stretched his arms out. Frank was by no means tall but he could touch either wall when he did that. Alice was a great deal shorter and could practically do the same thing. It hadn't mattered when she had first moved in that the flat was the size of a small cupboard. All she'd needed was a place for her bed and the dark-eyed lad she liked to keep in her bed.
"Longbottoms have lived there forever, and we'll be near your dad," Frank continued. "It's a lovely house; it just goes on and on. We'll add our own floor, I think it's up to six -- you don't mind stairs. It's a great place for children. There are loads of rooms to explore and the garden is massive."
"I don't know..." she said.
Frank snuggled against her and kissed her breasts reverently. He had an endearing fondness for her breasts which suited Alice fine. She knew they were her best asset -- large, round and heavy. Frank ran his hand along her stomach and slid down her body.
"What you up to, Frank Longbottom?"
"Fancy going for twins?"
"It doesn't work that way..." she sighed. "Hey, why are you stopping?"
"I just thought... If not Algernon, then Trevor, maybe."
***
"Frank, darling, have more trifle," Augusta Longbottom said sweetly. "It's your favourite. I made it just for you, the hero of the Ministry." Frank had just got a new promotion and Augusta was beaming. "Don't you think you've had enough, there, Alice, dear?" she added in a dry voice.
Alice smiled cheerily. "I'm eating for two, Mother Longbottom."
"Yes, but unless you're eating for two enormous mountain trolls, I think you've had plenty." Alice continued to smile but in a much more sinister way. "Frank," Augusta continued, "Try a meringue. Do you want another sandwich? You need to keep up your strength for capturing all those horrid dark wizards."
They were having tea on a late Saturday afternoon. Friday had been Alice's last day at the Ministry and with Frank's promotion; they'd made a casual party of it. The Potters were there. Sirius Black. Moody and Dawlish from the Auror's department. Alice's dad was around, too, sipping his brew silently in a corner.
"Oh, thanks Mother," said Frank, grabbing the meringue eagerly. "Alice really does all the work. I've just been resting on my laurels. I don't know what we're going to do without her. She's one of the best Aurors we've got right now. Even Scrimgeour says so."
"I can't believe I'm going to have to take off nearly a year in the middle of a war," said Alice, attempting to sneak a meringue without her mother-in-law noticing.
"Yes, I imagine they'll have a hard time of it, with you gone, but I'd hate to think having my son's child was a burden on you," said Augusta sharply, pulling the plate of meringues out of Alice's reach.
Alice turned to frown at Frank who just shrugged sheepishly.
When Augusta finally wandered off to talk to her guests, Alice grabbed two biscuits and half a sandwich. She chewed her food and watched her mother-in-law chatting with the Potters.
Alice was twice as big as Lily Potter and their due dates were practically identical. Lily's long limbs were still slim and graceful; her stomach was just a delicate little swell. Alice had to admit that she, herself, had taken on the exact shape of a Quaffle. At least she wasn't crying at the drop of a hat and for the most ridiculous reasons. That had stopped with the puking, thank Merlin. Now she just had backaches and a constant need to pee. And, of course, a deep-seated dislike of her mother-in-law that probably had nothing to do with being pregnant.
"Being in a family way certainly agrees with you, Lily," Alice could hear Augusta saying. "You're positively glowing. Have you seen our Alice? She's just turned all puffy and red."
"Frank," said Alice, leaning over to whisper to her husband. "I'm beginning to suspect that your mother has secret ties to You-Know-Who. It might be prudent to haul her into Azkaban -- just to be on the safe side."
"Oh no, you're not starting that again." Frank was just finishing his second serving of trifle.
"Come on, Frank. What's the point of being an Auror if we can't abuse our power a bit sometimes?"
"Mother loves you," said Frank, he leaned down to put his ear against her belly. He loved to listen for the baby's movements. "She's dead proud of you. You should have heard her carrying on with Griselda Marchbanks about you the other day."
Alice knew it was true, but still... "She has an odd way of showing it."
"Yes, well, that's just how she is."
Augusta's voice carried over to them. Something about "daughter-in-law" and "looks like she's been stung by ten-thousand bees."
"Just one teeny, tiny interrogation," pleaded Alice. "You know, Crouch has given us blanket discretion to use Unforgivables."
"Alice..."
***
Frank stood behind Alice, who sat upright in their bed. Frank was beaming at the yawning red bundle in her arms.
"You've done well, Mother," he said.
"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with you calling me the same thing you call the vulture-topped hag," Alice said. The baby felt so delicate in her arms, she wondered if it might break if she wasn't careful.
"Come on, for the sake of the boy." Frank said.
"Hello Neville, lad," said Alice, lifting the baby up a bit so that he could see Frank who was standing behind her. "You see your daddy?" The baby blinked myopically. "Take a good look, because if he calls Mother "Mother" again, he's going to find himself on the nasty end of a Cruciatus Curse."
"Hello Neville," said Frank cheerfully.
"Your daddy is a big mummy's boy," Alice said, rocking the baby gently. "Are you going to be a mummy's boy too? You are, aren't you? You're mummy's little boy, aren't you?"
She'd been working in the vegetable patch when her labour started. It had been a very stupid idea to plonk down and start gardening that far along but the lettuces needed planting. She couldn't get herself up when the pangs started. She had to send up sparks with her wand. When Frank arrived he couldn't move her either, and nervously suggested that she stay there and he'd bring the midwife out.
"I'm not having the baby in the garden, Frank," she cried.
When they finally managed to get her into the house and into one of the upstairs bedrooms, she proceeded to deliver safely after eight hours of what Augusta described as excessive carrying on. "Honestly, I never made such a fuss when I had Frank."
And now they were here, Alice exhausted and Frank delighted. "Alice, isn't he perfect?" Frank said, leaning down to kiss her cheek.
She watched the tiny fists sway in air and the miniature toes curl and uncurl and she had to agree that he was.
***
"Uncle Algie, quit poking him," said Alice to the wizard stooping over Neville.
"Got the look of a Squib about him," said the old man, prodding Neville's belly with the end of his wand.
"He's not even two years old," said Alice.
"Maybe we could try..."
Alice levelled her wand at Uncle Algie's head. "Touch my Neville again, and you'll find out I'm no Squib," she said, threateningly.
"Best watch yourself, Uncle," said Frank, chewing on a sandwich. "Her slug spewing jinx lasts days."
Alice picked Neville up out of the cradle and crossed the room to sit next to Frank. The family was eating lunch in the parlour. Alice was just having veg in an attempt to reduce. She balanced Neville on her knee, took a bite of carrot, and then handed Neville his bottle. She had to admit he was the best-natured baby. He hardly ever cried and was quite content to stare at his own fingers for hours. He squealed with joy when anyone held him, even Uncle Algie. He was adorable, too, chubby with a perfectly round head and large brown eyes. He had a full head of soft curls and dimples in his cheeks.
"It's really just clean-up now," Frank was saying. "Without You-Know-Who, the Death Eaters have been in total disarray."
Yes, they'd won, but at what a price, she thought. She remembered pretty Lily Potter, young and graceful, with her thin, long limbs. The poor little boy, she thought, without a mother. She clutched Neville so hard he pulled the bottle from his mouth and gave a surprised yelp.
"Still, it'll be nice to get back to work," she said, pushing the bottle back into Neville's mouth. "Over a year. I've been bored stiff." Neville grabbed a fistful of her thin hair and yanked. She smiled. He was so strong.
"Yeah, but the garden's never looked better," said Frank.
Besides Neville, the garden had been her sole obsession for the last year and a half. In fact, she'd spent all that morning mulching the unused beds. It wasn't that she particularly loved gardening but it was something to do. She'd inherited her green thumb from her father, a stout, quiet man who always seemed to be outdoors, leaning on a shovel or with a trowel in his hands. Neville loved "helping" her, digging in the rich black soil and crawling after the gnomes.
Alice had repaired most of the dilapidated old greenhouse herself and used it for her seedlings and herbs. Early on, she had managed to bring the self-fertilising shrubs and boxwoods back from the brink of death and they formed the west wall of the garden. She put in a row of flutterby bushes against the south fence and planted the small hill there with wild dittany.
She had added two new herbaceous borders and they shimmered with color in the dim autumn sunlight. The climbing roses that formed a backdrop were vermillion orange. The yellow rudbeckia, rainbow dahlias and the pink puffapods were still blooming interspersed among purple thistles. The tall spiky seed heads of the teasels were brown but looked lovely mixed in among the white and red phlox. A patch of black-eyed susans burned like a small conflagration near the bulb garden which was loudly occupied with Amaryllis, bouncing bulbs, fanged geranium, honking daffodil, and Freesias. The screechsnap, unfortunately, had not done so well that year.
The vegetable patch had beets, pumpkins and gurdyroot that she harvested every morning. There was an old cabbage patch, too, but it had become so completely overrun with flesh eating slugs that she hadn't bothered with it.
She filled the inside the house with potted philodendrons and flitterbloom. Every room had at least one large, healthy rubber plant. She had cultivated gigantic hanging flowers for the parlor. The window sills were all crowded with mother-in-law's tongue which she kept around to make a point.
"And," Frank continued. "It's given you so much time to bond with Mother."
"Yes," said Alice in a sarcastically cheery voice. "That's been the especially nice part."
"See, that's what I like to hear," said Frank happily. Alice gaped at him. Sometimes he said things that made Alice wonder about his intelligence. She knew he was smart enough; it was just that his willful innocence came across as complete cluelessness so much of the time.
"I'm not sure how you've been exactly on leave," said Uncle Algie, ripping into a bag of crisps. "You helped bring in the Carrows, didn't you? And you captured Mulciber all by yourself."
"Not by myself," said Alice. "Neville helped. Didn't you, my brave boy?" She hauled Neville up so she could trumpet his round, soft, belly where the skin peeked out from under his shirt. Neville dropped the bottle, giggled and clapped his hands.
Augusta huffed, "What kind of mother takes her child out on a mission...?"
"You know perfectly well it wasn't planned," said Alice, assertively. "I just ran out to get some nappies and there was Mulciber, his ugly old self, right in front of me in the queue, buying a pack of cigarettes. What was I supposed to do?"
"Get help," said Augusta. "Not just toss your baby behind a shop counter and start blasting the Chemist's to bits."
"Neville didn't mind, Mother," said Frank.
"No, he just sat in his pram and laughed the whole time," said Alice. "He loved it." She stood up and lifted Neville high above her head.
"Of course he did," said Augusta proudly. "He's a Longbottom, isn't he? Our Neville's going to be as wonderful a Dark Wizard Catcher as his parents when he grows up, I'm sure of it."
Alice swooped Neville around in circles while he shrieked with joy. "I hope by the time he grows up," she said, "There won't be any Dark Wizards left that need catching." She smiled up at Neville and he smiled back down at her, waving and blowing her kisses.
***
"Can you two look into it?"
"What is it, exactly?" Alice asked, perusing the parchment in her hand. They were in Frank's cubicle, he was sitting and she was leaning against his desk. Scrimgeour was standing in the doorway.
"Nothing, probably," Scrimgeour said. "Just a tip -- an old witch living in Ottery. She's been floo-ing the Department every day this week. Claims to know something about a bunch of Death Eaters hiding in Cornwall. She's probably just a nutter but she wants to speak to an agent in person. She says she in mortal danger." Scrimgeour looked at his watch. "We promised to send a pair of Aurors. I know it's late. I'd go myself but..."
"No, it's all right, Rufus," said Frank amicably. "We'll go on the way home tonight."
"Thanks," said Scrimgeour. "Oh, you best take taxis," he added as an afterthought. "We're supposed to be limiting unnecessary Apparating into Muggle villages. The Muggles are in a bit of a state from all this recent nastiness. No point risking further exposure. You can always Apparate home." He turned and walked back toward his office.
"I'll get my travelling robes," said Alice, handing Frank the parchment. "Oh, if we have to go all the way to Ottery St. Catchpole by Muggle taxi we won't get back to Pendle for hours. It'll be way past Neville's bedtime."
"It's all right," said Frank, gathering up his briefcase and wand. "I'll floo Mother we're running late. She'll put him to bed."
"Yeah, but I won't be able to give him his good-night kiss before he goes to sleep," said Alice. "I promised him every night."
"Alice, it'll be nothing," said Frank. "We'll be back in no time. You can give him his kiss then. "
"Yeah. He won't mind. As long as you don't let me forget."
"I won't."
It was probably nothing. They'd been getting a lot of calls since Voldemort's disappearance. People were seeing Death Eaters everywhere. A day didn't go by that someone didn't report seeing Sirius Black and he was in Azkaban. Frank and half the Auror Department had seen to that.
"Hello, Ma'am," said Alice to the ancient, scrawny white-haired witch who answered the door of the address they'd been given. "I'm Alice Longbottom, Auror, from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. This is my associate, Mr. Frank Longbottom."
"You've got the same last name," the old witch said, suspiciously, making no move to let them in.
"Yeah, funny coincidence," Alice smiled. "Real joke around the Ministry as you can imagine."
"Yes. You'll want tea, I gather."
"Sure, but I'd like to get straight to the questions." Alice pulled a notepad and quill out of her pocket and followed the old witch through a tiny lounge and into the kitchen with Frank trailing behind her. "Now, you told the fellow by floo that you were in mortal dang-" Alice dropped the pad.
The witch was pouring hot water from her wand into a couple of chipped teacups. Her hands trembled. But what caught Alice's attention was the blackness spreading like spilled ink from her scalp down the tresses of her long white hair. She looked at Frank to see if he saw it, too. His eyes were wide and he already had his hand in his robe pocket.
"Frank, Polyjuice."
"Yeah."
The rapidly metamorphosing witch screamed when Frank's wand blast hit her, but she managed to get something nasty off first. Shit, she's quick, Alice thought. Frank didn't look right. The witch's blast had sent him flying out of the kitchen and across the lounge. He stood up, staggered backward and then fell to the floor. Alice heard a crack and spun around instinctually to send a stunner charm at the massive figure that Apparated behind her.
There were more cracks. She was sprinting towards Frank when a surly young Death Eater suddenly appeared between them, his wand aimed at her heart. A gravelly voice shouted from behind her, "Did he get you?"
"Yes, dammit. Where were you?" That was the Polyjuice'd witch. Somebody had revived her.
She was surrounded; she'd been counting the Apparations and she guessed there were four, counting the witch. She could see two in front of her that meant two behind. She had recognized who they were and knew she was in trouble. She had to get her back against a wall. Alice looked at Frank. He was pale and biting his bottom lip so hard that blood had started to trickle down his chin. She turned around and sent an Impediment Jinx at the gravelly-voiced wizard behind and then turned to face the two who blocked her path to Frank.
"Take down that bitch already, you incompetent bastards," shouted the wizard with the rough voice who was leaning over the black-haired witch. Rodolphus and Bellatrix Lestrange. Alice got at least three blasts off and then made a run towards Frank. She stretched out her arm and pointed her wand behind her. If she could just get to him, just touch him, then with a side-along Apparation, they'd be home. They'd be safe. She managed one last jinx before she felt the blow that sent her flying.
***
When Alice woke up, she was lying flat on the kitchen floor. There was a pale, cruel face hovering above of her. The face was familiar. Alice was still disoriented from whatever they'd hit her with, she couldn't remember where she was or what exactly was happening. A name from her school days floated into her foggy mind.
"Black?"
"Lestrange now, actually." Alice saw Frank, tied up and unconscious. She remembered. Rolling to one side, she dove toward Frank.
"Don't move," said Bellatrix. Surprisingly, Alice found she wasn't moving as soon as the words were spoken. Imperio. Damn. They must have cast it on her while she was unconscious. She tried to throw it off but without her wand it was impossible.
She scanned the room. There were only two other Death Eaters that she could see. The fourth one was probably outside standing guard.
Frank was a few yards away; his left eye was swollen and purple. She felt a surge of pride. He must have put up a fight while she was out. She hoped that might account for the missing Death Eater.
"We have a few questions," said Bellatrix, who was glaring down at her. "Answer them nicely and everything will be fine."
"Bellatrix Lestrange," said Alice. "Don't tell me you're still alive, you evil, mental bitch."
Who's screaming, she thought for a moment before she realized abruptly who and why. Crucio, thought Alice. So this is what it's like.
***
The pain stopped with a nauseating suddenness. Alice collapsed and started retching. She hadn't even realized she'd been standing up. She'd been pulled upright somehow by the force of the curse.
"Frank!" she shouted. He was conscious now, very conscious.
"Sorry, Alice. S- Sorry, sorry." His voice was desperate and sad. He was curled up in a ball and shaking hard. His eyes were bulging. She could tell he was trying very hard not to scream.
"Stop, he doesn't know anything," Alice pleaded. "Please. I don't understand what you want."
She didn't know what they wanted but she knew who they were. Bellatrix Lestrange was casting the Crucio. Her husband, Rodolphus Lestrange and his brother Rabastan, Alice knew from their file. Alice glanced around for them. Rodolphus was in the lounge looking bored and thumbing through some home and gardening magazines he'd found on the coffee table. Rabastan was missing. The fourth one, a pale young man with straw-colored hair, she also recognized, but not from any Ministry files. Barty Crouch's son. That was going to come as a shock to quite a few people. She looked away quickly. She didn't want him to know she'd recognized him.
"The Dark Lord, where is he?" said Bellatrix, sharply. "What has the Ministry done with him?"
"He's dead." What did they think?
"Really, now?" Bellatrix leaned down low to snarl into Alice's face. "Where's the body, then?"
"Cremated. Tossed down a sewer," said Alice calmly. "I burned it up myself right after I pissed on it."
"See," said Bellatrix, rising and turning her back to Alice. "This is the kind of crude and disrespectful behaviour that reveals what a low-born, little blood traitor you are." She swung around, dramatically. "Let's try again. Where is the Dark Lord?"
"Dunno. Fucking your mum?"
"Sorry, wrong answer."
The white hot pain blossomed within her again. It hurt everywhere. From her studies, Alice knew most wizards had to localize it -- the head, the heart, the neck. But Bellatrix, apparently, was well beyond that. The pain seemed everywhere and at the same time nowhere. Nowhere Alice could grip it, anyway. Nowhere she could rip it out. She heard Bellatrix's laughter over Frank's eventual screams.
***
The pain ended again. Bellatrix looked slightly dishevelled from her efforts. Her face glowed with sweat. Frank was still screaming -- every shriek cut right through Alice. Had they not stopped it once on him since...?
"Look, let him go," she shouted. "I- I'll tell you everything."
Bellatrix waved her wand and Frank was suddenly silent and still.
"You're right; we had the Potter place booby-trapped." Alice fought hard to steady her thoughts. "It's a new spell -- very powerful. The Ministry developed it. It's top secret." She looked at Frank. His face was a bloody mess and his eyes were swollen. But it was his guilty expression that was the worst part. "We have You-Know-Who in custody," she continued. "Let my husband go and I'll tell you everything you need to know to set him free."
"No let her go," Frank said loudly. "I'll tell you what you need to know. She's a new mother. For the sake of our little boy, let her go."
"Little boy, huh?" said Bellatrix. "I don't know. Little boys are very dangerous things these days." Bellatrix flicked her wand and Frank was screaming again.
Alice stared dumbfounded. Her chest was tight; she could barely breathe. Frank.
"Look, you fat cow," said Bellatrix crouching down in front of her. "We're not idiots. This is how it's going to work. You tell me everything we need to know, and then I'll give you and your husband both a quick death. Otherwise, I'll continue the Crucio while Rodolphus, here, tracks down that little boy of yours. Then we'll all watch you strangle him under the Imperius Curse. Understand?"
Buy time, Alice thought, buy time. Neville was safe, Augusta Longbottom had her faults but Alice was sure she could take down an entire battalion of Death Eaters if they came after what was hers. It was bluffing anyway. They were just a handful of lost sheep. They were desperate. This proved it. She just needed time. The Ministry knew where they were and the Order would find out, too, soon enough. It was the same place. The same tiny house in Ottery St. Catchpole where they'd arrived earlier. She could tell that. The Death Eaters hadn't moved them. Either they hadn't thought of it, or, more likely, they had nowhere else to go. They're weak. She had to remember that. They're the ones who have lost, she told herself. Still her mind raced.
"You're taking too long to answer," said Bellatrix darkly.
Alice's eyes stung with tears but they weren't from the curse. It hurt too much to make you cry. They were for Neville. "No," she said as placating as she could manage. "You give yourselves up. Surrender and I'll ask the Ministry for leniency for all of you. You may be able to avoid Azkaban all together. You can plead Imp-"
With the pain on her, she keened uncontrollably, but she could still hear Bellatrix clearly over her own wailing. "Alice, have you ever seen a man break his own fingers while under the Imperius Curse? It's very amusing. Why don't you show her, Frank?"
***
There was no end to it. She gathered everything she knew together -- Ministry passwords, Order secrets, potion antidotes. She was ready to lay it all at Narcissa's feet for one moment of peace for her or Frank. Frank. But she knew there was no point. Alice's thoughts felt scattered and untidy. Neville needed something. She forgot to give Neville something, she kept thinking, but she couldn't remember what. Why was Frank making so much noise? She grabbed at little snaps in her head, swatted at the accusing voices that buzzed around her. Meanwhile, the pain didn't diminish. She just needed time. Dammit, Frank you said we'd be home in time. You said it'd be nothing. She could hear Rodolphus flipping through the pages of his magazine.
There was a final stop to the spell, for her anyway. Alice couldn't tell if Frank were under Crucio anymore or not. He wasn't screaming, but that could have been because his voice was gone. His eyes were completely blank. Frank, you said you wouldn't let me forget. She stared confused at Bellatrix.
"She's gone too, I think," Bellatrix said. "Quit it already, Barty. It won't bring him back," Crouch was hitting Frank with the Rennervate spell over and over. "They're useless now."
"Dammit Bellatrix," he shouted.
"What? This was your idea."
"Should I kill them?"
"Y- "
Rabastan burst through the front door, out of breath. "Aurors. Everywhere."
Loud pops and cracks became audible through the walls.
"I thought you said this place was un-fucking-plottable," yelled Crouch.
"Rodolphus?" grimaced Bellatrix.
"I did my best --"
"Let's just get out of here --"
Alice could hear the magic shriek and crackle all around her. She had to give Neville something. She gripped her knees and rocked back and forth. I've forgotten. The figures in the room changed from dangerous and ominous to somewhat more familiar. She was relieved they were there but she had no idea who they were. She hoped one of them would know enough to tell Neville not to be sad.