Marauders Oneshots

Alice & Frank Longbottom - A Lifetime

September 1st, 1971.

Platform 9 and 3/4 was bustling with students all waiting to get on the train and start a new year at Hogwarts School of Which Craft and Wizardry. One particular boy was brimming with excitement, he was about to start his first year at Hogwarts. His mother gripped his hand. "Frank! Stop tugging or I will turn us around and take you straight home!" Augusta Longbottom snapped. 

"Sorry mum" Frank replied going still again. 

"Good. Now are you sure you have everything?" 

"Yes mum"

"Right. Then I suppose it's time you got on the train, behave yourself while you're at Hogwarts! I know the head master and he will inform me if you put even a toe out of line!" 

"Yes mum" Frank replied obediently, he knew his mother meant well. She was just a snappy person by nature.   

"Good. Now give your mother a hug" Augusta leaned down and enveloped her son in a brief but sweet hug. Although she never said it her entire being was swelling with pride at the delightful young man he had become. She watched as he climbed onto the Hogwarts express with his trunk that was almost as big as he is, a small smile graced her features before it was replaced with her usual stoic expression. 

Frank struggled down the train with his trunk, looking for a compartment. Eventually he found one... Full of girls...Great... One girl in the compartment caught his eye, a small one by the window with short dark hair and pale skin. She's pretty Frank thought. The girl, Alice, looked up and gave him an encouraging smile as he entered the compartment.

December 12th, 1976.

Today was the day. Frank was finally going to do it. He was going to ask Alice on a date. His palms were sweating and he felt shaky. He'd spent six years building up to this point, he and Alice were close. Best friends even. But Frank didn't want to just be best friends, he wanted to be more.

Walking into the Gryffindor common room he saw her, sat at a table with her text books out. They always studied together on Wednesday nights. That weekend was going to be the last Hogsmeade weekend before christmas, now was as good a time as any to ask her. If he didn't ask her soon, no doubt someone else would. 

He approached the table with caution. Alice looked up, her eyes full of concern. Frank wasn't acting like his usual bouncy self, he looked like a nervous wreck. "Frank, what's wrong?" She asked her head tilting to the side slightly.

"A-Alice... I-I was wondering if... Um... You wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend... like a-a date type of thing?" He stuttered, Alice smiled.

"I would love to. Now get out your text books we have studying to do" Alice replied. With a sigh of relief, Frank sat and did as he was told. 

August 11th, 1978.

They had been together for two years now. After their final year of Hogwarts they had decided to go through Auror training together. They would be starting in the next few weeks. They had also moved in together in a sweet little house on the Yorkshire moors. It wasn't big or fancy, but it was theirs.

During one of their many visits to Augusta, Frank decided to treat Alice to one of the expensive hotel restaurants in the city. Alice noticed Frank was acting particularly strange, she could always tell. This time she was reminded of the first time Frank had asked her on a date, however, this time he looked just about ready to throw up or pass out. But still, she held her tongue during dinner, deciding to let Frank come to her.

Once the desert dishes had been taken, Frank took a shaky breath. Now was the time. He clutched the ring box firmly in his hand as he got down on one knee. His voice didn't waver, this is what he wanted. A life time with the woman before him. With the nerves now settled into the pit of his stomach he took another deep breath, opening the ring box to reveal a modest silver band with a small blue stone sparkling at the top.

"Alice, will you marry me?"

September 30th, 1978.

The sound of music and champaign glasses clinking filled the air. Alice and Frank were on the dance floor swaying together to a slow song. Their first dance. Augusta wiped a tear from her eye. Her son truly had become an amazing man. A skilled wizard, an auror in training and now a husband to a woman equally as talented as he. Words could not describe the pride swelling inside of her.

The war between good and evil grew everyday, wrecking pain and despair across the world. Innocents were slaughtered every day in the name of the Dark Lord, while brave men and women died trying to stop him. Augusta was just pleased that there could still be days such as these. Days where everyone was happy. It gave her hope that one day the war would be over, one day and the world would be at peace. Until the next jumped up dark wizard came along and started playing the "My wand is bigger than your wand" Game with the entire world. 

"Mum" Frank's voice broke through her thoughts. "Alice went to talk with her parents, I thought maybe you would grant me a dance?" He asked holding his hand out towards his mother. Augusta smiled, it wasn't something she often did, and took his hand, following him onto the dance floor.

July 30th, 1980.

Alice screamed as pain exploded through her entire body. "Almost there now dear, just one more big push" Augusta's voice told her. She gripped Frank's hand looking right into his eyes, giving one final push.

A baby's screaming filled the room. "It's a boy!" Augusta cried, showing more emotion than she had in a long time. Alice smiled, her head falling back on the pillow. Exhaustion soon started enveloping her, making her feel sluggish. Augusta passed her the baby. Her baby. Hers and Frank's. "Have you thought of a name?" Augusta asked gently.

"Neville" Alice replied. 

November 6th, 1981.

Frank whimpered as the tortured screams of Alice filled the air. It almost covered the sound of the evil laughter of the death eaters. He watched as Bellatrix Lestrange and her deranged husband Rodolphus tortured his wife. There was nothing he could do, no matter how much he had tried they were just too much for them to handle. His wife was going to die... And it would be his fault for not taking care of her good enough...

The torture lasted for hours, Alice and Frank both thinking they were about to die. The last thought in Frank's head before he slipped into the darkness his wife had succumbed to a while ago was how glad he was that Neville was with his mother. Augusta would look after him no matter what happened to him and Alice.

May 9th, 1998.

Voldemort was dead. A week had passed and there were still no signs of his return. Neville stood on the ward at St. Mungos. He hadn't seen his parents in so long, he had no doubt in his mind that they would be proud of all that he had achieved. His journey had started rough, there were times he thought he would never live up to his parents, but now he was a confident, courageous man. He now felt that he was worthy of calling himself the son of Alice and Frank Longbottom. 

Alice looked up from her seat beside the window. It was that boy again. He had been coming to visit her for years now. What was his name again? Oh it didn't matter. She had watched him grow and felt somehow connected to the mysterious boy. She enjoyed it when he came to talk to her, even though sometimes it was difficult for her to concentrate on the words he said the sound of his voice often soothed her. 

Now he looked sad, but somehow, more grown up than he ever had. She needed to give him a present. She got off her seat and tottered over to him. She smiled and held her hand up for him to take what was inside. He took the droobles wrapper and closed his fist around it, like it was the most precious thing in the world to him.

"Thank you mum" Neville said, with a sad smile.

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I enjoyed writing this one, I hope you guys liked reading it although I really don't think my writing gave the idea justice hey ho.

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Dance Water Dance
~ Sam xoxo