Visting

She saw how difficult it was for her father to speak of this. And in her own way, she understood why. Right now, she just wanted to forget they said anything in the first place and not mention it anymore. But that wasn't how things work. After her father spoke, she still thought his reason for not telling her was more about her sensitivity than his own. She had a feeling she needed to defend herself, always hating being marked as the 'weak one' in the family. "He found a photograph of what?" asked Alice curiously, wondering what kind of picture would be enough to get such a confession out of their father. "But why was it any different with Frank?"

Somehow she wasn't surprised her mother came in when she did. She always preferred being in complete control of every situation. And that could only be done with her presence of course. With the manner of her entrance and her appearance, Alice couldn't help but give her mom and soft and small smile. "Hi mom" she said softly. Great she thought, now both of her parents were here. This definitely couldn't get any more difficult. Dad was just...trying to explain that's all. You shouldn't be mad. I want to know. I have to know. said Alice nodding her head.

But this time she definitely didn't want to hear the child version of this story. She wanted to hear the truth, the complete truth. And even thought she might not like it at all, it was better than living in such an oblivious state as she was before. Realizing she had no idea about her family's past, she had a lot of questions that needed to be answered and only hoped her parents would agree to tell her the truth. "Everything... not just some parts of the story. The whole story. Please"

Neville fiddled around in his clock pocket trying to find the photograph. “While your dad looks for the photograph I may as well tell your grandmother. When I was growing up we didn’t have much, your grandmother was a muggleborn witch working a muggle job and wizarding job to just scrap by. I still haven’t met your grandfather but he was a muggle criminal who I believe died in prison, not that I ever cared much about him he left your grandmother without a single penny to call her own. I was in my sixth year when she was killed by Death Eaters. I dropped out of Hogwarts for a year but Professor Sprout refused to let me drop out my classes and mailed my school work to me every week and mailed it back to her,” said Hannah, she wasn’t going to make excuses for why she hid this from her daughter.

“Found it! I really need to empty out these pockets,” said Neville unfolding the small photograph. Even now as an adult it brought a smile to his face. It was his parents holding him as a baby. He was a chubby baby but even single baby photo of him he was smiling or laughing. “You were such a chubby. I’m not sure who was a chubbier baby you or Frank,” chuckled Hannah. “All Longbottom boys are chubby babies,” said Neville crossing his arms. “But you know I still love you two,” laughed Hannah.

“That is my parents. They were Aurors and members of the Order of the Phoenix in the First War against Voldermort. I was part of the prophecy that Harry Potter would end up filling. One night Bellatrix Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange, Rabastan Lestrange and Barty Crouch Jr. arrived at the little cottage, you know the one that we stay in when we take our Summer Trip, those four were very dangerous and evil Death Eaters. They tortured my parents into insanity which I unfortunately as a one year old infant witnessed and was still able to recall to this day, it’s not something you can forget. They were in St. Mungo’s until a few days before you were born when they both died within hours of each other. They did regain enough sanity to remember me and was able to copperhead that your mother and Frank were before they died,” said Neville.

“During the Second War did I ever get near to the heroic things they did. Who knew your overcritical great-grandmother actually helped me stay alive my seventh year? She was constantly telling me I could do better and that year I finally did. I ended up leading Dumbledore’s Army along with Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood. I ended up fighting in the Battle of Hogwarts were I killed Nagini, Voldemort’s pet snake, along with Rodolphus Lestrange. Molly Weasley got Bellatrix Lestrange for me, good thing too I had enough encounters with her. That’s the complete very long story,” he said.

Alice never heard the story of her grandparents, either of them. She was just told they passed away a long time ago, before she could meet them. Other than that, she knew nothing. Now she understood why. It was hard for her to even imagine what it was like for her mother, only two years older than she was right now and without both of her parents, completely alone. One thing was sure, Alice couldn't have made it on her own like that, or at least she firmly believed so. Even though she didn't like to admit it, her sensitive side was obvious to both herself and everyone else around her. Perhaps that's why her parents tried so hard to protect her from everything, even from her own history. Her brother on the other hand, wasn't like that at all. He was much firmer and stable than his little sister. But Alice always contributed that to his age, being older and all. Maybe it wasn't just that.

Alice carefully examined the picture in her father's hand and it brought a smile to her face. "I think dad was even chubbier than Frank..." said Alice with a chuckle. She looked closely at the two people holding him, realizing these were her grandparents. But she didn't recognize their faces at all. They were just strangers to her, nothing else.

As her father continued with his story, she couldn't help but realize that every grandparent of hers had a tragic end. Not like she pictures it at all. She always imagined her grandparents as being old in age and dying peacefully in their beds with their family around them. That's how everyone should end their life, in peace. But they didn't get that chance.

Somewhere near the middle of her father's story, her thoughts started to wander. She was still trying to cope with the previous information, let alone this one. She wanted to know all of this, she insisted on knowing all of this. But now it all seemed a bit too much for her to handle. They were not just a simple happy family anymore. They were targets, victims of war, heroes in battle, leaders of rebellions. Knowing all of this, small pieces of her life came together into one whole picture. She understood now why some people knew her just by her last name. Why they were so close with the Potter's and Weasley's. But now her dad wasn't just dad. He was a war hero, a man who had his parents tortured till insanity, who was left alone to fight and somehow make it on his own. And her mother quit school, had to work to pay her own way? It was just all too unreal for her. These were not her parents, not the person she knew all of her life.

Her gaze went to his dad's picture once more. She took it from the table and watched the happy faces on her grandparents. But she couldn't see their smiles anymore, she could only hear their cries for help as they were tortured. She could only see them in St. Mungo's, lost in the world and without any memory of their life. Death Eaters did that to her family, and no one could promise her that such a thing wouldn't happen again. That's why she was being told this, to be prepared for the worst. She looked up at her parents, who were inspecting her expression carefully and waiting for her reaction. She could see it so clearly right now it was almost a reality for her. Her parents and her whole family being tortured and killed in front of her and she didn't do anything. She couldn't do anything to stop it. This was supposed to be a warning for her, of what might happen. And that was a possibility she couldn't deal with.

A tear came rushing down her face and she quickly knew she couldn't control her emotions anymore. This was it, her final breaking point. She turned her head away from her parents to hide the tears and she stood up. "I...I think....I should leave" she said with a soft and broken voice. In her mind she was already searching for a dark corner or an empty bathroom she could hide away in, at least until the tears go away. As she didn't want her parents to see her like this, or anyone for that matter. She showed enough weakness in front of then, but not anymore. The question was, would they let her go. She doubted it.

Neville sighed slightly watching Alice. He knew she would come around. He was starting to see this is the only way for her to learn to deal with it, on her own. He was starting to realize that it had been the only way. “Keep the photograph!” he called. He didn’t get up to chase after her. There was a point in every child’s life that parents needed to back of that was today for Alice.

Neville grabbed Hannah’s arm so she didn’t get up and go after Alice. “Hannah, let her go,” he whispered. “But she is upset,” argued Hannah. “Anna, let go. We can’t keep babying her,” he sighed. “Nev, she’s my baby. I can’t help it,” said Hannah tears in her eyes. “I know, I know. We have to let her grow up though. She’s fourteen; she needs to learn how to manage herself without us. In a few years she’ll be an adult,” said Neville. “Don’t remind me!” sobbed Hannah. “Let’s get over to the Leaky Cauldron, I’ll tell her about the Leaky Cauldron later. You can go if you’d like, I’ll wait here for a few minutes to see if she’ll come back,” said Neville waving the waiter over and bought two butterbeers in case Alice came back, if not he’d just give it away. “Alright, I should go clean up the Leaky Cauldron after the fight earlier,” sighed Hannah. “I love you hun, I’ll see you later tonight,” he said kissing her hand. “You still make me feel like I’m teenager,” giggled Hannah.

Neville sighed as Hannah left. He leaned back on his chair and gather up his thoughts. He was wondering what his son is doing. He did worry about his son but knew that he could handle himself. He wished he could tell Alice everything he wanted to. If only he could tell her how much she is like her mum, how Hannah had been just like her at one point in her past. He wanted to tell her the story of him and Hannah. It was quite a story but he wanted to make that story remarkable not when she is upset like this. Maybe Christmas? That sounded good to him.

For the first time in her life, her parents let her go. It felt good, knowing they could let go of her even just for a few minutes. She needed to be alone, at least for a while to gather up her thoughts. Wrapping up the scarf around her neck, she stepped outside. A walk would do her good, even if it was freezing outside. It was already starting to get dark outside and she soon found that she had the whole town almost all to herself. Everyone was inside, sitting next to a fireplace, not really wanting to face the cold weather outside. She could concentrate on her thoughts and slowly examine them one by one, in peace. That's what she needed, just some peace. Panic and fear didn't suit her well. She never learned how to deal with things like that well, but nwt she realized she needed to. And the sooner the better.

They let me go, she kept repeating in her mind. She knew how much self-control her parents must have had, not to rush right after her. Especially her mother. And she was proud of them for doing that, glad even. Doing things on her own was something she never had to do before. But how can one learn without even trying. It was both terrifying and liberating to have that feeling, that you depend just on yourself. Just for this moment, but the duration of it didn't matter to Alice. That kind of a feeling was completely new and strange to her. And then, she knew what she had to do. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Tears came streaming down her face, but she quickly wiped them with her sleeve. She couldn't stay here, she had to go back. She didn't say everything she needed to say.

With quick steps, Alice rushed back towards the Three Bromsticks. Maybe if she hurried, maybe she would catch them in time. She just hoped they didn't leave already. The last thing she wanted was for this talk to end like this. No, for her this wasn't the end. They were so many things she wanted to say and ask, important things. And she wasn't about to give up now. Her feelings and emotions had to be put aside, she would deal with them later. As soon as she opened the door, her eyes quickly scanned the room, praying someone was still there. And just as she hoped, there he was. Her dad, still sitting in that corner she had left him a few minutes ago. She walked up to him and took her seat from before, the one across him. Before he could say anything, she had already started talking. "I wouldn't let that happen to you. What happened to my grandparents... I wouldn't let that happen to you, or mom" Alice said firmly. She was never more sure of something in her life than in these words she had just said. It was more than just words for her, it was a promise.

Neville knew he had made the right choice by staying soon as he saw Alice appear again. He did know his daughter well. He knew Hannah well which wasn’t very much different from knowing Alice very well besides the fact that Hannah still wakes up crying over her mum while Alice did not. They had been through hard times, the both of them, but he found that he didn’t get his nightmares when he was with Hannah and Hannah’s nightmares weren’t as bad as long as they were together.

He was a bit stunned by Alice’s bluntness. He couldn’t help the grin that grew across his face. He knew that look in her eyes. He had seen it so many times when he looked into the mirror and in Frank’s eyes. He could see that Gryffindor in her that he was sure she didn’t see.

“I don’t plan on letting that happen either. Times are a lot different now Alice. There is a lot more defensive spells and I don’t think there are many people who would try and survive,” he said. He would die before he let anyone hurt Hannah like that. He was stronger the Hannah would ever be, he didn’t mind always protecting her though. “There is something else which I think very important for you to know. I named you after her, my mother. In so many ways you are like her but you are also a lot like your mum. I know that you don’t believe me know but I know that one day you will be able to control yourself better, your mum learned to I know you can. Believe it or not you will meet someone who will complete you and you will be stronger after you met them, like nothing can tear you down and trust me when you’re completely in love there isn’t much that can stop you,” he said.

"I know it's different now, I do. But either way... I mean it" said Alice again. She realized times are different now, but how different were they really? Could her family ever be in a completely safe place, without even having to worry about the dangerous that may lay ahead. Probably not. Her words to her father were more a promise to herself, a goal perhaps. She wanted to be strong enough to protect her family if needed. She wanted to be that person who they could depend on when times get hard. She wanted to be like her dad.

A smile came over her face when Neville spoke about her grandma. She always wondered why they had chosen that name for her. It became even more beautiful to her now, knowing her grandmother wore it proudly as well. For the first time, she felt connected to her family's past and to her grandparents, even though she had never gotten a chance to meet them. They were still her family and a part of her.

Alice knew she was a lot like her mother. In many ways, including her flaws. All of her sensitivity and emotions, she had certainly inherited from her. Her dad did tell her a few times that he was rather clumsy in his youth, but she didn't particularly believe him. Because right now, her dad was everything but clumsy. Her was the stable anchor for this family that it desperately needed. Without him, things would just fall apart.

She had to withhold herself from laughing as his dad started talking about love. Alice never was the romantic type, although that might be because she had never fallen in love in the first place. But either way, she found the whole thing a bit strange, silly and honestly even slightly overrated. The cutest think was though they way her dad talked about it. He often got a bit shy and awkward, taking about topics like that with his daughter. "I know dad... I never thought I would say this, but you are right. I...do have someone. And it's rather special. He's probably the only person who could support me in such a way and never leave me on my own. I can't imagine living without him even for one second" said Alice. She wanted to see her dad's reaction to her words and she figured out it would get them a few laughs. That's what they needed the most right now. The real truth was that the only special man in her life was her dad, and it would probably stay that way for a long time.

Neville raised any eyebrow. Either Alice was bluffing or he had a boy to go scare nearly to death. He had heard from Susan what happened when Ernie met Amelia’s Slytherin boyfriend. He didn’t understand why his goddaughter was doing it besides just to piss off her father. Maybe she did love him but he honestly didn’t see that going well. He just didn’t want to see her get into a horrible relationship and be tied down with kids with a man that was horrible to her.

“May I ask who this boy is?” he asked trying to look serious but it was hard to. He was also ready to stalk the boy’s family whoever he was. He just hoped she’d never end up with a Slytherin, that wouldn’t end well. He didn’t believe all Slytherins were evil but a fair few were. “He better not be a Slytherin I don’t want to become Ernie and start giving some poor kids death threats,” he added with a grin. He would do it too.

Alice laughed out loud at his Slytherin comment. It was so typical of her father to say such things and she expected him to. He couldn't help it, she realized. He was a Gryffindor at heart. Always has and always will be. "You know dad, that is not a very nice thing to say...about the Slytherins. True I don't have many friends among them, but a few are actually decent." she said with a smile. For some reason, she never actually hung out with a lot of the Slytherins and tended to avoid the real nasty ones. But a few Slytherins she had met were actually nice and quite kind to her.

"You don't need to threaten anyone...you know him already" said Alice rolling her eyes and she gave her dad a mysterious smile. "Can't you guess? It's you... it's always been you." she said as she flashed her dad a playful grin across the table. She was glad they had finished with hard topics for the night. She was wanted to be herself for a while and enjoy her dad's company. Just to talk, to laugh and to joke around. That was all that she wanted.

"On the other hand...I did get a detention from the professor of defense against the dark arts just a day ago. I don't think he likes me very much and that detention certainly wasn't fair. So if you're craving to threaten someone....There you go. He is definitely the first person on my list" said Alice with a playful giggle as she took a sip of her butterbeer.

“I didn’t saw that all Slytherins are like that, just more than I would like to count,” Neville said pouting. He loved that he could still have moments like this with his daughter. Ever since the Macmillan children were killed he realized how lucky he was. He saw how much Susan was hanging onto Drew for dear life, she didn’t want to lose another of her babies and he could understand why. He would be lost without his kids. They mean everything to him.

“Well, that’s good to know honey. At least I don’t have to go chasing down teenage boys yet,” he laughed. He actually dreaded the day. Seeing how Amelia was it had him nervous. He knew Amelia had a good head on her shoulders but like her mum she was a bit reckless. He swore if she ended up pregnant he was going to hunt the boy down. She was like another child to him.

“May I ask what you did to get a detention?” he asked. He had never really gotten into trouble but then again he had Snape to deal with. Even now he hated the mere thought of being in Potions class. He still sucked at the class too. He still blew up his cauldrons if he brewed anything so he left Hannah to do Potions. “I don’t even know who the professor is,” he said honestly. He had been busy with work, he didn’t really have time to figure those type of things out.

Her father's dislike of the Slytherins was hard to break, and a few words of encouragement from her side weren't going to do the trick. "Well...I might just convince Frank to ask out this 7th year from Slytherin. She's actually rather sweet and might finally change your mind, if that is even possible. Or even me, I wouldn't mind." she said honestly. She didn't have anything against the Slytherins at all, only at certain people. But it was like that with every house. She could easily she herself being friends with a Slytherin or even going out with one, just as much as any other house. She didn't mind. But knowing nothing good could come out from such a subject, Alice decided to drop it.

"Hopefully...you'll never have to actually chase down anyone dad. That's the hope at least" she said with a smile, knowing how protective her dad was. "Well I guess I was late a bit...and in her opinion I was too loud." said Alice shrugging her shoulders. She usually wasn't the loud annoying student in the class, or the one who is late. But that day she just overslept for some reason. And during lecture a friend kept making her laugh and she found herself bursting out from laughter in the middle of class. It wasn't very polite of her, but not deserving of a detention. Or so she though.

"You know...there are a few Gryffindors I just simply can't stand. Terribly annoying. So I don't think it has anything to do with the houses" said Alice, returning to the last topic. She wasn't sure if it would bring her any good though. She didn't even know why, but she wanted to make her father more accepting of other houses, especially Slytherin. It was just much easier to have close friends that way and not worry what her dad might think of them if he met them. But Alice was sure her dad would think of her view as a bit naive.