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Madness, Longbottom


Peter walked down the corridor with a speed and elegance like he’d never had before, a bit of a swagger to his motions, pyjamas swishing about his ankles.

Frank and Ali were in by the stairwell, Ali sitting on Frank’s lap, facing him, her hands on his chest as they kissed and she giggled as he whispered things in her ear… Peter walked by and they both turned to see who it was, freezing, afraid they were about to be caught by Filch. Frank breathed in relief, “Hey Pettigrew, what’re you off to?” he asked, seeing Pete go by -- but Peter didn’t even turn or slow when he spoke to him. Frank’s brow furrowed.

“Peter?” Ali called… but no response. Peter just walked on by.

“That’s odd,” said Frank. Usually, any attention Peter got at all was matched with an excited-to-be-noticed response.

Ali nodded, “Very peculiar…”

Frank said, “Think something’s the matter?”

“Possibly.”

“Should we check on him? Make sure he’s alright?”

“Definitely.”

So Frank and Ali got up from the steps, untangling themselves from about each other, and hurried after Peter, following him down the stairs and to the front doors of the castle. Peter was just wrenching the door open and going out onto the snow-covered grounds as Frank and Ali reached the grand staircase.

“Is he mad? Going outside in his pyjamas and slippers?” Frank exclaimed.

“There’s got to be something terribly wrong - he didn’t even have time to change or pause to say hello or anything. It’s got to be something awful!” Ali’s eyes were fearful. “You don’t think James or one of the other Marauders could be hurt, do you?”

“With all the hijinks that lot get up to, it wouldn’t surprise me…” Frank answered, “C’mon.”

They hurried after Peter, even though neither had their jackets on, they at least were wearing their uniforms and real shoes, and so they hurried out after Peter onto the grounds, Ali hugging her cardigan tighter to her as they ran over the snow. They could see Peter’s form ahead of them on the path and followed after him, their breath turning to crystal clouds in the air, hanging in the moonlight.

“Where in hell is he going?” Frank complained as they were nearing the end of the little roadway. It ran down in a looping fashion to the gates that surrounded the castle and Peter was nearly to the gates… “He’s mad if he thinks he’s going to get through all of Dumbledore’s protective charms on that gate.”

But much to their dismay, a moment later, when Peter had reached the gate, it did, indeed, begin to unlatch before him and the locks coiled and the iron that held it shut slid apart and the doors creaked open of their own accord. Peter slipped out and Frank put on a burst of speed - followed by Ali - not wanting to get shut in and lose Peter.

The forest outside the grounds of Hogwarts was dark - darker than the average forest. The lane rutted and jagged from the thestral drawn carts moving in many rain showers over the years. Frank and Ali just made it through the gates before they closed and they heard the iron sliding over and the coiling of the locks.

Ali grabbed hold of Frank’s hand - her fingers were icy cold, he noticed.

Peter had come to a stop in the roadway ahead and for the first time, Frank and Ali were gaining on him. Frank squeezed Ali’s hand protectively, afraid of what they would see, and he carefully tucked her behind him so he would see first and be able to keep her from seeing if it was really bad… But there didn’t seem to be anything… Peter had simply come to a halt… as though he were waiting for something…

Perhaps waiting for them to catch up? Perhaps Peter had heard them following?

“Pete!” Frank said, arriving at his side, Ali right there, too. “Peter, what in Merlin’s name is going on?”

But as Frank stepped in front of Peter, he saw Peter’s eyes were funny, sort of unfocused…

“Peter?” Ali called, seeing it, too, nervousness in her voice, “Are you alright?”

Suddenly there was a quiet, breathy laughter… and Frank looked up, squinting into the shadows of the trees… He elbowed Ali… Shuffling forward, using his cane to mind his step over the ruts in the jagged street, came Mopsus. He looked terrible, his face in relief with the moonlight was like a horrible ocean filled with choppy waves of wrinkles. “Professor,” said Frank, “Thank Merlin. Something’s the matter with Pettigrew.”

Mopsus didn’t speak, but continued coming forward.

“Professor, did you hear me?” Frank said.

A chill went through Ali, and she grabbed onto Frank’s whole arm, clutching him fearfully. “Frank,” she whispered, “Something’s wrong…”

Mopsus smiled, “Smart girl,” he whispered, his voice thick and cracking about the edges with sarcasm. He arrived into the center of the road there, standing just a foot behind Peter.

“What’s happening? What’s wrong with Pettigrew?” Frank demanded.

Mopsus grabbed hold of Peter’s arm roughly, and Frank could tell by the posture and stance that the old man was about to disapparate away -- Frank quickly dove forward to grab onto Peter, meaning to pull him out of the old man’s grip, but with a CRACK! and a searing pain -- the old man disapparated, accidentally side-alonging with Frank and Alice as well… a great chain. But they landed in a road before a set of wrought iron gates - a great golden L woven about them…

Frank had been splinched. One of his ears was halved and he was bleeding profusely from it and his eyes were squeezed shut as Ali grappled to see what was the matter as Frank tripped over a dip in the road and fell against the giant stone wall of the mansion. “Oh no - no - no,” she gasped and she scrambled for her wand --- and realized she’d left it on the stairs in Hogwarts. Quickly, she reached into Frank’s robes and pulled his from his pocket, aiming at his ear, panicked by how much blood was coming out, and announced, “Ferula.” The wand sparked a little, resisting her, but it did create the bandages and she quickly wrapped them about his ear. “Are you alright?” she begged, panicking, staring into Frank’s eyes, afraid.

Frank grit his teeth against the pain and forced a smile up at her - hating to see that fear in her eyes. “‘Tis but a scratch,” he murmured.

Ali’s eyes widened, “Shut up. Your ear’s nearly off you --”

“No it isn’t,” he said.

“Yes it is - Frank you were splinched and --”

“I’ve had worse,” he muttered… and he smirked. She still looked panicked, “Bloody hell, Potter would’ve got the joke… was quite funny, really…”

“What joke?” Ali looked ready to cry.

Mopsus’ voice carried over to where they were hunkered against the wall, “Get up.”

“Frank’s been injured,” Ali replied, “We need to go back…”

Mopsus waved his wand and Peter suddenly walked forward quite smoothly and he grabbed hold of Ali and yanked her roughly to her feet. She shrieked, his grasp tight around her elbows and not gentle in the least. He squeezed so hard that she was sure to have bruises from his fingers and he jerked her roughly toward the wrought iron gate.

Even with his ear ringing, Frank managed to push himself up from the ground, grabbing his wand from where Ali had dropped it. “Stop that, unhand her! Peter, what’re you thinking!” Frank ran forward, aiming his wand for Peter -- and suddenly the wand flew out of his hand and across the street into Mopsus’s outstretched palm.

“You won’t be needing this.”

Being wandless didn’t stop Frank from attacking Pettigrew, intending to get Ali out of his grip as she cried, “Frank!... Frank! No, stop it, Peter. Frank!”

“Let her go! Let her go!” Frank yelled, grabbing at Peter’s arms and trying to tug them from Ali…

“Incarcerous!” said Mopsus… and ropes flew forth from his wand, instantly coiling about Frank Longbottom so that his wrists and elbows were tied tightly behind his back, pulling his shoulders painfully tight. Taking a few swift steps, Mopsus grabbed hold of Frank’s robes by his neck and jerked him away from Peter, his fingers closed tight about the fabric. “You’ve no idea the mess you’re in,” whispered Mopsus thickly into his good ear, “You’ve no idea what fates you’ve set in motion this night… Madness, Longbottom…”

“Frank!!” Ali was sobbing, trying to kick free of Peter’s grasp as he forced her down the path, between thick brushes of undulating thorn brush. They reached the stair into the huge, looming mansion and Mopsus shoved Frank along behind them, keeping his wand against the space between Frank’s shoulder blades, even as they entered the mansion.

“What is this place?” Frank choked on the thickness of the air within - it was heavily perfumed air, mixed with dust and age. The walls were dark green, the furniture all of the darkest, nearly-black wood. Silver objects lay about on shelves and tables. Nobody answered Frank’s inquiry, but he knew that wherever they were, whoever’s home this was, it was somebody pureblood, somebody dark.

They were guided into a hallway and Mopsus took the lead with Frank as Peter came up behind him, Ali still crying and kicking in a panicked desperation to get away, her mary-jane shoes scuffing and squealing on the dark hardwood flooring.

Ahead of them, there came crying… laughter, laughter from many people but not the joyful laughter of happiness, more the cruel laughter of dark amusement… and Frank started to resist walking forward as he became more and more afraid the closer they got to an open doorway off the hallway, where flickering light was shining out and flashes from spells being cast… but Mopsus hissed, “Go on, continue resisting, I’ll kill you without a moment’s hesitation. You’re but a spare in this - remember that - and those are always the first to be killed…” His voice rasped lowly, and then grew even softer as he finished, “If you play your fates right, you will not die tonight.”

And then he was jerked around and shoved into the parlor room the light was coming from, stumbling forward and ending on his knees, unable to catch his balance because of his hands being tied behind his back… He looked up… he was surrounded in a semi-circle of tall people in black hooded cloaks and masks that covered their faces - but their laughter ceased as one-by-one they all cast their eyes upon Frank…

Ali was suddenly shoved down to the floor as well so she, too, was on her knees and Mopsus whispered, “Incarcerous,” and her arms were jerked back the same way as Frank’s and she whimpered, tears streaking across her face.

There was an impossibly long pause - it seemed to Frank to last lifetimes.

“What is this?” came a hissing, cold voice from behind them.

“Tom,” said Mopsus lowly, “I’ve brought you the Boy… and two to spare.”

“So I see…” The voice was low and terrible and Ali closed her eyes, hating the voice. And there was a swishing of robes and something else - something heavy and scraping on the wood floor… and then a snake unlike any Frank had ever seen before had come slithering up from behind him, coming directly between him and Ali, and slowly collected its body before them, coiling and curving and looking at them with a long, flickering tongue…

Frank hated snakes. Hated them with a passion. His boggart had been a snake with thick fangs and a long hissy tongue and this snake was no better than that one, though he didn’t see the fangs - well, not yet anyway…

And then the robes… and Frank’s eyes travelled upward, over the lean form of the man before them… wearing grey wool pants and a matching vest… white shirt and a black tie that was neatly tucked into the vest… he had robes over his shoulders… but his face was something of a horror, a face that might’ve once been handsome but had since begun to get shallow and horrible and eyes that flickered somewhere between brown and feiry red…

Frank recognized him from the Daily Prophet.

Ali let out a small shriek of fear before resuming her sobs, “Please don’t hurt us, please… please… We didn’t mean to --”

Voldemort aimed his wand at Ali’s face.

“NO!” Frank yelled, afraid he was about to kill her, but instead --

“Silencio!” Voldemort whispered and Ali was instantly silenced, choking on her words, even. He looked at Frank meaningfully, and Frank closed his mouth. He would need to be able to speak in order to attempt to bargain their way out of this, he realized, so he needed to retain that ability as long as possible. “Very good, you learn quickly,” Voldemort hissed, then he looked at Mopsus. “What is the meaning of this?”

“They followed.”

“Why didn’t you stop them?” Voldemort demanded, “Did you not see that they would be there?!”

“Mopsus sees all,” replied the Blind Seer.

Voldemort hissed unhappily, like an agitated cat, and spun on his heel to turn to look at Peter. He grinned, reaching forward and grabbing hold of Peter’s elbow. His eyes were still unfocused as Voldemort tugged and yanked him to the center of the room. Frank looked up at him with worry, but Peter didn’t struggle in the least, he just stood there as Voldemort roughly turned him, clutching his shoulders. “Lower our prisoner.”

One of the masked men in the semi circle laughed… and Frank looked up to where Voldemort was looking and there in the ceiling, instead of a chandelier, was a black iron cage. The chains that held it aloft creaked as they lowered it before Voldemort… and Frank saw a woman… laying across the floor of the cage. The woman’s face was caked with blood and tears… She barely had any strength left in her… she looked up, “...please…” she whispered, the word already on her lips before she’d seen who it was before her… “Peter! No…” she started to sob, “No… Peter…”

But he didn’t react.

Voldemort leaned close to Peter’s ear so that his chin was nearly resting on Peter’s shoulder. “I know the imperius keeps you from reacting,” he hissed, “But I also know that you’re in there and you can see…” he tilted his head and drew away, laughing quietly as he switched sides - his motions fluid like the snake that ducked side-to-side before Frank and Ali, hissing. “It’s your mummy there in my little cage, isn’t it? Precious mummy…” Voldemort’s voice tickled into Pettigrew’s ear. “Alive. For now. Incredible, isn’t it?”

Frank’s eyes widened, remembering the night McGonagall had come to collect Pettigrew with the news...

Voldemort cackled quietly. “Honey, look upon your son… soon he will be your killer, as I have promised. But first… we have business to attend to.”