Harry studied a very tense Neville from across the dining room table in Nair'icaix. He had received a urgent letter from Neville quite late in the evening and had decided that it would be best for all parties concerned if the whole situation was discussed immediately. A portkey had been instantly mailed and as soon as Neville had arrived, Harry arranged for a midnight snack of sorts.
"So, should I visit my parents before the end of term or not?" Neville asked, realizing that despite his strong feelings on the situation, Harry might possibly be able to see it from a clearer point of view.
A smile crossed Harry's face. "Only if you can ensure that you don't get caught. They would expel your from Hogwarts for sure if you were caught off the grounds like that." He then grew somber as he continued to address Neville. "It's not whether or not you should visit that bothers me about the situation."
"Voldemort?" Neville supplied.
"Yes." Harry nodded. "I'm not sure as to whether it can be done or not, but St. Mungos should have its security staff increased somehow. Maybe it would even be best to move your parents to a safer location."
"To where?"
"Maybe here. I don't know the extent of your parent's condition though. Would it be even safe to move them?" Harry mused as he grabbed a small sandwich from a silver platter and shoved it into his mouth.
Realizing that despite his frequent visits, he still didn't know that sort of information, Neville shrugged. "If I visit, I could try to find out more about the situation. There's always the possibility that what they were working on could be helpful to you as well."
"You've already sold me on visiting them. There would be nothing I would want more if I were in your position." Harry declared with a grin. "I'm sure that they could help as well. I would advise visiting them late at night and if possible, on a weekend. The regular staff won't be at the hospital and therefore, the normal staff won't tattle on you. Get Moody or someone to help make you a Portkey."
"What about security?"
"I'll talk to Bellatrix about that. She knows more about my power over St. Mungos since she's the one who went and bought it." Harry answered as he picked up the rubber ducky that had served as Neville's Portkey and reset it for Hogwarts.
Neville grinned. "Thanks, Harry!" He then disappeared.
"My pleasure." Harry said pleasantly to no one in particular as he realized that he was actually fairly sleepy. He then quickly made his way up to his room and attempted to climb into bed as silently as possible so as not to wake Bellatrix.
His attempts failed however, evidenced by Bellatrix rolling over and cuddling up to him. She didn't say anything, but Harry was pretty sure that she had stayed awake waiting for him. He smiled, basking in the feeling of being loved by someone so dearly.
...
"Are you sure that no one is going to give us a second-glance?" Lavender demanded in a fierce whisper and she, Neville, and Parvati walked through the halls of St. Mungo's to the ward that the Longbottoms resided in.
Parvati rolled her eyes. "Why would they? That receptionist lady was surprised that we even bothered to check in! Crappy security if you ask me."
"Well, who visits their poor dying relatives late on a weekend?" Lavender demanded. "Someone will realize that we're Hogwarts students and then we'll get caught for sneaking out of the castle."
"People like us." Neville answered for Parvati. "And my parents are not dying for your information." He was too excited to take consequence of Lavender's comments however. Snape had reassured them before they left that he did not think that Voldemort even considered the Longbottoms a threat. That would simplify things.
The three teens quickly arrived at the appropriate ward and both Parvati and Lavender elected to wait outside the door while Neville had some time with his parents. They did not really want to interfere. Neville was relieved because he feared that strange people might hinder his efforts.
He quickly entered the ward, careful not to disturb any of the patients that might be sleeping. Fortunately for him, Lockhart, who was still a resident, was conked out. To his delight, his parents seemed to be playing some sort of card game at a table. Unfortunately, the game didn't look particularly active, more like a play that had been performed one too many times.
Gingerly, Neville approached them. "Mom, Dad? Can you hear me?" There was no response, though the monotonous card game seemed to slow a bit, almost as if something was distracting the mentally incompetent couple.
Further attempts to get their attention with his voice failed so he finally gave up and approached them. Neville tapped his mother on the should and she still failed to respond. He got the same result with his father. He sighed and pulled a chair to the table and sat at it, forcing the couple to at least see him somehow.
As soon as he sat down, they looked at him, somehow sensing the intrusion upon their game. Neville knew very well that this was of course normal behavior. Most patients like this would not respond to the same stimulus, but the couple had been Aurors. It was hardwired into them to at least acknowledge any sort of movement around them.
"Mom, Dad, it's me. Your son." Neville said, his voice shaking despite his best attempts to hide his anguish.
There was no response from Frank, but Alice's sapphire blue eyes seemed to gain an 'awareness' for a short moment. It faded away quickly however. Despite the disappointment, Neville could help but feel that progress had definitely been made.
A second-attempt at trying to talk to Frank and Alice was ruined when the door to the ward flew open with a loud bang admitting a very distraught Parvati whose wand was drawn. "Neville! We have company!"
...
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