aliceprewett-blog1

[aliceprewett-blog1]

For Dani, ily cheer up buttercup

[aliceprewett-blog1]

aurorlongbottom:

Thank you. I hope you uh– seriously, is there anything else we can do for you? 

Mrs. King shook her head, raising her hand to wipe at her eyes. “Dear me, no. All a woman such as myself can ask of you two is to live your lives. Help all you can by all means, but don’t stop living. Robert-- he wouldn’t have wanted that of you. Of any of you. He’d want you to keep falling in love, to make families. To remember to laugh. He was that sort of man. Such a good man.”

[aliceprewett-blog1]

aurorlongbottom:

Me, as well. I never meant to get into this today. I’m so sorry. 

Mrs. King sniffled with a shake of her head, patting Frank’s cheek before placing her calloused hand atop his. “Not at all, dears. Its our job as your elders to pass on our wisdom. Even the painful bits. If it helps, it’s worth the pain.” 

Alice wasn’t so sure what to think of that, but she wasn’t about to press the struggling woman any further. 

[aliceprewett-blog1]

aurorlongbottom:

I understand.

Alice looked to Frank, as well as she could through the tears, wondering exactly what those words meant. 

“I don’t want you to mistake me, raising a child, its--” Mrs. King paused to swallow. “It’s terrifying, in good times and bad. But it is the single most rewarding thing to happen to me. The most beautiful. You seem to be good people, I’m most positive you’ll do what is right for you, and any future children you have. Follow your hearts, and you won’t go amiss.” 

Alice nodded, “Thank you, I’m-- I’m so terribly sorry again for your loss, there aren’t words--” she wished there were, but her heart felt so ragged, she couldn’t find them. 

[aliceprewett-blog1]

fletcher-mundungus:

“I wouldn’t mind be wrong about it, either,” Mundungus said, with a small smile. There were times when he loved to say ‘told ya’, but this one not one such occasion. “Ah, yes, definitely.” He nodded. There had been bad things happening before, of course, but for awhile things had seemed to calm down. Nothing that had made the papers. Nothing that had come so close to him. 

He replied to the ‘thank you’ with a light nod and another small smile, which quickly disappeared, while he fetched a biscuit for himself. “I hope so. I would like one less of those bastards going around,” he said, mouth half full with the biscuit from Mrs King. “Hmm, this is not bad,” he mumbled, and then went on. “Do ya reckon you’ll get assigned to the case? I don’t remember if ya finished your training or not.” Though, to him made little difference: once a copper, always a copper—didn’t matter which rank now, didn’t it?

Alice attempted to munch on the biscuit, her mind too preoccupied to even mind the lint that may be found there from being in Mundungus’ jacket. It tasted bland, more due to her distraction than any lack of the bakers skill. “I finished in June,” she confirmed before shaking her head. “I very much doubt I will be assigned. I’m needed in my current case,” she said vaguely, using the word case rather than station. Dumbledore may trust Mundungus, but Alice hadn’t even told her dearest friends what her station was, and she certainly didn’t want this man having any clues. 

[aliceprewett-blog1]

aurorlongbottom:

Frank shook his head. It wasn’t the response he had expected: it wasn’t the one he had wanted, and it wasn’t the one he had asked for. It was, however, one he agreed with. Frank knew in his heart of hearts that he would leave the world having made certain to bring a beautiful gift into the world, if the gift was Alice’s child. That, though, wasn’t his point, and it broke him. She was so selfish. She was so selfish. Maybe he was selfish, but she was so bloody selfish. Even if her positivity was infectious, he still couldn’t understand, and with every passing second, with every passing person, the flaw (that he realized then showed up in not only himself, not only Alice, but everyone) threatened to destroy him. 

Frank, the real Frank, left his hardened heart on the couch, because what other choice did he have? Was he going to fight this woman? Was he going to fight her over the most insignificant of matters, given the current situation? Fight her in front of his wife, who was hurting, too? 

Of course not. It wasn’t him. That wasn’t Frank. Frank spoke to the people he cared for so much with honesty, and respect. Frank would be on the floor with his wife, no matter what conversation was in front of him. Frank’s heart wasn’t made of stone. Not yet. 

Knees hitting the floor beside Alice slowly, he sat back onto his heels as one hand folded itself around the grip Alice had claimed on Mrs. King’s fingers. His second ran itself through his own hair while his throat cleared, and before he sighed, his eyes were full of tears, and anger, and an apology he absolutely owed. 

“You’re right. You would leave the world. Not him. Would you leave him so willingly in this world without you?” 

Tears streaming down her pale, tired face, Mrs. King wrestled a hand free to rest upon Frank’s cheek. “Absolutely. Because my son, my wonderful son, he deserved the chance to live, Frank. He deserved the chance to meet people such as yourself and Alice. The chance to fight at your sides, of course I would have wished the world to be better,” her lips trembled as she fought the urge to sob, causing Alice to tighten her hold on the single hand left in hers. 

“Had I waited, had I died without ever having Robert. I never would have gotten to see his first smiles. Held his little hands. Heard his heart warming laugh. Watched him grow into a decent man. Saw the light in his eyes as he talked about the things he loved. The people he loved. The thought of missing out on those things? On refusing the world the chance to meet him? Oh Frank, that is far more heart breaking than either of us dying.” Tears were freely falling from both women then, both only just keeping themselves together for very different reasons, and yet very much the same one. 

[aliceprewett-blog1]

fletcher-mundungus:

Mundungus nodded. “Makes sense,” he said, in agreement. It was the only thing that made sense at the moment.

For awhile, he said nothing else and kept his mouth shut—except to mumble his spells when necessary. “I know what they said—details unknown, and all—but..” He hesitated a moment, biting his lower lip to gather the gull to ask this, “Ya know how there was that news a couple of days ago—Dementors fleeing from Azkaban, and now this has happened to Robert. Not saying these two things add up, but… It’s a bit unsettling, innit? Something bad is in the air.” His hand went to take one of Mrs King’s biscuit from his jacket’s pocket and offered it to Alice. “Biscuit?”

Alice frowned at Mundungus’ words, thinking to the old saying her mums mother always said. Bad things come in threes. “I certainly hope you’re wrong about that, though I imagine something bad has been in the air since the war began,” she added quietly, accepting the biscuit though she wasn’t hungry. “Thank you. I’m sure the Aurors will find something to go on. Get some sort of lead on who exactly is doing this, beyond the most obvious core of it all,” she added. She couldn’t picture Voldemort being the one to kill Robert. That much she was positive about.

[aliceprewett-blog1]

dawnmwithey:

Dawn’s brows furrowed slightly. “Uh, no. Just them. And you, now.”

“Would you like others to come by? I can always pop by and let them know you’re ready for visitors. Or to wait a day or so,” she added, not wanting to push Dawn too much. Also keeping in mind to remind them not to ask about what happened.

[aliceprewett-blog1]

aurorlongbottom:

It took everything Frank had in him to stand his ground. His throat was on fire, the pressure against his chest was overwhelming, and he was sure his eyes were going to burn out of his head, but still he sat, wishing the conversation hadn’t turned the way it had. It hurt him to the core, to see not only Alice in pain because of him, but also hurting because of Mrs. King’s pain. The elder woman’s persistence hurt. It hurt that she disagreed with him, because he couldn’t understand how she could. The fact that he wasn’t going to stop, because the conversation had turned the way it had, hurt. It was too much, and he couldn’t stop. Marlene’s words rang through his head for only a moment, and he wondered why he wasn’t stopping himself. 

“And if it were you instead of him?”

Holding her breath, Alice looked to Frank, not at all minding the tight grip Mrs. King now had on her hands, in fact, she merely tightened the hold more. “Then I would leave this world knowing that I had made certain to bring a beautiful gift to the world, if the response to his passing has been anything to go by.” 

[aliceprewett-blog1]

fletcher-mundungus:

“Yeah, especially like that,” Mundungus said, in agreement, with a nod. “Not that I’m sayin’ that there is, y’know, a way that makes it better… Just…y’know…” He huffed, shaking his head. He wasn’t made for this—for talking about young people dying for the fanatic beliefs of someone else. Senseless death was something he had seen, but never to the level the Death Eaters had brought on the Wizarding World. “It’s just shite,” he concluded, after a moment as he made sure to keep working—they were there for a reason. 

“What ya reckon his sister will do? Might be easier for the whole family to just… go somewhere else until the situation resolve itself.” For better or for worse—though, he guessed, that if it became worse the Kings would do well not to come back. “Not that they look the kind of people that would do that.” No, a woman that was giving out cookie to her son’s ‘friends’ wasn’t one to pack and leave—he would bet on it.

“It really is shit,” Alice allowed the rare curse to come from her mouth. There was no way around the wording however. Nothing more appropriate in the world. Robert’s death was unnecessary, nonsensical, and infuriating. Why was he targeted? Surely no one knew he’d been part of  an anti-Voldemort group. Though part of Alice whispered that Robert did have an awfully loud mouth often times. Had he merely said the wrong thing to the wrong person? 

Shaking her head, Alice let out a sigh. “I’ve no idea what they’ll do. I very much doubt they even have an idea at the moment. It will take time, for them to process and grieve, and then decide. We’ll have to protect them until they’re prepared to decide with a moderately clear head.” 

[aliceprewett-blog1]

fabianprewettdoesthings:

“Yeah, here, I’ll grab ‘em.”

Alice nodded, eyes already glued onto Fabian’s work, fingers trailing along the numbers and the map, trying to make sense of it all and sorely wishing she’d kept up Arithmancy rather than Ancient Runes. 

[aliceprewett-blog1]

dawnmwithey:

“Yeah. She’s been here all day.”

“That’s good, that’s really, really good,” Alice breathed, relieved at that. That Dawn hadn’t been left alone in here too long. “Have many people been visiting?” 

[aliceprewett-blog1]

“Dear me, how adorable is she?” Alice grinned, waving to the little girl before smiling to her father. “Is she always so well behaved?” It set a pang in her stomach, thinking back to the words Mrs. King had said about bringing a child into a war knowingly. Wondering whether this little girl would have the chance to grow up in a world wherein blood status hardly mattered. If she would be safe, if she would be happy. For now at least, she seemed to be about as pleased as a pea in a pod. 

@wyvrenchang

[aliceprewett-blog1]

dawnmwithey:

Dawn let out a weak laugh, “You’ll have to show me how to make them.”

Alice nodded, “Of course, love. Soon as you’re ready. Have you been able to see your mum yet?”

[aliceprewett-blog1]

aurorlongbottom:

Thank you, love. 

I uh, in every honesty, I couldn’t. Until this is over. Alice disagrees. 

Alice ducked her head for a brief moment, knowing that answer would come, and hating the way it made her stomach sink regardless. As she forced herself to look up, she noticed Mrs. King giving her a look of sympathy before looking back to Frank thoughtfully for a moment, and then nodding. 

“Yes, I daresay I see your point. I don’t imagine I would want to raise a child in this--” Alice’s heart squeezed tightly, her hands clenching as she resisted the urge to move over and comfort the woman as she watched Mrs. King struggle not to become overwhelmed with emotion. “But I will say, looking back, knowing what I know now. Knowing my children would be part of this new world. Knowing that they would be targets because I am not one of you. Knowing that he would die--” another pause as she swallowed back and soldiered on with more conviction. “I would still have them. I would still bring Robert into this world,” her voice shook as she said her sons name, bringing tears to Alice’s eyes. These were all her own fears as well, though she wouldn’t admit as much to Frank. Having blood traitor children, targeted simply because of their stance. 

At a loss for words herself, Alice didn’t attempt to interrupt. “If it weren’t for a war, a car may well have taken him out. Or a bus. Or a train. Or a stranger on the street for absolutely no reason at all. War or not, i think-- I believe the saddest part of life us that one way or another, it must end. If it was his time, it was his time. Nothing could have stopped that, dear. Nothing will stop any of us from going when our time is up,” Alice stood then, moving to clasp the hands of the now tearful Mrs. King. “It’s how you decide to live life in the moment that counts. You can’t count on the tomorrows or the what ifs. What will come will come, no matter how safe you feel it is to have a child now or in ten years or twenty. So if you want that child now, you have that child, and you love that child every day you’ve got them. War or not.” 

[aliceprewett-blog1]

aurorlongbottom:

Just as he half-stood to help her, he immediately sat back down. Maybe it was that he knew better, and maybe, it was that he knew that if he reached down to grab whatever it was she had let hit the floor, he would touch her hand. Either way, in the moment, it seemed unbearable past the appalled he already was. And though his exchanged look with Alice couldn’t be missed, it was involuntary. 

“I’m sorry, Mrs. King, but this sort of thing isn’t at all how we see being here,” Frank explained, ignoring the question, and shaking his head, “There is nothing you have to apologize for.” 

Alice felt her heart drop faster than the jar had as Frank blatantly ignored the very question she was curious to hear the answer to. She knew the answer of course, but had hoped perhaps hearing him explain it to someone else, seeing how they reacted, that it would give her a new perspective. An unbiased one. “I rather agree with Frank on that. However, I”m afraid we disagree quite a bit on our plans for children,” she hedged, eyeing Frank briefly before finishing the touches on the cups of tea, bringing them over and careful to give Frank the one she knew he would like best.

“How so?” Mrs. King asked as she accepted her cup glancing between the two as Alice moved to take her seat beside Frank.

[aliceprewett-blog1]

dawnmwithey:

Alice swallowed back the lump in her throat as she sat in the chair beside Dawn’s bed, clasping her hands together in effort not to reach out. “Sorry, I won’t mention it again. Good news. I’m sure you’d love a bit of that. I accidentally made cookie muffins. Sounds a mess, tastes oddly delicious.”