alicexinaurorlandx¡:
When: April 23rd, Early morning
Where: Order Safe house
Who: Alice and any Order Member
Alice was numb. It was funny because sheâd not felt like this before, but she had memories of feeling like this. Of feeling closed off, and numb. She hadnât liked the memories. She supposed she should be grateful that she could process her feelings right now. Because in her memories she certainly couldnât. Or well, sheâd been told by someone who had survived about how she and Frank had been. Anyone that had seen Alice in those days would certainly look at Alice right now, and recall a similar Alice having been admitted to the wards of St Mungoâs. Only this Alice wasnât kicking and screaming. This Alice knew what was going on around her, but had simply chosen to shut off.
It wasnât as if she hadnât been hit by the torture curse before. Of course she had. She was an auror after all. It wasnât the curse. It was the person. Alice hadnât known what to expect the first time sheâd ran into Bellatrix Lestrange. And it might have been different if sheâd not seen her in her death eater garb throwing curses at her. But, that had been enough to make Alice shut down completely.
And she hadnât yet returned. Her hands might have been wrapped around the coffee, but she wasnât acknowleding anything that was being said around her, or to her. It was as if she was there, but not really. Her mind was somewhere else, and she didnât quite know how to get back.
Remus stood in the kitchen, his back against the door frame, watching Alice Longbottom enjoy her cup of coffee. Enjoy was rather subjective. She was, in fact, using it mostly as a handwarmer, as her eyes were clearly looking at something any other mortal in the room couldnât see. She wasnât here. Not really.Â
Heâd seen a similar distant look in her eyes a long time ago, in his other life, when Alice was more of a memory than a person. Back when heâd been reminded of her existence through her son, and felt that gross guilt he always felt about people who heâd forgotten about. Heâd visited her and Frank then, although he was sure she didnât know it. Heâd felt obliged to tell them about their sonâs performance in school. How pointless that had been. Looking back, Remus realized it was probably more out of a cruel interest to see what they were like, locked in St. Mungoâs all those years.Â
After a few minutes of watching her, he moved to sit across the table. âHey, Alice.â He swallowed hard. âWould you like me to warm up that coffee for you? It might be getting a little cold now...â













