Chapter 2 A New Lease on Life
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Title: A New Lease on Life
Rating: T
Pairings: Alice/Frank
Summary: When Neville's biggest dream comes true on his eighteenth birthday he gets more than what he bargained for.
As soon as Neville left the muggle hospital he debated about going home, but he knew that his Gran would look for him there and he didn't feel like facing her right now. He knew that he was warned about his father's condition when he woke up but he wasn't prepared for it. Right now he doubted that his father would be able to live in wizarding society again and now he was made worse. He just decided to walk up the street in order to walk off his disappointment and knowing that his Gran would want him to go back to spend more time with his father, but he didn't feel ready yet. He thought that when his dad woke up that he would be like other dads spending time with him and going off to work, not like he is now no matter that he was warned by the muggle doctor that his father would be like this when he woke up and that it would take some work and time for him to return to normal. He couldn't stand to leave the hospital grounds though which is where his Uncle Algie and Aunt Enid found him when they arrived to see their nephew.
"What are you doing here? I thought that you would want to be inside to see your father instead of hiding out here. What is he doing in a place like this anyway your Gran didn't give any details only that your dad was moved here?"
"He was moved here because he was coming out of his coma and he just woke up but its different than what I thought it would be," Neville reluctantly admitted to his great uncle.
Algie thought about what he had told him for a few minutes before replying, "Did the muggle doctor tell you that he would improve with time. Sometimes people aren't instantly healed and it is that way with magical healing as well. It was almost two months before your grandmother could even bring you home after the attack, because it took you that long to recover from your injuries even using magical means and it took sixteen years for your dad to come out of a coma, where he hadn't used his muscles in so long. It may take some time for him to make a full recovery but both him and your grandmother are going to need your support right now since it must be hard on your mum to be separated from your dad for the first time in sixteen years."
Neville then reluctantly agreed to go back into the hospital so that he could spend more time with his father and to find out if his condition was going to be permanent. He did wonder if his dad was going to ever come home with them again or if he was going to go back to St. Mungo's. He didn't think about how his mum would take being separated from his dad for the first time in sixteen years, but they did plan on signing his mum out of St. Mungo's for a couple of hours so that she could see his dad in the muggle hospital to reassure her that Frank didn't die. When he went back inside he wasn't surprised to see his Gran with his father whose condition hadn't changed but he seemed to be a little more alert than he was previously, he was reassured though by his grandmother that his father would begin both cognitive and physical therapy tomorrow in order to help him to be able to be closer to normal but they could bring Alice by to see him early in the morning before he goes to therapy. The early morning would be better for Alice since the sooner she can see her husband the better, since it is too late for her to see her husband today. Augusta noticed her brother walk into the ward with her grandson and gave an excited look. "Frank has finally woken up and now these doctors are telling me that they are going to try to get him to be able to live a normal life as possible. At last he can come home to live with us, and I'm sure that Neville would be excited too once he gets back to normal."
"Its great that Frank has woke up, but how long will it be before he returns to normal and can live with us? It can take a long time for that to happen if it does," her brother reminded his sister trying to get her to see the reality of the situation.
"The doctor told me that it could take a while for him to return to normal and he may not fully return to normal, but at least I can have my little boy live with us again," Augusta reluctantly admitted to her brother and grandson.
Neville groaned at his Gran's optimism, doubting that his father would even be able to live a normal life again that he would spend the rest of his life in St. Mungo's the victim of a failed muggle medical experiment. Though Neville wanted his dad to get better than everything, he even fantasied that one day that his dad would get better and would be able to come home with them so that they can live like a normal family instead of living with his overbearing grandmother though since his fifth year she had gotten better. He had already given up that he would ever get to know his parents again, even after his dad waking up from his coma. A few minutes later, another person came into the ward carrying what appeared to be a camera taking pictures of Frank and the rest of the Longbottom family. As soon as Augusta realized what was going on she immediately through the reporter out in order to respect her son's privacy. After Augusta had thrown the reporter out, she immediately went to the nurse's station to only allow authorized personal in her son's ward. She had done this for her family the last time that reporters wanted to nose around her family who were in hospital. She couldn't believe the audacity that some of them would go thorough in order to get a story, at least she hadn't seen Rita Skeeter yet since she was used ruthless means to get her story. She knew that the wizarding papers would print the news of Frank waking up but she didn't want to have any pictures shown of him or any discord between her family reported since she knew of Neville's disappointment that his father didn't immediately start talking to him when he woke up. Augusta though was hopeful that she would be able to have her son be able to celebrate Christmas with his family for the first time in sixteen years this year. She even planned on bringing the family photo albums to show Frank tomorrow after she let the rest of his relatives know about his waking up and to give him a day to rest.
Early the next morning both Augusta and Neville went to St. Mungo's to sign out Alice for a couple of hours so that she can see Frank and reassure her that Frank is still alive and that he didn't die. Before they were ready to leave St. Mungo's with Alice and take her by the muggle hospital to see Frank, Augusta instructed Neville to keep an eye out for his mother to make sure that she didn't get harmed or upset while in an unfamiliar environment, though she knew that seeing Frank would reassure her. When the three of them arrived they went straight to the ward where Frank was hoping that they would be able to see him before he was taken to therapy. Alice immediately recognized him when she entered the ward wanting to touch him to make sure that he was really fine. Neville thought that it would be fine to leave them alone for a few minutes to give them some privacy so he joined his grandmother out in the hall, thinking that his mum wouldn't run off anytime soon. The two of them were shocked when they had returned to Frank's ward to find out that Alice wasn't there and she wasn't out in the hall either. The two of them searched the entire floor for her, with Augusta looking disappointed in her grandson since he was supposed to be watching his mum.
Title: A New Lease on Life
Rating: T
Pairings: Alice/Frank
Summary: When Neville's biggest dream comes true on his eighteenth birthday he gets more than what he bargained for.
As soon as Neville left the muggle hospital he debated about going home, but he knew that his Gran would look for him there and he didn't feel like facing her right now. He knew that he was warned about his father's condition when he woke up but he wasn't prepared for it. Right now he doubted that his father would be able to live in wizarding society again and now he was made worse. He just decided to walk up the street in order to walk off his disappointment and knowing that his Gran would want him to go back to spend more time with his father, but he didn't feel ready yet. He thought that when his dad woke up that he would be like other dads spending time with him and going off to work, not like he is now no matter that he was warned by the muggle doctor that his father would be like this when he woke up and that it would take some work and time for him to return to normal. He couldn't stand to leave the hospital grounds though which is where his Uncle Algie and Aunt Enid found him when they arrived to see their nephew.
"What are you doing here? I thought that you would want to be inside to see your father instead of hiding out here. What is he doing in a place like this anyway your Gran didn't give any details only that your dad was moved here?"
"He was moved here because he was coming out of his coma and he just woke up but its different than what I thought it would be," Neville reluctantly admitted to his great uncle.
Algie thought about what he had told him for a few minutes before replying, "Did the muggle doctor tell you that he would improve with time. Sometimes people aren't instantly healed and it is that way with magical healing as well. It was almost two months before your grandmother could even bring you home after the attack, because it took you that long to recover from your injuries even using magical means and it took sixteen years for your dad to come out of a coma, where he hadn't used his muscles in so long. It may take some time for him to make a full recovery but both him and your grandmother are going to need your support right now since it must be hard on your mum to be separated from your dad for the first time in sixteen years."
Neville then reluctantly agreed to go back into the hospital so that he could spend more time with his father and to find out if his condition was going to be permanent. He did wonder if his dad was going to ever come home with them again or if he was going to go back to St. Mungo's. He didn't think about how his mum would take being separated from his dad for the first time in sixteen years, but they did plan on signing his mum out of St. Mungo's for a couple of hours so that she could see his dad in the muggle hospital to reassure her that Frank didn't die. When he went back inside he wasn't surprised to see his Gran with his father whose condition hadn't changed but he seemed to be a little more alert than he was previously, he was reassured though by his grandmother that his father would begin both cognitive and physical therapy tomorrow in order to help him to be able to be closer to normal but they could bring Alice by to see him early in the morning before he goes to therapy. The early morning would be better for Alice since the sooner she can see her husband the better, since it is too late for her to see her husband today. Augusta noticed her brother walk into the ward with her grandson and gave an excited look. "Frank has finally woken up and now these doctors are telling me that they are going to try to get him to be able to live a normal life as possible. At last he can come home to live with us, and I'm sure that Neville would be excited too once he gets back to normal."
"Its great that Frank has woke up, but how long will it be before he returns to normal and can live with us? It can take a long time for that to happen if it does," her brother reminded his sister trying to get her to see the reality of the situation.
"The doctor told me that it could take a while for him to return to normal and he may not fully return to normal, but at least I can have my little boy live with us again," Augusta reluctantly admitted to her brother and grandson.
Neville groaned at his Gran's optimism, doubting that his father would even be able to live a normal life again that he would spend the rest of his life in St. Mungo's the victim of a failed muggle medical experiment. Though Neville wanted his dad to get better than everything, he even fantasied that one day that his dad would get better and would be able to come home with them so that they can live like a normal family instead of living with his overbearing grandmother though since his fifth year she had gotten better. He had already given up that he would ever get to know his parents again, even after his dad waking up from his coma. A few minutes later, another person came into the ward carrying what appeared to be a camera taking pictures of Frank and the rest of the Longbottom family. As soon as Augusta realized what was going on she immediately through the reporter out in order to respect her son's privacy. After Augusta had thrown the reporter out, she immediately went to the nurse's station to only allow authorized personal in her son's ward. She had done this for her family the last time that reporters wanted to nose around her family who were in hospital. She couldn't believe the audacity that some of them would go thorough in order to get a story, at least she hadn't seen Rita Skeeter yet since she was used ruthless means to get her story. She knew that the wizarding papers would print the news of Frank waking up but she didn't want to have any pictures shown of him or any discord between her family reported since she knew of Neville's disappointment that his father didn't immediately start talking to him when he woke up. Augusta though was hopeful that she would be able to have her son be able to celebrate Christmas with his family for the first time in sixteen years this year. She even planned on bringing the family photo albums to show Frank tomorrow after she let the rest of his relatives know about his waking up and to give him a day to rest.
Early the next morning both Augusta and Neville went to St. Mungo's to sign out Alice for a couple of hours so that she can see Frank and reassure her that Frank is still alive and that he didn't die. Before they were ready to leave St. Mungo's with Alice and take her by the muggle hospital to see Frank, Augusta instructed Neville to keep an eye out for his mother to make sure that she didn't get harmed or upset while in an unfamiliar environment, though she knew that seeing Frank would reassure her. When the three of them arrived they went straight to the ward where Frank was hoping that they would be able to see him before he was taken to therapy. Alice immediately recognized him when she entered the ward wanting to touch him to make sure that he was really fine. Neville thought that it would be fine to leave them alone for a few minutes to give them some privacy so he joined his grandmother out in the hall, thinking that his mum wouldn't run off anytime soon. The two of them were shocked when they had returned to Frank's ward to find out that Alice wasn't there and she wasn't out in the hall either. The two of them searched the entire floor for her, with Augusta looking disappointed in her grandson since he was supposed to be watching his mum.