January 16th, 1978
Who: Emmeline Vance and Frank Longbottom
What: Emmeline's turn to visit.
Where: St. Mungo's



Do not baby him.

Emmeline kept silently repeating that mantra as she sat in the waiting area of St. Mungo’s as she waited for the Healer to come out of Frank’s room and give her permission to visit. Okay, so---she was nervous because she wasn’t exactly sure what he was going to be like, if he actually wanted to see her or not, or if she’d upset him and that was the last thing Emmeline wanted. She just sort of needed to see him there, and alive, and she’d be okay.

And she wanted to make sure that his pillows were the fluffiest and the blankets were the warmest and the light was just so and the room was at the perfect temperature and---

Do not baby him!

She jumped to her feet when the door to the room opened and the Healer left (looking disgruntled, but Emmeline didn’t take too much notice) and motioned for her to come in. Grasping the basket she’d brought along (it would make sense in a few seconds), she hurried toward the door, trying not to pay too much attention to all the potions and contraptions the hospital seemed to have. If she was more of a people-person, she would definitely be a Healer.

“I come with food from the Great Hall,” she said quietly, pushing her arm with the basket into the room first before poking her head in. Oh, Frank was there. Emmeline came in and pushed the door closed, staying against it and holding the basket close, trying not to cry. “It’s warm---but there---there are charms and…stuff.”

Hadn’t he made in very clear that he was tired of random people he hardly knew coming in to ‘visit’ and ‘console’ him? Yes, Frank was very tired of the open fake lies about how worried they were, and how he looked great and how he was so brave. No, he was sick of it already. So just to spite the Healer (and make himself feel better), Frank quickly shuffled under the sheets and closed his eyes tight to make it look like he had been sleeping the whole time. It worked well with his parents, because who would want to bother a poor, tortured man? No one who wanted to visit him in the first place, that was right.

But just as Frank had been digging his head deeper into his pillow, a very familiar squeaky voice filled his ears and he instantly stopped moving to pop up straight in the bed. Emmeline- Emmeline? It was, she was- his shoulders sagged slightly as he saw the look on her face and she was trying so hard not to cry and-

“Emmeline,” Frank choked out.

“I could—go, I mean, if you’re tired and everything and need a nap then I’ll just go and come back later and,” she moved when she talked and the basket jiggled and she heard glasses clanking and Emmeline moved forward toward the bed even though she was talking about leaving, “Or I could leave and not come back, that’s fine too, I just thought---I should---I wanted to---“

Emmeline sighed and stood by his bed now, putting the basket on the bed between Frank’s legs and her self. The Healer that had left had looked peeved, but that could simply be Frank being a bad patient, which she could see happening. He looked tired and annoyed but in all honesty she wouldn’t leave unless he forced her out by having a Healer drag her away. But, it was always nice to let people think they had choices.

“It’s stuff from the Great Hall---Sirius showed me how to get into the kitchens, the house-elves had a field day.”

A confused look spread across Frank’s face. She, she wanted to leave? Why would she do that? Why did she want to leave if she just got here? No, she couldn’t leave. Why would she want to do that, why-- why? Suddenly feeling like he had to make her stay (because she had too, she just had too), Frank jumped on it. “No! St-stay. Don’t- you have to-- stay,” he slurred so quickly that he wasn’t sure that it made sense.

“Please,” Frank added in a few seconds later, moving his feet so she could sit down with her extremely large basket. Bloody- what-- they had let her in with that? Oh, hell-- it didn’t matter, he most likely wouldn’t eat it anyway. But still---

“They let you in with that?”

Emmeline sat and was glad Frank had asked what was in the basket (and that he seemed to want her to stay) because she was quite proud of her work. She opened the top of the basket and tilted it forward to show Frank its contents. It looked like a pile of books and parchment with ink bottles and quills, but Emmeline pulled out her wand and with a few flicks revealed rather convenient bowls full of the best the Hogwarts kitchen had to offer.

“See? You don’t have to eat any of it, really, but I figure it’s better than the stuff they’re giving you here and, well, the charms rather easy and it turns back on after you don’t touch it for about five or so minutes.” She looked up calmly at him, even though she wanted to take in everything about him and figure out what exactly was wrong. “So…yeah, I mean…”

She put a hand to her face, a wave of tears hitting her quite suddenly. “Your favorite pudding’s in there,” she choked out squeakily.

Frank had seen a lot of people cry in the past few days. Over him, over James, over their condition, over how sad they looked, and how young they were and how this was just so horrible and, oh everything would be alright, at least your arm wouldn’t hurt anymore… it hadn’t really phased him. Well, yes, he had considered it, and listening most grudgingly, but hadn’t really let it affect him. Why should he let it? There was no reason for them-- to say the least, he had even thought about just ignoring people when they started to cry. But then, Alice had shown up, and he had never, ever seen her like that… if he had been more alert and functional, he knew it would have broken his heart much more than it had. And now, Emmeline-- Emmeline, the one girl who was tougher than anyone else, to see her at the brink of bawling--- Frank couldn’t help but give a twitch of a frown. It wasn’t right, it wasn’t right. Anyone else could go and drown in their own tears but Emmeline-- and Alice, they didn’t deserve it, they didn’t deserve it at all.

“Don’t cry,” he said, leaning forward slightly.

Emmeline let out a cough of a laugh, pulling her hand down. He looked worried for her, which was something she hadn’t wanted to do. Why should he concern himself with her after all he’d been through? That was rude of her, she shouldn’t be causing him any sort of stress, the Healers had warned that he was still in a very fragile state. While he simply looked exhausted, Emmeline was sure that there was much more than physical injuries he was dealing with. “I’m trying not to, really.”

She really didn’t want to get hysterical on him, but, but, Frank was alive and they had all thought he was dead and she’d yelled and screamed (oh God, she yelled at the Head Girl, cursed at her---look at what this boy did to her--), so, just sitting here and being calm and collected really didn’t fit into the formula.

“I’m not exactly sure what to do, actually,” she admitted, wiping at her eyes. “You’re back, that’s all I’ve had on my mind for the past month, so…” Emmeline let out a little laugh, “What do we do now?”

Settled by Emmeline’s statement, Frank leaned back to his regular position. He never took his eyes off of her, though, because she looked like she would break apart any second, and well--- he didn’t know why he felt the dire need to keep on watching Emmeline, but it kept the whatever that was in his stomach down and under control.

A thin line of a small formed on his lips, and Frank shifted again on his bed, making a bit of room next to him. “You sit here,” he said to her quietly, now glancing at the space next to him. She didn’t really need to say anything, and Frank didn’t care. He didn’t want her to say anything, because well--- after all different people talking to him, he had gotten rather annoyed with it quickly. No, she could sit here with him, and he wouldn’t give a twitch, because Emmeline was family.

She only hesitated for a moment before sliding off the bed then going the few steps to sit beside him, bringing her legs up onto the bed, not caring if her shoes were on the sheets or what not. Emmeline let out a breath, managing to somehow calm herself down, something she hadn’t been able to do in a month. She realized that, while breaking up with Ben had been hard, had taken a lot out of her, the idea that Frank was gone, out of her life forever…it was a million times more painful than being boyfriend-less.

Frank was literally the only family she could trust, the only family that was left for her here. Her parents had left her without a second thought, even though they’d never really been there, so for Frank to come back and not leave her alone…she felt selfish for it, but Emmeline could finally breathe again, knowing that she hadn’t been abandoned again.

With a slightly shuddering breath, she dropped her head to his shoulder, staring out at her feet, not really able to think of words that could describe everything she felt and was thinking about.

For a moment, Frank thought of tearing off the bandages wrapped around his left arm to show Emmeline-- to show her his souvenir. He didn’t think of it being inappropriate, or shocking, or rude- not at all. Just as, just as a way too-- for someone else to see it, besides a fucking Healer probing or swishing at it. His own parents hadn’t seen it yet. Well, Frank hadn’t gone and showed it to them. Most likely, the Healers had given them a look one time or another when he had been sleeping, but besides that, no. He hadn’t even showed it to Alice. With Alice, though- with Alice, it seemed different. The mark was a sign of weakness, or at least in his mind, among other things. And to show her, to show her something like that when he was supposed to protect her with all his life (which he felt he fully should, from now on), it just didn’t seem right.

But with Emmeline, with Emmeline, it just seemed…different. It wasn’t about protecting her from any reality, or feeling she wouldn’t be able to handle it. Emmeline was just--- Emmeline. Of course, she meant much to him, more than she probably was aware of. Somehow, deep down, he knew she would understand better than anyone else.

Though, as he looked down at her, with her eyes full of tears, he knew today wasn’t that day. Maybe later, when they were out of here and the both of them felt more comfortable about it. “It’s good to see you again, little cousin,” Frank murmured as his shoulder shook a bit as she rested her head on it. As a small gesture, he placed his head on top of hers and took a deep, calming sigh. This, was okay.