Who: Alice Longbottom, Hannah Abbot When: Friday evening. Where: Hogwarts, Dumbledore's office. What: Alice has to break the bad news. Rating: Low, but warning for talk of death and murder. Open/Closed: Closed
Alice loved her job. She loved being good at it, and sometimes feeling like she got to DO good, as well. She loved the excitement, and the camaraderie with her fellow Aurors, and the knowledge that in some small way, she'd done something worthwhile with her life.
But there were times when the idea of giving it up and going to crawl into bed with her husband and never leave sounded good, too. Especially if she could lock her son in his room too and have them all safe forever. It wasn't a real option, but once in a while she wished that it were.
She'd gone to see Alfred Abbot with the news about his daughter. Alice hadn't been lead on the investigation into his wife's death, but she'd been involved, and she knew how hard it must have been on the man to lose her. Losing a daughter as well. . . she couldn't even imagine what he must be going through. She'd spent some time with him, trying to gently break what details they had without going into things that were best left unsaid. She'd offered to take him to Hogwarts to see Hannah, but he'd been unable to face the thought of telling his daughter about her sister, and had asked Alice to do so. She couldn't blame him really. She'd seen to it that he was put into protective watch in a safe house with one of the younger Aurors on watch, and then headed to Hogwarts.
Albus was a difficult man to find some days, but Alice had spoken to him in the past about the Abbot situation, and he allowed her into the school and had Hannah sent for.
Alice waited, well aware that as soon as Hannah saw her, she was going to think the worst. She only wished that she had better news to give. She paced in front of Dumbledore's desk until the door opened and then stopped, waiting for Hannah and then offering a soft greet. "Hello, Hannah. Your father asked me to speak to you. Have a seat, please." She would talk to the girl, and then take her to her father so they could grieve together, and then see her back safely to Hogwarts. And then rules be damned, she was invading Gryffindor Tower and hugging her son.