Dorcxsmdws:

dorcxsmdws:

…

“You’re of plenty use,” she said softly. It never sat well with her when people downplayed their strength or usefulness, and although Alice didn’t necessarily need a self-esteem boost, she still deserved to know that she could be an important asset and pregnant at the same time. “Nearly no one else has the same access you do. I’m a halfblood, you know? I’ve been working at this for nearly a year now and the trust is still only minimal. Enough that I overhear important things, but not enough that I’m told them, anyway. You’ll be a good asset down here while I try to run interference where I can.”

When she started all of this she would never have had such a frank conversation in a room full of people, but she had quickly learned that no one expected a secret conversation to be held in a room full of people – but the background noise made eavesdropping more difficult. “I don’t like when things are out of my control,” she admitted. “I’m good at this, I get why this is my mission, but it makes me nervous when others, who are less used to their tactics, have to put themselves at risk. But it should all be fine. It’s – it’s fairly simple.”

...

Alice listened intently to what Dorcas was saying, appreciating that the younger witch considered her useful despite how far along she was in her pregnancy. Giving her a sympathetic frown, Alice glanced over to where Bellatrix and Rodolphus were greeting guests. “You’re doing a great job,” she murmured, looking back at Dorcas. “It takes time to do what you’re doing, to gain the kind of trust we’re after. And I may be a pureblood, but my cousin knows me well enough to suspect my allegiances, so I’m fairly certain I only received an invitation because of my maiden name.” She laughed. “Still, I’m glad to be here, and I’ll do what I can to protect our people and eavesdrop for any useful information.”

Alice sighed, nodding her agreement at Marlene’s statement. She felt the same way every time she watched a young Order member go into battle or on a mission. They were eager and skilled, of course, but until you had seen as much of this war as people like Alice and Moody and Dorcas had, there was a certain naiveté that always put you at risk. “I know,” she said softly, thinking of all the people here tonight that she would have preferred to keep home. “Paulie and Lily really shouldn’t be here, but Moody wanted to let anyone who volunteered come. Personally, I’m not sure this mission is really worth the risk.” Alice looked into Dorcas’ eyes. “Have you heard anything so far?”

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alicelxngbottom

3 years ago

frxnkislong:

…

“I know,” he said softly, quietly agreeing with the words that she didn’t say. She didn’t have to say them to know what was on her mind, he felt the same way. “It’s disgusting, and it’s even more frustrating that I can come in here and say they can handle it. It’s the sort of thing that should have us all up in arms, ready to burn the whole system down. But it’s not anymore, and it’s disgusting. It’s just life.” He continued to rub out a soothing pattern against her skin. “but it doesn’t have to be. It’s not our problem right now, we have to focus on the here and now.”

“What’s wrong?” He put his feet up on the coffee table, just now noticing that his socks didn’t match. “Don’t tell me nothing, because the both of us know that isn’t true. I know I haven’t been here lately, but I am now, and I’m ready to listen if you want to talk about it. Or we can just sit here and wait if you don’t.”

...

Alice gave a soft hum, not entirely agreeing with Frank, but understanding his point. This was supposed to be a maternity leave, a time for them to focus on becoming parents, not worry about what was going on in the outside world. But it was a little difficult not to. It wasn’t in Alice’s nature to just stop thinking about her work, and besides, they were having a baby in the middle of a war. That wasn’t something that was easy to forget, even for a little while. They were Aurors, Order members, what some would consider blood traitors. Any child of theirs could be a target the second they were born.

Alice leaned into Frank, sighing deeply as she considered how to express the anxiety she had been feeling. She should have just talked to him about it sooner; instead, she had let it grow and grow until it was so big that it felt insurmountable. They had wanted to have a child for so long, had put it off and put it off until the time felt right, but now that it was happening, she was afraid that she still wasn’t ready. “What if I’m a bad mom?”