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Alice had the window open, letting the sweet, damp smell of snow permeate the room along with the night's bitter chill. Wrapped in a dressing gown, she was sitting on Frank's bed with her legs drawn up against the cold, staring past billowing white curtains into the dark wilderness beyond. Dim light from the hearth illuminated her face enough for Frank to make out the worry etched there. He hesitated by the flickering fire, still watching her, before stepping over to close the window, sliding it shut with a soft click. Maybe he was getting a little bit paranoid, but the vulnerability of an opened window unsettled him.
"You didn't have to wait up for me, love," Frank said softly as he turned to face Alice with a grin, trying to alleviate her concern as he noted the dark circles under her eyes.
She shrugged as she slid back on the bed, giving him room to lie down next to her. "I can sleep in tomorrow," she said dismissively, reaching out to pull him into an embrace as he settled himself on the mattress. Frank closed his eyes for a moment, lulled by the feeling of her warm fingers playing through his hair. "I can't sleep anyway, when you work so late."
"Sorry," he mumbled, rolling over toward her. "Lily and James got into a little trouble, but it's all taken care of, now."
Frank felt Alice stiffen. "Lily and James?" she asked with quiet alarm. "What happened?"
Flashes of the scene shot through Frank's mind: the captured Death Eaters, the dismembered body parts, the smoking and curse-twisted dumpster, and the shock on his friends' faces. Not exactly images he wanted to recall before drifting to sleep.
"I know you're curious, but can we talk about this in the morning?" Frank pleaded, his eyelids fluttering open as he reached up to stroke Alice's cheek, trying to soften his words. " I… can't think about it right now."
"Of course," she soothed, continuing to idly play with his long locks of hair. "You've been working too hard."
Frank snorted. "I'm an Auror in training and we're in a war-what did you expect?" he asked playfully, easily pulling her over to lie on top of him. He sighed at her comforting weight, sinking toward sleep.
"I know." She grinned, resting her chin on his shoulder before closing her eyes. Frank knew that something was still bothering her, though; she was fidgeting too much to be at peace. At last, she sighed. "Frank, I Flooed the Ministry three hours ago, and they said you'd left. What have you been doing since…" she glanced at her watch. "Midnight?"
Her voice was neutral, calm, but at her words, Frank paled and his eyes shot open. His heart began racing, and he tried to ignore the quirk of Alice's lips as she turned her head to the side, listening to his heartbeat give him away.
"Alice…" he trailed off, wondering where to begin and how much to tell her. He tilted his head, looked down into Alice's eyes, pained at the uncertainly and fear he saw there.
Suddenly, he laughed, relief flooding through him despite her disgruntlement. Wasn't this what he wanted? Having to keep secrets from Alice brought him down far more than the tension of his job did, but he had promised Dumbledore that he wouldn't tell her anything until the time was right…
Perhaps this was the time.
He took a quick breath, before: "Let me tell you about something called The Order of the Phoenix."
She listened silently, though with wide eyes, as he unraveled the tale of how Dumbledore had approached him even before Frank had begun Auror training, hardly waiting until Frank had graduated before asking him to take part in the secret movement against Voldemort. How he'd been passing Dumbledore information under the table for months, wary of sharing with the Ministry since it was sure to be penetrated by Voldemort's supporters. He even admitted that Moody was a member of the Order as well, as was Frank's partner Fabian.
Frank felt exhausted at the end of the story, more ready now than ever to lay his head down on his pillow and lose consciousness for a little while. But Alice looked determined, wide awake, despite the hour.
She clasped her hand in his, gripping it tightly as she leaned in to lay a gentle kiss upon his lips. "Thank you for telling me-though I know you're happy to get it off of your chest," she whispered, smiling at him.
Behind her, the first orange sliver of the rising sun peaked over the horizon.
"Of course, now that I know…" she trailed off, looking amused, though her gaze was intense. "I'm in."
He was too tired to argue the point-or perhaps he just knew that he would lose-but Frank simply wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly to him while he still had the chance.
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