That moment, three Aurors arrived, escorting a young man in anti-magical binders between them. "Sir, we've found another one outside. He's claiming he has nothing to do with all of this and just was too afraid to leave."
Bellatrix for a moment was incensed that Crouch would pull such a stunt, until suddenly she saw the look he was giving her, and she understood. It was an act. Barty knew there was no escape, so he was preparing a gambit to at least ensure his father would suffer as well. He in no way had forsaken the Dark Lord, and Bellatrix found Barty's dedication to further hurt his enemies - she understood the personal motive - impressive. Some looks to Rodolphus and Rabastan silenced them; she would explain later.
"Well, well, well, if this isn't the wayward son of our esteemed head of Magical Law Enforcement. Lad, you are now really deep in it," Moody greeted the younger Crouch, seemingly not surprised at the sight.
Crouch stayed silent and looked scared, but that was just an outside appearance.
"That will be a spectacle I wouldn't want to miss," Moody said further, actually anticipating it.
One would think that Moody and Crouch Sr. would get along well, since both of them were against the Death Eaters, but nothing could be further from the truth.
In Moody's mind, being well-prepared with constant vigilance and using your strength and skill in a smart way was the path to victory; something he had drilled the Aurors extensivly in with great results. On the other hand, he felt Crouch's heavy-handed approach was like trying to crack a peanut using a sledgehammer. The collateral damage and bending of the system was something Moody disapproved of. Additionally, he could not respect someone playing the hard-ass while said person always sat behind a desk.
No, Alastor Moody did not respect Barty Crouch Sr. That dislike had only grown significantly after Crouch had cut that blasted deal with Igor Karkaroff. While that had revealed the traitor Augustus Rookwood in the Department of Mysteries, it had also resulted in Karkaroff getting away scot-free, despite his numerous proven crimes. Moody, who'd spent six months catching the bloody Death Eater in the first place, of course was incensed at this.
Karma is a bitch, Crouch, Moody thought darkly, getting a certain satisfaction that the elder Crouch would now get a taste of his own medicine.
o
Augusta Longbottom was an old-fashioned woman, and thus she normally tried to be reserved in public. However, the current situation meant she forgot these lessons while waiting nervously for any news in a waiting room in St. Mungo's, the magical hospital. This without doubt was the worst day in her life - waiting to hear if her son and daughter-in-law would survive or not.
The news of the attack had hit them completely unprepared as it came out of nowhere. Her husband had promised that he and their two house-elves would keep a close watch over their grandson Neville, while she could leave for the hospital. Her husband could read her all too well and knew that she probably worry herself to death if she couldn't get the news as fast as possible.
Frank was her only child, and thus she naturally worried a lot about him, thus why the news of his horrific torment had hit her hard. To her shame she had to admit that she hadn't liked Alice at first, but over time she had grown very fond of Neville's mother as well. And now both of them were in intensive care, being treated for wounds caused by darkest magic. It was a situation as bad as it could be imagined, apart from actual death.
Finally, the door opened and a healer approached her. "Madame Longbottom. First off, relax, they won't die."
That took off the worst pressure, but the elderly woman instead sensed what the healer wasn't telling. "How are they? Tell me the truth."
The healer looked uncomfortable. "We are still working on it. I've never before seen such outright malevolence towards anyone. Killing someone is one thing, but this..."
"Get to the point," Madame Longbottom finally demanded, his words only making it worse.
"Alright. It's impossible for us to heal all the damage done. Both of them can still live a full life, but with permanent injuries. They can never again be as physically active as they used to and will need a cane for walking. Their bodies, with the thankful exception of their faces, will be riddled with magical scars," he finally spelled it out.
Only her great discipline prevented Madame Longbottom from fainting when hearing these news. "Can I see them?"
"Yes, but as I said, while their faces were untouched, the rest of their bodies is not a nice sight. Also, they are still unconscious, we keep them under until we are sure they won't be in pain anymore, or they would be screaming the entire time," the healer warned her.
She was escorted to one room, where other healers were still busy with working on Frank and Alice Longbottom. Madame Longbottom paled when seeing the condition these two were in.
Both of them looked like hell. Their skin still looked red and raw and since they were naked from the waist up, Augusta had no problem to see the many fresh scars all over their bodies - something that would be especially hard on poor Alice, despite her not being body-conscious. The worst damages of course was not visible - the ones that would partially cripple them for the rest of their lives.
She said nothing, but her thoughts were clear. She wanted to make sure the Lestranges would never again see the light of the day for this crime.
...four days later, November 20th, Ministry of Magic...
"Ah, Andy, there you are. Did little Nymphie finally let you go?" Sirius asked his cousin Andromeda, who got disowned from the Black family years ago after marrying a muggleborn man named Ted Tonks, after waiting for her at one of the floos of the Ministry in the atrium.