Albus came to tell her the news himself. It was cool evening. She'd heard already of course but was anxious to hear from the great wizard.

"Is it true?" she asked upon opening the door.

"It is." He swept through the door and into his usual chair, the purple one among the two cerulean pieces. Elena had relented years ago and purchased an additional seat for her visits from Donal with either one of his children or Albus Dumbledore as company.

"What happened?"

The man unsteadily poured himself a cup of tea and shook his head. She'd baked lemon biscuits in anticipation of his arrival, but he didn't seem to see them. "I'm not entirely sure yet. From what I gather, Tom went after the Potter family and murdered James at the door. Lily, I think, sacrificed herself for her son. And the killing curse cast on the child rebounded, hitting him instead."

Elena sobbed drily into her hand. She was not a mother herself but had helped Donal raise his children as much as she dared since he'd entered her life. His grandchildren called her Nana Elle and she doted on them. "The boy?"

"He's alive. Orphaned, but alive." Dumbledore shook his head again. The usual sparkle in his true-blue eyes was missing and he looked even older than his century age. He looked ancient and tired beyond words.

She didn't want to ask the next, felt it was callous and selfish in the face of the tragedy the infant child faced, but she had to know. "Is he… gone?"

The flinch in the old man's eyes cut at her heart. "I'm not sure. I have suspicions, but nothing I can say for certain yet." He looked up at her. "I do not think he is fully gone yet, but I do think that, for now at least, we are safe."

The flutter of hope she'd felt at originally hearing the news battled terror in her core. "How long do you think?"

"I can't say. I'm sorry for that, Elena. I wish I knew more." He draped an arm around her shoulders, leaning his withered frame toward her. "You should live while you can. Enjoy your freedom."

"If he comes back and finds out—"

"Do not marry, do not birth children. You need not do either if you're afraid," he gently reminded. She nodded slowly.

"That is something." She smiled into her lap. "It's more than I ever thought I'd have. I—I'm grateful."

She told Donal that evening when he stopped by for dinner. It was a tradition between them. She would not live with him, but she always ended her day with him there. They would eat, talk, sometimes exchange kisses while they watched the evening lengthen before them. In the morning he would come for tea, so their days would start together too.

"What does this mean for us?" he said gently, not wanting to push this woman he adored too far.

She laid her head against his arm, let out a considering breath. "We can't marry. We can't have children; I'm getting old for it anyway. But we can be together for now."

Donal wrapped her in an embrace and the steady beat of his heart was soothing against her ear. "That's enough for me. Having you in my life is enough."

"You've been too patient for me," Elena murmured. "Most men would have given up, found someone who could share their home and their bed by now."

His chuckle was sad, but warm. "I had the perfect woman once. She was my everything and she gave me beautiful children to adore long after she was gone. I never thought I'd find someone else who could fill my heart the way she did. I wasn't going to let you go without a fight just because we had some restrictions. Carnal pleasures are wonderful, but nothing to being able to walk alongside you for the rest of my life. And if we have only a short time to enjoy one another physically?" He shrugged. "We'll make the most of it."

She nodded but said nothing.

He stayed with her that night, the first among many. They didn't do anything but hold one another, delighting in this little difference. It was such a small thing, but to sleep entangled with each other was an intimacy so great they didn't want to lower it with anything else.

They had years to explore.

"I don't know why you and dad don't marry," Janie said as they waved goodbye to her children. The four of them who were already in Hogwarts had their faces pressed to the windows as they returned the eager gestures.

"Perhaps one day." Elena smiled at the woman who was nearly a daughter to her, shuffling the weight of the three-year-old on her hip. How Janie handled six children was beyond her, let alone two sets of twins. The three-year-old clung to her mother's skirt.

"Nana, ice cream?" said the small girl.

She laughed and shook her head. These children would be the death of her. "Fancy a trip to Fortescue's?"

"I suppose with just the four of us it won't be too bad," Janie said. "Alright."

They ordered their cones (Janie had a Drooble's bubble gum flavored scoop, the twins both had birthday cake and Elena settled for a decadent chocolate) and walked about Diagon. She had started going out to more metropolitan areas since Tom's fall. Everything seemed brighter, righter without him. She pointed out changes from her own youth as they strolled, and Janie recalled the few times she'd been as a child to get things for school.

"I found Otter in that alley," Elena said fondly. "He was a wonderful cat. I'm still surprised he lived as long as he did."

"That fat old man cat of yours." Janie chuckled. "You haven't had a familiar since he passed, have you?"

She hummed thoughtfully. "I suppose I haven't."

Janie nodded toward the shop ahead of them. "Why don't we take a look? If you're not going to move in with us, at least you can find something for company when dad can't visit."

They strode into the crowded shop and it took Elena a moment to get her bearings in the face of so many cages, tanks, posts, all the cooing and growling and yowling, and the mingled scents of all the animals. Nora began fussing on her hip as Ellie toddled toward the pen of Puffskeins.

"They're fine," the store owner assured, so Elena let the little girl join her sister and began roving the shop. She didn't mind rodents, but they never appealed to her. The thought of a snake was one she couldn't abide. No toads or frogs for her either. In fact, she was clearly a fan of cats and kneazles above all other creatures. There was a pen of gamboling kittens along the spectrum from pure cat to pure kneazle. Some of them were curled up sleeping with one another, some were playing, others were watching or grooming or any number of kitten activities.

As she watched, one of them stretched up to sniff her hand where it rested on the clear container. It then started purring loudly and nuzzled against her. "Hello there. And who are you?"

The little kitten was a few months old, plump with its youth, and had a fuzzy red body ticked with white. He had tufts at his ears and one at the end of his tail, but he wasn't full kneazle. He was closer to an ordinary red tabby than that and the soft chirp he emitted as he pushed against her fingers reminded her of Otter.

"I see you've met Cato," said the owner of the shop. "He's a bit of trickster, that one, but he seems to like you."

"A trickster?"

"Certainly. He likes to play injured during mealtimes to get the others to crowd him, then get to the food first."

Elena laughed. "Sneaky little cat. May I?" At the nod, she pulled the little ball into her hands and held him against her chest. Cato chirped again and nosed her chin affectionately before starting to gently knead her chest. "I suppose I'll have to take him home then."

Cato adored Donal. The first time they met the cat immediately crawled into the man's lap and fell asleep. He stayed there for hours, purring loudly anytime Don stroked a hand down his mandarin fur. He was more energetic with Elena, romping and darting after her as she worked throughout the day; the moment Donal appeared, he'd settle down. On the evenings they spent together, he would curl up at their feet and while away the night with them unless they were otherwise engaged.

Life was lovely. Donal was a passionate lover, but ever mindful not to actually hurt or harm her. She'd been terrified at first, given her history, that the only sex she could enjoy was the barbarism Tom Riddle had laid on her. She was pleased that it wasn't the case.

He was patient with her as well, reminding her as they slowly explored each other that he had been decades without as well. They slowly found their rhythm. They spent so much time together that strangers began assuming they were married and neither bothered much to correct the mistake. For all that they technically lived apart, Elena had had to purchase a larger bed to accommodate the man in her life.

Gradually, the worries and nightmares faded. She loved and was loved without fear.