Part Three—Albus

Albus-1918—Age 72

I nearly lost her. If I had arrived a second later, one mere second…

It's over, I tell myself.

The Great War was over, the Dark Witch Frikka had fallen, the Muggle nations declared peace and established a League of Nations, rather like a Muggle International Confederation of Wizards. There cannot be another war like that; we have learned our lesson. Humankind would not survive another war like that.

It was little more than a month since the magical and Muggle treaties, but our home was different. We were celebrating Christmas.

Elizabeth decorated and baked all day, and I levitated colored lights all throughout the house. Fairies danced along the garlands framing the doors. We had not celebrated Christmas in four years, but this year we had tinsel and gifts and a tree.

I was beginning to see signs of warmth in Elizabeth again, too, rather than the cold, intense focus she had maintained for four years. This morning she was actually humming a Christmas carol.

And last night she turned to me in the night and smiled. She kissed me softly, and ran her hands up and down my body as though we were discovering each other for the first time, as though we lay once again beside her parents' pond without the barriers of age and clothes, but with the wonder and breathlessness of youth.

Remembering it, I glanced over at her, just as she raised her eyes. She smiled at me, and I was grateful to see the love in the look she gave me.

We heard a loud noise at the window, and we both tensed for a moment, our hands halfway to our wands before we remembered we no longer had to defend ourselves at every turn. Old habits die hard, apparently.

Then Elizabeth took a deep breath and continued stringing cranberries. "Must be an owl, Albus. Will you get it?"

I slid open the kitchen window and an owl flew in, spraying snow everywhere. I glanced out the window; the snow was coming down hard. We'd be snowed in here over Christmas, and I could hardly think of anything more wonderful.

Taking the letter off the owl's leg, I sent him to sit on the perch by the fire next to Fawkes. Fawkes was the name I had given to the phoenix who followed me home from Alexandria last year. He decided to stay, and I had no objection.

I glanced at the envelope. It was gold parchment with emerald writing, and looked somehow familiar. I broke the seal and opened it, then laughed out loud.

Elizabeth glanced over at me with a half-smile on her face. "What is it, Albus?"

I smiled at her. "It's a Hogwarts letter, my dear," I said. "Listen." I sat next to her by the hearth and began to read aloud to her.

Dear Mr. Dumbledore,

I am writing to offer you a teaching position at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Sadly, the previous occupant of the post was a casualty of the recent war, like so many other fine wizards. We will honor his memory, but life must go on, and that means reopening the school for the January term.

Please owl by New Year to indicate whether you will accept the position of Potions Master. I feel, as does the board of governors, that you are extremely qualified for this position, and we eagerly await your post.

Sincerely,

Hesper Starkey

Headmistress

"Well, what do you think, my dear?" I asked, looking into her smiling face. She had smiled more since the end of the war than she did the entire preceding four years. As she came back to life, I felt like I was doing the same.

"Oh, Albus!" she said, "It's just perfect for you! Why didn't we ever think of that before?"

She set her needle down carefully, then climbed onto my lap. This was my Elizabeth, my passionate and giving wife. I felt like she was coming back to me after four long years away. She tilted her face for my kiss, which I gladly gave to her.

"Excuse me," I said raising my eyebrows in mock severity. "But you must call me Professor now."

"Professor Dumbledore?" she said, wrinkling her nose. "I don't know, that sounds so strange…"

"Nevertheless."

"What will you do to me if you don't?"

She rubbed her cheek against my beard and I closed my eyes, enjoying the sensual feel of it.

"I shall put you in detention every single night," I murmured against her cheek.

"I'm just not feeling threatened, Professor," she said, her lips dipping down to my neck. "You'll have to be much stricter with me if you intend to maintain control of the lesson."

I had just shifted her body so that she was straddling my lap when we heard another muffled thump of an owl hitting the window.

"Maybe they want to offer you another job," Elizabeth murmured against my neck, just before she bit into the skin. I gasped and squeezed her rear end. I forgot all about the owl, until Elizabeth pushed herself off me with a rueful smile and said, "The poor thing will freeze to death!"

She jogged quickly to the window and slid it open yet again, while I enjoyed myself watching her body move. There had been so little joy or pleasure for four years; I was determined to have as much of it as I could drink in. She walked slowly back to me while she examined the letter in her hands.

"This one's for me," she said curiously. "And it's not even in code."

I smiled at that, because now we could. During the war, coded messages often brought news of the worst kind.

"Read it later," I said, nuzzling the soft skin beneath her ear.

"Mmmm…" she said, leaning closer to me. "Just a second…"

I heard paper ripping, but I wasn't inclined to stop kissing her. It was a moment before I realized that she had gone completely still. I looked up, all my senses still so very sharply honed to tragedy and trouble.

"What is it?" I said sharply.

She held out the letter to me, her eyes wide. I grabbed it, more harshly than I intended.

Dear Mrs. Dumbledore,

Now that peace has finally come to our land, it is time for the wizarding community of this nation to honor her sons and daughters. Without the sacrifices and service of so many, we would never enjoy the hope for the future we have finally achieved.

In commemoration of that hope, the Wizengamot would like to invite you to a ceremony on January 1, 1919, at the Great Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in which you will be awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class, for your leadership in the Order of Peace. More will be said, but the Wizengamot feels that without your work, among others, the war would not yet be over.

Please send us your owl as soon as possible.

Thomas Thomas

Clerk of the Wizengamot

"Albus?" she said, her voice soft and shaking. "Did you know about this? What are they talking about?"

"Well, my dear," I said, my heart filling with pride, "it seems that your spies have come to the attention of the Wizengamot, and they wish to honor your work."

"But I didn't—" To my regret, Elizabeth left my lap and began pacing around our kitchen. "I didn't do this work, Albus. So many others—"

I cut off her protests. "Enough, Elizabeth."

She turned to me, and I was pleased to see the spark of irritation in her eyes.

I remained calm as I continued, "Of course there were many others. But the Order never would have been organized, and it never would have continued without your leadership."

That was the truth. One might even call it Elizabeth's obsession. After Will's death, there was one thought in Elizabeth's mind, and that was to track down Grindelwald and to stop him. It was, in her mind, to finish Will's work. And she felt that she was the only one who understood how truly dangerous Grindelwald and the Dark Witch he worked for were.

War tore across the world soon after that fateful night, and Elizabeth put herself in terrible danger traveling everywhere to get information about the German Muggles, about this wicked wizarding alliance and the witch who ran it, and most especially, about Grindelwald. She knew he may not have been the leader of this Dark force, but he was the power behind the throne. The more she learned, the more convinced she was that if she could bring down Grindelwald, the throne would topple.

Eventually, after long years of pursuing it, that was exactly what happened. Nobody but Elizabeth, with her combination of international connections, inside knowledge of the German governments, and sheer magical power, could have organized the network of spies that eventually brought down both Frikka and her right-hand wizard.

And finally Elizabeth could feel like the score was evened in some way.

Of course, I like to think that between me, Filius, and the others, Elizabeth had some useful help at her right hand as well.

"They weren't my spies," said Elizabeth quietly.

"Yes, indeed they were," I said. "They began as Will's, but you organized them, and you kept them safe. Will was my dear friend, Elizabeth, but he never could have done what you did. You would have ended up their leader even if Will had survived, and he would have been glad to hand it over."

Elizabeth laughed quietly at that. "That's true, I suppose."

I rose from my chair by the warm fire and walked up behind her to place my hands on her shoulders.

"We helped end this war, my dear. We did it under your leadership. Take the medal, Elizabeth, if only for all those whose names we'll never know who are alive today because of your work."

"Mmmm…" she said, leaning back against me. "I suppose I will. You and Filius deserve one, too, though."

I didn't answer, but continued to rub her arms and hold her to me. The fact was, Filius and I did do a great deal of work under Elizabeth's direction. She was utterly focused and if we wanted to be part of her life, our choices were only to assist her or remove ourselves from her path.

But for all that she directed us in dangerous work, it was always Elizabeth who risked her life every day. She was always the first to go into a deadly situation, always the first to sneak into offices or houses in search of documents, always the first to duel with the enemy. We could follow along or not as we chose. Neither Filius nor I, nor any of Elizabeth's network was under any illusions in this matter.

The Order of Peace would have continued, even if Elizabeth had been its only member. And I have no doubt it would have been victorious.

Nevertheless, it does make for a stressful home life when one's wife is the leader of the most notorious spy ring in wizarding Europe.

"Do you think it's truly over, Albus?" she asked me, her hazel eyes clouded for a moment. "I mean, Frikka is dead, and Grindelwald is under such heavy guard…we don't have to worry any more, do we?"

"No, my dear," I said, turning her and gathering her close. "They're sending the troops home, starting to rebuild, opening the schools back up. I am sure it's over for good."

"All right then," she said, a new note of determination in her voice. "If you're sure. I want to show you something, Albus. Wait here."

She ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs, leaving me standing bemused in the middle of the room. I heard her footsteps run up to the first floor, and was surprised when they ran past our bedroom and up to the second floor. There was only the attic up there. I frowned and looked up at the ceiling, as though I could see her through it.

She was up there for quite some time, and I got tired of standing alone in the middle of the kitchen. Quietly I went to the sideboard and helped myself to several of Elizabeth's delicious cranberry muffins, making sure to brush the crumbs out of my beard before she returned.

"I have to explain first," she said quietly from the doorway.

I turned around and saw Elizabeth standing in the kitchen doorway, but she didn't seem to be holding anything. Nor did I think she had caught me eating her muffins. I watched her with some concern as I sat at the kitchen table, summoning a pot of tea to me. She didn't sit, but entered the room and began pacing.

"I've kept a secret from you," she said slowly, "but it was for your protection, Albus. I'm still not sure I did the right thing, but I'd have done anything to keep you safe."

I was tempted to make an uncharitable comment about the relative safety of sending me on missions into enemy territory, but I resisted.

"What is this secret, Elizabeth?"

"Well, that's the thing," she said in frustration. "I don't know. I knew you could tell me what it was, since you know everything, but I couldn't tell you."

"Perhaps you had better start at the beginning," I suggested gently.

"Yes, all right," she said, drawing a deep breath. "The night that Will died, I was supposed to be keeping Grindelwald occupied while Will searched his rooms."

"I remember," I said grimly.

"I followed Grindelwald to Will's flat, but I was outside in the hallway," she said. Absently she walked to the sideboard and pulled out a large mixing bowl. "I heard them arguing, and Grindelwald kept telling Will to give him back his property. He even did the Cruciatus Curse on Will, but Will kept saying that he didn't have it, that he'd sent it off already."

She paused a moment to gather flour, sugar, and other ingredients, and perhaps to gather her thoughts as well. She sifted the flour, measured it, and poured it in the mixing bowl.

"As it happens, Albus," she said, tapping her wand against the other ingredients. They began to measure themselves while she turned back to face me. "He was lying. He had prepared a package to send off, to send to us, but hadn't sent it. He died to protect whatever he had taken from Grindelwald, to keep him from getting it."

"I see," I said quietly.

Elizabeth turned to her baking and set the wooden spoon to stirring, then she turned back to me. "I found it after I got out of hospital, the day I went back to Will's flat. The Aurors never found it, because they didn't know to look for it, but I knew I was looking for a package. I knew he hadn't sent it, because nobody in the network got anything like it."

"How do you know they didn't?" I enquired, sipping my tea.

"I know," she said simply, and I believed her. Nobody, including me, was ever permitted to know too much about how Elizabeth acquired her information.

"And you found this package?"

"Yes, I did," she said, biting her lip. "I was afraid of it, Albus. I was afraid if Grindelwald knew where it was, he'd come after the person who had it. It was best if it seemed never to have left Will's flat."

"But you took it?" I asked, marveling, as I always did, at her daring.

"I took it the day the Aurors accompanied me back there to look for any evidence. They weren't going to arrest Grindelwald unless I had proof," she said in disgust, "as though an eye-witness account meant nothing."

"Two eye-witness accounts," I reminded her. "I saw him on the scene, as well, remember."

It is an image I will never forget: Grindelwald, his wand raised to deliver the Killing Curse to Elizabeth's unconscious body. He Disapparated when he saw me, but I often think that if I had been faster, if I had reacted in that split second after I Apparated into Will's hallway, the war might have been much shorter.

Or perhaps Frikka would have simply promoted someone else into Grindelwald's place. Grindelwald never attained Frikka's degree of power in the Great War.

"Yes, you did," she nodded. "You saved my life, but that only put you in more danger. So I took the package while the Aurors weren't looking, and they always swore that I never left with anything."

She turned and scraped the batter into a muffin pan by hand and sent it floating into the oven. Once the oven door was shut she came and sat down at the table with me.

"I hid it, Albus," she said, taking the cup of tea I offered her, "because I knew that if Grindelwald wanted it for Frikka, it was dangerous, and that it couldn't be safe in anyone's hands."

"I expect you were right, my dear," I said, considering the matter.

"All right, then," she said, taking a deep breath, and sliding her hand into her robe pocket. "Tell me, Albus, what the hell is it?"

She withdrew her fist from her robe and laid it on the table. After a heartbeat, she opened her hand, and I heard something fall to the table. She moved her hand away and I saw it, a small, bright, blood red rock.

My jaw dropped and I stared. "It cannot be," I whispered.

"I knew you'd know!" Elizabeth said triumphantly. "What is it, Albus?"

I am ashamed to say that my temper got the better of me at that moment. I jumped to my feet, the chair crashing to the floor behind me, and strode the short distance to the hearth. Taking a handful of Floo powder from the pot on the mantel, I flung it into the fire, causing sparks to fly everywhere. Thrusting my head into the green flames, I bellowed, "Nicholas Flamel!"

Nicholas and Perenelle's kitchen came into view, and I shouted, "Nicholas! I must see you immediately! I will expect you in my kitchen in five minutes or I shall find you!"

I pulled my head out of the fire and impatiently brushed green sparks from my beard. Elizabeth was watching me in bewilderment, but I knew she trusted me enough to let me handle this.

"Put it back in your pocket for now," I said.

"Just tell me one thing," she said quietly, doing as I asked. "Did I do harm by hiding it?"

I went to her and knelt in front of her. Taking her hands, I said fervently, "Elizabeth, allow me to reassure you that by doing so, you quite literally saved the world."

She smiled in relief and squeezed my hands, then sat waiting sipping her tea while I paced the room.

"I must go get them," I had just started to say, when the green flames blazed and Nicholas stepped out of our hearth.

He gave me a courtly nod, then turned to offer his hand to Perenelle, who slid into view behind him. Once she had stepped out of the hearth, as well, they turned to me. I felt Elizabeth get to her feet at my shoulder, suddenly tense. For some reason she didn't like the Flamels, though this was the first time she met them face to face.

Nicholas and I had corresponded from time to time over the years, but this was the first time we had been in each other's presence since I declined his and Perenelle's offer twenty-five years ago. I was now seventy-two, solidly middle aged, and my beautiful Elizabeth was not far behind me. But Nicholas and Perenelle looked the same as they ever had. Young, fit, and virile, he not a day over thirty, and she far younger. I sensed Elizabeth's confused glance, and was grateful when she didn't say anything. Perenelle gave me that alluring smile, and I heard Elizabeth draw in a breath.

"Albus," Nicholas said, with all the considerable charm at his disposal. "How lovely to see you again. And this must be your charming wife."

Elizabeth, to her credit, managed to be polite to them, though I knew her instinct was to hex them both. She seemed to bear a particular hatred toward Perenelle, glaring at her whenever she spoke.

"Why did you not tell me, Nicholas?" I exploded. "For Merlin's sake, you knew what was at stake!"

I was furious, and I am sure my voice came out more as a growl than proper speech. I shook off Perenelle, who had come to stand by me and rest her hand on my arm. I do not know how I ever could have found her appealing.

For once, charming, suave Nicholas looked uncomfortable, and I was gratified to see it.

"There was no point, Albus. You could do nothing. We did not even know who took it."

He gave me a pleading look, and I met his eyes. Somehow, I did not understand how, I knew he lied. I could see clearly what had happened, as though I were looking directly into his mind.

"You offered him the same arrangement you offered me," I said, nearly choking on my disgust.

Nicholas' eyes grew wide; obviously he had not expected me to know the truth. But it was Perenelle who answered, with that seductive smile playing across her lips as she moved to stand very close to me.

"Did you think you were the only one, Albus?"

"I thought," I said through clenched jaws, "that the two of you had seen enough evil in the world to know it when it came under your roof. Thanks to my dear friend, Will Weasley, and thanks to my wife, your foolishness did not end in worse tragedy than the world could have borne."

"What's going on, Albus?" Elizabeth finally said. Her voice was quiet, but it had that edge of steel I so often heard her use with her spies when they were tempted to argue with her. And she took my hand and pulled me away from Perenelle.

Nicholas' look of discomfort vanished to be replaced by a sardonic smile. "Does she not know, Albus?" he said incredulously. "Does she not know what you gave up to be with her?"

Perenelle laughed her beautiful laugh, but there was a sneer in her voice when she spoke. "Did he never tell you, Elizabeth? He gave up eternal life, youth, and wealth, and untold pleasures of the flesh, so that he could grow old and die with you."

I was well aware that Elizabeth would have some questions when we were alone, I could practically hear them churning inside her.

But for the moment she simply asked, "What does that have to do with this thing that Grindelwald stole from you?"

Nicholas looked surprised that Elizabeth should have made the connections so quickly. I could almost pity him for underestimating my wife.

"You see, my dear," I supplied, feeling it best to be entirely honest at this point, "they could offer me those things because they had them to offer. Nicholas and Perenelle are over six hundred years old, and the thing which Grindelwald stole from them was the Philosopher's Stone."

Both Elizabeth and Perenelle gasped at the same time. Perenelle made a spitting noise like a cat; she had never expected me to reveal the secret. And Elizabeth was quickly processing the new information, something she was expert at doing.

"All this time," Elizabeth murmured, sinking into a chair. "That's what it was…"

"You have seen it?" Nicholas snapped. "You know where it is?"

Elizabeth snorted rather indelicately. "Why? Starting to feel your age? You've been without it for four years, haven't you? Are your wrinkles showing?"

Perenelle paled and raised a hand to her flawless skin, and Nicholas scowled. "We have more than enough elixir to last us many more years," he snapped. "But we wouldn't want the Stone to fall into the wrong hands."

"You were prepared to give it into the wrong hands!" Elizabeth shouted, getting to her feet again. "Even if I did know where it was, I would never tell you!"

"You will keep it for yourself!" Perenelle hissed. "You wish to be young and beautiful like me, but it is too late for you! You are too old!"

There was a moment of electric tension in the room, and then Elizabeth pulled her hand from her pocket and threw the Stone with all her strength. In a flash of red light, it flew across the kitchen and struck Perenelle on the head, opening a gash over her eye. Perenelle shrieked as blood began to pour over her eyelid and down her cheek.

Nicholas scooped the Stone off the floor where it had landed at Perenelle's feet, then turned and faced me, completely ignoring Elizabeth.

"Perenelle and I are moving to Devon after the New Year, Albus. We were hoping to see more of you. However, it seems that our social intercourse may have to be more limited than we expected."

He turned to Perenelle, who was crying and patting blood off her face with a handkerchief. "Come my dear," he said, offering her a hand into the hearth. "We have what we came for."

In a flare of green flames, they were gone. Elizabeth stood with her arms crossed over her chest, glaring after them. She refused to look at me. I righted the chair I had knocked over and sank wearily into it.

"Elizabeth."

"I'm sorry, Albus," she said, finally turning to me. "But she just made me so mad, with all her seductive looks and licking her lips like she had cream on them and throwing her shoulders back so you could see her cleavage and touching you all over the place—" She took a deep breath. "I shouldn't have lost my temper."

"She wasn't doing all that," I said, surprised.

Elizabeth snorted. "Oh, please, Albus. She was trying to seduce you again. It still rankles her that you turned her down."

"Perhaps," I said. "In any case, they are gone, the Stone is gone, and Grindelwald cannot get it."

The fact that the Stone was back in the Flamels' possession did not, in fact, rest easy on my mind. I was sure that more attempts would be made to steal it. But they seemed far in the future, and I was determined that now that the war was over, some things were not going to be our problem.

Elizabeth and I had already saved the world once.

Elizabeth sat down in my lap again. She was very quiet and I knew she was trying to find the words to say something. I waited patiently, stroking her back, enjoying the feel of her cuddled on my lap. Perenelle had nothing to compare to this incredible woman I was holding.

"Albus?"

"Yes, my dear?"

"Were you tempted?"

I should have seen that question coming, should I not?

"For a moment, I suppose. Nicholas and Perenelle can be very persuasive."

Elizabeth gave a breath of laughter against my neck. "I bet they can. Anyone else would have given in."

"Anyone else did not have the hope of a future with you, my dear."

We were silent for several moments longer, the smell of the baking muffins filling the kitchen, the fairies tinkling lightly from the doorways.

"Elizabeth?"

"Mmm?"

"I believe you were jealous of Perenelle."

She raised her head indignantly. "I was not!"

"You threw the Philosopher's Stone at her," I reminded her.

"That doesn't mean I was jealous!"

"You were," I assured her gravely. "I find I must convince you that you are the only woman I desire."

"Oh," she said. "Well, then. Come to think of it, maybe I was a bit jealous."

"No," I said, bending to kiss her throat. "You were terribly jealous."

"Was I?" she murmured, tipping her head back so that I could kiss its entire length.

"Furiously," I said.

"I couldn't help it," she said, and I was delighted that she was playing along. "She's a trollop. But I can't blame her for wanting you…"

She captured my mouth in a kiss, running her tongue over the rough hair of my beard where it skimmed my lips. Suddenly all playfulness was gone; I was ravenous for her. She gripped my robe in her fist and pulled me toward her. I kissed her desperately, and she opened her mouth and welcomed me, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"I only want you, Elizabeth," I murmured against her lips. "My beautiful Elizabeth…"

She smiled at me, and I wanted to fall to my knees and worship her, but before I could ascertain just how to do that, she spoke.

"Albus," she said, and I could feel her lips curve in a smile against my skin. I gathered her even closer to me and pressed my lips to her head.

"Yes, my dear?"

"You owe me four muffins."

I started work at Hogwarts that January, where I have worked ever since in various capacities. Elizabeth and Filius met daily to work out and run drills, to stay in shape, but neither of them felt inclined to seek employment at that time. There was no need; their earlier dueling career had provided them with enough money to live on comfortably. They were also reluctant to become involved in foreign ministries again, to my secret relief.

After receiving her Order of Merlin, Elizabeth was invited to sit on the International Confederation of Wizards. I do not know to this day who nominated her, but she was approved ninety-nine to one. The one hold-out, of course, was Arcturus Black.

Elizabeth said he should have been killed in the war, but she never had time to arrange it.

I loved teaching. I had done some teaching in Alexandria, while I studied under the Master of Ancient Arts, but those students had been adults. I had not spent much time around youth since my own Hogwarts days, and I found their energy and commitment wonderful. Of course, they were more complex than that, but I found even those more challenging aspects of teaching teenagers to be rewarding for the most part. I hope they found a mentor and advocate in me.

I also enjoyed walking home in the evenings. As I grew older, I found that I relished the simple pleasure of watching my own home appear over the hill, knowing that it would be warm and that my precious wife would be waiting.

Elizabeth was not idle in those days, though she felt no compelling need to seek paying work. She founded the Dark Force Defense League, a group that was a combination of magical militia and political watchdog group. Filius, Chuck, John, Thomas, and I were the charter members.

She was determined that the world should never face another tribulation like the Great War, and she trained willing witches and wizards to recognize signs of both political aggression and impending violence. Many people turned out for the regular dueling workshops she and Filius offered, though the rest of us suspected that they came for the chance to be coached by famous dueling champions as much as for the skills they would acquire.

In 1929 there were a number of significant staffing changes at Hogwarts. The Charms professor, Armando Dippett, was promoted to Headmaster, leaving his position vacant. I suggested that he consider hiring my dear friend Filius Flitwick. I believe he was pleased by the idea of having a celebrity of sorts as his first hire. Filius accepted the position, even going so far as to move into the residential quarters in the school, as many single professors do.

In that same year, the Transfiguration professor died after a mysterious mishap during O.W.L.s, leaving her position open. Armando could not find a qualified replacement, but he did find a wizard eminently qualified to teach Potions.

Therefore, I moved into the Transfiguration position, and Horace Slughorn was hired to teach Potions.

Though 1929 was an important year, 1932 is the seminal year in this part of Elizabeth's and my story. Professor Merrythought was getting on in years. She had taught for four decades, and was considering pulling back to part time, if only we could find someone able to instruct N.E.W.T. level students in Defense Against the Dark Arts, while she herself continued to teach the younger students.

I had a particularly qualified candidate in mind, if she were willing. My Elizabeth was eighty-two that year, middle-aged but active, strong, and healthy, as fit and attractive as a Muggle woman might be in her late forties. She ran the Dark Force Defense League and coached Youth Dueling Leagues. I felt that she could add a few Defense classes if she wanted to, and find the experience as rewarding as I did.

I hurried home that evening to tell her about the position at Hogwarts. I admit that I was weaving daydreams of working together, of seeing her during the day and stealing kisses in the hallways much as my students did.

But Elizabeth was upset and angry when I arrived home.

"You'll never believe what's happened, Albus," she snapped the moment I walked in the door. "Dammit, you should have been there today."

I remembered that Elizabeth had attended a meeting of the International Confederation of Wizards that morning. I myself had not been able to be present because of an examination I was administering to my fourth years.

"What has happened?" I said, hanging my cloak on the hook by the door.

"They actually voted to remove all members of the Confederation that are half-blood or less!" She resumed pacing the kitchen. I stared at her, uncomprehending. Her eyes were sparkling with furious tears. "They had charts detailing everyone's heritage. I don't know where they got them, but they voted, and it passed!"

"There must be some mistake," I said, utterly unable to believe that the Confederation would do such an egregious thing.

Elizabeth gave me a scornful look. "Sure, I just got my facts mixed up."

"I didn't mean that." I wasn't sure what I meant.

"Every country will be given a chance to replace its mixed-blood representatives with pure-blood representatives," she said, pacing more stridently. "Of course, Britain's good, because it's you, me, and that idiot Black—toujours pur, don't you know."

"How lovely to know we're good enough to serve," I murmured. "They cannot do this. It has to be against every international law."

"Apparently, laws can be set aside," she said, sitting down heavily at the table. "What a world. What a fucking world. How can we bring a child into a world like this?"

"I don't know," I sighed, sitting next to her at the table and summoning over the tea pot. "We just—what?"

"What?" She looked up at me blankly, apparently unaware of what she had just said.

"What did you just say, my dear?" I asked, trying to maintain my calm. My hands began to shake, so I set the teapot down. "About bringing a child into a world like this?"

"Oh, right," she said. "That. Yes, that was the other news I received today. I'm pregnant, Albus."