#i alecto

Eleanora spent two nights alone at Burke Lodge before deciding that the knowledge that she was all alone in the manor, save her cats and the house elves, was too unsettling. So she’d packed up Aine and Brigid, left Burke Lodge in the elves’ capable hands, and rented a suite at one of the premiere magical hotels in London. The cats were adjusting to their new surroundings admirably. Brigid had stopped peeing on the pillows and Aine was no longer constantly trying to groom Eleanora, though Aine was of the decided opinion that none of the furniture was tall enough and Brigid was still trying to bolt anytime the door to the suite opened. The suite itself was spacious, and still felt a little empty, but it was better than rattling around her childhood home. 

Once things were a little more settled, Eleanora invited Alecto over for a quiet night in. She knew loud and raucous nights out were more the redhead’s style, but Eleanora was not in the mood to be among strangers just now. Eleanora had included a request to bring all the requisite ingredients for drinks in her invitation, confident that Alecto would enjoy mixing their cocktails herself, and promised that her hotel’s kitchen could provide anything else they needed. When Alecto knocked, Eleanora shut the door from the sitting room to the entry to keep the cats in place. By the time she let Alecto in, Aine was already yowling her protest and Brigid had worked a paw under the door to scrabble at the marble flooring. 

“I really do appreciate you agreeing to stay in, I feel like if I have to ignore one more busybody side-eyeing me I’m going to start hexing people.” Eleanora was not one normally driven to violence, but these were not normal circumstances, and she knew Alecto wouldn’t judge such a confession. “Don’t mind the cats, they’ll settle once the doors are open again.” Eleanora nudged Brigid’s paw with the toe of her shoe before making sure the front door was closed and opening the door to the sitting room.

@ofcarrowx​

At nearly three, Daphne was just beginning to understand the concept of birthdays, at least insomuch as there was a special day where you got presents. Lilavati was not sure if she understood that she wouldn’t get presents on Astoria’s birthday, and she clearly did not understand that not everyone gave you a present on your birthday. Lilavati had made the mistake of going out to run some errands with the girls before Ambrose came over for a birthday dinner for Astoria, and so far Daphne had demanded presents from two shopkeepers and one very flustered seamstress at Madam Malkin’s. Lilavati had decided to abandon the rest of the errands she’d planned on accomplishing and was in the process of shepherding Daphne back to the Leaky Cauldron where they could floo home when her eldest broke away and made a beeline for a red-haired witch on the other side of the street. 

Lilavati groaned inwardly when she realized Daphne had approached none other than Alecto Carrow. There weren’t many people Lilavati liked from Emmett’s days as a death eater, but Alecto was one she particularly disliked. The redhead’s arrogant and chaotic nature rubbed Lilavati the wrong way, and she got the sense that her distaste was reciprocated. Nevertheless, she hurried after Daphne and reached the two just in time to watch as her daughter grabbed Alecto’s robe with both hands and demanded, “Bahan birthday present.” After a moment’s consideration, Daphne seemingly decided to implement some of the manners Lilavati was striving to teach her and added, “please.”

Lilavati locked the wheels of Astoria’s stroller and knelt to gently loosen Daphne’s grip on Alecto. Once Lilavati had successfully pulled Daphne back and had a firm grip on her hand, she stood and offered Alecto a polite smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “My apologies. It’s Astoria’s first birthday and Daphne is very excited. She hasn’t yet learned how to tell who is and isn’t a friend.” She left the implication that Alecto was, in fact, not a friend hanging in the air.

Eleanora was still bothered by Alecto’s arrest. She had so many questions about what happened, and Eleanora hated having questions. She didn’t understand why Alecto was arrested in the first place, what had made those responsible for the attacks name Alecto as a co conspirator? The attack was not at all in Alecto’s wheelhouse; Eleanora knew magic in general was not Alecto’s strong suit. Even more concerning was the fact that Alecto had actually had an alibi for the night of the attack, something Eleanora knew firsthand. Eleanora did not like the fact that someone could not only be arrested for something they didn’t do, but also found guilty and imprisoned without so much as checking their alibi.

At least now that Alecto had escaped from Azkaban, there was some hope for answers. Eleanora took her time strategizing how, precisely, she should go about contacting Alecto. Once she had a plan, she waited a few weeks for things to settle down a little, then went to see Amycus. She knew it would be a fine line to walk. There was no question that the aurors would have Amycus under observation so she couldn’t say anything to imply he knew where Alecto was. At the same time, she couldn’t be so subtle in asking after Alecto that Amycus wouldn’t realize what she was doing. In the end, all she could do was say her piece and hope it was enough.

A few days later, Eleanora got her answer when she entered her workshop on the grounds of Burke Lodge to find Alecto there waiting for her. Someone else might have embraced their friend, but Eleanora had never been a hands-on person. Instead, she just smiled. “If you can get in here when it’s locked, I may need to update my wards.”