Alecto, keeping a tight grip on the other witch's arm, frantically searched up and down the street with wide, worried eyes. Seeing no one, she spun in place to bring them both to the safety of her flat. There had been a time in Hermione's life when she spent a great deal of time in the older woman's flat avoiding her responsibilities. An unconventional friendship had blossomed between the two years earlier when they bonded over their mutual frustrations with Antonin. A jilted lover of his in her foolish, younger days, Alecto had grown to despise him and was always willing to lend a sympathetic ear when Hermione needed to vent. She never would have expected to become friends with Alecto, but somehow, the unthinkable happened.