Don't Think I Can Fight This Anymore

Dear Evie,

George sent me a letter explaining everything. I had the owl go to your apartment so you won’t get this until later. Do you really think someone’s trying to kill you? Why? I mean, I haven’t read your file or anything but...come on, sis. The war’s over.

Look, it’s not that I’m doubting you, or that I think you’re crazy or anything. But it’s just...how far are you going to take this?

Love,
Danny

~*~

When Charlie came home from work that day, he stopped short as soon as he opened the door. The entire place had been cleaned, books put away on the bookshelf and pillows fluffed. Fresh flowers sat in a vase on the coffee table next to Evelyn’s feet. He could smell beef cooking, and there was music he had never heard before.

Evelyn looked up from her book. “Oh, hey. Welcome home.”

Charlie slowly shut the door and approached her, stooping over to kiss her. “Hey. You didn’t have to do all this.”

She winced and looked around. “This just sort of...happened…”

He laughed. “That’s it. You’re coming to work with me tomorrow. I don’t think there’s anything left to clean.”

“Well, I hadn’t gotten to the bathroom yet.” She smiled. “I’m making some food too. Should be done in a bit.”

“Oh, my friend Nate is coming over. He wanted to meet you. And his new girlfriend, Adela.”

“Well, there should be enough for everyone.” She glanced at Sherlock. “Probably.”

“What music is this?” he asked.

“David Bowie’s ‘Ziggy Stardust’. I brought it with me.”

Charlie listened for a moment. “There’s a starman waiting in the sky. He told us not to blow it cause he knows it’s all worthwhile.”

“I like this one.” he said. “You brought music with you?”

She shrugged.

He rolled his eyes. “Well, let me know when you’re moving in, I guess.”

~*~

“You’re being ridiculous.” Evelyn said as Charlie tucked the blanket he had conjured around her, binding her to the wooden chair.

“You’re sitting there shivering.” Charlie said incredulously.

“I’m Canadian. I don’t get cold.”

He rolled his eyes and sat back down in his own seat next to her. Nate was trying to silence his chuckles as he placed another log on the small bonfire they had going.

“Where in Canada are you from?” Adela asked.

“Toronto.” Evelyn replied. “But the school I went to was in Quebec province.”

“You never told me that.” Charlie said, surprised. He had assumed that until she joined the army she had lived in the same city.

She shrugged. “Never came up.”

“I didn’t know Canada had a school.” Nate said. “I’d figure you went to Ilvermorny, if anything. Toronto’s close right?”

Evelyn shook her head. “My parents were muggles so homeschool wasn’t an option. Dad didn’t want to send me across the border so I went to Monsiuer Gabriel L’ecole Secondaire de la Magie. They’ve only been around since the fourties.” She considered Nate’s accent. “I’m guessing you didn’t go to Ilvernorny, either.”

He grinned. “Was bad enough I had the devil’s magic. Wasn’t gonna go to the yanks. Nah, Dad packed up my things and sent me to live with a foster family, who taught me everything.” He nodded to Charlie. “Course, then there’s Hogwarts. Feel like I could have gone there myself, given how much he talks about it.”

Evelyn and Adela laughed as Charlie protested. Evelyn smelled the burning wood and looked to the sky. Charlie was resting a hand on her knee.

Could she do this, she wondered. The country life? Find a job out here doing god knows what.

“Well, we had better get going.” Nate said.

Evelyn pushed aside her blanket and stood. She hugged Adela and kissed her cheek, then smiled at Nate.

“It’s good to meet the reason he keeps going home.” he grinned at her.

“I’ll bet all this time he was saying it was his mother.”

Nate laughed. “He tried. But he was just too happy for it to be that.” He hugged her. “Night.”

“Night.”

Evelyn sat back down and Charlie walked his friends to the road, then came back.

“They’re nice.” she said as he back sat next to her.

“You just don’t know them well enough.”

She smiled and he reached over to hold her hand. “What are you thinking about?”

“Mmm, work tomorrow.” he answered honestly. “You?”

“Baseball.” She looked around the yard. “This would be a great space to play baseball.”

“Baseball?”

“It’s an American muggle sport.”

He shook his head. “If you ever get tired of the tea shop, you should go work for my dad. He could use someone who actually knows what they’re talking about.”

“I’m sure he had muggle borns working for him.”

“He does. But I’m told their...what is it...technology? It’s hard to keep up with. And culture. But it seems easy for you.”

“It’s all part of the training, I guess.”

He leaned over and kissed the side of her head, and then they sat in comfortable silence watching the flames.

She could do this, Evelyn decided. The simple country lifestyle. Leave everything behind again. But before she did that, she had one last battle to fight.

~*~

Daniel was holding the baby dragon, singing a soft lullaby. Jet black with yellow eyes. The draco constillation Charlie had once pulled from her chest. Blood dripped off the fangs like red jewels. Daniel looked at his big sister.

“You can still save him.”

Evelyn turned and ran from the room, her footsteps clicking against marble. Looking down, she realized she was dressed in a long black dress. Hitching up her skirt, she ran to the next room.

People danced by themselves. Going through the steps to a waltz but not embracing another person.

Ron danced in place, looking with dead eyes at Hermione dancing infront of him.

“Where is he?” Evelyn asked him. “Where’s your brother?”

“You have to jump into the disaster with both feet.”

She turned around and grabbed Hermione’s shoulder. “Hermione! You have to help - “

“I’d discovered,” Hermoine said in her clear A-plus student voice, “that despite everything that’s happened, I still had an endless untapped potential for getting hurt.”

They were quotes from one of Evelyn’s favorite books. Evelyn turned and ran through the room, pushing through dancing Weasleys and members of her unit.

She reached the next room, and stumbled as her heel caught on something. Looking down, the floor had changed. The room was burnt out, and wasting away.

She knew this room. She had been the one who lit the fire.

Charlie was bound to a chair in the middle of the room, his white shirt red from the blood pouring from his shoulder. Evelyn made to run forward, but something swung through the air and hit the middle of her back, making her cry out as she fell.

In the dark, a huge figure loomed over her. Built like a hockey enforcer.

Evelyn gasped and opened her eyes. She stared at the ceiling, trying to calm her breath. At the foot of the bed, Sherlock raised his head to check on his mistress, and then settled back down.

Charlie rolled onto his side and tightly wrapped an arm around her, and hitched a leg around her waist. Evelyn snorted quietly and ran a hand through the shaggy red hair. He let out a tiny moan and slept on.

Somewhat calm, Evelyn looked into Charlie’s relaxed face. She used to relieve the war. She used to see Quinn hurt, or Trip. Sometimes Daniel. A few times she didn’t save George. Now she saw Charlie hurt a thousand ways because of her.

The hockey enforcer. She racked her brains trying to remember. That was how Quinn described the Death Eater who had killed Frankie. But Quinn had never named anyone. After his initial report, he wasn’t in any shape to say anything. And none of them had ever asked.

And honestly, there were plenty of Death Eaters who could be described as big. Several of them had walked, despite all the proof the unit had put forward stating that they were acting of their own free will.

Charlie let out a single snore, and woke himself up. “Why’re you awake?” he mumbled.

“It’s alright.” Evelyn said quietly. “Go to sleep.”

He closed his eyes again and pressed his face into her hair.

She’d never let anything happen to him. No matter who the ghost on her shoulders was.

~*~

After two weeks, Evelyn and Sherlock returned to London. It was the end of the summer, and every day brought more and more families to Diagon Alley, preparing for the return to school. Jackie had run the shop with an iron fist while she had been gone, and Anna almost cried with relief when she saw Evelyn.

Evelyn didn’t get to see any of her friends until after school had started again. Everyone was so busy with their shops, George more so than the rest of them. Evelyn’s reservations had tripled and she spent all her days running back and forth between tables and the kitchen. She went to bed each night with aching legs. She stopped the early morning breakfasts so she could have the extra few minutes to slip.

Finally, they were having poker night. It was a little early, being six o’clock on a Tuesday.

“I’ve got some sandwiches downstairs.” Sylvia said. “I’ll run and grab them.

The door snapped shut behind her.

“How was Charlie?” George asked as Evelyn shuffled cards.

“He’s good. Has some dragon hatchlings he’s taking care of.”

“And you’re calmer now?”

She tapped the cards into a neat pile and picked up her scotch. “Am I ever really calm?”

George shook his head. “Look, you loon - “

“Loon? Really?”

“It’s a compliment.” he said seriously. “We all worry about you, Evs. Why else do you think Mum’s always inviting you round?”

“Cause I’m your brother’s girlfriend?”

“You’ve been a family friend for three years now. Shagging Charlie - “

“Which your mother knows nothing about - “

“Right. But you and Charlie is just icing on the cake to Mum. Everyone likes you, even if you’re a loon.”

“Gee, thanks.”

He sighed and swirled his firewhiskey. “Point is, Evs, everyone wants you to be okay. But we’re not stupid enough to think you’re going to just walk away without it being resolved.”

There was a knock on the door and Evelyn shouted for their entrance. Sherlock bounded to the door to greet Ian, and Sylvia running back up the stairs.

Ian had a horrible look on his face, and Evelyn felt her heart turn to ice. The hits just kept coming. This time, it would be Trip. She knew it.

“Have you seen the muggle news at all?” he asked.

The smiles slid off George and Sylvia’s faces. “No.” Evelyn replied.

“There’s been an attack.” He said. Sylvia gripped her boyfriend’s hand. “The World Trade Center in New York City.”

“Is it - “ George started.

“We don’t know.” Ian looked at Evelyn. “If you’re willing, we need all hands on deck.”

George looked at his best friend. He could see her thinking. “Evs, you can say no. You already fought one war.”

“He’s right.” Ian said. “I’m only asking because I was told to. But you’re not military anymore. You don’t have to.”

“I’ll help.” Evelyn said quietly.

“Finch - “

“Sarge, it’s okay.” She stood. “Let me get my purse.”

George grabbed her wrist. “Evelyn. Remember what I said.”

She smiled softly. “George, take your girlfriend, lock up my apartment, and then go to your mother’s house. I’m sure Harry will send word as soon as we know anything.”

She pulled away from him and grabbed her purse, whistling for Sherlock. She followed Ian down the steps at a brisk pace, and then up the street.

“What do we know?”

“At 8:46 am local time, a plane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Not even twenty minutes later, a second plane crashed into the South Tower. Half an hour after that, a plane crashed into the Pentagon building. A fourth plane crashed southeast of Pittsburg.” He offered his arm. “Here, I’ll guide you.”

“I know how to get to the Ministry of Magic.”

“The auror offices have moved. Potter’s idea. It seems someone got into his head that working in the same building gives the impression that they aren’t working to protect the people.”

Evelyn smiled to herself and took his arm, then cooed to Sherlock. Sherlock jumped up and stood on his back legs, balancing his front paws on his mistress. Evelyn grabbed his collar and closed her eyes as Ian turned.

~*~

Harry tossed the papers across his desk and rubbed his eyes beneath his glasses. Sun was peaking up over the city skyline outside the window. The new Auror offices were in an apparently abandoned factory by the Thames. It was much nicer than being underground.

Sitting at the end of the desk, Evelyn cracked her neck and continued to read a pile of paperwork. Ian dropped a paper cup of coffee in front of her and she looked up and nodded at him as she took the cup. While the American military forces were busy with rescue efforts, British Aurors had offered to do preliminary investigations to see if the magical world should take action.

It was a rough night.

They had been working for twelve hours straight, and Evelyn hadn’t so much as yawned. She had probably been up at the crack of dawn to run her shop. It was downright impressive.

“We can officially rule out giants.” Earnest Hillguard announced.

“No indications of imperious curse on any of the hijackers.” Scarlett Prince called across the room.

Evelyn finally shut the last file in front of her. “No connections of any active terrorist groups in the Middle East to magic of any kind.”

An owl dropped a letter on Harry’s desk and he snatched it up. “All witches and wizards suspected of being in league with Voldemort in America are accounted for.”

“I can’t believe they still haven’t arrested half of those sick fucks.” Evelyn muttered into her coffee.

Other aurors called out reports, but Harry studied the former Second Lieutenant as she offered Sherlock some coffee.

“You aren’t tired?” Harry finally asked her.

She shrugged. “I guess I still have some army training in me. I’m good for about 30 hours.” She sipped her coffee. “We had a lot of nights like this, you know. Working around the clock, sleeping four or five hours, and then back at it again. Evil didn’t sleep, so we couldn’t either.”

“You volunteered, right? The 445th was all volunteers.”

She sat back and nodded. “They put together five units. Three stayed home and handled threats on our own soil. One went to the United States, helped out there. We were the lucky ones who got to come here. Best of the best, I suppose.”

“Why did you volunteer?”

She looked him over. “The same reason any of your Order of the Phoenix did. Some things are worth dying for.”

“But it wasn’t your war.”

“But God forbid you had failed, it would be.” She smiled. “So, I could stay at home and wait until he tried to take over the world, or I could volunteer to take him down before it came to that. It wasn’t much of a choice to be honest.”

Earnest Hillguard walked over. “Potter, Lieutenant - “

Evelyn winced. “Not my title anymore.”

“Sorry. But, there’s not much left to do. Why don’t you two go home? We can’t do anything else without the US making a move first anyway.”

Harry stood and started packing up his things. Evelyn shuffled her papers into a neat pile and handed them over.

“Thanks for all your help.” Hillguard said.

“Anytime.” She looked down at Sherlock. “Come on, let’s go home.”

“You aren’t coming to The Burrow?” Harry asked her.

She frowned. “Why would I?”

“Molly asked...she wanted to know what happened.”

Evelyn hesitated for a moment, and then remembered what George had said just hours beforehand. “Yeah, okay. Let’s go.”