Don't Think I Can Fight This Anymore

Tess,

Trial’s tomorrow. I know the case will be thrown out but...no one wants to say it, but even on a good day Evelyn wouldn’t last long in Askaban.

I’ll have her owl you as soon as she walks.

-Trip

George, Daniel and Charlie filed into the benches of the courtroom, finding seats next to Trip and Ian. The Wizengamot were already seated in their splendid purple robes. Most of them chatted quietly to each other. Ferrins strode into the room, Percy and a court scribe scurrying behind him. Percy nodded up at his brothers. Hermione walked in next, carrying a stack of notes. She conjured a chair next to the one in the center of the room and set the notes on the seat, but remained standing.

“Bring in the accused.” Ferrins called.

The door opened and two tight faced wizards walked in, flanking Evelyn. She was still in her green robes from the fight with Lestrange, though the blood was cleaned off and they had been mended. The wizards placed her in the chair, and silver manacles rose up on their own and fastened themselves to her wrists and ankles.

Hermione leant down and whispered. “It’s going to be alright, Evelyn. Look, everyone’s here. George, Charlie, Daniel.”

Evelyn kept her head down, dark hair hiding her face.

“Criminal trial of the eighteenth of December.” Ferrins began. Except for his voice, the room was dead silent. “Accused, Evelyn Rose Finch, former Second Lieutenant of the Royal Canadian Army, magical division.”

Charlie never knew Evelyn’s middle name was Rose. It might have been mentioned in her file, but he barely noticed.

“Miss Finch is charged with the murder of Rodolphus Lestrange. Prosecutor: Earl Ferrins, Head of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement. Assistant: Percy Weasley, Assistant Head of Department for Magical Law Enforcement.”

“I didn’t know Percy got promoted.” Charlie whispered, leaning over Daniel.

“Really?” George muttered. “He hasn’t shut up about it for the last year. You must have been too busy sucking face with Evelyn.”

“George, she may be on murder trial, but she is still my sister.” Daniel said calmly. “And I don’t like to think about her sucking face with anyone, no matter how much I like you, Charlie.”

“Will you three children shut up?” Trip hissed.

“Defense for the accused: Miss Hermione Granger. Court Scribe: Timothy Valentine.

“Miss Finch, we are here to decide if you are a fit member of society. You have recklessly chased after a dangerous fugitive, placing civilian life in danger. We shall begin by reviewing your military file. The events included are as follows.”

Ferrins rattled off the list, and Evelyn barely moved. Charlie just watched her. Did she really think she deserved all of this?

“I would like to call a witness.” Hermione announced when Ferrins was finally finished. “Ian Forest, former commanding officer.”

“Mister Forest, if you please.”

Ian stood and slowly walked down the steps. When he reached the center of the room, he sat in a second chair that Hermione conjured. He looked at Evelyn, and she didn’t look up.

“Mister Forest, how did you meet Miss Finch?” Hermione asked formally.

“I was her recruitment officer.” He answered evenly. “When she just out of school.”

“What do you remember about her?”

“She was bright, eager to serve her country.”

“A patriot.”

“Yes.”

“Anything else?”

He shrugged and spread his hands. “We wanted her. She was a nationally ranked dueler, passed every test we threw at her with flying colors. That, and her father was successful in the muggle branches of the army.”

“After she enlisted, what happened?”

“I didn’t see her again until years later. High command was asking for volunteers to help in the war effort here. I was asked to lead one of the units, the one that would actually come to England to fight. I chose Evelyn from the volunteers.”

Ferrins was leaning forward. “May I ask why you chose Miss Finch?”

“I was asked to choose the best of the best. Evelyn was the best fighter I’d ever seen.”

“You work in the Ministry of Magic’s auror offices now, correct?” Hermione asked.

“Yes.”

“How is that different from the military?”

He shrugged. “In the military, there’s more of a command structure. If a superior tells you to do something, you do it. As an auror, there’s more leeway. If something isn’t right, you don’t have to do it.”

“Was Miss Finch ordered to do any of the things Mister Ferrins listed?”

“Yes.”

“Which ones?”

“The torture of Mrs Drawlish. The attacks on Foals, Johnson, and Denis.”

“The attacks on Foals, Johnson and Denis. They claimed to be under the impirius curse.”

“They weren’t.”

Ferrins chuckled dryly. “Mister Forest, we have testimonies stating that - “

“And we had piles of evidence stating otherwise.” Ian snapped. “I told you, I selected the best of the best. So I chose the best investigator I could find, Tessa Burke. I chose the best covert information specialist, Henry James the Third. I chose the best network specialist, Kevin Hayes.”

“Your point?”

“The point is, that if your court even looked at the evidence we compiled, you wouldn’t be trying to use this as a black mark - “

“Did you give the order for the torture of Mrs Drawlish?” Ferrins asked, cutting across.

“No.”

“Who did?”

“Rufus Scriminor.”

An elderly witch gasped. Ferrins turned red, then white. “We’ll look into that.”

“Thank you, Mister Forest.” Hermione said. “You can return to your seat. Next, I would like to call Sargent Henry James the Third.”

Ian and Trip passed each other on the steps, but they didn’t look at each other. Ian shook his head as he walked by George, Daniel and Charlie.

“Sargent James,” Hermione said, “would you say you and Miss Finch were close?”

“Yes.”

“How so?”

He shrugged. “We were always partnered together for missions. Training. We were always together. She was my best friend.”

“Would you say you knew her emotions at the time? And her mental stability?”

“Yes.”

“How did she react when she was told to torture an innocent woman?”

“Evs is human. I mean, usually she wouldn’t let anything show but with Drawlish’s wife...she cracked. Ran out of the room and puked all over Scriminor’s shoes.”

“She wouldn’t show emotion?” Ferrins asked. “Or she didn’t have them?”

Trip looked steadily up at Ferrins. “Sir, do you know how much harder it is for women in the military? The slightest emotion, and they’re written off. Evelyn didn’t have a choice. Either she pretended she was okay, or she’d get shipped home if anyone found out.”

Hermione glanced at her notes. “Everyone in your unit was awarded a medal of honor, correct?”

“Yes.”

“How did you feel about that?”

“Felt a little...like they were trying to keep us quiet. We did some awful things and they rewarded us for that?”

“And Miss Finch?”

Trip sighed and glanced sideways at Evelyn. “She...well, she requested a discharge. I guess she felt more strongly about it than I did.”

“What happened then?”

“Well, she had rented an apartment in Diagon Alley during the war. The landlords, Matilda and Sylvia Vance, had asked her to keep an eye on things until they returned so she came back. Became friends with some local shop owners.”

Ferrins looked at his own notes. “Shop owners like George Weasley?”

“Yes.”

“I would like to call George Weasley as a witness. Sargent James, you may go.”

George stood, staying stone faced. Hermione warned him that he would probably be called to testify. He could make or break Evelyn’s case, and he’d have to be very careful about wording.

“Mister Weasley, how did you meet Miss Finch?”

“She saved my life. At the Battle of Hogwarts.”

“And you kept in touch afterwards?”

“She sought me out.”

“Why?”

“My twin brother died. She wanted to be sure I was okay.” George raised his head. “And I wanted to help her.”

“Help her with what?”

“Look, just because I was grieving doesn’t mean I couldn’t see it in her. She was torn up. I didn’t know what about. Not specifically. She told me later.”

“And what was she so torn up about?”

“Two of her mates had died. Healer Frank Jones and Kevin Hayes. In between those, she encountered Rodolphus Lestrange. He got away.”

“Would you say this affected her in any way?”

George took a deep breath.

“Tell the truth, Mister Weasley. Did it affect her mind?”

“Honestly, sir, I think that if it hadn’t we’d have an actual problem.”

A few members of the Wizengamot snickered.

“Describe her behavior.”

“She was grieving.” George sighed and looked to the ceiling. “She had nightmares, so she slept as little as possible. Or she drank, to try to keep her mind quiet. She was angry. At her father for disowning her, at what she had been ordered to do during the war. Angry that she lost people. Angry that at the end of the day there were still people who she hadn’t been able to help. People like Ted Tonks, who apparently she was just seconds away from. People like that muggle family in Bristol, who if she had gotten Frank Jones there faster they might have survived. You’ve got a list of twenty-nine people that she saved. But all that she could remember is the ones she couldn’t.”

Charlie sat in shock as he listened. Evelyn had never talked to him about any of that. She never talked about the past with him. Or her nightmares. He just knew she had them. And yet his brother knew. From the looks on Trip and Ian’s faces, they knew.

Evelyn hadn’t moved since she had sat down.

“But over time, she got better.”

“And then Quinn Tracy killed himself.”

Next to Charlie, Trip flinched at the name.

“Yes.”

“And Miss Finch went to Canada.”

“Right away. Barely saw her before she left.”

“How would you describe her behavior when she got back? Paranoid?”

“Oh, God.” Daniel whispered. “He knows.”

“Well - “

“And then when the muggle motorist drove her off the road.” Ferrins raised his voice to talk over George. “She went into hiding because she thought someone was after her. When there was no evidence - “

“She thought - “

“No evidence! None! The only thing we’re sure that Lestrange did, was take her ex-boyfriend hostage!”

“As well as being He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’s second in command.” George said sarcastically. “Yeah, Evs really didn’t think that one through.”

“She clearly didn’t. Because she took off to execute him - “

Hermione stood. “Miss Finch sent word to Aurors Forest and Potter as soon as Charlie Weasley’s mother alerted her that he was missing. She went with the intent of capturing Lestrange alive, but he fought her.”

“And how do we know this?”

“She had a gash in her side that went three centimeters inside her body! If killing him wasn’t self-defense, then I’ve been memorizing the wrong books.”

“Three centimeters?” Ian moaned. “She said it was just a scratch.”

Daniel rolled his eyes. “She probably thought she could walk it off. Contrary commando.”

“She should have waited for assistance!” Ferrins shouted down at Hermione.

“Charlie Weasley had already been missing for at least a day, possibly longer. Evelyn Finch had years of training and experience behind her, and she was able to act immediately.”

Ferrins waved the file with Evelyn’s picture stapled to the front. “One torture, three attacks, two murders - “

“We aren’t here to punish her for her military record! That is the responsibility of a court martial in her sovereign country!”

“No. We’re here to determine if that military record makes her an unsafe member of civilian society - “

“Unsafe?” Hermione repeated, outraged. “Half the people in this room saw action during the war. You employed Mad-Eye Moody for fifty years, and he was a poster-child for PTSD! But you want to stand there, Mr Ferrins, from your altar, and condemn a woman for saving the life of an innocent man - “

“Who wouldn’t have been taken in the first place - “

“After he was taken specifically to taunt her? After Lestrange attacked her once and killed half of her military unit? When she just wants to get on with her life?”

The courtroom was silent. Hermione and Ferrins glared at each other. Daniel had his fists balled together. Charlie stared at Evelyn, who stared at her lap.

“A vote then.” Ferrins said tightly. “All those in favor of sentencing Miss Finch?”

Charlie looked around, Ferrins had raised his hand. As did a few others.

“All those in favor of clearing Miss Finch of all charges?”

An overwhelming majority. Percy’s hand was held straight up in the air. He nodded at his brother.

Ferrins swallowed acid. “Very well, Miss Finch. You’ve been cleared of all charges. You’re free to go.”

The manacles fell off Evelyn and Daniel jumped up, leaping down the steps before anyone could do so much as stand. He quickly pulled his sister up out of her chair and hugged her tightly.

Ian leaned over to Charlie. “He’s going to get her out of here right away. Apparently Rita Skeeter has been lurking outside for an hour.”

Daniel pulled away from his sister and nodded up at them. Charlie noticed there were wet spots on the front of his robes, and he realized they had to be tears from Evelyn’s face.

Daniel hurried Evelyn out, and all Rita Skeeter saw was a blur of brunet hair and then the siblings stepping into an empty elevator.

“Miss Finch!” Rita called, stretching the surname across two syllables. She strode down the hall, acid green quill already moving quickly across a piece of parchment. “I have a few - “

The grate closed with a clang and the elevator started to move.

“Why was Charlie there?” Evelyn asked in a whisper.

Daniel sighed. “Why do you think he was there, Evs?”