The past month had been the worst of his life, and it had begun with his release from the muggleborn prison he'd been locked in for almost a year. Finn had been released and returned home with injuries that were easily healed, if still mending. His mind wasn't right, but he wasn't expected to be functioning at a regular state after being contained for so long. He had nightmares, scaring his wife in the middle of the night as he jumped out of bed in terror, screaming to be freed.

But today had been the worst day of his supposed freedom. Today he stood tall, his arm in a sling and Joy clinging to his other. He watched with glazed eyes as an empty casket was laid into the ground and his ears were pierced with the sobs of his mother. He couldn't bear to turn and look at her because then he'd see the anguish of a woman who'd lost one of her sons to a war she hadn't known he was a part of. Finn forced himself to keep his composure, his grip on Joy becoming a lifeline. Cormac's hand on his shoulder tightened its grip and Talulah's face was buried into his chest, Rowan on the other side of his mother. Finn could barely acknowledge their affection as he watched his sister-in-law step forward to accept the flag that Colonel's men had folded for her. For a brief second Finn's thoughts flitted to a question: how was Elena able to remain so calm? Had she really accepted this fate? That Tibs was---

A large sound erupted from the sky above and Finn nearly splinched himself in surprise and shock but Joy's hold on his arm reminded him that he was somewhere safe. Everyone's eyes turned to the clear blue sky, why was the weather always wonderful on days like this, and they watched the aerial salute fly over the cemetery. Finn didn't question how his father had gotten this done; the Colonel got everything done. The one plane signifying the fallen soldier drifted away and Finn felt his composure begin to crack. The ceremony was over, the flowers were being thrown into the dark and emotionally empty grave, and Finn didn't know if he could move past this day. In prison he'd developed the mentality that he was never going to escape and therefore would never have to deal with the pain of losing his brother, of being torn apart from his family, but today made him truly realize that the past year of his life had been real.

"Phineas."

Finn blinked, not having noticed that Joy had moved to toss her flowers into the grave and that their children had followed. He had to wait to focus his eyes on the face of his father, the man he'd desperately tried all of his life to impress. Finn straightened his shoulders but as hard as he tried he could not keep his demeanor strong and proud. His father would want him to be a soldier, to be tough like he was and to not look weak in front of those who had come to mourn Tibs. He shut his eyes to gain some sort of balance and was struck with another surprise as he was grabbed, not grabbed---hugged. Finn opened his eyes and was shocked to see that it was the Colonel, his father that was gripping him so tightly, it was his father who was shaking with sobs of despair and Finn immediately wrapped his arms around his dad, the tears he had for the loss of his brother finally bursting out of him.

She ignored her brother's whining as she examined Fredrick's face, probably pushed too close to him to do much good.

The rattling of the train caused her forehead to gently bounce off the window pane. Erin stared off into the passing countryside, trying to figure out if she'd ever in her life taken these tracks. No, there hadn't been a need. She was a witch, damn it, and had used her place in the magical world. She used the floo, she rode a broomstick, she apparated and disapparated when she lost the Trace, so why on Earth would she have used the muggle transportation system?

She winced as a bump caused her to shift some weight onto her beaten side. A few people had asked her if she was all right; only muggles and her family seemed to have any concern for her these days, and barely that. Erin had waved them off, making up some excuse about how she was a police officer and it had just been a rough day on the force. How could she explain her black and blue eyes, her busted lip? No one would dare to believe that her superiors at work had been allowed to beat her like they did for speaking out, for snapping at their new protocol. Adding insult to literal injury, they fired her on the spot, ending more than two decades worth of time and work at the Ministry.

Good. Good riddance. Everyone had felt the terror looming over the Ministry, but no one had believed it would actually crack. They'd escaped the first war without a complete takeover, and you would think---you would think that they would have learned. Erin's eyes shut as her headache sent a skull splitting shock down her spine and it was with great relief that she heard her stop get announced over the speakers.

They'd destroyed her bag, she wasn't allowed access to the owlry, St. Mungo's now required special passes to get help through---Avis had gone for the day and she'd stayed behind because she had been feeling...she had been feeling terrible all day. She always did, on this day. It was Deidra's birthday and...it had been eighteen years since her sister and in-laws had been killed during the first war, eighteen years since Deidra had died and Milo had become an orphan. Eighteen years since her life had completely flipped upside down. It was not the day to come to her, telling her that she was going to have to set new wards up on the muggleborn holding cells. It was not the day to tell her that she had to do what she was told or she'd regret it.

Erin pulled her jacket tighter even though her wrist throbbed in pain because of it. The past year had been such chaos, with Nate getting sucked deeper into the Ministry, Milo's training, the quidditch season being canceled....and Will, her baby brother---he was a death eater, he'd been one for----he said he'd been forced to join after his brother was killed, after Alan...Erin couldn't comprehend how she couldn't have known, but she had to see her brother at the Ministry every day, looking like a drone, a zombie as he gave out orders and commands. A death eater that was a fully trained auror? How dangerous was her brother, her little brother?

Dangerous enough to stand by and watch as his colleagues cursed the hell out of her in the middle of her lab.

The sight of her home brought some warmth. Erin adored the fact that she and Rafe had never moved into a big mansion, but had stayed in her family home that had been able to raise six kids, six...six kids, two of which who were dead, one whose husband was mentally unstable, the other stayed so far out of these situations, a son who still turned to the dark side even after seeing how it had torn apart their family, and then there was her. Erin didn't know how she'd ended up the one standing tallest out of her siblings, she'd always been the one they all picked on and teased, but she was the one who stood up for herself today, and for the rest of those being treated like they shouldn't be allowed to hold a wand.

She knocked on the door with a sigh, feeling ready to collapse but feeling proud. Erin winced at the sound of Rafe's worried voice coming from the other side of the door and she prepared herself to get clung to and examined for hours. She'd let her husband fret and worry, but Erin knew that she'd made out better than some of her colleagues, and would make it out of this war far better than most.