I would have died for them. Hell, being in the Order of the Phoenix meant that I was putting my life on the line every day for any and every family in the wizarding world- and I did it gladly. Maybe that meant I should have taken my wife's abandonment of me more easily, since it was for the safety of my own family. But somehow, that didn't make it any easier.

"Benjy, I can't let you in." Flo stood in the doorway, her shoulders tense and her hand in her wand pocket.

"Ha ha, very funny," I said, even though her face didn't hold a trace of a smile. "C'mon, let me in- curfew's about to start."

"I'm not joking." She blinked rapidly, clearing away tears.

"You have to let me in." When she still didn't move aside, I began to panic. "It's my house, for Merlin's sake. My children!" I paused, my voice growing quieter as I fought away tears. "And- and I love you." Things had been strained for a while, with the stress of the war and my long absences on Order business. But I still couldn't believe what was happening.

A pause. One of the tears escaped her furious blinking, rolled down her cheek. Without thinking I reached out to comfort her, but she batted me away. Her hand now clutched her wand.

"Please, Flo. Please."

"I- I can't. You've heard the news."

I had. Marlene McKinnon had been a close friend of mine. We'd spent long hours together patrolling the dark streets on guard against death eaters back in the early days when it was safe to patrol in pairs. More recently, our work had been more along the lines of research for surprise group attacks on small groups of death eaters. And before that, back at school, she'd been my best friend and my first kiss- but that was a lifetime ago now.

Now I was the one crying.

"Apparently they tortured those children to death," Flo continued. "With the parents tied up and watching. And- and they did it because she was in the Order of the Phoenix. I can't let that happen to my children. I just- I can't."

"Our family," I argued. "And the house is well protected. We've got all the protective charms known to modern wizardkind on it. The Death Eaters won't even find it."

"Marlene McKinnon had all those charms on her house, too," Flo said. "Benjy, you have to go. Now. The longer you argue, the more likely someone will see us." I opened my mouth to argue, to beg her to at least let me say goodbye to my children, but Flo raised her wand before I could get the words out. "Go, or I will make you." She'd always been better with hexes than I was- she was the practical one, and I the bookish one.

Behind her, I heard a high scream. Daisy was probably having another nightmare. She would only have been in bed for an hour or so. Instinctively, I started towards the sound, but Flo slammed the door before I managed it. The cries vanished from my hearing.

I stood and stared at the house for what was probably only a few minutes, but felt like hours. In a way, it was understandable. But I couldn't believe she had abandoned me like this- even for her children. I remembered Dumbledore's words when I had expressed disbelief at the bystanders in the war, those who read about or even witnessed the deaths and disappearances without joining the fight on either side. Sometimes we expect more from others because we would be willing to do that much for them. Each of us has a different amount to give, and some of us choose to give it only to a few.

I had no choice but to seek safety with one of the other order members, and help bring down He Who Must Not Be Named. We would make the world safe again, and I would see my children again.

I stumbled down the garden path, and out into the street. In my grief, the streetlights were blurred through teary eyes. I began walking with no real destination in mind, trying to breathe enough to calm down. I knew that I couldn't focus enough to attempt to Apparate anywhere.

All I saw on that last walk was blurred cracks in the pavement, blurred buildings, all lit by the dim orange glow of muggle streetlights. I don't know how far I walked. Eventually, happier memories began to filter through. Daisy playing town with her teddies, giving each of them its own job, house and a family of smaller toys. Rufus throwing his applesauce in my face and cackling, his wide childish grin showing an incomplete set of teeth. And Flo. Laughing, chatting excitedly about the latest creature in her aviary, undressing me…

The memories gave me the strength to pull myself together properly, taking a deep breath and focusing my thoughts in preparation for Disapparation. That was when the Disarming Spell hit me from behind, sending my wand spinning into the air. It hit the ground and skidded behind a muggle bin.

I sprinted for the wand, diving behind the bin and grabbing for it. A jet of purple light hit the bin, and the plastic exploded outwards. I covered my eyes, but one of the shards hit my cheek. Sticky warmth spread down the side of my face. Bags of rubbish spilled out onto the street, leaving me exposed. I jumped to my feet immediately. "Stupefy!" I yelled, hearing one of the assailants fall to the ground with a satisfying thud. I began to sprint to the nearest building, my legs moving faster than they had in my life, but I knew I wouldn't make it. I was alone, and I had no idea how many Death Eaters hid in the shadows.

Ropes materialised out of the air, too quickly to be avoided. One of them grabbed an ankle, sending me spinning to the ground, while another wrapped around my arms so I couldn't break the fall. I hit the ground hard, feeling my arm crunch beneath me as a third rope wrenched my wand away.

As a group of shadowy figures assembled around me, I knew it was over. My last thought was to hope that Flo was right, that my family would be safe now I was gone.