One night, Susan will look over a steaming mug of coffee and a old table in a crowded breakroom and witness Harry Potter's last moment as an auror. He is pouring over a pile of papers on missing Death Eaters and pardoned Death Eaters and some foolish child of the last war who fancies himself the newest Dark Lord. He is tired of seeking criminals only to watch them walk free. He is weary of early morning paperwork for jaywalkers and late night steak-outs to find who sabotaged the Quidditch team. Susan drags the paperwork toward her, and tells him to go home. He needs sleep before his night shift and Susan won't be going home tonight either way. He leaves the Ministry without complains. The next morning his Auror badge is on the Minister's desk.
One day, on their lunch break in the Ministry breakroom, Susan will watch Hermione Granger push the legal papers to the side to rest her head on her arms in exhaustion and helpless fury. While Susan climbs up the Ministry with hard work and late nights so she can create the change she wants to see , Hermione aches to tear it all down. Susan takes her coffee and returns to her desk.
One morning, Susan will wake up in sheets that are not her own, the smell of freshly washed sheets and spilt alcohol and burnt clothes permeating the room. She rolls over to find Ron Weasley asleep and half-snoring beside her. Susan looks over the room, plain and pastel yellow and starkly furnished. The remnants of the last-night capture of Yaxley are sprawled across the floor, burnt and bloody clothes and bottles of Firewhisky. Susan climbs over Ron, wand clutches in one hand. She fishes a shirt out of his dresser and opens his bedroom door, intent on the kitchen and coffee.
That is all a lifetime away. Right now, Harry Potter is the world's last hope and Hermione is the Most Wanted Muggleborn and Ron Weasley is so sick the Ministry has allowed him to skip Hogwarts. Susan is standing across from the Carrows, but even now Ginny and Luna flee back to the common rooms. Susan lifts her chin and braces herself. No matter what they do, they cannot break her, like her aunt broke their father. She cannot Potter's war effort any more than she can help her aunt, but she can protect a brave man and a determined redhead and a brilliant woman. Susan clutches her wand and promises herself she will not scream.
