Hogwarts seemed happy. That was the thought running thru Minerva McGonagall's head. The past few days the atmosphere in the old castle had been carefree and almost cheerful. The ghosts had returned and were charmed by their new housemates, and it had been amusing when Peeves was almost shy around the women. That wouldn't last for long Minerva was positive. The portraits seemed only too happy to converse with the Muggles, and the Barron's seemed to have a list of never ending questions. Even Phineas Black seemed almost content. At least his overly smug smirk was better than the obnoxious scowl she was used to. Yes, everyone, from the wizards and witches living there, the ghosts, the house-elves and the portraits, seemed to enjoy their new tenants.

It was also nice to have laughter in the halls again. Hermione Granger, Ron and Ginny Weasley, Harry Potter, and Draco Malfoy had all descended upon them that morning in order to begin tutoring Lysistrata. Hermione had even mentioned that the twins, Fred and George, were probably going to pop in as well. It pleased Minerva to no end that this group was making such an effort for the younger girl. She was glad Lyss would have friends before school began. She also reminded herself that at some point soon Lysistrata Barron would have to be sorted.

&

Hermione looked at the blonde girl in front of her and smiled. "That's really good Lysistrata… you're a natural at this." She wasn't lying. Lysistrata Barron was picking up everything they were showing her and excelling at it. "Your pronunciations are impeccable."

"Please call me Lyss, or Lyssy." The blonde blushed at the praise and shrugged. "I've always been able to pick up languages pretty easy."

"What other languages do you speak?" Ginny asked with interest. While Ginny and Hermione worked on beginning lessons with Lyss, the boys were off in a corner playing chess. Ginny was amused to see one set of icy blue eyes continue to glance over at them occasionally when he thought no one else was looking.

"I speak Spanish, Greek, Italian, a little bit of German, and I can read and write Latin." she offered up.

"That's fabulous!" Hermione was impressed. "Any time we need to understand a different language we just cast a charm."

"I think that would be really cool." Lyss grinned. "At my school in California we had to take a secondary language. That's when I took Spanish. I really enjoyed it. I also took Latin there, and was in the Latin Club. I learned Greek and Italian from my Mom and her family. German I just kind of picked up on my own by checking out one of those teach yourself books. I'd really like to learn Russian, but that will have to come later."

The girls had just turned back to their lessons when Lucius Malfoy swept into the room with a sneer marring his face. He was muttering something about incompetent idiots. "Apparently the Carrows had several boggarts trapped into a desk, and they were released by Filch. Minerva is searching upstairs with Flitwick, Sprout and Hagrid are covering the grounds. Weasleys' you'll cover this floor. Miss Granger, you, Potter, Draco, and Miss Barron will search the dungeons since there is so much more space to cover down there. Severus is already searching. We will join you downstairs as soon as we finish up here." He instructed briefly, and Lyss followed her group out the door and down a set of stairs.

"Stay behind us and watch." Harry whispered. "We'll show you what you'll have to do to get rid of them."

Lyss nodded. She stood just behind Harry and Hermione with Draco right behind her covering the rear. She wondered what a boggart was. They hadn't even talked about things like that yet. So far she'd learned how to levitate a feather, cast light with her wand, summon an object, and open locked objects. They'd only been working for about two hours and she was tiring, but she was also loving every minute of it.

&

Madame Pomfrey had sent Ophelia down to the dungeons to give Severus Snape the list of potions she'd need to have replenished before school began. Lia didn't mind though. She loved the castle and enjoyed wandering around. The dungeons made her feel as if she was a part of some Medieval time period where she was a princess, or a noble woman waiting for her white knight to come and woo her. Lia knew there was no such thing as happily ever afters, but sometimes it felt nice to daydream.

She had just turned the corner and was approaching his class room door when she heard the noise behind her and turned to see something she thought she'd never have to see again. Simon stood at the end of the hall. His blonde hair which was normally feathered and gelled back hung disheveled across his forehead, and his brown eyes flickered with an unholy light. His shirt was unbuttoned, and his belt hung from his hand. Dark stains were visible against his ripped white undershirt, and she thought she could even pick it up on dark trousers. For a moment she could just stare wide eyed as he stalked towards her. Then she heard a high pitched shriek and knew it came from her throat. She fell to the ground and began to scramble backwards as he got closer.

Snape heard the scream and rushed from his office. He'd just gotten notice from Lucius regarding boggarts being loose, and was on his way out anyhow. He threw open the door to find Ophelia on the ground doing a crab crawl backwards. He looked to see the blonde man from the hotel room moving forward.

"No, no, no, no, no…you can't be here." she screamed hoarsely.

&

Lyss heard the cry at the same time as the others, but she was the only one who recognized it as her sister's voice. Without waiting for anyone else she rushed past Draco Malfoy, who tried to make a grab for her and missed. Harry, Draco, and Hermione all called out for her to wait, but she paid them no heed, knowing she had to get to Lia.

All four teens turned the corner to see the same thing. A blonde man moving towards Snape and Ophelia on the ground. Snape was trying to pry a terrified Ophelia from his person so he could deal with the vision in front of them, but Ophelia wouldn't let go. The blonde man had a belt in his hand, and was removing his long sleeved shirt as he moved forward, his eyes intent on the brunette girl.

"No!" Lyss cried. How was this possible? Her cry drew the blonde man's attention and suddenly it faced her. She was the closest. Suddenly the vision shifted and she found herself facing her father.

Abraham Barron moved closer. He carried a bloody and worn strap in his hands. He sneered at the blonde girl, and slapped the strap against his open palm. A sadistic gleam shone from his dark eyes. Without thinking Lyss fell into a crouch covered her head protectively with her hands and arms.

Snape had managed to get his wand free from between his and Ophelia's body, and he pointed it and shouted. "Riddikulus!"

Draco acted only a second later, he too yelling "Riddikulus!" Harry and Hermione's voices followed closely behind and with a small cracking noise the apparition vanished.

&

Catalina was getting frustrated. She couldn't find anyone. The kids weren't in the room they'd told her they were going to be in, and Minerva wasn't in her office. Cat had been taking a nap, but now she wanted to go out and see if Professor Sprout, or Pomona as the other woman told her to call her, had needed any help in her gardens or greenhouse. She wouldn't start watching Teddy Lupin for another few days and Cat just wanted to keep busy while her girls made friends and began learning.

Cat turned, deciding she would just go out and check Hagrid's place. Perhaps Pomona had made the short trip out there. Suddenly she couldn't breathe. Abraham stood fifteen feet away from her. He looked exactly like he'd looked the last he'd beat her and the girls. Dark pants, a bloody ribbed tank top, and black socks. Sweat was in a fine sheen over his muscular frame, and he held one of his hard-heeled dress shoes in his hand. She remembered he hadn't had his strap with him so he'd used the shoe on her. Abraham had been nothing if not inventive in his torture methods. Fury covered his face in a cold mask.

She always knew he'd find her. They'd promised, but she'd known that hiding from Abraham Barron was futile. She just hoped that the time it would take for him to beat her to death, and she definitely knew it would be to the death this time, would give her girls time to run. She stood rigidly as he approached, a nasty grin spreading over his countenance. "I don't want to die." she whispered.

Lucius came up the stairs in time to hear Catalina's soft words, and knew instantly that she'd encountered one of the boggarts. A feeling he didn't recognize, and couldn't even begin to understand filled him as he took the appearance that the boggart took for Catalina Barron. Lucius recognized the man instantly. Now it was Lucius who was filled with rage, again for reasons he didn't understand, and he hissed the word "Riddikulus!" Instantly the boggart was destroyed.

An incredibly pale Catalina turned to look at Lucius. "Did you kill him?" she asked and then passed out before he could respond. Lucius caught her before she could hit the stone floor.

&

Ophelia clung to Severus and a quiet keening emanated from her throat. He scooped her up and stood slowly trying not to startle her. Harry had rushed over to them while Hermione and Draco dealt with Lyss. "Is she all right?" he asked the Professor quietly. It was easy to see tears still leaking from the girl's eyes.

"I believe she will be but Poppy should look at her." Snape responded without his normal sneer. The girl shuddered in his arms, and though he did not know the entire history between Ophelia and the man, Simon, he was quickly beginning to guess what must have transpired between the two. The half-clothed man was the girl's nightmare, and Snape's history as a Death Eater gave him quite the insight into nightmares.

Harry nodded. "I'll go to the infirmary and tell her to floo to you." he told the man and was moving as Snape nodded in thanks.

Snape carried the girl into the classroom and through to the door which led to his own chambers. Very few individuals ever managed to come this far into his domain. He laid her gently on the bed after hesitating. He didn't want to frighten the girl. Would the bed frighten her?

Draco had dropped to his knees in front of Lyss, and Hermione had moved around to wrap an arm around the girl. "It's all right." Draco told her. "It's gone. It wasn't really him, whoever that man was… it was a boggart."

Lyss looked between the two. "A-a b-bog-boggart?"

"It's a creature that takes on the form of the worst nightmare of whoever is standing the closest to it." Hermione explained to her new friend.

"It was my F-f-father."

Draco tried to control his shock. That violent and bloody man was the girl's father? Sure, his own father had been angry with him in the past, and had even struck him when he'd misbehaved, but the man with the strap…Draco couldn't imagine it… His own father had tried to protect him from such violence. He hadn't always been able to, but he'd tried.

"Who was the blonde man?" Hermione asked, her voice still soft.

Lyss met Hermione's gaze. "That's Simon…he hurt Lia." The horror she put into the word 'hurt' was not lost on the teens. They were starting to truly understand why Minerva McGonagall had brought the Barron family to Hogwarts. "Where's Lia?" Lyss had finally discovered that her older sister was no longer in the hallway and she began to panic.

"We'll take you to her. Professor Snape carried her in here so that Madame Pomfrey can come check on her." Hermione told the girl in a matter of fact tone. The three moved over to the classroom and then into Snape's rooms. Snape had transfigured a chair next to the bed and sat stiffly watching the girl. Lia lay on her side in the fetal position, and would shudder occasionally.

Lyss moved to her sister and sat on the edge of the bed. She pushed her sister's hair behind her ear. "Is she going to be okay?" Hermione and Draco stayed near the door.

The question surprised Severus. He'd thought that perhaps she would be angry he'd brought her sister into his room. "I believe she is suffering from shock. Potter went to get Poppy. She will look your sister, and yourself over when she arrives. I've also sent a message to Minerva to find your mother." He kept his tone neutral. "It is possible Poppy will have some…questions for you regarding your sister."

Lyss nodded. Her voice was very soft and Snape was the only one who could hear her when she spoke. "When it happened…it was almost three weeks ago. We were in Boston, and Mama was trying to figure out where we should go. They found us…I don't even begin to know how. Father was punishing Mama, he hit me too but Mama always got it worse. He gave Lia to Simon." Tears began to run down Lyss's face again, and the heartbreak was clear in her voice. "Father left and Mama picked the lock. We found Lia in the bed… Read it." she said and met Severus's eyes. "I know you can, you can't look at her and see, so look at me and read it…see it for yourself."

Sighing heavily Severus leaned forward and spoke. "Legilimens." He saw it. Lyss and her mother entering a room that the blonde man hadn't even bothered to lock. They'd hid and watched him leave the room. He'd been wearing the clothes that the boggart had dressed itself in. Lia had been lying in the middle of the ravaged bed. Blood was crusted over what had once been cream colored sheets. Her naked body was bruised and battered; some dry and some still wet, blood was smeared across her pale thighs. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her body was trembling much as it did now. They'd helped her dress and had managed to escape. Snape ended the spell and fell back into the chair. Lyss had turned back to her sister.

&

Lucius had carried Catalina to the infirmary, and Poppy had rushed to them immediately. It hadn't taken long for her to ascertain that Cat had fainted and would be fine after a restorative potion and a calming draught. When Potter ran into the room requesting the medi-witch to floo to Snape, Lucius had assured them both he would stay with Madame Barron while she attended to the woman's daughters. Now he sat in the chair beside the cot which held the blonde woman, and Lucius cursed the Carrows for their nasty little surprise. He wondered how many more of those they'd come across.