Disclaimer: Why do we even bother? I'm not J. K. Rowling, if I was, I'd be rich, famous, and live somewhere else. Also, my writing wouldn't stink as much as it does. This goes for all chapters, so just REMEMBER it. K? K.

A/N: This could be MS-ish, though I don't know how when Draco gets the same treatment, or Hermione... Neway, bare with it. If you don't like it now, don't read it later, because it probably won't get better. If you have some HEALTHY, GOOD criticism that isn't basically insulting me completely and all that, please hand it on. If you want to flame, do so with my blessing, but make it short. Like one I got before: Crap. Horrible, horrible crap. Cynical Lady was kind enough to put it straightforward. If you really want to flame, fine, it'll just be used for target practice.

Thankies!

Prologue

3 weeks before leaving:

Diana shivered as she looked around Platform 9&3/4. She pulled the worn brown-green cloak tighter around her shoulders, exiting the Platform with silent ease. No one saw her, or at least, she thought no one had.

Harry, having come just to look at things, followed the girl. She'd had a worn, wary look about her, and those bruised eyelids could only mean one thing: This girl had had a large lack of sleep lately. He had notified Lupin, and Sirius was following the girl even more closely. She suddenly went down an alleyway, and if it hadn't been for Sirius's wagging tail, Harry would have walked on. But there she was, knocking on a door.

"'Bout time you got back!" said a slurred, drunken male voice. A large, ugly, muscled man opened the door. He carried a whip in one hand.

The girl had looked down. "It's another three weeks, father."

The man (her father, she'd said) nodded as if he'd known this. "Good-fer-nothin'... Get in 'ere before I take this to ya again." He raised the whip. She remained still, her gaze fixed on it.

Within moments his large, beefy hand had enveloped her forearm, turning her roughly and throwing her down. He raised the whip and brought it down hard.

Diana clenched her jaw. She just lay there as he lashed out once, twice... She waited for the third time, but it never came. Then she heard a snap! Instinctively she rolled, wincing as she touched the new marks, to see a large black dog, his jaws clamped on her father's arm. Just behind him was a tall boy, his emerald eyes glittering dangerously at the man. When he turned to Diana, though, his eyes were kind, sympathetic. Still, she hesitated before reaching up to accept his hand.

Lupin had only just arrived and had a good view of Diana's back. With a soft word, he sent out bindings that snapped around her father. "Sirius, would you take him to the Judge?"

Mr. Rodriguez frowned, then looked at Diana. "You brought them here, you slut!"

She drew back, away from them. Fear filled her powder-blue eyes. Lupin waved his wand, and within moments Mr. Rodriguez was grunting through a tight gag. Diana leaned against a wall as Sirius returned to Human form and picked her father up, carrying him away. She shut her eyes to slits, watching both man and boy as they turned to her.

"Who are you?" asked the boy.

"My name is Veronica. Veronica Noares. That man is my step-father." The lie came out smoothly. She'd said it so many times before. If only it were true...

"I am Remus Lupin," the man said. She stared at him, before looking to the boy.

"And I am Harry Potter."