Maura's body convulsed as the riding crop slashed down across her back. The pain coursed through her nerves, leaving every whip mark outlined in fire. She vaguely recalled hearing someone say that the human body homogenized pain when it was in a centralized area. She had never found that to be the case. She had always felt every sting of the lash distinctly throughout each beating. She had lost count around twenty this time. It wasn't really worth counting unless she knew how many lashes she would take anyway. Her pain-fogged brain finally registered that the beating had stopped. Agonizingly slowly she staggered to her feet and turned toward her master. Hadrian Bedro frowned at her show of strength but seemed disinclined to punish her for it this time. Instead he turned to his daughter, Adele, and said, "Let this be a lesson to you girl. I expect that this term you will apply yourself a little better. It's a disgrace for the future Lady of Bedro Park to be outdone by a Russian Halfblood!" With that said he whirled around and strode out of the room. Maura locked eyes with the girl standing before her. Adelle's pug like face twisted into a malicious smile, "I don't think I really feel like 'applying myself' this term," she said with a sneer, "I'll bet you get the whipping of your life when I come home for Christmas holiday." With a cackle of laughter Adele left her Whipping Girl swaying in the middle of the hallway.
Once she was sure she was alone, Maura let her head fall in pain and despair. She had been angry for six years, since she was brought here at the age of ten. But the anger had slowly evaporated under the knowledge that she would be here until Adele was married off or Maura died from one of these beating. 'If only I had a wand!' she thought in frustration. But the Bedros were careful never to let her near one. To tell the truth, she wasn't even sure she would be able to use one if by some miracle she got a hold of one. She had studied Adele's school books every summer when she had come home from school but she had only been able to practice the moves with a wooden spoon from the kitchen and had no one to tell her if she was doing them wrong or right. The pain finally ebbed to a level where she could function and she left the sitting room, heading for her bedroom. Per force, she had become very good at first aid and could even brew good healing potions. Unfortunately she didn't get the chance to do it very often because she had to filch the ingredients and brew it in the kitchen at night. She got to her room and pried up a floorboard to see what she had left. 'No healing potion left, damn!' she thought as she pulled out bandages and began the task of patching herself up as best she could.
Four days later
Maura switched the books to her left had to give her right hand a rest from the heavy burden. To get her mind off of the cumbersome bag she looked around at the shops. She loved the yearly trip to Diagon Alley. It was her one chance to see the wizarding world outside of the House. The Bedros had stopped at Madam Malkin's Robe Shop, which meant that she had at least half an hour before they came out. Maura looked down at her own clothes with a grimace. She wore a sort of livery that consisted of a dark blue blouse, a matching calf length skirt, and a black robe over top with the Bedro family crest emblazoned on the right side. It was a serviceable outfit but obviously marked her as a lowly servant. Adele on the other hand was the titular leader of her house at Beau Batons and she always dressed the part. Maura carefully put down the schoolbooks on a chair just inside of the shop then went to wander Diagon Alley, blessedly alone. She walked over to the window outside of the Quiddich supply store to stare avidly at the brooms on display, another item that she was not allowed, when someone knocked into her from behind. Maura gasped in pain and doubled over as every lash mark burned anew across her back.
Harry looked up at the perfectly blue sky above Diagon Alley as he walked with his friends, Ron and Hermione. There had been few happy moments for him after Sirius died but through all of his grief and rage and bad tempers his friends had stuck by him. Neville, another friend from school had spent much of the summer writing back and forth with Harry about the pain of loosing a parent. Both of Neville's parents had been tortured into insanity when he was younger and he had helped Harry with his understanding. The help and understanding from his friends was what had let him get through the pain. He still found himself wanting to write to Sirius and his chest ached when he once again realized that Sirius was gone, but instead of debilitating him like it had all last summer it helped crystallize his resolve to kill Voldemort and his rabid pack of Death Eaters. He would avenge all of the people he and his friends had lost in their lives. But those were thoughts for another time. He was just happy to be a normal teen out with his friends for a change.
"Hey Harry," Ron's voice cut into his musings, "you dreaming about girls again? Mum always said that if you hit puberty late it hits you all at once…completely girl crazy that's your problem mate!" Harry turned to look at both of his friends' grinning faces. "Come off it Ron," he said playfully shoving him, "At least I'm not…" Harry never finished his comeback because Ron had somehow tripped over his feet and fell heavily into the back of a girl standing near Quality Quiddich Supplies. The Girl doubled over as if someone had punched her in the stomach and Harry could hear a muffled gasp escape her. Both of the boys looked worried and started apologizing simultaneously. Hermione shot them both a reproving glare before crouching next to the girl and laying a hand gently on her back. Before she could say anything the girl flinched again. Hermione abruptly jerked her hand away with a look of horror on her face. The boys quickly saw why she was so upset. A thin line of blood crossed her palm from where she had laid it against the girl's back. All three of them saw a slowly growing line of wetness form on the girl's dark robe. Harry took immediate control of the situation, "Ron help me get her over to a side street so there isn't a scene. Hermione do you know a healing spell?" Hermione nodded as they hustled her over to a narrow alley between two shops.
Maura realized that she was being helped over to a side street and didn't resist. She was reasonably sure that this trio wasn't intent on hurting her and she obviously had no money to steal. "Take her robe off, I need to see the wound to be able to fix it," a girl said from behind her in a bossy tone. "Um, I…" "We can't very well…" two boys started to say in embarrassed voices. Maura sighed, at this rate they wouldn't get anything done. Careful not to aggravate the crop marks she slipped out of her robe, stopping the growing argument from her three benefactors. "See, she doesn't mind," the girl said in a smug manner. She probably always has to get the last word, Maura thought in amusement. "I'm going to lift up the back of your shirt so I can fix the cut," the bossy sounding girl said in a kind voice as she lifted Maura's shirt. All three of them gasped in unison as they saw the extent of her injuries. Scabbed over lash marks crossed over the length of her back, throwing into stark relief the white scars of older beatings. "Salutiferum!" the girl said in a strangled voice. All at once a cool sensation spread across her back and she could actually feel the welts healing under the spell's effect. Gingerly Maura stood, waiting for the telltale twinges of pain but they never came. Relief flooded through her as she turned to thank them. The redheaded boy and the bossy girl looked horrified as she expected but the black haired boy was enraged, as if the whipping had been his. They all looked to be about her age and she wondered if any of them went to Beau Baton with Adele. "Thank you," she said a bit awkwardly. She hadn't had anything or anyone to give gratitude for in so long that the words were strange on her tongue. "Who did this to you?" the raven boy said, his voice shaking in rage. Maura shrugged noncommittally. The boy must be muggle born not to know about the practice. She looked to the other two for them to explain to their friend. The redhead giant of a boy suddenly seemed to shake himself out of his shock and looked at the robe he now held and the badge embroidered across the breast of it. "I thought it had died out," he said in a hushed tone. The other two looked at him in confusion. "What had?" the girl asked but the copper haired boy didn't seem to hear her. "Did your mum and dad, I mean…" he trailed off. It seemed that only one of them new about the practice and he certainly wasn't able to explain to his two friends. "I'm a Whipping Girl," she said simply. The girl's eyes widened with shock but it was the dark haired boy's reaction that got her attention. He seemed to still and look at her piercingly before asking, "Did you want to be?" Maura was shaken by this question. It had never even occurred to her, not in all her rage or pain of despair, that she might have a choice. No one had ever asked if she wanted to be this…to do this… and so she had never considered it herself. She looked at the boy and said with a note of wonder in her voice, "No."
The boy nodded firmly as if he had made a decision and with a glance at his friends that conveyed much that Maura did not understand he took her hand and lead her at a quick pace back down Diagon Alley. Maura felt a twinge of fear as they passed Madam Malkin's and she clearly saw Adele through the front window. But just then she realized that the three friends had made a tight triangular formation around her, effectively blocking her from view. They ushered her to the end of the street and straight into the Leaky Cauldron. In fact they didn't stop until they were in one of the rooms and the door was closed. The redhead looked again at the crest on her wadded up robe. He had carried it back to the room and she hadn't thought to retrieve it from him. "This is the Bedro family crest isn't it?" he asked. She nodded mutely. "Bedro?" the dark haired boy questioned, "Who are they?" "The Bedro's are a pureblood family. Dad thinks they're dark but there was never a scrap of proof. It's just that odd things always happen at their estate and none of their tenants will talk. Scared stiff like the Devil was watching them. I think they had a kid but they wouldn't go to our school. The Bedro's were originally from France so they all go to Beau Baton," the tall redhead answered. "Well that solves on problem," the girl chimed in. Both of the boys looked at her with baffled expressions. She gave breath to a long suffering sigh and said, "If their offspring don't attend Hogwarts she has a much better chance of blending in with no one being the wiser as to her background. You were planning on taking her to Hogwarts weren't you?" The boys quite obviously hadn't thought that far ahead. Maura finally gave up being polite and waiting for an introduction, "Who are you?" she asked in frustration. The three of them stared at her with varying degrees of embarrassment before the raven haired boy finally spoke up, "Sorry," he said with a rueful grin, "I'm Harry, and these are Ron and Hermione," he finished indicating the tall boy to his left and the girl standing on his other side. "I'm Maura," she answered. Harry gave her a piercing earnest glance, "Look I think Hermione's right. You should come to Hogwarts. It's the safest place in the world and they won't be able to find you there. Besides we can help you with your studies. Hermione's a bang up witch and Ron is great at strategy," Harry seemed to run out of steam and stood there looking at her questioningly. Maura realized that for the second time in her life she was being asked for her opinion, and these three seemed quite willing to go along with her choice. That more than anything else made her decide. No matter what else happened she wanted to be with the first people that had ever treated her as if she were their friend and nothing less. "I can't wait," she said simply. Ron whooped in joy and Hermione beamed at her. Harry smiled that same slightly shy smile that was completely at odds with his take charge attitude and said, "Good, I'll contact Dumbledore." With that he went over to the desk in a corner of the room and scrawled a short note, then tied it to the leg of a snowy white owl that nipped his hand affectionately before sailing out the open window.
Hermione looked at her watch with a start and said, "Ron, Harry we only have an hour before we have to leave for platform 9 ¾! We still have to get her school supplies and a trunk. All right, Harry you take her to get her wand. You can go under the invisibility cloak so that horrible family won't see her. Ron you get her books, pens, ink, and scrolls. I'll get her uniforms, potions equipment and trunk, we'll meet back here in forty-five minutes. Maura, what size do you wear?" Maura had a new respect for the slightly bossy girl in front of her as she said, "Size six I think. But I don't have money for all this." Harry had pulled out a cloak made of a liquid silver material while Ron had grabbed his school list and carefully tore it in half handing one half to Hermione. Harry dug out a pocket full of gold Galleons before handing a heavy money pouch to Ron. Ron took it in one hand and grabbed Hermione with the other before racing down the stairs and back out into Diagon Alley.
Maura looked back at Harry, "You have an invisibility cloak?" she said with a touch of amazement. "Ya," he answered with a depreciating grin, "My dad left if for me. Come on, we can go to Olivander's under this without anyone the wiser." With that he threw the cloak over both of them and they carefully went down the stairs and back out to the street. It was rather slow going under the cloak. It barely covered both of them and they had to be careful not to bump into anyone on the busy lane. Finally they made it to the old store with a faded and peeling sign proclaiming it's name and walked into the gloomy interior. "Well, Mr. Potter," a misty voice said from the back of the shop, "I haven't seen you for several years now. How is your wand doing then? Holly and Phoenix feather wasn't it?" Harry pulled the cloak off of them and said, "Yes sir. It's doing fine, not even a scratch on it. I brought a friend sir, she needs a wand." A thin old man came out of the gloom with large moon shaped eyes. "Ah, Miss Lysander, I wondered what had kept you. Let's see now," he said as he wandered the shelves. After a moment he pulled a dusty box out of the thousands stacked haphazardly in the shelves. "9 ½ inch, walnut and Dragon heartstring," he said as he handed it to her. Maura took the wand and waved it towards the desk. Suddenly a stack of papers on it exploded into the air. Maura quickly handed the wand back to Mr. Olivander. He simply put it on a spindly chair by the door and went in search of another one. "Ah, perhaps this. Oak and Gryphon feather, swishy, good for transfiguration," he said as he handed another wand to her. Maura obediently swung the wand before her although the pointed towards a wall instead of the cluttered desk. A bolt of lightning arched out of the wand leaving a scorch mark across the wall she had been aiming at and shoving her back a few feet. Maura was suddenly wondering if having a wand was that important after all. She hadn't realized that it would be quite this, well, dangerous. Mr. Olivander didn't seem to be fazed by the defacing of his wall though; he just snatched the wand from her and started looking again. This time he seemed to look for a bit longer and Maura sincerely hoped that he would find a nice quiet wand. "Well, why not?" he muttered to himself as he came down from a ladder with a third box. From it he pulled a slender wand and handed it to her, "13 inches, Willow and Pegasus feather. It might just suit," he said. Maura took the wand and suddenly felt a swell of soft warm air before she realized that she was floating several inches off of the ground. Slowly she came back down to rest of the floor. "Well, very good Miss Lysander. You seem to be a flexible young lady with more strength than is readily apparent. Value freedom do you?" the shop owner asked as he went to look up the price of the wand. Maura knew she had a silly grin on her face but she couldn't seem to help it. The feel those few seconds of flight had felt so incredibly right to her. Harry went up to the desk and paid for the wand, throwing an answering smile at Maura as he did. Maura thought that Harry knew exactly how she felt just then. They waved goodbye to Mr. Olivander and threw the cloak over them again before leaving, Maura still clutching her new wand.
It had taken them quite a while to get to and from the wand shop and Hermione and Ron were already in the room when they got back. Hermione was packing the new school supplies in a wooden trunk that had the warm glow of redwood and a large 'M' emblazoned in copper on the side. She turned as the door opened and closed seemingly by itself before they took off the invisibility cloak. "I took out some of my clothes for you. I think we're about the same size and I don't think you should wear your old uniform when we leave." Maura looked over at the muggle clothes laid out on the bed beside the now closed trunk. "Thanks," she said with a genuine smile and misty eyes. She couldn't remember the last time she had smiled this much. "What did you get?" Ron asked from his position straddling the wooden chair near the desk with his arms propped up on the back. Maura proudly displayed her wand. It was slender and felt as if it had been made to fit her hand. "It was brilliant!" Harry enthusiastically told the story of how the wand had reacted when she had tried it for the first time. "Wicked!" Ron said impressed, "Mine shot out bubbles that chimed when they were popped." Hermione finally shooed the boys out of the room long enough for Maura to change into her borrowed clothes with Hermione's help. Then Maura threw her hated servant's livery into the fire in the fireplace with smug satisfaction.
As she watched them burn Hermione called the boys back in. "Come on, we only have a few minutes." Through the open door Maura could see Ron and Harry go into the room across from the one she was in and pull out two trunks and owl cages. Ron's owl seemed to be as excited as she was. It was shrieking and flying around the cage in tight spirals. "Oh shut up Pig!" Ron said in exasperation as he lugged his baggage down the stairs. Hermione put a levitating charm on her trunk and started to lead it out of the room. Maura had turned quite pink at the sight of her easy use of a basic spell that she herself had never done. Hermione seemed to understand, "Try," she said encouragingly, "I'll help if you need it." Maura took a deep breath and pulled out her new wand, "Wingardium Leviosa!" she said as she flicked her wrist at the trunk. Suddenly it shot up into the air, slamming into the ceiling. Maura was thrilled that her first spell had been a success…well mostly. Hermione coached her in how to get it back to about waist level before they went down the stairs with their trunks floating docilely behind them. Ron and Harry were waiting for them and looked rather rueful when they saw the trunks. With a grin they levitated their own trunks although they kept carrying their owl cages. The four friends walked out of the Leaky Cauldron and back onto Diagon Ally. "How are we going to get there?" Maura asked curiously. Ron turned to her as the other two looked around the street in a posture of waiting, "My dad works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts department of the Ministry and he's going to let us borrow a self driving car. It's brilliant! All you have to do is tell it where to go and hold on the wheel thing and it gets you there. Just like a muggle." Suddenly a hand with sharp red fingernails grabbed her arm and spun her around. Adele stood in front of her holding some of her school parcels in one hand and Maura in the other. "You lazy little slut!" she yelled, saliva flicking from her mouth, "I'm going to beat you myself for this! I had to carry my own parcels for half an hour and here you are wearing those disgusting muggle clothes like your one of them! Just wait until I tell father. You'll think the crop was a blessing compared to what he'll do to you! He'll—" suddenly Adele was cut off in mid tirade as four wands were pointed directly at her. "Your not allowed a wand!" she said with a tremble of fear in her voice. Maura felt almost as if she were flying again. Adele was afraid of her, afraid of what she could do to the selfish little twit. "That's right I have a wand, and just think of all of the interesting spells I've seen used at very close quarters. What do you want to bet that I can reproduce them?" she asked maliciously. It serves her right for all the pain she put me through. I should crucio her. How many times did she goad him into doing it to me? How many times did she hold me down as her friends tried their newest curses on me? But even as she thought it she saw the tense positions of the three next to her. She deserves it, but I deserve more. "Adeo Somnus!" she said instead. A jet of blue smoke came out of her wand right into Adele's face. The frightened girl blinked before suddenly toppling over. "What did you do?" Harry asked as Ron and Hermione picked the snoring girl up and sat her on a bench just outside of the Leaky Cauldron. "It's a sleep spell. It's not very powerful so you can do it without a wand. I found it in a healing book," she said as she watched Adele, "I think using a wand made it a bit more potent," she concluded. "I guess," Ron said also looking at the girl, "I don't suppose it would be sporting to hex her while she slept would it?" he asked regretfully. Suddenly Maura felt a warm glow. Ron was asking that on her behalf. Before anyone could answer him a red Ford Reliant trundled up to the four of them. Hermione got into the driver's seat after putting her trunk in the boot. The others followed suit and got into the car. "London train station," Hermione said clearly. The car started again and they were off. Ron was in the front seat talking to Hermione about their new courses giving Maura the chance to ask Harry something she had been curious about since the wand shop. "So your Harry Potter?" she said quietly. Harry turned to her with an odd expression on his face. It suddenly occurred to her that he didn't really like being recognized by his name. "Ya" he mumbled. "Oh. The Bedros used to talk about you with their friends," she said by way of an explanation, "They weren't very flattering. Um, Harry? Would you sort of help me with school? I've um, I've never really done spells." Harry seemed relieved that she had stopped asking about his name and smiled again. "Sure, but I don't think you'll need much help. Look at your first two spells? Don't worry. You'll be fine," he said reassuringly.
They spent the rest of the short car ride describing Hogwarts to her. Maura loved the descriptions of the ghosts and moving stairs. She laughed with them over the monstrous pets that Hagrid kept adopting and gave Harry an understanding look when they described some of the things he had been through in his fight against Voldemort. Maura understood pain and helplessness better than anything. Time seemed to whir by as they got to the train station in London and went through the barrier. Harry and Ron greeted friends and fended off questions about Maura as Hermione got their trunks put away and hustled her onto the train. It seemed like no time at all had passed before the train was zooming through the countryside and the four of them were laughing and chatting merrily about everything. Ron and Harry were thrilled when Maura mentioned shyly that she had always wanted to learn how to fly and both proclaimed that they would teach her and maybe she could try out for Chaser on a House Quiddich team. That started them off on a general description of the Houses and a declaration that they hoped she would be in Gryffindor with them. After that Ron and Harry started a game of exploding snaps and Hermione got out her text books and began tutoring Maura in the spells she needed to know for sixth year. All of them were surprised when the trolley witch came by and told them that they would be arriving at Hogwarts soon. The boys and girls split up to change into their school robes and then wait for the train to stop. "Odd that Malfoy hasn't shown up to taunt you yet Harry," Ron said as they waited. Maura gave a visible start, "Malfoy? Which Malfoy?" she asked in a strained voice. The three of them gave her identical strange looks before Hermione answered, "Draco. He and Harry have been at it since they first started school." Maura paled, "Draco…we've met." "What?" Ron exclaimed. "The Malfoys were good friends with the Bedros. I think they are related somewhere back. They came to visit at Bedro Park every summer. Although, Draco hasn't been there for a couple of years. I think Master Malfoy mentioned that he was touring the continent this summer."