A/N: I've decided that I'm going to change the rating of this story up to mature, because I can no longer ignore that this story is rather dark. Keep a eye out for it in the mature filters.

"We should hurry,"

Those words seemed to rule her life these days, thought Hannah, as she hurried to catch up to Ernie, who had lengthened his stride as he had said those words. Behind her, Hannah could hear Susan pick up the pace as well, keeping pace with them.

Glancing through a window as they passed it, Hannah noted that the moon had already risen while they had been in the Room of Requirement, filling the corridors with an eerie silver light every time they passed a window. Shivering slightly, Hannah hurried to catch up to Ernie, who had managed to get a little ahead of her, and who seemed completely unperturbed at the moonlight.

Hannah hated these walks the three of them took. Usually it was just the three of them, though sometimes they would switch it up and walk down with some of the other Hufflepuffs. Often, Hannah wished that Neville would let them all out at once, so at least they would be in a bigger group. Hannah knew that it didn't really matter how big of a group they were in, but she like the illusion of security it gave her.

"I wish I could say I was used to walking like this by now," mumbled Susan behind her. "But I doubt that I'll ever get used to it.

Hannah nodded, knowing that the silence that was getting to her friend. Even when they had walked down from the D.A. meetings in their fifth year, the castle had never been this quiet. You would still hear students talking in the hall, teachers sweeping through, or failing that, Peeves wrecking havoc somewhere in the castle. These days it was much quieter, gloomier then Hannah ever remembered it.

They reached the entrance hall quicker than Hannah had expected, and were already halfway across it when Amycus Carrow strode out of the entrance to the dungeons, whistling happily.

"Oh dear," said Susan, her voice so quiet that Hannah could barely hear her. Amycus's whistling cut off abruptly as he noticed them, the last notes hanging in the air.

"You ain't in bed yet?" said Amycus, a smile creeping across his doughy face. "I think you'll be in detention for this."

Hannah glanced at her watch. They still had almost five minutes to get to the common room before curfew.

"It's not curfew yet," said Susan, obviously ahead of Hannah.

"You arguing with me?" said Amycus, his voice immediately turning from pleasant to dangerous. Had Hannah not been used to it by now, she would have found it terrifying. Even now, it still scared her a little.

"Not at all," said Ernie, speaking up before Susan could reply. "I simply believe that your watch is running a bit late."

"Late is it," snarled Amycus, stepping closer to Ernie then what would be considered polite. Even though Ernie was taller than Amycus, the effect was still oddly scary. "D'you think I'm stupid?"

"No," said Ernie, scooting back from Amycus.

"Cause I ain't," said Amycus. He glared right at Hannah, who shrunk down as small as she could, feeling like she was trapped in a spotlight. "What do you think Abbot?"

Hannah could feel Amycus glaring at her, feeding off her obvious fear in a way that reminded her of a Dementor.

"My watch says that we not out past curfew," said Hannah, deliberately misinterpreting the question.

"Idiot!" shouted Amycus immediately, the sound so loud that Hannah couldn't help but flinch. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

"No," said Hannah, in a small voice. She knew that he was picking on her, because she was the weakest target, the one who always cowered in fear when he looked at her, but it didn't help her be brave in the face of his shouting

"I don't believe you Abbot," said Amycus, still speaking far louder then was necessary. "I think you are lying to me. You think you're better than me."

"No," said Hannah again. Amycus ignored her.

"You need to be punished for thinking your better then a pure-blood. You need learn a lesson."

'Now hold on…" began Ernie, drawing himself up.

Before Ernie could finish, Amycus's wand had appeared from nowhere, and, almost of its own accord, a spell erupted from the tip and hit Ernie directly in the head. Ernie's head snapped back, and he fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"Don't," said Amycus, pointing his wand at Susan, who had started to reach for her wand. "You'll never make it."

Hannah rushed down to Ernie's side. Already a massive bruise was forming on his forehead, but as Hannah turned his head, she could still hear him breathing.

"Your boyfriend's fine," said Amycus. "Let's go."

"He's not my…" started Hannah, but realizing how pointless it was to tell this to Amycus. Then his next words penetrated. "Go where?"

"Your detention, stupid," snarled Amycus, prodding Hannah with his wand.

"Tonight?" said Hannah, her heart dropping. "Right now?"

"Yes, and yes," said Amycus. "Now LET'S GO"

He delivered these last two words at a shout, and Hannah jumped up immediately, too terrified to do otherwise.

"See, that wasn't so hard," Amycus grinned at Hannah, before pointing his wand at Susan. "You, drag the boy back into his dormitory. If he's still here when I get back, I'll put both of you in detention."

Hannah glanced back at Susan as Amycus grabbed her arm and started marching her back up the stairs she had come down a minute ago. Susan's expression was so helpless and filled with rage that Hannah felt bad for her, before remembering that she was about to happen to her.

As she was marched up the stairs, Hannah's mind supplied its owner with any number of horrible things that was about to happen to her. He could be taking her down to the dungeons, where she would undoubtedly be tortured. Or maybe he was to lock her up in his office until his next class. Or maybe he would just throw her in the first empty classroom he saw and torture her himself for the rest of the night.

Rationally, Hannah knew that these were all rather silly, but even so, she couldn't help but play these scenarios over and over in her mind until she felt ready to puke. Still dragging her, Amycus had started whistling again, and Hannah knew that she must be shaking uncontrollably by now, though she only felt a bit numb.

It seemed to take hours to reach the defense against the dark arts classroom, but Hannah knew that it couldn't have taken that long. The classroom looking scarier than ever with only moonlight streaming in through the windows, making the desks look much intimidating to Hannah then they did during the day. Carrow prodded her in, before slamming the door shut behind him and waving his wand so that the candles on one wall lit up, filling up the moonlit with flickering shadows.

Amycus turned toward Hannah, regarding her with a leer that Hannah didn't like at all.

"Give me your wand," he grunted.

Hannah hardly hesitated, putting a shaking hand into her robes and holding her wand out to him. Little though she wanted to give it to him, she knew that there wasn't much point in hesitating, when he was going to take it from her anyway.

"Good," said Amycus, "Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back.

Hannah stood by the door, trying not to let her knees shake to much as she watched Amycus stump out of the door, sealing it behind him and leaving Hannah in the empty room by herself, with only the fear of what was about to happen to her to keep her occupied. Time seemed to crawl by slowly, and after a while Hannah sunk into the familiar desk where she usually sat during his lessons.

Hannah was just wondering if he really was going to lock her up in here until the next defense against the dark arts meeting when the door burst open and Amycus came through, floating a big packing case in front of him. With a wave it went soaring through the air and landed heavily on the desk.

Hannah picked herself up from the floor, where she had fallen when Amycus had opened the door. Amycus stood in front of the door as though he was going to block her in case she made a break for it; Hannah thought this was rather unnecessary because her knees felt so weaknthat she thought that if she did try and run, she wouldn't be able to get two feet before collapsing on the ground.

"You'll stay here until I come back to get you," said Amycus suddenly, after a few seconds of them standing there. "D'you understand?"

Hannah nodded, doubting that that her mouth was capable of making any noise. Scared as she had been when she had been waiting in the room by herself, she now felt much worse. As soon as she had seen the packing case, she had known what was in store for her. Just a few hours ago Anthony had told the D.A. about the boggart he had been put into detention with. He hadn't told them what he had seen, But it was obvious by how shaken he had looked that it had been really bad.

And now Hannah knew that she would have to face it.

Amycus had been saying something, but Hannah, too scared to properly pay attention to him, didn't hear anything until he slammed the door shut behind him, and then the door sealing shut behind him.

Hannah walked numbly over to the door, knowing that she wouldn't be able to move it, and finding it quite firmly shut. Giving up, she walked so that she was standing in front of the case, which, if it happened like Anthony had told it, would soon be opened by a house-elf.

"Be brave," she murmured to herself. Instantly, an image of Neville sprang to mind, as tall and fearless as the real Neville. Hannah's knees stopped shaking, she stopped shivering as much, and her mind felt a little clearer. Hannah was just thinking that if she could just keep the image of Neville for a bit longer, she would be ready, when a house-elf appeared in front of her with a loud Crack!

Not looking at her, the house-elf undid the latch, flipped open the lid, and disappeared with another loud Crack! Almost before Hannah could register what had happened to the house-elf, she saw her mum walk out of the case.

"M-mum?" gasped Hannah, the house-elf and Neville completely forgotten now. Her mum looked like she always did in Hannah's nightmares, still in her nightclothes, the round face that Hannah had inherited devoid of any expression. Blood covered her face, painting it a pale red in the dim light. She was clearly dead, and as soon as she had stepped out of the case, she collapsed onto the ground.

Hannah rushed to her side, like she did so often during the days when Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let her have any of the potion that let her sleep dreamlessly. Just like in all her nightmares, her mum had already reached the floor by the time Hannah had started moving, and by the time Hannah started forward, a new pair of arms had caught her.

Though this didn't happen as often as some the other nightmares, it had happened often enough that Hannah knew without looking that it was her dad that had caught the body, eyes red with spent tears, more broken then Hannah had seen him in her first sixteen years of life.

It was a little surprising therefore when Hannah looked at who it was. It was her dad, but younger, more vital then she had seen him in a year. Instead being bowed down with the weight of his wife's death, this was a man still in his prime.

"This is your fault," He hissed, hatred in his eyes as he glared at his daughter, still cradling his wife. "You killed her."

Hannah drew back as though physically hit. Her dad had never looked at her like that before, not once.

"Dad?" she offered.

He ignored it. "You! You could have prevented this."

Hannah shook her head, feeling cold. She had expected the boggart to show her horrible things, had fully expected to see her mum dead, but this was a thousand times worse, to see her father hate her.

"No," whispered Hannah, squatting down so that she was level with him; it occurred to her that this wasn't real, but it was only a small thought floating in her brain when compared to the reality of her dad in front of her. "It was the Death Eaters Dad, they killed her when we were both gone. It wasn't out fault."

"It wasn't my fault," said her dad, never blinking as he stared at Hannah. "There was nothing I could have done to protect her. Isn't that right dear?" he added to the dead body in his arms, shaking her roughly.

"I know that Dad," said Hannah, feeling as scared and helpless as she usually did when she had the nightmares, though this felt far more real. "We've talked about this before."

"It must be your fault then," said her dad causally, as though he was discussing the weather.

"Don't say that," whispered Hannah, tears welling up in her eyes, horrified beyond words at what her dad had said.

"Why else would they attack?" asked her dad, now transferring his gaze down to his bloodied wife. "It was something you did, wasn't it?"

"No," Hannah tried to say, but the words got stuck before they even came out. Instead she just shook her head, tears coming down her cheeks.

"It was you joining Dumbledore's Army," pronounced her dad in a loud voice, as though telling the world. "That's why they targeted us."

Hannah tried to deny it, to summon up some little bit of resistance to refute him, but she couldn't bring herself to. When her mother had first died, she had blamed herself. In the end she had realized that it was silly, but she couldn't quite stop herself. So she hid it where she didn't have to think about it.

And now her father, the only family she had left, was confirming it.

"I can't think of any other reason, can you?" said her dad, and Hannah wasn't sure if he was talking to her, or the body. "You used to say that everything happened for a reason, didn't you dear? And I can't think of one."

"No," Hannah managed to whisper, wishing that she believed it. "No, it was random; I had nothing to do with it."

"You just had to join that gang, didn't you?" her dad went on, talking over Hannah's feeble protests. "We all could have lived happily if you hadn't"

Hannah stood up and went to the window, unable to keep looking at her parents. Her dad's voice trailed after her. "See, you aren't even denying it. You killed her."

Hannah shook her head again, though she knew it didn't matter. Her heart was beating hard that she could feel every single beat against her chest; it felt like a spell was hitting her in the chest over and over. Her palms were nearly drenched with sweat, and she became aware that she was shivering again. She tried to summon up the image of Neville, but it wouldn't come.

"This is worse than you nightmares, huh sweetie?" asked her dad tenderly. If Hannah knew that he wasn't holding her dead mother, she would have felt ten years old again. "That's because it's true here."

"Not like my dreams," agreed Hannah. She wished that she was relieving the terror of when Amycus had dragged her up here; at least that had ended soon. Who knew when this torture would end? "Leave me alone."

She could hear him getting up, but she didn't turn around, not even when he moved right behind her.

"Don't worry Honey; I'll be right here, so you won't forget."

Hannah didn't know how long she sat there, wishing that her father would leave. Every time she heard him breath it was as though he was blaming her. The thought that it might be true that she was to blame for her mother's death terrified her. The thought that her dad blamed her for it was worse. Long before Amycus opened the door again, Hannah had curled into a ball, shivering so violently that it looked like she had been caught in the middle of a blizzard.

Hannah barely noticed as Amycus banished the boggart, indeed barely moved until he dragged her out the door. Numbly, head still too full of what she had seen, she started moving automatically toward the Hufflepuff common room.

Now that her dad was gone, the fear seemed to ease up a little. Hannah doubted that it would go away, but it wasn't so bad now. She reached her dormitory without incident, collapsing onto her bed without undressing. She knew that she should go to sleep, to try and get some rest, but every time she closed her eyes she saw her dad holding her mom, and she knew it would be a long time before she could look at her dad the same way.

A/N: this didn't really end the way I wanted it to, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. If you saw anything you loved, (Or Hated) leave a review. Also, if you have an idea for a fear for one of the D.A., I'd be happy to hear about it, since I have have bright ideas for a few D.A. members.