Cruel Beauty

Rating: PG-13

Summery: Alternate Universe. When Ginny was six years old her parents died and she was left in the care of her mother's beautiful yet cruel sister. She raises Ginny with misguided views on love, will Ginny be able to love or is she too late to save?

Disclaimer: Anything that you recognize is not mine

A/N Happy Memorial Day everyone!!! Ah, what a great weekend no school, no homework, the perfect time to catch up on my story! I really appreciated all the positive reviews that you guys left last chapter. I was kind of nervous about how everyone would react to the killer information but it went over very well! For this chapter I had an internal debate with myself on whether I should create a character or use one that was already available. Well the latter won and after going through every HP character there is I picked one of my favorites and tossed them into the story! Anyway, sorry that it took me a week to get this out but believe me, I was writing as fast as I could! I hope that you enjoy the chapter, as well as the new person in Virginia's life!

Chapter Eighteen

One Last Breath

I'm looking down now that it's over
Reflecting on all of my mistakes
I thought I found the road to somewhere
Somewhere in His grace
I cried out heaven save me
But I'm down to one last breath Creed

I flew for hours and felt the cold from the wind seeping into my veins. I did not wish to feel anymore so I welcomed the cold.

I soon became bored and allowed my mind to wander. But it wandered to the one thing that I couldn't stand to think about. The part of my mind that still held an emotional attachment to Maria tried to reason out another possibility other than the espionage thing. However, even that foolish division in my brain had to wake up and see reason.

I felt the now familiar feeling of betrayal creeping up on me and I grew frustrated. I wanted to view the world in an impassive way; it was much easier. I closed my eyes and opened my mouth widely to breath in the bitter wind. That, however, proved to be an unwise act as I soon felt my lungs being filled with too much air.

My body began to shake with harsh coughs as it attempted to rid itself of the invisible substance. I pounded on my chest and felt my eyes sting with tears. After a few minutes my body simply gave up and shut itself down. But before that happened I couldn't help but think of how idiotic my obituary would look; death by air, what a way to go.

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I woke up on an uncomfortable mattress and found myself covered with a flannel blanket. So this is what hell was, an out of date place to sleep and an itchy bedspread.

A man entered the room with shoulder length shaggy looking brown hair and a friendly smile. If this is what the devil looked like he really needed a new look, he wasn't very intimidating. Perhaps I could tell him where to find Lucius; he could help the man out.

"You're awake! I was beginning to really worry about you." His voice made me cringe, it was too merry.

I tried to speak but all that came out was a strange noise. I cleared my throat several times before asking the man who he was hoarsely.

His smile returned as he took a seat next to me on the small bed. It didn't matter much though, he was horribly thin. "I am Remus Lupin." I opened my mouth again but he cut me off, "before you say anything else, I'm sure that I already know what other questions you were about to ask. You are in my home; you landed in my yard last week. You had fallen off of your broom and you were terribly injured. I have healed you to the best of my ability and with a few more days rest, you should be fine."

Once he mentioned the terrible injuries my sore muscles began to react. It was difficult to move and I wondered how far I had fallen. I cleared my throat again and it caught his attention. He pulled out his wand and said some sort of healing spell that I wasn't familiar with. After that my vocal cords loosened enough that it was no longer painful for me to speak. I asked about my possessions and he informed that the broom was beyond repair but he did find a photo album and some sort of book.

After he answered that for me he had some questions of his own. "So, now that you know who I am perhaps you can inform me of a question that I have been most curious about for the past week; who are you?"

I didn't even know where to start on that one. I assumed that all he wanted was a name but I couldn't even give him that. I had no clue who I was; Maria's diary had complicated everything. He was still waiting for an answer so I gave the only one that I really knew, "Virginia."

"Got a last name, Virginia?" Ah, that was the part that I was so confused on. Since I had technically run away and abandoned that part of my life I was pretty sure that I was no longer welcomed as an Evansole. But I wasn't really a Weasley either. I couldn't just start calling myself Virginia Weasley just because I no longer wished to be an Evansole. I was too corrupted to be a Weasley.

The name Malfoy actually came to mind. It was the first time that I had ever contemplated marriage to Draco. It would be nice to have a last name that fit. Virginia Malfoy, it had a nice ring to it. However, it didn't seem very logical to marry just to gain a name.

I sighed and simply said the only name that I could ever remember having, "Evansole."

"Evansole," he repeated. I nodded in conformation and he looked thoughtful for a moment, "I used to know an Evansole."

"Congratulations." I said dryly.

He brushed off my sarcasm and just continued to look as though someone had slapped him with a happy stick; it was rather annoying. "So Virginia Evansole, is there anyone that you want me to contact for you?" I shook my head no. "No family, friends, no one?"

"No. Thank you for your generosity, I'll be on my way in a few hours."

He looked at me ridiculously, "nonsense, you are in no condition to travel. You are more than welcome to stay here until you are fully healed." I searched his eyes and found nothing but sincerity and kindness.

I couldn't stay here, I might begin to care for him; I might begin to enjoy the kindness that annoyed me now. I could not risk another Maria situation. But as I pathetically attempted to sit up my entire body fell back down on the bed in protest. I looked up at his amused face and scowled. "Perhaps I can stay for a little while."

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My days with Remus were nothing like I had expected. I thought that it would be similar to my experience with Maria. I thought that his compassion towards me would ware down the walls that I had built up around myself. But I still only felt aggravation and my emotions remained in check. Strange, I supposed that history doesn't repeat itself after all.

Once I knew that I wasn't in danger of becoming close to him I allowed myself to have actual conversations with Remus. He was a very intellectual man and could, to my surprise, hold his own in a conversation. He had seemed like the Gryffindor type to me; and they are not exactly known for their intelligence.

However, I had justification for pegging him the Gryffindor type, because he was. We discussed Hogwarts and the differences between the snake and lion houses. He did not hold the same Slytherin prejudice as most, which was another thing that stunned me. He told me that most people were extremely closed-minded and he had always figured that every house had its bad students, and it's good students.

He learned very quickly to not ask me personal questions, such those involving my family. And I returned the favor by staying away from any conversation about his past; he had told me that was the one thing that he refused to discuss.

It should have seemed strange to me that this man would just accept someone into his home that he did not know, but it wasn't. Remus was, like I said before, a kind person by nature. He was also very lonely, and not all people accept loneliness like me. I can adapt to it and even enjoy it, but people like Remus take it as a sign of failure and take it in displeasure.

I could never figure out why he was alone though. He was attractive enough, the hair and wardrobe needed some work but that was the only thing that I saw wrong. I sensed that he did not enjoy vulnerability; he appreciated control of all situations.

I could have left after a week, my injures were healed enough to travel. But I didn't have anywhere to go to and flying aimlessly didn't sound as enticing as it had a few weeks ago. So I stayed and Remus gave no quarrels about it. The relationship that I formed with him in that short period of time was strange. I would say that it was out of convenience, but that is more of how my bond with Draco began. Remus and I understood each other to a certain extent but it was never a matter of closeness or a deep friendship. He needed someone to talk to and I needed a place to stay.

He would sometimes ask me questions about Hogwarts but it never seemed to me as though he truly cared about any of the answers. Until one day when we were sitting down for tea and he brought up a name.

"Virginia?" I looked at him in acknowledgment. "Do you happen to know Harry Potter?"

"Why of course, everyone knows who he is."

He looked slightly nervous, as though he didn't want an answer to the question. "What I mean though, is do you know him. Do you know what he's like?"

This was certainly abnormal, I never would have pegged Remus to be a Potter fan. "I will not claim to know him, because in reality, I don't. Yes, we attend the same school, but that is the extent of it. I could tell you what I think of him, which is that he is naïve and thinks too much with blind emotions; but I don't think that's what you want to know. Why do you wish to know?"

He looked disappointed, but also relieved at the same time. "I just have not seen him in a long while and I sometimes wonder how he grew up."

I am not normally one to pry, but this had sparked my normally dead interest. "Did you know his parents or something?"

Remus looked up at me and I saw the lifeless look that appeared in his eyes every time his past was mentioned. I regretted the question, but at the same time, I still wanted to know. I was curious about why he kept everything so hidden and why he looked almost suicidal in the reference of Harry's parents.

"We went to Hogwarts together." And that was the end of the conversation. The answer that he gave me was more than I expected so I could hardly press for more. But, I could still silently wonder.

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I stayed with him for the remaining two weeks of my vacation. And for once, that's what it was, a vacation. It was the time off from life that I needed so desperately. Since I was in an unfamiliar place it was easy for me to just pretend that all the horrible things in my life had not happened. I felt as though I was uncovering a little bit of who I am. For instance I learned that my favorite flavor of ice cream is Rocky Road, I discovered that I enjoy muggle clothing more than wizard wear (it's much more comfortable), and I found that Quidditch is actually mildly enjoyable.

All right, so food, clothes, and sports isn't exactly deep and meaningful; but it's a start. I owed a great deal to Remus because he gave me the one thing that I truly needed; space. Everyone else who has cared for me in my lifetime has tried to influence their ways on me; that's why I am so confused as to who I really am.

Velena wanted me to become the definition of an Evansole; her. Maria wanted me to be involved in all the things that she supposedly cared for: painting, cooking, and writing. Even Draco tries to mold me some; he often tries to help me by passing on his characteristics. And even though he has good intentions, he is still attempting to influence me.

But with Remus, he just let me be free. He encouraged me to try everything and find out what I truly liked, and what I absolutely despised. He didn't try to get close to me and he didn't tell me what his own favorite things were; I discovered it all on my own.

The time came for me to return to Hogwarts and I found that for once I was reluctant to do so. Under normal circumstances I would be extremely anxious to escape Velena, but I was enjoying my time with Remus. He didn't expect anything of me and I appreciated that beyond words.

But I made a promise to Draco, and I always keep my promises. So I left the sanctuary that his home had become to me and went back to my reality. Remus drove me to the station in his out of date car and I asked him not to come to see me off.

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I boarded the Hogwarts Express and I realized that I didn't have any of the materials that I would need for the upcoming year. I didn't even have any clue as to what those supplies were; I had never received my Hogwarts owl. I had Remus place an invisibility charm on me so that I would become untraceable to owls and other spells; I didn't want Velena to find me.

I scanned the compartments until I found the one that Draco was in. I entered it and we both gave each other a respectable nod; we were an unusual couple.


"Hello Virginia, I see that you made it back from your journey safely. I trust that everything went well?"

"Besides the near death experience, everything was peachy." He raised an eyebrow at me but I shrugged it off, "I'll explain it to you later. Unfortunately, I do not have any of the supplies that are required for this school year, so that may prove to be a problem for me."

He smirked and held up a large bag, "I suspected that might happen when I found that I was unable to reach you by owl so I bought your things along with my own." I thanked him and thought about how much trouble it probably was for him to get the fifth year supply list when he was a sixth year.

Draco didn't ask where I had went and I didn't offer the information. He had long since learned that I couldn't be forced to share anything and if I was pressured I was more likely to end the conversation all together. So we mostly sat in comfortable silence and discussed safe subjects for brief periods of time until we reached the carriages.

Once we arrived at the school we entered the Great Hall for the annual sorting and feast. The sorting was predictable and soon after that Dumbledore rose to make the same speech that he always made.

But this year we had a new professor. There was going to be a new teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts and the majority of the students were chatting excitedly about who it may be. I was curious about it, but it didn't really matter that much to me. I knew that I would breeze through the course no matter what; so it didn't concern me as to who was teaching it.

However, I still paid attention to Dumbledore as he made the announcement. He droned on about how thrilled he was about this new professor because he went to school here. Finally the headmaster pointed to his left and a tall thin man rose. I squinted my eyes to get a better view and to my surprise the new professor turned and smiled directly at me; it was Remus.

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A/N So the new addition to the story is Remus, surprise! I really like Remus because I think that he has a certain mystery about him and he just seems interesting. I realize that it is probably a little confusing because in the books he teaches at Hogwarts during Harry's third year, but it's an alternate universe and I'll do what I want, lol! Not a lot happened in this chapter but the next one is going to be pretty busy, so if you got bored during this, just be patient. Reviews are very appreciated and I'll try my hardest to get the next chapter out in a couple days!

Frananddragon- Yeah, your guess was pretty close, right family and all. And you are right on as far as the Maria thing goes, she is not done with this story. I still have a few more very important scenes that involve our little spy. I can relate with school, it sucks!!! And if you fly away, be sure to take me with you, lol! Thanks for wishing me a happy birthday as well as for the review!

k00lgirl1808- I know exactly what you mean on the school work thing! It's making me so mad, the school year is almost over and yet they feel the need to just keep piling on the homework and tests! Ugh, I can't wait for summer, lol! Thanks for reviewing!

swt-angel-babi3- I'm happy that I shocked you with Maria being a spy, I was really hoping that I could pull off the plot twist thing! And I agree on the Draco thing, I couldn't wait to get his name cleared on the Maria thing. Thanks for reviewing!

Fallen Angel of Darkness- God, I am the blindest plot person ever so don't even feel dumb about it. Ha, if you are trying to compete for dumbest plot person you will never beat me so don't even try it, lol! Velena was a logical choice, but don't forget that she was a busy girl that summer; but what was she up to? Thanks for reviewing!

BlackMage- Ha, glad that you like being singled out! I'm glad that you didn't see the Malfoys as being the killers because I was afraid that everyone was going to see that one coming. And I was actually going to have her end up at the Burrow but once I wrote in Remus he just didn't seem to want to leave, lol! Thanks for reviewing!

Dassa Mudruffin- The plot is getting pretty thick isn't it? Lol, I just keep adding stuff. I should probably stop that or I'll never finish the story! Thanks for the review and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter!

Adela H- I'm glad that my story has changed your usual view point of alternate universe stories! I love to write them because I enjoy twisting their world into different ways. And don't worry, she'll be finding out more family secrets soon! Thanks for reviewing!

Brown-sugar- I agree with all of your viewings on the characters: Velena is psycho, Draco is sexy, and Maria did turn out to be a bitch, lol! Ginny should be keeping contact with her family, but I make no promises; this story has a way of changing on me, lol! Thanks for reviewing!

Nalia- You're welcome :D Your little review competition with S.e.a made me laugh and I'm glad that you liked the last chapter! And to answer your question, Lucius does still have Tom Riddle's diary, but I haven't decided if I want it to come into play or not; what do you think?

Nirvana- Lol, you want some kissy-kissy stuff? Sorry that you didn't get your wish in this chapter, but I'll be sure to work in some Draco/Ginny action in the next one; it has been a while since we have seen any. Thanks for reviewing!

Celeste- Thank you! I'm glad that you like my portrayal of Lucius, I always figured that when he was talking to those who he felt were level with him that he would be quite the bastard that he is in the books. Thanks for reviewing!

Zainab- No problem, flamers drive me nuts! She's sending you e-mails though? Ugh, what a freaking stalker! If she is still bothering you give her my e-mail and tell her that I have a few choice words for her, lol! Thanks for reviewing and be sure to continue with your story!

AnGeL*Of*MiNe- You're welcome! And I don't know why Lucius denied his relationship with Molly. Oh wait, yes I do, I just can't reveal that information at this time, lol! *evil grin* Thanks for the review and I agree on your opinion of Velena!

Darcel- Thank you so much for the continuing reviews! I appreciate the support!

Lyss- Thank you! I'm glad that you are enjoying my portrayal of Draco, even if he is a little out of character. And I'm happy that you liked Virginia's reaction to the diary, I actually rewrote that scene several times! Thanks for the review!

Ace of Spades- I'm glad that my story could make you feel better! Sorry that you're sick, I hope that you get well soon and it was my birthday, thanks for wishing me a happy one! And after I had so many reviewers guessing Draco as the killer I went back and read that part of the story; they did seem older than twelve and eleven. Oh well, I'll just write it off as extreme intelligence, lol! Good luck on your tests and thanks for reviewing!

Gryffindor-girl2002- Oh I'm so happy that you liked my story! I really love your story, Not Really a Weasley; I've been reading it but I'm just too lazy to review, lol! Thank you for reviewing and I hope that you liked this chapter!

Marchione- Wow, you keep just hitting things right on the head! You were right about not being able to stay at Draco's and you are also really close on Maria. Your questions on her might be answered in the next chapter, depending on how fast things progress when I write it. Glad that you liked the quote and thanks for reviewing!

ToykoGal89- I'm glad that you enjoyed her little chat with Lucius, I suppose that he is a little strange. And you're right, it was cruel to use poor little Ginny for information! Thanks for reviewing!

Crystal- Thanks for reviewing! And I agree, it was cruel of Maria to use Ginny as an informant without her consent or knowledge. I hope that you liked this chapter, maybe Remus will turn out to be nicer than Maria!

S.e.a- Wow, three reviews! I hope that you found your ring, and it's not dumb to cry over it; I would! Feel free to use my review board to pass messages, I find it rather humorous! And of course I really like your story! Believe me, I don't lie and I truly am enjoying your story! And it is wonderful to know that you respect my opinion! Thanks for reviewing!

J- Thank you so much for all of the reviews! I am so ecstatic that you are enjoying this so much! And I have to agree with you on the Hermione thing, after reading fan fiction and writing my own I have found that I really don't like her. Thank you for saying that you like the gradual relationship because I was afraid that people would get bored and impatient. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter!!

Also thanks to S.e.a and Bob the Tooth Fairy for reviewing Astraphobia. But not so much thanks to EWWWW who felt the need to flame the story even though they didn't read it; considering that you told me that I couldn't write based on what my reviews said I'm going to have to say that you are not superior to me in any form of intelligence.

** Also an opinion question for all of you, would you rather see Tom Riddle in this story or Voldemort? (I am aware that they are the same person but Riddle would involve the diary and Voldemort would be different.)**