"Nobody said it was easy, nobody said it would be this hard. Nobody said it was easy, oh take me back to the start"

The Scientist -

Chapter 5.

Virginia froze looking at the boy in front of her. He had reddish blonde hair and brown eyes like Bill's. He had a strong look of someone else and she knew whom. Fleur Delacour. Virginia had met Gabrielle Delacour four years ago. The French girl had graduated Beaubaxtons and had got a job in a wizarding modelling agency in America. They had met at a fashion show that was showcasing Avalon's new season robes and had been very close friends since then. Gabrielle had told her that Fleur and Bill had married and that they had three children.

"You have two sisters right? How old are they?" she asked John curiously.

"Rebecca is 8 and Sky is 5. How do you know about them?" he asked curiously knowing his Dad hadn't spoken to her since the war.

"Never mind" she said watching him. "I had better take you to the Leaky Cauldron" she said as she grabbed her cloak and put it on. She was dreading going there and having to face one of them, she hadn't had enough time.

Stepping outside with John she locked the store and they started walking. "I heard all the adults talking the other day at the Burrow. Do you really have children?" he asked her interested. After all this was Virginia Zabini a bit of legend to all the Weasley children. The aunt they had never met, the one that the adults found it to hard to talk about.

"Yes I do, twins. Josh and Grace they are 5 years old" she said smiling at him. She stopped walking suddenly and John fell into her. She could see Bill and Charlie standing there with two red headed boys and two blonde haired girls. Suddenly frozen to the spot she felt herself unable to take a step forwards or backwards.

"John!" one of the blonde haired girls yelled out and everyone turned to face them. Looks of shocked recognition on the faces of Bill and Charlie.

"Gin" Charlie said loudly as the group made there way to Virginia and John. The kids looked at each other wondering who it was.

"Hello Charlie, Bill" she said softly to them just watching them and seeing how they had changed.

Bill stepped forward to hug her and she hugged him back quickly before stepping away. Then it was Charlie's turn. She took a step back from them and looked at the children.

"These are my children Andrew and Mitchell" Charlie said smiling down at the two boys there.

"Aunt Virginia these two are my sisters Rebecca and Sky" he said pointing at the blonde girls. One grinned up at her and the other held tightly to Bill's hand and peered out from behind his legs.

"You two have met?" Bill asked confused.

Virginia nodded and pulled her cloak tighter around her. "John came flying out of the fireplace in my shop. He thought you'd be mad because he was supposed to end up at the Leaky Cauldron. I asked him who is father was and can honestly say I was a little shocked when he said Bill Weasley. I thought it best to bring him back here" she said with the ghost of a smile on her face.

"Thank you. Will you stay for a while Virginia? George told us about seeing you at St. Mungos and we've all been wanting to see you" Bill said quietly.

Looking around she took a deep breath and nodded. "I really shouldn't but a coffee would be great. It's been a long morning" she muttered.

"Well we'll go to Fortescue's and get coffee and the kids can get an ice cream" Charlie said as they led the kids away.

Virginia walked a slight distance away and found herself looking anywhere but at the group she was with.

"I love ice cream. What's your favourite flavour Aunt Virginia? Mine's triple chocolate fudge" John asked who seemed very comfortable having his aunt around.

Grinning at him she took a step closer to the boy. "I love ice cream too. My favourite is white chocolate. I love anything white chocolate flavour" she said smiling.

They sat at two separate tables the adults at a table next to the kids so they could keep an eye on them. As someone came to take their orders she quickly ordered a café latte. "It's been six years Virginia and not a word" Charlie said quietly.

" I told you all I was leaving. I had the decency to do that, not that any of you deserved that" she said coolly.

"Where have you been? What have you been doing?" Bill asked trying to steer them away from a fight.

" America mostly, Australia for a bit. I was pregnant with twins when the war ended though I didn't know it at the time. I went to America and stayed with a cousin of Blaise's. Had the children, Josh and Grace. I went to a wizarding college for two years and did a design course. Eventually opening Avalon Designs which has grown to what it is today" she explained.

"You've done really good for yourself" Bill said.

Nodding she smiled. "I've had a lot of good people help me and I work with the best" she told them. " I see that Arthur made it as Minister of Magic. Percy would have been proud" she said quietly.

The two exchanged surprised looks. " They are still at the Burrow. Fleur and I have three children now. Charlie here married a dragon tamer called Kate and they have the two boys. Fred married Angelina Johnson and they have four kids, two girls and two boys. George married Alicia Spinet and they've got two girls" Bill explained.

"Ron. Ron married Hermonie two years ago. They've got a son" Charlie said quietly wincing when he saw the look in Virginia's eyes at the mention of their youngest brother.

"Harry?" Virginia found herself asking.

Both boys smiled at each other. "He's dating some Italian chick. He's been playing quidditch at the Wimbourne Wasps for the last three years"

"Have you been alone all this time? Since Blaise's death?" Charlie asked cautiously.

"Blaise may be dead but he's not gone. There is so much of him in Josh. And I see Rohan Zabini and his family all the time. Cassandra Zabini has always been there for me. And of course there is Draco and Pansy. I've been real lucky to have people stick by me and support me. Funny how they are all Slytherin's isn't it?" she smirked at them.

"Listen Virginia about what happened. Ron he is miserable. Whenever there is something about you in the paper or whenever we hear of someone who has seen you he just shuts down. And the rest of us we are so sorry" Bill said softly.

"Sorry? You all keep saying that, yet it took you till after the war. I told you what was going on the best I could and none of you believed in me. Do you know what it's like to have your family turn on you? To throw you out of home in the middle of a war with nothing but a coat and a hand me down wand?" she hissed angrily. "The spell that Ron put me under have you ever had relive your greatest nightmares over and over again all at the one time? I don't give a shit about Ron or the guilt he feels. He can carry it for the rest of his life as far as I am concerned" she continued, ignoring the looks that Bill and Charlie were passing between each other.

"Virginia" Bill started.

"No. You were my brothers you were supposed to stand up for me, to be there for me no matter what. Percy did though. He came to me and apologized. He is the only Weasley that I call family and he's dead now"

**

It was the Christmas holidays of Virginia's sixth year and the train ride home she had ignored Ron, Hermonie and Harry and sat with Blaise, Draco and Pansy. Getting home she was greeted by Percy, Charlie and Bill in the kitchen who were all home for Christmas.

"Percy" she said happily and flung herself into his arms and the two siblings hugged tightly. She then hugged Charlie and Bill glad to be away from the tense atmosphere in the car ride home.

Later that evening after dinner everyone was called into the living room for a talk. "Ron has written us a few interesting letters home about your behavior Ginny" Molly said as soon as everyone was there.

"It's Virginia" she said coolly glaring at Ron because she knew what this was about.

"Fine Virginia. He says that you've been socializing with Slytherins. With Draco Malfoy of all people. What were you thinking young lady?" Molly asked her.

"So what I've got friends in Slytherin is that a crime?" Virginia snapped back.

"It is when they are a Malfoy. Have you forgotten what his father put you through in your first year?" Arthur said standing up.

"Of course not. But Draco is not his father Dad" she tried to explain.

"He's a Malfoy Virginia" Arthur replied angrily.

"Ron also told us that you have been dating Blaise Zabini and been seen with another Slytherin Pansy Parkinson" Molly said standing next to her husband.

"Yeah I'm dating Blaise, he's a wonderful person" she began but was cut off by Molly interrupting her. "You will stop dating the boy Virginia immediately and you will no longer associate with any Slytherin's do you understand me?"

"No I won't!" Virginia yelled as she got to her feet. "They are my friends who I happen the trust and I love Blaise, I won't give them up"

"They are part of Voldermort's circle can't you see they are only doing this to get to Harry" Ron said speaking for the first time.

Hermonie put her hand on his arm but he pushed it off and stood next to his parents.

"You don't know anything about them Ronald" Virginia hissed at him giving him all her attention.

"I know more than you ever will" he spat back at her.

She squared her shoulders and nodded. "That's right your all members if the Order aren't you? You have Fred and George join and then you, Harry and Hermonie but what about me?" she cried angrily. "Did you think that I wouldn't find out? I'm not an idiot!" she said her face going red.

"That doesn't matter Virginia. You will have no contact with any Slytherin's from this point in time. Do you understand me?" Arthur said angrily his fist shaking.

"No" she said defiantly.

"Then get out of this house" he roared.

Virginia took a step back and looked at her brother's sitting in various chairs around the room.

"How can you just sit there?" she cried at them.

She pulled out her wand and turned back to face her parents but Ron stepped forward and raised his wand ready to yell "Stupefy", but he coughed at the last second and came out with something else all together which only three people in the room.

The curse struck Virginia before anyone could do anything and she saw frozen in shock and dropped her want from which she was going to summon her coat. The living room she was in disappeared and she was transported into the Chamber of Secrets where she began to relive her nightmares over and over again. Tom Riddle taunting her, the basilisk and finally Harry fighting to save her. The scene changed to the Department of Mysteries where they were fighting the Death Eaters and of course Sirius dying. And finally of the attack at Hogsmeade when she had been confronted with Dementors and had the Crutacious curse placed on her by three Death Eaters. The pain was real all over again and she could feel her muscles twitching in pain. She wanted to open her mouth and scream but she found that she couldn't. So silent tears made their way down her cheeks instead.

Those in the living room who knew what the curse was were frozen in horror watching the expressions come over her face. Percy stood up and rushed over to her trying to help her. "What is this curse?" he yelled at them trying to find a way to stop it.

It was Bill who spoke and he looked at Virginia before answering. "It's an old curse it makes the person it is cast upon relive the worst moments of their life over and over until they start going insane" he said quietly. "It's not a very well known spell" he said

Percy whirled on Ron who was watching his sister in horror, Hermonie and Harry standing next to him. "Damn you Ron" Percy said loudly who rushed to Virginia with Harry much to his surprise. They tried to shake her gently not wanting to scare her anymore than she already was.

"I'm sorry Gin" Percy said before raising a hand and slapping her hard across the cheek. And it seemed to of worked.

The room came back into focus quickly for Virginia as she stumbled to her left and fell into someone. Warm arms wrapped around her and she allowed herself to rest against them as she heard a male voice tell her that it was all right. She looked around and realized where she was and stiffened in the person's arms when she realized that it was Harry.

Pulling away quickly she met his gaze and saw some sort of sorrowful understanding. Giving him the smallest of nods she turned to her right and saw Percy. She reached out and squeezed his arm before turning to face the rest of them.

"You bastard" she hissed at Ron who couldn't even look at her. "You are not my family" she said louder and she raised her wand to summon her coat without any interruption this time. She put it on and walked through the kitchen and out the front door into the cold weather where it had begun snowing.

Her owl, a present from Blaise, landed on her shoulder and hooted softly at her ready to go where ever she was going. She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a piece of scrunched up parchment, it was a port key that Professor Snape had given her only a couple of days ago. Tapping her wand she muttered the spell to activate it and she felt the familiar pulling in her stomach. She looked back at the Burrow quickly to see two solitary figures watching her from the window. Percy and Harry she thought before she disappeared. Only to reappear in front of a modest size house in the English countryside. Slowly making her way to the door she knocked and waited for what seemed like forever. A shocked look came over Professor Snape's face when he saw her there and reached out to catch her in time, just before she hit the ground in a dead faint.

**

Bill reached out and placed a hand on her arm causing her to come out of her thoughts. She saw the children crowded around the table obviously ready to do.

"Come to dinner tonight Aunt Virginia. It's Uncle Fred and Uncle George's birthday. Everyone is going to the Burrow for it" John said smiling at her.

"Oh I don't think so John. I've got the kids and I'm babysitting my niece and nephew's tonight" she said shaking her head.

"Please Virginia come. Mum and Dad would love to see you. Bring the kids all of them, nobody will mind. Dinner starts at 7" Charlie said as he leaned down to kiss her cheek.

Bill doing the same before they left to do some shopping, leaving her there to think.