The Beauty of Evil

The night was quiet. The air was almost still except for the slight, cool, breeze that swept a few stray strands of hair across her pale, unemotional face. Her black hood was drawn up over her head and she slowly surveyed her surroundings. For God knows how long, the young girl had been running as fast as her body would allow through the thick forest. Why did she choose to betray them, anyway? Why hadn't she expected something like this to happen? Her wand hung limply in her arm at her side. A little ways ahead of her, she noticed an opening in the trees, and began to make her way over to it.

Normally, Oksana wouldn't accept help from anyone. That's just the way she was. She showed none of her emotions to anyone, and she didn't trust anyone, but this time it was different. This was a life or death situation, and if she didn't get help soon, she would be dead within a few days. There was no way that she could run from the Death Eaters much longer. Eventually they would catch her. Then they would slowly torture her until she breathed her last...

It all started that morning when she had been in a meeting with her father and his death eaters. It was supposed to be her initiating ceremony. They wanted her to be a Death Eater. Oksana had refused and run out of the meeting. Her father had ordered her to be killed.

She was only sixteen, but her maturity showed not only through her physical appearance but also through her actions. Oksana knew almost everything there was to know about the dark arts. Of course she would! Her family was a wealthy, pure-blooded family, and all of her relatives were death eaters. Her black, velvet robes clung to her swift figure as the wind suddenly picked up and began blowing almost violently.

She had sped up to the point where she was running by the time she reached the edge of the forest. Ahead of her was a vast spread of open grass, and right in the middle of it was an enormous castle. It suddenly hit her. Oksana had run right to Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Her father despised this school. He said they focused on too many unimportant things. 'Muggle studies' was one thing that her father found absolutely ridiculous. So, since no nearby schools met his approval, he had forced Oksana to be taught at home by him.

The grass was still wet with freezing, cold dew, which caused her robes to stick to her ankles as she began to cross. She was there. Quickly, Oksana threw open the large, wooden door and began running wildly down a dark corridor.

"Where is everyone?" she whispered frantically to herself.

"Well, it IS after when most of us are supposed to be away sleeping..." a voice remarked slightly sarcastically behind her. Oksana froze completely at the sound of the boy's voice. As she turned herself around, Oksana found herself face-to-face with a silver blondish haired boy who looked to be about her age. His cold, gray eyes seemed to be able to read her thoughts as he gave her a playful, yet evil smirk. This mysterious boy intrigued her very much. Just as she was about to throw back a spiteful remark, the boy was speaking again.

"And if I'm not mistaken, I'm a prefect, and I have the ability to punish those who choose not to obey the rules set forth for them to follow." His smirk widened with pleasure as he noticed the flash of fear cross her face.

"Just shut the fuck up, will you, and tell me where the headmaster is!" Her own blue eyes glowed with rage after she realized the boy had seen how scared she truly was. He pretended to be shocked.

"Oh my goodness! In quite a bad mood, aren't we?" He threw a look of laughter at her. He knew he was bothering her, and he seemed to enjoy it.

"You little prat!" Oksana raised her wand up in her left hand and pointed it at the boy. "If you only knew why I'm here! I don't attend your shitty school! Just show me where you headmaster is!" Her hood had fallen off in her anger, and was now draped loosely around her shoulders. Her flowing, black hair shone in the light of the torches hung on the walls.

Before the boy was given time to reply, a tall slightly balding man with longish hair rounded the corner to their right. He held up his lantern, and when he saw them, he gave them a look of annoyance.

"Draco, what're you doing in the halls this late at night? Don't tell me that you're on more 'prefect business' again." He looked at the boy as if he were up to no good.

"Filch, this IS in fact prefect business, and I'd appreciate it if you'd get rid of the smart ass comments, will you?" Draco didn't even try to hide his feeling of annoyance as he replied to the man.

"Well then, Mr. Malfoy, what ARE you doing in the hallway in the middle of the night with this young lady?" Filch kept the same disgusted expression upon his face as he looked to Draco for an answer.

"Well, sir, I'm actually a transfer student here, and I Apparated to this school, but I forgot to take into consideration the time difference. I was just trying to find my way to the Headmaster's office when I bumped into Draco here." Oksana gave Filch a large, undoubtedly fake smile.

"All right then, sorry for the hassle. The headmaster's office is right down to the left, then the right, Ms......what is your name?"

"I'm Oksana Mirthwood, Mr. Filch. Nice to meet you." She held out her hand in another obviously fake gesture of friendliness. Filch didn't seem to notice the sarcasm in her actions, and shook her hand gratefully.

"You take care, all right, Oksana? You're a nice girl." And with that, Filch disappeared back into the shadows of the corridor that he came from.

"Who the hell was that, Draco?" Oksana turned to Draco as soon as Filch was out of sight.

"That would be Filch, an old, lonely man who roams the halls at night preventing fun for anyone who might actually have things to at night other than sleep..." He cast Oksana a wry grin, then turned suddenly and began sauntering down towards where Filch had indicated the Headmaster's office to be. "Are you coming or not?"

She didn't say anything. Oksana merely began following Draco to the Headmaster's office. Thoughts of Draco ran through her head as she watched him lead the way ahead of her. They were so much alike, both of them having a sarcastic, witty nature. Maybe going to this school wouldn't be such a bad idea...

"Ok, well, here's Headmaster Dumbledore's office. You can speak to him about whatever you want. I don't suppose I'll be seeing you again, will I?" He slanted his head slightly to the left and casually lifted his right eyebrow at her.

"Why wouldn't you be seeing me again? I'm enrolling as a new student, remember?" Oksana lifted her right eyebrow back at him.

"I thought you'd never attend our 'shitty school'?" Draco chuckled slightly. The way the lighting was hitting Oksana, she reminded him of an angel that had fallen to the dark side...

"Well, a girl can always change her mind, can't she? Maybe enrolling here isn't such a bad idea after all..." A draft blew through the stone-walled hallway and made her long, silky black hair fly behind her shoulders.

"Yes, of course. I'll be seeing you, then." With that, the thin, blonde haired boy turned and swiftly walked away still wearing the smirk identical to the one that was on Oksana's dimly lit features.

The slightly evil-looking girl turned away from the retreating figure of Draco and entered the Headmaster's office with no sign of fear or nervousness about her. She once again put on her calm, resolute personality. Now to convince the Headmaster to let her enroll...