Summery: In a new age of espionage, spies are essential to victory. One woman is given an assignment that could change the course of the impending battle. One assignment, one task, a last hope, in effort to prevent a community on the brink of war from going over the edge, until she finds a secret that could change everything…(After Hogwarts, G/D)

Disclaimer: All things related to HP are not mine, they belong to JK, I just used them and bend them to my will. The basic plot idea was given to me by my sister, Archer, as she came up with the spy idea and claimed she was going to write about it. As I have yet to see proof of this, I came up with my own plot and started the story myself. However, I give all props to my sister, as I wouldn't even be reading or writing HP fanfiction if it weren't for her. *hugs and smewchies*

A/N: A lot of plot detail in the first chapter. This is a test run to see if people think I should continue this. Feedback is necessary in this assessment, so please take a moment to review, whether you hate it or love it. Thanks.

One Last Hope

Chapter 1

          "Sure you know where you are goin?" Riley asked in a whisper, leaning close to Ginny's ear. Ginny slid her eyes in his direction but kept her head forward.

          "Shut up, Anderson," She hissed, not slowing her step. She didn't have to see his face to picture the mischievous grin he was flashing. He was going to blow everything if he didn't shut up.

          It took every ounce of courage Ginny had to not fidget and mess with her hair nervously. Even though she had been through this at least a dozen times, her stomach never failed to have butterflies and her palms were always sweaty. She told herself, as she always did, she'd have to work on that.

          Their footfalls echoed loudly on the wet sidewalks. Ginny could picture what they looked like from a distance. Two shadowy figures, long black trench coats; it reminded Ginny of the muggle mobster movies Fred and George snuck home one summer. The lampposts gave barely enough light to see by in the dead of night. The air was humid and sticky; Ginny could pick up the smell of the Mediterranean two blocks away. She took a deep breath to steady her hands; they were almost there.

          She finally glanced over at Riley, wondering if he was a bundle of nerves like herself. His handsome face was the picture of serenity however; if he was nervous, it didn't show. Ginny watched the warm breeze ruffle his dark hair as his piercing green eyes met hers. He gave her a reassuring smile; all would be well.

          They reached the building that was their destination, an old abandoned office building in the middle of a quiet street in downtown Savona, Italy.

          Ginny checked her reflection in the window by the door as Riley knocked. She changed her look for every mission, it was part of procedure. She took in the short black hair, dyed, contacts that turned her eyes dark blue, high-heeled boots that gave her four inches; all changed the muggle way, undetectable by magic. The door opened, drawing her attention. Here we go…

          Ginny followed Riley into the building, keeping her head low but her senses alert. She saw the muggle video cameras in the corners without looking at them, the creaks from the upstairs floorboards indicated three or four bigger men were pacing.

          McConery, Lewston, Harris and Redbur, Ginny thought, going over the plan one last time in her head.

          At the top of the stairs, Riley and Ginny were frisked for wands or other lethal objects. Both subjected themselves to the search willingly, holding out their arms and standing still. Hidden pockets in both their boots went undiscovered. Each had a viable wand in one boot and a muggle pistol in the other. Most likely neither would be necessary; their training was to capture, not kill.

          As they were led into the main room, Ginny resisted the urge to rub her ear where she knew a bug monitored their every movement and word. She stepped next to Riley and let her eyes sweep the scene before her.

          Dimly lit and filled with cigarette smoke, she nearly choked on the musty air. Six men, the four she thought of earlier plus two guards. One guard was on Ginny and Riley's team, Jason Thomas. A fleeting thought of him being the older brother of Dean Thomas whom she attended school with flit through her head but she quickly pushed it away. Now was a time to concentrate.

          The other guard was an unknown, unimportant. As were the two guards out front. They were all three expendable. The mission was the main four in front of her now.

          They weren't key players in The Resistance, but they needed to be stopped nonetheless. Lewston was a supplier of illegal potion ingredients, not a big deal, but he was a partner with Harris, who was renown for his ability to move muggle firearms into the possession of Resistance leaders. The other two were negotiators of some sort. Ginny didn't know the details; she didn't need the information to do her job. She hardly listened as Riley and Harris spoke about business.

This was a quick operation, only two weeks of prior contact. These particular enemies weren't the brightest, their greed got in the way. She stood still, waiting for Riley's signal. Her nervousness was gone, replaced by adrenalin.

          "Well, Mr. Harris," She heard Riley saying. "My buyer is greatly interested in your merchandise," Riley dramatically threw the right side of his trench coat away from his hip. The signal.

          Ginny let instinct take over. Her first target was McConery, the closest. Her foot kicked out sideways, connecting with McConery's solar plexus, sending him backward a step. She moved in closer and brought her knee up into his now bent frame, connecting with his forehead. Hearing a satisfying crack, she made sure he slumped to the ground before turning to her next target, Lewston.

          He had time to react; he took a step toward her, his hand reaching for what she assumed was a wand. Lunging forward, her elbow connected directly with his nose, knocking him off balance and sending his arms wind milling to try and steady himself. Ginny grabbed his arms to help steady him, then let go to execute a spin kick that connected squarely with the side of his head. He let out a small groan as he flew back into the wall and slumped to the ground, unconscious.

          She steadied herself, seeing Jason and Riley out of the corner of her eye, still blurs of movement. Someone grabbed her from behind, his arm pulling her neck back sharply.

          Stupid guards, she thought briefly before bringing her foot up to stomp on his with her four inch boots. His grip loosened with a cry of pain and Ginny grabbed his arm with both hands. Bending over quickly and lurching herself back she pulled him over her head and he landed in front of her flat on his back, his head hitting the wood with a dull thud. He lay still.

          Ginny looked up, the commotion around her done. Riley and Jason stood surveying the room, panting slightly. Jason was going to have a black eye and Riley had bit of blood trickling from his lip but other than that they seemed unharmed. The whole fight had taken about two minutes. Ginny wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve while rubbing her bruised throat; glad it was over, for now.

          Riley was talking over his com to Headquarters. She heard the distant popping noise of people apparating outside the building, Aurors coming to take the prisoners.

          "No, sir. No casualties," Riley was saying, eyeing her from across the room. She knew he had grown protective of her, something that steamed from being on the same team for too long. Ginny brushed invisible dirt from herself lightly, ignoring his stare. She would have to get a transfer soon.

Emotion was not a part of their job – it was a liability.

* * * *

          To get into The Alliance Headquarters, you apparated one at a time into one of a half dozen special rooms. They were locked from the outside and you could not apparate out of them. Tests were performed; retinal scans, finger print checks, along with potions created by some of the top Potion Masters in The Alliance to counteract any spells or potions taken by the person previously. Most people felt it was impossible to penetrate. In this day and age of spies, lies and deceit, Ginny wasn't so sure.

          Tired and worn out, she underwent the tests that were routine by now for her. They only lasted fifteen minutes; today that seemed like an eternity. She wasn't looking forward to talking to her supervisor, Captain Mugswart.

          Finally approved, she went immediately toward the Captain's office, stopping at his secretary's desk where she was informed she would have to wait in the lobby while he finished a very important meeting. Rolling her eyes, Ginny obliged, having no other choice in the matter. She sat in an empty chair, staring blankly at the wall across from her, tapping her foot impatiently.

          Someone sat in the chair next to her. She smiled without turning her head. "Ron, what are you doing here?" She asked teasingly.

          Ron laughed, slinging one arm around the back of her chair. Ginny turned and hugged him briefly, taking in the blond hair and black suit. "On assignment?" She asked, one eyebrow raised.

          Ron smirked. "Just finished. Waiting for reassignment. I'm team leader now," He informed her proudly.

          "Wow, Ron, that's great!" Ginny exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "You'll be running things around here soon," she added.

          "If all goes according to plan," He smirked, winking at her. "Aw, Gin, you know I'm a field agent. Desk work doesn't suit me like it does Percy and Bill."

          Ginny nodded agreeing. All her brothers worked for the special ops division of The Alliance. Percy was assistant to the head honcho William Bode, the man who was in charge of their division. Bill was like Ginny's supervisor, a Captain. He had three teams under his instruction and he was basically a relay between them and Bode. He was also in charge of team members and was accountable for all their actions; it was a major responsibility. The rest of her brothers were field agents like herself, though never on the same team. Their division did a good job of keeping them separated, a necessary caution until the war was over.

          Hearing her name called by Captain Mugswart's secretary, she gave Ron a brief hug before vanishing into her supervisor's office.

          The Captain was standing by the window, his back to her. He turned when she entered, smiling warmly. "Good to see you, Ginny," indicating her to sit down. He was the oldest Captain they had at 35. His hair was starting to gray around his ears but for the most part he had a full head of dark brown hair. He was very friendly and Ginny held a lot of respect for him. He knew how to get the job done. "The last op was a smashing success, good show," He congratulated her, sitting at his desk across from her.

          "A fairly easy mark," Ginny replied hastily, "But the team deserves a lot of credit as a whole,"

          The Captain nodded. "Yes, yes, your team is one of our finest, as is your brother, Ron's. Which is why I'm concerned." His eyebrows knit together as he frowned. "Why did you request to see me, Ginny?"

          Ginny took a deep breath. It wasn't unusual to ask for a transfer, it happened often when teammates became too attached. But Ginny never questioned authority before, or asked a superior for any thing. She was almost as nervous as she got before a bust.

          "Captain, I think I need to be transferred." She blurted out in what she hoped was a confident voice.

          His frown deepened for a moment before his expression lightened. He sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I was afraid of this," he finally replied. " A team gets good then they start caring for each other more than they should," He shook his head, chuckling softly, throwing Ginny off guard. "Riley is it?" He asked lightly.
          Ginny nodded quickly. "He's become protective of me. Like a brother. It worries me." She stated. She would miss her team but she would not jeopardize their lives by staying. It was too risky when Riley felt he had to watch her back as well as his own.

          "Well then, this assignment came up just in time," Captain Mugswart tapped a piece of parchment on his desk. He leaned over, handing it to her. "A solo job, long term. Getting close to the inner circle." He paused, letting her read the paper, creating a dramatic effect. Leaning closer he continued. "We're getting close, Ginny. This could be the break we need."

          Ginny re-read the paper three times before meeting the Captain's eyes. "But sir, he'll know me," She answered softly.

          "No, Gin. You look nothing like you did in school and you'll, of course, have another makeover. We're working on an alias as we speak," He paused again, sitting back in his chair and putting his fingers together like a steeple. "We need you on this one, Ginny. It's important."

          Ginny re-read the letter one last time before saying the enchantment to wipe it clean forever. Meeting the captain's eyes she nodded. "I'll do it,"

* * * *

          After Voldemort's rise from the dead in Ginny's 3rd year, the Dark Lord lay low, gathering his numbers and growing in power. People began choosing sides and distrusting their neighbors; many families on both sides fled or went into hiding. The Ministry started to collapse, corrupted by the few loyal Death Eaters that remained in office.

          By the time Ginny graduated Hogwarts, The Alliance had been formed, a new government with the sole purpose of destroying Voldemort and his followers while protecting the families of those who opposed him. Ginny had been very proud; her father and Dumbledore were the founders and heads of the new alliance.

          The covert ops system was born a year after Ginny was out of school. She was busy at a Medic training academy, but her brothers were a few of the first to sign up to be spies for Tthe Alliance. Dumbledore put Bode in charge of the division, a trusted Ministry worker from years before. Bode brought in muggles and wizards alike for training purposes. Since the enemies were wizards, The Alliance spies would need undetectable-by-magic muggle technology to infiltrate Voldemort's ranks. After a year of training, spies were sent out into the field.

          But, they were too late. The Resistance, the new name of Voldemort's forces, had sent assassins out to murder key players of those who opposed him. The Alliance found out too late.

          Dumbledore was number one on his list. Luckily, the assassin tried on a trip back to Hogwarts with Hagrid; Hagrid spotted him and captured him just as he was making his move. The Death Eater's mission had failed and he went to prison looking a whole lot worse for the wear when Hagrid was done with him.

          At the exact same time, in another part of the country, Harry Potter was a target. Aurors were still around after the collapse of the Ministry, since their skills were still needed. Harry Potter was one of the best Aurors The Alliance had. The attempt on his life was also failed; Harry was quicker than the assassin gave him credit for. That particular situation was a kill or be killed battle; the Death Eater did not walk away from the fight.

          There were a few attempts on other important Alliance people; most failed miserably. But a few hit their mark.

          While most were subtle with their attempted assassinations, one in particular wanted to make a grand show and be sure to hit his target. The Weasley home was protected by a charm that made it next to impossible to find, the same sort of charm that was on Hogwarts. The assassin found it anyway.

          With all the kids working for The Alliance and moved out onto their own, Arthur and Molly Weasley lived alone in The Burrow. They were lonely without the hustle and bustle of kids, but proud of all their children and the great achievements they had made. Arthur sat down to dinner with his wife, like he did every night. Had he glanced at the clock he would have seen his and Molly's hands pointed at "in perilous danger." As it was, they never knew what hit them. The assassin blew up the burrow in one big fireball with muggle dynamite. It seemed The Resistance wasn't above muggle technology after all.

          Ginny already loathed The Resistance, along with all those again Voldemort. After the murders, every fiber of her being despised and hated all of them. She was no longer satisfied with her training of becoming a Medic. She wanted to do something about those bastards.

          So, she became a spy, like her brothers. She went through the training, sometimes her determination the only thing that pulled her through. Ginny lost herself in the process, the only thing she cared about now was destroying Voldemort's forces and the Dark Lord himself. Her training Commanders were clear – emotion equals defeat; feelings are your downfall.

          Ginny had been a spy for little over two years now. The Alliance was making a few busts, but all low level, nothing that would make an impact on The Resistance. Voldemort's inner circle seemed impenetrable and his powers growing. The wizarding community was on the brink of war and The Alliance was looking like the losing side.

          Ginny knew there were some solo field agents close, but who they were and what they were doing was classified top secret, above her rank. She also knew they needed more solo spies, the more the better, because it would be easier for one person to penetrate rather than a few.

          She also knew going solo was the riskiest job The Alliance had. Virtually no contact with anyone on your side and a definite possibility of being found out; The Resistance trusted next to nobody. But if one person could get past that distrust, into the inner circle, The Alliance might have a chance.

          The days were growing shorter, the final battle drawing near. Ginny was ready. She was ready to be The Alliance's one last hope.

* * * *

          Unmoving, Draco's eyes flicked right, then left, taking in the faces of everyone seated at the round table before him. It was the same group as always, the main components to The Resistance; the Council of Adorea. He stood directly behind his father's right shoulder. Lucius sat calmly at the large table, also silently watching those around him. The Malfoys were nothing, if not observant.

          The meeting was held once a month in busy warehouse in Egypt, right on the banks of the Nile River. It was owned and operated by the Jaxtens, one of the Dark Lord's most trusted families.

          They were now waiting only on Voldemort himself. Rarely was he on time, preferring to keep his followers guessing as to when he would show himself. This was also smart on his part, a good defensive move, to keep any ambush from happening. Timing was key in this day of covert operations and spy chains; to be late disrupted any plans.

It also proved his arrogance and desire to make grand entrances, Draco thought lazily, unimpressed by the wait. He sighed inwardly, but let no sign of boredom bear on his face. Although he was fiercely loyal to his father, he disliked the idea of being ordered around by a washed up, power hungry, maniac. Which was exactly what he thought Voldemort was.

Draco knew his father struggled daily to become Voldemort's 2nd in command; Draco had a sneaking suspicion Lucius had a double meaning to his desire for power. Lucius most likely did not want to be 2nd to anyone.

Draco's eyes flit over the people sitting at the table one last time. Not one worthy opponent in the bunch. Voldemort's only secret weapon was that he had no secret weapon. People on the outside thought his inner circle was strong and powerful; most would run at the hint of a battle. Draco fought back the urge to shake his head and smirk. The Resistance was nothing with the current man in charge. The Malfoys would change that soon.

* * * *

"Talk to me," Draco said, taking a paper from Crabbe the moment he walked in the office door. He scanned it before depositing it on his desk carelessly.

"The Alliance is trying to crack us," Blaise replied lazily. His words were old hat; everyone knew this.

Crabbe, standing guard at the door, grunted, showing even he knew this. Blaise arched an eyebrow at the large man, not amused, before turning his attention back to Draco.

"They're sending in another spy," He continued as if uninterrupted. "But they have caught us this time," Blaise continued, watching Draco drop into his own desk chair and put his feet up, crossed at the ankles, on his desk.

"What do you mean?" Draco asked, frowning. Blaise looked concerned, that was never good.

"What I mean is, if I wasn't holding this piece of paper right now, we'd be screwed. They're close to penetrating The Council. It's only a matter of time before they find out we have nothing," Blaise tossed a file to Draco who caught it deftly. He began flipping through it.

"That's their plan," Blaise indicated the file with a flick of his wrist. "Brought to us by our own guy in The Alliance. It's not a bad plan, except for the fact that we now know about it."

Draco dropped a picture from the file onto the desk. Studying it, his frown grew more intense. "I know this girl," Draco said, trying to recall her name.

"Of course you do, we went to school with her," Blaise stood from his own desk and walked over to Draco's, leaning over his shoulder. "Remember Potter's friend, Weasley? It's his sister." He nodded at the photo.

Draco studied the picture again. It was in black and white and seemed to be an official one, her serious expression never changed as the photo moved. She only vaguely resembled what he remembered of the girl from school, not that he saw or spoke to her much then.

"Her father was one of the founders of The Alliance," Draco recalled aloud, abandoning the picture to flip through the file again. "She's a spy?"

"Yes and yes," Blaise sighed, crossing his arms and rocking back on his heels. "A good one at that. She's been involved in at least a dozen of the busts that we know of,"
          Draco nodded absently, still reading the file in front of him. "We have a counter plan for this?" He asked, finally looking over his shoulder at Blaise.

Blaise raised both eyebrows and smiled. "Yep. Go along with it,"

Draco stared at him, face unreadable. "You want me to go along with the enemy's plan?" It was a statement more than a question.

"I don't want anything, Draco," Blaise walked back toward his desk. "This comes from much higher authority than myself."

Draco looked down at her picture again. "Her brothers were at the bust that killed my mother. One of them did it." He stated, knowing full well Blaise already knew this.

Leaning forward on his elbows, Blaise looked intently at his friend. "This is important, Draco. We string her along, and then we use her as leverage. As Arthur Weasley's daughter, she could give us the upper hand we need. Just don't," Blaise emphasized by pointing at Draco, "Let her get close. If she finds what she needs before we do, it will be the end. Of all of us."

Draco smirked at his friend. "So melodramatic, Blaise," Draco finally dropped the file and sat back, crossing his arms behind his head. "Don't worry so much. I'll take care of it."

A/N: Okay, that's it, first chapter. Think I should go on or forget about it? Let me know!