Above and Beyond

Chapter 1- Good Morning

Ginny Weasley woke early on this particular morning with a feeling of apprehension. Not because the morning was grim and dreary, quite the opposite; she rarely had good days when the weather cooperated. Today she felt a growing sense of dread gnawing at her middle.

Of course that could also be hunger. She hadn't eaten anything in over 24 hours. She stumbled out of bed and into the kitchen of the small flat she had bought a little over two years ago, after the War. After the War. Not a day went by she didn't think of it, not that she hadn't tried. Harry had won, of course, Ginny doubted that anyone with the exception of the Death Eaters had thought for a moment that Voldemort would win. She certainly hadn't. The Boy Who Lived to Tell the Tale (as she secretly called him) was on their side and that alone guaranteed victory.

But no, the feeling that had crept upon her this morning had nothing to do with hunger or lingering paranoia. Somehow she felt that today she would make a decision that would impact the rest of her life. She shuddered, shirking such dreary thoughts. Pouring herself a cup of coffee, she wondered idly what was on the agenda for today. Well, first she'd check into the office and see if she had any new assignments, then she'd promised to stop by the Burrow to visit Mum and Dad, then a nice late lunch with Luna and Hermione. Considerably calmer, she walked into the bathroom and began getting ready for work.

After staring in the mirror for about 15 minutes, Ginny had reached a decision. She wanted to cut her hair. After all life-altering decisions often began with a simple swish of a wand. 15 more minutes later a tangle of fiery red strands lay at her feet. Ginny took a deep breath, then several more for good measure before chancing a glance at her reflection. She gasped. Well, it was definitely short. Ginny frowned. It wasn't that short, somehow she hadn't managed to hack off all her tresses and probably sheer self preservation had prevented her from going any shorter. She sighed, fingering her newly shorn locks and attempting to grow accustomed to the new length. What will my family say, she thought wryly. Her friends would admire the new look, but her brothers and parents would probably overreact and think she was embarking on some life-altering journey, they were like that. She twisted her lips, the downside of a large family.

Shaking her head (it felt weird to not feel long curls bouncing by her ears) and not thinking about the rest of the day, Ginevra Weasley determinedly set about getting ready.

Draco Malfoy's day could not get any worse. It was only 6 in the morning but already he could feel it spiraling downwards. He had just been informed that he was to become (should he choose to accept it; he could hear the theme song from some ancient Muggle show running through his head) the fa- legal guardian of four, not one, two or three, but four brats - children and all it took was 20 minutes and a few sentences. He needed a drink. He crossed to the liquor cabinet, ignoring the stares of his mother and their legal advisors. After downing a glass of bourbon, he turned to face them. Taking a deep breath, he managed to speak in a calm-like voice.

'Run that by me again, please.'

'Mr. Malfoy,' the man speaking nearly fainted from the glare Draco gave him. It was good to know the Malfoy name still counted for something, especially when it came to commanding the best service available. Spineless coward, Draco thought idly, and reduced his glare a few notches. The man continued.

'Mr. Malfoy, your paternal cousin has passed away and has, perhaps unfortunately, perceived it necessary to present her children to you. She has named you the legal guardian of her children.'

Draco interrupted the man with a wave of his hand.

'This is all very enlightening,' he tried not to include his customary sarcastic drawl, he really did, but it must have escaped somehow. 'But just who is she?'

A flicker of surprise crossed the man's face and Draco wondered if the lawyer had never realized just how estranged this Malfoy family was from the rest.

'She is your father's niece, sir. Aemilia Malfoy Cabrera.' He paused, as if expecting Draco to show some sign of recognition.

Draco was searching his mind for information. Aemilia Cabrera? The name didn't even sound familiar, but then he hadn't known his father had a sibling, had he? And by the looks of it, neither did his mother. Narcissa Malfoy was very poorly hiding an expression of shock and something else, disappointment? Draco shook his head and attempted to focus on what the man was saying.

'Mrs. Cabrera and her husband had decreed it in their will that you would be the sole guardian of their children, unless you should choose to marry, in which case you and your spouse would become joint guardians.' Here he broke off again, with an uneasy look at Draco's face. Draco impatiently motioned for him to continue.

'Usually possession of the children passes automatically to the children's godparents but in this case, due to the lack of nominated godparents; we must carry out the Cabreras' last wishes as stated in their will. Should you decide not to accept guardianship, the children will immediately become wards of the state.'

Draco's mind was seething with questions. Why was he being put upon by a cousin he had never heard of? Why would said cousin even consider placing her children in the hands of a rumoured (they had never been confirmed) Death Eater? And to top it all off, just who was this "cousin" anyways?

'Mr., Malfoy,' his lawyer sounded a bit testy. Draco shot him another glare. He withered, but asked his question again.

'Mr. Malfoy, are you going to accept the conditions as stipulated in the will?'

'Er- what were the conditions, Bartleby?' Draco responded, a little guilty for not paying attention.

This time he could have sworn the man was visibly impatient. Draco arched an imperious eyebrow.

'If you agree to take on the children you must care for them- as you would er- your own.' He faltered, and Draco kicked up his glare a notch or two.

'Also you must, and this part was highlighted in bright red and underlined twice: you must not allow any Dark wizards anywhere near the children. At all. Period.' He was reading directly from the will as he finished.

'Mr. Malfoy, if I might add, this seems to be a binding magical contract, one that must not be entered into lightly.' His tone was more gravely serious than the Malfoy cared to think about.

Draco squelched his glare for a few moments, before answering determinedly.

'I'll do it.'

Ginny waved a sunny good morning as she breezed into her office. Sunny was the exact opposite if what she felt right now, but who was she to interfere with good work etiquette. She headed straight to her cubicle, and frowned on finding it devoid of any missives. Where she worked at Vann, Vann and Helsing, she was hardly ever without assignments. The agency (she would never know why they chose such an imposing name that conflicted so clearly with their cause) was devoted to protecting and caring for children left behind in the aftermath.

Many magical and Muggle children were placed in danger when the war ended. Because of which side their parents had been on, their lives were at stake. Some had become wards of the state when their parents had died in the war and a lot of these children would have been hunted down by remaining Death Eaters or vigilantes because of who their parents were. The agency (or VVH as the employees called it) protected these children until, well, so far none of their charges had shown any sign of not needing protection, but until the remaining Death Eaters were caught, it was best to be on the safe side.

For the past year that she had worked here, Ginny had been swamped with assignments, most of them urgent. Because of her natural ease with children and her talent at hexes she was one of the agency's most demanded workers. Not that Ginny was complaining she loved her job; it did her good to know that these children were being cared for and could live in peace without looking over their shoulders all the time. She sighed and sat at her desk, wondering if she should go visit her family early, since she had nothing better to do.