Until Proven Guilty

Prologue

When Ginny opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was her wedding dress, hanging on the back of her door. Sunlight poured through the window, giving the fabric a translucent, unearthly look. She sat up and stretched, thinking of Neville and their wedding later that morning.

Her mother hurried into her room and told Ginny it was time to get ready. As her gown was removed from it’s padded hanger, Ginny heard the distant roll of thunder. She asked if it was going to rain, and her mother assured her the weather was fine. She raised her arms and the dress was slipped over her head. Then she heard the thunder again, more distinctly this time.

“Are you sure it’s not raining, Mum?”

“Nothing is going to ruin your wedding day,” her mother replied firmly, yet not quite meeting her gaze.

Ginny heard thunder again, loud and insistent. “Mum!” Now the thunder was deafening, and Ginny pressed her palms against her ears, trying to block out the awful sound. The door burst open and she saw her father there with tears streaming down his face. “Dad! What’s the matter?” Ginny was yelling now. “Where’s Neville? Neville!”

~*~

Chapter One

Ginny’s cries awakened her, and she clutched a pillow to her chest, gasping for air. Once her breathing was under control, she rolled over to look at the clock on her night stand. It was three o’clock in the morning. Since sleep was no longer an option, she walked to the bathroom of her efficiency apartment and flipped on the florescent light. After a long, warm shower, she put on a cotton dress that was now to long for her thin frame.

With a fluffy towel wrapped around her aching head, she padded into the small kitchen and opened a cupboard to survey her breakfast choices. There wasn’t much, so she opted for a fruit bar. Then she turned on the wizard television for background noise and settled on the couch, tucking her bare feet under the extra material of her voluminous dress.

She nibbled at her breakfast and opened her book to the page she had marked just hours before. Occasionally glancing up at the television screen. She read another page and a half before a strident voice reclaimed her attention. Displeased by the interruption and her lack of concentration, she stared as a face filled the screen.

“I’m Veronica Smalls, reporting for Channel Five Wizarding News,” the woman said, then proceeded to give her viewers an update on Kevin Burke and his upcoming murder trial. Uninterested in the famous magical singer and his plight, Ginny returned to her novel.

Ginny read steadily and finished the book at noon. She took the time to brush her teeth and pull her hair into a ponytail, then she locked her apartment door and walked out into the stifling heat. Ginny hadn’t had much to do with the wizarding world for years and had planned to keep it that way. But today was different. Albus Dumbledore had insisted upon her meeting with him. About once a month he insisted upon giving her his ‘you’re wasting your education and your life’ speech, if not in person, then by owl. Ginny had no intention of resuming her field of study ever again, but their owls and meetings made Dumbledore feel better, so she humored him. But today was the first time she had actually agreed to meet with him at Hogwarts.

With a soft ‘pop’, she appeared before the front gates. She reluctantly made her way up to the castle. A rush of memories momentarily staggered her as she climbed the stairs and walked through familiar corridors. She put a hand against the wall to steady herself, then heard Dumbledore’s booming voice.

“I thought you had decided not to come!”

“I’m five minutes early,” she retorted, then brushed past him into his office, stopping when she saw a man seated in a leather chair before Dumbledore’s large desk. Afraid she had interrupted something, Ginny took a step back. Albus halted her exit by closing the door.

“Ginny Weasley, I”m sure you know Draco Malfoy.” Ginny’s eye’s widened and she frowned. The two past acquaintances acknowledged each other with simultaneous nods. The man was slouched casually against the worn leather, but his clenched jaw and drumming fingers seemed to indicate extreme tension. “Please have a seat, Ms. Weasley.” Albus pointed to an empty chair.

Draco Malfoy was studying her, so she stared back. He looked the same, yet more matured. He had turned into a handsome man, almost beautiful, with his white-blonde, longish hair curling around his ears. Surprisingly, it no longer slicked back, but hanging into his face mysteriously. His eye’s were brilliantly blue, if a little cold. His cloths looked even more expensive then she remembered.

“As you probably know, after his welcome aid in the defeat of Voldermort, Mr. Malfoy and I have worked together on several legal cases over the past few years. He has earned my absolute trust and respect.” Albus said by way of introduction.

“Which puts you in a distinct minority around here,”Draco Malfoy added.

The men looked at each other for a few seconds before Albus turned to Ginny. “Draco is divorced and has custody of his five-year-old daughter. His career is demanding, and he’s away from home quite a bit. His exwife’s parents are concerned...” the headmaster faltered. “Which is to say, they have decided-“

“They think I’m a bad father, and they have complained to a Ministry of Magic family court judge,” Draco Malfoy took up the narrative abruptly.

Ginny’s eyes widened, and Albus raised a hand. “That’s an exaggeration. Katie is a little withdrawn, and Draco’s in-laws thought she might need some counseling-“

Draco Malfoy’s jaw tensed a little more. “They wanted to do a series of psychological tests on my daughter-“

“Just to be sure that her shyness isn’t an indication of anything more serious,” Albus interrupted patiently. “Draco wouldn’t listen to their concerns, so they approached a friend of theirs who is a family court judge.”

“To twist my arm,” Draco Malfoy contributed.

“To ask for advice. The judge offered to quietly file a court order for evaluation, just to give Draco’s in-laws some peace of mind.”

“And force me to do something unnecessary and possibly even detrimental.”

Albus sighed and tuned to Ginny. “As you can see, Draco is very opposed to the testing. While I agree that is could have been handled more discreetly, I don’ t believe the testing itself would have been harmful to Katie. But somehow the press got wind of the court order, and the whole thing has been blown out of proportion. They are claiming that Draco’s in-laws are suing for custody of Katie, which is not true.”

“Not yet anyway,” Draco Malfoy muttered from his chair.

“All of this has put the family court judge in a difficult situation. He can’t just ignore headlines claiming that Draco is an unfit father.”

“He could if he wasn’t up for reelection in November,” Draco Malfoy predicted.

“In any case, the judge felt that action was necessary. So he told Draco to hire an impartial observer to move into his house and evaluate the environment. This person would be a nanny of sorts, someone who will temporarily alleviate other concerns that Draco’s in-laws have. Such as Katie’s lack of supervision.” Draco Malfoy made a noise in his throat, attracting Albus’ attention.

While the two men stared at each other, Ginny looked back and forth between them in bewilderment. “But what does any of this have to do with me?” she asked finally.

“With your education and experience as a magical social worker, you’d be a perfect observer for Katie,” Albus said, and Ginny’s mouth fell open. “Draco has a live-in house keeper, and other employees are always around, so you wouldn’t be in a compromising situation of any kind. The fact that you haven’t been in contact with the wizarding world may help in this situation. And the fact that both you and Draco attended Hogwarts, although were never in a friendship, may be a plus as well.”

Draco Malfoy conceded this with a brief nod, then both men turned to stare at her and Ginny realized that they expected a response. “You want me to baby-sit his little girl?” she asked Albus, making no effort to hide her astonishment.

“Not baby-sit,” Albus corrected. “You would spend time with Katie, observe her and Draco together, and then give the court your educated opinion.”

Ginny took a deep breath, then turned to Draco Malfoy. “I sympathize with your situation, but I’m not available. I’ve decided to travel abroad.”

“That’s a great idea!” the Headmaster agreed. “But it’s no reason to refuse this offer. The position is only temporary, and once everything is settled with Katie, you could do your traveling.”

Draco Malfoy leaned forward. “If I don’t turn in a name soon, the court will appoint someone, and I can’t risk that. So, this is the basic proposal-three months at a generous salary. You’d report to the court weekly, with a final assessment due at the end of the evaluation period.” he extended an envelope toward her.

Ginny accepted the packet automatically. “I don’t know how much Albus has told you about me, Mr. Malfoy.” she stared at the envelope in her hands. “It’s true that I spent years learning how to help children. I learned phraseology and techniques designed to comfort those in pain. For almost a year I used these methods to help children in crisis.”

She took a deep breath and pressed on. “Then I experienced a personal tragedy and found myself, a grown woman, completely unable to cope with the grief. The phrases and techniques did nothing for me, and I realized they had been no help to the battered, neglected children either. And then I accepted the awful truth. There is no escape from the pain, no way to relieve the anguish. Everything I learned was a sham, my job was futile. So at that point I made a decision never to work with troubled children again.”

Draco Malfoy had been watching her closely during this painful narrative, and as she finished, Ginny clenched her hands together, waiting for the predictable platitudes. “Katie is not in trouble,” he snapped . “We don’t need your skills, just your qualifications. And as Albus has mentioned, the fact that we never really had a close friendship, will be a plus are far as my in-laws are concerned. They don’t seem to trust my ‘friends’. Or anyone close to me, as a matter of fact.”

Ginny blinked back at him, unable to formulate a reply. Anxious for somewhere to look besides into Draco Malfoy’s piercing eyes, Ginny pulled a stack of papers from the envelope. There was a picture of a small girl clipped to the top.

“That’s Katie,” Albus told her.

“A mug shot of sorts,” Draco Malfoy’s tone was light, but his expression was angry.

Ginny touched the photograph, and the hair stood up on the back of her neck. She had the oddest feeling she already knew this child. “She’s beautiful.” The little girl in the picture smiled timidly and waved.

“Yes,” Albus agreed.

“What symptoms is she exhibiting?” Ginny asked, curiosity pushing past her reticence.

“There is nothing wrong with Katie,” Draco Malfoy assured her. “She’s shy, but otherwise, she’s a normal, happy kid.” He ran his fingers though his hair. “I’ve got a big trial coming up. If you take this job, you’ll get the family court judge off my back and buy me the time I need to settle this case.”

Somewhere on the edge of Ginny’s mind was a vague memory. Then she thought of the Channel Five Wizarding News reporter with the irritating voice from the early morning news. The reporter had shown a brief clip of the music singer walking down the steps of the Ministry of Magic Courthouse. The man beside him had declined to comment, and Ms. Smalls had breathlessly announced that he was a local attorney who had been hired to represent the famous recording artist. “You’re going to defend Kevin Burke,” she said with certainty.

“I’m going to try.”

Albus was more enthusiastic. “Draco is an excellent criminal lawyer. Kevin Burke could have hired anyone in the magical community he wanted, but he chose Draco.”

Ginny had developed a healthy contempt for the magical legal profession during her short career as a social worker. In fact, for the last two years she had avoided contact with most people, but especially men and children. So she returned the papers and Katie Malfoy’s picture to the envelope and put it on Albus’ desk. “Well, it was nice to see you again, Albus,” she told her friend. “and you too, Mr. Malfoy.” she nodded to the man in the chair next to her. “But I need to get to work. I hope you find someone to evaluate your daughter.” She inched toward the door.

Draco Malfoy acknowledged her words with a tip of his head, but Albus grabbed the envelope and followed her. “At least agree to consider Draco’s offer,” he asked as they reached the doorway. “The situation really is desperate.” He looked over at Draco Malfoy in silent appeal.

“I won’t beg,” the other man shook his head.

Albus leaned closer to Ginny and lowered his voice. “Think about it, please. Draco’s a good man, and his daughter needs protection. Once the courts get involved...”

Ginny glanced at the envelope he pressed into her hand. She had seen what things like this could do to a family. “I’ll let you know,” she promised, then walked out the door.

Once outside the grounds she sighed. She reached down and removed the picture of Katie Malfoy from the envelope. Long blonde hair, shining blue eyes, and a brilliant smile combined to create total perfection. Such a child in trouble was a disturbing thought, and whether or not Draco Malfoy was a bad parent, until things were settled with the courts, the little girl’s future was uncertain. She slipped the picture into her pocket of her baggy dress. Then with another soft ‘pop’ she appeared in front of Flourish and Blotts bookstore and walked inside.