Chapter 3 – Explanations and Moving Away

Narcissa sat in the drawing room, a letter in hand, crying silently. The paper trembled in her hand as she re-read it, going through things in her mind. Finally, she stood, and white-faced, shuffled to the drawer, and took out some red paper. She sat at the desk and penned a long letter. She called a house elf and, muttering a charm over the letter, gave it to him to be dispatched. As the house elf left, Narcissa made her way to the door, looked back at everything, before walking out.

Draco lay in his bed, an arm wrapped around Ginny, when he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," he said irritably.

The house elf walked in, and handed Draco an envelope. It opened immediately.

"Draco, you have disappointed me. Disappointed isn't the word to describe it. You know what your father and I think of the Weasleys. As for what you've done, do you have any idea what damage it has caused? Not only has it severed the links between two great families, who have been friends for centuries, you have blood on your proverbial hands. Pansy committed suicide last night. The Parkinsons are devastated Draco.You've cost them their only child, who they loved so much. Can't you see what you've done? They have lost all respect for us. I hope you are happy. You and your father have pushed me to my limits." His mother's voice was cold, angry, and harsh. He feared this more than he did his father's raised voice. His mother only talked to him like this if she was really hurt and disappointed by him.

Ginny stirred against him. Draco looked down at her, his face white.

"Ginny?" Draco whispered. Ginny opened her eyes in response. "I think you need to hear this."

Once Draco had recounted his mother's harsh words to him, Ginny's cheeks flushed red with rage.

"How dare she? Who does she think she is? Why's she blaming you for Pansy's death? You didn't kill her, did you? She did it herself. How can your own mother blame you for this? I just don't understand it! Why doesn't she just chuck you in Azkaban? The way she's talking is like you killed Pansy. But you didn't kill Pansy. She killed herself. I don't understand your mother's way of thinking Draco!" Ginny was rambling her thoughts out.

Draco looked at her for a long moment, taking in all the things she had said, and walked to the door.

"I think you should tell your parents about us. I'm going to find my mother, and talk to her." He said, and walked out of the room. He seemed to be slamming the door, but instead clicked it shut, which was somehow worse.

Ginny dressed silently, before Apparating back to the Burrow.

Ginny saw her room appearing in front of her; she was home. Even though this was all so familiar, she felt strangely out of place here. She shrugged the feeling off and went downstairs to see her entire family and the others gathered around the table. They didn't look pleased.

'Welcome home, me...' Ginny whispered.

Draco stood outside his bedroom door, leaning against it. He knew Ginny had Apparated back home. He walked around silently, thinking about the words his mother said, and Ginny's outburst in the bedroom about it.

Before he knew where he was going, he was outside his mother's bedroom. He knocked, but nothing. Slowly, he opened the door. Everything was as it should be. Everything but the huge brown owl perched on the open window. Draco stood still for a moment, before walking up to the owl. There was a rolled up piece of parchment attached to its leg, which Draco removed. The owl flew away as Draco unrolled the parchment.

"Dear Mr Malfoy,

We are sorry to inform you that your mother has checked in to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. She claims the two most important men have driven her to the point of insanity in her life, and she wants to stay here. If you have any queries or would like to talk to her, feel free to come down to London and stop by.

Yours sincerely,

Aesculapius Soledad."

Draco looked a little stunned. His mother was in St Mungo's? His mother? That couldn't be possible. Draco opened his bedroom door, dressed hurriedly and Apparated to St Mungo's, his thoughts on his mother and on how he would break the news to Ginny.

"Where were you?" Mrs Weasley questioned Ginny as soon as she entered the room.

"No-where..." Ginny said, looking at her feet.

"That's not what Hermione said, Ginny. You've been with that Malfoy again, haven't you? What did I tell you about him? He's a Death Eater for Merlin's sake!" Mrs Weasley continued.

"No he's not mum! And if you'd bothered to listen to me, you'd know that!" Ginny gave Hermione a death-stare. "And anyway," she continued. "I'm 22 years old, and I can do what I want. We're engaged."

The look on everyone's face said it all.

"Engaged? What are you talking about, engaged? You can't be." Mrs Weasley exclaimed.

"Well, we are, so get used to it Mum." Ginny replied, a hint of anger rising in her voice.

"I swear he's put the Imperius curse on you, Gin. There is no way he's really going to marry you." Ron added, taking his mother's side.

"Really? You think so? Then why isn't he married to Pansy Parkinson? Why did she commit suicide when he told her he didn't want to be with her?" Ginny's cheeks flushed an angry red. "Why does he want to spend the rest of his life with me, and defy his mother, who claims he has blood on his hands?"

A silence fell about the room. Could she really mean all the things she was saying?

"What are you talking about, Ginny? Pansy Parkinson isn't dead..." Mr Weasley said, voice shaking.

"Yes she is." Ginny said bluntly.

"And you don't care that it's because of you?" Came Hermione's voice, quietly calm.

"It's not because of me, Hermione. Draco left her of his own accord. I didn't tell him to leave her, did I?" Ginny said, angered.

"Ginevra Weasley, if you think for one second we are going to allow you to marry Draco Malfoy you are severely mistaken! If you want to marry him, go ahead, but don't bother to darken our doorstep again!" Mr Weasley said, his voice raised. "I though we'd taught you better than to run off with a Death Eater, but obviously your reaction to Pansy's death shows how twisted you've become. I can only think you never recovered from your experiences with Tom Riddle's diary. We certainly never brought you up to be so callous and cold hearted."

Ginny looked at her father. "Fine. I'll go, and never 'darken your doorstep again' as you so nicely put it." She turned away from them. "I hope you'll be very happy." She made her way up the stairs.

Ginny packed a trunk full of things, and, taking a last look around the room which had been hers for 22 years, and Apparated back to Malfoy Manor.

As soon as she arrived, she knew Draco wasn't there. The house had a different feel to it completely when he wasn't there; as if the house knew Draco wasn't around.

"Draco, where are you?" She whispered. Everything seemed darker now. Her family had just thrown her out because of who she loved, someone had committed suicide because the two of them being together, and now Draco wasn't here.

Ginny sat on her trunk, and cried. Everything was going wrong. She didn't know who to turn to.

Something nipped her shoulder, and she looked up to see a black owl hovering a little way above her, a roll of parchment attached to its leg. She took the parchment from the owl's leg, and read it.

"Mother...St. Mungo's..." Ginny read. She dropped the parchment, and walked towards the fireplace. Taking a pinch of Floo Powder from the pot on the mantelpiece, threw it in the fire, and muttered her destination.

Draco stood in the reception of St. Mungo's. From one of the fires he saw Ginny. She walked over to him slowly. He put his arms around her, and a solitary tear rolled down his cheek. Ginny held him close.

"I'm sorry..." She whispered. Draco said nothing, but held her tighter.

They stood there for a long time, just in each other's arms, Ginny making herself strong inside for Draco's sake. He broke away.

"They said she's not going to come out of here. She doesn't want to."

"Oh, Draco..." Ginny stroked his cheek. "She's going to be okay, though, right?"

Draco didn't answer straight away. "I...I don't know, Ginny...I feel like it's my fault..."

Malfoy Manor seemed quieter that evening. Draco and Ginny had returned and talked everything over, but despite this, there was still silence between them when they ate.

They sat by the fireside, Ginny staring at the flames, and Draco lost in his thoughts. It was past midnight when Ginny stood up and stretched.

"I'm going to head off to bed." She whispered as she kissed his cheek. "Goodnight."

Draco nodded, and turned his head to catch her lips on his. "Night, Gin." He sat there for a while, looking at the flames, and thinking about what was to come when his father found out, before making his way slowly up the stairs to the bedroom.

Ginny rolled over. She couldn't sleep well. Everything that had happened today was too much for her to handle. She wanted to be wrapped in Draco's arms, and forget about everything. She heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and she closed her eyes.

Draco entered the room silently, and undressed. Today had been a real struggle, for both of them, but they were going to get through it, despite all the odds.

He looked to Ginny, who was asleep, or at least appeared it. If it weren't for the tears rolling silently down her face, he would have been fooled. He laid beside her, pulling her close to him, and stroked her tear-stained cheeks. She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"I love you, Ginevra..." He whispered.

"I love you too Draco..." she replied, pressing her lips against his.