Drinny FF

Chapter 31

The days after arriving at Malfoy Manor were slow, but they were also a kind of quiet recovery. The walls, which had once felt cold and unwelcoming to me, started to feel more like a place of safety. Draco was always nearby, always there when I needed him, whether it was to sit with me in silence or to simply hold me when my thoughts became too much.

At first, I said little. I still carried the weight of Fred's death on my shoulders, the guilt gnawing at me constantly. The spliff breaks became less frequent, and the trembling in my hands began to subside, but my heart still ached. There were nights when she couldn't sleep, her mind replaying the last moments of the battle, the look on her mother's face, her family's rejection.

But Draco… Draco never left her side.

He would sit with her, his hand in hers, waiting for her to speak. And though words were hard for her to find at first, there was comfort in his presence. Sometimes, they would walk the grounds of the manor, and it was in those quiet moments—beneath the wide, open sky—that Ginny began to find small bits of herself again.

Narcissa was there too, in her own quiet, unassuming way. She never pushed, never pried, but Ginny could sense the warmth in her, the care she had for her son and, unexpectedly, for Ginny herself.

One afternoon, as Ginny sat in the library, staring absently out of the window, Narcissa entered with a tray of tea. She placed it on the table beside Ginny, then took a seat across from her. For a long moment, they sat in silence, the soft ticking of the clock the only sound.

"It wasn't your fault, you know," Narcissa said softly, breaking the quiet.

Ginny blinked, turning slowly to face her. "What?"

"What happened to your brother," Narcissa continued, her voice gentle but firm. "It wasn't your fault."

Ginny opened her mouth to protest, but the words caught in her throat. The guilt that had settled in her chest was like a stone she couldn't shake loose. "If I hadn't been with Draco… if I hadn't—"

Narcissa shook her head, her eyes filled with understanding. "No. War is never so simple. There were forces at play far beyond any of us. You were fighting for what you believed in, just as your brother was. And he… he would not want you to carry this burden."

Ginny's eyes filled with tears, and she looked down at her hands. "But my family… they blame me. My mum…"

Narcissa's expression softened. She reached across the table, placing her hand gently over Ginny's. "Your family is grieving, and in grief, people often lash out at the ones they love most. But that doesn't mean they don't love you. And it doesn't mean you are to blame."

Ginny wiped at her eyes, her heart heavy, but Narcissa's words had planted a small seed of hope. She hadn't expected to find comfort here, of all places. But Narcissa, with her quiet grace and steady presence, offered something Ginny hadn't realized she needed—understanding without judgment.

In the days that followed, Ginny began to open up more. She would talk to Narcissa in the mornings, sharing stories about Fred, about her childhood, about the war. Slowly, she let the memories come without guilt clouding them. She realized that it was okay to mourn, but it wasn't okay to carry the blame alone.

Draco noticed the change in her too. There were moments when she would smile—a small, fleeting thing, but real. He took her out for walks more often, bringing her into the gardens, showing her the hidden corners of the manor that had once been places of refuge for him. And when the nightmares came, he was there, holding her close until she fell asleep again.

One evening, as they sat on the terrace overlooking the grounds, Ginny rested her head on Draco's shoulder, watching the stars above.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Draco turned to her, his brows furrowed slightly. "For what?"

"For staying. For… not giving up on me."

He smiled softly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "I could never give up on you, Ginny. Not after everything."

Ginny nodded, her heart feeling lighter than it had in weeks. She wasn't fully healed, not yet, but she was getting there. And with Draco by her side, with Narcissa's quiet strength supporting her, she knew she could keep moving forward.

Slowly but surely, Ginny was learning to let go of the guilt. She was learning to live again.