Chapter Text
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“Hi, Mum.” The eight-year-old crouches down, clutching his red winter cloak closer to him, placing down a mixed bouquet of winter flowers, pansies, snowdrops and winter honeysuckle, making sure that the bouquet leans carefully against the marble headstone. “Hi, Dad.” He grazes his hand across the ground underneath him, searching for any signs of last night’s snowstorm. After luckily finding a dry patch, he kneels down properly in front of their joint headstone. He brushed off some half melting snow that had fallen off the willow tree, above them, during the night, he lets his finger outline the engraved lettering.
‘HERE LIES DRACO LUCIUS MALFOY AND HERMIONE JEAN MALFOY. TOGETHER ALWAYS AND FOREVER.’
Hermione always told him stories about her and his father’s date. How cocky dad was. How smug he was to have landed a date with the world’s golden girl. Used to parade around the DMLE block and claim that he had supposedly “won at life!”. Mum had once told him about something she discussed with his father early on in their relationship. Mum had said that she wanted to grow old with father, surrounded by their children and then hopefully by numerous grandchildren. She had promised him that the two of them would live forever, conquering the world, and then one day they would pass on together.
They were right about one thing. They did pass on together. Just long before they had actually wanted to pass. Stupid. Wrong place. Wrong time.
“It’ll all be okay, my darling.”
“You are safe.”
“You are loved.”
“You aren’t alone.”
“Merry Christmas Mum and Dad.” He sniffles loudly. “I wish you were both still here, it isn’t getting any easier you know. Grandmother has probably already informed you two but Grandfather passed away in- He passed away in Azkaban last weekend so everything here is still a little fresh in everyone’s minds. The funeral was pretty quiet.” Scorpius looks down at the headstone, glancing over at his father’s name. “I hope you both are looking down on the rest of us. Grandmother and Nana always like to say that you both are watching all of us from up there.” He smiles lightly, wiping away the stream of silent tears pouring out from his golden-brown eyes.
Christmas.
His favourite time of the year, which had slowly become his least favourite time of the year. He seemed to lose everyone around the most wonderful time of the year. His parents passed away on Christmas Day. His grandfather passed away the weekend before Christmas Day. His favourite elf, Mippy, getting caught in the wrong place at the wrong time on Christmas after his parents' passing and sadly not able to apparate out of the situation quickly enough.
Memories of him playing around the Manor. His loud giggle bouncing around the entire house, filling everywhere with warmth and life again that dad had said disappeared during the Second Wizarding War. His mother would watch as dad would hold him on the broomstick they had bought him for Christmas before his third birthday. Mum would always laugh aloud to herself as he would shout, “Hi Mummy!” across the mini quidditch pitch that the family had. He would always shout and exclaim and giggle loudly as his dad would make whooshing sounds to replicate the wind. Dad always said it was to replicate how the wind would fly through and tussle his hair when he was old enough to fly on his own broom.
“Scorpius, darling?” Narcissa’s sophisticated voice quickly echoed around the trees in the Malfoy Manor garden. She carefully trudged over to him, navigating her way over the steps leading to the small family graveyard, clutching tightly onto her dark navy blue winter cloak. Holding it close to herself, keeping out the winter chill.
“Scorpius, darling? Come on, dinner time!” Narcissa rang the small chime bell a couple of times before placing it back onto the highest shelf, out of one child’s reach, calling up towards her grandson’s bedroom. She walked into the smaller dining room, placing down two china plates full of home-cooked food.
“Scorpius, darling?” Narcissa questioned as she looked around her old Manor home, searching out all of the possible hiding places that her young grandson could be. “Where are you hiding sweetheart?” She asked out loud, clearly avoiding the overly large wardrobe in one of the empty bedrooms. A creaking door on the wardrobe opened up, a small blonde curly head peaked out of it and quietly giggled to himself.
“Scorpius, darling, it will all be okay. I promise sweetheart. You’ve got me. Nana and papa. Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny. Uncle Theo and Uncle Oliver. Uncle Blaise. Aunt Pansy. Mippy and all our other house-elves.” She calmly whispered into his dusty blonde curls as he lightly shook against her chest, shaking with tears. She brushes her thumb across his tightened knuckles as the curtains closed around his parent’s matching coffins.
“Scorpius, my darling boy!” He wished his mother and father would call out to him. Welcoming him home, into their wide-open arms. Praying that his mummy and daddy were just hiding away in a complex, years-long game of hide and seek.
“It’ll all be okay, my darling.” A kiss to his forehead.
“You are safe.”
“You are loved.”
“You aren’t alone.” Stroking across his knuckles.
“Over here, grandmother!” He answers, lifting up his head from looking down at the headstone. He waves her over, noticing the glimpse of a bunch of flowers in her hand. “Are those for mum and dad?” He nodded towards the bouquet as she reached the headstones.
“Over here, grandmother!” Scorpius shouted loudly, giggling, as he ran through the Manor gardens, tripping over some of Narcissa’s favourite flowers. Mummy and daddy watching the scene happen away in the shadows as Scorpius’ grandmother ran carefully after him. “Mummy, come and play!” He shouted louder as he made a circle back around, running towards his mother’s open welcoming arms, almost pushing her onto the floor with the powerful force of his hug. His father next to them smiling proudly at his wife and son.
“Grandmother?” He quietly begged for a hug as he woke up from another nightmare. It had only been a couple of weeks since the passing of his parents, and the nightmares weren’t improving or going away. All Narcissa could do was hug him tightly, hold him as she stroked his hair and stroked her thumb across his knuckles as she tried to calm him back to sleep.
“It’ll all be okay, my darling. You are safe. You are loved. You aren’t alone.” Narcissa would repeat words that she had heard his mother repeat to him when visiting once when her son and daughter in law were still breathing.
“It’ll all be okay, my darling.” A kiss to his forehead.
“You are safe.” A close hug to her chest, wrapping her lavender scent around the bedroom.
“You are loved.” A soothing stroking pattern amongst his dusty locks.
“You aren’t alone.” Stroking across his knuckles.
Narcissa nods her head and places the bouquet down next to Scorpius’ bouquet of his flowers for his parents. She steps back, giving him some space to stand back up next to her. Once stood, she reaches for and holds his hand, stroking her thumb across his tensed knuckles. Scorpius recognises the action and looks down at his and his grandmother’s joint hands.
“You are safe.”
All Narcissa could do was hug him tightly, hold him as she stroked his hair and stroked her thumb across his knuckles as she tried to calm him back to sleep.
“You aren’t alone.” Stroking across his knuckles.
“Scorpius, darling, it will all be okay. I promise sweetheart.” She calmly whispered into his dusty blonde curls as he lightly shook against her chest, shaking with tears. She brushes her thumb across his tightened knuckles
He looks back up to his grandmother, blue soft eyes meeting golden brown.
“Mum and dad used to-” He started, his voice breaking at the memory, tears starting to sting at the corners of his eyes, begging to be released.
“Yes, I know sweetheart. Your father received the comfort of this signal-” she continued to slowly stroke her thumb up and down his knuckles, “-when I started doing it when he was just a little baby boy. My little dragon. Your grandfather could be a bit tough on him at times and so when I would check on him, I would hold him close, clutching his hand and rubbing my thumb across his pale knuckles. Telling him to focus on the touch. Your Aunt Pansy once told me that during his sixth year at Hogwarts that she caught glimpses of your mother and father in corners, his hand in hers, and her thumb stroking peacefully across his knuckles.” She continued retelling memories. He notices the tears starting to form in the corner of her eyes, and he pulls her hand closer, stroking his thumb across the top of her knuckles.
“Are they going to be with us for dinner, grandmother?” He asked, excitement crackling in his voice at the idea of Christmas Day dinner. He stepped away from his parent’s and grandfather’s marble headstones.
“It’ll all be okay, my darling.”
“You are loved.”
“You aren’t alone.”
Narcissa, clutching onto her grandson’s hand, walks back towards the Manor. “Of course they will be with us for dinner, sweetheart. Your father’s excitement for Christmas was always something that kept me going through the cold weather, especially when that naughty, noseless beast was living here.” She informed her thrilled grandson.
“The Dark Lord- please, don’t hurt me.” He had heard his father scream as he woke up from nightmares, his mother quickly consoling him back to sleep. Every Time afterwards, he would ask his mother who this ‘Dark person’ was and every time his mother was too stunned to answer. Grandmother would have the answers, so next time she had babysat, he asked. “Grandmother, who's this dark person daddy keeps going on about?” So grandmother did anything a grandmother would do to protect her grandson from the harsh truth from before he was born. This ‘Dark Lord’ became known as the ‘Naughty, noseless beast.’
He let go of his grandmother’s hand and rushed forward towards the Manor, pushing through the backdoors to get to the dining room first.
Memories from their final Christmas always pop up in his nightmares, even though they didn’t know it would be their final Christmas day as a family.
“Merry Christmas, my little angel!” His mother exclaimed cheerfully as Scorpius burst into his parent's bedroom, leaping onto their canopy, four poster bed. His limbs bumping into Hermione’s legs and accidentally jabbing into Draco’s side as he twisted himself into the middle of their blankets. “Has Father Christmas been yet, Scorp?” Mum questioned as she snuggled him into a close hug as his father attacked him with kisses.
“Food! Food! Food!” Scorpius chanted as he marched around the living room with a Father Christmas hat on his head, two sizes too big for him. He looked like he was conducting and leading a band march, but instead was chanting for Christmas Day dinner to be ready so he and his father could race to the table to be first there.
“You are loved.”
Scorpius glided into the dining room, the large Christmas tree decorated to full capacity by the pre-lit fireplace. Dinner already served to perfection on the long dinner table, waiting for all of the guests to arrive and indulge in. Hermione’s parents, Nana and Papa, stood by the fireplace, warming up their hands. They were holding two overly large sacks of what he could presume held Christmas presents, all for him.
“Nana! Papa!” Scorpius excitedly trembled, shuffling off his cloak and dropping it into a pile of fabric onto the floor. He ran over to them, puddles of water marking his steps from the melting snow off his matching red boots. Nana opened her arms, mirroring the way another woman in his life used to, and lifted Scorpius into a hug.
“You have gotten so big, have you been sleeping in the grow bags again? Hasn’t he gotten so big, Richard?” Nana exclaimed to Papa as he was clutched tighter into her arms, Nana never wanting to let go of him.
“I am going to hold you forever. I will always be here for you, little one. Me. Papa. Your grandmother. All of us. I promise you. You will never be alone for one second.” She had told him at his parent’s funeral, distracting him with the stuffed dragon that his grandmother had brought him the Christmas the year before.
Repetition of what his mother and father used to whisper to him as he drifted off to sleep.
Repetition of what his mother and father used to say into his dusty blonde curls as they walked through Diagon Alley, his mother getting distracted by the books in Flourish and Blotts.
Repetition of what his mother and father used to whisper to him before they had to go away on a mission for the Ministry, and were worried that they wouldn’t be back when they promised they would be back.
Then, that one Christmas day, that fear had become a reality.
A chill filled the dining room as his grandmother entered the room, helping a house-elf take away the outdoor winter cloaks and place them somewhere warm to dry them off from the moisture of the melted snow. Clearing her throat, all attention went back on to her, drawing Jean and Richard’s attention away from their grandson. Nana carefully plopped Scorpius back onto the tilled dining room floor.
“Ahh, Jean, Richard. I wasn’t notified that you had arrived so my sincerest apologies.” Narcissa warmly welcomed as Nana, Papa and Scorpius walked over to Narcissa, joining her at the top of the long table.
“It’ll all be okay, my darling.”
“You are loved.”
“No worries Narcissa. You are looking absolutely lovely, as always.” Jean exclaims back, clutching onto the back of the wingback dining room chair. “You have outdone yourself with the Christmas decorations this year!” Jean smiles, brightening the room, stunning Narcissa at the reminder of the golden element missing from the room. From the whole Manor.
“It’ll all be okay, my darling.”
“You are loved.”
Scorpius noisily drags out his chair, unable to lift it without help from one of the three adults in the room. He looks over at Grandmother, his eyes begging for some help to move out the chair so that he could climb and get to the food already.
“You are loved.”
“Darling, we must wait, remember. The surprises haven’t arrived yet.” Grandmother remarked tightly, her knuckles whitening around the grip she had on the chair at the head of the table. His chair. Grandfather’s chair.
‘HERE PEACEFULLY LIES LUCIUS ABRAXAS MALFOY. A LOVING HUSBAND, A MISUNDERSTOOD FATHER, AND A NEVER MET GRANDFATHER.’
The door swung open wide and loudly with a sharp bang, as wood hit wood. A bright, golden ray of sunshine filled the doorframe. Two figures, one noticeably taller than the other, stood amongst the light. Holding hands. At a closer glimpse, the taller figure was stroking his thumb against the knuckles of the other figure’s hand.
“Oh, mother. How many times have I said to stop calling us the surprises? I wish there was another thing you could call us.” He drawled as he stepped through the ray of sunshine, stepping properly into the dining room. A sniffle sounded from Narcissa.
“Daddy!” Scorpius screamed excitedly as he rushed towards his father, grabbing his legs and tackling him into a hug. The biggest baby bear hug.
It was Scorpius’ favourite present every year. Birthday and Christmas. The same routine twice every year. Narcissa would say the exact line, “darling, we must wait, remember. The surprises haven’t arrived yet,” and then the spell would be magically performed. Allowing Draco and Hermione to physically spend Christmas and Scorp’s birthday with their son. It was his favourite gift he had ever received. And he was happier every year that passed.
“Hello. My- haven’t you gotten big in the past few months.” Draco smiled as he lifted up his son, clutching him tighter. “Has grandmother been treating my little boy well?” Draco drawled, twirling his son around in his arms. Scorpius’ giggle filling up the Manor with the warmth and life that they all so desperately craved throughout the year.
Midnight. They only ever had till midnight. But every time, they would make all of those minutes count till the last second.
But every time, Draco and Hermione wished that they had just five more minutes with Scorpius. For one more hug. One more kiss. One more moment together as a family.
“That light gets brighter every time. Also Draco, I swear if that was your design for the rays to be golden, you’ll hear how I feel about it.” Hermione drawled as she walked out of the sunshine rays, brushing off imaginary dust from her festive dark green dress. She glanced around the dining room, gazing over the Christmas decorations. “Oh, Narcissa, every year you achieve perfection. Every. Single. Year.” Hermione smiled graciously. The golden smile.
“Mummy!” Scorpius wriggled in his father’s long arms, reaching out for his mother. “Mummy and daddy are back!” Scorpius cheered, his giggles getting louder and louder as Hermione wrapped her arms around both of her boys.
Every time, Draco and Hermione wished that they had just five more minutes with Scorpius. For one more hug. One more kiss. One more moment together as a family.
Midnight. The old grandfather clock was only a couple of minutes away from midnight. The most dreaded time of the evening when his parents would be visiting him. Celebrating either his birthday or Christmas.
“It’ll all be okay, my darling boy. You are safe. Grandmother takes good care of you, and Nana and papa love having you stay at their house, chasing around the cats. You are loved. Mummy loves you very much. Daddy loves you very much. And you are never alone, Scorpius. We are always watching over you, sweetheart. Everyday. Every single day, there is something for us to be proud of.” Hermione and Draco say together as they clutch Scorpius closer to their chests. Not letting go. Never, ever letting go.
It was almost time.
“One more hug.” Draco smiled, the tears stinging his grey eyes. No. Stay strong for him. Scorpius hugged tighter onto his parents, sniffling quietly, hoping that mum and dad didn’t notice the tears that were already falling from his eyes.
“One more kiss.” Hermione nodded, tears stinging her eyes as well. She kissed Scorpius, stroking her thumb across his knuckles as he moved himself to kiss his father one last time before they were gone again.
They stood up from crouching on the floor. Draco held out his hand for Hermione to hold onto as they stepped back towards the door frame. The three never took their eyes off each other. Hermione blew a kiss towards Scorpius, him clutching it in his hand. Never letting go.
“Never let go.”
Scorpius closed his eyes, looking down at the tightened hand where his mother’s kiss was being held, hostage.
Midnight struck.
The door closed with a swing. The golden light disappears.
Gone.
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