Chapter 1
Preface: Some unforgettable memories are destined to be unknown, but they do exist in the years and will not disappear with the wind.
1.
He is a ghost.
He has no name, no past, and when he opens his eyes, he sees his transparent body, which is penetrated by people passing by. No one can see him, and glass mirrors and water surfaces cannot reflect him. He doesn't know where he comes from, what his name is, or what he looks like. He only knows that he is a ghost.
A ghost chained to a person.
2.
The man who had locked him up was called Draco Malfoy. He had heard that name from the others, who called him Draco, or Malfoy.
The ghost didn't know whether he had a grudge with Draco in his life, so he was treated in such a cruel way - he could only float within two meters of Draco, and if he went a little further, he would be pulled back by an unknown force.
As a ghost who wanted to travel around the world and longed for freedom, he really hated this Malfoy who locked him up.
3.
Malfoy is 20 years old and is a trainee healer at St. Mungo's.
It seemed that he had made some terrible mistakes in his short twenty years of life, so his work was not going well. His colleagues didn't like him, and the patients who came to see him specifically didn't want him. One day, an emotional patient even spat on his neat robe.
Although the ghost didn't like Malfoy, he still felt a little sympathy for him when he saw that he was hated by so many people.
As Malfoy hid behind someone and wiped his robes in disgust and frustration, the ghost floated over to him and touched his head comfortingly.
But Malfoy couldn't see him, nor could he feel his touch. The ghost lay on him and heard him say: "Fuck the world."
"Yeah, fuck the world." The ghost nodded in agreement. He couldn't stay in this disgusting world for even a second. Fortunately, he was dead.
4.
Malfoy became a formal healer at the age of 21. Because the new type of potion he developed on his own overcame a problem that had plagued the medical profession for many years, St. Mungo's made an exception and admitted him early, and directly gave him the title of intermediate physician.
On the day when the title badge was issued, it was the first time that I saw a genuine smile on Malfoy's face. His often furrowed brows relaxed, and a smile appeared in his pale silver eyes. The sunlight danced around his head, along his well-defined profile, and gently caressed the corners of his upturned lips.
The ghost felt as if his empty chest was hit by something. Although he didn't like Malfoy, he had to admit that the blond young man looked very good when he smiled. After shedding his usual melancholy, this young man in his early twenties showed a rare youthful spirit.
Ghost stood in front of him, watching him put on the badge and raise his lips in the mirror. The badge was a little crooked, but Draco didn't care. He was in high spirits as if he had received the highest award.
The ghost clapped silently - even though his palms would penetrate each other and no sound would be made, and Draco would not be able to hear it at all - to celebrate that Draco could finally hold his head high and no longer have to endure the sneers and contemptuous stares of others.
5.
Malfoy returned home and reported the good news to his parents. His mother cried with joy, and his father stood up and walked around the room twice, his eyebrows were full of joy: "I knew that my son would be successful no matter what he did."
Malfoy, well, now Draco, smiled smugly: "I will restore pride and honor to the Malfoy name."
His father held his shoulders with relief, while his mother took his hand and said gently, "None of that matters. For Lucius and me, it's enough that you are healthy, happy, and not wronged."
Draco patted the back of his mother's hand soothingly: "Who dares to let me be wronged?"
Ghosts were circling around him, and he shook his head: He didn't know who it was, but was deliberately locked up in the basement by a colleague late at night, and was so scared that he cried in the silent darkness; he didn't know who it was, but in order to win the favor of the dean, he rushed to make potions without even having time to eat breakfast, and in the afternoon he pressed his stomach and gasped in pain.
He leaned close to Draco's mother's ear and said, "Hey, you know, he is often awakened by nightmares in the middle of the night, and then can't sleep the whole night. He has to take medicine to fall asleep, or he will just stay awake until dawn."
Of course they couldn't hear his voice, and no one expected them to hear it. But when he finished speaking, he saw Draco's mother carefully studying her son's face, her eyes turning red, tears flashing in the corners of her eyes, and he was suddenly stunned.
In fact, she knew.
He thought.
She just didn't want to appear weak in front of her son and didn't want Draco to worry about her.
The same thing happened with Draco. They were both fools who fooled themselves.
6.
The ghost stayed with Draco at Ben's house for one night. The environment and layout here were much better than Draco's small apartment.
The next day when Draco got up, the ghost lingered on the bed. He really couldn't bear to leave such a soft bed.
But there was no way, he couldn't leave Draco more than two meters away, so when Draco walked to a safe distance, the ghost was immediately pulled to his side by an unknown force.
Hateful Draco, Draco who never stayed in bed, Draco who was willing to leave even such a soft bed. The ghost followed Draco and kept muttering.
After Draco had breakfast with his parents, he was called to the study by his father. The ghost followed him in and eavesdropped.
He hoped that Lucius would teach Draco a lesson as the price for not staying in bed.
But to Draco's disappointment, Lucius not only did not teach him a lesson, but praised him lavishly. Draco listened quietly and asked tentatively: "Father, what do you want to say?"
Lucius rubbed his hands awkwardly, his eyes dodging: "In fact, I should have let your mother talk to you, but she didn't want to, so I'll do it... Well, Draco, you are 21 years old this year, do you have a crush on any lady?"
7.
Wow.
The ghost leaned on Draco's shoulder with great interest, waiting to hear his love confession.
However, based on his observations over the past year, Draco's life was very monotonous: hospital, apartment, restaurant or dessert shop, occasionally going to a bar with friends, nothing else.
Draco clasped his fingers in his knees, his eyebrows twisted together unconsciously, and his long, curled eyelashes drooped, hiding the emotions in his eyes.
The ghost heard him say in a flat voice: "No, I don't have anyone I like. Please follow your arrangements."
8.
The ghost followed Draco back to his own apartment. As soon as he entered the house, Draco sank into the sofa, put his hands on his face, and only his tired brows were exposed.
The ghost couldn't help but breathe softly along with him, looking left and right against his face.
Draco had lied to Lucius, he could tell instantly.
Draco was in a very low mood after he lied, and he could see it all.
But why would he lie? It's not hard to tell someone you like, so why didn't he tell his father?
The ghost poked Draco's cheek. He felt that Draco was particularly strange today.
9.
Draco lay motionless on the sofa as if dead, the ghost leaned behind him, put his elbow on his shoulder and stared blankly. Suddenly, Draco stood up straight, startled, staring blankly at Draco running into the study, opening the drawer, and pulling out a beautifully wrapped photo album from under the thick notes and documents.
This was the first time the ghost had seen this photo album. You know, he had been with Draco for more than a year, never leaving his side, but he had never seen Draco take out this photo album.
Today, Draco took it out for the first time. He stroked the album cover with his pale fingers, his fingertips trembling as if he was enduring great pain, the blood color on his face faded away, and he looked like a pale and powerless ghost.
The ghost looked at Draco worriedly, thinking that if he fainted, he wouldn't be able to help him call for help.
After all, he is just a ghost that no one can see.
Fortunately, Draco calmed down after taking a few sharp breaths, so the ghost sat next to him, put his chin on his shoulder, and watched Draco open the photo album, revealing the crimson title page.
In the middle there is a line of small gold-plated words: In memory of our eternal savior - Harry Potter.
10.
The ghost knew the name Harry Potter. During the year he worked with Draco at St. Mungo's, almost everyone mentioned Harry Potter.
People love to talk about him, from his miserable childhood when he was bullied by his Muggle relatives to his heroic deeds in defeating Voldemort. Whenever they mention his premature death due to the Killing Curse, they can't help but sigh.
The ghost pieced together the hero's life from their conversation: he had a very unfortunate childhood, a very brilliant youth, but unfortunately not a very brilliant young adult, because his life ended at the age of 19, and the day he died was Draco's twentieth birthday.
Draco didn't really like celebrating his birthday. On his 21st birthday, he declined his friends' invitations to parties and just passed it in a perfunctory manner.
The ghost had never heard the word "Harry Potter" from Draco's mouth. It seemed that this was a taboo name for Draco. The ghost guessed that he might hate Harry Potter.
10.
Draco's fingers lingered on the line of small characters, his fingertips gently stroking the two words "Harry Potter", as gently as if caressing a lover's face.
He flipped open the cover, and the first photo caught his eye. It was a handsome boy wearing a pair of black-framed glasses and a black wizard robe. He was standing in front of the gate that looked like an ancient castle, holding a magic wand and smiling warmly.
Draco swiped his wand and traced the lines of his cheek with his fingertips. The corners of his mouth unconsciously raised slightly, and his eyes looking at the photo were like melting spring water.
The ghost stared at him blankly, and unconsciously touched the corner of his lips with his fingertips.
He thought Draco's smile when he received the title badge would be the most beautiful smile he had ever seen, but it turned out not to be the case. He could smile even more beautifully.
To a picture of Harry Potter.
11.
Turning the pages further, the ghost saw various kinds of Harry Potter.
The one who is still young, with a round face and round eyes, wearing a black robe; the one who wears a red cape and rides on a broom; the one who is a little older and practicing spells...
Draco flipped through the photos one by one, lingering for a long time on each one, as if he was trying to find an identical shadow in his memory and compare it with the person in the photo. The ghost watched him smile a little more as he flipped through each photo, and couldn't help but smile too, guessing that he must have had a very good memory.
When he turned to the end of the album, a crimson card fell out, on which was written: If we are all to go with the wind eventually, may our years last forever, eternally beautiful and unfading.
The handwriting is a little crooked, but still pretty.
Draco stroked the line of words, stunned for a moment, his fingers suddenly trembled uncontrollably, and tears fell without warning. He hurriedly put the card and photo album aside, his body shook violently twice, a suppressed cry escaped from his throat, and then he burst into tears.
12.
This was the first time that Ghost saw Draco smile so gently today, and the first time that he heard him cry so sadly.
He cried like a child with a shattered dream, his arms hugged his head, his shoulders trembling, and tears pouring down from his eyes.
The ghost reached out his hand to catch his tears, and the tears flowed through his palm and fell onto the table. He wanted to wipe the tears from Draco's eyes, but his transparent fingers pierced through Draco's skin.
He had no choice but to stretch out his arms and hug Draco vaguely, even though he knew Draco couldn't feel it and it wouldn't bring Draco the slightest comfort.
But what else can he do? He is just a ghost that no one can see.
13.
Fortunately, Draco recovered quickly after the afternoon's loss of composure. According to his parents' arrangement, he met several pure-blood girls from wealthy families.
They all seemed to be cultivated from the same template, with similar dignity, elegance and arrogance.
Draco was also as gentle and considerate as the template. He was perfect to everyone, taking them through a pleasant day, sending them home, and then turning around neatly, with the corners of his clothes drawing an arc without any reluctance.
Lucius and Narcissa asked him which one he liked, and he said, "Both are good, whatever you like."
No one would believe this. He had heard Draco mumbling in his sleep for several nights in a row, shouting "Potter, wait for me".
Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy also knew that marriage could not be forced, so they let it take its course, and another year passed leisurely.
14.
Draco went on blind dates frequently, but he mostly stayed alone in the following days. He was obsessed with getting promoted, and every day he was either working in the hospital or going home to develop potions. It was not until the end of his 22nd year that, through the introduction of a friend, Draco met a dignified and tall lady from a noble family, her name was Astoria.
The two of them chatted more congenially than with other girls Ghost had met, but only a little bit. All Ghost saw on Draco's face was still an emotionless polite smile.
But this blind date was the longest one among all the blind dates Draco had ever had. He took Astoria to the aquarium, accompanied her to art exhibitions and concerts, went to the observatory to watch the stars at night, and then sent her home.
This time he didn't turn around and leave like usual, but held Astoria's face and said softly: "Wish you a good dream."
Astoria blushed and said to him "You too".
15.
After Draco returned home, he did not show much excitement of falling in love. As usual, he studied the new potion formula, took a bath, came out and went back to his room and lay on the bed.
Ghost yawned and lay on the other side of the bed. Actually, he didn't need to sleep, but he was always bored when Draco slept, so he closed his eyes and rested. After walking through so many places today, he guessed that Draco must be very tired.
Maybe he would be so tired that he would have no dreams all night, and then Draco would not cry out the name "Harry Potter" in his nightmare today.
Draco didn't shout. He tossed and turned in bed until midnight and couldn't fall asleep.
The ghost was floating in the air and poking his face. Draco's abnormal behavior today made him a little worried.
At about two o'clock in the morning, Draco turned over and sat up, without turning on the light, and went straight to the study.
This was the second time the ghost saw Draco take out the photo album. In the past year, except for that one time when he looked at it and cried his heart out, he kept it at the bottom of the drawer and never touched it again.
The ghost watched Draco turn on the light in the study and open the photo album. Harry Potter was still smiling warmly and brightly on the first page.
The boy in the picture is still young, and the photo is frozen at his best age. Looking at Draco again, there are subtle fine lines on his forehead and under his eyes. Although it is not obvious if you don't look closely, the years are indeed slowly leaving marks on him.
The ghost was worried that Draco would cry his eyes out again like last time, so he hugged him in his arms in advance and put his forehead against Draco's.
Draco's eyes fell on the photo of the silly smile, the gentleness of a spring breeze, and the curve of the corners of her lips were more real and beautiful than any other girl he had seen.
He didn't cry this time, and the ghost breathed a sigh of relief and followed him to look at Harry in the photo.
Only then did he realize that Miss Astoria, who was the only one Draco favored today, had a pair of green eyes similar to Harry Potter's.
16.
Ghost was not surprised at all that Draco and Astoria got married.
Before this, they had dated countless times. Draco would patiently accompany her to all the places she wanted to go, and would kiss her forehead and look into her eyes goodnight every night when they parted.
At the wedding, Lucius and Narcissa burst into tears. Draco took Astoria's hand in the middle of the red carpet, and there was applause all around.
The ghost stood at Draco's side, closer to him than Astoria had been.
"Mr. Draco Malfoy, are you willing to always be faithful to your wife, Miss Astoria Greengrass, cherish her and love her, no matter good times or bad, rich or poor, healthy or sick, happy or sad?"
"I do," Draco said.
"Miss Astoria Greengrass, are you willing to always be faithful to your husband, Mr. Draco Malfoy, cherish him and love him, no matter good or bad, rich or poor, healthy or sick, happy or sad?"
"I do." Ghost and Astoria said together.
"Please exchange your wands and confirm your vows."
The two wands exchanged owners in front of the ghost's eyes. He stared at Draco's wand in Astoria's hand. From now on, Astoria can use Draco's wand. She will become the second owner of this wand. Draco's wand will release magic according to her wishes without any resistance or disobedience.
His chest felt hot, as if it was being tightened and loosened. He had no idea why he had such a feeling since he clearly had no heart.
His eyes were also sore and bitter. He was just a ghost and could not shed tears, but his eyes were indeed sore and bitter that he just wanted to close his eyes tightly and not look at the newlyweds who were smiling at each other.
The guests applauded and congratulated one after another. The ghost clung to Draco, thinking that their applause was for Astoria, celebrating that she could stand next to Draco. But he had obviously come earlier and stood here earlier than anyone else.
It's just that no one saw it.
Draco himself was clueless.
17.
After Draco and Astoria got married, the photo album became even more hidden, and I never saw him take it out again.
He and Astoria lived a warm and ordinary life like all ordinary couples. They rarely quarreled and treated each other with respect. Astoria was a good wife who would consider every aspect of life for Draco. After she moved in, Draco rarely had stomachache and insomnia.
In this sense, the ghost liked Astoria, but he also had some complaints about this beautiful little Mrs. Malfoy, because as soon as she moved in, she occupied half of the bed next to Draco, which originally belonged to him.
He protested to them, pulling Draco's hair, pinching his ears, and yelling in his ear: "You are the one who locked me within two meters of you, you can't even give me a bed!"
But they couldn't hear him, they were unaware of his needs.
The ghost had no choice but to huddle in the corner of Draco's bed, or float in the air, glaring at them from above.
He still remembered the day Astoria had just moved in, lying on the same bed with Draco, the two of them somehow entangled together. The ghost could only sit cross-legged above their heads, closing his eyes and covering his ears with his transparent hands in vain.
But his hands couldn't block out the sound, so he heard Draco's voice, which was deeper and more magnetic than usual, saying, "Do you like it?"
"As long as it's you," Astoria said softly, "dear, you don't know how sexy you are."
Draco chuckled, hitting the heart of the man and the ghost. The ghost opened his eyes involuntarily and stared at the back of Draco's head, curious about how sexy it could be.
He knew he shouldn't do that, but for some reason he couldn't control himself and fell down little by little until he landed on the bed. His transparent body overlapped with Astoria's and he looked at Draco who was lying on him.
He frowned slightly, with a few beads of sweat on his forehead, his silver-gray eyes were bright, his pale lips turned pink, and his cheeks were slightly red. His bangs, which were always neatly groomed, fell a few strands across his forehead, and the light golden tips covered the corners of his eyes.
The ghost noticed that his chest was rising and falling violently. He uncontrollably reached out and touched Draco's face, thinking blankly: He is so handsome.
18.
Draco and Astoria had been married for a year and there was no sign of a new life.
That afternoon, they sat in their garden drinking tea, and outside some children were playing the game "Harry Potter vs. Voldemort".
They ran around the garden, a few children chasing one, and the one being chased, in a hurry, rashly ran into Draco's yard and hid behind him, and then the others chased in and surrounded Draco and made a lot of noise.
One of them screamed, "How can you hide behind someone else!"
The one who ran in first said aggrievedly: "The stone thrown by Voldemort is too painful."
"But you shouldn't hide, you're Harry Potter!"
The child took off his black glasses without lenses and rubbed the scar on his forehead vigorously, tears falling down his face. "I don't want to be Harry Potter anymore. Being Harry Potter is too painful. I don't want to be one anymore."
Draco snorted, "Harry Potter has no right not to be Harry Potter."
Little "Harry" burst into tears, and the other children said in an aggressive tone: "That's right, if you don't become Harry Potter, you can't play. How can you not become Harry Potter?"
Little "Harry" pointed at another kid who was farther away from his companions and a little shorter: "Let him be the leader."
The child didn't have a very obvious appearance like the other children. Draco glanced at him and asked, "Who is he?"
"He's Draco Malfoy," the curly-haired girl said contemptuously, "We all don't like him."
Draco said in the same contemptuous tone: "He doesn't need you to like him either."
The ghost nudged Draco with his shoulder. "Why are you arguing with a child?"
The little girl was despised by Draco and stamped her feet, ready to cry. Draco was unmoved: "Why, you cry because you can't win the argument, is this all Miss Granger is capable of?"
The little girl really started crying this time. Astoria patted Draco's hand, signaling him to be more restrained. Draco snorted, "I didn't know Hermione Granger and Harry Potter were little crybabies."
He poked little "Harry"'s forehead with his finger: "What kind of Harry Potter is a Harry Potter who doesn't do anything when he says he won't do it?"
The little boy's tears, which had just stopped, began to fall again.
Draco made two children cry in succession, but he didn't feel guilty at all. He just rested his head on the ground and watched them cry. He was so happy that his shoulders were shaking with laughter.
The ghost rolled his eyes at him: "Childish."
Astoria was helpless too. She wrapped up the cake on the table and gave it to the two crying children. She said to them softly, "Uncle is joking with you. Don't mind it."
"I'm not kidding," Draco suddenly said seriously, "What kind of Harry Potter is he who gives up even at this little pain?!" He turned to the silent child who had always been excluded from the crowd: "And you, what kind of Draco Malfoy is he who doesn't say a word around Harry Potter?!"
"Why are you competing with a child?" Astoria showed a rare hint of anger and glared at him in reproach.
Draco pursed his lips tightly, leaned back in his chair, and looked at the two children who were frightened by his sudden accusation, and did not speak for a long time.
Astoria comforted them for a while, distributed all the cakes on the table to them, and asked them to go outside to play. Draco picked up the pumpkin juice on the table and poured a glass for little "Harry": "Take this too."
The little boy looked at him timidly: "Thank you, sir, but I don't like pumpkin juice."
Draco stared at him for a few seconds, then lowered his arm. The cup hit the table with a clanging sound. He looked at the shaking pumpkin juice and whispered, "I didn't like it before, but after drinking it a few times, I got used to it."
The little boy nodded, not quite understanding, and turned to run towards his friends. Draco watched in silence. Little "Harry" ran to little "Hermione" and bumped his arm with little "Ron" on the other side. The child who pretended to be him did not say a word to little "Harry" until the end. He always wandered away from the crowd, like a lonely shadow.
Astoria cleaned up the mess on the table and gently scolded: "Look at you, why are you bullying a few children? It's wrong for them to smear you like this, but you can't blame a few children for it."
Draco lowered his eyes and stroked the ring on his finger, raised the corner of his lips, and said nothing.
Astoria stopped and said angrily, "Still laughing!"
Draco said calmly: "It's just for fun. Isn't it to compensate them?"
Astoria shook her head, noncommittal.
The ghost leaned on Draco, looked at him quietly for a while, then stretched out his arms, hugged him, and gently rubbed his chin on his head. He said to Astoria with a little resentment: "Can't you see that he really needs a hug?"
19.
That night, after Astoria went to bed, Draco walked into the study alone and took out the photo album that had been gathering dust in the drawer.
He stroked the cover with nostalgia, opened the album, and all that was left in his eyes was the boy whom he had not seen for a long time.
The ghost leaned on his shoulder, looked up anxiously, and saw Draco's calm profile, feeling a little relieved.
Draco was very quiet this time. He turned the pages one by one, and every time he saw a Harry Potter, the corners of his lips curled up a little. When he finished flipping through the entire album, he let out a long breath.
The ghost used his knuckles to gently stroke the corners of his softly curved lips. He had only seen this kind of curve when Draco was looking through photo albums.
The last photo shows Harry sitting on a broomstick, holding up the Gryffindor Quidditch trophy. Draco said to the smiling man in the photo: "Today I met a kid pretending to be you, crying and saying, 'It hurts to be Harry Potter, I don't want to be Harry Potter anymore.'"
He shook his head. "I told him that Harry Potter had no right not to be Harry Potter. You would agree with me, wouldn't you?"
In the photo, Harry was tirelessly lifting the trophy. Draco chuckled and said, "I also saw a fake 'me', standing outside the crowd timidly, not daring to say a word. If you saw this little kid who took my name, I don't know how you would laugh at me."
"I should have told him: when you meet Harry Potter, you should first shout his name harshly, then taunt him with a drawn-out tone. At this time, he will reveal his stubbornness, with all the bright green of Hogwarts in his eyes. Then, when he walks towards you, you should also walk towards him and continue to say something that will make him angry. In this way, he will only have you in his eyes."
"Unfortunately, I was too excited and forgot about it." Draco shook his head regretfully, "I just let him go like that, and that fake Potter got nothing for nothing."
When Harry raised the trophy again and smiled, Draco covered the photo with his hand and whispered, "Don't raise it, aren't you tired?"
The photo did not answer him, so the ghost said softly, "Maybe he is not tired."
Draco closed the album and forgot to put the card away, which fell on the desk. He pinched a corner and read the words on the card: "If we will eventually fade away with the wind, may the years stay forever, forever fresh, and never fade."
"You will live forever, Potter." Draco sneered, "As for us, one day we will all be gone with the wind."
He put the card back into the album carefully, stroked the hard spine, and murmured, "Time won't stay forever. I bullied Harry Potter and Hermione Granger until they cried today. How interesting."
20.
Even though Draco insisted many times that it was okay to have no children, he didn't need a child to inherit his bloodline. But Astoria still forced herself to get pregnant, and after ten months of pain and suffering, she gave birth to a healthy boy for Draco.
The newborn Mr. Malfoy was red all over and babbling in the cradle. Like every new father, Draco stood aside at a loss, listening to people explaining to him the precautions for taking care of a baby.
The ghost curiously approached the little guy - Draco named him Scorpius - Scorpius blinked his big green eyes, suddenly stopped crying, and looked at him steadily.
The ghost was surprised: "Can you see me?"
Scorpius stretched out his little hand and grabbed the ghost's face. His little fist naturally passed through the ghost and grabbed nothing. Little Mr. Malfoy was very regretful. He looked at his little claws and persevered in reaching out to the ghost.
The ghost smiled, wrapped his red and tender little hand with his transparent palm, and put his index finger on his lips with his other hand: "Shh, this is our little secret."
Little Scorpius chuckled at him.
From that day on, the ghost had a new hobby: playing with little Scorpius.
Draco and Astoria sometimes wondered why Scorpius was having fun with the air and couldn't stop laughing in the cradle. They didn't know why, so they smiled at each other and said, "Scorpius will be a good boy in the future."
The ghost didn't think Scorpius was a good boy at all. The little ghost liked to pull his hair and pull his ears - even though his fingers would pass through the ghost, he still enjoyed it.
The ghost would sometimes grind his teeth in Draco's ear and say, "Just wait and see, he'll grow up to be a little devil."
21.
The "little devil" grew up day by day, from rolling in the cradle to crawling on the ground, and then from crawling to walking unsteadily, and then began to walk around very skillfully. The ghost and Draco were by his side to protect him from falling, watching him pick up toys on the ground and throw them around.
Little Scorpius prefers to stick to ghosts rather than to his parents. As long as Draco is around and the ghost can get close to Scorpius, the little guy will stick to the ghost relentlessly, playing the game of "you can't catch me" with the ghost back and forth.
The ghost never thought he was troublesome and enjoyed playing with him every time. He always thought about how he would tell Scorpius not to reveal their little secret when Scorpius grew up a little and could talk. Maybe he could coax him and play with him for a whole day?
Until one day, Scorpius trotted towards Draco, mumbling "daddy". The ghost stretched out his arms with Draco as usual, but Scorpius walked past him without paying any attention and threw himself into Draco's arms.
The ghost was stunned for a moment, touched his neck, rubbed Scorpius's little head, and said, "Now you don't even come to play with me first."
Scorpius didn't react. He just wiggled in Draco's arms, repeating in a soft voice, "Daddy, daddy, gone."
"Daddy is here, he's not missing." Draco kissed his son's little face, carried him on his shoulders and turned him around.
Scorpius grabbed his hair and said aggrievedly, "Daddy, it's gone." Tears fell on Draco's hair.
Draco was confused: "Daddy is here, can Daddy take you to find Mummy?"
Draco took Scorpius to find Astoria. She stood there in a daze, and when they were more than two meters away, she was taken away by Draco uncontrollably.
Scorpius lay on Draco and cried very sadly, but he never looked at him.
The ghost then realized that he had turned into a ghost that no one could see.
22.
When he was never seen, the ghost didn't feel anything. After playing with Scorpius for so long, and suddenly returning to the way he was before, the ghost suddenly felt an unprecedented loneliness, and the huge loneliness almost overwhelmed him.
He watched Draco and his family of three eat and sleep with dull interest, and no longer had the desire to hang around Draco as he used to.
He suddenly remembered the card in Harry's photo album: If we are all gone with the wind.
Harry Potter has passed away with the wind, but he has always been remembered by people. The ghost couldn't help but wonder, when the day comes that he also passes away with the wind, who will remember him? Who will prove that he once existed?
As if a heavy stone was pressing down on his heart, the ghost was so sad that he wanted to cry. But he couldn't cry, so he could only sit at the dining table dejectedly, staring at his transparent body in a daze.
At night, Astoria coaxed Scorpius to sleep, and Draco went to the balcony alone, sat on the lounge chair, and looked at the twinkling starry sky.
The Milky Way fell into his eyes, forming a jade wheel as gorgeous as broken diamonds. The ghost snuggled up to him, looking into his eyes, feeling very uncomfortable.
The stars were so far away, but Draco saw them; he was so close to Draco, but Draco didn't see him.
He also wanted to see what he looked like through Draco's eyes, even just once, at least let him know what he looked like, at least let Draco know what he looked like.
Draco stared at the starry sky for a long time without moving. The devil knew that it was impossible for him to see a miracle in Draco's eyes, so he shrank into Draco's arms in frustration.
He often heard Astoria praise the warmth of Draco's embrace, but he had never felt it in his arms for so many years.
23.
When Scorpius was three years old, some uninvited guests came to his home.
They were unkempt and ferocious-looking, and when Draco saw them he immediately picked up his wand and erected a huge wall of armor.
"Look at how comfortable your life is, young Master Malfoy," the leader of the gang laughed, "You can't understand what it's like for us in Azkaban at all."
"Firs, you escaped from Azkaban?" Draco said warily.
"Yes, I finally escaped, and the first thing I did was to bring my former brothers to see you," Firth opened his arms and smiled at the people behind him, "Master Malfoy, who was once so glorious, is still so high and mighty, unlike the rest of us, who are being held in Azkaban, with no hope of seeing the light of the day"
He pulled up his sleeves, revealing a horrifying mark. "You all have this mark, but how come you are unscathed, married, have children, and become the highly praised Dr. Malfoy? How do you do that?"
Scorpius was frightened by his hysterical tone and burst into tears. Astoria patted his back and comforted him softly. The ghost stood in front of Scorpius and Astoria, and together with Draco, they were vigilant against those people.
"Asti, take Scorpius with you..."
"No, we're with you."
Astoria refused Draco's order, hugged Scorpius tightly, and stood behind Draco.
This seemed to be a signal. At the same time, Draco and the group of desperate men moved together.
Draco's armor was able to block most of their attacks, but some spells still grazed their bodies. It was not easy to fight five people at once, and Draco was soon overwhelmed.
Astoria tried her best to help him, but unfortunately she was not good at fighting and could only barely protect Scorpius from being hurt by the spell.
The spell passed through the ghost's body and hit Draco and Astoria. The ghost watched helplessly. This one-sided situation made him extremely anxious. He would not be hurt by the spell, but he could not protect Draco and the others.
Another spell hit Draco's armor wall. It was obvious that Draco's strength was exhausted. The wizard opposite pointed his wand at him, but he was out of breath and unable to fight back.
"It looks like today's game will soon be over. What a pity. We thought that the high and mighty Master Malfoy would play with us more." Firth approached with a grin and pointed his wand at Draco. "I'm sorry, my former friend. Goodbye, Draco. Avada——"
"No!"
"Expelliarmus!"
Along with Astoria's scream, the ghost grabbed Draco's wand and shouted a spell.
The wand obeyed the ghost's command, and a beam of light struck Firth, causing his wand to fly out of his hand. Astoria stretched out her arms to catch it.
In an instant, the ghost seemed to establish some kind of connection with Draco's wand. He could feel the will of the wand, and the wand was eager to help him and eager to give him strength.
Not caring about the fact that Draco might find it weird, the ghost stuck close to Draco, holding his wand and pointing it at the other person who had reacted and was about to attack, "Stupefy!"
God knows how these spells came out of his mouth. They seemed to be engraved in his soul and came out naturally.
After four people "fell unconscious" in succession, the ghost pointed his wand at Fels (who was sitting on the ground like an idiot) and said in a cold tone: "The God of Swords has no shadow."
Several streams of blood spurted out from Firth's body. Alitolia screamed and immediately covered Scorpius' eyes.
Draco was shocked that his wand would attack automatically. When he saw the wound on Firth's body, his pupils suddenly shrank and his eyes widened. The blood quickly faded from his face. Draco took two steps back in disbelief, and his wand slipped out of his hand.
Five Death Eaters fell to the ground, one of them bleeding profusely. Draco was shaking all over, a hoarse growl like a trapped animal came out from the depths of his throat, and he kept turning around and looking around.
Astoria said worriedly: "Dear..."
"Where are you?" Draco looked around in vain, his face pale and his tone anxious, "Are you here?"
"What are you talking about, honey?" Astoria squeezed his hand.
Draco seemed unaware, broke free from her hand, ran to the cupboard, and carefully checked any place in the cupboard where a person could be hidden. When he found nothing, he ran to the sofa, and checked from under the sofa to the blanket beside the sofa, but there was no one there.
"No, this is impossible..." Draco sat down on the ground dejectedly, grabbing his hair desperately.
Draco was still in a dream and unable to make a sound until Astoria contacted the Ministry of Magic and several Aurors came in and subdued the fugitives.
Because Draco remained silent, the Aurors had to ask Astoria what happened. The ghost stood behind Draco with his hands behind his back, feeling a little guilty, and lowered his head like a child who had done something wrong.
After the Aurors left, Astoria settled Scorpius down, walked over to Draco, held his hand, and placed it on her heart: "Draco, did you notice anything unusual? Tell me, I can share the responsibility with you."
"No, it's impossible... Asti, this is impossible, he has already... he has clearly already..." Draco was a mess, unable to form a single sentence.
"Who?" Astoria frowned.
"..." Draco opened his mouth weakly and scanned the surroundings, leaving no gaps, but in vain he caught clumps of air.
"No one, I must... must be dreaming." Draco hugged Astoria, tears streaming down his face.
24.
Draco and Astoria tacitly agreed to keep silent about the unusual incident that day, but Scorpius liked to talk about it very much because he felt that he had a very brave and strong father.
Three-year-old Scorpius can't say fancy compliments yet, he just keeps repeating, "Dad, you're so cool."
Draco smiled, rubbed his little head, and told him to eat well.
Scorpius took a bite of his food and said, "I want to be like dad when I grow up!"
Draco said nothing, and Astoria looked at him worriedly, warning Scorpius that children who didn't eat well would be captured by Voldemort.
At night, Draco locked himself in the study, stroking Harry Potter's photo album over and over again.
He had been doing this for the past few nights, shutting himself into the study room after dinner and staring at the photo of Harry Potter silently. The door separated Scorpius's admiring gaze and Astoria's worried gaze, leaving only him and Harry Potter.
Whenever he opened the album, Harry Potter would give him a youthful smile.
Draco could look at a smiling face all night long, and the ghost would just stand beside him silently to keep him company.
It was really strange, he had been with Draco for many years and had learned the healing spells that Draco often used. But in a hurry that day, the spells he blurted out were all those that Draco rarely or even never used.
The ghost didn't know why he remembered it, and tried hard to recall other spells that had nothing to do with Draco, but his mind was empty and he found nothing.
In the photo, Harry Potter smiled tirelessly and repeatedly, and the ghost was tired of watching it and muttered, "Aren't you tired?"
Obviously the person in the photo never gets tired. Harry smiles brightly, and his eyes are the same color as the woods behind him, deep green and quiet.
Draco looked at it for a while, then suddenly raised the album, put it to his lips and kissed it.
Harry smiled beneath his lips, and his lips pressed against Harry's, as if infected, and he couldn't help but curl up the corners of his lips.
Then he put down the photo album, and two lines of tears slid down from the corners of his eyes, hitting his heart and spreading a thick black stain on his black shirt.
25.
For a whole six months, Draco was a little suspicious. The slightest sound would make him stand up in surprise and go to check where the sound came from, and then he would express his disappointment at one empty corner after another.
Several times, the ghost deliberately stood where the sound came from, standing in front of Draco, he opened his arms to Draco, made faces, and pinched Draco's cheeks. But Draco could not see or feel anything.
The ghost watched him show a disappointed expression again and again, watched the light of hope in his eyes grow dimmer and dimmer, and then return to silence.
On Scorpius' fourth birthday, Draco found a lock from somewhere and locked the drawer containing Harry Potter's photo album.
With a click, he bid farewell to the silent tears and suspicion of the past six months.
The ghost witnessed him locking up that memory and couldn't help but applaud. It was really tiring, Draco was speechless with Harry Potter every night. No matter how good-looking Harry Potter was, he would get tired of looking at the same photos over and over again for half a year.
At least the ghosts are really tired of seeing it.
He really didn't want to see Draco's silent tears again.
Scorpius spent his fourth birthday at Malfoy Manor. Over the years, due to some educational differences, Lucius and Narcissa had complaints about Astoria, so Astoria returned to her family less and less often, and her relationship with her in-laws was not close.
But Scorpius liked Narcissa very much, and he jumped into his grandmother's arms as soon as he got out of the car. When he heard his grandfather cough, he smiled and jumped into his grandfather's arms.
Lucius coughed twice and held up his precious grandson: "Let me see if Scorpius has grown taller?"
Then he couldn't help but cough twice more, and the arm holding Scorpius became a little unstable.
Astoria hurriedly took Scorpius, and Draco frowned and asked, "Father is not feeling well these days?"
Narcissa looked a little uncomfortable and glanced at Lucius. Lucius stood up and said, "It's just a minor cold. It's not a big deal. You don't need to worry about it."
Lucius, who "couldn't do much", left suddenly that winter.
At that time, Draco and his colleagues were treating a patient who was urgently sent to the hospital for heart problems. Suddenly someone came to tell him that his father had been sent to the ward and the situation was not optimistic.
Draco ran to the ward with a blank expression and saw two colleagues gathered around the bed, and Narcissa sitting beside the bed crying.
He arrived at the bedside. Lucius looked pale and haggard, with cloudy eyes. But when he saw him, his vision suddenly became clear.
"Father." Draco shook Lucius' hand.
Lucius was given a spell to help him breathe, but he was still breathing hard. With shaking hands, he used all his strength to hold his son back, and his voice was as thin as a thread: "Draco, my son. I have only one achievement in my life: I... I have a child that I am extremely proud of."
Tears welled up in Draco's eyes and he knelt down in front of the bed. Lucius's eyes gradually lost focus and he said in his last breath: "Draco, take good care of...your mother..."
The man who never showed weakness in front of his children and grandchildren just closed his eyes, and the hand that had disciplined Draco for his entire life loosened weakly.
Draco stared at Lucius blankly, as if he had not yet recovered from the emergency. When Lucius' body temperature gradually cooled down, he suddenly realized something and looked at Narcissa who was crying uncontrollably.
In an instant, tears fell like rain.
26.
Draco hugged his mother and comforted her over and over again, while the ghost stood behind him and comforted him silently.
Then Astoria arrived, and the room was in chaos. Draco followed his colleagues like a puppet to sign various documents, and everyone said, "My condolences."
But the sorrow in the heart cannot be suppressed.
Ghost followed Draco step by step to deal with all the affairs. When he returned home, it was already two o'clock in the morning. Astoria came back in the evening because she had to take care of Scorpius, and was sitting on the sofa waiting for Draco.
Scorpius didn't know what "Grandpa left" meant yet, and was sleeping soundly in his little bed. The couple looked at their naive son, closed the door, and hugged each other and cried.
After crying for a while, Astoria stroked Draco's temple and said, "Go get some sleep. You have a busy day tomorrow."
Draco shook his head, told her to go and rest, and went into the study.
Harry Potter was locked up in darkness for two months and was taken out by Draco again.
He turned to a picture of Harry not smiling and said hoarsely, "Potter, my father died."
Harry in the photo looked at him quietly. Draco pressed the album to his chest and cried, "After you, he also left me."
The ghost hugged Draco uncomfortably and let him lean on his chest. If there was a magic that could make him appear in front of Draco right now, even if the price was that he would disappear into thin air, he would be willing to exchange it.
He wanted to tell Draco that he knew everything, that he was not Astoria and did not need gentle care, that he could accompany Draco through everything and support Draco in everything.
He was always by Draco's side, sharing his joys, sorrows and worries.
With him around, Draco doesn't have to bear so much alone.
But he wasn't there.
But he's not here...
27.
Half a year after Lucius died, Narcissa also passed away.
Draco bid farewell to his father in the cold winter and his mother in the hot summer. After Narcissa's funeral, he cried so hard on the way back in the car that he could hardly stand up.
Scorpius attended Narcissa's funeral and asked Astoria, "Mom, will I never see Grandpa and Grandma again?"
Astoria hugged him tightly with tears in her eyes: "You still have a father and a mother."
Scorpius hugged Draco, not quite understanding, and said in a baby voice, "Dad, you also have me and Mom."
Draco hugged Astoria and Scorpius close, and Ghost Sad hugged him from behind, whispering, "You have me too."
After Narcissa's death, Draco figured something out. He took out a photo of Harry Potter, preserved it with magic so that it would not be damaged or faded, and then put it in an exquisite frame.
The photo frame was placed on his desk, in the most conspicuous position, so he could see it every day when he read.
Astoria and Scorpius rarely came into his study, so Draco had every moment to himself when Harry smiled at him.
The ghost crossed his arms and sat behind him angrily, dissatisfied: "You smile like a piece of wood, how can you be attractive?"
It was strange that he wasn't jealous of Astoria, but he was jealous of Harry Potter.
Astoria was obviously the one who had Draco.
28.
That day Scorpius kept asking Draco to read him a story. Draco had no choice but to carry him into the study and put him on the small sofa against the wall.
Scorpius immediately saw the photo on the desk: a young man wearing black-framed glasses, wearing a black wizard robe, holding a magic wand, standing upright, and giving him a gentle smile.
Scorpius' eyes widened, "Dad, is that Harry Potter?"
Draco was picking out stories, not even looking up: "Yeah."
Scorpius jumped off the small sofa and crawled into Draco's arms, his eyes shining: "I want to listen to Harry Potter!"
"What's so good about Harry Potter?"
"That's right, what's so good about Harry Potter?" the ghost agreed.
"I just want to listen to Harry Potter!" Scorpius pulled Draco's sleeve and refused to give in. "Dad, please, please, please."
The ghost surrendered at Scorpius's first "please" and shouted in Draco's ear, "Tell him now!"
Draco was entangled and had no choice but to sit on the small sofa with Scorpius in his arms and asked, "What do you want to hear?"
Scorpius thought for a moment and said, "Last time Mom talked about Harry Potter leading Dumbledore's Army to drive away Umbridge."
Draco frowned, "He didn't drive Umbridge away. She was suspended because of Voldemort's return."
Scorpius' eyes widened. "But Mum said Harry Potter chased her away."
Draco chuckled: "Harry Potter is not that capable." He turned to look at the photo and said in a long tone: "Right - Potter?"
The boy in the photo smiled.
Scorpius compromised: "Well, well, let's start from when Harry Potter won the Goblet of Fire."
"What's so good about the Goblet of Fire?"
Scorpius frowned. "Then tell me about him being the heir to the Chamber of Secrets."
"He is not the heir of the secret room. He is just an unlucky guy who happened to enter the secret room."
Scorpius's lips trembled, and he looked like he was about to cry. The ghost squatted in front of Scorpius to comfort him, and said to Draco: "Whatever Scorpius said is what it is, why don't you make up something to comfort him."
Draco hesitated for a few seconds and said, "Then let's start from when he entered Hogwarts."
29.
Draco cleared his throat and began his story: "Harry Potter is a very ungrateful person."
Scorpius was attracted by this unusual beginning, his eyes widened and he grabbed Draco's sleeve. The ghost also sat aside with his face in his hand and listened attentively.
"He grew up in a Muggle family and knew nothing about magic. When he was eleven, he realized that he was a wizard and had to go to Hogwarts to study." Draco paused, "He followed the gamekeeper of Hogwarts to buy robes and wands for school. In Madam Malkin's robe shop, he met a boy of the same age who had a top family background and good looks."
"I know!" Scorpius said excitedly, "That person must be his best friend, Ronald Weasley!"
Draco gritted his teeth: "...No."
Scorpius was surprised: "But Mom said that Ron Weasley was the first wizard of the same age that Harry Potter met when he entered the wizarding world."
Draco glared at him and said, "Be quiet and listen."
Scorpius shut up and sat up straight. Draco continued, "This little boy was very kind-hearted. He didn't know Harry Potter was Harry Potter at the time, but he still talked to him enthusiastically, asking him if he had a broomstick, whether he could play Quidditch, and sharing his insights with him. But Harry Potter didn't appreciate it at all."
Scorpius grabbed Draco's hand, his eyelashes fluttering. "Dad, this is not the same story I heard."
"Because this is Dad's unique story, no one else knows it."
"Why do you know this when no one else knows it?"
"Because I'm your father." Draco said proudly.
Scorpius accepted this readily, puffing up his little face and urging him to continue.
Draco went on to say: "Harry Potter's attitude towards the boy was very cold, but the boy was very generous and did not bother with him. He also agreed to meet again at Hogwarts. Later, they boarded the train to Hogwarts. The boy heard that Harry Potter was on the train, so he took his followers to look for him."
"They looked from carriage to carriage. After walking through several carriages, they finally saw Harry Potter. He was very surprised because Harry Potter was the partner he met in Madam Malkin's robe shop. He felt that this was really fate sent by God, allowing him to meet Harry Potter before anyone else."
"Harry Potter also recognized him. The boy saw the look in his eyes and knew that he had been recognized. He was very happy, but the education he received since childhood prevented him from showing his joy. So he suppressed his excitement, solemnly introduced himself to Harry Potter, and extended his hand to Harry Potter, inviting him to be his friend."
"And then?" Scorpius asked curiously, "Did Harry Potter shake his hand?"
Draco was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Hold it."
"Then they are friends!"
"Yes."
"So he must be Ronald Weasley. Mum said Ronald Weasley was the first person to reach out to Harry Potter. The second was Hermione Granger. They were both Harry Potter's best friends."
Draco's thick eyelashes covered his eyes and he said, "No, his last name is not Weasley. He reached out before Weasley and Granger."
"But how is this possible..." Scorpius was confused.
Draco checked the time, carried him into the bedroom, and said, "You should take a nap, Mr. Malfoy."
Scorpius tugged at Draco's sleeve reluctantly: "Dad, I still want to hear the story about that boy and Harry Potter."
Draco bent down and kissed him: "Go to sleep obediently, Dad will tell you more tonight."
"Hmm!" Scorpius closed his eyes tightly, as if he was afraid that he would not fall asleep fast enough.
Draco waited until his son fell asleep completely, then walked back to the study. Harry smiled at him from the desk.
Draco stared at it for a long while, and sighed as if squeezed from the bottom of his throat: "Twenty years."
He sat down at the desk, picked up a pen and paper, and began to scribble. The ghost floated aside and tilted his head to watch. When Draco had drawn most of the lines, he could see that he was drawing a little boy.
The boy had a pair of clear and clean green eyes, a lightning scar on his forehead, and his black hair stuck up unruly.
Draco added a light blush to the boy's cheeks and a curled corner of his lips.
The ghost looked at the painting, then at the photo. The boy in the painting had the same green eyes as the boy in the photo, but the boy looked more shy and cautious, while the boy in the photo was much gentler and calmer.
Draco looked at his own painting, then at the photo that was smiling at him, and let out a pleasant chuckle.
He cast a magic to preserve the painting, opened the drawer, and put the painting between the albums. When he closed the album, his hand accidentally pulled out the card with the handwritten words. Draco took a look at it and carefully put it back.
Then he leaned back in his chair and murmured, "If we are all destined to be blown away by the wind... we will always be alive and will never fade."
30.
That night, Scorpius pestered Draco to tell a story again, but instead of continuing to tell the story about Harry Potter and the little boy, Draco told the story of Harry Potter eating the Golden Snitch in his first Quidditch game.
Scorpius didn't believe it: "You are lying, Harry Potter is the best at Quidditch, he will never eat the Golden Snitch."
"It's true." Draco tucked Scorpius in. "He put it in his mouth, spit it out, and then held it in his hand stupidly."
Scorpius argued: "But the Golden Snitch is meant to be caught. Why did Harry Potter eat it?"
Draco thought for a moment and smiled faintly: "Because he's an idiot."
"Harry Potter is the savior who defeated Voldemort, not a fool."
"He is," Draco said. The ghost echoed him, "Yes, he is."
Scorpius was stunned for a while after being hit by his father, and suddenly burst into tears: "I don't believe it, Harry Potter is a great hero!"
Draco frantically tried to coax him, saying, "It doesn't contradict that he's a great hero to be a great fool."
The ghost was amused by Draco's busy appearance, and at the same time, he gently reached out his hand and wiped the tears from Scorpius' face together with Draco.
Soon, Astoria came in, calmed Scorpius down, and then whispered to Draco: "You made your son cry on the first day you told him a story."
Draco was helpless and a little annoyed: "I don't know why he only wants to listen to Harry Potter."
Astoria smiled faintly, "Who knows? I remember that when I was a kid I didn't like listening to Harry Potter at all."
Draco was stunned, his lips moved slightly, but he didn't say anything.
——TBC——