The night was still, with only the gentle rustling of leaves outside the window to break the silence. The soft glow of the bedside lamp cast a warm light over the room, where Hermione sat beside Scorpius’s bed. His small hands fiddled with the edge of his blanket, and he looked up at her with those bright, inquisitive eyes that reminded her so much of his father.
“Mummy,” 4-year-old Scorpius began in his sweet, soft voice, “can you tell me the story about the Dragon Prince and the beautiful princess?”
Hermione gently brushed a stray blonde curl from her son’s forehead and smiled, though there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. The story was one she had told him countless times, even though she knew he didn’t fully grasp its meaning. Still, it was a comfort to him, and to her as well.
“Okay, my star. I will tell you,” she said softly.
Scorpius’s eyes lit up with excitement, and he snuggled closer to her side, his little body warm and trusting against her.
“Are you ready?” she asked.
He nodded eagerly, his big silver eyes wide with anticipation.
“Once upon a time,” Hermione began, her voice taking on the familiar, soothing rhythm of a storyteller, “there was a princess named Mina. She was very clever, brave, and strong. No matter how tough things got, she never gave up. She faced all her problems with grit and determination. Because of her cleverness and the way she always found a way to save her kingdom, others called her the golden girl.”
“Why the golden girl? Why not the golden princess?” Scorpius interrupted, his little eyebrows pulling together in confusion.
Hermione chuckled softly, appreciating the way his mind always sought to understand everything.
“I don’t know, sweetie. That’s just what they called her. But the truth is, she didn’t particularly like the name. She wanted to be known for who she was, not for what others expected her to be. And one day, in that kingdom where many people lived and where several of the princess’s friends resided, she met the Dragon Prince.”
Scorpius’s eyes widened. This was his favorite part of the story. Whenever the prince came, he was happy.
“The dragon prince was very different from the princess,” Hermione continued. “He was handsome, but also very arrogant. He was powerful, and many people feared him because they didn’t understand him. Some even called him evil because of the fire he could breathe and the way he kept to himself, high up in his lonely castle.”
“Was he really evil?” Scorpius asked in a whisper, as if the answer might change the entire story.
Hermione paused, her gaze distant, as she thought back to her own memories. “No, not really. He wasn’t evil at all. He was just… misunderstood. He had a heart full of fire but also full of love, though he didn’t know how to show it. And because he was different, people were afraid of him.”
Scorpius leaned in closer, captivated by the tale. “Did the princess help him?”
Hermione smiled softly. “Not at first, my star. She didn’t really like the prince, and some might even say they couldn’t stand each other.”
“But how did they fall in love then?” Scorpius asked, his curiosity piqued.
Hermione chuckled. The sound was gentle and warm. “It didn’t happen overnight. Many years passed before the princess even considered talking to the prince. You see, they were so different, and when difficult times came to the kingdom—times I’ll tell you about when you’re a little older—the prince and the princess found something they didn’t expect: safety in each other.”
“Safety?” Scorpius echoed, his small face puzzled.
“Yes, my love. Safety,” Hermione explained. “Both the princess and the prince were surrounded by dangers and expectations they couldn’t escape. They were strong, but even strong people need a place where they feel safe, where they can be themselves without fear. In their search for safety and a bit of peace, they accidentally discovered that they could find those things in each other.”
Scorpius’s eyes widened with anticipation. “And then they fell in love?”
Hermione smiled at his eagerness. “Not right away, no. But slowly, as they spent more time together, they began to see past each other’s flaws and misunderstandings. The prince learned to soften his heart, and the princess realized that the prince wasn’t as arrogant as she had once thought. Love grew between them quietly and gently.”
Scorpius nodded thoughtfully, the story capturing his young imagination. After a brief silence, he asked, “What happened after that? Did they live happily ever after?”
Hermione’s smile held a hint of bittersweet emotion as she kissed her son’s blonde curls. “When the dangerous things started happening, the prince and the princess had to keep their time together a secret. They would meet in hidden places, away from prying eyes, and share moments just for the two of them.”
“But why did they hide?” Scorpius’s voice was full of concern. “The prince and the princess were strong, weren’t they? Why did they need to keep it a secret?”
Hermione sighed softly, her eyes reflecting memories she kept close to her heart. “They were strong, my darling, but sometimes the people around us don’t understand our hearts. The prince’s parents and the princess’s friends had their own ideas about how things should be, and they wouldn’t have approved of the prince and princess being happy together. They believed they were too different, that they belonged to different worlds.”
Scorpius frowned slightly. “That’s not fair.”
“No, it wasn’t,” Hermione agreed, her voice tender. “But the prince and the princess knew that their love was worth fighting for, even if it meant keeping it to themselves for a while. They were patient, and they cherished the moments they had, knowing that someday, they would be able to share their happiness with the world.”
Scorpius snuggled closer, his voice a sleepy whisper. “Did they ever get to be together for real?”
“In the end, yes. The prince’s parents and the princess’s friends eventually saw the depth of their love and decided not to stand in their way. But one fateful night, a great battle loomed over the kingdom. All the terrible things that had been happening were orchestrated by an evil man who sought to rule the kingdom. He commanded a vast, dark army. The prince, bound by a terrible oath, was forced to fight on the evil man’s side. But when the time came, because of the love he held for the princess, he made the bravest decision of his life—he chose to stand by her side.”
“Woah! But why was the prince on the evil man’s side in the first place?” Scorpius asked, his wide eyes filled with disbelief.
“To protect his parents, my love,” Hermione explained, her voice gentle. “The evil man had threatened them, leaving the prince with no choice. He was trapped, forced to follow orders he didn’t believe in. But in the end, his love for the princess gave him the strength to defy those orders. When the evil man brought his army to the kingdom, the princess, the prince, and all their friends and family joined together to fight back against the darkness.”
“Who won?” Scorpius’s voice was full of anxious anticipation.
Hermione smiled at his eagerness. “The prince and the princess won, my star. But it wasn’t without great sacrifice. In the midst of the battle, one of the evil man’s soldiers saw how much the prince cared for the princess and tried to use that against him. He aimed a deadly blow at the princess.”
Scorpius gasped, tears welling up in his eyes. “What happened?”
“The prince,” Hermione continued, her voice steady but filled with emotion, “saw the danger, and without a moment’s hesitation, he stepped in front of the princess, shielding her with his own body.”
“Did the prince die?” Scorpius asked, his voice trembling with fear.
“No, love,” Hermione reassured him. “But the evil man, in his fury, cast a powerful and terrible curse upon the prince. It was a curse meant to bring him endless pain. The prince was gravely injured, and though the princess did everything in her power to heal him, the curse lingered.”
“Did she save him?” Scorpius asked in a tiny, hopeful voice.
“At first, it seemed like she had,” Hermione said softly. “The prince recovered enough to spend a few precious months with the princess. And during that time, the princess gave the prince the greatest gift of all—a beautiful and brilliant son, who reminded the prince every day of the love that had saved him. But as time passed, the curse that had been placed on the prince began to take its toll. Then one night, the prince, happy, went down a different path in his princess’s arms. He was at peace, knowing that he had loved and been loved in return.”
Scorpius frowned, his heart heavy. “Did he come back?”
“No, love,” Hermione said, her voice tender but firm. “He didn’t come back. The prince’s path had taken him somewhere the princess couldn’t follow. She was heartbroken, yes, but she found comfort in the memories they had made together. She was grateful for the time they had and for the son they had brought into the world.”
“So they didn’t live happily ever after?” Scorpius sighed, sadness tugging at his voice.
“Sure they did, my star. Just not as much as they both wanted.”
“But how will the princess meet him again? Doesn’t she miss the prince?” Scorpius asked, confused.
“She misses the prince very much, my love. But the princess knows that after many, many years, when her son has grown up and she has welcomed grandchildren, she will be reunited with her loving prince,” Hermione explained softly.
“Okay. That sounds better,” Scorpius sighed with relief. “Can we go say goodnight to Daddy?”
Hermione smiled sadly. “Of course, we can, sweetie.”
Scorpius happily jumped out of bed, all traces of sleep forgotten, and grabbed Hermione’s hand, pulling her toward the room. Quietly, Scorpius opened the door and flicked on the light switch, tiptoeing inside with Hermione beside him.
“Hello, Daddy! I came to say goodnight to you,” Scorpius exclaimed joyfully.
Tears welled up in Hermione’s eyes as she looked at Draco’s portrait. In the painting, he stood tall, dressed in his familiar black robes, his expression calm and steady.
“Goodnight, my prince,” Hermione whispered, her voice trembling as she gazed into the gray eyes she had missed so deeply for three years now.