Scorpius Malfoy moved his food around his plate aimlessly, trying to get over the embarrassment of the day. His best friend, Albus Potter knew when to live him alone to brood. And brood he did. This was the last time he would ever let James Potter get to him. if he needed to learn to fight he would do it. Some savages need to be shown force since they do not understand words. And he knew who to ask for help. He looked up towards the Gryffindor table, to observe James. He would learn about his enemy. He would take notes. And he would find the right moment to strike. Inside his head, the soundtrack of a movie that he saw at the Potter's played as his own personal background music.

Here we are

Born to be kings

We're the princes of the universe

Here we belong

Fighting to survive

In the world with the darkest powers

That was it. He was a Highlander. This was Scotland after all. James Potter was going down.

I am immortal

I have inside me blood of kings

I have no rival

No man can be my equal

Take me to the future of you all

Well, that part of the song was a bit too Voldemorish, but you get the idea. He was Connor MacLeod and he knew who was going to be his Juan Sanchez Villalobos Ramirez. He had a mentor in mind.

He let his head hang a bit low and lifted only his eyes to look towards the Gryffindor table again, in what he thought was a great impersonation of Connor MacLeod. But then he saw her. Rose Granger-Weasley. He stared at her for a while, taking on the details of her face. Her curly red hair was sometimes so overwhelming that she appeared to be a full-on Weasley. But then if you took the time to look at her face you would notice that she was actually more Granger than anything else. She had all the features of professor Granger, she even made the same gestures. Holly shite. Rose Granger was beautiful. From now on he would drop the second part of her last name. Starting today, to him she was only Granger. Like her mother. A goddess too, but younger. Full on appropriate for him.

Born to be kings

Princes of the universe

Fighting and free

Got your world in my hand

I'm here for your love

And I'll make my stand

We were born

To be princes of the universe

That was settled then. He was a Highlander, a Prince of the Universe, and Rose Granger would be his Princess. And Professor Granger would be his Ramirez. Only younger and cuter. Wasn't that actor Sean Connery Scottish too? Focus Scorpius, don't get lost on the tangent facts as you always do.

When dinner was over Scorpius approached the professors' table.

"Professor Granger, can I have a word?"

"Of course Mr. Malfoy, what can I do for you."

"I've heard that you have been campaigning to teach us muggle hand to hand combat besides defensive and attack spells. I was wondering if you could teach me, you know, how to fight."

Hermione was taken aback by the request but she knew where this was coming from. This was all about James Potter. When she took to long to answer Scorpius said

"Maybe if you teach me we can demonstrate for other professors to help you get approval," he said, trying to stay hopeful."

She thought for another minute and then answered him in a more maternal tone.

"I'll tell you what, Scorpius. I know this is about James Potter and I cannot say I blame you. But I cannot teach you how to straight up attack another student"

Scorpius looked deflated. Hermione continued.

"But I can show you a very effective and very cool way to defend yourself. It's called Aikido."

Scorpius' eyes went wide

"I know what that is! I've seen movies at the Potter's. A guy called Steven Segal does that. Is the one where you use the physics of your opponent's' movements to subdue them."

Hermione smiled, satisfied. Scorpius was very smart and a great pupil.

"Great, I'm glad that you understand. Let me check my schedule and we can set up some coaching sessions a couple of times a week. This could be a pretty exciting project. But I'm going to need written permission from your father."

"Thank you, professor, I will get the permission letter from my dad. And I promise I will be a most disciplined apprentice."

She laughed

"I know you will be, Grasshopper."

"Why Grasshopper?"

"I'm sure you can find out on your own."

About an hour later Hermione received an urgent owl.

Professor Granger

I would like to discuss in person the coaching sessions

that you so kindly offered to my son. Would you meet

me at Hogsmeade in say half an hour?

Regards

Draco Malfoy

Hermione sigh. She and Draco were supposed to have dinner on Friday, but she was not expecting that he could get upset at the prospect of showing Scorpius some basic self-defense. Draco had been a ruthless Quidditch player in his time, but yet again, she would not like to see Rose go through the dangers she put herself in as a teenager. She answered the owl, then put herself together as good as possible, wearing the pencil skirt and silk blouse but chose more sensible shoes, and then took a carriage to Hogsmeade. It was around 8 pm by the time she got there. She walked into the Three Broomsticks and look around. Madam Rosmerta waved and pointed her towards one of the private parlors. Draco was waiting for her. When she walked in he smiled like a boy on Christmas morning. He approached her and offered to take her coat.

"Thanks for coming, professor. I know this is a bit unorthodox, to demand so much of one's child's teacher."

She lifted an eyebrow and gave him a serious look

"Indeed"

He threw his hands in the air in a gesture of surrender

"Fine. I went home but I couldn't stop thinking of you. And then Scorpius sent me a letter requesting permission to be couched by you. And I thought pretending to be a very concerned parent was as good an excuse as any to see a beautiful woman twice in one day. So, sue me."

She chuckled. When did he become this adorable?

"Fine. But I already had dinner at the Great Hall, so you would need to offer something else for me to stay."

"How about you explain to me what is it that you plan to teach my son while we have a glass of wine?"

One glass became two and they chatted animatedly until midnight when she remembered no matter what she had to teach in the morning. He accompanied her in a carriage back to the castle. Before she got off he said

"Dinner is still on, professor. I can't wait to see you again."

She watched the carriage rode away for a bit before going in. This Draco Malfoy was definitely not the nasty boy she went to school with. Maybe he never was really. Maybe he only played the role his father expected him to, and when the world collapsed around him he released himself from that expectation. She smiled. If he had been free to be himself back then he probably would have been much more like Scorpius.

The next day Hermione sent a message to Scorpius letting he know that they would start their training on Saturday and then continue to have sessions every Tuesday evening and Saturday mornings. She gave him instructions to meet her at the corridor of the seventh floor. At the appointed hour, Scorpius got there and froze. Hermione was waiting for him with Rose by her side. He blushed but Hermione simply greeted him and Rose gave him a shy smile and a wave. Hermione closed her eyes facing the wall and asked for a training room. A door manifested to Scorpius' surprise, he never knew about the room of requirement. Inside was a small dojo, with cushioned mat floor.

"Rose knows most of the techniques I am going to show you Scorpius, that is why I asked her to come and help. She also knows the etiquette of martial arts, so please, relax. It will all be about friendship and cooperation."

Scorpius nodded, but he was still uneasy. He had just decided to try and pursue Rose and the girl was going to hand him his arse. Oh well. C'est la vie.

To his surprise, Scorpius had a blast. The Granger women were sweet as pie when they were together and after showing him the basics of etiquette they were both very patient about showing him the moves, very slow at first, then steadily increase the speed and difficulty. By the end of the lesson, Rose was indeed handing him his arse but he didn't care. It was his first time; he would get much better. And finding yourself on the floor with Rose Granger smiling at you from above was not a bad thing at all.

The lessons continue, to Scorpius that was the pinnacle of his week. He grew more confident in his abilities, and he was able to actually touch the girl he liked. Yet he didn't have many opportunities to interact with her outside of it. The only other time there was a chance to spend time together was when they got assigned a big Herbology project and Scorpius asked Rose to pair with him. She was thrilled. She told herself that pairing with Scorpius was a guarantee of a top grade, but the truth was she was feeling smitten with the sweet blonde boy.

They spent several evenings working late in the library, most of the time focusing on the task at hand, but Scorpius would try to find opportunities to steal some contact, like passing quills or leaning close to read over her parchment. The last day of their meetings Scorpius was feeling nervous and a bit off. The holidays were coming and he would have to go back home and spend weeks without seeing Rose. The prospect of that was gloomy. But that night when they were done, he offered to walk her back to Gryffindor tower. When they reached the portrait she turned to face him.

"Thanks for working with me Scorp. I think we make a good team."

Then before he could answer she kissed his cheek and ran inside. He stood there, his hand touching the place were her lips had been. His heart fluttered like a hummingbird.

The Yule season came and most of the students went home for the holidays. Rose and Hermione Granger were still at Hogwarts, unsure about where they really wanted to be. Rose knew she wanted to be with her mother, and to her that could be anywhere in the world. The Granger grandparents were still living in Australia, and the girls could choose to take a portkey and stay with them. Or they could simply go to the Burrow. But Hermione didn't want to go to either place since in both of them there would be endless questioning about the future, and she was in no rush to think about that. Rose knew this, and she honestly was enjoying this time of having her mother to herself at Hogwarts, where she was usually so busy taking care of all the other kids. They took strolls to Hogsmeade and decorated Hermione's quarters at Hogwarts to make it feel festive. It was their own little corner of the world. The truth was both Granger women secretly wanted to share some of their time with a Malfoy man, but neither of them dared to bring it up. Neither of them knew if the boys would even want them around during the holidays.

In the meantime, at the Malfoy household, both father and son were happy to be reunited, but they were also feeling a bit restless.

"Pooky, where is my son?" asked Draco Malfoy to his personal elf. He hadn't seen Scorpius since breakfast.

"Young Master Malfoy is in the music room, he's beens playing the piano all day. And he is asks Wimsy and Pimsy to be theres with him, to be Young Master's chorus."

Draco shook his head and chuckled. What was his son up to now? Scorpius had an artistic temper and quite a bit of talent, and since he was a little kid he would put on full on productions of whatever his latest entertainment was; dance recitals, theatric monologues, short piano concerts, Scorpius loved putting on a show, if only for his father and maybe his grandparents. His art, he said, was something private. And whatever he was up to, Scorpius had recruited the two house-elves that could actually sing without squealing and sounding like they were being slaughtered.

He walked into the music room to find his son sitting at the piano. By now he probably had been there for hours, so he sounded very well rehearsed. He was dressed in a black tailcoat with a white vest and a white bowtie, and he was playing a melancholic song that Draco had never heard before. The elves were indeed his back up singers.

There's no time for us

There's no place for us

What is this thing that builds our dreams

Yet slips away from us

Who wants to live forever?

Who wants to live forever?

There's no chance for us

It's all decided for us

This world has only one sweet moment

Set aside for us

Who wants to live forever?

Who wants to live forever?

Who dares to love forever?

When love must die

But touch my tears

With your lips

Touch my world

With your fingertips

And we can have forever

And we can love forever

Forever is our today

Oh yes, Scorpius wasn't anything if not dramatic. He appreciated the whole range of human emotion that filled you up if you just allow yourself to indulge in it.

Draco listened to him, goosebumps rising on his arms. That kid was good. But he was sure there had to be a story behind this whole production. He approached and sat on the piano bench next to his son.

"That is quite impressive. Where did you hear that song?"

Scorpius shrugged.

"It's from a muggle band called Queen. They did the soundtrack for a movie called Highlander, and I identify with the whole thing a lot these days. In both my joy and my pain."

Draco smiled. His son's life was so different to what his had been. He had been told to hide everything, to keep a poker face. Scorpius, on the other hand, carried his heart and his sleeve. He was so much more alive than Draco had ever been at that age. And he was grateful for it.

"And pray tell, my son, does your joy and pain have a name? Joy and pain usually have the name of a beautiful young woman. Or young man."

Scorpius blushed

"My joy and pain have the name of a young woman indeed," he looked at his father "the name is Rose Granger."

Draco blinked, not knowing what to say. Scorpius lowered his gaze.

"I'm sorry, dad."

"What are you sorry for?"

"Well I know that you like professor Granger, so I shouldn't like Rose, but I do. I can't help it."

Draco hugged his son

"Is not a race, Scorp. Is not about who got there first. You like who you like and I like who I like. And the Granger women have a certain…je ne sais quoi about them."

Scorpius' smile was huge.

"They do, all right."

Draco took a deep breath.

"I'll tell you what. How about we invite the Granger ladies for dinner. Maybe they can spare an evening for a pair of chaps like us."

Scorpius nodded enthusiastically, hugged his father and made for his room to change out of his over the top outfit. No need to scare the ladies.

Hermione opened the window to receive the letter from the owl that had knocked on their private quarters at Hogwarts

Dear Hermione and Rose

Would you like to join us for dinner tonight?

Yours,

Draco and Scorpius Malfoy

Hermione smiled and passed the note to Rose. The girl's face brightened up with a huge smile. That was all Hermione needed to know.

"Mom, can we go?"

"Of course sweetheart."

Draco was pacing in his private studio since he sent the owl. Five more minutes of this and he would create a visible ditch on the floor. Finally, he heard a knock on the window. He took the parchment from the owl and read

We would be delighted.

We will arrive at six o'clock via floo.

Please adjust your wards accordingly.

Yours

Hermione and Rose Granger.

At six on the dot, the Granger women walked through the floo, wearing simple but elegant dresses. They assumed dinner would be a cocktail dress type of event. They were right. The Malfoy men were waiting for them, dressed in dinner jackets but sporting dark denim pants. They looked very handsome. Draco walked in front and offered his hand to Rose.

"Welcome to our home. Rose, we have never formally met. I'm Draco Malfoy."

Rose took his hand graciously

"Is nice to meet you, Mr. Malfoy. Thank you for having us."

"My pleasure Rose. Please, make yourself at home. "

He walked towards Hermione and kissed her on the corner of her mouth, then whispered in her ear

"Thank you for coming. You look beautiful. And so does Rose."

She blushed a little and took the arm that he offered.

Rose had approached Scorpius, who feeling daring kissed her on the cheek and offered to hold her hand to walk her towards the drawing room. They would have refreshments before dinner was served. Rose felt like a princess.

They were having a great time, all chatting animatedly, and then Hermione asked

"So what were you boys doing earlier today that made you think of us?"

Scorpius and Rose blushed but Draco chose to ignore it.

"Well, Scorp was playing the piano and he was singing a beautiful melancholic song. If that doesn't make you wish to have a beautiful woman by your side I don't know what does."

Hermione brighten

"I play a bit myself, I would love to hear you, Scorpius."

Scorpius looked at his dad, who gave him back an encouraging look. Scorpius agreed to play and they all moved into the music room. Scorpius called the house elves that were singing with him before. If he was going to perform it better be good. He performed the song, getting a standing ovation from their guests and from his father.

"Well, I'll say after that Scorpius has earned the right to see us put on a little show" said Hermione.

Rose blushed

"We are not that good mom"

Hermione shrugged

"I'm sure our hosts would be very gracious about it, Rose"

Scorpius pleaded

"Please Rose, I would love to see you perform"

The Granger women held hands and went towards the piano. Hermione sat to play and Rose stood next to her.

Each morning I get up, I die a little

Can barely stand on my feet

Take a look in the mirror and cry

Lord what you doing to me

I have spent all my years believing you

But I just can get no relief Lord

Somebody, somebody, can anybody find me

Somebody to love

They continue singing and halfway through the elves had followed their lead and provided back up voicing. When they were done they looked and the Malfoy men were both gaping, mesmerized. Draco was the first one to react and they clapped enthusiastically.

"That was amazing," said Scorpius, not bothering to hide that he was dapping at the corner of his eyes because the performance made him tear up.

Draco walked to the piano and offered his hand to Hermione to help her up, then he kissed her knuckles.

"That was divine, we did not expect such a treat. You girls are amazing."

Hermione blushed. She remembered the words of her mother, who always said that Ron was a good-hearted guy from a good-hearted family, but he simply lacked the ability to appreciate Hermione for who she really was. With Draco, she felt visible, maybe for the first time outside of her parents.

Draco took the opportunity to ask what he had been thinking all evening.

"Well, since you ladies are staying at Hogwarts for the holidays I was wondering if you would like to spend a couple of days here with us. Maybe help us decorate the Christmas tree?"

Rose and Scorpius beamed. Rose looked at her mom with a plea in her eyes. Hermione chuckled, showing her small clutch bag.

"You know I'm always prepared for anything."