Draco Malfoy sat in his home office, sorting through the accumulated mail. There were only a couple of days left until the Christmas break, which meant he would finally see his son. Draco loved Scorpius more than anything in this world, and from the very first moment that he held his son in his arms, Draco surrounded the boy with care and affection. Young Scorpius became the centre of Draco's world, and he would do absolutely anything for his son's happiness. The wizard didn't want Scorpius to grow up in the same strict and cold environment that he did as a boy, so he channelled all his love into his son. He taught Scorpius that all wizards were equal, that it didn't matter if they were muggle-born or "pureblood". Draco came a long way from the angry boy he once was. He changed his worldview a long time ago.

Honestly, Draco was a little shocked when Scorpius told him in his first year of school that he befriended Potter's son, Albus, and they were now "the best of friends in the whole entire world" (Scorpius's words). But Draco was happy for his son because Scorpius did what Draco never could. He found a real friend. His son did not surround himself with fake people who were only interested in money and power like Draco did at Hogwarts, and he couldn't be more proud of Scorpius.

His relationship with his wife Astoria, however, wasn't going as smoothly. Theirs was an arranged marriage, so there was no love lost between the two. With time, Draco learned to respect Astoria and maybe even consider her a friend, but it never went beyond that. But she brought into this world the most important person in his life – his son, and for that, Draco would forever be grateful to her.

Unfortunately, as Draco later learned, their sham of a marriage was not enough for a fulfilled life. Draco knew what real life looked like, he lived it once, a very long time ago. But that story ended in tragedy and a scarred heart. So, Draco closed himself off and decided on an arranged marriage, thinking that he could live without love. But living this way was much harder than he could've ever imagined. The only person who brought colour into his life was his son, and it was almost time to finally see him again.

It was Christmas Eve. Children had returned home from school, and the houses were decorated with Christmas trees and festive garlands; with laughter, happiness and love. Scorpius returned to Malfoy Manor and with that finally brought some joy into his father's life. The boy's mother, Astoria, was always more restrained and stoic in her emotions, so Scorpius was always closer to Draco. During the holiday preparation, father and son talked about everything. Draco was invested in every aspect of his son's life and asked him every little detail. However, Scorpius never told his father about the ugly rumour circling through Hogwarts. The boy loved his father more than anyone in this world and didn't want to upset him.

Draco always tried to act like everything was perfect, that his marriage was absolutely fine and that he was so very happy, but Scorpius saw right through his father's act. The young wizard noticed how unhappy Malfoy Senior's life was. Scorpius always knew that his parents did not love each other, as he knew how marriages were supposed to happen in pureblood families. However, Draco kept telling Scorpius that when it was his time to choose his life partner, the boy should do it himself. And whoever his son would choose to spend his life with, Draco would support his choice.

Scorpius was grateful for everything his father did for him, but he saw that his dad was lonely. He never asked Draco about his personal life, but right now, in the festive atmosphere of Christmas Eve, Scorpius thought that maybe he should ask. He desperately wanted to know if his father had ever been in love.

"Dad?" Scorpius turned to his father, who was reading the new Daily Prophet issue.

"Mhm?" Draco lifted his eyes to see his son's nervous expression.

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

"I can't believe my son is finally ready for a heart-to-heart." Draco chuckled, closed the newspaper and put it on the coffee table. "What is it that you would like to know?" Draco gave his son an encouraging smile.

"Have you ever been in love?" asked Scorpius.

Draco was slightly taken aback by the question. He looked his son in the eyes and saw how important his answer was for the boy. "Yes. Yes, I have been. But it was a very long time ago…" Draco's smile was tinged with sadness.

"Will you tell me about it? You've never told me anything about your first love."

"You were too little for such topics before. But now that you asked about it - " Draco paused and smiled slightly. "It's a pretty sad story. Are you sure you want to hear it?"

"Yes. So sure." Scorpius sat on the chair in front of his father and excitedly leaned forward.

"Well, alright then. In my whole life, I was in love only once. It happened a very long time ago when I was still in Hogwarts. The first spark ignited when I was in my fourth year. That year it was decided to carry out the Triwizard Tournament, and to celebrate that event, Hogwarts hosted the Yule Ball."

"A ball?! You never told me about a ball! That's so cool!" Scorpius was getting more and more excited with his father's every word.

"Yes, a ball." Draco chuckled. "The preparation for it was grandiose. We even had to attend dance lessons. Your father obviously didn't need them. You know I was taught how to dance when I was still a toddler." The wizard smiled, submerging into his memories. "So, the festive robes were bought in advance, and a girl was already invited. It was going to be a fantastic time. Intrigued?"

Scorpius nodded, hanging to Draco's every word.

"Alright, listen further. Everyone, including me, was already in the Great Hall waiting for the champions to enter. The massive doors opened, and then I saw her. Never before have I noticed just how beautiful she was. My dance partner obviously saw that I had stopped paying her any attention, but I simply didn't care. I looked at her and couldn't take my eyes off her. Her magnificent pink dress flowed around her, shining and sparkling. She finally tamed her hair and put it into a fancy hairdo. I honestly have no idea how she managed that." Draco laughed. "She caught everyone's attention; that's how gorgeous she was."

Scorpius was listening to his father, a smile playing on his face from the way Draco talked about that mysterious girl. He also noticed that Draco never mentioned the witch's name.

"Have you asked her to dance?" asked Scorpius.

Draco sighed and looked at his son. "No, Scorp. I was such a coward back then." Draco chuckled sadly. "I wasn't brave enough to ask her. But I watched. I watched her dance with that Bulgarian, watched her so-called friend cause a scene and how much he hurt her with his words. I watched her run away from the hall. Just stood there and watched."

Scorpius studied his father and saw how painful it was for him to relive those memories. But the boy stayed silent. He wanted to know what happened next. Had his father really never made the first step toward that mysterious girl?

"You must be wondering if I ever made the first step?" Draco voiced his son's unspoken question. Scorpius nodded. "Well, she ran out of the hall, and I stood there and watched her leave. Twenty minutes later, she still hadn't returned, so I also left the Great Hall."

Scorpius listened, holding his breath. He had never seen so many emotions on his father's face before.

"I left the hall and started walking through the corridors. I had a lot to think about because even a little attraction to this girl was absolutely impossible. I couldn't like her, I was forbidden to. I didn't expect to see her sitting on the staircase, especially to see her crying. Her hairdo, so meticulously styled, started falling apart. Her pretty shoes were scattered around her as if she angrily threw them far away. She was sitting there crying her eyes out, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for her, even if I tried not to. She was absolutely stunning, even with her eyes red from tears and her hair a mess again. Before I knew what I was doing, I came up to her and extended my arm holding a handkerchief, which I always carried with me. She looked up at me with pure shock in her eyes, lifted her hand and took the kerchief. I couldn't hide a small smile then. But it quickly faded, as I said to her, 'He's not worth your tears.' Then I turned around and left."

"You simply left?!" Scorpius blurted out.

Draco just smiled. "Yes. Can you believe it? I left without a backward glance. My head was an absolute mess, and I had no idea what to do with that."

Draco trailed off, deep in his memories. After some time, he picked up the story, "From that moment forward, I realised that I started falling for her. As you can understand, it was not a part of my plans. The next day after the second trial of the Triwizard Tournament, she came up to me. She took the carefully folded handkerchief out of her pocket and, without saying a word, held it out to me. We both stood and just looked at it for some time. I was the one who spoke up, breaking the silence around us, and said, 'You can keep it.' She looked at me and said, 'Why did you do that?' quietly putting the handkerchief back into her robe pocket.

"The corners of my lips tilted into a little smile when I saw her putting the little square back into her pocket. She didn't even argue, just slipped it back in. Then I looked her in the eyes again and said, 'You should never cry because of idiots like him. Remember that. No one deserves your tears, least of all that ginger. Keep the kerchief as a reminder to never allow someone's words to get to your heart and hurt you.'"

Scorpius paid specific attention to the word "ginger" but didn't show it. Maybe it's just a coincidence. There were probably a lot of gingers studying at Hogwarts at the time. It didn't mean anything.

Draco continued his tale, "Right after I said those words, my entire world tilted on its axis. She flew into me and hugged me tight, whispering a quiet 'thank you'. I was frozen for a moment but then finally lifted my arms and hugged her back. My heart sped up; confused about what was going on. I wasn't used to such displays of emotions, my family always reinforced the rule to never show your feelings in public. But that simple hug was the first step in changing that narrative. She fit so perfectly in my arms that I never wanted to let her go.

"She took a step back, and my arms dropped back to my sides. I looked at her and saw a small smile on her lips. Then, she simply turned around and went back to the castle. I just stood there dumbstruck and watched her go. In that moment, I finally understood one important thing. It didn't matter what I tried to convince myself. She already made herself at home inside my heart and was not going anywhere." Draco looked at his son and smiled. "Why are you so shocked, Scorp? Did you really think that I was always the way I am now? See, I too was fool in love once." Draco chuckled.

"What happened next?" asked Scorpius, wiggling in his chair like an excited puppy with a new toy.

"Next, I noticed that my eyes always found her in the crowd in the Great Hall and during the lessons. I was always watching her, and she was watching me back."

"Really?"

Draco laughed, "Really. There was an instance before the last trial when we ran into each other in the library. It was pretty late, the library was devoid of any students, except for us apparently. Professor Snape gave as a huge essay to write, so the time slipped away from me. When I was coming up to a shelf for another book, I accidentally ran into her. She dropped all the books she was holding with a loud thud. I honestly have no idea how she managed to move around with such a huge stack of books." Draco chuckled. "I helped pick up her books and carefully placed them on a nearby table. Her cheeks became an adorable shade of pink as she quietly thanked me. 'How do you even carry all those books? I'm pretty sure when put together, the stack is going to reach your eyebrows,' I said to her. She smiled at me, and all my focus zeroed in on that motion. She had such a beautiful smile.

'I just really loved to read. Also, that Potions essay is enormous, so I need a lot of material to prepare,' her voice rang through the empty library. I looked at the huge stack of books and, before I could talk myself out of it, said, 'I can help you carry them if you want.' I shocked her so much that for a time, she simply stared at me. I was already thinking of a way out so that I couldn't embarrass myself any further when she smiled and said, 'If you don't mind.'"

Scorpius's mouth fell open, but he didn't say anything.

"We talked all the way to her common room. I never would have thought that she could be such a fascinating company. When we reached our destination, I carefully gave the books back to her. When she took all of them, the top book on the stack really reached her eyebrows." Draco laughed. "She thanked me again and walked through the opening to her common room. I turned around and started slowly walking to the dungeons and thinking of her."

Scorpius tucked away another detail about this girl. She was from another house. His father was very careful not to say her name or give away any identifying details about this witch. The mystery aspect of it all only increased the boy's interest.

"And what happened next?" Scorpius was so excited to learn more about his father's first love.

"Next was the third trial where a boy named Cedric Diggory died and the Dark Lord rose again. Everything was too complicated back then to even think about love…" Draco trailed off.

"Then, it's the end of this story?" Scorpius asked his father sadly.

"No, it's not the end. Not yet." Draco smiled. "In my fifth year at Hogwarts, my feelings came back with a force. But I will tell you about that another time."

"But, dad…" whined Scorpius. He was not ready for the story to end.

Draco chuckled and ruffled his son's hair. "Don't worry, I will definitely tell you everything. There were more beautiful moments in this story before everything came to an end." Draco sighed. "Alright, it's time for bed, or Santa won't come." Draco smiled and hugged Scorpius.

"Daaaad, I'm 14. I don't believe in Santa Claus anymore." Scorpius pouted.

"I know, I know. You're all grown up now. Alright, then go to bed so I can put the gifts under the Christmas tree."

Father and son both burst out laughing. It was Christmas Eve, the time of miracles and magic. Scorpius went to his room, not planning to sleep yet. He had to process all the new information his father told him. So far he had no idea of the identity of the girl who stole his father's heart and never gave it back, but he really wanted to find out.

Draco sat in front of the fireplace and let himself drown in his memories. It was the only place where he was truly happy, where she stayed with him, and he was never lonely. Draco closed his eyes, and there in the darkness appeared the image of the only woman he ever loved. The image of a woman with unruly chestnut hair, the loveliest smile and the most beautiful brown eyes he had ever seen. The image of Hermione, the girl who was no longer his.