Chapter 31:
"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday, dear Draco! Happy Birthday to you!" Princess Phoenix, Goyle, Crabbe, and Leith chant the song with smiles towards Draco Malfoy as the young princess shows him the birthday cake she has made from the Hogwarts kitchens.
He smiles back while closing his eyes. "I wish to be Princess Phoenix's boyfriend," the young Malfoy thinks to himself before blowing out the candles.
Everyone cheers as they all are under a tree next to the Black Lake while enjoying the surprisingly cool weather.
"Now, can we eat?" Crabbe asked, literally watering at the sight of the cake.
Goyle tried to grab the green frosted cake, but Emberson managed to get it away. "The first slice is the lucky slice, and it's for Draco!" she smirks at him.
"Wait, your turn, boys," the birthday boy smirks at them.
Princess Phoenix cuts the rectangle cake into four good-sized pieces since Leith can't have any cake.
"Thank you, Phoenix," Draco smiles at her, accepting his piece, "for everything.
"You're welcome, Draco," she smiles back.
Immediately, Goyle and Crabbe stuffed their faces with the vanilla flavoured cake.
The secret princess smirks while shaking her head at sight.
Later on, in the dead hours of the night, Malfoy is having the usual late-night game of Wizard Chess with Emberson. He's determined to win another game before the Summer Holidays.
"Draco, you know that you're my best friend, right?" Princess Phoenix says with a slight annoyance in her tone while sitting on her bed. "But you know that my queen is going to win this game," she smirks, knowing his stubbornness.
"In your dreams, your highness," he smirks back, "but my king has already won the game," Draco says, grabbing her king with his king. "Yes!" he cheers with his arms in the air above his head.
She giggles at his child-like behavior, secretly making a blush on his ears. "Well, Birthday Boy, it's still the remaining hours of the night. What else you want to do?" Princess Phoenix asked curiously.
Draco didn't know what to say because it's still very much late, and Leith has fallen asleep a little while ago. "I am not sure," he admits.
"I know what we can do," she thought of something with a smile. "But we need to go into the woods," Princess Phoenix's smile turns into a smirk, staring intensely at Draco's eyes.
"O-Okay," Malfoy's nervous about what the young princess has in mind.
"Come on, let's go!" she says happily, grabbing his arm and dragging him out of the dorm room.
Draco does enjoy the mischievous side of the magical creature princess, but this is a new one.
The two Slytherin students head towards the Common Room first before entering the halls of sleeping portraits. She turns around to him, silently telling him to be quiet. He nods his head, feeling a smirk curling on his lips. His princess sure knows how to have fun without being caught.
Moonlight rays greet them as they walk towards the Dark Forest. Draco feels at peace with the cool gentle breeze from the wind hitting his face softly. The peace soon disappears when they arrive at the edge of the forest. He froze in his tracks with his eyes widened, terrified.
Princess Phoenix notices that her best friend wouldn't follow. She turns her head, seeing the Malfoy frozen in his place. A smile curls on her lips as her hand touches his hand.
The warm touch snaps Draco out of his frozen stage. He looks at their hands, holding onto each other. A blush warms his ears when he feels the electric feeling.
Surprisingly, the young princess feels it too. She kind of likes it.
She leads Draco further into the forest. The magical creature princess's on a mission to show him one of her favorite places.
Soon the young Malfoy sees a cliff at the edge of the forest. There's a great view of the starry night and the nearby villages in the distance. A full moon lights the darkness, showing the beauty of this peaceful night.
Draco is stunned by how bright the stars are tonight. Not even the countless nights at the Malfoy Manor show its true beauty. He sees his best friend walk closer to the edge and looks at the stars before following and standing next to her. The icy eyes look at the girl next to her, seeing her in a different light. The gentle darkness shows how she is like a smile curls on the small, full lips at peace.
"I always enjoy watching the star constellations ever since I can remember," Princess Phoenix says softly, still smiling. "Mummy tells me stories of her adventures with your mother when they were in Hogwarts, how they would bond over the constellations." She turns her head at him. "They always help calm my emotions and intolerance with life, especially when dealing with other students." Although she didn't say a name, he knows which one she's referring to.
"I always love the constellations as well, not just because of my mother's family traditions," Draco admits softly, smiling a bit. "My favorite one is the Phoenix constellation," his smile turns into a smirk.
"There's a Phoenix constellation?" she's surprised to hear that.
"Oh, yes. The Phoenix constellation can be seen in the southern hemisphere, close to South Africa and Australia. Unfortunately, it's so low that the northern hemisphere can't see it."
"I would love to see the Phoenix," the young princess smiles. "Would you take me there someday?" Her question surprises Draco.
Draco wastes no time thinking about this. A smile curls on his lips, a genuine smile, as he gently takes her hands in his hands. "I'll take you to all the constellations in the universe that your heart desires."
"Really?" her smile grows brightly. "Even the Draco constellation?"
"Yes, my princess," he says, gently lifting one of her hands to his lips. Draco kisses the princess's hand like a gentleman.
Princess Phoenix smiles while holding her heart.
Without them knowing, the Draco and Phoenix constellations brightly glow more next to each other above them.