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Draco had made her promise, he'd made her promise that she would be open to falling in love again, that his death wouldn't stop her from living. Astoria had thought it nonsense. She was cursed, Draco was cursed worse, a side effect of the war. Apparently Lord Voldemort had wanted his followers to die with him, and that had nearly carried Draco to the grave that very day. Narcissa had used powerful magic to save him, but it had been a temporary solution.
Draco had died two years ago, the Dark magic slowly eating away at him. Astoria sighed, looking down at the boy standing next to her. Scorpius had been her life line, something to prove to herself that she was capable of love, of being loved, that not everyone would turn from her when they found out her family history.
She knew the blood curse that flowed through her veins could surface at any time, that although it had skipped her mother, her sister, she carried it. Scorpius had been Draco's last gift to her. Sometimes she wondered if Scorpius even remembered his father. Draco had died before their son had turned two. He had just turned five, and started asking questions about his father, ones Astoria answered as best she could, leaving out the part about the curse, about the Death Eaters, and the role Draco had played in the war.
“Mum, I don't want new shoes!” Scorpius whined. Astoria smiled at him and shook her head. They'd been having this argument all morning. Scorpius was still currently losing though.
“But you've outgrown yours. They're hurting your toes. You said so this morning that they were pinching.”
“But I like these!”
“I'm sure we can find a pair you like just as much,” Astoria promised. She knew she could have called a cobbler to make Scorpius a pair of shoes, ones that would last forever, but there was no way to enchant them to grow with the boy, not properly anyway. Besides, getting out of the gloomy manor was another good reason to shop in Diagon Alley.
“Up?” Scorpius asked, reaching his arms upward. Astoria scooped him up, glad he didn't weigh too much yet, she could still lift and carry him. He looked around, happy to be seeing things from a higher perspective.
“I still don't want shoes,” he stated. Astoria ignored him. He'd find a pair of shoes he liked, wear them until he outgrew them and then she had a feeling this whole cycle would repeat.
“Shoes are stupid!” a little voice shouted, causing Astoria to pause. She looked down at the little girl was now standing next to her. Scorpius wiggled in her arms and she set him down.
“I am Scorpius Malfoy, and I am here to get new shoes,” he stated. The girl looked at him and broke into a toothy smile. Astoria noticed her front two teeth stuck out a little.
“I'm Rose Granger-Weasley and my daddy says my shoes are more holes than shoes,” she said, raising her foot. True to her word, the shoes were falling apart revealing Rose's bright pink stockings. Her toe was also poking through the tip of the shoe.
“Where's your parent?” Astoria asked, knowing Ron and Hermione had split up about a year ago, it had been all over the gossip pages with various reasons sited for the split. Astoria hadn't been to surprised. She remembered Ron and Hermione from school, and even then she hadn't thought them particularly compatible. She had no idea who had custody of the child.
“I don't know,” Rose shrugged, pulling a piece of string from her pocket. Scorpius watched her and started emptying his own. Before long, the two kids were comparing everything they'd found and shoved in their pockets at some point. Astoria only shook her head. Scorpius' pockets were usually full of the most random things, especially things that couldn't go through the wash, but often ended up doing just that.
“Rose!?”
Astoria heard Ron's voice before she saw him running down the street, his red hair shining in the sunlight. He'd filled out since they'd been teenagers, looked better than he had last time she'd seen his picture in the Prophet.
“She's over here, I've got her,” she called out. She could hear a sigh of relief coming from the man who had just reached her.
“I'm sorry about that, she's good at slipping away,” Ron said, grabbing Rose's free hand. The kids had started comparing the amount of pocket lint they had.
“Scorpius doesn't want new shoes either,” Rose stated, shoving her collection of lint back into her pocket upon seeing Scorpius' was larger.
“It doesn't matter if he wants them or not, he needs new ones,” Astoria stated causing Ron to laugh.
“So does Rose. It's nice to see you, Astoria. I heard you got a promotion?” Ron asked. Rose rolled her eyes while Scorpius tried unsuccessfully to steal the pocket lint Rose had just put away.
“I did, I'm now in charge of a whole department, granted it's only about seven people, but still. Scorpius, no. That's Rose's, although why either of you two want a wad of lint is beyond me.”
“I'm making a sculpture,” Scorpius said proudly. Astoria only shook her head.
“Since we're both headed to the same place, why don't we walk together, catch up?” Ron suggested. Astoria picked up the unasked question in his voice. She knew Ron knew she was still single, the papers would have printed if there was even a hint at romance for either of them.
“I'd like that,” Astoria agreed as they started back towards the shoe store, Rose and Scorpius taking the lead, talking about what sounded to Ron and Astoria as complete nonsense.