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The sound of the knife hitting the cutting board was mixed in with the birds chirping and the wind whistling from outside.
Astoria was chopping up some cucumbers as a snack for Scorpius. Unlike Pansy’s kids, Scorpius loved vegetables, not that she was complaining.
She watched straight out the window towards her as her husband and son were rolling around and laughing in the grass in the backyard.
Oh, how Draco has changed.
From a distance in the past, she knew Draco to be a stiff, cold, and distant person to anyone. He says that she’s the one that changed him, but she doubts it herself. Draco now somehow is the person to roll around grass giggling with his son.
He never imagined a son. Not even a family, or a house of his own. But not that everything that he never imagined was reality, he knew he was supposed to spend every minute he could, cherishing it. And so he did.
Scorpius was about older than a year. All he knew was his parents that loved him dearly. Pansy kids and Theo’s kid that he and Harry had adopted had all started walking independently on their own months before Scorpius.
His parents were never concerned. They did an extensive amount of research to understand that every child has its own pace, and it wasn’t a problem that Scorpius wasn’t walking on his own yet.
Not that Grandma Narcissa and Grandpa Lucius would understand. One time after dinner at the Manor, they nearly aggravated Scorp to the point of tears.
That night, Draco exploded at them before taking his family back to their own home.
Draco sat on his knees, his hands were outstretched in front of Scorpius who was now standing, his little baby feet on the soft grass, encouraging him to take a few steps towards him.
Astoria places the small, chopped pieces into a saucer and slid open the screen door that led outside.
Scorpius had sat back down onto Draco’s lap and from where they were sitting, Draco whispered something into Scorpius’s ear and took his hand to wave at Astoria, “Say ‘hi mama!’”
“Mama!”
“My boys!!” She couldn’t help how her lips tugged on each corner, taking over at the sound of him trying to talk.
Her husband and son.
She makes her way towards the two of them, her robes billowing behind her and the saucer charmed to follow her.
Scorpius crawled back out of Draco’s lap as if he knew that Astoria was about to drop down happily onto him. But if she thought that they’d have a moment of peace, she would soon stand corrected because he began crawling all over her body and up to her face, his crabby hands, grabbing at anything he could.
Draco couldn’t keep his laughs silent, not that he tried at least.
His wife and son.
Oftentimes, he wondered if he was an imposter in his own skin. It felt so natural to act like this, to be happy but he never expected it to happen to him of all people. But he didn’t dwell on it long, finding that it’s better to treasure what he has instead of question it.
“Don’t attack your mother, my little dragon.” He reached out to grab Scorp, pulling him off of Astoria and down onto the grass next to them, feeding him a piece of the snack she brought out.
“He’s been trying to walk.” Draco muttered quietly, brushing Astoria’s hair out of her eyes and pressing a kiss to her forehead.
“Don’t worry, once he starts walking, it won’t be long before he starts flying around. It’s better that he’s not.” Astoria joked, in her mind she could already see it happening. Scorpius on a baby broom.
It would be Draco’s dream to see that.
“We might as well get him a broom for Christmas. I could teach him quidditch early and he would be the best chaser or whatever he wants to be by the time he gets to Hogwarts. He’ll be drafted in his first year like Potter was.” He said hurriedly like it was already going to happen, excited at the possibility to be flying with him.
Draco always envied how Harry Potter got into quidditch in the first year. It was a rule that only second years could be drafted and as a child, rules were all he knew, and he never dared to break them. He entered Hogwarts thinking that everyone would worship him before he soon realized that that’s not how things worked. He’s come to terms with that by now.
That life isn’t fair.
Astoria laughs, taking Draco’s hand into hers and pulling it close to hers, “Darling, it’s May. It’s the first warm week of the year and you’re thinking about Christmas. His birthday is in August you may as well give him a broom then.”
“Boom!” Scorpius babbled out, throwing his hands in the air.
“Yes, I bet you’re just like your father aren’t you, honey? You’re going to be flying all the way out of here by the time you’re 5. Leaving mummy and daddy behind, won’t you?” She turned towards him, feeding a piece of cucumber to Scorpius. “It’s okay, I’ll come watch your quidditch games.”
Inside, Draco wondered if she would live to see it. But he doesn’t show it. It’s a thought that crosses his mind every day. Will Astoria live to see that?
When he’s done chewing on the veggie, Astoria picks him up into her arms, lifting him up to block the sun from her eyes as endless giggles flew from his pink plump lips. “Oh, my beautiful, beautiful, boy.” She exclaimed as Draco watched his family, stroking her hair back from above.
When he was done being thrown up in the air over and over and wanted to get down, Astoria laid him right on her chest, one of the many places he would spend his nights.
A comfortable silence fell over them in which just the birds were the only thing they heard. Also paired with the dishes that were washing themselves in the kitchen not too far away.
Before Astoria found her eyes drooping towards a nap, Scorpius raised his head and look into his mother’s eyes, saying, “Wak, wak, wak!”
“Would you like to try walking again, darling?”
He nodded excitedly, clapping his chummy hands together.
“Alright then.” With him in her hands, Astoria sat up with the help of gripping Draco’s arm tightly and placed him down on the grass. Draco slipped out from underneath her to walk a few paces forward, so Scorpius could try walking between them.
Draco gave her a reassuring look, maybe he’ll walk, maybe he won’t.
Astoria balanced Scorpius on his feet and Draco widened his arms before him. He excitedly flapped his arms and after a moment, once he found his footing, he put one step in front of the other, inching closer and closer away from his mother and towards his father. There was nothing for the parents to do except encourage and watch him.
Astoria did as such, fending off the tears that may have started to well in her eyes. Her little boy was growing up and taking his first steps.
Draco kept scooting back in efforts to have Scorpius take more steps, he clapped his hands when he landed into his arms, cheering and hugging his boy tightly.
He was stumbly and off balance but that didn’t differ from how he took his first steps.
“Look how good he did, darling.” Once again, Draco took Scorpius’s hand and waved it at Astoria from the short distance that they were away from.
He carried Scorpius towards Astoria, placing him back in her arms and slotting himself back behind her. Laying back onto the grass, Draco conjured a soft pillow and subtle umbrella for them to sit under.
Scorpius crawled away from Astoria, wanting to freely move about the field. Draco waved his wand once more to ensure he wouldn’t danger himself as they relaxed. Astoria flipped around on Draco’s torso, bringing her face up to his so she can brush away his hair.
“We should actually probably make him walk more, you know. Build stamina.” Astoria suggested.
“Yes, yes, we’ll do that tonight before bed, bossy.”
“Don’t act like you don’t like me bossy.” She tapped his nose, tracing the lines of his face.
“Of course.” He pressed a soft kiss to her lips, then checking on Scorpius rolling around in the grass. His hands were on her hips, thumbs moving in circles. He smiled, he never wanted to stop smiling. “I love us. I love our family and I love you, Astoria.”
Something was wrong.
There was silence.
He could see her mouthing the words back at him but couldn’t hear.
Why was it cloudy now? Where did the sun go?
Where’s Scorpius?
The view before him fell dark and black.
He couldn’t feel her in his hands anymore.
Why could he feel her in his hands anymore?
Draco jerked up and opened his eyes, panting, drenched in sweat, and the room cleared, coming into view.
Theodore was sitting on an arm chair across from him, concern was all over his face.
“What—” he gulped, he knew what was happening, “what’s happening, what’s going on?”
“Draco, it’s okay, you’re fine. You had a nightmare.” Theo came to his side with a cold glass of water, and a tight hand on his shoulder, grounding him to reality again.
“Where’s Scorpius?”
“He’s okay, he’s been with Pansy and Neville for the week, you’ve been here resting, and I’ve been keeping an eye on you.”
Draco remembered when Scorpius left for the week. He trusted that they could care for him more than he could right now.
This time, he knew the answer but asked anyway, “Where’s— where's Astoria?”
Theo’s eyes dropped away from his, “Draco… Astoria’s gone.”