Scorpius felt nervous as he walked down the train's narrow corridor.

As much as he had been looking forward to starting at Hogwarts; he didn't want to leave his mum. He knew she was ill; and he knew it was something she wasn't going to get better from.

And he didn't want to leave his little sister. He would never admit it out loud, but he worried about her. Freida was only six years old but there was a great sadness surrounding her.

And he noticed his father never hugged her; never really looked at her. He couldn't understand it; Scorpius loved his father to bits and adored the warmth and affection he received from him.

But something was gravely wrong where Freida was concerned, and it frightened Scorpius beyond words.

He finally found an empty carriage which he nervously settled in. He wished with all his heart that he was back on the platform with his mum.

The compartment door opened and Scorpius looked up to see a raven haired boy enter, closely followed by a bushy haired girl.

"Hi." The boy spoke, offering him a nervous smile. "Is this compartment...?"

"It's free. It's just me." Scorpius smiled back, feeling a flood of relief at the friendliness on this boy's face.

There was something familiar about these two, but Scorpius couldn't, at first, work out why.

"Great," said the boy enthusiastically, "so we might just - come in - for a bit - if that's okay?"

"That's okay. Hi."

"Albus. Al. I'm - my name is Albus..."

"Albus?" Scorpius's frowned for a second before his eyes widened in realisation. "You're Albus Potter! I've seen your photo in Granny's house! We- we are cousins!"

"Cousins?" The boy said, looking confused.

"This is Scorpius," the girl finally spoke up, frowning coldly. "We should leave, Al."

Scorp turned his attention to her, and the familiarity of her face almost winded him. "Rose?" He breathed.

It had been a long time, of course.

*****

So, my son decided that of all the students in his year at school, he was going to befriend a Potter.

I was secretly thrilled.

Especially as it turned out my nephew - Harry Potter's child was a Slytherin, too.

"I can't remember the last time I saw you laugh so much," Draco said to me when I read Scorp's first letter home.

"I'm just gutted I didn't get to see Harry's face when he found out that Albus - the kid he named after the most Gryffindor wizard in the world - turned out to be one of us."

"One of us?" Draco blinked, before his face slowly broke into a wide smirk. "Hang on a minute, has my darling Gryffindor wife actually forgotten she wasn't a Slytherin?"

"Sometimes I think I should have been," I confessed, smiling wryly back up at him.

"Nah," he remarked, shaking his head. "Once upon a time, maybe. But lately, I've realised I've never met a braver witch or wizard than you."

His smile faltered and I saw the flicker of sadness behind his eyes.

But he was wrong, I wasn't brave at all. I was utterly, achingly, stomach wrenching terrified.

I didn't want to die.

*****

The weeks rolled by with most days me not being able to get out of bed. When it came to picking up Scorp for Christmas, I was having a particular bad day and could barely lift my head, let alone stand.

"Stay here, I'll get him," Draco implored as I tried to roll over, desperate to keep our promise that I'd be there for him when he departed the train. "He'll understand."

But I was insistent, and Draco had to literally hold me up as the train pulled into the station.

My heart nearly burst when I saw my white-blond haired son step onto the platform, and for a second I felt like I was seeing some sort of ghost.

This boy - my boy looked liked someone from my past. I gasped; for a fraction of a second it was as though I had time traveled to a time before I was ill.

"Ronnie?" Draco was looking at me fearfully as I slackened against him.

"He looks just like you did," I sobbed. "He looks so much like you when we were at school."

"I loved you then Ronnie, you must know." He said, holding me tightly against him, trying to suppress his own tears. "I've never recalled a time when I haven't loved you."

"Mum?" Scorp's voice wobbled as he stepped in front of me.

I looked at my son who had grown so much over the past few months and shakily let go of Draco to hold a hand out to him. Scorp threw himself forward, allowing me to collapse in his arms.

"I've missed you, Mum," Scorp murmured quietly in my ear, his arms holding me tightly as he struggled slightly under my almost dead weight.

Draco had to help lift me back to his side.

It was at this point I realised there was a raven haired boy standing awkwardly behind Scorp.

"Albus?" I whispered, squinting slightly, feeling shaken by the likeness of his father.

He nodded shyly, seeming rather uncomfortable.

"I- I'm your aunt Ronnie," I breathed, feeling a strange overwhelming feeling of love, despite never having met this boy before. "Your mum's sister."

Draco's arm tightened around me as Albus and I continued to stare at one another. "Ronnie-" Draco started, a slight wariness to his tone.

"I want to thank you for being a good friend to your cousin," I said to Albus with as much defiance as I could, cutting Draco off. "You know, I was good friends with your dad, once?"

"I know," Albus said, shifting awkwardly. "He talks about you sometimes."

"He does?" I asked, feeling a flutter of surprise.

But before Albus could elaborate, there was a sudden scurrying of footsteps and then there was my sister, closely followed by Harry, hurrying towards us.

"Albus what do you think you're doing?" Ginny barked, completely ignoring me, Draco and Scorp, as if we weren't even there. "We're in a hurry, your father has a conference to go to and we don't have to time to dawdle on the platform. You'll see your friends again soon."

"You're welcome to ours anytime!" I called to Albus as Ginny began to drag him away.

Harry, about to follow them, hesitated. He turned slowly to look at me, his face looking pained.

"Ronnie? Are you o-"

"Just piss off Potter," Draco snarled, abruptly cutting him off. "She doesn't need your toxic shit."

"Dad!" Scorp exclaimed, looking utterly horrified at the exchange going on before him.

Harry's face instantly turned into a scowl as he turned towards his old school nemesis.

"Hark who's talking," he sneered, before storming off after his wife and son.

I felt a sadness squeeze my heart as I watched my old friend disappear amongst the crowds.

"Sorry," Draco muttered upon seeing my face. "But he hasn't bothered with you in the past eleven years, even after everything you've been through. If he feels guilty all of a sudden being faced with you, then that's his problem."

"Let's just go home," I sighed, leaning heavily into Draco's side. "I'm exhausted."

"Where's Freida?" Scorp asked, looking around disappointed.

"She's at home with Nanny Ciss, darling," I smiled, "and she just can't wait to see her big brother. Believe me."

There had been tears when we told her she had to stay behind. But we explained to her that Daddy needed to put all his concentration in looking after Mummy ("But I can look after Mummy too!"). I had felt so guilty but I was desperate to keep my promise to Scorp and I knew Draco would have struggled with the both of us, given how weak I was feeling.

It was a bittersweet Christmas; the day itself spent at the Burrow. I couldn't help but feel a flood of disappointment when Harry and Ginny refused to show. A part of me had hoped that my illness and Scorp and Albus's new found friendship might help thaw their feelings about Draco.

But I guess not.

"I'm sorry, Ronnie," Draco said regretfully, pulling me to his side as we sat and watched the kids open their presents under my parent's tree; the small pile of presents for the Potters remaining untouched at the back. "I never wanted this for you."

But I was okay, because I knew I had Draco and our children until the end.

I was just heartbroken that they would very soon no longer have me.

*****