'A Baby in Office', that was the heading of the morning's Daily Prophet.
The image on the front page showed the new Minister for Magic, her husband at her side, an arm around her shoulder, blinking and smiling at the crowds.
Astoria had read the speculations of the prolific Rita Skeeter over the past few weeks, querying that under her flowing robes the Minister was sporting a small baby bump. Now, wearing more fitted robes it was all in plain sight, the latest Minister for Magic - Muggle-born Hermione Granger - was undoubtedly pregnant.
She sat softly on a kitchen chair, her breathing labored. The minister looked well, her cheeks red and eyes bright. She had a brilliant job, a supportive husband and, as far as she was aware, they had gotten pregnant easily. It all looked perfect for them. She knew Draco did not need to see this, not now.
She placed a hand to her own belly, it wouldn't be long and her baby would be here. Unlike in the case of the minister, Astoria knew that giving birth might be too much pressure on her fragile body. She knew Draco hadn't wanted this, hadn't wanted to risk her shortened life becoming even shorter just to have a baby. She worried that, if something happened to her, he wouldn't love their child the same.
He was a changed man, she knew that he had grown since the trials and angst of his younger days but as purebloods from long lines of purebloods both of them had a pressure to conform, to be as their parents had been. Draco, it had never been in him to hate but his Father and the rule from Lord Voldemort had tainted him.
Seeing her, the girl he had despised at school, as the Minister for Magic - that had hurt and now, the Weasley boy and her were expecting their first child. He struggled to see them have it all, have everything that most families had. To not have a reputation, a way to behave, a way to think. To begin with, Draco would not even hold her hand - that went against appearances, how he had changed.
Astoria glanced over the written article, words popped out at her. The baby was due in June, she was five months pregnant although the size of her bump would say differently. 'Husband, Ronald Weasley, an ex-Auror, is said to be thrilled,' If only her husband was. 'The child will join eight older cousins,' Draco was an only child, she only had one older sibling, Daphne, their baby would never be surrounded by family. Even if it was, Astoria believed that many of the problems Draco had dealt with were due to his relationship with his father.
Astoria hadn't really known any of the famous Weasley family, she knew of Ginny Weasley, the amazing Quidditch player who went on to play nationally. Only a few weeks earlier Ginny and Harry Potter had welcomed their second child, a second little boy. Most of what she knew of the baby's Father, Ron, was laced in pureblood beliefs and old hatred that went beyond the current generation.
She closed her eyes for a moment, imagining a world where these three children would know each other. She wished for a world where they could be friends, they would be in the same school year. She thought of the stories Draco had told of Harry and his friends, of how close they were and how often he had been jealous of their bond. Astoria could only hope for that for her son. Hope he wasn't alone, hope he got on in the world when she was no longer there.
As much as she knew Draco would hate it, and the fathers and grandfathers would butt heads for a while, she imagined being friends with the Potters, and through them, the wider Weasley family including Minister Granger's baby. She knew they were a tight-knit family despite their size. She knew life was lonely as a Malfoy.
A world with wealth was cold and heartless, like a diamond. There were so many rooms that distance happened naturally.
This baby, as was also stated further through the article, would unlikely cause a backlash. People would be angry that Ms. Granger had run for this career, knowing she was pregnant or falling pregnant during the voting process. People would think her a puppet for Harry Potter, or they would resort to the old thinkings, to never trust a muggle-born.
She knew Lucius would be furious, he would try and influence this in any way he could but the Ministry was changing, the world was changing, he no longer had a tight grip on their policies, and besides, she had already re-appointed Shacklebolt as acting Minister when she would go on leave.
Astoria presumed she should probably not have felt as she did. She had never met the Granger woman but, perhaps it was female intuition, she felt she should stand by her - even if only in her thoughts.
Feeling a mild kick to her ribs she looked down at her own baby, encased in layers of skin and muscle. He was safe, warm, loved. She just hoped that the future would keep him that way. In that moment she silently asked the photograph of the Minister, mother to mother, to be tolerant of her son, to tolerate her husband; and to lead the world into a future where people were free to be themselves.