Draco only went to bed to take a nap yesterday afternoon, and he figured that he and Harry would, once he had woken up again, spend the rest of the day unpacking his things. However, when he had woken up, the sun was rising and he realised that he had slept right through until the morning. He had been a little embarrassed, because here was their first day together, and he was spending it fast asleep? It felt a little ungrateful, so he had been ready to apologise when he came downstairs. But Harry had been there, having his morning coffee - Albus and Scorpius' pup by his side - and he seemed far from upset.

They had had breakfast together, and the conversation had flowed much easier than it had the day before, but Harry could still sense a distance between them. A hesitation coming from Draco, that made him wonder if he was already starting to regret moving in with him. But when he had asked him about it, Draco simply explained that it was all a little overwhelming. That seeing the baby room had made it all a little too real, and that it was going to take some time to let things sink in.

Harry wasn't sure if he should leave Draco to it, and if he should try and get on with his own life and wait for Draco to come to him. But leaving him to deal with things on his own didn't sit right with him, so he suggested they'd go for a walk in the park instead. He hadn't asked any questions, and Draco hadn't said anything either. The silence between them only broken every once in a while by the occasional shiver or sniffle.

"Are you tired?" Harry asks, pointing at the bench on the other side of the path. "Want to sit down for a second?"

"Please." Draco nods, a tired smile on his face. He shivers as they sit down, so Harry grabs his hands to warm them up. Not noticing how it is making Draco blush that they are in the middle of the park, where everyone can see them, holding hands.

"I'm sorry about the room," Harry sighs. "I was trying to help, but I should have known it was too much."

"It's fine." Draco smiles, "It just made it very real, seeing the room she is going to…"

"Be growing up in?" Harry suggests, but as soon as the words have left his mouth, he knows he has put his foot in it again. This was only meant to be a temporary solution, and for him to be talking about years from now, it only means he is putting more pressure on Draco, when that is the last thing he wants to do.

"I guess so, yes." Draco smiles to himself, but his smile fades and Harry can feel his hand getting clammy.

"Are you okay?"

"I was just thinking about her fath… the guy I…" He sighs, clearly not sure how to put it, as the man he was with made it clear that he wants nothing to do with their daughter. "It wasn't serious between us, and I knew he was far from perfect, but…"

"But you liked him anyway?"

"I don't think I did," Draco chuckles awkwardly. "He was just there, I guess. He was good-looking… younger than me, and he gave me attention… I'm not sure what I was thinking." He shakes his head, embarrassed to be talking about it, even though it's clear from the look on Harry's face that he isn't judging him. "He kept telling me he was straight, and we had to sneak around, but it was nice to have someone there, you know? Even if I knew he didn't care about me. Not really."

"But why… I'm sorry for asking, but why settle for someone like him? You are great, and you can…"

"You think I can do better?" Draco scoffs. "I knew that I was gay when I was nine years old, Harry. I have spent all my life trying to fight that part of myself, and I forced myself to love a woman who deserved…" He sniffles, the pain of Astoria's death still unbearable. "She knew, but she never confronted me about it. She was the first person to tell me she loved me, no matter what I had done, and no matter…" He wipes a tear from his cheek. "No matter that I could not love her as I should. When she died, I vowed to stop fighting and to accept that part of myself," he explains. "For her."

"I had no idea…"

"I only came out to Scorp earlier this year." Draco admits. "You know, I thought that once I'd stop fighting, life would be different. I would find a man who loved me, and I could somehow…" The saddest smile forms on his face as he wipes another tear from his face. "I was stupid for thinking anyone would want to be with me. I tried to go on dates, but all those men ever saw was my past."

"I'm so sorry," Harry whispers, not sure what else to say. He himself had come out to Ginny not long after they started dating, so it had never been a secret. His friends knew, his family knew, and his children had always known too. He can't even imagine what it must have been like for Draco, having to keep that part of himself not only a secret, but trying to fight it and trying to change who he was. If only they had been friends when they were younger, Harry thinks. If only he had known.

"This guy was the first person not to look at me like I was a monster," Draco continues. "Perhaps because he was the monster," he quietly adds, his words sending the shivers up and down Harry's spine.

"What did he do?"

"He hit me." Draco shrugs. "He was rough with me, but I… I don't know. I suppose I never told him I didn't like it, so…"

"Did he…," Harry begins, but he's afraid to finish his question.

"Hurt me?" Draco guesses. "Not like that."

"Will you tell her about him?"

"I'm not sure. I think she might be better off not knowing who he is," Draco sighs. "But then, I have nothing to offer her, so maybe…"

"You're a brilliant father, Draco," Harry cuts him off, giving his hand a squeeze. "She's lucky to have you."

"I'm afraid I can't do it. Not this time," Draco admits. "Not on my own."

"You're not on your own though, are you?" Harry reassures him. "You've got me, you've got the boys…"

Draco smiles, but he still doesn't seem convinced.

"I'm sorry," Harry sighs, after a long and somewhat tense silence. "That you felt like you couldn't come out sooner."

"Well, as I'm sure you know, I had bigger things to worry about," Draco laughs, obviously feeling awkward to talk about it, even though he was the one to bring it up in the first place. "I didn't exactly want to draw more attention to myself, and by the time the war was over…" He shrugs. "I felt like I couldn't be that person, I suppose," he admits, before quickly steering the conversation towards Harry. "I can't imagine it was the same for you? I bet Weasley and Granger were right there to hold your hand when you told them."

Harry can't help but smile at the tone of his voice, because this is the Malfoy he thought he knew. Yet there is something different about his sneers now that he knows that they are coming from a place of insecurity.

"They were." Harry nods, "So was Ginny. And I'm sorry it wasn't the same for you."

Draco nods, fighting back tears as he remembers all the nights he had lain awake, crying because he was terrified of what would happen if anyone ever were to find out that he was gay. He remembers being scared to say or do the wrong thing for so many years that he had shut himself off from the world.

"If Ginny knew, did you ever…?"

"Have I ever been with a guy?" Harry laughs. "No. I was in love with Ginny, and our marriage was sacred to me. I could never have done that to her. We had issues, and I could feel that something was off, but I loved her," he tells Draco, the memory of finding out that Ginny cheated on him still making his blood turn to ice. "But it wasn't enough."

"Do you think... " Draco begins, but when he hesitates, Harry squeezes his hand to let him know that it's alright to say it. "Don't you think it's too soon to be getting involved with… well, all of this? You were with Ginny all your life, so maybe you should…"

"Draco!" Harry cuts him off. "My marriage was over a long time ago. I am ready for a fresh start, okay?"

"A fresh start?" Draco laughs, blushing when he asks him, "With me? With a baby?"

"Yes, with you."

"Do you have any idea what you are taking on here? Taking us in, and offering to help with the baby? Someone else's baby," He points out, but the words don't seem to faze Harry.

"I'm not an idiot, Draco."

Draco laughs, shaking his head, "I think you might be, Potter."