Summary: A meeting between old lovers, and the agreement it results in.
Warning: Slash, Mpreg, OOCness, etcetera, etcetera...
Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did, I wouldn't do it this way anyway...
They had chosen a quiet Wednesday morning for their meeting, in the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. Draco came in and sat down at two till eleven, the pre decided time, and waited patiently for Harry to arrive.
Draco had been waiting for ten minutes before Harry appeared, Diana on his hip and her bag over his shoulder. He sat down hurriedly and handed Diana off to Draco without thinking about it, appearing out of breath and rushed. Snow was resting in his hair and on his coat, contrasting nicely with his now pinked cheeks. Draco turned his attention to Diana, brushing snow off her and hugging her gently.
"How are you, little one?" He asked her, extracting a giggle. "Did you miss me?" He leaned forward and brushed his nose against hers back and forth in an eskimo kiss, and she giggled again and clapped her hands.
"Da!" She exclaimed, and Draco felt his heart soar. Harry looked up, stunned and possibly a little hurt.
"Yes, that's right!" He told her, settling her down on his lap. He looked up at Harry, still too elated to try to be stoic or indifferent. "Now, let's get down to business," He said, and Harry nodded briskly. "We're in a public place, so hopefully that will deter any yelling or hitting that may arise. And Diana's here as well," He nodded, going over his mental checklist. "Anything else?" He looked to Harry, trying to make it seem as though they did this sort of thing every day.
"I- no, I don't think so," Harry told him, regaining his composure and putting on an indifferent mask. "You start," He said, folding his hands in his lap and making eye contact. He was trying to keep it as formal as possible, and appeared to be succeeding.
"Alright," Draco searched for the words he wanted to use, and after a moment, opened his mouth to speak. "I want this to work," He began. "I want this to work without having to sue or be sued, and without Diana having to change hands every week or weekend. Suing or being sued isn't any fun; I don't look to repeat that experience. And Diana's life has been unstable at best so far, and it shouldn't have to be. She deserves better than this, than us," He was ever conscious of Diana's presence on his lap, and somehow it both calmed him and made his heart race. "I'm not sure it can be worked out at this point, but I'd like to try, for her sake," He finished, folding and unfolding his hands nervously.
Harry sighed.
"I agree. We're both adults now; we should be able to get over this and make it work for her sake, if nothing else," He started, averting his eyes away from the sight of Diana and Draco together. They complemented each other, if that made any sense. "There are boundaries, of course. I'm still with Ginny, and most of my friends are readily against any communication between us at all," Harry paused, wondering what he could say next that wouldn't offend Draco. "I think the best thing for Diana, and the both of us, is if we were to become neighbors. Then, Diana wouldn't be going very between parents and our contact would be minimal," He proposed, glancing up to see Draco's reaction.
Draco's face was blank and unfeeling, and he nodded as soon as Harry finished speaking. He was completely still otherwise.
"Of course," He said quietly, staring firmly at a spot on the wall until Harry looked him in the eye, at which time he met his gaze with blank eyes. "I'll start looking for a house in your neighborhood, then. I have an apartment, I can move anytime," He shrugged in a noncommittal fashion. "And you're sure you're comfortable with this?" He asked cordially, regaining a little more feeling in him. Harry's proposal had hurt him a little, so he'd wiped himself of emotions until the pang was over.
"Well, no," Harry told him bluntly. "In a perfect world, I could live my life with Ginny and Diana in exactly the way I planned. But you made a few good points, and I'm willing to make sacrifices for Diana if that's what she needs," He said, and Draco felt another pang of hurt. This time he averted his eyes and breathed deeply for a moment.
"Alright," His voice was tight and tired. "And the schedule? When should she be with you and when should she be with me?" He asked, loosening Diana's grasp on the front of his robes. She was clambering up to a standing position on his lap, making herself eye level with him and looking around curiously. Cameras flashed outside the shop and from other tables, but Draco and Harry ignored them. "I know the usual arrangement is every other weekend for those who don't get custody, but I was wondering if we could make it a little more even?" He asked hopefully, and Harry paused, thinking.
"I've heard of something that's done in America sometimes," He said, trying to recall exactly where he heard it. "Every week on Friday the child switches hands and stays until the next Friday. I guess that could work," Harry said, and Draco felt relief flood him. In a few weeks, he'd gone from not seeing her at all to having her every other week! He was ecstatic. He turned and smiled at Diana, hugging her to him happily.
"Hear that, baby girl?" He asked her softly. "You'll get to spend time with both your daddies!" He told her, poking her on the nose with his index finger happily. "Don't you worry, sweet, your nursery will be just as grand as your old one. And we'll get out that little stuffed dragon you liked so much, and your mobile, and your satin sheets, alright?" He asked her happily, and she clapped her hands jovially.
Harry almost smiled before he realized what he was doing. He couldn't help but notice how open and natural Draco was with Diana, like her presence in his arms open him up for only her to see. He used to be able to do that, and for a moment he almost missed it. The light in Draco's eyes reminded him of better times, particularly the week after Christmas sixth year.
They had slept together only a week prior, and hadn't talked to each other since. Both were a little frightened of what would happen next in their relationship, but Harry finally summoned the courage to request Draco meet him on top of the astronomy tower. He gotten there half an hour early to find Draco already waiting, and when Draco turned and saw him his smile did not reach his eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept or eaten in a while, but his personal hygiene was immaculate as ever.
The conversation had been a little awkward, and finally Harry asked Draco what was wrong. It was clear the blond boy was troubled about something, and it occurred to Harry that it might have been that they had sex. When he had asked, Draco had turned away from him and remained silent. Harry asked again, and Draco's shoulders began to shake.
Harry had enveloped his crying boyfriend in an embrace, shushing him and asking repeatedly what was wrong. Finally, he received a whisper of an answer. 'I feel so dirty...' Draco had said, and Harry's heart broke right there. 'I feel wrong, worthless... How can you even look at me?' Draco asked him softly, and Harry had gently lifted his chin and made him look him in the eyes. 'I love you,' Harry told him. 'You're not wrong or worthless, and I love looking at you and I love being with you. Better?' He'd asked, and the light came back to Draco's eyes.
Harry returned his mind to the present, and watched Draco shower Diana's face with kisses.
"That's settled, then," Harry broke his stretch of silence, picking up Diana's bag and hefting it onto his shoulder. "Let me know if you find a house," He said, and reached for Diana. Draco pressed a kiss to her head and passed her to Harry, sorrow settling over his features. He nodded his agreement, and stood as well.
They parted ways without another word.
Harry arrived home to find Ron, Hermione, and Ginny waiting for him in the living room. Ginny leapt up when she saw him, a smile blossoming on her face.
"Harry!" She exclaimed, kissing his cheek and taking Diana from his arms so he could set his things down and take off his coat. "Where've you been?" She asked casually, sitting back down and greeting Diana in a baby voice.
"I had a meeting with someone," He said, plopping down beside her. "Any reason why you all broke into my house?" He asked jokingly.
"We hoped we could just spend some time talking, y'know? We don't do that as often," Ron answered, shrugging, and Harry nodded and shrugged with him, agreeing. "Probably because we all live in different houses," He said, shrugging again. He hadn't been able to afford a new home, so he was staying with his parents until he could afford to move out.
"Or that I'm a single parent," Harry said, which drew a laugh from Ginny.
Conversation carried on tediously, for another few hours until Diana needed a nap. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny agreed to leave, so she wasn't disturbed. Ron flooed first, saying his goodbyes to Harry and adding a promise of talking the next day.
"You next, Gin," Harry said, and she looked at him curiously. He usually sent her last, so they could say a private goodbye. "I have to talk to Hermione for a minute," He said, and she nodded, going through the fire without more protest. Harry plopped down in an armchair by the fireplace. "You might as well sit down. This could take a while," Hermione complied, and gestured for him to continue. "You know that meeting I mentioned?" He asked, and Hermione nodded.
"Yeah," She licked her lips, as though eager for more information. She always had had a tendency to crave whatever information she could get...
"It was with Malfoy," Harry told him, almost grimacing. Surprise lit Hermione's face. "We agreed a few days ago to meet with Diana in a public place to talk things out and resolve things. You wanted me to make peace with him, and I know it's in Diana's best interests if I make an effort. So we talked civilly and came to a reasonable agreement," He said, not looking at her. She was the most likely to accept this, but it still made him nervous.
"Which is?" She asked eagerly, tone a cross between pride and chiding.
"We agreed that Diana shouldn't have to go long distances between us for visiting, because her life's been unstable at best. I wasn't really aware of what I was doing, I was just there and so were they," He paused, sighing. "I dunno. It was weird. Anyway, he's looking for a house in the neighborhood. Every Friday we'll transfer Diana," He finished, and a huge smile blossomed on Hermione's face, pride seeping into it.
"Oh, Harry, I knew you'd fix this, I just knew it. I'm glad you did. The three of you deserve some peace," She nodded, eyes glistening lightly. Harry couldn't tell if it was the foreshadowing of tears or not.
"Well, it's not all great, you know. We're not friends. We're not going to act like it," Harry said, reminding himself more than Hermione as he referred to Draco and himself. "And he knows there won't be any relationship, no matter how bad he wants it, because I love Ginny. I think he'll respect that," Harry's brow furrowed, questioning briefly whether Draco would or not.
"Well, I hope he does," She paused. "I really am proud of you, you know," She told him, and Harry nodded, averting his eyes and standing.
"You should go, so Ron doesn't get worried," Hermione flushed. "Just don't tell them yet, okay? I don't think they'd handle it well," Harry said, and Hermione nodded.
"I promise," She agreed, and flooed away. Harry went to go check on Diana.
Surprisingly, it was quite easy to find a house in the neighborhood for Draco. Actually, said house was across the street and on the corner of the block. It's front door was facing a different street, but from the kitchen he had a clear view of Harry's home.
When he'd told Narcissa what had transpired, she was more than happy to let him buy the house immediately. She had tried originally to persuade him to move back in with Diana, but Draco turned her down steadfast. That wasn't part of the deal.
It had been a week since their meeting, and he was just putting the finishing touches on the place. Harry's house was full of warm tones and woods, so Draco decided to go directly against that. The entrance hall, which included the stairs and hallway upstairs, was painted navy blue with white accents. The carpeting there was white, but incredibly easy to clean with a wand. The living room a dainty off white/cream color to contrast, with more white accents. The sofas were beige, again easy to clean, and in the corner he'd set up a nice little play area for Diana.
The kitchen was Draco's favorite room, other than his own. It was painted a pale robin's egg blue with white cabinets and granite counters. All the appliances were stainless steel, and the wall opposite the window was covered by a large cork board. It was empty at the time, but it had the possibility to be a nice family relic in years to come. Draco liked it immensely. The downstairs bathroom was a shocking lime green, and the sink was made of stained green glass.
Upstairs, there was another bathroom, this time a pale lilac in color. This one had a granite sink. Diana's nursery, which was large enough to be accommodating as a bedroom when she got older, was white. Draco had, as promised, gotten out all of her things and set them in place. Her mobile hung over her crib, ready to play whenever she wanted.
His own room was right next to hers, painted in true Slytherin fashion. It was decorated with slytherin green and silver accents, with a king sized bed right in the middle of the back wall. It suited him perfectly.
There was a spare bedroom, but Draco wasn't quite sure what to do with it. It was painted yellow, but Draco kept the door shut.
He was making cupcakes. He wanted Diana to enjoy being with him for the first time, so he made a little treat for her. He hoped to make her feel more at home and less alienated if there was food. He'd owled Harry yesterday, though he could have told him himself, and told him about the new house and to bring Diana over in the afternoon the following day. So Draco had prepared all evening and morning, making sure everything was ready for his little girl.
The timer went off, and he quickly removed the cupcakes from the oven.
Harry picked Diana up, going over his mental checklist for the third time as he headed for the door. He had packed several changes of clothing, diapers, her blanket, and a stuffed animal she was fond of. And, though most baby books told him she should be weaned off of it, her pacifier. She would be up all night without it.
With Diana on his hip and her bag over his shoulder, he left the house. He planned to stay at Draco's until evening, to make sure everything was prepared properly for her. His eyes alighted on the house Draco had indicated as his, and crossed the street and walked the remaining distance to the end of the block. He saw that the front of the house had a nice little garden around the raised wall around the porch. The foundation of the house was high, indicating a basement below.
Harry approached the front door, taking a deep breath and knocking. The door opened almost instantly, and a clearly excited Draco greeted him on the step, still holding a dish towel from the kitchen. He flipped it onto his shoulder carelessly, reaching forward to take Diana and sparing Harry a careless hello.
"Can I come in?" Harry asked, and Draco backed up to let him in. Harry swept his gaze over the room quickly, checking for anything that wasn't child safe. Everything looked to be in order...
Draco went into the adjoining kitchen, cradling Diana on his hip. Harry saw when he entered that there were no knives in reach, or glass for that matter, and there was a high chair set next to the counter where a tray of cupcakes lay cooling. He was glad to see the high chair a safe distance from the tray, so Diana couldn't reach out and burn herself if it was hot.
"You can put the bag anywhere," Draco said offhandedly, and Harry noticed it was the same tone he'd used last time he was with Diana. Harry had noticed that whenever she was there, he seemed more... free. More loose and human, released in a way that he wasn't other times. It was interesting to him.
"Why do you act differently around her?" He asked impulsively, surprised at himself. He'd been grasped by a need to ask, though he was pretty sure it had to do with their bond. He assumed that it just came with knowing her from birth. Draco looked around, a questioning gaze settling on his features.
"How do you mean?" He asked, setting her down in the high chair and tapping her nose with one finger gently, drawing a giggle from her.
"I don't know. You just act differently. More human, I guess," Harry said, and Draco let out a choppy laugh. Harry wondered if he'd forgotten their agreement. They weren't going to act like friends, though Draco seemed to be trying to.
"It's easier to be relaxed when she's around. She just calms me," He shrugged, but Harry wasn't quite satisfied with that answer.
"How so?" He asked, and Draco paused, a thoughtful look on his face. He wasn't quite sure how to word it.
"I think it has something to do with being pregnant with her," He said, nodding when he decided that sounded right. "See, being a 'mother', for all intended purposes, in the back of my mind, I'm always kind of aware of where she is and what she's doing. When she's right here with me, I don't have to work so hard to push it down," Harry blinked, surprised. Draco turned back to his cupcakes and poked one, seeing if it was cool enough to take out of the tray.
"I've never heard it described that way... " Harry thought aloud. He certainly didn't think of Diana that way, not the way Draco appeared to. "Doesn't it get annoying?" He asked. He wasn't sure what it was, but he was very curious that day.
"Questions, questions," Draco chided slightly, and then answered. "Sometimes, when it keeps me awake at night, but otherwise I don't really mind. I mean, I'm fairly sure she's safe with you, so I don't worry about it too much. Except when I'm bored," He added, and chuckled to himself quietly. He'd been quite surprised just how bored he was when he didn't have Diana with him. It was a little disappointing, to discover how boring his life was.
They were quiet for a while, Draco working quietly with the cupcakes. Harry set the bag down by the kitchen doorway and sat down in a chair. After a while, the silence grew uncomfortable. Harry stood again, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Come get me if there are any problems," He said, walking out of the kitchen without another word. He opened the front door and shut it behind himself, pausing for a moment on the stoop before hurrying down the steps and back up to the crosswalk.
Draco sighed.
Author's Notice: Okay, some OOCness there. But that's nothing new-- my version of Draco has never been exactly normal. And yes, this took me much longer than it should have to update. Ugh. School sucks. So no, I will not be updating very frequently, but when I do update, it'll be a respectable length. Your thoughts are welcome, but, once again, if you don't like this fic, don't read it and certainly don't complain to me about it. If you can find something you like, you're welcomed to tell me about it, though. :)