AN: There might be a bit of a cheese factor to this chapter, but I don't care. I like it! Enjoy!

Chapter Fifteen

- March 31st -

It had been almost two months since Sirius had died and despite Harry's promises to phone him, there had still been no word from him. Draco was currently seated in the ridiculously comfortable, overstuffed armchair by the fireplace; Chuck curled up on the floor at his feet while he sipped slowly at a glass of wine. He stared into the orange and yellow flames and breathed deeply, trying not to let his anxiety get the best of him.

"He's thinking about selling Grimmauld Place," Hermione said as Ron handed her a cup of tea and sat down beside her on the sofa across from Draco's chair. "I can't say I blame him really, it is much too big a house for only one person."

Draco nodded absently, though he wasn't really listening to her. He glanced at his phone which was sitting on the table next to him and frowned to himself. Why haven't I heard from him yet? Should I phone him instead? Why am I so worried about him all the time? Hermione would most certainly tell me if something was wrong. I should just phone him and get it over with. One of us has to take the first step and he's obviously not going to be the one to do it. He reached for the phone, but as was becoming habit, changed his mind at the last moment and went back to staring into the fire.

"How's the new club?" Ron asked.

Draco forced himself to look over at him and pay attention. "Huh? Oh…it's good. Successful so far, though I don't spend much time there."

Hermione winced and shifted in her seat as she gently rubbed at her rounded stomach.

Draco's eyes filled with concern as he watched her. "Are you in pain?" He set his wineglass down and stood, quickly making his way to her side, glad for the distraction.

Hermione inhaled and held it for a moment before exhaling slowly. She smiled as she took Draco's hand in hers. "It's not really painful as much as uncomfortable. I didn't think it would be this hard." She squeezed his hand tightly before letting go. "This little one seems to be quite taken with the idea of kicking me in the ribs as often as possible."

"May I?" he asked, motioning to her stomach.

She smiled and nodded.

Draco knelt on the floor in front of Hermione and nervously rested both hands on her stomach. He had always been uncomfortable around children, but Blaise and Pansy were like family to him, so this child would be family as well and he figured it was time he became accustomed to the idea. In only a few months time, he was going to have a niece or nephew. He was going to be an uncle. Warmth spread through his chest at the thought and he smiled as he felt movement against his palms. "I've never felt a baby kick before," he said softly, his voice filled with awe as another kick moved against his hands.

"Try talking to it," Ron suggested. "I read somewhere that it makes them smarter if you talk to them before they're born."

Draco gave Ron a look of disbelief, but when he looked up at Hermione and saw her nodding in agreement, he made himself a bit more comfortable and leaned in closer. He lightly cleared his throat. "Uh…hello, baby."

Ron snorted, but it turned into a cough as Hermione drove her elbow into his side, effectively silencing him.

The blond glared at his redheaded friend and started to pull away, but was stopped when Hermione covered his hands with hers. "It's alright, Draco. You're doing fine."

Draco fought back a blush and nodded briefly before turning his attention back to her abdomen. "Hi," he said softly. "I'm your uncle Draco." There was another soft flutter against his palm and despite his best efforts he was unable to stop a quiet chuckle from escaping his lips. "You settle down in there, little baby. You owe a lot to your aunt Hermione and you should be a bit nicer to her internal organs." He smiled as there was a flurry of activity against his fingers.

Hermione laughed and leaned back into the couch. "I think she likes your voice."

"She?" Ron asked as he put his arm around her shoulder.

"Just a feeling," she said with a shrug.

"I've never even held a baby," Draco admitted softly.

"You'll do fine." Hermione rested her hands over his and smiled down at him.

Draco sat back on his heals and smiled before standing and heading for the kitchen to grab another bottle of wine. He stopped in the doorway when he heard his phone ringing, his heart beating wildly in his chest as hope filled him for the first time in weeks.

Ron stood and grabbed the phone, looking at the caller ID. "It's Harry," he said softly as he held it out to him.

Draco took a hesitant step forward, but stopped as he was stricken with an irrational case of the nerves.

"Well, aren't you going to answer it?" Hermione hissed at him.

Draco steeled himself, then grabbed the phone and flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Oh, um…hi. Draco?"

His breath caught in his throat at the sound of Harry's voice and he internally rolled his eyes at himself for the reaction. "Hello, Harry," he finally managed to say.

"Hi," Harry said softly, his voice sounding shy and a tiny bit nervous.

Draco glanced over at the Weasley's and watched as they pulled on their jackets, preparing to leave.

"I'll phone you later," Hermione whispered, then kissed his cheek and grabbed Ron's hand, dragging him out of the house.

"How have you been?" Harry asked.

Draco made his way back to the chair and sat down. "Good…I've been…I'm…good." God damn it, Malfoy! Pull it together you inarticulate fool!

Harry snorted softly. "Me too."

There was a long silence as Draco wracked his brain for something, anything to say. He had been waiting for this moment for weeks and scolded himself for not having prepared anything ahead of time.

"So, how long do you reckon this awkward phase will last?" Harry asked finally.

Draco chuckled softly and relaxed back into the chair. "Seems a bit odd, yeah?"

"A bit," Harry agreed with a quiet laugh of his own. "I tried to phone you so many times, but I was… nervous, I guess."

"Why?"

There was a brief pause before Harry continued. "Our…relationship has never really been based on talking, has it?"

As much as it shamed him, Draco couldn't argue that point. "No, I suppose not."

"That's sort of why I suggested phoning you. It forces us to talk instead of jumping each other the minute we're alone together."

"You never had to 'force' me to talk to you," Draco said softly. "Even if that's all it ever is, I want it, Harry. We don't have to have sex ever again if you don't want to." Smooth Malfoy. Could you possibly sound any more desperate?

"Well, let's not be hasty," Harry laughed.

The sound of the brunet's laughter caused a pleasant shiver to run up Draco's spine. He hadn't realized how much he had missed the sound, even if it did still sound a bit forced. "Are you really okay?" he asked.

Harry's laughter faded completely and he lightly cleared his throat. "Well, I'm better," he insisted. "I don't think I'll ever really get over everything that happened, but…it's better and I guess that's all I can really ask for."

Draco nodded to himself and rolled his eyes again when he remembered that Harry couldn't see him. "So…what have you been doing with yourself?"

They talked for an hour, the majority of the conversation about Sirius, Hermione and Ron; Draco's club; Pansy and Blaise and a few small, non intimate subjects. Draco had never spoken on the phone with any of his prior lovers and was having a hard time coming up with topics, so he mostly let Harry lead and on the few occasions where they lapsed into awkward silence, threw in comments about Hermione's pregnancy or Pansy's excitement about being a mother.

Draco eventually began to relax and his barriers started to slip. Harry was speaking to him like he would speak to any of his other friends and though it put him at ease, it also made him wonder what exactly they were to each other. And despite his internal warnings begging him not to, he decided to ask.

"Harry? What exactly are we now? To each other, I mean."

Harry fell silent on the other end.

He hadn't been expecting silence. He felt a sharp pain in his chest and his heart began to race as he waited impatiently for an answer.

"I think we're…friends," Harry's quiet voice finally said.

Draco's racing heart skidded to a stop and his stomach flip flopped. "Friends?" He cleared his dry throat and tried to steady his breathing. "Yes…I guess that sounds right," he forced himself to say.

"With potential to possibly be more," Harry added when he heard the hurt in Draco's voice. "I just think…the best relationships start off as friendships and we kind of skipped right over that the first time."

Draco snorted and scrubbed a hand through his hair. "That's true."

"And in order for us to be lovers, we would have to be friends first if we wanted it to be a successful relationship. If we can't be friends, then how could we ever be more, you know?"

As much as he wanted to disagree, he knew Harry was right. "Yes, I know," he reluctantly said.

Harry was quiet for a moment before continuing. "When Sirius and I were in Brazil I decided that I wanted to get you a gift, you know, sort of as an apology for everything that…" He cleared his throat and began again. "Well, anyway, while I was searching, it occurred to me that I don't really know you. I have no idea the kind of things you would like and that made me really…sad. I want to learn everything there is to know about you, Draco. Your favorite color, your middle name, who your first kiss was, your favorite movie, how old you were when you lost your virginity, your favorite song…everything. All the little things that people know about their friends and family. All the things that I wanted to ask before but never got a chance to."

An ache developed in Draco's chest as he listened to Harry ramble on and he was surprised to find that he wanted to know those things too. He had never realized how little they actually knew about each other and it made him wonder how real his feelings actually were or if they were based solely on lust. The thought that the things he felt for this man might be completely unfounded made him incredibly uneasy and part of him didn't want to know the truth. He opened his mouth, bound and determined to prove his fears wrong, but he was unsure of where to begin, so instead he just let the silence continue.

Harry sighed softly. "Nothing then? Should I take your silence to mean that you don't agree with me?"

That couldn't be further from the truth; Draco just didn't know how to respond. It's easy enough you spineless git, just answer his fucking questions! "I've never really…" Draco scratched at his hair and sighed heavily, unsure of why the conversation was making him so uncomfortable. "I feel like this is a pop quiz."

Harry snorted. "Nice to know that talking to me makes you feel so warm and fuzzy. Maybe I should just go…"

"What do you want me to say, Harry? You must admit, this conversation is a bit odd."

"No, there's nothing odd about this conversation!" Harry insisted, sounding slightly breathless. "I don't understand why you have such a hard time talking to me."

Draco clenched his jaw tight, trying to bite back the sudden flood of anger. But it was an exercise in futility. "Now wait just a minute. You're the one who fucking disappeared for months and when you finally developed the balls to come back, you continued to ignore me and now you're telling me that our communication problems are my fault? I think you need to rethink your argument, Potter. I most certainly am not the one to blame here."

"Jesus…when did this become about blame? All I'm saying is…just…" Harry grunted in frustration and fell silent.

"Just…what?"

"You're not making this easy. Talking to a friend shouldn't be this difficult."

"We did fine for the first hour. Maybe we're just out of things to discuss."

"Or maybe we did fine during the first hour because it was impersonal and nothing of any true importance was said. You talked about the club, Draco. I already know about the club. I talked about Sirius and Hermione and Ron. Nothing new there. I want to know you. I don't care about how much money the new club is making or about the new outfit you bought or that your car needs new brakes. I want to know about you."

His heart was beating hard and steady against his breastbone and he tried to mentally will it to slow down. He breathed evenly, in through his nose, out through his mouth and hoped that the brief silence would be enough to calm Harry down. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be.

Harry made a soft noise of exasperation. "You know what…just forget it. I have to-"

"Green," Draco suddenly blurted.

Harry fell silent on the other end.

Draco felt a brief moment's panic as he thought Harry had already hung up, but then he heard a soft intake of breath and closed his eyes in relief. "My favorite color is green," he said softly.

"Red," Harry said in return, though his voice sounded a bit hesitant.

"Lucius."

"Huh?"

He cleared his throat. "My middle name is Lucius. It's somewhat of a tradition to use the first name of the father for the middle name of the son. I hate it."

"Mine's James. That was my dad's name. I love it."

Draco breathed steadily, hoping his heartbeat would eventually even out and stop trying to escape his chest. He hated the discomfort of their now stilted conversation, but it was better than nothing, so he forced himself to go on. "I was sixteen."

"What? What happened when you were sixteen?"

He blushed and rubbed at his eyes before continuing. "I lost my virginity when I was sixteen. Her name was Daphne Greengrass."

Harry was quiet for a moment before letting out a sharp laugh. "You lost your virginity to a girl?"

Startled by the reaction and immensely relieved by the sudden calming of tempers, Draco laughed along with him. "That's all you have to say? Well, you tell me something then."

"What do you want to know?"

"Tell me about your first kiss."

Harry chuckled softly and calmed himself down. "It was with a boy named Dean Thomas when I was thirteen and at summer camp."

A small smile spread over Draco's lips. "Summer camp, huh? Did you and this Dean date?"

"No. We just…kissed. We were in a canoe and the sun was setting. It was very romantic for two thirteen year olds."

"Oh yes, terribly romantic. There's certainly nothing more romantic than floating around a dirty lake in a canoe."

"Don't forget the sunset," Harry added with a laugh.

Draco snorted softly to himself. The sunset part was admittedly romantic, he couldn't deny that, though it wouldn't stop him from trying. "You think that's romantic? Romantic is long, slow kisses in the pouring rain or declarations of love at the top of the Eiffel Tower, not two hormonal thirteen year olds groping each other in a bloody boat." Whoa…reel it in Malfoy. He was thirteen for Christ's sake!

"There was no 'groping'. And are you seriously jealous of a thirteen year old that kissed me over twelve years ago?" Harry teased.

Heat flooded Draco's cheeks and he huffed. "Of course I'm not!" he protested a little too strongly.

Harry was obviously enjoying his discomfort. "Dean was the one who made me realize that I was gay."

"Wait a minute…you realized you were gay when you were only thirteen?" Draco asked in surprise.

"Well, yeah. Living in such close quarters with eleven other hormonal boys for three weeks can lead to some very surprising revelations."

"Was kissing as far as it went or did you two get naked together?"

"What? No! Well, I did see him in the shower once, but…no, we didn't get naked together. I was really shy at that age and he was so sweet to me. He was my first crush."

"Well, good for Dean."

Harry snorted.

"Did you keep in touch?"

"You are ridiculous!" Harry laughed. "No, I didn't keep in touch with him and it was one bloody kiss."

"Was it any good?"

"As far as first kisses go, I suppose. It was a little sloppy and there was some drool involved, but I think we did rather well for two first timers."

"Yeah? Did you write all about it in your journal?"

"Of course I did. It was my first kiss." Harry finally realized that Draco was messing with him. "Stop it, you git."

Draco grinned to himself and settled back in his chair, his temporary jealousy gone. "Do you still keep a journal?"

Harry hesitated briefly. "Yes."

"Am I in there?"

"Yes."

"That's probably one hell of an X rated book."

Harry laughed and Draco could almost hear him blushing. "You could say that."

"Can I read it?"

"No!"

"I'm kidding, Harry. I wouldn't let you read mine if I had one."

Harry was silent for a moment and when he finally continued, his tone had changed from light and carefree to a bit somber. "I've always kept a journal. I didn't have very many friends growing up. My cousin Dudley hated me and he would chase off any friends I did get. So, since I had no one to talk to for so many years, I wrote everything down instead. I had to get it out somehow. It really is quite cathartic."

Draco's chest tightened and his head swam with anger. "Where does this Dudley live?"

Harry laughed, though there was a trace of bitterness there. "Not a chance, Draco. I don't bother with them anymore, so neither should you."

He reluctantly let Harry change the subject and his mood swiftly improved as they returned to lighter topics.

"I should probably get to bed." Harry yawned.

"Sorry if I'm boring you," Draco teased.

"You could never bore me. Not even if you tried," Harry said honestly. "Just hearing your voice again makes me…well…" His voice faded out as if he realized he had said too much.

Draco breathed deeply as he felt a pleasant tightening in his stomach. "Go to bed, Harry," he said softly.

"Good night, Draco."

"Good night." He hung up the phone and sat in silence for awhile, the smile on his face making his cheeks hurt. Finally, he stood and called Chuck before heading off to bed.

*.*.*.*

- April 30th -

Draco had been afraid that it would be another two months before he spoke with Harry again, but much to his delight, not a week had gone by that they hadn't spoken. Their conversations were usually quite short, lasting anywhere from ten minutes to a half hour, but they were enough to ease his loneliness and help him get by. And though they usually kept the subjects from becoming too personal, he was quite relieved to find that his feelings for the brunet had done nothing but grow deeper.

But as much as Draco was enjoying their conversations and the process of getting to know Harry better, the urge to see him was driving him insane. His dreams were playing havoc with his sleep schedule and on more occasions than not, he woke with sticky sheets, gasping for breath and moaning Harry's name.

He tried to keep himself busy in the meantime.

His morning walks with Chuck were extended from a half hour to an hour and a half. He spent more time with his mother and longer hours at the office. He put the photo album of baby pictures away and tried to break his habit of looking through it every night before bed.

He also spent plenty of time shopping, the majority of his money being spent on presents for the baby.

Currently, he found himself standing in front of a small shop a few doors down from the ice cream parlor that he and Pansy frequented on a semi-regular basis. He frowned up at the hand painted sign above the door that read The Baby's Bottom in what his aristocratic tastes considered tacky gold writing. What a horrendous name for a shop. He rolled his eyes and almost turned away before reminding himself that this was where Pansy had registered. He groaned softly, then turned and walked into the small, brightly lit store.

A tiny, white haired woman looked up at him and gave him a wide smile. "Welcome dear. Can I help you find anything?"

"I'm only looking at the moment." He smiled back at her, then began browsing the merchandise, which he was reluctant to admit was quite charming. Everything in the shop had an antique feel to it and he quickly realized how Pansy had become so enamored.

He was closely examining a small, intricately engraved silver rattle when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Hello, Draco."

His entire body went rigid with shock and he took a deep breath before forcing himself to turn around. "Cedric. Hi."

Cedric smiled a bright smile at him and came closer. "Shopping for Pansy and the baby?"

Draco nodded and fixed a smile onto his face. His heart was beating rapidly and he was surprised to feel his hands trembling. He set the rattle down before it had a chance to give him away and slid his hands into his pockets.

"Me too." Cedric continued to smile at him and sighed softly as he looked him up and down. "Wow…you look really good."

"Thank you. So do you." And it was true. Cedric looked healthy and even more beautiful than Draco remembered and he found himself aching for the days when the expected reaction to their close proximity would be to pull the taller man into his arms. His eyes roamed the face of this man who had once been so important to him. Cedric's smile lit up his entire face and Draco tried his hardest to give him a matching smile. "You look…happy."

Cedric laughed softly. "Oh, I am. Quite."

Draco nodded. "That's…that's wonderful, Cedric. I'm happy that you're happy."

Cedric finally seemed to notice Draco's discomfort and his blinding smile faded as he stepped closer to him. "Are you alright?"

Draco swallowed the sudden lump that developed in his throat and gave a jerky nod.

Cedric's brow furrowed. "You don't look alright."

Draco took a deep breath and forced a smile back onto his face. "I've just…got a lot on my mind." That's not a complete lie.

Cedric didn't seem to believe him, but dropped the subject anyway. "I heard you moved out of the flat and to a house outside the city. Who would have thought it? Draco Malfoy, the biggest big city guy I've ever known abandoning his posh flat for a cozy cottage in the country?" He laughed and lightly hit Draco's arm.

Draco smiled. "It surprisingly suits me."

"Does Harry like it?"

The unexpected question took him off guard and a slight frown replaced his forced smile. "What?"

Cedric's smile also faltered. "Does Harry like the house?"

"He hasn't seen it."

Hazel eyes widened with obvious shock. "Oh…I'm sorry, Dray. I thought you and he…" He looked away for a moment and Draco swore he saw a brief look of relief pass over his features.

Draco straightened his jacket and pushed his shoulders back, determined to keep his composure. "No. We still…talk, but we're not together."

Cedric nodded and looked back at him, a faint blush staining his cheeks. "Well, I must say I'm surprised to hear that. It sort of seemed inevitable. You two were clearly meant to be."

It was Draco's turn to look shocked. "You think so?"

Cedric smiled. "Of course."

Despite how uncomfortable Draco had become with the conversation, he was hesitant to end it. Being in Cedric's presence again was nice, even if a bit awkward and he wanted to draw it out as long as possible. He looked up again, surprised to see that Cedric had moved closer to him and was looking at him in concern. The sudden closeness made his heart race and he swallowed heavily as he forced himself not to take a step back.

"I've missed you, Dray."

Draco sighed and closed his eyes. "Me too."

Cedric reached out and tucked a stray lock of blond hair behind Draco's ear, then let his fingertips slide softly down his face, tracing his jaw before he finally pulled his hand back. "I hate that you seem so sad."

"I'm not sad, I'm just…" He looked up, his brow furrowed and his lips pressed together tightly in a thin line. "Jesus, Cedric…I'm so sorry."

Cedric frowned. "What for?"

"For everything. I'm so sorry for how I treated you when we were together." He cleared his throat and blinked rapidly, trying desperately to keep his emotions in check. This was something he had to do in order to move on and he suddenly wanted nothing more than to get his life straightened out so he could go to Harry and offer him something worthy of him. "I'm sorry that I…cheated and…" He looked away and took a few deep breaths. "I'm sorry that I hurt you so badly. I loved you so much and I took you for granted every day and you didn't deserve that. I never gave you any of the things that you deserved. I betrayed you and I walked all over you. I was a really crap boyfriend."

Cedric laughed softly and took a step forward.

Draco's head shot up, surprised by the reaction.

"You weren't a crap boyfriend, Draco." Cedric took his hand and squeezed it tightly. "You just fell in love with two people at the same time. I can't even begin to imagine how confusing and frustrating that was, especially for someone like you who is so reluctant to allow love into your life. You managed it the best you could and you actually treated me quite well for the most part, so please don't put so much pressure on yourself to be perfect. Nobody is and we all make mistakes. I made mistakes in our relationship as well. You weren't the only one at fault." He gave him a hesitant smile. "You seem to have forgotten my bad deeds and as much as I hate to admit it or remind you of the fact, I didn't manage fidelity well either."

Draco couldn't look him in the eye, so he settled for nodding. He glanced around the store and suddenly found it ridiculous that they were attempting to have such a serious conversation in a baby store of all places. He lightly cleared his throat and finally looked up into Cedric's sad eyes. "Do you maybe want to go next door and get some tea?"

Cedric raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth to reply, but was distracted by the bell on the door ringing as someone entered the shop. He looked over Draco's shoulder and his eyes lit up as that same blinding smile from before slowly spread over his face. But this time, Draco knew that smile wasn't for him.

"Sorry I'm late." Someone brushed passed Draco and stood on their toes to give Cedric a quick kiss.

Draco took a step back, his eyes widening in shock. "Theo?"

Theodore Nott turned and looked at Draco, surprise etched all over his face. "Draco. This is… unexpected." He looked nervously up at Cedric and took a step closer to him, slipping his hand into the taller mans.

Cedric smiled down at the uncharacteristically insecure man at his side. "Draco and I just ran into each other," he said in a reassuring voice. "We were just saying some things that needed to be said. Things we never got around to saying before."

Theo frowned and gripped Cedric's hand tighter, but his eyes were glued to Draco's face. "Oh yeah?"

Draco tried to smile at his old friend, but he was still consumed with shock. "How…when did you two…?"

"Pansy introduced us a couple of months ago," Cedric said as he slid his arm around Theo's waist. "We've been together ever since."

Draco's mouth opened, then immediately closed again when no words came. He shook his head and suddenly let out a soft laugh. Of course Pansy introduced them. Why wouldn't she?

"Draco?"

He looked up at Cedric and smiled a real smile for the first time since he had walked into the store. "You two look good together." He turned his smile to Theo, hoping to reassure him.

Theo smiled back at him and visibly deflated when he realized that the blond was no threat to his relationship with Cedric. "Thank you," he said softly.

Cedric reached out and took his hand. "It was so good to see you, but we have to be somewhere soon."

Draco squeezed his hand and let go, smiling in understanding. "Of course. I'll see you at the baby shower?"

Cedric nodded and turned to lead Theo out of the store.

Draco turned and watched as they headed for the doors, amazed at the relief that flooded through him now that he knew Cedric was happy again. The guilt he had felt for hurting him so badly faded and he silently thanked Pansy for taking care of Cedric now that he was no longer around to do it himself. He realized that he still had one more thing to say, so he hurried after them, following them outside. He grabbed his ex-boyfriends arm. "Cedric?"

Cedric stopped and turned to him with a small smile.

Draco swallowed heavily and let go of his arm. "It occurred to me that I never properly thanked you for… for saving Harry's life…and, well, I just wanted to say that I'm grateful. I'm sorry you had to do what you had to do, but if you hadn't…" A cold chill ran up his spine and he shuddered and shook his head, trying to clear those horrifying thoughts. "Well anyway…I just…thank you."

Cedric's smile grew and he let go of Theo's hand to step closer to the blond. "I'm not sorry that I did what I did so you shouldn't be either. I've come to peace with my actions that night and I would do it again in a heartbeat." He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Draco's flushed cheek. "But you're welcome." He smiled at him one last time, then turned back to Theo and led him away.

*.*.*.*

"Pans?"

"In the nursery," came a shout from up the stairs.

Draco hurried up the staircase and made his way to the last room on the left. He leaned against the door frame and laughed silently as he watched his artistically challenged friend try to balance herself on a ladder as she slapped yellow paint onto the wall, no particular rhythm to her strokes. "Maybe you should just stick to the decorating and leave the actual execution of your plans to the experts." He pulled off his jacket and tossed it aside before making his way over to her. He rolled up his sleeves and held out a hand in silent invitation.

She sighed heavily and ran the back of her hand over her sweaty forehead, leaving a streak of yellow paint that Draco smiled at, but had no intention of telling her about. She dropped the paintbrush into the bucket, took his hand and let him help her to the floor. "I just want to do something, you know? I feel a bit selfish, knowing that Hermione is suffering through mood swings and heartburn and viscous kicking and here I am, just waiting for her to pop and hand me my child. It isn't really fair, is it?"

Draco climbed up the ladder and took out the brush. He ran it over the sides of the bucket, cleaning it of excess paint, then began to even out the dripping mess she had made. "Hermione offered to do this for you Pans. There's no reason to feel guilty. She may be a bit sad when it's all over with, but it's not like she's never going to see the baby. She'll be over here everyday and you know it."

Pansy sat down on a box in the corner and watched as he used long, careful strokes to fix the mess she had made. "I just wanted to do something myself. I thought I could do this, but I realized a minute in that I had never painted a wall before."

Draco snorted as he climbed down from the ladder. He stepped back, admiring his handiwork, then grabbed a roller from the corner and a tray for the paint. "It's much easier if you use this."

They were quiet as Draco painted and Pansy supervised, both of them content to just be in the presence of the other. He was never as peaceful with any of his other friends as he was with Pansy and he welcomed the change from his recently roiling emotions. She centered him and made him relax even when he didn't want to and that was a lot of the reason he had shown up when he did.

"So, what's bothering you?" she asked as they sat down on the floor for a break, each with a cup of tea in hand.

He shrugged. "Saw Cedric today." He watched her carefully as he took a long sip.

"Was he with Theo?" she asked casually, trying to hold back a smile.

He nodded and frowned at her. "Why didn't you tell me? If you were really my friend, you might have given me some sort of warning."

Her smile grew into an ear to ear grin. "Well, it's not really your business anymore, is it?"

He was taken aback by her response and it showed on his face.

Pansy sighed and set her cup down. "Here's the thing, Dray…you know that I love you more than most, possibly more than anyone, besides Blaise. But Cedric is still my friend and has been my friend for years now. I loved the two of you together, well, most of the time anyway, but he needed to move on and be happy again. Do you have any idea how utterly depressing it was watching him mope around the museum everyday?" She took another drink, but held up a hand to stop him when he opened his mouth to speak. "Let me finish."

Draco scowled at her, but nodded his assent.

She set her cup down and reached over to hold his hand in hers. "I ran into Theo a few months ago and he was asking me about you and I realized that he also needed to move on. So, I figured I'd set them up together and they could commiserate over you together, possibly do a little Draco bashing and maybe they'd find a common connection other than you." She laughed softly and held tightly to his hand as he frowned and tried to pull away. She squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I didn't tell you about it because I knew you would try to talk me out of it."

"I would have done no such thing," he protested.

She arched an eyebrow at him and smirked. "Please…Draco Malfoy always gets what he wants and you and I both know that you never would have allowed it. You would have immediately become possessive of both of them and depending on your mood you may have even gone so far as to try to win Cedric back solely to keep him from Theo. That would have been unfair to all three of you."

He frowned at her and looked down at his tea, refusing to acknowledge that she was right. "I don't always get what I want," he muttered.

She gave him a sympathetic look and rested her hand on his knee. "Harry?"

He said nothing, which they both knew was as good as agreeing.

"He's getting better though?"

He nodded. "We've been talking a lot of late. Most of the time it's nothing really serious or too deep, but then sometimes we have these short, ridiculously passionate discussions or arguments that make my heart race and my dick hard and I have to go jerk off just to keep myself from driving to his house and taking him on the floor of his entryway."

Pansy tossed her head back and gave a very unladylike laugh. "You're so crude, Draco."

"I can't help it!" He jumped to his feet and grabbed the roller to continue painting, hoping to hide the heavy blush that flooded his cheeks at the mention of Harry. "He gets to me in a way that no one ever has before. I want him, Pansy."

"He'll come around," she tried to reassure him.

He snorted as he finished one wall and turned to the next. "He better," he muttered softly. "I think I'm developing tendonitis from wanking myself raw like a fucking teenager. I haven't been so sexually frustrated since before I realized I liked cock."

Pansy sputtered and choked on her tea before laughing and throwing a rag at him.

"Ah, vulgar gay talk and tea snorting," Blaise said as he walked into the room. "I'm home just in time." He smiled fondly down at his still giggling, paint covered wife as she wiped the tea from her face then he turned his attention to his flushed and agitated friend. "Your mother phoned me. She said you aren't returning her messages."

Draco shrugged. "She wants me to come to the manor for dinner in a few weeks. My father is having out of town company and I really don't want to see him, so I'm doing the avoidance thing."

"That's all fine and well until she starts phoning me instead. Ring her back so I don't have to feel guilty lying to her."

"I can't help that you harbor a wholly inappropriate childhood crush on my mother."

Pansy laughed. "Your mum is rather lovely, Dray."

Draco scowled down at her. "You support this disgusting behavior?"

She shrugged. "He's been in love with your mother longer than he's been in love with me. I can't compete with the Lady Malfoy."

Blaise dropped to his knees beside her and pulled the tiny woman tightly against his broad chest. "There's no competition, love," he said with a smirk. He kissed her softly at first, but it quickly escalated to him pushing her back onto the floor and attacking her neck.

Pansy let out a squeal of delight as she pulled him closer.

Draco nudged Pansy's hip with his foot. "Hey! Stop that right now, Parkinson! We were talking about me, remember?"

Pansy pushed her husband away just enough so she could peek around him and look at her friend. "We are going to have a baby in two months. We have to get in as much sex as we can before he or she arrives. So you can either stay and watch or be on your way."

Blaise turned and raised an elegant eyebrow at him. "You have one minute before I take my pants off."

"Right. Don't mind your best mate's imminent mental breakdown. I'll leave the two of you to the important things in life and just go drink myself into oblivion. But don't worry your pretty heads about me, I'll be fine." Draco frowned at their lack of reaction, a mix of anger and annoyance marring his beautiful features. With a great sigh, he grabbed his jacket and hurried away before he was subjected to any nudity from his two randy friends. "I hate you both," he muttered under his breath.

"Bye, Dray!" Pansy yelled as he pulled the nursery door shut behind him.

*.*.*.*

TBC…

AN: What's that, you say? A chapter where no one dies and Harry and Draco managed not to blubber all over themselves or each other? It's a fluke, I promise! Thanks for reading!