Weeks into their new arrangement, things were starting to change inside the house. Furniture was being reupholstered, soot goblins had been cleared out of the fireplace and something called a land-line had been connected by a muggle just a day before. Draco usually kept to himself while all of this was going on, usually he sat in the kitchen, browsing through the book he got at that baby store or reading books he found in the Black library.
If anyone had ever told him he'd be sitting so close to Potter in peaceful and silent companionship without them breaking into a fight and almost enjoying these quiet moments, he'd tell them that they were crazy.
There was a warm scent in the air from the freshly brewed tea, blending with the sweet smell of biscuits that had just come out of the oven. Draco glanced up at Potter, to remind himself that this was Potter, this was his home, and Draco couldn't get too comfortable with this peace he was feeling. Unfortunately, Potter must have sensed him looking and he glanced up from what he was doing.
"Hmm?" He asked. "Did you say something?"
Draco shrugged and looked back down at his book. "Not at all."
"Hmm." Was the response and Potter grabbed a biscuit and sipped his tea, returning his attention to the items in front of him.
Draco tried to not be interested in whatever Potter was doing. While Draco took another sip of the tea he'd made by himself, he passed the pages of the baby book he'd bought, trying to concentrate on choosing between two different blankets. Instead, he started getting distracted by Potter's selection of fabrics and paint colours for the drawing-room.
"That's wrong." Draco said without looking up as Potter chose an eggshell white for the walls.
Potter paused and tried to make a different choice. A worse shade of white. Draco had to put his book down.
"Potter, this is all wrong, what are you doing?" Draco sighed with a shake of his head while looking at the samples of fabric, paint colour, carpet and wood that Potter had arranged on the table. Apparently, this was the start of his selection to revive the Black ancestral home.
"What's wrong with these? I think these will look great in the living room." Potter asked confused. Clearly, he was absolutely clueless about these things.
"I did not spend a year hearing my mother nag about colour combinations to allow you to desecrate this house with this mix. Warm colours with cool in a single room?" He held the paint colour chosen for the 'living room', as Potter called it, and looked in the card collection for a better shade. "Look, isn't this much better?"
Potter looked at the cards, then up at him, then back at the two cards held in Draco's hands, so he could see them side by side.
"Yes." He said and the blank look in the idiot's face made Draco clench his jaw, wanting to laugh and insult him at the same time.
"You don't see the difference at all."
"They're both white, Malfoy." He said and Draco heard himself gasp before he even realized how horrified he was at Potter's actual ignorance.
"They are not both white, Potter." He said. "I fear for this house."
Potter let out a laugh but he was clearly a little annoyed. "I spent two hours picking colours. Now you're telling me they're all wrong?"
"I'm really, truly sorry for your lost two hours." Draco said solemnly but Potter didn't get angrier. He shrugged exasperated and stood up, passing him the design catalogue.
"Well, I don't care what the house looks like as long as I meet the contract requirements, so be my guest." Draco looked up at him confused.
"You'd let me pick everything?" He asked. "But it's your house."
"I don't care, Malfoy. Just pick whatever you think would be better. If I have to put up with you for a year complaining about the colour coordination, the way you complained all of second year about how the Gryffindor colours clashed with the Great Hall furniture, then I will lose my mind." Potter said simply and went to make himself a sandwich.
"I wouldn't complain for a year." Draco huffed but pulled the samples closer, starting to look through them. "However, it is clear, now, that you are the one in desperate need of assistance. So, I will go ahead and assist you."
Draco could practically feel it when Potter rolled his eyes but said nothing as he focused on selecting something good for the house. The house clearly needed much lighter colours to get more light in and stop the house from feeling like a tomb.
He hummed to himself an annoying muggle song that Potter had gotten stuck in his head when he showed him how the radio worked. Potter, as always, made too many sandwiches and placed the plate on the table.
Draco reached for a slice and dug in as he arranged colours around.
Five minutes later, the sound of the fireplace went off, indicating the presence of people in the house. Draco froze in panic, his heart beginning to race. Maybe his parents had found him? Or some reporter coming to invade Potter's home for the latest scoop? He turned to look at Potter, who strode past instantly, wand in hand, motioning for him to keep silent as stepped closer.
"Harry?" Granger's voice called and Draco let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding. It wasn't great, but it could have been worse.
"You here mate?" Weasley called out and Draco groaned. Potter relaxed and Draco dreaded what was to come.
"There you are, we brought dinner." Granger said and paused, making eye contact with him. "Malfoy?" She said surprised.
"Granger." Draco said coldly, defences up in full blast.
"Malfoy? Why would Malfoy be here?" The red-head said, coming to the doorway and looking at him with disgust. "Oh, he really is here." He turned to look at Harry. "Why is he here?"
"I happen to live here." Draco said coldly. For a second, he'd considered going off to his room, but he was paying rent, he had no reason to run into the shadows like a rat. He trusted Potter's faith on the two – and Potter wouldn't expose him. It was in the contract. Somewhere.
Both Granger and Weasley turned to look at Potter who scratched the back of his neck. "It's true." He said with a shrug.
"Heh… yeah, you're going to have to give us more than that, mate." Weasley said.
"Let's talk in the living room." Harry said. Good. They should be the ones to leave. Draco was really enjoying this sandwich. Damnit, why was Potter so good at making food?
oOoOoOo
Harry scratched the back of his head wondering where to start. It had taken a good deal of convincing to make Malfoy realise that hiding from Ron and Hermione would have been close to impossible.
"I was going to tell you once I figured out just how I was going to explain what was happening." Harry said.
"Why don't we start with how long Malfoy has been living here, was it before or after his fiancée exposed him? Wait… are you the one Malfoy's been cheating with?" Ron asked.
"No! Ron, no. First, Malfoy is living here as my tenant under a legally binding contract. There is nothing going on between us." Harry said.
"Are you sure he's not wanting something? From what I've read Malfoy has become quite the-"
"Stop Ron. Just stop." Harry said forcefully, sensing what Ron was going to poke fun at from a mile away. "All of us here know Malfoy. We put up with his annoying personality for years. He's not what that trash newspaper says." Harry didn't question the surge of defensiveness he felt for Draco. His skin still crawled with disgust remembering all those horrible things that man said about Malfoy. He couldn't imagine what the blond feels whenever he remembers it.
"Ron, Harry's right. When has the Daily Prophet produced any news worth the parchment it's printed on?" Hermione said, and Ron huffed, sitting down and shrugging.
"That Davis guy is a liar, and if he was talking about your sister like that, you'd know it too." Harry said. That must have been the wrong thing to say because instantly Ron was on his feet.
"What the hell does Ginny have to do with this? Why are you even bringing her up after you left her the way you did?" Ron exclaimed and Harry realized he'd messed up. How could he avoid the Ginny conversation?
"All I meant is that, you know Ginny, she would never do something like that, so if someone were to lie about her, you'd be pretty defensive and angry with them too."
"She's my sister! What's Malfoy to you!"
"Nothing! It's just… Ron, come on, I've known him as long as I've known both of you. You actually think Malfoy is going to do half the stuff the Prophet says after knowing someone for a couple of months?" Harry asked.
"I also never pictured him actually being gay so maybe we didn't really know him at all." Ron said.
"Is this why you asked me the other day about wizard pregnancies Harry?" Hermione cut in and Ron froze looking at Harry with wide eyes.
"Hah! Malfoy's up the duff!"
"Ron, shut up."
"No… it's just a relief…" Ron said.
"A… relief?" Harry was confused.
"We thought… maybe… that you were considering carrying a child yourself, on your own." Hermione said.
"What? No!" Harry said horrified. He didn't want to wait fifteen years but it didn't mean he wanted to go at it alone. "Wait… you can do that? Create a child on your own?" Harry asked confused.
"Well… no… making a child that a wizard carries is a complicated process… it requires a lot of planning and spell work, potions, intercourse. It's not a matter of waving a wand."
"Wait…" Harry frowned, things not adding up. "Are you saying that between two men, pregnancy can't happen accidentally?"
"Of course not, there's several biological restrictions as you can imagine. It's very hard on the body and on your magical core also, specially on your own. I don't know much, but I did do a little research when we thought you might be considering going down that route." Hermione said. Harry stared at her, glancing back in the direction of the kitchen, confused.
"Oh Merlin. You have that look on your face." Ron said. Harry blinked, his train of thought completely derailed.
"What look?"
"That look you'd always get before some crazy stuff started happening at school." Ron replied without missing a beat. Harry remembered what Malfoy had said at the baby shop and scoffed.
"Was I ever wrong?" Harry said. Hermione and Ron glanced at each other but said nothing. Harry wanted to ask Hermione straight away, but this wasn't some Hogwarts adventure he would be discussing. "Anyway, you're wrong, I'm not considering any of that and you have to promise you won't tell anyone that Malfoy is living here."
"Why is he living here?" Ron asked. Harry sighed.
"He's leaving the wizarding world."
Ron laughed at that and stopped when Harry didn't respond. "Oh, wait, you're serious?" He asked. "Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, that Malfoy is leaving the wizarding world." Ron stated more than asked and Harry took a deep breath.
"You must promise you will not let anyone know that Draco is living here." He reiterated.
Before long they changed conversation and eventually said their goodbyes. When Harry returned to the kitchen he saw Malfoy's selections not just for the living-room but also the others on the list. He had to admit he was impressed with the choices. Seeing them all together he could see – maybe not the difference – but that the choices worked nicely together.
"And that would be the entrance hallway. Here, what do you think?" Malfoy asked.
"I like it actually." Harry genuinely admitted. "I'll put the orders in." Malfoy looked smug and Harry could notice him almost sit up a smidge taller. Harry also noticed that at some point that haughty attitude turned from irritating to... some kind of endearment? Ok that's enough thinking for today. He cleared his throat and took the files from him, putting them together so he could get the orders prepared.
"What did you tell Granger and Weasley?" Malfoy asked and Harry glanced at him.
"I tried not to say much, other than ask them not to say that you are here to anyone." Malfoy looked at the book from the baby shop, his eyes losing focus as if going into a memory. "You ok? Feeling sick again?" He noticed Malfoy had eaten not just his share of the sandwiches, but also Harry's.
"No, I'm fine. Just felt tired." Harry could hear it in his voice too. He thought of what Hermione said, about the toll such a pregnancy could be having on his body. Malfoy would be reaching three months this week and he hadn't seen any medical professionals yet.
"Have you thought of seeing a mediwizard to check that everything is alright?" Malfoy looked at him alarmed and shook his head.
"Absolutely not!" He shook his head, reaching to pour himself another cup of tea. "I'm not going to mediwizard and risk more headlines... or that man or my parents finding me."
"Then, a house-call. I'll swear them to secrecy with an unbreakable vow." Harry could see now that despite Malfoy's morning sickness lessening, he still looked a little pale and tired most of the time. Malfoy frowned looking like he wanted to argue. "You need a checkup Malfoy – it's not just about you anymore, remember?" Malfoy opened his mouth to argue but looked away instead.
Harry watched as the blonde's hand slipped down to rest over his stomach. Harry looked away, feeling as if this was a private moment that he was intruding on.
"It must be the unbreakable vow." Malfoy said and Harry nodded. "Then... fine." He sighed.
