"Draco?" Harry called out as he arrived home and slipped out of his raincoat, tossing it haphazardly onto the pile of moving boxes cluttering the small entrance foyer. "Are you here?"

"Harry, thank Merlin," Draco's voice, thick with relief, floated into the foyer, causing Harry to smile in amusement.

Harry walked around to the lounge room and leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest. "Is there a problem?" he quipped.

Draco glared at him from the couch, his face flushed and his blond hair in disarray. "Yes," he snapped. "Look at this mess!"

Harry couldn't help but laugh at Draco holding their naked daughter in his lap as she giggled and kicked with what looked like an explosion of nappies littering the couch and floor all around them.

"It's not funny Madeline," Draco turned to scowl at her.

Harry just laughed harder as he walked over and picked her up. "It's not her fault that her father is utterly incompetent when it comes to nappy changing now is it?" he said in a sing-song voice, smiling down at his daughter. Madeline just looked back at him with her wide grey-green eyes, breaking into a smile at her daddy's playful tone.

Draco's bad mood quickly vanished as he watched Harry with their daughter; he never got tired of the sight of the two people he loved most in the world. "You do it then," he finally said sulkily.

Harry smirked as he gently placed Madeline down on the floor and deftly put a clean nappy into place around her tiny four month old body.

"Sorry," Draco apologized as he sat next to them, gazing down at Madeline with loving eyes as she peered up at her two fathers; seeming to study them with a quiet intensity.

Harry placed a hand on Draco's knee and gave it a squeeze.

"How was your session?" Draco asked, glancing up at his husband.

"Good, much better than last week," Harry replied, meeting Draco's inquisitive gaze. "I managed not to cry this time."

Draco smiled in sympathy. "You're doing great love, I'm so proud of you. Martha wasn't too hard on you then?"

Harry shook his head. "No, she let me take the lead this time, and I suddenly found myself telling her things that I'm probably going to regret tomorrow, but it felt good to unload." He glanced around the room before turning to Draco. "How did the unpacking go?" he asked, raising a brow, knowing full well that the blond probably hadn't touched a thing.

"I can't babysit and unpack Harry," Draco replied. "You wouldn't want me to compromise the safety of our child now would you?"

Harry rolled his eyes as he held out his finger to Madeline and she grasped onto it firmly, immediately trying to bring it to her mouth.

"Besides, Pinkles will be here tomorrow morning, I'm sure he would love to help out."

Harry laughed. "Oh so that was your plan, to wait for the hired help to show up you lazy sod."

Draco smirked as he leaned back against the couch with his long legs crossed in front of him on the wooden floorboards. "Do you still like the place?" he asked, looking around the quaint cottage-style home.

Harry shifted to sit beside Draco, pulling Madeline into his lap as he went. "Yeah I do. Thanks again for understanding," he said to his partner. "I think I'm more suited to a non-mansion lifestyle anyway."

"Yeah, it's not bad," Draco had to agree. At first he had been put off by the size of the home, though beautifully designed it was not the same opulence to which he had been accustomed to his whole life, but Harry had fallen in love with it and Draco had gradually come to enjoy the cozy three bedroom house. Plus, there was no arguing with Harry when he had first mentioned it right after giving birth to their daughter. Harry had wanted to leave their home because of the bad memories that haunted him there, especially in their bedroom, and Draco would have promised Harry the moon at that point with so many emotions running high.

Now three months later they had officially moved into the new family home in Henley, Oxfordshire; a picturesque town along the river that was mostly populated by muggles and just a small handful of wizards.

"Are you working tomorrow?" Harry asked, bouncing Madeline on his outstretched legs as he held onto her tiny hands.

"Yeah, I'm afraid so," Draco sighed. He'd had the last three months off on paternity leave but it was finally time to return to the daily grind. "I'm going to miss hanging out with you guys."

"But not changing nappies," Harry said with a grin.

Draco smiled, looking around at the scattered nappies surrounding him. "You're more suited to the domestic life anyway Potter."

"I am not the woman in this relationship."

Draco chuckled. "You kind of are Harry."

"Hardly," Harry muttered, stopping his knee bouncing as Madeline suddenly decided that it scared her and looked as though she were about to cry. "Shh…" he soothed, lifting her to his shoulder and rubbing her back.

Draco smiled at the scene. As much as he teased Harry about it sometimes, he honestly thought that they were a pretty even pairing, especially as Harry grew more and more self-reliant as he detached himself from his past. Draco was definitely more assertive where Harry was compassionate but they seemed to balance each other.

"Oh I was speaking to Oliver today," Harry mentioned casually.

"Mmm?"

"Seems Warren was let go."

Draco turned to Harry in surprise. "What? Why?"

Harry shrugged. "Apparently he's been missing a lot of practices, late for games, playing poorly; really distracted."

"They let him go with no warning?" Draco asked. "That seems rather harsh."

"Apparently he had multiple warnings."

"Oh. So Oliver was talking to you because…?" Draco asked, trying not to jump to conclusions.

Harry positively beamed. "You're looking at the new Seeker for Puddlemere United."

"Oh Harry, that's fantastic!" Draco exclaimed, hugging his partner – and daughter by extension. "You aren't starting straight away though are you?" he asked, pulling back and gazing at Harry with concern. "I really don't think you're ready to do anything so physically challenging after-"

Harry put up his hand to stem the flow of overprotective babbling from his husband. While Draco's mother-henning was somewhat endearing, it could also get rather tiresome. "I start practicing with the team in six months, and I won't start a game until I've completed two months of training," he explained. "The new reserve Seeker will take my place until I return."

"Well, this calls for celebration," Draco declared proudly.

Harry's grin was interrupted by a huge yawn.

"Or perhaps we'll just stay in tonight?" Draco surmised. Harry rarely stayed up past eight o'clock these days.

"Why don't you order some food while I put Maddy down for a sleep?" Harry suggested as he struggled to his feet, his stomach didn't stick out nearly as much as it used to but he still felt a little off-balance and ungainly.

Harry walked upstairs to his daughter's nursery as Draco went into the open-plan kitchen and flicked on the muggle baby-monitor that was sitting on the bench. He strode to the telephone and perused the list of local restaurants that offered delivery. He was finding that he was quite enjoying living in a mostly muggle town; they had so many convenient services and interesting shops. There were no baby-monitors in the wizarding world as house-elves were supposed to watch over the infants at all times.

Draco decided on Chinese but paused in picking up the phone when he heard some crying over the monitor. If it went on for too long he always tried to go upstairs to relieve Harry. His partner was such a good father and never complained but Draco knew when he'd had enough and was over-tired or stressed.

Harry's soothing voice crackled over the baby-monitor, triggering a smile from Draco. The blond turned and leaned back against the bench, arms crossed over his chest, as he listened to Harry coo and murmur sweet platitudes to their beautiful daughter. If he was lucky, Harry would start singing to her. Harry would've been mortified to know that Draco heard him singing through the monitor but it turned out the Boy-Who-Lived had a great many hidden talents.

Draco smiled as the crying gradually tapered off into the occasional sob or hiccup, then silence. He picked up the phone and dialed, quickly ordering all their favourite dishes.

As he was placing the phone back into its cradle, Harry appeared, looking tired.

"Come here." Draco walked over and wrapped his arms around him.

"She hates going to bed," Harry said into Draco's neck, closing his eyes with a sigh and leaning into Draco's sturdy frame.

"That's because she knows we're having Chinese down here soon."

Harry smiled against Draco's warm skin. "Mmm….that sounds yummy. Thanks for cooking."

"No problem," Draco replied. It was a running joke that whoever ordered the take-away was the one who cooked, seeing as how neither of them knew a thing about cooking; their huge gas oven might as well have been used for storage.

Harry inhaled Draco's familiar scent that was a mix of shampoo and cologne and something uniquely Draco. It was a heady mix that Harry found both comforting and arousing. He inhaled again and nuzzled into his neck.

Draco's brow quirked at the change in Harry's mood but he wasn't going to question it. Their love life had been pretty much on hold since the arrival of Madeline. At first Harry was too sore to do anything and now he was usually too tired. Draco hoped the arrival of their house-elf, Pinkles, would help Harry get some more sleep, and in turn, feel a little more amorous in the bedroom.

Harry turned his head and their mouths met in a slow caressing of lips. The kiss seemed to go on and on without picking up speed, just a slow burning with the promise of more.

Draco finally broke off breathlessly and tugged Harry back into the lounge room, his grey eyes shining with arousal and a need to possess. Harry's breath caught in his throat; he loved that insatiable look in Draco's eyes.

Draco sat on the plush couch, pulling Harry down to straddle his lap. They instantly resumed the heated kiss, Harry's hands running through Draco's hair as the blond's hands slid under Harry's jumper and roamed over warm skin. This time the kiss was definitely building to something more, as tongues came into play; tasting and teasing, thrusting in and out…

Harry moaned into Draco's mouth as he unconsciously thrust forward, creating delicious sparks of friction between their clothed erections.

"Merlin, I want you so bad," Draco said huskily as he moved his hands to Harry's backside, encouraging his partner's thrusting motions.

Harry threw his head back with a groan, feeling as though he were going to come right in his trousers. "I need you. Now," he managed to gasp.

Draco's hands immediately flew to the fly on his trousers as Harry moved aside to remove his own clothing.

Just as Harry was about return to Draco's exposed lap, sans pants, the doorbell rang.

Draco groaned with frustration. "Fuck, that must be dinner."

"Let's ignore it," Harry replied roughly as he knelt on either side of Draco's thighs.

Suddenly the sound of baby cries could be heard through the baby monitor.

Harry couldn't help but laugh feebly. He closed his eyes with a sigh and leaned his forehead against Draco's.

"I'll get the baby while you collect dinner," Draco finally offered with a disappointed smile.

Harry smiled and looked into Draco's eyes for a moment before reluctantly standing and pulling his clothes back on. Draco stood and zipped up his trousers.

Just before the Slytherin turned to head upstairs, Harry caught his hand and held it. "Later," he said intently, emerald eyes shining with the promise.

Draco smiled and squeezed his hand in return. "Later," he agreed.

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The End…

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of Part 2 in the Darkness Trilogy. Look out for the third and final instalment "Lost Stars" in the New Year once I have finished Lost in Paradise.

Constance xx

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Then I see you standing there
Wanting more from me
And all I can do is Try

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