Draco drove Harry home around midnight, much to the chagrin of his parents. Narcissa had tried to get Harry to just stay the night, but he insisted he wouldn't impose.

"Thank you again for having me. You have a lovely home."

"Please come back any time."

"I can walk Draco, it's really no issue."

"Don't be ridiculous Harry it's an extra 10 minutes out of my night."

"I appreciate it."

Draco opened the car door for Harry, who gratefully got in.

"You are allowed to be loud and take up space you know?"

"I wish it was that simple Draco. I've been raised to be the complete opposite of that. I'm simply trying to survive."

"I'm not going to pretend to understand this about you because I don't. I can just tell you that I'm here for you, and I respect your boundaries. If I'm overstepping tell me to shove off."

"Thank you for being a great friend Draco."

"It's what I'm here for. Let me know when you want to meet up again for the next part of the project. I know we started the next portion due on Friday already. We can choose our next day tomorrow during study hall?"

"Sounds good," Harry replied stifling a yawn.

"I'll pick you up for school tomorrow."

"You don't have to-"

"I kept you out late. It'll let you sleep in longer won't it?"

"It will but-"

"Perfect. If you feel the need to pay me back, I like chocolate."

"Deal. Get home safe Draco."

"Goodnight Harry."

"G'night. Text me when you're home so I know you're safe."

Sighing as he walked into his flat, Harry quickly threw on some pajamas, brushed his teeth, and crawled into bed. As he plugged in his phone, he saw that Draco had messaged him he was home. After acknowledging the message, Harry quickly fell asleep.

When he awoke the next morning, Harry felt groggier than usual. He saw that he had some more time to sleep in since Draco said he would pick him up, so he hit snooze on his alarm and drifted back to sleep.

What Harry didn't know was that Draco had a habit of being early. He missed Draco's message saying he was leaving the house, and was woken up by his phone ringing.

"Hello?"

"Did I just wake you up?"

"No..."

Draco laughed, and Harry smiled groggily.

"I'm number 12, I'll buzz you up."

"See you soon."

Harry had just put on his shirt for the day when there was a knock at his door.

"Sorry, I'm a mess this morning."

"Then it's a good thing I brought breakfast isn't it?"

"You're a lifesaver," Harry praised. "Give me three minutes. You can sit over here or look around."

Harry finished getting ready quicker than he had ever done before. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he met Draco who was looking around the small living room space.

"I just need to attempt to fix my hair and I'm good to go."

"No rush, I arrived early. I'm sorry about that."

"I decided to sleep in, it was my fault."

Draco watched in amusement as Harry tousled his hair and attempted to fix it in the mirror.

"You know combs and brushes do wonders."

"I can't afford to keep replacing them."

"Where's your bathroom?"

"Are you really going to rifle through my things?"

"For your own sake, yes."

"It's over here."

"If I find 3-in-1 I swear to- Potter! No! That is not what respectable people use!"

"It's the cheapest thing-"

"The next time you're off of work we're going shopping."

"Draco I can't afford-"

"But I can. You're going to ruin your hair. End of discussion. I'll buy things anyway and I promise you it will be more than if you had decided to come with me."

"Fine you tosser. Let's eat so we can go."

"Your flat is nice. Very cozy."

"I still need to pick a few things up here and there, it's a work in progress. I'm pleased with it though."

After breakfast, Harry locked up his flat and the two men headed off to school. They were elated when Snape announced that he would be postponing the project portion due on Friday to Monday so that he had time to criticize their submissions.

Harry and Draco continued working hard in study hall, and made plans to meet up earlier on Saturday to work on the project, and later on Sunday if needed.

"Do Tuesdays work for you for the project? When my tutoring is done your practice should be too so we can get the bulk of the work done then. I don't want to fall behind in my uni classes."

"That works perfectly," Draco agreed.

Football practice was especially grueling today, and Draco was looking forward to a long, hot shower once he got home.

"Draco, I'd like to speak with you about something."

"May I shower first Father?"

Lucius wrinkled his nose and granted permission, and Draco rolled his eyes as he walked into the bathroom.

"Absolutely ridiculous," he muttered to himself.

So much for a long hot shower. Once he was dressed, he met his father in his study.

"I'd like to speak with you about your new friend."

"What about Harry?"

"Are you positive he's not looking for handouts?," Lucius asked bluntly.

"Father I bought him breakfast this morning and I caught him leaving money in my console for food and gas. He's independent and takes offense when help is offered. Harry does everything for himself, and when he does accept help he makes sure to pay it back twice fold."

"How can you be?," Draco countered. "He doesn't want to be pitied which is why he doesn't share much about himself. He tried deflecting questions about his past but they kept being asked so he finally answered them. I have enough respect to let him talk to me on his own terms.

He's more than what happened to him, and I don't want to pry into that. He works multiple jobs to make sure that he can take care of himself, and I have the utmost respect for that."

"If you're certain Draco. I just don't want to see you getting hurt."

"I won't."

"Now, let's talk about today's practice."