A/N: Alright, here's the next chapter. I'm deeply sorry for the four months of waiting, but my life is pretty fucked over at the moment (depression and suicidal tendencies), and writing isn't my number one priority when I consider cutting my wrists twice a week. So, please please be patient with me.

For the same reason, this chapter isn't nearly as long as I'd planned, but with only a few moments per week when I feel confident enough to write down a few sentences, these 1,3k words have taken way too long, so I've decided to update before this story dies. Also, to make it easier for you to "get back" into the story, I'll add little summaries of the last chapter at the beginning of each upcoming chapter – starting now.

— Hashtag

The story so far…

Draco and Harry have begun to establish studying sessions together. When Draco asks for Harry's DADA essay to copy it, Harry learns that Draco's housemates even keep him from completing his assignments. Harry gets upset on Draco's behalf, which in turn snaps at Harry for always wanting to be everyone's hero. During the next Transfiguration period, a sleep-deprived Harry argues with his worried friends, and has to sit next to Draco when Professor McGonagall interrupts their argument. Later, in a Care of Magical Creatures lesson, Harry gets hurt, and has to see Madam Pomfrey…

CHAPTER 10 — Old and new friends

Harry had missed the rest of the entire day, just because his leg wouldn't stop starting to bleed again. After the bleeding had finally stopped, Madam Pomfrey had – albeit reluctantly – declared him recovered enough to leave the Hospital Wing the next day, in time for classes, but it wasn't even dinner time yet, and Harry was pretty sure that he was going to go mad until then.

Hermione and Ron had come by half an hour ago, and were currently catching him up on the lessons he'd missed out on, but in all honesty – Harry was only half listening. While he stared at the all too familiar white ceiling of the infirmary, he caught words like 'self-harvesting plants', 'magical fertiliser multiplying', 'advanced repelling charms' and 'protective wards', plus some texts the Professors Flitwick and Jones had ordered them to read.

'—Professor Flitwick said he'll treat this assignment like an exam, to see how we'd be doing in our finals,' Hermione finished. 'Oh, and Professor Slughorn told us that we'll have to study Veritaserum and write an essay of four feet on how to distinguish it from similar substances until next week.'

'What's that slimy git doing here?', Ron suddenly exclaimed. When he turned his head, Harry saw his best friend shooting hateful glares towards Malfoy, who had just set foot into the Hospital Wing. The redhead looked like he was ready to plunge at the Slytherin.

'Ron, not!', Hermione hissed. 'You can't start a fight now! Just ignore him!'
'It's Malfoy!', Ron shot back, features contorted with barely concealed hatred.

'Ron calm down,' Harry interjected, just as the blond had spotted them and began to walk towards where Harry's friends stood.

'What does bloody Malfoy want from you?' inquired Ron, positively livid. Behind his back, Hermione grimaced as though she was a few seconds away from either giving Ron a piece of her mind, or simply smacking him over the head with one of her school books.

'I just remembered, I still have to learn for Arithmancy,' she quickly said instead. 'Ron, perhaps you could study with me?' It was an obvious attempt at distraction, but Ron – sending one last spiteful look towards Malfoy – allowed his girlfriend to manoeuvre him out of the Hospital Wing nonetheless.

'My, my,' Malfoy drawled upon his arrival next to Harry's hospital bed, 'Weasel looked ready to murder me. Does it always take Granger to keep him in check?'

'No,' Harry let his head fall back onto the pillow, 'he's just… having a hard time overcoming his prejudices.'

'You may believe me when I tell you that I don't take any pleasure in destroying your illusions, Potter, but I highly doubt that Weasley is even trying,' Malfoy remarked drily.

'What do you want?' Harry asked back in an attempt to steer the conversation towards safer topics. 'You didn't come here to pick at my friends, I guess.'

'Right,' Malfoy confirmed. 'I assume your friends informed you of the subjects you missed, but even Granger can't have gone over all of your homework with you yet – let alone Weasley, Merlin forbid –, so I figured you might as well make the best of your time and start working on Potions.' He produced a school book from his bag. 'I reckon even your knows-it-all friend might find this to be challenging. Truth serums are quite complicated potions.'

Denial and its Side Effects

Teaching Potter was like digging a hole with a spoon – there was progress, but it was slow. Agonisingly so. The Saviour might have his brighter moments every now and then, but it was all too apparent that he hadn't been born to understand Potions. Still, after a painful two and a half hours, Draco was confident that he had at least gotten the essential part of today's Potions assignment through Potter's skull. With a little more tuition, the other boy might even manage to deliver a halfway decent essay for Slughorn. Now, the black-haired Gryffindor watched silently while Draco packed his materials into his bag.

And of course the bloody idiot waited until Draco was almost out the door to call out Draco's name. With a sigh, Draco stopped, briefly wondering when he'd begun to listen to Potter just because the other boy wanted him to.

'Whatever your problem might be, Potter, why do you think it's important enough to deprive me of what little time I have left of today?'
'I was thinking—'
'Salazar stand by us, Potter has been thinking,' Draco mocked, but his voice lacked the malice it would have held a few months ago. Equally unbelievable, his remark manage to make Potter's lips twitch upwards the tiniest bit.

'And I mean,' Potter continued, 'I never thought I'd say this, but we're getting along right?' Draco raised his eyebrows, apprehensive of where Potter thought he was going to get with this conversation. 'And I thought,' here it comes, Draco thought, 'we could try to be friends,' Potter finished. 'I mean, beyond enduring one another during studying.'

'I can only guess what drugs Pomfrey gave you, Potter, but even in your painkiller-induced delirium you should be able to see the huge problems your plan entails,' Draco sneered, the venom immediately back in his voice. Merlin might know where Potter had gotten this idea from—

'And that would be?' Potter shot back, sounding disappointed but not the slightest bit discouraged, as though he couldn't believed that Draco couldn't see the genius in his idea. Just how ignorant Potter had to be to believe that Draco would hang on every of his words just like the rest of the world – it made Draco's blood boil with anger.

'For starters,' he growled, forcing his voice to remain quiet, 'there's the part where I'm a convicted criminal, and you are expected to hunt down people like me. It's nothing short of a miracle we haven't killed one another yet. Plus, as you said yourself, we're enduring each other's presence. Not exactly what I would call getting alone. And, Potter,' Draco cut off the other boy's protest, 'how do you expect your friends to "endure" me? Gryffindors or not, I highly doubt that the M—that Granger and your Weasel would be thrilled to hear that you are trying to befriend me.' Draco drew in a breath after his rant. 'Face it, Potter. The world is a nasty place, and believe me, nobody's going to give you a medal for noble behaviour, or whatever you expected to get out of offering me your friendship.' Convinced to have discouraged the other wizard, Draco turned towards the door again.

'Are you finally done with your self-loathing, Malfoy?' Potter held him back once more. 'Because nothing of what you said were reasons, for Merlin's sake! If you think I'm just saying this because I want to play hero, then you're still more of an ignorant brat than I thought.'

Well. Wasn't that the Potter they all knew and loved, Draco thought.

'And yeah, Ron and 'Mione don't like you, but d'ya really think I'd "endure your presence"', Potter actually made air quotes at this point, 'if I didn't want to endure you?'

'Salazar, that sounds wrong on so many levels', Draco scoffed, enjoying Potter's stammered assertions that that hadn't been what he'd meant. He listened to the other boy's ramble for a few more seconds before cutting him off mid-sentence.

'I get it, Potter. You'll insist to be the gracious saviour and offer your hand in peace.' Draco shrugged. 'Whatever helps you sleep at night, I guess.'

'Is that a yes?' Potter perked up, and it almost made Draco regret his words.
'Don't push your luck', he responded. After a little hesitation, he added, 'As long as you don't announce your heroic gesture to the entire school.'