Potter stopped and the krups jumped up on him, as though he still had food. "No, Shadow, Gus, I'll feed you in a second. Sorry... they're rescues. Cracked a krup-fighting ring awhile back. Lucky they were just pups. But here's my room, if you need anything. Yours is the next one down."
                              
Potter led him into a large bedroom room that looked immaculate, compared to what he was used to. Dusted, paint restored, wood polished and carpet cleaned. Draco could smell fresh flowers in a vase, too. Potter sighed. "Well, it was a mess. Thank Kreacher when you see him next. Oy vey, he lets the house fall to ruins and watches me struggle to repair it. Kreacher? Did you take these flowers out of the garden? Little bastard."
                              
Draco looked around the room and didn't want to touch anything. He knew he was filthy.
                              
"Alright... well, there's an ensuite bathroom, too. You won't have to worry about sharing a bathroom with me. There's a tub and a shower... you might need..." Harry poked his head in there. "...some supplies. I'll be right back."
                              
Draco didn't move as Harry and his two followers left the room. He didn't know how to handle this. He didn't know what to do. His nerves were stretched to the limit. The attack... the rescue... his shakes were coming back. This was too much. What did Potter want?
                              
"Hey, calm down," his rescuer said, as he came back with an armful of stuff. He set it down and guided him to a chair. Potter knelt in front of him.
                              
He broke down crying, again. Fuck, he was a battle-hardened criminal, who survived a year on the streets without a galleon or a clue how to survive. Why couldn't he get ahold of himself?
                              
Potter took his hand, again. "Shh... it's okay. You're safe here, Draco."
                              
"Stop calling me that!" he nearly shrieked. "Why the hell are you doing this, Potter?!"
                              
Potter wasn't moved by his outburst. If anything, he looked sad. "If you prefer Malfoy, I can call you that. I was trying to be more... casual. We don't have to be enemies anymore, Dra-Malfoy. I told you I don't want anything. This is a safe place where you can stay, to find shelter. You're just going through a rough patch, right now. You can stay as long as you like Dr-Malfoy... and I'll help you get back on your feet."
                              
Draco curled up, bringing his legs up, and rocked back and forth on the chair. He met Potter's intense eyes and looked away. "You don't need to do this."
                              
"But I can. Did you not see the twelve rooms I have here? It's a little too quiet for my liking," Potter said, with a laugh.
                              
"You just pick up stray street urchins off the street on a whim?"
                              
"Not usually, but when I know them...."
                              
"You're just enjoying how far I've fallen."
                              
"Of course not, D-Malfoy. I wasn't happy about it at all."
                              
"Just feel pity, then?" he growled, his arms still wrapped around his legs.
                              
"Sure... a little. You're in a bloody awful situation and went through a horrible experience. But I do know that I owe you, too."
                              
Draco looked at him, tears still wet in his eyes. "Owe you?"
                              
"Yeah... you lied to your parents and Bellatrix. You knew it was me."
                              
Draco nodded and started shaking. "He tortured us a long time for that."
                              
Potter froze.
                              
"Lucky, I learned Occlumency. He would have killed us all."
                              
"I'm sorry, Draco..." he sighed. "... I mean Malfoy. Thank you... we wouldn't have gotten out alive, if he came. You saved us."
                              
"I think people say it's the other way around."