Just like Brothers

Chapter 9

"Where are we going Malfoy?" Potter asked as he tried to keep up with the taller boy.

It was noon on August 28th and the two boys were walking down the street that led into town.

"A bookstore," Draco responded, remembering his promise to Mrs. Whitley.

The boys had come to an unspoken mutual agreement and were now co-living peacefully.

There wasn't too much conversation between the two boys, just a few shared words here and there but their bickering has decreased a significant amount, they were civil and were able to be in the same room for extensive amounts of time without attempting to brutally kill one another.
      
As the boys entered the store, a bell jingled. A woman that reminded Harry very much of an older Mrs. Weasley rushed over to the pair.

"Draco dear, back already." The woman patted the blond's cheeks and gave him an affectionate smile, she then turned to Harry. "And this must be Lily's boy."

"Harry ma'am," Harry replied, eyebrows furrowing together as he heard his mother's name.

"Oh, you look exactly like your mother! With James' hair, of course. Come sit boys, I'll make tea." The woman ushered them over to a sitting area.

Harry shot Draco a questioning glance.

"That's Mrs. Whitley, she apparently knew your parents." Draco summed up, Harry nodded.

Mrs. Whitley came back with cups of tea and photographs.

"You knew my parents, Mrs. Whitley?" Harry asked, taking a cup of tea.

"I've known Lily ever since she was a baby, I met James just once. Little Lily and Severus were always coming here to keep me company and read books, I was surprised those two didn't end up together, however, James was a dear." Mrs. Whitley smiles fondly at her memories.

"Severus? Severus Snape knew my mother?" Harry asked, his jaw falling open.

"Oh yes, you didn't know? Lily and Severus were the closest of friends! They grew up together." She slid the photos towards Harry, one captured a young girl with wavy red hair waving at the camera while a boy with long black hair had his arm slung around her. The other was the same girl, older but still young, maybe 17, with a young man that had dark hair and glasses, Harry's parents.

The young boy still couldn't comprehend how his mother was friends with Snape, seeing a young Snape sent chills down his spine, he looked so happy which was unusual compared to his signature sneer.

"You can keep those dear."

Harry was broken from his thoughts by the older women's voice.

"Thank you," Harry said earnestly.

"How did you two meet each other?" Mrs. Whitley asked.
     
"School," Draco responded.
      
The teenagers lost track of the time, they only noticed the hour when the sun was setting outside the  bookshop.

Draco looked up at the clock, 6:24, dinner was never served later than 6:30 in the Snape household.
     
"Potter, we've got to go. Now," Draco hastily got up from the chair he was reading in and made a beeline for the door.

The boys yelled their thanks and farewells to Mrs. Whitley before booking it down the street, laughing as they ran.

Raindrops splashed on their faces, Harry's glasses were splattered with water droplets.
     
Wet, out of breath and laughing, the boys were sat at the table at 6:30 on the dot. With a flick of his wand, Severus had the boys cleaned off.
    
"I expect you two to be presentable, for this display of idiocy, you will scrub this kitchen, magic-free, you will not go to bed until the tiles are spotless." The head of the household scolded.

The boys nodded and looked down at their plates finishing the meal in suppressed laughter.

Severus got up, conjuring cleaning supplies before retreating to his lab, leaving the boys to clean.          

As soon as the black cloak that the professor elected for today disappeared from sight, the two boys doubled over in hysterics.
       
"I can't believe we got back in time." Harry gasped.
       
"I could've sworn Snape had our heads on platters." Draco snickered.
        
"I'm not even mad about the cleaning, it's all I did for years on end." Harry laughed, pulling himself off the kitchen floor. He grabbed a bucket and sponge and started to scrub the tiled flooring.

For that night it seemed like all previous grudges and conflicts had been forgotten, the two boys had fun and joked around, enjoying each others company, if you didn't know them you would almost believe them to be friends.
   
In the morning Severus Snape found two boys fast asleep on his shining kitchen floor and the room cleaner then it had ever been.

There was a faint shadow of a smile upon his face as the two boys reminded him of a friendship long ago, Gryffindors and Slytherins are known to despise each other but they can actually form the strongest friendships.
      
He levitated the sleeping adolescents to their bedroom where he left them to their slumber for a few more hours.

>•<

"We will be leaving for Hogwarts tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock, pack your trunks tonight, and be ready to go tomorrow," Snape said over lunch, the students would be arriving in 4 days' time and as a professor, Snape had to arrive early to prepare his classroom.
      
"But Sir, can't we just take the train?" Harry asked, curiously.
      
"I will be extremely busy Mr. Potter, I will not have time to see you two make it onto the train, not to mention it would cause suspicion to see you two with myself and we don't want that, do we?" The potion master responded with his usual monotone voice.
     
"No professor," Harry sighed, wondering how he would explain this to Ron and Hermione.

The day was spent packing trunks for Hogwarts and tidying the house for the trio's departure.

That night, Draco lied restless in his bed, worrying about the upcoming school year and how the Slytherins would treat him now that he was without his parents.

He had yet to see his mother, he just could not face that his past life was truly gone. The room was silent besides the light snoring from the scar-headed boy in the bed beside him. He still couldn't comprehend how he managed to end up living with Potter out of everyone, it was just his luck.

Draco looked around and with the dim lighting from the moon outside, the green wall caught his eye, he was wondering about the color choice since he first got there. From past trips to his Godfather's he knew this room was never green before Potter moved in, he was expecting a scarlet red, jade green wasn't even in mind.
   
"Potter." The blond whispered, there was no response.

"Potter," he hissed a bit louder, the raven-headed boy groaned and rolled over.

"Potter, are you awake?" Draco tried one last time.

"Yes, Malfoy, what is so bloody important that you had to wake me up at 2 o'clock in the morning for?" Potter groaned, obviously irritated.
      
"What's your favorite color?" Draco asked, surprised the other boy answered.
      
"Green," Harry said, rolling over to face the blond.
       
"Oh."
        
"Go to bed Malfoy."