Just like Brothers

Chapter 15

Harry waited in his bed for his roommates to all fall asleep before carrying out his plan.

He felt bad about Malfoy's unfortunate mishap with the Hippogriff.

After Snape kicked him out of the Hospital Wing, Harry had been getting his belongings settled in his dormitory. While digging through his trunk, Harry had found that he had Malfoy's art supplies, with nothing else to do in the hospital wing, Harry thought he would go return them.

It was nearly midnight when Harry finally heard Ron's snores from the bed beside him.

He quietly grabbed his cloak and tiptoed across the eerily empty halls.

Harry couldn't believe his luck, he hadn't run into any professor, Filch, Peeves, or even Mrs. Norris.

He flinched at the creak the door to the Hospital Wing made and quickly stepped through the cracked door.

He took his cloak off hurried over to Malfoy's bed, the blond was fast asleep, knowing he was an extremely light sleeper, Harry tried his best to place the drawing pad and pencils on his bedside table without waking the boy.

Harry was on his way out when he jammed his toe on a stool.

"Argh." A muffled groan came out of his mouth, he froze as the blond sat up in his bed and rubbed his eyes.

"Potter? What're you doing here." Malfoy didn't look very happy about being woken up. Spending part of the summer with him, Harry quickly learned that if he could avoid it, he should not wake Draco Malfoy up at any costs. It was like the saying, don't poke a sleeping dragon, which was very relevant to the blond.

"Sorry, Malfoy," Harry cringed, "I didn't mean to wake you, I found your drawing materials in my trunk and thought you would want them, it would give you something to do in here and it's less suspicious if I delivered them at night when nobody can see me."
       
"Thanks, you're an arse for waking me up though," Draco stated, he sounded annoyed but there seemed to be a hint of humor in his voice.
       
Harry laughed, uncertainty, "Yeah, sorry again, I best be going now, night Malfoy." Harry rubbed his neck awkwardly as he turned to leave.

"Potter." Draco caught the boy's attention, the two boys made eye contact, "Call me Draco."
     
Harry grinned, "Harry," he responded before pulling his cloak back on and leaving.
     
Draco fell back on his pillow, for once in his life he was forging a friendship on his own. Never in a million years did he ever think he would be calling Harry Potter by his first name.
      

Harry's mind was swimming the whole way back to the Gryffindor Common Room, Draco Malfoy had told him to call him by his first name. He couldn't believe that he actually considers the Slytherin Prince a friend, it was just surreal.

Ron would kill him for sure if he ever found out. Harry sighed, if only Ron's trust in Harry outweighed his hatred for Draco Malfoy then this wouldn't be a problem in the first place.

Before he knew it, Harry had arrived back at the portrait hole,
      
"Wifflesnap." He whispered at the Fat Lady, she looked confused, not seeing anyone at the entrance but swung open nevertheless.

Harry climbed the stairs to his dorm, collapsing on his bed and passing out as soon as his head hit the pillow. It sure was an interesting start to the school year.

>•<

Severus Snape was up later than he would've liked.

He had been avoiding his newly established wards since they arrived at his household, meals were silent, days passed without much conversation but they were now at Hogwarts, and Severus regretted his decision to block the boys out.

It was clear the two of them had established a better relationship with each other which was good, but Severus still couldn't get over the fact that Harry Potter was the spawn of James Potter, the man he hated so terribly.

As for his godson, he felt like he let him down, not getting there quick enough to save Draco's mother or even Draco himself.

Even though he hadn't let it show, Severus knew how to read his godson and he knew Draco was struggling to adjust to his new life, he had yet to come to term with the fact that his father was imprisoned for life and his mother would never leave St. Mungo's again.

Severus Snape had been repeatedly shocked by the two boys, Harry Potter in particular.

Before the summer, Severus has always assumed that Potter was treated royally at his home however that obviously wasn't the case.

Severus had been suppressing the guilt that had whelmed in his chest for the way he treated the boy.

He hated to admit it but the child of James Potter was not that bad of a kid, his mannerisms were submissive and defensive but that was for obvious reasons.

Harry Potter had always been impulsive in Severus' class and the potions master always assumed it was the result of a child being raised spoilt but now that he knew it was just a defense mechanism built into the abused boy.

He had to bite back the bitter feeling that he treated the boy wrong.

It was his guilty conscience that had lead the man to avoid the two teens these last few weeks and he knew he had to do something to form a trusting relationship with the boys.

Severus cringed at the idea of forming a relationship with the spawn of Potter, however the more he found out about Harry Potter the more he seemed like his own individual instead of the clone of his father.

After all, Harry was Lily's son as well...

But above all of that Harry Potter was an abused child that was in need of attention.

Both Draco and Harry needed stability and reliable, trustworthy, adult figures in their lives and even if Snape wasn't the best fit for that job, he was the one that was stuck with it and he had to see it through.

After all, the teens proved not to be total menaces over the summer and at times they were enjoyable to observe.

Severus sighed, relieved that he finally had his plan sorted in his head, he would start small, invite the pair to tea and gradually work their way to a healthy guardian-ward relationship.

He would mentor the boys and make sure they stayed on the good path of life. Especially Draco who had everything and everyone pressuring him into a lifestyle of darkness, Snape would make sure Draco Malfoy wouldn't make the same mistakes that he did when he was a child.

If all else failed, keeping the boys in the light would be his most prominent task.