Because of his upbringing in the home of a retired Royal Marine, Kit Pelham liked routine. Every morning he woke up early and went running, trying to stay in shape for Quidditch. He never did anything halfway and that went for his position as Chaser on the Slytherin team too.

After a shower, Kit either looked over his homework one last time before turning it in or spent an hour reading from the textbooks that his godfather gave him. In his third year he had opted to take Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. He had considered Divination because he thought it sounded interesting, but his godfather had quickly put a stop to that idea. Instead they studied magical creatures together during the summer, often traveling to other countries to see the actual creatures rather than just reading about them in books.

Kit was also fascinated by languages and proved to be a very quick study and since the summer before coming to Hogwarts had learned a new language each summer.

Draco hadn't stirred when Kit left for his morning run, but he whimpered and burrowed further under his blankets when Kit returned. Kit left him there while he showered but after getting dressed he walked over to the boy's bed. "Get up, Malfoy." Draco just groaned and covered his head with his pillow. Rolling his eyes, Kit pulled the pillow away. "Up!"

"Go'way," the young boy muttered.

"It's time to get up for class. You have five seconds before I banish that bed." After counting the boy still hadn't moved, so Kit banished the bed as he had promised with a flick of his wrist and Draco fell to the floor in a tangle of bedding. "I warned you, Malfoy. Now get up and go shower. You're running out of time."

Draco was muttering under his breath as he fought his way out of the bedding.

Kit caught his chin as soon as the boy got on his feet. "Watch what you say or you will be getting another taste of that mouthwash."

The younger boy pulled away before stomping into the bathroom and slamming the door.

Kit sat down at his desk and took out his quill. He started writing in his journal, yet another habit of his. Typically, he wrote in whatever language he was currently learning, his entries a mixture of English and whatever language he was working on until he knew enough to write whole entries in that language. Today he was writing in German.

After half an hour Kit realized that the water was still running in the bathroom. Sighing he got up and banged on the door. "Hurry up in there, Malfoy." When there was no reply he opened the door to find Malfoy sleeping on the floor while the water ran in the shower.

He picked the boy up by the collar and shoved him under the cold water. Draco sputtered and struggled to get out of the water. After a moment Kit shut off the water and let him go. "Now go get dressed," he said, heading back into their bedroom.

Draco followed Kit and stood staring at his wardrobe, dripping water on the floor.

"What are you waiting for?" Kit snapped, loosing patience with his young charge. "Dry off and get dressed."

The younger boy stared at Kit, his lower lip trembling. "I don't know how..."

Kit stopped shoving books into his bag and turned to look at the boy who looked close to tears. "What?"

"I don't know how," Draco whined.

"How old are you?" Kit asked harshly.

"'leven..." Came he whispered reply as the young aristocrat looked at the floor.

Kit sighed. "You're eleven and you don't know how to dress yourself?"

Draco nodded his wet head. "The house elves always dress me using their magic."

Swearing, Kit stalked over to the boy's wardrobe and threw open the doors. He pulled out clean underwear, a clean uniform and the boy's Hogwarts robes. Tossing the clothing on his own bed, he sat down. "I'm only going to help you once. Tomorrow you're on your own for everything but your tie. That's a little tricky." Kit slid his wand into his hand and cast a drying charm on the boy before banishing the pajamas that he had transfigured the night before. He handed the boy his underwear. "I trust you know where this belongs."

Blushing, Draco stepped into them and pulled them up.

With as much patience as he could muster, Kit helped the boy into his clothes, allowing him to sit on his bed while Kit helped him with his socks and shoes. "Can you brush your own hair?" When Draco shook his head, Kit wandlessly summoned the boy's hairbrush.

"You can do wandless magic?" Draco asked as Kit brushed his hair.

"Not much," he lied. "Mostly just summoning things."

"Can you teach me?"

Kit chuckled. "You don't learn summoning charms until fifth year. Wanded summoning charms."

"You know them…wandless," Draco told him.

"Yes and I had to prove myself to our godfather before he would teach me. Let's see how well you do this year and then we'll talk about teaching you advanced magic."

"A whole year?"

"A whole year, short stuff."

"Don't call me that," Draco said, bouncing off the bed like a little kid. "Father's already taught me a whole bunch of hexes and curses and stuff."

Kit stood as well. "I can just imagine what he's been teaching you. But you better not be using any of that here because if I earn a detention because of you, I'm going to make you miserable. Got it?"

"Got it," Draco said, taking his schoolbag from the older boy. "Umm…What am I supposed to call you?"

"You may call me Kit or Pelham," he replied, leading the boy from the room.

"Is your real name Kit?"

"No. It's a nickname our godfather gave me as a baby and it stuck."

Draco was quiet as they made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast. "K-Kit?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you close to Godfather? You talk about him a lot."

"You can say that. He helped raise me and before I started at Hogwarts I used to spend my summers with him. We still take a trip together every summer."

Draco sighed. "I've really only ever seen him on my birthday every year. I don't think he likes me too much."

"I'm sure he likes you, short stuff," Kit said, giving the boy's shoulder a comforting squeeze. "Just stop acting like such a brat to him."

"I don't know any other way to act," the younger boy admitted.

"Guess I have my work cut out for me then."

--

Draco grabbed the idiot Longbottom's Remembrall off the ground and took off on the school broom in his hand. "Come and get it, Potter," he called over his shoulder. He was quite surprised when Potter managed to get off the ground and come after him.

"Give it here or I'll knock you off that broom!" the Gryffindor threatened.

"Catch it if you can, then!" Draco shouted, throwing the glass ball as hard as he could and then landing with ease. He watched as Harry Potter streaked through the air and just barely caught the ball before crashing into the ground.

"HARRY POTTER!" Draco looked over his shoulder to see Professor McGonagall coming toward them. "Come with me, Potter," she said. "Malfoy, go to my office."

"But…"

"Now!"

Sighing deeply, the blond Slytherin hurried to do as she said, remembering Kit's words a few days before about earning a detention. He stood outside the Deputy Headmistress' office door for what seemed like hours before she finally came, Kit in her wake. Seeing the look on the older Slytherin's face, Draco cringed and looked down at the floor.

"Mr. Malfoy," the woman said. "Your Head of House tells me that Prefect Pelham is responsible for you and your punishment for disobeying Madame Hooch. Prefect Pelham has persuaded me against giving you a detention, but should I catch you doing something like that again…"

"It won't happen again, Professor McGonagall," Kit said, still giving the younger boy a look that rivaled the Potions Master's. "I will make sure of that."

"See that you do, Mr. Pelham," she told him before stepping into her office and closing the door.

"It hasn't even been a week and you're already in trouble…" Kit told the younger boy. Shaking his head, he grabbed Draco by the ear and led him down to their dormitory in the dungeons. Draco protested rather loudly and tried to free his ear from the tight grip, but to no avail. Kit only let him go once they were alone in their room. He grabbed a quill from Draco's desk and transfigured it into a toothbrush. "Get in there and start scrubbing."

"You aren't serious…" the young aristocrat said, giving Kit an incredulous look.

"Quite. Now move."

"But…but…I don't know how."

Sighing, Kit pulled the boy into the bathroom. He transfigured a small bucket and filled it with soapy water before setting it on the floor. "You get on the floor and use that toothbrush and the water to clean the floor. You'll figure it out." With that he turned and went back to the class he had been pulled out of.

As soon as the door closed behind Kit, Draco threw the toothbrush at the door. He was a Malfoy and Malfoys didn't clean up after themselves. No way. No how. That was what house elves were for. After a few minutes of glaring at the door, he walked out into the bedroom and tried to leave, only to find the door locked. Using every swear word he knew, Draco stormed around the room throwing whatever he could get his hands on and pitching a royal fit. He finally threw himself on his bed and crossed his arms as he glared up at the ceiling. This just wasn't fair! Who was this Kit Pelham really? As soon as he was let out of here he was going to have to write a letter to Father and Father would take care of it.

Draco was still lying on his bed staring at the ceiling when Kit returned. "What the hell happened in here?" Kit asked the younger boy, surveying the damage. "Never mind. I have a good idea of what happened." He glanced toward the bathroom and noticed the bucket of water sitting exactly where he had left it. "You didn't do what I told you to do."

"You can't make me do anything," Draco told him. "Especially not cleaning. Malfoys don't clean."

"At Hogwarts you are not a Malfoy. You are a Slytherin. A first year Slytherin."

"You still can't tell me what to do!" Draco snapped.

Kit tossed his bag on his desk and dropped into one of the chairs by the fire. "I'd like to see you tell that to our godfather."

The younger boy slid off his bed. "I will!" he responded, stomping from the room. He stalked out of the Slytherin dorm and across the common room, knocking loudly on his godfather's door.

A moment later Severus threw open the door. "What is it, Mr. Malfoy?"

"I want to talk to you," the boy demanded.

He stepped aside, allowing the boy to enter. He closed the door and moved to leave against his desk, his arms crossed. "Well?"

"I don't have to do as he says," Draco said defiantly.

"And why not?" Severus asked.

"He wants me to clean the loo. With a toothbrush!"

"After the stunt you pulled, I'd say that's a fairly mild punishment. I can guarantee you that had this system not been in place in Slytherin House, I would have given you something much worse," the Potions Master told his youngest godson.

"Malfoys don't clean," he said again.

"If you wish to remain at Hogwarts, you will return to your dorm and do as Mr. Pelham has told you."

The boy snorted. "You can't kick me out of Hogwarts for that."

"You're right," Severus told him. "But I can write to your father and tell him that you refuse to uphold the traditions that have been in place in Slytherin House since the days of the founding of this institution. How do you think he will react to that letter?"

Draco was quiet for a moment before answering. "He would not be happy, but surely he doesn't expect me to act like a house elf."

"Do you even do chores using magic?" he asked the boy, knowing the answer.

"Chores?"

"Making your bed…cleaning up after yourself…"

"Why should I waste energy doing that when the house elves can do that with a snap of their fingers?"

"The house elves do not clean up after Slytherin House. If you wish to continue having them clean up after you then you should go home or be resorted. Perhaps to Gryffindor…"

"No!"

Severus looked at his godson. "Sit down Mr. Malfoy and listen carefully." After a moment of hesitation, Draco sat down and looked up at his godfather. "At Malfoy Manor you may not be expected to answer for your actions, but here at Hogwarts and in the world outside of Malfoy Manor all actions have consequences. Some times they are good and some times those consequences are bad. Every action has a reaction, Draco," he said earnestly, hoping that his words were getting through to the boy. "When you don't do as you are told that is disobedience. Unlike some of the other Houses, Slytherin does not reward disobedience or rule breaking. Your cleaning the bathroom with a toothbrush is the punishment for your disobedience."

"That's a little harsh, isn't it?" Draco asked in a whisper.

"At Durmstrang you would have been caned."

"Caned?" Draco asked confused.

He nodded and watched the boy for a moment. "Stand up and remove your robe." After a moment of hesitation, Draco did as he was told.

Slipping his wand into his hand, he grabbed his godson's arm and turned him around, striking him on the backside with his wand. He didn't swat the boy very hard, but hard enough that he could get an idea of what it was like to be caned. And hopefully that one swat would help straighten out his attitude.

Draco's eyes went wide when his godfather struck him. He had never been struck before. Anywhere. "Ouch." He turned to look back at his godfather.

"Now imagine that had been your father's cane instead of my wand. And imagine twelve strokes only harder instead of the one that I gave you."

"That hurt," he told the Potions Master.

Severus nodded. "It does. And it is a good thing such methods are no longer permitted here at Hogwarts or else that is what you would have received for your little stunt."

Draco reached back to rub his slightly stinging backside. "What about Potter?"

He sighed and leaned against his desk again. "Were such methods still being practiced, you and Potter would both have trouble sitting tonight at dinner. You should be thankful that cleaning the loo is the only punishment Kit gave you."

"What did Potter get?" the boy asked.

Severus crossed his arms, his eyes growing even darker. "Potter was made Seeker of the Gryffindor team."

"He makes Seeker and I have to clean the loo? That's not fair!" Draco protested, pouting.

"I have no control over Potter. I do however have control over you as both your Head of House and your godfather. And I agree with the punishment that Kit gave you."

Draco sighed dramatically. "Do I really have to?"

"Yes, you do. And you will accept any additional punishment that Kit gives you for your actions since."

He stared at his godfather for a moment before nodding and picking up his robes. "Good day, Godfather."

"Good day, Draco," Severus told the boy.

Draco slowly made his way back to his room, stopping short when he stepped into the room. Kit was sitting on the floor in front of his chair near the fireplace. A dark-haired girl about Kit's age was sitting in Kit's chair, rubbing his shoulders as Kit read aloud from a textbook. "Who are you?" Draco asked.

Kit looked up at his young roommate. "Mercy, this is my firstie, Draco Malfoy. Draco…meet Mercedes MacNair, my girlfriend."

He nodded at the girl before looking at Kit again. "We're allowed to have girls in our room?"

"Fifth years and above are allowed to have girls in their rooms as long as the door stays open. What did the professor tell you?"

Draco sighed and went to toss his robe on his bed, but a look from Kit stopped him. He moved to his wardrobe to hang up the robe like Kit had shown him a few days before. "To do as you say or he'll tell Father to come get me."

Kit nodded, hissing when Mercy hit a particularly sore spot between his shoulder blades. "Get to it then. And come find me when you finish so that we can discuss the rest of your behavior today."

"Do I really have to?" he asked, giving Kit his most innocent look.

"Yes. Stop stalling."

He started to go to the bathroom, but turned back to Kit, his cheeks turning slightly pink as he quietly admitted, "I don't know how. I've never had to clean before."

"I'll come show you," Mercy told him, squeezing Kit's shoulder and standing. She put her hand on top of Draco's head and gently turned him toward the bathroom.

Kit leaned back against the chair and watched as his girlfriend explained the basics of cleaning bathrooms to the Malfoy Heir. After a moment he got up and went over to his desk, adding to his weekly letter to his foster father.

After explaining the first couple things that Draco need to do in the bathroom, Mercy took a seat on the counter, planning to stay and talk him through the whole process. Kit had told her of his troubles with the boy and she wanted to spare her boyfriend some stress. As she watched the spoiled little Slytherin, she noticed that he kept looking up at her with a slightly confused look. She turned over her left arm and ran her right thumb quickly over her forearm. To anyone who didn't know, it looked as if she was scratching her arm. But to the two of them it was a signal. A signal to identify themselves to the child of another Death Eater. Draco gave a slight nod and copied the gesture before going back to what he was doing.

The only other words spoken between them in the next hour were Mercy's softly spoken instructions to Draco. As she led him back into the room when he was finished with his chore, she ruffled his hair. She walked over to Kit and kissed his cheek. "I think I should leave the two of you alone now," she told him. He nodded and she slipped from the room, closing the door behind her.

Kit cleared his throat and turned in his chair, looking over at the younger boy. "Front and center," he said, pointing at a spot on the floor in front of him. His tone was one he had often heard from his foster father.

Draco slowly moved over to stand in front of the older Slytherin, his head down. Having to answer for his actions was so very new to him and quite a bit confusing and he wasn't really sure how to react.

"Do you understand why you were punished?" Kit asked him, figuring it best to start simply.

"I disobeyed Madam Hooch."

"And?"

"And fly my broom after I had been told not to."

"Why?"

"Longbottom dropped his Remembrall and I took it. I was going to hide it, but Potter came after me."

Kit sighed. "Not only were your actions disobedient, but they were also very dangerous. You may have been on a broom before, but Potter hasn't. Either one of you could have been hurt." When Draco started to open his mouth and speak, Kit held up his hand. "I don't want to hear about how much time you've spent on a broom or about your personal flying tutor or anything else. I want you to listen. When a teacher gives you instructions, you follow them. End of discussion.

"Now…about your behavior after I told you to clean the loo." Draco made a face, but said nothing. "That was going to be the only punishment you received, but you chose to disobey me as well and threw a fit, destroying our room instead. I'm going to try something with you that Muggle parents often use."

Surely a Mudblood would not be sorted into Slytherin. Though something told him that using the term 'mudblood' in front of this boy would not be very smart. "Your parents are Muggles?" Draco asked, astonished.

"I don't know anything about my parents," Kit told him. "Our godfather found me as a baby and I was raised by a Muggle couple."

"Oh…well…what is it that they do?"

"It's called 'grounding' and it's been used on me a time or two." Or several, he finished to himself, not ready to tell this boy just how much he got in trouble as a child.

Draco was a bit surprised that the older boy had ever gotten into trouble, but then remembered what he had said a few days before about getting his mouth washed out. "What does that mean?"

"It means for the next week when you are not in class or at meals you are to be here in our room working on homework or doing chores. You are not to play any games or do any reading for fun. And you are to be in bed at nine o'clock," Kit told him.

"Nine?!" Draco gasped. "That's…that's…I've never been in bed that early."

"For the next week you will be. And if you keep arguing I can make it earlier."

"That's not fair!"

"Then stop arguing with me." Draco sighed dramatically, but nodded. "And remember this next time you feel like throwing a fit when I punish you. Now, you've wasted enough time today. It's time to start on your homework."

Nodding again, Draco moved over to his desk to start on his assignment, vowing to behave…if only for a little while.

AN: Some lines are direct quotes from the book. Sorry for the long delay, but October is usually my really busy month. Hopefully things will settle down now and I can get some serious writing done.