"I can't believe you TOLD on me! Dad yelled at me SO much for it and for not telling sooner!" Harry glared at his brother, arms folded across his chest. They were alone on a bench just outside the main doors, but the game Draco thought they were going to play lay untouched.

"I didn't mean to," Draco insisted. "I just got so mad and Daddy said---"

"DAD!" Harry huffed and rolled his eyes. "Why are you such a big baby? Ron and me take the blame for each other all the time."

Draco was stunned into silence. "Well, fine then! Ron can be your brother! You are not really mine anyway!"

"Hey!" Harry tackled Draco to the ground. "Take that back!"

"No! It's true!" The Slytherin managed to land a punch right to Harry's nose.

"Ow!" Harry staggered back, but wound up getting a good kick in while he was at it.

"Boys!"

Harry and Draco both froze at the icy command. "Professor Snape!" Harry started, but Severus shut him up with one thunderous look. "Look at the pair of you! Narcissa raised you both better! I have no idea what nonsense you two are beating each other bloody over and I don't care. You both lost your Houses twenty points. Now get cleaned up and stay away from each other if you can't act like brothers!"

He pulled the boys by the napes of their necks. "Back into the dormitories. I don't want to see either one of you without a book until at least tomorrow evening."

"But, sirrrr!" Draco whined and stomped a foot, but his godfather stood visibly untouched.

"He started!" Harry huffed. "He--"

"Perhaps I ought to write a note home to your parents." Severus cut the young child off. "Or perhaps I even ought to pay them a personal visit. It has been quite the while since we spoke last…"

"No, Professor." Harry looked at the ground though he was still silently insisting the whole thing was dumb Draco's fault.

"I thought not." Snape pushed them back toward the school. "Inside. Now."

"Way to go," Draco muttered under his breath.

"You shoulda just kept your big fat mouth shut," Harry mumbled back before taking into a run and leaving Draco in his dust.

***

Draco landed on his bed with a big sigh. "I can't believe he blamed me!"

Looking sympathetic, Theodore brought over a tin of sweets and plopped next to his friend. "You should tell your parents," he suggested.

"No!" Draco sat up so fast he pushed the tin to the ground.

"Look what you did!" Theodore groaned. "I don't know the charm to clean it up! We have to throw it all in the wastebasket!"

"Oh, uh, sorry." Draco shrugged, but he looked genuinely apologetic. "Maybe one of the seventh years can help us."

"Oh, right." Theodore laughed bitterly. "Because they like us so much."

A dejected look took over Draco's face. "They'd like you if you weren't my mate."

"Yeah, I know," Theodore agreed, "But I don't care. They are just gits."

"Very big gits," Draco declared. Truthfully, he was relieved at the other boy's words. He felt so lonely at Hogwarts so it helped to know he had someone in his corner, especially if Harry hated him. "But, really, I can't tell on him again! That's how this all started!" Mimicking Harry, Draco added, "Ron and I cover for each other all the time!"

Theodore rolled his eyes. "They get everyone else in trouble and just expect us to cover? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard." It also suddenly made him very glad to be an only child.

"He made it sound like Ron's a better friend." Draco's face crumbled, but he hid it in bending to scoop some of the candy from the floor. "I'll ask Mummy to send some."

Theodore didn't know much about being a brother, but he could see Draco was really upset. He just didn't know what to do about it short of yelling at Harry. Kneeling too, Theodore grabbed a handful to dump. "We'll stay in here and play something so Professor Snape doesn't see you without your books."

Draco grinned. "Sounds like a good deal."

***

"I don't see why you are in trouble." Ron threw a ball across the room for Harry to catch. "Fred and George attack me all the time. It's what family does!"

Easily catching the ball, Harry shook his head. "Not allowed to fight at Hogwarts. 'Sides, Draco and me aren't supposed to fight at home neither." He sighed. "I just got so mad!"

"He was a right git!" Ron fumbled for the ball Harry threw toward him. "Ha!" He proclaimed as he grabbed it. "Saying you weren't his brother like that! Especially after you defend him all the time!"

"I know!" Still, Harry felt awful about the whole thing . After the ball's return journey, he set it aside in favor of plunking on the ground. "I know he was mad and all, but I would NEVER EVER say that!"

Ron nodded. "Even when Ginny is way annoying, Mum says we're family and gotta look out for each other."

"Mum and Dad say that too!" Harry leaned against the wall, peering up at the still standing Ron. "I should just tell on him like he did me."

"I don't know," Ron replied, looking thoughtful. "Then you'll be a tattletale too."

Harry's nose wrinkled at the word. "Ew. But…still. What he said was REALLY REALLY bad."

Ron shrugged his shoulders though he really thought the idea was pretty stupid. "Your life."

Confused, Harry stood up and went to his desk. He pulled some parchment out, but paused. He couldn't admit it to Ron, but he thought telling his parents might make Draco like him again. They'd punish him and make him act like Harry's brother again. "Serves him right," Harry said aloud.

Ron grimaced. "Mate…"

"I'm gonna be a tattletale, but it's because he's so mean." Harry yanked his quill from its place.

Dear Mum and Dad,

I miss you. School is REALLY REALLY fun, but Draco was REALLY REALLY mean to me. He said I'm not his brother! Can you make him be nice?

Love,

Harry