"You foul, loathesome, EVIL little cockroach!"
Despite the present situation, Draco Malfoy smirked. Ever since the beginning of term at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the tiny little brunette Gryffindor had been at odds with the blonde haired Slytherin. At the brunette's choice of names, he couldn't help but be taken back to his own third year, when a certain witch had called him that exact name...and he remembered the action that had followed.
Stepping between the witch's outstretched wand and the pale faced Slytherin, Draco gave both of them a glare worthy of his own former potions master. "Miss O'Kelley! You are aware that there is no magic allowed in the hallways. Along with attempting to hex another student in front of a teacher, well...that's rather i un /i Gryffindor of you, isn't it?"
Brandy O'Kelley grimaced and lowered her wand. Blushing profusely she sputtered, "But Professor Malfoy, i Finnigan /i was the one who---." The most recent addition to the Hogwart's staff raised his hand, effectively silencing the girl.
"I care not who started it and since I have yet to see Mr. Finnigan pull his wand, I can only deduce what I have seen with my own eyes," he snarled, enjoying his role in the matter. "Fifty points from Gryffindor for attempting harm to another student."
With a hate filled look in his direction and then glaring at the offending Slytherin, she took off towards the library, intent on figuring out a way to get back at the annoying little chit, Finnigan.
Draco turned to the boy who so reminded him of himself at that age. Running his hand through his short white blonde hair, he gave an exasperated sigh. "Mr. Finnigan. Despite the fact that it has made my day being able to deduct house points from Gryffindor, it would be in your best interest to stay away from Miss O'Kelley. As much as I loathe to admit it, she is a far more powerful witch than anyone gives her credit for. And I wouldn't want to see you in hospital with Madame Pomfrey having to use a testical retreival potion on you."
Colin Finnigan flushed and nodded at his Head of House. "I understand, Professor. It's just that she..." With an uncharacteristic show of compassion, Malfoy patted the boy's shoulder.
"I understand Colin. I've been there myself."
With a final nod, Colin left, heading in the direction of the dungeons, no doubt planning his next insults to O'Kelley.
Walking back into his classroom, Draco Malfoy couldn't help but reminisce about the past. The situation between those two third years was almost a mirror image of the "relationship" between him and one Hermione Granger. The taunting, name calling, quiet hexes...Draco chuckled, the sound holding no warmth. i I hope he figures out what he's doing wrong before it's too late /i . Not willing to go further down that road, he crossed the room to his desk, intent on grading the rest of the second years papers before he called it a day.
A quiet knock on his door an hour later, surprised him enough that his barked "Come in!" came out a little more harshly than he'd intended. A nervous looking Filch entered, followed by the ever present Mrs. Norris. Idly Draco wondered how long cats life expectancies were. Filch cleared his throat, avoiding eye contact with the newest potions master. He had never liked Draco...even as a child in his own days at Hogwarts...the albino like little boy had always gotten on his nerves and more than once he'd been inclined to hex him himself. Now that he was older, he had grown up...and filled out in ways that left no doubt in Filch's mind that, were he to take the notion, Draco Malfoy could crush him with his bare hands...forget the wand. Being around him nowadays only served to make the squib nervous.
"Well? What is it Mr. Filch? I have papers to grade."
Clearing his throat again, Filch passed along the message he'd been given. "Headmistress McGonagall would like to see you in her office, Mr. Malfoy."
Draco nodded, effectively sending the nervous man skittering from the room. With a sigh that belied his years, he stood, stretching out the muscles that had been inactive for too long. With a wave of his wand all the papers were stacked and sorted, according to year. He left, heading in the direction of the Headmistresses office.
Despite the fact that he had taken Snape's place almost four years ago, it was still difficult for Draco to wrap his mind around calling Professor McGonagall "Headmistress". Oh, he was all too familiar with the reason behind one of his least favorite teachers becoming Headmistress...that was a part of his past that came back to haunt him every night. But the fact that he was here, now and teaching children at his old Alma Mater, was a testament to how much his life had turned around since then.
Stopping at the large phoenix statue, Draco said the password that had remained intact since Dumbledore's death. "Lemon sherbert."
Stepping onto the revolving staircase, he couldn't help but wonder what McGonagall had to talk to him about. It was a rare day indeed when the headmistress would go out of her way to speak to the young professor, never intentionally being rude, but instead, being her normal taciturn self. Deciding that it more than likely had something to do with a prank that one of the little brats in his house had pulled, he was more than a bit startled to discover that, aside from the headmistress, there was also someone else in the room. Someone that, even if he were to undergo Obliviate, he would never forget. He stood, transfixed in the doorway as amber eyes turned towards him and for the first time in five years he heard her voice.
"Malfoy."
"Granger."