Disclaimer: I own nothing. Just having fun.
Hello everyone! So I began this fic about a year ago, and I abandoned it but now I think I'm ready to finish it, so I'm revamping it and sending it back out chapter by chapter.
A/N: So obviously my version and the books don't really mesh. You can discern for yourself what I kept from the book and what I didn't. ENJOY!!
Hermione placed the book carefully into her briefcase and closed the lid tightly. She was more nervous on this day than she ever had been fighting the Dark Lord or any of his minions. She took a deep breath before exiting her new small bedroom and walking straight through her new office into the classroom she would now call her own.
When McGonagall first asked her to be the new Arithmancy professor, she graciously declined claiming that she would be no good as a teacher, and would much prefer to keep her desk job at the Ministry. However, due to the shortage of good and talented teachers, McGonagall made Hermione feel guilty enough to take the job. Though she knew she didn't have much patience, she hoped she would gain that in time. Of course Ron and Harry thought it would be great opportunity for her.
"You waste your talents at that Ministry, Hermione, and you know it," Harry told her when she first gave him the news of her offer.
"Besides, you can't expect those kids to be able to function properly without knowing all about Arithmancy!" Ron perked up sarcastically. "I mean, come on Hermione, you love that school, and you nearly died when we graduated. It'll do you good to get back there." She knew they had a point, and she sighed as she thought of how she really did almost die when she left Hogwarts. She hated to leave the place that brought all the joy she now knew into her life, and she really should be grateful for the chance to return.
She glanced at the clock – 8:12 a.m. In three minutes, the new students would be filing in, finding seats among their housemates and all eager to hear what she would have to say. She gulped, counting down the seconds. As grateful as she should have been, her nerves were getting the best of her. She was never skilled at speaking in front of large audiences, nor was she the greatest instructor, but if McGonagall had faith in her, and Harry and Ron thought this would be good for her, then how could it possibly go wrong?
The door to her classroom flung open and she shot up from her chair to greet the eager second years. This was the cream of Hogwarts crop, for not just any second year could handle the stain of a subject like Arithmancy and Hermione beamed a broad smile at them to ease their fears.
She watched them as they all looked around to see who was in their class and whom they could sit by and getting the "first day" gitters out of their systems. She allowed them a moment to quiet down before she began.
"Good morning class. My name is Professor Granger," she choked a little at the bad taste the title left in her mouth, "and I am your Arithmancy teacher. In this class you will expected to comprehend and excel in the realm of numbers. We will learn to work with and analyze the magical properties of numbers, and I warn you, there are many and they can be rather difficult at times. We will not only be dealing with numerical works. You will also be expected to write a selected number of essays on topics that you will receive at a later date. Now if any of you have issues or problems with any of this I advise you to take it up with your head of house immediately." She scanned the crowd, noting all the now fearful faces. "So if there are no questions, let's begin."
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
As she heard the door close from the last student leaving, she finally released the breath she'd been holding since class began. Everything seemed to go all right, and her students were well enough behaved to take on the topic of numbers, but she still wasn't sure of her own ability. She groaned as she remembered she would have to give her speech three more times that day.
Just as she was about to put her head down in agony, a scrawny, tiny owl pecked at her window. She smiled as she recognized Pigwidgeon and moved to let him in, breaking off a bit of her morning toast for him. Opening the window, the bird became overly excited.
"Calm down, Pig. I swear, as old as you are, you really shouldn't get so excited. Here, this is for you," she handed over the toast, which he gobbled up hungrily, and took the note attached to his leg. The owl waited expectantly. "Well, go on. I don't have anymore!" He huffed as he flitted his wings and took off. Hermione closed the window and moved back to her desk.
Tearing open the letter she saw it stained with coffee and something she hoped was chocolate. She read the letter aloud, "Dear Hermione, we hope your first day is going well. We know you'll do a great job and don't worry about those tyrannous kids. Just remember, we were that age once and we ALWAYS feared the teacher more than they could ever fear us. Good luck in the rest of the day, and well see you at your first Hogsmeade weekend. Love, Ron, Harry, Ginny and the kids. P.s. Forgive the coffee stain and chocolate. Ron was in a rush."
She smiled as she folded the letter and walked it back to her room. The best part about her schedule was that she had an hour break in between each of her classes, giving her time to recuperate.
She placed the letter gently into a box of things she cherished, and let the parchment mingle with the boxes older inhabitants: Crookshanks' collar, her first perfect grade from first year, her old Gryffindor quidditch flag, a hat she made for Dobby, and of course her old time turner. The sand had been removed so to ensure it could never be used again, but she couldn't let it go. There were other, less important things in the box, but she always kept her memorabilia from her days at Hogwarts on the top. They meant the most to her.
She was about to reorganize her paperwork in her office for the hundredth time since her arrival when another knock interrupted her. This one was much more intrusive and louder than that of Pig's, and the urgency of the owl caught her attention. Walking up to it, she noticed it looked familiar, but couldn't place it to its owner, but she couldn't help but think how much it looked like an eagle. As she opened the window, the bird pushed passed her into the room and spit out the note on her desk and darted back out into the wild.
"Well if that isn't the rudest owl I've ever encountered," she muttered to herself as she took the note from her desk, again reading it aloud. "Ms. Granger, your immediate presence is required in the Headmistress's office. And do please hurry; I am awfully busy today."
She searched the note over as to whom it was from, but there was no name.
'Surly McGonagall wouldn't send something so short and rude and without a name,' Hermione thought as she made her way to the Headmistress's office, 'and that wasn't her owl, I know.' She stopped her thoughts as she stood in front of the stone gargoyle.
"Jumping Jeans." It moved aside to allow her to pass, and her mind was racing all the while she made her way up the stone steps then finally to the large wooden door. She went to knock, but a booming and sickeningly familiar voice stopped her.
"It's already open Ms. Granger. Come in." She knew the owner of the voice before she stepped in the room, but her fears were made real as she saw Draco Malfoy standing regally tall before her in the empty office.
"Malfoy?! What are you doing here?"
"Please, Ms. Granger. Can't we get passed childish nicknames? It's Draco, or if you wish to be more formal, Professor Malfoy." A lump of hate swelled in her throat and she tried with all her being to swallow it down to let him continue.
"I apologize for misleading you into thinking the note was from the Headmistress, but I knew you wouldn't come if you knew the note was from me personally, though I feared my owl would give me away," he said with a small smile in his face which only gave Hermione cause to worry. "I was curious as to how your first class went."
Hermione was relatively speechless. Why was he asking her how her first day went? As far as she remembered, they hated each other, and no amount of niceness could alter that. She decided that with any of the Malfoys, a strong defense was best.
"Why do want to know," she asked, a little snootier than she probably needed.
Sensing her defensiveness, Draco tried to explain. "Well, it's not that I really care Ms. Granger, it more that I have to care. You see you and I are going to be working together quite a bit this year, so I figured we could bury the hatchet right here for good. Well, at least bury it blade side down, for both our safety." Hermione was getting suspicious.
"Why are we going to be working together?" His slight smile returned.
"As it turns out, the Ministry feels my family has paid its debt to the wizarding world, and that we Malfoys can finally come out of seclusion. Being that my last bit of experience before my homely imprisonment comes from this school, I deemed it only right that I come back to it. While locked away, I focused on my studies and, because of my father's…behavior, I became an expert on defense against the dark arts." He paused to see if Hermione would put the pieces together herself, and seeing the blank look on her face, he continued.
"Hogwarts needed a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and I am well beyond qualified, so I took the offer to teach here." He waited for her response, and after what seemed like forever, he spoke again. "When I learned that you were teaching here Ms. Granger, I decided that, regardless of who it was, it would be nice to have one familiar face around for company. So, what do you say? Friends?" He stuck out his hand and gave her a forced smile.
Slowly, as the pieces began to fall into place, Hermione's face of utter shock began to form into a face of anger and disgust. She couldn't control the loud tirade that was moments from spilling out of her mouth.
"Are you kidding me?! First you practically order me here like I am you slave, then you tell me that you'll only be nice because you have to and then you say that you only want to be 'friends' because I'm a familiar face, but you obviously would rather I be someone else. You know, Malfoy, you really haven't changed one bit. All those years away from society have done you no good. How about you go on pretending I don't exist, and the next time you want to speak to me, send your bird. He seems more civilized than you ever will."
With her little monologue out of her system, Hermione stormed out of the room, and with the intensity of her feet hitting the floor, she was reminded of every time in her school years when Draco would upset her. Not wanting to relive those days in any way, she lightened her steps and made it calmly back to her classroom. What nerve he had assuming she would make nice for work's sake. Hermione knew that things would be no different than when she was in school, and with that thought she prepared herself for the rest of the year and the storm that would be Draco.
So I hope you like. More to come and reviews are appreciated.