So I was going to write something else, but this just sort of came to me... Hope it will work out well. This is about Harry's alternative future, but since I ship Dramione, it's mentioned here as well.
Harry Potter slowly walked to his first afternoon History of Magic class with the youngest Slytherins. After the Battle of Hogwarts, it was decided that young wizards needed "a fresh perspective", and professor Binns should get his well-deserved rest.
Harry's hip was really bothering him that day. He stopped for a moment to rest and looked out of the window, at the school grounds. The Gryffindor team was in the middle of trying out their new players. He felt a stab of pain in his heart. He was still young, only just turned thirty one, and he had to give up what he loved he most – Quidditch.
He tightened the grip on his cane and continued to the classroom, limping heavily. The students were probably waiting for him already.
"Professor" one of the boys spoke as he entered the classroom "Will you tell us how the minister Draco Malfoy defeated Tom Riddle in the war?"
"Scorpius already told us some things, but we didn't understand everything" someone else started.
"Why was the Elder Wand so powerful?" another voice followed "What about the prophecy?" "And why couldn't he defeat him earlier?" Now all the kids wanted to have their questions answered.
Harry silenced his new students raising his palm. He slowly made his way to the end of the room and carefully sat behind his desk.
Scorpius Malfoy was seated in the front row, looking straight at him.
At the first glance, he definitely resembled his father. The same blond hair and pale skin, but he was smiling, and his smile made Harry think about Hermione Granger – or Hermione Malfoy. He felt his heart squeeze a bit.
He realised that a dozen pair of curious eyes was staring at him with excitement, so he agreed to began the story. He told them how Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger and himself spent a year searching for the horcruxes – leaving out the details as for the exact way they worked – and eventually, when they arrived at Hogwarts to find the last one, they had to defend the castle and the rest of the wizarding world. Harry was captured by the Death-Eaters and tortured (well, he left out that detail as well), while Malfoy learned about being a true master of the Elder Wand and used it to defeat the Dark Lord.
"But... what about the prophecy?" One of the girls asked when he finished "Didn't it say that you were the one to defeat him, professor?"
"You shouldn't always believe the prophecies" Harry responded bitterly "Now we're going to move on to..." he looked at the clock on the wall "All right, you can go, next Wednesday we will have a proper lesson, mind you!"
Finally, the Slytherins left, loudly discussing the story. Walking back to his office, Harry reminisced his first days in Hogwarts. His life was supposed to turn out so differently... But after the battle and long months of painful recovery, he returned to school when all the students he had been friends with were already gone. He was two years older than most of his classmates, couldn't participate in any activities... He spent most of that awful year in the library, completely alone. What made him take a course in "Teaching the Magical History" and come back to Hogwarts? He didn't know. But it turned out to be the best decision he could have made. Malfoy and Hermione were busy working at the Ministry and raising kids, although he never got along with Malfoy anyway, especially after he became the war hero and the Minister of Magic. Ron was dead and the rest of his family wasn't speaking to Harry, as it there had been any way for him to prevent it. His only friend these days was Luna, who now edited the Quibbler with her father. Every week, she would send him a newly printed copy with a funny note inside. He responded with long letters and he knew she would always read them to Neville, who was still at St. Mungo's. Even if he didn't know who Luna or Harry was, or even who he was, for that matter.
But this Wednesday morning, there was no Quibbler issue on his desk. He didn't get one at lunch either. In those eight years that he has been working at Hogwarts, Luna's delivery was never late. He was worried.
Now that he remembered his doubts about her safety, he tried to fasten his pace. He needed to get to his office and owl Luna immediately. But the stress, the memories and the physical effort was too much for his damaged heart. He could barely breathe, so he stopped and leaned himself against the marble wall. He shut his eyes and waited for his heart rate to get back to normal. His head was aching.
"Is everything all right, professor?" He heard a quiet voice and opened his eyes. It was one of the first year Gryffindors, coming back from the practice. Her long red hair was gathered in a messy ponytail and she was wearing Quidditch robes. She looked at him with concern. What was her name? Margaret Lewandowski. Of course. Her father was the famous Polish Quidditch player and her mother... Her mother was the girl he once loved. Still loves...
"Sir?" she asked again.
He couldn't look at her.
"I'm fine, I'm just... I just need a moment" Harry said, turning away and waved at her to leave him alone. He heard the girl walk away. He tried to think about something else, but only Luna came to his mind, and that made him even more worried. He still had the little girl's eyes in his mind. There was something about them that he just couldn't stop thinking about...
I'll be writing more, so let me know what you think so far!