Summary: "Having sex with you is like being eaten by a dragon. It's dangerous, it's enticing and I can't help coming back to be consumed." They knew it was wrong, they knew they would have to face the repercussions, but when you get an itch, it's impossible not to scratch it. What happens when a humdrum life at the Ministry crosses paths with the aristocratic expectations of a Pureblood Professor? Something has to bubble over...

Secrets, seduction and of course smut awaits. Lemon's will be juiced for those willing to stick with it :D

Rated M for eventual juicy lemons. Post-war/AU/Some elements are canon compliant, but a lot is my own wandering mind.

This is a bit of a Ron basher, sorry! (I love Ron, but in order to have our Dramione fix, there needs to be a few causalities).
I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it!

Love to all, especially Randy Jane haha.


CHAPTER ONE

On the one hand, Draco Malfoy was glad he didn't have to do any teaching that afternoon. Friday afternoons were usually spent trying to teach the art of brewing different potions whilst avoiding caustic fumes and shrapnel from exploded cauldrons courtesy of the first years. He didn't remember being so incapable in his first year of potions, however, not many of his classmates would probably dare to be so incompetent with Professor Snape as their teacher, well all except perhaps Neville Longbottom.

On the other hand, he now had to spend his afternoon in the Great Hall surrounded by seventh years. Headmistress McGonagall had organised some guest speakers to speak to the students about their various options after they had completed their NEWT's. Draco had so graciously been volunteered with a handful of other professors to babysit the little gathering to ensure all went smoothly. He was currently sitting at the back of the Great Hall behind the Slytherin's, his mind wandering to all the lesson plans he had to write up and the pile of parchments on his desk that he still had to mark.
The current speaker had been waffling on about the particulars of being an Arithmancer for what seemed like hours. He was an older wizard; his white beard knotted in a scruffy braid that he had tucked into the sash tied around his waist. His eyebrows were so bushy that they blended seamlessly into the mop of white hair atop his head. His shocking purple robes were the only colour about him; he was so pale that he could almost be related to Draco himself. Never, however, would Draco ever pair purple robes with green trousers.
No, they were definitely not related.


"It's so good to see you Neville, how have you been?" Neville grinned as an array of chestnut curls suddenly engulfed his face, and a pair of arms threw themselves around his neck.

"Hermione, what a surprise! I'm really good thanks, what brings you here?" He set his friend back down on the floor and led her to a pair of winged armchairs by the staffroom fire. It had been a few months since Neville had seen Hermione Granger-Weasley. She was still in her work attire he noticed, as she unhooked her robes and attempted to tame her stubborn locks into a bun.

"Headmistress McGonagall invited me here to speak to the seventh years about careers at the ministry. It's so surreal to be back!" She smiled and looked around the room they were in. It wasn't a large room, but it was definitely cosy. Lots of mismatched chairs and different sized tables scattered the space. They were currently the only occupants, bar an elderly ghost asleep in the corner of the room.

"Oh yes, I forgot that was today. I volunteered to supervise but Headmistress McGonagall wanted me to focus on the fifth years and all the OWL's preparation. Ready to persuade all the students that a life in the ministry is for them?" Neville smiled as he got up to fetch himself and Hermione a cup of tea from the table under the arched window.

"Even if I only persuade one student to consider a job looking after the welfare of magical creatures then I'd consider this talk a success." Hermione replied as she took a sip of her hot infusion. Neville raised his own mug in a 'here here' motion, before inquiring, "life in the ministry still treating you well?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, it's good. We've had a few difficult cases recently surrounding some house elves and a group of elderly pureblood wizards that got a bit intense, and we've had a new guy starting, Atticus Sweeney, so it's been quite full on. I still enjoy it though, I wouldn't be me if I didn't enjoy a large workload." Hermione laughed. "I still get to see Harry a few times a week though, whenever he's not too busy with Auror business he and I meet up for lunch. I think he misses working with Ron though." Neville recalled that Hermione's husband Ron Weasley had decided that after a few years of working as an Auror with Harry Potter, that he was needed to support his brother George in the expansion of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.
"Anyway! Enough about me, how is life here Professor Longbottom?" Hermione nudged the knee of her old friend and awaited his news like a schoolgirl waiting to hear the next instalment of juicy gossip.

"Oh you know Hermione, nothing really changes at Hogwarts. We're growing a new species of the Venomous Tentacula plant. Its juices can be used to aid a new formulation of dreamless sleep. More students are succeeding in their Herbology OWL's too which means more students are going on to do their Herbology NEWT's. McGonagall is delighted, it's the second biggest intake of interest in a subject she's seen in years." Neville flushed with pride and Hermione grinned in response.

"That's great Neville! All down to your hard work and enthusiasm no less. What may I ask, is the first? Has there been a sudden uptake in interest in a History of Magic? Has Professor Binns finally managed to keep a student awake in one of his classes?" Hermione expected a smile from her companion, but instead was greeted with an un-amused huff, as Neville leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, nursing his mug in his hands.

"Malfoy," Neville replied simply. "He's got the student body wrapped around his little finger. The girls swoon over him like he's a model from Witch Weekly. Of course he's still the arrogant, pompous arse we all remember from school, yet I can't find fault with his teaching unfortunately. His results are brilliant and all the students love him..." Neville tailed off.

Of course, Hermione chided herself. Draco Malfoy worked here as well, how could she have forgotten? He was occasionally pictured in the Daily Prophet with his fiancé at various functions and balls, but Hermione had completely forgotten he was now the potions professor at Hogwarts, not just an aristocratic socialite. From what she remembered, he had grown into his looks since leaving school. He was tall and slim, his once angular face was now more handsome and chiselled, and his famous blonde hair was shorter and always appeared elegantly dishevelled. For someone who hid their intelligence behind their indifference to learning during their time at school, Hermione was surprised he had returned to Hogwarts at all, surely he didn't need the money?
Hermione's thoughts on Malfoy were interrupted however as the door's to the staffroom swung open and Headmistress McGonagall's voice was projected across the room "Hermione, my dear!"


Draco kicked the chair of the student in front of him in an attempt to cease the young wizard's discussion with his peer. The student turned around and Draco raised an eyebrow at him, fixing him with a stare he'd mastered after his three years of teaching at Hogwarts. The boy blushed and returned his attention to the speaker.

Crossing his ankles in front of him, Draco leaned back in his chair and folded his arms, letting his eyes drift lazily across the guests sat at the front of the Great Hall, waiting their turn to impart their knowledge of adult life and employment to the teenagers. Hell, Draco didn't even know what he wanted to do with his life. He was 24 and the sole heir of the Malfoy estate and all that came with it, including its unfavourable name. His Father had donated vast amounts of galleons to different charitable foundations in an attempt to try and rebuild the Malfoy name following their fall from grace after the war. They had avoided a spell in Azkaban due to their last minute change in allegiance. They were no longer as powerful or intimidating as they once were, but Lucius and Narcissa still appeared at different wizarding functions, ensuring their faces remained in the media. Draco was more fortunate. Potter had spoken reasonably favourably about him during his trials and as a result of The Chosen One's proclamations, Draco had been pardoned and was treated more amiably than his parents. He had taken the job as potion's professor to keep him busy. He didn't need to work, he had enough galleons in Gringotts to keep him and his descendants living more than comfortably for centuries to come, but he wasn't the type to sit around idly twiddling his wand. After the war he had travelled, desperate to clear his mind of all that had transpired in his life. The beliefs that had been forced upon him by his Father and his death eater associates had been derailed in the most terrifying way. He had been witness to and victim of the allegiance his parent's had chosen to believe in and had been there to watch it all crumble before his eyes. In no uncertain terms, Draco had a lot of head clearing to do. Those kinds of experiences certainly left mental scars, most of which still brought him nightmares to this day. Of course he had the physical scars as well, visible reminders of the life he had no choice but to be brought up in. He rubbed his left forearm surreptitiously over his robes. His dark mark had faded slightly over the years, yet stood out clearly against his alabaster skin. A mark he was forced to get to appease his Father and a mark he was obliged to live with forever. Draco was not proud of his past and rarely removed his tailored white shirts in public, not wanting to reveal the ugly scar tainting his arm.

He returned to England with the desire to keep his slightly clearer mind busy. He had always had a love of potions, ever since he had received his first potions play set from his Mother one Christmas as a child. Having a Godfather who was a potions professor also probably rubbed off on the young Draco somewhat. He enjoyed losing himself in the brewing process, exploring the best uses of aconite and experimenting with the various uses of flobberworm mucus. McGonagall had heard about the young Malfoy's wishes to keep busy and when it had come up, had offered him the position of Potions Professor at Hogwarts.
His parent's were not enamoured with the idea.
He was engaged to Astoria Greengrass, a pureblood witch and fellow member of the Sacred Twenty Eight who had been promised to him since the pair were children. Luckily for Draco, the old pureblood tradition of organising their children's marriages to keep the bloodlines pure had worked out in his favour; Astoria had turned out to be a truly beautiful witch. She had a fairly clever mind and a body to keep even the most sexually satisfied wizard coming back for more. Draco loved Astoria, even with her addiction to high-end fashion brands and girly holidays. In his family's eyes, Draco should marry Astoria and focus on the Malfoy businesses whilst raising their family, not be teaching the offspring of others. Draco however, wanted more. He couldn't live purely off of his family name. He wanted to do some good in his life, make his own way in the world before he had to settle down.
He quickly realised that he loved teaching potions. He was popular amongst the students and soon gained the respect of his colleagues as well. It felt good to be seen as more than Death Eater Lucius Malfoy's son. He was valued within his field and genuinely enjoyed sharing his love of potions with his students. He realised many of his female students became rather giggly in the good looking professor's presence, however as long as they didn't blow up his classroom and handed in their essay's on time, he didn't put much thought to it.

Working at Hogwarts didn't mean he couldn't be with Astoria and it certainly kept his mind busy whilst still dabbling in his love of potions. McGonagall didn't prevent Draco from meeting with Astoria during weekends and holidays. Of course he occasionally had rounds and detentions to oversee, as well as other Hogwarts business, but he often had free time when he could visit her at her home, and she was sometimes permitted to stay in his chambers, as long as it didn't interfere with his duties. Astoria wasn't overly keen on staying over at the castle, so mostly Draco did the visiting. He wasn't due to see her for a few weeks though as she was visiting friends in Paris with her sister Daphne. They had ensured to give each other a good send off, a "something to remember me by" she had said as she dropped to her knees before him in his room. Draco smiled at the memory.

Still, he knew his family obligations would come for him eventually; it came with the territory of being a Malfoy. Sadly, he didn't foresee that he could work at Hogwarts forever. Did any of these speakers have advice on avoiding Malfoy responsibilities? He had no interest in being a socialite like his parents, and although he did want to be a father eventually, he wanted his children to be proud of him, to see him work for something worthwhile, to have a better role model than he did.

His eyes continued to roam along the line of speakers. They'd be here for a while yet; there were still four speakers to go. His eyes moved along the line of faces till they rested on the witch who was getting ready to take her place at the podium. She had her brown hair piled high into a bun on top of her head, a few loose curls falling down the side of her face. She wore a light blue fitted blouse that just peaked out from beneath her dark robes. His eyes travelled lower. Long legs appearing from underneath a tight pencil skirt, leading down to a pair of black high heels. Her robes hid the shape of her arse from view, but Draco could tell it would be a treat if the rest of her body was anything to go by. Her robes fell gracefully from her shoulders, revealing an ample pair of breasts hidden beneath their cloth jail. Sure he was engaged to Astoria, but he was a man at the end of the day, and he couldn't help but notice this witch was beautiful; as did, he observed, many of the male students sitting in front of him. He forced his eyes upwards to her face and was mildly aware of Headmistress McGonagall standing to introduce this wonder. He felt he knew those eyes from somewhere. He joggled his mind trying to think where he knew her from. Surely he would remember such a stunning witch?

"Thank you Mister Heartimis for that insightful view of the work of Arithmancy." McGonagall began as the old man tottered to his seat to the right of the stage. "Next up is a witch who I am very proud to say was in my house whilst she was at Hogwarts. A top student who has worked tirelessly for what she believes in, including starting the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare during her time here at Hogwarts. Now the Deputy Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures at the Ministry of Magic, please welcome Miss Hermione Granger-Weasley!" Applauding from the students broke Draco's concentration as Headmistress McGonagall directed their new speaker to the podium. Hermione Granger-Weasley placed her notes on the lectern and smiled out at the crowd who had suddenly gained interest in the famous witch before them. Hermione Granger-Weasley. Draco gulped and sat up in his chair. The Gryffindor Princess was back at Hogwarts.