A/N: So, I'm back! University is killing me and seeing as how I've been writing stories from since I was 5 and STILL haven't managed to finish one yet I've decided to stick to one shots for now. I've recently completed the Hobbit trilogy and my love of LoTR (and Legolas and ohmyGod Lee Pace as Thranduil and holy shit Richard Armitage as Thorin and Kili. Dude. Kili.) has come back stronger than ever, so if you're into that fandom keep an eye out! Maybe I'll even do some crossovers! ;)
Disclaimer: it's 3:10am and I'm sitting in my dorm room trying to quietly have an allergy attack so as not to wake my roommate and so yeah, no, I do not own HP.
Chapter 1- Wake Up
It all started when he bit his lip during DADA. Really, how was he to know that Harry Potter had been staring at him the entire time?
Actually, that was false. Maybe it hadn't started when he bit his lip, but that was certainly the catalyst. The true beginning took place when he first stepped off the train for his (mandatory) 8th year and was greeted with the sight of Harry Potter in teacher's robes. Honestly, he should have known something fishy was going on at the esteemed school the minute he received an owl stating that his initial sentence of 2 years of house arrest would be cancelled, so as long as he decided to enroll in Hogwarts for an "8th year" and keep himself out of trouble.
Of course the good grace was too good to be true and instead was due to Harry Potter's incessant meddling. Draco thought he might have even spotted a twinkle in Potter's eye when he caught him staring with his jaw dropped, eyes stuck on the robes that were clearly not that of a student as he exited the Hogwart's Express and stepped onto the platform. Pulling himself together, Draco neatly rearranged his facial expression into one of nonchalance and even managed to give Potter a cool nod while passing by him on the way to the carriages. Nobody saw him slip behind a building directly afterwards and fall to his knees (rather dramatically, if he admitted it to himself). He knew he was being childish as he fought the nerve to bash his head against the wall, but for some reason he felt as though he was on the brink of lashing out. Disbelief bubbled up inside him, growing all the more intense as feelings of anger over being manipulated, disdain over the obvious favoritism that resulted in 19 year old King Potter being crowned professor, and a slight dash of "what the actual fuck" churned within him.
Taking a deep breath, grey eyes slowly opened and he grimaced while wiping dirt off the knees of his expensive trousers.
Okay. So what if Potter was going to potentially be his superior for one of his classes? Outside of that zone, he would still be regular Harry bloody-fucking Potter and nothing would change.
Nothing had changed. It would be okay.
Draco was not beneath him. He was not going to be made a fool of. Everything was going to be fine.
He almost let out a whine at the sudden despair that suddenly over took him as he slowly sunk back to the ground and put his head between his knees.
Who the fuck knew if everything was going to be okay? NOTHING was the same. Everything had changed.
Standing up once more he made his way back towards the throng of students headed towards the carriages and ultimately, the castle. Surely it would not do for him to be late for the Sorting.
Harry Potter looked down at his teaching robes with a cross between bemusement and annoyance. He should have known better than to think that killing Tom Riddle would cause his life to become any less chaotic than it already had been. Glancing aimlessly around the mostly empty Hogwarts station, he allowed himself to lean against the wall behind him and close his eyes for a brief moment.
He was to be the new Defence against the Dark Arts professor. Him. Harry Potter.
When Professor McGonagall first owled him, asking to meet, he gladly accepted and intended to drag Hermione along with him, knowing she'd be eager to catch up with their old Head of House. What he didn't expect was the widening of eyes and shifting glance and bout of fidgeting that suddenly overcame his female best friend.
Immediately his eyes narrowed and he caught sight of Hermione's wince.
"Don't make me drag it out of you, 'Mione." He gave her a withering glare for good measure and saw her deflate a bit before gathering herself up once more and shaking her brown hair haughtily.
"Really, Harry, you know better than to pressure me into saying things I obviously cannot."
His only response was to roll his eyes.
"Besides, you know I'd never keep a secret from you intentionally if I didn't have to. I'm sorry, but it's not my secret to give nor my place to tell you. Just..." she trailed off and glanced at him frowning on the couch of their shared space.
"Promise me you'll hear her out."
She sat down next to him and ignored his efforts to pull away as she gathered him in her arms and ruffled his hair.
"Um, Mione could you let me go a little bit, I can't breathe."
"Shush." Ignoring his disgruntled manner she smiled and pulled him closer, amusement doubling as she felt him relax into her embrace but continue mumbling about how he wasn't a child to be coddled on his mother's lap.
"McGonagall is going to offer you something, and I think you should take it."
He scowled in disbelief. "That's it? That's all the hint that I get?" He started to attempt to raise up from her but she held him tight and smirked when he easily surrendered and remained in place.
"You trust me, right?"
"Of course Mione. Even if you are trying to smother me to death."
"Good," she said, ignoring his cheeky statement. "Because I really believe that what she's going to offer is exactly what you need."
Two days later he stomped back into their flat, eyes flashing dangerously as he sent her a burning glare. "This is all your doing."
Laughing she pulled him down next to her.
"So you mean to tell me that you accepted?"
The flushed cheeks and grumbling was all the response she needed to know that he had indeed taken the teaching position.
"But what am I going to do? I know nothing about teaching first years or making lesson plans and...God, I missed a whole year of school while hunting down horcruxes! If anything it should be you taking this job, Hermione."
She shushed him and ignored the glare sent her way as she began to reassure him.
"I told you to trust me Harry, and trust me when I say you're the most qualified candidate for this position. Defeating Voldemort aside, I bet you never noticed how much the younger years looked up to you and saw you as their leader. And in Quidditch! Becoming captain was nothing you ever stressed over- you stepped into that position with ease. You're a natural born leader Harry, and your defence skills are on par to none. This position was meant for you; take it."
He was silent for a while before he finally turned his head towards her, his voice small as he asked, "But you'll help me create lesson plans, right?"
She laughed. "Oh Harry, lesson plans will probably be the least of your worries."
And indeed they were. As the school year drew closer and only a couple weeks of summer remained, Harry learned things that certainly had him rethinking his (coerced) decision of becoming Hogwart's newest DADA teacher. First he found out that the part of the castle that housed Gryffindor's Head of House was still under construction, so he would instead be staying in quarters close to the dungeon. Which he then realized meant that McGonagall intended for him to become the new Head of House.
"But I only turned 19 a week ago!" He wailed, eyes wide and looking to the new Headmistress for any sign that she would rethink her decision. Somehow, instead, he was faced with an expression eerily similar to Hermione's own when he complained about being offered the teaching position in the first place.
"Are you doubting my decision making, Mr. Potter?"
"No professor."
"Well then. As Head of House you will be responsible for overseeing Gryffindor prefects as well as assigning detentions, parole times..."
And that was the end of that.
The real shock came when he learned that the school was to be accepting any student from his year who wanted to come back and take their NEWTs. Which brought him to the third major dilemma: his big mouth.
"Any student, professor? Any student can come back?"
"Yes Mr. Potter, that is what I said the first two times."
He shook his head. "No, I mean- yes, I know you said any student but what I meant was...any student? Even Slytherins?"
The professor raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Harry, even Slytherins."
She considered his frowning form before her and saw him struggling with some internal thought. Finally he seemed to make up his mind and turned towards her, face earnest. And from his mouth came a statement she never expected.
"Even Malfoy? I know he's been sentenced to house arrest and that he's a stupid git but NEWTs are required for almost every career path and even he needs to take them too, right?"
His rambling statement nearly took her breath away. Harry Potter, asking about the welfare of his childhood enemy? Truthfully McGonagall was ashamed that it was Harry who brought to attention the possible injustice that was occurring to the Malfoy heir. She had been to his trial and seen the child- for he really was just a child, shaking in his seat in front of the Wizengamot, no sneer in sight or lackeys beside him. Already she knew that he would never be sent to Azkaban, but with added testimonies from herself, Hermione and- shocked as she was right now, Harry Potter, the boy thankfully ended up being sentenced only to two years of house arrest and limited use of his wand, along with his mother. But she had never spared a thought towards the boy since, not even when sending out letters to all the former seventh year students about the opportunity to come back for an 8th year.
Harry watched his old professor as he nervously shifted in his seat. Should he have never brought Malfoy up?
McGonagall must have sensed his worry as she quickly cleared her throat and stood up from her desk, picking up her cloak and motioning for him to follow.
"Where are we going professor?"
They stopped in front of the fireplace and quickly she handed him some floo powder.
"I do believe you are right, Mr. Potter." He looked at her in confusement.
"Draco Malfoy does not deserve to miss this opportunity to better his future." She swept her robes around her and stepped over the hearth.
Harry grinned. "So where are we going then?"
"To the Ministry of Magic. It's time that I set some things straight for my students."
And so that's how Harry now found himself leaning against the wall of the train station, waiting for the Hogwart's Express to come in and armed with the knowledge that Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini, Daphne Greengrass, Pansy Parkinson and none other than Draco Malfoy would be among the Slytherin students on the train returning for their 8th year.
The sound of chattering students broke his reverie and Harry opened his eyes to see the station suddenly crowded with bodies.
"Firs' year students over here! All firs' years come this way wi'h me!" A rather large huddle of small figures were making their way towards Hagrid and Harry couldn't help the sentimental smile that over took his features. He watched them, some slowly and others more excitably, begin their trek towards where the boats were kept for their journey across the Black Lake.
Shaking his head at the nostalgia that momentarily overwhelmed him, he turned and began making his way towards the carriages, fondly looking at the castle in the distance that he would be calling home for the next many years. Grey eyes suddenly caught his and Harry froze for a moment, a curious expression coming over his face.
Draco Malfoy was gawking at him.
He watched as those grey eyes flitted over his features, skating down to take in the teacher's robes, then back up over his shoulders and up to his messy hair, before locking eyes with him once more. Harry couldn't help the sudden amusement that overcame him from Malfoy's shock.
It must have shown on his face a bit as Malfoy swiftly pulled himself together, face folding into one of nonchalance as he continued walking towards the carriages and past Harry with nothing more than a curt nod at his person.
Amusement tore through Harry once more and he shook his head, smiling, taking a second to look behind him to make sure all the students were off the train and making their way towards the castle.
So maybe accepting this job wasn't going to be the worst decision he'd ever made. This was definitely going to be an interesting year
A/N: Ok, so there's that! It's nearly 3pm now and I definitely skipped both my classes but hey, at least I got this chapter written! ^_^' Lol so I guess I lied when I said that this was going to be a one shot, but never fear! I already know exactly what I want to happen (kinda) and for sure this won't be longer than 3 chapters (ok maybe 5 at most).
Reviews are gold that make me want to attend class AND write more, so please, please leave a comment! :)
*check me out on tumblr (shipping-in-paradise. tumblr. com) for updates in between the inevitabley long breaks that will occur between chapter posts! #welp*
