Walking to the mess hall I knew I was late for the students arrival so I changed course and walked in through the back way. I pushed open the door and walked through, past Viktor and he nodded to me and I smiled.
Walking past the teachers I walked to my side of the table and pushed my old Ravenclaw cloak off my back so it wouldn't choke me as I sat down. "Hello Luna." I smiled and nodded to Cho and she smiled.
"How long until you leave to get the first years?" I asked her after drinking some water.
"About 3 minutes. Would you like to come with me?" She asked and I shook my head. "That's right, I forgot it was your turn to get the hat. You should go now." She said and I held in my sigh and nodded before getting up.
I walked through the back again and walked as quick as possible to the hat and grabbed it and walked back. This time I had to go down the lanes of students. I saw a few from last year and the year before and they waved saying my name to get my attention and I nodded to them.
Cho already had the first years waiting and I gave them all an encouraging smile as Cho called the first kid up. I put the hat on his eager little head and he automatically sat up straighter. It went on, some kids cheered loudly when getting their houses and other smiled and hopped right to their respective tables.
Once it was all done I had to take the hat back, but the past couple years the food was mostly gone, I just hoped there would be some left for me. I walked back and saw a plate of food waiting for me and I turned to Cho and thanked her.
"Oh, no, Draco made a plate for you." She said and I turned and saw Draco talking with a few other teachers I knew were going to be playing in quidditch tomorrow. I made a small note to thank him for this when he was done talking.
"Why don't we all settle down, take your seats, listen up and in just a few minutes we can all get back to talking about our summers and getting to know each other." Aberforth called and I focused on him almost done with my food. "Thank you." He said and cleared his throat when the entire hall became silent.
"He doesn't like doing this." Cho whispered to me and I looked over at her and nodded, agreeing. He said he reminded him too much of his brother.
I sat through the rules and the hellos and welcome backs and watched Draco from the corner of my eye sit forward, and back like he was impatient.
I finished eating and when I sought him out before dessert he was already gone... said goodnight so he would get a full night's sleep. So when it was time I went to sleep with a note of Draco on my mind.
The next morning I woke, took a shower, went down to the great hall, had breakfast with a few students from last year, and then walked to the quidditch grounds hoping to catch Draco so I could say thank you and goodluck the rest of the team.
I sat in the stands as the students warmed up and waited for some sign of the professors. I saw Draco's hair and walked down as the students all landed. "Draco!" I shouted and he turned looking around until he spotted me and started walking over.
"What can I help you with?" He asked making sure his gloves were good and tight.
"I just wanted to thank you, I didn't get a chance last night... you know for making me a plate. And I wanted to tell you and the rest of the team good luck." I smiled up at him and he gave me a giant one I am sure no one has seen in a long time in return.
"Thank you Luna, and it was no problem to make you a plate. No one else was doing it so I thought you might want some of the good food." He said and smiled.
"Well, good luck I am going back into the stands." I said and he nodded to me and I turned to walk back and glanced over my shoulder feeling eyes on me. Draco waved at me each time I turned around, he had walked over to the rest of the team, still watching over me. I ran up the stairs and sat in the front row near the scorekeeper and waited another 15 minutes before the game was starting. The stands were full and I kept my eyes on Draco as he started flying.
The game went on, making my neck sort of hurt as I followed the ball around. But suddenly Draco whizzed past with a student on his tail as the snitch went around and around the stands I was sitting in. Suddenly both brooms seemed to be commanded and the riders were flung into the stands.
"Are you two okay?" I asked climbing my way past the students and checking on Roy before Draco as he stood.
"I'm fine." Roy said after moving his arms around and patting his chest.
I checked over Draco as he prised his arm from under some boards and gasped. "You're bleeding." I walked forward and pulled my wand out and used a spell to cut the rest of his glove, and arm band before saying another one to make the blood from his arm go back into his wound. He turned his wrist a couple times after standing and I noticed that his old Death Eater tattoo was covered by a large burn.
"Thanks Luna." He said and put his hand down letting his robe cover it again. "You sure you're okay?" He asked looking to Roy.
"Just some bruises." Roy said and hobbled down before staggering down the stairs.
"You should both go to the hospital wing." I said moving forward and sort of catching him as he tried to stay up. Draco followed and took his shoulder from me and helped him the rest of the way down. I kept up assisting with a pain medication spell here and there.
"You'll be fine, but do you want your parents informed of this situation?" Draco asked and Roy shook his head.
"My mum is busy and my dad will just make a huge fuss." He said and sat on one of the beds. "I'm just ready to get out of here and find out who won the game." He smirked towards Draco and I looked to him to see him smirking back.
"Even if we didn't catch the snitch they might have just called it off. We still need to find out what flung us from our brooms." Draco said and then tried to crack his neck and wincing.
"Are you sure you are okay?" I asked moving closer and saw a huge bruise where he must have struck wood. "That looks terribly painful." I said and ran my finger along the horizontal 2 inch purple skin making him pull away. "Sorry." I said pulling back.
"It didn't hurt, more like tickled." He said and turned to me now.
"Professor Malfoy ticklish? I call telling the girls in class tomorrow." Roy laughed and I looked at him with a small smile and shake of my head.
"Can I tell my students it's okay to scream like a girl when I show them scary truths about mythology history?" I asked him and his face fell. "You know not to blackmail a teacher." I chided and looked around before sighing. "I guess you should sleep, the medication will make you fall asleep soon anyways." I said and Roy nodded and laid back. "See you tomorrow Roy." I nodded and turned to walk out, Draco following me.
"You didn't have to do that." Draco said almost whispering it and I looked to him at my side and shrugged.
"Roy knows better, he is just picking on the new teacher." I said and bumped his elbow. He hissed and I stopped and looked at him touching it softly. "Sorry. How many bruises do you think you have?" I asked as he pulled his robes up and I saw a massive one on his bicep and traveling down below his elbow.
"I know I am going to have one on my back."
"You'll be so sore in the morning." I sighed out and he nodded.
"Great first day huh?" He laughed half heartedly and I looked down the hallways and heard a roar of students. "Guess the match is over." He said and a few groups of students turned the corner.
"Professor Malfoy, are you okay?" A girl asked coming up close and personal. I hid my smile as he nodded.
"Who won the match?" He asked to the crowd that seemed to form around him. I backed off hearing that the teachers did win and walked down the hallway heading to my classroom. I walked in and started passing out things that the students will make sure they have for my class in about 10 minutes when they all pour in. I had my first years come in first and then so on.
We only have 25 minute classes and I was going to use it to make sure they all made at least one friend here.
I heard a knock and turned to see Draco in the doorway. "Hi there." I smiled and continued with the papers.
"You left me with all the students." He sounded teasing and I nodded.
"I had to set up." I said simply and he walked in a bit more. "You sure you are okay?" I asked when he seemed to wince.
"I'm fine, some of the soreness is kicking in sooner than I would have expected." He said and I walked closer to him.
"You know you can always use a spell for that. Or maybe a potion? I was horrible in that class if I am honest." I laughed lightly and finished with the papers so I stopped and faced him now.
"Snape seemed to be preoccupied while teaching in our later years so it is understandable." He nodded and I shrugged.
"I'm pretty bad at cooking as well, so maybe it is just the measurements or ingredients that get to me." I laughed at myself and looked around again making sure everything was in place.
"Nervous?" Draco asked breaking through my inspection.
"I've been teaching for three years but I always want to make a good impression on the first years." I said and he chuckled lightly.
"You'll be just fine. I have to teach some of the kids who still see me as a Death Eater... I think I should be more nervous than you." He said and I nibbled my lip.
"I saw your burn mark." I said and he nodded and pulled his sleeve up.
"Self inflicted. Didn't like what it stood for, didn't like it on my arm, and didn't like people looking at me with disgust when it was forced upon me." He said and I walked closer seeing some black marks mixed in with the burns.
"You shouldn't have done it to yourself. Could have been dangerous." I said and he shrugged.
"Didn't feel like seeing another person sneer at me when I asked about getting it spelled off... no matter how painful it might have been." He said and I nodded my head to him. "Besides, I made the pledge, I wanted to take it back myself." He said and pulled his cover back down.
"Very noble of you Draco. I think everyone here will soon see how changed you are." I told him with a smile and he nodded.
"Luna?" He asked after almost walking out.
"Yes?" I asked in the same tone and he smiled before looking at the floor.
"Thank you for being yourself around me. Not faking your interest or hospitality." He said and I laughed.
"No need for thanks Draco, you are a teacher, you are older, you are different and I could tell that when you apologized for spooking the horses the other day."
"I apologized to you as well."
"I know, but the horses needed no apology, as I recall a certain boy did get hurt by a horse like creature in his third year... was that you?" I asked and he laughed and nodded.
"It was a Hippogriff, and he didn't seem nearly as dangerous as he was." He added backing out slowly and I nodded following him out.
"Have a good rest of the day Draco, hope you don't get too sore. Try a cold bath and then a hot shower." I told him and saw a couple students rush in past me.
"You too Luna. Don't be so nervous." He told me and I swear he winked, but I wasn't so sure. I waved at the few students before focusing on him when he turned to look back at me.
Draco is so different, almost carefree, and I thought there was nothing more attractive than someone who didn't care as much as I did.