Chapter 2
Hermione expected that being a professor would be fulfilling. She didn't expect to be wracked with nerves. While eating breakfast her hands were shaking, and she almost spilt her oatmeal on herself in front of all of the students. And then when she was handing out schedules, she gave a first year a third year schedule because they had the same first name and she didn't even think about two of the students in her house to have the same name. Luckily enough the Gryffindor and Slytherin seventh years were her first period so Ginny was able too calm her nerves.
She was correct to assume that they didn't really need to be taught anything. She turned their period into a study hall type thing because she didn't know what else to do. The sixth years were her second period and they also didn't need to take that class so she did the same for their class. When the first years came into the room she could tell that some of them were nervous like her. Hermione told them what they would be doing through out the year and then let them ask questions, taking it easy on them for the first day.
"Are you really friends with Harry Potter? Did you really help defeat Voldemort?" a boy with brown hair from Slytherin asks.
"Yes I am friends with Harry. Yes I helped defeat Voldemort. I was the brains of the golden trio."
"Is it true what Professor Malfoy said about you? That you used to have hair that was super curly and it looked like a afro that wouldn't stay up?" a Gryffindor girl asks. Hermione is to shocked to answer for a minute. She knew Malfoy wouldn't be able to change that fast. It is better than what he once called her all those years ago but it still hurts her.
"I did have super curly hair but it did not look anything like a afro." All of the kids slouch in their seats. "You are all dismissed," Hermione says. When all of them are gone she makes her way down to the potions room and walks in. Malfoy is sitting at his desk, reading something when she bursts into the otherwise empty classroom.
"They asked you about it?"
"Of course they asked me about it! Why would you say that Malfoy? After apologizing for what you said you then go and say that?"
"Calm down would you? I want to seem like the cool professor, thats all. You already are because of who you are."
"So you make fun of other professors?"
"I wasn't making fun of you. I was stating a opinion."
"Two can play at that game Malfoy," Hermione says woking out of the room. By the next day all of the first and second years were asking her the same question. So she decided to tell them about him.
"Did he tell you about the time he was turned into a weasel?" They class starts laughing.
"Why?" Lucy, a first year Gryffindor asks.
"He was making fun of Harry in our fourth year. A man was drinking polyjuice potions to look like Mad Eye Moody, that part is a long story so I'm not going to explain it. So when Harry was walking away from Malfoy, Moody walked up and told Harry to "Never turn his back to his enemy" before he transfigured Malfoy into a weasel. He made him go down one persons shirt and another of his friends pants before the headmistress, who was just a professor then, came and turned him back." The whole classroom bursts out laughing, making Hermione glad that she told them near the end of class because she can't bring them back.
"What happened to the real Moody when all of this happened?" someone asks, Hermione isn't sure who.
"That is too long of a story. If I explained that then I would have to explain our whole fourth year for it to make any sense. I'll tell you about it sometime. I want you to tell everyone you know about the story I told you, alright?" Hermione says, with a smile on her face. They all leave the classroom, looking very happy that they know something that the rest of the school doesn't know.
Hermione sits at her desk with a smile on her face, picturing the face Malfoy will make when he finds out that she told that story. He will be so mad but Hermione knows it will be worth it. He started it, maybe this will end it. She can always tell about the time she punched him, or when Harry beat him, when he screamed like a girl in the forbidden forest, there are so many options.
At dinner that evening Hermione has trouble acting normal around him, because he hasn't heard the story yet. Ginny catches her eye and shakes her head, with a smile on her face. Hermione just grins back. She knows that Ginny will tell Harry about it tonight but she thinks she knows what he will say. He will like that she got up the gets to tell that story, even if he and Malfoy are on talking terms.
"What is going on with you today?" Malfoy asks as they are walking to their chambers.
"Nothing. But perhaps if I did have something that I wasn't telling you, maybe you would find out sometime tomorrow," Hermione says, in a voice that doesn't seem like hers.
"What did you do Granger?" Malfoy asks as they reach the doors of their rooms.
"I stated a fact," Hermione says, walking into the room and closing the door without looking him.
In the morning Hermione wakes up with a grin on her face, she can't help it. She makes her way to the great hall and runs into Ginny, who is rubbing her eyes.
"How are you awake," she mumbles.
"I keep picturing Malfoy's face when he finds out what I told the first and second years." This makes Ginny perk up a bit.
"I can't believe you told them that story! Of all the stories that you could of said you do that one first. You should of done the one where you punched him."
"If he says something else about me I will. I have a whole list of things to say about him." The two of them walk into the great hall and Hermione goes to sit at the Gryffindor table by instinct.
"Shouldn't you be at the professors table?" Ginny asks, with a huge smile on her face.
"Yes, I suppose I should. I think I will ask if I can sit here sometimes. I need to talk to you later about the quiditch team, captain," Hermione says, standing up and walking away before she can reply. Hermione sits at the table next to Malfoy, who must of showed up when she was sitting with Ginny.
"Any chance you will tell me about what you did?" he asks, as cooly as he can.
"Not a chance," Hermione replies, looking at him after taking bite of her apple cinnamon oat meal.
"I didn't know Gryffindors could be so secretive."
"I guess Slytherins aren't as sly as I have heard." Malfoy is staring at her, and Hermione is staring right back. Are we really having a stare-off, Hermione asks herself. And they really were, right there in front of all of the students. Ginny is the only one who notices, and she can't help but grin a little bit because she had a feeling something like this would happen. This is only the beginning.
They finally look away at the same time, and don't look at each other for the rest of the meal. Hermione talks to Ginny about the plans for the quiditch team for the period that she has her in. When the first year Gryffindors come in they begin telling her all about their potions class. Apparently know body said anything about it to him so when they burst into random fits of after all class he was very confused. When the second years come in, she isn't sure what houses, they say that asked him about it. And he almost exploded. Draco comes bursting into her room during her free period, and apparently his as well, and slams his fist onto her desk.
"How could you? Of all the things you could of told them, you tell them that!" he shouts.
"Well if it helps, you are now very popular," Hermione says, leaning back in her seat. "If you think about it, I actually helped you."
"You told them I went down someones pants!"
"You did go down someones pants."
"I have nothing else against you. Now I'm going to look like the weak one."
"We both know you have a ton of stuff against me. The time I turned into a cat, and that time... Okay, I guess that's the only other one. And I do have a lot of stuff against you."
"How much stuff?" he asks, pulling a chair over.
"A lot. But I can't tell you or you would turn it into something else."
"That was me being sly and it didn't work so lets try something else. A truce?"
"That was you being sly? I'm more sly than that!"
"I have been in my house for a year, so I am a little rusty," he says, making Hermione snort.
"A truce. You don't say anything about me, I won't say anything about you."
"Deal," he says, holding his hand out. They shake on it. "So how are your classes going?"
"I don't even have to teach the sixth and seventh years so they have a study hall that period. The fifth years are on a advanced course. The rest of them are at the normal pace but the first years are very loud."
"They will get better soon hopefully. I find that annoying too. There has already been three explosions and today was the first potion they made."
"I don't remember ever being like that."
"You never were. It was always the Finnigan guy and Neville. And me sometimes. Just not in potions."
"True. I think you were the worst in that flying class our first year," she says, with a grin on her face. She has been doing that a lot lately, grinning.
"I was good at flying. I probably shouldn't hove taken that ball thing and thrown it though."
"You definitely shouldn't of taken it! But if you hadn't Harry wouldn't of got onto the team his first year."
"Maybe Slytherin would have won if her hadn't."
"I guess we will never know."
"I guess not." Some students in Hermione's next class start filtering into the room. "I guess I should go. I can't leave them standing for to long," Draco says, standing up.
"See you at dinner," Hermione replies. A Ravenclaw girl comes and asks her a question but she can't help noticing that Draco looks back at her before he leaves. She doesn't really understand what she is feeling but it is something she hasn't felt since her first kiss with Ron.
Draco and Hermione talk through all of dinner about the most random of things. Hermione isn't even sure how anything they talked about got brought into the conversation. They have rounds that night and talk about anything not personal. They don't ask each other about family things or what they did after the war, they talk about favorite books, and Hermione tells him about some muggle books that he has to read.
Hermione was surprised to find out that he likes to read, and that he has read almost all the books she has. Before Draco goes back to his room after they check the first four floors she invites him into her room so she can get one of the muggle books for him. He follows her in and she looks around the shelves for the one particular book. She finally spots it and brings it to him excitedly.
"Here it is. It's called 'The Princess Bride.' I think you will like it." She hands it to him and he eyes it for a minute.
"What is it about?"
"Love. It has giants, sword fights, death, it is a really good story. We will have to plan a time to watch the movie in the muggle world."
"And if I don't like it?"
"I will get you a different one to read, I have a lot."
"Alright. Goodnight Hermione," he says, walking towards her door. Hermione follows him.
"Goodnight Draco," she says, closing the door when he goes into his room.