Urg! This chapter was incredibly difficult to write, and I may re-do it
later on. So please forgive the choppy-ness and the kind of plodding way
things happen.
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The door to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom clicked shut under her hand, and Kalli savored the awed silence that fell over the class for a moment before turning and walking up the center aisle. The thoughts of the class were almost palpable and she struggled to keep a smile hidden.
She knew they didn't think she was old enough for Dumbledore to have hired her here at Hogwarts. They also probably thought she didn't dress like a professor should.
The heels of her black pumps were clicking conspicuously against the slate floors, and her sleeveless robes were open to reveal a creamy tailored blouse, and black pinstripe trousers.
"What they DON'T realize,' Kalli thought to herself as she reached her desk at the front and set her things upon it's shiny top, 'is that I rarely ACT like a Professor either."
Circling the desk she gave it a grim once over, then waved her hands above it for a moment before standing back. A communal gasp went through the classroom as the stout desk began to twist and turn, seeming to fold in on itself several times before coming to a shuddering halt as a wide table, supported by impossibly curving legs.
Kalli moved in front of it and hoisted herself to sit on top, folding her hands in her lap and surveying her classroom for the first time.
"Ah yes,' she thought to herself, crossing her legs more comfortably, 'Harry Potter. Then the red haired chap with the shell shocked expression must be Arthur Weasley's son. There's one of the Patil twins and Oh! That must be Weaver's daughter, and.oh.oh my.." Kalli stopped her evaluation, head tilted to one side as her eyes fell on the blonde boy sitting at the very front of the class. "That's has to be Lucius Malfoy's son. This could be interesting.."
Straightening up she gave the class a wide smile. "Sorry for the bit with the desk, but I do find cherry more comfortable to sit on then oak."
Every person in the class looked at her like she had a frog's head hanging from her ear, but Kalli was completely undaunted. This had been anticipated.
"Speaking of comfort, are any of you really comfortable at those desks? Be honest now." A slight murmur ran through the room as everyone either shrugged or shook their heads. "That's what I thought. Okay, before we do anything else, I want everyone to imagine the most comfortable seat you've ever sat in. Think of it really hard for me alright?"
Kalli raised her hands as everyone squinched their eyes closed. "Ready all? Alright then, hold that thought!" She swooshed her hands up, waved them once around her head, and then brought them back down in the midst of a very loud CRASH! Her eyes, like everyone else's, flew open and she searched over the room trying to find out what fell. All the students were sitting in an assortment of easy chairs, wing backs and padded executive desk seats...except one. A bushy haired girl in the third row of Gryffindors was staring at her through narrowed eyes and still seated in one of the rough wooden school chairs. The crash had come when the person on her left had imagined away his part of the desk and she hadn't. Two legs and 2 feet of table were lying on the floor in front of her.
Looking down at the blonde boy who was lounging in a leather armchair, she jerked her chin towards the girl. "Who's that?" She asked.
"Hermione Granger." He drawled, casting a smug look over his shoulder at her.
Hermione Granger..where had she heard that before? Oh yes.Dumbledore had said she would be the only one who completed the essay assigned to them in library time. A studious sort of girl..
"Right. Hermione? Did you WANT to sit at the ruddy awful desk? Or did you need a bit of work in the imagination department?" Kalli asked, thinking perhaps Hermione just hadn't been ready.
"No Professor. I want to sit at the desk, as it is a classroom after all. We have common rooms for sitting in comfortably." Hermione snapped, looking appalled at the very idea that she may not want to sit at a proper desk.
"Oh very well, party pooper." Kalli said, twitching a finger at the fallen desk, sighing as it righted itself and Hermione put her books back on top.
"Well, as I've just displayed my utter ignorance about my pupils, perhaps we should get to the introductions? I'll start since I'm the teacher and all that." Kalli heard a snort come from Hermione's area and she once again suppressed a smile. "I'm Professor Kalliopae Chant. A very good way to lose five points for your house is to call my Professor Chant, much too formal. If you're looking to lose ten points I suggest using my full first name within earshot, as I can't stand it. Ultimately I would like everyone to call me Kalli, but since some of you are probably driven to propriety, 'Professor Kalli' or simply 'Professor' will do."
She glanced around the room. "Is that alright?" A few nods and a few smiles.
"Right then, your turn. How about first and last names, what you prefer to be called, and some strange idiosyncrasy about yourself. We'll start with the Gryffindors please."
Sitting back to enjoy herself, she listened intently as each person in turn stood and said their name, and tried to think of something odd to say about themselves that all seemed to revolve around fear.
Ron Weasley was terribly afraid of spiders. Neville LongBottom was scared silly of Professor Snape Lavendar Brown and Parvati Patil were both fearful of the Grim. Vincent Crabbe was sometimes leery of the way food popped onto the table at meal times. Pansy Parkinson was afraid the blotch on her chin would never go away. Last but not least, Draco Malfoy claimed to be afraid of nothing.
"Nothing?" Kalli said, watching as he shrugged, "Well them tell me something else odd about you."
"There is nothing odd about me. I am a Malfoy and Malfoy's are_"
"Two cuts above the rest." Kalli finished for him with a sigh. "If I had a Knut for every time I heard that from your father." She mused. "How is your father anyways?"
"H-he's fine, Professor, but how did you_"
Kalli waved him off and looked around the room. "Pardon me Draco, we'll pick this up in a few minutes. You, Neville. You're the one scared of Professor Snape?"
Neville nodded looking stricken at the very sound of his name.
"Then you best take cover, he'll be at the door in a moment in his normal bad humor, and I'm sorry to say it will only get worse when he sees me." She pointed to a closet and Neville hastened across the room and slammed the door shut behind him.
Kalli seated herself a bit more comfortably and crossed her hands in her lap, giving the class a reassuring smile that didn't quite do the job for herself.
Presently there was a knock and the door opened a second later, letting through the menacing black-cloaked figure of the Potions Master.
He strolled in completely nonchalant and Kalli could see his sneer from across the room.
"A thousand apologies for interrupting a.." Snape looked around at the assortment of chairs and tables everyone was sitting in. "Class.if that's what you call it." His lip curled higher as he walked up the center aisle looking around him with distaste. "But as Professor Dumbledore decided not to inform me of your arrival, I had to come now. There are things you need to." Snape stopped again. His eyes had just fallen on her and she could see the horror in his gaze.
He most certainly recognized her.
And he really wasn't happy.
"You!" He hissed launching himself up the last part of the aisle, stopping only inches from Kalli's face. "What are you doing here you meddlesome fool!?"
Jumping down off the desk and facing the class she fixed a puzzled and slightly perplexed look on her face, then squinched her lips to one side in deep thought.
"Oh dear." She said, and then raised one hand in the air as a student would when wanting to ask a question. The class looked at her curiously as she waved her hand about.
"I asked you a question! Answer me! What are you doing here!?" Snape commanded, trying to end the charade he didn't understand.
Kalli watched as realization suddenly dawned on Draco Malfoy's face and he stood up, clearing his throat.
"Yes Miss Kalli?" He asked in his best impression of a Hogwart's Professor.
"Oh! Sir! Could you please tell me what I'm doing here?"
"Teaching Miss Kalli. And I do wish you would remember that."
Kalli nodded, eyes sparkling and turned back to Professor Snape. "I'm Teaching." She relayed and jumped back onto the desk.
Snape fumbled for a moment, walking a few steps away before finding his vocal functions. "Teaching." He sneered. "You call this teaching? This is more a circus tent then a classroom."
"Right!" Kalli said jumping up again from the desk and going to the board. "I suppose I should start today's lesson." She picked up a piece of chalk and started scrawling frantically across the board. When she was finished the whole class burst out laughing and Snape whirled around to see what she'd written. With a measured look he turned on his heel and started walking to the door.
"That's right class! I see our lesson in "How to Defend Yourself Against Very Annoying, Very Greasy, Black Cloaked Demons" is a complete success. Humiliation and Laughter are always key."
"Absolutely hilarious Professor Chant." Snape said, pausing in his exit.
"5 points from Slytherin for calling me Professor Chant!" Kalli said very loudly, setting down her chalk and walking towards Snape.
"I beg your pardon?" He said, appalled.
"I said, '5 points from Slytherin for calling me Professor Chant.'" Kalli repeated, drawing level with him.
"Are you mad!?" Snape said as she drew level with him.
"Really Professor Snape, if you can't keep up with lessons you'll have to ask others in your house to explain things to you" Kalli said resting a hand on the doorknob.
"If you continue in a manner of such madness I'll be forced to see Professor Dumbledore and have you removed." He said, narrowing his eyes to slits.
Kalli narrowed her eyes to match his and her voice dropped to deathly nasty tone, still loud enough for everyone in the classroom to hear. "I'd really hate to have to confirm with Dumbledore that you're threatening yet another Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Severus. With your track record do you really think that's wise?"
She coolly opened the door, all the while keeping eye contact with Snapes hard coal eyes. They stood there for several minutes before two pick spot appeared on Snape's cheeks and he swept out of the classroom.
Kalli closed the door after him with a deep breath and turned back to the class who were once again slack jawed.
"Oh really! Do we have to do this again?" She laughed and walked back to the front of the room.
Neville stumbled out of the closet beaming, "Was it as good to see as it was to hear?" He demanded rushing back to his seat where Lavendar began to tell him everything that happened.
Kalli sat back on top of the desk content to let the class chatter for the last few minutes of class.
"Uh. Professor Kalli?" Draco was sitting in his seat, hand half raised.
"Yes Draco?"
"Um. What was that all about anyways? I mean, Snape's always in a bad mood and all, but he looked about ready to kill you."
"Yeah!" Piped up Harry Potter from across the room, agreeing with Draco, "I don't think any of us has seen him that mad, not even when someone broke into his office in second year."
Kalli chewed her lip for a moment.
"Well I expect Professor Snape would happily bury me alive if he had the chance, Draco." She smiled. "And I think I'd do the same to him. To put it mildly, we don't get along anymore."
Too late she realized the opening she had given.
"Anymore?" Draco said, catching on as quickly as she knew he would. "Did you once?"
Kalli sighed. "Yes well. This should answer two of your questions Draco. Professor Snape and I attended Hogwarts together for one year. My first and his last. We got along alright for that year, but we met a few years after that and things had changed." She tried hard to keep the note of bitterness out of her voice.
The gong sounded, marking the end of class and everyone seemed a little slow in picking up their things, as if hoping for something else to happen.
"Slytherins!" Kalli called out above the din outside the door, "I was quite serious about the points. I'm leaving it up to you to inform Professor Snape what the rules are." Everyone, including the Slytherins laughed.
She slid off the desk and erased the board, when she turned back she found Draco standing at the side of his arm chair looking somehow different.
"Draco? Don't you have to get to another class?" Kalli asked, dusting off her hands and walking to stand with him.
"Potion's next. Snape never takes points off for me being late because I'm Slytherin."
Kalli nodded, knowing the preferences Severus allocated.
"Was there something you wanted?"
Draco shifted awkwardly, and then Kalli realized what was different. The aloof, Malfoy-esq expression that had tipped her off to him being Lucius' son was gone. He looked kinder and softer.
"If you hung around with Professor Snape when he was in school, then you hung around with my father as well didn't you?"
Kalli sat down on the arm of Draco's chair. "Yes I did. He and Severus were inseparable at times."
Draco nodded not meeting her eyes. "Then you were a Slytherin as well. My Father would never be a friend with anyone who wasn't one."
"Your father did have his idea's didn't he." Kalli chuckled and Draco nodded. "Yes, I was a Slytherin. But calling your father and I friends is quite inaccurate. We had a few..differences. But you'll have to ask him about those. I'll not be filling your head with the truth before you've heard the fantastic stories he's got!" Draco couldn't seem to help but laugh for a moment before growing serious again.
"If you were a Slytherin, then why are you like.well..this?"
"Define what you mean?" She said, knowing full well what he wanted to know.
"Why are you, I dunno.fun? All the Slytherin's I've ever known are evil, power hungry, commanding people who have no sense of humor."
"Careful Draco, your true colours are showing." Kalli said with a smile. "Do you remember what the sorting hat said about Slytherin's the year you were sorted?"
Draco thought carefully for a few moments. "Something about doing anything to achieve something."
"Those cunning folk will do anything, to achieve their ends." Kalli quoted, once again glad she'd continued to have Dumbledore Owl her the sorting hat's song every year since she enjoyed them so much. "You'd interpret that to mean something nasty wouldn't you? Power hungry and hurtful, right?"
Draco nodded.
"Did you ever think that it meant smart and determined?" He looked up at her for the first time, meeting her eyes. "Draco, you come from a time where everything is about taking sides against Lord Voldemort, it hasn't always been like that. Salazar Slytherin wasn't a bad man, he just knew what he liked and was pretty determined to get it.
I'm from Slytherin, and I have no desire to join up with old Voldie!"
Draco tried unsuccessfully to squelch a laugh.
"Listen. Slytherin's aren't bad, we're just kinda sly and independent. We know what we want and we go after it."
"Yeah. I suppose you're right." Draco smiled and picked up his things to go. "But I guess that means the Slytherin's will get in trouble if we're late to your classes huh?"
Kalli shrugged. "Depends on how entertaining your excuse is."
He smiled once more then left her alone in the classroom. She turned and slid down into his chair, fingers tented under her chin.
"Lucius, Lucius, Lucius." She mused quietly "Your father may have wrecked your life with his garbage talk of power, but I will NOT let you ruin your own son's."
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The door to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom clicked shut under her hand, and Kalli savored the awed silence that fell over the class for a moment before turning and walking up the center aisle. The thoughts of the class were almost palpable and she struggled to keep a smile hidden.
She knew they didn't think she was old enough for Dumbledore to have hired her here at Hogwarts. They also probably thought she didn't dress like a professor should.
The heels of her black pumps were clicking conspicuously against the slate floors, and her sleeveless robes were open to reveal a creamy tailored blouse, and black pinstripe trousers.
"What they DON'T realize,' Kalli thought to herself as she reached her desk at the front and set her things upon it's shiny top, 'is that I rarely ACT like a Professor either."
Circling the desk she gave it a grim once over, then waved her hands above it for a moment before standing back. A communal gasp went through the classroom as the stout desk began to twist and turn, seeming to fold in on itself several times before coming to a shuddering halt as a wide table, supported by impossibly curving legs.
Kalli moved in front of it and hoisted herself to sit on top, folding her hands in her lap and surveying her classroom for the first time.
"Ah yes,' she thought to herself, crossing her legs more comfortably, 'Harry Potter. Then the red haired chap with the shell shocked expression must be Arthur Weasley's son. There's one of the Patil twins and Oh! That must be Weaver's daughter, and.oh.oh my.." Kalli stopped her evaluation, head tilted to one side as her eyes fell on the blonde boy sitting at the very front of the class. "That's has to be Lucius Malfoy's son. This could be interesting.."
Straightening up she gave the class a wide smile. "Sorry for the bit with the desk, but I do find cherry more comfortable to sit on then oak."
Every person in the class looked at her like she had a frog's head hanging from her ear, but Kalli was completely undaunted. This had been anticipated.
"Speaking of comfort, are any of you really comfortable at those desks? Be honest now." A slight murmur ran through the room as everyone either shrugged or shook their heads. "That's what I thought. Okay, before we do anything else, I want everyone to imagine the most comfortable seat you've ever sat in. Think of it really hard for me alright?"
Kalli raised her hands as everyone squinched their eyes closed. "Ready all? Alright then, hold that thought!" She swooshed her hands up, waved them once around her head, and then brought them back down in the midst of a very loud CRASH! Her eyes, like everyone else's, flew open and she searched over the room trying to find out what fell. All the students were sitting in an assortment of easy chairs, wing backs and padded executive desk seats...except one. A bushy haired girl in the third row of Gryffindors was staring at her through narrowed eyes and still seated in one of the rough wooden school chairs. The crash had come when the person on her left had imagined away his part of the desk and she hadn't. Two legs and 2 feet of table were lying on the floor in front of her.
Looking down at the blonde boy who was lounging in a leather armchair, she jerked her chin towards the girl. "Who's that?" She asked.
"Hermione Granger." He drawled, casting a smug look over his shoulder at her.
Hermione Granger..where had she heard that before? Oh yes.Dumbledore had said she would be the only one who completed the essay assigned to them in library time. A studious sort of girl..
"Right. Hermione? Did you WANT to sit at the ruddy awful desk? Or did you need a bit of work in the imagination department?" Kalli asked, thinking perhaps Hermione just hadn't been ready.
"No Professor. I want to sit at the desk, as it is a classroom after all. We have common rooms for sitting in comfortably." Hermione snapped, looking appalled at the very idea that she may not want to sit at a proper desk.
"Oh very well, party pooper." Kalli said, twitching a finger at the fallen desk, sighing as it righted itself and Hermione put her books back on top.
"Well, as I've just displayed my utter ignorance about my pupils, perhaps we should get to the introductions? I'll start since I'm the teacher and all that." Kalli heard a snort come from Hermione's area and she once again suppressed a smile. "I'm Professor Kalliopae Chant. A very good way to lose five points for your house is to call my Professor Chant, much too formal. If you're looking to lose ten points I suggest using my full first name within earshot, as I can't stand it. Ultimately I would like everyone to call me Kalli, but since some of you are probably driven to propriety, 'Professor Kalli' or simply 'Professor' will do."
She glanced around the room. "Is that alright?" A few nods and a few smiles.
"Right then, your turn. How about first and last names, what you prefer to be called, and some strange idiosyncrasy about yourself. We'll start with the Gryffindors please."
Sitting back to enjoy herself, she listened intently as each person in turn stood and said their name, and tried to think of something odd to say about themselves that all seemed to revolve around fear.
Ron Weasley was terribly afraid of spiders. Neville LongBottom was scared silly of Professor Snape Lavendar Brown and Parvati Patil were both fearful of the Grim. Vincent Crabbe was sometimes leery of the way food popped onto the table at meal times. Pansy Parkinson was afraid the blotch on her chin would never go away. Last but not least, Draco Malfoy claimed to be afraid of nothing.
"Nothing?" Kalli said, watching as he shrugged, "Well them tell me something else odd about you."
"There is nothing odd about me. I am a Malfoy and Malfoy's are_"
"Two cuts above the rest." Kalli finished for him with a sigh. "If I had a Knut for every time I heard that from your father." She mused. "How is your father anyways?"
"H-he's fine, Professor, but how did you_"
Kalli waved him off and looked around the room. "Pardon me Draco, we'll pick this up in a few minutes. You, Neville. You're the one scared of Professor Snape?"
Neville nodded looking stricken at the very sound of his name.
"Then you best take cover, he'll be at the door in a moment in his normal bad humor, and I'm sorry to say it will only get worse when he sees me." She pointed to a closet and Neville hastened across the room and slammed the door shut behind him.
Kalli seated herself a bit more comfortably and crossed her hands in her lap, giving the class a reassuring smile that didn't quite do the job for herself.
Presently there was a knock and the door opened a second later, letting through the menacing black-cloaked figure of the Potions Master.
He strolled in completely nonchalant and Kalli could see his sneer from across the room.
"A thousand apologies for interrupting a.." Snape looked around at the assortment of chairs and tables everyone was sitting in. "Class.if that's what you call it." His lip curled higher as he walked up the center aisle looking around him with distaste. "But as Professor Dumbledore decided not to inform me of your arrival, I had to come now. There are things you need to." Snape stopped again. His eyes had just fallen on her and she could see the horror in his gaze.
He most certainly recognized her.
And he really wasn't happy.
"You!" He hissed launching himself up the last part of the aisle, stopping only inches from Kalli's face. "What are you doing here you meddlesome fool!?"
Jumping down off the desk and facing the class she fixed a puzzled and slightly perplexed look on her face, then squinched her lips to one side in deep thought.
"Oh dear." She said, and then raised one hand in the air as a student would when wanting to ask a question. The class looked at her curiously as she waved her hand about.
"I asked you a question! Answer me! What are you doing here!?" Snape commanded, trying to end the charade he didn't understand.
Kalli watched as realization suddenly dawned on Draco Malfoy's face and he stood up, clearing his throat.
"Yes Miss Kalli?" He asked in his best impression of a Hogwart's Professor.
"Oh! Sir! Could you please tell me what I'm doing here?"
"Teaching Miss Kalli. And I do wish you would remember that."
Kalli nodded, eyes sparkling and turned back to Professor Snape. "I'm Teaching." She relayed and jumped back onto the desk.
Snape fumbled for a moment, walking a few steps away before finding his vocal functions. "Teaching." He sneered. "You call this teaching? This is more a circus tent then a classroom."
"Right!" Kalli said jumping up again from the desk and going to the board. "I suppose I should start today's lesson." She picked up a piece of chalk and started scrawling frantically across the board. When she was finished the whole class burst out laughing and Snape whirled around to see what she'd written. With a measured look he turned on his heel and started walking to the door.
"That's right class! I see our lesson in "How to Defend Yourself Against Very Annoying, Very Greasy, Black Cloaked Demons" is a complete success. Humiliation and Laughter are always key."
"Absolutely hilarious Professor Chant." Snape said, pausing in his exit.
"5 points from Slytherin for calling me Professor Chant!" Kalli said very loudly, setting down her chalk and walking towards Snape.
"I beg your pardon?" He said, appalled.
"I said, '5 points from Slytherin for calling me Professor Chant.'" Kalli repeated, drawing level with him.
"Are you mad!?" Snape said as she drew level with him.
"Really Professor Snape, if you can't keep up with lessons you'll have to ask others in your house to explain things to you" Kalli said resting a hand on the doorknob.
"If you continue in a manner of such madness I'll be forced to see Professor Dumbledore and have you removed." He said, narrowing his eyes to slits.
Kalli narrowed her eyes to match his and her voice dropped to deathly nasty tone, still loud enough for everyone in the classroom to hear. "I'd really hate to have to confirm with Dumbledore that you're threatening yet another Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Severus. With your track record do you really think that's wise?"
She coolly opened the door, all the while keeping eye contact with Snapes hard coal eyes. They stood there for several minutes before two pick spot appeared on Snape's cheeks and he swept out of the classroom.
Kalli closed the door after him with a deep breath and turned back to the class who were once again slack jawed.
"Oh really! Do we have to do this again?" She laughed and walked back to the front of the room.
Neville stumbled out of the closet beaming, "Was it as good to see as it was to hear?" He demanded rushing back to his seat where Lavendar began to tell him everything that happened.
Kalli sat back on top of the desk content to let the class chatter for the last few minutes of class.
"Uh. Professor Kalli?" Draco was sitting in his seat, hand half raised.
"Yes Draco?"
"Um. What was that all about anyways? I mean, Snape's always in a bad mood and all, but he looked about ready to kill you."
"Yeah!" Piped up Harry Potter from across the room, agreeing with Draco, "I don't think any of us has seen him that mad, not even when someone broke into his office in second year."
Kalli chewed her lip for a moment.
"Well I expect Professor Snape would happily bury me alive if he had the chance, Draco." She smiled. "And I think I'd do the same to him. To put it mildly, we don't get along anymore."
Too late she realized the opening she had given.
"Anymore?" Draco said, catching on as quickly as she knew he would. "Did you once?"
Kalli sighed. "Yes well. This should answer two of your questions Draco. Professor Snape and I attended Hogwarts together for one year. My first and his last. We got along alright for that year, but we met a few years after that and things had changed." She tried hard to keep the note of bitterness out of her voice.
The gong sounded, marking the end of class and everyone seemed a little slow in picking up their things, as if hoping for something else to happen.
"Slytherins!" Kalli called out above the din outside the door, "I was quite serious about the points. I'm leaving it up to you to inform Professor Snape what the rules are." Everyone, including the Slytherins laughed.
She slid off the desk and erased the board, when she turned back she found Draco standing at the side of his arm chair looking somehow different.
"Draco? Don't you have to get to another class?" Kalli asked, dusting off her hands and walking to stand with him.
"Potion's next. Snape never takes points off for me being late because I'm Slytherin."
Kalli nodded, knowing the preferences Severus allocated.
"Was there something you wanted?"
Draco shifted awkwardly, and then Kalli realized what was different. The aloof, Malfoy-esq expression that had tipped her off to him being Lucius' son was gone. He looked kinder and softer.
"If you hung around with Professor Snape when he was in school, then you hung around with my father as well didn't you?"
Kalli sat down on the arm of Draco's chair. "Yes I did. He and Severus were inseparable at times."
Draco nodded not meeting her eyes. "Then you were a Slytherin as well. My Father would never be a friend with anyone who wasn't one."
"Your father did have his idea's didn't he." Kalli chuckled and Draco nodded. "Yes, I was a Slytherin. But calling your father and I friends is quite inaccurate. We had a few..differences. But you'll have to ask him about those. I'll not be filling your head with the truth before you've heard the fantastic stories he's got!" Draco couldn't seem to help but laugh for a moment before growing serious again.
"If you were a Slytherin, then why are you like.well..this?"
"Define what you mean?" She said, knowing full well what he wanted to know.
"Why are you, I dunno.fun? All the Slytherin's I've ever known are evil, power hungry, commanding people who have no sense of humor."
"Careful Draco, your true colours are showing." Kalli said with a smile. "Do you remember what the sorting hat said about Slytherin's the year you were sorted?"
Draco thought carefully for a few moments. "Something about doing anything to achieve something."
"Those cunning folk will do anything, to achieve their ends." Kalli quoted, once again glad she'd continued to have Dumbledore Owl her the sorting hat's song every year since she enjoyed them so much. "You'd interpret that to mean something nasty wouldn't you? Power hungry and hurtful, right?"
Draco nodded.
"Did you ever think that it meant smart and determined?" He looked up at her for the first time, meeting her eyes. "Draco, you come from a time where everything is about taking sides against Lord Voldemort, it hasn't always been like that. Salazar Slytherin wasn't a bad man, he just knew what he liked and was pretty determined to get it.
I'm from Slytherin, and I have no desire to join up with old Voldie!"
Draco tried unsuccessfully to squelch a laugh.
"Listen. Slytherin's aren't bad, we're just kinda sly and independent. We know what we want and we go after it."
"Yeah. I suppose you're right." Draco smiled and picked up his things to go. "But I guess that means the Slytherin's will get in trouble if we're late to your classes huh?"
Kalli shrugged. "Depends on how entertaining your excuse is."
He smiled once more then left her alone in the classroom. She turned and slid down into his chair, fingers tented under her chin.
"Lucius, Lucius, Lucius." She mused quietly "Your father may have wrecked your life with his garbage talk of power, but I will NOT let you ruin your own son's."