Chapter One

AN - I'm a little nervous about posting this fic...mainly because I suck at writing. If you read this story, please review with anything you liked, didn't like, corrections, anything really. Any, and all comments are appreciated.

Disclaimer - Also, I don't own any of the characters; J.K. Rowling owns these superb characters. All I own is the plot....I swear.

AN - September 2004 the brief period of time that this fic was on hiatus April 9th '04 - September 17th. '04, I had spent it revising the 7 chapters (as I'm sure you all noticed the many spelling, grammatical, and probably a few continuity errors), and working on the development of a few other fic ideas. The revision for most chapters didn't take too long, but for some it took an eternity. Some parts may have been taken out or added some parts. Read them if you have the time, it won't make much difference in the end.

-Aconitum

Chapter 1




Sitting back with his feet up on the teachers desk, hands behind his head and eyes closed, Harry smiled. He kept toying with those two words in his head and laughing silently to himself "Professor Potter". Never would he had dreamed that he would become a teacher for whatever class. He had always set his sights on becoming an Auror or going to play professional Quidditch. But he lacked the grades needed to just train to become an Auror; as for professional Quidditch, he didn't want to do something everyone expected him to do. He still played Quidditch -better than he had ever been, but the excitement and thrill in it, that it once had, was missing ever since he left Hogwarts.

Defense Against The Dark Arts. A teacher. Him. Harry Potter: The-Boy-Who-Lived. He opened an eye and peered at the clock hanging just above the door. He closed his eye again as he thought to himself he had another hour or so to be Harry Potter and not Professor Potter.

Sighing slightly, he brought himself to open up his eyes and get up. Walking around the room sliding his hands across each table it came to, he suddenly stopped when it came to an engraving that he had forgotten entirely about....

Six years earlier-

"Mr.Ronald Weasley! Are you paying attention?!" shrieked the current Defense Against The Dark Arts Teacher.

"Wha? Huh...oh yea." He said dumbly, not even looking up from his piece of parchment he was drawing on.professor walked over to his desk, took the parchment out from under his hand, crumpled it up and burned it.

"Now pay attention Mr. Weasley or else you will serve detention for a week."to hold down his rage, he took out a new sheet of parchment and scribbled down some notes and started to draw again. No more than ten minutes had passed when the teacher shrieked once more:

"Mr. Weasley, do you have these notes down?"

"Yes Professor." he said in a mocking tone and held up his paper which had drawings all around the border and in the middle sat his notes for the class.

Giving him a stern look, she turned around and started talking as she wrote the notes on the chalk board. Taking this advantage Ron started to carve something in his desk while looking up at the teacher every once in a while to make sure she still had her back turned. As he got more into what he was carving he stopped looking up and stopped just as the Professor turned around and started asking review questions.

Harry wanted to know what Ron had been carving and was craning his neck forwards to try and see what it was. No such luck. After a few moments of trying different angles he could almost see what it was but it was at this moment that the teacher called on Harry for him to answer a review question for their exams (What is one feature of a werewolf that differentiates it from a regular wolf?).

He decided that it would be better that he pay attention since he got that question wrong (If it bites you and you don't turn into a werewolf the next time a full moon's out...it was a regular wolf.) and completely forgot about what Ron was doing.

was the last time Harry was in that classroom.

-Present Day-

took his hand off the engraving and looked down. Almost at once he smiled a small smile. Carved deeply into the wood was:

-Ron & Hermoine

-22-96 till forever-

Harry laughed at that and thought that if Ron had meant until November 12, 2002 as forever he was absolutely right. He remembered that they got married about a year after graduation. Of course Harry had been Ron's best man, Ginny had been Hermoine's maid of honor and to their surprise, quite a few girls were bridesmaids for Hermoine; no one they had ever seen, people they assumed she grew up with.

Harry remembered being surprised when he saw Viktor Krum there at the wedding sitting and glaring at Ron and even more surprised when he saw that Ron gave him a sarcastic grin and flipped him off. He had to nudge Ron in the ribs to remind him he was at his wedding and not back in fourth year.

looked once more at the date.

'So they had been together for a year in seventh year.' he thought.

laughed once more as he remembered September 22 was Hermoine's birthday and how Ron hadn't had a gift for her on that day....

Seven years ago September 22, 1996-

"Ron would you just shut up?! Alright?! You'll be fine!" Harry said angrily.

For the past hour he was trying to be consoling and a good friend to Ron. That hour had passed and now Harry was beyond anger and on the verge of hitting Ron.

"Yea but what if she says something to me? Or nothing at all?" Ron was now wringing his hands and Harry noticed that his voice was getting increasingly higher and higher and that he was sweating. What kind of person gets this upset about not having a birthday gift for someone? When he saw Ron go white and heard his incoherent mumbling turn into sputtering he turned around and saw that the portrait hole opened and out came Hermione.

"Harry...say it's from both of us." Ron whispered quickly.

"No! I spent weeks looking for these robes for Hermione. It's hard to find any decent robes in her size."

whimpered and slunk down into an armchair.was the first time that he saw Hermione all day. He saw that she was clad in a modest blue dress that came just above the knee instead of the usual jeans and shirt she dressed in on the weekend. Her hair was tied back in a high pony tail instead of it being down.

"Happy Sweet Sixteen Hermione." Harry said as he handed her gift and kissed her on the cheek.

"Harry, you didn't have to get me anything." She said as she already had the wrapping undone and was now opening the box to reveal a silk, very oriental looking, dress robe.

"Oh Harry." she breathed as she pulled him into a tight hug. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" with that she kissed him on the cheek and looked at Ron expectingly.

"So, what did you get me?" She said smiling.sat back to watch and enjoy what was going to unfold right here. didn't seem to notice that the color had returned to Ron's face somewhat and he seemed to have a grin forming on his mouth. walked the short distance to Hermione, kneeled down so that he was face-level with her, and said:

"This is what I give to you." and kissed her.

Whatever Harry had been expecting...it wasn't this. He looked at this astonished and what amazed him even more was that Hermione wasn't resisting. She looked a little hesitant at first, and then gave in. He looked on as their kiss deepened and Ron's hands moved quietly up her dress. She gave a little shriek and grinned as she watched Ron running up the stairs leading to the boys dormitory laughing. After making sure that nobody else but Harry saw her, she ran up after him. He heard a door slam shut just as she dissapeared around the corner and then soon after he heard another slam of a door closing.

Harry didn't know how long he stared at those stairs out of fear. He finally shook out of it and turned his attention to his homework. Almost an hour later just as he was finishing, Hermione came downstairs, very red, giggling and ran up to the girls dormitory.Not really wanting to know what happened in the dorm room but having a good idea of what went on, he completed his homework and went up the familiar stairs and opened the door to reveal Ron's bed curtains wide open, sheets slightly disarray, and in the middle an exhausted but fulfilled looking Ron in his scarlet and gold boxer shorts. He turned to Harry and said

"Whoever said that the first time you shag it isn't all that great was wrong."

Trying to ignore that statement Ron made, he forced a laugh and asked him

"So I'm assuming you guys are together now?"

"You assumed correct. Man, when I kissed her I wasn't expecting to fuck her in the same night. Geez. But yea we're together...not expecting it to last long; s'pose it'll be mainly based on sex and not actual feelings for each other."

"Wa-wa-wait a minute. You think it's going to be based on sex? You've been her friend for nearly six years! People don't sporadically shag their best friends purely for sexual pleasure; you guys have feelings for each other. Whether you two chose to ignore them or not, it won't change the fact that they are there."blushed and muttered a good night to Harry. Before getting ready for bed himself, he said to Ron

"Well...at least you gave her a present."

-Present Day-

Harry sighed at the flood of memories coming back to him. He had another 45 minutes before the little cretins came into his room. He decided to take a walk...something he hadn't done yet....

Harry's P.O.V.

I walked down to the Quidditch field and sat down in one of the top rows of the stands. I don't know how long I sat there watching as the sky turned from a sea of purples, pinks and blues to a semi darkness and had the wind slightly stinging at my cheek. All I knew was that I was finally home. I got up, ran down to the Quidditch shed, picked up a broom and scoffed. The entire team's broomsticks were no longer assorted and varied with speed; instead they were all Firebolts. Firebolts were a thing of the past now and so slow to comparison of today's newer models. Shaking my head, I climbed atop the broomstick and kicked off the ground. The familiar wind beating on my face, the soaring sensation, being back on the Quidditch field. I imagined myself 11 years old again at my first Quiddtich match; remembering how everything felt right...how I wished that it would never end. For once in 6 years...I felt fulfilled as I continued flying...this is what had been missing all those times. I became lost in my thoughts, my memories to be more exact and drifted subconsciously into the center of the field.

"Scar head! Get off the fucking broom! I need to have it for my first class tomorrow!"

I was jolted out of the memory of Cho and I in a vacant classroom from fifth year and turned to someone who had changed considerably since I last seen him. A gasp escaped my lips that was quite clearly audible.Malfoy's face was no longer boy-ish and rounded, but instead was sharp and had a slight trace of femininity to it. His cold gray eyes, seemed to have died and held none of it's mirthlessness I was so accustomed to; instead they seemed to hold euphoria in the way back. The white-blonde hair that was always plastered to his face now was nearly shoulder length and fell gently around his gaunt face. Remembering back to all seven years that I had attended school with him, he never was that tall. Now I looked upon a man who was slender, easily 5'9", and slightly pissed that I had taken one of his precious Firebolts.

I literally shook myself out of the the new look of Draco Malfoy.

"What are you now deaf as well as stupid? I said get off the fucking broom!!" Malfoy yelled.

"Sorry." I mumbled "....haven't flo-...your first class?" I asked awkwardly in the middle of my sentence.

"Yes...my FIRST CLASS! I'm the new flying instructor and Quidditch Ref."

I allowed myself a lop-sided grin "I'm teaching here too you know."

"Obviously so, otherwise what other business would you have on Hogwarts grounds?"

"To steal your wonderful boxer shorts." I found myself saying.

A look of absolute disgust flitted across his face but quickly faded.

I raised an eyebrow, descended to the ground and jumped off gracefully. Malfoy followed suit.

For a minute we just stared at each other. It took me a minute to finally relies it wasn't the loathing stare he had given me on our final train ride home, or the self pride smirk he would give me during potions. It was a comfortable stare that we both got lost in.

I handed the broom to him with no words said and headed towards to the castle. A brief glance at my watch told me I had just under 20 minutes before the first feast of many started this new school year. I felt a pang of anxiousness...much like the one I had in first year, waiting on that line to be sorted. I was being introduced as a student then to teachers...now I was going to be a teacher introduced to students. Of course Malfoy would be introduced as a new teacher as well...but I somehow doubted that he would be as nervous...or even nervous at all about it.

I turned around only to see Malfoy locking the shed with his wand. I nearly tripped up the steps to the castle but quickly regained balance. A swift look in the great hall told me that they had begun setting up. Since there was nothing else for me to do, I sat down at one of the seats closest to the end and watched the house elves quickly set the long five tables that were dwelling in the enormous room. As the minutes went by, the table began to fill with the other faculty members; Dumbledore and Snape were one of the last to take their places towards the middle of the lengthy table. I looked at Snape and took note that his hair was graying and his eyes too were not as malicious as they once had been.

Another look at my watch told me we had about 5 minutes before the ceremony. One chair remained empty and that was the one standing next to me. Malfoy made his way towards the table unremittingly and snorted in disgust when he saw that the only vacant chair was the one next to me but sat down anyway.

Then...I heard them. I heard teenagers talking. Their questioning voices seemed to ricochet off the stone walls as they made their way towards their rightful tables. Soon after they had all settled down, McGonagall entered with what had to have been several hundred pre-teens. Panicky, anxious, scared pre-teens not quite sure what awaits them. I saw short Professor Flitwick scurry across the floor holding the splintered wooden stool and a patched, frayed battered looking hat which could only be identified as The Sorting hat. The hat opened it's frayed mouth and began to sing it's song; the song that I had heard when I went to Hogwarts in first year. I sighed and before I knew it, the hat had ceased it's chant singing tone being followed by cheers and applause. Then silence put up a marvelous performance afterwards.

McGonagall unrolled a long-winded scroll and the sorting began.