A/N: Happy Hump day! First off I would like to start off the note by saying to any anon's that have been leaving less than savoury reviews, that comes to a stop now. I have turned on moderating guest reviews so it will no longer happen. So, to whoever is reading this that planned to try to troll me or just be plain old mean - no one is ever going to see it because it will be rejected into the Nether.

I want to say thank you to those of you that have left reviews defending me, it was much appreciated!

Beta love to Srastrr and FaeOrabel !

I also want to give a huge thanks to all the lovely people in the Hermione's Nook Facebook chat, for allowing me to put them in my story as first years being sorted! lol

Hope you all enjoy! (Also, after this chapter, we will start getting to some good stuff I promise (; )

Chapter Three: I want your shoes

Draco stood awkwardly at the Entrance Hall door, watching Hagrid clamour through the front courtyard followed by 48 bright-eyed students. His hands were now empty, save the list of names, as the sorting hat had been taken by Neville to place on the stool in front of the Headmistress's podium. The rest of the faculty and the older students had all filed into the Great Hall almost ten minutes ago, leaving Draco to pace back and forth while he waited. The damned Draught of Peace was doing nothing for his nerves.

Peeves, the bloody annoying Poltergeist that he was, had screeched through the halls about the "ickle first-years invading." Luckily for Draco, he had left quickly, probably worried the Bloody Baron would come out and yell at him if he was too loud.

The half-giant stepped through the door, extinguished his lantern, and gave Draco a wink. He turned back to the group of children, "Now this 'ere is Professor Malfoy. He'll be yer Potion's teacher and he'll be taking you in fer yer sortin'." Hagrid gave him a nod and dipped into the Great Hall, followed by the sound of various cheers at the large man's arrival.

Draco's mouth had suddenly gone very dry as he looked at the young faces that filled the hall. He cleared his throat and clasped his hands behind his back, trying his best to put on an air of importance.

"As Professor Hagrid said, my name is Professor Malfoy and I will be your Potion's Master." He began to pace in front of them, needing some type of release for his pent-up nervous energy. "In a moment, we will go through that door and you will be sorted into your houses. While you are waiting, I expect you all to remain silent until your name is called. Once you are sorted, you will join your house at their table." He stopped pacing and faced the group. "Any questions?"

No one raised their hand and Draco turned on his heel, his black robes flaring out behind him. "Right then, follow me."

He led them through the door, taking note of the older students seated at their tables. Loud applause came from the Slytherin table upon his arrival and he sent a small smirk their way. He eyed the faculty at the head of the room, his smirk widening a little at Hermione's scowl. No doubt she was still positively fuming from her earlier embarrassment.

He stopped in front of the Sorting Hat and turned back to the first years, gesturing for them to come a little closer. Once the final student had joined the small crowd, the hat sprang to life to sing its song.

"A thousand years or more ago,

When I was newly sewn,

There lived four wizards of renown,

Whose names are still well known:

Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,

Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,

Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,

Shrewd Slytherin, from fen.

They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,

They hatched a daring plan

To educate young sorcerers

Thus Hogwarts School began.

Now each of these four founders

Formed their own house, for each

Did value different virtues

In the ones, they had to teach.

By Gryffindor, the bravest were

Prized far beyond the rest;

For Ravenclaw, the cleverest

Would always be the best;

For Hufflepuff, hard workers were

Most worthy of admission;

And power-hungry Slytherin

Loved those of great ambition.

While still alive they did divide

Their favourites from the throng,

Yet how to pick the worthy ones

When they were dead and gone?

'Twas Gryffindor who found the way,

He whipped me off his head

The founders put some brains in me

So I could choose instead!

Now slip me snug about your ears,

I've never yet been wrong,

I'll have a look inside your mind

And tell where you belong!

Light applause filled the hall at the end of the song and Draco looked at the new students with mild amusement as they all stared at the hat in wonder. His heart was beating in his throat as he felt all eyes turn to him with expectation. He unrolled the parchment in his hands, picked up the hat from the stool and called out the first name, "Uriah Allen."

A frumpy looking boy stepped up to the stool and plopped on to it, glancing around the room nervously. Draco set the hat on his head, and after a few moments it called out "Hufflepuff!"

Cheers erupted from the Hufflepuff table and the boy quickly scurried towards it. Draco called out a few more 'A' names, some going to Hufflepuff, one to Ravenclaw and a Nigel Anders to Slytherin. He started on the 'B's, "Kirsty Barnes!"

A girl with strawberry blonde hair and a large dimple in her left cheek approached the stool confidently, sitting on it in one fluid movement. Draco set the hat on her head and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

He checked his pocket watch, six minutes had already passed and the other students were starting to get restless. He looked towards McGonagall who was watching the Sorting with extreme interest. She gave him an encouraging smile, which only made Draco's impatience grow.

He was about ready to yank the bloody thing off the girls head and sort her himself when the hat finally yelled out "Hufflepuff!" The loudest cheers yet echoed in the hall as the girl hopped off the stool and walked to their table.

After sending another 'B' to a very loud Gryffindor table as they welcomed their first first-year, he narrowed his eyes at the parchment in his hands.

"Gemzi Bob...Booba..." He puffed out an angry breath through his nose. "Gemzi Bob-ba-loo-la." He had to slowly sound out the last name and he heard a few of the older students snicker. He swore if this one ended up in Slytherin he was going to hex himself. That last name was frustratingly hard.

A petite girl with dark brown hair cropped in a short bob and freckles smattered across her cheeks approached the stool and blushed as a Gryffindor called out "Yeah, Booba!"

Draco glared in the direction of the yell and placed the hat on her head. She had to keep it held up as it nearly fell past her ears, but it quickly shouted "Ravenclaw!" and she all but ran towards their table.

He worked down the 'B's, thankful there wasn't another difficult name. He went through all the 'C's, only one of them being noteworthy. Deacon Cooke, whose strikingly dark and handsome features made Draco recall what Blaise had looked like as a child. He had been sent to Slytherin, unfazed as if it was exactly what he had expected.

Working through the 'D's, 'E's and 'F's, he came upon Patrick Gorman, a lanky, brown-haired boy who looked like he had just grown into his limbs. He had tripped walking up to the stool and would have collided with the ground if Draco hadn't caught him.

Surprisingly, he had been sorted into Gryffindor. Gorman must have been just as surprised as Draco, because he blinked confusedly before walking, and nearly tripping again, to join the cheering table.

Draco speedily read through the 'H's, 'I's, 'J's and 'K's, wanting this to be over and done with. He came to the 'L's and yelled out the first name, "Kira Lietmann!"

A pale girl with curly hair pulled into a top bun stepped forward and was sorted into Ravenclaw before the hat could fully touch her head. The House cheered loudly as she approached and took her seat amongst her peers. Draco only hoped the rest of the Sorting went that quickly; he was starting to get hungry.

He looked at the next name, Barbara Madsø, what the bloody hell was that symbol? Some kind of fancy o? "Barbara Madso!" A tall girl with long dark blonde hair and green eyes walked up to the chair. As she passed him she whispered, "It's pronounced Mads-uh, Sir."

Oh for fucking Merlin's sake, Draco was never doing the Sorting again.

To his chagrin, she was placed in Slytherin. Of course, she was - only someone with an o like that in their name would be put in his house.

Reading quickly through the rest of the 'M's, 'N's 'O's and 'P's, Draco thanked Merlin he only had five names left. The very last P, Elissa Phillipps, a tall girl with skin the colour of milk chocolate and black tightly curled hair, was almost a hat stall as well. Draco nearly tapped his foot into the ground as he waited but thankfully, she was sorted into Hufflepuff after almost three minutes of wearing the hat.

No 'Q' names, and only one 'S' & 'R', both being sent to Gryffindor. Only one 'T', Georgia Toogood, a short little thing with a blonde bob so curly and frizzy that it nearly rivalled Hermione's. She was instantly sorted into Slytherin, the hat only sitting for a few seconds on her head. She gave Draco a large grin as she scampered off to the roaring table to the side of the hall. He'd have to watch out for that one, she screamed troublemaker.

The final student, Maxwell Zebley, was swiftly sorted into Gryffindor. Draco almost cried with happiness as he walked to the faculty table and finally took his seat next to Neville.

"You did great, Draco!" Neville whispered to him while Flitwick and the choir students began to set up. Draco gave him a tight-lipped smile before turning to the singing group. He was happy it was over and Slytherin had gained fourteen of the new first-years.

After a very long song about love and suffering amid croaks of toads, McGonagall took her place at her podium to give her start-of-term speech.

"Welcome everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday, another year of magical learning awaits you! I know everyone is hungry so I'll keep this short and sweet. Firstly, I'd like to introduce the person who will be taking Transfiguration over for me, Professor Granger." The students all began to whisper loudly at the name, for everyone knew who Hermione Granger was. Draco glanced over to her to find her blushing and trying to hide in her seat.

He scowled and sat up straighter in his chair, she'd have to get used to it. Adolescents had a way of gossiping and she was sure to have a million and one questions come the start of classes tomorrow.

McGonagall held up a hand and the whispers quieted instantly, "Now, I hope you've all read over the list of approved and unapproved Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes products, as anyone found with an unapproved item will find themselves in detention." She looked around the room, eyeing a few of the known troublemakers in a tense silence. "And to the first-years, the Forbidden Forest on the outskirts of the castle is off-limits to anyone who does not wish to die a painful death."

After a moment's pause, she dropped the stern look and gave the room a smile, her voice booming into the silent hall. "And with that, I say, dig in!" She swept her arm in the air and the tables lined with food, the loud sound of children's conversations soon filled the silence.

Draco allowed himself a moment to watch the students as they ate. A few of the first years seemed transfixed with the food and their house ghosts; he smiled to himself when Nearly Headless Nick showed his almost-decapitation to the, now horrified, Gryffindor first-years. Tucking into his food, he couldn't help the jovial feeling spreading through his chest. Every year he was just as excited as the last to start teaching, and tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.

Starting the third week of school, Draco sighed as he read over the homework of his third-year class. Did no one know how to spell? All they had to do was tell him the uses of a Wiggenweld potion in eight inches and the paper he was grading - from a Hufflepuff boy that was notorious for half-arsed homework - had spelt it Weginwold. It was literally right there in their textbooks!

He took out his ruler and measured the parchment, six inches, as he thought. Tutting to himself he marked it with 50/100 points and wrote a - probably too snarky - note about spell checking and measuring. He sat a moment and stared at his words before grabbing his bottle of Ink-B-Gone and blotting the liquid to the pages. Draco knew his temper could occasionally get the better of him and he needed to speak to this boy about his work in a more polite manner. Once his words had disappeared, he rewrote the message, "See me after class." This was a conversation that was best said in person.

He briefly wondered how Hermione was doing with her classes, they hadn't spoken again since the start-of-term feast. He guessed that she was avoiding him, probably too embarrassed over his poking fun at her. Or maybe she was angry with him since, when they did catch each other at meal-times, she pointedly ignored him with an angry demeanour, making it quite awkward for the other Professors. Which was fine, he prefered her ignoring him.

The only downside to the whole thing was she was still flouncing about wearing those saucy little outfits.

And the shoes.

Merlin, did she like to wear the most mouthwatering shoes. So far he had seen those black velvet pointed-toe pumps numerous times, they seemed to be her favourite. But he had also seen a pair of nude patent leather wedges and another that Draco had dubbed 'barely there' heels. They were pale pink, with only one strap around the ankle and another just beneath the toes, with the skinniest heel he had ever seen. They made Hermione look as if she had no shoes on, they were definitely not Draco's favourite.

His afternoon class of sixth-year Slytherin's and Gryffindor's filed in and took their seats, pulling Draco from his thoughts. He stood from his desk and gave a brief lecture on the day's assignment: to brew a successful Ageing Potion.

He went back to his desk as they all gathered their ingredients and began their potions. He kept a watchful eye on them as they worked and after a short while, walked around to assist as needed.

A loud bang sounded at the back of the room and a shriek echoed nearby. Draco spun around from where he had been helping Lytle, a Gryffindor who always had a knack for ruining his potion. The dark green liquid of the ageing potions they had been working on was splattered on the walls and the floor. Two Gryffindor boys, Eli McAdams and Cassian Kane, who were the bain of Draco's existence, dripped in the green goo - as did at least ten other students. He could see crows feet sprouting at their eyes and their hair began to turn white.

"McAdams, Kane! What happened?!" Draco spat out as he rounded on them. Thankfully, this particular potion did not have the potential to become that volatile, unless you were in the possession of some very expensive, and very illegal, ingredients. He heard a few of his Slytherins snicker as they began to stutter for an explanation.

"Well see I-" Kane stuttered.

"We just-" McAdams interrupted.

"You will tell me now, or you will both lose fifty house points." Draco narrowed his eyes and loomed over them. "Each."

"It was a Bombtastic Bomb, Sir..." said McAdams as he looked down to the ground. "We accidentally dropped it into our cauldron."

Draco pressed his lips together, saying a silent curse to those damned Weasley twins and their infuriating products, before flicking his wand to Accio a few bottles of Anti-Ageing. He tampered down his anger before holding out the bottles to the various students who were covered in the green sludge. "Drink these before you all turn ancient."

They all downed the contents quickly, nullifying the ageing process instantly. He'd have to send them to Madame Pomfrey, however, to reverse the effects.

He turned to one of his favourite Slytherins, Cecily Blitwick, a short, black-haired girl who always wore a screwed up face as if everything smelled wrong. She was his best student and always more than willing to help out. "Go get Mr Filch, I believe his services will be needed. Anyone that came in contact with the Ageing Potion, go to the infirmary. Everyone else, continue with your assignment."

He regarded the room, giving them all a stern look before turning back to McAdams and Kane, who had been trying to silently sneak out the door with the rest of the students, "Not you two. You're coming with me."

He stalked from the room, his robes billowing behind him menacingly. He was absolutely furious, and so wished to give the boys a piece of his mind. That potion could have been anything. What the hell would he have done if they had been studying poisons instead of the ageing potion? Merlin what if they had been studying fucking Amortentia. The boys needed a real punishment; Draco could easily dish out taking house points and detention - which he fully intended to do. But no... a real punishment for any Gryffindor was disappointing their Head of House, and that's exactly to whom he was leading them.

Thankfully Neville had a free period, and Draco walked them to the empty Greenhouses. He heard the sound of muffled talking coming from his office in the back and, worried he had found him and Susan in a precarious situation, he called out instead of knocking on the door. "Professor Longbottom?"

The muffled voices quieted and Neville poked his head out from his office, "Hey Drac-" Neville cut himself off as he realized two of his students stood nervously behind him. He stepped out of his office, closed the door and walked up to them. "Professor Malfoy, what can I do for you?"

"In case you've failed to see the beards and wrinkles, these two-" he pointed an accusatory finger at them, "Decided to drop a Bombtastic Bomb into a cauldron full of Ageing Potion, turning themselves and a few classmates into geriatrics. Now, if I recall correctly, that was on the list of unapproved items, wasn't it?"

Neville pursed his lips at the elderly looking Gryffindors and they instantly started to protest.

"Sir, we didn't mean to drop it!"

"We found it! It wasn't even ours!"

To Draco's dismay, Neville's office door opened a second time and Hermione emerged from it, looking extremely cross. Today's ensemble was made up of a tight white lace shirt, dark blue slacks that draped her legs in a fashionable sort of way, and white leather stilettos. Salazaar save him, why did she have to wear such tantalizing heels? She left her curls loose, and they bounced as she approached them. Carrying her teacher robes in her arms, she thankfully put them on quickly, hiding her distracting body from him.

"Professor Malfoy." She greeted him cooly.

"Professor Granger." He replied in a clipped tone. He turned back to Neville. "As I was saying, I'll be docking fifty points from Gryffindor and they'll both have detention for a month. Though, I think they deserve more than that."

Hermione snorted and he whipped his head to her. She crossed her arms and regarded him with a pinched expression. "I think that's a bit harsh. While they should have certainly turned it in instead of keeping it, they said it was an accident."

Their long white beards whipped back and forth as the boys nodded earnestly at her words, but quickly stopped and looked to the ground as Draco fixed a glare at them. Hermione gave him a sickeningly sweet smile with red-stained lips as he turned his glare to her. "I'm sorry, Professor, were you made Head of Gryffindor? I wasn't informed of the change."

Her face lit up red with anger and Neville cleared his throat loudly before Hermione could retort. The tension in the air was palpable and he held up his hands to try to defuse the tension. "I'm sorry, Professor Granger, but I have to disagree with you. The punishment is more than fair, McAdams and Kane were well-aware of what it was they held in their hands."

At his words, the two boys looked up mournfully at Neville. Draco felt bad for only a moment, before remembering the stink-bomb they had let out at the farewell feast last year. Giving Neville a nod and turning to the young Gryffindors, he looked down at them with a stern look.

"Be at my office at eight sharp. Bring some muscle, you'll be cleaning cauldrons the muggle way. Hopefully, you won't still have the bodies of old men." He nearly laughed at their stricken faces at the idea they could still be old by their detention and quickly left them with Neville before he cracked.

Chuckling to himself as he reentered the castle, his smile instantly dropped when he heard the sound of heels on stone.

"Malfoy, wait!"

As much as he desperately wished to keep on walking as if he hadn't heard her, he knew she was stubborn enough to follow him all the way down to the Dungeons. He turned with a quirked eyebrow and regarded her with nothing but feigned surprise.

"Why, Professor Granger, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Are you always so contemptuous with students? Or do you just make it a point to be that way with Gryffindors?" she asked, finally catching up with his long strides and huffing a little as she tried to recover her breath.

"I'll have you know those two are known pranksters, nearly as bad as those Weasel twins. Not that I need to explain myself to you, but I know those two didn't just find that bomb."

He made to turn around and walk back to his classroom but a hand on his arm stopped him. He looked down at the witch with widened eyes. Why did she care so much about these two?

Her face was still pinched and she was boring a hole into where her hand was touching him. Her dark brown eyes snapped up to meet his in a sad gaze. "I'm sure they've both done idiotic things in their time here, but did you ever stop to wonder why they act out?"

She paused for a moment and when Draco remained silent, she continued. "They both lost their parents in the War. Cassian's father married a muggle, as did Eli's mother, and when their names were placed on Hogwarts' new student list as half-bloods before the end of the war..." She trailed off, her eyes flickering back to the stone floor. "They look to Neville as a father figure, and he's very disappointed in them. So please, lower your punishment."

Draco's stomach dropped and his hands balled into fists at his side as he pulled his arm from her grasp. He knew what it was to lose parents, with his father having killed himself before his life-sentencing to Azkaban, and his mother barred from ever returning to England. Losing parents wasn't an excuse for the things they had done throughout the years, but he could maybe understand them a little better.

"Fine," he spat out. "I'm still taking twenty points, but I'll reduce their detention to a week." He narrowed his eyes down at her and sneered. "But don't you dare undermine me in front of students again, understood?"

Ignoring his threat, Hermione's face lit up at his words and his heart stuttered a little in his chest as she beamed a bright toothy smile at him. "Oh, thank you, Malfoy! I'll go back and tell them."

"I didn't say I was going to do it for free."

Hermione had turned to walk back to the greenhouses but stopped at his words. "What?"

"This will come at a cost. I don't do anything for free, I am a Slytherin, you know." He crossed his arms and smirked as she blinked at him.

"And what, exactly, do you want?" Hermione asked cautiously. Draco grinned at her discomfort; she was probably imagining he'd ask for all types of nefarious things. But there was only one thing he wanted, and they were currently tapping on the cobblestones.

"I want your shoes."

He delighted as she reeled back with obvious confusion, "Excuse me?"

"I want those blasted heels, and for you to have to walk barefoot for the rest of the day. You can come to collect them after the boy's detention. Say, ten o'clock?"

He swore he could see the gears in her head clicking as she thought about her choices. "Tick-tock, Granger. I don't have all day. Maybe fifty points and a month's detention would do them good..."

Pressing her lips together and letting out what sounded like a growl, she bent down and removed the white heels, instantly becoming four inches shorter. She shoved them into his outstretched hand, and he gave her a wide grin in return.

"Thank you very much. I'll see you later then."

Draco laughed at her furiously reddened face and her choice of swear words. Oh, he was extremely pleased with himself. Giving her a wave with her shoes, he walked back to the Dungeons, whistling a jaunty tune that echoed in the halls.