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"Honestly Sherri, I don't understand your methods. How will they learn without practical knowledge?" Hermione huffed at her new friend, Sherri Lowenthal, the new Muggle Studies professor. Sherri had been a professor at the Salem School for Witches in America, where she had learned, but wanting a wider knowledge of the wizarding world, she decided to take a teaching position at Hogwarts. It only took moments for Sherri and Hermione to become close friends.
"Listen 'Mione, these kids don't care about boring muggles. They want lights and bleeps and sparks. It's the magic that gets them excited, not muggle studies knowledge." Hermione huffed a little.
"Well, still, you could get a little more excited about your topic."
"Sure, excited about snotty children and the parents who not only wipe the child's nose, but then puts the napkin in their pocket. I tell you those muggles are a strange people."
"I think they're alright."
"That's only because you came from them." They shared a smile and went back to their work, until Sherri couldn't hold it in any longer.
"So, 'Mione, tell me. You interested in anybody?" She was taken off guard by the question.
"NO!" Now Sherri was the one in shock.
"Wow, I wasn't asking if you killed anyone. I just wanted to know if you were thinking about dating anyone." Hermione visibly calmed.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I just…no…no I'm not seeing anyone. Why do you ask?"
"Just curious. I've been taking a gander at the men at this school and so far I've noticed that if they aren't married, a dwarf, or already dead, the pickings are slim. Was it like this when you went to school here?" Hermione thought for a moment.
"No actually. Most of our male teachers were rather handsome. Let's see, there was Lockhart, and Lupin, and Quirrell, if you like the quiet, nervous type. Then there was Snape—" Sherri spit out her coffee.
"Snape?! As in Severus?!"
"Well, he was handsome in a…severe sort of way." Sherri gave a small shudder. "And besides, I tend to base handsomeness not only on the outside, but also what's inside a man. Severus was a good man."
"Okay, okay. But did you notice that every man you named was once the DADA professor? I think you have a think for the DADA professor, regardless of who he is." Hermione unknowingly blushed.
"I doubt it. Besides, it's not my fault that the position can't seem to stay filled, and they keep replacing it with nice looking men." Sherri stood from her seat to leave.
"So I can go tell Draco you have the hots for him, correct?" Hermione jumped from her seat and grabbed Sherri's arm.
"If you cherish the life you now have, you will do no such thing."
"Relax Granger, I was joking," she said, gently removing her arm from Hermione's grasp. "You seem a little touchy about Mr. Malfoy if I do say so myself."
"Go now before I really try to murder you." Sherri winked at her friend and left the room.
Hermione looked around the teachers' lounge and hated how she and Sherri seemed the only ones ever to use it.
"The majority of the professors here prefer the sanctity of their own classrooms," McGonagall would tell her, but she rook advantage of the quiet when she could, but would also like to have someone besides her American friend Sherri to talk to from time to time.
She sat back down in her seat and looked over the partially made lesson plans for the next few weeks, but her mind was far from them. It had been one week exactly since day one of school, and a week since her talk with Draco and she had done a great job ignoring him. She took all her meals in her room and whenever she even thought she saw him coming down the hall, she would dive into the nearest open door. As proud as she was of being able to avoid him, she also knew that she would have to face him sooner or later, and the knock on the door told her it would be sooner. She quickly looked for an open window, but remembering she was on the eighth floor she knew jumping was out of the question. There was nowhere to go and so she braced herself.
"May I come in?" she heard him ask from the slightly opened door.
"This is the teachers' lounge. I'd hardly think you would need my permission." He entered the room slowly and took the seat across from her.
"Well I'd hardly think that as well, but with the way you've been avoiding me, I figured you didn't want to see me, so you probably wouldn't want me barging in on you." Hermione suddenly realized how silly she had been.
"No, I've been avoiding everyone," she lied, "because I've been so incredibly busy. Teaching is much more difficult than I thought it would be."
"I can't imagine anything being difficult for you, Ms. Granger."
"You'd be amazed." He smiled at her and she smiled back. It was in that moment that Hermione felt every conflicting emotion at once. She was born to hate this man, but now she was sharing a smile with him.
"Well, Malfoy, how is teaching DADA going for you?" Draco gave a deep sigh.
"It's actually rather difficult. Well, it wouldn't be if my students would be a little less cruel. It seems they can't get past my name. You should have heard them on the first day when I introduced myself. You could have heard the gasp throughout the halls I'm sure. The most painful part was that I had to hear it four times that day. They all seem to think that I'm secretly training them for the return of the Dark Lord, and so they won't listen to a word I say. It's rather upsetting really." Draco looked at Hermione expectantly as though he was looking for guidance.
"Well, that's just…awful," she responded, kicking herself for not having anything better to say.
"I suppose all I can do is my best to teach them what they need to know. They'll wish they had listened to me when it's O.W.L.s time." He smiled at his own cleverness.
"Malfoy, how can you be so calm about everything? I mean, from what you've told me, it seems you're unable to escape your father's shadow. Doesn't that make you angry at all?" Now his smile was gentler.
"Hermione," she winced slightly at the sound of her name coming out of his mouth, "you have to understand, I was virtually alone for ten years. I had nothing but time to reflect. I realized my father was wrong and that as long as I knew it, it didn't matter what anyone else thought. Whether they figured I would follow in his step was of no importance to me. I would do what I would need to despite everyone else." Hermione felt a bit of her old passions from her S.P.E.W days swelling up inside of her.
"Well it's not fair that you are trying for a better life and they refuse to let you forget it. I mean, who do they think they are?"
"Yes, well, as I said, I can't let them get the best of m—"
"No Draco! It's not as easy as self-will. You can't just turn the other cheek; you have to let them know that you won't stand for it! You have to be active in clearing your name!" He remained stunned looking at her. "Well, don't you have anything to say?"
"You called me Draco." She stopped in her pacing. She did call him Draco, for practically the first time in her life. She looked at him to find him smiling, but she couldn't let him get the wrong idea.
"Draco, I'm going to help you with your students, but not because we're friends, but because there is not greater injustice than a child not learning, and they can't learn if they have the wrong idea about you." His smile faded slightly, but it was still there in some fashion.
"Do you think we'll ever be friends then?" She looked down at her hands.
"I don't know."
"Well I suppose that's better than a flat 'no.' So when do you want to speak to my classes?" She perked back up.
"Today, of course! When is your next class?"
"In an hour."
"Then I'll be in your classroom in an hour." Hermione gathered her things and gave him a quick nod before leaving the room.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Hermione's head was swimming as she reentered her office. She had thirty minutes until Draco's class began and she could barely think straight. She grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill and began writing to the one person who always understood her.
Dear Ginny,
How is everything? Tell Harry, Albus Severus, Lily Luna, and James Sirius I said hello. I know the children are growing beautifully and I can't believe your oldest is going to be attending here next year. It's all so surreal.
Well, I know I saw you only two weeks ago, but I need a friend right now like you wouldn't believe, and this is the part of the letter that you make sure that Harry nor Ron are around to hear. Now you may know that Draco Malfoy is the current DADA teacher here, and if you don't, I'm telling you now. Apparently time away has done him good. Here's where it gets strange. Ginny, he wants to be my friend. I know, it's shocking, but he asked to see me on the first day of classes and after starting off rude, he wanted to play nice. I've been avoiding him all week, but now he needs my help with his students. They're being cruel about his father and I don't think I can morally stand by and let them abuse him like that, but then again, the amount of anger I have towards him makes me think he's getting what he deserves.
Oh, Ginny I need your help. I just don't know what to do anymore. Not only am I struggling with this whole teaching but now I have all these conflicting feelings about Draco. God, I never thought I'd say such a thing. Well, tell me what you think of all this.
Love much, Hermione.
P.S. There is a student in my class that fancies me. He seems innocent enough, but he gives me the creeps, and that situation too needs your guidance.
She put her quill down, folded the letter and ran quickly to the owlery to send her letter off.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
"Calm down everyone. Before I begin class, we have guest with us today. Professor Granger would like to say a few words." Hermione held her head high and walked slowly up the aisle. She made her heels clack loudly to as to intimidate; she wanted these children afraid of her. She stopped beside Draco and gave him a quick nod then looked out over the students.
"So this is what a group of intelligent and bright third years is supposed to look like. I am correct, they are third years?" She turned to look at Draco and he silently nodded his head. "Well you could have fooled me. To think that a group of so called 'intelligent' students could show such a blatant lack of disrespect for one of their own professors is shameful. None of you know Professor Malfoy well enough to even assume you know of his past. I have had the pleasure of know Professor Malfoy since our first year together at this school and I can tell you that each of you are so unbelievably fortunate to have him as your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. There are wizards and witches in this world that would sooner shrink your head than say hello. There are spells capable of turning you inside-out or into a monstrous animal that is, in Muggle terms, on a 'shoot to kill' list." Hermione looked at the now terrified group of children. She gave them a moment for her information to sink in before beginning again in a softer voice.
"There are and will always be dangers in our world that you will need to be able to protect yourself from and to know that you are learning defensive spells from someone who has dealt with these spells first hand should help you all sleep soundly at night. I am not proud of any of you right now, and if I hear of anymore negative talk from any of you about Professor Malfoy, you can expect another visit from me, and next time I'll be extremely angry."
Hermione turned back to Draco and gave another nod then walked back down the aisle, grinning to whole way as the students all leaned away from her. She couldn't believe that she was now defending Draco Malfoy, of all people.
The end of another chapter. I just realized it introduced a crap ton of characters that I now have to play with. Oh well, I'll figure something out! Don't forget to review!!