He was sitting in his library in the mansion as the owl arrived. It was a letter from Draco that read:
�Father I am writing to ask a favor. We need a DADA teacher rather badly and Professor Snape thought it a good idea to ask you for help. He said not to worry about Voldemort finding you out because Dumbledore will promise protection. I would like it very much if you could. Professor Snape said to owl Dumbledore with your reply.
your devoted son
Draco�
It was an odd request of him, but Snape knew he had fallen out of favor with Voldemort. He did need something to occupy his time since he was no longer with the ministry. Why would he say no?
He owled shortly after receiving Draco�s request:
�Headmaster Dumbledore, I am offering my services as a professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. I was notified via my son as to your need. Please owl me back if you indeed need my services.
Sincerely
Lucius Malfoy�
He waited for the reply owl, and an hour after sending his owl, he received a return.
Dumbledore wrote:
�Thank you Lucius for your offer. We would be glad to have you as a professor here at Hogwarts. The position is still open, if it is possible you may start tomorrow. How long will it take you to settle in. We will have a bedchamber and office ready for you to occupy tomorrow. We, the faculty and students, are eager for your arrival and would like to thank you in advance. I can and will provide any protection you may want or need while you are employed here.
Thank you,
Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster�
Lucius was almost excited at the prospect of being a Hogwarts professor. Now he would be able to keep a watchful eye on his son and on the Potter kid. He never knew why exactly, but he rather loathed the boy. Maybe it was because he was his son�s rival, or maybe because he was the reason for the Dark Lord�s decline. What ever the reason, he didn�t like the boy.
Lucius had his house elfs pack his trunks and load them onto the carriage. He left his mansion, and wife, and traveled to Hogwarts. By the time he arrived, the students were heading back to their dormitories, having just finished their supper. Dumbledore greeted Lucius in the main hall and showed him to his office. Lucius remembered the office well from his school days. Many times he had to report to the head master because of his coldness towards fellow students.
Dumbledore offered him some tea and sandwiches, but Lucius refused, having already eaten on his journey to the castle.
�Well, Lucius. Thank you again for the offer. You don�t know how relieved I am now that you are here. We did not have anyone to fill the position, and Defense against the dark arts is one our most valued subjects in this day and age.�
�Dumbledore, I am pleased [did I just say pleased??] to be of survice. You know that I am currently not in good company with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, so any protection you are able to offer is best for my current position.�
�I am happy to be able to provide any survice you may be needing. Now you must be tired, I will get Dobby to show you to your room. Goodnight Lucius, and welcome to the staff at Hogwarts.� with a clap Dobby appeared. Dobby jumped back when he saw Lucius in the room.
�Master Malfoy!! Dobby not know you here. Dobby work for Master Dumbledore now after master give Dobby sock.�
�No need to worry Dobby, Mr. Malfoy is to be a professor here at Hogwarts. Will you please show him to his room?�
�Yes Master Dumbledore. Dobby show Master Malfoy to his room. Follow Dobby Master Malfoy.� Lucius followed the house elf down the many corridors of the castle until he stopped in front of a door right next to one occupied by Serverus Snape. �Here is Master Malfoy�s room. Dobby leave now.� and with that he was gone with a pop. Lucius entered the room and looked around. His trunks were already in the room, waiting to be unpacked. Lucius closed the door behind him.
~~~~~~~
The next morning, Lucius awoke to a knock on his door.
�Who is there?�
�Its me, Severus. I thought I�d wake you so you could join the rest of the staff for breakfast. I�m sure Dumbledore will have a welcoming ceremony for you. You�d better hurry.�
�Thanks,� all the reply he made. Lucius heard footsteps as Severus walked down the corridor. Lucius sat up in his bed and looked around his new room. �I almost thought I was dreaming about last night.� with that said he got out of his bed and dressed for the long day ahead.
As he walked down to breakfast, the sound of many children grew louder. He almost turned around, but he was spied by Madame Hooch.
�Well, hello. What are you doing here?� she asked Lucius in wonder.
�I am the DADA professor.� was all he said to her, as he continued to the great hall.
�Well, welcome to the staff.� she followed him. As he entered the room, the few students who saw him, stopped talking and whispered to those next to them, soon the whole room was quite. Dumbledore smiled as he motioned for the stalled man to come and sit. Lucius made his way over to Severus and sat down, that's when Dumbledore stood up.
�Students, we have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Lucius Malfoy.� Half the students cheered and the other half stared blankly at Dumbledore. �I assure you that he is not here to harm anyone. I have total confidence in him as a professor, and I am hoping that you will all welcome him, and not give him any trouble.� Dumbledore sat down as the students clapped for their new professor. Lucius surveyed the room, his eyes lighting on a certain dark haired Griffindor. The boy returned the gaze, but his was with a small amount of malice, and hate. Lucius thought it odd that a boy who looked so much like his beloved James could look so hateful towards him. The thought of James stirred up memories he had long pushed out of his head. He was so entranced in thought that he didn�t hear Severus talking to him.
�Lucius, wake up.� Severus said as he shook Lucius.
�Sorry.�
�I guess I should have left you sleeping. I was asking you if had a lesson plan drawn up yet or if you would like me to help you.�
�I�m not sure what I�m going to do as of yet. Yes, you can help me. Thanks. I don�t even know my schedule yet.�
�I think you have Ravenclaw, then Hufflepuff today and Thursday. Tomorrow and Friday you have Slytherin and Gryffindor, together. You will have Wednesday and the weekend off. Let me help you organize for the week then you can take it from there.�
�That's sounds fine.� The rest of their breakfast was silent among the staff. Lucius made his way down to his new classroom with the notes Severus had prepared for him. Severus was right about the schedule. Even though Severus had made him notes and lesson plans, Lucius didn�t need them because each class was spent calming the students down and proving that he wasn�t going to harm them in anyway. He dreaded having to do the same thing the next day, but he did.
Lucius� first week as professor went by slowly. Tuesday�s classes proved harder than Monday�s, because the Gryffindors were extremely hostile towards him. When Wednesday arrived Lucius spent the whole day, except for meal times, in his room preparing for the next two days. By the time the week was finished, Lucius was kicking himself for taking the job. Saturday he was disturbed by Severus asking if he wanted to go to Hogsmead to get some drinks. He couldn�t refuse, he needed it badly.
So they left school grounds as the students who could go to Hogsmead, got ready to leave.
Severus and Lucius made their way to the Three Broomsticks and found themselves a place at the bar. Many students were soon arriving, making it rather noisy. Lucius watched as the children talked happily and he remembered his first time in the pub. He had been with James, they were drinking butterbeers and talking about their potions homework. That was Lucius� favorite subject. James had preferred transfiguration. So they helped each other with homework. It was an odd sight to see a Gryffindor and a Slytherin together, and happy about being together. Maybe that was why his father was so against the friendship. As he remembered, Lucius spied that same dark haired boy that had stared at him on his first day, Harry Potter.
Lucius knew that his son and Harry Potter were rivals, it was a natural thing. Lucius watched Harry as he talked to his friends and they drank their butterbeers.
Severus surveyed his friend and tried to guess what he was thinking. He knew that Lucius had changed ever since James was killed. Severus knew that there had been something between James and Lucius, he was the one who found Lucius after James was thrown out of his life. James always was angry at Severus for taking his place beside Lucius, that's why he was the target for the maurders during his time at Hogwarts. Severus never asked what had happened between James and Lucius, he didn�t want to reopen old wounds. Lucius� expression in the pub was something of an oddity. It was a mixture of confusion, hatred, and sadness. �What are you thinking about?� Severus ask himself.
Lucius came out of his thoughts as Harry left the pub.
�I think I need a walk by myself. Meet you back at the school Severus.�
�OK�
Lucius left the pub and began to head for the shrieking shack. He hadn�t really meant to, but he was following Harry.
Harry was talking with his friends, but he soon stopped and said he had to do something.
�I�ll see you two back at Hogwarts. Besides you two need some time away from me. See you later� with that he almost ran into the shrieking shack. Lucius soon made his way inside the shack also. He wasn�t trying to spy, he just couldn�t get his mind of the boy or the boy�s father. Lucius thought that Harry had entered alone, so it was a suprise when he heard two voices. He hid behind a wall and listened to the conversation. Surprisingly the conversation was about him.
�Lucius Malfoy is our new DADA professor.�
�Really! How did that happen?? When did it happen??�
�At the beginning of this week. He just showed up to breakfast Monday morning and Dumbledore said he was our new professor.�
�That is rather interesting.�
�Why?�
�I�ll tell you later. Why didn�t you respond to my last owl?�
�Because Ron started to nag me about always going to the owlry and tracking owl shit all over the room.�
�Well I still want an answer.�
�Yes, I will. I just can�t stand to be what they want me to be. When can I?�
�Tomorrow night in the forest. We are gathering there. Just be careful not to be followed.�
�I will. Now when do I get my kiss?� The conversation was dead now. Lucius left the shack and went back to the castle. He wondered if he should follow Harry, or just let him be. Once back in his room, Lucius dug in his trunk and found his old invisibility cloak. It still worked. It had been a while since the last time he had warn it. Lucius needed rest badly, so he went to bed early. Severus never really did see him until the next day.
�Sleep well?�
�Not really. I couldn�t get comfortable.�
�Sorry to hear that. Next time go to madame Pomfrey, she�ll help.�
�Tell me something. What do you think of the Potter boy?�
�Well he is too much like James.� That was the wrong thing for Severus to say. Lucius felt as if those words had awakened a dead part of his heart.
�Really, why do you say that?�
�Because he acts just as james does.�
�How is he in his classes?�
�Well, he is doing poorly in potions, and excelling in transfiguration, so Mcgonagall says. In the other subjects, he does alright.�
�Just like James.� Severus looked at Lucius in questioning.
�What did you say? How do you know?�
�Its nothing. What are you doing today?�
�I�m grading exams.�
�OK. I might try and get together a lesson plan. I talk to you later.� Lucius spent the rest of the day in his room. He didn�t do very much in terms of a lesson plan, instead he thought of James and his son. He resolved to follow Harry that night to find out what he was up to. It wouldn�t hurt to learn more about the boy.
When night fell, and everyone was supposed to be asleep, Lucius left the castle with his cloak under his arm. He made his way to the forest, put on the cloak, made sure he was totally covered, then continued. He heard many voices and crept closer. In a small clearing inside the woods, stood a ring of students. There was one student in the middle, but his back was to Lucius so he couldn�t see who it was. Listening to their talk he heard:
�We have gathered here to witness the addition to our group of Harry Potter. Harry please step forward.� Lucius knew it was the same person from the shack. He saw one of the gathering step further. He knew it had to be Harry. The first one raised his wand and must have said a silent spell, because soon its wand emitted a green blaze. A blaze all to familiar.
�It couldn�t be. Not on school grounds.�
To Be Continued.
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