Chapter Text
...I am reaching out to you in the hope you would be willing to fill the position... She stared at the scroll in confusion and shock, rereading it to be sure she’d understood correctly. Baffled, she set the letter on the settee, why would he want her of all people to fill a position at the school? Sure, her achievements would make her an appealing candidate to anyone else, but surely he wasn’t going to look over her family’s previous affiliation with the Dark Lord. And if he was, he must be desperate indeed. It didn’t matter anyway she thought, shaking her head, it’s not like she’d ever consider accepting the absurd offer. Narcissa Malfoy had better things to do than attempting to teach a bunch of bumbling children. The memory of the bleak slum that had made up her recent routine challenged that thought, but she pushed it aside. No. I’m not interested. She thought, turning her back on the letter as if to dismiss it’s offer.
Regardless of what she told herself though, she spent the rest of the day conflicted over the offer, occasionally looking over the scroll to ensure it’s reality. She couldn’t concentrate on anything, mindlessly wandering around the house and thinking back on her years at Hogwarts with a mixture of emotions. Unlike some of her former classmates, she hadn’t mourned her graduation or felt nostalgic when Draco began his first year at the school. Her years there had been far from easy, she’d watched the wizarding world fall apart and with it, her family. So why was she now longing to be reunited with the distant familiarity of the castle walls? The more she thought on it, the more distressed she became until finally she’d had enough. Fine. If they’re really so desperate it would only look bad on the Malfoy name if I didn’t at least consider the offer. The thought of even entertaining the request without Lucius’ permission or insight made her uneasy. But he wouldn’t or rather, couldn’t, tell her where he went on his work trips so she had no way to consult him. Besides, she reationalized, it’s not like I’d actually accept the offer. This reassured her and calmed her anxiety, instead thinking about the possibility of seeing Draco. That decided it then, tomorrow, a Sunday, she would meet with the Headmaster. Anxiety and restlessness kept her from being able to concentrate on anything for the rest of the evening, so she sought out a light sleeping potion and headed to bed early.
She felt as though the sun was rising slower than usual as impatience crept into her body at 7a.m the next morning. When it finally became a decent enough hour for her to excuse getting out of bed she spent time laboring over her appearance. It had been some time since she’d had a social outing, if you could even call this a social outing, but she planned to impress. She settled for a look that was elegant but simply, keeping to a monotone of greys. She quickly ate breakfast before apparating to the Hogwarts gates, where a giant of a man stood nearby. “Excuse me sir!” She called, his attention quickly turning to her.
“Mrs. Malfoy?” He questioned.
“Yes.” She answered simply, trying not to be distracted by the enormity of the man.
“To see the Headmaster?” He asked, opening the gates and mumbling something to allow the wards to let her inside.
“Yes.” She answered again, following him up towards the castle.
“I wouldn’t think you to be one for teaching.” He commented, infuriatingly trying to maintain some sort of conversation with her.
“Neither would I, but the request is an honor.” She said, trying to keep her voice civil. “I doubt I will actually fill the position.” She added.
Seeming satisfied, he kept quiet until they reached the entrance of the school. The stone school towered above her, the morning sun casting her in a shadow. She couldn’t believe she was actually here, “The password is Lemon Drop, do you know the way or…?” The groundskeeper trailed off.
“I know my way, thank you.” She dismissed, plundering her doubts and pushing into the school. She tried not to let her eyes wander to the expansive staircases and paintings, instead focusing on finding the Headmaster’s office. There were hardly any students in the hallways, probably holed up in the common rooms or secret corners of the castle. The few she did see were too caught up in conversation to pay her any mind, she reached the Headmaster’s office without disturbance. She glanced around before taking a deep breath and muttering the password under her breath, ascending to the office.
She was immediately greeted by the zealous Headmaster, “Mrs. Malfoy, thank you for coming! Please have a seat, and would you like a lemon drop?”
She removed her gloves before tentatively sitting down opposite the wizard, “Of course it was my pleasure, and uh, no thank you.”
He sat again, folding his hands on the desk, “I’m sure you understand the situation. For the past few years our Defense Against the Dark Arts Professors have met unfortunate circumstances, and it seems that reputation has scared away any possible replacements. Our students have been out of a professor for a week now, I really appreciate you considering my request.”
So she’d been right about being somewhat of a last resort, “Of course, I understand the urgency of the situation. However, I must ask why you haven’t sought out someone with more experience in the area than myself.”
“Quite frankly Mrs. Malfoy, when searching for potential substitutes you ranked highly. Your grades as a student were outstanding and your research writings are brilliant. You also have experience with the dark arts, all the more reason I think you’re qualified to teach the subject.” He stated.
Narcissa was taken aback by his words, it wasn’t often that people recognized her studies after Hogwarts. “Yes, but I am still no teacher.” She said.
“Perhaps not, but it’s not complicated, you will learn as you proceed. You wouldn’t need to worry about curriculum for the year, as your predecessor had mapped it all out before his...incident. The fellow staff and I would be here for any questions or concerns.” He smiled warmly.
She thought for a moment, deciding to throw out subtlety, “You’re not at all concerned about my family’s previous affiliation with the Dark Lord?”
Dumbledore seemed unphased by the question, almost as if he was expecting it, “Not in the slightest. Your husband works in the Ministry, you have a son attending here, and you yourself were never personally involved in his organization. Severus Snape, who you may know, was formerly a Death Eater and has been a valued professor at our school for many years. Besides, a little first hand experience in the dark arts is sure to make you a better advocate for your subject.”
She was shocked by his nonchalance, and more so by his sincerity. She could sense no dishonesty in the Headmaster’s words, he truly believed in the goodness of people. She couldn’t help but find that foolish. Nonetheless, she could see no reason not to accept the offer, it would give her the resources to further her research, occupy her freetime, and most importantly, she would be closer to Draco. And she couldn’t help but smile when imagining the fear on the other professor’s faces when they realized Narcissa Malfoy, daughter of the Black family, and wife to a former Death Eater, was to be their newest coworker.
“It would only be for the rest of the semester?” She clarified.
“Yes. I am confident we could find a permanent replacement by then.”
Narcissa sat in silence for a moment, before nodding and standing, “I will have to speak with my son and husband, I will let you know my final answer by tomorrow. Thank you again for honoring my family and I with this offer.” She lifted her hand as he stood, shaking it firmly.
“Thank you Mrs. Malfoy, I can request Draco if you want to see him.” He offered, releasing her hand, which she had to resist from wiping on her dress.
“That would be lovely, could you ask him to meet me outside?”
“Of course, have a good day.” He smiled again, and she tried her best to return it.
Draco was waiting for her outside of the castle door, leaning against a nearby tree. Once he caught her eye he immediately straightened and wiped out imaginary wrinkles in his school uniform. “What are you doing here? Is Father okay?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Well hello to you too.” She chastised gently, “Your Father is fine last I heard, I am actually here on official business.”
She saw him struggle not to roll his eyes and marveled at how alike they were, “What official business could you possibly be here on? I promise I’m working on my Herbology grade!”
“It’s really nothing serious,” She said, waving off his concern, “Is there somewhere I can sit?”
“Yeah, down by the lake, come on.” He turned and led the way down the grassy hill towards a bench near the lake. He plopped down on one end, fishing an apple out of his robes and taking a bite.
She settled next to him, “I hear you’re short a Dark Arts professor.” She commented, unsure exactly how to breach the subject.
“Yup. Released a bunch of pixies on the class for us to practice on, turns out they didn’t like that too much. Should’ve seen his face when they all started buzzing towards him! Serves him right for talking so bloody much, somebody was going to bite off his ears eventually.” He exclaimed, taking an aggressive bite out of his apple.
“Draco, don’t use such language.” That one earned her a full eye-roll. “Well, it seems the Headmaster has had some trouble finding another suitable replacement. In light of this he has offered me the position.”
Draco laughed, before looking at her serious face and then setting the apple down on the bench, “Wait really?”
She didn’t know whether to concur with his surprise or be offended by it, “Yes really, it is quite an honor to be considered for such a high position Draco.”
He nodded thinking for a moment, “Are you gonna do it? Take the position I mean.”
“I’m not sure, I wanted to ask you how you felt about it. I would ask your Father but…” She trailed off.
“It would be kinda weird to have you teach me, people are gonna think I’m only passing because you’re my Mother.”'
“Certainly not. I would treat everyone equally, just because you are my son does not mean I would allow you to achieve any less in your academics.”
“Yeah okay, but you can’t act like my Mother in class. Or talk to me when I’m with my friends.” He said stubbornly.
“I don’t want to impede on your academic or social life, but I will make sure you are safe.” She replied equally as stubborn.
He shrugged, seeming satisfied, “How long will you be teaching?”
“Only for the semester.”
“Right well, have at it.” He picked up his apple again, taking another bite.
She didn’t know how to respond, just yesterday she was convinced there was no way she’d fill the position and not even twenty-four hours later she found there was nothing stopped her from doing so. Except Lucius. Lucius who she hadn’t seen in nearly three months, Lucius who was too wrapped up in his work to notice her, Lucius who she found herself resenting when she was alone at night. She swallowed the sour flavor in her mouth and nodded, as if to settle the argument with herself, “I do not want you to lose anymore of your education, so I will take the position. Thank you Draco.”
He seemed distracted by the bubbles rising in the lake, offering a small shrug before rushing to the edge of the lake and chucking the rest of his apple towards the bubbling water. He let out a small yelp of delight as a giant tentacle snatched the apple, dragging it under the water. She shook her head affectionately, “I love you Draco, I will see you tomorrow.”
“Love you too!” He called, searching for more things to throw into the lake.
She spent some time walking around the lake, letting the cool afternoon calm her anxiety, before coming back to stand at the entrance to the castle. To avoid allowing her son to lose any more of his education she would teach at Hogwarts for one semester. It would appear good for the Mafloy’s social standing, she would be able to research her interests, and by the end of the semester Lucius would surely be back home and all would go back to normal. A voice behind her nearly caused her to jump out of her black heels, had it not been for the years of steeling herself against her parents.
“Mrs. Malfoy, I’m surprised you’re still here.” She turned to see Dumbledore grinning at her, with what appeared to be a daisy in his hand.
“I just took a stroll on the grounds. Actually, I have made my decision, I would be honored to teach as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.” She smiled politely, the edges of anxiety still nagging her as she announced her decision.
“Wonderful!” He beamed, “Your predecessors chambers have been cleaned and are ready for you to move in whenever you’re ready. You can easily apparate your belongings here once I clear you to do so. In fact, I can show you to your chambers now if you’d like.”
Seeing no reason not to she nodded, “That would be great, thank you.”
The Headmaster trotted ahead of her, chattering on about the happenings of the school. When they reached her chambers he bid her farewell, telling her to consult him in case she needed anything else. Glad to be rid of his overzealous presence, she unlocked the door to her rooms and was immediately met with the dreary must of the environment. That’s what happens when you leave men in charge for too long she thought bitterly. It’s needless to say she spent the rest of the day cleaning and arranging the room, turning the overcast boring space into a workable and aesthetic one. She became so caught up in this endeavor that she hardly noticed the sun setting on the castle. It was only when a small house-elf (Fimble) popped into her living room with a meal and yet another message from the Headmaster that she stopped her work.
She enjoyed a meal in her newly decorated dining room/kitchen and couldn’t bring herself to miss the amount of space she had been granted at the Manor. It wasn’t ideal to be squished into such a small place, but it was preferable to the empty expanse at the Manor. As she was eating she mulled over the curriculum she’d been given, happy to find she was familiar with most of it. She found the main cause of discomfort was the possibility of having to interact with her new colleagues, not her new students. Sighing, she looked at the time and decided it was high time she head to bed, especially after such an eventful day.
She went through her nightly routine, set an alarm, and settled into bed. For the first time in many nights she didn’t need a sleeping tonic to put her to sleep. The exhaustion of the day and knowing that she had something to wake up for in the morning was more than enough. She fell asleep without troubling thoughts, despite the busy day ahead of her. Besides, how bad could it be?