Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I have not recently read the books thoroughly, so I do apologize for any mistakes.
A/N: Thanks to all of you that reviewed. Sorry for the delay. I had a little trouble organizing this chapter.
When You're Taught Through Feelings
Chapter II
In the mass chaos of everyone in Hogwarts trying to get through the front doors of the Great Hall at once, Aradia ended up lost in a sea of people, when she had been trying to stay with Wood, who'd so kindly offered to show her to her room. How the entrance hall emptied so quickly, she'd never quite understand, so she decided it was probably a good idea to walk around and try to find someone to show her where to go since Wood, along with the rest of the Hogwarts residents, was nowhere to be found.
Dia made her way to where three sets of stairs were, the one in the middle ascending, the two on either side of that one descending. The young woman chewed her lip as she tried to decide which way to go, noting that the staircase going down to the left didn't look very welcoming at all.
There was a somewhat foreboding feeling to it, as if only trouble could come by going down that particular set of stairs.
'Even so, going up makes the most sense. Surely there's more of the school upstairs instead of underground,' the brunette reasoned, still hesitant to move from this very spot, wondering if she just stayed put maybe Oliver would come back and look for her.
And as Aradia had decided to remain in the entrance hall, only for another five minutes or so, a blonde head appeared from the stairs that oozed uneasiness, a black-cloaked young man attached to it.
He stopped short once he reached the top, eyes setting on the new professor, brow lifting slightly in wonder. However, it took him less than a second to realize the silly girl had absolutely no idea where she was supposed to go, and this fully amused him, his demeanor settling into a radiating confident swagger, more so than usual.
"Lost?" The blonde leaned casually against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, a knowing look on his face as Aradia approached him.
"A little," she admitted shyly. "You wouldn't happen to know where the Defense Against the Dark Arts office is, would you?"
He scoffed, eyes rolling ever so slightly, muscles contracting as he pushed away from the wall and took a step closer to her. "Of course I do. I am Head Boy, after all." Dia's blue eyes caught sight of the shiny badge that indeed read 'Head Boy' on the breast of his onyx robe. "I'm Draco. Draco Malfoy." He offered his hand to the woman, which she took, a little shocked when he leaned down and brushed his lips against her knuckles. Quickly, she pulled her hand back.
"I don't think that's a proper greeting for a student to give their teacher," she voiced, feeling a burn in her cheeks at the impropriety of it all.
"Yes well, formality comes first and foremost for us purebloods, right?" A smirk appeared on his lips when Dia's eyebrows rose in obvious surprise. "You think I didn't recognize your name? Mercer. Our fathers were… friends."
Suddenly, the stark blonde hair and surname were all too recognizable. "Of course they were… Draco Malfoy. I should have known. I recall a meeting with you once a long time ago, that resulted in me 'accidentally' falling in the near frozen pond in your backyard." Her foot tapped a few times, aggravation at the memory rising, only causing the corner of the younger Malfoy's lips to twitch. It had certainly been no accident when Draco had pushed her into the pond when they were very young after she refused to play a game of Exploding Snap with him.
"Yes well, with age comes maturity. We were children then. But I can see that we're all grown up now." His eyes traveled over her body, lingering in certain areas, before landing back on her face.
This action did not go unnoticed by Aradia and she was slightly horrified, Peeves' earlier prediction becoming reality far too quickly. "That is much too inappropriate." Her tone was dominating and strict, though Draco hardly seemed impressed at all.
Again, his silver eyes rolled, uncaring that the witch standing before him was supposed to be treated with the same superiority as the other professors. "What are you, a year older than me?" Malfoy snorted.
"Unless you're a twenty year old still in your seventh year, I doubt it," she shot back, realizing what the young man was doing, but not quite sure how to handle the situation. Her inexperience was already a problem.
"Three years, excuse me." With that, Draco began walking, heading up the middle staircase, and Aradia rushed to follow him, finding the Slytherin walked quite briskly as compared to the gimp Filch.
"Well, I'm still your professor. Age has nothing to do with it," she pointed out, theory seeming logical to her. They went to the right and through a door, revealing a seemingly never-ending tower of staircases and inwardly, Dia groaned, not liking the complex look of this at all.
"Age has everything to do with it," Malfoy contrasted, beginning to make his way up one set of stairs. "First off, you'll have to work a lot harder to earn our respect, especially us seventh years. We aren't just going to do something because you tell us to."
"Well you should. I'm your teacher," she argued, following the platinum head in front of her while trying to look at all the living portraits that lined the staircase walls.
"Yes, but we won't," he confirmed simply. "And you're probably going to have to deal with a lot of… comments by your male students. Again, mainly the seventh years."
She paused for a quick second at the top of the stairs, looking through a rounded archway and down a hall, which must have been the first floor. "And why is that?" Dia asked in a certain tone once she tuned in again, chasing after Draco as he made his way up a second set of stairs.
"Are you blind? I'm sure you've had a look at the rest of the staff. A bunch of old bats. But you're young, healthy and easy on the eyes. Of course the boys are going to give you a hard time. It's what we do," the student elaborated.
"Oh, so this will include you?" Dia demanded, a hint of anger in her voice. She was going to have to deal with enough confusion with this being her first year; being harassed by her students was really the last thing she needed.
"Especially me." His attitude was beginning to make Dia uneasy, fear of having students with even more obvious defiance really worrying her.
"Well, I'll just have to talk to McGonagall about that then," she tried to come back with confidently.
Draco snorted, and she was sure he rolled his eyes. "Go ahead. Though I wouldn't recommend doing so. I would just sit back and take it. We'll get bored eventually. All running to McGonagall will do is land you on the receiving end of every prank pulled this year." Her jaw dropped slightly as he basically told her she would be hazed throughout the beginning of this year and all she could really do was accept it.
"But—" Dia's protest was cut short as the staircase she was climbing suddenly moved, instinct forcing her to grab onto Draco's shoulder so she didn't end up tumbling down the steps as she yelped in shock. Draco had seemingly been expecting the sudden shift and had already been holding onto the railing, though he'd continued to walk until she had grabbed at him.
"They move, by the way." She could feel the smirk on his lips though his back was to her.
"Yeah, thanks." The steps stopped at another opening to the second floor and Dia sighed, things such as moving staircases and brooms always making her stomach churn a bit.
Aradia stared down at the steps, expecting them to move again, and sighed when it seemed they were stilled for the time being. Realizing she was still gripping her student's shoulder for dear life, she quickly pulled her hand back, eliminating all physical contact. Embarrassed, she blushed a little, especially when he turned and a smirk made it's way onto his pointed face.
Being only human, she couldn't help but notice that he was rather attractive. He was taller than her, standing at about six feet probably, and strands of his neat blonde hair hung in his steely gray eyes, falling about an inch past his cheekbones. She also couldn't deny the admiration she had for his nice, lean build, and when he caught her staring, his smirk growing in satisfaction, she became even redder in the face.
"See something you like?" he asked cheekily, making Dia finally peel her eyes away and continue her path up the staircase and past him, before it began moving again or something. "You know, it's improper to be ogling your students like that, Professor," he called form behind her.
"I certainly was not ogling anything, Mr. Malfoy!" Aradia defended, reminding herself that she was indeed a teacher, not some lust-stricken schoolgirl. She paused and allowed Malfoy to pass her, remembering she had no idea where to go. "As if there's anything to ogle," she muttered bitterly under her breath, trailing behind Malfoy as he whisked down a hallway.
Dia was forced to stop abruptly, eyes going wide in shock as Draco turned sharply and stopped, the young witch nearly running straight into him. 'This is precious. He towers over me and he's absolutely intimidating! My own student!' she thought as he stared her down. She just prayed her thoughts weren't apparent in her facial expression.
"What was that?" Dia flinched backwards when he spoke, uncomfortable with the close proximity of their noses.
"Nothing that concerns you," she said in a strong voice, no matter how faux it may have been. Malfoy studied her face for any trace of a lie before he turned on his heel and continued walking.
Aradia didn't like the power this… child seemed to have over her by his mere demeanor. She had to remember, he was a little boy, testing his boundaries, seeing what he could get away with around the new professor. Dia made a mental note to enforce her authority with him next time he decided to act smart with her, and she was absolutely certain there would be a next time.
"This is your office. I suggest next time, you don't forget your map." And giving his teacher a final, icy look, he turned, tailored robes billowing behind him, and disappeared down the hallway to continue his patrols as Head Boy.
Sighing, Aradia let her head press into the door of what Malfoy told her was her office. He was going to be trouble for her, she already knew it. It didn't help that he was devastatingly attractive either.
But no. She couldn't let herself be distracted by something so juvenile as good-looking boys. There was bound to be a large number of them around. Dia needed to keep her head on straight.
"There you are!" Speaking of good-looking boys…
Oliver Wood appeared at the end of the hall, briskly making his way towards his colleague, a slight flush on his cheeks from the quick pace he'd been searching the school at once he'd lost track of the newcomer.
"Sorry about that. Things can get hectic around here. Looks like you found your way though," he pointed out, offering a friendly smile.
"I understand. It was a mad rush to get out of there," Dia chuckled, remembering the mess of dark robed witches and wizards, all trying to exit the Great Hall at once and overflowing the entrance hall. "I ran into the Head Boy, so he was kind enough to escort me."
Wood pulled a strange face, a combination of surprise and disgust crossing his handsome features. "Er, yes. Malfoy seems to have gotten that position somehow. Pleasant one, eh?" The comment was clearly sarcastic and Dia realized with their age difference the two young men must have been in school together as students at some point.
"Mmm, yes. He did seem to have an arrogance about him. But I'm just thankful to not be lost in this massive place. It's like a bloody labyrinth, and I've only seen a bit of it!" Oliver chuckled and nodded his head in agreement.
"Yeah, it can be overwhelming," Wood agreed, chocolate eyes glittering as he smiled at Dia. "But if you like, I can meet you here in the morning. Assure you you won't miss breakfast. And I promise not to lose you this time," he added sheepishly.
Dia bared her white teeth in a wide smile, the soothing sound of his Scottish accent and his warm, dark eyes relaxing the tension the blonde Slytherin had created. "Should we make an Unbreakable Vow?" she teased lightly, causing the substitute flying instructor to shamefully put his hands over his face. "That would be lovely of you," she replied, seriously this time.
Oliver sighed a little, looking a bit less embarrassed and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Breakfast ends at nine, so how does ten of eight sound?" Oliver suggested.
"That will be perfect Oliver. Thank you very much." Dia did her best to fight a yawn, but was unsuccessful, and was forced to cover her mouth to continue with the tired gesture.
Wood saw this as his cue to let Aradia get her rest and take his leave. "All right well, I'll leave you to settle in. Goodnight."
"Goodnight," she repeated, pushing the door to her office open once Oliver was on his way down the hall. It was fairly clear to Dia that there was some sort of mutual attraction between herself and the young quidditch player.
Now wasn't the time to be having some off-shot romance with someone she'd be working with, or even thinking about it. Of course, he was only here temporarily. Maybe after he left…
Walking through the doorway, Dia was surprised that her office was of a reasonably comfortable size. Upon entering, there was her own private desk, to the side, a small table she knew would be absolutely perfect for her tea set, and a comfortable looking four-poster bed draped in deep purples to match the plush armchair sitting in front of her personal fireplace. Approaching the desk, she saw a folded piece of parchment, which she lifted and opened. "A bloody map. Brilliant," she muttered, wishing she had this to begin with.
Also on the desk was a pot of purple ink, an elegant pheasant quill, and what looked to be her weekly timetable. Her first ever class would be with the first years of Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. This was a relief to her; these students would be just as nervous as she. But she audibly groaned when she saw that the seventh year Gryffindors and Slytherins would be in her class after lunch tomorrow. She was going to have this one opportunity to instill in their adolescent heads that she was not one to be messed with and wouldn't be taken advantage of.
That was certainly going to take some preparation.
Trying not to dwell on her dread, Dia rushed over to the southern window, a clear view of the moonlit lake and the faint outline of the quidditch hoops visible. She was willing to bet she had one of the best views in the entire castle!
Aradia had to do a double take on the lake as she started to turn away, swearing she'd seen a long tentacle arching out of the water, but when she looked back, all that was there were small ripples and the reflection of the moon in the dark water.
Dia passed by her trunk, sitting at the foot of the bed and opened the two doors at the back wall, discovering a closet (with all her clothes already hung and organized) behind one and a private bathroom behind the second.
The bath was quite large and accommodating, something she was certainly going to look forward to. She could just imagine how nice it would feel to settle down in some steamy water and lavender scented suds.
But she had much to prepare for tomorrow, so she made her way over to the desk and took a seat in the cushioned chair before it.
As promised, Wood arrived on time, five minutes early in fact, and Dia was pleased to have an escort down to the Great Hall since she'd already forgotten her way. She was sure to pay a little extra attention to where Oliver led her so she wouldn't forget again. Wouldn't it be lovely to give that Malfoy boy a reason to be smug if he caught her wandering aimlessly around the castle again?
"Have a good sleep?" Oliver questioned as they made their way down a staircase that had only just rotated before them. Dia was certainly pleased that had happened before she'd gotten on the steps.
"Afraid not," she admitted. "I couldn't have gotten more than a few hours. I was looking through my books and such, trying to go over my lesson plans. It's all very overwhelming, trying to organize different activities for all the individual years. I believe I have the first week sorted out now though. But I'm sure you know all about hat," she quickly added, not wanting to sound pitiful. Surely Wood was enduring the same stress as she.
The Scot chuckled and shook his head as they descended the small, stone steps into the entrance hall, which was littered with students from all the houses, slowly making their way towards the Great Hall for breakfast, a few being distracted by conversation. "Actually, it's not all that difficult to me. Madam Hooch will be back before the year's over. All I'm really doing is teaching the young kids how to properly ride a broom and overseeing Quidditch." She was sure he was just being modest, or he didn't quite know what he was in for, but she found his nonchalance attractive nonetheless.
"Regardless. It sounds like much more time spent on a broomstick that I'd be able to handle," Aradia revealed, laughing light-heartedly.
"You can't possibly be serious?" he asked, looking suddenly flabbergasted.
"I'm deathly serious. Flying is definitely not my favorite method of travel. The height… and the swaying. Ugh, I'm feeling ill just thinking about it."
"You must at least watch quidditch though."
"On occasion. But I've honestly never been a very sporty person." A faint expression of disappointment washed over Oliver's handsome face, but Aradia ignored it and made her way over to the Head's table to sit.
It wasn't as though Dia didn't enjoy sports or activities; she'd just never had a real opportunity to participate in them. When her father was around, while she was at schooling age, her life had been consumed by learning. Education was more important to her father than anything, and her young life was mostly spent honing her skills in Charms, Transfiguration, Potions and the Dark Arts. Of course, being a Death Eater, Martin Mercer valued his daughter's knowledge and execution of the Dark Arts above all other subjects. Which is why she'd seen the open position at Hogwarts as an amazing opportunity. After all, those who know the Dark Arts are generally the ones best able to fend them off.
She wasn't like her father; she never had been. But her personality didn't erase all the things she had learned from some of the greatest dark witches and wizards in the world. But she took the high road, unlike so many others in her shoes, and decided to use her knowledge of dark magic to help the children who would be the future of the wizarding world to defend themselves.
"Good morning my dear," Slughorn greeted Aradia as he took his seat on the right of her. Immediately, the older man began piling his plate with the food sitting before him, then pouring himself and Dia each goblets of pumpkin juice.
"Thank you," Dia expressed, taking the offered beverage. Wood came to join them a second later, abandoning the group of older Gryffindor students he'd gotten hooked into conversation with.
Breakfast passed all too quickly for Dia, her attention buried in conversation with the two men on either side of her. Before she knew it, the food had all disappeared, time tables passed out to the students and McGonagall had announced the start of the first school day.
And again, Dia found herself lost in the castle. Just wonderful.
This time, she had absolutely no idea what floor she was on or anything of the sort. She had consulted the map that had been left in her office, however, it wasn't doing her much good at all.
"I don't suppose you know where your classroom is either?" The snotty voice behind Dia made her turn and look to find the Head Boy once again, a stupid, superior smirk on his face. Why oh why, of all people, did Malfoy have to be the one to find her staring stupidly at her map?
"It's this bloody map. It makes no sense," she muttered frustrated, defiantly staring down at the yellowed piece of parchment, decorated in flat replicas of the castle walls that surrounded her.
With a roll of his eyes, Malfoy approached the witch and peered over at the map she was studying before shaking his head and grabbing the top corners, pulling it from her grasp, then flipping it right side up. Dia's face flushed such a hot shade of red, she was sure she would die right on the spot. In her nervous panic to get to her classroom, she hadn't even realized that she'd been holding the map upside down.
"Erm… thank you," she muttered, despite herself. He probably thought she was a right fool and would go running to McGonagall to report what a blasted idiot the new professor was. Nervously, Aradia finally turned her eyes back up to the blonde to find an overly amused expression on his face.
"I'd watch your language if I were you professor. Wouldn't want to have to issue you a detention." Malfoy felt an overwhelming sense of pride when he saw the shocked look on his soon to be professor's face. He couldn't just stop there. "Your classroom is on the first floor. See you there after lunch." And with a quick raise of his eyebrows at the speechless young woman he had indeed pushed into the pond all those many years ago, he went on his way back towards his first lesson of the day.
He couldn't be bothered to even yell at the small group of Hufflepuff first years who looked frightened and lost as he made his way past the History of Magic classroom. Oh no. He was far too delighted with the promise that his new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was going to be lovely entertainment for at least the first half of the year.
Ah yes, he could picture it now. Dropping things as she walked by so she'd have to bend down and pick them up. Sending her anonymous, filthy notes that only she could read, only to have them incinerate right before her eyes in order to destroy any trace of the sender's handwriting. Oh, Draco was going to have a wonderful time.
And he knew the only other person in school he sought to be competent enough to keep in his company anymore would enjoy it just as much as he.
Speak of the devil…
Blaise Zabini appeared at the top of the staircase Draco had been ascending, looking rather pleased with himself as a group of fifth year Ravenclaw girls giggled and batted their eyelashes at the attractive young Italian. Brushing them off lightly, since it absolutely happened all the time, Blaise looked past them and nodded his head in greeting to his fellow Slytherin.
"Blaise," Draco retorted, reaching the top of the staircase conveniently before it shifted.
"Right mate, let's see the schedule," Blaise suggested, pulling his own timetable from his robe pocket as Draco searched for his own. "Nearly the same," Zabini observed, noticing the only difference in their schedules was Draco had N.E.W.T. level Charms while Blaise had Divination. Blaise's dark eyes focused on the slot after the lunch period on both their schedules and a smirk rose on his full lips, one to nearly rival that of Draco's himself. Nearly.
"I think this is the first time I've been itching to get to Defense Against the Dark Arts… ever." Blaise handed Draco his schedule back to him and the two made their way towards their first class of the morning, which happened to be Transfiguration. "Did you get a good look at that new bird?" Blaise whistled lowly in appreciation.
The corner of Draco's lips twitched up as he thought back to his two encounters with the young professor. "She's all right."
"All right? All right? She's more than all right. Draco my friend, that is a woman. Not to be confused with all the little girls running around here," Blaise told his housemate matter-of-factly. "What do you reckon my chances of bagging her are?"
Draco just snorted in reply, bossily pushing past the queue of his housemates and the Ravenclaws that were waiting to be let into the classroom.
As they waited, Draco pondered what Blaise's actual shot at scoring with a teacher would be. If her backbone was as brittle as Draco had already come to the conclusion it was, than his friend might actually have a shot.
Not a better shot than Draco himself, of course.