Draco sat in Harry's office alone this time. The ravenette was in class, but Draco was starting on book 3. He stayed on campus with Harry most nights anyway.

There was a knock on the door, but before he could get up to answer it McGonagall entered with a kind yet firm smile.

"Mr. Malfoy, I was told I could find you here. I do not have much time to explain, but I would like for you to follow me." When he didn't move her smile fell and she turned away swiftly. "Now, please."

He quickly stood and followed her through Harry's full classroom to the sound of gasping students before following her even quicker pace down the hallways and towards the dungeons.

"I'm sorry, Professor, but-"

"Minerva."

"Sure, Minerva. I'm slightly confused." She turned abruptly once more as they reached the door of what he knew to be the potions classroom.

"You passed your NEWTs with qualifications to become a teacher, yet you turned down the position. I am no longer asking. Our current professor is being transported to St. Mungos and therefore needs a fit replacement. You are more than capable of teaching this class. While Professor Ward is out you will be taking her place. Call it your 'trial period'. Regardless of whatever you call it, your first class begins in an hour. You can follow her lesson plans or you can create new ones sometime this week. Seeing as though you are always on campus anyway, now you have something to do with your idle time. This also means you are currently Slytherin's stand-in Head of House."

Draco was surprised to say the least. He had originally turned down the job because he had just been married. His memories of Potter and their rivalry were too raw. He closed his mouth which he assumed had opened in shock and nodded at her.

"Thank you, Prof- Minerva," he corrected as she looked at him with a smile in her eye.

"Of course. Don't forget to read over your lesson plans, Professor. The year has just begun!" She continued walking back up towards her office and Draco noted that her brisk pace may have just been the way she moved through the castle.

He entered the classroom as if he were on auto pilot before making his way into the back room where the potion master's office was kept. He looked around at the cool violets and greens he assumed Professor Ward had used and with a quick flick of his wand the room was washed in bright whites and cool greys with hints of green. His new chair for example was a plush leather desk chair in a deep emerald green with silver accents. He smiled as he sat in it and picked up the folder labeled lesson plans that was tucked into the first drawer he opened on the desk he sat behind.

Giddily he flipped through it until he was met with today's date.

~~~

Objectives/Fourth Years
- TLW read over the description of a sleeping draught
- TLW discover how to properly brew a sleeping draught
- TLW remember how to properly brew an antidote
- TLW keep notes of responses and common problems
- TLW properly label and display correct potions
- TLW properly destroy and dispose of incorrect brews
[ TLW - The Learner Will ]

~~~

Draco scoffed at the paper. This seemed easy enough. He could make a sleeping draught no problem. He just had to show a group of fourth years how to do it. It shouldn't be too hard. He had taught Scorp most of what he knew. Anything else, the boy had read about himself. He nodded to himself and stood up from his temporary desk then walked back into his new classroom. He grabbed the ingredients he knew from memory and laid them on the teacher's tray up front before beginning on an example cauldron of potion. He checked the time and nodded to himself. He mused that the brew should be finishing up just as the fourths were set to arrive.

He had decided on starting the class with the hardest to brew of the draughts he made regularly, which was the Dead Man's brew. Without an antidote it could put the drinker to sleep for years with no dreams or recollections of drinking the potions. Most people were brought out of it after months of studying so no one knew how long it's affects could really take hold. What he knew for sure, from experience was that when taken at the same time as the antidote the Dead Man's brew makes a risky alternative to a dreamless sleep potion.

As the brew finally finished simmering, the door to the potions room slammed open and students poured in. He stood with his back to the heat of the now dying flames as he leaned against the desk, watching the class settle in. He conjured the roll sheet from his office and looked around before he started calling names. When he was finished he addressed the class as a whole.

"Hello, I am Professor Malfoy. Apparently the last class was a disaster therefore your previous professor has been sent to St. Mungos." There was a jovial silence and he chuckled. "Until her return, you'll be having me."

"Aren't you that first year's dad? The Ravenclaw that talks a lot?" Asked a boy with an unfortunate nose without raising his hand.

"His name's Scorpius," called a girl with too tight pin curls. "He got moved into our History of Magic class!"

"Oh," said Draco nodding to himself. "I wasn't aware he was already so far ahead. Is he doing well in class, at least?"

"He must be, sir. He was the only one that new the material on the pop quiz today."

The class broke into loud agreeing murmurs of surprise and disbelief.

"Well what are you all learning in History of Magic right now?"

"Nothing yet, sir," squeaked a girl with mousey features and huge eyes.

"Yeah, its just a review of what we should already know. We're starting on the Second War next week," spoke a bespectacled boy covered in freckles.

Draco nodded then walked behind the desk.

"Okay, class enough small talk. You won't be getting new seats today, but I do plan on making a seating chart before the end of the week. I would like to see how each of you work alone first. Today we are starting on Sleeping Draughts. Can anyone tell me what a sleeping draught is?" A few students raised their hands and he decided maybe the teaching thing wouldn't be so bad.

Once everyone had begun their potions and he had made his rounds he sat behind his desk to start writing his first report as a teacher. Other than one cauldron exploding- the idiot put in erumpent horn dust without adding a base first- class continued without a hitch, but just before he could dismiss his students, Harry burst into the classroom.

"Draco!" he said somewhat wildly as he panted with his hands on his knees. Without looking up Draco responded on instinct.

"Yes, love?" When Harry didn't immediately respond Draco slowly looked up from writing to see a class full of wide eyed students staring at him then their DADA teacher who was still trying to catch his breath. "Well, love, what is it?"

"Scorps-" Harry spoke between gulps of air. "in the -hospital wing." Without another word Draco stood and rushed to the door, pulling Harry behind him.

"Clean your cauldrons and leave. Class is dismissed," he said briskly. Then spoke to Harry while they rushed through the halls through packs of other students who were out of class. "What the hell happened, Potter?"

"Some Slytherins thought it would be funny to prank the unsuspecting Malfoy Ravenclaw, but one of their wands were broken so the spell didn't come out as intended."

They burst into the infirmary and Draco froze as he stared at his son who looked as thought all he wanted to do was puke. His eyes looked tired and his body seemed weak, not to mention he was shivering even though he was soaked in sweat.

"As temporary Slytherin Head of House, I think I need to have a word with my students." Draco kissed Scorpius' forehead then his knuckles before brushing some of his wet hair back from his face and abruptly turning after nodding to Madam Pomfrey. He was more than a teacher, he was now a father scorned by his own house. He was going to show them what a prank was really all about. Before he could leave, Harry grabbed his arm in the corridor right outside.

"Don't do anything crazy. You just got here. C'mon lets just wait until he wakes up. Besides, the boys who did it are literally tied up in McGonagall's office."

"You didn't," said Draco with wide eyes.

"He's my son too, remember?" Harry kissed Draco on the corner of the lips then pulled him back into the infirmary before forcing him into a chair and standing behind him to rub his tense shoulders.

"Thank you," said Draco quietly with his eyes closed and his face downcast as he held onto Scorp's hand lovingly. "I love you," he said laying his head back onto Harry as he wrapped his arms around the blonde.

"I love you too," said Harry kissing him on the temple.

~~~<~>~~~

hey futher muckers

i have a fucking toothache

i almost didn't update cause
im going to bed early

i hope you all enjoyed this
kinda shitty, but eh

its definitely different

love you all

-- angel janeé xoxo 💋