Bones & Butterfly Wings // Draco Malfoy x Reader

Chapter 1: New Year, New Worry

    Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry stood before her. It was as imposing and wondrous as it was when she was young. The stone walls were eroded from centuries of wear from the weather. Ivy and moss covered the lower levels, spreading through every crack and crevice. No one would be able to tell that it was a recreation of the original castle, unless they were told otherwise. 

    Y/n just arrived after getting back from her summer vacation. She had done a lot of traveling this summer to study all sorts of different magical and mysterious creatures. However, now that she's back, she had to come back to reality. Students would fill the halls in less than a week and she still had to go over all her lesson plans before the start of the term.

    Appearing like she was admiring her navy pedicure, she actually eyed down the scar on the back of her hand. It was one gifted from a particularly mean owl in Scotland. She readjusted the bags on her shoulder and shoved open the doors into the main corridor. The walk to her office was utterly quiet despite the clacking of her heels on the tile floor. No other people were seen or heard in the massive hallway. Hogwarts felt ominous when it was completely empty like this. Y/n sensed a light prickle on her arms and saw that she had begun to form goosebumps. 

    Her office was just as she left it at the end of the last term. Books piled on her desk, an old calendar that was a few months out of date, and an empty coffee mug on the corner. The room smelled stale from being left untouched for months. Plus spiders have decided to build their cobweb homes in the high corners of the ceiling. Y/n dropped her bags from her shoulders to the ground next to her brown leather desk chair. She glared around the room and rolled up her sleeves to start making it as it once was. She went about opening every window in the room as well as in her adjoined bedroom. They were connected through a secret doorway by a false bookcase.

    "Professor Creevey?" a tiny voice called to her.

    She walked back out into her office to see one of the school's houselves standing in the open door. "Yes?" she answered with a small smile. Y/n had not met this elf before and began to wonder if maybe he was new to the school. She always tried to befriend the houselves that she interacted with. This one had to be one of the smallest houselves she'd ever seen.

    "Headmaster has called a meeting for all of the staff," he said, "She asked me to fetch you."

    "Thank you..." she trailed off, not knowing his name.

    "Caldey," he smiled.

    Y/n followed Caldey silently through the halls to where Minerva was holding the meeting. She seemed to have been the last to arrive. When she walked into the room everyone was already silent.

    McGonagall nodded at her, "Glad to see you made it back safely Professor. Take a seat."

    She thanked Caldey one more time. Everyone's gazes followed her as she took a seat towards the end of the long table. She was situated between two of her favorite professors from when she was in school: Flitwick and Sprout. Even after three years of teaching at the school, it still felt weird to try and see them as colleagues and not teachers. Flitwick was retired, but still lived at the school and assisted Y/n in teaching charms lessons once in a while.

    "As you all know, we must discuss the matter of appointing a new potions master," McGonagall said. Everyone's eyes were immediately back on her.

    Ever since Slughorn, Hogwarts' had the issue of keeping a potions professor in the school. There was a different one each year Y/n had taught at Hogwarts. They were all run off by the rambunctious students... or Snape. Admittedly, Snape was much more experienced and qualified for the job than anyone else, but he had the habit of intimidating all of the new potions masters by watching over them and giving them "tips" on how to do their job.

    "All of the people I've asked have turned the position down," McGonagall continued, "the general consensus is that potions is too stressful to teach."

    Trelawney folded her hands on top of the table, "What if we asked an alumni to come to teach? I've had visions of a great outcome if we did." Y/n was more shocked she'd even shown up this time than she was at the random prophecies Trelawney was constantly babbling about.

    "For once, I agree with her," Snape drawled.

    McGonagall raised her eyebrows, "Do you have anyone particular in mind?"

    "Draco Malfoy."

    The suggestion caused the room to still ever so slightly. Yet, McGonagall smiled, "That's a good idea. Mr. Malfoy's been doing great things lately."

    Draco had been in the wizarding papers multiple times over the past few years. His work with Harry Potter in uncovering the leftover death eaters was highly noted as of recent. Y/n remembered the man from when she was in school. They were in the same year and had many classes together over the years. Draco Malfoy was nothing but a conceited bully.

    "He was the top potions student after all," Flitwick sighed.

    Snape nodded, "Precisely. I have maintained contact with him and recently learned that he is currently out of work. This is a great opportunity for him and Hogwarts."

    Y/n cleared her throat. She hated intervening at meetings, but the thought of Draco Malfoy working with kids rubbed her the wrong way. Hogwarts already had one teacher that bullied students and they didn't need another. "If I may, Headmaster. Draco tormented every one of our peers. What makes you all think he won't be the same way now? Because he revealed a couple of death-"

    "It may surprise you," Snape sneered, "But Draco is not the boy he used to be."

    McGonagall stood from her seat, "I agree with Snape. If there are no other matters to be discussed- meeting dismissed."

    Y/n sat there dumbfounded while the room cleared out. No one else seemed as concerned as she was with the matter.

Flitwick tapped her on the shoulder, "We should work on your lesson plans for this term." Reluctantly, she followed his small figure back to her office.

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A/N: Hi, everyone! Thank you so much for reading. Feedback is always appreciated :)