A Forbidden Birthright

Chapter Eight

Hermione did not see Draco all the next day at school. Not in the corridors, not in the courtyard, not in the Staffroom, not in the Great Hall. It was as though he wasn't a teacher though, as if the last two days had been a dream and she hadn't seen Draco at all.

She did not tell Ginny of their encounter near Hagrid's house. She wasn't interested in hearing Ginny's thoughts on the matter. In fact, they barely saw each other at all. Their classes kept them busy, as Ginny was steadily teaching the first years how to use their broomsticks, and Hermione taught multiple topics.

Transfiguration was one of Hermione's classes, begrudgingly given to her by McGonagall, who missed teaching the class so much, she would often sit in on the classes or teach some herself. Her other was History of Magic. She had taken the class after its previous professor, Cuthbert Binns, was given another duty due to how many complaints there were about how boring his teaching style was. Because of this, many students failed his class for lack of paying attention. She had also taught Charms for a few years, but it was commandeered by the recent Head of Slytherin House, which now meant Malfoy was teaching Advanced Charms, and Potions class, as well. Annoyingly, he was just as good as she was at those two topics, and was said to be 'outstanding' when it came to charms; Hermione was determined to make him her rival.

No way would she let a Slytherin be better than her, let alone Draco Malfoy. It wasn't a drive that Hermione needed, but certainly one she enjoyed using as a booster to propel her forward as a teacher, especially as Head of Gryffindor, and she felt a spark of her childhood competitiveness blaze back to life. Aside from her personal goal to succeed Draco, the heads of the two rival houses were, historically, always at each other's throats. There was no reason why this year it should be any different. She would ensure that her students were better read and prepared than Slytherin students, and was sure that her drive would only increase theirs. Draco Malfoy could eat dirt.

Another teacher that Hermione had found to be an academic adversary was Astoria Greengrass, two years younger than herself. Raised in an old and pureblood family, she had been taught the same ideals as Draco, that all muggles were filth and should be despised among wizards. Rumors had even said that her family, a longstanding one in Britain, had joined or aided Grindlewald in his attempt to dismantle muggle power, although none had been prosecuted for it because it was never proven, and they slithered back into high society like snakes. Despite this, and despite that Astoria was rather snobbish and unpleasant, if perhaps a bit brusque to those she deemed beneath her, she had turned her back on her family's ideals when it came to muggles. Her behavior towards them was more harsh than to students who did not have muggle blood, but she still treated them rather equally. If anything, she was rude to everyone, and Hermione's dislike for her grew even more when she overheard Astoria whisper excitedly in the teachers' lounge about Draco joining the Hogwarts faculty.

Indeed, Draco becoming a teacher and Head of Slytherin all at once was discussed relentlessly among both teachers and students. He was the topic of all conversations, and wherever Hermione went, she couldn't escape it. He was like an absent shadow that still managed to darken every corner she swept past, and by the time the school day concluded, she decided she was back to hating him, if simply out of sheer irritation.

For the next week, Hermione settled into the routine of returning as a teacher, and was pleased that Gryffindor students- at least so far- seemed to be on their best behavior, and had yet to have any points taken from their House. A handful of her students had even had a few awarded to them, and Gryffindor and Ravenclaw were tied, currently. Of course, they were barely a week in and still had months to go before any one House could crow victory over the others, but the competition between the four Houses always helped the children and teenagers to strive for the best. Most, at least, while others fooled around because, "It was only the first week."