In The Strangest Ways

Disclaimer: The following is a work of fan fiction using characters from the world of Harry Potter, which is owned by J.K. Rowling. The characters, creatures and other related descriptions are also owned by J.K. Rowling. I will not be receiving any monies in relation to this fan fiction. I have also used the HP Lexicon for some minor details.

Summary: After years of public shame, Narcissa Malfoy pressures her son into applying for the newly-vacant role of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts, in the belief that this will raise their social standing. Will Draco face potential humiliation if only to make his mother happy?

IN THE STRANGEST WAYS

Chapter One: A Meeting With McGonagall

"You must apply for this position, Draco," Narcissa said in desperation. Someone as proud as his mother would never get on her knees and beg unless it was to save her son's life, but this was the closest she would come to it. "It will be a step in the right direction."

"Mother, I will never get it," Draco insisted, bored of the conversation now as it had dragged on for half an hour at least. "With McGonagall the Headmistress, how can you possibly believe I have a chance?" He blithely flicked through the newspaper she had given him to show him the advertisement for the vacancy.

Narcissa tutted in annoyance and snatched the paper from Draco's hands. "Look," she flicked back to the page with the circled advertisement and pointed sharply at it. "It says 'all applicants with Dark Arts experience welcome'. 'All', Draco," she emphasised.

Draco sighed and took the paper from his mother once more to read it again:

Defence Against the Dark Arts Professorship

Vacancy At Hogwarts School of

Witchcraft and Wizardry

Our current professor is leaving to travel shortly, and we need an

applicant with the ability to handle children well and the many hazards

Hogwarts can deliver.

No, this post is not cursed!

All applicants with Dark Arts experience welcome!

Please apply in writing to Headmistress, Professor McGonagall

no later than August the First.

He did have experience in the Dark Arts, his varied travels after the Second Wizarding War had allowed many opportunities for that, namely being able to defend himself from the many creatures than lurked the forests of Northern Europe. And Draco could also understand why his mother wanted him to apply for the position. Ever since the Dark Lord's downfall nine years ago, the Malfoy family had suffered a great deal of exposure and embarrassment in the press. It wasn't long before they were shunned from Ministry events and even lowly dinner parties, by other known Death Eater families no less! Things had improved since Lucius Malfoy had been incarcerated in Azkaban several years ago after a lengthy Wizenmagot trial. Largely, they had improved for himself since he had been an impressionable teenager at the time, but there was still the odd humiliating occasion that he would be turned away from restaurants, clubs, shops and events. Now, he didn't bother that much with going anywhere he hadn't been before.

His mother had been affected a great deal more, despite all her charitable work for those affected by the actions of the Death Eaters, she was consistently uninvited to charity balls she had helped arrange. The exposure from the press had also hit her hard as well, considering the fact that her estrangement from her older sister for marrying a Muggle-born had become common knowledge, it was difficult not to understand why she wasn't invited to any parties celebrating the diversity of the Wizarding World. Narcissa's only saving grace, in the eyes of the public, had been in the form of Harry Potter's testimony that she had effectively saved his life by lying directly to the face of the Dark Lord. It was for this reason only that she had escaped a trial and Azkaban for conspiracy and assisting a known Death Eater.

Narcissa had now got it into her head that Draco was the only one who could raise their family's fortunes and put them back in their rightful place in society. Her recent scheme was this position at Hogwarts. In her mind, becoming a professor at Hogwarts was highly respectable; the people working there were close allies of the Order and had fought against the Dark Lord. If Draco could secure this position, then it would mean the Malfoy family could be trusted again.

"Mother, McGonagall is head of Gryffindor house," he rationalised, closing the newspaper and setting it down on the small table beside his chair. "Do you really think she will hire a Slytherin -?"

"Professor Slughorn is a Slytherin!" she argued.

"I mean a Slytherin who has a father locked away for being a Death Eater," he pointed out bluntly. "A Slytherin who wasn't exactly on friendly terms with Harry Potter."

Narcissa sniffed haughtily. "McGonagall is a mature woman, Draco. I do not believe she will let petty differences from the past cloud her judgement."

"'Petty'?" Draco said incredulously. "Mother, I don't think she will see being a Death Eater as 'petty'!"

His mother batted a hand in annoyance, irritating Draco further. "Just apply for it, Draco," she insisted. "We needn't analyse all these irrelevant details -."

Draco sighed loudly, drowning out the rest of Narcissa's sentence. "I am not doing it. I am not humiliating myself for some half-baked attempt to receive party invites!"

Narcissa sat stiffly in her armchair, staring at her son with her cold eyes narrowed. "After all I have done for you..." she whispered in an insulted tone. "To think that you believe I want this for some invitations. I want this for you as much as for me, Draco."

Draco slumped back into the soft armchair and rubbed his forehead in aggravation. "This isn't the right way to do this," he muttered, brushing off his mother's attempt to make him feel guilty. Narcissa always pulled the 'After All I've Done For You' card whenever she wasn't getting her own way. "Being a teacher at Hogwarts is restricting. We need to be seen in public doing nice things, not stuck in a school."

Narcissa scoffed at his words. "How can I be seen in public doing nice things, when I am not allowed, even after my hefty donations..." she said bitterly. "At any rate, being a teacher at Hogwarts is one of the most influential careers in Britain," she continued to argue and Draco groaned inwardly. He knew she was never going to let this go unless he agreed to apply for the vacancy. "Think how well it will look with you associating with Mudbloods, Draco."

"Not very good if you are caught calling them 'Mudbloods'," he pointed out wearily.

"It's just a slip of the tongue," she said in an offhand manner. "It doesn't mean anything."

"It does to the people you say it to," he muttered. "Listen, are you going to leave me alone if I don't apply for this?"

"No," she replied simply with a triumphant smirk gracing her thin lips.

"Fine," he sighed, defeated. "But don't be surprised if I don't get it. And this is the last request like this you can make of me, otherwise I am moving out, permanently."

Narcissa clapped her hands gleefully. "Oh, I knew I could count on you, Draco," she said happily, drawing him into a tight hug. "And, I promise this will be the last thing I ask of you. If this doesn't work out, we will just have to live in seclusion."

"Mother, it really isn't that bad," he scoffed at her dramatics. "Blaise's mother still talks to you, as does Mrs. Greengrass."

"Well, yes..." she replied with a sheepish look. "And I don't see why you couldn't pursue one of her daughters -."

"Not this again!" Draco groaned in frustration. "I do not want to marry either one of them, so forget about it!"

"You don't need to be so rude, Draco!" his mother scolded him, frowning as though he were a small boy again. "Do tell me what is so wrong with the Greengrass sisters? They are pretty and Pureblood's -."

"And just like every other girl I've ever met," Draco finished distastefully. "Granted, the younger one seems more interesting than Daphne ever did, but..." he trailed off, unable to conjure up a viable excuse. Astoria Greengrass was very pretty, perhaps even beautiful, with her straight, aristocratic nose and high cheekbones. Her long, dark brown hair fell down to her waist and her clear blue eyes were framed by short, dark eyelashes. But, there was something missing. Draco couldn't explain what it was, but he knew that something wasn't quite there whenever he had attempted a relationship with her in the past, and it had prevented him from taking it any further.

"You have to settle down at some point, Draco, I am relying on you for grandchildren," Narcissa cut through his thoughts. "And none of this only child nonsense your father and I thought was a good idea... But, Merlin forbid, I don't want you breeding like a Weasley!"

*

Dear Professor McGonagall,

I am writing to apply for the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, and I sincerely hope you view my application as genuine. My reasons for applying for this position are simple; the social standing of my family is now, as you may know, disreputable and I believe this position will give me the opportunity to show that I have changed for the better after extensive travelling and time to think on my past mistakes. This is my honest motivation for applying for this role. I hope you can overlook my father's crimes and see that I am following a different path, and that you can forgive my childish behaviour as a student at Hogwarts to seriously consider my application.

I also have extensive experience in dealing with the Dark Arts whilst on my travels in Europe for the past several years, particularly in defending myself against dark creatures and spells that still affect unsuspecting foreign travellers. Whilst in Spain, I apprenticed with Alysanne Guerra in the theoretical knowledge of defence tactics for five months. After this, I studied under Anton Boyanov, who is a master at defensive magic, in Bulgaria for three years. I am also infrequently called upon by the Ministry in Bulgaria to assist with breaking dark curses placed on humans, as I have extensively researched the effects the Dark Arts can have on the body.

Admittedly, I have little experience with children, however I believe my maturity and willingness to learn will prove I am more than capable of adapting to any situation.

I am certain you will consider my application with fair judgement and an open mind.

Yours Sincerely,

Draco Malfoy

Draco threw his quill down and slumped back in his chair, tiredly noticing that the clock had just hit midnight. This was the one, he was certainly not going to do any better than this. He had written fifty other letters prior to this one, and every single one of them had sounded patronising or false. Finally, he had decided to be honest; what was the point in lying? He didn't need a job, so all that rubbish in his previous letters about always wanting to teach seemed glaringly fake. McGonagall would have seen through it in an instant, as she had done with most of his lies as her student.

With a yawn, he folded the letter twice and took up the silver pot containing hot green wax to pour the substance over the lip of the letter. Once that was done, Draco pressed the Malfoy seal into the wax before it dried. "Orpheus," he called, and within moments, his black eagle owl sailed in through the balcony doors with a loud hoot. "Deliver this to the Headmistress of Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall." He passed the letter to the owl, who had stuck his stick-thin leg out to grasp it and watched him take flight in an instant and disappear into the starry night.

The next morning, Draco woke to a persistent tapping sound. Sleepily, he turned to look at the window and, sure enough, there was his owl pecking at the closed window pane, desperate to get in and complete his task. Most likely, he was hungry to catch some unsuspecting field mice. Draco jumped out of bed and forced the window handle down to let the bird swoop in. Without so much as a greeting, Orpheus dropped the new letter on his master's bed and flew back out again, determined to snare some prey.

Instantly, he recognised the red seal with the Hogwarts crest depicting each of the four houses. Draco broke the seal, trepidation filling his chest, but was shocked to see a single sentence written in McGonagall's sharp handwriting. This could not be anything good.

Mr. Malfoy,

Meet me outside the Hogwarts gates at one o'clock today, and do be prompt.

Minerva McGonagall

Headmistress of Hogwarts School

of Witchcraft & Wizardry.

Draco briefly wondered as he stared at the letter whether or not his former Transfigurations professor planned to humiliate him to his face rather than simply and kindly doing it in a letter. It was rather abrupt, but then McGonagall was well-known for her stern and blunt attitude. Draco decided to stop overanalysing the letter upon realising it was eleven o'clock already; he needed to prepare himself for this nerve-wracking meeting, mentally and physically.

As he washed and dressed himself, Draco thought of all the ways the Headmistress could possibly be planning to turn him down; in front of the other professors, perhaps. Or whilst doing a group interview with other applicants... Truly, he hated the very idea of that. But, he had to go, at least for his mother's sake. Draco knew he hadn't really helped himself or his family once he had returned from Europe. He had settled back in with familiar faces and hadn't really tried to integrate himself, not that there was any point as he had suffered enough embarrassment being turned away from some lowly wizarding nightclubs in London. Not that the familiar faces were huge in number either; this only consisted of Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott, the latter having fared quite well despite his father also being a well-known Death Eater. Goyle had been incarcerated in Azkaban, along with a few other imbeciles, for trying to blow up an exhibition celebrating Muggle inventions in Diagon Alley five years ago. In short, he knew he owed his mother and this would be a step toward paying her back.

All he would need to do was convince McGonagall that he had changed and was ready to take a responsible place in society, as well as openly face the adversity that was sure to follow such an appointment. That had to be worth something to a Gryffindor like McGonagall; it would take courage to go back into a world in which he no longer belonged.

Once he was dressed, Draco decided to sneak out the back entrance of the manor as he didn't want Narcissa knowing where he was off to. He would rather tell her that he had received no response to his application, rather than telling her he was let down in person. He pulled his wand from his belt and apparated somewhere just outside of Hogsmeade village, not wanting to bump into any unfriendly familiar faces as he was sure he would. Draco could see the entire village from where he had apparated on a hill top; it looked as picturesque as ever with its haphazard buildings dotted here and there around a square, which now housed a rather garish looking statue in the middle of the large fountain. From where he was standing, Draco could not make out what it was. Surrounding it, however, he was certain stood The Three Broomsticks and Honeyduke's, and just further along the way was Madame Puddifoot's Tea Shop; an establishment Pansy Parkinson had begged him to take her on numerous occasions. Behind him, looming over him, was Hogwarts castle, still standing strong as ever. It was amazing how much the castle had seen and survived over the course of its history, Draco thought as he trudged up the gravelly path with some difficulty; he was sure it wasn't so hard to do when he was younger.

His heart gave a jolt as he noticed McGonagall's sharp figure standing on the other side of the tall, iron-wrought gates. She looked as she had always looked with her tight bun and spectacles perched on her long, pointed nose; concise and severe. Despite being in her seventies, the Headmistress still held an imposing and formidable presence, and Draco felt nervous with every step he took closer to her.

"Mr. Malfoy," she greeted emotionlessly as he stopped in front of the gates. "I see your timekeeping has greatly improved with age. Step inside." McGonagall had the gates creak open with a flick of her wand and began walking up the pathway towards the castle. Draco dutifully followed behind her without a word. He was beginning to think that this was a very bad idea and he wholeheartedly blamed his mother for it. What if he saw the other teachers and they mocked him? What if they all chucked him out of the school together, and called Rita Skeeter in to come have a good look?

Draco didn't have time to think of any more ghastly scenarios as they entered the castle. He was awed by how much it remained the same; it had been nine years since he was last here, but then the entrance hall had been filled with rubble and dead bodies, students and adults alike. But, he shook that image away, he didn't want to remember the horror he had witnessed back then especially as he felt the chill of the Dark Lord's voice washing over him, as it had done for everyone else when he had demanded for Potter to come to him. The memory sent a shiver down his spine, but he was glad McGonagall did not notice. Draco suddenly realised that she was leading him down the Transfiguration corridor and into the office she had occupied whilst he was at school; he briefly wondered why she wasn't taking him to Dumbledore's old office.

"Have a seat, Mr. Malfoy," she instructed as she sat on the other side of her solid wood desk, her back poker straight and her pale green eyes piercing into his own grey ones. McGonagall did not offer any kind of refreshment, and he was feeling distractingly hungry since he had not eaten any breakfast. "Your letter interested me, Mr. Malfoy, and your honesty impressed me."

Draco could feel his throat running dry as he waited for her to ask a question, but it didn't seem like she was going to ask one. He swallowed loudly. "I thought being honest was the best thing to do," he finally replied as she gave him a bemused look.

"And I appreciate it," she said shortly. "However, I do not believe that is sufficient motivation for wanting a teaching position, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco looked back at her contemplatively. "I believe family is sufficient motivation for anything in life," he replied in a frank tone, and he looked hesitantly down at his covered left arm. "And... I have the scar to prove it."

There was a brief flicker of something he couldn't place in McGonagall's eyes as he mentioned that rather large detail. Draco wondered if it was either respect or pity. "I am glad you brought that up, Mr. Malfoy. As you should be aware, the school now operates a highly detailed diversity policy; we take a no-nonsense approach to discrimination. How would you handle a situation in which a student has called another student a 'Mudblood'?"

This was easy, Draco thought to himself, and it was expected to be asked such a question. "I would take the student aside and ask them why they think it is acceptable to use such terms," he answered confidently, forcing himself not to smile triumphantly. "I would then explain to them why it is important that we do not use derogatory names."

"And what if this student knew of your past as a Death Eater?" McGonagall asked brusquely, immediately shattering Draco's confident air. "What if they didn't trust what you were saying to them because of your past?"

Draco gulped, but held her watchful gaze. "That is a difficult question," he said hesitantly.

"This is a difficult job, Mr. Malfoy," she replied in a clipped tone.

Draco stared back at her, desperately trying to think of a viable answer. "Well..." he began, "I would tell them not to live by the mistakes of a sixteen year old boy. Such mistakes can have dire consequences..."

McGonagall looked back at him, her lips pursed tightly and her hands clasped together on the desk. She didn't say anything for a moment or two and it seemed as though she were assessing him with her suspicious stare. Where Dumbledore could look at you with an inviting expression, reeling you in as he figured out everything about you without you realising, McGonagall was very open about when she was judging you. "Good," she finally said, but Draco couldn't discern whether or not she was satisfied with his answer. "You believe then that you can set a good example to our students?"

"Yes," he said, unfaltering once more despite her obvious attempt at unsettling him with her difficult questions. "I will talk about my past freely and openly, Professor. I have learnt in these nine years that there is no use in denying the mistakes I made as a boy, but that I should learn from them instead. And I have learned from them." Draco felt he spoke in an assured tone, and was regaining the confidence he first had when she asked her opening question. "I believe the students can learn from my experiences in a positive way."

Draco had to hand it to McGonagall; she was consistent, as all she did was continue to stare unfalteringly back at him. "I see," she said shortly. "We also have a couple of new faces at Hogwarts since you attended, Mr. Malfoy. Some of them will be familiar to you," she said in a conversational tone, but Draco did not fall for her attempt at trying to relax him. "Neville Longbottom has been the Herbology professor for three years now since Professor Sprout retired to Kent, and young Ginevra Weasley is Madame Pomfrey's apprentice in the Hospital Wing. Considering your past relationship with this individuals, how well do you think you will be able to maintain a professional working relationship?"

Draco could have groaned again at this revelation, but he resisted the urge. He was most definitely not going to get the job now, and his mother would be devastated. "I never really had much to do with Ginevra Weasley," he said honestly. The only encounter he could remember vividly with her was when she had cursed him with a Bat-Bogey Hex in his fifth year, which had not been a pleasant experience for him but McGonagall didn't seem to concerned with how they had been towards him.

"Neville Longbottom then, I do remember that you had many encounters with him as a student," she pointed out helpfully. Draco could just hear the smile, despite the fact she wasn't showing one.

"We had our differences," Draco admitted. "But, as I have said, I made mistakes of which I am not proud. I am a mature wizard now, Professor McGonagall. Petty, childhood rivalries are of no concern to me. I do not expect to be friends with Longbottom, but I can remain professional."

"Very well," she replied, signifying an end to that line of questioning as she sat back in her chair. However, she did not appear to be relaxing as she seemed to sit just as rigidly as she had when leaning against the table. "Tell me about your experience in Spain and Bulgaria."

Draco felt a slight relief as she finally asked him something he could speak about with ease and pride. He spoke for several minutes about the time he had spent in Europe, studying under his two mentors and what he had learned as a result. He also briefly spoke about his time spent travelling other parts of Europe whilst he researched the effects of dark curses on humans and how to break them. Draco thought that at least his experience was something in his favour, but he didn't think for a second that McGonagall was going to look past his behaviour as a student nor his regrettable allegiance to the Dark Lord, and employ him as the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor.

It was common knowledge that he had idolised the Death Eaters for their ideology, but it wasn't until his sixth year that he began to realise how uninformed he had been about them. That was his father's doing; Lucius Malfoy had glorified the old days as though they were treated like gods and the muggle-borns were their servants. It wasn't until the Dark Lord returned that Draco began to see that perhaps his father wasn't always as honest with him as he thought, especially when they had to allow him into their ancestral home and allow him to treat them like they were servants. It was only a few years ago that Draco had finally began associating with muggle-borns, but he very rarely travelled into the muggle world and knew nothing about it, which was now working against him.

After McGonagall had asked him further questions about himself, she ended the interview and escorted him back out where they had met earlier that day. When Draco checked his watch, he noted that he had actually been there for around three hours.

"You will hear from me within two weeks, Mr. Malfoy," McGonagall said in an assured tone and he didn't doubt for a moment that her letter would arrive any later. "There is no need to contact me within this time. Good day to you."

"And you. Thank you, Professor McGonagall," he said politely, and he watched her go with relief. It felt as though a rather large weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and he decided that he would go to the Hogs Head and have a well-earned Firewhiskey to celebrate the end of that excruciating meeting.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Exactly two weeks later, Draco received a letter from a large grey screech owl which was closed with the Hogwarts seal. He had known a letter would arrive for him exactly at two weeks. McGonagall would have interviewed everyone fairly before making a decision. Without any kind of hope, Draco ripped through the seal and unfolded the letter, which was more significantly covered with writing than the Headmistress' last letter had been and was three pages.

Dear Mr. Malfoy,

While I am concerned about your past discrepancies, specifically having the Dark Mark burned into your arm, aiding and abetting Death Eaters, and your disreputable behaviour towards other students whilst at Hogwarts, your experience with defence against dark magic and creatures is varied and impressive. I also believe that you are truly remorseful for your previous mistakes, and it is on this basis that I would like to offer you employment for the Defence Against the Dark Arts position.

In all honesty, you were also the only applicant attached to the vacancy due to the persistent belief that the post remains cursed. However, I believe I am a good judge of character and I can see that you have changed.

If you accept this offer of employment, please read and sign the attached contract and send it back to myself.

Minerva McGonagall

Headmistress of Hogwarts School

of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Draco could not believe it! Surely she would rather recruit a greedy, untrustworthy goblin than him? Apparently not. He looked at the extra two pages and realised that it was the contract she had asked him to sign. Draco was not stupid; he had done many property deals and had made sure he read everything in the contracts before signing them and this wasn't going to be any different.

Mr. Draco Lucius Malfoy

Malfoy Manor

Bottlesford, North Newnton

Wiltshire, England

SN9 1MM

This contract of employment will commence upon the 1st of September 2007. As this is a Saturday, the school year will not commence until Monday 3rd September 2007 and your teaching duties will commence from this date.

As the professor for the Defence Against the Dark Arts, it is your responsibility to plan your lessons, whilst keeping in mind the age groups that you shall be teaching. This role also requires you to prepare the examination tests for each year for your subject, as well as to invigilate examinations. You will also be required to patrol the corridors once a week to ensure that all students remain within their respective common rooms. Third years and upwards are allowed to attend Hogsmeade village, and you may be required to chaperone on these occasions. Being a professor of Hogwarts also means that you will remain unbiased; this means that no favouritism towards particular students or houses is permitted. All students must be treated fairly and any instances of rule-breaking should be dealt with immediately.

As Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a boarding school, we require our professors and other members of staff to live at the school during the school year. You will be provided with your own rooms and furnishings to accommodate this. Bearing this is mind, your hours of work will be varied and dependent upon the necessity of your assistance i.e. with troublesome students or help in your area of expertise. However, this is rare and you will generally be required to work from the beginning of the school day to the end, which is from 8.30am to 3.30pm, with an hour lunch break. Weekends are your typical days off, unless you are required to chaperone a Hogsmeade trip or are required for one of the previously mentioned situations.

Your holiday entitlement can be taken during the school holidays, which covers Christmas and Easter. However, a some children do not return home for the holidays, you may be required to stay at Hogwarts to ensure their safety with other elected members of staff. All members of staff will have the two months summer holiday off, which begins on July 1st and ends September 1st every year.

If you need to be absent for reasons of sickness, family issues etc, then you must inform the Headmistress immediately so adequate cover can be arranged. Failure to do so can result in disciplinary action.

The annual salary for this role will be 45,000G. This is non-negotiable, but can be subject to increase depending on your years of service. You will receive monthly instalments on the first Monday of every month.

If you agree to all the terms above then please sign below.

There was a long horizontal line at the bottom of the parchment for him to place his signature. Draco thought the wage was decent for a teacher who was given free meals and accommodation, but he didn't need it. Perhaps he would donate it to charity; that would be good publicity for the family at least. His mother would be very proud of him should he do that, and she would be equally ecstatic at his new appointment. Draco took up his quill, dipped it in the inkpot and signed without further ado. He wrote a short letter to thank McGonagall for her favourable decision, then summoned his owl to deliver the letter and the contract directly to Hogwarts.

Now, all he had to do was wait for the start of the school year and the real work would begin.

*

A/N: So, this is obviously just giving a little background to the Malfoy's situation after Lord Voldemort's downfall, but things will be getting more interesting. I am also planning on making this a shorter story than The Rise and The Fall, perhaps ten to fifteen chapters, as well as making it much fluffier and lighter in tone.

Please review!