AN: Welcome, welcome to the new and those of you from Hot Off the Press. I humbly present to you... Professors! This is the intro. Please read and review!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. This applies to the entire story.

August 26th

"And with great regret I am officially stepping down from the position as Transfiguration professor. The duties of Headmistress have gotten too great to balance with the duties of a professor. However, I believe I have found a great replacement in a former Hogwarts student."

The Headmistress took a moment to meet the eyes of everyone in the room.

"I'm sure you all remember him and his fantastic marks in school. He attended Belfare for his continuing studies after Hogwarts…"

No. I thought as I sat with the other professors in the meeting room. There was only one person in my year that had gone to Belfare with me, but there were others that had gone in the years before us. Surely she was talking about far older people than me. I was an exception. I was one of the youngest professors Hogwarts had ever seen and I had no bloody intention of sharing that title with anyone, least of all…

"Scorpius Malfoy," the Headmistress said with a smile that I didn't share.

(-)

I could feel my heart start to pound as I took the floor. I waited for the smattering of applause to die down and began my prepared speech.

"Hello distinguished professors. I'd like to thank Headmistress McGonnegal for the warm welcome she prepared for me." He paused to applaud the Headmistress, "Although I'm sure that I can't be nearly as great of a professor as our Headmistress, I shall try my best. I anticipate the hard work of molding young minds and plead for your advice on how to best go about it…"

I took that moment to look right at Rose who didn't even flinch, so I dared a wink.

That got a rise out of her and she visibly fumed as I continued the rest of my relatively boring speech.

After the meeting between the professors was over, the Headmistress called me over to her.

"I know we covered the basics like your salary, living quarters and my syllabus, but there are a few things that have changed since your years at Hogwarts. I thought it would be best if the changes were explained to you at Hogwarts. We could begin with-"

I cut her off. "I'm sorry Headmistress, but I would feel terribly if I took up any more of your time. I'm sure I can find my way around the castle quite well if I could have a professor take me around."

She looked at me with a knowing smile on her lips. "And did you have a professor in mind?"

I looked at her as innocently as I knew how and said, "Why yes professor, I thought Professor Weasley could help with the task."

(-)

"Miss Weasley," the Headmistress said, "I was hoping that you could show Mr. Malfoy around the castle. Since you two attended Hogwarts together, you call fill him in on the changes that we've made."

"Er…" Shit, there was no way I was getting out of this one without getting a stain on my otherwise pristine reputation with the Headmistress. "I'd love to, Headmistress. I'm honored that you entrusted me with the task."

I saw Malfoy's, ahem, Professor Malfoy's, face twist into a delighted smirk and quelled the urge to revert back to school days and punch him in his smug face.

"Well Headmistress, we'll be off. We wouldn't want to take up any more of your time," he said as he took me by the arm and we walked out the door.

The minute we were outside, I shook his hand off my arm and took ahold of my emotions.

I took in a deep breath, "Hello Professor Malfoy."

"Hello Rose, it's been a while."

"It's Professor Weasley."

"If you insist."

"I do insist."

"Then, hello Professor Weasley."

"Let's start the tour."

I walked as quickly as possible through the corridors and explained some of the renovation that had been done to the castle. Don't get me wrong; Hogwarts was as dank and dreary as it ever had been. If anything, the dreariness of the castle had gotten worse.

"The Chestnut Towers had to be closed due to serious injuries from crumbling walls and Moaning Myrtle's bathroom is now blocked off," I said as I whipped through the second floor.

"Oh, another thing that's changed is that we spend the first week of school having 7 three hours long classes, one for each year. We spend the first week going over the syllabus and expectations for the class with year so we don't have to repeat material.

I turned the corridor and went up to the fourth floor.

"We're going to skip the third floor 'cause there's nothing to see. The combined classes in the beginning also fosters a bit of house unity, which we're really big on. The Headmistress is actually fairly nuts about the house unity project and has been working on it since we were in school. True unity between houses obviously hasn't been achieved but we've been doing small steps here and there."

I turned around to face him, "And this is just a courtesy warning, but if McGonagall catches you favoring our old house, you will regret it for the rest of your pitiful life so don't."

He hadn't said a thing since I started the tour.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" I asked.

"Miss me, Rose?"

I shouldn't have tempted him. I should have been happy with a silent Malfoy. Why, oh why did I tempt the beast?

"No and it's Professor Weasley."

"Fine, did you miss me Professor Weasley?"

"No, now kindly shut up."

"I thought you wanted me to talk."

"I don't know what was wrong with me. I must have been delusional for a second. Now kindly shut up, so I can tell you about the rest of the bloody humongous castle."

"I don't really feel like shutting up anymore."

"That's brilliant. Silencio."

He sulked; I smiled.

(-)

August 29th

I had finally gotten all my stuff in from my old flat and my living quarters looked almost livable. My office looked as proper as it should be with Transfiguration texts weighing down on especially charmed bookshelves.

I walked down the hallway, hoping to run into Rose, when I walked by a door labeled, "The Office of Professor Weasley, Charms Professor."

A combination of stupidity and curiosity lead me to poke my head into her office and I was confronted by the most gorgeous, intimidating chair known to mankind.

This office was obviously meant to intimidate with the great big, dark, velvet chair with the high back. The chairs the students were meant to sit on were these plushy little things that would make anyone who sat on it sink into the cushions and become easy prey. He was just beginning to examine the things on her desk and was looking at a picture of her, a few of her cousins and some bloke he didn't know when he heard her voice.

"What," she said, her voice dangerously soft, "are you doing here, Professor Malfoy?"

I quickly turned around and flashed a cheeky smile. "I was just coming in to visit my favorite professor."

"And when you saw that I wasn't in the office, you decided to barge in and take a look at my stuff?"

"Well seeing as how it wasn't locked…"

"Because school is not in session and I didn't think the people currently occupying the castle would rifle through my things. Obviously, I was mistaken," she said and she whispered, "you sneaky son of a-"

"Woah there professor! Do your students know what kind of mouth you have?"

"It's as if the gods sent you to this planet for the sole purpose of aggravating me."

"I seem to be fulfilling my purpose quite well."

"Very well indeed."

"So, Professor Weasley," I said, taking a seat on one of her ridiculous cushy chairs, "Why did you become a professor?"

"I could ask you the same question."

She could ask me the same question, but she was certainly not going to be happy with the answer.

When the Headmistress had asked me a month ago to become the Transfiguration professor, I had been sure. The idea of teaching while having the opportunity to conduct my private research thrilled me, but the idea of spending close to a year with an eclectic group of very old wizards and witches in a dilapidated castle thrilled me… not as much.

It wasn't until she reminded me that Rose Weasley was also a professor there (of one year) that I perked up. Spending close to a year in a castle that had one Floo connection and an anti-apparition spell with Rose Weasley? That I could live with.

I immediately jumped at the offer and the Headmistress smiled at me in that knowing way that only really ancient people can do and we discussed my transition from my job at a research facility to professorship at Hogwarts.

So, I could either come up with some lie about how eager I was to mold young minds or tell her the truth and say that I came here for her.

I learned long ago to never to lie to the girl you're involved with, so I spoke the truth.

"I came here for you."

"You really can't ever be serious, can you?" She rolled her eyes, as expected, and then shoved me out of her office, claiming that she had work to do.

(-)

After shoving Malfoy out of my office, I sat down in my brand new chair to practice. Sure, having Malfoy in Hogwarts this year was an unforeseen event, but I was determined to not let that hinder my mission: to become the intimidating professor at Hogwarts.

I had heard stories about Professor Snape from my relatives since I was young. Uncle Harry talked about his bravery and mum always said that he was extremely smart, but it was dad who unknowingly instilled a great respect for that man in me. Dad talked about how he was terrible professor who always showed blatant favoritism towards his house, Slytherin, but it was the talk about how scary he was that impressed me. He talked about how his robes would billow when he entered the classroom and how students would cower in fear with just a look and a sneer.

I wanted to be that professor.

I had seen how nice professors were taken advantage of by their students and I certainly didn't want to be the next Professor Sprout. I wanted students to quiver in fear and never dare to cross me. I wanted students to always focus on their work while in my classroom. My ultimate goal was to never give a detention; not because I was soft, but because no student would ever commit a misdeed in my vicinity. Yes, I wanted to be the next Professor Snape, but without the favoritism crap.

But no one becomes that way without practice and so during the summer I had practiced my sneer, smirk and glare in the mirror. I walked up and down the flat I had over the summer, turning this way and that way in order to achieve the best billow. Eyebrows became my upmost concern and I practiced lifting them just so for maximum fear factor.

I sat in my imposing chair, a specially bought piece of furniture to complete my image and practiced the angle of my head to look the most intimidating. I even levitated a mirror in front of me so I could test different angles and different glares.

Tomorrow, I would practice walked the length of my classroom to test out my walk. Practice makes perfect.

(-)

August 31st

Tomorrow the kiddies would be getting back from their summer vacation and tomorrow my plan would officially kick into action.

Woo Rose Weasley.

Yes, it would be difficult and yes, I wasn't exactly her favorite person and yes, coming back to Hogwarts to teach probably reinforced years of competitiveness between them, but who ever claimed the Scorpius Malfoy took things the easy way?

When I took the job at Hogwarts, I didn't fool myself. The crush that I thought had gone away came hurtling back full force and with a lot more intensity. It had been exactly one year since I saw her last and I thought that year had been spent well by dating other women. Now, in her presence, I could see that the year apart from her had been spent kidding myself.

The real reason I broke it off with those girls during the past year? I had made excuses like "commitment issues" or "she's doesn't like the Cannons," but the real reason was staring me right in the face.

"Well, Malfoy what do you want?" she asked me.

We were sitting in the Great Hall eating lunch and I had taken the seat opposite hers.

"It's Professor Malfoy," I said with a smirk. I couldn't help it. It was just too easy.

"Professor Malfoy, what do you want? If you're here just to annoy me, kindly sit somewhere else."

"I want to ask you something." I really did. "Is it weird to be teaching students that remember you as a student?"

It had only been four years since we graduated Hogwarts. The current crop of seventh years were third years in our seventh years and I was sure that at least some of them would remember me from school. I couldn't help but worry that it would be awkward teaching students that I went to school with.

She softened just a little. "It was a little weird at first, but within a week or two they'll see you as a professor."

"And you'll help me along the way?" I dared to ask. She seemed like she was in a good mood…

"Definitely not. I'd be happiest if we could only see each other in professional settings like mandatory meals in the Great Hall and professor meetings." With that she slid her plate over to sit next to Professor Vector, and quickly engaged her in a conversation about the magical properties of infinity and the particularly volatile combination between the number i and multiples of eight. It would have been a fascinating conversation if Professor Vector didn't have the tendency to drone on and on without a moment for anyone else to offer their opinion.

Sure, I was a little offended that she preferred the company of Professor Vector, but I knew that would all change in the upcoming year.

AN: Scorpius Malfoy, sorry, Professor Scorpius Malfoy seems awfully sure of himself, doesn't he?

This was just the intro that establishes the premise of the story. Let me know what you guys think! Extreme hijinks to begin with the next chapter...