brewing hatred (d.m)

Brewing Trouble

The next morning, the air was thick with the scent of parchment and ink as students filed into the dungeon classroom for Potions. The usual tension settled over Ariana as she took her seat between Draco and Theo. She had already resigned herself to another morning of awkward silences and forced cooperation with Malfoy, especially after the strange truce they had formed the previous night.

Theo leaned over with a lazy grin. "Ready for Snape to torture us with another impossible assignment?"

Ariana chuckled softly, pulling out her potions textbook. "Isn't that every day in this class?"

Draco smirked, overhearing them. "Please. Half of you would be lost without me."

Ariana rolled her eyes but didn't take the bait this time. Their recent detente felt fragile, and she wasn't about to push it—at least not first thing in the morning.

Professor Snape swept into the room, his black robes billowing behind him. His usual scowl was in place as he approached the blackboard. "Settle down," he ordered, his voice cold and sharp.

The classroom fell into an uneasy silence, and Snape turned to face them, his dark eyes gleaming. "Today, we begin a month-long project. You will be working in pairs, researching and writing a comprehensive paper on an advanced potion of your choice."

A ripple of murmurs spread through the room, but Snape silenced it with a glare. "The paper must be thorough, include a detailed analysis of the ingredients, the brewing process, and potential variations. The final product will be due at the end of the month."

Ariana exchanged a glance with Theo, who looked mildly amused. Draco, on the other hand, seemed unbothered. Of course he would think this was a breeze.

Snape's voice cut through the murmurs again. "I will assign the pairs."

Ariana's stomach twisted. She had a sinking feeling about this.

Snape began reading off names, and Ariana tuned out, dreading the inevitable. She tried to imagine any other partner—Theo would have been fun, Daphne would have been easygoing, even Blaise would have been a good choice. But her luck, lately, seemed cursed.

"Malfoy and Green."

There it was.

Ariana resisted the urge to groan out loud as she glanced sideways at Draco. He raised an eyebrow but didn't seem particularly surprised. "Looks like we're stuck together. Again."

She sighed, feeling her frustration bubble up. "Perfect."

Snape continued assigning the other pairs, oblivious to the tension simmering between them. When he finished, he waved a hand dismissively. "You will have the rest of the period to choose your potion and begin your research. I expect nothing less than excellence."

The class broke into a low hum of chatter as students began pairing off and discussing their projects. Ariana turned to Draco, crossing her arms. "Alright, Malfoy. Any ideas?"

Draco leaned back in his chair, looking entirely too relaxed. "Obviously, we're going to choose something complex. I'm not wasting my time on some basic healing draught."

Ariana rolled her eyes. "I wasn't planning on suggesting that. But this project is going to take a month. We need to pick something we can actually work on without killing each other."

Draco tilted his head, the ghost of a smirk on his lips. "I'm sure we can manage. Let's meet in the library after lunch. We can narrow it down there."

Ariana was about to snap back with some sarcastic comment, but then she stopped. They weren't arguing—at least, not yet. This was already an improvement.

"Fine," she said instead. "I'll see you in the library."

After lunch, Ariana made her way to the library, dreading the hours of work ahead. When she walked in, the soft rustling of pages and the faint scent of old books filled the air, bringing a strange sense of calm. She spotted Draco already seated at a table in the corner, flipping through a large tome of advanced potions.

She walked over, her footsteps quiet on the stone floor. "You're early."

Draco didn't look up from the book. "I like getting things done efficiently. Unlike you."

Ariana dropped her bag onto the table with a thud, rolling her eyes. "And here I was hoping we could get through this without the usual insults."

Draco glanced at her, his lips quirking up. "I didn't insult you. I was simply stating a fact."

"Whatever," she muttered, sitting down across from him. She pulled out a few books of her own, determined to focus on the task at hand. "Let's just pick a potion."

For the next hour, they poured over different potions, occasionally discussing the merits of one versus another. Despite her initial reluctance, Ariana found herself grudgingly impressed by Draco's knowledge. He was arrogant, but he wasn't stupid. He understood potions in a way that made their discussions almost bearable.

Almost.

"So, what about the Draught of Living Death?" Draco suggested, his eyes gleaming as he looked up from a particularly thick volume. "It's complex, has several difficult ingredients, and the brewing process is long. Perfect for a month-long project."

Ariana considered it, leaning back in her chair. "It's ambitious. Snape would probably be impressed."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Probably?"

Ariana smirked. "Alright, definitely."

Draco's smirk mirrored hers, but before he could respond, Madam Pince, the strict librarian, appeared out of nowhere, glaring at them both. "Quiet in the library."

Ariana quickly snapped her book shut, nodding. "Sorry."

Madam Pince gave them one last warning look before stalking off. Ariana turned back to Draco, lowering her voice. "So we're agreed? Draught of Living Death?"

Draco nodded. "Agreed. Now all we have to do is plan out our research, divide the workload, and hope you can keep up."

Ariana shot him a sharp look. "I'll keep up just fine, Malfoy."

Draco chuckled softly, clearly enjoying himself. "Good. I'd hate for my grade to suffer because you can't handle it."

Ariana bit back a retort, reminding herself that this was for a month. Just one month of working with him, and then they could go back to avoiding each other.

As they packed up their things, she couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted between them. Their banter, though still full of tension, felt different. Like they were both testing the boundaries of this strange partnership.

As they left the library and headed back toward the dungeons, Draco glanced at her, a curious expression on his face. "You know, Green, you're not as bad as I thought you'd be."

Ariana blinked, caught off guard by the unexpected comment. "Thanks? I think."

Draco shrugged, his usual smirk returning. "Don't get used to it."

Ariana snorted. "I wouldn't dream of it."

They parted ways at the entrance to the Slytherin common room, each heading to their respective dorms with the weight of the month-long project looming ahead. It was going to be a long four weeks.

But, for the first time, Ariana wondered if maybe—just maybe—working with Draco wouldn't be as unbearable as she'd thought.