brewing hatred (d.m)

Forbidden Forest Tension

It was a crisp autumn night, and the Slytherin group had somehow convinced themselves that sneaking into the Forbidden Forest was a brilliant idea. They had all agreed under the flimsy pretense of finding rare potion ingredients for Professor Slughorn's next lesson, but in reality, it was about the thrill of breaking rules.

"I can't believe we're actually doing this," Daphne said, adjusting her cloak as the group carefully stepped past the giant trees that bordered the entrance to the forest. Her voice held a mix of excitement and nervousness.

"Don't worry, Daph," Theo grinned, his eyes glinting in the moonlight. "It's not like we're going in deep. Just a little exploration."

Ariana, walking beside Pansy, couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that had settled in her gut the moment they'd stepped into the dark woods. She had no problem with bending the rules—it was practically second nature for her—but the Forbidden Forest was a different beast. The dense, towering trees blocked out most of the moonlight, and every little rustle in the underbrush made her nerves spike.

Draco, who was leading the group alongside Blaise, was quieter than usual. He'd been distant since the fight with Andrew, keeping his emotions locked down, but Ariana had caught him staring at her more than once in the past few days. It unsettled her how much she was starting to think about him too, more than she cared to admit.

They walked deeper into the forest, and soon the eerie silence took over. No one spoke for several minutes, the only sound being the crunch of leaves and twigs beneath their feet.

"This is so stupid," Ariana muttered under her breath. "If we get caught, Filch will skin us alive."

"Relax, Ari," Pansy replied, a smirk playing on her lips. "You're the biggest troublemaker of us all. Afraid of a few trees?"

Ariana shot her a playful glare but didn't respond. She wasn't about to admit that the forest was freaking her out. Instead, she shoved her hands deeper into her cloak pockets and kept walking.

Suddenly, there was a rustle in the bushes to their left, followed by the unmistakable sound of something moving through the undergrowth. The group froze, tension immediately crackling in the air.

"What was that?" Daphne whispered, her voice shaking slightly.

"Probably just a bowtruckle or something," Blaise said, though he didn't sound entirely sure.

"Yeah," Theo agreed, "or a unicorn." He grinned but was the only one amused by the joke.

But Ariana's pulse was already racing. She hated this—being in the dark, feeling out of control. Her fingers twitched toward her wand.

"Keep moving," Draco ordered, though his voice was quieter than before. He glanced back at Ariana, and their eyes met briefly. There was something in his expression, something unspoken but heavy between them.

They started walking again, but Ariana's heart refused to slow down. The deeper they went, the thicker the air became, as if the forest itself was closing in on them. The darkness seemed to press in from all sides, making it hard to see more than a few feet ahead.

Another noise—this one closer—made her jump. Something larger than a bowtruckle, no doubt. Her fingers curled around her wand instinctively.

Without thinking, Ariana moved closer to Draco. He glanced down at her as she matched his pace, her arm brushing against his. Normally, she would've kept her distance, but in that moment, her need for security outweighed her pride.

"You okay?" Draco's voice was quiet but sharp.

"Fine," Ariana replied quickly, but she didn't move away. She wasn't going to admit it, but being close to him made her feel safer.

Suddenly, a loud snap echoed through the trees, like a branch being broken underfoot. Ariana jumped, grabbing Draco's arm instinctively as she whipped her head toward the sound. Panic surged through her as the darkness seemed to close in.

"It's nothing," Draco muttered, though his body tensed. "Just stay close."

Ariana did just that, clutching his arm, trying to keep her breathing steady. She felt ridiculous—she wasn't the type to get scared easily, but the forest was different. It had a way of making you feel small, like anything could be lurking just beyond the shadows.

As they kept moving, the noises didn't stop. Something—or someone—was definitely out there. A low growl rumbled in the distance, sending a shiver down Ariana's spine.

"I'm not imagining that, right?" she whispered, leaning closer to Draco without even realizing it.

"No," Draco said, his voice low and steady. "You're not."

The rest of the group hadn't noticed yet. Theo and Blaise were laughing quietly about something ahead, oblivious to the growing tension between Ariana and Draco. But Ariana couldn't focus on them—her heart was pounding too loudly in her ears.

They kept walking, and as they neared a small clearing, the noises stopped. The forest seemed to hold its breath.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a shadowy figure darted between the trees in front of them, quick and barely visible in the darkness.

Ariana gasped, instinctively stepping even closer to Draco, her heart leaping into her throat. His arm went around her back, pulling her slightly toward him as he raised his wand.

"Lumos," Draco whispered, his wand-tip flaring with light.

But the figure was gone, vanished back into the darkness.

"What the hell was that?" Ariana whispered, her voice shaky.

"Probably just a thestral," Draco said, though he didn't sound convinced. He kept his wand raised, his arm still resting protectively on her back.

For a moment, they stood like that, her pressed close to his side, their breath mingling in the cool night air. The others hadn't even noticed, still distracted by their own chatter, but for Ariana and Draco, the world seemed to narrow down to just the two of them.

Ariana's pulse pounded in her ears, but it wasn't just fear. It was something else—something she hadn't let herself think about until now.

The way Draco's hand lingered on her back, the heat radiating from his body, the sharp intensity in his eyes as he scanned the trees—it all felt too intimate, too charged.

For a brief moment, Ariana looked up at him, her heart skipping a beat as she realized just how close they were. Draco's grey eyes flicked down to meet hers, and the tension between them was palpable, electric.

He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Blaise called out from up ahead, breaking the moment.

"You two coming or what?"

Draco stepped back quickly, his arm dropping from her back, the spell between them broken. Ariana blinked, the rush of reality crashing back in. She took a steadying breath and nodded, though her mind was still spinning from what had just happened.

"Yeah, we're coming," she called, her voice sounding far more casual than she felt.

As they moved to catch up with the others, Draco didn't look at her, but she could still feel the ghost of his touch on her back. And even though the fear of the forest still lingered, there was something else now—something that scared her even more.

Because for the first time, Ariana wasn't sure if she hated Draco Malfoy anymore.