brewing hatred (d.m)

Draco the Pack Mule

For the past three days, Slytherin students had been treated to a most unusual sight in the hallways of Hogwarts: Draco Malfoy, heir to one of the most prestigious pure-blood families, walking beside Ariana Green, carrying her bag. And not just carrying it—he was doing it without a single complaint.

It had become the talk of the common room, a point of endless amusement for their friends. Even Theo, who usually didn't miss a chance to rile Draco up, seemed at a loss for words the first time he saw it.

Ariana was thoroughly enjoying it.

"Come on, Malfoy, you're slowing me down," Ariana teased as they made their way to Transfiguration. She gave him a sideways glance, watching as he hoisted her rather heavy bag higher up on his shoulder with a dramatic sigh.

"You could lighten the load, you know," Draco grumbled, glancing at her with a raised brow. "I swear, you've packed half the library in here."

Ariana smirked. "It's your job to carry it, not to question it."

Draco shot her a glare but didn't say anything. Instead, he continued to walk beside her, the picture of silent suffering. Of course, Draco being Draco, he managed to still look somewhat dignified despite the ridiculousness of the situation.

As they approached the classroom, a group of Hufflepuff girls passed by, giggling and whispering behind their hands. One of them pointed at Draco, then glanced at Ariana with a wide grin. Draco's jaw tightened, his pride clearly taking a hit, but Ariana couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up inside her.

"You look cute," she teased, nudging him with her elbow. "So domesticated."

Draco gave her an unimpressed look. "I don't do 'cute,' Green."

"You sure about that?" she shot back, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "You're carrying my bag like a perfect gentleman."

"Only because you made me," Draco muttered, but there was a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

As they entered the classroom, Theo and Blaise were already seated, watching the two of them with poorly concealed smirks. Theo leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Look at this. The great Draco Malfoy, reduced to a glorified servant," Theo drawled. "Never thought I'd see the day."

Blaise chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm surprised you're letting her get away with it, Draco."

Draco shot them both a withering look as he set Ariana's bag down on the desk next to hers. "Laugh it up. You're just jealous I look this good doing it."

Ariana grinned, pleased with herself as she slid into her seat. "He's right, you know. It's kind of impressive."

Theo snorted. "Impressive? It's hilarious."

Draco took his seat beside her, clearly trying to maintain some sense of dignity. "I'm counting the days until this is over."

Ariana glanced over at him, her grin widening. "Oh, but I'm having so much fun."

Draco gave her a sideways glance, his eyes narrowing. "I bet you are."

Despite his complaints, Ariana noticed something had changed over the course of the week. Sure, Draco still grumbled about carrying her things, but there was a lightness to his tone that hadn't been there before. He didn't seem to mind as much as he let on. In fact, he was still finding ways to flirt through the whole ordeal.

By Thursday morning, the whole school seemed to know about Draco's new role, and the whispers and giggles followed them wherever they went. Ariana found it amusing; Draco, not so much.

As they walked to Potions that day, she could feel the tension rolling off him. His grip on her bag had tightened, and his scowl was more pronounced than usual.

"Relax, Malfoy," she said lightly. "It's not like your reputation can't handle a little dent."

Draco glanced over at her, clearly exasperated. "Easy for you to say. You don't have half the school making comments every time we walk by."

Ariana shrugged. "Maybe if you didn't take yourself so seriously, it wouldn't bother you."

"I don't take myself seriously," he shot back, though the hint of a smirk betrayed him.

She laughed softly. "Right. And I suppose you didn't check your reflection in the window five times on the way here?"

Draco stopped for a moment, clearly trying to think of a retort, but Ariana was already moving ahead of him, tossing him a teasing smile over her shoulder.

"Come on, Malfoy. You can admire yourself later."

By the time Friday rolled around, Draco had become strangely accustomed to his new role. Sure, he still complained (because it was Draco, and he wouldn't be himself if he didn't), but there was a playfulness to their banter now that hadn't been there before.

It all came to a head that evening in the Slytherin common room. The group had gathered by the fire after dinner, and as usual, Draco was seated beside Ariana, her bag resting on the floor by his feet. Theo and Blaise were making jokes about the situation, Daphne was listening with a fond smile, and Pansy was casting amused glances at the two of them.

"I think you've done a great job, Draco," Daphne said kindly, nudging his shoulder. "You're really growing into the role."

Pansy snickered. "Maybe you could make it permanent, Malfoy. You're good at it."

Draco groaned, rubbing his face with his hand. "This is never happening again."

Ariana, however, couldn't resist one last dig. "Oh, but Draco, you've been such a good helper all week. I'm almost going to miss this."

Draco shot her a look, his eyes narrowing. "Don't push your luck, Green."

She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a playful whisper. "Or what? You'll carry my bag for another week?"

For a moment, Draco just stared at her, his expression unreadable. Then, to her surprise, he leaned in too, his voice low and teasing. "Keep pushing, and you might find out."

Ariana's breath caught in her throat, and she felt the heat rise to her cheeks. Their faces were so close now that she could see the way the firelight danced in his grey eyes. For a second, it felt like the rest of the common room had disappeared.

Then, as if sensing the tension, Theo broke the moment by tossing a cushion at Draco. "Oi, lovebirds! Save it for later."

Draco caught the cushion with one hand, shooting Theo a glare. "You're an idiot, Nott."

Ariana laughed, breaking the tension as she leaned back in her chair, her heart still racing slightly. She glanced at Draco out of the corner of her eye, and for a brief second, their gazes met.

Maybe she'd won the bet, but it was starting to feel like Draco was winning something else entirely.