mxmaneater:Had a lot of fun with this month’s challenge! (Keep giving me themes I can ma
mxmaneater:Had a lot of fun with this month’s challenge! (Keep giving me themes I can make Halloween-y pls)Detention“I can’t believe you got me mixed up in this, Potter,” Malfoy says, heaving a large yellow pumpkin onto their stack of “good” ones in the patch. He missed his earlier chance at performance in the dining hall—reenacting Harry’s latest Potions mishap—so he’s really leaning into the mistreated, woebegone role now.“That one’s got a big split up the side,” Harry answers, ignoring Malfoy’s complaints totally. “Get ones like this.” He slams an enormous cheddar-orange pumpkin onto the pile, skinny body shaking with the effort, but it’s worth it to see the familiar glint of challenge spark in Malfoy’s grey eyes.“That one looks like your old pal Hagrid sat on its face,” he spits, surveying the pumpkin patch for a gourd that is undoubtedly larger than the one Harry just hefted; it’s unspoken yet obvious. Sighting one, Malfoy stalks over to it before freezing, clearly sizing up whether it’s even possible to lift without making a fool of himself.It isn’t—but that doesn’t actually stop him from trying.Malfoy’s muscles pull like ropes from his thin, pale arms—they’d ditched their outer robes long ago to protect them from the mud—as he wraps his whole body around the pumpkin to snag an awkward grip. By some miracle, he stands, staggering under its weight and shifting desperately to balance the top-heavy load, and, through grit and determination, he manages to get it to the pile—but only just.When it’s over, he wipes a muddy hand across his brow, leaving streaks of dirt and grass across his forehead, hair sticking up where he musses it. He’s heaving for breath, but there is a triumphant smile cutting across his face, and something in Harry’s stomach just drops at the sight.“I’m not impressed,” Harry says, feeling confused and betrayed by the blush climbing to his face. “That one’s…ugly. It won’t make a good centerpiece for the banquet.”“Once it’s carved, it won’t make a difference,” Malfoy says, retrieving his garden shears from the mud. When he bends, something in Harry twitches, violently.He’s fourteen and never been so confused.“Your turn, Potter.”Read on AO3! -- source link