"This is ridiculous, lame and pathetic," Draco Malfoy drawled as he eyed the piece of parchment pinned to the notice board. It was an announcement from Professor Dumbledore that the entire school would be holding a Spring Cleaning Day that weekend. "What does he think we are? House-elves? Wait until my father hears about this."
"Oh, Draco, I completely agree," Pansy Parkinson replied, arms folded over her chest. "This kind of work is simply atrocious. However, there are house points available. Every bag of clutter gathered earns ten points for that House. And we're not far behind Gryffindor."
At the mention of their rival house, Draco pulled a face. "I'd love to see the Cup swiped from right under their noses..." he mused before a small smirk lit up his face. "Potter will weep. I guarantee it."
"There's also a year's supply of chocolate frogs up for grabs," Goyle piped up from behind them. He and Crabbe exchanged greedy looks. "What do we have to do to win?"
"I guess the cleanest Common Room wins, but that might not be enough. Not if we don't get a move on anyway," Pansy replied. She turned her back to the notice board. "Come on. Let's get started."
--
"Ugh. I can't believe I'm doing this." Draco pulled a face as he peeled the dirty sock from beneath the leather couch. The Common Room was buzzing with activity; it seemed every Slytherin wanted a chance at winning, every bit of furniture in the room pulled out. A fifth-year girl was dancing around with a feather duster, and two first years were making a pile of books to return to the library. Gagging, Draco flung the smelly sock into the pile of junk that was growing in the middle of the Common Room. "That stinks. Crabbe, was that one of yours?"
"I don't know. Maybe."
"You need to clean your feet."
A sudden shriek from Pansy made them all look up. "I've been looking for this everywhere!" She was bent behind a large trophy cabinet, and when she straightened, she was clutching a heavy-looking ring; silver, studded with emeralds in the shape of the letter P. Beaming, she slipped it onto her finger and admired it. "My mother bought me this for my fifteenth birthday. She'll be ever so pleased I found it."
"I found this," Goyle interjected, holding up... well, Draco couldn't really tell what he was holding. It was clearly mouldy, judging by the green fur covering it, and half-buried in red paper. His lip curled.
"Goyle. What in Salazar's Secret Chamber is that?"
"It's a cupcake. I hid it under the grandfather clock at Christmas. Midnight snack, y'know. But I forgot about it." He lifted it to his nose and gave it a sniff. "Shame. Was looking forward to that."
Repulsed, Draco turned away. "Can we just get this finished? I have better things to be doing."
The Common Room remained a hive of activity for the next few hours. Bit by bit, the pile of bags in the middle of the room grew until every nook and cranny had officially been decluttered, dusted and polished. A fragrant scent of lemon hung in the air, and even Draco had to admit he was impressed. "There must be twenty bags there, at least. I can't believe we actually managed it."
Pansy fixed him with a look. "What are we, if we aren't ambitious? We set our sights on something and we succeed, do you understand? We make our House proud. There's no room for failure. Got that?"
"Calm down," Draco muttered. "You can save that for the speeches."
--
Breakfast the next morning was a terse affair for the Slytherins. They were the only table not laughing and chatting, the clatter of cutlery against porcelain filling the air. It wasn't long before Professor Dumbledore got to his feet, the room simmering down into silence.
"It is time to announce the winners of the Hogwarts Spring Cleaning Weekend," he said, voice soft and a glitter of humour in his eye. Draco swore the old man glanced at their table. Excitement prickled in his stomach. Had it all paid off? "In fourth place, Ravenclaw, with only six bags. Tidy of mind and tidy of home, it seems. In third place is Hufflepuff, with eleven bags. A very good effort!" Dumbledore paused for effect as he scanned the room. "In second place, we have Gryffindor with sixteen bags!" The old man chuckled, eyes glittering beneath his half-moon spectacles. "A valiant effort to a great cause, if I do say so myself. A clean environment leads to a clean soul, I dare say. Which leaves us to announce our winners..." Not that he needed to. Three tables looked sour, and one was buzzing with jubilation. "Slytherin, with twenty-two bags!"
The Slytherin table began to chant, and Draco looked around his friends with a triumphant grin. Two hundred and twenty points, a year's supply of chocolate frogs and a tidy, fresh Common Room. Maybe there was more to this Spring Cleaning malarkey than Draco realised.