BORN TO DIE ╱ DRACO MALFOY
꒷꒦ · ˚.‧ . written by ella . . . © -lostgardens
022 ━━━━━━━ ❛ back to hogwarts ❜

Olivia awoke bright and early, per usual. Everything was as it always was—she was covered in sweat, her breathing was heavy, and she was so shot with nerves that she couldn't fall back asleep. Just the average four in the morning wake-up for her.

So with that, she sat in her room, packing away her things, preparing to go back to Hogwarts for her second round of school. It was just like before. She packed her clothes, school essentials, many of her books, including the one Daphne had gifted her for her birthday that she'd read front to back three times over and was planning on repeating, and everything else she'd need, leaving her bath essentials for later seeing as she wanted to take a shower.

Then she prepared all of Tommy's things, which was an act different from the first time around. And finally, she sat at her desk, bored as ever, waiting for the sun to rise and the morning to begin for the manor.

She had been tasked—or rather, she tasked herself—with waking up Lucas. She didn't know which of them was more excited about his departure to Hogwarts. He was full of nerves; that was normal, but she could sense the lingering happiness of finally being able to break away from the ties of the manor for a couple months at a time.

She was full-on excited and filled with joy for the boy she practically raised alongside two house elves. He was growing up before her eyes, and that did peg sadness at her dark heart, but she knew it was inevitable. He was going to be little Luke forever, and she knew that.

Still, she was going to prolong his growing up for as long as he'd let her. She never wanted him to lose his spark. And she'd be damned if anyone tried to dim it before her eyes.

The sun had finally risen. There were still hours until they had to be at the platform, but Olivia couldn't hold off any longer from waking up her brother. The manor had finally awoken as she exited her room. The portraits hung on the walls, staring at her, some mustering yawns while others sent her sleepy smiles as she passed them.

She walked down the hall, wishing all of them a happy morning, and made her way to Lucas's door. She didn't bother knocking, knowing that he was still sleeping, and she twisted the knob and pushed open the door quietly and slowly.

Peeking her head in, she saw Apollo, her brother's owl, perched in his cage next to the window that had bright sunlight peeking in. Lucas was curled up on his bed under his gray duvet, lying on his back, and sleeping soundly as if he didn't have a care in the world. He looked peaceful.

As she crept closer, she could see him breathing softly in and out with the rise and fall of his chest. The breath that fell from his lips at an even pace blew on the loose curl that hung over his forehead, causing it to move ever-so-slightly. She took a moment to admire him, wondering what it'd be like to sleep that calmly, not having the racing nightmare haunt your mind like the ghosts did at Hogwarts.

Then she climbed on his bed, standing beside him as she looked down at him. Just like he'd done the morning of Christmas last year, she began jumping up and down, calling out in a hushed shout, "Wake up, Lucas! Wake up, Lucas! You're going to Hogwarts!"

With a quick sit-up, Lucas looked around and then at her with wide eyes. He looked dazed and confused by the sudden noise and movement. Once he realized what was going on, he narrowed his eyes at his sister, lying back on his pillow with a huff as she stopped jumping.

She stifled a laugh and got off his bed, placing her hands on her hips. "Alright, now that you're awake, get up and get ready. And make sure to pack everything you need," she said, meeting his still-narrowed look.

"Got it, boss," he retorted, running a hand over his tired eyes.

"Good." She nodded. "I'm going to check on Bobbin and Trinky to see if breakfast is going to be done soon." She began walking to his door.

"Alright," he muttered as she came to a stop at the exit, placing her hand on the wood.

She took one last look back at him, giving him a reassuring smile, knowing that the worries had begun to fill his mind once more, even if he wasn't going to say it. "Everything will be fine, Luke. You'll love Hogwarts; I know it."

He hummed in response, feeling slightly better.

And with that, she left, closing the door on her way out. She paced down the hall, going towards the stairs, saying good morning to all of the portraits she hadn't passed when going to Lucas's room, and then went downstairs.

The smell of breakfast filled the manor, and she was glad that she wasn't the only one residing in the manor that liked to get up early—well, she didn't like it when it wasn't by choice, but that was besides the point. She knew her parents were roaming around somewhere, perhaps in their room or in her father's study, so she made sure to be cautious of crossing paths with them before she had to, not wanting the morning happiness to leave her.

Pushing open the doors of the kitchen, she saw the house elves working away. And when Bobbin looked up and noticed her, she scurried over.

"Can Bobbin help Miss Olivia? Is Miss Olivia hungry already? Should Bobbin make something for Miss Olivia?" The house elf rushed out, holding her fingertips together in front of her with a worried look on her face.

Olivia mustered a small, reassuring smile and said, "No, no, Bobbin. I'm fine; I'm just wondering when breakfast will be ready. I want to get ready for the day, but I don't want to miss it," she explained, looking down and into the elf's big eyes.

"Bobbin and the others are working on breakfast quickly, but Bobbin is sure it won't be ready for another hour or so. Bobbin will try to hurry," she answered, rushing back towards the counter.

"Don't rush, Bobbin." Olivia smiled, stepping back towards the door and pushing it open but not leaving. "Take your time," she added just before stepping out of the kitchen.

The door closed behind her, and she glanced around, making sure her parents weren't lingering before she made her way back upstairs. She was sure the portraits were getting headaches watching her walk back and forth from her room to Lucas's room, downstairs, then back to her room, but none of them said anything.

Entering her room, she saw and heard Tommy at his food bowl, eating his breakfast, which wasn't much of a breakfast seeing as he had the same food for every meal besides the couple of rats he liked to find in the manor.

If one didn't know, they probably would've thought that the cat was starving with the way he basically inhaled his food like he'd never seen food before in his life. Olivia didn't know how he did it, but it made him happy, so it made her happy.

Taking her eyes off the cat, she walked over to her en-suite bathroom. She peeled off her silk pajamas and took a shower, washing her hair and body with her signature scents—rosemary-scented shampoo and conditioner and ginger-scented bodywash. She loved the scent combination, and she didn't think she'd ever change it.

Once she was done, she stepped out, grabbed a towel from the hanging rack next to her shower, and wrapped it around her body. She gathered her bath essentials and dried them off, taking them to her trunk as she exited the bathroom and walked back into her room.

Tommy was done eating and was lying on her bed. He wasn't sleeping; instead, he was licking his paw and running it over the top of his head, cleaning his fur. With the noise of Olivia's movements, he paused what he was doing, looking up at her with wide, electric-green eyes.

Sometimes, when she was staring at him or lying next to him, trying to fall asleep, she wondered what was running around inside his mind. He always had a peculiar look on his face, even when he was sleeping. It was cute, to be honest, but peculiar nonetheless.

Shaking the thoughts from her mind, she walked over to her door, locking it—something she knew she should've done before she had gotten in the shower, but she hadn't thought about it. She walked over to her wardrobe, pulling open the doors and searching for what she wanted to wear.

After a moment, she decided on a black sweater and a black pleated skirt. It was something simple that would be comfortable with the nine-hour journey to Hogwarts and would go well with her robes. She got dressed after that, then went back to her bathroom and brushed her hair and teeth.

Once she was done, she carried her hairbrush and toothbrush—the second being in a travel case—over to her trunk and put them in the small bag that sat next to her clothes in the trunk. And when she was satisfied with what she had packed, she grabbed a pair of socks from her dresser, slipped them on, and covered them up with her black boots.

She was ready, and she knew that breakfast would be ready soon as well, so she rushed out of her room and down the stairs. When she stepped off the last step, she almost bumped straight into her father, but he caught her by holding onto her small arms.

"Woah there," Andrew muttered, looking down at her with his blazing blue eyes. She had always found it strange how he and her mother both had dazzling blue eyes, yet she and Lucas had deep green ones—the chances of that were slim, not unheard of, but still rare. "What's the rush?" he asked, letting go of her arms.

"No rush. I'm just ready for breakfast, is all," she explained, straightening her spine. She sent a barely-noticable glance around, looking for the sight of her mother, but she was nowhere to be seen. "Sorry for almost running into you, father," she added, moving past him and towards the breakfast area.

"Ah, yes," he nodded. "It's alright. Hurry along, then; your mother and brother are waiting at the table." He lifted his hand, gesturing towards the direction of the table with a small drop of his head, then straightened his spine.

Olivia began walking towards the table, her father following her steps. They stayed silent, and when they reached the table, they saw Clodagh reading the Daily Prophet while Lucas sat quietly, looking down at his empty plate. They must've been waiting on Olivia before starting breakfast.

What a nice gesture, she thought, a little bit of sarcasm underlining the tone in her head. She pulled out her chair, sitting between Lucas and her father and across from her mother.

"Glad you could finally grace us with your presence, Olivia Katherine," her mother said, not even sparing her a glance as she continued scanning the words on the newspaper.

Breakfast together had become an occasional thing for the family over the summer holiday. Maybe it was because neither Lucas nor Olivia would be at the manor for the majority of the year, or maybe it was because their parents seemed to not have as many business meetings as of late. Either way, it was still a strange thing for Olivia when it did occur. It felt like something that belonged in the book, Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century.

Breakfast was quiet. It was the usual spread—a full English breakfast, as some called it. Olivia took her time eating; nothing else needed to occupy her time, so why not? She could've sworn her mother had been reading the Daily Prophet the whole time. Surely the things written in there weren't that interesting.

And maybe she was right. Nearing the end of breakfast, everyone's plates were almost clean, still leaving heaps of untouched food sitting in front of them (which would go to the house elves). Her mother folded up the newspaper and sat it next to her plate, then looked up, her eyes trained on Lucas.

"What house are you hoping for, Lucas?" she asked her son.

He looked up, meeting her gaze. No words fell from his lips, thinking that she surely hadn't actually addressed him. His mouth opened and closed once or twice, then he said, "Slytherin, of course." It almost seemed as if that was what he thought she wanted him to hear; he sounded sure of himself but also unsure at the same time.

"I'd be fine with you being in Slytherin, Lucas," Clodagh began after letting out a short breath, "but if you're wanting some other house, that's fine as well. Be honest."

Lucas looked between her and Olivia, asking his sister what was going on with his eyes. She slightly shrugged, and he turned back to his mother. "No, no. Slytherin is the house I want. I know it'll be a good fit."

Clodagh shortly nodded, looking at her husband. "Alright then."

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

Walking onto the platform, Lucas pushed his trolley full of his things. Olivia didn't know why she hadn't thought about using one of those when she first came to the platform, but you live and you learn, she supposed—though she still wasn't using one.

Tommy's crate and the case of his things rested on the trolley with Lucas's things, but she carried her trunk. She didn't let her father carry it like he had tried to do before they left, and he did not fight her on the subject.

The looks and whispers were heard from all around them. It was almost eerily similar to how it had been when they were there a year ago. Just like then, the family of four ignored the wandering eyes, hushed gossip, and continued on their way toward the train.

When they came to a stop, Olivia and Lucas faced their parents, giving them short nods. None of them were in the right mood for verbal goodbyes, so nods would have to do. Olivia and Lucas made their way over to the train as their parents watched and put their trunks, all of Lucas's other things, Tommy's crate, and Apollo's cage with all of the other luggage and animals heading to the school.

They stepped onto the train, but before Lucas could go any further, Olivia stopped him. "Okay, so we're going to sit in a compartment with my friends... And I'm sure Malfoy will be there too," she began, her face twisting with disgust at the blonde boy's name. "Crabbe and Goyle might not be there; it's a hit or miss with them. But Pansy, Theodore, Daphne, and Blaise definitely will," she paused, making sure he was listening.

When he gave her a nod, she continued. "Theodore and Blaise will probably bombard you with questions—they did so to me when we first met, and they may even tease you a bit, but it's all in good fun. Pansy will probably ask you a few questions as well. Daphne will be quiet most of the time—she always is. And if, on the off chance, Malfoy says anything to you, ignore him," she explained as they began to walk. "If he says anything mean, I swear on Merlin's beard I will curse him," she threatened, brushing past two students who were going in the opposite direction of the aisle as them.

"Olivia," Lucas muttered, giving her a knowing look.

"What?" she asked, looking back at him, her voice full of no remorse at the thought. She'd love to curse Malfoy—he just needed to give her a reason, so she'd have an excuse. "I'm serious, Luke."

"I know you are," he sighed. "That's what I'm worried about."

She shrugged, facing forward. And after a moment of walking, passing by compartments, some filled with students, some empty, waiting for the lingering students on the platform to fill them, they came to a halt in front of their compartment.

Olivia could see through the door that, as she suspected, Pansy, Daphne, Blaise, Theodore, and Malfoy all sat in there. Daphne and Pansy sat next to one another, while the boys sat opposite. They were all chatting, most likely catching up on their summers.

Facing Lucas, Olivia let out a short breath. "Are you ready?" she asked, raising her brows.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Alright." She slid open the door, catching everyone's attention.

Their conversations came to a halt as Pansy sprang up from her seat and wrapped Olivia in a tight hug, which the girl somewhat returned. It took her only a second of squeezing the life from Olivia's soul to notice the boy standing behind her. She quickly pulled away from Olivia and pulled Lucas into the compartment.

She gasped, looking at him. "You must be Lucas!" she gleamed, particularly loudly, causing the group to wince and Lucas to want to crawl back into his safe shell, also known as his room back at the manor. "I'm Pansy Parkinson—Olivia's best friend!" She stuck her hand out for him to shake.

But before he could take it, she wrapped him in a tight hug, deciding that was the better option. She squeezed her arms around him tightly. Lucas tensed immediately. He looked extremely uncomfortable as he glanced over at his sister, who gave him a shrug.

"She's a hugger," Olivia muttered as Pansy pulled back from Lucas.

"Sorry," Pansy mumbled, her cheeks a slight tint of pink.

Lucas shrugged, sending her a small smile. "It's alright. I just wasn't expecting it."

After that, there was a moment of silence, which Pansy took as her time to sit back down. Olivia and Lucas just stood at the compartment door as the train began moving, and the girl cleared her throat.

"Uh, Lucas," Olivia began, catching her brother's attention. "This is Theodore," she said, lifting her hand to the boy with curly hair, who sent Lucas's a small wave. "This is Blaise," she added, eyeing the next boy and moving her hand to him. "This is Daphne," she continued, doing the same with Daphne as she did the boys. "And..." her voice fell faint as she looked at the blonde-haired boy. "Well, you already know Malfoy."

Lucas's eyes fell upon all of them, sending them a small smile. "Nice to meet you all." He grabbed onto Olivia's sleeve, moving so that they could sit next to Pansy, but before they could, Malfoy spoke.

"Uh, Lucas, is it?" He stood up from his seat.

Olivia's eyes fell onto him, narrowing. She swore that if he tried something with Lucas, she'd curse him. He better be careful with his next words. She studied him, her eyes scanning up and down the length of his body. His hair was perfectly gelled back, just like it had been during the entirety of their first year; he was dressed in his robes already; and his face was void of his usual smugness.

"Uh, yeah...?" Lucas furrowed his brows.

"I know we haven't really gotten off on the right foot," Malfoy began, taking a step closer to Lucas, making Olivia move in front of him. "But I just wanted to apologize."

What...?

"I've been a real tosser to you since... well, since we met," he continued. "I'm sorry for how I've acted toward you. Truly, it's unacceptable."

He must be pulling her leg. There was no way Malfoy was apologizing. No bloody way. Right? Olivia couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was certain that the shock on her face was visible to Malfoy, Lucas, and everyone else around them, who all had slightly slackened jaws, surprised by the words.

Her brows furrowed as she studied the boy, trying to look for a bit of deception or amusement, but there was none—just real and pure sincerity. Malfoy, giving her brother a sincere apology? If you had told her that when she'd woke up, she would've laughed in your face, then told you to sod off because you were telling lies.

"I'm—" Lucas's mouth opened to speak, but his voice trailed off, not knowing how to respond. He shot a glance over at his sister, wanting to ask her what to say, but her eyes were trained on Malfoy, wide with shock and curiosity. "Uh, thank you," he finally said after a moment of silence.

Malfoy hummed, giving him a short nod, his eyes closing in understanding. "I hope to start over with... you and that we can be friends," he said, his eyes flickering over to Olivia, then back to Lucas.

And that was when it hit her.

Malfoy was apologizing to Lucas to get on her good side. That must be it. But it seemed sincere. Did he actually mean it? Or was it all just a ploy to get her to like him? To get her to be his friend. Perhaps, but she wasn't sure.

Shaking the thoughts from her mind, Olivia looked away from Malfoy and sat down next to Pansy as Lucas said, "Yeah." He sat down next to his sister after that, and Malfoy retook his own seat next to Theodore.

Her thoughts ran wild for the rest of the train ride, and she couldn't help her eyes from wandering over to Malfoy on occasion, even when he wasn't looking, and Pansy and Daphne were talking her ears off about their summers.

What was he up to? She wondered. Was he up to anything at all, or was she just paranoid? It was probably the latter, but she couldn't help but ponder the thought for the remainder of the journey.

Even when they arrived at Hogsmeade's platform—Lucas went to the boats with the other first-year students, and Olivia trailed to the carriages with the rest of the students—the thoughts still ran through her mind like they were trying to finish a marathon in her skull.

The carriage ride felt like no time for Olivia. She had unknowingly blocked out every word her friends and Malfoy had been speaking and focused slowly on her aching mind and the white-blondeness of the boy's hair, whom she still didn't consider a friend.

When they came to a stop and made their way up to the castle, Olivia made it her mission to stop thinking about him and focus on the sorting ceremony. They flowed through the familiar corridors of Hogwarts, passed the familiar paintings and ghosts, and pushed through the familiar doors of the Great Hall.

Olivia, her friends, and Malfoy went over to the Slytherin table along with their housemates and sat down. Then they waited for the newcomers to make their appearance. And when they finally did, Olivia searched each face, looking for her brother's. When she caught his wide and worried eyes, she sent him a reassuring smile, which seemed to relax him slightly.

Dumbledore said his usual words of first-of-term importance, apparently. And then the ceremony began. McGonagall picked up the sorting hat, said, "When I call your name, you'll come forward and shall be sorted into your house," then unrolled the scroll.

Olivia didn't pay much attention to many of the names, only catching a few.

"Colin Creevey!" McGonagall called out. A short blonde boy walked to the sorting hat, had it placed on his head, and got Gryffindor. A few more names were called, and then, "Luna Lovegood!" This girl had long, curly—and slightly messy—blonde hair; her skin was pale, and if Olivia hadn't heard of the girl's family, she would've believed she was related to Malfoy. Lovegood got Ravenclaw.

"Lucas Mallard!" Olivia snapped her focus to the front, sitting up a little taller so that she could see her brother walk to the sorting hat. She didn't pay attention to the whispers around them and prayed Lucas wasn't either, or the worry-twisted look on McGonagall's face, or how Dumbledore seemed to lean forward in his seat to keep a better eye on the boy. Her attention was solely on her brother.

Lucas sat down on the stool, facing everyone. His cheeks were flushed red, but his face was void of emotion—soulless, cold, and the 'perfect' image for his family. His gaze seemed empty, like he was trying not to crack under the weight of everyone's eyes.

Olivia chewed the inside of her cheek as the Great Hall fell silent. Dead slient. Hear-a-pin-drop silent. Nobody-seemed-to-be-breathing silent.

McGonagall stepped toward the boy. Her body leaned away from him, like he was holding a knife to her. She let the hat fall on his head as she clutched to the scroll of names like it was the Ministry's deepest secrets. And she took a big step back, putting some distance between her and the eleven-year-old sitting on the stool.

The sorting hat seemed to be searching Lucas's mind, trying to find the best fit for him. Olivia knew that Lucas was either going to get Slytherin or Ravenclaw—she knew that he swore up and down that Slytherin was the house he was rooting for, but she couldn't help the gut feeling of him possibly getting (and hoping) for Ravenclaw.

After what felt like forever, they finally got their answer. "It shall be SLYTHERIN!" the sorting hat shouted.

And just like that—a few words, the flick of a switch—the silence was broken. The Slytherin table erupted in cheers. Olivia jumped up from her seat, clapping her hands together. A sense of relief fell over her—she wanted Lucas to be happy with the house he got, but she was secretly praying he got the house of the serpent... And he did!

She watched as Lucas's face lit up, and McGonagall removed the hat from his head. He stood and rushed over to the Slytherin table, moving past all of the cheering students and straight to his sister. When he stopped in front of her, she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, which he returned.

Once the cheering died down, they pulled apart and sat down. Lucas got a ton of welcomes from their housemates, and then the Great Hall fell silent again.

Now, with the worry of which house her brother would get out of the way, Olivia focused on the ceremony once more. She listened to McGonagall call a few more names, and then, "Ginny Weasley!"

A fiery-red-haired girl walked to the sorting hat. Olivia recognized her as the youngest of the Weasley clan, the one who had stood up to Malfoy in Fourish and Blotts, the one the boy had called 'Potter's girlfriend.' And surprise, surprise—she got Gryffindor.

The red and gold-littered table burst into loud cheers, and Olivia reckoned the loudest ones were from the Weasley boys. She believed that four of them still attended Hogwarts—Prefect Percy, dumb and dumber, and Weaselbee (as Malfoy liked to call him).

"And finally, Eloise Whitlock!" McGonagall called out.

The final name, and Olivia was glad for it. She was growing rather hungry and was ready for the feast to begin.

A brunette girl walked over to the stool, a bright, almost contagious smile on her face, showing the small gap between her two front teeth. She sat down on the stool, and the professor placed the hat on her head.

It took all of two seconds for the hat to shout, "Ravenclaw!" causing the table to cheer. The girl rushed off toward the table, and by the looks of her already-blindingly bright smile growing even brighter, Olivia could tell that was the house the girl wanted.

Dumbledore stood once the hall grew quiet. He clasped his hands together, a small, barely-there smile on his face. "Let the feast begin!" he waved his aging hands out, making the food appear down the length of all of the tables.

Lucas's face brightened as he looked down at the food with wide eyes. Olivia would've laughed at his expression if her stomach hadn't growled out of hunger—the last thing she had eaten that day was breakfast.

She wasted no time filling her plate, and the ones around her did the same. They sat silent as they began to eat, not having much to say since they caught up on the train.

But after a moment, Olivia began explaining all of the wonders of Hogwarts to her brother. She told him about the ghosts and paintings, the library (her personal favorite), the common room, the classes, the professors, and the joy that filled the air, and just before she was done, she added, "Oh, and remind me to take you to the Astronomy Tower tomorrow night. I just know you're going to love it."

"Alright." Lucas nodded.

A few moments later, they finished up their meals, and the feast was over. They trailed down the candle-lit corridors, going to the common room. Olivia knew that Lucas should've walked with the prefects, but she didn't care—she'd be able to explain everything to him easily enough.

Luckily, the password for the common room was only supposed to change every other year, so Olivia already knew it. When they reached the blank wall, Olivia glanced over at her brother, who had a confused expression on his face, probably wondering why they were stopped in front of a stone wall.

"Pure blood," Olivia whispered, turning to the wall.

There was a muffled grumbling as the wall opened up to show a door. Sending a look over her shoulder to her brother as she stepped toward the door, she saw the amazed look gleaming in his eyes. She stifled a smile, grabbed the handle of the door, and pushed it open.

Olivia's eyes stayed on Lucas as they entered the common room. She watched as he studied the room, looking at the paintings hung on the walls, the elegant furniture, the chatting students sitting around, and the brillance of the green and black-decorated room. His eyes shone with happiness, so glad that he was finally there. Olivia matched that look—he was finally there!

The door shut behind them. "So the password is 'pure blood'; don't forget that," Olivia explained, placing a hand on Lucas's shoulder to get his attention. "You'll get your timetable in the morning at breakfast, which begins at seven-thirty a.m. Curfew is at ten p.m., and your things will be in your dorm when you get there," she added, gesturing towards the staircase on the right. "Now run along to bed; you have a big day of classes ahead of you tomorrow." She smiled as he looked at her with the gleam and excitement still in his gaze.

Lucas nodded. "Alright. Goodnight, Livvy," he smiled, placing a small kiss on her cheek. He began walking to the staircase to the right, ready to go to bed so he could start the next day.

"Goodnight, Luke," she replied, watching him go up the stairs. Malfoy, Blaise, and Theodore trailed behind him.

Once the boys were gone, Pansy and Daphne dragged Olivia upstairs to their dorm. They made their way to the familiar room. Unlocking the door and pushing it open, Olivia breathed in the sat-untouched-for-a-few-months air, then she made her way over to her bed as Pansy closed the door and Daphne went to her own bed.

The girls didn't say much as they got ready for bed. Firstly, Olivia let Tommy out of his crate, then she went to the bathroom, where she brushed her teeth and changed into her pajamas. She made her way back into her room to set out a fresh uniform for the next morning and pack up the things she'd need for the following day in her enchanted bag. She'd take a shower in the morning since she was too tired to do it then, and morning showers always prepared her for the day anyway.

Daphne was the next to use the bathroom to get ready for bed, and then Pansy. While the Parkinson girl was in the bathroom doing her lengthy routine, Daphne walked over to Olivia, who was fluffing up her pillows.

"Olivia," Daphne muttered, her voice low as if she only wanted Olivia to hear. Olivia faced the girl, raising her brows with a questioning look. "Uhm, I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to take your advice this year," she explained, causing the brunette to furrow her brows in confusion. With a sigh, Daphne elaborated, "I'm going to try and win over Draco; get him to like me. We spent some time over the summer together because of our families, and I think there might be something."

"Oh," Olivia mumbled, something pegging in her gut. She wasn't familiar with the feeling, but she knew she didn't like it, so she buried it as quickly as it came. "That's great. I hope it goes well," she added, sending a barely-there smile to her friend.

"Me too," Daphne beamed.

There was a gleam in Daphne's eyes that made the feeling in Olivia's gut a little stronger, but she didn't say anything. She watched as Daphne walked back over to her bed with a little pep in her step, and then she turned to face her bed.

After fuffing her pillows some more, she laid down next to Tommy and Mr. Snake as Pansy came back into the room. Pansy blew out the candles before lying down on her bed like her roommates. The room was pitch-black with that familiar green tint from the lake falling in, bringing a sense of peace to Olivia.

She closed her eyes, Daphne's words lingering in her mind, running side-by-side with Malfoy's apology to Lucas. She tried to get rid of them, focusing on the warmth of Tommy's body next to her side as he breathed in and out, but they just wouldn't go away. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried even harder, and finally, she fell asleep.

But the thoughts hadn't left her... Not even when she woke the next morning.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

━━━━ ella's speaking !
draco apologizing to lucas?? what??

i hope you enjoyed! comment and vote 🫶🏻

kisses.

━━━━━━━━━━ born to die,
© -LOSTGARDENS,       sep 2023

word count: 5825.   written: 9.20.23.   published: 9.27.23.