BORN TO DIE ╱ DRACO MALFOY
꒷꒦ · ˚.‧ . written by ella . . . © -lostgardens
026 ━━━ ❛ enemies of the heir, beware ❜

Over the past few days, Olivia seemed to have the wool that was over her eyes pulled away, and she didn't know how to feel about it. Malfoy had apologized to Lucas without any prompting—that was the first shock. But when he apologized to Granger and Pansy explained that he wouldn't do that for just anyone, it was like a new light was shone on him and his blindingly blonde hair and his cloud-filled gray eyes.

And he hadn't been entirely too annoying as of late, though Olivia wasn't sure if he'd changed anything he'd been doing.

She kept this to herself, of course.

She hadn't even told her brother about it during their stargazing nights in the astronomy tower. She kept it all to herself. It was for the best. Nothing needed to be made out of it, and that was how she'd like to keep it.

As she and Lucas stepped off the last step leading from the tower to the corridor, the sight of their housemates was the first thing they saw. Her thoughts still ran through her mind, but she tried to bury them as she searched for her group—not Malfoy, though. They seemed to be going back to the common room.

Olivia and Lucas gave each other knowing looks, then moved to catch up with them. Olivia looped her arm with Pansy, and Lucas walked on the opposite side of the girl as they came to a stop. Pansy looked over at her, giving her a small smile and quietly muttering, "Hey."

Olivia returned the smile, then her eyes fell on the others. Theodore and Blaise were talking with one another, while Daphne did the same with Malfoy. Pansy stayed quiet alongside the Mallard siblings, just listening to their group, and Crabbe and Goyle trailed behind Malfoy. Olivia's eyes remained on the back of Malfoy's head since he was looking at Daphne as she spoke, and they sometimes fell onto Daphne, whose face was flushed from attention and coated with a bright smile.

Peeling her eyes from the girl when she felt a gentle nudge in her side, Olivia focused on Pansy, who was giving her an undecipherable look. She furrowed her brows, questioning her with her eyes. Pansy's mouth opened as if she were going to speak. But as they came to a stop, she clamped it shut, thinking better of the words that were sitting on the tip of her tongue.

Olivia looked forward, expecting to be standing in front of the all-too-familiar blank wall, but instead, she was looking at Potter, Granger, and Weasley and all of the other mix of houses behind them. Gasps were heard all around as the trio faced everyone, and Olivia's eyes fell onto the corridor wall.

The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir, beware.

What the bloody hell was that supposed to mean?

Olivia's gaze then fell onto the cat that was bloody, stabbed, and hanging on the wall by her tail. But it wasn't just any cat; it was Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat. Someone was going to pay for that one, for sure.

"Enemies of the Heir, beware," Malfoy said with confusion. His brows were furrowed, the same as Olivia's, as he looked at the wall. Then his gaze fell on Weasley and Granger. "You'll be next, Mudbloods," he spat, glaring at the two Gryffindors.

And the wool that was torn away was slowly put back into place.

Olivia slowly faced him, her expression blank but her eyes full of fire. He looked at her, realizing his mistake.

But when Filch asked, "What's going on here?" as he walked towards the scene, Malfoy snapped his focus to the man. "Go on. Make way, make way," the man continued, shooing the students away. His attention zoned in on Potter, who looked confused and slightly guilty—Olivia didn't know; her narrowed eyes were boring into Malfoy's cheek. "Potter," he muttered, his voice low with suspicion. "What are you...?" And that was when he noticed his beloved cat.

"Mrs. Norris." His voice came out weak and shocked, and Olivia almost felt bad for the man, but then she remembered who it was that they were talking about, and that feeling quickly went away. "You've murdered my cat," he accused Potter, as more of a statement than a question.

"No, no," Potter mumbled.

Olivia watched the amusement take over Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle's smug faces as Filch said, "I'll kill ya." She rolled her eyes and watched the man closely. He looked unhinged. She didn't blame him though; she would be too if it were Tommy hanging on that wall instead of Mrs. Norris. He grabbed Potter's robes, holding him firmly. "I'll kill ya!" he threatened again.

Potter looked frightened. "Argus," Dumbledore called out, his voice raspy with age. The students moved to make way for the bearded professor, as well as McGonagall and Snape, who were trailing behind him like good little puppies. "Argus, I..." His voice fell off when he noticed what all the fuss was about. "Everyone...will proceed to their dormitories immediately," he instructed, his eyes never leaving the wall. Students began to turn away, doing as they were told. "Everyone except you three," he said, pointing to the Golden Trio, "and Miss Mallard."

Olivia furrowed her brows in confusion. What the bloody hell did she do? Her friends and Malfoy looked at her curiously but continued to walk away without her. She looked at Snape, seeing his nothing-but-blank expression and calculating eyes. He too was curious as to why Dumbledore had kept her behind.

"She's not dead, Argus," Dumbledore said as the trio stepped closer and Olivia moved to stand next to Snape. "She has been Petrified."

"Ah, thought so. So unlucky I wasn't there," Lockhart added, causing Olivia to scoff and roll her eyes. Snape nudged her, non-verbally telling her to be quiet, and she looked up at him with a glare but didn't say a word. "I know exactly the counter-curse that could've spared her," the blonde professor continued with his rubbish.

Dumbledore gave him a curt nod but didn't confirm nor deny his feelings about the man's words. "But how she's been Petrified I cannot say." He looked up at the cat in thought.

"Ask him." Filch nodded to Potter accusingly. "It's him that's done it," he added, his voice shaking a bit. Olivia glanced at Potter, seeing an offended look on his face, while Granger and Weasley looked worried, as if they couldn't decide if they believed their friend to have done what he was accused of or not. "You saw what he wrote on the wall."

"It's not true, sir. I swear," Potter defended himself, looking at Dumbledore. "I never touched Mrs. Norris."

"Rubbish," Filch countered.

"If I might, headmaster?" Snape chimed in his usual tone. Dumbledore turned his head to the left to listen more closely to the professor. "Perhaps Potter and his friends were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time," he offered, making Olivia wonder why he was helping them.

She glanced over at the trio, seeing them give each other the same confused looks. She was glad she wasn't the only one.

"However," Snape continued, looking at the three Gryffindors, beginning to move closer to them, "the circumstances are suspicious." That's more like it. "I, for one, don't recall seeing Potter at dinner," he revealed, not taking his narrowed gaze off the glasses-wearing boy.

"I'm afraid that's my doing, Severus," Lockhart said. Everyone turned to face the man in a red robe, embroidered with gold stitching, who had his hands resting on his hips like he was some kind of hero. "You see, Harry was helping me answer my fan mail," he explained, receiving another eye roll from Olivia.

Her eyes were starting to hurt.

Snape's face relaxed back into his bored expression.

"That's why Ron and I went looking for him, professor," Granger added, causing Snape to look back at her. "We'd just found him when he said..." She stopped speaking, looking over at her famous friend.

"Yes, Miss Granger?" Snape prompted her to continue.

"When I said I wasn't hungry," Potter finished for her, meeting the professor's eye. "We were heading back to the common room when we found Mrs. Norris."

Snape faced Dumbledore, and the old man said, "Innocent until proven guilty, Severus." And that was when Olivia noticed that Professor Sprout had joined them. She must've been too caught up in everything to notice.

"My cat has been Petrified," Filch mumbled, his voice quaky as if he were holding back a sob. "If not Potter, it must've been her," he sneered, glaring at Olivia. "I want to see some punishment!"

Olivia's jaw went slack with offense. "I didn't touch your bloody cat!" she retorted. Taking a second to realize her choice of words probably weren't the best, she sighed, looking away from Filch's unhinged eyes. "I didn't touch Mrs. Norris. I wouldn't, I swear. I love cats; I have one of my own," she defended, looking at each face. A little help would be nice, she thought.

"I'm sure Miss Mallard did not do it, Filch," Snape added, though it didn't sound that convincing. "She'd have no reason to."

"She doesn't need a reason! I'm sure she's just as crazy as the rest of her family!" Filch countered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Olivia scoffed, creasing her brows. She stepped closer to the man. She was not crazy. He was the crazy one for thinking otherwise. She'd admit, it wasn't looking well in her favor; she hadn't been at dinner, and she was known for losing her cool. But she would never, ever harm an animal. A first year that got in her way? Sure, but never an animal.

"Then why weren't you at dinner, hmm?" He questioned her, bending down slightly so that he was closer to her level.

"I can assure you that Miss Mallard wouldn't of done this," Dumbledore said, trying to keep the peace between the two ill-tempered people. "We will be able to cure her, Argus," he added, nodding. "As I understand it, Madam Sprout has a very healthy growth of Mandrakes," he explained as Filch straightened his spine and met his eye. "When matured, a potion will be made, which will revive Mrs. Norris."

Olivia took a step back from the nasty man and moved to stand next to Snape as Dumbledore continued. "And in the meantime, I strongly recommend caution..."—he looked around gently—"to all," he warned calmly.

Dumbledore's words stuck with Olivia all the way until she got back to the common room. When she entered, the only person left crowding the room was Malfoy. He sat on the couch, but it wasn't for long, because when he noticed her, he practically sprang up from his seat.

"What happened?" he asked. There was a slight worry in his voice that made Olivia want to roll her eyes, but for once, she held back the urge. She tried to ignore him and go straight for the staircase so that she could go to bed, but he blocked her path, putting two stopping hands on her shoulders.

Meeting his eye, she sighed. "Nothing," she answered. He gave her a knowing look, and she took a step back. "Filch accused Potter of petrifying his cat, but Lockhart said Potter was with him, so Filch started blaming me," she explained, shrugging. "Honestly, it was stupid, and I just want to go to bed."

She brushed past him, and he didn't stop her this time. But the nagging thoughts lingered in the front of her mind, and she couldn't seem to shake them. Stopping in her tracks, she quickly turned to face him. He was still staring at her, and their eyes met. "You're never going to change, are you?" she asked, not missing the confused look twisting on his face.

"What?" he asked.

"You're never going to change," she repeated, this time more as a statement. "You're never going to stop using that word; you're never going to view everyone as equal to you unless they're pureblood; and you're just never going to change," she elaborated, more so thinking out loud instead of speaking to him. "So I guess I should stop trying while I'm ahead. I'll just be disappointed in the end, right?" she asked, though it seemed as if she'd already made up her mind.

Malfoy opened his mouth, but no words came out, so he shut it.

She gave him a tight-lipped smile, noting the answering expression creasing his pale features. "Goodnight, Malfoy." And with that, she turned around and went to her room.

That night, Olivia laid in bed snuggled up to Mr. Snake and Tommy just as usual. Daphne and Pansy had already been asleep when she'd gotten into the room and stayed that way the whole time she got ready for bed. Her eyes were cast on the dark, void-looking ceiling as she just thought, listening to the workings of her breathing.

Malfoy wasn't going to change. The wool had been pulled back over her eyes, and she was glad for it. Well, she believed and wholeheartedly convinced herself that she was glad for it. The truth was, she wasn't sure of her feelings on the topic, so she blocked it from her mind. Her main focus for that moment on would be school, watching out for Lucas and Tommy, and examining her nightmare as best as she could while in the state of sleep.

And with those plans in mind, she closed her eyes and began one of them as she let the nightmare take over her mind. She was going to find out who the faceless man was and why there was a sense of familiarity lingering in the air of the old, creaky house.

She was going to, no matter what.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

━━━━ ella's speaking !
welp... back to square one ig

i hope you enjoyed!! comment and vote 🫶🏻

kisses.

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

word count: 2367.   written: 10.1.23.   published: 10.8.23.