BORN TO DIE ╱ DRACO MALFOY
꒷꒦ · ˚.‧ . written by ella . . . © -lostgardens
046 ━━━━━━━ ❛ hogsmeade village ❜

The air was crisp and cold; the sun was bright; and the ground was covered in freshly fallen leaves. Olivia stood outside, bundled in her autumn clothes and holding her charmed bag that Astoria had gotten her. As much as Olivia hated to admit it, Daphne had been right about never knowing when she'd need an extension-charmed bag—it actually came in handy quite a bit.

There were excited students all around, waiting to go to Hogsmeade—some for the first time during their school years, and others for just another trip. Olivia and her friends were part of the "some" whose first trip this was. Though Olivia had been to Hogsmeade before, she'd only ever gone once or twice, or maybe even thrice, with Lucas, since most of her trips were by herself with Bobbin or Trinky to keep her company.

She stood beside Pansy and Daphne and in front of Theodore, Blaise, Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle. Lucas and Astoria had to stay behind since only third-year students and above were permitted to go to Hogsmeade. Of course, she had gotten her mother to sign her permission form and had given it to Filch when she had exited the school. (Well, Olivia might've forged the signature herself, but that fact would go with her to her grave.)

"Now, remember, these visits to Hogsmeade Village are a privilege," McGonagall, who stood at the front entrance of Hogwarts, began, not seeming to mind how her words rhymed. The chattering of students around them quieted down as she paused. A couple of students rushed out of the school and over to the crowd as she continued. "Should your behavior reflect poorly on the school in any way, that privilege shall not be extended again."

Olivia had barely registered the words, already knowing how she must behave, seeing as though her mother reminded her in every letter she sent, whether it had to do with visits to Hogsmeade or not. She hadn't even done anything that year to summon a lecture, but alas, her mother still continued on with her ways. She rolled her eyes every time she read her mother's neatly written words.

But now, she watched Potter walk up to McGonagall with a hopeful look brimming behind his round glasses, boredly. "No permission form signed"—the professor raised a hand, stopping Potter from even thinking of uttering a word—"no visiting the village. That's the rule, Potter." And with that, the boy's hope slowly dimmed.

Filch and McGonagall stepped off the front steps. "All those with permission, follow me," Filch grumbly instructed the students. "Those without, stay put." His eyes fell in Potter's direction, offering the boy a rather nasty glance that made his emotions clear. Though Olivia supposed those were always the man's emotions—hatred, cruelty, and annoyance.

Sighing, Olivia uncrossed her arms with a small roll of her eyes and followed behind the man who completely despised her (the feeling was mutual) alongside her friends. As they walked, Pansy and Daphne excitedly talked amongst themselves (and to Olivia) about Hogsmeade. Apparently, neither had ever been. But anytime anyone else would pay close attention, Pansy's smiling face would go flat, and she'd pretend as if she were giddy with excitement. The boys walked in front of them, mixed in with the other students, in their own world of conversation.

Olivia had a nagging feeling that this was going to be a long day.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

"So you're telling me that they still haven't figured out who stabbed you? Or who killed Tommy?" Pansy asked in disbelief as they walked out of Tomes and Scrolls, one of Olivia's favorite book stores (the only one located in the village). She looked over at Olivia with furrowed brows and an almost disgusted expression on her face due to the information she just learned.

Olivia nodded as they continued to walk through the streets of Hogsmeade Village. "Yeah." She shrugged her shoulders, not meeting anyone's gaze as she thought. "To be completely honest, I don't even think anyone's searching or trying to figure out who did it." She waved a dismissive hand, meeting Pansy's eyes with a small smile. "But it doesn't matter."

"That's bloody ridiculous," Theodore muttered, squinting his eyes from the brightness of the sky. "Of course it matters, Olivia." He focused on her, giving her one of the first serious looks she'd ever seen on his face. "Someone tried to kill you. Someone killed Tommy. Those things matter."

Olivia opened her mouth to retort, but she had nothing to say. She couldn't come up with anything to say. He was right; those things did matter, but she knew that no one else was thinking of them. There was too much going on in their world, right in their faces and behind closed doors, for people to worry about catching the people who stabbed—tried to kill her and killed her cat.

And she was somewhat glad for that.

It wasn't their business to do that. She knew who killed Tommy, and she'd get her revenge soon enough. As for the person who stabbed her, well, they'd have a rude awakening if they ever tried something like that again. She didn't know who they were; she didn't have the time to figure out who they were, but she prayed to Merlin that they would try something again.

She'd be ready for them the next time.

"I know that, Theodore," she finally replied after a moment of silence. Her plans lingered in the back of her mind as her eyes flickered over each person that walked alongside her. "What I mean is that those things can wait to be figured out. I would much rather have the important people focus on catching Sirius Black than on two small mishaps that happened to me." She half-shrugged, eyeing the scene of the village and the wandering students in front of her.

"If it were Malfoy that those small mishaps happened to, he'd get his father on them. Wouldn't you, Malfoy?" Blaise teased to lighten the mood as he slung an arm on Draco's shoulder. All he got in return was a glare from the blonde boy, but his smirk didn't falter before he focused on Olivia. "I completely agree with you, Olivia. I'm sure you'll find whomever did those things and get your own revenge." He took his arm from the boy's shoulder and placed his hand on his heart. "That is if we're going to believe all of the horror stories that have floated around the air for years."

Blaise knew her too well.

Olivia gave him a subtly knowing look and hummed. "I would recommend listening to those stories." That was neither an omission nor a denial, merely a response. Perhaps even a warning for the certain blonde girl who was particularly quiet.

"Which ones?" Draco asked.

She just answered with a smirk as she walked ahead to Honeydukes. She pushed open the door, causing the bell to ring above her head. Her friends trailed behind her, none of them carrying bags like she and Daphne, seeing as though they found "nothing of interest" in the Tomes and Scrolls. She was sure they'd all have no problem finding something they'd like in this place. She knew she would.

Her eyes searched the shop for the Chocolate Frogs, but before she could find them, Weasley and Granger, standing off to the side and looking amongst the candy-stocked shelves, caught her attention. Not seeing Potter with them was so strange to Olivia, despite knowing that he was back at Hogwarts, probably glooming over his not-signed permission form.

The presence of her friends and Daphne standing behind her was very apparent, but she didn't cast them a glance as she moved forward, going over to the two Gryffindors of interest. They weren't even aware of her when she stopped behind them.

"Ronald, if you get all of that, you're going to be sick!" Granger grimaced with her eyes focused on all of the candy Weasley was stuffing in the basket he carried. "How are you meaning to pay for that all, may I ask? That'd be too much to spend, even for—"

"Where's Potter?" Olivia inquired.

Weasley and Granger jumped at the girl's sudden appearance and quickly turned to face her. Hermione placed a hand over her heart while Weasley's eyes went wide. "Bloody hell, you scared me," the boy breathed out, trying to catch his breath.

Olivia's blank expression didn't flicker in the slightest when Granger finally realized who was behind them and narrowed her eyes. She would never be intimidating to Olivia, no matter how hard she tried to be. No one would be.

"You were there; you know exactly where Harry is." The deemed 'Golden Girl' rolled her eyes as she took a step forward and held on a little tighter to her bag's strap. "He didn't get his form signed," she added, despite her initial statement on how Olivia already knew.

"Why didn't he just forge the signature?" Olivia furrowed her brows.

Granger huffed, growing frustrated. Olivia had only said a few sentences to her, and she was already under the girl's skin. Oh, how she loved having that power. "Because Harry isn't like that," she paused, looking Olivia up and down, "unlike some."

"And who may that 'some' you speak of be?" Olivia retorted, keeping her tone calm.

"I think you know—"

"What are we talking about over here?" Draco walked over to them with raised brows and a smirk on his pale face. He stopped just an inch behind Olivia, which used to be a little too close for her liking. But now, as she thought about it, she didn't mind it too much. And she hated that thought for crossing her mind.

"Granger here was just about to tell me who she meant when she said only a certain 'some' would forge a signature on their permission form for visits to Hogsmeade," Olivia explained, glancing up at the boy, who was still only slightly taller than her. She had a feeling that would change in the coming years.

"Oh. Go on then," Draco told Granger.

Granger let out another breath, fisting her hands. "You two are quite the pair," she said after a moment. "Malfoy's always following you"—she focused on Olivia—"around like a lost little puppy. The rumored demon girl and her lap dog." She narrowed her eyes as she grabbed Weasley's elbow. "Come on, Ronald," she ordered the boy, seeming rather annoyed.

Before she could get too far away, Draco scoffed. "Excuse me?" His brows were knitted together, and he was giving the two Gryffindors an offended and annoyed look as they turned back around to face them. He opened his mouth to continue, but Granger spoke first.

"Oh, right. Doesn't your name mean dragon?" She didn't give him a second to answer. "So that would make you her lap dragon, not her lap dog," she corrected angrily. And then she walked away, dragging her friend along with her without another word.

Draco watched them walk away with annoyance swirling in his eyes while Olivia thought about Granger's words. Demon girl? Since when did people start thinking she was a demon girl? She knew that they thought she was a dark witch, a murderer of cats, and some other not-so-friendly assumptions, but never a demon.

Sighing, she concluded that she did not care.

She turned to face Draco, offering a smirk as he looked at her. Quirking her brows up, she crossed her arms over her chest. "So, apparently you're my lap dragon." Her tone was almost teasing as she bit back a laugh. "I like the ring of that." She took a step back, as if she were going to walk away. "I think that's what I'll call you for now on—my lap dragon," she teased, narrowing her eyes and casting a deeper smirk to match her tone.

He rolled his eyes as she turned around and let out a small laugh. She heard him grumble something under his breath as she walked away, going in search of the things she'd come in there for. Chocolate Frogs. And after a moment, the sound of his footsteps fell behind her as he followed. She glanced around the shop to find her friends, and she saw them stand with Daphne at some other shelves, talking and searching for their own treats.

Once they were done shopping in Honeydukes and their candy and treats were paid for, they left the shop and continued walking the streets of Hogsmeade. Theodore and Blaise took a stop at Zonko's Joke Shop and tried to drag the rest of them along, but they were refused.

"I'm honestly frightened of what those two are going to find in there," Pansy admitted when she watched the boys practically skip through the door with excitement.

"You and I both," Olivia added, watching them as closely as she could through the window from across the street. Then a thought crossed her mind, and it was never a good day for anyone when that happened. Placing a small smile on her face, which was almost turning into a smirk as her eyes gleamed with mischief, she glanced at Draco, who stood behind her with his hands tucked in his pockets. "Oh, my little lap dragon." She reveled in the way he met her eye due to the name. "Will you go keep an eye on the boys for us girls?" Her smile grew even more teasing as she batted her eyelashes.

Draco countered her smile with a gaze of annoyance and inhaled deeply. "Do I have to?" he asked, almost gritting his teeth. Almost. He didn't want to irritate Olivia with a nasty tone, of course.

"Yes." Olivia nodded, facing forward as Pansy held back a laugh with a dainty hand over her mouth. Daphne just looked confused.

Draco stayed in place for a moment, no doubt contemplating listening to her or not. Then he let out that breath he inhaled and took another pause before he brushed past Olivia and walked across the street, sending her a narrow-eyed look over his shoulder. She just lifted a hand and wiggled her fingers as a wave, with an extra-bright smile on her face.

He rolled his eyes again just before walking into the shop.

Pansy and Daphne both faced Olivia. "My little lap dragon?" the short-haired brunette repeated her friend's words with a raise of her brows. Her expression was amused yet questioning as she glanced between the smirking girl and the blonde, who stood beside her with confusion lingering in her eyes along with something that made them think she wanted to say something, yet she remained quiet.

"That's what Granger called him. Apparently, he's my lap dragon and follows me around like a lost little puppy," Olivia explained, remembering the interaction. Then she thought about it some more. "Well, actually, if he's a lap dragon, then he'd follow me around like a lost little hatchling," she corrected, then let out a hum. "Granger needs to work on her terminology."

Olivia was having way too much fun with this. And she knew that, but she didn't care.

Pansy hummed, glancing over at the shop the boys were in. Well, the boys, except for Crabbe and Goyle, who had been with them when they'd walked to Hogsmeade. Olivia wondered where those two had run off to. She supposed they might've been with Pike, making a fool of themselves or someone else.

"Perhaps Granger isn't so bad. At least in the sense that she pokes fun at Draco as well." Pansy gave Olivia a curious look, and for a moment, the girl almost looked serious. Then she broke out into a fit of laughter. "Who am I?" She continued to laugh, slapping her knee. "'Perhaps Granger isn't so bad.' Oh, I really got myself with that one."

Olivia shook her head in amusement.

The door of the joke shop opened just a second later. And out walked Draco, practically pushing Blaise and Theodore along with him. "I caught these two wankers planning something with explosives," Draco told the girls as soon as he stopped in front of them.

Olivia placed a hand on her hip and gave the boys a pointed look, which they returned with sheepish smiles.

"Whoops?" Theodore breathed a chuckle.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

A few hours later, after walking around Hogsmeade and dodging McGonagall, Filch, and their schoolmates for what felt like forever, the group came across The Three Broomsticks. Olivia was glad for it; she was sure that her stomach would begin rumbling soon from lack of food. She had a small breakfast that morning, but she'd been too engrossed in one of her books to finish it.

"I don't know about you all, but I fancy myself a Butterbeer," Theodore admitted, pushing open the door. He sent them a look over his shoulder. "It's been a long day of hard work." He then walked into the pub, leaving them behind.

"What work? You've barely lifted a finger," Pansy retorted, rolling her eyes as she followed him.

Draco and Olivia shared a look, and then they, as well as Blaise, who was snickering at his friend, and Daphne, followed the two inside. As the group stopped in their tracks, once they were clear of the door, their eyes cast around the room. The noise of the door closing was drowned out by the din of other Hogwarts students who, like Theodore, had stopped for a bite to eat and a Butterbeer. There were also wizarding folk crowding the tables as they chatted amongst each other, with much of the same din.

Moving past all of them, the group found an empty booth and sat down. Before they could even blink, menus were dropped in front of each of them. They picked them up, staying silent, and studied them just before a woman walked over.

"Hello there." The woman smiled. Olivia recognized her; she was the owner of The Three Broomsticks. "I'm Madam Rosmerta." She pulled out a quill and a small piece of parchment, while Olivia reveled in being right about her identification. "What can I get for you lot today?" Rosmerta asked, putting her quill, which Olivia was sure was charmed to never run out of ink, over the parchment as she prepared to write.

"A round of Butterbeers on me," Theodore replied, leaning back smugly in his seat.

Pansy turned to him with a flat expression. "Woah, that's quite generous of you, Theodore."

"What can I say?" He shrugged with a smirk.

Madam Rosmerta cleared her throat, catching all of their attention. She raised her brows with the same smile she had when she approached them, still planted on her lips. "Anything else?" she inquired, keeping her quill a little raised above the parchment in her hand.

The group then ordered their food, and Madam Rosmerta jotted it down and walked off. They sat there for a second of silence before another worker came over to them with their Butterbeers. They drank them while waiting on their food and Theodore made a bunch of comments about the "cozy" feeling of the pub. Their food came, they ate, and they enjoyed the last little bit of their time in Hogsmeade for that weekend.

And once they had finished the last bits of their food and the last drops of their Butterbeers, both in between laughs and amused shakes of their heads from Theodore's attempts at jokes, the door of the pub swung open. In walked Filch, looking disgusted with being there. "If any of you are Hogwarts students, get on with it," the man grumbled, tossing a finger towards the door. He walked out with another word.

Panasy snorted. "He's such a delight."

"Very much so." Olivia nodded in fake agreement with a grin fighting at her lips.

The group got up from their booth, Theodore walked over to the counter and kindly paid for the food (Olivia knew that he'd expect them to reimburse him for his gesture), and then they left.

Olivia walked alongside Draco as the others trailed in front of them. Both of them were quiet for a moment before Draco cleared his throat. He offered her a side glance but then quickly focused on the sight in front of them, so she couldn't meet his gaze. "Today wasn't terribly gruesome," he admitted with a short shrug, digging his hands in the pockets of his long black coat.

Olivia looked at him, studying the side of his face as he stared at the bright day. "No, I suppose it wasn't," she agreed, facing the scene in front of them.

The ground was covered in leaves that painted it with all kinds of warm colors; the trees were bare, swaying in the wind; the sky was bright, not a cloud in sight; and the breeze was chilly, growing closer to winter more and more each day and sending a chill down Olivia's spine. Theodore, Blaise, Pansy, and Daphne walked alongside each other, and she watched as the boys laughed with each other over something. The blonde girl shook her head in disappointment, while the other shoved the boys for whatever they'd said and walked forward.

The day had not been terribly gruesome.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

Hours later, finally back at Hogwarts and well fed from dinner, the group, save for Draco and Blaise, who had stayed behind for some odd reason, walked down the corridor, going back to the common room from Great Hall. Around them, lingering in the air, were nothing but hushed whispers and concerned looks. It was something Olivia was all too used to. But there was something different about these hushed whispers and concerned looks that weren't focused on her like usual. Something very intriguing yet put a deep pit in Olivia's stomach.

She tried to ignore it at first. It was so bloody annoying, though. Her eyes lingered around the faces of all of the wandering students. They looked so worried, almost scared. She furrowed her brows, trying to think of what could be going on. But nothing came to mind.

Letting out a breath after a moment of silence amongst her and her friends and nothing but whispered chaos amongst everyone else, Olivia turned to Pansy. "What is going on? Why is everyone whispering? And why are they looking around as if they are about to be murdered by the shadows?" Olivia asked with raised brows as she and the others continued to walk down the corridor.

"Didn't you hear?" Pansy inquired with a look full of surprise. Olivia didn't answer, so she continued. "The Fat Lady said that Sirius Black"—the girl's voice grew quieter upon saying the name, and she glanced around with a hint of fear like everyone else—"is somewhere in the castle," she finished, focusing on Olivia once more.

Olivia hummed, wondering how Pansy had figured that out so quickly. They had been together the whole day, and not a single peep was uttered to Olivia about Sirius Black or the Fat Lady's accusation, or even around her, for that matter. Perhaps it had, and she just hadn't listened—that happened often. She shot a questioning glance at Lucas, who walked behind her, and he just shrugged in response.

An arm wrapped around Olivia's shoulder and pulled her in. She looked away from her brother and up to meet Theodore's smirk and teasing gaze as he said, "Yeah, she sang like a canary when Dumbledore questioned her."

Olivia playfully rolled her eyes. Leave it up to Theodore to try and lighten the mood with a joke or pun. In this case, it was both. "Very funny, Theodore." She offered a small smile, enough to make his eyes sparkle, as she plucked a Chocolate Frog from the hand of the arm that wasn't slung around her shoulder. She opened the candy as they continued to the common room. And when she pulled out the card, after popping the chocolate into her mouth, she saw that familiar face.

Dumbledore, once again.

Sighing and showing the card to Theodore knowingly, she watched as he snorted a laugh and shook his head in amusement. Then she tucked the card into her pocket. And with that, they continued all the way to the common room.

After saying the password and watching the door appear, the group walked into the room. But before they could get too far in, Blaise and Draco met them at the door. There were other students standing up as well, looking as though they were preparing to leave, but Olivia's eyes only focused on the two boys with whom she was friends.

Draco's eyes searched for her until they stopped and focused on Theodore's arm, which was still slung over Olivia's shoulder. His face twisted in disgust, and perhaps Theodore noticed because his arm slowly slid off of Olivia's shoulder and he moved away from her.

A small smirk planted itself on Olivia's face like an invading weed in a garden. She continued to stare at Draco, studying him as he did the same to her. The disgust from Theodore's closeness had slowly turned into annoyance, even though the boy had moved away. And Olivia hated to think it, but she had a nagging feeling that Draco was jeal—

"You lot better turn around and get your arses to the Great Hall," Blaise told them, cutting through Olivia's thoughts and her smirk. The girl focused on him and not on his blonde counterpart, who continued to stare a hole into her cheek, burning her skin. "Dumbledore's orders; an emergency meeting, apparently."

Pansy huffed a breath, almost whiningly so, with a stop of her foot. "You've got to be bloody joking." She threw her hands in the air frustratingly, then ran them through her hair, no doubt tired from the long day. "We've only just come from the Great Hall!"

Blaise sent her an apologetic look, telling them that he, in fact, was not joking. Pansy exhaled dramatically, muttering something about cursing the old wizard under breath. Olivia held back her amusement at her friend's tantrum, turning on her heels. And with that, they left the common room, going back to where they had just been, now joined by Draco and Blaise and a heap of other Slytherins who all felt the same as Pansy.

As they walked, a realization crossed Olivia's mind, and the pit in her stomach grew.

Sirius Black was in the castle.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

━━━━ ella's speaking !
hi hi! if you remember a different version of chapter 46 being published... no you don't (i will be saying this again)

i hope you enjoyed!! chapter 47 is almost done (a few more paragraphs & editing left to do), so it should be published soon!

make sure to comment & vote 🕺🏻

kisses.

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

word count: 4421.   written: 12.17.23.   published: 12.18.23.