BORN TO DIE ╱ DRACO MALFOY
꒷꒦ · ˚.‧ . written by ella . . . © -lostgardens
059 ━━━━━━ ❛ truth and revelation ❜

Olivia's screams were all that were heard as she tumbled down the hole, landing straight on top of Potter when she came to a stop. He grunted from the force, and Olivia rolled off of him in an instant, grimacing in pain. Then Granger came down, hitting the boy like Olivia had, and he winced.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Granger said in a soft tone, moving off of the boy.

"Don't worry." Potter began trying to get up as Granger helped him.

Olivia coughed, rubbing her surely-cracked ribs before placing her hands on the ground, trying to help herself up. "This is why I'm never near you lot," she grumbled, annoyed. "I always end up trapped in dark places." Her voice grew a little louder as she whipped her head to glare at the two.

Both ignored her as they stood, and she followed a second later.

"Where do you suppose this goes?" Granger asked, looking in front of them.

"I have a hunch," the boy admitted, wiping his hands on his pants.

There was a staircase that led to... Merlin knew where. Or, in this case, Potter knew where.

"Of course you do," Olivia muttered, rolling her eyes. Why had she followed the screams? She was dirty; she was sure her ribs (and perhaps some other bones) were cracked, and she was stuck in another! dark place with two Gryffindors, about to head somewhere unknown. All because she followed the screams. Those blasted, bloody, made-by-a-Weasley screams.

"I just hope I'm wrong," Potter added, ignoring the girl's comment as they began walking forward.

The three of them made their way to the stairs. Olivia didn't even know why she was going along. But it was either go with them or she'd have to try and make her way above ground and past the Whomping Willow, and she didn't know if she was ready to face that journey again. She would gladly take the former. Plus, a part of her was curious. She'd be lying straight through her teeth if she said it wasn't.

Once they were at the top of the stairs, they climbed through an entrance that was on the floor, wherever they were. They pushed themselves up into the room, their eyes all searching around as they tried to move as quietly as possible.

"We're in the Shrieking Shack, aren't we?" Granger asked, though it was more of a statement than a question.

Potter didn't answer, though he didn't need to; the answer was clear. All he said was, "Come on," as he moved towards yet another staircase behind them, dragging Granger along with him. Olivia just sighed and reluctantly followed.

They climbed each step quietly, and from a distance, they could hear Weasley still yelling in pain or horror. Olivia couldn't quite decipher it. Perhaps it was both. As they got to the top of the stairs, the yelling got louder. They were nearing Weasley.

Then Potter glanced into a room, his eyes landing on his best friend as he called out, "Ron!" He and Granger piled in there quickly as Olivia slowly followed behind.

"Ron, you're okay!" the girl added, sounding quite glad.

"The dog, where is it?!" Potter questioned him urgently.

Olivia came to a stop beside him, looking down at a petrified-looking Weasley. He still had that blasted rat in his hands. She couldn't give him too much grief because she understood it, but still, it was a rat. And it wasn't even all that cute.

"Harry, it's a trap!" Weasley threw a finger up, pointing behind them. "He's the dog! He's an Animagus!" His eyes were focused completely on whomever stood behind them, and so the three standing turned around, their eyes trailing along the floor. There were prints—dog to human, leading all the way to...

There he stood. Sirius Black, in the flesh.

Olivia's eyes went slightly wider as she took in the man's rough appearance. She supposed if she had spent the last twelve years in Azkaban, she'd look about the same. He was still in his prisoner uniform; it was dirty and torn in many places. He had a coat on over it that was just about the same. His hair was greasy and messy, as was his clearly under-kept beard. Underneath the torn fabric of his uniform, Olivia could see the peeking tattoos. But his eyes were what she focused on the most. They had a craze in them (again, if she had spent the last twelve years in Azkaban...) as he stared at them—mainly at Potter, the boy he was, no doubt, after.

The man began taking small, slow steps forward, causing Granger to jump in front of her best friend. She kept her body in front of the boy's, blocking him completely. "If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us, too!" the girl told the man.

Olivia's eyes snapped to her, giving her a wide-eyed look. Granger was insane if she believed Olivia was going to sacrifice herself for Potter of all people. "Us?" she questioned.

Granger glared at her.

"No. Only one will die tonight," Black countered in a low voice.

"Then it'll be you!" Potter bellowed, pushing Granger aside and making his way over to the escapee. He attacked Black by grabbing him by the neck and throwing him to the ground. Olivia watched with a shocked look when the boy pointed his wand at the man's head.

Sirius let out a small laugh, finding such amusement in what was happening. He smiled, showcasing his nasty, been-in-prison-for-twelve-years-without-a-toothbrush teeth. "Are you going to kill me, Harry?" he asked, sounding quite confident in what the boy was thinking of not happening.

Suddenly, the door burst open. Olivia's eyes shot up, only in time to see Professor Lupin barging in. Potter turned just in time for the man to yell, "Expelliarmus!" and knock the boy's wand out of his hand.

Everyone went quiet as they just stared at the professor.

Olivia had known not to trust him, but still, she was at a loss for words. She had believed that the professor had some sort of connection to Black, and not just because they went to school together. It was a nagging pit in her stomach; she just wished she would've dug a little deeper.

Potter stood up rather quickly, going to stand next to Granger, who tugged him closer by his sleeve.

"Well, well, Sirius," Lupin began, staring down at the man, his wand still raised. "Looking rather ragged, aren't we?" He took a smaller step forward. Olivia's original assumption that Lupin was there to help Black was starting to fade. But she wasn't going to let it go completely; it would only come back to bite her in the arse. "Finally, the flesh reflects the madness within."

"Well, you'd known all about the madness within, wouldn't you, Remus?" Black, who was still on the ground, retorted, looking up at his old classmate.

And with that, Lupin lowered his wand, a small grin made its way on his scarred face, and he bent down, offering the man on the ground a helping hand. He pulled him up, and the two hugged rather fondly, if one might add.

She knew it! Olivia knew it. Lupin and Black were more than just classmates once upon a time.

Granger and Potter moved forward slightly, their faces covered in confusion and betrayal. But the two men didn't even seem to notice them, as their attention was fully on each other. Lupin and Black pulled back from one another, the escaped prisoner with a wide grin on his face. "He's here!" he excitedly said.

"I understand," Lupin replied.

"Let us kill him!" the crazed man whispered sharply.

Granger took another step, this one larger than the last. "No!" Her voice was loud and angry, and Olivia's eyes went slightly wider. "I trusted you!" She was completely focused on the professor as he turned to her. "And all this time... you've been his friend," she said, going a little quieter, though the might of her tone was still there. She breathed heavily for a moment as one of the men kept his eyes on her, and the other seemed to think about what was happening. Then she turned around swiftly, facing her friends and Olivia. "He's a werewolf!" She pointed at Lupin, then turned to him as she dropped her hand. "That's why he's been missing classes."

Olivia went from staring at the girl with wide eyes to the professor as she subtly pulled out her wand. She watched as Lupin began to slowly move forward and away from Black, his slightly narrowed gaze on Granger. "How long have you known?" the man inquired, seeming suspicious.

"Since Professor Snape set the essay," Granger answered.

"Well, well, well, Hermione," Lupin mused, a small smirk on his lips. "You really are the brightest witch of your age I've ever met."

Olivia scoffed with a roll of her eyes. Granger was up there, no doubt about it, but to call her the 'brightest witch of her age' was a slight reach.

"Enough talking, Remus!" Black interjected, sounding agitated. The dirty man moved over to where he had been when Olivia, Potter, and Granger had entered the room. Everyone looked at him, wondering what he was going to go on about. "Come on, let's kill him!" He waved his hand in the direction of Potter, clearly ready to be done with this mess.

"Wait!" Remus told him.

"I did my waiting!" Black shouted, his tone tired and full of emotion. The floorboards creaked under his movements as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Twelve years of it..." he paused, heaving in deep breaths, "in Azkaban!"

The creaking sound of the shack caught Olivia's attention as her eyes slowly drifted to the door, her gaze narrowing as she looked closer. Her wand was gripped tightly in her hand at her side, ready for any sudden moves that might come her way.

Lupin looked behind him, his attention falling back on Granger and Potter, who still stood close to one another and next to Weasley on the chair. The man fiddled with the wand in his hand as everyone remained silent, then focused on Black once more. "Very well." The professor handed his friend the wand he had, getting it snatched from his hand. "Kill him." He lifted his finger. "But wait one more minute. Harry has the right to know why."

Olivia's brows furrowed as she watched the crazed man closely. Potter had the right to know what? Why Black was there to kill him? Unless... perhaps the man wasn't there to kill him. Perhaps he was there to kill someone else. But who could that be? There was no other man in the room with them, and she knew, sure enough, that Black hadn't gone through all of this trouble to kill Weasley. Plus, the boy wasn't a man by any means. Perhaps in due time, but Olivia doubted it.

"I know why," Potter said shakily. The two men looked at the boy. "You betrayed my parents!" He sounded as if he were holding back sobs, and that pegged something in Olivia's twisted heart. She didn't know the love of a parent, and frankly, neither did Potter, but that was because he had never gotten the chance to. Because of the wretched man that stood in front of him, biting at the bits to get a chance to kill. She wouldn't blame him if he killed the man instead of the other way around. "You're the reason they're dead!"

"No, Harry. It wasn't him," Lupin informed. "Somebody did betray your parents, but it was somebody who, until quite recently, I believed to be dead!"

What?

Olivia's brows creased as the creaks of the shack returned, for reasons unknown to her, making her turn towards the door once more. She had this particular feeling that she couldn't quite place, but it was nagging her to no end.

"Who was it, then?" Potter spat.

"Peter Pettigrew!" Black answered, and Olivia's attention snapped to him.

But Pettigrew was...

"And he's in this room!" the man added, opening his arms invitingly as he glanced around. "Right now!" He went silent for a moment, letting his words sink in.

Olivia's gaze flickered about, trying to find where the supposedly not-actually-dead man might be. Black had clearly lost it (though that was already obvious) because the man he spoke of was nowhere in sight. The only thing that was out of the ordinary, besides them standing and talking with a murderer and escaped prisoner, was the fact that Weasley was still holding that wretched rat... Then a light bulb went off in her head. Her eyes snapped over to the ginger boy, more specifically his nasty, so-called pet.

It couldn't be, could it?

The boy was quick to meet her suspicious gaze, giving her one of his own. He found that she was staring at his creature and tucked him closer to his chest. "Why are you looking at Scabbers like that?" he whispered nervously, his voice annoyingly whiny.

She glared at him.

"Come out, come out, Peter!" Black taunted. "Come out. Come out and play!"

No one noticed Snape approaching until he cast, "Expelliarmus!" His wand was pointed at his old classmate. He was swift with his movements, and Olivia gripped her wand a little tighter as the wand Black had been holding dropped to the ground. And then something happened that Olivia did not expect or want.

Her mother walked in behind the professor, her own wand raised.

"Mother?" Olivia asked in disbelief, disgust snarling at her lips.

Both Clodagh and Snape's eyes moved to Olivia for a quick second, narrowing at her before focusing back on the two men. Weasley's rat began squealing as Granger let out a small gasp at the sudden appearance of the two adults.

"Ah. Vengeance is sweet," Snape drawled, keeping his wand lifted. "How I hoped I'd be the one to catch you."

"Olivia Katherine," Clodagh whispered harshly, gritting through her teeth. When she caught her daughter's attention, she nodded her head, telling her to come to her. Olivia narrowed her eyes for a moment before she sighed and booked it towards her mother, sending one last suspicious glance to the rat in the Gryffindor's hands.

"Severus, it..." Lupin moved forward, causing Snape to direct his wand's focus onto him.

Snape tracked his movements with his wand as Lupin moved to stand next to his friend. Olivia stepped closer to her mother's side, despite better judgment. She may have hated her mother with everything in her, but if it came to it, she would much rather have the woman close to defend her (if she actually would) than not. Or use her as a shield. Either way worked in her favor.

"I told Dumbledore you were helping an old friend into the castle, and now here's the proof," Professor Snape admitted.

"Brilliant, Snape," Black said with a smirk. "Once again, you put your keen and penetrating mind to the task and, as usual, come to the wrong conclusion."

Olivia's mother tightened her hold on her wand, taking a step closer to the man she was there to stop. "One cannot entirely fault him for a so-called wrong conclusion, as you so put it. You are wanted for murder, after all, and you did just spend the last twelve years of your life rotting away in a cell because of it."

Black's eyes narrowed in on Clodagh, trying to be unsettling. But the woman held her chin high with a nasty grimace on her face, not going to falter at the sight of a weakened, pathetic wizard. "Clodagh O'Shea," the man recalled, raising his brows. "How is my dear cousin Cissy?" he inquired, as if he knew something the woman did not want others to know.

Olivia looked up at her mother, curious as to what he meant by that. She knew that her mother and the now-Malfoy woman had their issues, but she still didn't know why.

"She's now married to Lucius Malfoy, with a brat of a son, to whom my daughter"—she shot a sharp look at Olivia, then focused back on the man—"seems entirely too fond of." Clodagh let out a breath, annoyed with the amused look on the dirty man's face. "But I'm sure you have no concern about that."

"Hey!" Olivia interjected, annoyed. "I am not fond of him." She remembered the Black Lake and let out a breath. Her voice grew quieter. "And I am the only one who can insult." That wasn't true, but she didn't want her mother, of all people, insulting the boy more than she already had.

Clodagh ignored her.

"Well, if you don't mind, Remus and I have some unfinished business to attend to," Black concluded, completely dismissing the topic that he had brought up. He now stood directly in front of Snape, who wasted no time in digging his wand into the man's neck as he sneered.

"Give me a reason," Snape told him. "I beg you."

"Severus, don't be a fool," warned Lupin, seemingly trying to keep as much peace as possible.

"He can't help it. It's habit by now," Black countered, keeping his eyes trained on the armed man.

Remus shouted, "Sirius, be quiet!"

"Oh, quiet yourself, Remus!"

The professor seemed to have given up his battle with his friend and stepped off to the side to let the two work it out on their own for a moment as Olivia continued to stare at Snape and Black. Her mother had her wand drawn up still, focusing her efforts more on Black than she was on Remus, seeing as though he wasn't the escapee. 

"Oh, listen to you two," Snape began, sending a glance over at Remus, but other than that, staying firmly in place, "quarreling like an old married couple."

"Why don't you run along and play with your chemistry set?" Black teased, causing Snape to dig his wand into the man's neck at the side and a little deeper.

Olivia was glad she hadn't asked Snape about the man when her interest had first come about her. She was sure she would've gotten more grumbling insults about the man rather than straight-forward answers based on how they were bickering now. She was surprised, though, that her mother was unconcerned about Snape's desperate desire to find a reason to kill the man. Had their school rivalry really been that bad that he'd risk his own career and life to end someone else's? And why did her mother seem fine with it?

"I could do it, you know," Snape said. "But why deny the dementors? They're so longing to see you." He stared at his old rival and classmate for a moment as Black backed up slowly and Snape followed him forward at the same pace. "Do I detect a flicker of fear?" he asked smugly. "Oh, yes. A dementor's kiss. One can only imagine what that must be like to endure." Black's breathing picked up, growing more ragged. "It's said to be nearly unbearable to witness. But I'll do my best."

Olivia had read about a dementor's kiss many times, and she had almost experienced one for herself on the train. They weren't a simple slap on the wrist that stung for a bit then went away, or a broken bone that would eventually mend itself. They were a painful, soul-sucking experience that darkened the light inside a witch or wizard and left them an empty shell of a person, still there physically but, in a sense, gone. They were no longer themselves—good or bad, that may be. They were no longer anyone. It was deemed a fate worse than death, and she hoped that she never had to experience either.

It was no fault in Black's belt, as much as she hated to admit it, for him to be scared of such a thing. Dementors were ruthless, soulless monsters. Anyone human would have a flicker of fear in them.

"Severus, please," Lupin pleaded.

"After you," Snape gritted, pointing his wand towards the door.

Olivia felt her mother move a bit closer to her, with her back facing the girl as she almost stood completely in front of her. Almost in a protective manner. Olivia rolled her eyes at the thought. Her mother would never be protecting her. As harsh as that may sound, it was the truth.

Snape turned his gaze to Potter, nodding towards the door, wanting the boy to go first and get out of there while he could. Potter took a few steps forward, almost timidly, as Olivia watched him closely, still holding her wand in a biting-into-her-flesh grip. Then... What was he doing? Olivia asked herself.

Potter lifted his wand.

At first, it was aimed at Black, then he turned it onto Snape before any of them could bat an eye. "Expelliarmus!" the boy shouted, his spell hitting the professor square in the chest and sending him flying backward and into a bed that stood in the room. The bed crashed down at the force of the man, and then Potter cast the spell once more, this time aimed for Clodagh.

Olivia turned to him quickly, doing her best to deflect the spell, but she just wasn't quick enough.

Her mother was thrown across the room to where Snape was. Her eyes were wide in surprise, not having been expecting it as she crashed into the already-destroyed bed. Olivia's heated gaze honed in on Potter. Why, that stupid boy!

"Harry, what did you just do?" Weasley asked, dumbfounded.

"That's my mother, you insufferable twat!" Olivia spat as she took a step closer, finally raising her own wand. It was pointed at Potter as he mirrored her movements with his own wand. She didn't care that it was her mother that was attacked, but she was still her mother for Merlin's sake! That boy had some nerves.

"You attacked a teacher!" Granger stated, almost gasping as she took a small step forward. Her friend's actions had clearly taken her by surprise.

Potter pushed Olivia aside, ignoring his friends and the girl's statements, and aimed his wand at Lupin. Olivia just glared at the back of the boy's head, wanting to curse him. "Tell me about Peter Pettigrew!" he ordered.

With all that had been going on, Olivia had completely forgotten about that topic. She snapped her attention back to the rat that Weasley still held tightly and close to his chest. Honestly, it was disgusting how protective he was over it.

"He was at school with us. We thought he was our friend," Lupin explained.

"No, Pettigrew's dead," Potter reminded the man. Then he turned his wand on Black. "You killed him!"

"No, he didn't!" Lupin stepped in front of the boy's wand, protecting his friend from any spells that might be thrown his way. "I thought so, too, until you mentioned seeing Pettigrew on the map!"

What map? Olivia thought to herself, still fuming at Potter. Her wand was lowered, but it wouldn't take much for her to raise it again and curse the boy and everyone else in the room. She didn't know why she was so angry. Her mother was, well, her mother, after all. It wasn't like the woman had done anything for her or gotten angry at someone's attempt to hurt her. She'd barely acknowledge that Olivia had been stabbed and almost died from that and an infection. She hadn't even written her a letter to make sure she was still alive! Blasted woman, she was.

"The map was lying, then," Potter countered.

Olivia didn't know who to believe. Her professor, who had been helping his old friend and classmate, turned murderer and prisoner all year to chase after some man who was meant to be dead, or the boy who always thought he knew more than he actually did—always thinking the facts were the ones right in front of him and never digging a little deeper until the last possible moment.

"The map never lies!" said Black loudly. "Pettigrew's alive!" He paused, his eyes drifting over to Weasley. "And he's right there!" He lifted a finger to point at the redhead boy, and everyone went silent.

"Me?" Weasley asked in disbelief. "He's mental! I..."

"Not you," Black interrupted, dropping his hand. "Your rat!"

The rat? Olivia's eyes went wide. The rat.

Oh.

So she was right.

She was right! It had been that nasty creature that Weasley held like a prized possession. If Tommy were still alive, she'd feed... That was a morbid thought that she did not want to finish, even in her own mind. But what she did want to do was revel in the fact of being correct, but she also felt as if it wasn't the right moment to gloat over a suspicion that she hadn't let known outside of her mind.

Weasley looked at the man with offense, but mostly fear. "Scabbers has been in my family for..."

"Twelve years!?" the man finished for him. Then he began to take steps towards the boy as Olivia watched his every move closely. "A curiously long life for a common garden rat." His eyes were wide and crazed still as he continued forward. Olivia was surprised he wasn't licking his lips at the tasty thought of revenge that was so close to his reach. "He's missing a toe, isn't he?"

"So what?" Weasley asked, his voice cracking in fear.

Potter just looked between the two; his wand still lifted, but he wasn't very alert as the realization settled in on him. "All they could find of Pettigrew was his fi—" the boy began.

"Finger!" Black cut him off, focusing on the boy. Scabbers—Pettigrew, in his rat form, started making squeaking noises, clearly becoming uncomfortable with the fact that the truth was out. "The dirty coward cut it off so that everyone would think he was dead." Black looked down at the sitting boy and his anxious rat. "And then he transformed himself into a rat."

Olivia took a step forward, gaining more interest. She was fully aware that her mother and Snape lay unconscious on the other side of the room, but that wasn't at the forefront of her mind at the moment. This rat-man situation was far more entertaining, despite said rat-man being accused of murder.

"Show me," Potter instructed, lifting his wand a little higher again.

Black went for the rat, trying to snatch it out of Weasley's hands, but the boy fought against him, keeping a good hold on his beloved pet.

"Give it to him, Ron," Potter told his best friend.

"What are you trying to do to him!?" Weasley inquired, sounding quite a bit more concerned than Olivia would have. It was a bloody rat, after all, and he'd just been told that the rat wasn't actually a rat but instead a murderer. Though she supposed she couldn't fault the boy for not believing the man's word, he had just been imprisoned for twelve years, and she knew that most people in Azkaban would say and do anything to get and remain free. For all she knew, Black could be lying.

But something inside of her made her believe him. She hoped she wasn't being a fool.

"Scabbers!" Weasley called out as Black ripped the pet from his hands. The rat squeaked loudly as it tried to free itself from the man's grip. Lupin moved to assist his friend as they made their way over to the old and dusty piano. "Leave him alone! Get off him!" Weasley continued as Black dropped the rat. "What are you doing!?"

The rat took off in an instant as Weasley called out his name once more. Black shot a non-verbal spell at the rat, trying to stop him, but the creature was too fast, and he missed. This happened a few more times as the rat jumped onto the keys of the piano, making them play, and then onto the floor, continuing to run as its little feet paddered against the wood floors.

But then, finally, Black hit him, transforming him from a rat into a somewhat human being. Peter Pettigrew went from chittering in the form of a rat to yelling in the form of a man when he tried to go through a small hole in one of the walls and became too big for it. Lupin and Black moved forward and pulled their old friend out, throwing him back as Weasley got a look at what he'd been carrying around.

And, Olivia being Olivia, she had to make sure he felt the shame he should've felt. She turned to the redhead boy, giving him a disgusted look, saying, "That's what you've been carrying around?" She raised her brows, not paying mind to the glare Granger sent her way.

It took Pettigrew a moment to realize who was pointing their wands at him. But when he did, a small and hopeful smile curled his lips. "Remus?" His attention then turned to the other man, who, compared to the mess of Peter Pettigrew, looked dashing in his torn and dirty prisoner clothes with his grimy skin, hair, and teeth. "Is—is this Sirius?" He sounded almost happy. "My old friends!" He gleamed, tossing up his hands.

Olivia rolled her eyes. It was clearly an act, especially when the rat man made a run for it. But unfortunately for him, Lupin and Black weren't slow with their movements in catching him. They pushed him back with all of their strength. The balding man whipped his head around, trying to find, presumably, another escape plan, but then his eyes landed on Potter.

The boy only looked at him with shock brimming behind his round glasses.

"Harry, look at you," Pettigrew mused, coming closer to the boy, causing him to back up. "You look so much like your father, like James." The man admired Potter, who recoiled away from him. "We were the best of friends; he and I..."

"How dare you speak to Harry!" Black shouted, causing the man who spoke to let out a guttural grunt and run away. Remus and Black chased the man as he went to the piano, rounding it so that it put something between him and them. They were clearly trying to keep him from getting away like he had for the last twelve years, costing Sirius Black the better part of his life. "How dare you talk about James in front of him!" the man spat.

Lupin pointed his wand at Pettigrew. "You sold James and Lily to Voldemort, didn't you!?"

"I didn't mean to," Pettigrew whined. "The Dark Lord—you have no idea the weapons he possesses!" Possesses? Present tense? Olivia's mind whirled as the nasty man turned away from Remus and to the other. "Ask yourself, Sirius?" he continued, lifting his finger. "What would you have done?"

Sirius, who stood holding onto the door leading into what was once a bedroom, shouted, "I would have died!" Then Pettigrew jumped down to the floor, trying to escape under the piano. Remus followed his movements to the floor, watching as the man crawled across it. Black continued, "I would have died rather than betray my friends!"

When he made it to the door, the traitorous man came face-to-face with Potter. He grabbed onto the boy's shoulders, pulling him closer than he seemed comfortable with. "Harry," the man began in a breathing, almost whisper-like tone, "James wouldn't have wanted me killed!" His grip remained tight on the boy. "Your dad... Your dad would have spared me!" Remus moved forward, grabbing ahold of the man alongside his friend, trying to pull him away from Potter. "He would have shown me mercy!" He shouted as he was pulled away.

"Somehow, I doubt that," Olivia said, sighing.

"You should have realized, Peter, that if Voldemort didn't kill you, then we would, together," Sirius told him, the anger apparent in his tone. His and Remus's wands were lifted at the man in front of them, who had his hands raised in surrenderance.

"No!" Potter shouted, stopping the men from doing anything.

They went silent for a second, the tension in the air high as Lupin breathed heavily. "Harry, this man is..."

"I know what he is," Potter interrupted. "But we'll take him to the castle."

Peter whined some more, keeping his hands up defensively as his old classmates kept their wands trained on him, but his eyes remained on the boy. "Oh, bless you, boy." He fell to his knees. "Bless you!" He then bent over and reached for Potter's ankles.

"Get off!" The glasses-wearing boy sternly told him. "I said we'd take you to the castle," he repeated, going silent as the man at his feet looked up. "After that, the dementors can have you."

Pettigrew began whimpering and quietly snorting upon hearing this as he brought his hands up to his mouth, like a rat would do while eating.

Old habits die hard, Olivia supposed.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

Olivia, Black, Potter, Granger, and Weasley all headed down the stairs of the cave-like entrance to the Shrieking Shack, and the Mallard girl was utterly glad for it, ready to be done with this godforsaken night and in her bed where she should be. But at least now she knew never, ever to follow Potter or his two twat friends into danger again. She shouldn't have followed the screams, but curiosity got the best of her, which it usually did when she ended up in situations like this with these same people. Not counting the not-actually-a-murderer escaped prisoner and her professor, who had gotten stuck with the task of leading the rat of a man (literally and figuratively) out.

"Sorry about the bite," Black told Weasley, with one of the boy's arms slung over his shoulder while Potter had the other. "I reckon that twinges a bit."

"A bit!? A bit!?" Weasley replied in his usual whiny and baffled tone. "You almost tore my leg off."

"Now, I was going for the rat," the man defended, as Olivia snorted in amusement. She was walking behind him, alongside Granger, as they continued trailing down the stairs, the pink, jacket-wearing girl checking behind them every few seconds. "Normally, I have a very sweet disposition as a dog," he admitted. "In fact, more than once, James suggested that I make the change permanent." He panted, a little out of breath from the stairs and how he was lugging Weasley along. "The tail I could live with, but the fleas—they're murder."

"That's disgusting," Olivia interjected, causing the man to send a gladdened smirk at her before he continued on forward.

"So, you're Clodagh O'Shea's daughter, right?" the man asked.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately," she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Why's it you say that?"

Letting out a breath, Olivia ran a hand through her hair, feeling the nastiness it had collected since she'd fought against the Whomping Willow, fallen down the rabbit hole, onto the ground, and spent the worst part of... She didn't even know how long she was in the Shrieking Shack with an escapee, a professor, the Golden Dummies, and a rat man. "You clearly know my mother, so venture a guess," she answered snarkily.

"Ah, I don't know her well," Black admitted as he began climbing to the opening of the hole, helping Weasley. "We went to Hogwarts together for a time, yes, but she was Slytherin and I was Gryffindor, so our paths didn't cross much." His voice grew slightly louder as he got further away. "And she's quite a few years older than me."

"Well, she's not a very kind woman," Olivia explained as she followed his trail. Once she climbed back onto the familiar grounds of Hogwarts, she stood up straight and placed her hands on her hips. "But then again, neither am I, so I suppose we have that in common."

"Yes, some mothers can unfortunately be that way," he replied after he had set Weasley down on the ground. He sounded as if he were speaking from experience.

Olivia didn't know much about the Blacks, since the family kept most of the under-the-surface-level information quite secret, but they were purebloods. And from what she knew and experienced, most pureblooded families were blood purists, with the exception of the current members of hers, and blood purists weren't the nicest people.

Draco and his mother were members of the Black family by blood. So was his aunt, Bellatrix, another Azkaban resident. Olivia knew how Draco felt about Muggleborns, half-bloods, and Muggles; she wondered if Sirius was not like that. Did he not see anyone different based on their blood status? Was that why his mother was not very kind?

"But we must be better."

Olivia was instantly curious about the man, but she hardly knew him. And people she hardly knew, she didn't overload with questions. She knew how annoying that could be. "I'm alright, just the way I am." She sent him a tight, sarcastic smile and then rolled her eyes as she turned away. She sometimes despised how she always pretended to be disinterested.

The man seemed disappointed in her answer, but that soon left his mind as he turned towards the school he had seen for a long time.

Olivia didn't pay him much mind, however. Finally, being back in the fresh air, she felt somewhat better. Was her mother and professor still knocked unconscious in the Shrieking Shack? Yes. But she felt better, so she didn't really care.

Moving a little closer to where Weasley and Granger sat, Olivia laid down on the ground, moving the charm on her necklace along the chain it was on. She could feel the two's eyes on her, but she didn't acknowledge them, wanting to just sit there in silence as she looked up at the stars and calmed down. Weasley's voice somewhat cut through her peace as he droned on about how "it was too late for his leg to be saved" and that "they have to cut it off." The boy was being dramatic, thinking the worst of the situation, but Olivia still didn't let her feelings be known.

Lupin came through the hole in the ground a moment later, dragging Pettigrew along with him. The guilty man was pleading for him to be turned into another creature so that he didn't have to face the dementors. "Turn me into a maggot! Dung beetle, flobberworm!"

The professor just shushed him as Olivia sat up.

"Anything but the dementors!" Pettigrew continued. Then his attention snapped to the Weasley boy. "Ron, ha-haven't I been a good friend, a good pet?" he asked, trying to get at least one person  to be his defender. It wasn't going to happen, Olivia thought to herself. "You won't let them give me to the dementors, will you? I was your rat!"

"Oh." Weasley mumbled.

The man then focused on Granger. "Oh, sweet girl! Clever girl!" Granger just looked at him with disgust as Olivia stood up. "Surely you won't let them—"

Lupin yanked the man up. "Get away from her!"

Pettigrew continued to beg as Olivia rubbed her eyes before focusing on the sky once more. It took her no longer than a second to notice something that she thought might be a feat tonight. The full moon was almost completely out and shining brightly. She remembered what Granger had disclosed about their dear professor, and she stilled, feeling a tad lightheaded.

Turning around, she glanced between each person who was focused on something else. Should she tell them? Remind them of the full moon? She didn't want to accuse Lupin of not being in control of his curse. But he was a werewolf, and werewolves turned on full moons.

She felt as if she should tell them, but she didn't want to insult the poor man.

Who was she? Not wanting to insult someone was an odd concept for her. Perhaps she had hit her head when she fell. Perhaps she was losing it like Pettigrew had so clearly done. She needed to go to sleep, wanting to deal with the haunting nightmare rather than the reality that was right in front of her.

She kept her mouth shut as she took a few steps forward, her arms still crossed over her chest.

She watched as Potter and Black continued talking, though she was too far away to hear what they were saying. Not that she wanted to. She inhaled deeply, tired and sore, and perhaps with a few broken or cracked bones as she dug her fingers into the muscles in her neck. Her eyes were closed when she heard Granger shout, "Harry!" And then she was alert, eyes wide, as she turned to the girl.

Granger pointed an accusing finger right at the sky. The moon was coming out even higher than it had been when Olivia had first seen it. Lupin glanced over quickly, as if he were drawn to it. He still had his wand trained on Pettigrew but looked dazed. Oh no. It was happening. The man was going to turn, and there was nothing any of them could do to stop it.

Sirius hurried past Olivia, with Potter following behind him. "Remus, my old friend, have you taken your potion tonight?" He grabbed Remus, causing the man to groan in what sounded like pain as he tried to get him to focus. "You know the man you truly are, Remus!" Sirius shouted, urging his best friend to listen. Pettigrew cowarded behind him, seeming scared. Olivia rolled her eyes at this. "This heart is where you truly live!" He patted the man's chest. "This heart, here!"

Granger went over to Weasley as Olivia focused on her, and Potter helped her get him up from the ground. Olivia's eyes darted between the trio and the two men as Potter's hand got ahold of her wrist and pulled her back and closer to him.

Remus continued to groan in agony as Black continued to talk to him. "This flesh is only flesh!" Olivia watched as Lupin dropped his wand, and her attention went to Pettigrew. She knew what he was about to do. She tore her wrist from Potter's grip and dove for the wand at the men's feet, as their old classmate did the same. He fought her for it before elbowing her in the ribs, causing the wind to be knocked out of her. She gasped as he stole the wand and pointed at himself.

"Expelliarmus!" Potter said as Olivia crawled back over to him. The wand flew from Pettigrew's hand, and his gaze found Potter. Olivia stood, drawing out her own wand. Why did she never think to use the magic at her fingertips instead of physical conflict? She rubbed her ribs with her right hand and aimed her wand in the man's direction with her left.

Pettigrew just sent them a nasty smile and wave. And then he began turning back into a rat. It was a disturbing sight, to say the least, watching his beady eyes turn even beadier. His pale, dry, and nasty skin turned gray and hairy. The man, now a rat, squeaked as he came out of the clothes, now too big for him in his smaller size, and piled away across the grass.

"Blasted rat," Olivia sneered, dropping her arm to her side.

Potter went to follow him, but Granger grabbed his sleeve, pulling him back. "Harry!"

The trio and Olivia watched as Black continued to reason with Lupin. "Remus!" he loudly said, struggling to stay up as he held his friend. All he got as a response was pained yelling as the professor continued to turn into a werewolf. His suit jacket ripped in the back as his spine grew larger, his feet turned into those of a dog, but larger like a wolf's, and his yelling turned more into a roar. "Run! Run!" shouted Sirius warningly to the four behind him.

Their eyes stayed trained on the man as he transformed, watching in fear while his face became one of a werewolf. He continued to growl as the last of the full moon took its effect on him. And then he threw out his arms, tossing Sirius a far distance away from him. The man fell to the ground with a thump.

"Come on," Potter whispered, one of Weasley's arms slung over his shoulder.

"Wait! Wait!" Granger said sharply, pulling on Weasley's other arm to stop them from moving.

"Hermione!" Weasley practically whimpered in fear.

Olivia's brows shot up to her forehead, giving the girl a disbelieving look. "Wait!? You want us to wait?" She paused, letting Granger glare at her. "Are you out of your mind!?"

The girl didn't answer her as she let go of Weasley's arm and moved forward, her focus solely on the werewolf, who was bent over and whining like a dog who had just gotten in trouble.

Weasley continued to whisper, his voice scared, as he watched his friend creep forward. "Bad idea, bad idea, bad..." He was right for once; it was a bad idea. Olivia couldn't believe what the girl was doing. Then again, Granger and her two boyfriends seemed to have death wishes, so she shouldn't have been all that surprised.

"Professor?" Granger's tone was soft, and the werewolf looked up at her, still slumped and whining. She took a sharp breath, trying not to let her fear show. "Professor Lupin?" she continued, as if she were going to get somewhere. Then the werewolf let out a large howl, lifting its snout to the air, and Granger moved backwards and towards the three behind her.

As it trained on them, Weasley muttered, "Nice doggie, nice doggie."

The trio huddled together as Olivia stood beside them, wanting to roll her eyes at Weasley. And then, by the grace of Merlin, Snape (and Olivia's mother, unfortunately) came out of the hole under the three. The man moved in front of the group, facing them and saying, "There you are, Potter!" as Olivia's mother went to stand in front of her daughter, drawing out her wand. The wolf growled, and Snape turned quickly, sticking his arms out as he blocked off the trio.

Olivia glanced over at the professor, and... Was she buggering, or did Snape have a hint of fear in his eyes? She didn't blame him; he was indeed face-to-face with a werewolf. Anyone human would be frightened. Perhaps that was why her mother didn't seem scared. That witch didn't have an ounce of humanity in her bones.

The werewolf took a swipe at Snape with his claws, and the man fell back as Granger screamed, following his movements. The rest of them fell down as well, looking up at the werewolf in fear. Olivia felt her mother's arm against her stomach as she blocked her. Lupin, in his cursed form, began to go for another swipe, but then a black dog—the same black dog, Sirius, that drug Weasley away when this all had started—came at the werewolf, barking loudly. The two fell to the group, and the fight between dogs began while the fallen stood.

The gray creature threw the dog off of him, and Snape began protecting the trio once more while Olivia's mother did the same with her. Black creeped forward, baring his teeth as he growled, and Lupin did the same. They both let out snarling growls before pouncing on one another, continuing their fight as their teeth dug into one another and their loud noises continued. But Professor Werewolf, being the larger of the two, had the upper hand, and he tossed the dog off of him, causing him to whimper in pain.

But the dog with the shiny coat didn't back down. He ran back to the werewolf, who was approaching the group, and bit his arm, causing him to growl and swat at him. Then Sirius ran away, getting his friend to chase him.

"Sirius!" Potter exclaimed, his green eyes wide. He dropped Weasley's arm, no longer having it around his shoulder, and then took off after them.

"Come back here, Potter!" Snape reached out for the boy, trying to stop him, but he was quick enough, and Potter escaped being just out of his reach.

Olivia stupidly moved forward, wanting to follow the boy, but her mother's grip tightened around her arm like a serpent did its prey and pulled her back. "Don't even think about it, Olivia Katherine," she whispered into her daughter's ear, gritting her words through her teeth as her grip grew stronger, keeping Olivia by her side.

Looking up, Olivia glared, which her mother matched. Then she scoffed, focusing on Potter, who stood a ways in front of them, no doubt watching the battle between the two best friends. The boy was stopped in his tracks, the darkness of the night somewhat making it hard to see him. But what wasn't hard to see was when he ran forward, going even closer to the fight. He was a stupid boy, and Olivia was a bit glad her mother held her back.

Only the sound of the group's heavy breathing and the faint snarling growls from both dogs were heard from where Olivia stood. She wanted to see more, but she'd already been hurt more than enough, and besides, her mother wasn't going to let her go until this had ended. Then there was a distant howl, and Olivia's brows furrowed. It sounded familiar to her, but she couldn't quite place it. It sounded almost like... Glancing over, her eyes landed on Granger, who stood with a tense and frightened expression on her face. And then another howl. But Granger hadn't even flinched.

It wasn't her, but it sure did sound like it was.

Olivia shook the thoughts from her head and faced forward again, waiting for Potter to return. There was nothing for a long moment, and everything was silent. She wondered what was happening. Was Black or Lupin dead? Had the fighting gotten the best of one or both of them? Was Potter dead? Her gut churned, and she inhaled deeply.

The silence was eerie, and she didn't like the feeling it gave her.

And then it grew cold. Really cold. Reminding Olivia of the train.

Her breathing deepened as she glanced around. The others seemed to notice the temperature drop as well, making them confused. And then a black form appeared in the sky. It quickly made its way to Olivia as she stumbled backward. A dementor. It was a dementor. She lifted her wand swiftly, as did Snape and her mother. "Expecto Pat—"

Suddenly, she was experiencing something all too familiar—that feeling of her soul being taken from her. Her eyes grew wide as she dropped her wand, which was still glowing at one end from the unfinished spell she'd been casting. She was growing so cold. Her body was weakening. Her eyes were glazing over. Her soul was being taken.

Then she realized that her mother was suffering from the same effects.

A bright light shone, blinding her momentarily. And then the feeling was gone.

She fell to the ground, on her hands and knees, as she sucked in large gasps of air. Her mother was beside her, doing the same, and Olivia turned to her with a confused look, creasing at her brows. The woman met her gaze, giving her the same expression, both of them still breathing heavily.

Granger fell at Olivia's side as Snape went to Clodagh's, checking to see if they were alright.

The truth was, Olivia didn't know if they were.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

━━━━ ella's speaking !
i didn't realize this chapter was gonna be so long- it makes my other ones look bad 😭😭 — it also makes them look bad because this is by far one of my favorite chapters !!

there's only one more chapter of act three left 🤭🤭

make sure to comment and vote !!

kisses.

━━━━━━━━━━ born to die,
© -LOSTGARDENS,   feb 2024

word count: 8645.   written: 1.24. - 2.11.24.   published: 2.28.24.