BORN TO DIE ╱ DRACO MALFOY
꒷꒦ · ˚.‧ . written by ella . . . © -lostgardens
070 ━━━━━━━━ ❛ dance lessons ❜

The whispers around the Great Hall were mostly no longer about Olivia a few weeks later. Now, they were about a ball. And Lucas had shown Olivia the little article that Rita had written about Granger and Potter and how he had some competition—that being none other than Viktor Krum, so some might've been about that too. She had been there and done that, and she was glad someone else was getting a taste of the annoyingness of that woman's stupid, untrue articles.

How factual that information about the Christmas Ball was was unknown to Olivia and most everyone else, but it didn't stop them from being quite excited. Mainly the girls, especially Pansy, who was skipping over to the Slytherin table with a little extra pep in her step and a bright smile planted on her face.

"Oh, look, here she comes," Theodore teased, knocking shoulders with Blaise.

Everyone knew that Pansy was sure to want Blaise to ask her. After all, they were... something. Not merely friends, but something more than that. They didn't seem to have a label on it or anything, but it was clear as day in the way they looked at one another, the way they smiled with the other when they entered the room, and the way they'd disappear sometimes, just to spend time with the other, alone and away from everyone else and the peering eyes. It was much like...

"Tell me you've all heard," Pansy practically beamed as she sat down.

"About the ball?" Lucas raised his brows with a half-smirk. "Yes, we've all heard."

The girl's smile grew even bigger, and she leaned in before pointing a telling finger in Olivia's face, causing her brows to raise. "We are going to go dress shopping whether you like it or not. No arguments are to be heard." She slashed her hand through the air, her face growing serious as she lifted her chin and looked away from Olivia. It was obvious that she did not want to hear the girl's retorting words, despite her not even saying anything.

"I wasn't going to argue," Olivia replied, shrugging her shoulders. It was true. She hadn't planned on disagreeing with Pansy. To be honest, the ball was piquing her interest just the slightest. She wasn't going to admit that out loud, but it was the truth. Her eyes found everyone, seeing the confused and surprised looks they were giving her, and she just rolled her eyes. "What? Is it truly that surprising that I'm not arguing?"

Everyone took a moment to look at one another, then focused on her, saying, "Yes," in unison.

"Why?" Olivia asked, almost seeming offended.

"Because you always argue—with Mother, with Theodore, with... Draco," Lucas told her.

She opened her mouth to retort, but then she realized he wasn't completely wrong, and a small smile crept at her lips, despite her trying to fight it. She let out a light chuckle. She did like to argue. It was quite fun sometimes.

"And dress shopping isn't something that is really in your interest. You used to always complain about how dresses were annoying, uncomfortable, and inconvenient whenever we had to go to those stupid Ministry balls with Mother and Father."

Olivia remembered those balls. One of them was the reason she hadn't liked Draco for the first many years they knew each other. He had been rude to Lucas. He had made fun of him—picked on Lucas like he was nothing and he was superior. But he'd changed since then. He had apologized to Lucas, and he had been forgiven. "Yes, I remember." Her eyes found Draco, who was already staring at her. "That wasn't the only thing annoying about those balls."

Draco's brows furrowed. "I was anything but annoying."

"Was?" Olivia raised her brows with a faux shock on her face. "So you think you're annoying now?" she asked, then hummed and looked down at her plate. She went quiet for a moment as Draco just stared at her with boredom. When she met his eyes again, she shrugged. "Well, at least you're self-aware; that's a good trait to have." She smiled teasingly. Then, as she pretended to think about his words, her expression turned questioning. "Also... Who said I was talking about you, Draco?"

"You were looking at me," he countered.

Olivia smirked. "That doesn't mean I was talking about you."

"And she says that she doesn't like to argue," Theodore muttered, amused.

Draco's eyes slightly narrowed, trying to read past Olivia's expression. And after a moment, with their friends looking between both of them as they waited for another retort, he gave up and let out a breath, fighting back a smile as he pressed the tip of his tongue to his molars. Olivia loved getting to him, annoying him. It was quite entertaining.

"Are you two arguing again?" asked Pansy, seeming actually worried. "I can't ever tell when it comes to you two."

"No," Olivia and Draco responded together, keeping their eyes on each other.

No indeed. They were far from arguing with each other.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

It turned out that the rumors were true. There was going to be a Yule Ball. That was quite apparent due to the fact that most of the Slytherins stood in one of the many classrooms in Hogwarts with Snape.

The man looked as if he would rather be anywhere else in the world than there with them. He was meant to give them dance lessons, which was something Olivia was glad to see. She was surprised that Snape even knew how to dance, let alone teach one. McGonagall had taught the Gryffindors, Sprout had taught the Hufflepuffs, and Flitwick had taught the Ravenclaws. And now, the Slytherins were up with their beloved potions professor. The Heads of Houses doing their duties, Olivia supposed.

The boys sat on one side of the room, while the girls sat on the other. It was only the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh-year students since they were the only ones allowed to attend the ball. Lucas would not be able to attend unless he was invited by an older student. Olivia was sure that her brother wasn't too sad about that. He got to miss dance lessons with Snape after all.

"The Yule Ball has been a tradition of the Triwizard Tournament since it was first established," the professor began in his usual monotone voice. "On Christmas Eve night, we, as well as the students of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, gather in the Great Hall for a night of... well-mannered frivolity." He seemed to have a distaste for his words. They didn't sound like him at all; it was like he was reading from a script Dumbledore had made for the instructors of these dance lessons. "It is expected that everyone be on their best behavior to keep up with the good image of our school." He paused, his face blank, as most tried to keep their laughter in. It was entertaining to see Snape annoyed. "The Yule Ball is a dance, first and foremost, as you all may know. Be your best and don't embarrass me as Head of Slytherin House or yourselves, which I'm sure most of you are going to do anyway."

The boys slumped further into their seats as Olivia found Draco's eyes. He seemed disgusted with the whole idea of this, especially having Snape be the one teaching them. Luckily, Olivia knew that both he and she had already had dance lessons at least once in their lifetimes. The same went for Blaise, Pansy, and Theodore, and probably most everyone else in the room. It would be odd if they had not, seeing the types of families they came from.

They all knew that the other professors called up a student to demonstrate with them, but Olivia knew Snape wouldn't do that. "Olivia, Malfoy, get up here," the man ordered, taking a step back from where he stood in the middle of the room.

"Why her?" Olivia heard a girl mumble as she stood, and then other mutters similar to that followed. She ignored the ones behind her and made her way over to Snape. Her eyes remained on Draco, who still sat in his seat. He didn't seem quite interested in being the guide for dancing, but then his eyes fell on her. She smirked, bringing her hands behind her back and clasping them as she waited on him.

It took only another second or two before he rose to his feet and began making his way towards her. With every step he took closer, the more she had to look up, until he was standing in front of her, looking down at her.

"Now, Mr. Malfoy, put your hand on her waist," Snape instructed.

"Thank you, professor; I know how this goes," Draco retorted, sending the man a smile that was more of a sneer than anything. Then he focused back on Olivia, not paying any mind to how Snape narrowed his eyes. Draco placed his hand on her waist, perhaps a little lower than necessary. Olivia gave him a knowing look, and he smirked as she brought his hand higher up. Then he took hold of her other hand. He leaned down, bringing his lips next to Olivia's ear, and teasingly whispered, "Just imagine me in a suit, and this should be easy for you."

She narrowed her eyes, though a smile was tugging at her lips. "Oh, piss off. I shouldn't have told you." Her face was heating, and she just hoped her cheeks weren't blushing enough to give it away. Luckily for her, though, Snape gestured for Filch to place the needle on the vinyl record, and then the music started. And that was when she and Draco began the steps of the dance.

At some point, they must've gotten too close because Snape stepped towards them as he gestured his hand and quietly told them, "Leave room for Merlin; otherwise, McGonagall will have my throat."

"No need to worry, professor," Olivia assured, taking a step back to put a little more distance between her and Draco as her eyes fell on the man. Then she turned to the boy she was dancing with, a tight smile curled at the corners of her mouth. "Draco and I are strictly friends."

"Not with the way you two look at each other," the man muttered, turning away from the teens he spoke of. Olivia's mouth hung open slightly as some Slytherins snorted in amusement at the remark. She didn't even recognize him in that moment. Never in a million years would she ever imagine Snape saying such a thing.

No one else said anything as Draco and Olivia continued to dance, and Snape boredly counted out each step they took. Then, after a moment, he glanced at the girls and the boys. "Everyone else, up," he told them. "Let's see if you were paying any attention."

The girls got up eagerly, and the boys were more sheepish with their movements, but stood anyway, not wanting to have to deal with not listening to Snape. Partnerships came together, and Olivia saw that Blaise and Pansy were paired, while Theodore was with a Slytherin girl whom Olivia didn't know the name of. She looked oddly familiar, though, and not just because they were in the same house. It felt like she had spoken with her before. And if she had, it wasn't that memorable since she couldn't recall the details of the interaction.

Someone bumped into Olivia's back, snapping her out of her trance. She glanced behind her, ready to curse whoever it was, when her eyes landed on none other than Higgs. The boy had a smirk on his face as he stared down at her and then glanced up at Draco. "Was I right, or was I right?" he asked rather loudly, catching some others' attention.

Olivia narrowed her eyes. It didn't take a genius to understand what he meant. But it wasn't true, despite Snape's remark, and he hadn't been right, no matter what he thought. She opened her mouth to reply, but before she could even utter a word, Draco nastily said, "Sod off, Higgs."

Her gaze found the boy, looking up at him, only to see him glaring at the older boy. Higgs just laughed and guided himself and his dance partner away from them. When Draco met Olivia's gaze, she was smiling, and he was still sneering from his interaction with the boy he'd replaced on the Quidditch team a couple of years prior. His expression softened in an instant as he stared into her eyes.

Then the music died down, and they pulled apart, keeping their eyes locked with small smiles on their faces. She had just danced with Draco Malfoy. It was another 'first' to add to her list of things she's done with him. He had been her first kiss; this was the first time they'd danced together, and he was the first person she— No, that was a stupid thought. An untrue thought. She shook it from her mind, turning away from the boy and walking towards Pansy.

Merlin, what had gotten into her?

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

Sitting in the Great Hall the next morning, Olivia was reading her book as she ate her breakfast. It was now the weekend, meaning they luckily did not have classes to attend that day. Pansy was still on about the Ball, while the boys just sat and listened. She was planning on going to Hogsmeade later to shop for dresses, and she was going to make good on her promise and drag Olivia along, whether she liked it or not. As she told her that and Olivia mumbled a response, owls flew in through the doors, ready to deliver the mail for the day. A familiar owl came towards the group, though they weren't paying attention. Well, not until a box fell in front of Olivia, and the owl landed beside her on the table.

The girl's eyes went from her book to her parents' pet. It tilted its head to the side, giving her a curious look like it was waiting on something. Olivia reached forward, picking up a piece of ham and giving it to the animal. It took the meat from her swiftly, then scarfed it down before flying away.

"What's that?" Pansy asked, nodding to the large box on the table.

Olivia one-handedly closed her book with a snap and looked down at the mail from her parents. "I have no idea," she admitted. Her gaze found the piece of folded parchment on top of the box, labeled with her name. She plucked it from where it was tucked under the tied black ribbon and flipped it over to see the wax seal with the Mallard crest. Her group was watching her closely as she pulled it open. Her mother's neat handwriting came into sight, and she sighed.

Olivia Katherine,
I've been informed of the Yule Ball that is to take place this year, and since you are a champion, you need a suitable dress. Inside the box, I have included one that you will wear, picked out by me.

Don't argue with me on this.

I expect that you will find a more than wonderful date. And don't forget our talk.

Regards,
Your Mother

Olivia rolled her eyes. It wasn't hard to figure out what her mother meant by "a more than wonderful date." That was her way of saying, "Don't take the Malfoy boy," without actually saying it, especially since she added the part about their talk, which Olivia assumed she meant the one they had in Dumbledore's office how ever many weeks ago. It was surprising, however, that her mother personally took the time to find her a dress to wear.

"It's a dress for the ball," Olivia told her friends, mainly Pansy, letting her confusion be known through her tone. She looked up from the box, folding up the parchment as she met her best friend's gaze and furrowed brows. "From my mother."

"Oh." Pansy nodded once, seeming a little bummed by the information as she looked down at her hands and picked at the skin around her nails.

"Don't worry, Pans. I'll still go shopping with you," Olivia assured with a small smile.

The girl looked up with surprise. "Really?"

"Of course," Olivia said. "Who knows if I'll even like what my mother picked out?"

And that was what the girls did. Later that day, they went to Hogsmeade with the other students and shopped around. Olivia hadn't even looked at the dress her mother got her. She was really just there for Pansy; she did not think she herself would find anything she liked well enough to buy. Because if Lucas got one thing right, which he did quite often, she despised dresses. They were pretty in theory, but wearing them, she did not feel like herself and was uncomfortable in them.

Never mind that, she sat through Pansy trying on endless amounts of dresses, giving her opinion on each and every one, which was what her best friend wanted. The shops had been crowded since others were shopping, and Olivia was sure she overheard at least a dozen arguments over who was going to have which dress. But eventually, Pansy found the perfect dress for her, and Olivia looked somewhat, but nothing caught her eye like she suspected.

After Pansy purchased the dress, they found the boys in Honeydukes. Theodore, Lucas, and Blaise were gathering as much candy to buy as they could, and Pansy went up to them, while Olivia found Draco. She came up behind him just as he turned around, causing him to almost run into her. He took a large step back as she met his gaze, seeing his slightly wide eyes. Then she found the candy in his hand.

Saltwater taffy.

He followed her gaze and focused on the bag in his hand, then he found her eyes. "I told you they were my favorite candy."

"I didn't say they weren't," she replied, tipping her head once.

He gave her a once-over, noting that she had no bags in her hands. "I'm assuming you didn't find anything that you liked. So does that mean you're going to wear what your mother got you?" he asked, raising his brows.

"Perhaps." Olivia shrugged. "I haven't decided on anything."

"Well," Draco took a step closer, leaning closer to her. Her breath hitched, and he got even closer, bringing his voice right next to her ear. "Whatever you decide on, I know that you're going to look beautiful." He then stood up straight, finding her staring at him with slightly rosy cheeks and brighter eyes. "I should go pay for this." He lifted his candy and then gently brushed past her.

She really wished he would stop saying and doing things like that. (She truly didn't, no matter what she tried to tell herself.) It was driving her mad, and it made her heart race in ways that it shouldn't. Merlin! She wanted to curse him for it. She wanted to curse herself for it. It was annoying. Especially since she knew she shouldn't have been feeling anything of the sort. It made her make stupid decisions—he made her make stupid decisions. She shouldn't have even been friends with him, based on how her mother reacted any time she saw him, heard about him, or questioned her about him. It was a disaster waiting to happen, but she couldn't seem to stay away, no matter how hard she tried or how many times they argued, no matter how many times her mother warned her or forbade her. It was becoming too much for her to handle. Sooner or later, she knew she was going to break.

A tap on her shoulder caused her to jump slightly, and she whipped around to see Pansy. "Hey, are you coming?" the girl inquired, then glanced back at the door. "We were about to leave, but if you want—"

"No, I'm coming," Olivia interjected, which brought the girl's attention back to her. She sent Pansy a barely-there smile, then began walking towards the door, where the others stood. Lucas, Blaise, and Theodore had giant bags that looked quite heavy for their arms, but they seemed satisfied with how much they'd gotten.

Pansy followed closely behind her. "Are you all right, Olivia?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered before they reached the boys.

Not even she believed that anymore.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

━━━━ ella's speaking !
i'm so sorry that it's almost been a week since i updated 😭 i haven't been feeling motivated to write and edit for this fic (or really at all) (it's taken me like four days to write a single chapter) but i'm getting back into the swing of things i swear !!!

i really hope you enjoyed this chapter! and make sure to comment and vote 🫶🏻

kisses.

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

word count: 3428.   written: 3.28.24.   published: 4.10.24.