BORN TO DIE    ╱    DRACO MALFOY
꒷꒦ · ˚.‧ . written by ella . . . © -lostgardens
071 ━━━━━━━━ ❛ waiting for him ❜

"I was thinking that... perhaps we could, uhm..." The Gryffindor boy's voice fell short as Olivia boredly stared up at him from where she sat at the Slytherin table. She couldn't even remember his name. Had he told her? She didn't even remember if he did or not. "Well, I-I mean, I just wanted to..." He couldn't even get his words out. How pitiful. Little did Olivia know, there was a pair of glaring eyes trained on the boy from behind her; that was one of the reasons he was stuttering like old Professor Quirrell. "You know what? Never mind." He breathed out a soft laugh. Then he walked away as if his arse were on fire.

Once he was out of sight, Olivia sighed and turned around to face her friends, who were holding back their laughter at the boy's expense. Well, not Draco; he seemed rather... annoyed? Which Olivia found to be quite interesting.

"Well, that was..." Pansy began.

"Embarrassing?" Theodore suggested with a chuckle.

"Utterly painful to witness?" Blaise added.

"Completely hilarious?" Lucas continued.

Olivia pointed at her brother, then glared at Theodore and Blaise, turning her accusing finger on them. "I blame this on you. You two wankers have twisted my brother. He now finds joy and humor in other people's suffering and embarrassment," she explained, shaking her head in disappointment.

Lucas tossed his hands out in offense, his mouth agape.

"So he's you?" Theodore sarcastically retorted.

Olivia narrowed her eyes. "Very funny."

"I know, thank you." The boy smirked.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

Walking down the corridor, Olivia and her friends were heading towards the common room. They were chatting about the Triwizard Tournament, wondering what the next task was going to be. The golden egg Olivia had won in the first task was brought up, which she did not reveal a thing about. And that was only because she had nothing to reveal—at least, not yet. She planned on spending the rest of her free time over the next week trying to figure out how to open it without the screeching noise deafening her or anyone else around.

Then someone called her name.

She turned around, finding a Slytherin boy coming her way, and she sighed. He had what she supposed was meant to be a charming smile on his face, but it really did not hide the clear nerves behind his gaze. Just for his amusement, she and her friends stopped. Olivia crossed her arms over her chest, giving him a questioning look, and she didn't miss how Draco took a small step closer to her side.

The boy came to a stop in front of her, looking down at her like everyone seemed to do. What had they put in the water to make everyone grow so bloody tall? And why had Olivia missed out on it? His smile turned more into a smirk. "Hey," he began, looking her up and down. Her lips curled into a disgusted sneer as he met her gaze once more. "I was wondering if you'd like to go to the ball with me. I'm sure we'll have loads of fun." He shot her a wink.

Olivia hummed as she tapped her finger against her mouth, looking up as if she were thinking, which she wasn't. Then she let out a breath as she focused on the boy in front of her with a tight, almost snarky smile. "No," she replied, then turned to walk away.

But before she could get too far, her housemate reached out and grabbed her arm. She stopped and glanced over at her shoulder to bring her eyes to his hold on her arm. Slowly, her eyes found him, staring at him sharply. He just looked at her with an expression on his face that made her believe he was completely shocked that she had rejected him. "What? Do you already have a date or something?" he asked.

"No, I don't. I just don't want to go with you," she told him, sharply—to match her tone—pulling her arm from his hold. "I would prefer my date to have a name that I actually know." Then she turned to walk away again with her friends, and this time, he did not grab her.

However, he did mutter, "Bitch," under his breath. But it was quite loud enough for them to hear, meaning to or not. Olivia was going to leave it, not respond or be bothered by the boy any longer. Not that she was even bothered in the first place—he and his name-calling didn't matter to her. But Draco turned back around swiftly, asking, "What did you just call her?" And Theodore, Blaise, and Lucas stood behind him, looking ready to fight if needed.

"Boys," Olivia said boredly. "It's all right. I've certainly been called worse."

It took a moment of them just glaring at the unknown-named Slytherin before, reluctantly, they backed off, and the name-caller walked away quickly, not wanting to go four against one. Well, Olivia wouldn't let it get that far. But it was nice to know that the boys would defend her if needed, not that it was or ever would be.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

Olivia had sat in the common room for a little bit before she headed to the library. She wanted to get an early start on her research. She needed to figure out the godforsaken egg. Her table was piled with books, none of which seemed to have the answers she was looking for. Her eyes scanned over the pages so fast, so focused on the words as she mumbled them under her breath as she read, that she didn't even notice yet another boy approaching her.

"Hey," was all he said.

She looked up, finding his eyes and his wide grin. He looked like one of the boys that had been hanging with Diggory. Olivia almost didn't recognize him now that he wasn't sporting the 'Mallard blows' and 'Potter stinks' badges. She watched as he opened his mouth to speak, once again an unknown boy to her, having the gall to ask her on a date. But before he could even utter a sound, she lifted her hand for him to stop. "The answer is no."

"You don't even know what I was going to ask," he countered.

"The answer is still no."

Olivia stood up, gathering her things into her bag, then stacked the library's books in her arms as the boy scoffed and walked away. That bright smile was no longer on his face. She ignored his disdain and glanced back at the table, only to see a piece of parchment appear out of thin air. If she weren't a witch, that would've startled her.

Picking up the parchment, after shifting the books on the table, she unfolded it. Neat handwriting came into view, and she read the dried ink.

To open the golden egg, submerge it in water.

Good luck.

That was all it said. It was straight to the point—just how Olivia liked it. But she didn't know who'd given it to her. Glancing around, she didn't see anything until her eyes found the quick movements of familiar light brown hair ducking behind a bookshelf. Diggory. That was the first name that came to mind.

Quickly, she shoved the parchment into her bag and grabbed the books. She made her way through the bookshelves, looking for the boy, but he was gone. She looked around for a moment longer, wanting to tell him that she did not need his help and that she would've figured out the egg all on her own, but he was nowhere. So she sighed, going back through the shelves and lifting the books up until they placed themselves back in their spots. Once she was done with that, she left through the double doors.

Not even in the library was she safe from these stupid boys.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

By the time Olivia sat in the Astromony Tower later that day, she'd been asked to that gastly ball three more times, all by boys she barely even knew or didn't know at all.

Was it because she was a champion that they were asking? Or at least, trying to ask her; most could barely even get their words out. Or was it because she had won the first task and they thought it'd look good to go with her? She knew for sure it wasn't because of who she was as a person, since most of them were sure to have hated her guts before the year started. Before she even got to Hogwarts, for that matter.

But now... She knew no one ever came up there, where she was in the Tower, unless it was later at night during Astromony class. She needed a break from the asking, which she was aware was only a problem for a select few people. Oh no, too many people had asked her to the ball! Whatever was she supposed to do? And Pansy's constant talking about it wasn't helping either. At first, her interest in the original whispers was piqued; there was no denying that. But it was starting to mess with her head. And it wasn't necessarily the boys asking her that was annoying; it was the fact that each time, she felt the need to say no. Who knew if one of those boys could've been genuinely sweet, and perhaps she would've had a good time with them? But she couldn't help the person that lingered in the back of her mind, the one she truly knew she wanted to ask her, despite hating such a fact.

Footsteps were heard behind her, approaching her. She knew it was him. It was hard not to. It was always him. She didn't turn around as he stopped next to her, and she didn't glance at him when he sat down beside her. "Hey," he said softly.

"Hi," she replied.

"Are you all right, Liv?" His voice remained soft, almost caring and worried. And she hated how her heart fluttered at the sound of that nickname falling from his lips and how she didn't even flinch at hearing it.

She faced him, her eyes dancing between his. "I'm fine," she answered quietly with a soft, faint smile.

They stared at each other for a long moment, both searching for something in the other's eyes but not clearly finding what they were looking for. Then Draco brought his hand up to cup the side of her face, brushing his thumb over her cheek. Her eyes fluttered closed at the contact, and her heart began to beat rapidly as her breathing got just the slightest heavier. Then she felt his hand fall further down her face, and his thumb brushed over her lip.

Her eyes opened just in time, and his lips met hers. Then they fell back shut as she melted into the kiss.

It wasn't like their previous one in the lake. No, that one had been awkward and weird, and it caused a rift between them for a little bit. This one, however, felt right in the moment, despite Draco having caught Olivia off-guard at first. She kissed him back gently, their lips brushing against each other tenderly, as he did the same. His hands cupped the sides of her faces and his fingers slightly tangled into her hair, while one of her hands rested on the ground for support and the other on his wrist. For her, this was only her second kiss in her life. She wasn't sure about him, but she liked to believe that fact was the same on his part.

When they finally pulled back, Draco more so than Olivia, they stared at each other with wide eyes. Draco seemed shocked that she had kissed him back, and frankly, a small part of her was too. Her chest rose and fell with each deep breath she took in and released. Her eyes flickered between his, then down to his lips when he opened his mouth to speak. She had a feeling he was going to say something to ruin this, so she leaned forward and connected their lips once more.

It only lasted a second before Draco was pulling back again. His forehead rested against hers as they both breathed deeply. Then he straightened, still holding her face in his hands. He looked into her eyes as she did the same, seeing a small smile beginning to curl at her lips. She seemed happy with what had just happened—something he hadn't been suspecting. And he hated what he was about to say.

"I asked Daphne to the ball," he blurted.

Olivia's smile faded quickly, and the happiness was no longer in sight. It felt like someone had just stabbed her in the heart, and she wanted to curse them for it. Not them, but him. He had stabbed her in the heart. "What?" Her voice was barely audible—a little higher than a whisper, though not by much. She looked as if she believed she had heard him wrong and was waiting for him to correct her. But unfortunately, she hadn't, and he wasn't going to.

"I asked Daphne to the ball," he repeated, digging the knife in her heart a little deeper.

She pulled further away from him, dropping the hand that had rested on his arm to her lap. Her face was pulled from his hold as she turned to face forward, no longer wanting to look at him. He had asked Daphne, of all people, to the ball. "And you thought it was best to snog me, then tell me that?" She stood up rather quickly, picking up her bag at the same time, and backed away from him.

He followed her movements, coming to his feet as well. "Olivia," he began, moving forward and trying to get her to meet his eye. But she held up a hand, nonverbally telling him to keep a distance between them, and he stopped in his tracks.

She was fighting back tears, and that fact made her sick to her stomach. He, Draco Lucius Malfoy, of everyone in the world, was close to making her cry. Him and his stupid decisions. No, she wasn't going to let him see her cry. He had once before, when Tommy died, but she was determined to make that the only time.

Going towards the stairs, not even glancing at him when she went by him. He reached out and grabbed her arm, causing her to stop as he pulled her back closer to him. She slowly turned around, still not meeting his eye.

"Olivia, please, let me explain," he pleaded.

She didn't make a move, annoyingly wanting to hear what he had to say for himself.

He took a breath, dropping his hand from her arm. He took a step closer, to which she countered with a step back, and he cleared his throat. "I... I had to do it," he told her. She met his gaze then, with a curled lip and pinched brows. "My father made me."

She gave him a pointed look. "Draco..."

He held up his hands, trying to get her to let him continue. "I didn't think that you'd want to go with me because we said that we were just friends. And my father saw the article Rita Skeeter wrote, and he sent me a letter, telling me to take Daphne, not you," he explained, and that made Olivia think about how her mother hadn't even mentioned the article in her most recent letter. Had she not seen it? If so, that was surprising—that woman practically lived through The Daily Prophet. "I didn't want to."

"When are you going to stop using your father as an excuse?" she asked. But when he opened his mouth to respond, she lifted her hands to stop him. "You know what? Don't even answer that." She dropped her hands to her sides. "I'm sure I already know what you'll say." And with that, she moved closer to the stairs and stepped down a few steps with her back to him. Then a thought crossed her mind, and she glanced over her shoulder, only to see him looking in front of him, seeming defeated. "Just so you know, Daphne's always fancied you." His eyes found her. "So congratulations, Draco; you're not only breaking one heart, but two." She didn't actually care about Daphne's heart; she knew that, and she was sure he did too, but the point still stood.

And with that, she left, going down the stairs. She could hear him following her and calling out her name, but she ignored him and just quickened her steps until she made it to the Great Hall. She pushed through the double doors, trying to get into a frequented area, knowing that Draco wouldn't want to argue in front of others. Sake of his image, after all. He didn't have feelings, of course, much like her.

She began practically stomping towards the Slytherin table. Then her name was called again. And in the heat of her annoyance and anger, she whipped around. "What do you want!?" she spat sharply, earning some looks in her direction. The person wasn't the one she had expected it to be, but instead it was Potter, staring at her with a shocked look. She inhaled deeply, then released the breath through her nose. "Oh... Hi, Potter."

"Hi," he sheepishly replied. He fiddled with his fingers, picking at the skin around his nails as he shifted on his feet. The door of the Great Hall was pushed open behind the boy's back, and Olivia focused on who'd entered. It was Draco, narrowing his eyes on her and the boy in front of her, to which she returned. "I was wondering if you'd like to go to the ball with me."

Olivia's eyes found him quickly. They were close enough to Draco that she was sure he heard the question. But before she could speak, some boy at the Ravenclaw table snorted in amusement, causing both of them to look at him, and said, "You should give up while you're ahead, Potter. It's no secret she's rejected everyone that's even come near her." He paused, looking at his friends for support, who nodded in agreement, then focused on the glasses-wearing boy again. "What makes you think you're any different?"

Olivia and Potter looked at one another and ignored the boy's words. "I'm aware that we're both champions, but there's no rule about us going together," Potter continued.

"What about the first dance? The one where each champion is required to have a dance partner?" she asked.

He seemed confused as to what she meant for a moment, and then waved his hand dismissively. "We could just find dance partners for that but still go together." He stuck out the same hand as before, offeringly, like this was more of a negotiation than a proposal. "I could dance with Hermione, and you could dance with Nott, or something."

Olivia glanced at Draco again, seeing him seething in anger. His arms were at his sides, but his fists were balled. A smirk made its way onto her face. She was glad he was feeling an ounce of what she was feeling. It hurts, doesn't it? She wanted to ask him, but she didn't.

Focusing back on Potter, she gave him a small smile, which she returned. She was quite surprised that he was asking her, of all people. Perhaps he couldn't find another date? No, that was a ridiculous thought to have. He was Harry Potter, for Merlin's sake! That meant something to people in their world, no matter how much it shouldn't.

"I'll... think about it," she told him.

"You'll think about it?" He raised his brows, his smile getting just slightly larger. It seemed that was a win in his book. It wasn't a definite yes, but it wasn't a solid no either, which was better than anyone else had gotten.

She nodded with a hum and a sweet smile.

"Brilliant!" was all he said before he walked away, a little excitement in his step as he went back to the Gryffindor table.

Her eyes followed him, watching him sit down, before they found Draco's once more, seeing the frustrated and pained expression twisting his features. He then stormed over the Slytherin table as she did the same, both of them finding their friends and sitting and chatting with each other. They glared at each other as they sat across from one another. And immediately, their friends could feel the tension, and their conversation died, focusing on the two.

"What happened?" Lucas asked.

Olivia kept her eyes trained on Draco. "Nothing."

"Olivia is going to the ball with Potter," Draco countered, practically spatting the boy's name.

Narrowing her eyes even further, Olivia gritted through her teeth, "I said I'd think about it."

"That's not a no." Draco lifted his chin slightly. "It seems like you have bad taste in dates."

"You're the one to talk," she retorted, scoffing.

Pansy, like the others, looked between the two, perplexed by what had happened since she last saw them. Then her eyes planted themselves on Olivia, studying her best friend curiously. With furrowed brows, she asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Before Olivia could answer, a familiar blonde walked up to Draco, placing her hand on his shoulder. His attention fell off of the girl across from him and onto the contact on his shoulder. Then he looked up and found her gaze staring down at him. Olivia looked up at her as well, and everyone followed her line of sight.

"Hi, Draco," Daphne smiled, and Draco looked away from her with clear displeasure on his face due to her presence. "I was wondering what color dress you think I should wear to the ball. I was thinking maybe a light blue."

"And why exactly would Draco care about that?" asked Pansy snarkily, sending her old roommate a nasty look.

Daphne met her gaze with raised brows. "Didn't he tell you?" She focused on the boy she had her hand rested on again with a soft smile. "Draco asked me to go to the ball with him."

If it wasn't obvious enough that everyone expected Draco to have asked Olivia, they all quickly looked at her with surprise. Olivia just rolled her eyes, grabbed her bag from beside her, and slung the strap on her shoulder. Then she stood swiftly and stepped over the bench, preparing to leave. "I'm going to the library," she grumbly said. But just as she began to walk, Daphne spoke, causing the irritation in her to rise.

"Is there something wrong, Olivia?" She clearly did not care, and that was quite apparent in her tone. In fact, she was reveling in this.

Olivia stopped in her tracks, licking her teeth inside her mouth as she tried to fight the urge to curse the girl. The interaction had already drawn some attention. It wasn't a secret that Olivia and Daphne were no longer friends; the reason, however, was still unknown to most. Slowly turning around, Olivia offered the girl a tight smile. "No, nothing's wrong, Daphne." She paused, taking a step closer to the table. "But I suppose I do owe you a congratulations." Daphne raised her brows at this. "You finally got him," she continued.

"I wasn't aware it was a fight," the blonde girl countered.

"Oh, it's not," Olivia assured. "Just all of those years you spent pining after him went unnoticed because he was obsessed with me—your words, not mine." She tapped a finger in the direction of Daphne once before putting her hand down. "And now you've finally won him over. He finally noticed you." She smiled knowingly, putting her bottom lip between her teeth. Then she softly gasped, like something had just come to mind, placing her hand over her mouth and ignoring the look Draco was giving her. She dropped her hand. "Unless..."—she paused, letting the girl's mind run wild for a second—"he only asked you because his father made him." Daphne's brows furrowed at this. "Lucius knew that Draco would probably ask me, so he made sure he didn't by getting him to ask you instead," she said, as if it were hypothetical. Then she sighed, dropping her hand to her side. "That would be a real shame. If it were true, that is." A small smirk curled at the corners of her lips; she couldn't help it.

Daphne seemed to realize what Olivia was getting at and quickly glanced down at Draco, who met her gaze, questioning him without saying anything. Most of the Great Hall was silent; the ones around them focused on the interaction.

The boy just looked away from her, seeming a bit guilty.

She removed her hand from his shoulder, taking a few steps back as everyone watched her. It seemed to hit her then, and Olivia could see the tears going down her cheeks. She took a few more steps back in disbelief and hurt, then ran off, with curious people following her with their eyes until she pushed through the double doors and was out of sight.

"That was quite rude, Olivia," Pansy admitted. "Why would you do that in front of everyone?"

Olivia gave her best friend a somewhat confused look. That was a rich statement coming from Pansy, who liked to go after people she didn't like. What was so different about Olivia doing it? Nothing. Shrugging, Olivia said, "You know why. What she did to Tommy, I hate her for it."

Pansy quirked a brow. "Is there another reason?"

Yes, there was another reason, one that drove her mad.

"What other reason would there be?"

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

Back in the Great Hall a few days later, at the end of the school week, Olivia sat at the Slytherin table with her group. They were working on their assignment for Snape, who was looming throughout the hall, ready to take points from anyone who dared to speak or didn't keep all their focus on their work.

They were supposed to remain quiet, but most still spoke in hushed whispers. And since Snape was over near the Gryffindor table, on the other side of the room, Olivia's friends were going on and on about the stupid Yule Ball. What they were going to wear, who had asked them, and what they planned on doing afterwards.

Blaise had finally asked Pansy, and it had been quite sweet; even Olivia would admit that. A fourth-year Ravenclaw girl had asked Lucas. And he said yes, which had been quite surprising to his sister when he'd told her. Theodore had asked the girl he'd danced with during their lessons. And Draco, whom Olivia hadn't been speaking to, was still going with Daphne. He had somehow eased her mind about the whole his-father-told-him-to-ask-her-so-he-would-not-ask-Olivia situation. It was a real shame.

Some more boys had thought to ask Olivia, but she told them the same thing as all the others, besides Potter. She was still on the fence about going with him. They wouldn't be able to dance together during the first dance since they were both champions. Perhaps they could have fun together after that, though, but she just didn't know. She had given him a straight yes or no, and the ball was approaching fast. And that meant the next task was around the corner as well.

Luckily, she had gotten that note from Diggory, though she wouldn't have needed it. It saved her from more restless nights than she already had. She had gone to the prefects' bathroom, since it was the only place in the school with a large bath. She got in the water, ignoring how Moaning Mrytle lingered around, and figured out the clue.

"What about you, Olivia?" Theodore asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

She looked up at him questioningly, raising her brows. "What?"

"Have you gotten a date yet?"

Olivia's face dropped upon hearing this, going void of any emotion besides the crazed look in her eyes. No, Theodore, she hadn't gotten a date yet. The one person she wanted to be asked to the ball ended up asking the girl she hated more than her mother. Swiftly, Olivia stood up from the bench, slamming her hands on the table. She leaned closer to the boy, narrowing her eyes as his went wide and he drew away from her. "I'm tired of talking and hearing about this stupid ball," she seethed. Her eyes found Pansy, then Blaise, Lucas, and finally Draco, whom she glared even harder at.

She gathered up her things, shoving them in her bag, then stormed her way over to Snape with her notebook in her hand. Granger seemed to be in the same state as her. The Gryffindor girl handed the man her assignment first. Snape swiftly took hers, not even glancing at it, and gestured for her to leave. He did the same with Olivia but actually opened hers, though he studied her more than her work, seeming curious as to what had gotten her so riled. If he wanted an answer, he didn't ask a question. He just hummed and nodded for her to go.

She was glad that was all he did; she didn't know if she could handle anything else.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

━━━━ ella's speaking !
sigh olivia and draco are having issues with each other yet again... i promise i don't like doing this to them any more than i'm sure y'all like reading it but it's for the plot i swear !!! also, their second kiss put down in the books 🥳

next chapter is the yule ball chapter, and some new characters are going to be introduced !! i'm excited for you all to read it since it's definitely one of my fave chapters!

also, thank you for 16K reads — it truly means the world to me!!

make sure to comment and vote 🫶🏻

kisses.

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

word count: 4904. written: 3.29.24. published: 4.12.24.