BORN TO DIE ╱ DRACO MALFOY
꒷꒦ · ˚.‧ . written by ella . . . © -lostgardens
080 ━━━━━━━ ❛ the summer ball ❜

"At least look as if you want to go to this, Olivia Katherine," Clodagh told her daughter as she watched her walk down the staircase.

Olivia stopped at the bottom step, dressed in the black ball gown she and her mother had gotten during their time together in Diagon Alley, with black flats to go with it. Her dress was a long, puffy skirt that brushed the floor when she walked, with a slim-fitted torso and mesh Poet sleeves. Her hair was twisted in a braided bun, and she wore black, sparkly dangly earrings, her necklace that Draco got for her, and the charm bracelet that Lucas got for her. "But I don't want to go to this, Mother," she retorted with a sarcastic grin, pulling her lips tightly.

Lucas was dressed in black dress robes to match their father, while their mother was dressed in a slimmer-than-Olivia's gown that was burgundy in color. The girl didn't recognize it, so her mother must have already had it in her wardrobe, or she went by herself to get it because she hadn't gotten it when the two of them were in Diagon Alley.

No one said anything else, and the four of them left, going to the apparition point on the grounds of their manor. Clodagh paired with Lucas and Olivia with Andrew, and then they disapparated with a snap. Soon enough, they arrived in front of a rather large manor. The sound of people talking and gathering was quite apparent as they approached the door, brushing past familiar wizards and witches. But then people started to notice them, and the chatter turned more into whispers, their eyes mostly lingering on the younger Mallard girl.

They all just kept their expressions flat, focusing forward as they entered the foyer. Olivia knew that her friends would be there, so occasionally, she glanced around, hoping to catch sight of anyone she knew. Well, she knew most everyone; she was looking for someone she knew and could actually stomach being around. That was a very short list. But she didn't see anyone; there was only Lucas standing next to their father.

They simply walked further into the party, ignoring the stares and whispers. And after a moment, Clodagh and Andrew got caught up with some acquaintances, and Olivia and Lucas walked off, going to stand next to one of the walls. And about ten or so minutes passed by of guests, clad in their ballroom attire, coming in through the doors, joining the party, and fixing faux smiles and charm on their faces. Olivia hated these events, and she didn't know why she and Lucas even had to attend them in the first place. They weren't the only teenagers and children, however, and that sometimes made these things easier to bear.

But then the three familiar people walked in, one witch and two wizards—the two having white-blonde hair and the other having half-black, half-white-blonde to match her husband and son. The Malfoys. They were finally there, looking as prim and superior as they claimed themselves to be.

Olivia watched them as they entered further into the room, Lucius dipping his head to his acquaintances, while Narcissa stuck by his side with her arm looped into his. Draco was next to his mother, though there was some distance between him and his parents. His eyes searched around the room, a flat and stern expression on his features as he took everything in. His hands were in his pockets, and he was wearing his all-black suit, just as Olivia had requested.

The girl felt herself smiling, and she tried to hold it back.

And then Draco's eyes found her. His expression turned less harsh when he realized who he was looking at, and a small smirk turned at his mouth. His gaze trailed over her, up and down, taking her in, and she did the same to him, feeling a heat rise in her face. He looked handsome.

When their eyes met again, their smiles became a little deeper. Olivia then looked around, seeing an exit just on her right, towards the end of the wall that she and Lucas stood by. Her focus then found her brother, who was staring at her with a knowing look. She just looked away from him quickly, focusing back on Draco, who was still staring at her. She nodded towards the double doors with a short glance in their direction, telling him that she wanted to leave and for him to come with her.

They surely couldn't interact in front of their parents. That would result in a battle and ruin the party for everyone else. Plus, she wanted to be alone with Draco. Things were always better when it was just the two of them.

She watched him look in the direction of the doors, then focused on her and nodded. Then she turned to Lucas, a smile trying to blossom on her face, but she bit it back. She walked past him with a few steps, then turned and took a few more backwards. "I'll be right back," she told him.

He just shook his head in amusement, a knowing grin on his face. He did not meet her gaze as he looked out at the crowd of well-dressed people. "Have fun," he replied, and she turned around.

Olivia made her way over to the doors with quick steps, holding up the skirt of her dress with her hands so that she wouldn't trip. Draco followed her actions, slipping away from his parents while they were distracted in conversation. She exited the ballroom and went into the hallway, which was lined with portraits, decorations, wall sconces lit with fire, and artwork. She moved to the end of it, going to a familiar door. He was there a moment later too, his eyes finding her in an instant.

Many balls over the years had been held here, so both of them knew the place well enough, having explored it when they were younger. Not together, of course. But most of the children never liked to hang around with the adults while they talked business or gossiped. Olivia had ventured through the door she stood in front of many times.

They just stared at each other as Draco made his way over to her with confidence in his walk and his hands in his pockets. And she just smiled at him and stared up at him when he stopped in front of her, a small smirk turning the corners of his mouth.

"Hi," she said in a quiet and soft tone.

"Hey," he replied, his voice just the same as hers.

She looked over him once, then met his gaze with a small smirk on her face. "You wore the suit."

"You told me to," he reminded her with a smirk of his own.

She hummed, then turned away from him and opened the door, revealing the book-lined shelves that reached from the ground to the ceiling. She had spent many nights there trying to escape the parties, just reading with Lucas or by herself. Now, she had someone else to share it with. She and Draco entered the room, the boy closing the door behind them as Olivia faced him. She stared up at him with dazzling eyes, and he stared down at her with soft ones that matched the small smile lifting the corners of his mouth.

He took a step closer, and she smirked as she turned around, looking at the bookshelves surrounding them. She ran her hand along the spines, and he just watched her. "I used to come in here when I was younger," she admitted, looking over her shoulder to find his gaze. "Whenever balls were held here, of course," she added, then turned back around.

"Ah, yes. That's when you hated me, right? You would never come near any of the other children because you thought I'd be around." He raised his brows, giving her a look that said that he was right with his words, though she wasn't facing him, and kept his hands in his pockets as he took a step closer.

"I've never hated you, Draco." She sighed, facing him, her dress swaying with the movements. She grabbed the skirt of her dress, lifting it as she took a few steps forward. "Hate is such a strong word that is only reserved for the utmost deserving individuals, like Daphne or my mother." She came to a stop in front of him, letting go of her skirt so that the hem fell to her feet as she stared up at him. "Did I strongly dislike you for being a twat to Lucas and because you're a Malfoy?" she asked rhetorically, and he just looked down at her with an expression of boredom. "Yes. Yes, I did. But we've moved on from that, have we not?" Her brows raised questioningly before she rested them, and a smirk crossed her lips. And then she moved closer, removing another step between them. "Now, I do not dislike you, hate you, or anything of the sort. It's quite the opposite, actually," she confessed, her voice going quieter at the last part as she looked to the floor.

Draco lifted his brows. "Quite the opposite?" he repeated her words smugly.

She found his gaze, looking up from the floor, and a bored look at his smugness took over her expression. "Unfortunately," she added, leaning her back against the bookshelf. It was fortunate in her mind, actually, but he didn't need to know that.

"Unfortunately?" he once again repeated her words, like they were foreign to him and he was pondering the meaning of them.

"Yes," she nodded as he took a step towards her. "My life would be so much easier if I..."—she fell silent as she thought about what word to use and if she wanted to admit what she was feeling or not—"fancied someone else." She huffed out a breath, staring at him as he stared at her. "My mother would be happy if I did, that's certain," she said, her eyes drifting down as she thought about what her mother looked for in a person for her. Not a Malfoy; that was the only requirement she could think of—and not a blood purist either. It should've been simple enough, but here she was.

She found Draco's eyes again. Had he gotten closer? It seemed like he had.

"Just imagine if I fancied someone like Theodore." Her tone was full of amusement at the madness of the idea. Then she thought about some more, and her focus fell off him. "No, wait. She probably wouldn't like that because his father's a..." She trailed off, realizing what she was about to say and who she was going to say it to, and she faced Draco again, seeing him looking at her with a peculiar look, as if he knew what she was about to tell him. "She'd probably prefer it if I showed interest in someone such as Harry."

His brows knitted together. "Potter?" He said the name with such disgust.

"Yeah," she replied, seeing something cross his expression, and she knew that he was thinking about her words too closely. "But I don't, of course," she assured him. His eyes found hers again, his brows still knitted and an almost-scowl on his face. "I much prefer blondes." She smiled cheekily, and his look turned more playful again. "Well, not all blondes," she corrected, glancing down at his mouth. She knew he did the same.

Did he want to kiss her? Because she wanted to kiss him.

She wanted him to kiss her.

Her breathing grew slightly heavier at the thought.

Was it her mind playing tricks on her? Or was Draco leaning closer as he continued to stare at her lips?

Both of them glanced up at the same time, meeting each other's gaze. Their expressions were no longer blank or playful; they were full of want, both thinking the same thing. "A certain blonde," Olivia added breathlessly.

And then he kissed her.

His hand cupped the left side of her face as she kissed him back desperately. Her fingers brushed up his cheekbones, running along his skin until she reached his hair, and she brushed them through the white-blonde strands. The hand in his hair pushed him closer to her, deepening the kiss, and his hands fell to her waist, pulling her body closer to his. He took a step forward, crowding her further against the bookshelf as their lips continued to brush with each other.

It felt like no other kiss they had shared; those had been full of uncertainty, but this one was nothing but. It was almost blissful. It felt completely and utterly right, despite the ridicule they'd both receive if their parents found out.

But then, suddenly, the door burst open, and a familiar voice said, "There you two are!"

Olivia and Draco pulled apart quickly, turning to look at who it was that interrupted them, their breathing heavy and a shocked look on their faces. That was when their eyes landed on Theodore, staring at them with a smirk on his face, and their friends behind him, looking at them with awkwardness. The girl's eyes found Pansy's, who mouthed "I'm sorry," creasing her brows sorrowfully.

A tight smile crossed Olivia's mouth. "Here we are," she replied as Theodore walked further into the room and right in between her and Draco, splitting them apart more, and went over to one of the corners in the room.

"Lucas told us you two came this way," he explained, causing Olivia to give her brother a bored look, to which he replied with one of awkwardness and sorrow, half-shrugging his shoulders. She just looked away from him and focused back on Theodore as he turned back around to face them. He lifted up two bottles of Firewhisky. "I snagged these from my father." He smirked, and Olivia felt a pit in her stomach at the mention of the older Nott man, whom she knew to be a Death Eater and had almost told Draco such.

That was really all she knew of him since Theodore didn't talk about him much and the Nott family was very secretive, as were most pureblood families.

Shaking the thought from her mind, Olivia walked over to the boy, along with the others, and they all sat in a circle. Olivia sat next to Draco, who was sitting next to Pansy, and Blaise, who was beside Theodore, who had Lucas next to him, the boy being beside his sister. And they immediately started talking, catching up on what had happened during their summers, while taking turns drinking a bit of the Firewhisky. Then they got on the topic of the Triwizard Tournament, and Olivia suddenly felt awkward and uncomfortable. She didn't want to speak of it, but when Theodore got on a topic, he never seemed to be able to let it rest.

"So, Olivia, you won the tournament, right?" the boy asked, taking a swig of Firewhisky.

She nodded, watching as he passed the bottle to Blaise. "Yes, Potter and I."

Theodore chuckled. "I knew you wanted to win, but I never knew you'd stoop to murder and then come up with the elaborate lie of Voldemort being back. That is, if we're going based on what the Prophet is saying."

Olivia's eyes snapped to him, narrowing at his words.

"Theodore," Pansy scolded, giving the boy a pointed look, like a mother getting on to her child.

The boy seemed to realize his words and the look on Olivia's face, while everyone muttered grievances under their breaths. He opened his mouth to speak, but for a second, no words escaped from his lips. "Olivia, I'm sorry. That was meant to be a joke," he confessed.

She didn't say anything. The guilt of that night suddenly came back to her mind, eating away at her, but she kept it from showing in her expression. Getting up from the floor, she remained silent, moving over to her friend. She squatted down and grabbed the bottle of Firewhisky that they hadn't been drinking out of, meeting Theodore's gaze with an unreadable expression on her face and seeing fright and sorrow in his.

"Mind if I?" she asked, her eyes locked on his.

His gaze flickered, and he lightly shook his head. "No. It's all yours."

Then she stood up straight as the boy watched each of her movements and took a few steps backward, her eyes still trained on Theodore's. "I didn't lie about Voldemort being back, nor did Potter. He is back. He did get Peter Pettigrew to kill Diggory," she told them, her tone flat. "Just ask your father, Theodore. Or Draco's. Or Crabbe's. Or Goyle's." She lifted the bottle she held, opening her left arm in offering as everyone remained deathly silent. "They were all there, after all. In the graveyard." She felt her throat tighten as she held back tears. "They all watched as Voldemort, their... master, used the Cruciatus Curse on me and tried to kill Potter for merely"—she looked up in thought—"existing." She chuckled, though nothing was funny. "Don't believe everything you read in the Daily Prophet, Theodore, because there could've been so much more said."

And with that, she turned around and began walking away. She opened the door of the room and exited, leaving her friends and brother to sit there in silence, unable to come up with any words to say. She stepped into the hallway of the manor, pulling the door closed behind her before opening the bottle of Firewhisky. And for however long, she spent her time drinking the contents of the bottle and walking aimlessly around the manor. She ignored the portraits that questioned her about who she was and why she wasn't at the ball; her mind only focused on the guilt-ridden thoughts in her mind. About Cedric and his death and how she could've—should've stopped it.

Somehow, she made her way back to the ballroom, where guests still lingered about, talking more than they danced. It was a ball, after all. Shouldn't they be having fun rather than talking business? Olivia walked into the room, a little more wobbly on her feet than she had been before, and made her way over to her parents.

Her mother's eyes immediately focused on her, furrowing her brows as she hid the bottle behind her back. She gave her daughter a once-over before she narrowed her gaze. "Are you drunk?" she asked, sternly but quietly.

"No," Olivia replied with a small smile. "Well, maybe a little."

Clodagh took a glance around just as Olivia lifted the bottle to her lips and began taking a long sip. Some people were looking their way, just out of common curiosity and nosiness. And then she focused on her daughter again, seeing her continue to drink. "Give that to me," she instructed her through her teeth, trying to grab the bottle from Olivia.

Olivia just stepped back, pulling the Firewhisky from her mother's reach. "No," she told her, not caring about how loud her tone was.

Clodagh countered the step, moving forward with fire in her gaze. Her eyes narrowed even further on her daughter as she looked down at her with annoyance. "Don't make a scene, Olivia Katherine."

"Why?" Olivia inquired, raising her brows as she stared up at her. "Do you not want to add fuel to the fire, Mother? I mean"—she glanced around at the ones surrounding them before refocusing on the woman in front of her—"everyone already thinks I'm a murderer who's loyal to Voldemort." Some gasped at the use of the dark wizard's name and how it was so easy for her to say it. Olivia didn't pay them attention—she wasn't going to fear a name, no matter how threatening its owner was. "Well, I suppose they always have and always will." She took a step forward with the slightest smirk on her lips. "What can being drunk possibly do to my image at this point?"

"Olivia," Clodagh said warningly.

"Let's toast to that!" Olivia's voice grew louder, catching most everyone's attention as their conversations died down and doing exactly what her mother told her not to do—make a scene. "Here's to everyone thinking I'm a murderer!" She lifted the bottle in her hand in the air, signaling a toast, but she was the only one who did it. She didn't take another swig of her drink before she tossed the bottle down on the marble floor, shattering it. Some people gasped, shocked by her actions, as they took a step back so that the glass didn't hit them.

She could feel tears threatening in her eyes, and she didn't know why she was all of a sudden so sad. Had she been the whole time? Was it due to Theodore's comment earlier? Or was it just built-up emotion that she'd been trying to bury all summer?

As she turned to walk away, her mother's angry eyes trained on her back. Olivia's focus caught onto her friends and Lucas, who were all standing in the entrance of the ballroom, staring at her with shock. She just rolled her eyes, moving forward. While she passed Theodore, she glanced up at him, seeing a regretful look on his face.

"Olivia," he whispered, his touch lingering slightly on her arm.

She just brushed past him, practically pushing her way between him and Draco and pulling her arm away from him before he could get ahold of it.

She didn't even hear the footsteps behind her as she made her way down the hallway and around the corner, trying to get as far away from the ballroom as she could with her stumbling steps. When she finally came to a stop, she braced herself against one of the walls, her back against it as she shut her eyes, feeling her head pound. Then she slowly slid down the wall, much like she did the night of the Yule Ball just before she had a heart-to-heart with Granger.

She was so tired.

She just wanted to rest. She just needed a break.

Was that too much to ask for?

The tears couldn't be held in any longer, and a sob broke from her lips. She covered her mouth with her hand just as Draco knelt down beside her. "Olivia," he said, his voice soft and barely above a whisper. And she opened her eyes as he tucked some hair behind her ear. "You are none of what they think of you," he told her, their gazes meeting. "You are... brilliant, and smart, and beautiful, and so full of courage." He paused, tipping his head. "Yes, you can be frightening, but only when you need to be. I would know."

They both lightly chuckled, but hers broke through a sob as a pained smile crossed her face.

Draco then moved closer and pressed their foreheads together as he brushed her hair back and ran his thumbs along her tear-coated cheeks, and Olivia squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm sorry that they don't see that, but just know that I do, Olivia."

Olivia was feeling so many emotions at that moment as she opened her eyes to find his. Sadness about everything, gratitude for Draco, and something else that she wasn't quite ready to name as it pegged at her heart.

They stayed with their foreheads pressed for a long moment before she leaned forward and placed a small kiss on his lips. He didn't even have enough time to kiss her back before she was pulling away.

She rested her hands on either side of his face and stared into his eyes with a small, barely-there smile on her lips. "What are you doing to me?" she asked in a whisper, and she didn't know if it was more for herself or the boy in front of her.

"I could ask you the same," he replied, then pulled her closer to him and kissed her.

They both knew that they were in for some trouble during the time to come, but they couldn't seem to care at that moment.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

━━━━ ella's speaking !
taking almost a whole month to write this one chapter is insane, but it's finished now so... 😭 i swear i was trying but i just couldn't bring myself to finish it for some reason- and to think that i wanted to write all of act five in may and yet i've only written the first chapter is hilarious lmao

i really hope you enjoyed to make my suffering worth it!

make sure to comment and vote 🫶🏻

kisses.

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

word count: 4052.   written: 5.5-22.24.   published: 5.31.24.