BORN TO DIE ╱ DRACO MALFOY
꒷꒦ · ˚.‧ . written by ella . . . © -lostgardens
093 ━━━━ ❛ is it a school or a prison? ❜

Umbridge was now the Headmistress of Hogwarts, just as Olivia had feared. At least that was what the sign said—the one that she, the Golden Trio, and others watched Filch, who was standing at the top of a very tall ladder, hang on the wall near the Great Hall's entrance with all of the other signs. The sound of rumbling from the dark weather was heard behind them, and the four of them glanced back, seeing a boy covering his head with his robes and making his way quickly into one of the corridors so he wouldn't be rained on.

Olivia couldn't believe that that witch was to be entrusted with the school. She was going to ruin it before the year's end, and there was nothing any of them could do about it. Letting out a sigh, she turned to the trio and told them, "I'm going to head in." She gestured to the Great Hall, which had its doors open. They nodded, and she walked away, going through those doors and over to the Slytherin table, where she sat with her friends in their usual spot. She didn't say much besides muttering a "Hello," seeing as she wasn't quite in the mood for a conversation. She didn't glance in Draco's direction, either, because, despite D.A. being disbanded, she and him were still pretending to be at odds.

It was just for the best.

The rest of the day dragged on like that, the storm at its peak overhead, and the spirits of the students dampened. Olivia went to her classes and then shut herself away in the library for most of the time before dinner. She decided to make a stop at the Astronomy Tower, having not been there in so long, after she left the library and headed towards the Great Hall. She just needed a moment alone with the stars and the moon where she could breathe and not have to think of anything going on. She went over to the railing after she stepped inside, set her bag down on the floor next to her feet, and rested her hands on the cold metal of the railing, staring out at the night sky. Closing her eyes, she inhaled the fresh air deeply, feeling herself slightly relax.

Then she heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs, and suddenly, her body was tense again, and the relaxation was gone. She whipped around in the direction of the stairs as she withdrew her wand just in time to see Draco step into the tower. With relief that it was only him, Olivia let out a breath and lowered her wand and put it back in the pocket of her robes, while he gave her a confused look.

He walked towards her. "Tad jumpy, are we?"

She turned around to look out at the sky as he stopped beside her. "Sorry. I thought you were a prefect or Umbridge, looking to get me in trouble," she admitted, her hands tightening around the chilly railing. "I just needed a moment alone. It feels like I don't have any time anymore and that I'm always busy doing something." She released another breath, loving the feeling of the breeze on her skin. "But I suppose now that won't be an issue." She offered him a thin smile, knowing that Dumbledore's Army had taken up most of her time since the day it'd been established.

"Yeah," he muttered, almost awkwardly. "I am sorry about your little army."

"It's fine," she told him, her smile turning more sincere. "It's not as if you placed Umbridge in this school."

"I didn't realize she was going to make it so..."

"Prison-like?" Olivia raised her brows with a bit of amusement in her tone. She looked out to the scenery in front of her—the stars and moon as bright as ever—and her face fell. "I don't think most did, but it's what she and Fudge think is best, I suppose."

Draco didn't say anything. He just stepped closer to her, his hand falling on her shoulder, and turned her to face him. He brought her to his chest with one hand resting on the back of her head and the other on her back. She was so close that breathing in her rosemary and ginger scent made his heart race.

She immediately placed her forehead against his chest, wrapping her arms around his torso as she hugged him back. Inhaling his scent—mint, cider-sweet like apples, the smoke of firewood, and the vanilla and caramel of saltwater taffy, his favorite sweets—she felt herself calm as her muscles became less tension-ridden. She turned her head so that her cheek was resting against the front of his robes, and the embrace tightened.

They stayed like that for a long moment, neither wanting it to end as they basked in the silence and comfort of each other. Then Draco asked, "Do you remember when you would've hexed me if I even thought of being within five feet of you?"

"Of course." She smiled to herself. "I felt that way just before Christmas."

"Very funny," he said boredly, though she could hear the hint of hilarity in his voice. His hands fell on her arms, and he gently pushed her back from him as he stared down at her. She met his gaze with a questioning look. "Well, I am glad you are able to tolerate me a little better."

"Me too, even when you're being a real wanker," she confessed, biting back her grin by pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. Her eyes fell to his mouth, watching it open as he went to retort, but, before he could say anything, she stood taller and placed her hand on the back of his neck, bringing him down to kiss her.

He immediately did, relaxing into the kiss as one of his hands moved to cup her face and the other fell on her waist. The connection only lasted a moment, though, before he pulled back, and Olivia softly smiled at him when their eyes met. "We should get to dinner," he told her, and her smile fell.

She let out a groan and squeezed her eyes shut, then released a dramatic sigh and opened her eyes to look into his with an almost pouting expression on her face. "Fine," she said sharply, bending down to grab her bag off the floor.

A smirk at her grumpiness came across his face, and he grabbed her hand.

They began walking towards the stairs, but something crossed Olivia's mind, and she stopped in her tracks, which tugged at his arm. He looked back at her with confusion, his brows furrowed, seeing her staring at him with a small smile. "We can't enter the Great Hall together, especially"—she glanced down to their connected hands—"holding hands."

He seemed to be wondering why before it came to him, and his expression dimmed a bit. "Oh, right. We're still pretending." He took his hand from hers, making her skin feel cold with the loss of contact. Then he gestured to the stairs with that same hand and said, "After you, Olivia."

"Draco..." She tilted her head, her expression sorrowful.

"What, Olivia?" He threw his hands up before letting them fall to his sides. "I'm just doing what you want."

She sighed. "It's..."

"For the best?" He raised his brows, already knowing where she was going with her words. A sigh escaped him, and he looked to the ground, nodding to himself. "So you've told me," he muttered under his breath.

"Well, it seems you don't think so," she stated, growing frustrated with the sudden shift.

He released a breath through his nose. "It's just..." His voice fell short as he stepped closer to her, meeting her gaze. "You wanted me to be more open about"—he gestured between them—"this, and now that I'm prepared to do so, you don't want to tell anyone about it. I mean, I understand somewhat because we're not technically together."

Olivia felt something peg at her heart with his last words, but she tried to not let it show on her face because she knew he was right. She let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, Draco." She tucked some of her hair behind her ears, her eyes no longer on him as she looked around while trying to find her words. Then her eyes found him. "Harry doesn't trust you, meaning he won't trust me if I am... with you out in the open. He practically told me so himself the day you kissed me in the Great Hall."

"Since when do you need his trust, or even care about having it?" He asked rather urgently, seeming frustrated as he took a step closer to her, his voice raising slightly. He paused, taking in a breath as he calmed himself. "Since when have you needed anyone's trust?" His hands gently cupped either side of her face, forcing her eyes on his.

She just stared at him, breathing heavily. "I don't know."

He watched her look down, rubbing his thumbs over her cheeks, and both of them were silent for a long time before he spoke. "I don't want to fight with you, Olivia. That only ever ends in us not speaking," he admitted, taking a step back from her and dropping his hands to his sides. She looked up at him as he did so. "So let us just forget about all of this. It doesn't matter. We can keep going on how we are." He stood still for a second, just looking over her, and then he nodded towards the stairs. "Come on, let's go to dinner."

Her eyes followed him as he turned around and began heading down the spiral staircase. She felt so emotional all of a sudden. She and Draco had been fine and happy, and then it was like a switch was flipped and they weren't. She didn't want to make him unhappy with their arrangement—whatever it was, seeing as they weren't, in fact, officially together, though they were certainly more than friends. And she didn't want to lose him because she wanted to remain a secret for the time being.

So, quickly, she headed down the stairs, following after him. She found him just barely down the corridor and made her way over to him with hasty steps, slowing down when she came to walk by his side. Her right hand fell on his arm, while her left hand found his right and entangled their fingers. She looked up at him as he looked down at her, noting the surprise on his face at her holding his hand out in the open for anyone to see, although there was no one currently in the corridor. She offered him a small smile, watching him fight back his own as the two of them continued to the Great Hall.

When they came up on the double doors, Olivia's stomach fluttered, and she tensed a bit. She was nervous. She, Olivia Mallard, was nervous about entering the Great Hall alongside Draco Malfoy, a boy she had already been romantically linked with before. She didn't know why. It wasn't as if it was a secret to anyone.

Noticing her nerves, Draco stopped and pulled her aside so that they weren't in view of the ones sitting inside the Great Hall. Her back was against the wall next to the open doors, and he was standing in front of her, both of them only in sight of anyone that might walk into the corridor. His hands held her face, gently turning up her head so that they stared into each other's eyes for a quiet moment. Then he leaned down and kissed her softly, short and sweet. "We don't have to walk in together if you don't want to," he told her after pulling back. "But I am happy to do so if you do."

She kindly smiled at him, then placed her hand on the back of his neck and pulled him back down to kiss her, which he did, his hands still holding her face. Their bodies pressed together as she deepened the kiss, standing a little taller.

"Salazar's sake!" a surprised feminine voice caught their ears. "I knew it!"

Olivia and Draco broke apart and looked over quickly.

Pansy was standing there, with wide eyes and her hand pressed to her stomach. She returned her gaze to the Great Hall, from which she had just emerged, and took a step closer as she faced them once more. "I was just about to go looking for you two," she admitted, playfully slapping Olivia's arm. "And lo and behold, here I find you, snogging in the corridor while you are supposed to be at odds with each other." Her gaze met Draco's, and a smirk slowly curled at her lips. "Are you two finally together?" she inquired quietly, getting straight to the point, a devious hint in her tone.

Olivia's face heated up as she and Draco exchanged glances before quickly focusing on her when they caught each other's eye. "It's complicated," they said in unison.

"Ah." Pansy nodded. "So you're just friends who snog?"

"No, we're not just friends," Olivia replied, causing Draco to look over at her. "But we do snog quite a bit." She was certain he was fighting back a smile because she was as well. "Uhm." She cleared her throat, her face falling blank again. "We were just about to head into the Great Hall when you walked out, so here we go." She and Draco brushed past Pansy, who quickly followed after them, before she could interrogate them some more. They didn't get too far, though, when Olivia had a thought and turned around to face Pansy, nearly colliding with her best friend. Draco stopped as well. "Don't tell anyone. Just for now."

Pansy seemed to think this over before nodding. "Your secret is safe with me."

After that, the three of them went over to the table and sat down, with Draco and Olivia making up excuses to the others about where they had been. They started filling their plates and eating their dinner, and Olivia and Draco resumed pretending to be at odds, despite her knowledge that it was not what he wanted to do, which she was starting to feel the same about. They did not even exchange glances, except when everyone was preoccupied with their conversations. One of those times, Lucas looked over at Olivia just as a small smile began to form on her lips. He followed her line of sight and saw that she was staring at Draco, who was staring back and softly smiling. And when his sister found his eyes, having felt them on her, she saw him giving her a knowing look, a small smirk on his face. She just pretended she did not know why he was looking at her like that and focused on her plate. Pansy also kept a close eye on them both, grinning as she did so.

After dinner, the group made their way to the common room and their rooms to prepare for bed, not lingering in the corridors or taking the long way to the dungeons as they usually did since they weren't looking to get in trouble now that Umbridge had her prefects more focused than ever.

Olivia wondered what they were going to do.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

"Boys and girls are not permitted to be within eight inches of each other," Umbridge's annoying voice echoed over the ancient PA the following day as Olivia walked back to the common room from the library. "Those wishing to join the Inquisitorial Squad for extra credit..."

Olivia tried her best to block the sound of the woman's voice from her ears because, if she heard it one more time, she was going to destroy her eardrums with her wand and pitch herself off the Astronomy Tower. She just continued to walk, minding her own business, with a flat expression on her face.

But then she heard Umbridge say, "Students will be submitted to questioning about suspected illicit activities," and she stopped in her tracks, looking up at one of the old speakers the witch's words had come from.

She was still doing that? Olivia had thought those inquiries would be over now that Dumbledore's Army had been caught and Dumbledore was gone. Perhaps Umbridge thought there were more students to it than the ones she had found in the Room of Requirement that day.

"Any student in noncompliance will be expelled."

Sighing, the girl continued to go back to the common room, noting the blank walls that she had passed by since Umbridge had ordered Filch to take down all of the paintings. The doors were locked, and no one could leave the school, meaning no one could go to Hogsmeade or any other place beyond school grounds. It was turning more and more into a prison with each passing day.

As she came to a stop in front of the familiar blank wall of the dungeons, Olivia released another breath as she ran her hand through her hair. She was there just in time for curfew, with just a few minutes to spare. She whispered the password and entered through the door, taking in the silent room. No one else was in there, so she made her way to her room.

When she entered, she saw that Pansy was already in bed, so she did her best to be quiet as she shut the door behind her, put her bag at the end of her bed, and got ready to sleep by taking a shower, brushing her teeth and hair, and changing into pajamas. She finally laid down about an hour later, staring at the black void above her, the only hint of light in the room being the green glow coming in through the window from the Black Lake. With Mr. Snake by her side, she eventually fell asleep, going back to being haunted by her all-too familiar nightmare.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

Umbridge's questions to her the next day were brief and bitter, as she was already known to be a member of Dumbledore's Army. And as a member, she was forced to sit in the Great Hall, which had been cleared of tables and lined with desks, while enduring her punishment. Instead of a typical punishment, this one was Umbridge-specific. Olivia and the rest of the organization were writing lines with the witch's special quills.

Winces in pain, coming from all around the room and a bit falling from Olivia's lips, were heard as they all felt the words digging into their skin. They were sitting in complete silence, with the exception of the sounds of pain and quills scratching parchment, and Olivia truly believed the pink-clad professor was enjoying it as she sat in the Head's chair at the front of the room, overseeing them all, and sipped her tea with a smile on her curseable face.

Once the detention was over, Olivia hastily gathered her things, and she and Lucas exited the Great Hall with the crowd of others. They made their way to the staircase, where they passed Cho, who had not been in detention since she ratted on them and was exempt.

Olivia felt Lucas slightly tug her closer to him as she glared at the Ravenclaw girl, who sent her a sorrowful look in return. She brushed past Cho, trying not to do anything her mind was telling her to do, her narrowed eyes remaining fixed on her for a moment. Then she faced forward, and her brother let go of her robes.

The two of them simply continued walking. They made it all the way back to the common room in silence, both needing just a break from everything for a moment. One good thing about no longer being able to have secret meetings was that they could finally start spending more time with their friends again. Olivia had barely been seeing them outside of classes, and the few times she was actually in the common room.

She quite missed them.

They entered through the door after Olivia whispered the password, and the eyes of some of their less-than-forgiving housemates immediately landed on them. The siblings were aware that some of them were still upset that Olivia had been secretly teaching with Harry and that Lucas had been a part of it. Or maybe some of them were upset that they hadn't been trusted enough to be invited. But could they blame them for not thinking to invite them? There was no way of telling which ones would've ratted on them or if they may have been spying for Umbridge since most of her squad were unfortunately Slytherins.

Ignoring the looks and whispers, she and Lucas approached their friends, who appeared to be having a conversation. Olivia moved past Theodore's legs and sat beside him, while Lucas sat on the other side of him, and the conversation died down as they all said their greetings to the two.

"How'd it go?" Pansy asked, looking at them with pity.

Lucas and Olivia glanced at one another, then pulled down their sleeves to reveal the back of their hands. They held them up for the others to see as they focused back on Pansy.

"Ouch," she muttered, taking in the red and irritated skin where the words were carved.

The pair dropped their hands back down to their laps, and their focus fell away from everyone else as Draco shook his head. "Consequences of your actions," he mumbled under his breath.

Olivia's eyes snapped to him, narrowing them while she watched him fiddle with his hands boredly, his focus solely on them. Their friends also looked at him in shock, especially Pansy. Olivia wasn't sure if he was pretending or not. Making a snide comment for the sake of showing that they seemingly weren't getting along at the moment. She wasn't sure because he had said the same thing before when she had first dealt with Umbridge's enchanted quill.

Either way, she went along with it.

She let out a scoff, rolling her eyes. "At least we did something to help people be prepared for what's to come," she told him sharply, causing him and the others to quickly look at her, "unlike you and your little girlfriend." She paused as he sneered at her, with just a hint of surprise at her words. "All you've done is kiss her arse to earn some extra credit." She stood up abruptly, and everyone's eyes followed her movements. "Congratulations, Draco; you have successfully helped ruin the only good thing we had going on in this school this year."

With that she walked away, actually feeling a little irritated.

They all just watched her, their mouths hanging open and their eyes wide, completely shocked by Draco's words and her outburst. Theodore stood up abruptly as she exited the common room again. "Olivia!" he called out, following her out into the corridor as she stomped away. She didn't stop, so he continued forward to catch up with her, which was easy because his legs were longer than hers. "Hey, are you all right?" he asked, walking alongside her.

"I'm fine," she replied sharply, still focused forward but slowing her steps. "He just can be such a twat sometimes."

"Yeah," Theodore muttered, tucking his hands in his pockets. "If it means anything, I admire what you were doing." He bumped her shoulder with a smile as he looked over at her.  The smallest hint of a smile turned at her mouth, but she still didn't meet his gaze. "Don't tell anyone that, though. I have a reputation to uphold."

"Your secret is safe with me." She playfully knocked his shoulder with her own, just as he had done to her. They fell silent for a moment after that, just enjoying each other's company as they continued to walk. Olivia then had a thought. It was something she had pondered over any time she was around him since they'd gotten back to Hogwarts. "Theodore?" She spoke softly as she finally looked over at him.

He found her gaze, raising his brows and humming questioningly.

Olivia hesitated for a minute before she asked, "Can you see thestrals?"

He just stopped in his tracks, causing her to join him. His eyes were on hers, clearly caught off guard by the question, then they found the ground, while he messed with his hands before finally settling his focus back on her again. He gave her a simple nod, answering her question with a small "yes."

Olivia's brows furrowed in pity. "So you've..."

"Witnessed death?" he finished for her, shoving his hands back in his pockets and began walking again as she went with him. His eyes remained forward, as hers were on the side of his face. "Yes. My mother." He went quiet again as they entered the courtyard, going over to a bench. He gestured his hand for them to sit, which they did.

She watched as he focused on what was in front of them, obviously not wanting to see what she was thinking in her eyes. Not wanting pity. There wasn't much for him to look at besides because no one was in the courtyard, not wanting to risk being seen by Umbridge, knowing she'd scorn them. So he rested his elbows on his knees and folded his hands together, looking down at them instead.

"I don't remember her very well since she died when I was quite young," he finally admitted after a long minute. "But I do remember the feeling of love that she gave me. I know how dark the manor got once she was gone and how much of a bastard my father became."

Olivia placed her hand on his shoulder sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Theodore."

He just shrugged, like it wasn't a big deal. Then he fell silent again, staring ahead at nothing until he finally worked up the courage to face her, and his gaze met hers. "You know..." He paused, feeling her hand still lingering on his shoulder and his heart rate picking up. "You're the only one who doesn't call me Theo." His voice was low, almost a whisper, as his brows knitted. "Why is that?"

"I'm not sure," Olivia replied, half-shrugging. She took a moment to think about it, her eyes falling off his during that time. Then she focused back on him, her pale green gaze meeting his bright blue one. "I suppose I prefer it over Theo." She softly smiled at him. "Not sure why, but I do. And I like that I'm the only one that calls you it."

Theodore's eyes just flickered between hers as she just stared at him kindly, with her hand still resting on his shoulder. Then he glanced at her lips, which she noticed immediately. Draco had done it many times before, mainly when he was about to kiss her, or wanted to at least. Olivia's kind expression began to fall, and she stiffened slightly as he subconsciously leaned in slowly.

Was he about to kiss her?

No, that was mad, right?

Right?

Theodore didn't... He couldn't possibly want to kiss her, could he?

Olivia's hand quickly slid off his shoulder, and her smile was gone before he could get too far with his moves. Her head turned away from him, focusing on the ground with slightly wider eyes, not believing what she thought was just about to happen. There was no way he wanted to kiss her. No way at all.

At least she hoped not.

"Well," she muttered, letting out an awkward laugh and rubbing her hands along her legs. She cleared her throat and then stood up from the bench. Her back stayed facing him for a moment, and she could feel his eyes burning into the back of her head. She took in a breath and released it before slowly turning around, with an awkward smile tugging at her lips. "I should get to the library," she told him, nervously nodding towards the corridor that they'd just been walking in. She could see the regret on his face, but she chose to ignore it. "I have a lot of studying to do."

"Olivia," he mumbled, knowing that he had made a mistake.

"See you later, Theodore," she interjected, not letting him say what he was about to say.

Then she was gone, and he just let out a sigh.

Would she ever feel the same?

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

━━━━ ella's speaking !
hello 2k votes!!! tysm 🤭

this chapter went through like three different rounds of editing so i really hope you enjoyed it! i added in some draco and olivia dialogue and the whole scene with pansy in the first part after this chapter had already been written for like two months lmao, and i actually really like it and think that part is much better.

only seven more chapters of act five to publish!

make sure to comment and vote 🫶🏻

kisses.

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

word count: 4777.   written: 7.14.24.   published: 9.24.24.