BORN TO DIE    ╱    DRACO MALFOY
꒷꒦ · ˚.‧ . written by ella . . . © -lostgardens
109 ━━━━━━━ ❛ quidditch tryouts ❜

"Come on, Hermione," Olivia said, holding onto the Gryffindor's wrist and pulling her down the corridor. Astoria was following along closely behind them. "It won't be that bad, and I hate Quidditch."

Hermione gave her a knowing look. "None of the Slytherins like me."

"Astoria and I are Slytherins, and we like you," she countered, smirking, while the other girl nodded and hummed in agreement. "Train Boy is also Slytherin, and he doesn't seem to mind you. Besides," she offered her a pointed look, "the Slytherins don't like me either, remember? The whole blood-traitor thing?"

Hermione nodded. "Right."

"Oh, and Lucas is Slytherin and doesn't mind you," Astoria chimed in.

"Yes, and Lucas," Olivia agreed, waving a telling finger at Hermione and then looking at Astoria with a small nod. "Very good, Astoria."

The younger girl smiled proudly.

The three of them rushed down to the Quidditch pitch as it was almost time for the Slytherin tryouts. Olivia was going to be there for Lucas, no matter what or who was there as well. Blaise and Draco were on the team before, while Theodore and Pansy were not, so she was certain they'd be there, meaning she'd have to see all of them. Lucas's Ravenclaw friends, plus that one Gryffindor, were probably going to be there as well. She knew a lot of her housemates would watch to see how good their team was going to be that year, so she was already preparing herself for the odd stares and whispers, especially since she was bringing a Gryffindor along with her. Hermione Granger, no less. The insufferable know-it-all, the Golden Girl, Potter's best friend, the Muggleborn (though they often used a different name).

When they got to the pitch, they sat on the bleachers, facing the field in front of them. The Slytherin players were already on the ground, holding their brooms and listening while Urquhart explained what was to be expected. Olivia's eyes found her brother, ignoring the stares and whispers already cast in her direction and the fact that Theodore and Pansy sat just a few seats down from them. She also noticed Draco and Blaise, the former looking bored to be there and the latter with a blank expression as they both listened, one more than the other.

Olivia could hear Urquhart say that even though some of them had a spot on the team last year, that didn't mean they were guaranteed a spot that year, and she realized that meant that Lucas could be Seeker if he did better than Draco. She smiled to herself, sitting up straighter in her seat.

Urquhart finished going over his explanation of the tryouts after a moment, and they all got on their brooms and flew up into the air. Olivia watched Lucas scan the stands to find her, offering a smile when he did, which she returned, and then he looked for the others that were there to support him as she noticed that he had a quaffle in his hand. She didn't know much about the sport, but she knew that Seekers weren't in charge of the quaffles but rather catching the snitch. She supposed he changed his mind when he saw that Draco was there. She felt bad, but if it was what he'd decided, that was his choice.

Tryouts began a minute later, and Olivia's eyes stayed on her brother the entire time, cheering for him when necessary, which the Ravenclaws and Finley did as well. He was a rather good Chaser, and that wasn't just her being biased because he was her brother. He scored loads of times, getting the quaffle by Miles Bletchey and through the rings. Blaise did well.

In the end, her brother did quite well, and she was proud of him, which she would've been regardless since he'd finally gotten past his hesitations. Olivia, Hermione, and Astoria walked down to the pitch and went over to Lucas, with Olivia walking in front. She had a smile on her face as she stopped beside her brother. "You did so well, Luke," she told him kindly, ignoring how she saw Theodore and Pansy approach Draco and Blaise out of the corner of her eye. "I know you originally wanted to be Seeker," she side-glanced Draco, not being able to help herself, though the boy wasn't looking at her, "but I know you'll make a brilliant Chaser."

"That's if I make it on the team," he replied, returning the smile, though she could see the doubt in his features.

She gave him a pointed look. "You will."

He nodded despite the fact that the doubt somewhat lingered on his face. "Thank you, Olivia," he said, his words cut short when Akeno came up behind him and slung an arm over his shoulder, bringing his head down so he could ruffle his hair.

"You were brilliant, Luke," Akeno told him as Lucas fought his way out of the hold with a laugh.

"Thanks," he responded once he was standing up straight again, a small blush on his cheeks, and not from the workout of tryouts. He focused his attention on the ones standing behind Akeno as Olivia watched him with a happy smile, proud and glad that he had a group of his own that cared for him as he deserved.

Not wanting to get too sappy, she excused herself, allowing her brother time with his friends. She turned to leave, running right into a hard chest, reminding her of what happened in the corridor a few nights prior. The familiar scent caught her nose, and she already knew who it was before she even met Draco's gaze with a bored one of her own. She hated to admit that he looked decent in his Quidditch uniform. It was bloody annoying.

He was bloody annoying.

"Excuse you," she told him, looking him up and down. Then she raised her chin proudly and moved past him, with Hermione and Astoria following close behind. He stepped to the side, allowing them to pass, and the two eyed him suspiciously. Olivia offered Pansy a tight smile, which was given back as she went by her and noticed the girl staring. She could still feel Draco's eyes on her, but she didn't look back, not caring that he was staring at her.

He said he was going to stay away, which was what she wanted, but he had been doing a terrible job at it. She supposed she'd help him out a bit by keeping her distance as best as she could. It was bloody difficult, however, when he was still everywhere she turned.

She, Hermione, and Astoria walked away, going in the direction to leave the pitch as the two others came to either side of Olivia. Draco watched them the whole way, only glancing over when he felt someone staring at him. His eyes found Lucas, seeing the younger boy looking at him almost as if he knew something Draco didn't or knew something about Draco. A small smirk played at his mouth, while his Ravenclaw mates also stared at Draco with small smiles, even Lovegood. It was unsettling.

"What?" he asked sharply, tossing up his arms.

Lucas shook his head, not responding as he snorted in amusement.

Draco just focused back on Olivia.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

The girls were back at the Quidditch pitch the following day, this time not having to deal with the Slytherins. The Gryffindors were just as bad, in Olivia's opinion. The three of them still got odd looks and whispers sent in their direction, a lot of them wondering why Hermione Granger was hanging around three Slytherins, a Greengrass and a Mallard, no less. Two Mallards, actually, since they were joined by Lucas and his friends, who were there to watch Finley try out for the team. Astoria had moved to sit with them, and they all ignored the ones around them and focused on the Gryffindors dressed in their Gryffindor Quidditch uniforms, standing on the field.

Harry was the captain of the team that year, meaning he was the one meant to be giving the instructions. But, unlike the Slytherins, who, even if some had been bored out of their minds and didn't seem as if they wanted to be there, had paid attention the entire time, the rest of the Gryffindors, who were trying out that year, all but Weasley, who stood awkwardly at the front of the group, Finley, who was next to Weasley, waiting for tryouts to begin, and Ginny, who was beside Harry, were being loud as they messed about and not focusing on what Harry had to say. They only straightened out and went quiet when Ginny stepped forward and shouted, "Shut it!"

The silence was immediate, and the players all stood up tall, their eyes trained on Harry, who thanked the girl. Then he began explaining much of the same things that Urquhart had explained to the Slytherins the day before, one of them being that just because they'd made the team the year before didn't mean they were guaranteed a spot that year. He asked if that was clear, to which no one responded.

While the players got ready for their tryouts, Weasley glanced up at the ones there for him, though Olivia wouldn't quite consider herself there for him. His eyes were on Hermione mostly, who lifted her hand to give him a small wave. She didn't seem too confident in him and his abilities, and he didn't seem too confident in himself either. Olivia kept watching Weasley, seeing a boy with blonde hair bump his shoulder as he came up beside him. He was a bit taller than the ginger, and she was pretty certain his name was Cormac McLaggen. He was known as a bit of a flirt, not that he'd ever tried anything with Olivia—a wise choice, she rather thought. She didn't know what he was saying to Weasley, but the boy looked even more nervous with each word that escaped McLaggen's mouth. Then the taller boy glanced up in her direction, but she quickly realized that he was actually staring at Hermione next to her, though the girl didn't seem to notice, so she didn't say anything. He smacked Weasley on the arm, a smirk on his face, and then he walked away.

Tryouts started right after that, with McLaggen and Weasley going to the rings as they were both apparently trying out for Keeper. Most of the students were cheering for Weasley; some even cheered for McLaggen. Olivia was focused on the ginger when Hermione leaned over to her and whispered, "Why is Cormac McLaggen staring at me?"

Olivia's brows rose, and she looked over, finding the boy, who was hovering in the air on his broom, staring at Hermione, a smirk on his face like it had been when he was on the ground and staring at her from down there. She leaned closer to the girl, a sly grin on her face as she wrapped a curl of tamed hair (she used Sleekeazy's often that year to control the mess it usually was) around her finger. "I think McLaggen has a bit of a fancy for you," she teased, her eyes still on the Gryffindor, who was aiming to be Keeper of the team.

Hermione chewed her bottom lip as she looked over at Olivia with furrowed brows and a nervous look on her face. "He does not."

"Whatever you say." Olivia laughed, dropping the curl and sitting up straight again.

That was when the tryouts truly started. They watched as Ginny flew around on her broom and tossed the quaffle in McLaggen's direction. He blocked it easily, and this was repeated a multitude of times before the focus was shifted to Weasley, who looked as if he were going to be sick from nerves. Olivia would be lying if she said she wouldn't laugh when he made a fool of himself. She knew that was cruel, but she and Weasley weren't friends despite her growing closeness with Hermione and Harry. She was certain he didn't consider her one either.

Surprisingly, he did well enough each time one of the Chasers tossed the quaffle in his direction. He kicked it the first time, hit it with the top of his head the second time, hit it with his chest the third time, and hit it with his arm the last time, which made him fall from his broom, holding onto it with both of his hands as he dangled in the air. There were some gasps, and Olivia tried not to laugh, knowing that Hermione wouldn't take too kindly to it. He eventually got back on his broom, and Olivia's amusement settled.

Tryouts continued, and when it was back to McLaggen trying to block the quaffle from going through the ring, he had a smug smirk on his face. He was doing much better than Weasley, and Olivia knew that meant the ginger most likely wasn't going to get the spot he wanted on the team.

Just as the quaffle was thrown in McLaggen's way again, Olivia heard a faint whisper from beside her as Hermione hid her mouth with her hand and cast, "Confundus." Olivia looked over at her quickly, surprise on her face as McLaggen was pushed to the side and the quaffle went through the ring he was supposed to be guarding. Hermione met her gaze with a small smile that she was trying to hold back.

"If that were me who did that, I would've gotten a lecture from you," Olivia replied quietly as she leaned a bit closer to the girl. She was also holding back a smile, knowing why Hermione had done it. The girl still was longing after Weasley, though the two were both too foolish to confess their feelings.

"Are you going to tell anyone?" she asked, still keeping her voice low.

Olivia smirked. "Nope, because the look on his face is priceless."

They both looked over at McLaggen to see his confusion, snickering when they glanced over at each other.

Tryouts went on, and when the quaffle was thrown at Weasley one last time, he flipped over on his broom, hanging from it like a bat, and the ball bounced off of his head. Everyone cheered for him, despite it not having been on purpose.

Even Olivia.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

"I have to admit, I thought I was gonna miss that last one," Weasley said, sounding as smug as he could be. He was sitting on the couch next to Olivia (she'd tried to sit on the floor but realized his knees would've been digging into her back; Hermione and Harry also wouldn't switch spots with her, and she had a feeling they found a bit of amusement in her discomfort in sitting next to the ginger). The boy's arm was behind her back and resting on the back of the couch, so she was sitting up as straight as an arrow, not wanting him to touch her. Harry and Hermione were in front of them, sitting on the floor at opposite ends of the sofa, with the girl reading the Prophet and the boy reading a book. "I hope Cormac's not taking it too hard," he continued, not sounding completely sincere as Harry and Hermione glanced at one another and Olivia rolled her eyes, then they focused back on what they were reading. "He's got a bit of a thing for you, Hermione." Weasley looked over at the girl. "Cormac," he elaborated, causing Olivia to smirk.

"I told you so," Olivia teased, leaning a bit forward, her eyes on Hermione.

She dropped her paper as Harry looked between Olivia and Weasley, then over at her as she focused on the Prophet again with a sigh. "He's vile," was all she said, going back to reading the paper.

Weasley glanced over, and Olivia saw it out of the corner of her eye. She followed his gaze, her eyes landing on a curly-haired blonde girl who was staring at him with an open book in her hand and a smile on her face. She waved, and Olivia furrowed her brows, glancing over at Neville, who was sitting in the chair next to the blonde and giving her an odd look.

When Olivia focused back on the one who was staring at Weasley like he was a direct descendant of Merlin, she realized that the girl was now focused on her. With a glare. Her brows rose, surprised and wondering what she'd done to piss off the Gryffindor witch, whom she didn't even know the name of, and then she leaned closer to Weasley, but not too close. "Why is she looking at me like that?" she whispered, keeping her eyes on the girl.

"I don't know," Weasley muttered, shrugging, also still staring at the blonde.

"All right then." Olivia's gaze found the side of his face, giving him a confused look. "Why is she looking at you like that?"

He met her gaze once the girl finally looked away and focused back on her book. "I don't know."

"Have you ever heard of this spell?" asked Harry, catching Olivia and Weasley's attention as he leaned closer to Hermione, showing her the book he'd been studying. "Sectumsempra?"

"No, I haven't," Hermione replied quickly, and Harry returned to his spot, holding the book with both hands and continuing to study it as if his life depended on it. "And if you had a shred of self-respect, you'd hand that book in."

Olivia's brows knitted, looking between the two of them.

"Not bloody likely," Weasley chimed in, chuckling lightly. "He's top of the class. He's even better than you, Hermione. And Olivia."

"Not for long," Olivia muttered, giving a tight smile as she crossed her arms over her chest. She'd had a feeling that Harry had used something to advantage him in winning the Liquid Luck. So had she, but it still annoyed her greatly. He'd taken her spot as top of the class in potions.

"Slughorn thinks he's a genius," the ginger added, causing Hermione to quickly set the Prophet down and glance back at the boy sharply. His expression turned confused as he furrowed his brows. "What?"

"I'd like to know whose that book was." Hermione moved so that she was on her knees and stuck out her hand for Harry to give it to her. Olivia was a bit curious too. "Let's have a look, shall we?"

Harry quickly closed the book and moved away from her. "No." He stood up as she dropped her hand and gave him a confused look.

"Why not?" she asked, standing up as well.

"The binding is fragile," he answered, causing Olivia to snicker.

Hermione stepped forward and followed Harry as he stepped back, trailing closely as they went to the other side of the room. "The binding is fragile?" She sounded in disbelief, as if she couldn't believe that was the excuse he'd come up with not to show her.

He turned to face her, still walking backwards. "Yeah."

That was when Ginny grabbed the book from his hand, quickly standing and moving so that she was in front of Olivia and Weasley, far away enough so that Harry couldn't take the book back from her. She opened it as he followed her, while she just continued to step back. "Who's the Half-Blood Prince?"

Hermione moved closer. "Who?"

"That's what it says right here." Ginny looked down at the book. "'This book is property of the Half-Blood Prince.'" She lowered the book in her hand as Olivia and Hermione stared at her with intrigue.

Harry seemed a bit stressed about not having the book in his hands, so the redhead shut the book and tossed it back to him. He caught it easily and walked away, going over to one of the tables.

Olivia stood up from her seat, sharing glances with Hermione and Ginny, who were holding back smirks. Her curiosity, surprisingly, wasn't as large as theirs, even though she'd never heard of the Half-Blood Prince and would usually want to get to the bottom of who they were. She was over her so-called investigations, and she could not be bothered to dive into another one, seeing as she really didn't care if Harry had a little guidebook to help him through potions class. She had better things to worry about, and she'd be a hypocrite if she did care since she had an advantage of her own, though she hadn't gotten it until that year, which made her spot at the top of the class (which she would be getting back) fair and square.

"I'll be going now," she told them, having realized what the time was. "See you later."

"Bye, Olivia," Hermione said, smiling.

Olivia waved to her and headed towards the door, not missing the glare she received from that same blonde girl as before. She just shook her head, opening the door and exiting the Gryffindor common room. She walked down the million bloody stairs and began making her way to the dungeons.

When she finally got there, she approached the familiar blank wall, whispered the password, and entered the common room, the green, black, and silver that caught her eye being much more calming after being in the red and gold-filled room for an hour and a half. She didn't know how the Gryffindors did it. Ravenclaws, she could understand, not Hufflepuffs, however. The yellow would simply be too much for her. She was content with her green. She ignored the glances she received from lingering students since it was before dinner and they were lounging around the room and made her way upstairs and to her room.

She already knew what to expect before she even entered.

Sighing, she opened the door and looked around. Pansy and Blaise sat on the girl's bed, while Draco was lying on her bed, Theodore occupied her desk chair, and Crabbe and Goyle sat on the floor. It had been this way ever since she and Draco had their little spat in Snape's class. They were always there whenever she returned to the room, despite the fact that Draco said he'd stay away from her, none of them spending their free time in the common room like they'd done for years. Draco's excuse for always being in there despite his words? "This is Pansy's room too. She invited me." She knew it was just to annoy her, and their mission was accomplished, though she tried to act as careless as possible.

She closed the door behind her, ignoring how their conversation stopped and their eyes followed her over to her desk. She stopped next to Theodore, sighing as she stared down at him, and he stared up at her with a blank expression. They still never talked about their kiss. "Get up, Theodore."

He made no effort to move. "Why should I?"

"Because it's my bloody desk," she retorted, narrowing her eyes.

He still didn't move.

She squeezed her eyes shut, inhaling through her nose as she tried to keep herself calm. He didn't deserve to be hexed, even though she really wanted to at the moment. Her eyes opened again once she was calmer, and she focused on him with careless expression. "You know what? Fine, stay right where you're at." She turned away from him. "I hope your arse is comfortable."

"It's quite," he replied with a small smile. "Thank you."

She moved over to her bed, hoping that she could persuade Draco into moving. Part of her was sure he was the last one who would listen to anything she had to say. As she stopped at the side of her bed, she saw that he was reading one of her books. A Muggle book. "Draco, move off my bed."

He held up a finger, signalling for her to give him a moment as he continued to read the page he was on. Then he looked up at her as if he'd just realized she was there. "Oh, hello, Olivia." He rested the open book against his chest, pages down against his black suit. Was that the only thing he owned besides his uniforms and robes? He trailed his eyes along her body as she crossed her arms and tapped her foot on the floor impatiently. His gaze found her eyes again. "Where have you been?"

She knitted her brows. "None of your business."

"She was probably slumming it with Mudblood Granger," Pansy said, sounding bored.

Olivia huffed, her patience growing thin. She looked over at the girl, giving her a tight smile, though she wasn't looking at her. "I was, in fact, with Hermione. She and I have become quite close since we've been back," she admitted, causing Pansy to focus on her. "She's a wonderful friend, and we went to the Gryffindor tryouts to watch Weasley, and then I headed to their common room with them to hang out."

"Aw." Pansy poked out her bottom lip. "Is someone becoming a Gryffindork now?"

"At least their parents aren't Death Eaters," Olivia retorted, smirking.

Pansy sneered and looked away, focusing on Blaise.

Olivia turned her focus back on Draco after a second, dropping her smirk. "Move off my bed now, Draco." She moved a step closer, reaching out for her book. "And give me my bloody book back."

He grabbed the book from his chest and pulled it away from her reach. "I'm reading this," he told her, giving her an innocent look.

She crossed her arms again, standing up straight and staring down at him boredly. "It's a Muggle book," she countered, sneering at him a bit. "I never thought you'd stoop yourself so low to even touch it, let alone read it."

Before he could respond, there was a knock at the door. And when no one made an effort to move, Olivia rolled her eyes, dropped her arms to her sides, and turned around to walk to the door. The others all followed her with their eyes, watching as she pulled the door open and came face-to-face with someone she wasn't in the mood to see.

Train Boy.

Sighing, she tried to muster a smile. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see if you wanted to go to the library or perhaps just stroll before dinner," he admitted, saying something Olivia really wasn't in the mood to do.

"Uhm, actually," she began, about to feign a sorrowful look. But then she felt eyes on her, burning into the back of her head, and she knew they were Draco's, the boy slowly sitting up and setting the book he'd been reading beside him as he took in the interaction in front of him intently. Olivia turned her head to the side, her eyes focused on the ground as she thought, then she met Train Boy's gaze again with a smile. "Actually, a stroll sounds delightful."

Train Boy perked up a bit. "Really?"

Draco scoffed, rolling his eyes behind her as he rested back on the headboard of her bed.

"Yes, of course." She smiled brighter, then lifted her hand as she glanced past the boy in front of her and into the corridor he stood in. "Shall we?"

He nodded with a hum and stepped to the side, allowing her to move into the corridor.

Olivia faced Draco as she exited the room, slowly closing the door with a smirk on her face.

He was scowling in return, narrowing his eyes at her.

And then the door was shut.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

━━━━ ella's speaking !
i'm spoiling y'all with updates 🙂‍↕️

tysm for 56K reads- i can't believe how much this fic has grown! it makes me so happy frl

this was a bit of a filler chapter but i still like it nonetheless, and i'm glad we're seeing more of hermione and olivia teehee. i would've added a conversation between train boy and olivia on their stroll but i couldn't think of anything for them to talk about so 🌚

make sure to comment and vote 🫶🏻

kisses.

━━━━━━━━━━ born to die,
© -LOSTGARDENS,          jan 2025

word count: 4604.   written: 10.31.24.   published: 1.28.25.