BORN TO DIE    ╱    DRACO MALFOY
꒷꒦ · ˚.‧ . written by ella . . . © -lostgardens
004 ━━━━━━━━━ ❛ idiotic boys ❜

The day was past halfway over, and Olivia couldn't have been more glad. She was tired and ready to be in her dorm once again so that she could relax and read. And perhaps reply to her brother's letter. She was no longer enraged as a result of Snape's actions.

She stood outside with her classmates and Madam Hooch, the flying instructor at Hogwarts. The girl stood in line with her fellow Slytherin first-years, while the Gryffindors stood opposite, facing them. Their brooms lay on the ground as Madam Hooch walked around them.

Olivia's eyes tracked her movements, trying to ignore the whispers from two Gryffindor girls. She knew they were probably talking about her little 'meltdown' in the Great Hall just a mere ten minutes prior.

Their whispers, giggles, and glances continued, so she sent them a look. And when their eyes met hers, they went wide and quickly focused on Madam Hooch. Perfect timing for that, because the woman began talking a second later.

"Good afternoon, class," Madam Hooch greeted, looking at each face with her yellow, hawk-like eyes as she walked past them.

"Good afternoon, Madam Hooch," Olivia muttered, along with her classmates.

"Good afternoon, Amanda—good afternoon," the woman said as she passed the girl. "Welcome to your first flying lesson." She stopped at the end of the line, turning to face the class. A beat of silence passed. "Well, what are you waiting for?" she questioned, putting her hands on her hips. "Everyone step up to the left side of their broomstick."

No one moved. "Come on now—hurry up." Finally, everyone did as they were told and stepped up beside their brooms. "Stick your right hand over the broom and say 'up'," she instructed.

Olivia did just that. With a sigh, she lazily stuck her hand up and over her broom while everyone else did the same. "Up," she said. Her broom immediately lifted from the ground and flew into her grasp. She smirked and looked up at the Gryffindor girls from before, finding them struggling to lift their brooms.

She glanced around at all of the other students. Potter's, Malfoy's, Daphne's, and Pansy's booms quickly found their way into their hands, causing Blaise and Theodore to groan in annoyance. A wave of amazement took over Potter's face. She had a penetrating feeling of sorrow for him, though she would have to be tortured to admit that. Growing up without knowledge of magic was something she never wanted to experience.

"Now, once you've got hold of your broom, I want you to mount it—and grip it tight. You don't want to be sliding off the end," the instructor explained. The class followed her directions and mounted their brooms. "When I blow my whistle, I want each of you to kick off the ground hard." She paused, making sure everyone had a hold of their broom and had it correctly mounted. "Keep your broom steady, hover for a moment, and then lean forward slightly and touch back down," she continued, readying her whistle in front of her lips. "On my whistle, 3... 2..." She blew the whistle.

Before anyone could move, Neville Longbottom began lifting off the ground, looking terribly frightened. Olivia almost laughed, but caught herself because she knew that would've been seen as rude—though she didn't really care about that, she kept quiet anyway.

"Oh..." Neville muttered.

"Mr. Longbottom," Madam Hooch called.

"Neville, what are you doing?" A girl asked as everyone watched the boy go higher and higher in the air.

Some other students began calling his name, while Olivia just watched. Her face was blank with emotion, and her brows were only slightly furrowed because of the sun shining in her eyes. Malfoy now stood beside her and Pansy, though she didn't pay him any mind, and Daphne, Theodore, Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle stood behind them.

"We're not supposed to take off yet," a boy said.

The Longbottom boy began to soar uncontrollably, causing him to scream.

"M-M-Mr. Longbottom!" Madam Hooch stuttered out, nothing but concern filling her tone. "Mr. Longbottom!" she called again.

"Down! Down! Ahh!" Neville yelled, trying to get his broom to listen to him as he whipped through the air.

"Neville!" Potter called out.

"Help!" The boy began flying rapidly toward the sky. Olivia's entertainment with the whole situation quickly died as a peg of genuine worry ran through her body.

"Come back down this instant!" Madam Hooch yelled as if Neville was in control of his broom. Olivia sent her a dumbfounded look; her eyes narrowed, but the woman didn't seem to notice.

Eventually, he hit a wall while yelling, causing Olivia's attention to snap back to him. He slid along the wall, then took off again, taking a straight shot towards the students. Olivia's eyes went slightly wide, but before she could even think of moving, she was knocked to the ground.

When her eyes opened, her ribs hurting from the hard impact, she looked to her side, only to find Malfoy lying next to her. He had tackled her. She sent him a glare as he glanced at her. The Slytherins looked down at them, stifling laughs.

She quickly got up, and he tried to as well, but she pushed him down. She moved to where she could see Neville still flying on his broom, and Malfoy came to stand beside her. They continued to watch Neville fly around on his broom. He flew right past a statue of a man with an extremely sharp spear, which entangled his robe, and he was lifted from his broom. He now hung far above the ground, and Olivia didn't know which situation was worse—flying uncontrollably or helplessly hanging in the air.

"Ah, help!" he yelled, his limbs moving in a panic. His robe then began to rip, causing him to freak out even more. He fell, but his robe caught on a torch, just by luck. But when he slipped out of the fabric, he fell once more and crashed to the ground.

"Everyone out of the way!" Madam Hooch pushed through the gathered students. She made her way over to Neville, helping him up. "Come on, get up," she told him.

"Is he alright?" a girl asked.

"Owowowow," Neville muttered.

"Oh, oh, oh, oh, dear." Madam Hooch held onto Neville's arm gently. "It's a broken wrist," she said. "Tch, tch, tch. Good boy, come on now, up you get," she told him. Once he was on his feet, she started leading him away from the class, going towards the castle.

But before she got any further, she stopped in her tracks. "Everyone's to keep their feet firmly on the ground while I take Mr. Longbottom to the hospital wing. Understand?" She paused. "If I see a single broom in the air, the one riding it will find themselves out of Hogwarts before they can say Quidditch." She walked away with Neville after that.

From beside Olivia, Malfoy snickered, causing her to look at him with furrowed brows. "Did you see his face?" he asked some Slytherins, laughing. "Maybe if the fat lump had given this a squeeze, he'd have remembered to fall on his fat arse," he continued, still laughing as Olivia rolled her eyes at him.

Suddenly, she remembered—as Crabbe and Goyle, along with other Slytherins, started laughing as well—all of the reasons she hated him, though she wasn't sure that she'd forgotten them in the first place. Such an arse.

"Give it here, Malfoy," Harry demanded as he stepped up in front of the blonde boy. That was when Olivia noticed the Remembrall in Malfoy's hand, which must've belonged to the injured boy that Madam Hooch had just guided away.

Malfoy slowly turned to Harry, looking at him with a look of boredom. "No," he deadpanned. "I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find," he added, tossing the Remembrall in the air and catching it.

He got on his broom, and before anyone could mutter a word to stop him, he flew around the group, then through the group and up toward the sky. "How 'bout on the roof?" he asked, holding the ball for everyone to see.

"Just give it back, Malfoy," Olivia called to him with an unimpressed look on her face.

"No," he repeated. "You know, Mallard, I thought someone like you would quite enjoy making fun of little Gryffindors," he added, his brows furrowing at her.

"Someone like me?" she scoffed, raising her brows. "Don't believe everything you read, Malfoy." She paused, feeling everyone's eyes on her. "In fact, I think making fun of someone is a cowardly thing to do, and it doesn't reflect well on yourself," she explained.

It was Draco's turn to scoff. His attention shifted away from her, irritated by her words. He turned to face Potter. "What's the matter, Potter?" he spat. "A bit beyond your reach?" he asked, continuing to ignore Olivia and her hurtful words.

Olivia looked at Potter, seeing him get on his broom, and watched as Granger stepped up to him. "Harry, no way!" the bushy-haired girl said a bit dramatically. "You heard what Madam Hooch said!" She paused to take a short breath. "Besides, you don't even know how to fly."

Ignoring her words, the boy flew away.

Olivia sighed and moved next to Hermione and Ron to get a better view of the interaction. "What an idiot," the two girls sighed in unison as they stared at the two boys in the air. Olivia was talking about Draco and a bit about Harry, while Hermione was, no doubt, only talking about Harry.

Olivia ignored the interaction after that. She refused to give Malfoy the attention he so desperately desired. She walked behind the group and sat down on the ground. No one paid her any mind, and she was glad for it.

But just as she was getting comfortable, Daphne joined her. They just sat in silence for a few moments—Olivia not wanting to speak and Daphne not knowing what to say as she picked at the grass.

A few more beats of silence passed between them, and a few more blades of grass were picked from the ground and rested between the blonde's fingertips. "He's not usually like this, you know," Daphne said, breaking the silence.

"Who?" Olivia replied, looking over at the girl.

"Draco," she muttered, as if it were the most obvious thing. "He's not usually cruel," she elaborated, shrugging her shoulders. "To be completely honest with you, I think he fancies you, and your lack of attention and appreciation towards him has begun to make him seek it," she explained. "Hence this." She gestured to the boys.

Olivia furrowed her brows. "He's known me for not even two days." Honestly, for Daphne to think that Draco fancied—what a distasteful word—Olivia after two days was totally barbaric. She was out of her mind for thinking that. The dark-haired girl continued to stare at her counterpart with confusion that grew even more so when she smiled softly.

"You say that as if you two hadn't met before," Daphne continued, causing Olivia to roll her eyes at the reminder of the former interaction. "He's told us all about the time, at the ministry's ball, when you two played together and your mother was furious." She quietly laughed. "He told us about how you stood up to her and how it was brilliant," she added. "For two years, he could never stop raving about you."

She paused, and Olivia thought she was finished. But before Olivia could even process what she was being told, she continued speaking. "But when you totally disregarded his presence last night, he was absolutely crushed."

Olivia sighed, thinking about what Daphne had just told her. And, after a moment, she began speaking. "It hasn't even been two full days; I've spent most of that time with you all. When did he tell you this?" Olivia asked, looking into the girl's blue eyes.

"He hasn't told me yet," she admitted, looking down at the ground and confusing Olivia. "I can see it in the way he looks at you, and I can feel that you hurt him," she added.

"Daphne, he obviously didn't tell you the whole story about what happened at the ball," Olivia began. "I have all of the reasons to act the way I have." She paused, taking a deep breath to hide her irritation about that night. "And to be honest, I don't know if I entirely believe that the way he is acting now is not the way he always is," she continued, gesturing with her hand to where the boy was, still in the sky.

"But—" Daphne went to speak.

"No," she cut her off, raising her hand. "I think that you fancy him, and you're trying, for some reason, to convince me that he's a good person." She sighed once more, her eyes meeting the blue ones of the girl next to her. "If he is, I'll come see it—but for now, if you like him, get him to notice you rather than trying to live vicariously through me."

And with that, Olivia stood and walked away, going to stand next to Pansy. People were cheering, and she saw that the two boys had returned to the ground. Harry now had the Remembrall, and Malfoy looked annoyed. "What happened?" Olivia asked Theodore, who stood on the other side of Pansy.

"Malfoy tossed the Remembrall, and Potter got it," he said, disappointment lacing his tone.

"Harry Potter?" an old voice with a distinct Scottish accent called out.

Olivia saw Professor McGonagall standing a mere ten to twenty feet away from the group. She didn't look angry, which surprised Olivia; she thought that if McGonagall or any other teacher had seen two first-year students flying through the air, they would be furious. Especially since those two first-year students were Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter,

When Harry stepped forward, McGonagall said, "Come with me," causing Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle to start snickering.

Olivia fixed her gaze on the three boys, who didn't seem to notice. As Daphne rejoined the group, standing next to Olivia, Harry solemnly followed McGonagall. Olivia glanced over at Daphne, and both girls sent each other small smiles.

What a day it had been...

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

Olivia was walking through the dungeons, going back to the common room. She had continued and completed her earlier-in-the-day exploration of the Hogwarts grounds. Her black boots carried her through the too-dark corridors. There were very few candles hanging from the wall.

Of course, Slytherin had to be the one in the dungeons.

It was also very cold down there, but that didn't seem to bother her. The heels of her boots hitting the ground sounded through the long stretch. But finally, she reached the blank wall. She whispered the password, revealing the common room door, and then she entered.

She heard people chatting and laughing, and she saw it as well. Her group sat on the couches, talking with each other. She wasn't in the socializing mood, so she opted to quickly go to her room before they could notice her, but she was just a tad bit too late.

"Olivia!" Pansy called out, causing everyone to face the trying-to-escape girl.

Olivia turned to face them and mustered a half-hearted smile at the Parkinson girl, receiving a smile in return. Some others in the room looked at the girl but ultimately decided she wasn't worth their time, and they turned back to their friends.

She began walking toward where her group sat, but when someone stood in front of her, she quickly stopped. Looking up, she saw Adrian Pucey standing in front of her. He had a gross smirk on his face as she looked at him with complete and utter disgust.

"Move," she said, her voice low.

"No," he retorted, his voice dripping with arrogance. She narrowed her eyes. "Glare all you want. You don't scare me, little Mallard," he chuckled, causing the common room to go silent and everyone to pay close attention to the interaction.

She let a wicked, unsettling smile come on her face. "Is that correct?" she asked, her brow raised. Oh, how she loved when people challenged her.

He simply nodded, the smirk still planted on his face.

She sent him a look of pity, but then that quickly changed into desire—the desire to hurt him.

Their eye contact became strong, and she could see his arrogant demeanor slipping away. He began to grow uncomfortable with the way she was looking at him, and that showed in his shifting weight as it moved from one foot to another.

He cleared his throat, trying to keep his composure. The lights around them started to flicker, just as they had in the Great Hall the first night. It wasn't nearly as intense, but it was enough to cause Adrian to look around in confusion mixed with a little terror.

Olivia smirked as she watched him. Then, out of nowhere, knives appeared in front of her, aimed at the boy. He made eye contact with the knives just before they plunged into his stomach. He quickly looked down, seeing the knives in him and the blood starting to soak his shirt.

Or at least, that's what he thought happened.

He let out a scream and began to feel around in his stomach. But now there were no knives. No blood. Looking up at Olivia, he saw her smirking, her eyes as soulless as ever. He looked as if he were going to cry, and she reveled in that.

His eyes cast all around, looking around the common room. Everyone was staring at him like he was crazy. He had imagined it all—or rather, Olivia had gotten in his head and made him imagine it all. He looked between her and his friends, who seemed embarrassed on his behalf.

The lights weren't flickering anymore—or maybe they never were. Adrian seemed confused and disoriented. He didn't dare meet Olivia's eyes as he quickly and not-so-gracefully ran to the stairs that led to the boys' dorms.

"Do I scare you now?" Olivia called out with a laugh. A smile was on her face as she took a deep breath, relishing in the fear that was in the air. She felt calmer at the moment, with the lingering eyes still on her. Everyone—or at least the Slytherins—were destined to be scared of her now, because all they saw was her looking at Adrian and then him screaming and freaking out.

She closed her eyes, letting another deep breath sink in, then released it. Her eyes opened, and now her face was cold and empty—no sign of emotion on it whatsoever. She turned to her friends as everyone continued to stare at her, blinking with fear and confusion.

"What?" she asked, walking towards them.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

An hour had passed. Theodore and Blaise had been talking Olivia's ears off about anything they could think of, which she had gathered was a lot. They had quickly forgotten, or chose to forget, what had happened with Pucey, and Olivia was grateful for that, for the most part, not really wanting to ask questions about how she had done it.

Most of what Theodore and Blaise were talking to her about was, well, her and her family. They were inquiring about all of the stories about her that were circulating in the wizarding world and whether or not they were true.

Olivia herself had confirmed that she had not killed anyone, that she could not turn people into stone, that she was not a heir of Slytherin, and that she was not a secret spy—along with a slew of other rumors that she was unaware of and that were too ridiculous to even be true.

Olivia Mallard, once again, herself confirmed that she did have a younger brother, that she lived deep in a forest in the middle of nowhere (in a very large manor), that she could do wandless magic, that she knew almost every spell in the book (though some she was still learning to actually do), and that she had a pet cat named Riddle, who had died (and no, she did not kill him—yet another rumor she had to debunk).

She had her head in her hands, taking very slow and deep breaths. She wasn't against the whole concept of having friends, but if having friends meant having to answer a million questions every time they got together, she'd just go back to being the cruel, lonely girl. The latter seemed to be the most appealing at that moment.

"Is it true that—" Theodore began, but was cut off by Draco.

"Nott, give the girl a break; you've asked her a hundred questions in the last two minutes," Draco said with a small laugh.

Olivia's head quickly rose as she heard the boy's words. She was confused by why he was helping her. Clearly he saw her annoyance, but by the way she talked to him earlier, she thought he'd relish the way she was being tortured with inquiries.

Their eyes met and she narrowed hers, and he just shrugged, leaning back on the couch.

"Right, sorry," Theodore muttered.

Maybe Daphne was right.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

It was later in the night, about eight o'clock, so dinnertime. But instead of being in the Great Hall, Olivia sat on the cold floor of the astronomy tower, one of the wonderful places she found as she was exploring the castle and all its wonders.

She was staring at the stars, the memories of her and Lucas studying them flooding her mind. She was neither with him nor near him by any means, but she could feel that he was staring at them too. She'd just hoped that without her there, he'd be able to tell which ones were which.

"Why aren't you at dinner?"

Annoying, arrogant, whiny, and irritating.

Malfoy.

But this time his voice was not annoying, arrogant, whiny, or irritating; it was calm and almost—dare it be said—soothing to Olivia's ears. Preposterous. She closed her eyes, getting rid of that disgusting thought.

She didn't turn around; she kept her eyes on the dark sky with millions of twinkling little lights. She felt his presence get closer as he walked towards her and sat down. She didn't shift or move from her spot like he had expected her to.

Not meeting his gaze, she asked, "Why aren't you at dinner?"

"I wanted to find you," he returned.

She could almost hear the smile on his face, and that didn't make her feel sick to her stomach, nor did his words. She almost wanted to be sick because of that revelation. The thought churned her gut, and she continued staring at the stars. "Right," she said, nodding.

She hated him. He was an arse. He was Draco Malfoy, for crying out loud.

It was silent after that. It wasn't awkward or hate-filled; to be completely honest, it was a bit peaceful for the two. Olivia was taking deep breaths, trying to calm herself after the hectic day. With each breath, the cool September air filled her nose; then it was released back into the atmosphere, and the cycle continued.

He was staring at her, and she was aware of it, and he was aware that she was aware. She ignored it, and he didn't mind.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she asked.

Her eyes remained on the stars.

"Yes," he replied.

His eyes remained on her.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

━━━━ ella's speaking !
another short chapter.

they'll get longer as the story continues, i promise.

i hoped you enjoyed !!

kisses.

━━━━━━━━━━ born to die,
© -LOSTGARDENS,      august 2023

word count: 4020. written: 8.21.23. published: 8.22.23.