BORN TO DIE    ╱    DRACO MALFOY
꒷꒦ · ˚.‧ . written by ella . . . © -lostgardens
005 ━━━━━━━ ❛ magical prodigy ❜

Olivia sat there beside Malfoy and Theodore. Flitwick stood on a rather tall book that sat on a rather large stool, which contrasted against his rather short body. That was his way of ensuring that the class could see him and that he could see them.

She was bored out of her mind as the professor went on and on, but her posture remained straight as a pole, and her focus was on the man talking. She loved learning about magic and spells, but relearning was entirely mind-numbing.

"One of a wizard's most rudimentary skills is levitation, the ability to make objects fly," the professor explained, looking between each face, his wand between his pointer finger and thumb. "Uh, do you all have your feathers?" he asked.

Twirling her feather between her fingers, Olivia sighed. Her back was beginning to hurt from the tensed posture, and she slightly slouched, not really caring anymore.

"Good," he praised. "Now, uh, don't forget the nice wrist movement we've been practicing, hmm." He paused, glancing at each face once more. "The swish and flick." He waved his wand around, demonstrating the movements.

Olivia couldn't understand how the professor was so energetic and chipper. And not just because of how early it was—though that did add to her confusion. She watched him with bored eyes, sitting back up. She hadn't gotten a lick of sleep the prior night, and she felt as if she were going to pass out from exhaustion.

"Everyone," Flitwick said, gesturing for the students to repeat his words.

Everyone, including Olivia, raised their wands. "The swish and flick," they all muttered, copying his movements. Olivia set her wand back down, ran her hands over her eyes, and then focused back on the professor.

"Good," the man continued in his aging voice. "And enunciate. Wingardium Leviosa." He scanned the room once more, making sure everyone was paying attention. "Off you go then."

The students, Slytherins and Gryffindors alike, picked up their wands once more, following the professor's instructions. But Olivia didn't bother picking up hers. She waved her finger in the same motion that everyone around her was waving their wands.

"Wingardium Leviosa," she muttered. She was definitely not enunciating properly, but she didn't need to. The feather began lifting in the air, catching the attention of those who sat around her, including Malfoy and Theodore.

"Woah," the boys beside her mumbled. She ignored it, keeping her focus on the feather.

Her cheek rested on the palm of her free hand, while the elbow of the hand she was using to control the feather lazily rested on the table. She was bored. She was tired. And this magic was simple—that of a first-year student, which she was but didn't feel like. She wanted something more advanced, not some parlor magic trick.

She heard the short man at the front of the class cheer, "Oh, well done, Miss Mallard!" catching more people's attention, including Granger's, who sat across Olivia on the other side of the room.

Olivia glanced at the girl, seeing an annoyed look on her face as her brows furrowed. She held back a smirk at the sight and slowly started spinning the feather in circles. What? She absolutely loved compliments.

If they wanted to focus on her, she sure wasn't going to stop them, and she might as well give them something more entertaining than simply floating a feather.

"Oh, amazing, dear!" Professor Flitwick continued to praise her. "You're a magical prodigy!"

Olivia's eyes left Granger's and focused on the man at the front, who had a gleaming look on his face.

"You're already doing wandless magic at this young age; you should be proud!" He lifted his arms in the air, his wand still grasped between two of his fingers. His focus was solely on her, gleaming with admiration in his eyes.

"I am." Olivia feigned a smile, bringing the feather back to the desk. She sat up straight once more, her rigidity returning.

After a moment, his attention left her and went to Granger, who now had her own feather floating in the air and a determined look on her face. The boy beside her, Weasley, looked disappointed, but Olivia wasn't paying attention to him; her focus was solely on Granger.

"Oh, well done, dear!" Professor Filtwick praised the Gryffindor girl.

An explosion came from a couple of seats down from Granger. Everyone faced the commotion. And lo and behold, a boy Olivia believed to be by the name of Seamus Finnigan had somehow made his feather explode. There he sat covered in char, the feather in front of him smoldering in ashes as he clutched his wand tightly.

Olivia's gaze flickered over to Potter, who sat beside him. "I think we're going to need another feather over here, Professor," the glasses-wearing boy said, his eyes not leaving the sight in front of him.

Olivia shook her head as she looked away from the boy and over at Theodore, who looked entertained by the whole situation. Boys and their fascination with explosions were something she would never understand.

Theodore cast a glance in her direction, a that-was-so-cool look on his face. She rolled her eyes, facing away from him.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

As they walked out of class—Olivia in front, the other behind her—she looked around the yard, examining the stone and vines that covered it. It was beautiful.

"Magical Prodigy! Magical Prodigy!" Theodore and Blaise cheered as the group came to a stop next to a pillar. Theodore moved closer to Olivia, reaching his hand up to mess with her hair.

"Do it, and I'll hex you," she threatened.

He quickly backed away. "I believe you."

He moved back to stand next to Blaise, who was stifling a laugh along with Daphne and Pansy. Olivia's gaze cast around the courtyard, looking at all of the students heading to their next class, which she knew she should be doing as well.

"It's Leviosa, not Leviosaaa," Weasley said with mockery as he walked past the group of Slytherins, facing his friends. The other boys laughed, and Olivia's focus went to them. "She's a nightmare, honestly. No wonder she hasn't gotten any friends," he added.

The Mallard girl's attention left the Gryffindors and went onto Granger, who seemed to be crying. She watched the girl bump Weasley's shoulder as she walked past him. The boys came to a quick stop and watched her pace away.

"I think she heard you," Potter stated.

Olivia rolled her eyes. She walked away from her group without another word, and she heard Blaise and Theodore stop their debate with Malfoy. Not paying anyone else any mind, she followed Granger to where she had run off.

"Granger!" she called out when she finally set her sights on the girl's bushy hair. The girl didn't seem to hear her or was ignoring her, so Olivia called her name again, and this time Granger stopped in her tracks.

She whipped around, facing the dark-haired girl with narrowed eyes. "What!?" she snapped. But it was as if she realized who she was talking to, and her eyes relaxed, but her face grew more tense. "W-What do you need?" she asked, a slight fear in her tone.

Olivia didn't answer. She just took a step forward, causing Granger to take a step back. She sighed and ultimately decided to stay where she stood. A beat of silence passed over them, with Granger staring at her with suspicion and fear and Olivia meeting it with annoyance and boredom.

"I don't need anything, Granger," Olivia began. "I just—" she paused, not really knowing what to say. The only person she'd ever comforted was her brother, whom she obviously knew well; Granger, on the other hand, she did not.

Granger continued to stare at her with confusion as the silence settled over them. Students passed them but didn't seem to pay attention to the Slytherin and Gryffindor staring competition. "Boys are stupid, and you should let any stupid thing that comes from their stupid mouths ruin your mood," she said. Flat and simple—not how she intended it, but it worked all the same.

"What?" Granger sighed.

"Weasley. He doesn't know what he's talking about," Olivia continued, taking another step closer, and this time Granger didn't step back. "If he wants to be a successful wizard someday, he's going to know how to pronounce Leviosa correctly," she added, her expression still flat.

"Right." Granger nodded, her brows still slightly furrowed.

"Just don't take anything he says to heart. His words are meaningless. I'm sure you'll make loads of friends in the time to come, if that's what you want."

To others, she would say she didn't know why she was comforting Granger, but to herself, she knew exactly why. She had said it to Malfoy a few days prior—making fun of someone for something they couldn't control was a cowardly thing to do.

"Oh," Granger muttered. "Thank you, I guess," she added, meeting Olivia's eyes once more.

"Yeah," Olivia nodded, then walked away without another word.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

The stars shone bright as Olivia, once again, sat alone on the cold floor of the astronomy tower. This tower was quickly becoming her comfort place. It reminded her of the place she and her brother would sit back at the manor. She had her notebook in her hand, a piece of parchment sitting neatly on top, while her quill rested in her other hand.

The moonlight was bright, calming her jumbled mind. Sleep deprivation was taking its toll on her, but she had to muster enough energy to finish writing to Lucas. She had to. She didn't want to disappoint him or make him think that since she had arrived at Hogwarts, she had forgotten him. It was quite the opposite, actually.

Dear Luke,

          Hogwarts is wonderful. Amazing actually. It is everything we've dreamed of and more. It's a beautiful school, with paintings lining the walls and history covering every corner, and there's love and happiness in the air.

          Severus has been a real pain, but I can manage.

          And yes, I have made friends. Well, I don't know if I would call them that quite yet, seeing as though sometimes their presence causes me quite the headache, but they're close enough.

          Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini were the first people I met. We met on the train ride here. Apart from the million questions they always have for me and the nonsense they debate, they're wonderful.

          I think when you meet them, you'll get along well.

          Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass are two others that I am 'friends' with. They're also my roommates, which is nice, I guess. I like having my own room at home, but I also think having others to spend time with is good. They're very wonderful as well. They're also nice.

          And there's this other boy. You may remember him from a few years ago. If not, then you most certainly know his name: Draco Malfoy.

          Don't worry your little head of curls, Lucas; I am not friends with him, nor will I ever be. But he is friends with my friends, so I presume I have to tolerate him and his two little goons, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. Crabbe and Goyle are alright, though; they are much better than him.

          He seems to have this fascination with me—Malfoy, that is—and I don't know what to make of it. Daphne says that he fancies me, but I do not believe her. There's no way he fancies me, right? I don't know what to think, but I do not want to continue on this topic.

          Let's talk about you. How are you? Is it utterly and incredibly boring at the manor without me? Has Mother finally gotten rid of that impending vein that was about to burst from her forehead because of me? Are you sad that we can't sneak cookies from the kitchen when no one is looking?

          I wonder if the stars look the same from the manor as they do from the astronomy tower. Oh, right, the astronomy tower, also known as my new favourite place.

          It's a wondrous place at Hogwarts. It's like a little faraway galaxy that you can get lost in. It overlooks the Black Lake, and sometimes you can see the creatures swimming around. No one is ever up here, from what I can tell. Astronomy classes are only on Monday and Wednesday nights, so I have this place to myself for five out of seven days a week.

          I'll have to show you when you come to Hogwarts. I know you'll love it.

          I miss you dearly, Lucas. And tell Mother that I got her letter and that I understand. She'll know what I mean. That's all for now.

          I'll see you at Christmas.

Love, Olivia

Olivia let the ink dry, which didn't take more than a few moments. The stars still shone brightly in her gleaming eyes. And once she determined the ink was dry, she folded the pieces of parchment together, getting them ready for the wax seal.

She closed her inkwell and gathered her things in her enchanted bag. She stood up, slumping the bag on her shoulder with one hand as she held the letter to Lucas in the other.

Standing at the railing, she looked out at Black Lake, seeing the reflection of the moon and stars glistening on the water. She took deep breaths, letting the cool, fresh air enter her lungs—in and out.

Then she walked out of the astronomy tower and back to the common room. When she entered, the same feeling and sound of happiness and laughter from the night before filled her ears and eyes.

She saw her group sitting at one of the round tables this time. It didn't take long for their eyes to land on her, and they all sent her small and genuine smiles, which she tried to return.

Walking over to them, she heard Pansy say, "You missed dinner again."

Olivia sighed, stopping at the table. "Yeah, I was writing a letter to my brother, and I lost track of time," she began, lifting the paper in her hands. "I was just about to go seal it, so I can bring it to the owlery in the morning," she added.

"Oh, alright." Pansy nodded. "Are you going to the room?"

Olivia nodded in response.

"Daphne and I will be there in a moment." Pansy smiled.

"Alright," Olivia replied, and then she walked away, going to the room.

Once she reached the room, she opened the door and entered. Her bag was set on her desk, and she sat down in the chair. She put the wax seal on the paper, and when she was about to slip it in her bag, she remembered that she forgot one last thing.

Pulling out her quill and ink, she set it on her desk. She opened the inkwell and dipped the tip of the quill in it. Then she carefully drew a small circle in the corner of the letter. And finally, she wrote Lucas's name on it.

After that, she laid down on her bed, kicked her shoes off onto the floor, and snuggled up to her bear. It didn't take her long to fall asleep, and it didn't take long for the nightmare to return. It was so real, so detailed, and so unnatural.

She woke up with a jump, looking around the room, only to see Pansy and Daphne sleeping soundly in their beds. The room was dark; only the soft green glow of the Black Lake coming through the window was to be seen. And it was even more chilly than it had been when she first fell asleep.

Letting out a sigh, she fell back against her bed, snuggling even closer to her bear. Her mind raced, her eyes were wide open, and she knew she wasn't going to fall back asleep at all. She stared at the ceiling until the clock struck four o'clock and then she got up, getting ready for the day. Once more, with an impressive lack of sleep.

Oh, how she wished her demons would just disappear and never come back.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

━━━━ ella's speaking !
help- in the previous chapter's notes, i was talking about how the chapters were going to be longer as the story went on, but this chapter is the shortest of them all 💀

this is a filler chapter, so that's why it's so short, but still

i hope you enjoyed it nonetheless !!

kisses.

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

word count: 2801. written: 8.22.23. published: 8.23.23.