BORN TO DIE ╱ DRACO MALFOY
꒷꒦ · ˚.‧ . written by ella . . . © -lostgardens
036 ━━━━━━━━━━ ❛ she knows ❜

A few days had gone by, and Olivia never, ever wanted to see or hear of the Chamber of Secrets again. But it was all anyone could talk about, and she was oh-so-close to ripping her hair from her scalp. Or perhaps she'd just rip her ears off her head instead. Either would be satisfactory if it meant she could leave the stress of that night far behind her.

Lockhart hadn't regained his memories, and there was no way to since the oblivate charm was irreversible. It was the perfect karma for the wretched man, and that had been one of the only good things to come out of that wild night. That and the fact that Girl-Weasley was safe and sound, of course, and Olivia had gotten her award, which was proudly displayed in one of the school's award cabinets, alongside Potter's and Weasley's.

Speaking of the two Gyffindors, she waited in a broom closet, spying out the crack in search of the boys. Now that the Chamber of Secrets business was over, she wanted to talk with them about their little venture into the Slytherin common room. It wasn't necessary, but she wanted to let them know that she knew and that they hadn't gotten away with it like they thought.

Any moment to embarrass the boys was a moment she reveled in.

"Bloody hell, Harry," Weasley sighed as they walked down the corridor. She knew they always came this way, like clockwork, to go back to the Gryffindor common room right after lunch. She checked her watch. It was 1:05 p.m., right on the dot. "I'm sure Hermione will be well soon. No need to worry. Pomfrey knows what she's doing."

"I suppose," Potter muttered, walking right past the broom closet Olivia was in. "I just miss her."

"Yeah— Woah!" Ron shouted, getting dragged back into the closet.

It was dark as Olivia shut the door behind him. Potter cast "Lumos," lifting up his wand to Olivia's face. The blue-tinted light fought against her soft features. She had such a devilish smirk on her face that she could've sworn she saw Weasley shudder in fear.

"W-What do you want?" the redhead asked.

"I know it was you two"—she looked them up and down with distaste—"that were impersonating Crabbe and Goyle over holiday," she admitted, leaning in closer to them. They backed up a few steps, hitting their backs against the walls.

"We don't know what you're talk—"

"Boys, boys, boys." She closed her eyes, waving her hands, which each repeated the word. "I know it was you two," she repeated. "You got mad at Malfoy for wishing death on Granger, which is understandable, and I saw your red, mangy hair." She looked over at Weasley again, a flash of red running across his cheeks.

After a moment, she turned to Potter. "And you got upset about Malfoy insulting Dumbledore, and I saw your very unique scar when you started to transform back," she said, looking the boy up and down as he brought a hand up to his forehead. "Plus, Goyle doesn't know how to read, and he certainly does not wear glasses," she added.

Sighing, the boys gave each other we-have-been-caught looks and then looked at Olivia. "Have you told Malfoy?" Potter asked, sounding defeated.

"No," she replied. It was the truth. What Malfoy didn't know wouldn't hurt him. "Was Granger going to be me?" she asked after a moment of thought.

"Yeah." Weasley nodded. "But she couldn't capture the dead look in your eye," he continued as Olivia smirked. "Let alone get close enough to get your hair for the potion. So she went with Millicent Bulstrode, but she accidentally grabbed the girl's cat's hair and turned herself into a bloody furball." Weasley chuckled slightly, looking at Potter, who was also slightly amused. "You should've seen her tail."

They had to be making it up. "She turned herself into a cat?" Olivia asked, raising her brows.

"Mm-hmm," Potter nodded. "She was coughing up furballs for days."

"Huh." Olivia thought about it. "I heard she was in the hospital wing for a couple of days, but I didn't know why." She chuckled, shaking her head and looking down at her shoes. And for a moment, she was silent, as were the boys. "You two are bloody terrible at pretending to be people you aren't," she said, looking between them with a bored look. "I'll make you a deal."

"What is it?" Potter inquired, sounding wary.

"I won't tell anyone about your activities if you don't tell anyone that I am a parselmouth," she elaborated.

"You're a parselmouth?" Weasley practically shouted.

Slapping her hand over his mouth, Olivia glared at him, then at Potter. "I am surprised you didn't tell him," she admitted. Potter shrugged as she looked back at the redhead. "Yes, Weasley, I am a parselmouth. Now calm down and stop being so bloody loud," she scowled.

"Sorry," he sheepishly muttered, his voice barely audible past her hand.

She took a step back after a moment. "Now, do we have a deal or not?" she asked.

"We do," Potter agreed.

"Good." She reached out her hand, and he took it, shaking it, and then Weasley did the same. And with that, Olivia left the broom closet, going to the common room. They had just made a deal, but she knew that once Granger was awake, they would tell her. But that was fine with her; Granger knew how to keep secrets, or at least she hoped she did.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

Sitting in the Great Hall for dinner late that night was more relaxing than Olivia had thought it would be. No one was talking about the Chamber of Secrets, and she was glad for that. Perhaps it was because she threatened anyone who dared bring it up, but she didn't think so.

"So, Olivia, are you ever going to talk about what happened in the chamber?" Theodore asked, shoveling a whole choloclate frog (his pre-dinner snack) into his big mouth.

Olivia looked up from her book that sat on the table in time to see her friends wince at his bringing up of the topic, and Pansy smacked his arm lightly.

"What?" he muttered, confused with a mouth full of chocolate.

"Welcome back, Sir Nicholas," someone said a few seats down from Olivia, catching the girl's attention. She looked up at the ghost as he muttered a thank you in return and continued on his way, getting more 'good evenings' and 'welcome backs' from students he passed.

Olivia turned back to her book, looking down at its pages, leaving Theodore's question unanswered, just like every other time. Sighing after a second, she looked towards the doors, seeing Sir Nicholas float to them and Filch standing beside them with his cat, who was no longer petrified.

The sight saddened her. She really missed Tommy. But before she could get too involved in thinking of her dead cat, she looked at the open double doors, seeing none other than Granger.

She was glad the girl was no longer petrified; she didn't know what she'd do if she didn't have someone to compete with in class anymore. It was getting boring; she was afraid. Very, very boring. Her only semi-competitor had been Malfoy, and that was saying something.

She watched closely as the girl talked to the ghost, then turned to her table with a big smile on her face once Sir Nicholas disappeared. Granger ran towards the Gryffindor table, no doubt going to Potter and Weasley, and Olivia followed her with her eyes.

The girl ran straight into Potter's arms, wrapping her own around his neck in a tight hold. Then, after she pulled away, she faced Weasley. She went in for a hug, then seemed to realize what she was doing and stopped, taking a step back. The boy seemed to grow nervous and did the worst thing a boy could do—he stuck out his hand for Granger to shake, which she, of course, took.

Olivia breathed out a laugh, looking down at her book. Those two obviously had a crush on one another—it was so clear. After a moment, the sound of a glass clinking made Olivia look up, her eyes falling right on the professors at the front of the Great Hall.

"Can I have your attention, please?" McGonagall said, trying to get everyone's focus.

Dumbledore rose from his seat as everyone trained in on him. "Before we begin the feast, let us have a round of applause for Professor Sprout, Madam Pomfrey''—he gesturned to the two women beside him—"whose Mandrake juice has been so successfully administered to all who had been petrified."

The Great Hall broke out in applause just as told, and Theodore said, "You know, I wish Tommy would've only been pedtrifed; I miss that little beast," through the loud noise and cheers.

"Yeah, me too," Olivia muttered.

"Also, in light of recent events, as a school treat, all exams have been canceled," Dumbledore continued, causing most of the students to clap.

Olivia didn't. She looked displeased as she turned to Malfoy, who was indeed clapping this time around. "Why is that a school treat?" she asked, genuinely sounding confused. She knew that most students hated exams, but she loved them. That had to be the worst treat ever.

Malfoy turned to her, looking confused. From her question or the fact that she had talked to him out of all the others? She didn't know. Probably both.

Ignoring his confused look, Olivia glanced over at the Gryffindor table, seeing the same saddened and distasteful look on Granger's face. She was glad she was not alone.

The claps continued, giving into Olivia's massive headache, and then the doors of the Great Hall peeled open. The applause died quickly as Hagrid stepped in, finally returning from his days at Azkaban.

"Sorry, I'm late," the man said. "The owl that delivered my release papers got all lost and confused," he explained as he walked further into the hall. "Some ruddy bird called Errol."

Olivia chuckled under her breath, remembering that Weasley was supposed to send off the papers, meaning he probably used his owl—the one that was severely uncoordinated and a total mess. There were a few more laughs around the Great Hall, aimed at Weasley, whose eyes were wide and his face was pink with embarrassment.

Hagrid came to a stop in front of the Golden Trio, looking down at them with his back turned to the Slytherin table. "And I'd just like to say that, uh, if it hadn't been for you, Harry and Ron, and Hermione, of course... I would, uh, I'd still be you-know-where," he said, gesturing over his shoulder with his thumb. "So I—I'd just like to say thanks." He breathed out a laugh.

Olivia was glad that she wasn't involved in all of the lovey-dovey stuff.

Then Hagrid turned to her, and she cursed herself for speaking too soon. "And you, of course, Olivia," he added, giving her a small smile. She looked around as everyone's eyes fell on her, looking at her with raised brows. "I heard you helped around a bit. So, thanks."

She felt her face heat as everyone looked at her with shock, even her friends and Malfoy and Daphne. Her friends (and Malfoy and Daphne) had known that she had gone to the Chamber of Secrets; they just didn't know what happened. She was full of proof that the Slytherin stereotype everyone loved to hold onto was false, so why did she feel embarrassed? She shouldn't feel embarrassed, and she shouldn't feed into the prejudice everyone had, but she couldn't help it.

Wiping the shock from her expression, she could feel the curious, wondering-what-she-was-going-to-say-next looks she was receiving from the trio on her face. "What? I wasn't going to let Potter and his golden goose eggs have all of the fun." She smirked as everyone, but the Slytherins looked away disappointed, some muttering 'typical Slytherin.'

"Right then," Hagrid nodded as Olivia looked away.

A familiar pair of lingering eyes, not Malfoy for once, stayed on her face, and she could practically smell the disappointment coming from her brother's pores. She didn't dare meet his gaze. He was her younger brother, and she was scared of what he was thinking and of failing him with her feelings and words.

"There's no Hogwarts without you, Hagrid," she heard Potter say as she stared at her book.

Then Dumbledore stood and began clapping, and then most followed, and even some—but not many—Slytherins joined in this go-around. There were loud cheers as well, while Olivia remained quiet, looking down at her book but not reading the words.

She was upset with herself. Why had she said that? Why had she not said 'you're welcome, Hagrid' or 'just doing my part' or something a bit nicer—something that didn't make her sound like all of the bad that came with being a Slytherin? Something that didn't make herself or her brother disappointed in her. Why, indeed.

Once the feast was over and everyone had settled, Olivia trailed out of the Great Hall like someone had set her arse on fire. She wanted to get back to her room, continue reading her book, or perhaps go to bed, and not wake up until four in the morning per usual.

There were only a few weeks left at school, and she wanted to spend them with her head down, having enough attention for now. But the universe hated her.

"Olivia!" she heard Lucas call out, seemingly trying to catch up with her. "Olivia," he continued, coming up beside her and her fast pace. "What was that back there in the Great Hall?" He looked at her with creased brows.

"What do you mean?" she asked, giving him a small sideways glance, then facing forward.

"You know, the whole 'didn't want to let Potter and his golden goose eggs have all the fun.'"

"Oh, that," she muttered.

"Yes, that," he replied. "What was that? You would have never talked that way before."

"It was stupid, Lucas; it doesn't matter," she said. "Just forget it."

He sighed, the tension-filled moment lingering in the air as he looked forward. "This place is changing you, Livvy. I don't like it," he finally admitted. And with that said, he walked away without another word, leaving her in his dust.

She came to a stop, looking at his back as he walked away. This place is changing you. She gaped at his back, not moving, and wondered what he had meant by that. Had she truly changed? And was it enough to make him tell her so? Apparently.

And with that, the disappointment deepened, and her heart ached.

This place was changing her.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

━━━━ ella's speaking !
welp... there's only four chapters left in act two, and i'm so excited for act three !!

i hope you liked this chapter! comment and vote 🫶🏻

kisses.

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

word count: 2530. written: 10.18.23. published: 10.20.23.