BORN TO DIE ╱ DRACO MALFOY
꒷꒦ · ˚.‧ . written by ella . . . © -lostgardens
064 ━━━━━━━ ❛ the goblet of fire ❜

"Alastor Moody." That was how the Auror-turned-Professor started his very first Defense Against the Dark Arts class. He turned around so that his back was to the students. "Ex Auror..." He wrote his last name on the board. "Ministry malcontent..." He tossed the chalk onto his desk as he faced the peering eyes once more. "...and your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." He took a step forward. "I am here because Dumbledore asked me. End of story, goodbye, the end." Olivia rubbed her temples as his voice grew louder at the end. Then he took in a breath and grew quiet, returning to normal volume. "Any questions?"

The students remained silent as they just blankly stared at the man.

"When it comes to the Dark Arts... I believe in a practical approach," he continued, since no one had anything to ask him or simply nothing they had the courage to say. "But first, which of you can tell me how many Unforgivable Curses there are?" This question caused Olivia to lift her head, giving the man a curious look.

"Three, sir," Granger answered.

"And they are so named?" The professor faced the chalkboard, beginning to aggressively write something.

"Because they are unforgivable." The curly-haired Gryffindor, who sat at the table beside Olivia, seemed to struggle with her words, and the green-eyed girl focused on her. She watched Granger swallow the lump in her throat. "The use of any one of them will—"

"—will earn you a one-way ticket to Azkaban. Correct," Moody finished for her, practically growling his words as he continued to write. Then he swiftly looked at the students once more, and Olivia could see that it wrote three—the number circled—unforgivables. "Now, the Ministry says you're too young to see what these curses do." Olivia didn't need to see; she'd experienced one of them already, though it didn't fully work for reasons still unknown. "I say different!" His voice grew loud again. "You need to know what you're up against!" He turned his back on them. "You need to be prepared." He paused for a short moment. "You need to find another place to put your chewing gum besides the underside of your desk, Mr. Finnigan!"

Everyone glanced back at the called-out boy, seeing him sigh in frustration and slight embarrassment at the attention that was put on him. "No way. The old codger can see out the back of his head," he whispered to his tablemate.

Something went flying across the room as Moody turned and threw it, causing everyone to duck. "And hear across classrooms!" As the students sat up right, Olivia giving the man a look that said he was bloody mental, the professor moved forward. "So which curse shall we see first?" he asked, his voice low. His scarred face was twisted in what Olivia believed was a usual sneer. "Weasley!"

"Yes?" the redhead replied nervously, looking up at the man.

"Stand," Moody ordered, and the boy did what he was told, rather slowly. "Give us a curse."

"Well, m-my dad did tell me about one," he said, looking fearful of the man he faced, who just hummed in response, waiting for him to name it. "The Imperius Curse." His voice was so shaky, like he was going to get cursed for even saying it.

"Oh, yeah, your father would know all about that," Moody informed. "Gave the Ministry quite a bit of grief a few years ago." He paused, shifting from one foot to another. "Perhaps this will show you why," he dragged his words before turning away and moving back to his desk.

All of the students watched the man out of curiosity. He just worked at his desk, preparing for what he was about to demonstrate. Olivia had a bad feeling about this, wanting to be out of the class as soon as possible. She glanced at Pansy beside her, who was also giving her a worried look.

When they both focused back on the professor, they watched as he removed the lid from one of his many containers, placing his hand inside and picking up whatever was. "Hello," he said, almost softly, to the thing he was looking at and holding. He then reached into his coat pocket with his empty hand and drew out his wand, pointing it at what he held. "Engorgio," he cast, causing the thing to grow larger. And then... "Imperio!"

He had done it. He'd used an Unforgivable.

Moody was now in complete control of the being. With a wave of his wand, he lifted the creature from his hand and guided it to the table right in front of him, where Longbottom and Thomas sat, and the latter let out a startled gasp. Some students giggled in amusement as the spider was moved closer to Thomas. Then it jumped onto Crabbe's head, with the help of Moody, causing him to squint his eyes closed and place his hands on the side of his face.

"Don't worry. It's completely harmless," Moody assured the boy. Then he moved onto one of the Patil twins' hands as some students continued to laugh, including them. The arachnid landed on the girl, causing her smile to drop.

If that wretched man even thought of putting that thing on Olivia, she'd have a few choice words for him. She watched it move from the girl's hand, up her sleeve, and rest on her shoulder. The sound of Draco and Goyle's amusement was clear behind Olivia. And she was sure she heard Blaise and Theodore snickering somewhere. Pansy beside her just remained wide-eyed, probably praying to Salazar that it didn't come anywhere near her.

The spider floated above Weasley's head next, causing him to whine in fear with an expression that went well with it.

"She's lethal," the professor teased, watching him freak out. The man cackled, amused at his own antics. Then, Draco let out a particularly louder laugh than everyone else, and Moody's attention fell on him. "What are you laughing at?" he asked.

Not even a blink of an eye, and the creature shot across the room. Olivia curled into Pansy, grimacing at the thing being near her, covering her face with her hands, and muttered, "Sweet Merlin." The thing went past her and landed right on the blonde's face. Olivia sat up straight, peeling her hands from her eyes, and quickly turned around.

Draco faced Goyle with it still on his face. "Get off!" he yelled at the multi-legged thing as he began hysterically panicking. Goyle began swatting at it, and Olivia fought back a laugh, not wanting it on her next. "Get off!" Pansy also tried not to show her amusement at her friend's suffering as the boy flailed his arms around.

Moody laughed almost manically. "Talented, isn't she?" he inquired, not looking for any real response, and let out another laugh. "What should I have her do next?" He looked at the other students for suggestions. "Jump out the window?" he proposed, tossing the creature across the room. The nasty little thing landed right into a circle of glass, and everyone went quiet. The humor sucked from the room in an instant. "Drown herself?" The man lowered the spider right over a bucket, his own voice now void of any emotion as he let it hover right above the pail.

Everyone watched intently, with Olivia feeling a pit in her stomach.

He brought the spider back over to him and set it back in his hand. "Scores of witches and wizards have claimed that they only did You-Know-Who's bidding under the influence of the Imperius Curse. But here's the rub." He studied everyone's faces. "How do we sort out the liars?"

"Another, another," the man grumbled after a moment, wanting someone else to tell him one of the two remaining curses to go over. "Up, up. Come on." A few students raised their hands slowly, including Longbottom, which was quite shocking to Olivia, but he was the one sitting closest to the professor. "Longbottom, is it? Up." The boy rose from his seat to stand almost as tall as the professor. "Professor Sprout tells me you have an aptitude for herbology."

Neville nodded. "Th-There's the, um..." he fell silent as he thought of the name, then his tone grew more confident, "the Cruciatus Curse."

"Correct! Correct." Moody pointed his wand at him with each saying of the word. "Come, come!" He looked at his desk, gesturing with his wand, using it like a hand, for the boy to come closer to him. "Particularly nasty," he muttered as the Gryffindor rounded his table. Moody set the arachnid down on the surface in front of him, while the clearly nervous boy stood across from him. "The torture curse," the professor elaborated, then pointed his wand at the creature. "Curcio!"

The spider started squealing loudly in pain, and Olivia's ears rang. She studied Longbottom as he just stared down at the table, knowing what happened to his parents so long ago. It continued to squeal, only getting louder and louder with each second, causing the boy to grimace like he was the one the curse was being used against. The sound was so high-pitched that it was hurting everyone's ears in the classroom.

"Stop it!" Granger shouted, focusing on Moody. "Can't you see it's bothering him!? Stop it!"

It was like her shouting knocked Moody out of his trance as he glanced at her, then at the boy in front of him. He removed his wand, ending the curse. The spider settled, no longer in pain, and the squealing subsided while the professor cleared his throat.

Longbottom's eyes squeezed shut, seeming like he was trying to forget what had just happened, and Olivia didn't fault him. Her attention moved to the professor as he picked up the spider, turning to the students once more. "Um..." he muttered, clearing his throat again. He walked to Granger, setting the creature on her books atop her desk. The girl's chin wobbled like she was about to cry, her eyes not focused on the man. "Perhaps you could give us the last Unforgivable Curse, Miss Granger."

Hermione glanced at him for a second, only shaking her head in response and holding back tears.

"No?" Moody nodded understandably. There was only a moment for Olivia to blink before... "Avada Kedavra!" The wand was aimed at the spider, and Olivia flinched as the familiar green light shot from the tip of it.

The creature went lifeless.

It took Olivia a moment to focus on the now-dead spider, but when she did, she couldn't stop staring at it. It was lying on his back, on top of Granger's books. At that moment, Olivia realized that the thing could've been her if she hadn't survived the night of the World Cup. She could've been the one lying on her back, dead at the hands of someone who, she assumed, hadn't even batted an eye before using the curse.

"The Killing Curse," Moody stated. "Only one person is known to have survived it." He paused, his eyes casting towards Harry. Olivia sank further into her seat, heaving in a shaky breath. "Now two." There were confused murmurs around the room as Olivia's eyes snapped up to the man, who was already looking at her. Potter too. Then she looked away again. "And they're both sitting in this room." He took a few steps closer to Potter, stopping in front of his desk, his eyes casting between the two he spoke of.

"Who's the second?" Finnigan asked.

Moody continued to stare at Olivia as she ran a hand through her hair, trying to keep calm. The man took a few slow steps to her table, and he stopped in front of her. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, and she wanted to crawl into her own skin and hide. That was a new feeling for her, but one she was experiencing strongly.

"It didn't hit me," she muttered.

Moody's brows were raised questioningly. "What was that?"

Her gaze shot up at him, narrowing. "It didn't hit me." It wasn't the truth, but it was what she was going to say. And she'd tell herself and everyone else that until it stuck.

The professor leaned in a little closer, his voice grumbly. "Is that what you were told to say?"

Her mouth opened and closed once before she looked down at the books in front of her. Moody hummed knowingly, focusing on Potter again, and dug around in his pockets. He pulled out his flask and took a swig of whatever it contained, and then he moved away from the boy, going back to his desk at the front of the class.

Olivia felt like she couldn't breathe.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

"So, how did you survive?" Theodore asked as they walked out of class. "Are you immortal? Invincible? What did it feel like? Did it hurt?" He continued, staring at Olivia's back and not seeing how she was trying to calm her breathing by rubbing her hand over her chest. Their friends followed, remaining silent. "I mean, I knew you were interesting, but I never thought you'd survive the killing curse," he practically gleamed. "Do you have some secret ability that makes you immune to its effects? Oh, thank Salazar that Potter is no longer someone special."

Olivia whipped around, growing frustrated. "Theodore, just stop it!" Her arms slashed through the air between them. "Just stop it."

The boy stopped in his tracks, as did their friends behind him, with his eyes going wide at her tone, only seeing a fuming Olivia in front of him. Then he seemed to realize he had been bombarding her with questions, and his gaze dropped from hers, focusing on the ground.

Olivia breathed in a few times, looking at the rest of their group, who seemed to be just as sheepish as Theodore now was, and then she turned around and began walking away. She needed some space and some time to think, and she wasn't going to get that when crowded by a lot of people who only wanted to know how she survived an Unforgivable.

"Olivia," said the familiar voice of the one person she did not want to speak to at that moment. Then she felt a hand on her arm, and she was turned around.

"Draco, I don't have time for—"

Her words fell short when he pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her with a hand resting on the back of her head. She was still for a moment, almost tense, as she registered what was happening. It wasn't like they hadn't hugged before, but it had only been a few times, so this was a new concept to her. She inhaled, taking in the familiar scent of him, and she felt herself relax. And then she wrapped her arms around his midsection, hugging him back.

They stayed like that, his scent and presence calming her no matter how much she envied it, until she pulled back and left for their next class. Her friends followed her, and they powered through the rest of the day, Olivia remaining quiet in their lessons, at lunch, and during their free period, until she was able to escape to the library alone. She'd been sitting in there for an hour when the familiar Hufflepuff boy approached her table and sat down across from her. Her eyes cast up to meet his gaze, seeing a small smile curled on his lips.

"So everyone knows about, uh..." he paused for a moment, trying to think of how he should word it, "what happened." His voice was hushed since they were in the library, and Olivia wondered if he was talking in a low tone so as to not draw attention to her.

Olivia's brows raised. She knew what he was alluding to—it didn't take a genius to figure it out, but she was just shocked that he would think that was a wise way to start their conversation. Wiping the surprise off her face, she glanced down at her book before sitting up straighter and clearing her throat as she met his gaze once more. "Word sure does travel quite quickly around here," she sighed.

He gave her a short nod. "Yeah." Then they both fell silent again, with him just staring at her and her eyes going between him and the book she was reading. "Were you not allowed to speak of it? Is that why you cut me off last night?" he asked, raising his brows and folding his hands together on top of the table.

She nodded in response. "Uhm, Crouch said that we must not tell anyone, clearing Moody had other plans." Then she seemed to think about it, and her brows furrowed in confusion. How did Moody know? He hadn't been there, and he was an ex-Auror, so he was not currently working for the Ministry, so he wouldn't have been in any kind of briefing or in her parents' inquiry. So, how did he know? And if he was supposed to be a top-secret thing, someone had to have told him? Who was that 'someone'?

Before she could voice her thoughts, let alone even think of voicing her thoughts to Cedric, the boy went to speak. "Do want to ta—" His voice caused her eyes to snap to him.

Someone clearing their throat, however, behind the boy cut him off from speaking any further. He turned around to see who it was, and Olivia looked up. Her eyes landed on two familiar boys, one sporting white-blonde hair and stormy eyes to go with his pale skin and soft-turning-hard-with-age features, and the other with brunette curls and dead blue eyes as well as freckled, slightly tan skin and sharp features.

Draco leaned his back against the bookshelf he and Theodore stood beside, his eyes trained on the boy Olivia sat across from, who was matching his gaze with the same narrow-eyed look. Theodore, on the other hand, stood next to him with his arms crossed and his focus on the girl. "Uhm, Olivia, can we talk?" he asked in a soft tone, unusual given his natural sarcastic and playful tone.

Draco's eyes fell on his best friend, while Olivia said, "Yeah, sure." She stood up from her seat, packing up her bag, and shrugged the strap of it onto her shoulder. Then she focused on Cedric, who was staring up at her from where he sat in his seat. "We can talk later." She offered a tight smile, and he returned it, a little brighter than hers. And then she walked towards the two boys, following them as they made their way away from the Hufflepuff.

When they came to a stop around one of the many bookshelves in the library, Theodore turned to face her with a sorrowful expression. "I'm sorry about earlier," he began, then let out a breath. "You almost died, and I was bombarding you with questions about it instead of being there for you, and I see now that I shouldn't have done that." He offered her a sheepish half-smile. "I am truly sorry."

She returned his smile with a soft one of her own. "It's all right, Theodore."

It truly was.

His brows shot to his forehead in surprise. "Really? You're not upset with me?"

She nodded, her smile widening. "Yes, really. And, no, I am not upset with you," she replied, continuing to look up at him as she leaned in a little closer to add to her point.

He let out a relieved breath, and his half-smile turned more into a full grin. "Good, because I don't know how I would survive if you weren't talking to me like you do with Blondie sometimes," he admitted, going back to his usual teasing tone as he threw a thumb over his shoulder, gesturing to Draco, who stood behind him with his arms crossed.

Olivia lightly laughed, shaking her head in amusement. She could never be or stay angry with Theodore. He was entirely too him for that.

"All right. Well, I should go before Blaise finds a new chess partner," he told her, but he didn't make a move to leave.

She knew him too well, and she knew that he was still hoping for answers to his questions. And the more she thought about it, she realized that he would be fine with answering them and explaining everything now that it was out in the open.

Olivia crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a knowing look, to which he countered with a questioning one. "Perhaps I will explain it all to you later," she offered, letting out a breath as if the topic were something unimportant.

His excitement seemed to return. "Really?"

She nodded with a hum.

"All right!" He gleamed like Pansy when she got new shoes, and then he turned and walked away.

Olivia and Draco both watched him as he made his way towards the doors, and then he was gone, and then she turned to the blonde. She raised her brows questioningly, her arms still crossed over her chest, as Draco looked down at her. "Did you make him do that?" she inquired.

"No, he wanted to," he answered, lifting his chin slightly. Then a small smirk curled at his lips, which Olivia may or may not have glanced at before focusing back on his eyes when she caught herself. Who was to say? "But I may have encouraged him a little."

She tilted her head knowingly. "Encouraged him?"

His smirk deepened, still staring down at her with his stormy eyes as he shrugged his shoulders, and she couldn't help but put a smile on her own face, looking down at the black boots she wore, courtesy of Blaise.

"Well, thank you," she said as she looked back up at him.

He sarcastically gaped, placing a hand over his heart. "What is this, Olivia Katherine Mallard thanking me, Draco Lucius Malfoy, with no obligation?" He narrowed his gaze at her in faux suspicion. "I am shocked."

She fake-laughed, rolling her eyes. "Every time I've thanked you, it has not been out of obligation; I can assure you that," she replied, giving him a matter-of-fact look. She watched him raise his brows and wave his hand for her to continue. She opened her mouth as she thought of an answer, and then she pointed a telling finger at him. "I thanked you for the painting of Tommy; that wasn't an obligation."

"Well, you see, it was a gift, so it was indeed an obligation since it would've been quite rude for you to respond in any other way," he explained with his signature smug smirk, and she narrowed her eyes at him.

Olivia dropped her arms to her sides, then moved them behind her back and brought her hands together, the right one pushing her bag more into her side as she stepped closer to the boy. She didn't miss how he straightened his spine slightly and noticeably swallowed a lump in his throat, his smirk faltering a little. "Trust me when I say that I wouldn't have offered my gratitude unless I truly meant it," she stated, lifting her chin. Then she turned away from him with pride in each step she took.

He didn't follow, but she could feel his eyes on her back.

She only took a few more steps before she faced him again, giving him a questioning gaze. "Are you coming?"

"What?" he confusedly replied, his voice a little quiet.

She raised her brows, nodding to the exit. "To the Great Hall?" She paused as he seemed to break from whatever trance he had been in. "I'm sure there are a lot of people placing their names in that goblet. I want to see who is willingly putting themselves into a death trap tournament. And I can almost fully guarantee that some are going to try and fail at bypassing the age line Dumbledore put in place."

"Right," he nodded, clearing his throat, then he began moving forward, coming to stand next to her.

They made their way out of the library and into the corridor, trailing along it to go to the Great Hall, where they were sure most older students would be. They were silent for a few minutes, just continuing to walk side-by-side, their shoulders brushing due to their closeness. Olivia glanced over at him every so often and would sometimes catch him already looking at her. And she cursed herself for the heat that it brought to her face each time.

"I want you to know that neither I nor my father had anything to do with the attack at the Quidditch World Cup," Draco assured her out of the blue, eyeing her almost pleadingly. She focused on him with a saddened look, remembering back to him trying to help her. "We weren't aware of what was going to happen; we weren't in on it; and we aren't a part of the ones who did attack," he continued, his tone soft to match his gaze. She could see the flickers of blue seeping into his gray eyes, like the sky peeking through clouds. "I truly hope you believe me because I am telling the truth."

She opened her mouth but quickly closed it, hesitant to respond. Inhaling deeply, she released the breath through her mouth as she focused in front of them as they continued to walk. She thought for a moment, his words on her mind, before she glanced at him again. He met her gaze, and she sent him a small, soft smile. "I believe you."

It was the truth. She did believe him.

She believed him when he said that he had nothing to do with it. And she believed him about how he believed his father had nothing to do with it. She, however, wasn't so sure that his father wasn't up to his old ways. But she kept that to herself, not wanting to upset the boy that she was just starting to get along with again. There were no bumps in their near future. Or, at least, she hoped there wasn't.

"You do?" he asked, sounding almost surprised by the fact.

She hummed, nodding her head.

A soft grin curled the corners of his mouth, and then he focused on the ground as they kept moving forward. He went quiet, and so did she, but he seemed to be lost in his thoughts while she had nothing clouding her mind. It was odd to see it for herself—someone stuck in their mind—since it was usually Olivia who was the one not being able to escape her always-running mind.

They walked a few more steps as she studied the side of his face, and then she gently bumped his shoulder with her own, like he had done to her once when they'd been sitting in the Astronomy Tower, and he met her gaze. Another soft smile was sent his way, and he returned it. They both faced forward, and then he playfully bumped her shoulder back, causing her smile to deepen along with his. She returned the gesture, and then he copied her.

Finally, they came to a stop at the double doors of the Great Hall. Olivia pushed them open, and he followed closely behind her as they made their way over to where they saw their friends sitting on the wooden benches. Theodore and Blaise were playing a round of chess, and Olivia shook her head at the fact that the boys couldn't stay away from that game for longer than two minutes, unless they were in lessons. And even then, they were itching to get their hands back on the board. Lucas watched them intently, only casting a glance up at his sister when he realized she was there. He sent her a small smile, then focused back on the chessboard. Pansy sat beside the younger boy, checking her nails, most likely bored that her... whatever Blaise was to her, was completely infatuated with a match.

When she noticed Olivia and Draco, her face brightened. "I was beginning to wonder where you two were," she admitted, her tone laced with something Olivia couldn't quite place. It wasn't teasing, and it wasn't quite knowing; it was a happy medium. She couldn't seem to think of a word to describe it, but she knew she didn't like it. It was as if Pansy were insinuating something.

"We were just in the library, talking," Olivia informed her, moving to sit beside the girl while Draco sat next to her.

Pansy hummed in response, seeming as if that wasn't the answer she had been expecting.

Olivia ignored her best friend's odd behavior and glanced around the hall. It was tinted a dark blue color from the flames of the goblet and there were students crowded around, some there for the same reason Olivia was, pure curiosity, since they were not of age to put their names forth, and others there for mere moral support of the ones who were putting their names in. And, of course, the ones actually entering for a free signing of a death warrant.

A Durmstrang boy began walking closer to the goblet, his piece of parchment in his hand, as a couple of his schoolmates stood beside him, and two Hogwarts boys stood together, watching him intently like he was a Muggle magician and about to release birds from his hat. "Put it in. Do it," one of the boys encouraged. "Go on. That's it!" The boy placed his name in the flame, and some students applauded.

Olivia let out a sigh, dropping her still-bandaged hand onto the space of the seat beside her, only for it to brush against Draco's and her heart to beat a little quicker. She didn't look at him, but she could feel his burning gaze on the side of her face as she focused forward. Watching as another boy put his name in, the applause continued.

"They're bloody stupid for that," Olivia muttered.

"Come on, Cedric," a Hufflepuff boy said, catching Olivia's attention. Or perhaps it was the name he spoke that caught her attention. She watched as the boy she didn't know the name of dragged his all-too-familiar friend forward along with another male classmate of theirs. "Put it in!" The two pushed Cedric towards the goblet and age line, and he turned to them with a bright smile.

"Not so stupid now, are they?" Lucas whispered to his sister at the same time as Pansy leaned closer to her with a smirk, teasing, "There's your boyfriend, Olivia." Then they glanced at one another with knowing, matching smirks.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Yes, they are still stupid, and he's not my anything," she told the two, rather matter-of-factly. Then she raised her chin ever so slightly and focused on the boy again. Cedric took a few steps back, turning to the goblet before lifting his hand and placing a piece of parchment into the flame. Most everyone, not including Olivia, clapped for him as if they were proud that his name was accepted. Olivia didn't know why they'd be surprised or proud. He met the only requirements to enter: he was willing and seventeen.

Cedric took a step back from the goblet, passing the age line, and turned to Olivia. He sent her a small smile and a short wave, completely ignoring the wave and grin that Weasley sent him, and she returned it. Then he went back to his friends to celebrate his stupidity, and Olivia heard Draco scoff from beside her.

Facing him, she saw that he was not looking at her anymore. It only took him a moment to notice her lingering gaze, and when he did, he glanced at her, and she gave him a questioning look with a lift of her brows. He let out a breath. "He acts like you two weren't just speaking in the library."

Olivia fought back her amusement at his clear jealousy and just watched as the cheering got louder for a moment before focusing on him again. "Don't worry," she began, causing his gaze to find hers. "You're still my favorite." Her voice was hushed as she leaned closer to him.

He raised his brows. "Am I? Am I your favorite person?" He didn't sound quite convinced.

She pondered his words for a moment, and her mouth opened to respond, but nothing came out as a smile creeped on her lips. She saw him fighting a smirk himself as she shook her head gently. "Perhaps not my favorite, but you're up there."

"And where would that be?" he asked.

"Third," she stated, giving him a short nod.

He lifted his chin, understanding. "Ah, so who is above me?"

"Lucas and Pansy," she answered with a smile.

"Right," he breathed, looking away from her for a second. "Well, that's to be expected."

She shrugged her shoulders, giving him a knowing look. "But, like I said, you're third." She paused, leaning closer to him again. "My little lap dragon," she whispered in a teasing tone with a smirk.

He just shook his head while smiling, facing forward. She continued to stare at him as he seemed to think, and then he met her gaze again. "And to think that there was a time when I wouldn't have been close to the top of that list."

She just smiled, then the cheers around the Great Hall picked up again, and she turned to the opening doors. Her eyes caught Pansy's for a moment, seeing the girl giving her a curious look. Ignoring the gaze, she found the Weasley twins walking in through the double doors as they cheered. They ran towards where everyone else was, both holding something in their hands, and she was assuming it was something to help them enter their names. The two redheads went to the opposite side of where Olivia sat with her friends, high-fiving the students who stood and cheered for them.

"Well, lads, we've done it," one of them said, holding up the vial.

Olivia got up from her seat and began walking over towards them.

"Cooked it up this morning," the other added.

"It's not going to work," Granger told them in a singsong voice as Olivia came to stop beside her with her arms crossed over her chest.

"For once, I have to agree with her," Olivia muttered.

The twins turned around, and they were greeted by the back of the brother's friend's curly mess, which she liked to call hair. Their gazes found Olivia, who just sent them a smirk before they moved forward to squat down on either side of the Gryffindor girl. "Oh, yeah?" the right one asked.

"And why is that, Granger?" the other asked.

"You see this?" Granger pointed at the age line, preparing to prove them wrong. She motioned her finger in a circle, like how the white and glowing line was as the twins focused on it. "This is an age line." She paused, dropping her hand, her eyes still on the line. "Dumbledore drew it himself." She slowly faced the one on her left, whom Olivia believed was George.

"So?" asked Fred, with a small smirk.

Granger scoffed in disbelief and glanced at him before looking forward. She closed her book, lifting it and setting it back on her lap. "So..." she continued, letting out another scoff. "A genius like Dumbledore couldn't possibly be fooled by a dodge as pathetically dimwitted as an Aging Potion."

"Ah, but that's why it's so brilliant," Fred countered.

"'Cause it's so pathetically dimwitted," George finished.

Then the boys laughed and stood up. They stepped onto the bench, standing taller than everyone, as they shook the potions in their hands. Olivia moved a little closer, looking up at them with her arms still crossed and her brows slightly raised. They glanced back at her, pointing at her as they shot her a wink, to which she just shook her head in amusement. Then they looked forward.

"Ready, Fred?"

"Ready, George."

The twins took the corks out of their vials at the same time, then faced each other as they locked their arms so that they were drinking the potion that the other held. "Bottoms up," they said in unison, then turned the vials up and drank. Once they were done, they jumped down across the age line, and when they were successful, students cheered. "Yes!" the boys said, causing the cheering and applause to grow louder.

Olivia watched in surprise, shocked that they actually succeeded. Her eyes found her friends, who were now standing—not that they'd admit it, but interested in the Gryffindor boys antics. Draco's upper lip was slightly curled up in disgust or annoyance, with his arms folded until his eyes fell on Olivia. His face went blank with only a hint of a small lift at the corners of his mouth as he stared at the girl, which she matched, staring back. Pansy leaned her head against Blaise's arm, seeming either bored or tired, while Lucas and Theodore just stood beside them with flat expressions.

The twins laughed and danced, then turned to the goblet. They reached up, placing their parchments right at the flames and tossed them in. Waiting a moment, everyone watched for something malicious to happen, but nothing did. "Yeah!" the twins smugly beamed, looking at one another, then clapped their hands together.

They'd actually done it. Their names were now in the Goblet of Fire.

Well, that was what they and everyone else thought until the flames shot out, causing them all to back away quickly. Unfortunately for the twins, the flames hit them and threw them across the hall. They landed near the tall double doors with a thump, and Olivia brushed past other students to get closer to them.

Some around them laughed as they slowly sat up, showcasing their new white and gray hair with matching beards and eyebrows. Their hands were on either side of their faces, seeming utterly shocked and horrified at what had happened to them. Olivia supposed it was like looking in a mirror as they stared at one another.

Draco came to stand beside her, and she glanced up at him. She brought her hand up to mess with his hair, which was quite soft now that he no longer piled it with gel to achieve the slicked-back style, as she jokingly said, "They sort of look like you."

He just removed her hand from his hair and gave her a bored look, which she smirked at.

"You said!" one of the white-haired boys clipped.

The other countered in the same tone, pointing an accusing finger, "You said!"

Then they began to tussle, one on top of the other, as they fought. "Oh, you want a piece of me!?" George asked in annoyance, rolling around so that his brother had the lesser hand. "Get off, or I'll tear your ear off!" Fred retorted in a matching tone as students continued to gather around. "Come on! Take this! Come on!" one shouted as they continued to fight and throw fists into each other's sides.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" students chanted in amusement.

Olivia glanced back and saw Weasley in on the chanting as it continued, then she moved her attention behind him, seeing Granger sitting back down with a disapproving expression on her face. The brown-eyed girl looked around at her schoolmates, then focused on her book.

"We're old school, eh?" Fred asked, still rolling around on the ground with his twin.

George retorted, "Yeah, but you look older!"

The chanting stopped, and everyone looked at the opening Great Hall doors. Fred and George continued with their antics on the ground as Viktor Krum, Karkaroff, and another Durmstrang boy, whom Olivia didn't know or care about learning the name of, walked in, their expressions stern and cold. Krum seemed determined, his attention solely on the goblet, not even letting a glance shift to anyone or anything else in the room.

Everyone watched in silence, parting so that the boy could pass the age line. Krum lifted his arm, placed his parchment in the flame, and only then did he let his gaze fall onto someone else. Not just some random person—Granger. And this did not go unnoticed by Olivia. Then the boy turned away and walked out of the Great Hall.

Olivia sat back down with her friends, her mind completely consumed with who was entering the tournament and how their close ones must be worried. But then she thought about how Cedric, Krum, and that ravenclaw boy entered with the support of their friends. And even the twins had the support and encouragement of those around them. She was just glad that none of her friends, and especially Lucas, weren't able to enter. But she realized that if they had been able to put their names in, she would've supported them with her whole heart too, giving them the courage to believe that they could win if selected.

She liked to believe that the gesture would be reciprocated.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

━━━━ ella's speaking !
draco and olivia teehee 🤭 — what did y'all think about this chapter? i hope you liked it!

make sure to comment and vote 🫶🏻

kisses.

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

word count: 6887.   written: 2.27-29.24.   published: 3.18.24.