BORN TO DIE ╱ DRACO MALFOY
꒷꒦ · ˚.‧ . written by ella . . . © -lostgardens
088 ━━━━━━ ❛ room of requirement ❜

A few days later, Olivia, the Golden Trio, Neville, Lucas, and the Weasley twins stood in the empty area of the Room of Requirement. Neville had found it. He had actually done it. And it was just by chance that he did. According to him, he'd simply been walking down the corridor when Crabbe and Goyle bumped into him. Then he walked by the wall of the corridor, trying to get away before they decided to mess with him some more, and a door appeared suddenly, giving him his escape.

"You've done it, Neville," Granger told him, sounding proud yet surprised by the fact. "You found the Room of Requirement."

"W-Well, it was Olivia's idea," Neville replied shyly, looking over at the girl whom he spoke of.

"You found it, though." Olivia smiled at him and patted his arm. "You deserve the credit."

"Yes, remember what Olivia said? The Room of Requirement, also known as the Come and Go Room, only shows up when one is in real need of it," Hermione explained, reuttering what Olivia had told them the day Dumbledore's Army was created. "You are the reason it was found—you needed it. It's always equipped for the seeker's needs."

"So, say you really needed the toilet," Weasley suggested, causing Olivia to roll her eyes. Only he would think of that as a possibility.

"Charming, Ronald," Hermione replied with a slightly tight tone, obviously not amused by his suggestion. She didn't even glance at him; she just stared forward, doing what she did best—studying in the room. "But yes, that is the general idea."

"It's brilliant!" Harry beamed, focusing on the large room as well. Olivia looked over at him with a hint of a smile, knowing that he was excited that they had found somewhere to practice and would be undisturbed. "It's like Hogwarts wants us to fight back."

Olivia placed her hand on his shoulder, catching his attention. He looked over at him, meeting her gaze, and she sent him a kind smile. "It does," she assured him, and she truly believed, as did everyone in the room.

They were going to fight back.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

Later the next day, they stood in that same room once more, this time with all of the other members. Harry and Olivia stood in front of the two lines of students, watching as Neville raised his wand to the target in front of him, made to look like a Death Eater for training purposes. The boy sheepishly looked over to the two teachers, and they both nodded for him to go on and try to hit the target.

"Expelliarmus," Neville cast, but the magic traveled down the length of his wand and shot it from his hand. It went backwards and over the heads of the group of students behind, who all bent down so they wouldn't be hit. And the wand stuck itself into the wall mirror behind them.

Neville sighed as everyone began to stand up straight again. "I'm hopeless."

Olivia and Harry gave each other a look before Harry drew out his own wand and pointed it at the target. "You're just flourishing your wand too much," he explained as Neville watched him closely. "Try it like this." He waved his wand and effortlessly cast "Expelliarmus." And with that, the wand of the target was flicked away from it and fell to the ground, and most everyone looked at Harry with surprise at how easily he'd done that.

That demonstration stuck with them for the rest of the day and into the next when they sat in Umbridge's classroom. Olivia sat with Pansy at one of the desks as the professor walked down the length of the aisles and between the rows of seats.

"You will please copy the approved text four times to ensure maximum retention," the older witch instructed them, taking glances at what each student was working on, perhaps making sure they were actually doing their assignment. Her voice made Olivia want to curse her and then stab her own eyes out with her wand. "There will be no need to talk."

"No need to think is more like it," Granger retorted in a low tone as she barely looked up from her parchment, though it was quite loud enough for everyone to hear.

The professor just gave Hermione a side glance while Olivia fought a proud smirk, which she could see Pansy doing from the corner of her eye as well, though the girl would never admit it, not even on her deathbed. "Wands away," Umbridge ordered, her gaze now on Neville, who looked up at her with a bit of nervousness in his expression.

Olivia found his gaze as he put away his wand, and she knew that he'd probably been practicing how to cast the spell that kept holding him up. She simply gave him a reassuring smile before focusing back on her parchment, ignoring the eyes burning a hole in the back of her head.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

Back in the Room of Requirement, Harry and Olivia stood in the open center of the room, while everyone else was gathered on either side of them. "Stunning is one of the most useful spells in your arsenal," the glasses-wearing boy told them as he walked closer to Olivia, who stood opposite him. "It's like a wizard's bread and butter, really." The others watched him with complete focus as he stopped next to his fellow instructor. "So, um, come on then, Nigel." He turned around to face the boy, whom he spoke to, and Olivia just stepped aside while Nigel stepped forward. "Give me your best shot."

Nigel looked almost frightened as he faced Harry, then he took a step back and threw his arm forward with much effort. "Stupefy!" he called out, and the spell hit Harry square in the chest, as it was meant to, and sent him flying backward. But Nigel also went backwards as well. Both boys fell on their backs hard, causing the metal of the grate floor they stood on to rattle with the force.

Harry sat up slowly. "Good. Not bad at all, Nigel. Well done."

Nigel sat up as well, while the ones around them praised him for how well he'd done, though he'd thrown himself back too. Then Olivia stepped forward as Harry stood. "Harry, might Lucas and I go next?" she asked, holding her hands together behind her back. She glanced over at her brother, who stood across from her. "I want to see if he still remembers the basics."

"Yes, of course," Harry told her, still slightly wincing from the force with which he'd been hit and fallen to the ground.

Olivia smiled and moved to the side where Harry had been standing, while Lucas went to where Nigel had been. She twirled her wand between her fingers before she lifted it, and Lucas raised his as well, both of them preparing to practice.

Her brother wasted no time in casting the stunning spell, which, to no surprise, she deflected. He squared his shoulders as she gave him a knowing smirk and tilted her head. Then, before she could open her mouth to send one back, to test if he could deflect it as well, he cast "Stupefy!" once more.

The spell hit her right in the chest and sent her flying backward. She landed hard on the ground like Harry had done, and Lucas stayed in place, not falling as Nigel had done. She let out a small groan, holding her ribs and still clutching her wand, as everyone stared at her.

A second later, she sat up with a proud smile on her face. "You have been practicing, I see," she told her brother, who just smirked pridefully in response. Then they both made their way back into the crowds, and Olivia watched as some of the others praised Lucas for his work with the spell.

After that, Harry told his two best friends that it was their turn to demonstrate.

"Don't worry," the redhead boy told the girl, who stood in front of the fireplace, where Nigel and Lucas had stood. Olivia could hear him from where she was standing next to Harry, waiting for the demonstration to begin. "I'll go easy on you." He spoke as if he were doing her a favor. It almost made Olivia laugh, but she held it in.

"Thanks, Ronald," Granger said with a smile and a small and grateful nod, though her tone seemed as if she couldn't believe his underestimation of her abilities. He returned her nod, and then she shook her head slightly while watching him walk away and go to the other end of the room.

"Come on, Ron," the twins encouraged their brother, and some others joined.

The boy settled at the other end of the room, turning to face Hermione. He looked and seemed confident that he'd have the upper hand on the girl, but Olivia wasn't so sure. She'd seen how Weasley was with a wand and magic. Her mind flashed back to when he stupidly used his broken wand and tried to make Draco vomit slugs, but instead, the spell hit himself, and he suffered the effects of it.

Granger, on the other hand, looked focused with her flat and serious expression as she prepared herself for him to try and hit her with the stunning spell. And when his mouth opened to cast the stunner and his wand moved just the slightest, she hurried to do it before he could. "Stupefy!" she called out, planting her feet, flicking her wand, and hitting him with a wave of magic.

He let out a pathetic, almost whimper-like shout as he went flying back, the confidence leaving his expression in an instant as it turned frightened. He fell right on his back, and everyone stared at him. Olivia let out a small laugh, stifling as she covered her mouth with her hand, as some of the other girls (and Lucas and his friends) did as well. She turned to Harry, who was still beside her, seeing a small yet amused smile on his face.

Weasley eventually got up and walked over to his older brothers, who seemed disappointed by his loss but amused at the same time. Olivia saw the three look over at Granger and the group of girls surrounding her as the younger boy spoke, watching them all proudly giggling at the fact that she got the better of him with little effort, and Hermione stared back with a smile on her face.

After that, more pairs went against one another, and just before they were about to call it a night, Granger stepped forward. "Olivia, Harry, as one last round for the night, you two should have a go against one another," she suggested.

Most everyone around them voiced their agreements, and Olivia and Harry just looked at one another with raised brows. Olivia shrugged as if it wasn't a bad idea and she wasn't opposed to it, and Harry gestured his hand forward, agreeing.

They walked to opposite ends of the room like they'd done before and turned to face each other. Olivia twirled her wand between her fingers a couple of times before they both lifted their wands as they prepared to cast the spell. They grew serious as they focused solely on the person opposite them, and the room fell silent with anticipation.

Then finally, at the same time, they both cast "Stupefy!"

The twin spells crossed the room from both directions, hitting them right in the chest. Both of them were sent flying backward, falling to their backs as they hit the ground with force. Everyone watched this closely, grimacing at what had just happened as Olivia and Harry let out pained groans and continued to lie on the floor.

It took them a few more passing beats, but they both got up. And when their eyes met, they stared at each other with amusement for a silent moment before bursting out into laughter. The others joined them not even a second later, and Olivia rested her hand on her stomach, the muscles of her abdomen tight and hurting from how hard she was laughing.

After that, Olivia said her goodbyes to everyone for the night, which they returned as they all exited through the side door of the Room of Requirement, knowing that Filch was probably still sitting and waiting in front of the main door. She and Lucas split off from the others, being the only Slytherins in Dumbledore's Army, and they headed for the dungeons. They were silent since it was late and past curfew while they made their way back to the common room.

When they entered, the room was dark, aside from the flickering light coming from the fireplace. In front of it, sitting on one of the couches, Olivia could see the back of a white-blonde head of hair. Lucas just sent her a side glance before he brushed past her and made his way up the staircase, going to his room. Olivia simply closed the door behind her and walked further into the room.

She wasn't going to give him the time of day. If he wanted to sit alone in the dark common room and mope like a pathetic boy over something he did, she would gladly let him do so. Hopefully, he could learn from his mistakes and come to his senses about fixing them.

"Where have you been?" he asked, his voice quiet.

Olivia stopped in her tracks, wondering if she should turn around and give him an answer or not. It shouldn't have mattered to him where she had or had not been. It wasn't any business of his, nor should it be his concern. And that was all she had to say to him.

Not moving from her spot, she just glanced over her shoulder, but she didn't focus on him, however. "Nowhere that is your concern, Draco," she answered, then walked towards the stairs and made her way to her room before he could retort.

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

The next day, she walked down the corridor, heading towards the Room of Requirement, when Theodore came up beside her. "Hi," he said as he slung an arm over her shoulder.

She looked over at him with a slightly surprised gaze. Then her face settled into a small smile, and she faced forward again. "Hello, Theodore," she replied, hoping that their conversation wouldn't last long since she was going somewhere the boy didn't need to know about.

It wasn't as if she didn't trust him; she did with certain things. He was her friend, after all. But only a select few had been chosen to be part of Dumbledore's Army, and Theodore hadn't made that cut because the Golden Trio didn't trust him. Plus, the boy wouldn't have been caught dead in a group such as theirs—it went against the careless reputation he'd built for himself that he wouldn't let people clutch from his cold, dead hands. So there was no point in him knowing anyway. He, like Olivia and Lucas (when she wasn't taking the teaching into her own hands), had been taught by the best of the best before attending Hogwarts. He certainly didn't need to learn how to defend himself against the Dark Arts—not as much as the others did, at least.

That was, if he were going to defend himself against them and not join their side alongside his father. She knew he didn't entirely view the world in the ways of the man who raised him; he had told her that himself, but he also wasn't completely apart from the cruel beliefs. He had prejudices just as most of their world did, unfortunately. It wasn't difficult for her mind to wander towards those thoughts and what-ifs.

"Where are you off to?" he asked, not noticing the tension in her shoulders. "I feel like you're always going off somewhere recently, and we barely see you anymore."

She had been always going off somewhere as of late, and they had barely seen her, but that was originally because of Draco and not wanting to be around him, and now she was sure that it was going to continue because of her loyalty to Dumbledore's Army.

"I was just heading to the library to study." She sent him a short glance with a tight smile. She really needed to get to the Room of Requirement, but she couldn't with him by her side. "And I'm sorry that I haven't been around much lately. It's just..." Her words fell short as he gave her a curious look, his brows knitting slightly. "Everything with Draco, you know, it's been difficult being around him. His not believing me is hurtful," she admitted, and it wasn't a lie.

"Ah, yes." Theodore nodded, seeming to understand her reasoning as his face relaxed to show as much. "He's a bloody wanker sometimes. Trust me when I say that Pansy, Blaise, and I have been giving him grief for his muck up," he told her with a smirk, leaning slightly closer as he hugged her more into his side.

She just smiled back, and then they continued walking, falling into silence. Olivia looked forward, and so did Theodore. His arm was still thrown over her shoulders, his hand brushing the strap of her bag. She almost got lost in her thoughts and the silence between them, but then Theodore spoke, pulling her away from them before she could get too far.

"Olivia," he said, catching her attention again. He received a questioning hum in response as she looked up at him, and he looked down at her. "I know I don't go there very often, but I'm quite sure this isn't the way to the library."

Olivia's mouth opened as she went to speak, but, for the first time, maybe in her entire life, her mind was blank, not able to come up with a solid excuse. He was right; it wasn't the way to the library. She had still been going towards the Room of Requirement, hoping he wouldn't notice that the library wasn't in this direction and would get bored of the silence and run off somewhere to find Blaise or something.

"Uhm," she began, trying to muster a response as he stared down at her with an almost accusing look. She was certain that he knew that she was hiding something. Well, she was hiding a great deal of this from a great many people, but that was besides the point. She let out a breathy chuckle and glanced forward, carelessly pointing a finger. "Yeah, I was taking the long way. Trying to clear my head and all with a stroll," she finally replied, completely lying through her teeth with the smile still on her face as her hand fell back to her side.

"Right," he said, sounding as if he didn't believe her. "The long way."

"Yep. You know how I am with my strolling around the school." Another breathy and awkward laugh fell from her lips. "Honestly, you think I'd be tired of it by now, having seen all that this castle has to offer."

"You would think." He gave her a smile of his own.

After that, they fell silent again, Olivia even more tense than before as she discreetly directed their steps in the path of the library. Now they really were taking the long way there. Theodore eventually removed his arm from her shoulders, and they simply walked side-by-side until they reached the large and tall, familiar-to-Olivia double doors of the library.

"Well, this is my stop." She turned to him with a tight-lipped smile. "See you later, Theodore."

"Yeah, see you, Olivia," he replied, also smiling. He lingered for a moment after that before he turned around and began walking away with his hands in the pockets of his trousers.

Olivia watched him for a second, then pushed through the doors of the library to make her story believable. She entered and stood just a bit inside as she waited for him to be completely gone from the corridor. She received and ignored the odd looks from the others sitting at the tables around her and Madam Pince, who sat behind the librarian's reference desk in the middle of the room. She knew the stares were most likely because she wasn't going to a table or gathering a stack of books like she usually did.

Once a few minutes had passed, she opened the doors again, peeking her head out. She didn't see Theodore in sight, so she exited back into the corridor and made her way to the Room of Requirement.

Little did she know, Theodore had been in the corridor still, hiding out of her sight in one of the alcoves. He knew that she hadn't been telling the truth and was up to something. He watched her as she exited the library and went off to wherever she'd been originally going, but he didn't follow her. She had a right to her privacy, after all; he just hated that she lied to him.

When Olivia got to the familiar blank wall on the seventh floor, she looked around, making sure no one was watching her, and then she walked past the wall, going back and forth three different times. Then the sound of rumbling rang in her ears, and the door appeared in front of her. She entered quickly, letting it shut behind her as her focus landed on everyone staring at her.

"What took you so long?" Harry asked, stepping closer to her.

She gave him a small smile, setting her back down on the floor next to the wall. "I got caught up with something," she admitted, not completely lying. It was only that something was, in fact, someone, but that wasn't important. Her gaze went to the others while she walked forward and came to stand by the boy's side. "Shall we begin?"

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

━━━━ ella's speaking !
okay, i forgot to say it last chapter but thank you dearly for 28K and also 29K !!! this fic is growing so much and so fast, i might cry- it's my baby fr

i really hope you enjoyed this chapter! more of olivia with dumbledore's army will be coming so don't worry!!

make sure to comment and vote 🫶🏻

kisses.

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

word count: 3677.   written: 6.25.-7.2.24.   published: 8.23.24.