BORN TO DIE ╱ DRACO MALFOY
꒷꒦ · ˚.‧ . written by ella . . . © -lostgardens
097 ━━━━━━ ❛ take care, hogwarts ❜

Their fifth year was finally over. Olivia wasn't too enthusiastic about going back to the manor, not wanting to deal with her mother, but she was also glad to be leaving Hogwarts. She loved the school dearly and enjoyed learning, but the year had been so stressful (as most of the others) that she was happy that she could get a break from it all—though she knew the stress wasn't going to completely go away.

The summer was destined to be high-strung now that she was a part of the Order and Voldemort had been confirmed back. She knew her mother would be watching her more closely than ever since it was revealed in the Prophet that Lucius Malfoy was still loyal to Voldemort and everyone was aware of the fact. She also knew that there was still absolutely no way she'd be allowed near Draco if her mother had a say, especially now.

Good thing she didn't give a damn what her mother had to say.

Olivia and her friends were all packed and walking towards the train with their trunks. She and Draco were back to pretending not to be on speaking terms—not around their friends, whom they'd finally confessed to, much to Pansy's relief (the girl barely holding the secret in), only around everyone else. It was for the best. No one would trust her if she was still infatuated with a now-known, not-so-former Death Eater's son and the nephew of another. That was why they stood on opposite sides of their group, not even sparing glances at each other.

The others were discussing something, but Olivia and Draco (and Crabbe and Goyle, who walked on either side of the boy as his bodyguards) remained quiet. The girl's focus was trained up ahead as she took in all of her schoolmates, some of whom she'd never had a conversation with. She wondered if she ever would. She didn't ponder that thought too long because her eyes found the backs of three familiar heads, and she let out a breath through her nose.

"I'll be right back," she told the others, not even glancing at them. She didn't give them time to question her before she handed off her trunk to Lucas and moved forward, weaving her way through the walking crowd and going to the three Gryffindors, who were walking alongside each other. "Harry," she said loud enough for the boy to turn to her with raised brows. She came to a stop in front of him as his two best friends also turned and looked at her. She softly smiled at them and then took a step forward, wrapping her arms around Harry and hugging him tightly.

He hugged her back instantly, and they stayed like that for a moment before she pulled back.

She held him at arm's length, staring into his eyes. "Be safe. And if you need me, write to me anytime." Her tone was pointed, like she was ordering him. She sort of was. She didn't want him to deal with everything alone, which he had a tendency to try and do. The boy had just lost his godfather, after all; he did not need to be alone, especially with Voldemort roaming the world again.

"I will," he replied, thinly smiling back. "Thank you."

She nodded with a hum, then dropped her hands to her sides and took a step back. She turned to walk away and go back to her friends, focusing her eyes on the ground. But before she could get too far away, Harry's voice caught her attention again.

"Olivia," he said, and she faced him once more, looking at him questioningly. "Uhm..." He took a quick glance at Hermione and Weasley, who were already staring at him before they looked at each other. Then he focused back on the girl in front of him with an almost nervous expression. "What's going on with you and Malfoy?"

She furrowed her brows, feeling a pit of guilt in her stomach. "What do you mean?"

"Have you worked it out with him?" he elaborated and cleared his throat awkwardly. Her expression flickered just slightly, not enough to be noticed by the three in front of her. "Are you going to forgive him after everything that happened at the Department of Mysteries... with his father and aunt?" He kept his voice low, trying to keep his questions out of the ears around them.

Her eyes searched the ground as she thought of what to say. She couldn't tell him the truth. She knew he'd only give her the look of disappointment her mother did whenever she didn't listen to her, especially when it came to Draco. He wouldn't understand anyway. She'd tried to explain it before, and he'd decided to trust her then, but now was different in many ways. Then was when they were just practicing Defense Against the Dark Arts in secret and didn't want Umbridge to find out; now was after Draco's father and aunt had attacked them and the latter killed the only family Harry had left. She couldn't possibly tell him the truth.

She looked up, focusing on him. "No," she lied, reminding herself that it was for the best. It was for the best. She was getting tired of that phrase, but she wasn't going to forget it any time soon. "I finally realized that it just wouldn't work. But I still strongly believe that he will never be like his father, or any of his family, no matter what prejudices he might harbor," she admitted, not completely lying through her teeth. She would be lying if she said that she hadn't had doubts about Draco ever before—of course she had—but those same doubts had been quickly shoved out of her mind because she knew they weren't true and never would be.

He would never be like his father, no matter how hard he was pushed to be.

Her eyes falling to her black boots again, as she thought of what else to say. She inhaled and exhaled through her nose, then looked up at Harry once more, seeing that his eyes hadn't fallen from her. "But that doesn't mean I won't be around him," she continued, and it was true. "We have the same friends, after all." She let out a small laugh and gestured behind her, with a lazy toss-up of her hand, to her group of friends, who were approaching closer to them.

"Right," Harry said in understanding with a small nod. "Just be careful."

Another beat of silence passed over them, and there were so many things that Olivia wanted to say to them. That it shouldn't matter who she'd fallen for; they should trust her. She'd proven that much of herself enough, hadn't she? She wanted to remind Harry that she couldn't control who she caught feelings for or what she felt. She couldn't help it. But she remained silent, the knowledge that they should continue heading to the train if they wanted to find empty compartments easily in her mind because it was the only thing she could focus on without wanting to sob or shout. She wanted to be away from them at the moment, not in the mood of being secretly judged. But before she could turn away or tell them goodbye, Weasley spoke.

"Honestly," the redhead began, his blue eyes focused on Olivia with his hands in his trousers pockets. "I don't know how you ever put him with a git like that." He let out a snort of amusement, and Olivia did her best not to glare at him. "Or what you even saw in him."

She put a fake smile on her face. "It's not as easy as it looks."

That was the truth.

An arm slinging itself over her shoulder almost startled her, but she already knew it was Draco based on the familiar scent lingering beside her. She looked up at him, seeing him smirking at the three in front of her. "Are you lot discussing me?" he asked, as if he already knew the answer.

Olivia rolled her eyes, playing her part of dislike, and removed his arm from her, taking a step away from him. He looked over at her with obvious annoyance, but she knew he was going to go along with her. It was for the best. "It's nothing good, Malfoy. I can promise you that."

"I wouldn't expect any less from you, Mallard," he retorted, also playing his part. He looked smug and arrogant, a look she'd seen too many times from him, and she reminded herself that they were fine and just pretending.

She ignored his words and faced Harry. "I'll see you later, Harry. Have a good summer."

"Yeah, you too, Olivia." He softly smiled at her, then watched her turn around before staring at Draco blankly.

Draco was looking over his shoulder and following closely behind Olivia, a sneer and judging expression on his face as he looked Harry up and down. Then he rolled his eyes, noting that his look wasn't doing anything, and faced forward. He and Olivia approached their friends, who had stopped and waited a couple of dozen feet away. She came to Pansy's side, their arms looping with each other as Olivia took her trunk back from Lucas, while he went back over to Crabbe and Goyle, and the eight of them headed to the train.

They dropped their trunks off with the elves before boarding and heading to the compartment they always sat in. Luckily, there was no one in it, so they entered and took their seats. Olivia sat next to the window, with Pansy and Blaise to her left. Theodore, Lucas, and Draco sat across from them, and Crabbe and Goyle sat in the compartment across the aisle from theirs, just as always. Olivia had wanted to sit next to Draco, but it was best that she didn't, just in case someone happened to walk by and glance into their compartment and see. Oh, what she would give to be able to rest her head on his shoulder and have a peaceful sleep.

The train ride was rather silent. Olivia wasn't in the particular mood to talk understandably, considering what had happened just a week and a half prior. Her friends didn't seem to be in the mood to talk either, besides the little conversations here and there. So Olivia just watched as the sun slowly went down as the day passed by, changing the color of the sky with each hour.

When the train finally came to a stop, they all stood up and each headed out of the compartment. Olivia and Draco were last, and, as she watched the boy about to step out of the door and placed her bag strap on her shoulder, she realized that she wouldn't be able to say goodbye to him on the platform since her parents and everyone else would be around.

She couldn't just let him leave like that.

"Draco, wait," she said quickly, stepping forward and catching his arm.

He turned to face her, giving her an inquisitive look.

She held onto his arm but moved past him to slide the door shut. She made sure no one was passing by, then turned around to face him and squeezed her eyes shut, inhaling deeply before finally looking up at him. She didn't even give him a second to say anything. She put her hand on the back of his neck and pulled him down for a kiss as she moved them away from the door.

He instantly kissed her back, his body pressing into hers as one hand tangled in her hair and the other cupped her jaw. She wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and pulled him deeper into the kiss, which was how they remained for another minute, their lips moving against one another's, before (almost reluctantly) pulling away. He rested his forehead against hers, while her arms stayed in their place around the back of his neck and rested lightly on his shoulders. Their noses brushed due to the closeness, their eyes stared deeply into each other's, and their chests rose and fell heavily, their breath practically taken away from their kiss. His thumb brushed her cheek and the other fell to her waist, while her fingers played with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"See you in September, Draco," she told him quietly. "Please do your best to write to me."

"I will," he replied in much of the same whispering tone. "Same goes for you."

He took in a deep breath as his eyes fluttered shut, his forehead remaining against hers and the comfort of one another dancing around them. He didn't want to leave, and neither did she, but they both knew they had to. So eventually, he removed her arms from behind his neck and took a step back. His eyes fell to her neckline, and his hand raised to her necklace, lifting it as he examined it.

She simply watched his face as he focused on the gift he'd given her, trying to make out the expression he had and what he was thinking. Before she could, however, he gently dropped the necklace and tucked his hand in his pockets, his eyes meeting hers once more. "We should find the others," he said, not sounding enthusiastic about the suggestion.

She wasn't either, but they had to go.

After a moment of just staring at each other, their breathing calmed down and light and the silence peaceful around them, Olivia turned to the door, sliding it open, and exited, with him following her. They made their way off the train, their expressions blank and some distance between them, and found their friends just a few feet away from where the trunks were being unloaded.

Pansy turned to them instantly, smirking, like she knew what had just happened between them. "There you two are," she said, almost teasingly, not missing how Olivia and Draco glanced over at one another. "I was beginning to think you got lost on the train."

"Here's your trunk, Olivia," Lucas chimed in, taking a step forward and giving the trunk to her.

She took it, focusing on her little brother with a barely there smile. "Thank you, Luke."

After that, Olivia and Lucas said their goodbyes to their friends, with the exception of Draco for Olivia. She gave Pansy, Blaise, and Theodore tight hugs, and her brother did the same, only nodding his head to Draco in acknowledgement. She promised to write to Pansy whenever she had the opportunity, and if necessary, then cast a brief glance in Draco's direction.

Her gaze didn't linger on him for too long, however, as she felt a familiar pair of eyes burning a hole into the back of her head. She and Lucas simply turned around, beginning their journey to their parents, pulling their trunks along with them. Olivia fiddled with her necklace as they did so, unaware of the fact that her movements had drawn her mother's attention to the piece of jewelry.

When they came to a stop in front of their parents, Clodagh's eyes had returned to her daughter's, and Olivia's hand had fallen from her necklace and to her side. Her mother didn't look all that thrilled to see her daughter alive and well, and Olivia was sure she didn't look too thrilled to see her mother in the same state either. It wasn't as if she wanted her dead, and she hoped her mother felt the same about her, but she was rather annoyed still after their last encounter.

"Hello, Mother," Olivia said flatly, raising her chin.

Clodagh didn't reply; she just focused on the necklace again. She unclasped her hands from in front of her, raised one of them to Olivia's neckline, lifted the charm in the palm of her hand, and examined it just as Draco had done before they got off the train.

Olivia's brows furrowed as she did this, giving her a confused and slightly disgusted look, though the woman didn't pay it any mind, and wondered why she was suddenly showing interest in the piece of jewelry that she'd had for years, let alone, touching it.

"Where did you get this?" her mother asked sternly.

Olivia scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You're just now noticing it, Mother?" She quirked a brow, a small smirk playing at one of the corners of her mouth. She was deflecting the question, not wanting to answer because she knew her mother would go bloody mad if she learned that she got it from Draco and was still wearing it. "I've had it for years."

"That's not what I asked, Olivia Katherine." The older witch's eyes found the girl's, looking at her pointedly. There was something else flickering in her gaze besides annoyance, which made Olivia curious. She couldn't quite place the look, but it almost seemed like familiarity. That couldn't have been the case, however, because her mother had clearly never noticed the necklace before. "Where did you get it from? Or rather, whom did you get it from?"

"Why does it matt— Hey! Give that back!" Olivia reached for her necklace that her mother had just ripped off from around her neck, breaking the clasp in the process. Her anger was clear as she looked at the woman in front of her.

Lucas and their father just stood off to the side, watching the interaction and not knowing what to do. They presumably didn't want to do anything, knowing how fiery-tempered the two got when they were going against each other.

Clodagh held the necklace away from Olivia as she examined it again, even closer this time. "You don't want to answer me?" She raised her brows, looking at her daughter, who was glaring at her. "Fine. You don't have to. I already know the answer," she admitted, just the hint of a smirk on her face.

Olivia brows knitted together as she scowled at her mother like a child, still trying to get the necklace back. How could she possibly know? Well, she could have guessed that it was from Draco (whom Olivia assumed she believed it was from), given how close the two were, but there was no way she knew for certain. No way at all.

Her mother continued to ignore her attempts to retrieve the necklace as she began walking away.

Olivia was spouting demands at her as she followed close behind, wanting her necklace back and trying to grab it multiple times, not even caring that she was causing a bit of a scene. Still, the blasted witch did not give it back. This went on until they came to a halt—or, more precisely, until Olivia, who was glaring at her mother with her arms crossed over her chest, realized they were standing behind Draco and his mother, who had just begun their departure.

So she did know.

"Narcissa," Clodagh said bitterly.

Narcissa turned around at the sound of her voice, her half-up, half-down, black and blonde hair swaying with her movements and her brows raised. Draco turned around as well, his hands tucked in the pockets of his all-black suit trousers and his face twisted in confusion. His focus fell on Olivia, furrowing his brows curiously, but she was too busy to notice, still scowling at her mother.

Clodagh took a step forward, her face blank and stern, and held up the necklace for the witch her age to see. "My daughter will no longer be needing this... thing as she will no longer be wearing it," she stated rather matter-of-factly, grabbing Narcissa's hand gingerly, as if she didn't even want to touch her. She turned the witch's hand so that her palm was facing up, both of them staring down at the contact, and dropped the necklace into it. Then she let go and took a step back, like she couldn't wait to put distance between them again.

Olivia's brows knitted at this, but she didn't question it. Instead, she stepped forward. "No," she said sternly, trying to move past her mother. But the witch put her arm out in front of her, blocking her from moving any further. Then a hand fell on her arm as her mother turned to her, and she was dragged away.

She tried to fight against the hold, wanting to get away from her mother and get her necklace back. But her fight went unnoticed, which was clearly shown in her mother's blank expression. Olivia could feel Clodagh's fingers digging into her skin, her grip tightening, as she continued to drag her away, and she knew her efforts were useless. So she looked back at Draco, her eyes full of sadness, seeing that he, too, seemed discouraged about the whole thing. Then her gaze fell to her necklace that Narcissa was still holding and looking down at with an unreadable expression, and her heart pegged.

Why did her mother have to be this way?

≀⋆⁺₊⋆ ꗃ 𖦹⨳✺

━━━━ ella's speaking !
so i originally had this weird out-of-character moment between clodagh and olivia in my plan and i am actually confused on why i thought it was a good idea LMAO- i'm so glad i changed it to the necklace scene bc it makes so much more sense than the other idea (where clodagh hugs olivia and apologizes for being a shitty mother, and olivia accepts it?? like hello?? what??) 

also, thank you for 38K !!!

i hope you enjoyed this chapter (only three left of this act), and make sure to comment and vote 🫶🏻

kisses.

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

word count: 3520. written: 7.30-8.2.24. published: 10.8.24.