Boundless

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 (𝟑𝟏)

Olivia

The closer we got to the day Draco had to kill Dumbledore, the heavier my heart grew. It wasn't just the idea of losing my brother to that mission. It wasn't just the threat that hung over all of us, even though it felt like a constant weight around my neck. It was the way Draco was changing. I saw it in his eyes, the same darkness I saw in the mirror some days, the uncertainty that clouded the bright, arrogant young man I used to know.

I watched him during training with Mattheo, how Mattheo pushed him, made him fight harder than he ever had before. It wasn't just about learning dark curses anymore; it was about survival. Draco wasn't just training to kill Dumbledore—he was training to survive the war that was already here, even though no one had fully admitted it.

But still, the darkness seeped into him a little more every day.

Sometimes, I couldn't help but wonder if I was losing him. If he'd come back from this, from the mission, if he'd still be the same person. If he could be saved from the path the Dark Lord had set him on.

Mattheo had been a lifeline for Draco. He was fierce with him, always demanding more, never letting him slip into doubt. It wasn't just about magic. It was about making Draco strong enough to live through the chaos, to face the consequences of his mission without falling apart. It wasn't easy to watch, but it was necessary. And I was thankful that Mattheo was there for him, in ways that I couldn't be. I couldn't imagine how much more dangerous this mission would be for Draco if Mattheo weren't helping.

But sometimes, when I caught a glimpse of the exhaustion in Mattheo's eyes, when I saw the tension in his shoulders after hours of training, I knew he was carrying more than just Draco's fate. He was carrying mine, too. All the uncertainty, all the fear that was building in me, he was taking it in stride, keeping me sane with little more than his presence, his reassurances. He kept telling me that we'd survive this. That we'd be okay.

I wanted to believe him. But every part of me felt like I was standing on the edge of something dark, something that might swallow us all.

I'd been trying not to let it show, especially to Mattheo. I didn't want him to worry about me, too. After all, he had enough on his plate with Draco, with the constant fear of what the future would bring. But I couldn't shake the feeling that everything was slipping away. That nothing would ever be the same again.

But there was something else, something Mattheo didn't know.

I had been learning dark curses, too. Not from him, though. From Pansy. She didn't ask me why I was doing it. She knew, just as well as I did, that we needed to be ready for the war that was coming. I knew that Mattheo would lecture me on the dangers of dark magic. He would tell me that I wasn't ready, that it would change me, that it would hurt me more than help me. He would say that I needed to stay away from the darker side of magic.

But I couldn't. I couldn't sit by, helpless, while everyone around me learned the ways of the world, while Draco was being trained to kill a man he knew. To kill someone who meant more to him than he ever admitted. I couldn't watch from the sidelines, knowing that I wasn't doing everything I could to survive, to protect the people I loved.

I didn't want to tell Mattheo. I didn't want to add more to his burden. He had enough to worry about with Draco's mission, with his own life, with the war. But still, there were nights when I practiced with Pansy, learning the incantations, feeling the power hum beneath my fingers, knowing that this might be the only way I could protect myself, protect Draco, protect us all.

I didn't want to become a monster. I didn't want to be consumed by the darkness. But I couldn't ignore it anymore. I couldn't pretend that the world hadn't changed, that I wasn't part of it. And as much as I hated to admit it, I knew I was going to need every bit of that power to make sure I didn't lose the people I loved.