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booksmarts and broomsticks
act i , a lovelorn lockaby
chapter nine , part of the game

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➖ JACKIE O'HARE ➖
march 1992

     DRIA LET OUT A laboured breath as she willed her legs to keep moving in a steady jog after the retreating figure that ran head of her.

       "I hate Gryffindors!"

       Despite being a good few metres behind Jackie, Dria could still hear her friend's irritated groans as clear as day.

      "Jackie, I'm a Gryffindor!"

      "Well, you're all bastards!"

      With a roll of her eyes, Dria let out a sigh of relief as her friend stopped in her tracks a few metres ahead of her, allowing for the blonde to catch up.

       "I don't see why we couldn't just have this conversation sat down!" Dria exclaimed in between large exhales, as she leant against a nearby tree for support.

       "I'm pissed off, Dria!" The Irish girl retorted, reaching behind her idea to readjust her ponytail. "And when I'm pissed off, I run!"

       "That's great, but I don't want to run after you!" Dria whined in response, letting her head fall back against the tree trunk while her friend merely sulked in response, before resuming her jog.

       "Tough."

       "Jackie!"

       The ground under their feet as they ran had softened considerably due to the transition of the cold winter into a dewy spring, as the first weekend March passed them by, along with the Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff Quidditch match. The match in which Hufflepuff had lost, hence Jackie's delightful mood.

"It's bullshit. That child is bullshit." Jackie shouted at Dria through gritted teeth, "He's a little twat."

"He's eleven, Jackie!" Dria replied at the same volume in Harry Potter's defence, as she tried her best to keep up with the angry Hufflepuff. "He caught the Snitch, that's how you win, it's part of the game!"

"You know shit all about Quidditch!"

"I know that much!"

Dria let out a large sigh of both exhaustion and relief as she saw Jackie stop ahead once more and begin pacing the lawn.

"We even had Snape refereeing, we had every advantage." The Irish rambled, as Dria nodded along, throwing herself down on the grass with a slight groan. "I swear to God when I get my hands on our team's Chasers, I'm going to strangle them."

The match hadn't been very long due to the Gryffindor Seeker catching the Snitch within about ten minutes, yet still irritated Jackie beyond belief as the game was tailored in their favour by the substitute referee's clear distaste for Gryffindors.

"They couldn't score a single goal, Dria!" Jackie groaned, as she threw herself down next to her friend upon the grass. "And we had four penalty shots!"

Dria reached a hand over and gave her friends a sympathetic pat on the arm, as they both looked up towards the darkening sky that was still dotted with clouds that floated by at a calm and leisurely pace — a pace that Dria wished Jackie had ran at instead of sprinting across the grounds.

"Maybe it's not your Chasers, Oliver's a really good Keeper." Dria mused, a small smile finding its way onto her lips before she felt Jackie glaring at her and quickly added. "Just like you."

Narrowing her eyes at the blonde, Jackie promptly shoved her with her elbow, only smiling in satisfaction when Dria let out a pained groan.

"Bet he's chuffed with himself." The Hufflepuff grimaced, resting her hands behind her head as she continued looking up at the sky.

"I wouldn't know I haven't seen him." Dria shrugged in response, before mirroring her friend's positioned with a gentle sigh.

"No?"

"I'm tutoring him later." Dria explained, casting a small glance at her friend.

"Well, when you see him, make sure you tell him to fuck off from me."

"Yes, Jackie, I'm sure that'll go down splendidly."

With a devilish grin forming on her lips, the Hufflepuff turned on her side to face her friend, arching her eyebrows suggestively.

"So ... how is all that tutor-y stuff going, anyhow?"

Dria had to fight the grin that threatened to spread across her face at the question, and instead mustered a nonchalant shrug in response.

"The same as it does with anyone I tutor." The blonde answered, sitting up a little and resting her weight on her elbows.

"Well, that's bollocks."

"Yeah, it is."

The two girls lost themselves in a quick bout of giggles before calming slightly, and meeting each other's gazes once more, Jackie's still inquisitive while Dria's was bashful.

"So?"

That was the question. And Dria could feel a redness rise up her face and settle on her cheeks, as she looked sheepishly at the floor.

"It's nice getting to know him," She answered, pressing her lips together to suppress a ridiculous grin. "Even if it is only a couple times a week."

Jackie took one look at the blushing face of her friend and saw the glint in her blue eyes at the mention of the Gryffindor Keeper, and couldn't help but let a light scoff out.

"Jesus Christ, and I thought you were in love with him before!"

"Oh, shove off."

Dria rolled her eyes at her friend's words and playfully bashed her shoulder with hers, although she had to admit that Jackie had a point.

After spending time with Oliver, she wondered how she ever felt so deeply towards him when she had barely even spoken to him. Nonetheless, it was safe to say that now the Lockaby girl was falling — and she was falling hard.

Now the two were friends and there was a foundation of a relationship between them, it meant she had to try all that more harder to maintain her composure whenever he waved or smiled at her in the corridors, or cracked a joke during their tutoring sessions. Because Dria if she didn't try, she would end up acting like a moron and Jackie and Tess' plan would fall through.

"Well, I for one can say I'm much happier." The Irish girl spoke up, breaking Dria from her intense thought, as she stood up from the ground. "I no longer have to suffer through your embarrassing episodes around the boy."

"I thought you found them entertaining?" Dria scoffed as she took the hand that Jackie had outstretched to her, and was pulled to her feet.

"At the time, yes." Jackie chuckled, looping her arm through Dria's as they made their way back up to the castle. "But in hindsight? Oh, Dria, it's painful."

"Brilliant."

Bumping her shoulder with Dria's, Jackie assured the blonde Gryffindor that she meant no ill thought in her sentiments.

"Still, you guys get on, don't you?" She asked, with an arched brow as they found their way to steps leading up to the Entrance Hall.

The blonde at Jackie's side felt her gaze drop to the floor once more and a bashful smile cross her lips as she responded with nod, a dreamy glint back in her eyes.

"Yeah, we do."

"Ew, stop smiling like that." Jackie grimaced, bumping Dria's shoulder a bit harder than before, earning a scoff from the Gryffindor. "I'll be sick."

"You asked the question!"

"Well, you make me sick."

Dria chuckled wryly, as she bumped Jackie's shoulder right back with a playful narrowing of her eyes.

"You're insufferable, Jackie O'Hare."

"Decidedly so."

***

        WALKING BRISKLY along the dimly lit corridors with her bag slung over her shoulder and blowing her hair out of her face, Dria set out for the library.

       It had appeared that Jackie's ranting run had taken a lot longer than the blonde had initially thought as when they returned to the common ground, Tess had made her aware that the time was 6:05 and that she was late for her tutor session with Wood.

       So after a lot of expletives left her lips, much to the amusement of Tess, the blonde ran up to her dormitory, threw on a jumper, seized her bag and — after spritzing herself generously with Tess' lavender deodorant — sprinted back down to the Common Room so she could leave for the library.

       The sound of her feet rhythmically falling against the hard wood floor of the library sounded as she entered the large room, which bustled with a light chatter — not too loud so as to irk Madam Pince — from various students grouped together along the long aisles.

       It didn't take her long before she found the person she was looking for, and she found herself stopping in her tracks at the end of the aisle where he was sat. He leant back in a chair with a book lay into his grasp, as he casually flicked through the pages, his brow furrowed in concentration.

       Dria couldn't help but smile at the sight, and nervously tucked her hair behind her ear before proceeding forward and announcing her presence.

       "Sorry, I'm late." She spoke out, with a breath out, catching his attention as she pulled out the chair beside him. "I was running around after Jackie."

       "It's fine. She been busy?" The boy asked, closing the book in his grasp as he sat up and turned to face the blonde beside him.

      "No, I'm mean literally running around," Dria clarified, as she began to grab various items from her bag. "It's how she calms herself down after a match."

       The Gryffindor Keeper on her left gave a light chuckle at the news, looking at her with an amused expression on his lips.

       "I think she was that close to strangling Potter." The blonde winced, as she dropped her bag on the floor.

       "Yikes."

       "Yeah, yikes." Dria chuckled, as she shuffled in her seat, before turning to the boy beside her. "But, anyway, I believe congratulations are in order."

A bashful smile broke out across Oliver's face as his gaze dropped to the floor sheepishly, before looking back at girl beside him.

"Thanks, Dria."

"You did brilliantly today."

"You were watching?" He asked, with an arched brow, straightening up a little at the thought.

"Of course." Dria chuckled, her eyes softening as they met his momentarily, but she quickly averted her gaze with a nervous laugh. "You know, house pride and all that."

Oliver's smile faltered slightly but he soon joined in with her nervous laughter, nodding with a small smile on his lips.

"Ah, right."

Dria responded with the same expression, taking a hair through her hair in attempt to regain some composure, before clearing her throat and turning her attention to the textbook before and flipping through the pages.

"Okay, so the Polyjuice Potion—"

       Her words fell short as the boy next to her let out a pained groan, reaching his hand up to his shoulder as he grimaced in discomfort.

       "Are you alright?"

Dria's eyebrows furrowed upon the pain she saw on the Keeper's face as she turned to look at him. Upon seeing her notice his discomfort, Oliver dropped his hand from his shoulder and plastered on a nonchalant smile as he rolled his shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah." He nodded, unconvincingly, rolling his shoulder once more. "Shoulder's just giving me a little jip, that's all."

"Have you not been to Hospital Wing?" The blonde asked, not fully believing the boy's claim of being fine.

"Well, there were Hufflepuffs in worse shape than me," Wood explained rather quickly, wincing as he rolled his shoulder again, "And I've taken a Bludger to the shoulder before—

"A Bludger?!" Dria repeated, incredulously, cutting the boy off. "You realise that thing could easily shatter your clavicle?"

Oliver's words fell flat at the sudden panic he noticed sweeping across the blonde's face, her blue eyes widening in worry.

"Show me where it hurts."

The brown-haired boy couldn't help but comply, his coffee coloured eyes softening as he tugged at the collar of his jumper and pulled it slowly over his shoulder.

Dria's jaw clenched in concentration as she edged towards him, noticing the bruised and slightly broken skin that lay beneath the woollen fabric. Tentatively, she reached a hand out and gently laid it over the injury to his shoulder.

"Ouch, yep." Oliver winced, letting out a sharp breath yet allowing her to further examine his injury.

He felt strangely at ease as she did so, something about her demeanour told him that some way or another, she knew what she was doing.

"Sorry." The blonde replied with a sheepish smile, her eyebrows furrowing over the extent of the wound that, as far as she was concerned, should have been seen by Madam Pomfrey. "Jesus, Oliver, you need to be more careful."

"I am, but it's Quidditch." The boy attempted to excuse himself, letting another hiss of pain. "It's part of the game."

"Part of the game?" Dria chuckled dryly, her lips settling into a grimace. "It's like sending lambs to slaughter that's what it is."

"Dria, I'm fine." He tried to assure the girl but she still refused to see past his grimace of pain as he rolled his shoulder again.

"Tell that to your clavicle."

The Quidditch Captain let out a light chuckle as the girl beside him withdrew her hand from his shoulder, and sank back in her chair, her worried gaze reinstated as she looked on him.

"I can try and heal it, if you want?"

Oliver's brows furrowed slightly, as he reached his hand up to his shoulder once more, wondering just what exactly she had in mind when she mentioned healing.

"Have you done it before?" He asked, with a light smile on his lips as a bashful one spread across hers.

"Not exactly." She answered slowly, earning a chuckle from the boy opposite her. She gave a gentle sigh, before tilting her head and pressing her lips together nervously. "Do you trust me?"

Oliver was taken aback slightly by the sincerity in her blue eyes, and slowly nodded at her, letting a single breathless word leave his lips.

"Yeah."

Dria offered him a bashful smile, trying to ignore the heat she could feel rising to her cheeks, and withdrew her wand from her pocket.

"Okay, it might twinge a little." She warned to which Oliver gave a certain nod.

"Bring it on."

The blonde chuckled at his attitude, and gently rested her hand on the area once more and pointing her wand at his clavicle, before letting out a nervous breath.

"Episkey!"

"Oh, shit!"

A sickening crunch echoed in their midst causing the exclamation to leave Oliver's lips and Dria to fall back into her chair with her eyes wide in worry.

"Oh my God, are you alright?" She asked, leaning forward in her chair, reaching her hand out to grab his arm and causing him to look at her, not expecting the wide grin that was on his lips as he did.

"I'm joking."

Dria let out a light scoff before her eyes playfully narrowed and she gave the boy a light smack on the arm, as she let out a breath of relief.

"I thought I broke your arm!" She told him, allowing a small smile to pass over her lips while Oliver rubber his arm gently with an amused chuckle.

"Well, you might have done it with that slap." He retorted, giving his arm a final rub before rising it up to his shoulder.

The once tender area now showed signs of healing, the purple bruisings beginning to fade and the small lacerations closing up, only leaving small pink scratches in their wake.

"How did know how to do that?" He asked, bringing his coffee coloured eyes to meet her sea blue ones that were still bright with achievement.

"It's what I want to do. You know, be a Healer." The girl shrugged nonchalantly, settling back into her chair. "So I do the odd bit of research now and then."

Taking another hand through her hair with a sheepish smile as she turned to meet his gaze, surprised to find it on her with a look bearing a glint of something she didn't quite recognise. But it didn't fail to bring a blush to her cheeks, which she tried to brush off with a question.

"What's that look for?" She asked with an arched brow, and a gentle smile crawling onto her lips.

"You'd be a brilliant Healer."

At the sincerity of his words, her gaze dropped to the floor before returning to him, her lips pressed together in a nervous tight-lipped smile.

"You think?" She asked tentatively, her brows furrowing in curiosity.

"I know." He assured her, with a sincere nod, allowing his eyes to meet hers, as he tugged his jumper back over his shoulder.

"Thanks." She breathed, unable to tear her gaze from his.

A few moments passed, although it felt like an eternity — and she could have gladly looked into his eyes for that long — before the clearing of Oliver's throat brought them both back into reality.

"Okay, so Polyjuice Potion." Oliver started, nodding as he turned back to the textbook upon the bench before them.

Dria let out a quick sigh and she shook herself out of her daze, and spared the boy beside her a small smile before leaning forward to inspect with the book with him.

"Polyjuice Potion."

𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖆 𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖐𝖘!
jackie is the chaotic
good i want to be in life,
and oh boy, the lockwood
vibes were strong in
this chapter phwoar

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