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booksmarts and broomsticks
act ii , take a breath
chapter twenty , demonic graffiti

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➖ DRIA LOCKABY ➖
november 1992

"I MEAN, PERSONALLY, I've never really liked Filch." Dria muttered to the girl on her right, as they both crouched over one of the Hospital Wing cots.

"No one likes that pile of dungeon sludge, Dria." Savannah replied, her Geordie accent thick as she pulled a grimace at the sight before them.

The blonde rolled her eyes at the seventh year beside her, as she wrapped her arms around herself with a small smile that showed her discomfort at the sight of the thing that lay upon the cot.

"But I never held that against his cat."

The two Gryffindors exchanged an uneasy glance before looking back down at the cot, where laid the rigid 'corpse' of Filch's cat, Mrs Norris. Her mouth was stretched wide with her teeth bared in a expression of fear, and her red eyes — that always rubbed Dria up the wrong way, in all honesty — were frozen open and alert. She'd been petrified.

"This is some serious serial killer shit." Savannah muttered as she bent down to get a closer look at the petrified feline, her eyebrows furrowed in curiosity.

"Petrifying cats?"

"What else would you call it?"

When Dria had first shown up to her volunteering session in the Hospital Wing, some weeks prior, she was surprised to discover that she wasn't the only volunteer there. This was mainly due to the fact that Professor McGonagall had made the opportunity sound so exclusive when she'd offered it to the Lockaby girl in her careers session the year before. But nonetheless, she wasn't too disheartened when she discovered the other volunteer — and aspiring Healer — was Savannah Consuelos.

After the two had conversed, it became very clear that the opportunity of volunteering in the Hospital Wing was actually quite exclusive after all, but Professor McGonagall seemed to know what strings to pull in order to allow students from her house to be the recipients of the opportunity.

Dria didn't know Savannah particularly well, other than her being a year older and having dated Tess briefly the year before. However, after a few conversations with her, Dria found herself warming considerably to the older girl and mentally cursed Tess for ending things with her — she was one of the few people the Robbins girl had dated that actually seemed to have a brain cell.

The two girls had been left in the Hospital Wing by Madam Pomfrey on that Friday morning (both of them had free first periods) while the matron took a short trip to the greenhouses to speak with Professor Sprout concerning a petrification cure, and they had been staring at the cat from a good ten minutes.

"Sav, don't touch it!"

The seventh year was now kneeling by the bedside, whereupon the cat was sprawled, and was gently prodding its stomach with an unimpressed expression while Dria watched on in horror.

"It's like stone." Savannah remarked, as Dria latched her hands around the girl's arm and pulled her away from the cat.

"Well, that's petrifaction for you." The blonde replied with a large exhale, her gaze drifting slowly back to the 'corpse' causing her blood to run cold in her veins. "Do they really think they'll be able to revive her?"

Savannah sighed and shot a sympathetic at the sixth year by her side, whose blue eyes were shining with worry as they transfixed themselves on the cat.

"Well, it's lucky that Professor Sprout has all those Mandrake seedlings." The seventh year replied in a tone laced with as much positivity as she could muster, sparing the blonde the slightest of smiles.

"Still, they need to mature." Dria muttered back in a small voice, beginning to pick at her nails as she clenched and then unclenched her jaw, repeatedly.

"It'll certainly be a while before the Draught is ready." Savannah agreed with another light sigh leaving her lips, as she too looked back at the cat.

"And whose to say that Mrs Norris will be the only victim?" The blonde muttered, her mind circling the drain of negativity as the sight made her even more agitated.

Savannah merely tutted, and placed a comforting hand on the sixth-year's shoulder, trying her best to dismiss the girl's worry.

"As I said this is some serial killer shit." The seventh year surmised with a grim expression.

       "If you two are quite done?"

        At the sound of the matron's voice, Dria and Savannah nearly jumped out of their skins and were left holding onto each other for support as they turned to face the woman who stood behind them with a curious expression on her lips.

        Straightening up, the girls composed themselves and attempted to make it look as though they hadn't been standing at the cat corpse for the prolonged period of time that they had.

       With a light sigh, the matron looked on the two girls earnestly, before pressing her lips and moving past them to check on a patient at the other end of the room — however, she stopped in her tracks mid-way.

        "I don't want you to be worrying about any of this." Madam Pomfrey told the two girls with a stern expression but her words were much more compassionate as she spoke. "Professor Sprout and I are very confident in a full recovery once the draught is brewed."

       The two Gryffindors nodded in understanding and with a quick raise of her eyebrows — a gesture that aptly told the girls to get back to their tasks — the matron turned on her heel and continued on her way.

        Sparing a quick glance between them, Savannah and Dria did as the matron had requested and took a few steps away from the bedside.

        Savannah made her way to the medicine cupboard where — up until she and the blonde had become distracted — she'd been sorting through various vials and bottles of various tinctures and potions, and Dria walked over to the desk that was situated by the door where she had been sat writing up charts for the patients being admitted.

        Throwing herself into the desk chair with a large sigh, Dria pulled the ever-increasing pile of charts towards her and trilled her lips as she took the first file from the top. However, before she could even open it, the doors of the Hospital Wing swung open in a loud clatter.

       "Oh, Doctor Lockaby?"

       A cheery sing-song tone rang out across the room, as Dria could barely bring herself to look up upon recognising the Irish lilt of the voice. But, of course, she did look up and was met with the shit-eating grin of Jackie O'Hare who was standing in front of the desk with her arm around the shoulder of a very unimpressed looking Michael Lockaby; a very unlikely duo.

        "What are you two doing here?" Dria asked with a small groan, leaning on her elbows as she looked on them, happy that the Hospital Wing had fallen back into its usual buzz after being so rudely interrupted by Jackie's antics.

        "Well, I was bored of enduring Penny's mood swings so needed a change of scenery." Jackie explained, perching on the edge of the desk, as Dria groaned at her words.

        Penny's irritability — that had been exhibited on the day of Mrs Weasley's Howler — had yet to fade and it seemed that anything that her three friends said or did would be met with an annoyed tsk or dismissive comment, much to their confusion and growing annoyance.

        However, the three friends were also concerned by the girl's sudden change in behaviour. They were familiar with the fact that Penny was often exasperated by them, but she would always laugh it off. But now, Dria couldn't remember the last time she seen the girl laugh. The girls couldn't shake the feeling that something was up with their friend yet any attempt they made to check on her was abruptly shot down and they were left completely helpless.

        Jackie was taking it a lot better than Dria was, and swiftly moved onto explaining the presence of Michael to prove so.

        "And your brother doesn't feel well, so I brought him down." Jackie said casually, nodding at Michael who was lingering just before the desk, as the two girls conversed.

        Dria's blue eyes filled with slight concern as she turned away from the Hufflepuff and allowed herself to focus on her little brother. If Jackie hadn't said that Michael wasn't feeling well, Dria was fairly sure that his appearance would have informed her of the fact.

        There were dark shadows beneath his eyes, which normally shone a bright blue — as did all the eyes of the Lockaby children — but they seemed duller and no longer held the mischievous glint that Dria so often associated with them and instead looked completely lifeless. He let out a long breath as he looked back at his sister, craning his neck in discomfort.

       "What's up?" The elder Lockaby asked, her eyebrows furrowing in concern as her brother approached the desk with a small shrug.

       "I don't know, I just woke up this morning and felt super disoriented." He sighed gently, his own eyebrows furrowing in slight confusion at the sudden onset of his symptoms. "Really run down, you know?"

Pursing her lips, Dria arose from her seat, walked around the other side of the desk and pressed her hand against her brother's forehead. She thought that perhaps it was a little warmer than normal, but the state of him otherwise assured her that her brother was fairly under the weather.

"Could be common cold, I suppose." She muttered, withdrawing her hand from his forehead and tapping his arm before nodding at the nearest cot so he could sit down.

And so, in the most Lockaby-like way possible, Michael made his way over to the bed and threw himself onto it, kicking his legs up and letting out a tired groan as he did. Jackie followed him over and characteristically perched on the railing at the end of it, watching as Dria walked over from the desk with a new chart in hand, upon which she was scrawling her brother's name and details.

"Sav!" The blonde called, catching the attention of the seventh year who still had her head in the treatment cupboard. "Have you got any Pepper-Up Potion in there?"

Savannah held up one finger in response and began rummaging through the cupboard in a cacophony of clinking vials, while Dria situated herself at the end of the bed, scribbling away in the chart she held.

"Here!"

Savannah's cry sounded at the same time she threw the small bottle in the direction of the Lockaby girl, who expertly moved out of the way so that her Keeper friend could catch it — which was a safer alternative to her fumbling around in attempt to catch it and ultimately smashing it.

"Last thing we want is you spreading a cold to the rest of the school." Dria tutted, as she grabbed a cup from the sideboard and took the bottle of Pepper-Up Potion from Jackie.

"I don't think the rest of the school is too concerned with catching the flu, considering what happened last night." Jackie chuckled, folding her arms across her chest, shaking her head with a light tut as the blonde beside her began pouring a cup of potion for her brother. "Moral panic at its finest."

Last night. As Jackie had pretty much said, the events that had taken place the night before was all anyone in the school had been talking about.

After scoffing down far too many portions of lamb casserole at the Halloween feast, the four girls — alongside the rest of the school — had stumbled upon a very unsettling sight midway down the first floor corridor.

The corridor had flooded — however, that wasn't an unusual occurrence due to Moaning Myrtle's occasional outburst — and upon the wall, a message had left written in blood stating; The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir ... beware.

And just next to the sight, hanging from one of the torches that lined the corridor was the very same cat that was laid out upon a cot across the Hospital Wing.

So, it was understandable that it was all anyone in the school could talk about.

"Drink up." Dria instructed her brother, as she outstretched the cup towards him, who grimaced as he took it from her.

"I reckon it's just someone playing a joke." Jackie shrugged nonchalantly, as she moved off the bed railing and sat on the other side of the bed.

"What? You think the Weasley twins are behind this?" Dria asked with an incredulous gaze, ignoring the sound of her brother gagging as he tried to stomach the potion.

"No, I mean like the troll at last year's Halloween."

"Well, the troll last year was a ploy by the darkest wizard of all time." Dria reminded her friend, whose expression morphed into one of realisation at her words. "So it's probably not the best thing to compare it to, Jackie."

The Hufflepuff still shrugged, leaning against the bed frame as she pursed her lips in thought, while Dria stared down her brother in order to force him to drink up.

"I still think everyone's overreacting," Jackie piped up once more, kicking her own feet up into the bed, much to Michael's irritation. "I've written tons of shit in the girl's toilets and no one's had a problem."

"Well, everyone writes in the girl's toilets." Dria responded nonchalantly, but nonetheless giving the girl some credit for her comment. "But need I remind you, it was written in blood? And basically threatened the entire Muggleborn sector of our school?"

Jackie fell into a silence as she was reminded of the reality once more, but the expression on her face told Dria that she wasn't silent because she was reflecting on the situation, but because she was trying to think up a witty response which, of course, she did.

"I don't know about you, but a bit of demonic graffiti doesn't scare me." Jackie shrugged, earning a light chuckle from Michael who was still fighting his way through drinking the potion. "Did you see the state of the handwriting?"

"Jackie—"

"Could they maybe have done some calligraphy or something?" The Hufflepuff mused, her face contorted into unimpressed expression. "I might take them seriously then."

While Jackie's adversity to anything that crossed her path often cheered Dria up, something about the situation in particular didn't sit right with the blonde and she found it difficult to crack a joke about it.

"All the teachers seem really worried." Dria muttered, kicking her feet up on the bed too, meaning that all three of us were stretched out upon the cot as they conversed. "And I can't blame Mr Filch, I'd be distraught if it had happened to Figs."

As she spoke of the petrified cat, her gaze drifted to the cot — she'd been stood by a few minutes before — whereupon the cat lay, and Jackie's gaze followed with it.

"Holy shit, is that it?"

Upon seeing the cat, Jackie was off the bed in seconds and hurriedly making her way towards it, much to Dria's horror. And in a desperate attempt to restrain her friend, she too jumped off the bed and grabbed the girl by her shoulders to pull her away from the petrified cat, much to Jackie's protestation.

"Jackie, don't touch it!"

         The two girls squabbled for a quick moment with Dria trying to pull Jackie away, as the Hufflepuff whined in protest desperately trying to shake her friend off her. A chaotic scene that only ceased when the unmistakable sound of the infirmary door creaking open rang out throughout the room.

        "Hermione!" Dria greeted with a broad smile, with her arm still looped around Jackie's neck in attempt to hold back the Hufflepuff, when in reality she'd stopped struggling.

        The studious second-year shot a bright smile at her tutor but it soon faltered into an expression of mixed confusion and concern at the sight of the two sixth years in the middle of the room.

        "Is this a bad time?"

        Upon her asking, Dria noticed how strange the stance she and Jackie were in would appear to outsiders and slowly released her arm from around her friend's neck with a sheepish smile.

        "No, just restraining Jackie as normal."

        The Hufflepuff gave a huff of objection at the blonde's choice of wording while Hermione replied with a polite chuckle.

        "Don't tell me you've got a cold too?" Dria asked, beckoning the second year to come forward and join them, once she given Jackie an encouraging tug to tear her gaze away from the frozen body of Mrs Norris.

        "No, no." Hermione assured her, resting a hand on the bed frame as Dria and Jackie clambered back upon the mattress and kicked their legs up. "I'm fine, I was just looking for you. Penelope told me you'd be here."

        At the sound of Penny's name, Jackie immediately decided that she was interested in engaging with the Granger girl and whipped around to face her with an arched brow.

       "Wasn't with anyone, was she?"

        "Um well, just Percy."

       Jackie gave a fed up huff at the news, turning away from the girl and sparing a glance at Dria as she folded her arms across her chest in disappointment.

       "So I guess this time it really was prefect duties." She mused, while Dria raised her eyebrows in knowing way and let out her own sigh of disappointment.

        The blonde finished scrawling out a sentence in her brother's chart, and slammed it shut upon her lap before turning behind her and devoting her attention to the bushy-haired girl.

        "How can I help?"

Hermione's face lit up when the words left the blonde's mouth, and she straightened up, her eyebrows furrowing in concentration as she remembered her reason for seeking out the Lockaby girl.

"I was just wondering if you had any notes on Polyjuice Potion?" She asked, pressing her lips together nervously, her gaze flitting here there and everywhere.

Dria's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at her question, and she shot a quick glance at Michael and Jackie to reassure herself that her confused reaction was appropriate.

"Polyjuice Potion?" The blonde repeated, sitting up a bit more, her lips pursing. "That's a little advanced for second year, isn't it?"

"Yes," The Granger girl replied hurriedly, her eyes wide as she persisted on the topic. "But Professor Snape has set us a research assignment on a potion of our choice."

"Wait, what?"

Michael's eyes were wide in panic as he very nearly spat up the rest of his potion, as he looked on his peer incredulously as she mentioned an assignment he'd never heard of.

"Oh, it's completely optional." Hermione rushed out in response, nodding rather quickly and plastering on a polite smile at the boy.

"I guess I missed that." Michael muttered, with a confused sigh, as he furrowed his eyebrows trying to remember the instance.

Dria looked on her brother worriedly, suddenly aware that his current state may have been a bit more serious than she first thought, yet she chose to disguise the worry with a forced smile and good-hearted jest.

"Keep drinking that potion, hopefully it'll restore some of your brain cells." She told her brother with a slight smirk, at which he made a face at her and mimicked her words as he went to take another sip of the potion.

"Restore some of your brain cells."

With a roll of her eyes, the blonde turned back to the eager second-year who gave Dria a hopeful smile as she continued her pitch.

"But I know you got an O in Potions, so I thought your notes would be the most useful if I want to get good marks."

Dria let out a light chuckle at the girl's eagerness, and slowly began nodding in response as she rose from the bedside, and beckoned the second-year follow her to the desk by the doorway.

"I'm sure I can find something or other for you." She assured the girl, setting her brother's completed chart on the finished pile and pulling a piece of spare parchment. "But if you want a head start, you should probably look for ... this in the library."

After scribbling a certain book title on the parchment, she tore it off and held out the scrap towards the younger girl with a helpful smile.

"Moste Potente Potions?"

"For Polyjuice, that's the book you want." Dria assured the girl, whose eyes scanned the title a few tiles before nodding to herself and tucking the scrap of parchment into her pocket.

"Thank you, that's brilliant." She smiled brightly at the girl as she started making her way out of the Hospital Wing, but halted in her tracks after a moment and turned back to face her fellow second-year with a slight dusting of pink on her cheeks, and tucking her hair behind her ear. "Um ... hope you start feeling better soon, Michael."

Michael's eyes shot up to find hers at the mention of his name as that same dusting pink blossomed across his cheeks, and he offered her a small smile in response.

"Oh yeah, thanks."

After a few short glances passed between the two second year Gryffindors, Hermione was finally on her way out of the doors while Michael adverted his gaze back to his cup of potion.

With a shake of her head, Dria moved around the desk and stood in the middle of the aisle, looking after the girl's retreating figure as Jackie moved over to stand next to her, also looking after the young Gryffindor as she went.

"Do you think she's really doing an assignment?" Jackie asked with a small smirk, her eyebrow arching at the blonde beside her.

"Hermione?" Dria asked nonchalantly to which the Hufflepuff nodded in confirmation, and the blonde merely shrugged. "This time, I'm not so sure."

"Yet you still helped her out?"

"Well, if she is plotting something with Potter and Weasley, it'll surely make the year that bit more interesting." Dria chuckled, with a light shake of her nod before rounding the desk and sidling back into her seat, pulling the pile of charts towards her once more.

"As if the whole heir of Slytherin drama isn't enough?" Jackie chuckled with a quirked eyebrow, as she perched on the edge of desk.

"Well, you know those three, they're always up to something or other. I'm not sorry for being entertained by it."

𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖆 𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖐𝖘!
stan the hospital
wing squad for
clear skin and
watered crops !!

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