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booksmarts and broomsticks
act i , a lovelorn lockaby
chapter eight , a twist of tutoring

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➖ DRIA LOCKABY ➖
january 1992

"SO, PENNY, TELL ME did you like your Christmas present?"

Christmas and New Year had passed in a wintery blur, and before any of the Lockaby siblings knew it, they had left Mulberry Cottage and were back starting a new term at Hogwarts.

       The lessons for the first day back had finished at three o'clock and, having just left their History of Magic lesson — which Tess had spent most of dozing on Dria's shoulder — the four girls were queuing on one of the moving staircase, on their way to the library.

       "Well, my family weren't especially impressed by the amount of live Chocolate Frogs jumping about my house." Penny replied to Jackie's question from where they stood beside one another on the staircase. "But, yes, I appreciate the thought."

       "I thought it could be a great social experiment." The Hufflepuff defended, while Dria tried to make her laughter as she imagined the panic Penny's Muggle family must have endured.

       "It was certainly something." Penny agreed with a light chuckle at the chuffed expression on Jackie's face, before turning over her shoulder slightly to address the blonde behind her. "How was your Christmas, Dria?"

       "Very good." Dria replied with a content smile, much to the confusion of the dark haired Gryffindor at her side.

       "I don't get it." Tess said with furrowed brows, as she surveyed Dria's content expression. "Weren't you at your mum's?"

       "She went to Cancun with her Muggle, so we stayed with Dad." Dria clarified quickly as the staircase halted in position and allowed them to proceed to the next one on their descent.

       "Well, who could say no to that?" Tess grinned, leaning upon the bannister of the staircase and sharing a mischievous look with Jackie at the mention of Allan Lockaby.

       "I certainly couldn't." Jackie agreed, before earning a very unimpressed scowl from the blonde Gryffindor that stood behind her.

"I'm this close to throwing you down this staircase." Dria muttered in her friend's ear before merely received the sound of a characteristic cackle in response.

"How's things with Savannah, Tess?" Penny quickly changed the subject and turned to the dark haired Gryffindor behind her, before Dria had chance to follow through with her threat.

Savannah Consuelos was a Gryffindor in the year above them, and happened to be the very same girl that Tess had been flirting with on the night of Gryffindor's defeat of Slytherin, a couple of months before. And, so far, proved to be one of the longest of Tess' infatuations.

"Well, I fancy the pants off her." Tess said back nonchalantly. "So, good for the moment."

"Yes, but you fancy the pants off anything with a heartbeat, Tess." Jackie retorted, turning behind her to face the girl.

"That's not true!"

"But it's not wrong!" Dria chimed in with a sing-song tone as she shuffled past her friends onto another of the moving staircases.

"Where are you going?" Tess called in confusion as the other three girls stopped on the first floor landing. "I thought we were going to the library?"

Dria cast a look behind her from where she stood on the moving staircase leading her onto the ground floor, where she planned to get off and proceed on her route to the Dungeons.

"I'll meet you in a bit," Dria called in explanation as the staircase began to move off from the landing. "Snape asked me to go down to the Dungeons to organise the arrangements for the new person I'm tutoring."

"Since when?"

"I told you ten minutes ago!" Dria answered Tess' question with a raised voice as the distance between them grew larger.

"Bold of you to assume I listen to the shit you talk about!" The dark haired Gryffindor responded, with a hearty chuckle as Dria rolled her eyes.

"I'll see you in a bit!"

A small chorus of goodbyes from her friends sent the blonde Gryffindor on her way, as she quickly weaves her way through the people collated on the staircase and descended to the ground floor.

Clutching her bag tightly over her shoulder, she proceeded along the corridors until she reached the staircase that led down to the Dungeons, where Professor Snape had asked her to come after her final lesson.

Most of the castle at this point in the year held a chill due to it being early January, but Dria was certain that the temperature in the Dungeons was subzero, as she saw her breath condense as it left her lips on her way down. With a slight chatter of her teeth, the blonde wrapped her arms around herself to preserve the slightest bit of body heat that the cold air threatened to rip from her.

       She shuffled past a few more students, some emerging from classrooms, others — being Slytherin — finding their way to their common room. However, she soon arrived and with a shaky knock on the door, Dria made her way into the dingy Potions classroom.

       "Ah, Miss Lockaby." A familiar drawl greeted her, and as she peered through the grimy air to see the Potions Master sat at his desk, looking at the doorway in which she stood with a sheepish smile.

      "Professor Snape." She replied with a nod, as she left the door open and proceeded forward to the front of the room, surprised to see no one else in the classroom.

      "You seem to the first to arrive, Miss Lockaby," Professor Snape clarified, upon seeing her confused look, "But I'm sure Mr Wood will be along shortly."

       Dria gave another short nod in response before she faltered slightly, and a confused smile broke out across her lips, as her eyebrows furrowed upon digesting the name he'd mentioned.

       "I'm sorry, Professor, did you say—?"

       "Mr Wood."

       Oliver Wood's name fell out of Snape's lips in a drawl, much like Dria's had done, as he greeted by the Potions Master who stood upon his arrival.

       Dria found herself whipping around to face the doorway and with wide disbelieving eyes, her gaze landing on the figure of the last person she thought she'd be asked to tutor.

       "Holy Merlin, why?!" She muttered under her breath, and sending a quick glance skyward wondering if fate found it funny to throw her in such traumatic scenarios.

       Oliver Wood spared a sheepish smile at the Potions Master and the blonde Gryffindor at his side, before he edged his way into the classroom, one hand resting upon the bag strap that hung from his shoulder while the other hung at his side.

       "I'm sure you're familiar with Miss Lockaby's aptitude for potion-making." Professor Snape went on, as Wood came closer to the two already in the room.

       Wood gave a small nod of agreement, causing Dria's look to falter out of mild horror and into confusion; Oliver Wood knew she was good at Potions?

      "Miss Lockaby, you might like to know that Mr Wood here appears to believe that his time is better dedicated to his Quidditch practice rather than his Potions OWL." Snape continued, turning to the Gryffindor girl while the boy opposite him let out a small scoff.

      "Well, that's not quite true. It's just hard to balance everything—" The Quidditch Captain tried to explain, while Dria tried to melt at the sound of the Scottish lilt that accompanied his words.

       "Therefore, I thought it would be most effective if I assigned you as his tutor." Snape cut him off, leading to Wood pressing his lips together in silence as the Potions Master looked at the Lockaby girl. "Rumour has it, you don't have much time for the sport, is that correct?"

       Dria's eyes widened at Professor Snape's words as she looked between him and Wood in a panicked frenzy, wondering just how Professor Snape knew that — she'd probably end up blaming Tess — and why he had to disclose it to Wood of all people.

       "You don't like Quidditch?" The brown-haired boy turned to her with a confused look, as his dark brows furrowed over his coffee coloured eyes in confusion.

      "Well, uh, not exactly ... but that's hardly a reason to—" The blonde faltered with a sheepish glance at Wood, before turning back to Snape, trying to ignore the blush of embarrassment she could feel rising up her cheeks.

        "Anyway, I'll leave you both to sort out the rest," The Potions Master declared, seemingly unaware of the tension he'd just caused between the two students — and if he was aware, his manner showed that he simply didn't care. "But I want to see an improvement, Wood, or I'll have to advise McGonagall to revoke your Captainship. Understood?"

       With a light gulp at the thought, Wood answered with a nod, mustering what he could of a polite smile.

       "Yes, Professor Snape."

       "Miss Lockaby?"

       Dria looked up at the man incredulously still trying to wrap her brain around the incidents that had occurred moments previously, but nonetheless straightened up and gave a short nod.

       "Understood, Professor."

       "Then, you are dismissed." The professor cemented, nodding towards the entrance to the classroom. 

       "Fantastic." Dria muttered from behind a forced smile, and turned briskly on her heel with the intention of getting as far away from the scene as quickly as she could.

       With one hand clutching onto her bag strap, she emerged out of the classroom and into the main corridor of the Dungeons, making for the staircase that led up to the ground floor but, of course, her plans of a quick escape with thwarted.

       "Woah, Lockaby!"

       Dria stopped in her tracks and squeezed her eyes shut momentarily with a slight groan, before nervously turning around at the sound of Wood's call. She placed a small smile on her lips in the hope it would mask the tension she'd clearly felt, as her blue eyes focused on the Gryffindor Keeper who was approaching her in a light jog, having followed her from the classroom.

       "Yeah?" She asked, as he stopped in front of her with another sheepish smile on his lips.

       "So, um ... when are you free to tutor me?" The boy asked slowly, scratching the back of his neck, as he arched an eyebrow in curiosity.

       "Whenever, really." Dria said quickly, immediately cursing herself for giving such a stupid answer but still maintaining a nonchalant smile.

       "Right." The boy replied tentatively, his brows furrowing in slight suspicion and a light chuckle leaving his lips.

       "Yep."

       Dria actually wanted to punch herself as she stood before Oliver Wood, nodding dumbly before turning slowly on her heel and making for the staircase once more. However, once again, the girl was stopped in her tracks by the Scottish voice.

       "Do you not like me or something, Lockaby?"

       She stopped again, allowing his question to sink in and her face to fall into an expression of confusion as she turned around again to see him walking towards her.

       "Why on earth would you think that?"

       "Because when Snape told you that you'd be tutoring me, you looked a lot less than pleased." Wood replied, with a bashful chuckle, his eyebrow still arched in curiosity. "And, right now, you can't seem to get away fast enough."

       Dria let out a long breath, and shook her head at his reasoning, before pressing her hands to her face as she tried to think of some way to explain her off behaviour.

       "No, I don't dislike you." She assured him, earning a relieved smile in response which threatened to make her heart burst. "I just have to meet my friends in the library."

       Wood nodded along with her, as she explained, but then Dria's train of thought left the station without so much as a warning and led her down the slippery slope of rambling at the boy.

      "And as for the whole tutoring thing, I mean— I was just surprised and my face does this thing where sometimes my surprised face can be mistaken for intense frustration so —" Dria cut herself off, as her gaze focused on the humoured look on the boy's face. "Um, sorry, I'm rambling."

       "It's fine." Wood chuckled, in good humour as he took a step forward and they both began ascending the winding staircase up to the ground floor. "So you don't hate me?"

       "No, I don't." Dria answered, wishing she could have put it that concisely before.

       "I mean, you would have good reason to."

       Wood's statement led to Dria's face to morph into a look of confusion as they emerged onto the ground floor, walking side by side.

       "Is that so?"

       "I did hit you in the face with a Quaffle in third year." He clarified, with a slight wince, and earning a relieved chuckle from Dria. "Figured you might hold it against me?"

       Dria merely grinned at his insinuation, and offered him a nonchalant shrug in response, pursing her lips together ever so slightly.

       "I mean you did break my nose." She replied, earning a look of apology from the boy, whose gaze upon her made her heart beat incredibly fast.

       She tucked a strand of her behind her ear, as the two continued along their way, weaving in and out of other students in their journey.

       "And I didn't think you'd remember that." Dria added, a few moments later, sparing him a look of surprise, at which he only chuckled.

       "How could I forget?" He scoffed, wearing a smile that reached his dark eyes at the thought of the memory. "Two seconds later, Jackie O'Hare broke mine right back."

      Dria let out a chuckle at the part of the story, the girls so often forgot to add when they discussed Dria's first encounter with Wood.

       "Well, you know Hufflepuffs, they're very eye for an eye types ..." Dria said, in faux severity, as the Keeper cracked another smile at her and they bought jumped up onto one of the moving staircases.

       "Well, I formally apologise." Wood said with a sheepish smile at the girl who stood opposite him, as he leant against the bannister of the staircase.

       "Apology accepted." Dria chuckled, beginning to feel awestruck at the ease that she felt as the two of them conversed. "Although, you'll be lucky to get one from Jackie."

       "I reckoned as much."

       The two Gryffindors slowly ascended the moving staircase as it manoeuvred itself to connect to the first floor, and upon reaching the landing realised they both intended to go separate ways.

       "So, you'll let me know on the tutoring?" Wood asked, with an arched eyebrow, bringing their conversation back to their initial reasoning for gathering.

       "Yeah, sure thing." Dria nodded, with a small smile as she made to turn on her heel.

       "I really do appreciate it." The boy looked at her abashed, "I really can't afford to lose this Captainship."

       There was deep sincerity in his coffee coloured eyes as they met Dria, and she spared him a nonchalant shrug, trying her best to hide a blush forming on her cheeks.

       "A twist of tutoring should do the trick." She chuckled, before her mind instantly began screaming at her for her choice of words. "Don't worry about it, Wood."

       "Oliver."

       "Huh?"

       Dria stopped in her tracks and turned back around to see the boy, a sheepish smile still on his lips as he looked upon the retreating blonde.

       "You can call me Oliver." He clarified upon seeing her confused look, "I mean— since all that Quaffle stuff is behind us, and we're going to be seeing a lot of each other ... we can be friends now, can't we?"

       A small smile spread across Dria's lips at his words, it would have been much larger but somehow she managed to hang on to the little self respect she had left.

       "At your own risk." She chuckled, a light smile filling her features. "I'd have thought by now you'd think I was an absolute moron."

      "Why would I think that?" The boy responded, shaking his head as he let out a light laugh at her words.

       "Well, because to some extent I am an absolute moron."

       A sheepish smile spread over the girl's face as she looked at the boy just a few metres from her, still smiling fondly on her.

       "Likewise, Lockaby."

       Happy with his response, she let her gaze drop sheepishly to the floor, taking a hand through her hair casually before looking back up, deciding to take a leaf out of his book.

       "You can call me Dria."

       Oliver's eyes lit up a little at her response, the edges of his lips twitching a little before broadening into a smile.

       "I will."

       Pressing her lips together in a bashful smile, the girl looked over her shoulder in the direction of library where she knew her friends would be waiting, unaware of the amount of information the blonde Gryffindor had yet to bestow upon them.

       "I'll see you then." She smiled, sparing a nod behind her in the direction of the library and beginning to back away in its direction.

       "Have fun with your friends," Oliver called after her, causing her to look around once more only to him squint in embarrassment as he digested his own words. "Well ... as much as the library permits."

       The blonde stifled another chuckle which brought the smile back to the Gryffindor Keeper's lips, as she nodded beginning to back away again, sparing him a small wave.

       "Will do."

       Turning on her heel and walking away from the boy on the landing, Dria finally allowed a large grin she'd been suppressing to break out across her face. It took everything within her not to squeal in delight as she entered the library, peeking down every aisle until she saw her friends grouped together in their red, yellow and blue robes.

       Without a word, Dria slipped into the seat between Jackie and Penny, and began unpacking her equipment for her bag, all the while the grin remained on her face much to the confusion of her friends.

"You look happy." Tess said tentatively, sharing a look between herself, Jackie and Penny who merely shrugged their shoulders.

"Let's just say your plan has accelerated tenfold." Dria smirked, earning raised brows and chuffed smirks from the three girls around her. "And strangely, it's thanks to Snape."

"Nothing about what you just said makes sense." Penny replied, her eyes narrowing in uncertainty.

"And somehow it's true." The blonde mused, as she grabbed her textbook from her bag, her grin still stubbornly across her lips.

"Well," The Hufflepuff commented, still looking on her blonde friend, who was merely basking in her happiness. "I think I speak for everyone when I say; the fuck?"

𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖆 𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖐𝖘!
aye it's getting juicy now
folks, buckle up — also
fyi it's now completely
canon that snape is the
matchmaker of hogwarts

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