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booksmarts and broomsticks
act i , a lovelorn lockaby
chapter ten , come fly with me

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➖ OLIVER WOOD ➖
april 1992

"ARE YOU SURE YOU don't want to come to Hogsmeade, Dria?"

Tess' face bore a forged sulking expression as she addressed the blonde girl opposite her, drinking her cup of tea with an incredulous expression.

"Tess, I think I'll be a little out of place considering you're going on a date." Dria retorted with a hearty chuckle, leaning forward on elbows with an arched brow in the direction of her fellow Gryffindor.

Tess' expression didn't change however as she sank back into her seat, picking apart the slice of bread sat on a plate before her.

Just as the blonde Gryffindor had predicted, Tess' infatuation with Savannah Consuelos was very short-lived and had ended just a few weeks before the Easter Hogsmeade trip. Although, giving credit where credit is due, the girls were very impressed at the length of time their unofficial romance had endured.

Nonetheless, Tess had very little trouble finding a date for the imminent Hogsmeade visit, and was now going with Thomas Kettlestring, a Ravenclaw in their year who played as a Beater on his house Quidditch team.

"I just feel bad leaving you by yourself." The dark haired girl said, her eyebrows furrowed in sympathy as she continued surveying her blonde friend.

"I'm not by myself, I've got Jackie and Penny." Dria corrected her, with another sip of her tea and a nonchalant shrug.

"Well—"

"Or not."

Dria's head turned to face the Ravenclaw sat at her side who offered her a sheepish smile in apology.

"I've got a Prefect meeting." She stated, reaching forward for her goblet of pumpkin juice.

"Another one?"

"What the hell do you people talk about?" Jackie asked, her eyebrow arched as she looked at the Ravenclaw opposite her who only offered a shrug.

"You know, stuff."

"Sounds fascinating."

Shaking her head at Jackie's response, Dria turned her attention to the Hufflepuff, hoping that she too wouldn't be otherwise committed.

"Jackie?"

Upon hearing her name, Jackie gave a light shake of her head and pulled a light grimace of disgust as she explained the reasoning.

"I've got to whip the team into shape for our Slytherin match, next month."

"It's a month away." Dria reminded her, brows furrowing in confusion.

"I know, it's not long enough."

Letting out a small huff of discontent, Dria found her blue eyes meeting the dark brown ones of Tess who still sat with a guilty expression on her face.

"See, this is why I feel bad!"

"No, it's fine!" Dria dismissed her worry, plastering on a small smile and trying to convince herself to pull herself together. "I've got some reading to do for Ancient Runes anyway."

Her other three friend exchanged disbelieving looks as all four of them began rising from their seats, leaving various pots and cutlery discarded on the table and making their way towards the door.

"Are you sure you're good?" Tess asked again, causing Dria to roll her eyes before looking at her other two friends who also bore expressions of apology.

"Yes, I'm good!" She chuckled, as she began to back away from them and towards the staircase. "Now, go and do your stuff, busy people!"

And before they could so much as offer another word of apology, Dria turned on her heel and made for the Common Room, letting out a small defeated breath as she went.

***

WHEN SHE HAD arrived in the Common Room, she found it to be practically empty. She soon gathered the weather outside had given very little reason for any student to stay in. Those that could go to Hogsmeade had gladly done so, while the younger years had taken to sitting out in the strong spring sunshine that streamed through the glass panel of Gryffindor Tower.

Despite the warm temperature that the air already beheld, the crackling log fire still roared in the fireplace much to the contentment of the familiar grey tabby cat that lay outstretched before it, purring loudly.

With a light chuckle at Figaro's blissful state, Dria curled herself into one of the large armchairs at the fireside, and sat for a moment watching the logs crackle away as the flames ran up and down the bark in flickers of light.

"Are you not going to Hogsmeade?"

The Scottish lilt, of the voice that had spoken, cut through the quiet of the Common Room, and Dria surprised herself when she didn't jump at the sudden noise. The same couldn't be said for Figaro however who jumped to his feet as the sound of the voice and, with a disgruntled look of his face, jumped up onto the armchair and curled next to his human.

With a light chuckle still on her lips from Figaro's antics, Dria turned her head slightly so her gaze landed on the Gryffindor Keeper who stood in the middle of the room, with a broomstick in hand and an eyebrow raised as he looked on her.

"Nope, decided not to." She answered with a small smile, as she reached across to stroke Figaro's head.

A confused expression quickly passed over Oliver's face as he walked over to the girl curled up contently in the armchair.

"It's beautiful outside." He nodded towards the window, where the sun still hung high in the sky. "Why are you wasting away in here?"

"I'm not wasting away!" Dria retorted, sitting up a little in her seat, earning a chuckle from the boy nearing her.

"Then, come outside!"

"Oliver!"

The boy rolled his eyes before he perched on the arm of the sofa just next to her, looking on her with a small smile before he stated his case.

"I'm going flying, come with me."

Dria couldn't hold back the scoff that left her lips at his offer, shuffling in her seat and she shook her head defiantly.

"See that I can't do." She chuckled dryly, her eyes widening with an incredulous expression.

"Why not?"

"Just can't."

"Why not?"

Dria let out a groan as his persistence while Oliver merely grinned at her, thoroughly amused by her defiance as she let out a faint mutter of an answer that he couldn't quite hear.

"I can't ride a broom."

"What was that?" He asked, his eyes narrowing in concentration all the while a grin never left his lips.

"I can't ride a fucking broom!"

       A small silence settling between them as Dria's pressed her lips together, wincing at the volume of her sudden outburst while Oliver did his best to mask a chuckle.

      "Don't you dare laugh at me." Dria warned him, pursing her lips sending the boy an unamused look yet it didn't quite reach her eyes, which still glinted upon seeing him smile.

       "I'm not laughing."

       "Tell that to your face."

       At her comment, a large smile broke out across Oliver's face which Dria couldn't help but mirror, ignoring her deep set feeling of embarrassment, and they let themselves bask in the light laughter of the other for a moment.

       "I'll teach you."

       "What?"

       "Come with me," Oliver said, standing up from where he leaned on the chair of the sofa and offering her a hand. "I will teach you how to ride a broom, you uncultured swine."

       "No way." Dria scoffed, looking at him with an incredulous smile, only causing his grin to widen.

      "Why not?"

       "Because I'll make a fool of myself."

       "Who cares?"

       "Me, I care!"

       The Keeper merely rolled his eyes, before moving over and kneeling next to her, and resting his head on the arm of the chair, tugging at the sleeve of her jumper.

       "Come on, humour me."

       "I'm sure I will." She replied, indifferently, crossing her arms across her front, shaking her head with a smile.

      "Not taking no for an answer, Lockaby." Oliver declared before smacking his hands down on the arm of the chair, and rising back up to his feet. "Come on."

       Before she could argue, he seized her hand in his — a gesture at which her heart leapt in her chest — and pulled her from her seat, causing her to give a childish groan, before realising she would have to give in.

        "You are a piece of work, Oliver Wood." She said with a light smile on her lips, as she narrowed her eyes at him playfully.

       "Thank you kindly."

***

        "OH MOTHERFUCKER!"

       With a loud exclamation, Dria hovered in the air for a few seconds — supported by one of training broomsticks that Oliver had swiped from the Quidditch supply cupboard  — and landed roughly back on the ground, the shock hurting her ankles as she did.

       "That was better." Oliver said tentatively, from where he stood beside her, his own broom in hand. "I mean you didn't fall that time."

       The blonde scowled at him, attempting to blow her hair out of her face as she stepped over the broom, still gripping it at her side.

       "I will hit you with this broomstick."

       "No, you won't."

       "Don't test me."

The Keeper shook his head with a chuckle at the stubborn look on her face, her eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed in distaste.

"Go on, try again." He encouraged, nodding at the broomstick to which she gave another audible groan, before throwing her leg over it again.

"I don't even want to do this." She whined, gripping the handle tightly in her grasp, tensing a little as she prepared to kick off once more.

"Come on, Dria, it's my favour to you." Oliver mused in response, a smirk growing on his lips. "You teach me Potions, I teach you how not to fall on your arse."

"Yes, very egalitarian."

The Gryffindor Captain rolled his eyes once more at her attitude but nonetheless chuckled along at her.

"Okay, ready?"

"Nope."

Despite her answer, she still hunched a little into the position he'd shown her a few minutes before, preparing to take off, gritting her teeth in fear of falling off once more.

"Three ... two ... one ... go!"

She squealed slightly as she kicked the ground hard and felt herself rise up, her eyes squinted tight together, bracing for the impact of falling onto the ground. But the impact never came.

Prising her eyes ever so slightly, upon hearing a gleeful laugh from the boy beside her, they widened in realisation as Dria saw she hovering steadily above ground.

"Oliver— Oliver!" She cried excitedly, whipping her head around to face him, her thrilled grin meeting a proud smile. "I'm doing it, I'm bloody doing it!"

"I can see that!" The boy chuckled at her excitement, as she experimentally leaned forward urging the broom to move from its stationery position.

"Oh my God, I'm riding a broom!"

However, no sooner did the gleeful exclamation leave her lips did the blonde Gryffindor feel herself losing balance. Without warning, the broom shot off from under her and left her mid-air, causing her to ungraciously fall hard on her back with a pained groan.

"Oof!" Dria let out a winded breath, as her back came into contact with the ground, although couldn't help but chuckle slightly at herself, as the sound of approaching footsteps entered her midst.

"Shit! Dria, are you alright?"

The blonde grinned as the boy knelt next to her, and she propped herself up on her elbows to look at him, slightly surprised by the look of worry in his coffee coloured eyes, but brushing the feeling off nonetheless.

"That was brilliant!" She grinned, pushing herself up onto her knees and turning to face him, watching as his expression turned from one of fear into humoured relief.

"Better than wasting away in the Common Room?" He asked, with an arched brow as she merely huffed in response.

"I wasn't wasting away—"

"You were."

"But, yes." She conceded, taking his hand as he helped her to her feet. "God, that was—"

"Freeing?"

Dria turned to look at him with a small nod, amazed at the aptness with which he condensed the feeling into a singular word.

"Yes!" She nodded, her grin never once fading as they walked back to the edge of the training grounds.

"Perhaps, you understand now why I love Quidditch so much?" Oliver asked, with a gentle grin on his lips as they reached their destination and slowly sank back down to sit upon the ground. "When you're out there on the pitch, you're on top of the world, you're invincible."

Dria continued hide the small smile that crawled onto her face as he stared off, allowing his emotions to pass by his lips and travel to her ears. The impassioned spark in his eyes glinting as he looked far off at the hoops of the Quidditch pitch that stood tall in the distance.

"I think it's great you're so passionate about something." Dria said gently, capturing his attention once more.

"Really?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowing slightly at her declared opinion, before his eyes bashfully shot to the ground. "Most people think it's an unhealthy obsession."

"I mean, of course, it's that too." Dria chuckled, earning a light bump on the shoulder from the Keeper on her left. "But it's better than walking through life half-heartedly."

"You think?"

"I know."

Dria offered him a small smile before her eyes travelled to grass beneath them and allowed her hand to caress the green blades as she reached down to touch them

"It's part of who you are," She told him, sincerely, bringing herself to meet his observant gaze, "And as long as it makes you feel the way it does, it should never be seen as a bad thing."

Oliver tilted his head slightly as he listened to her words, staring deeply into her sea blue eyes with a content smile on his lips. She could only offer a small smile in response before tearing her gaze from his and looking down at the floor once more to hide her reddening cheeks.

"You're awfully wise, Dria." He remarked sincerely as he lightly bumped her shoulder again. "You sure you're not secretly a Ravenclaw?"

"Believe me when I say I hear that daily." Dria chuckled in response, shaking her head lightly as she remembered every jest her friends had ever made toward her booksmarts. "I'm probably one of the few mistakes the Sorting Hat's ever made."

Her eyebrows furrowed as she felt the weight of her statement, swallowing nervously before she let out a light breath, looking out into the distance.

"Daring, nerve — I believe I couldn't be further from it."

"I disagree."

Oliver caught her attention with his remark, causing her to let out a small chuckle and she turned back to face him with an arched brow.

"Oh?"

"You just rode a broom even though the thought terrified you." He reminded her with a light smirk at which she rolled her eyes.

"It didn't terrify me—"

"I basically dragged you kicking and screaming."

"Well, that hardly supports your point." She shook her head, bumping his shoulder with a light chuckle still resident on her lips.

"Yet, you still did it." He told her, with a proud grin reinstating itself upon his face. "You're braver than you know, all Gryffindors are. We don't get put in this house for no reason."

His words surprisingly put her at ease, and she offered him an abashed smile in response before they both look off into the distance in a comfortable silence.

"Maybe you're the wise one." She said in a quiet voice, casting a glance his way just in time to catch a ghost of a smile cross his lips.

"I play a sport where I willingly put myself in a position to get beaten up habitually, I'd say that's far from wise." The Keeper retorted, his smooth voice laced with a chuckle.

"Well, I guess that's fair enough." She shrugged, reciprocating his chuckle. "Especially when you don't get yourself treated."

"Well, what's the point when I have you at my disposal? Miss aspiring Healer."

Dria shook her head at the smirk on his lips, as he addressed, yet was unable to wipe the forming grin stretching across her face.

"No, you're absolutely right." She nodded, narrowing her eyes in faux concentration. "You're incredibly unwise."

"Well, you're the brains and I'm the brawn." The Keeper chuckled, looking at the blonde beside him with wide grin, bumping her shoulder a final time. "That's how we work, isn't it, Lockaby?"

Dria pressed her lips together tightly to suppress what would have been a ridiculously large smile, but nodded nonetheless at his statement before the two looked off into the distance once more.

"That's how we work, Wood."

𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖆 𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖐𝖘!
lockwood! lockwood!
lockwood! lockwood!
they melt me, and i adore
them, thank you for
coming to my ted talk x

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