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booksmarts and broomsticks
act ii , take a breath
chapter fifteen , magical me

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➖ GILDEROY LOCKHART ➖
august 1992

       "TRAVELS WITH TROLLS? Wandering with Werewolves?" Dria read out incredulously, her nostrils flared in contempt, "Three quarters of this reading list is his entire collected works."

       Another week had passed, and Dria was now back on home turf, walking along the cobbled streets of Diagon Alley with Jackie, strolling next to her as she grinned at the blonde's clear disgust at the reading list in her hands — which listed the collected works of celebrated author, Gilderoy Lockhart.

       "I'm not complaining." Jackie smirked, much to Dria chagrin, as she elbowed her friend in the side in response. 

       "You'll learn nothing from staring at his face, Jackie." Dria told her, her eyebrows furrowing and her jaw set, as they weaved through the other pedestrians walking along the street.

       "I disagree."

       "You would."

       The two girls walked behind Michael and Maisie, who were chatting between themselves with bored expressions on their faces as they trailed behind their mother who was jovially leading the group down the street in the direction of Flourish and Blotts.

"Hurry up, girls." Julia called, tucking her long dark hair behind her ear as she looked back at her kids. "We don't want to miss him!"

"Well, you certainly don't." Michael mumbled to Maisie, earning the slightest of chuckles from his older sister behind him.

Unbeknownst to the Lockaby children until they had arrived at that mother's that summer, Julia Appleton had broken up with her latest boyfriend, Shaun — or rather, he had broken up with her for a girl, that happened to be twenty-something years younger than her, but according to their mother that was beside the point!

Before Dria left for Northern Ireland, the woman had been wallowing in self-pity and dejection. However, when the blonde returned with Jackie, she found her mother to be new woman — she had told her as much herself — much to the horror of her younger siblings who had played witness to the transformation, and were, no doubt, scarred from it.

        And Dria had soon discovered it had everything to do with her mother's new found fascination with the one and only Gilderoy Lockhart.

"You're excited, aren't you, Jackie?" Julia asked, looking on her daughter's friend that strolled alongside her and responded with a sure nod.

"Sure am, Jules."

        As if tolerating her mother's chirpy new outlook on life wasn't enough to set Dria on edge, she was less than pleased at the friendship that had started to bloom between her mother and Jackie.

        While Jackie assured her that she was only interested in engaging with her mother due to their shared interest in Muggles — and the Irish girl also wanted to see if she could somehow convince Julia to get her some work experience in her department at the Ministry — Dria was still very unhappy that her friend was encouraging her mother's antics.

As soon as her mother had turned around, Dria made sure to elbow the Hufflepuff sharply in her side, sparing her a quick scowl.

"Don't you dare get all buddy-buddy with my mother, again." Dria whispered harshly, her eyes wide in objection. "You know she wasn't even going to come until I mentioned the reading list."

       "Well, Dria, his face will be the highlight of this trip—"

       "Oh, shut it."

       Jackie's cackle didn't do much to lighten Dria's spirits, as her gaze fixed on the back of her mother's head, watching as her dark hair swished in rhythm as her feet landed upon the cobblestones.

"Alright, dickheads?"

Dria did however feel the corners of her lips tug into a small smile at the sound of another voice, and the feeling of an arm slinging around her shoulders.

Looking to her left, the blonde let out a chuckle as her eyes landed on the face of her fellow Gryffindor, who now stood in between her and Jackie with her arms slung around both their shoulders and joining them in their walk.

"That's my line." Jackie grimaced distastefully as she shrugged Tess' arm from her shoulder, the dark-haired girl shrugging in response.

"I'm trying it on for size."

       "Well, it doesn't fit, so best you return it."

       Letting out a chuckle at the entrance of their friend, Dria smiled into Tess' embrace as they proceeded down the street beside one another.

       "Does Florean know you're gone?" The blonde asked with an arched brow, changing the subject to distract her squabbling friends, despite already knowing the answer to her question.

       "Course not." Tess scoffed, earning a cackle from Jackie and an eye roll from Dria.

       "How have you not been fired?"

       "Beats me." The dark-haired girl shrugged, before her lips slowly curved into a suggestive smirk, "You seen the reading list?"

       "Don't you start—"

       "He is gorgeous, Dria."

       "Well, he's also your teacher." The blonde reminded her friend as the group turned into the bookshop, beginning to bustle through the developing crowd, trying to keep up with Julia and the twins. "So don't get any ideas."

       "Well, I wasn't until you mentioned that—"

       "Tess!"

Dria's irritation slowly dissipated at the sound of Jackie and Tess' laughter, and they continued making their way through the shop, following the rest of the blonde's family.

Her lips curved into a small smile as she saw her mother greeting Mr and Mrs Weasley who were assembled in a large group with most of their children, as well as a familiar boy with a scar across his forehead, who was talking to her younger siblings, and a girl with bushy brown hair, accompanied by a couple — who Dria assumed to be her parents.

Dria spared a wave at Hermione who responded with the same gesture before turning to her parents, no doubt explaining to them who she had been waving at. The blonde's wave also extended to the two Gryffindor Beaters who nodded to their side where Julia and Mrs Weasley were eagerly conversing about Gilderoy Lockhart, before looking back at the girl and imitating being sick.

The sight amused not only Dria but also Tess and Jackie, who were surveying the other witches and wizards milling about the shop just like their friend. But their laughter soon ceased when Jackie threw a hand upon Dria's shoulder in a harsh slap and gasped loudly.

"Look, there's Penny!"

Tess and Dria followed the direction Jackie's outstretched pointed in, and their gazed landed on their Ravenclaw friend, who was stood just to the right of the Weasley family, with a bashful smile in her lips as she tucked a stand of hair behind her ear while she talked to ...

"She's talking to Percy Weasley?"

"You've got to be joking." Dria grimaced, her jaw dropping as her nostrils flared upon seeing the sight.

The expression was not only worn by Dria but also her two friends, whose eyes narrowed as they attempted to analyse the scene before them. But soon, one of them made the executive decisions to put an end to it — and, of course that was Jackie.

"Oi, Penny! Penelope Clearwater!"

       The Ravenclaw's attention was caught almost immediately as the words left Jackie's lips, and her gaze turned to meet the immensely confused ones of her friends.

       Biting her lip and letting out a light sigh, she plastered on a smile and excused herself from Percy, before making her way over to her friends on the other side of the shop.

       "Since when are you friends with Perfect Percy?" Jackie asked, before the Ravenclaw could so much as muster a greeting, causing her face to fall into a tired grimace at the question.

       "I thought you just did prefect duties together?" Dria added, her eyebrows still furrowed in contempt as she spared a look at the older Weasley who was idly chatting to Michael.

       "We do, I was just being polite." Penny answered, putting their queries to an end and —although they weren't quite convinced by her hasty reply — they let the subject go.

       Dria noticed the shop beginning to fill up behind them, most of whom were women gushing and craning their necks to look towards the back of the shop, where a desk was positioned for the author to sign his books.

       "We didn't hear from you much, this summer." Tess said after a moment, bringing the group's attention back to Penny who offered them a small smile and shrug in response.

       "Oh, you know. I've been a bit busy."

       Once again, unconvinced, the other three girls exchanged confused glances but, before they could do much as ask her to explain further, she cut them off alongside the excited rumble of murmuring customers.

       "Look here he comes." She nodded, looking towards the back of the shop.

        Albeit not satisfied with her friend's response, Dria stomached her discontent and scouted her gaze ahead of her, where a door was now stood ajar and had revealed a certain wizard in powder blue robes, neatly done corn-yellow hair and a gleaming smile.

        "Ladies and gentleman, Mr Gilderoy Lockhart."

        The women in the crowd let out dreamy sighs as he opened through the doorway, and Dria spared harsh shoves to Tess and Jackie who joined with the applause with dazed smiles on their lips.

       "Give me strength."

       Dria's comment earned a light chuckle from Penny who stood by her side, who — the blonde girl was glad to see — has just as much disinterest in the man as she did.

Dria involuntarily jumped at the bright flash of camera from just in front of her, scrunching her nose up at the strange smell at the vapour that had emitted with the flash as a cameraman from the Daily Prophet bustled through the crowd.

When the vapour cleared, the blonde furrowed her eyes upon the young Potter boy being pulled from his place between her brother and Ron Weasley and positioned next to the celebrated author, who took him upon his arm with a bright smile on his lips while the young boy looked frightened for his life.

Another flash of the camera lit up the back of room and the vapour was emitted once more, causing Dria to cough, only to be shushed by Tess, as the man before them began addressing the crowd that had gathered.

"Ladies and gentlemen, what an extraordinary moment this is." The author smirked, his voice drawling as he looked around the crowd with a vain smile. "When young Harry stepped into Flourish and Blotts this morning to purchase my autobiography, Magical Me."

A light applause broke up at the mention of the man's newest book release, at which Dria looked around with a questioning gaze at those around her, before her eyes landed on the book in question that stood prominently upon a nearby shelf.

"Which, incidentally is currently celebrating its twenty-seventh week atop the Daily Prophet bestseller list ..."

Another round of applause broke out which the man responded to with a faux bashful smile as he waved off the attention that he plainly revelled in. At this, Dria decided she'd had enough of his self-ignorance and turned to start the shopping they'd journeyed to Diagon Alley to do.

"Tess, I'm going to grab the books." The blonde muttered to her friend whose gaze was fixated on the author who was miraculously still talking.

"Yeah, okay, sure thing."

Dria rolled her eyes at Tess' dismissive answer and began bustling back through the crowd and the academic section of books in the shop, with a frustrated huff.

"Fantastic."

The Gryffindor was pleased to see that the other end of the shop was much less busy, but it still held the healthy bustle of a bookshop. Dria was glad to see that she wasn't the only one that gave zero shits about the smooth-talking author at the back of the shop.

It didn't take her very long to collate the various books that her reading lists demanded of her, and begrudgingly wandered over the counter, still unimpressed by the fact that her money was going straight into the pocket of the arrogant tosser, that she could hearing the crowd still fawning over.

"Are you not wanting them signed?" Mr Flourish asked with an arched brow as he stacked the books in a canvas bag, sparing a nod in the direction of the hubbub.

"No thanks, Mr Flourish." Dria answered, wrapping her arms around herself, sparing the man a smile as she noticed the crowd began to disperse and more people begin to walk to other end, she was stood in.

"Fair enough." The older man nodded, as she handed over the money and an enchanted quill scribbled out a receipt that levitated into her hand. "I mean it's already rubbish, no point in scribbling on it."

Dria couldn't hide the laugh that left her lips at the man's words as he handed with bag over to her with a tap of his nose and gentle wink.

Moving out of the queue, Dria found herself a place to stand with her bag hanging upon her forearm as she craned her neck to see where her family and friends were.

She could just about make out the figures of her mother and Mrs Weasley excitedly ushering forward towards the author's desk, her mother twirling a lock of dark hair around her finger, causing her eldest daughter to let out a hopeless sigh.

She spared a few small smiles as her own siblings, the Weasleys children, Harry and Hermione passed her, making for the doorway to lead out onto the street. But that smile soon faded as her own friends emerged from the crowd towards her, or rather just Tess and Penny — she didn't dare want to question where Jackie was.

"Oh, I see you're back." She muttered with pursed lips, her arms crossing tightly around herself.

"He's dreamy." Tess sighed, leaning on the wall beside the blonde with a dazed smile on her lips, earning a shake nudge from her friend in protest.

"He's an arrogant twat."

"I can see you're in a pleasant mood." Penny addressed her friend with raised eyebrows, causing the blonde to let out another bored sigh.

"My mother brings it out in me." The blonde groaned, her gaze flitting back to the woman who was still helplessly trying to chat up the author.

"Well, this won't help."

Tess' sudden comment brought Dria's gaze away from her mother, and onto her fellow Gryffindor who was looking ahead of them, her dreamy expression replaced with one of concern.

"What?"

The blonde whipped around and followed Tess' gaze. Her blue eyes landing on the group of kids, she thought would have left the shop by now, but instead they had been stopped in their track by an adult man with a long platinum blonde hair slicked back, and dressed in a long, dark cloak, his hand resting on a cane and a foul expression on his lips as he spoke to the children.

Dria didn't particularly recognise him but the boy at his side, with the same hair and foul expression, immediately gave her enough context to assume who it was.

"Malfoy." Penny muttered, her lips pursing.

"And Papa Malfoy." Tess added, grimacing at the sight.

Dria's jaw clenched as she saw the man turn his attention to her younger siblings, her nostrils flared and eyes narrowed menacingly. Feeling her protective instincts kick him, she readjusted her grip on her bag of purchases, and strode over the group.

"Come on, guys." She smiled gently, as she reached them, placing her hands upon Michael and Maisie's shoulders that she could feel were tense. "It's mad in here, let's head outside."

"Well, if it isn't the elder Lockaby."

Surprised at the man's observation of her, Dria pursed her lips and met the narrowed gaze of the grown man before her, a smile of slight confusion resting on her lips.

"I don't believe I know you, sir." She dismissed his comment quickly, before taking a step forward in attempt to leave the shop but found her path blocked by the slamming of his cane on the floor.

"Yes, well I know you." He drawled, his nostrils still flared, a look of minute disgust lingering in his icy cold eyes. "Or rather your mother. A disgrace to the name of wizard."

Before she could comprehend what was happening due to the anger rising within her, she watched as the man reached forward as seized Michael's cauldron from within his grasp and began sifting through his new purchases.

The young boy's jaw clenched as he started forward but Dria's grip on his shoulder remained firm, as she held him back, holding her head high waiting to see what else the man would say.

"It's a miracle you can afford such a demanding reading list with the little income she receives." The man tutted, his eyes surveying the three Lockaby children with a shake of his hand.

With a calm exhale, Dria stepped in front of her siblings and seized the cauldron from his own grasp — although he seemed more than willing to let it go — and passed it back to Michael, who took it and clutched it all that bit more tightly.

"You must be Mr Malfoy. I don't know how I didn't see it." Dria began, plastering on an insincere smile as she addressed him. "Oh, it's simply unmistakable; peroxide hair, flared nostrils, obnoxious elitism ..."

Dria swore that, if possible, Mr Malfoy's nostrils flared even more and his jaw clenched, his fist gripping his cane a bit more tightly, while a few suppressed chuckles sounded at from Dria's dressing down of him.

"I apologise for missing such an obvious display of conceit." Dria finalised, her eyes narrowing and lips pursing, as the man's gaze never faltered from hers in a stubborn battle of wills.

"Everything alright, kids?"

The voice of Mr Weasley interrupted to hostile silence that had fallen over the group while Dria and Mr Malfoy attempted to stare one another down.

"We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Mr Malfoy," Dria told him, straightening up with her head high on her shoulder, "And, I assure you, it certainly isn't my mother."

Mr Malfoy seemed almost amused by her retort as let out the slightest of chuckle but it wasn't in good humour more in spite, as his eyes narrowed upon her once more.

"I'd be careful if I were you."

"Lucius."

Dria felt a hand on her shoulder, as Mr Weasley moved beside her and gently ushered her behind him, his own jaw clenched as he looked upon the vile man. But his expression wasn't returned as Mr Malfoy continued to wear his expression of spiteful amusement.

"Associating with Muggles, I see, Arthur?" Lucius Malfoy tutted, craning his head to look to the back of the shop.

Dria followed his gaze with her jaw still clenched in frustration, and she saw her mother in polite conversation with the two adults that the blonde had assumed to be Hermione's parents — the Muggles he was referring to.

"And I thought your families could sink no lower." He almost spat, his gaze flitting between the Weasley family patriarch and the Lockaby girl —who still looked on him harshly as she stood in front of her younger siblings — before it finally landed back on Mr Weasley. "I'll see you at work."

And with a swish of his dark cloak, the elder Malfoy turned on his heel and left the shop, leaving Dria's attention to be drawn to his son who had moved to speak to the other Gryffindors around them.

"See you at school."

With a final raise of his eyebrows, and a pointed look that Dria could have sworn was aimed at her sister, the younger Malfoy followed after his father, leaving the group gathered in the shop practically seething in anger before being ushered out onto the street by Mr Weasley.

But Dria remained still. She hadn't realised her hands had clenched into fists and released them, and was unsurprised to see harsh fingernail marks embedded into her palms. Mr Weasley moved over to her once more, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder again.

"Didn't bother you, did he, Dria?"

       Dria spared the man a small shake of her head, plastering a smile on her lips, grateful that he had intervened when he had.

      "No, I'm fine." She replied, offering him a tight-lipped smile. "Thank you, Mr Weasley."

       Giving her shoulder another reassuring pat, Mr Weasley offered her a nod before following his party of kids out onto the street, sparing a small wave at the twins by her side.

        Dria let out a large sigh as the group left, her shoulders dropping considerably as they vanished from view. The blonde took a hand through her hair as she turned around to face her friends with a tired smile, who reciprocated with speechless expression.

       "What's happened?"

       Dria's blue eyes flitted away from the place where Tess and Penny stood with incredulous looks, and landed on her mother, wearing a curious smile, as she was followed closely by Jackie.

       "Nothing, it's fine." Dria quickly dismissed, before her gaze shot to her mother's arms which were empty much to her confusion. "Mum, where are the books for Maisie and Michael? I thought you were getting some signed?"

       Julia followed Dria's gaze to her arms and cracked an amused smile as she saw why her daughter had asked the question.

       "Oh, well I was." She began, before her lips pressed together in order to suppress a smile, and a dreamy glaze washed over her eyes. "But Gilderoy and I just got lost in conversation and I — oh, I guess forgot to pick some up."

       "They talked for about ten seconds."

       Normally, Jackie's witty interjection would have made Dria laugh, and she would have brushed off her mother's behaviour as she had done on every other preceding occasion. However, her blood still ran red hot from her encounter with Mr Malfoy, and — before her rational side could kick in — she found herself letting out a derisive chuckle, and her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"So, you didn't get the books?"

"No, but—"

"But nothing, Mum." Dria scoffed, her arms lifting a little in exasperation. "That's why we're here, for Merlin's sake!"

Dria's clenched jaw and flared nostrils however seemed to do very little to convince her mother of her frustration, as the woman simply waved off her daughter's words with an airy smile.

"Dria, you need to understand that I'd be a fool to deny the connection between us—"

"No, Mum!" Dria cut her off, her blue eyes suddenly becoming a very stormy colour, as a few other customers became aware of the altercation between the two. "You need to understand that you need to pay attention to someone but yourself for once!"

Her mother's smile vanished at the words and she opened her mouth to retort, but Dria let out a tired huff and turned on her heel before her mother could so much as utter another word. With her friends looking after her, agog, as she stepped out of the shop and turned right, beginning to walk up the street with no particular sense of direction.

"Jesus, you didn't hold back there." Jackie's Irish lilt rang out from beside her, as Dria realised her three friends had promptly followed her from the shop.

"That was brilliant." Tess cackled, gleefully, at which Dria would have spared a chuckle but the adrenaline pumping in her veins prevented her from doing so.

"How can you go from defending one second to biting her head off the next?"

Dria stopped in her tracks at Penny's question, letting out a shaky sigh and she shook her head in attempt to let out some of her frustration.

"I wasn't defending her as a mother, I was defending her as a witch." Dria said simply, her jaw still clenched, as she felt Tess' hand rub against her arm soothingly. "Merlin, I need ice cream."

"Damn right, you do." The dark-haired chuckled, looping her arm through Dria's and pulling her back into step and up the street towards Florean's Ice Cream Shop. "Come on, you can use my staff discount!"

𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖆 𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖐𝖘!
hey jules, do you
need some ice?
because you just
got BURNED

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