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booksmarts and broomsticks
act iii , turning tables
chapter forty ,  cinnamon in his coffee

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➖JACKIE O'HARE ➖
september 1993

"IS IT SUPPOSED TO look so greasy?"

"It's a sheen!"

Vix's nose was upturned as she peered upon the swirling liquid in the cauldron before her, ignoring Alita's explanation before turning back to her and Dria with a disgusted look on her face.

        "I don't care what it is, it looks like chip shop fat."

Dria could only stifle a chuckle as the Heron girl threw herself back on her stool. The blonde craned her neck a little to check the potion that Alita was hesitantly stirring on her left, before bringing her gaze back to the potions textbook in her hands.

"Once the potion has developed its distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen." Dria recited, looking between their potion and the illustration in the textbook, as Alita ducked down beneath their work bench. "Leave it to rest until the steam begins to spiral."

"And then it's done?" Vix asked, her attention suddenly darting to the blonde. "Well, I might just pass my Potions NEWT after all."

        Dria stifled a light chuckle as her gaze drifted down to the floor when Alita had since crouched down and was fumbling around in her bag.

        "You alright under there?"

"Yeah, yeah." Alita reassured the blonde as she shifted into a sitting position and began wrestling her feet out of her school shoes. "Just changing my shoes and praying the lesson ends early."

"You got somewhere to be?" Dria arched an eyebrow, as she reached forward and gave the potion a tentative stir.

"It's Quidditch tryouts!"

"Oh, how could I forget?" The blonde chuckled, folding her arms across her chest. "You're trying out?"

       "Well, I'm not going just to watch!" Alita retorted with a knowing smile, as she pulled her trainers onto her feet.

        "Yeah, that's what I'm doing." Vix chipped in from where she slouched against the dungeon wall.

         "You know Katie Bell fell off her garage roof right?" The Byrnes girl spoke up whilst stuffing her school shoes back into her bag and straightening up.

        "Yeah, I'm pretty sure Tess told the whole school within ten minutes." Dria replied, wincing slightly at the thought.

        "As tragic as it is, Gryffindor need a new Chaser so I thought what the hell?" Alita went on as she rose to her feet with Vix's assistance. "It's my last year, why not?"

        Dria nodded along with the girl's explanation as she stopped stirring the potion, and arched an eyebrow at the girl again as she turned to face her.

       "Well, I can always put in a good word for you with the Captain." The blonde offered, at which Vix spared her a light smirk.

        "Oh yeah, you and Wood are all buddy-buddy, aren't you?"

        "Do it." Alita nodded fervently, "I really want this."

        "Your wish is my command."

Dria couldn't help but grin at the excited squeal that left Alita's lips at her words. Although, Dria wasn't exactly sure how much sway she would have on Oliver's decision, she liked to think he valued her opinions even if it was on a topic she knew extremely little about.

"Ooh, look! It's swirling!"

       Alita's sudden exclamation broke Dria's out of her brief daze as the Byrnes girl excitedly pointed at  the now swirling potion and Vix stuck her neck out and took a large whiff of its fragrance.

       "We must have done it right, because that is the sexiest thing I've ever smelt."

Dria gave a light laugh as Vix took another deep sniff of the potion before being pulled back Alita. The blonde's gaze faltered ever so slightly at the sound of a page turning, as she looked up to see Professor Snape sat at his desk with a newspaper in front of face, seemingly uncaring for his students creation.

"What do you reckon he smells?" The blonde mused, nudging the girls beside her and gesturing towards the gloomy Professor.

"Don't know." Alita shrugged, "Maybe chalk? Cobwebs?"

"Maybe a half decent conditioner?" Vix added, earning approving chuckles from her companions, their antics again going unnoticed by their professor.

        As their laughter dulled, Dria found herself arching a brow as the Byrnes girl took a curious step towards the potion.

      "What can you smell?" She asked Alita who gave a small shrug, before taking a light sniff of the fumes before her.

        "Um ... cinnamon? Yeah, cinnamon." She muttered after a moment with furrowed brow, before an air of realisation dawned on her. "Shit, it's cinnamon."

       Dria's eyebrows furrowed at the apparent panic that emerged on the Byrnes girl's face, as she shot an concerned look at Vixen.

       "Everything alright with cinnamon?" The blonde quirked an eyebrow, as Alita began furiously nodding.

       "Yeah, yeah." She responded, taking a hand through her hair. "It reminds me of the cookies my dad makes around Christmas time."

       "Oh!" Dria responded in realisation, before a sudden thought dawned at the mention of Oisin Byrnes. "I was actually meaning to ask you about your dad."

       "Oh?"

       "I'm heading down to his shop after this to study." Dria explained, sinking back down into her seat, and resting her head on her hand. "Wondered if you had any recommendations on what to get? Although I'm sure everything's gorgeous."

       "Raspberry scone, no question." Alita answered, as though it was a reflex. "It's my go-to."

"Raspberry scone, it'll be."

Dria gave a light chuckle in agreement as their conversation lulled and their attention was drawn to their other companion who was preoccupied with smelling the potion again.

"You good, Vix?" The blonde arched an eyebrow, a small smirk settling on her features as she nudged Alita.

"Bit lost in the smell?" The Byrnes girl added as her friend let out a soft sigh.

"Clean pillowcases man, that stuff is the shit." Vix replied, stepping back from the workbench. "I'm telling you if it wasn't illegal in several countries I'd be smuggling it."

"As if that's the reason."

Vix shot another longing look at the potion before her, just as the sharp ringing of the end of lesson bell echoed into their classroom from the corridor.

"Well, you have fun at tryouts!" Dria told the two girls next to her as they hoisted their bags onto their shoulders and began shuffling out of the classroom.

"See you later, Dria!"

The blonde spared the duo a small wave as they ran out into the dungeon hallway, before turning back around and beginning to clear away the ingredients and tidy up the desk.

She shot an curious glance at the cauldron in the middle of the desk, where swirling whips of steam were still rising from the potion's surface.

Dria had refrained from smelling the potion during the lesson. Part of her didn't want to know what it would smell like because she quite frankly had no idea what to anticipate, and maybe a classical part of her wanted to establish her attraction to certain scents naturally.

But then again, she could say she wasn't incredibly curious.

Collecting her book off the desk, she spared a look over her shoulder before taking a nonchalant step forward and inhaling deeply.

Instantaneously, Dria felt as though she'd been enveloped in the greatest, warmest hug. It was certainly the most seductive scent she'd ever smelled; somehow it simultaneously reminded her of freshly baked banana bread, the comforting scent of lavender, the smoky smell of an open log fire, and a hint of a something sharp that hit the back of her nose.

Wincing slightly, the blonde stepped back from the potion and shook herself out of her daze, her brows furrowing as she adjusted her bag on her shoulder and began making her way out of the classroom.

With every step wondering how on earth she was attracted to the smell of broom varnish.

***

"FUCK ME, THIS IS GOOD."

Penny's eyes widened as Dria let out another moan as the blonde took her third bite into the raspberry scone she'd bought from Osh's Corner Bookstore and Bakery.

The duo had ventured into Hogsmeade following their final class on that Friday with the intention of spending a few hours of the late afternoon studying in the quaint shop.

They'd had been there for a couple of hours satisfying themselves on hot drinks until Dria got snacky and decided to peruse the baked goods cabinet. Ultimately returning with a recommended raspberry scone, and the rest was history.

"Merlin, woman! We're in public!" The Ravenclaw whisper-shouted towards her friend, her eyes darting around the shop where other groups of people were sat. "No one wants to hear you make love to a fucking scone."

"Have you tried it?" Dria asked, her eyes wide and eager, ignoring her friend's statement as she continued to fuss over the scone. "Penny, this is the greatest thing I've ever eaten."

"Really? I couldn't have guessed."

"I'd offer you a bit but I don't think I can bring myself to part with it." The blonde went on, earning an eye roll from her friend.

"Put it down, and drink your coffee." Penny insisted, pushing Dria's drink towards her before taking out a small brown sachet from her bag and tearing into it, and tipping the contents into her latte.

"What are you doing?" Dria chuckled, quirking an eyebrows as she surveyed her friend. "Since when you have cinnamon in your coffee?"

"I don't, but Percy can't get enough of it." Penny shrugged as she set down the sachet and picked up a teaspoon to begin stirring the spice into the drink. "I thought I'd give it a try."

"He puts cinnamon in his coffee?"

"I don't know how the male mind works!" Penny retorted, setting down the spoon and raising the cup to her lips.

She took a light sip and then pondered for a moment, as Dria looked on with a curios expression.

"Well?"

"The male mind might actually work after all."

"That's a bold statement."

"Try it." Penny urged her friend with a satisfied smile, pushing the coffee cup towards her.

Dria spared her friend a light smile before picking up the cup and taking a light sip as Penny had done before mirroring her contemplative expression.

"It's like Christmas in a cup." The blonde surmised with an impressed chuckle, as she pushed the cup back over towards her friend who took it gladly.

As she watched Penny take another sip, a thought from her earlier potions lesson came rushing back to her. The coincidence of Christmas coming up and the presence of cinnamon caused her brain to make the connection back to Alita.

"Oh, that reminds me—"

But she quickly caught herself before she could speak further.

"What?" Penny quirked an eyebrow, as Dria pressed her lips together and shook her head.

The blonde let out a light sigh, as she pondered how little of a coincidence Percy taking cinnamon in his coffee and Alita's love potion smelling of that very spice might be.

Penny didn't need to know that.

"Nope, it's gone." Dria plastered a light smile across her face, before burying her own face in her own coffee mug and taking a large gulp.

         "Guys!"

         The blonde spat out her drink in surprise as a muffled shout echoed from outside the shop. Looking up, Dria was not at all surprised to see Jackie outside the window, that she and Penny were sat by, pressing her face up against the window with a shit-eating grin on her slightly red face.

        "Oh, Christ."

        Dria heard Penny mutter with a slight chuckle as they watched the Hufflepuff move away from the window and stride in through the door, the small bell that hung above it giving a gentle ring at her entrance.

       "I thought you were creeping on the Quidditch tryouts." Dria arched a brow at Jackie who let out an exhausted breath of air, as she walked over to another of the tables to take a chair.

       "Firstly, I prefer to call it collecting intel or staking out, if you will." Jackie retorted, as she began bringing back a chair to sit on, and Penny and Dria began shuffling on their own in order to create room. "Secondly, they just finished and we have never run so fast in our lives."

       "We?"

       "Oh, shit." Jackie muttered in sudden realisation at Penny's words, craning her neck and looking out into the High Street with a guilty smile. "I may have outrun Tess."

As if on cue, the over-door bell rang out once more announcing another arrival but in a far less dainty manner than it had with Jackie's. Tess stood in the door way, completely red in face and breathing alarming heavily as she raised a hand to point at Jackie who spared her no more than a sheepish grin.

"I told you to slow down!"

"I was so far ahead that I couldn't hear you." The Irish girl retorted at which Tess merely groaned and stepped into the shop, the door closing behind her, as she wiped her feet on the doormat.

The Robbins girl shrugged off her coat and looked at her three friends seated at the small table before letting out another groan, as she realised she'd have to go and find a chair for herself.

"You guys want anything to drink?" A new voice entered their midst, laced with a chuckle. "Or are you just here to trail mud on my carpets?"

It seemed Jackie and Tess' tumultuous arrival had not only been entertaining for their friends but also for the shop's owner, Oisin Byrnes, who was surveying the group with an arched brow from behind the nearby counter.

"Can I have a black coffee please?" Jackie asked, spinning around in her seat as she shot a wide grin at the man.

"You hate black coffee." Penny countered in a low voice, arching her own eyebrow.

"No, I'm a strong woman who likes strong coffee."

"Anything for you, kiddo?" Oisin turned his attention to Tess after giving Jackie a thumbs up.

"Hot chocolate." Tess requested with a bright smile as she lugged another chair over to her friend's table. "All the cream, all the marshmallows. I need my blood sugar levels restoring, I think I dropped a lung back there."

"Go on, sit down. I'll bring it over in a sec." Osh chuckled, encouraging the girl to sit down as he turned around to start preparing the drinks.

"Lifesaver." Tess called over, as she unceremoniously threw herself into her chair and leant her head on Penny's shoulder.

       Dria stifled a warm chuckle at the sight of her exhausted friend, setting down her own drink so she could pour the Robbins girl a glass of water. However, before she could do so, she noticed a hand nudging the plate before her, where her unfinished raspberry scone still sat.

       "What's this?"

       "Take your filthy mitts off it, Jackie O'Hare!"

        "Fucking hell!"

       Jackie snatched her hand back as though she'd been burned as Dria seized the plate from well out of her grasp and looked at her with warning eyes.

        "Don't ask." Penny gave a light sigh as Jackie shot the Ravenclaw a panicked look, and dismissing her question before it was even asked, Penny changed the subject. "So what happened that caused you to run the best part of two miles in what? Twenty minutes?"

         "Ten. In jeans." Jackie corrected, causing Dria's eyes to widen and an impressed smirk to appear on her lips.

       "You astound me."

       "What happened?" Penny proved the girl again, as Dria took a large bite of raspberry scone.

       "Where to begin?" Tess gave a tired sigh from where she rested still on Penny's shoulder.

       "Tess Jelly-Legs Jinxed a homophobe."

        "Yeah, I did."

        "Nice." Dria complimented with a mouthful of scone as she shot her friend an impressed look.

        "Who's a homophobe?" Penny asked, her eyebrow quirking as she took a sip of her cinnamon coffee.

        "Roger Davies."

        "The Ravenclaw Captain?" Dria asked, at which Jackie gave a firm nod. "What did he do?"

        "You know he went out with Wood's little sister but they broke up?"

        "Yeah, I assume that's why she chucked a milkshake on him." The blonde muttered nonchalantly, as she wiped her mouth free of crumbs.

       "She chucked a milkshake on him?" Tess repeated, suddenly shooting up from Penny's shoulder with a confused look on her face.

       "Then Oliver did."

        "When were you going to mention this?"

        "Well, you know now!" Dria dismissed the Robbins girl's curiosity, before turning back to Jackie. "Finish what you were saying!"

        "Yeah, so apparently she's bisexual."

        "And? What about it?" Penny asked, as the girls struggled to see just what was so bad about Heidi's sexuality.

       "Well, Davies effectively outed her through the rumour mill and then had a hissy fit on the Quidditch pitch when she confronted him." Tess explained with a large sigh, as she slumped in her chair and Dria gave a loud tut, her jaw clenching.

       "What a knobhead." Penny muttered as Dria huffed in agreement, trying to imagine the scenario in her mind before her eyes suddenly widened and she shot a look at both Jackie and Tess

       "Please tell me she punched him."

        "Oh yeah, do you think I'd run down here if the story didn't end in violence?" Jackie grinned, slouching further down in her chair.

        "Blimey. Boys are awful." Penny sighed, beginning to tap the point of her quill against her parchment in irritancy.

        "Here, here."

        "Yeah, I'm renouncing them." Jackie agreed, as she leaned forward to pour herself a glass of water from the small water jug, before doing the same for Tess.

"Any other updates?" Dria arched an eyebrow at the two girls before taking another bite of her scone.

"Oh, Alita's definitely got Katie's place on your house team."

"She has?!"

Dria didn't have time to fathom her own reaction as the gleeful tones of Oisin Byrnes sounded out from right beside their table, where he was stood with a tray of mugs, clearly having been in the process of transporting their drinks.

The man straightened up suddenly and cleared his throat, before regaining his customer facing demeanour and replying more professionally.

"Your drinks." He stated, as he took a step closer and placed down Jackie and Tess' respective drinks before them.

"Thanks, Osh." Jackie chuckled, taking her hot drink into her hand and sparing him a shrug. "I mean I don't know for sure. But if I was the Gryffindor Captain, it would be no brainer."

"She did good, huh?" Osh replied, his eyes regaining a childish sparkle as he dropped his professional demeanour much to the amusement of the four girls.

"Better than half the duds who tried out for Hufflepuff yesterday."

"Hey! Mais tried out yesterday!" Dria smacked Jackie gently on the leg, as the Hufflepuff winced in response.

"Whoops?"

Before Dria could say anymore, Jackie averted her gaze and took a large gulp of her black coffee, before making a loud retching sound and unceremoniously spitting it back into the cup, much to the quiet disgust of her three friends and the shop owner who still stood at the edge of their table.

"You enjoying that?" Osh quirked an eyebrow with a light smirk, as Jackie continued to make a gagging expression.

"It's delightful." The Hufflepuff replied dryly, as Penny passed her a napkin to dab the edges of her mouth.

"It's the house blend." Osh informed the girl, whose nostrils were now flared in disgust as she retorted.

"It's bitter."

"It's black coffee."

"I don't think you've made it right."

"You can make it better?" Osh chuckled, raising an challenging eyebrow as Jackie prepared to square up to him, only to be stopped by Dria.

"Jackie, you've never made a cup of coffee in your life." The blonde told her friend, placing her hand on her shoulder and pushing her back down into her seat as Osh chuckled at the scene.

"Well, if you end up learning, I'm hiring." The shop owner told the Hufflepuff, tucking the tray under his arm. "Turns out the old machine needs a few more cogs to keep her running."

"Oh, go on, hire me! Dare you!"

"Mr Byrnes, please consider your options carefully." Penny turned in her seat to address the man with a panicked look on her face.

"She'll age you twenty years." Tess added with chocolatey milk foam covering her top lip from her hot chocolate.

"Kid, I already have eight children." Osh reminded the girls who remained unfazed by his response.

"Jackie equates to at least four more." Dria replied with no hesitation, her hand still firmly on Jackie's shoulder.

"At least."

"Well, I think that Mr Byrnes being the experienced wizard that he is should make the assessment himself." Jackie reentered then conversation, folding her arms over her chest and shooting the man a smug smirk.

"Don't say we didn't warn you." Tess told the man as she turned back around her seat and took another sip of hot chocolate.

Osh stood with his lips pursed in thought for a minute, before straightening up and giving Jackie a slight nod.

"I'll think on it."

If possible, Jackie's grin became even wider as the man turned on his heel and walked back towards the counter.

"That poor man." Penny sighed, tearing her gaze away from the retreating man.

"He doesn't know what's going to hit him."

"I hope you're happy in the knowledge that you just robbed all eight of the Byrnes kids of their father." Dria told Jackie as she removed her hand from her shoulder and pushed the rest of her scone in the Hufflepuff's direction.

"He'll be a changed man after dealing with you."

"Oh, come on!" Jackie cried in protest, her smirk never failing. "Don't you think you're all better for knowing me?"

"Every time you open your mouth, I tense." Penny replied instantly.

"My blood pressure's shot." Dria agreed, with a small sigh.

"You're very loud." Tess added, nodding along with the other girls.

"Well, fuck you guys!"

The group of friends quickly burst into laughter at the Hufflepuff's expletive response before quickly settling into a comfortable silence as they looked back at their books and enjoyed their drinks — Tess sliding hers over to Jackie so she could have a sip, and the black coffee having been discarded on the nearby windowsill.

        "That's weird."

        Dria found herself looking over the rim of her coffee cup towards the other side of the table where Penny was sat with furrowed brows.

        "What?"

        "This book's got writing in it."

        "That's kind of the point of them, Pen?" Jackie replied with a smug grin, earning a disgruntled sigh and shove from Penny.

         "No!" She shushed her, pointing at the page. "Someone's written in the margins with ink."

       Dria's eyebrows furrowed as she put her teacup down and surveyed the scene before her. Penny had been sat with the rather large book at her side when she'd had first met her in the shop, while Dria had been flicking through the pages of one of her Defence Against the Dark Arts textbooks, Penny had been silently flicking through the beginning pages of the book.

       "What book is it?" The blonde asked, at which the Ravenclaw promptly showed her the cover.

         "Jane Eyre."

         "A Muggle book?" Tess asked, her own eyebrows furrowing as she snatched a crumb of scone from Dria's plate.

        "It's Brontë." Jackie added, as she shuffled closer to Penny with an interested look on her face. "Where did you get it from?"

         "Here."

         "Here?"

         "From that bookcase over there." Penny gestured to just beyond the counter, where a towering bookcase full to the brim of old looking books stood. "I was talking to Mr Byrnes earlier and he said that he found a ton of boxes in the back with them all in, so he put them out for the sake of it really."

        Dria nodded along with her friend as she remembered a conversation over the counter, when Dria bought her first drink, in which Oisin Byrnes had also informed the blonde of the origins of his shop.

       "Apparently that's what this place used to be, you know?" Dria explained, looking between Jackie and Tess as she took another sip of her drink. "A bookshop café. Osh sort of revived it."

        "Can I have a look?" Jackie asked, holding out a hand in which Penny soon placed the large book, and the Hufflepuff began fiercely reading over the annotation with a confused look on her face. 

        "Everything alright, Jack?"

        "Yeah, yeah." Jackie replied after a moment, her fingers tracing over the writing, her eyebrows still furrowed. "I just really recognise the penmanship. I just can't think where from."

       "What? You reckon it's someone at school or something—?"

        "Dad!"

       But before the group of girls could begin speculating the identity of the mystery annotation, the over door bell rang out once more to reveal a pink-cheeked Alita Byrnes.

        Her trousers were streaked with mud, no doubt from the Quidditch tryouts, and a bright smile dressed her features as she greeted her father.

        "Hey pumpkin!" Osh called over with an excited grin. "How were tryouts?"

        "The best!"

        "You think you did good?" Alita's father asked as he gave her a tight hug in greeting.

        "Scored a good few times, I'm not sure the Ravenclaw defending the hoops from me will make the cut though." The Byrnes girl chuckled into her father's chest, before she pulled out of the hug and ruffled her hair.

       "I'm sure you've got it."

       "You're overly optimistic."

        "No, I just know."

        Dria couldn't help but smile at the scene as the father and daughter exchanged a bit more conversation before Osh excused himself to restock the shelves and Alita was left to admire her surrounding, her gaze landing on the group of girls.

       "Oh, hey guys!"

       A cacophony of greetings echoed back to the girl as she wandered over to the table, her gaze set on the blonde who quirked an eyebrow as she arrived at their side.

        "Dria, I think you might be needed in the Hospital Wing?"

       "Oh?" Dria replied, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "What for?"

        "Did you hear—?" Alita's question soon fell short as she took notice of the Robbins girl nearby. "Oh, Tess is here, you'll definitely have heard then."

       The four girls responded to her very true statement with light smile as Tess offered up a knowing shrug.

       "Roger Davies got punched in the face at the tryouts." Alita explained at which Dria let out a low groan of realisation.

       "Oh bugger, yeah." The blonde muttered, with a light sigh as she began piling her belongings into her bag. "I suppose that's my cue to leave."

       In no less than a minute, her bag was fully packed and she'd offered her free seat to Alita who took it gladly and began conversely with her friends.

       Slinging her bag over her shoulder, Dria reached into her pocket and happily heard the clinging of loose coins as she approached the counter once more.

        "Don't suppose you have anything gluten-free?" She asked Osh with a bashful smile, as she began counting out her coins in her hand. "I know a certain Scottish girl who could probably do with a sweet treat round about now."

        "You betcha."

       After another few minutes of deliberately whether Heidi was prefer a gluten free cinnamon roll or muffin, the two decided on the latter — Dria having heard quite enough about cinnamon, that day. Osh rolled it up in a small paper bag and handed it over to her in exchange for a couple of sickles — she told him to keep the change. And with that, Dria sharply turned on her heel and headed for the door.

        "Catch you guys later!"

        The over door bell chimed again as the blonde made her exit, and she descended the small steps back onto the cobbled high street. However just as she stepped off the final step, a booming woof caught her off guard causing her to slip and have to steady herself on the nearby railing.

       Whipping around, she quickly identifying a black, shaggy-looking that had been huddled just under the window outside the shop.

       "Woah, hey!" She cried in slight alarm, holding her hands up before stifling a slight chuckle as she bent down to her knees. "You startled me, pup."

       Dria spared the dog a small smile and outstretch a hand that it hesitantly sniffed at, before resting its muzzle in her palm.

       "Do you belong to one of the shopkeepers?" The blonde asked as she patted its head, at which it spared a longing glance towards the shop she'd just emerged from and let out a soft whine. "You really like this shop, huh?"

       The dog only nuzzled its face further into her hand at which she gently ruffled its fur, and shot it a sympathetic smile before glancing at her watch.

       "I better go." She muttered with a bittersweet smile, giving the dog a final stroke before rising to her feet. "See you later, doggo."

       And with that, she broke into a quick walk in her attempt to get to the Hospital Wing, leaving behind the lost-looking dog and the place that used to be The Shop Around The Corner.

***

"YOU REALLY DIDN'T HAVE TO."

The bustle of the Common Room that evening meant Heidi had to all but shout her thanks to Dria when she presented her with a muffin that evening, after returning from the Hospital Wing.

"Yeah, well. You need to keep your strength up. I hear punching homophobes is very hungry work." Dria retorted, as she firmly placed the bag into Heidi' hand.

"Cheers."

"You're not too beaten up about it?" Dria arched an eyebrow at which Heidi spared a light grin at the blonde.

"Not as bad as Roger." She chuckled before wincing slightly. "Sorry, you had to deal with him."

"It's fine. I'm surprised he got away with just a broken nose after what he did."

"And a Jelly Legs Jinx." Heidi reminded her.

"Ah, yes. One of Tess' finer moments." Dria smirked, shooting a look over at the Robbins girl who was in fierce conversation with Lee Jordan, before looking back at Heidi. "Well, enjoy!"

"Thanks, again."

With a small wave, Dria stepped away from where Heidi and her friends had huddled themselves at one of the tables at the side of the Common Room and stepped back into the centre of the room.

The blonde's flitted momentarily towards the Portrait Hole only to spot a certain Keeper making an entrance, a small smirk creeping onto her face at the sight of him.

"What have you been?" She asked as he came into hearing range, her smirk never fading.

"Library."

"Without me?" The blonde asked amidst a chuckle as they began to wander away to the sofa by the fireplace. "I'm hurt."

"Well, as much as I love your company, Dria. I don't think picking my new Chaser replacement is up your street." Oliver chuckled as he threw himself down the sofa, shrugging off the outer layer of the Quidditch robes that he still wore.

"Oh, it is." The blonde countered, sliding into the seat next to him and crossing her legs in her seat. "It's very up my street."

"Since when?"

"Since I heard Alita was trying out and promised her I'd put a good word in with you." Dria confessed with a smug smile.

"Oh?" Oliver asked, arching an eyebrow, a smirk of his own dressing his lips. "That's a dangerous promise."

"I told her I didn't know if anything would come of it, but I know you trust my opinion." Dria shrugged, before sparing him a knowing look at which he scoffed.

"On Potions essays, Dria." Oliver corrected her, shuffling in his seat to face her. "You know fuck all about Quidditch."

"That's not true! I know plenty!"

"You've ridden a broom once." Oliver reminded her, his smirk never fading.

"And I know that there's over seven hundred fouls." The blonde cut in with a confident smirk, pursing her lips proudly.

"Oh yeah?" Oliver challenged, pursing his own lips. "Name one."

"Don't kill each other."

"Okay, that's on me, I set the bar too low."

"Come on." Dria shoved him in the arm, as she let her head rest against the back of the sofa. "Jackie said you'd be a fool not to pick her."

"My lips are sealed." Oliver shook his head, mimicking zipping his lips shut. "I said I'd put it up at eight o'clock."

Dria checked her watch before letting out a loud scoff — the time certainly explained why the room was so incredibly busy.

"It's five to!" The blonde chuckled, showing the Keeper her watch face. "Tell me."

"Not a chance, Lockaby."

Dria rolled her eyes and let out a soft groan, as she crossed her arms across her chest and slumped slightly in her seat.

"I forgot how you're no fun when it comes to Quidditch."

"It's a very serious sport."

"As you never fail to remind me."

        The two of them fell into a short comfortable silence as their gazes drifted towards the crackling open log fire. However, their shared peace was awfully monetary as the noise of childish giggling soon entered their midst.

       Dria craned her neck around the edge of the sofa to see a group of young girls huddled together not far from herself and Oliver, shooting glances over at the Keeper, who the blonde could see, was slowly sinking further into his seat.

       "Oh, I think you've got some admirers." Dria smirked, nudging the boy as he rubbed a hand across his face and let out a groan.

       "Don't even start."

       "Is someone getting a little unwanted attention?" The blonde asked, her smirk morphing into a shit-eating grin as she titled her head at Oliver.

       "It's these first year girls." He muttered under his breath, moving a little closer to Dria so she could hear him — she tried to disguise the hitch in breathing as she smelt the linger of his aftershave. "They're everywhere I go. All they do is sodding giggle."

       "Oh, it's just a couple of school girl crushes. If anything, it's a compliment." The blonde tutted, dismissing his worries. "Look at you; you're one of the school's top Quidditch players, captain of the team and you're not exactly bad-looking."

       Dria fought every urge not to wince as the list of compliments spilled from her lips, and instead averted her gaze from his, plastering on a tight-lipped smile.

       "You can't blame them." She gave him a shrug, feigning nonchalance and praying he wouldn't read too far into her extensive compliments.

       "What does that mean?"

       But, she would never been so lucky.

       "What?" She asked, faking ignorance as she took a nervous hand through her hair.

        "I'm not bad-looking? Does that mean I'm good-looking?" Oliver asked, his smirk growing as he shuffled in his seat, before quirking an eyebrow. "Do you think I'm attractive, Dria?"

       "Oh, shut up."

       "Go on." He gave her a light nudge, as a light dusting of pink coated her cheeks. "You're the one who told me to take the compliment."

       "Yes, Oliver, I think you're very attractive." She replied with narrowed eyes and pursed lips, before arching an eyebrow back at him. "Happy, now?"

       "Are you blushing?"

       "Er— it's the fire." Dria excused dumbly, as she raised up her hands to feel the heat in her cheeks. "It's hot."

       "Uh-huh. Or is it me?"

        "I take it all back." The blonde rolled her eyes, shoving him in the arm. "I hope the giggling first years haunt your dreams."

        Oliver let out a low chuckle as she slouched in the seat beside him, before he leaned over and whispered in a lower voice.

       "Look, if it's any consolation, I think you're attractive too."

      "Oh, sure thing." Dria rebuffed his compliment with a chuckle.

       "I'm serious." The Keeper chuckled in response, nudging her shoulder with his own.You're a very pretty girl, Dria."

       The blonde let out another chuckle before turning her head to face him. As her cool blue eyes met his, she was very surprised to see how serious and fixed his gaze was as well as how close his face was to hers.

      Her brain began to spin in a thousand questions, but mostly wondering had he really meant it?

      Suddenly becoming aware of the lengthening silence between them, Dria broke it with another chuckle and pushed him away, plastering a smirk on her lips.

      "You wind-up." She muttered, earning a chuckle from the Keeper at her response. "Take that smirk off your face and go and put your ruddy poster up. It's nearly eight."

      The Keeper did as he was told, rising to his feet and slinging his bag over his shoulder, turning to leave before very quickly turning back to face her.

      "Don't miss me too much."

      "Piss off!"

       With a giddy laugh, the Keeper strode off towards the bulletin board on the other side of the Common Room, the blonde's gaze following him with every step he took.

      She couldn't help but feel slightly giddy in the wake of their last conversation, a fuzzy feeling in her stomach caused her slight confusion; had he been flirting with her? 

       "Hey!"

       But Dria had very little time to deliberate on whether any flirting had been done or not, as a new voice entered her midst and she whipped round to see Alita throwing herself into the seat beside her.

        "Jesus!" The blonde exclaimed, clutching her chest much to the Byrnes girl's amusement. "Sorry you made me jump. Have you just got back?"

      "Yeah, my dad roped me into closing down the shop for the night." Alita muttered as she threw her bag to the floor, and craned her neck to see the notice board in the far corner of the room. "Have I missed the Quidditch announcement?"

        "Oliver's putting it up at eight." Dria explained to the girl, who quickly glanced at her watch and gave a short nod.

      "Two minutes." Alita muttered, before dropping her arm and arching an eyebrow at the blonde. "I saw the two of you chatting? I trust you put in a good word for me."

       "Oh, of course."

       "You're pretty close, right?" Alita asked rather abruptly, catching Dria off guard. "You and Wood?"

       "Not really." The blonde shrugged, her gaze flowing Alita's over to where the Keeper was reorganising the other posters on the notice board. "I mean, he's my friend."

       "Still, perhaps you'll know." Alita started, leaning forward with an intrigued look on her face. "Apparently he's got a girlfriend now or something? I heard everyone chatting about it at tryouts."

       Dria's smile fell. She hoped Alita didn't take too much notice as she plastered it right back on, and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

        "He's got a girlfriend?" She repeated, clearing her throat, the words feeling heavy on her tongue as she spoke.

      "Do you know who she is?"

       "Er—no. No, sorry." The blonde replied, averting her gaze from the Byrnes girls and taking a hand through her hair. "He — er — he didn't tell me he had a girlfriend."

       "Are you alright?"

       Dria's gaze shot back to Alita who was surveying her with slight concern, the blonde cursed herself for not masking her reaction better and simply stifled a fake yawn.

        "Yeah, yeah." She nodded fiercely, before yawing once more. "Look, I hope you get onto the team and everything, but I'm going to head up to bed. I think I need an early night."

       "Sure you're alright?" Alita asked, her eyebrows furrowed as she watched the blonde rising quickly from her seat, wondering what she could have to said to her that would cause such a quick change in her behaviour.

        "Yeah, don't worry." Dria nodded again, shuffling around the edge of the sofa, beginning to crack her knuckles as she went. "Nothing a blanket and tea can't fix."

       With another kind smile from Alita, Dria turned on her heel and began shuffling her way through her fellow Gryffindors in attempt to get to the staircase up to the girls' dormitories.

       When she got through the worst of the crowd, she spotted Tess still in her conversation with Lee Jordan and made a beeline over to her.

      Before she'd even reached her, Tess had noticed her coming and noted by her demeanour that she needed abruptly end her conversation with Lee and turn her attention to her friend.

      "Oliver has a girlfriend?" Dria repeated what Alita had told her in a low voice as Tess began slowly nodding.

      "So I've heard."

       "Isolde?" The blonde asked, her face contorting into a disbelieving expression.

       "I can only assume."

       "Right." Dria let out a short breath, her jaw clenching inadvertently.

      "So, the two of you should probably stop with the flirting?" Tess muttered, causing the blonde's head to shoot up in confusion.

      "What?"

       "I'm not blind, I saw the two of you on the sofa." Tess told her, crossing her arms and shifting her friend a knowing look.

       "That was just—"

       "Don't be dim, Dria."

       Another long sigh left Dria's lips as her brows furrowed and she felt a dull ache in the back of her head at the pressure of her thoughts running about her head.

      "I'm going to head upstairs." She all but whispered to Tess, who gave her a sympathetic stroke on the arm.

       "Alright."

      And with another short sigh, Dria did as she said she would and began making the rest of her way towards the staircase and towards her dormitory.

      The slight fuzzy feeling in her stomach had now morphed into something rather unsettling.

       Had the two of them really been flirting? If they had, it was meaningless. He had a girlfriend, so clearly the blonde was nothing than a means of entertainment for the Keeper in that sense.

       She let out another tired sigh and began rubbing her temples as she began ascending the staircase.

       She had no interest jeopardising a relationship with flirting even if it was one she didn't particularly approve of, and she certainly wasn't going to let it get in the way of her own with Nate.

      The thought of Nate instantly made her heart ache. Why would she ever try and resurrect old feelings in the face of empty flirtations when she had someone as caring and thoughtful as him?

      She'd been kidding herself for long enough with her feelings for Oliver Wood and if the closest to reality those feelings were going to get was simply meaningless flirting when he already had a girlfriend then, as far as she was concerned, she was done.

       The sharp smell of broom varnish from his Quidditch robes still lingered in her nose as she ascended the staircase, her head still throbbing.

      And so she kept going step after step, her thoughts running at a million miles an hour as she persisted up the staircase.

Yet, she was so preoccupied in her own thoughts, as she always had been, that she failed to notice the coffee coloured eyes of a certain Keeper that lingered on her retreating figure as she left the room; the same eyes that had been looking at her every time she looked away for a year.

𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖆 𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖐𝖘!
i have a bit of a love/hate
relationship will this chapter,
i find the end just a bit meh.
but what can you do?

i'm so sorry it's been a hot
minute since i last updated,
so much has been going on,
but this is a fairly sizeable
chapter with quite a lot of
content so hopefully that
somewhat makes up for it!

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