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booksmarts and broomsticks
act iii , turning tables
chapter forty-six ,  mistletoe and (lots of) wine

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➖DRIA LOCKABY➖
december 1993

"SHE'S GOING TO SET THE house on fire, Mum!"

           Perhaps the sight of a family huddled together in a living room — the fire blazing, the Christmas tree glistening — would be considered, on the first glance, the perfect picture of Christmas. However, the sight of the Lockaby family gathering in their Westminster living room, even with the blazing fire and glistening tree, would argue the toss.

        Hushed whispers were being exchanging between the two parents and the two twins, as they tried not to alert the eldest daughter who was busy cooking away in the next room — the term 'cooking' being used very loosely.

"That's hardly encouraging, is it?" Jules shot a pointed look at Maisie, whose foot was tapping anxiously upon the hardwood floor, her nostrils flaring at the strange aromas coming from the kitchen.

"I mean the apple wouldn't have fallen too far from the tree, would it?" Michael muttered, shooting an apologetic glance at his father, all the while resting his hand on the trusty golden retriever by his side.

"I just want to be able to eat my Christmas dinner!"

"I'm just thankful the burden isn't on me, this year." Allan said, shrugging off his son's insults.

       "This Delia Smith is right bitch!"

        The group of four straightened up in unison — even Kipper gave a startled bark — as the eldest daughter made her entrance from kitchen, her flour-covered face contorted into a grimace as she clutched a large cooking book in hand.

        "I don't have to make homemade cranberry sauce. If I don't, I'm not a bad person!"

        Dria's parents and siblings with surveyed with speechless looks as she allowed her momentary frustration to subside, setting the book down upon the island next to her.

       "Are you okay?" Michael asked tentatively, his gaze judgemental as he surveyed his older sister.

        "If one of you gifts me another Delia Smith book for Christmas, I will disown you."

        Allan let out a light tut, before moving around the group and wrapping his arms around his daughter who let out a defeated sigh.

        "My brain is full of the ten best ways to baste your turkey." She whined, before looking between her parents. "I think this whole endeavour is rather cruel of you."

       "It was your idea." Jules replied, a slight amusement in her tone, earning another groan in response.

        "Yes, and I'm renowned for my brilliant ideas." The blonde complained, as her dad let her go out of the hug and gave her a kiss on the head.

       "Alright, come on, stop with the moping!" Jules placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, setting down her glass of wine and beginning to dust off her daughter's face. "We've got less than an hour and we're not even close to being done."

         While Dria has lost a bet with her mother, some months previously, concerning the making of Christmas dinner that year, she was not aware that the responsibility of catering the Christmas soirée — as her mother was calling it — ahead of the big day was also going to fall into her lap. The occasion being hosted by both her mother and father at the house in Westminster, and that had been sprung upon her and her siblings within minutes of their arriving home.

       "I am dreading this evening." The blonde groaned to her mother as her father and siblings dispersed elsewhere around the room to contribute the preparations.

         "Don't say that! It's festive." Her mother objected, continuing her wipe Dria's face, causing the blonde to promptly swat her hands away.

       "Look I'm thrilled that you and Dad are the mend, but I don't think becoming hostess with the mostess was a step in Annie's progress plan for you." Dria bore an air of sarcasm as she spoke, moving around the island and trying to get a better look at her face in the countertop.

       "Well, you can ask her yourself. She's coming." Her mother retorted with a smug smile, earning a surprised scoff from her daughter.

       "You invited your relationship therapist to your Christmas party?"

        "It's Christmas, I'm being nice!" Jules responded with a harmless shrug, her hand now back on her wine and she surveyed the rest of the room and let out a little sigh. "Michael, please stop eating the pigs in blankets!"

      "I was kidnapped and nearly killed last year!" The boy retorted, his voice muffled by mouthfuls of food.

       "That excuse doesn't work in this situation, love." His mother winced in response, earning a laugh from Dria, who was tying her hair out of her face as she joined the exchange.

       "You've really got to stop using that as your default, it's making people uncomfortable." The blonde tutted as her brother shot her a challenging look back.

        "How do you do think I felt when I was being controlled by You Know Who?"

        "Go and stop the dog from eating the chocolate." Dria told him, ending the debate as she nodded in the direction of the golden retriever who was getting a little too close to the box of Celebrations.

        "Kipper, no!"

A smug smile crossed Dria's face as she witnessed her younger brother all but tackle the dog to the ground, before slowly turning around and opening the cupboard behind her.

"It'll be nice, I promise." Her mother reassured her, bringing them back to their previous conversation, causing Dria to let out another sigh.

"You're much more charming than me, Mum." The blonde shrugged as she removed another wine glass from the cupboard, before nodding in the direction of her father, who was hanging another ornament on the Christmas tree. "I got Dad's awkwardness gene."

"Me too!"

"Me three!"

"How did I end up not raising a single socially competent child?" Their mother let out a defeated sigh, raising her wine glass to her lips again.

"I'm not that awkward." Allan tried to object from across the room, amidst almost dropping the bauble in his hand.

"Al, don't kid yourself." Jules curtly responded, as the blonde moved around the counter and snatched away the bottle of wine from her mother's grasp, beginning to pour herself a glass instead. "Look you're all just going to have to suck it up. Find yourself a coping mechanism."

"And if mine is at the bottom of this bottle of wine?" The blonde pursed her lips as she emptied the bottle into the glass.

"So be it."

Dria nearly choked on her wine.

"Are you seriously giving me permission to get wankered at your Christmas party?" The blonde grinned, raising her glass to her lips once more, toasting towards her mother. "Cheers, Mum."

"Language."

Dria stifled a light chuckle as she took her drink in hand and began making her journey away from her mother and towards the all too comforting looking armchair.

"I wish I could drink." She heard her brother utter a jealous groan from the floor where he still lay with the dog he had tackled there.

"Hey, you got the therapy dog, I got the wine."

***

"AWFULLY GOOD OF YOU to bring your own supply.

          Dria was grinning as Tess threw herself upon the bed in the blonde's bedroom, the noise of clinking bottles coinciding with the motion as she threw down a plastic bag containing many a bottle of alcohol.

        "Well, I didn't know what you'd have to offer." The Robbins girl shrugged, as Dria approached the bed and took a seat, swirling her glass in hand — which held the remnants of her third glass of Pinot Grigio.

         "I've been on the PG." The blonde hummed, as Tess scrambled back down the bed and began rummaging through her bag of booze.

"Ooh, she's a fancy bitch."

"It's Christmas." Dria shrugged, taking a sip of her drink. "Tis the season for overindulging."

Tess let out a loud laugh as she straightened up, revealing a large bottle of vodka from the bag.

"Now that I'll drink to."

        Tess had been the only one of Dria's friends able to attend the soirée after the panicked last minute invites, Dria had sent them out with a very frantic Gizmo.

Jackie had been constrained to Ballycastle after Lorna discovered her attempts at Apparating over the last summer had resulted in her nearly drowning — although her letter had detailed a plan of escape. Meanwhile, Penny was away on a ski trip with her parents and sister. So, naturally, the Robbins girl remained — although she'd had to ditch a family gathering in Chester in order to make an appearance.

"You know — in the nicest way — I'm kind of glad Jackie couldn't make it." The blonde hummed as the two of them sat back on the bed with their respective glasses in hand. "I'm not all that convinced she wouldn't be trying to make a move on my dad."

"Oh, she would."

"Hundred percent."

"Amazed that you invited her in the first place really." Tess chuckled, taking a sip of her vodka and lemonade.

"Naïve of me, honestly."

"And she's sure to be on the rebound after all that business with Lorcan." The Robbins girl grinned, turning to look at her friend. "You're setting her up perfectly!"

"Don't even get me started on that Lorcan business again—" The blonde started to retort before her sentence was cut off by a sharp knock and the creak of the door, quickly opening and revealing her mother. "Mum! Knock!"

"I knew you'd snuck off somewhere." Julia gave a light scoff, "Come back downstairs!"

"Mum, why can't you let me get drunk in my bedroom like a normal teenager?" The blonde whined, resisting the urge the bury her face in her pillow.

"Tess, help me out." Julia gestured at the Robbins girl, who smirked shooting a smug look between the mother and daughter.

"Don't listen to her." The blonde narrowed her eyes.

Tess pursed her lips in contemplation, before shooting a glance at Jules and arching an eyebrow.

"Is there food?"

"Loads."

"Let's go."

Tess took Dria's hand in hers and unceremoniously dragged them both up and off the bed, as Julia left the room satisfied with her efforts.

"Ugh!"

"Look, I didn't bail on Chester to have an empty stomach all evening." The Robbins girl tried to reason with her friend as she pulled her from the room. "I honestly don't see why you're so against it!"

Dria pulled her hand out of Tess' grasp and stalled the two of them on the landing, overlooking the living room below them where the bustling party was occurring.

"Because anyone who I talk to will start the conversation with Oh wow, aren't you so grown up!" Dria sighed, lowering her voice slightly despite it being unlikely to be heard over the hubbub of the party. "Last time I saw you, you were this high!"

Tess grimaced.

"Valid point."

"Also I don't know a single fucker here." The blonde let out another sign, as she set down one hand on the bannister and scanned the crowd of people below.

"Oh, I think you know that fucker."

Dria furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she looked back to her friend whose gaze was firmly on the doorway to the living room, the blonde followed her gaze and let out a large gasp as Oliver Wood casually walked into the room from the hallway.

Without another thought, she grabbed her friend's arm and pulled her to the ground, hiding behind the bannister on the landing.

"What in the shit is he doing here?" The blonde angrily whispered at her friend as they peeked through the gaps in the bannister.

"Christmas miracle?" Tess offered with a small grin, as Dria hardened her gaze.

"What did you do?"

"Hey, it wasn't me!"

"Who's he with?" The blonde squinted, before quickly identifying his sister. "Heidi?"

"Yeah, and a woman." Tess nodded as she pointed out the other figure by the two siblings. "I guess his mum?"

Dria's face contorted into an expression of disbelief, as she looked between the Wood family and her friend, trying to find some plausible reason for their attendance.

"Do our parents know each other—?" Her gaze drifted to Tess whose eyes were wide. "What?"

"Holy shit."

"What?!"

"Their mum's a therapist." Tess squeaked out, as a horrified expression washed over the blonde's face.

"No!"

"I think Heidi mentioned it once."

"Tess, I beg you, tell me you're joking." Dria all but begged her, as she raised a hand to her temple in attempt to soothe their incoming migraine so had no doubt would soon follow this piece of information.

"Oh even I couldn't make it up." Tess let out a disbelieving laugh. "Wood's mum being your parents' relationship therapist was not on my bingo card for this year."

"We are not going down there." Dria pressed her lips together in thought. "We need to leave. Apparate us to Chester."

"Hell no, I'm not going back to charades!"

"I'm sure you're Uncle Stuart is a great guy."

"It took him twenty minutes to sign the Beatles. I'm never speaking to that man again."

The blonde rolled her eyes at her friend's comments, before her gaze returned to the Quidditch Captain in her living room who was in observing the party around him. Dria was praying he didn't catch sight of her.

"Do you think he knows I live here?" The blonde asked Tess, her eyes widening as a new thought entered her mind. "Did he come to see me?"

"Look even if he didn't know it was your family hosting, he's going to figure it out pretty soon." Tess nodded down to the living room.

Dria looked confused for a hot second before the feeling suddenly subsided at the sight of her family who were doing seemingly everything they could to draw attention to themselves.

Her father was throwing around a cocktail shaker and amazingly not throwing it to the ground, while her mother was levitating trays of canapés around the room. As for her siblings, Michael was once more on the floor with Kipper, playing tug of war and Maisie was having a loud conversation with three men over by the fireplace who seemed entirely unnerved by her.

Dria clenched her jaw and swigged the last of the wine in her glass before letting out a disgruntled sigh and linking her arms with Tess'.

"Time to face the music then, eh?"

Tess let out a cackle of glee as the duo descended the stairs into the main living space.

It didn't take too long before Dria managed to catch the eye of the Gryffindor Captain, who wore a soft smile upon meeting her gaze. However before she was able to make her way over to Oliver, she found her path being blocked and herself accosted by a older lady she had never seen before.

"Oh there you are!" She cried, with a sickening smile. "I barely recognised you, your mother said you were lurking about but then again I've not seen you since you were this high."

"Pfft. High."

Dria elbowed Tess in the ribs as she plastered on a polite smile, attempting to entertain the lady's comments all the while her gaze flitted back to the Keeper lingering just a couple of feet away.

"Didn't you grow up lovely?" She went on, looking over the blonde girl. "I know they say daughters are meant to resemble the fathers, but you are a dead ringer for Caroline if I ever saw one—"

Dria's face faltered at her words but luckily the woman didn't have much chance to carry on with her blabbering as Tess slipped her arm out of Dria's and instead linked it with the woman's, offering her wide smile and skilfully escorting her away from the blonde.

"Hi, I'm Tess, would you like some vodka?"

Dria let out a sigh and found herself almost immediately relaxing as Oliver walked over, offering a sympathetic smile — she had no choice but to push away all thoughts of who the hell is Caroline? away until another time.

"Hi." He smiled.

"Hi yourself."

"Who was that?" Oliver quirked an eyebrow as Dria looked behind her to see Tess pouring shots for the older lady.

"No idea." Dria shook her head. "We should really get name badges at these things."

"I didn't know you'd be here, just so you know." Oliver let out a slightly nervous chuckle. "Don't want thinking I'm a stalker or anything."

Dria chuckled at the sentiment, wondering why she ever felt any sense of panic at seeing the boy there.

"Mum dragged Heidi and me kicking and screaming, said we had to set an example of a well functioning family or something—" He went on, stopping himself as the words spilled out of his mouth. "Oh my god."

Dria let out a throughly amused scoff and Oliver looked back at her, looking desperately apologetic.

"Jesus, Wood. Five minutes in my house and you've already insulted your hostess!" She jested, a wide smile on her lips.

"You're the hostess, are you?" Oliver smirked in response, his look of apology quickly dispersing at the girl's relaxed manner.

"I basted a turkey, I think that qualifies me." The blonde shrugged, "Anyway, welcome to my humble abode."

"Thanks for the invite, I guess."

"Did you really not know?" She quirked an eyebrow, pursing her lips in slight disbelief.

"I wasn't really paying attention to be honest when Mum mentioned it , but Heidi's been looking smug for about three hours so I guess she worked it out." Oliver tutted, nodding to his left, where — when Dria turned her head — she could see Heidi beginning to approach the two of them.

"Hey." She smirked, swilling a glass of Coke in hand.

"Good to see you. Enjoying yourself?" Dria chuckled, upon seeing how quickly the girl had made herself at home.

"I came on the promise of free food and got free booze instead, what more could I ask for?"

"Oh right, drinks!" Dria quickly remembered her empty wine glass and began walking in the direction of the countertop, beckoning Oliver to join her. "What do you fancy?"

"Surprise me." He mused, as they quickly got to their destination, Dria chuckling at his comment upon their arrival.

"Trust me, I think everyone's going to be in for a surprise tonight." She tutted, "Dad's been practising his cocktail making for the last two days and it leaves much to be desired."

"You were the lucky test subject then?" Oliver arched a brow.

"I don't think I've gone a day sober yet, honestly." The blonde shrugged as they approached the fridge, before she put her empty wine glass into his grasp. "Hold this, would you?"

Oliver made no objection as Dria opened up the fridge door and began rummaging around for a new bottle of white wine.

"Dria, grab another bottle of rosé while you're there, darling, would you?" Dria heard her mother request having just walked over with an empty bottle of wine, her attention quickly wavering to the boy stood by her daughter. "Hi."

"Hi."

"I'm Jules, Dria's mum."

"I'm Oliver."

"Oh, are you?"

"Mum, no." Dria re-emerged from the fridge, shooting her mother a warning look.

"Al! Leave the negronis for a minute, love." Jules quickly turned on the spot and called out in the direction of Dria's father. "Come and meet Oliver."

Dria let out a groan under her breath as she set a new bottle of rosé on the countertop and pushed in the direction of her mother.

"Here's your rosé, happy?" Dria pressed her lips together in a tight smile, before letting out another quiet groan as her father arrived. "Oh, for the love of Merlin."

"Hi there, mate." Her father outstretched his hand towards Oliver, "Allan."

"Nice to meet you." Oliver shook his hand, an amused smile on his face, as he thoroughly enjoyed the torment the blonde girl was undergoing.

"Say, are you Annie's boy?" Allan went on, his attention quickly fleeting to his daughter. "Dria, get us another bottle of Campari. It's the red one."

"Ugh!"

"Yeah, thanks for the invitation." Oliver replied, suppressing a grin as the blonde returned, disgruntled, to rummage the fridge.

"Annie said you had a sister, she here too?" Her father asked the Keeper, who nodded along with his questioning.

"Somewhere, probably raiding the snack table." Oliver replied with chuckle, earning a large laugh from the girl's father.

"Dria has told us loads about you, of course." Jules suddenly cut in with a knowing smile, at which Oliver's gaze returned to the blonde, who rejoined with the conversation with a throughly unimpressed expression.

"Oh really?"

"Okay, that's enough of that. Campari, Dad." The blonde pushed the bottle in her dad's direction, before looking between the three of them. "Any more for any more? I'm beginning to feel like bar staff, now."

Her parents and Oliver fell into light chuckles at her state which quickly melted away as she joined in the amusement.

"Hi, Oliver!" Another voice joined the fray, that of Maisie. "Dria, grab us a coke."

"Grab it yourself." The blonde hastily moved away from the fridge and in the direction of the cupboard to retrieve another wine glass.

"What are you drinking, Oliver?" Jules asked, nodding at the empty wine glass in the Keeper's hand.

"Oh no, this is hers." Oliver gestured at Dria who was returning to the counter.

"Dria, have you not sorted him out with a drink yet?" Jules questioned her daughter at which the blonde clenched her jaw once more.

"I've been trying!"

"Come with me, son, I'll fix you a negroni." Allan smiled, tossing the bottle of Campari in hand.

"Okay, that's not happening." Dria spared a smile at her family, before grabbing the Keeper's hand and beginning to walk away. "Great chat everyone, bye now. Oliver, grab the wine."

"Nice to meet you!" The Quidditch Captain cried as he seized the wine bottle and was promptly pulled away from the conversation.

"You don't have to lie!"

Dria tried to ignore how the feeling of his hand in hers made her heart flutter as she attentive to focus on where to escape to.

"Okay, everyone! Who wants to play charades?"

Upon hearing the sound of Tess' loud proposition to the room, she quickly deduced that they would not be staying in the living room.

"Absolutely not."

With his hand stills tightly clutched in hers, Dria quickly led the boy out of the living room and into the downstairs hallway, her eyes scanning for a place to take respite.

"Get in. Quickly."

Before he could argue, the Keeper was being pushed into the cloakroom by the front door, the blonde hastily follow after him, closing the door behind her and flicking on the light switch.

"What are we doing exactly?" Oliver gave a humoured chuckle, pushing a large array of coats out of his face.

"Hiding. I'm gonna need a solid twenty minutes before I face that again." Dria let out a large exhale, before sinking down onto a small bench that sat at the other side of the small cloakroom and nodding at the bottle in his hands. "Hope you like wine."

"I can stomach it." He chuckled, hanging it over to her as he slid onto the bench next to her.

Dria took the bottle from him and exchanged it for the two wine glasses in hers, the lid gave a satisfying crack as she broke open the screw top and let out a large huff.

"Do you need a pep talk?" The Keeper offered as she began pouring him a glass. "I'm sure I can spitball."

"Don't make this evening any worse."

"Message received." He chuckled as she finished topping up her own glass, before raising his in a toast. "Happy Holidays."

"What you said."

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence as they took sips from their glasses of wine, the muffled sounds of the party echoing down the hallway behind the closed door creating a rather nice ambience.

"Well, this is nice." Oliver gave a light chuckle, looking around the room, an eyebrow raised in slight confusion in her choice.

"Yeah, it's not bad." Dria agreed. "I've never actually sat in here before."

"It is a cloakroom."

"Ugh, fur." Dria grimaced, nodding in the direction of one of the many coats hanging in the room. "What is this? 1975?"

"Yeah, that definitely used to be alive." Oliver winced before turning his attention back to the blonde. "You looked very nice by the way. I didn't say earlier."

"Thanks." Dria spared him a smirk. "You don't clean up too bad yourself."

"I'm just happy Mum didn't make me wear my Christmas jumper." He chuckled in response, causing Dria's smirk to morph into a large grin.

"That would have been fantastic."

"It lights up."

"Piss off." Dria's smiled never wavered. "I renounce my compliment. I can't believe you've deprived me of seeing such a thing."

"Hey, in my defence, I didn't know I'd be seeing you." Oliver replied, holding his hands up in defence. "I'm glad I am though."

"Yeah?" Dria pursed her lips, bashfully.

"Yeah." He nodded, his eyes hardly leaving hers. "I would have brought your present if I'd have known."

"Stop it, you didn't." Dria scolded him, with a soft smile on her lips.

"What?"

"You didn't need to get me a Christmas present." She told him, taking a hand through her hair.

"Well, I did last year, I figured I make a tradition out of it." He shrugged, shuffling in his seat so he faced her more.

"Alright." Dria conceded, taking another sip of wine. "Well, I just so happened to get something for you as well."

"Oh?" He quirked an eyebrow, smirking slightly. "Am I getting an early Christmas present?"

"Nuh-uh." She shook her head, defiantly. "You're getting it on Christmas. Sorry, I don't make the rules. No early presents in this house."

"Is that so?"

His face inched a little closer to hers.

"Yep."

"None at all?"

"Not one." She smirked, as he reached out and lightly caressed the side of her face.

"Well, can I give you one?"

"This is incredibly corny." She whispered, earning a light laugh from the Keeper as their faces drew nearer and nearer.

"Don't ruin it."

"AHH!"

The sound of the door opening and a surprised scream immediately shocked both Dria and Oliver out of whatever reverie they had been in. Their eyes darting towards the figure in the door who stood with her mouth agape, the corners of her lips threatening to curve into a smirk.

"Heidi!" Oliver cried, his tone filled with frutrsation as he rose to his feet.

"Sorry, don't mind me!" Heidi made hasty attempt to shut the door. "As you were, as you were!"

"Nope, it's cool." Dria joined the exchange, also rising from her seat, dusting herself off. "Moment's ruined."

"No! I barely even opened the door!" Heidi complained, as Dria and Oliver emerged from the cloakroom, the blonde wearing a look of slightly amusement while the Keeper looked at his sister with a hard gaze.

"You should learn to knock."

"It's a cloakroom!" His sister argued, "What was I going to interrupt? A hat making out with a scarf?"

Dria couldn't help but chuckle at the conversation as Heidi went into the cloakroom, grabbed her jacket and re-emerged, shaking her head with a smirk as she moved past them back to the living room.

"In the cloakroom? You sneaky bastards."

The blonde pressed her lips together to suppress a smile as she took her gaze off the retreating figure of Heidi Wood and turned it back to the girl's brother, who was shaking his head incredulously.

"You really fancied the first time we kissed to be in my parents' cloakroom?" Dria cocked her head to the side.

"I saw an opportunity!"

Dria placed her hands on his shoulders in a meagre effort to calm him down, all the while light chuckles shook through her. Oliver met her gaze and settled his own hands on her waist as he let out a small sigh, while she gently stroked his cheek before placing a light kiss on it.

"Merry Christmas, Oliver." She chuckled, immediately trying to wipe off the lipstick stain she left behind.

The Keeper only smiled a soft smile back, leaning his head into her touch, holding her a little closer as he did so.

"Merry Christmas, Dria."

𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖆 𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖐𝖘!
it's me, i'm back
from dead!

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