Hogwarts, A Musical

After witnessing the disturbing act between Joanne Bellacuore and Severus Snape, Malfoy decided to keep his mouth shut about the incident, for now. And since he was keeping his end of the bargain, Snape made sure to pass Draco in every class he had.

"This is the end of the first semester, and already I am sick of most of your ugly, stupid faces," said Snape sullenly at the last day of the first semester. "Let us try to improve ourselves ladies and gentlemen. There is only three semesters left for redemption."

Draco smirked as all but he and Joanne groaned and huffed. A majority were either failing or just barely passing. Sadly, even Hermione's grades were slipping. Snape took off major points whenever he could for her overbearing explanations on the essays and on the tests. Simplicity and to the point answers were what he wanted, and it didn’t help the fact that he LOATHED Granger. “Now if I don’t see improvement, you WILL be dropped from the play! Am I making this clear?”

“He wouldn’t dare drop me even if I did fail next semester,” whispered Trey to Autumn. “He knows no one could replace me.”

“Damn straight,” grinned Autumn. “But even so, please do try harder. I don’t want you to drop out of the play.”

Suddenly there was a knock at the dungeon door, and Dumbledore entered with a pretty girl in Gryffindor robes. “Sorry to interrupt class, Professor Snape, but it seems we have a transfer student from Beaubaton’s Academy. Everyone, I’d like you to meet Miss Rosie Bates, of Gryffindor house.”

The class murmured hello, and she walked in and plopped into the only available seat next to Joanne. No one ever sat there, not if they could help it, not even Hermione. Most everyone in class was intimidated by her, so they sat far away from her. Sometimes it made Joanne feel sad that no one would ever sit and talk to her, but then again, she always liked working alone rather than in groups.

“Hello, I’m Joanne Bellacuore,” she said to Rosie. “I take it this will be the first and last time you sit next to me.”

“Why do you say that?” asked Rosie, giggling slightly.

“Well, I’m the token genius of the class,” whispered Joanne as Snape went on and on about the importance of grades. “And it scares a lot of people. Which then isolates me. I really don’t have a lot of friends, in fact, I have none.”

“I’ll be your friend,” said Rosie with a smile. “I don’t find you intimidating at all.”

Joanne smiled. “Wow, my first friend! I can’t wait till after class! I can show you around Hogsmeade and we can go party, and all sorts of stuff!”

Snape cleared his throat and Joanne stopped talking immediately. The bell rang, and Snape huffed angrily. “Damn you heathens! Alright class dismissed but know next class will be extra long and hard! Miss Bellacuore I need to see you, please stay after.”

Joanne bid farewell to her new friend, and watched as the students filed out of the classroom. Once all had left and it was just the two of them, Snape locked the door, and turned around to look at Joanne. “Yes, sir?”

“I haven’t a clue why, but Malfoy’s been keeping his mouth shut,” said Snape. “And I doubt that he’ll be causing any trouble to us any longer. What I want to know is if you still want to… To-”

“I’m sorry but I can’t,” said Joanne. “I-I just can’t be with anyone right now. Really sir, I just-”

“You are just like the rest!” sneered Snape, anger building up. “I thought you were different, Lily, but you are JUST LIKE THE REST OF THEM YOU FILTHY MUDBLOOD!”

SMACK! Joanne shook as she backed away from the stunned Snape. His face was as red as could be with the outline of a hand on the side of his face. “ALOHOMORA!” shouted Joanne as she opened the door. “Take me out of your stupid play! I don’t want it anymore if you are going to be like this!”

Joanne ran out, tears dripping down her face. Her makeup was running, and she looked like a mess. She flew into the closest girl’s bathroom and sat down on a bench that was set against the wall. She sobbed hysterically, and began to hyperventilate. She couldn’t understand this feeling, because it wasn’t what she was used to. She was feeling pain, pain for ever getting involved with a teacher like that, pain for the words he exchanged with her just moments ago, and pain for possibly carrying his child.

The stall door creaked open, and Rosie popped out. Her eyes widened as she saw Joanne. “Aw, what’s bothering you?” she asked as she washed her hands.

“I did something awful that I can’t ever say or admit to,” said Joanne, choking on her words. “And now I’ll never be happy. I was just born to never be happy. It’s only fleeting to me…”

“Aw, cheer up!” said Rosie as she gave Joanne a hug. “Listen, I’m going to make you smile. I bet you a million galleons I will! I’m going to get you a boyfriend!”

“Oh!” exclaimed Joanne. “Oh no, no, no, no. Wait up, you’re going to hook me up with some random guy?”

“Eh, let’s just say he’s an old family friend,” smiled Rosie. “You will like him, I just know it. Come with me!”

Rosie pulled Joanne up off the bench, and took off for Gryffindor tower. “Monkey brains!” said Rosie, and the Fat Lady opened the portrait hole. She ran up to the boys dorms, and looked around. “Neville? Where the heck are you?”

“Sorry, I was busy practicing my waltzing for the Yule Ball next year,” chuckled Neville as he hugged Rosie. “So, what’s up? Nice to know you’re here.”

“I’d like you to meet my new best friend Joanne,” said Rosie as she pushed Joanne forward. “You’ve been telling me how much you want to talk to other girls, so now here’s your chance. Good luck…”

Joanne stared at the floor once Rosie had left, blushing crimson red. How awkward this was! Sure, she knew Neville from class, and he was her husband in the play, but she never really talked to him before. She could feel her heart beating faster and faster, her throat began to close up, and she felt like she couldn’t breathe. Neville said nothing as he went to his trunk and took off his dress shoes and threw them inside. Joanne sat down nervously on one of the beds nearby, and twirled her curly hair nervously.

“So,” said Neville, trying to break the awkward silence. “How do you like Rosie so far?”

“She seems very sweet,” said Joanne as she stared down at the floor. She focused on the intricate floor pattern, and pretended to play Bejeweled with the tiles in her mind.

“Look you don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to,” said Neville in a gentle voice. “I can sense you are uncomfortable…”

“No, really I’m fine,” said Joanne, suddenly looking up at Neville. She felt bad that she wasn’t looking at him, but there was just too much on her mind.

“Your face looks like you’ve been crying,” said Neville quietly. “What the matter?”

“Nothing, okay?” said Joanne sharply. “I’m fine. I’m stressing over stupid shit, that’s all. The whole play is driving me mad. I mean, I have to actually come up with SONGS for us to sing for this! And everything is being placed on my shoulders. I can feel the pressure, it’s getting closer now…”

She stopped and then laughed and clapped her hands. “Oh my God! I didn’t think I’d be able to come up with ideas! Wow, this is amazing!”

Neville looked at her like she had a thousand heads. What the hell was up with her? Jesus, she was weird! “What’s amazing?”

“SH!” said Joanne. “Okay, say something from Romeo and Juliet! Say any line!”

“Well, in that hit you miss: she'll not be hit with Cupid's arrow; she hath Dian's wit; And, in strong proof of chastity well arm'd, from love's weak childish bow she lives unharmed,” said Neville.

“This love has taken its toll on me, she said goodbye too many times before,” sang Joanne. She gasped, and covered her mouth with her hands. “Oh my goodness!”

“That right there was GENIUS,” said Neville, stunned at what just happened. “Let’s do another one. Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.”

Joanne closed her eyes and quietly but with a tremendous amount of feeling sang, “The first time… ever I saw your face. I thought the sun rose in your eyes… And the moon and the stars were the gifts you gave…”

“That was beautiful,” said Neville. He stood merely a foot or two away from Joanne, and somehow, this didn’t make her uncomfortable in the least. “We are lucky to have you in the play.”

“Not for much longer I fear,” said Joanne. “I’ve got on Snape’s bad side.”

“Really?” said Neville, amazed. “I didn’t think you were capable of doing that. You seem like a girl who has no bad side.”

Joanne snorted. Ha! She had no bad side? If he only knew half of what she had done. If he’d known what she did with Snape, he’d think she was more disgusting than the slugs in Herbology. “I’m probably the most evil chick in this school. Don’t underestimate me, Mr. Longbottom.”

“Well, Miss Bellacuore,” said Neville as he took a few steps towards Joanne. “If you are that evil, why aren’t you a Slytherin?”

For a split second, all sense of thought left her brain. Wow, no one had ever managed to catch her off-guard before. She began to stutter and tremble. “Well, um… I don’t know! Maybe the Sorting Hat is wrong about things! I mean really! A hat determines your fate? How preposterous!”

“Well, if you really want to say such things,” said Neville. “Then you’d be mocking the founders of Hogwarts, especially Rowena Ravenclaw, your house founder.”

Joanne gasped and turned towards the door. “I will not have you mock me and my intelligence, Longbottom. I am leaving!”

With a flick of his wand, Neville locked the door. “Ooh!” she growled as she tried to open the door. “ALOHOMORA! Damn it! Open you stupid, bloody door!”

“Joanne, please, I didn’t mean to offend you,” said Neville nervously. “Please don’t leave!”

“BOMBARDA!” cried Joanne, and the door burst open with a loud blast. Neville bit his bottom lip to keep from getting upset as Joanne fled Gryffindor tower after fixing the ruined door. He kicked at his trunk, and his photo of his mum and dad fell and shattered onto the floor.

“FUCK!” he cried as he picked up the frame. “Reparo!”

The glass zoomed back into place, good as new. Neville sighed as he placed the frame on his bedside table, and sat down on the bed with his head in his hands. Suddenly he heard footsteps, and peered up to see that Rosie was standing in front of him.

“What in the name of Merlin’s under crackers is going on?” breathed Rosie heavily.

“She blew a bloody hole in the wall just to get away from me!” said Neville sadly. Now the tears were falling down his pale face. “I said something stupid and before I could apologize she left! I feel so stupid!”

“I’m sure if I talk to her it’ll all be sorted out,” said Rosie gently. “Come off it, you aren’t stupid Nev. Just give it another go. Let her see the Neville I know and love.”

Neville smiled weakly at Rosie. “You have no idea how awkward things are going to be now. I mean, Joanne is in Romeo and Juliet with me. She’s Lady Montague, and I am Lord Montague. This is not going to be good…”

“Oh, I didn’t know you lot put on shows!” said Rosie. “I’d love to be in it!”

“Sadly auditions are done with,” said Neville. “But I know how acting is your big thing. Maybe some day you will get your chance.”

“Thanks brother,” said Rosie as she gave Neville a hug. “What would I do without you?”
________________________________________________________________________

“WHERE IS MISS BRONTE?!” shrieked Snape at rehearsal.

“Professor, she has the Magical flu,” said Joanne as she came in with a stack of sheet music. “H7N7 virus. It’s really bad, she’s in the Hospital Wing-”

“VERY WELL, I NEED A JULIET NOW!” barked Snape. “JOANNE, YOU WILL BE JULIET SO WE CAN PRACTICE!”

Joanne scowled. She hated how Snape was barking orders at her like she was some dog that he could just command on whim. But then again, he did have the power over her. He was a teacher, and he could get her expelled any time he pleased. So she swallowed her pride, and ran towards Draco. “I’m your Juliet,” she said through gritted teeth. “Now let’s sing this song so I can get this over and done with!”

Snape conjured up some of the sets, and put them in their proper place. Joanne began to walk down the aisle towards Draco with a sense of dread and fear, and she began to sing. “I’ve got a lot of things I have to do. All these distractions, our future’s coming soon. We’re being pulled a hundred different directions, but whatever happens I know I’ve got you…”

“You’re in my mind, you’re in my heart. It doesn’t matter where we are, we’ll be alright even if we’re miles apart,” sang Draco. “CUT I can’t sing this!”

Joanne put her hands on her hips and scowled. “Why not?”

“One, you are THE ugliest, most nerdy thing here. Two, you are VERY pitchy, which is throwing me off! And three, singing a love song with you makes me sick!”

Joanne launched herself at Draco, and suddenly he was on the floor and she was on top of him, beating the living daylights out of him. Draco began to shout and scream as Joanne continued to punch his face.

“Joanne?” said a voice that made her stop and look up. Rosie stood there looking at the bloodied face of Draco, and Joanne’s angry face. “What have you done?”

“I cannot be an understudy or blocker for Autumn!” shouted Joanne angrily. “He is just the most rude, aggravating wizard I have ever had the sfortunata to know!”

“Well, Professor Snape,” said Rosie as she watched Joanne storm off to the side to get something to drink. “I’ve taken acting classes, and I know Romeo and Juliet so well, so if you want, I could-”

“Sure, fine, whatever,” said Snape. “Here’s the sheet music for the scene. Hope you can sing. GO!”

Rosie took the sheet music that Joanne dropped on the floor and looked up at Draco and smiled. Draco scowled at her, and she whipped out her wand. “Episkey!” she said as she pointed at his broken nose.

“Thanks,” said Draco as the accompaniment came in for the next line of the song. Draco continued to sing. “All I wanna do is be with you, be with you-”

“There’s nothing we can’t do, just wanna be with you. Only you. And no matter where life takes us, nothing can break us apart. I just wanna be with you…” sand Rosie and Draco in a perfectly harmonized duet.

Everyone’s jaws hit the floor, Draco’s included. “Guess we know who the understudy is for Autumn,” said Snape in awe. “Very well done Miss Rosie. Ten points to Gryffindor for such a stunning performance!”

Joanne clapped along with the rest of the other actors, and Rosie bowed gracefully. She smiled, and caught Neville’s eye, and waved him to come over to her. “You didn’t happen to see Joanne-”

“Yes I did,” said Neville. “And I enjoyed every second of it.”

“Ah,” said Rosie. “I thought you were a passive, non-violent type.”

“Well yes, but when it comes to Draco getting beaten up by a girl, I change,” smirked Neville. “God, I can’t tell you how stiff I was during all that.”

“Oh you!” said Rosie as she hit him lightly. “So, what’s your plan to get the little fireball?”

“I haven’t got one,” said Neville. “Was hoping you were going to help me out…”

“Turns out I can,” said Rosie. She held up the sheet music, and pointed to several of the doodles on the page that had lightning bolts and the word “Gaga” in various script. “See, to the untrained eye, it seems like gibberish. But Joanne loves Lady Gaga, the muggle singer. Why not get her tunes, listen to them, and sing one of them to her?”

“Lady Gaga?” said Neville with a puzzled look on his face. “Who the bloody hell is that?”

“She’s a singer!” said Rosie. “A bit of a snazzy dresser if you will. But she has great songs on her albums. You should listen to it. Here, borrow my copy.”

She thrust a CD player and Lady Gaga’s The Fame Monster into Neville’s hands. “If you don’t love her stuff, then you are hopeless…”

She put the earphones on him, and played the CD. Neville listened to the first track, Bad Romance. Instantly he started to dance. “Ooh, I like this!” he said. “Oh I am so going to learn the words to this so I can sing this to her!”

“I bet she’d love that,” said Rosie with a smile. “Now go on and work out your plans to impress her!”
________________________________________________________________________

Autumn lay there in the Hospital Wing throwing up violently. She had lost quite a bit of weight because she couldn’t eat anything, and she looked pale and clammy. Her long black hair was wild on her pillow due to the tossing and turning of the illness that had rendered her into restless sleep. Once she fell asleep, she screamed into the empty room for her father, her brother, and for her mother to help her. But she knew her father couldn’t be there because he had work. She knew her brother couldn’t be at her side for fear of contracting the illness. And she knew her mother would never come because such was life.

And so she tossed and turned, screaming into her pillow and sobbing as the illness continued to run its course. She wrapped her arms around her knees, drawing them close to her. She began to rock back and forth as she cried. “God, if you are there,” she sobbed. “If you choose this time to listen to me, please end this disease for me. Please let it be over soon. And if you can, please give this sickness to Draco. He deserves some misery.”

She started to laugh. Draco sick? That would be hilarious to witness. Why, he’d be more of a wuss than her! She began to cough, and then reached for the pail by her bedside and heaved a bucket load of fluid into it. She trembled and wiped the vomit from her mouth. Shit, she realized. She had missed rehearsal for Romeo and Juliet. But she did have a decent excuse, having a contagious illness.

Autumn jumped as she heard a tap-tap-tap on the window pane. She walked to the window, and opened it just as a Hogwarts owl flew in and landed on her bed. Autumn took the piece of parchment from its leg, and it quickly flew off back to the Owlry.

Autumn,
Watch your back.
You aren’t the only one who can play Juliet to my Romeo.
Any wrong you do to me will cause you your role.

Draco

Autumn crumpled the paper up in her anger and began to scream and throw things around the room. Curse him! Curse Malfoy! Why did he have to write to her? Write that awful note when she was feeling so sick?

“Miss Bronte? Are you alright?” asked Madam Pomfrey as she walked in carrying medicine. “I heard screaming, are you okay?”

“I-I’m not good at being sick,” said Autumn as she eased back into her bed. “I hate being sick. So I kind of scream and throw fits and such.”

“Well, nobody likes being sick,” said Madam Pomfrey as she gave her the medicine. “This should get you back to normal. This is the last of my stash, so let’s pray none of the others get sick or they will have to go to St. Mungo’s.”

She felt Autumn’s forehead and murmured a spell softly. Slowly but surely, Autumn began to feel better. “How did you do that?” asked Autumn.

“Years and years of medical magical study,” said Madam Pomfrey. “You may go back to your dorms if you so wish. You are healed for the most part, but do not go off sharing drinks with your friends or snogging people. You are still contagious. Take it easy, and the sickness will go away faster.”

Autumn smirked as she gathered her things and headed back to the Slytherin dorms. She looked around, searching to see where he was, any sign that would give her a clue where he’d be so she could find him. She soon spotted him lying on the couch in the common room. She walked over to him and he got up. “Brontosaurus,” said Draco with a sneer. “Way to miss out on rehearsal. Ah well, I suppose you got my letter. What’d you think of that?”

And to Draco’s great surprise, Autumn kissed him.