The Hogwarts Play
Chapter two of an unknown number
By: Sweets
Disclaimer: The Hogwarts crew belongs to the great, wonderful, imaginative, JK ROWLING
A/N: I really hope this turns out like I want it to... I have a really bad headache. This is probably gonna be really bad cause I don't write well when I'm in pain. I had my wisdom teeth pulled so I'm in JUST A LITTLE PAIN.
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Max, as everyone called him, came running up to the small platform that the teachers table usually stood on, clipboard in hand. 'Very good. Very good, Hermione. I'm impressed.'
Hermione's heart pounded. She realized she was grinning from ear to ear. she probably looked like a fool but she didn't care.
Max was impressed. This was quite a complement coming from a real Broadway director. And it was the first complement Max had given her since he had come to the magical school.
A few of the students, at the same table were applauding. Hermione looked down at the table searching for Harry and Ron. She spotted them, sitting in on either side of Fred Weasley. They all grinned and waved. Hermione waved back.
'I'm impressed,' Max repeated, pulling at his black goatee. His deep American accented voice boomed of the walls. 'It's a real start. With a lot of hard work, you could be extremely adequate .' Now Hermione felt like a fool for grinning. She could feel her cheeks growing hot.
The complement wasn't a complement at all. That was so like Max, Hermione thought. In the week since Max had come, he was always saying something that made one of them feel good, then quickly taking it away.
It was a cruel game the director played with them. Hermione realized, a cruel game. Max might look like a cool guy with his Mirrored sunglasses and his jet black hair, but he was a complicated person. He had a mean streak. At least his sense of humor was mean. And his jokes always seemed to be aimed at the kids that were acting, when they were most vulnerable.
'Hey help me up, would ya?' Hermione turned around at the sound of the voice. George was still lying on the floor, collapsible knife in hand. 'The least you can do is help me up after killing me!'
Hermione almost laughed. George was such a clown. She took his hand in both of hers and pulled him to his feet. 'Thanks, your hands are like ice,' He said while brushing dust off his jeans.
'I get so nervous,' Hermione confided. 'I've never been on a stage in my life before, unless you count third grade at my old muggle school. And I never thought I'd be acting in front of a famous director.'
'You did great.' He said as he dumped a glass of ice water over her head.
'GEORGE!' She shrieked, attracting the unwanted attention of her fourth year friends. Harry and Ron turned to see a soaking wet Hermione yelling at George, her face red with embarrassment. Hermione took out her wand and muttered a spell, soon she was dry. She then pointed her wand at George and muttered a spell under her breath and George was about 6 feet above the ground. George looked down and said something to Hermione. She let him down.
Hermione turned to face the crowd. The kids in the audience were laughing and talking, mostly about the performance she and George had just given.
'People! People! You can make your plans for sneaking out after lights-out later!'
Hermione and George walked to the end of the platform and sat down. Hermione gave Ron a look that said don't you even think for a second that I like him! Ron grinned back at her.
'Let's talk a little bit about what we've just seen up there,' Max said, hitting the clipboard against his left thigh. 'Miss Granger, you did great things with your hands,' he said, narrowing his gray eyes at her without blinking. ' I loved the thing you did with your hands, sweeping them through your hair like that, I could feel the tension.'
'Thank you sir,' Hermione said, a little embarrassed that something she did every day was turned into something Max complemented on.
'Max. Call me Max,' he said, still staring at her without blinking. 'The hands were good, Miss Granger. But you have to be careful not to go over the top when you want to increase the intensity.
'Over the top? What do you mean?'
'Well, you rolled your eyes after you stabbed Fred.'
'I'm Fred!' Fred yelled from the audience, 'That's George!'
Max looked at George 'Sorry George, maybe you and your brother shall have to change roles since I keep calling you that.'
Max turned back to Hermione. 'Loose the eye rolling,' He told her. 'And you over did the clenched fists too. If you turn your back to the audience, I want to see the tension in your back, not in your fists. Do you think you can do that?'
'I'll try,' Hermione said. She glanced at Pansy Parkson who made a face at her.
'Do you want to be an actress, Miss Granger? Is that why you decided to try out for the part?' Max asked, suddenly jumping down to the floor.
'No, my friend Harry talked me into this.' She was surprised, this was the first semi-personal question Max had asked anyone since he had come. 'Well, maybe we can turn you into an actress anyway,' he said. 'You might just surprise yourself, Miss Granger. You just might have some talent.'
'Thank you,' Hermione said, embarrassed by all the attention.
'That's why I've decided to give you the lead in our play.' Max added casually.
The lead?
Did she hear right? Did Max just say she had won the lead?
Was it another one of his jokes?
No. The serious look on his face indicated that he meant it.
'Oh, thank you!' Hermione cried. She didn't know what else to say. For a second she had the urge to jump up and scream in sheer joy. But she wasn't the kind of person to get carried away like that. Even if she was this happy.
At last, she told herself, something good has happened in my life. Finally- after the past five horrible years, something I can be proud of.
'And, Fred, you will play the role of Andrew,' Max announced.
Before George had a chance to correct Max, they were interrupted by an angry cry from the back of the Great Hall. 'Hold on a minute, Max!'
Pansy Parkson came storming up on to the platform, her long brown hair flowing behind her in rippled torrents like a waterfall, her dark lipsticked mouth turned down in anger. In the week that Max had been there, Pansy had proved to be not only the most dramatic-looking person out of all fourth year houses but also the most dramatic in temperament.
She pulled Max to the side of the stage, her brown eyes flashing angrily. 'I'm supposed to be the lead, Max! That role was promised to me!' Pansy exclaimed in a low voice, just loud enough so Hermione could hear every word.
'I made no such promise,' Hermione heard Max say, his face expressionless.
'My parents didn't pay all this money for acting school for me to spend my extra time painting scenery while this- this amateur play the lead! Pansy shouted, too angry and out of control to now to care if everyone heard her.
Hermione couldn't hear Max's response, but it seemed to make Pansy even angrier.
Since Max had come and they had all been ushered into the Great Hall and told about the production of Max's play 'Curtains' , the play they be working on for Muggle Studies, Pansy had made it very to every female that her mother was expecting her to get the lead. Her mother expected her to be the star of the play, expected her eventually to be taken to Broadway as Max's discovery.
A lot of the kids, Hermione had learned, had fantasies about being discovered by Max. Hermione had no such fantasies.
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Will you review? Please? *Gets out of braces and goes down on knees* Please? I beg of you REVIEW! *Swears as she tries to get back into the stupid metal contraptions.*