Fred was fascinated by muggle contraptions. He loved muggle movies and recently, he fell in love with muggle music. He heard the music when Hermione had been staying at the Burrow. His father was fascinated by muggle music, and Fred ended up loving it too. Hermione had played songs for them, and they all loved it. Now, Hermione was lounging around the Burrow the next summer.
"Hey, Hermione?" Fred asked.
"Yes?" Hermione asked, looking up from her book.
"Can you play more… more muggle music?" Fred wondered.
"Sure… I'm done with my chapter anyway," she said. "I'll be right back," and she went to get her music player. Once she returned she held out a collection of CD's. "Pick one." Fred pointed to one called Bohemian Rhapsody, by a band named Queen.
"What's this one about?" He asked.
"Bohemian Rhapsody? It's a classic! It's a song that really started the rock opera genre. It tells a story about a guy who kills a man and is going to be sent to be put to death." Hermione really loved this song.
"Play it!" Fred grinned. With that Hermione put the CD in and music crackled to life
Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality
Open your eyes, look to the skies, and see
I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy
Because I'm easy come, easy go, little high, little low
Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to me, to me
Fred related to the song which is kind of weird, because it was about a guy killing someone. He looked at Hermione who seemed to be gauging his reaction. He turned his attention back to the words.
Mama, just killed a man
Put a gun against his head, pulled the trigger now he's dead
Mama life has just begun
But now I've gone and thrown it all away
Mama, ooh didn't mean to make you cry
If I'm not back again this time tomorrow
Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters
Ok, Fred really liked this. Obviously, he didn't understand everything. He didn't know what a gun was, but all he could assume is that people killed people with it. So… it must be a weapon?
Too late, my time has come
Send shivers down my spine, body's aching all the time
Goodbye, everybody, I've go to go
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth
Mama, ooh (any way the wind blows)
I don't want to die
I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all
And then there was a pause. Some kind of instrument played, but no words. All Fred could focus on was the story. Well, and the beautiful witch he needed to ask questions to after.
I see a little silhouette of a man
Scaramouche, Scaramouche will you do the fandango
Thunderbolt and lightning very, very frighten me
(Galileo) Galileo (Galileo) Galileo Galileo Figaro magnifico
I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
He's just a poor boy from a poor family
Spare him his life from this monstrosity
Easy come, easy go, will you let me go?
Bismillah! No, we will not let you go
(Let him go!) Bismillah! We will not let you go
(Let him go!) Bismillah! We will not let you go
(Let me go) Will not let you go
(Let me go) Will not let you go (Let me go) Ah
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
(Oh mama mia, mamma mia) Mamma mia let me go
Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for me
There was no denying it, Fred loved this. Something about how ridiculous the song was, and how crazy the circumstances are. Fred especially loved when the music had a rock vibe to it.
So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye?
So you think you can love me and leave me to die?
Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby!
Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here
Fred looked at Hermione to see if she liked this. Obviously she seemed to earlier, but maybe she just said that. He found that she was looking at him in the eyes. His heart skipped a beat. "Damn my stupid heart," Fred thought
Nothing really matters, anyone can see
Nothing really matters
Nothing really matters
Any way the wind blows.
Just like that, the song was done. Hermione was biting her lip, deep in concentration. Why, oh why was this so cute? "Hermione?" Fred said. She didn't respond so he said again, "Hermione?" This time she looked at Fred and she blushed slightly. God, that was so cute too.
"Hmm?" She asked Fred.
"Couple of questions. What's a gun? Who's this Bismillah character? Also, what does this song actually mean?" He asked her. She bit her lip again thinking of a response. "Damn her and her cuteness!" he thought.
"A gun is a muggle machine. It has these things called bullets that are made of… never mind. Basically, guns shoot out bullets, and if a bullet hits you in certain spots, you can die. Its like a killing curse, but you have much more of a chance surviving a gunshot. Bismilllah means in the name of Allah, who is the god of Islam, which is a song is about a man who kills another man. He basically accepts that he will be going to jail, which is basically muggle Azkaban, or possibly be put to death. He kind of imagines what Hell is like, which is a whole other religion. The song basically takes you through the stages of grief," Hermione said. Fred just took in all of the information.
"So what else do you have?"