A/N: I had the idea for this while watching kids TV with my sister. Originally it was going to be Lily/James because Play School*, the show I've focussed on, started in the 60s but I write so much Jily that I wanted to branch out and do something different. So here it is.
*Play School was a British children's TV programme that ran from the late-1960s to mid-1980s. It featured many toys including Jemima, Hamble, Humpty and Big Ted and Little Ted Bear, as well as an infamous beginning: "A house, with a door, windows; 1 2 3 4; ready to play? What's the day? It'sā¦(insert day here)." Notable presenters of the show include Johnny Ball and Floella Benjamin, both of whom I've met. Not because of a Play School obsession, though.
Disclaimer: insert disclaimer here. No. I can't.
Play School belongs to the BBC, Johnny and Floella belong to themselves, and the image I found on google from the blog memoirs with a glass of champagne and as always, Harry Potter belongs to the fabulous Jo Rowling.
Play School
or
Imagine
.
with the flick of a switch, the press of a button
it's play school!
.
a house
with a door;
windows;
1 2 3 4
ready to play?
what's the day?
it's
not your day, my darling
it's not your day today
you're hermione
her-mi-o-ne
and you're built for words and writing and sums and spells
not glory and notability
so it's not your day
(it's never your day)
.
B I G ted and
little ted
together, best friends:
you do have friends, don't you, Hermione?
that's what they ask; scathing
but you do
it's just that your friends are inside your head
(and suddenly they're there in front of you, your own big ted and little ted and you're so happy you could squeal with childish joy but you don't)
.
a house
with a door;
windows;
1 2 3 4
ready to play?
.
pretty jemima
(your favourite one)
the sweet ragdoll with the long long legs like you know you should have
it doesn't matter that they're red and white and stripy
it doesn't matter she's a doll
it doesn't
and then there she is, your own jemima ā there ā there!
don't let her go
but she loves big ted and little ted, like you
so she's not going anywhere
.
a house
with a door;
windows;
1 2 3 4
ready to play?
.
foolish humpty
well; he had a great
f
a
l
l
and no one could pick up his pieces and put him together again, could they?
not even you with your magic wand and spello-tape
but you gathered the shards of that little humpty dumpty
and held them closer in your heart than you would perhaps dare to let yourself acknowledge
(because that fall did you a favour)
.
a house
with a door;
windows;
1 2 3 4
ready to play?
.
poppy
pretty poppy
she replaced poor hamble
perfect pretty poppy
you know the feeling
what you wouldn't give to pop poppy right off the shelf and into the toy box
but you can't
because poppy is perfect popular pretty poppy
and so you sit with little ted
and you cry
.
a house
with a door;
windows;
1 2 3 4
ready to play?
what's the day?
it's a new day today
a new day is dawning
a day of blood and horror and sacrifice
you can sense it;
all of you.
big ted and little ted: they're splitting at the seams
falling apart
and jemima: she's at home, alone and waiting
waiting
and humpty: he's still irretrievably gone
broken
and poppy: she's still there, hanging on by a thread
just
.
you lost your innocence a long time ago, my dear
now it's time to put away the toys
turn of the tv
and step outside
.
a house
with a door;
windows;
1 2 3 4
ready to play?
what's the day?
.
it's your day
In case any of you are confused: Hermione is, surprisingly, Hermione; Harry and Ron are Big Ted and Little Ted (let's just keep this clean, kids); Jemima is Ginny; Draco is Humpty Dumpty and Lavender is Poppy (in that one Hermione becomes Hamble).
So, yeah.
Oh, and the dawning day is 2nd May, the Battle of Hogwarts.
Love it? Hate it? Reviews are very much appreciated.
