Nine: The Beginnings of a Legend

By

I-AM-CHUCK-BASS

Translation : Bleak Dawn

Beta: Ersatz Einstein

T/n: Hello and welcome everyone! This is a translation that I am really happy to share with you. As mentionned in the summary, it's an AU, non-magical fanfiction HOWEVER please, don't let that bother you because, trust me, it's really worth a shot, otherwise I wouldn't be translating. I hope you enjoy this first chapter and happy reading to you all.

The autocue screen counting down the seconds to the opening credits was at eleven. The lights illuminating the audience who were receiving last-minute instruction—"When you see the green signal, applaud. When it's red, laugh."— were already starting to fade as the technicians hurried to adjust the cameras positioned about the room. On the set, the hostess was still getting her hair and make-up done as she looked over her cards and reread them quickly, her lips moving with supernatural speed.

"Ten seconds left!" someone announced.

The hostess shot to her feet abruptly, barely avoiding her make-up artist's brush, and inspected the coffee table where five water glasses sat beside a CD case.

"Peggy, where are the water bottles?!" she shouted at her assistant, who was dealing with some tweaks with the sound technician.

"Shit," the girl hissed before sprinting backstage.

"Eight seconds!"

"Should I take your cards?" her hairstylist asked.

The hostess skimmed over the four small square of cardstock, then took a deep breath, and handed them to the woman.

"Five seconds!"

Peggy came back, breathless, and put down six small bottles of spring water, provided by their manufacturer, a sponsor, on the table.

"There's one too many, you idiot!" the hostess barked, irritated.

"I'm sorry…" Peggy stammered, taking the extra bottle off the table, before disappearing off-set.

"Three seconds! Get ready."

The hostess took another deep breath, eyes closed.

"Two…One…GO!"

When she opened them, her dazzling smile was in place. While the audience applauded loudly at the signal of the green light, she crossed her legs gracefully and ran a hand through her brown her.

"Hello. Hello. Dear viewers. And welcome to the Jenny Dillinger Show!" she cooed. The clapping didn't subside. "You are ever so many to watch us every Saturday night, and we are so grateful! Tonight…" Jenny Dillinger paused and smirked. "Tonight, when I announce who our guests are, I think you'll all faint."

Red signal: cue for the audience to laugh. Jenny joined her hands together, excited.

"During the eight years of their career, their appearances on the small screen could be counted on the fingers of one hand. And yet, we were able to convince them to come on our show for the release of their highly, highly, highly awaited fourth album."

Jenny's smile turned into a full-blown grin.

"I'm keeping you in suspense, right?" she teased, winking at the camera.

The audience laughed again.

"No, really. If I tell you the names of my guests today, I think some of you might not survive the shock." She affirmed shaking her head gravely. "So, should I tell you or not?"

"YES!" yelled the audience.

"Yes, I should tell, or yes I should keep it to myself and stop the show right now?" she shouted again, grinning almost hysterically at the audience's palpable excitement. Some had even stood up, trying in vain to glimpse backstage.

Jenny got to her feet and at that exact moment, solemn drumroll resounded through the set, increasing the audience's impatience further.

"Almost 60 million copies sold worldwide, eighteen awards, tour tickets sold out in less than twelve hours, songs that are already famous and that everyone loves, ladies and gentlemen, dear viewers, give a warm welcome, here on the Jenny Dillenger show, to…NINE!"

While the chorus of 'Insane', one of the group's most famous singles, played in the background, the curtain rose slowly, revealing the four members of the group.

For the seven years that Jenny had hosted the show, she had never seen an audience so wild. There were 'I love you's' shouted alongside the members' names, merging with the hysterically screamed 'NINE!'. A chain-like barrier of security agents stood in front of the first row; a girl sitting there fainted. Another one was crying – or in hysterics, if you like – And pointing at the band. Some fans pushed with all their might against the staff, screaming, trying to reach the set. Another girl in the third row fainted as the one next to her bawled her eyes out, unable to stop herself from yelling the band's name in an endless litany.

It was really a sight to behold.

Draco waved towards the audience, causing the already existing frenzy to triple. He was the leader/guitarist of the group. His popularity was equal to that of the singer, Hermione, who was as charismatic as she was mysterious. He had long shaggy platinum hair, a few strands of which fell over his anthracite eyes.

For the show, he was wearing simple faded jeans shredded in multiple places with a white shirt whose first three buttons undone and whose sleeves were dismissively pulled over his forearms and black leather boots that reach a bit over his ankles. It seemed as though he hadn't given much thought to his appearance; his apparel for the show was far too simplistic for a person whose fortune could easily be counted in billions of Galleons. Jenny was astonished. She had expected something more…well, anyway, they were there, and that's all that mattered.

Theo was on his right. Crocking his head to the side, he threw a devastating wink at the camera, along with a faint smile that was both very childish and involuntarily charming. Brunette, emerald green eyes, lovely dimples on his cheeks, Theodore was Nine's very energetic and young drummer. He seemed as though he hadn't aged since the band's humble beginnings.

Blaise, too, waved to the frantic audience, quite impressed by the welcome. He whispered something to Draco, who laughed, shaking his head, lifting his eyebrows. Blaise wore a black tuxedo vest with pants and a shirt of the same color, which fitted his chocolate milk complexion beautifully. When he deigned to take off his shades, his beautiful light brown eyes were revealed. He was the band's bass player.

When at last Hermione appeared, Jenny thought that the staff wouldn't be able to contain all the craziness. The blood-red lips of the group's only female moved in a "hello everyone" that was completely drowned by the screams of the audience. She came to stand opposite Draco, near Blaise, and then raked her eyes over the room, biting her lip.

The singer was wearing a three-quarter length shirt with a picture of the Queen of England barred by two huge red lines, a short black lace skirt that revealed a garter belt suspending a pair of fishnet stockings that reached a bit over her knees, and worn out hipster black Doc Martens. Her raven black curly hair, which would normally reach the small of her back, was tied in a lazy bun, making the amber of her almond-shaped eyes, framed by dark eye shadow and mascara, pop.

She was petite, the smallest of all of them, and thin, but she had a certain presence and radiated a unique aura. She was the band's soul.

"How wonderful it is to have you here!" Jenny exclaimed as the group approached the couch in one synchronized movement. "You nearly started a riot!"

In the audience, the staff was managing to calm the all-around hysterics, but some were still screaming the band's name.

"Oh my God! You are even more beautiful in person than in your pictures! I think I'm in love," Jenny said sincerely, putting a hand to her heart as Draco leaned over to give her a peck on the cheek.

What followed didn't last more than two miniscule seconds, but the hostess didn't miss it. Blaise glanced at Theo who shot glanced back at him, before they both turned to look at Hermione.

The latter seemed unaffected, but she stared so intensely at Jenny that her eyes could have pierced a hole in the hostess's skull. Then, when the hostess turned her attention towards her to welcome her, her eyes changed abruptly, and she feigned an enchanted smile, leaning towards the woman so that she could kiss her too. Half an amused smile emerged on Theo's lips; Blaise merely smirked inconspicuously.

"Have a seat, have a seat!" Jenny said hurriedly, taking a place in her own chair as soon as she was done greeting each of the members.

Hermione took a place at the other end of the sofa, smiling and crossing her legs. Draco, who was initially supposed to sit next to her, glanced quickly at the empty space and decided to keep standing a while longer, waving at the audience some more. Meanwhile, Blaise sat next to their singer. Then it was Theo's turn. Draco finally lowered himself into the seat at the other end of the couch, next to the drummer.

The fact that he was, once more, opposite Hermione didn't escape the hostess' attention.

"What a pleasure it is for us to have you here tonight!" she repeated, eyes still glued to Draco.

He brought the microphone to his mouth, smiling.

"That's a shared pleasure," he said in a velvet voice that rang around the set.

There was some more high-pitched screaming from the audience.

"You're a rare sight! Even for a simple interview, it's crazy! I can only thank you for agreeing to come to America for our show tonight."

"A happy life is a discreet one," Draco declared before turning towards the audience, "And we have you to thank for this warm welcome. It truly warms our hearts."

The audience applauded before the green signal told them to.

"It's true," Jenny exclaimed, "And speaking of happy, I think you must be, entirely! At twenty-five, you've succeeded in bending the music industry to your will, and propelling yourselves into masters on the international scene, among the greatest rockers of all time…How do you explain this success? I'm still quite baffled by it."

Draco turned to the three other members. Theo took the floor.

"To be honest, we ask ourselves that every day," he confessed. "The success – all of this really – it just sort of happened, just dropped on us…"

"Yes, we weren't expecting it at all," Draco admitted with a shake of his head.

"…basically, we were just doing music out passion. We weren't looking to get famous worldwide, but it was more about sharing our – our universe, our way of seeing thing, of living them, our love for music with the world. When our first album reached the top of the sells, it was completely unexpected! A real shock, honestly."

"On that note, we really want to thank you all, sincerely, for following us since 'The King', our first album…" added up Blaise, leaning forward.

At that moment, the jacket of the album appeared on the big screen. The black background showed Hermione hunched over a velvet throne with red cushions, her legs spread wide, her right knee casually leaning over the right armrest, the undone laces of her Converses dangling to the floor. A lit cigarette hung from her lips, and a diamond tiara rested in her short black hair.

"The King" was handwritten in white in the right corner of the jacket, near the label 'Parental Advisory'.

"…without whom none of this would have been possible. You really are the reason for our success. It's to you that all the honors should rightfully go."

Sudden screams erupted in response; love declarations for the bassist shot from the bleachers. Blaise laughed slightly, surprised, his shades hiding his eyes again, as Theo threw another wink to the camera and Draco grinned devastatingly.

As for Hermione, she remained detached and motionless, a conventional smile on her lips, looking guarded. She hadn't opened her mouth since the start of the interview, and so Jenny turned to her for the first question on her cards.

"As you can see, the audience has been moved by your words, and this; thanking them, is a clear proof of your legendary humility." she said. "So, "Nine"? Where's the name from? What's its significance? Is the number nine important to you?"

Though Jenny had been staring at Hermione to try to get her to answer, the singer lowered her head and scratched the nape of her neck with her black-polished fingernails, deliberately ignoring the journalist. Draco took the microphone.

"It's a bit like our lucky number,"

Jenny was frustrated; she wanted to hear the singer's voice.

"Or not really our lucky number – it's more like the number that binds us together." Theo corrected.

"Yeah, that's it. It's more like that, indeed." Draco approved.

She decided to just let her be. The girl's attitude was utterly disdainful. Perhaps she thought herself too important to be on a talk show. Maybe she was bored out of her skull. A lot of rumors were going around about her. The woman was very talented, but also very cold, scornful even. She never really smiled and talked only when it was strictly necessary. Being a part of the entertainment industry, Jenny knew that it was wise not to give heed to such gossip as they were often born of jealousy. Still, she was beginning to think that there was some truth to some of it.

Deliberately focusing her attention on Draco, she addressed him a large grin.

"So, you are "bound" by that number—interesting! Could you tell us more about this?" she prodded them further, crossing her legs, and turning her back definitively on Nine's singer.

"The number nine has had a sort of elemental impact on the band's destiny. We're linked by the number. To give a simple example, Hermione was born on the 9th of December, Blaise on the 9th of May, Theo on the 9th of August, and my birthday is on the 9th of February. We had our first concert together on the 9th of January, 1999, and signed our first real record deal three years later, on the 9th of April, 2002…"

"Indeed! There seems to be a pattern there."

"And the list goes on! Really, the group's entire life revolves around it. We're not superstitious but at this point, we were forced to acknowledge there's something to it. Undeniably."

"A link! It's incredible, incredible!" Jenny said enthusiastically.

Green signal. Applause burst from everywhere.

"My God—I have so many questions to ask you that I don't even know where to begin! And God only knows that a lot of celebrities have sat right where you are now!" she said with glee.

Red. Laughter.

"Go ahead, don't be shy: ask whatever pops into your head." Theo encouraged, his trademark smile in place.

"Hm, alright—what an opportunity! Well then, let's start with this new album. Your fourth, right?"

"Exactly," Blaise nodded.

"It's called 'Body, Mind & Soul'— what can you tell us about it? What's the essence of this album? Is it the album of maturity? What does—"

"I wouldn't say that it's the album of maturity," interrupted Hermione. "It's more like the album of new horizons. Just like every album, by the way. We are constantly evolving, climbing to new heights. Sooner or later, we will surely see a goal that is as yet unknown to us. And that goal will be the band's full-growth. With 'Body, Mind & Soul', we've more or less gone back to the underground feel of our first albums, with more straightforward sounds, a bit more aggressive, and almost pulling towards the punk. The subjects we tackle are also vastly different. While they don't fall into the dark or macabre, they aren't exactly happy. We did some real introspection, before returning to the studio, in order to not lose our roots and our objectives. Because when you reach this level where you have success, fortune and fame, the music industry offers you two choices: the commercial way that forgoes any shred of creativity, and it's the way that many take for its ease, and there's the way of our own desires and motivations, the riskier way. You really need to define what you want, right from the start, in order to not lose your way. With this album, we have done everything possible to make it in accordance with our tastes and desires. If that might be called maturity, to use your term, then so be it. But, the fact remains that this album is a real back to the basics thing for us."

She lowered the microphone, and the audience started clapping and whistling furiously. Jenny was stunned, her mouth hanging open—that voice! It was as if she were singing. Hoarse but sensual, it broke at times and filled with a London accent that fit her persona perfectly. No artifice, just the essential. Every word found its place perfectly in her speech. And the sound of her atypical voice just sort of fell from her lips. Her irises, tinted with an orange hue, framed by long black lashes, stared straight at you, almost unblinking. A rebellious strand of hair escaped from her bun, and she replaced it nonchalantly as she spoke. It forced one to wonder if she wasn't doing it on purpose to enthrall her audience.

It also forced one to wonder if it was indeed the same person who, just few minutes ago, was playing the high and mighty queen.

Jenny slowly nodded her head, almost on cloud nine. She took the CD case from the table, and stared at the camera.

"Body, Mind & Soul, to be released on November 9th here, and on the 11th everywhere else. If you are true fans of the 'Jenny Dillinger Show', you'd better run to the stores next week and get yourself a copy!" she exclaimed before turning back towards the band. "Well, well! I feel like am floating in a little bubble seeing you here."

"Really?" Draco snorted, raising his eyebrows.

"Really! You can't imagine the effect you have on people. You each exude this sort of…aura, something really mystical. But here, when you are all together, I swear, the walls are going to start shaking!"

Draco and Blaise both burst out laughing. Hermione offered a half smile.

"That's very flattering," Theo thanked her, joining his hands, and bowing his head reverently.

"To continue with the questions—which are all, I remind you, from out netizens— one seemed to come up a lot. At least, it seemed to always be in the top five," Jenny continued, uncrossing and crossing her legs again.

"Oh, you mean there's a top five?" Draco exclaimed, a playful grin on his lips.

"You bet there is! Even a top hundred! You're so secretive about anything involving your private lives that when we get you here, even for a few seconds, there are hundreds of questions to ask!"

In the audience, a new scream startled Blaise. Draco raised his hands, palms up toward his chest.

"Go right ahead!" he said, "Ask us whatever you want. However, I can't guarantee that we will be able to scratch the surface even with a hundred answers."

"In that case, let's keep it to the essential,"

She leaned forward and narrowed her eyes, as she always did whenever she was about to dive into the heart of the interview.

"How did you four meet?"

Draco's smirk widened, as if he had been impatiently awaiting that particular question. He turned to Blaise, who then turned towards Theodore. Hermione's smile resembled Draco's, but fainter, and she shot a glance at the man next to her, curious about his answer. Theo cleared his throat, straightening on the sofa.

"It's…rather a long story, actually. I'll try to be brief," said the youngest.

"We're all ears," Jenny encouraged, and in the audience, no one made a peep.