Musical: A Hilarious Love Story

Chapter 3: The Meeting

Third chapter! Well, I don't know how many people are actually reading this, but I like to write it, so I'm going to continue. If you are reading it, well, why not let me know? Tell me in a review! Oh, and I own nothing that you recognize.

Seriously, although it would be awesome, I am neither Jonathan Stroud, J. K. Rowling, and I have nothing to do with Les Miserables.

Nathaniel sat in his office, staring at his wall clock. He would need to summon Bartimaeus, soon, if they wanted to get there on time for the audition. And he did. He couldn't mess this up.

He had actually gotten head shots and an acting resume for this. He couldn't believe it, but he had. Well, he supposed that's what you had to do when you needed to get back in someone's favor…

Oh, but why did he have to go into THEATRE?

His clock dinged that it was half past six. He lit some candles and scattered incense and herbs. Then he began the summoning process.

Finally, a form appeared in the other Pentacle. It was of a short girl with tangled, dark red hair and green eyes.

"Bartimaeus! You know your summons! You are to accompany me to an audition for Les Miserables today, and try your hardest to get a role in it! You are not to ruin my chances! Do you understand?"

"Calm down, Natty-boy! I already know my summons. You don't have to be all uptight about it."

"And you are not to reveal my birth name in any way while at the audition, on the way to the audition, or anywhere else."

"Okay. Ready to go to the stupid thing and get this over with?"

"Yes."

"Oh, and one more thing. I am going to go by Rekhyt. Rekhyt… Bartimaeus."

"Why?"

"Well, Bartimaeus isn't exactly a girl's name."

"So, why don't you turn back into that form that you always use? It looks better than this one, anyhow. There are tangles in your hair."

Bartimaeus made a slight change to the guise, and now she had curly, not tangled hair. "Better? Anyhow, I'm using this guise because you said that I can't ruin your chances of getting a part in the play. If I go as a male, then a male part will be filled, a male part that you may have gotten. However, judging by your hair… They might think that you're female. Maybe I should change into Ptolemy again…"

Nathaniel glared at the djinni and stepped out of his pentacle. Bartimaeus did, as well, and followed the boy to the car.

I hate cars. And I have to say, I knew I was going to hate this. Not as much as I really did hate it, of course, but I knew.

But anyway, I sat next to Nathaniel in the car, smirking at him. He had a really stupid look on his face. After a while, he said something.

"Hey, Bartimaeus… You said that it was Ptolemy's form that you took?"

"Yeah."

"Why do you take it?"

I was stunned by the question. In about two thousand years, none of my master s had ever asked me that. And yet, here he was, one of my most despised masters, asking that question. I wasn't sure if I should answer it. But I had wanted to explain for a while.

"Well, because he was kind to me. He saved my life. And he was the best master that I ever had."

"What? The Ptolemy who wrote the Acrocrypha?"

"Yeah. That Ptolemy."

"He… saved your life? How?"

"Well, he went to the Other Place, and when he came back, well, he was really weak. And his cousin sent assassins. I tried to save him, but it didn't work. So instead of letting me fight them off, he just… dismissed me. I've never forgiven him for that."

"For saving your life?"

"Yes. I should have been there. I might have been able to save him."

"Well… er…"

We sat in awkward silence for the rest of the ride. I have to admit, though, I might have respected Mandrake a little more, now that he asked…

We arrived at the theatre and sat down in the waiting room next to a group of kids. They were dressed slightly strange.

Hermione looked as two people sat down next to her. There was a short red head who would have fit right in with Ron's family and…

Who WAS this other kid? He had huge cuffs (She noted that they looked like toilet plungers) and a gigantic hankey sticking out of his shirts. Was this what Muggles were wearing now? She had only been gone for so long from their world… The kid also had super greasy black hair. It reminded her of Snape.

She elbowed Harry and whispered in his ear, "Harry… look at those two."

"Woah!" He whispered back "What d'ya think is wrong with that kid?"

"No idea. But that's seriously not normal…"

Their group got into a discussion about the boy.

"I think he looks a bit like Snape, with that Greasy hair."

"His hair is better than the girl's, Weasley. At least it's not RED… Like yours." That, obviously, was Malfoy. He leaned back against the couch, looking sure of himself. In a very annoying way.

Unfortunately, the girl seemed to be able to hear what they were saying. She elbowed the boy, and pointed in their direction.

Nathaniel glared at the children. "Who do you think you are? Insulting my clothes, and my hair? I am a member of the Government. And who," he looked them over with a look of disgust "Are you?"

"A member of the Government. Hah! Well, let me tell YOU something, Muggle…" That was a mean looking boy with white-blonde hair.

"Muggle? What's a Muggle?"

"It's a person who can't do magic." He replied. A bushy haired, buck toothed girl clapped a hand over his mouth, which he fought to get off.

"Get off me, Mudblood!"

The boy with the black hair punched the boy with the silver hair in the mouth. Both of them had noses that appeared damaged. Nathaniel sat, wondering if he was going to have to do a play with these people.

"Magic? Oh, so you mean a commoner. You can do magic, then?"

All of them seemed very alarmed by this comment. In dropped tones, the girl with the bushy hair whispered. "You know about magic?"

"Yes. In fact, that is why I am a high ranked member of the Government."

"Are you not in school?"

"I was taught by the late magician Arthur Underwood. Well, actually, I was taught mainly by myself."

"How? Didn't you go to Hogwarts?"

"No. Isn't that just a joke, though? I got a letter when I was about eleven…"

"And you didn't go!"

"Nope. I was already being taught. Plus, they teach a weird kind of magic… They don't even teach summoning!"

By this point, people were staring at them. "Anyhow. I am John Mandrake."

"Rekhyt." Chipped in the red haired girl.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Hermione, Hermione Granger."

"Granger, why are you telling them your name? I thought you were supposed to be smart."

"Shut UP, Malfoy!"

"I'm just saying, this Muggle is obviously insane. Oh, and we need to wipe his memory. You could get us all arrested and taken to Azkaban for talking like that."

"Well, my name is Harry Potter. Ignore Malfoy. You seem alright."

It was then that Bartimaeus chose to speak. "Obviously, you haven't gotten to know him yet. I'm Rekhyt."

Harry and the others stared at her.

"Ronald Weasley."

"Silas. Just… Silas."

"My name is Janet Kingston, and please, don't group me with the rest of these weirdoes."

They all glared at her. Nathaniel looked at them. "So… you can do magic?" He asked. They honestly had no idea how to answer.

I couldn't tell Natty-boy, because they would have overheard, but these kids had huge auras. They were about twice as big as Ptolemy's had been when he got back from the other place. In other words, huge.

I had a feeling that they did magic. But not the kind of magic that Natty boy did. Another, more ancient, magic.

When I was about to tell him anyway, just to warn, a woman wearing a pencil skirt walked out of a door.

"All of you, take a number, and when your number is called, you can audition for Les Miserables. You will be asked to fill out this form. Also, if you can't sing, don't even bother auditioning."

A few people got up to leave. Nathaniel seemed like he wanted to. Inwardly, I was laughing. On the outside, I just got a form and a number. Number one.

I filled out the form as the others got theirs. Soon they would call me in. I was absolutely ecstatic. (I hope you saw the sarcasm in that. Sometimes, you humans just don't get it!)

We sat in silence, awkwardly staring at each other.

"Yes, we can do magic. Real magic, not your stupid card tricks, that I know that you muggles think of as magic." The blonde haired kid said. Boy, was he annoying. I wanted to send a detonation into his head…

"Card tricks? That isn't magic. This is magic."

Nathaniel nudged me, and I stared at him. "Now?" I hissed. He nodded, like the crazy person that he was. So, I summoned some energy, and shot a detonation across the room, hitting an old, expensive looking vase, and destroying it, along with a lot of the wall behind it. Nathaniel nodded smugly.

"See? Magic."

Everyone except for me, Natty, the kids, and about three other people got up sc reaming to leave.

"I don't… believe it!" Said the girl, Hermione.

"What?"

"Rekhyt… You just did magic without a wand! Only the most powerful wizards can do that on purpose!"

"That's not all I can do. I can also change my shape," I turned into Ptolemy momentarily, then turned back into the red haired girl. "and do a lot of other such things. That's why Natty here- I mean John, here… Summoned me."

"Natty?" Asked Malfoy.

"Summoned?" The girl almost screeched. "You can summon?"

"Yes… I said that earlier."

"I thought that you were kidding. I've read a book about summoning! You have to be really, really powerful! And clever, because the demons are so, so evil…"

"Hey!"

"What?"

"Well, if he summoned me, what do you think I am? 'evil' Djinn (Demon is RUDE) at your service!"

"Oh! I'm sorry…"

"You should b-"

Before I could finish telling her off for insulting me, Bartimaeus of Uruk, Sakir al Jinni, The Serpent of the Silver Plumes, the door opened, and in walked a girl that I had seen before. Jane Farrar.

"Hello, Mr. Mandrake. I didn't know that you were going to be in this play."

"Oh? I thought that I informed you…"

"I must have forgotten. I am so sorry. Is it too late for me to audition?"

"Yes!"

I screamed, hoping that she would leave. Nathaniel did WEIRD things when she was around.

"No. The auditions haven't even started yet! Just, um, go grab that paper, fill it out, and get a number…"

"Okay…" She purred. "Thank you Mr. Mandrake…"

"N-no problem!" He stuttered. I rolled my eyes. "Snap out of it Natty boy, she's just a girl…"

The blonde boy raised an eyebrow. "Why do you keep calling a boy named John 'Natty-boy'?"

Realizing my mistake, I bit my tongue. Which felt pretty weird, considering it was just a bit of essence to me… "I… didn't say 'Natty boy'. I said 'Fatty boy'. Because he is worried. About his weight."

Malfoy looked him over, rolled his eyes, and nodded.

"I am so sure."

Well, it wasn't a good excuse, but it was better than nothing. The (extremely thin) Nathaniel was staring daggers into me, but I ignored it. Soon, the annoying woman in the pencil skirt walked out again.

"Number one, please come here for your audition…"

I got up, and left.

Oooh! What happens next? (Oh, and sorry this took so long to update. I forgot about it… So…) Oh, and who should be cast as who? Tell me in the reviews!