I wrote this ages ago, I think the 'soul song' trope is a little 2013, but I couldn't live with this in my ff folders, so here's my take.

(songs, which are not mine and I don't claim in any way, at the end)

Exactly the day Hermione and Ron were released from the hospital wing (which made Harry wonder if it really was just great timing or the professors were waiting for everyone to be available), a notice popped up in all Common Rooms that asked all fifth years to stay behind after dinner on that same day.

Most fifth-year students spent the day wondering what could possibly be happening, and many sixth years were seen trying to stifle their giggling (the seventh years were still too stressed about NEWTs to bother).

So it was that after one of the last Hogwarts dinners of the school year, every fifth-year student stayed in the Great Hall as all plates vanished. Professor Flitwick joined them in the middle of the Hall, while some other teachers lurked on the raised platform.

Some were excited, but it was clear that most students would have rather been doing anything else, only the general cheer of school being out of session kept the grumblings to a minimum.

"Hello everyone!" Flitwick either didn't pick up on the general mood or chose to ignore it, for he greeted the grimacing students jovially as usual, "I know classes officially ended a few days ago, but if you'll permit me to step in the role of teacher just a last time this year, I'm sure you will love this spell!" The professor's smile suddenly got a little mischievous. "Now, I won't be surprised if no one has ever heard of this particular charm, Cantus Animae has ancient roots and a rich history, but not a great deal of use in day-to-day matters." Again, Professor Flitwick either ignored or didn't hear a muttered, "Because making a pineapple tap-dance does.", and went on,

"Regardless, every year since the institution of the OWL exams, the Charms Professor offers every fifth-year student the opportunity to learn this, just before going home, to remind them that they are much more than their scores.

"As Headmaster Dumbledore often says, music is one of the most powerful magics, and we wish for you to experience this. Shall we start alphabetically? Miss Abbot?" Hannah exchanged a startled look with Susan but walked up to the professor, even if shyly.

"Now, I will start with you, but this spell is known to go a little askew when used in proximity of a large group, another soul may just feel the need to respond to your own… It happens." Flitwick ended with a nice smile and with a little skew of his wand and a soft "Canta". A song started playing.

I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath

Scared to rock the boat and make a mess

So I sat quietly, agreed politely

I guess that I forgot I had a choice

You held me down, but I got up (hey!)

Already brushing off the dust

You hear my voice, you hear that sound

Like thunder, gonna shake your ground

Louder, louder than a lion

'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar!

It was far from an embarrassing first song to hear, but Hannah flushed bright red, threw her hand behind herself, grabbed Susan on her first try and pulled the other 'Puff toward herself. This apparently was enough for Susan's song to start playing:

Always gonna steal your thunder

Watch me like a dark cloud

On the move, collecting numbers

Imma take your girl out...

We will be everything that we'd ever need (oh oh)

Don't tell me, tell me what I feel

I'm real and I don't feel like boys

Tell me if you feel it too!

Tell me, girls like girls like boys do

Nothing new

At this point, it was Susan's turn to blush fiercely, but Hannah just smiled at her, and suddenly, their dorm mate, Megan or something started glowing a bit and another song was blasting in the middle of the group of teenagers. Harry couldn't even say if the song came as a surprise or not, as he really didn't know Megan enough to say.

Who run the world? Girls!

I'm repping for the girls who taking over the world

Help me raise a glass for the college grads

You can't hold me

Please accept my shine

Boy I know you love it

Who run the world? Girls!

It was good, got nearly forty kids dancing, but Padma Patil started shining and another song started playing.

This is a man's, man's, man's world

But it would be nothing, nothing

Without a woman or a girl

Man thinks about a little bit of baby girls and a baby boys

Man make them happy

'Cause man make them toys

And you know that man makes money

To buy from other man

This is a man's world

But it would be nothing, nothing

Not one little thing

Without a woman or a girl

Her relationship with her twin must have triggered Parvati's song and the tune switched once again,

My mother says 'when you gonna live your life right'

Oh mother dear we're not the fortunate ones

And girls, they wanna have fun

Oh girls just want to have fun

My father yells 'what you gonna do with your life'

Oh daddy dear you know you're still number one

But girls, they wanna have fun

Oh girls just want to have

Some boys take a beautiful girl

And hide her away from the rest of the world

I want to be the one to walk in the sun

Oh girls, they wanna have fun

The sisters got closer and squeezed each others' hands, while Padma shook her head and Parvati grinned unrepentantly.

At this point, most boys had stealthily rearranged so they were further away from the professor (and the gaggle of girls who had their songs played). Tracy Davis appeared to notice this, because she rolled her eyes at them all quite dramatically, while a light started shining from her.

Check it out, goin' out on the late-night

Lookin' tight, feeling nice, it's a cockfight

I can tell, I just know that it's going down, tonight

That's when dickhead put his hands on me

But ya see

I'm not here for your entertainment

You don't really wanna mess with me tonight

Just stop and take a second

'Cause you know it's over, before it began

It's just you and your hand tonight

Midnight I'm drunk, I don't give a fuck

Wanna dance by myself, guess you're out of luck

Don't touch, back up, I'm not the one

Buh-bye

Davis didn't seem too bothered by her song, but Flitwick chuckled awkwardly,

"This is not appropriate language, but we understand no one can choose their soul song..." Whether he had anything else to say or not didn't seem to matter, as another tune started, even raunchier than the previous one.

I love myself, I want you to love me

When I feel down, I want you above me

I search myself, I want you to find me

I forget myself, I want you to remind me

When I think about you, I touch myself

Ooh, I don't want anybody else

I touch myself

I touch myself

I honestly do

The song didn't seem to want to end, and Lavender looked ready to die of embarrassment when Daphne glowed.

You'll never meet my mom,

Strings will never be attached,

We'll always get along,

'Cause it doesn't have to last.

He's so cool with it, he's down with it,

There's nothing wrong with it, don't want it any other way.

It's just your typical hardcore, casual sex,

We're single, but we're lovers, crazy for each other,

Just your typical hardcore, casual sex,

We're wild under the covers, crazy for each other.

We don't have to go on dates,

You don't have to like my friends,

My heart will never break, I'm just here to break a sweat.

It's just your typical hardcore, casual sex

Her impassive mask didn't break, but only time would tell if her ice queen reputation would be able to survive such a hit.

Seamus, previously well hidden by all the other reluctant boys, started looking eager. He went right up to the Slytherin and put his hand on her, perhaps hoping he would get a song just as sexually charged. As his soul started playing, Daphne shook his hand off her shoulder with a scowl.

Hot and dangerous

If you're one of us, then roll with us

We've got our hot pants on and up

We running this town just like a club

And no, you don't wanna mess with us

Tonight we're going har har-har ha-ha-hard

Just like the world is our our-our our-our-ours

We're tearin' it apart part-part pa-pa-part

You know we're superstars, we are who we are

We're dancing like we're dum dum-dum dum-dum-dumb

Our bodies goin' num num-num num-num-numb

We'll be forever young youn-youn youn-youn-young

You know we're superstars, we are who we are

Seamus almost pouted. His song had made some people dance, but it clearly wasn't as dirty as he would have wanted it to be. In the meantime, Neville started glowing, even if he was far away from the clutch of students that had already heard their songs.

After all of the ribbing and taunting, you probably think that

I hold resentment for you

But uh uh, oh no, you're wrong

'Cause if it wasn't for all that you tried to do, I wouldn't know

Just how capable I am to pull through

'Cause if it wasn't for all of your torture

I wouldn't know how to be this way now and never back down

So I want to say thank you

'Cause it makes me that much stronger

Makes me work a little bit harder

It makes me that much wiser

So thanks for making me a fighter

Some people were looking at Neville with surprise in their eyes, seemingly rooted to the spot as their perception of Neville as a weak boy was challenged, but Blaise Zabini moved closer to him with a huff, just wanting to get it over with.

There's a look on your face I would like to knock out

See the sin in your grin and the shape of your mouth

All I want is to see you in terrible pain

Pray to god I think of a nice thing to say

But I don't think I can so fuck you anyway

You are scum, you are scum and I hope that you know

That the cracks in your smile are beginning to show

There's a time for us all and I think yours has been

Can you please hurry up 'cause I find you obscene?

We can't wait for the day that you're never around

When that face isn't here and you rot underground

Fuck you anyway

So fuck you anyway

The Slytherin smirked at some of his classmates' shocked reactions, then pushed Goyle in the shoulder so his song would start.

Because I'm hyped up, outta control

If it's a fight I'm ready to go

I wouldn't put my money on the other guy

If you know what I already know

'Cause one of us is goin'

One of us is goin' down

This is hardly worth fightin' for

But it's the little petty shit that I can't ignore

When my fist hits your face

And your face hits the floor

Don't cry like a bitch when you feel the pain

'Cause I was never goin'

Yeah, you're the one that's goin' down

Ron seemed kinda impressed with Goyle's soul song, but the heavy-set Slytherin had clearly been under the scrutiny for as long as he could bear. He scowled and pushed a Ravenclaw girl so she would start shining. Lily Moon scratched at his arm, looking panicked for some reason. Her fellow students understood the reaction better when they heard what sort of song started playing.

I tried to kill the pain

But only brought more

(So much more)

I lay dying

And I'm pouring crimson regret, and betrayal

I'm dying

Praying

Bleeding

Screaming

Am I too lost to be saved?

Am I too lost?

My God! My tourniquet

Return to me salvation

My wounds cry for the grave

My soul cries, for deliverance

Will I be denied?

Christ! Tourniquet! My suicide

Harry startled more than anyone. He was already quite close to Moon, and when he unconsciously reached out with one hand it was enough for him to start glowing instead.

And it hurts so bad, that I search my skin

For the entry point, where love went in

And ricocheted, and bounced around

And left a hole when you walked out

And I'm dying, dying from these exit wounds

Marks of battle, still feel raw

A million pieces of me, on the floor

I'm damaged goods, for all to see

Now who would ever want to be with me

Lose your clothes and show your scars

That's who you are

His face contorted into a pained expression, but his raised hand made contact with Lily's uniform, and as it happened, a couple more notes of her song played, and Harry's... switched.

Stay low, soft, dark and dreamless

Far beneath my nightmares and loneliness

I hate me for breathing without you

I don't want to feel anymore for you

Though I may have lost my way

All paths lead straight to you

I long to be like you

Lie cold in the ground like you

There's room inside for two

And I'm not grieving for you

I'm coming for you

I long to be like you, Sir

Lie cold in the ground like you did

There's room inside for two

And I'm not grieving for you

I'm coming for you

Harry and Lily were staring into each other's eyes.

Harry couldn't begin to guess what the girl was thinking about, but he didn't feel capable of facing his friends. He just knew they would be looking at him either horrified or pitying and he couldn't bear it.

He swore under his breath. Why was no one else's soul song playing? He had even stopped glowing! Should Flitwick repeat the spell? Were they just going to keep staring at them?!

Bloody Hell, he had no idea how many professors had stayed behind to enjoy the spectacle.

He couldn't even think about the fact that both his songs blatantly referred to Sir-

Merlin.

What a mess.

It felt like an eternity before he was ready to turn around. Everyone was still staring in muted shock at the two teenagers with the depressing songs and the only thing Harry could think about was that he'd been gawked at enough in his life.

He let go of Lily's uniform, waited until she dropped the hand that had ended up on his arm at an undefined point of their staring contest, and stalked towards the doors without a word.

They could keep going without him.

Lily looked around herself and thought Harry had the right of it; she didn't waste a second more, choosing to shadow the boy-who-lived over remaining as the only focus of their classmates.

Ron and Hermione, who hadn't had their soul songs played yet, exchanged a look.

On his part, Harry didn't care enough to check whose footsteps were following him out of the Great Hall.

He was done.

The songs are:

Roar by Katy Perry

Girls like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko

Run the World by Beyoncé

It's a man's man's man's world by James Brown

Girls just want to have fun by Cyndi Lauper

U + ur hand by P!nk

I touch myself by Divinyls

Casual Sex by My Darkest Days

We r who we r by Ke$ha

Fighter by Christina Aguilera

Fuck U by Placebo

You're going down by Sick Puppies

Tourniquet by Evanescence

Exit Wounds by The Script

Like You by Evanescence