Disclaimer: We (Arashi and Arin) do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. Lucky you. Heheheheh-erm-they are copyright respective to J. K. Rowling so please don't call us asking when Year 5 is coming out cuz as far as we know, we're "crawling in the dark." Thank you for not bashing us thus far and please continue to not do so unless you warn us first! Arin can take you all on, bebi!
Chapter 3: Music Managed
"In fact, I'd like to be their manager."
Hermione's jaw dropped, just as Draco, Ron, Oliver, Neville and Harry decided to teleport themselves right next to her, courtesy of some foobly dust thingy. Hermione on the other hand, was still rather in a state of shock and paying no attention at all to the boys who had randomly decided to pay her a visit. She could not believe what she was hearing or what she was seeing for that matter. And Hermione being Hermione, she thus had to rub her eyes, then drop her jaw dropped and just for added effect she even murmured a counter-enchantment to sleep walking. No. No. It wasn't working. No way could Hermione say the enchantment wrong, which must mean that what she had heard and saw was true!
"Y-y-you" she stammered, stopped to take in a deep breath in preparation to yell at the top of her lungs--"YOU WANT TO WHAT?!" A collapse, and Hermione apparently fainted from lack of breath.
Ron, Harry, Draco, Oliver, Neville and Percy stood there. One by one, they looked first down at Hermione, then at each other, then back to Hermione. Draco finally rendered the silence broken by muttering in a slightly shocked tone of voice, "I knew I was that sexy." Just to prove it, Draco smirked smugly, arching one fine brow and bent down onto his knees prodding Hermione's cheek with his finger and whispering, "Hermiioone...it's your dream man Draaacooo." Oliver and Neville laughed as Hermione jolted upright and for a moment, just a moment, she and Draco shared one of those "sentimental" moments where their eyes locked in a dreamy haze of mutual captivation by the beauty of each other's intertwined souls. (Author's Note: Riiiight XD Sorry all, had to do that.)
"Oh my boggled eyes on a fat git, I swear to God they're getting mushy on us," exclaimed Ron abruptly, and ah, the moment was lost into the abyss of reality. Sighing nostalgically, Hermione took Draco's extended hand, and they both stood up...Draco gladly dusting off Hermione's heiny (Author's note: As in boutay, word play there folks) and Hermione letting loose a rather ditzy giggle...unlike her at all, but alas, this was Draco she was contending with. Ron rolled his eyes and peered left and right for some other girl to oogle at, while Harry pursed his lips meekly and looked to Percy as a means of temporary sight viewing, asking, "Nice day, isn't it Percy?" Percy was too busy whipping out his wand to fabricate his daily journal and avidly jot down what else had to be done for the day, before quietly, rather conversationally replying, "Oh, yes it is, and did I mention, Harry, that I am to be your new, well not really new since you never had one, but I am to be your music manager." He then scribbled with the tip of his wand, "Practice" diagonally across a whole page in ruby red. Harry, however, had not heard the manager part partly due to the distraction Hermione was causing and hence, Percy's new job was unbeknownst to any of the boys.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Practice~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"Okay, one more time from the top!" Draco hollered, his voice somewhat raspy from the singing and the hollering and just the hours spent on, well, singing and hollering. Maybe it was his blonde, slick hair that made him the designated leader of the group, or his determination to desperately get this song down perfectly at their first practice because of the glory of fandom…ah, yes, all for the fans…and some fame. The double F's bebi.
"Bloody hell Malfoy, can't we just cut this short or take a break? Or maybe even both, if you hadn't noticed the sweat all over us. I swear on my bloody rat's fat ass that my sweat is going to dye my hair black." Ron replied, rather agitated at how hoarse his voice was becoming and sounding much like a toad croaking during mating season. "I don't think they'll be anything left of my voice if we keep this up!"
"Yeah Malfoy please?" Neville begged, his eyes squinting as the sweat dripped down the round-ish contours of his face. Oliver and Harry nodded in unison and looked at Malfoy imploringly.
"No need to worry guys, it seems we have company." Harry said, while motioning with his thumb towards Hermione and Percy. Oliver side-stepped as Hermione brushed pass him, and he flashed her a scott-ish smile before she made her way to Draco.
Draco, at the sound of Hermione's name being mentioned, quickly disregarded practice and looked to see her approaching in slow motion, her long, silky soft brown hair flowing behind her in wispy strands as she took each slow step towards him; to Oliver it just looked like she was walking. A dreamy smile spread slowly across Draco's lips as he held her in his gaze, watching her newly improved straightened hair blow softly around her, her chin-length bangs framing her face.
Neville, not understanding quickly enough at why on earth practice would come to a halt just because Hermione and Percy arrived, stood there rather gaudy. His mouth dropped in an obvious array of confusion and dressed in a light layer of perspiration from too much dancing...this dancing of course, was doing wonders for his health. Neville coughed.
"Psst...Harry," Oliver whispered, nodding his head towards Draco, "Is something wrong with the Malfoy git? He looks as if the snitch was hovering in front of his nose in slow motion and at any moment it would fall into his hands. You think he's had too much dancing, too?"
Harry followed the direction of Oliver's nod and noticed indeedy, that Malfoy was hypnotized by something. The usually loud and bossy designated blonde leader of the group was standing motionless, deathly still as if the slightest movement of any kind would snap him out of his transfixion. Harry, being the curious, otherwise notoriously nosy, dark haired, glasses framed lad that he was, followed Draco's gaze and was surprised yet again. It led to Hermione.
"Egads..." Harry thought to no one in particular but himself. "I knew he liked her probably a tad bit but I didn't think it was this bad! The poor bloke doesn't even realize that his pants are on the verge of falling off his waists! Hmm, should I tell him? Naw, let him gawk there...and...wait just a minute! He's wearing briefs! Aahh, why am I looking?! "
Harry sharply turned his head in the other direction, his gaze falling on Ron who, like Draco, was being hypnotized by their too intelligent, long brown-haired friend, except Ron had his pants on all the way. Harry was surprised that Ron hadn't gotten an atomic wedgie from the looks of how high his pants were. "Aw, bloody hell, this is not good," the green-eyed wizard muttered, knowing there would be competition sooner or later and yet, looking forward to the competition and already betting his money on someone. "Definitely not good...for Lumos...now for me, I might be able to get Oliver and Neville into a little gambling...little betting never did hurt anybody as much as Fluffy." Harry Potter was finally hit with a stroke of genius that would probably result in the emptying of his Gringott's Vault.
"Hey guys!" Hermione said with a hint of enthusiasm the boys had lost after their twentieth time of rehearsing the same song. As she came to a halt in front of the group, grinning from ear to ear, her eyes passed over Draco, then Ron, then Harry, then Oliver and finally, Neville. The boys, puzzled yet curious by her expression, greeted her in breathless unison with a casual, "Hey 'Mione." Draco decided to add further on to the greeting.
"Hey Mione, why are you here?" said Draco, conjuring up what he thought was his best sexy smile since, well, since he had last seen her. "You look like you want to see us, or one of us or how about just me?" Unbeknownst to the big news Hermione was about to say, Draco continued to smile thinking that she was really here to see him. Ron noticed this smug expression, felt utterly revolted to the very depths of his empty stomach and would've made hurling noises if he wasn't taking a breather, but instead he chose to immediately gain Hermione's attention to him.
"Yeah Mione, spill it!" Ron said, indeed getting Hermione's attention, but not in the good way thus Ron concluded that it probably would've been better if he had not barged in at all, too late. Hermione scowled.
"Well, for your information, Ron, I have some very important news to tell all of you!" the brunette continued scolding, wrinkling her nose at Ron, who in return, glared even though he was secretly thinking to himself, "Bloody wicked, she's cute even when she's angry!" Deciding that this was a time for celebration and not for petty verbal assaults, Hermione refocused on the matter at hand, taking in a deep breath in preparation for what she was going to say next.
"Percy here has something to offer." Hermione was about to go on in a ten minute, already prepared and timed-beforehand lecture about what it was that Percy was going to offer and why the boys should accept the offer and what the effects of accepting it would be and what the consequences of it were going to be if they didn't...but she was cut off abruptly by Wood.
"Heeey Percy!" Wood exclaimed in a sudden revival of lost energy, as he grasped for the hand of his former classmate. "How's the new job?" He added, knowing that Percy too, was now a teacher at Hogwarts and also taking into consideration that he had to teach Ron, Harry and Hermione. Much fun that must be, he thought as he gripped Percy's hand.
"Ah-very good, Oliver, and you?" Percy grimaced as he tried to pry Wood's iron-like grip off his hands, which only seemed to make matters worse for his blood circulation.
"Oh everything's just peachy! I'm currently employed as the new Quidditch teacher here since Madam Hooche has retired. I even persuaded ol' Dumbledore to get the class a new set of brooms!"
"I see. Good to see you again Oliver," Percy replied politely, glad to see someone around his age again, yet remembering his purpose of coming here. He cleared his throat. "Ahem, well, as Hermione was about to say, I do have a proposition to make." Everyone turned his or her attention to Percy, giving him a cat's curiosity. "It is a proposition that concerns your future as a stereotypical boy band." At this, their eyes widened. Ron and Harry looked at each other wondering what on earth Percy was possibly babbling about this time. Wood was peering at Percy impulsively crossing his arms as if the news that Percy was about to say would hit him like a bludger. Neville was getting excited as his fingers went to his hair and he started fiddling around with random strands. Draco gave Hermione a questioning, yet cute, stare with just a hint of grrrr in his gleaming eyes...but enough for her to catch on to. Tee hee, she blushed. (Author's note: XD!)
"The matter is simple gentlemen. I want to be your music manager."
No sooner had Percy spoken when all the members of Lumos' jaws dropped just enough to reveal their shock. Hermione was in a fit of giggles, excited by their reactions and she placed her fingers underneath Draco's chin and helped him close her mouth, free of charge, free of taxes but repayable with benefits.
"Well?" she breathed, after she had managed to regain her composure. "How about it?"
They all turned their heads to her, still unable to grasp what had just happen and unable to register the fact that Hermione had kept this a secret from there for so long. How long? Ah well, they found out.
"Did he just say-" Neville managed to squeak, his eyes about to roll in the back of his head as he took a stumbling step back.
"OH MY BLOODY HELL!" Ron roared in an impulsive outcry of shock and disbelief.
"This isn't a joke is it Percy?!" Harry said, trying to justify whether this was real or whether he, Harry Potter, the boy who lived, would actually be on his way to becoming the first ever wizard all boy band.
"Percy are you serious? You're not trying to get back at me for that one time we played a friendly match of quidditch and I accidentally bludged you off your broom are you? " Oliver asked, incredibly shocked just as much as the red-haired, red-faced, freckled Ron.
Percy merely nodded.
"I can't believe it." Draco muttered softly "Ah, at least I'm still the leader."
"Why Malfoy? Are you afraid that you'll be controlled by a Weasley?" Percy inquired elusively. "Look, I could care less about your fool-hardy rivalry with my family but as much as I hate to admit, you have talent. All of you. I know talent when I see it. In this case, hear it. I am willing to manage your group and arrange all that is needed to make you take this wizarding world by storm and no broom."
They all nodded in agreement, a nod here, and then another nod five seconds later, and when it finally registered they all thought "I mean, why not?" He did have a certain influence. He was the Headboy and top student of Hogwarts not too long ago and had landed a job in the Ministry of Magic, all feats that could not be achieved by any normal wizard and according to Fred and George, Percy was far from being normal. Taking the silence as an assumed, "yes, Percy, we'd love to have you as our music manager" Percy hence continued.
"Well then, it's settled. By the way, what did you want to call yourselves?" Percy asked.
Draco, for the first time, smiled at him, because this was something that they were actually prepared for.
"Lumos."