The Moonlight Noon Chateau
By Hippy
Gypsy
Disclaimer: Yes! JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. I own the Moonlight Noon Chateau. And Moulin Rouge owns "El Tango de Roxanne" and "Lady Marmalade". I'm staying short and sweet this time, aren't I Sammy? [Sammy nods] Hehehe…good!
Chapter 8:
Goofing Off!
Meanwhile, back downstairs in the main room of the Moonlight Noon, Antonio came strolling out of his office in the back of the club. In one hand he carried a camera, and in the other a large portfolio. Devine looked up. "What's that Antonio?"
Antonio put
down the portfolio. "My personal
history of the Moonlight Noon Chateau from the day I opened it," he announced
proudly. He flipped the booklet open. It was an old photo album. Everyone gathered around.
Minerva
gasped at the first picture she saw. "Good lord! That's me!" And there she was, at sixteen years old, and
that same old smile on her face. "Is
this opening night Antonio?"
Antonio
nodded and turned the page. "I have
quite a few of you Minerva. Ha! I remember this all too well!" The picture was of her and Antonio dancing
in the middle of the floor.
Minerva
sighed. "Papa took that picture then,
didn't he?"
"I suspect
so."
Trelawney
smiled. "You were so pretty Min."
Sammy
leaned back in his chair. He had had a
bit too much wine where his mouth was concerned. "Pretty nothing. She was
a babe! And she had nice legs. Still does actually, far as I can tell!"
Minerva
blushed deep red, Rachel slapped her hand over Sammy's mouth, and the rest of
the group burst into laughter. Minerva
ignored this remark and continued to flip through the book. She suddenly gasped. "Oh my god!" She pulled the book forward.
"What is it
Minerva?" said Hagrid looking over her shoulder.
"It's Robert,"
she whispered smiling. "This has to be
the night we first met. Yes it is! There's Oliver at his side." She pointed to the picture of herself and
two younger men, who were all waving from the picture. Oliver's smile easily identified him, and
the other man had to be Robert, Minerva's late husband. She turned to the next page, but she just
glanced at it, and suddenly snapped the book shut. "Oh no…"
Antonio
burst into laughter.
"What is
it?"
"Nothing,"
Minerva replied going scarlet in the face once more.
"Nothing my
rear," said Oliver. He suddenly pulled
the book away from her and opened it up to the page where she left off. He gasped and laughed. "Holy cow! The Marmalade!"
Everyone
looked over Minerva's shoulder. She
truly looked like a different person in the picture. Her deep raven hair hung down her back in curls. She wore a beautiful black dress that was
backless, and diamonds around her neck. A black top hat sat on top of her head and a layer of black lace fell
gently over the side. She was gorgeous
and wild!
"Wooo…Min,"
said Trelawney in awe.
"I know, I
know," Minerva replied. "But it was the
Marmalade, and it's the way the song goes… He met Marmalade down at ol' Moonlight Noon, strutting her stuff on the
street… It's just the way the song is."
"So what's
the chance of seeing you in costume like that again?" said Antonio with a
chuckle.
"Slim to
nil," she replied quickly.
"Actually,"
said Evan's voice from the piano. Everyone turned to him. "It
takes five women to perform the Marmalade, and we're two short." Minerva didn't like where this was
going. "And it's happening in a couple
of weeks…you'll be here still then, won't you Min?"
"No way
Evan," she said instantly and flatly.
"C'mon
Minerva, we need your help."
She
sighed. She thought for a long moment
then looked back at him with a smile. "I can't. I have no costume!"
Oliver
laughed out loud. "Min, you lie! We saved that dress, remember?"
She
suddenly looked up at him and dragged her index finger across her throat. This only made him laugh more.
"Please
Min?" said Evan. "Don't make me beg."
"Diva shall
rise again Minerva and you know it!" said Sammy.
Minerva had
an inward battle for a moment or two, and quite suddenly, in a rare moment, her
wild side won. "Alright. Fine. I'll do it. I'm going to regret
it later, but I'll do it!"
The
Moonlight Noon people cheered as Evan added Minerva's name to the performance
list. She decided to ignore this and
continue to page through the pages of the album. "I can't believe it! Oliver! It's your performance!"
Oliver
looked at the book. "Well, I'll
be…Roxanne. Who knew?"
"Who's
Roxanne?" asked Hagrid.
"No, no,"
said Oliver with a smile. "It's not
who. It's what. When I took my test, the piece I created was
called 'El Tango de Roxanne'. I'll
explain. Here. Look at the picture."
Minerva was
again in this picture. She stood down
in front of the runway in black robes and her face all distraught. Oliver was in the background with a faint
spotlight on himself. He looked as
though someone had died. And at stage
right was a woman with a look of terror on her face.
"Roxanne is
that woman in the back," Oliver said. "The story goes that a wealthy man fell in love with her, but she was
from the street. So he obviously
mistook her for…uh…a strumpet per say. Well, Roxanne's mother, played by Minerva, was very distressed by this
news, because years ago, that is how she acquired Roxanne…by a stranger. Now her lover, played by myself, is drunk
with rage, for he fears that Roxanne no longer loves him. But in reality, Roxanne plans to teach the
man a lesson on life. And with in that
act, he loses it. Roxanne murders him
in the end." He smiled.
Albus,
Trelawney, and Hagrid all listened with rapt attention, but Sybill was only
able to answer with one word: "Cool!"
Minerva
looked to Antonio. "Do we still have
the music to that?"
"Are you
kidding?" he replied with a chuckle. "People still request that one to this day."
She jumped
up. "Let's perform it! Right here and now!"
"Yes!"
Oliver agreed. He waved his wand in the
air and two black cloaks appeared. He
threw one on and handed the other to Minerva.
"Hey!" said
Devine. "I want to play too!" Her, Sammy, and Little Rock ran up on
stage.
Evan
flicked his wand and suddenly the air was filled with music. The whole group of them began to dance in a
slow gothic tango.
Roxanne!
You don't have to put on that red light
Walk the streets for money
You don't care if it's wrong or if it's right
Roxanne!
You don't have to wear that dress tonight
Roxanne!
You don't have to sell your body to the night!
And Oliver
began to sing in low despair.
His eyes upon your face
His hand upon your hand
His lips caress your skin
It's more than I can stand!
Where does my heart lie? (Minerva and chorus: Roxanne!)
Feelings I can't fight? (Minerva and chorus: Roxanne!)
You're afraid to leave me
But just don't deceive me
And please believe me when I say
I love you…
It was at
that point that Sammy and Prima Donna assumed the roles of Roxanne and the Rich
Man. It started as a small tango, but
ultimately ended when she pulled out a fake gun and shot him in the heart. Fake blood ran from Sammy's chest as he fell
to the floor.
Roxanne! You don't
have to put on that red light (Oliver
and chorus: Where does my heart lie?)
You don't have to wear that dress tonight (Oliver and chorus: Feelings I can't fight?)
Roxanne! You don't
have to put on that red light (Oliver
and chorus: Where does my heart lie?)
Roxanne! You don't
have to wear that dress tonight (Oliver
and chorus: Feelings I can't fight?)
Roxanne!
O o o o o o o o!
Roxanne!
O o o o o o o o!
Why?
O o o o o o o o!
Roxanne!
O o o o o o o o!
O!
Everyone
burst into applause on stage. Minerva
began to laugh. "Oh my god! I haven't sung that song in years!"
"Brava!"
shouted Dumbledore. Hagrid and Sybill
cheered with delight.
Little Rock
hopped off the stage. "Hey! Tiffany! Where's Carlotta? She's usually
the one who plays Roxanne."
Tiffany
searched around for a moment. "Quite
honestly, I don't know."
"Hey! Snape's gone missin' too," said Hagrid
suddenly.
"Went to
the roof, both of them," said Sammy as he came off stage. "Snape saw her leave so he followed her."
Dumbledore
looked at Sammy as the boy took another sip of wine. "Severus is with Carlotta? When?"
Sammy
checked his pocket watch. "A while now. I'd figure they'd be back by now."
"Oh dear…"
Antonio
looked up. "You're not worried are you
Dumbledore? I mean, Snape's a good man,
isn't he?"
"Yes he
is. He's loyal, intelligent…"
"And his
heart?"
Dumbledore
sighed. "I'm his heart may have taken a
severe beating once. But Carlotta…"
Oliver
looked up back from his place behind the bar. "Don't worry. Carlotta's a good
girl." He smiled.
"Of course
I am," came Carlotta's voice. "Who said
I wasn't?" Her and Severus came from behind
the stage curtain, hand and hand. But
she let go and walked towards the bar area.
"No body,
sweet pea," Oliver replied.
"And where
have you two been?" Minerva asked with an eyebrow raised and a smirk on her
lips.
Severus
gave her one of his looks that plainly said none of your business.
Carlotta
crossed her arms. "We were talking on
the roof. No harm in that."
Sammy
smirked and choked back laughter into his wine glass. "No…none at all."
Carlotta
glared at him and jabbed him hard in the stomach. Sammy gasped as the win was knocked out of him. "What was that Slick?" Carlotta asked
threateningly.
Sammy
slowly rose from his seat. "I think I'll
go to bed…" With that he left.
Carlotta
yawned. "I'm going up too. I didn't sleep well last night. Sweet dreams everyone." She followed Sammy's direction, but as she
passed Severus, he stopped her, took her hand and kissed it. She smiled and walked up the steps to her
room.
As Severus
turned around, he found everyone looking at him and smirking. "WHAT?!"
Note from the Hippy Gypsy: I really hate this chapter, but anyways, it's here. The action's gonna pick up next chapter as
we meet the Diamond Dogs!…wait! I mean
the Death Eaters…well in here, they're both. But yeah…[reads page over] I really
hate this chapter…
