The Artist of the Moonlight Noon
By Hippy Gypsy
Disclaimer: I don't know what I'm doing with this fic yet, but I will say that the Moonlight Noon Chateau is mine, while Harry Potter is JK Rowling's, and there's a bunch of Moulin Rouge stuff in here too, so just so you know, I didn't steal it! Okay…here we go! Wish me luck! J
*This is a sequel to my original fanfiction story "The Moonlight Noon Chateau". It takes place a few years after that story, so the characters are coming back, and be prepared for a few new ones and some cameos!
Chapter 1: Harry's SlumpHarry was twenty years old, three years out of Hogwarts, and even being who he was, couldn't find the one thing in life he truly needed…his dream job!! As much as he excelled in Transfiguration, Quidditch, and amazingly, Potions, he steered away from magic all together after his educational years ended. No. He found out what he'd been seeking all along was not that Golden Snitch, but the love of the written word. He wanted to be a writer more than anything, but there was no work what so ever. Or so it looked when he was using his pen name to send off applications.
He sat at his desk in his small apartment reading his mail, as a very tired and old Hedwig sat on her perch in the corner, her beak buried in her wing sleepily. He opened his first letter and read it with disgust.
Dear Mr. Pen-Dragon,
After reviewing your script for the play, "The Medieval Murders", we regret to inform you that it has been rejected. Good luck in your next…
Harry looked away and placed the letter back down. Another rejection. There was just no work for Harry "Marcus Pen-Dragon" Potter anywhere. He didn't give up hope, but it did worry him that he may just not be seen as a good writer. He rubbed his face, just as there was a knock on the door.
He got up and walked over to the door. He wasn't surprised to see Ron standing there, but was a bit shocked to see the faces of the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan sticking out behind him. "They followed me," said Ron. "No help for it."
Harry smiled. "That's okay. It's not everyday we all get to hang out anyways."
He let them in and Lee replied, "Precisely!" He jumped onto the couch. "That's why we have a proposition for you Mr. Pen-Dragon!"
Fred fell into one of the stuffed chairs and said, "Ugh! Harry! You're not still using that alias of yours, are you?!"
Harry went back his desk and sat. He began to tear up his letter from the publisher. "I don't want people to know it's me."
"Harry," Ron said looking serious, "if they know it's you, they'll publish you! Law of fame and nature!"
"But it's not the same! It's celebrity status, Ron! I don't want that. That's why I use Marcus Pen-Dragon."
George looked at the letter's remains and shook his head. "But c'mon Harry, do you really want to be working as Remus' apprentice your whole life? I mean, he's a great wizard and all, but we all know that as much of a non-muggle you are, it's just not your thing."
Harry turned back and tried to make a reasonable argument. "I don't want to be Remus' apprentice my whole life, but I don't want to get a job for writing just because it's ME! It's just not right."
"O come off it Harry," Ron said.
Lee put his hands up in the air and said, "Children, children, please stop arguing." He looked over at Harry and smiled. "Well, it's obvious what you need is a vacation Mr. Pen-Dragon. So how about it? Let's get you out of here for a couple of weeks."
Harry leaned back in his chair and thought. "Maybe." That's when he opened his second letter. It was from Sirius. He still worries about me too much, Harry thought. It was exhausting him. He had had it. "Where to?" he asked turning back to Lee.
"Paris."
"When?"
"From tomorrow night until whenever. It should fit until your schedule, seeing as you really don't have a real job at the moment."
"Alright. Who?"
"The five of us. We'll stay at this inn in the central part of the city, we'll tour during the day, and at night, we'll just head to the Moonlight Noon Chateau."
"Okay, that'll wo-" Harry stopped short. "The what?"
"The Moonlight Noon Chateau, of course!"
Harry blinked and raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"
"A nightclub."
Harry put his hands up. "What? NO. Forget it. Count me out." He turned back to his mail.
That's when Lee walked over and sat on the table right where Harry was going to work. Lee smiled widely. "Being the sensible one out of all of us, I did figure you would say something along those lines. But like it or not Mr. Pen-Dragon, you will be joining us in Paris." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a little book. "This is why I came prepared."
Harry's eyebrow went up again. "What's that Lee? You're not going to hit me with it are you?"
Lee shook his head absentmindedly. "No. But I did tell Fred and George that if you refused to come to hit you with mallets. I'd probably cooperate if I was you."
The twins laughed and Harry rolled his eyes.
Lee opened the book. "This is a bit of history of my Parisian side." It was a photo album. The first picture he opened up to was a beautiful photo of a palace. But neon lights and suns, moons, and stars surrounded it. "This, Harry, is the Moonlight Noon Chateau. It is far from being the average nightclub. It's had a lighter side to it ever since the day it opened. Everyone from teenagers to the eldest adults go there for a dance or two. Both men and women perform there, compose music, dance, sing, perform plays, musicals…it's a center for the arts more then anything." Lee turned the page. A full-length picture showed a woman with black skin and snow-white hair dance about in a can-can outfit. "Now this is my cousin, Denise "Devine" Jordan. She's been working there dancing and acting for quite sometime. She's the one who introduced me to there." Lee looked back. "Now Harry, we both know I'm a sucker for the arts. I live for the theater. And I truly believe there are some writers there who are just like you. And besides the point…" Lee hopped off the desk and closed the book. "Have I ever steered you wrong before?"
"No."
"Then why worry? Come now Mr. Pen-Dragon. Live a little!"
Harry thought about it. Lee had hit his interests, and he had hit them hard. Alright Harry, he thought to himself. It's here, working with Remus for another month or two (possibly longer), and having Sirius worry about every aspect about me, or…Paris, my friends, and quite possibly get some inspiration and have a bit of fun in the process…
Lee looked up. "Well?"
"I'll meet you at the Leaky Cauldron tomorrow night."
"That's what I figured."
Note from the Hippy Gypsy: It's a new story, I'm working on it. But wish me lucky because I have no idea where I'm heading. Which may mean the next chapter is a long time coming. Just keep you fingers crossed.