MERRY CHOTTER AND THE DRUM MAJOR'S STONE
By Cassie the Crazy Band Child
Rating: PG (Good, clean band fun. if there ever was such a thing.)
Chapter Six
Summary: Our favourite band nerd prepares to start her year at Smog-Hurts.
Disclaimer: I'm not making any money from this. I have no money, period. Basically I just stole a bunch of characters from JKR, band-itized them, and had a little fun. What can you sue me for? Um. you can have my brother?!?!?
CHAPTER SIX
On the way to downtown New York City, Merry couldn't help but pepper Haggis- face with questions. "Why is it called Try-again Alley?"
"Because only people from Smog-Hurts and similar schools can get to it. Our mottoes all run along the same lines, and "Try-Again Alley" sounded better than "Don't Stop Boulevard.""
"Why is this school called Smog-Hurts, anyway, if it's all about magic and music?"
Haggis-face took a deep breath. "It's our front against the Buggles. Should any of them accidentally wander through our many layers of magical security, we simply present ourselves as an environmentally caring front who wants to move the entire world into battery-powered cars. By the time you've been at the school for a few years, you'll be able to fool them as well as anyone."
"Where is Smog-Hurts?"
"In a secret location that's been bewitched."
"Why did I get picked to attend? And how did you guys find me?"
"Whoops, here we are. No more time for pesky questions. Welcome to New York City, Merry Chotter."
"Uh, thanks, Haggis-face. So, where is this Try-Again Alley?"
The Smog-Hurts representative just smiled mysteriously. "Follow me." He stepped into the busy city streets and led the young, unsuspecting girl to a relatively lonely coffee shop most people seemed not to even notice. Its storefront barely took up any space, but the shop inside was huge and booming with people.
"Hello, Haggis-face," several of them greeted the tall man.
"What can I get for you, HF?" asked the guy behind the counter.
"Nothing today," Haggis-face replied. "I'm on official Smog-Hurts business."
"Well, okay. If you insist. But come back soon!"
Haggis-face and Merry were almost at the back of the shop when murmurs started to ripple through the crowd. She could only hear snatches of what they said, but she was sure she heard her name in the mess of voices somewhere.
Finally, her suspicions and guesses were answered when one brave soul cried out, "Is that you, Merry Chotter?"
She turned around shyly. "Why, yes, but. how do you know my name?"
Everyone started to laugh happily. "Why, Ms. Chotter, you're a celebrity among our kind. How long have you been in the Buggle world for?" a short woman answered kindly.
Immediately, people started coming up to Merry and patting her on the back or shaking her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Chotter," was the most oft-heard remark. "I've been waiting years for this," was a close second, though.
One odd-looking man with an awfully large beret on spoke with a speech impediment. "It'sh a pleashure to meet you, Mewwy." Merry reached out to shake his hand, too, but he withheld the limb.
Finally, Haggis-face interceded on Merry's behalf. "All right, all right," he boomed. "Merry Chotter and I have to get shopping for school supplies. You know how it works." His voice boomed over all of the others in the shop and everyone became reduced to whispers again. "Let's go," he said more softly to the child who was dwarfed by his great height. He led her into a small back room and approached a seemingly solid plaster wall. Haggis-face made strange noises come out of his mouth and tapped a pattern on the plaster. The wall immediately opened into a booming center of selling, buying, and generally being excited.
"Here they are, Merry Chotter. The musical wizards and witches of America."
Merry was quite impressed by what was in front of her. So many people. were they just like her? "Where do we go first?" she asked.
Haggis-face consulted the list in front of him. "I'd say we go to Lady Loaner's to pick you up the appropriate clothing?"
"The appropriate clothing?" Merry questioned, but Haggis-face gave no answer. He simply escorted her to the named shop.
A fairly spry, motherly-looking woman approached Merry as she entered the store. "Hello, I'm Lady Loaner. Are you starting your first year at Smog- Hurts at last, Merry Chotter?"
Merry was a bit taken aback that this woman, too, knew who she was, but she managed to croak out a simple, "Yes."
"Well, then, we'd better find you the proper attire. You'll need some nice robes for school days and some shorts - no short shorts, mind you - for practice when it's warm. Then, of course, a nice array of T-shirts. We can't have any white ones, though, for fear of rain. A jacket for when you get your letter and patches, of course. One white T-shirt and pair of shorts for under your uniform, and one nice white marching uniform. A dress for concert season should finish you off!"
'Wow,' thought Merry. 'I don't think I've ever had that many clothes in my life!' Before she knew it, Lady Loaner had found her all of the clothes she had mentioned in sizes that fit. "That's got to be it, right?" she asked incredulously.
"For clothes, yes," Lady Loaner assured her. Merry was just about to heave a sigh of relief when Lady Loaner continued, "You'll need accessories, though. Marching gloves and white marching shoes and black concert shoes and a garment bag, of course."
"Of course," Merry echoed tiredly. Sure enough, she was fully equipped with everything a magical band nerd needs by the time Haggis-face gathered her parcels and led her to the next shop. She glanced at the name above the door and shivered. "Wait a minute. I need to secure ASSORTED ANIMAL AND PLANT PARTS before I go to school? And a CAULDRON? Where am I going, to the funny farm?"
Haggis-face gave her a blank stare.
"Sorry, I guess you'd call it a Buggle Thing." Merry had just had her first experience of being alienated from the musical, magical world she was getting ready to jump headfirst into.
A/N: Okay, there you go, my third chapter today. I think I deserve some reviews for that! I have one thing to say, though: I've received a lot of requests along the lines of "email me when you post again!" I'm really trying, but sometimes I don't get everyone. So, if you'd like to be notified when there's a new chapter, please email me at frothychocolateshake@angelfire.com and I'll be sure to let you know every chapter after that.
Many thanks to Lori, the only review I've received so far. I'm so glad you like my story and want to pass it on! You're very welcome!
By Cassie the Crazy Band Child
Rating: PG (Good, clean band fun. if there ever was such a thing.)
Chapter Six
Summary: Our favourite band nerd prepares to start her year at Smog-Hurts.
Disclaimer: I'm not making any money from this. I have no money, period. Basically I just stole a bunch of characters from JKR, band-itized them, and had a little fun. What can you sue me for? Um. you can have my brother?!?!?
CHAPTER SIX
On the way to downtown New York City, Merry couldn't help but pepper Haggis- face with questions. "Why is it called Try-again Alley?"
"Because only people from Smog-Hurts and similar schools can get to it. Our mottoes all run along the same lines, and "Try-Again Alley" sounded better than "Don't Stop Boulevard.""
"Why is this school called Smog-Hurts, anyway, if it's all about magic and music?"
Haggis-face took a deep breath. "It's our front against the Buggles. Should any of them accidentally wander through our many layers of magical security, we simply present ourselves as an environmentally caring front who wants to move the entire world into battery-powered cars. By the time you've been at the school for a few years, you'll be able to fool them as well as anyone."
"Where is Smog-Hurts?"
"In a secret location that's been bewitched."
"Why did I get picked to attend? And how did you guys find me?"
"Whoops, here we are. No more time for pesky questions. Welcome to New York City, Merry Chotter."
"Uh, thanks, Haggis-face. So, where is this Try-Again Alley?"
The Smog-Hurts representative just smiled mysteriously. "Follow me." He stepped into the busy city streets and led the young, unsuspecting girl to a relatively lonely coffee shop most people seemed not to even notice. Its storefront barely took up any space, but the shop inside was huge and booming with people.
"Hello, Haggis-face," several of them greeted the tall man.
"What can I get for you, HF?" asked the guy behind the counter.
"Nothing today," Haggis-face replied. "I'm on official Smog-Hurts business."
"Well, okay. If you insist. But come back soon!"
Haggis-face and Merry were almost at the back of the shop when murmurs started to ripple through the crowd. She could only hear snatches of what they said, but she was sure she heard her name in the mess of voices somewhere.
Finally, her suspicions and guesses were answered when one brave soul cried out, "Is that you, Merry Chotter?"
She turned around shyly. "Why, yes, but. how do you know my name?"
Everyone started to laugh happily. "Why, Ms. Chotter, you're a celebrity among our kind. How long have you been in the Buggle world for?" a short woman answered kindly.
Immediately, people started coming up to Merry and patting her on the back or shaking her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Chotter," was the most oft-heard remark. "I've been waiting years for this," was a close second, though.
One odd-looking man with an awfully large beret on spoke with a speech impediment. "It'sh a pleashure to meet you, Mewwy." Merry reached out to shake his hand, too, but he withheld the limb.
Finally, Haggis-face interceded on Merry's behalf. "All right, all right," he boomed. "Merry Chotter and I have to get shopping for school supplies. You know how it works." His voice boomed over all of the others in the shop and everyone became reduced to whispers again. "Let's go," he said more softly to the child who was dwarfed by his great height. He led her into a small back room and approached a seemingly solid plaster wall. Haggis-face made strange noises come out of his mouth and tapped a pattern on the plaster. The wall immediately opened into a booming center of selling, buying, and generally being excited.
"Here they are, Merry Chotter. The musical wizards and witches of America."
Merry was quite impressed by what was in front of her. So many people. were they just like her? "Where do we go first?" she asked.
Haggis-face consulted the list in front of him. "I'd say we go to Lady Loaner's to pick you up the appropriate clothing?"
"The appropriate clothing?" Merry questioned, but Haggis-face gave no answer. He simply escorted her to the named shop.
A fairly spry, motherly-looking woman approached Merry as she entered the store. "Hello, I'm Lady Loaner. Are you starting your first year at Smog- Hurts at last, Merry Chotter?"
Merry was a bit taken aback that this woman, too, knew who she was, but she managed to croak out a simple, "Yes."
"Well, then, we'd better find you the proper attire. You'll need some nice robes for school days and some shorts - no short shorts, mind you - for practice when it's warm. Then, of course, a nice array of T-shirts. We can't have any white ones, though, for fear of rain. A jacket for when you get your letter and patches, of course. One white T-shirt and pair of shorts for under your uniform, and one nice white marching uniform. A dress for concert season should finish you off!"
'Wow,' thought Merry. 'I don't think I've ever had that many clothes in my life!' Before she knew it, Lady Loaner had found her all of the clothes she had mentioned in sizes that fit. "That's got to be it, right?" she asked incredulously.
"For clothes, yes," Lady Loaner assured her. Merry was just about to heave a sigh of relief when Lady Loaner continued, "You'll need accessories, though. Marching gloves and white marching shoes and black concert shoes and a garment bag, of course."
"Of course," Merry echoed tiredly. Sure enough, she was fully equipped with everything a magical band nerd needs by the time Haggis-face gathered her parcels and led her to the next shop. She glanced at the name above the door and shivered. "Wait a minute. I need to secure ASSORTED ANIMAL AND PLANT PARTS before I go to school? And a CAULDRON? Where am I going, to the funny farm?"
Haggis-face gave her a blank stare.
"Sorry, I guess you'd call it a Buggle Thing." Merry had just had her first experience of being alienated from the musical, magical world she was getting ready to jump headfirst into.
A/N: Okay, there you go, my third chapter today. I think I deserve some reviews for that! I have one thing to say, though: I've received a lot of requests along the lines of "email me when you post again!" I'm really trying, but sometimes I don't get everyone. So, if you'd like to be notified when there's a new chapter, please email me at frothychocolateshake@angelfire.com and I'll be sure to let you know every chapter after that.
Many thanks to Lori, the only review I've received so far. I'm so glad you like my story and want to pass it on! You're very welcome!