Paint the Sky with Stars
--Egon Starcollector
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and co. Lyrics to "Bring on the Rain" copyright Jo Dee Messina. I *do* own Stacy McIvers--and "You Don't Know (What A Girl Is)."
One month into her time at Hogwarts, Stacy had what she reckoned to be the third-worst day of her life. It started well enough. She woke up early, they had sunny-side-up eggs for breakfast, and Professor Lupin gave her an excellent grade on her Defense Against the Dark Arts paper.
On her way to the library, it all went to pieces.
She'd just said goodbye to Hermione when she found herself cornered by a gang of girls led by one with a sneer on her ugly, pug face. Slytherins. Stacy swore she was becoming allergic to green-and-silver neckties. "You should've stayed home."
"Excuse me?" Stacy blinked. "What are you and why?"
"Your cousin was bad enough. We don't need two of you!" The girl shoved Stacy, apparently intending to send her headfirst down the stairs. Fortunately, Stacy grabbed the railing and only got a few scrapes and bruises out of the encounter.
She ran out of ink three-fourths of the way through her Charms essay, and she cut herself digging out another bottle. She tripped and spilled her bookbag going into Ancient Runes, they had steak and kidney pie for lunch, and she sneezed during Transfiguration so the beetle she was supposed to be turning into a white rabbit turned into a Muggle marble instead. It wasn't even a decent cat's-eye.
The worst came after Charms. She was walking down the hall with Ron, Lavender, Harry, and Hermione, when she heard a cold drawl. "Pity you caught yourself this morning, McIvers. Granger's more than enough. We don't need a *Yankee* mudblood on top of it."
"Draco, stop it!" Hermione yelled.
"Stay out of this, please," Stacy said in a very quiet and steely voice as she whirled to face Malfoy. She dropped her bag--and before anyone, including Stacy, really knew what was happening, she'd knocked Draco Malfoy flat with a left hook.
Stacy sucked in her breath as Malfoy sat up. Had she really just hit him? "Oh no...I can't believe I did that...Draco I'm so sorry! Here, let me help you up...."
"Get away from me, mudblood!"
"Miss McIvers." Stacy's heart went cold, and she sighed resignedly.
"When, where, and with whom do I serve my detention, Professor Snape?"
Before supper, Stacy decided to try to send another letter to her mother. She'd never gotten a reply from the last one, and she was terrified something might have happened to Andromeda. But, she would simply have to borrow one of the school owls.
She stepped into the owlery--and froze. There sat Andromeda, quietly preening her feathers. No sign of any letter. The note folded in Stacy's hand fell to the floor and lay forgotten in the straw.
Trying to clear her head, Stacy went to the library for a time. She scratched away on a spare piece of parchment, trying to match rhythm and rhyme with the melody in her head and the feelings in her heart.
I'm not just the girl in the picture,
I won't be just a knock on your door.
I'm much more than a Barbie doll can give you,
But you don't know what a heart is for.
I'm not just a
Not just a what? Toy? Plastic smile? No...Lord save us, no....
She gave up at last and went to the Great Hall. Baked ham--finally, something went right. She had little appetite, however; after supper, she'd be serving the first detention of her life with Professor Snape. She hardly even noticed the apple dumpling she ate for dessert.
Her heart and stomach raced to be the first into her throat as she knocked on the dungeon door. "Come in," snarled Snape's voice.
"What would you like me to do, Professor?" she said, trying to keep her voice quiet and humble without letting the tears out.
"Organize those shelves alphabetically," he barked, jerking a wax- yellow finger towards the wall of the dungeon.
"Yes sir. Should I dust down the shelves and bottles to save you the trouble?"
He froze, apparently taken by surprise. "If you wish," he said at last.
Stacy carefully took down the bottles, cleaned all the shelves, then cleaned off each bottle as she put it back in its alphabetical place. She wondered if all Potions classes made things this messy.
Shortly before eight o'clock, she put the last bottle back. "Finished, sir."
"Go then."
"Thank you sir. Professor Snape...I...I wanted to apologize for this afternoon. I had no right to resort to physical violence. I will make a formal apology to Mr. Malfoy if...."
Snape cut her off with a glare. "See that it does not happen again."
"It...it will not, sir."
She hurried out of the dungeon, than ran to the nearest girls' room to be sick. She hated apologizing, even when she knew she was in the wrong.
She went back to the Gryffindor girls' dorm and brushed her teeth, then checked her watch. Two minutes after eight. Almost an hour before curfew, and it was still fairly light outside. She grabbed her guitar and headed out to the grounds.
Ron bumped into her on the way out. "Are you off your nutter? Apologizing for hitting Malfoy?"
She took a deep breath. "Ron, I know quite well that the Slytherins need their collective backsides kicked. That just wasn't the time and place for it. I chose to use violence. Ergo, I was in the wrong." She smiled at his slightly pop-eyed look. "But hey, this puts us ahead. At least Gryffindors are smart enough to know when they're wrong and brave enough to admit it." Even Ron had to laugh at that one.
Stacy sat down by the lake and pulled her guitar out of its case. She wished her Pop was there...he always knew just what to say when everything went wrong. But thanks to a drunken Muggle on an icy road...she wouldn't see her father again until she got to Heaven.
She only knew one other thing to do. She tuned her guitar, picked out a few notes, then began to play a slow melody. Then she began to sing in her warm alto.
Another day has almost come and gone.
Can't imagine what else could go wrong.
Sometimes I'd like to hide away
Somewhere and lock the door.
A single battle lost, but not the war.
But tomorrow's another day
And I'm thirsty anyway
So bring on the rain.
It's almost like the hard times circle 'round.
Couple drops, and they all start comin' down.
Yeah I might feel defeated.
I might hang my head.
I might be barely breathin', but I'm not dead, no.
'Cause tomorrow's another day
And I'm thirsty anyway
So bring on the rain.
No I'm not gonna let it get me down
I'm not gonna cry
And I'm not gonna lose any sleep tonight
'Cause tomorrow's another day
And I am not afraid
So bring on the rain.
Bring on,
Bring on,
The rain.....
She was so wrapped up in the song that she never noticed the curly- haired Hufflepuff who hid behind a tree, so entranced he could hardly breathe.
--Egon Starcollector
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and co. Lyrics to "Bring on the Rain" copyright Jo Dee Messina. I *do* own Stacy McIvers--and "You Don't Know (What A Girl Is)."
One month into her time at Hogwarts, Stacy had what she reckoned to be the third-worst day of her life. It started well enough. She woke up early, they had sunny-side-up eggs for breakfast, and Professor Lupin gave her an excellent grade on her Defense Against the Dark Arts paper.
On her way to the library, it all went to pieces.
She'd just said goodbye to Hermione when she found herself cornered by a gang of girls led by one with a sneer on her ugly, pug face. Slytherins. Stacy swore she was becoming allergic to green-and-silver neckties. "You should've stayed home."
"Excuse me?" Stacy blinked. "What are you and why?"
"Your cousin was bad enough. We don't need two of you!" The girl shoved Stacy, apparently intending to send her headfirst down the stairs. Fortunately, Stacy grabbed the railing and only got a few scrapes and bruises out of the encounter.
She ran out of ink three-fourths of the way through her Charms essay, and she cut herself digging out another bottle. She tripped and spilled her bookbag going into Ancient Runes, they had steak and kidney pie for lunch, and she sneezed during Transfiguration so the beetle she was supposed to be turning into a white rabbit turned into a Muggle marble instead. It wasn't even a decent cat's-eye.
The worst came after Charms. She was walking down the hall with Ron, Lavender, Harry, and Hermione, when she heard a cold drawl. "Pity you caught yourself this morning, McIvers. Granger's more than enough. We don't need a *Yankee* mudblood on top of it."
"Draco, stop it!" Hermione yelled.
"Stay out of this, please," Stacy said in a very quiet and steely voice as she whirled to face Malfoy. She dropped her bag--and before anyone, including Stacy, really knew what was happening, she'd knocked Draco Malfoy flat with a left hook.
Stacy sucked in her breath as Malfoy sat up. Had she really just hit him? "Oh no...I can't believe I did that...Draco I'm so sorry! Here, let me help you up...."
"Get away from me, mudblood!"
"Miss McIvers." Stacy's heart went cold, and she sighed resignedly.
"When, where, and with whom do I serve my detention, Professor Snape?"
Before supper, Stacy decided to try to send another letter to her mother. She'd never gotten a reply from the last one, and she was terrified something might have happened to Andromeda. But, she would simply have to borrow one of the school owls.
She stepped into the owlery--and froze. There sat Andromeda, quietly preening her feathers. No sign of any letter. The note folded in Stacy's hand fell to the floor and lay forgotten in the straw.
Trying to clear her head, Stacy went to the library for a time. She scratched away on a spare piece of parchment, trying to match rhythm and rhyme with the melody in her head and the feelings in her heart.
I'm not just the girl in the picture,
I won't be just a knock on your door.
I'm much more than a Barbie doll can give you,
But you don't know what a heart is for.
I'm not just a
Not just a what? Toy? Plastic smile? No...Lord save us, no....
She gave up at last and went to the Great Hall. Baked ham--finally, something went right. She had little appetite, however; after supper, she'd be serving the first detention of her life with Professor Snape. She hardly even noticed the apple dumpling she ate for dessert.
Her heart and stomach raced to be the first into her throat as she knocked on the dungeon door. "Come in," snarled Snape's voice.
"What would you like me to do, Professor?" she said, trying to keep her voice quiet and humble without letting the tears out.
"Organize those shelves alphabetically," he barked, jerking a wax- yellow finger towards the wall of the dungeon.
"Yes sir. Should I dust down the shelves and bottles to save you the trouble?"
He froze, apparently taken by surprise. "If you wish," he said at last.
Stacy carefully took down the bottles, cleaned all the shelves, then cleaned off each bottle as she put it back in its alphabetical place. She wondered if all Potions classes made things this messy.
Shortly before eight o'clock, she put the last bottle back. "Finished, sir."
"Go then."
"Thank you sir. Professor Snape...I...I wanted to apologize for this afternoon. I had no right to resort to physical violence. I will make a formal apology to Mr. Malfoy if...."
Snape cut her off with a glare. "See that it does not happen again."
"It...it will not, sir."
She hurried out of the dungeon, than ran to the nearest girls' room to be sick. She hated apologizing, even when she knew she was in the wrong.
She went back to the Gryffindor girls' dorm and brushed her teeth, then checked her watch. Two minutes after eight. Almost an hour before curfew, and it was still fairly light outside. She grabbed her guitar and headed out to the grounds.
Ron bumped into her on the way out. "Are you off your nutter? Apologizing for hitting Malfoy?"
She took a deep breath. "Ron, I know quite well that the Slytherins need their collective backsides kicked. That just wasn't the time and place for it. I chose to use violence. Ergo, I was in the wrong." She smiled at his slightly pop-eyed look. "But hey, this puts us ahead. At least Gryffindors are smart enough to know when they're wrong and brave enough to admit it." Even Ron had to laugh at that one.
Stacy sat down by the lake and pulled her guitar out of its case. She wished her Pop was there...he always knew just what to say when everything went wrong. But thanks to a drunken Muggle on an icy road...she wouldn't see her father again until she got to Heaven.
She only knew one other thing to do. She tuned her guitar, picked out a few notes, then began to play a slow melody. Then she began to sing in her warm alto.
Another day has almost come and gone.
Can't imagine what else could go wrong.
Sometimes I'd like to hide away
Somewhere and lock the door.
A single battle lost, but not the war.
But tomorrow's another day
And I'm thirsty anyway
So bring on the rain.
It's almost like the hard times circle 'round.
Couple drops, and they all start comin' down.
Yeah I might feel defeated.
I might hang my head.
I might be barely breathin', but I'm not dead, no.
'Cause tomorrow's another day
And I'm thirsty anyway
So bring on the rain.
No I'm not gonna let it get me down
I'm not gonna cry
And I'm not gonna lose any sleep tonight
'Cause tomorrow's another day
And I am not afraid
So bring on the rain.
Bring on,
Bring on,
The rain.....
She was so wrapped up in the song that she never noticed the curly- haired Hufflepuff who hid behind a tree, so entranced he could hardly breathe.