DISCLAIMER: Standard procedure, neh? *Sighs.* Well, it's not mine.
"Pinkerton" and all songs mentioned from that album belong to Weezer (as
does "Island in the Sun", most unfortunately); "OK Computer" belongs to
Radiohead, and it is an absolutely wonderful album as well - Tracks 2 and 6
especially. This entire chapter was written while listening to Ozma's
"Rock and Roll Part III". Ozma's a rather obscure band who opened for
Weezer last year, and I'm a really big fan of theirs. I'd suggest you all
download their music/buy it/just LISTEN IN because they rock.
CHAPTER 12 - Pinkerton
Something cold, piercing, and very, very wet awoke Riley the next morning.
Water.
"What the - ! Fred and George WEASLEY!" Though her soft red-and-gold Gryffindor bed was very warm, Riley opted to chase the two snickering, red- headed demons around the girls' Fifth Year dormitory. It wasn't much of a competition, unfortunately; Fred and George took cover under the safe haven of Riley's bedspread. Hands on her hips, Riley hissed firmly to the giggling, Fred-and-George-shaped lumps.
"And why, precisely, was I doomed to drown at - " she glanced at the bedside alarm " - six in the morning? It's a Saturday, for crying out loud. I need every bit of sleep I can get!" It didn't help, Riley mentally added to herself, that she'd been up till all hours the night before, waltzing around the Forbidden Forest with Draco Malfoy. How embarrassing. And now she had Fred and George and their VERY early morning gift as her own personal karma police.
Ugh.
"Well, actually - " came a voice from under the covers.
"No excuses!"
"But Riles - " another voice chimed in.
"You'd better have something really good to say for yourself, both of you. Five words or less. Begin." Riley tapped her foot, waiting. Apparently the twins weren't quite sure what to say, because several insects lived out their natural lives in the time it took for them to answer.
There was a thoughtful pause from the bed, then it spoke again. "Quidditch. Ravenclaw. Gryffindor. Keeper. Six-thirty."
Riley froze. Quidditch . . . Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw. Six-thirty, Saturday.
Oh, crap.
"I thought that was next week . . ." she attempted lamely.
The bed wriggled, and a few badly-concealed snorts floated out from under the covers. "Fraid not, Riles. Game's today."
Riley stood there for a moment looking politely puzzled, then - out of nowhere - flew from her threatening position in front of the Weasleys to the trunk at the end of the bed. The lid of her mahogany furniture piece was thrown roughly open; robes, books, and an occasional CD went flying through the air as Riley frantically tore apart her trunk, in search of her Quidditch robes and broom.
George poked his head out from under the covers. "I say, Riles. What's - " When a copy of Radiohead's "OK Computer" went whizzing by his head, George gulped and ducked back under the covers. "Suppose it's your business, then. Have fun, er . . . doing whatever it is you're doing. Carry on."
Fred reached up long enough to snatch one of the flying CDs out of the air. "'Pinkerton'? What's this?"
"Weezer. Best album ever. Heard 'Island in the Sun'?"
"Well, no - "
"Don't. Not worth it. But that right there," she gestured to the dark- grey CD, "is probably the best Rivers Cuomo ever wrote."
"Rivers who?"
Riley pulled her robes over her head, tying her hair up anxiously. "Honestly, Fred. How can you talk about Weezer when we've got a match to play?" Riley grabbed her broom and marched efficiently from the dormitory, leaving a puzzled Fred and George Weasley staring after her curiously.
After a pause, Fred looked hesitantly down at the CD again. "Any idea what she's on about?"
"Not a bit." George reached over, grabbed the CD, and examined the back thoughtfully. The boys clambered inelegantly out of the bed, and made their way down the stairs. Into the pocket of George's robes went "Pinkerton".
"Come on, George. Can't play Quidditch with that in your pocket."
"S'pose you're right," George sighed, and handed the album to the next person he came upon, who happened to be Lee Jordan.
Lee took it and peered at it curiously. "'Pinkerton?' What's this?"
"Doesn't that sound familiar," Fred muttered. "Listen, Lee, can you hang on to this until the match is over?"
"I know what this is," said Lee, becoming a bit excited. "It's a Muggle CD! My uncle sent me a Walkman - that's what they play these on - for my birthday last year. It's still in good condition."
"Right, Lee," said George, clapping him on the shoulder. "Just hang onto that, will you? There's a good chap."
"But . . . " The twins had gone on, however, out the Portrait Hole. Lee was baffled. "But I've got to comment on the game," he protested sotto voce. "Pinkerton's" cover depicted a scene of some kind of Japanese-looking hillside overlooking a village, done carefully in dark navy and beige. The dreadlocked teen flipped the CD over, reading the back. "'Across the Sea, The Good Life, El Scorcho . . . I wonder where my Walkman is."
* * *
"Alright, chaps?" Riley was relieved to see Katie, looking much better than she had during the practice two weeks ago. Their fearless leader's nervous breakdown had thrown everyone on the Gryffindor House Quidditch team for a bit of a loop; it was nice to have things back to normal.
"Big game today. We're going to knock those pompous Ravenclaws right off their broomsticks!"
"Really?" Seamus looked hopeful. Fred clapped a hand over his mouth, and nodded for Katie to continue. Suddenly, from outside the locker room came the wail of an electric guitar.
"What in the bloody hell is THAT?" Katie demanded angrily.
"I've no i-"
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first official Hogwarts Quidditch game of the season!" Lee Jordan's voice, magically magnified, accompanied the out-of-control screeching. The music changed suddenly, and Riley clapped a hand to her mouth in amazement.
"Oi!"
Fred looked at her suspiciously. "Riley, you don't have anything to do with this, do you?"
"I - I don't think so . . . but how did Lee Jordan end up with a copy of 'Pinkerton'?" Riley thought for a moment. "I'm sure I was the only one in the school who really liked Weezer at all, not to mention Muggle music in general."
"Um, I s'pose he just had an extra one on hand," George offered quickly, giving Fred an 'oops' sort of glance.
Fred nodded. "Yeah. Lee's mum's Muggle-born, I'm sure that had something to do with it."
Despite herself, Katie's toe was tapping, and she grinned unexpectedly. "Riley, what is this?" she yelled over the song.
"Weezer - 'Tired of Sex'. Great, isn't it?"
But Lee was speaking again. "And now, I give you . . . Gryffindor and Ravenclaw!"
"Jordan, TURN THAT DOWN!" McGonagall had finally managed to fight her way over to where Lee was hiding under the teachers' bleachers, magical microphone and Walkman cradled to his chest. She peered at him from between the slats.
The other students laughed to hear the wheedling tone that came into Lee's voice. "But professor," he protested, "it's really good music . . . you can ask Dumbledore! He likes it too." Indeed, Dumbledore was snapping his fingers and doing a half-swaying sort of dance. Professors Snape and McGonagall were the only teachers not participating in some kind of physical enjoyment of the music.
"Well, Severus," Minerva said, with a rather strange - almost embarrassed - expression on his face, "it seems we're on the same side for once."
"It would appear so," Snape replied, his lips pursed thoughtfully.
They looked at each other for a moment; then, Snape stomped on the slat directly above Lee's head. "Jordan! Come out of there - and STOP THAT NOISE!"
And the Quidditch teams took the field.
CHAPTER 12 - Pinkerton
Something cold, piercing, and very, very wet awoke Riley the next morning.
Water.
"What the - ! Fred and George WEASLEY!" Though her soft red-and-gold Gryffindor bed was very warm, Riley opted to chase the two snickering, red- headed demons around the girls' Fifth Year dormitory. It wasn't much of a competition, unfortunately; Fred and George took cover under the safe haven of Riley's bedspread. Hands on her hips, Riley hissed firmly to the giggling, Fred-and-George-shaped lumps.
"And why, precisely, was I doomed to drown at - " she glanced at the bedside alarm " - six in the morning? It's a Saturday, for crying out loud. I need every bit of sleep I can get!" It didn't help, Riley mentally added to herself, that she'd been up till all hours the night before, waltzing around the Forbidden Forest with Draco Malfoy. How embarrassing. And now she had Fred and George and their VERY early morning gift as her own personal karma police.
Ugh.
"Well, actually - " came a voice from under the covers.
"No excuses!"
"But Riles - " another voice chimed in.
"You'd better have something really good to say for yourself, both of you. Five words or less. Begin." Riley tapped her foot, waiting. Apparently the twins weren't quite sure what to say, because several insects lived out their natural lives in the time it took for them to answer.
There was a thoughtful pause from the bed, then it spoke again. "Quidditch. Ravenclaw. Gryffindor. Keeper. Six-thirty."
Riley froze. Quidditch . . . Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw. Six-thirty, Saturday.
Oh, crap.
"I thought that was next week . . ." she attempted lamely.
The bed wriggled, and a few badly-concealed snorts floated out from under the covers. "Fraid not, Riles. Game's today."
Riley stood there for a moment looking politely puzzled, then - out of nowhere - flew from her threatening position in front of the Weasleys to the trunk at the end of the bed. The lid of her mahogany furniture piece was thrown roughly open; robes, books, and an occasional CD went flying through the air as Riley frantically tore apart her trunk, in search of her Quidditch robes and broom.
George poked his head out from under the covers. "I say, Riles. What's - " When a copy of Radiohead's "OK Computer" went whizzing by his head, George gulped and ducked back under the covers. "Suppose it's your business, then. Have fun, er . . . doing whatever it is you're doing. Carry on."
Fred reached up long enough to snatch one of the flying CDs out of the air. "'Pinkerton'? What's this?"
"Weezer. Best album ever. Heard 'Island in the Sun'?"
"Well, no - "
"Don't. Not worth it. But that right there," she gestured to the dark- grey CD, "is probably the best Rivers Cuomo ever wrote."
"Rivers who?"
Riley pulled her robes over her head, tying her hair up anxiously. "Honestly, Fred. How can you talk about Weezer when we've got a match to play?" Riley grabbed her broom and marched efficiently from the dormitory, leaving a puzzled Fred and George Weasley staring after her curiously.
After a pause, Fred looked hesitantly down at the CD again. "Any idea what she's on about?"
"Not a bit." George reached over, grabbed the CD, and examined the back thoughtfully. The boys clambered inelegantly out of the bed, and made their way down the stairs. Into the pocket of George's robes went "Pinkerton".
"Come on, George. Can't play Quidditch with that in your pocket."
"S'pose you're right," George sighed, and handed the album to the next person he came upon, who happened to be Lee Jordan.
Lee took it and peered at it curiously. "'Pinkerton?' What's this?"
"Doesn't that sound familiar," Fred muttered. "Listen, Lee, can you hang on to this until the match is over?"
"I know what this is," said Lee, becoming a bit excited. "It's a Muggle CD! My uncle sent me a Walkman - that's what they play these on - for my birthday last year. It's still in good condition."
"Right, Lee," said George, clapping him on the shoulder. "Just hang onto that, will you? There's a good chap."
"But . . . " The twins had gone on, however, out the Portrait Hole. Lee was baffled. "But I've got to comment on the game," he protested sotto voce. "Pinkerton's" cover depicted a scene of some kind of Japanese-looking hillside overlooking a village, done carefully in dark navy and beige. The dreadlocked teen flipped the CD over, reading the back. "'Across the Sea, The Good Life, El Scorcho . . . I wonder where my Walkman is."
* * *
"Alright, chaps?" Riley was relieved to see Katie, looking much better than she had during the practice two weeks ago. Their fearless leader's nervous breakdown had thrown everyone on the Gryffindor House Quidditch team for a bit of a loop; it was nice to have things back to normal.
"Big game today. We're going to knock those pompous Ravenclaws right off their broomsticks!"
"Really?" Seamus looked hopeful. Fred clapped a hand over his mouth, and nodded for Katie to continue. Suddenly, from outside the locker room came the wail of an electric guitar.
"What in the bloody hell is THAT?" Katie demanded angrily.
"I've no i-"
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first official Hogwarts Quidditch game of the season!" Lee Jordan's voice, magically magnified, accompanied the out-of-control screeching. The music changed suddenly, and Riley clapped a hand to her mouth in amazement.
"Oi!"
Fred looked at her suspiciously. "Riley, you don't have anything to do with this, do you?"
"I - I don't think so . . . but how did Lee Jordan end up with a copy of 'Pinkerton'?" Riley thought for a moment. "I'm sure I was the only one in the school who really liked Weezer at all, not to mention Muggle music in general."
"Um, I s'pose he just had an extra one on hand," George offered quickly, giving Fred an 'oops' sort of glance.
Fred nodded. "Yeah. Lee's mum's Muggle-born, I'm sure that had something to do with it."
Despite herself, Katie's toe was tapping, and she grinned unexpectedly. "Riley, what is this?" she yelled over the song.
"Weezer - 'Tired of Sex'. Great, isn't it?"
But Lee was speaking again. "And now, I give you . . . Gryffindor and Ravenclaw!"
"Jordan, TURN THAT DOWN!" McGonagall had finally managed to fight her way over to where Lee was hiding under the teachers' bleachers, magical microphone and Walkman cradled to his chest. She peered at him from between the slats.
The other students laughed to hear the wheedling tone that came into Lee's voice. "But professor," he protested, "it's really good music . . . you can ask Dumbledore! He likes it too." Indeed, Dumbledore was snapping his fingers and doing a half-swaying sort of dance. Professors Snape and McGonagall were the only teachers not participating in some kind of physical enjoyment of the music.
"Well, Severus," Minerva said, with a rather strange - almost embarrassed - expression on his face, "it seems we're on the same side for once."
"It would appear so," Snape replied, his lips pursed thoughtfully.
They looked at each other for a moment; then, Snape stomped on the slat directly above Lee's head. "Jordan! Come out of there - and STOP THAT NOISE!"
And the Quidditch teams took the field.