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Chapter 1: Amaris and the Assignment
There I was, minding my own business when it hit me. Quite literally.
business being turning one very unfortunate Hufflepuff's notes into a bright
array of swear words. And the offensive "it," being none other then
Professor Amaris, with a rolled up length of parchment.
"Arg! It burns!" I screamed clutching my wounded shoulder in mock-agony.
"Shut it, Black, you pansy." Yes, this was the notorious Professor Amaris the cruelest teacher Hogwarts had ever seen.
"That's physical and mental abuse, that is!" Cried my partner in crime, James Potter. Amaris just sneered.
"I'll have you locked up for this!" I cried through tears of simulated pain.
"You'd never be able to." She was actually right. I had submitted complaint after complaint to Dumbledore (anonymously of course so he would take them seriously,) but somehow she had never been sacked and Dumbledore had the strangest idea that he had a fan club. Remus, another of my accomplices in mischief, had said it was because my handwriting was practically illegible, but James had agreed with me that the system was rigged.
"The law is on our side!" Cried James, grabbing me roughly by my injured shoulder, I cried out in faux pain. "If this world is not willing to keep you away from innocent children, I'm not sure whether it is worth living in it anymore." James placed the back of his hand to his forehead and swooned.
The Gryffindors in the class erupted into applause, Remus whistled. While Amaris' back was turned as she attempted to silence the class, I jumped from my seat and took my bow. The Hufflepuffs laughed and Amaris whipped around so quickly to see what I was up to she ended up tripping over her feet and toppling to the ground, none to gracefully.
It took a few moments, about 379 house points and 4 weeks of detention until there was order again in the classroom. Then panting with restrained anger (even though she had cracked there for a minute and began steamrolling Peter's feet,) Amaris unrolled the parchment that I had been battered with and began to speak.
"Since Mr. Black and Mr. Potter already are so talented at acting, this new class assignment/endeavor in Muggle Art should be a snap for them." Then she acquired the most malevolent smile I had ever seen (except for my dear oldmother's.)
Wearing her plastered maniac grin, she took a deep breath and stared right at me as she said, "Each class will do a reenactment of a Muggle form of entertainment called a "Musical". These include singing and dancing, while putting on an enjoyable show for the audience. I will assign which "musical" the class will be doing and cast you all as different roles-"
"-Whoa....but" I began until it came back a second time. The evil grin pierced my young and not so innocent eyes forcing me to shut up instantly and slide slightly out of my desk remembering my mum's malicious face.
"The parts I cast you in will be non-negotiable, Black, as will be the grade to which I give you based on your performance of the musical."
At this she turned her back and started writing on the large blackboard, breaking a piece of chalk every couple of minutes. I took the absence of her disturbing facial expressions to the best of my advantage and thought of the situation.
I turned to James to ask why again, we had taken Muggle Studies in the first place, but when I faced him he looked dazed and his mouth hung slightly open as though he were trying to catch flies in it. I caught Remus' eye and he pointed to the paper James was scribbling on as he stared. All over the paper were the words "James" "Potter" "Lily" and "Mrs. & Mr." placed in different orders to make phrases like "Lily Potter" and "Mrs. James Potter"
"Nauseating" I heard Remus mutter, as he too spotted James. I wasn't quite sure which he was commenting on, James' obsession or the bit of drool oozing from his mouth. I gave him a swift kick under my desk It was only best.
"OUCH!"
"-Now who's the pansy, I muttered."
"I heard that!" James said as he glared at me.
"BLACK! POTTER!"
This time I had time to react. As the parchment swooped over my head, I dodged and it hit peter square on the back of the head. "Ah well, you probably deserved it too Pettigrew." Peter frowned indignantly, as everyone else tried to restrain their laughs.
"Say Professor," did I dare to ask? I did "What musical is our class doing?" I didn't even know what "Musicals" were, much less the different ones. Remus paid attention, he would probably know.
"This class will be doing the Muggle Musical, "Oklahoma"". She turned her back again, but I could feel the burn of her smile through her back. She really needed to stop doing that. I mean, with my home life, I could be scarred for life.
I turned to Remus to find out whether this "Oklahoma" was a good thing or not. I looked at him and he wore a frozen look of sheer terror which gave me the idea that this project was not going to be a good one.
Just how bad I never could have imagined.