Chapter 5: Drama Class- Third Hour
When third hour came, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione walked to the class, which was near the North Tower of Hogwarts. "This is so exciting," Hermione said. She had checked out 'Hamlet' from the library and kept skimming the pages. "This is weird actually," Ron said. "I mean, I am Rosenstern?" he said, trying to remember. "Rosencrantz," Hermione reminded him. "Oh, whatever!" he said, turning red.
When they entered the classroom, Ms. Landor greeted them. She looked different; her long blonde hair was down and she had on dark blue robes. She flittered around the room. "Take your seats, take your seats." She said as the students came in.
When they had settled, "DRAMA!" Ms. Landor yelled, slamming her wand on Neville's desk. Neville gulped loudly.
"Is a class that will teach you LIFE, skills," she said. Harry thought she reminded him of Professor Trelawney—completely serious, but crazy nonetheless. "You will learn the art of acting, and learn how truly to be your characters. You will BECOME them." She said. She quickly turned around twice, and settled at Luna's desk. "Ms..."
"Luna." She said lazily. "Luna. Your character is.." "Guildencrantz." "Guildenstern." she corrected her. "You have an important role! You are to betray your best friend, Hamlet, along with Rosencrantz!" she said. Ron's eyebrows furrowed. "I don't want to be Rosenstern!" he whined. "Rosencrantz!" Hermione yelled.
Ms. Landor looked offended. "You should not correct an artist so harshly," she said to Hermione. Hermione raised one of her eyebrows. "And which character are you?" she asked her. "I am Horatio." She smiled. "Horatio...you have quite a job on your hands, Ms.." "Granger. Hermione Granger." She said curtly.
"Well, Hermione Granger. Did you know that your name is—" "Shakespearian? Yes, I do." She said happily. "Well...good. I hope you know as much about acting as you know about brown- nosing." Ms. Landor said. Hermione's jaw dropped. Harry shook a little bit, and was about to say something, but— "She didn't do anything!" Ron yelled. "Ok! I have had enough! You actors are undisciplined! I think it's time for an exercise." She smiled a bit mischievously.
"This the Pair Pointer exercise," she said, walking to her desk and opening a book. "All of you have a partner in this play. One with whom you must be quite acquainted with so that you may act accordingly in the play. Good plays use character development to its fullest. So, each of you will be assigned a partner, the one you should be acquainted with because of your closeness in the play." She said. "Some of you, however, are lone characters in the play, like the Ghost for instance." Seamus smiled.
"Therefore, you will be assigned a character that most closely relates to you, or if you wish, you can research on your own." She said. Seamus said: "I'm the Ghost, I think I'll just talk to Nearly Headless Nick." The students laughed.
"Very well." She said, rolling her eyes a bit. "So, the pairs...Claudius and Gertrude." She said. Ginny and Neville stood up. "I am assigning you two to collaborate, once a day, for at least an hour. Gertrude and Claudius are married, and therefore, close." She said. A few students snickered. "Um... what are we supposed to do, though?" Ginny asked, pushing her long red hair out of her face.
"Why, you're supposed to become close! You cannot act the part unless your ARE the part." She said. Neville smiled at Ginny, and they sat down. "Next...Ophelia and Laertes." Draco and Cho stood up.
"You two are siblings. You are close! You must do the same as Gertrude and Claudius." Cho frowned and sat down; Draco rubbed his hands back and forth vigorously. "Next, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern." Ron and Luna stood up. "Same with you."
"The two clowns." Remus Lupin and Severus Snape stood up in the back. The students laughed. "Quiet!" Snape snapped at them. "Ah...Severus and Remus. How good of you to join us," Ms. Landor said. "Yes, well, believe me, our delight is visible in our smile." Snape scowled. "I am sure it is. Well, 'clowns', you must work together in your...free time."
"You know Ms. Landor," Remus said. "This is going to be quite difficult for Professor Snape and I. I mean, we're professors—we have jobs. Grading papers, creating tests..." "Giving students hell.." Ron said to Harry, pointing at Snape. "It's quite a job. Are the positions of the...clowns, quite necessary?" he asked.
"Oh yes! Certainly!" Ms. Landor exclaimed. "The clowns are necessary for telling Hamlet what's happened while he has been in England! He needs them!" Remus looked at Harry. "He needs us? Well then, I guess—" "No! I refuse! I have much more important things to be doing than performing in some muggle play!" Snape yelled. "This is idiotic, and I think that the Ministry—" "Severus, I really don't think you want to go down that road the in the presence of innocent children." Ms. Landor said calmly. Snape shot a glance at Harry. "They aren't innocent! These kids are—" "Never mind, Severus. You'll perform in the play or the Ministry will hear about this. Besides, you don't have that many lines." She said, turning back to her desk with a smile. Severus crossed his arms and sat down in the back. Harry thought he looked like a disgruntled Christmas elf dressed in black. Remus took his seat with a sigh, looking as tired as ever. "Next, Hamlet and Horatio." Harry and Hermione stood up. "You have a very important relationship to the play," Ms. Landor said, walking towards them.
"To become comfortable performing with such sincerity, I suggest getting to know your characters better. Hamlet is the most dynamic of all characters, as he should be, and Horatio is his...reason, you could say. The only one that does not have any...problems.. in the play, the only rational one." She said. Hermione smiled.
"Great, now I'm crazy again..." Harry said, sitting down. "Not crazy," Ms. Landor said. "You have spite and vengeance in your heart. Your plan is devised out of anger, and see it as rational, but you come to see more than one side, and thus, you're indecisive. You will learn, Mr. Potter." She said.
This didn't make Harry any happier, and he plopped down in his seat.
When third hour came, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione walked to the class, which was near the North Tower of Hogwarts. "This is so exciting," Hermione said. She had checked out 'Hamlet' from the library and kept skimming the pages. "This is weird actually," Ron said. "I mean, I am Rosenstern?" he said, trying to remember. "Rosencrantz," Hermione reminded him. "Oh, whatever!" he said, turning red.
When they entered the classroom, Ms. Landor greeted them. She looked different; her long blonde hair was down and she had on dark blue robes. She flittered around the room. "Take your seats, take your seats." She said as the students came in.
When they had settled, "DRAMA!" Ms. Landor yelled, slamming her wand on Neville's desk. Neville gulped loudly.
"Is a class that will teach you LIFE, skills," she said. Harry thought she reminded him of Professor Trelawney—completely serious, but crazy nonetheless. "You will learn the art of acting, and learn how truly to be your characters. You will BECOME them." She said. She quickly turned around twice, and settled at Luna's desk. "Ms..."
"Luna." She said lazily. "Luna. Your character is.." "Guildencrantz." "Guildenstern." she corrected her. "You have an important role! You are to betray your best friend, Hamlet, along with Rosencrantz!" she said. Ron's eyebrows furrowed. "I don't want to be Rosenstern!" he whined. "Rosencrantz!" Hermione yelled.
Ms. Landor looked offended. "You should not correct an artist so harshly," she said to Hermione. Hermione raised one of her eyebrows. "And which character are you?" she asked her. "I am Horatio." She smiled. "Horatio...you have quite a job on your hands, Ms.." "Granger. Hermione Granger." She said curtly.
"Well, Hermione Granger. Did you know that your name is—" "Shakespearian? Yes, I do." She said happily. "Well...good. I hope you know as much about acting as you know about brown- nosing." Ms. Landor said. Hermione's jaw dropped. Harry shook a little bit, and was about to say something, but— "She didn't do anything!" Ron yelled. "Ok! I have had enough! You actors are undisciplined! I think it's time for an exercise." She smiled a bit mischievously.
"This the Pair Pointer exercise," she said, walking to her desk and opening a book. "All of you have a partner in this play. One with whom you must be quite acquainted with so that you may act accordingly in the play. Good plays use character development to its fullest. So, each of you will be assigned a partner, the one you should be acquainted with because of your closeness in the play." She said. "Some of you, however, are lone characters in the play, like the Ghost for instance." Seamus smiled.
"Therefore, you will be assigned a character that most closely relates to you, or if you wish, you can research on your own." She said. Seamus said: "I'm the Ghost, I think I'll just talk to Nearly Headless Nick." The students laughed.
"Very well." She said, rolling her eyes a bit. "So, the pairs...Claudius and Gertrude." She said. Ginny and Neville stood up. "I am assigning you two to collaborate, once a day, for at least an hour. Gertrude and Claudius are married, and therefore, close." She said. A few students snickered. "Um... what are we supposed to do, though?" Ginny asked, pushing her long red hair out of her face.
"Why, you're supposed to become close! You cannot act the part unless your ARE the part." She said. Neville smiled at Ginny, and they sat down. "Next...Ophelia and Laertes." Draco and Cho stood up.
"You two are siblings. You are close! You must do the same as Gertrude and Claudius." Cho frowned and sat down; Draco rubbed his hands back and forth vigorously. "Next, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern." Ron and Luna stood up. "Same with you."
"The two clowns." Remus Lupin and Severus Snape stood up in the back. The students laughed. "Quiet!" Snape snapped at them. "Ah...Severus and Remus. How good of you to join us," Ms. Landor said. "Yes, well, believe me, our delight is visible in our smile." Snape scowled. "I am sure it is. Well, 'clowns', you must work together in your...free time."
"You know Ms. Landor," Remus said. "This is going to be quite difficult for Professor Snape and I. I mean, we're professors—we have jobs. Grading papers, creating tests..." "Giving students hell.." Ron said to Harry, pointing at Snape. "It's quite a job. Are the positions of the...clowns, quite necessary?" he asked.
"Oh yes! Certainly!" Ms. Landor exclaimed. "The clowns are necessary for telling Hamlet what's happened while he has been in England! He needs them!" Remus looked at Harry. "He needs us? Well then, I guess—" "No! I refuse! I have much more important things to be doing than performing in some muggle play!" Snape yelled. "This is idiotic, and I think that the Ministry—" "Severus, I really don't think you want to go down that road the in the presence of innocent children." Ms. Landor said calmly. Snape shot a glance at Harry. "They aren't innocent! These kids are—" "Never mind, Severus. You'll perform in the play or the Ministry will hear about this. Besides, you don't have that many lines." She said, turning back to her desk with a smile. Severus crossed his arms and sat down in the back. Harry thought he looked like a disgruntled Christmas elf dressed in black. Remus took his seat with a sigh, looking as tired as ever. "Next, Hamlet and Horatio." Harry and Hermione stood up. "You have a very important relationship to the play," Ms. Landor said, walking towards them.
"To become comfortable performing with such sincerity, I suggest getting to know your characters better. Hamlet is the most dynamic of all characters, as he should be, and Horatio is his...reason, you could say. The only one that does not have any...problems.. in the play, the only rational one." She said. Hermione smiled.
"Great, now I'm crazy again..." Harry said, sitting down. "Not crazy," Ms. Landor said. "You have spite and vengeance in your heart. Your plan is devised out of anger, and see it as rational, but you come to see more than one side, and thus, you're indecisive. You will learn, Mr. Potter." She said.
This didn't make Harry any happier, and he plopped down in his seat.