Chapter 6: The Exercises
"So Ronald," Luna Lovegood said, walking up to Ron during dinner. "When would you like to do our exercise?" she asked, staring intently at him. "Erm...I guess we could do it Saturday," he said, picking up his juice jug. "But, Ms. Landor said we were supposed to do this one hour everyday." She added thoughtfully.
"Yeah, but, I'm kind of busy, you know? I mean, we have a Quidditch match on Friday against Hufflepuff. A lot of practice you know..?" he said, looking away. "Ronald," she said, still standing there. "This is very important. Remember what she said? You know, this reminds me of the article about the Grape- Colored Flurikinjo in Wales, and it did the same—"
"OK!" Ron said, putting his juice down. "Ok, how about at 8? I'll, uh...meet you in the library..." he said uncertainly. "Ok Ronald. I'll see you there." Harry saw her wander back to the Ravenclaw table and sit across from Cho. "So Harry," Ginny said, trying to divert his attention. "Yes?"
"Are you looking forward to the play now? I mean, you do have the lead part." Ginny said, twirling her pasta. "Uh...sort of. I mean, I didn't want the lead. I guess I kind of have to read the play, I'm not sure what happens." He said. He hoped that nothing too gruesome happened.
"Don't worry Harry. If Ms. Landor is as avid about the play as she acts that she is," Hermione said in a half-mocking voice. "She'll help us read the play in class, instead of just practicing lines." She said, drinking her pumpkin juice. "I guess, but just in case, I think I'll look at it. I don't understand it." He said, scratching his head.
"Well, if she doesn't, we can just read it when we have to do our Pointer Pair exercise," she added. "Oh yeah, Hermione, I forgot about that. Could we start tomorrow, please? I mean, I have a lot to do tonight." "Sure," she said, putting the rest of her pumpkin juice down.
"Welcome, welcome!" Ms. Landor said, walking slowly back in forth in front of the class. "Today, we will begin 'Hamlet', by William Shakespeare." She smiled brightly. "If you haven't received one, I have a copy of the complete play for each of you. Who needs one?" she asked, looking around the room. Two long arms came up in the back.
"Ah, Severus and Remus." Ms. Landor walked to the back of the room and handed them each a copy of the play. "I am quite sure you'll make exquisite clowns..." she added walking slowly away. "Oh yeah, I'm real a cut-up." Snape said sarcastically.
"You know, Severus? I think perhaps your attitude could use a little adjustment." She said, after reaching her desk. "Would you please come to the front of the class?" "Excuse me?" Snape looked utterly mortified. "I am grown man. I do not have to sit here and listen to you treat me like a child!" Snape roared, standing up.
"This is madness, this is—" "My class, and you will obey my rules. Come here!" Harry saw Snape shaking with rage, so much in fact, that he walked slowly in restraint so as not to run and strangle Ms. Landor.
"Now Severus, perhaps you could give your best example of your part, the clown." Snape shook so furiously that his feet tapped on the floor. Ms. Landor handed him a scene from the play. "Now, begin."
Snape sighed, and looked at the paper. "Mine, sir. 'O, a pit of clay for to be made—'" "No! It says plainly on your paper—'Sings'. Act the part Severus, BE the part. BE the clown. Say it with me Severus, 'I'm a clown'. Come on, 'I'm a clown.'"
Snape looked around the room, and fixed his eyes on Harry. His nostrils flared, and his stared bored into Harry's eyes—ferociously. "I'm...a clown." He said.
"Again!" Ms. Landor said, enthusiastically. "Come on! Feeling! BE the clown!" "I'm a clown." He said again, looking at Remus now. "Again!" "I'm a clown."
Harry thought Snape looked as if he was going to cry. "I'm a clown.." "Now, you can sing the part!" she said. Snape shook his head. "I don't sing!" he snarled.
"Ok, Ok. Tomorrow." She said satisfied. "You may take your seat." The students roared with laughter, but quickly stopped when they spotted Snape's humiliated, angry face. "Good first day!" she said.
Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny left the class in laughter. "Did you see Snape? He was going to cry! That would have been SO funny." Ron said. Ginny giggled hard, and Hermione smiled a bit. "I hope he doesn't quit the play half-way through it," Hermione said, flipping through her book.
"It wouldn't surprise me if he did. He's no fun!" Ginny said. The group walked back to Gryffindor Tower, and waiting by the Portrait of the Fat Lady was Luna. "Ronald. You didn't come last night to the library—I waited for you." She said, a little creepily.
"I'm sorry Luna, I was really busy." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, please come today. We really need to do these exercises. We'll be as brilliant as Carl Kierkegaard, the famous auror that discovered the 4 eyes Canklebop." She said, walking away, pulling the Quibbler out of her pocket.
"She's odd, that one." Ron said, shaking her head.
"She's a really clever person, though." Ginny said to Ron.
When they entered the Common Room, all of the students were collaborating for the play. "Ginny—do you want to start now?" Neville asked her, pulling his bag off of his shoulder.
"Sure, let me put my books in my dorm." Ginny hurried off up the stairs, and Ron sat down near the window. "I don't want to do this! I have to be Rosenstern—"
"Rosencrantz!" Harry and Hermione said at that same time. "Oh yeah—see? I don't even know my character's name." Ron sighed and closed the curtains. "Well, if you don't practice, you're going to mess up the play!" Hermione scowled. "This is very important." She said.
"Yeah well, maybe if we do bad, they won't implement the plays for generations to come!" Ron said, staring at the wall. "Come on, Harry. We need to start." Hermione took Harry's arm and led him away. "Where are we going to do this? The—"
"The library is probably full." She sighed, walking out of the Common Room and into the hall way. "Let's go to the Quidditch pitch." Harry said. "Ok."
They walked out of the school and entered the pitch. It wasn't quite dark, but the sun was just beginning to set. Harry and Hermione made their way to the top of the Gryffindor stands and sat down.
"What are we supposed to do?" Harry asked, looking at his watch. "She said talk. I guess we can look at the play." Hermione pulled the play out of her bag and opened it to the first scene. "Let's see, your first lines aren't until scene two.." she said searching the pages. Harry wasn't listening; he kept thinking about Ginny.
"Do you know when the next Hogsmeade trip is?" he asked Hermione. "But my lines are in the first scene..." she said; she wasn't listening either. "Hermione! When is the next Hogsmeade trip?" he said, putting his hand on her papers. "Uh...I think next weekend." She said, pushing Harry's hand. She went back to the play while he sat there, and then she stopped.
"Did you have a good time with Ginny last week?" she asked all of a sudden. "Yeah..." Harry said dreamily. "Well that's good." She said. She put her papers away. "Did you have a good time with Ron?" he asked, half automatically. "Yes, it was nice." She said brusquely. Harry turned to her.
"He acted odd when we came back." He laughed. "It was like someone had put a spell on him." He said. "Yeah well, none of that was going on." She assured him. They both looked at the sun while it was setting, and Hermione sighed. "It's getting hard to read out here. Let's go back in." Harry said. She agreed and stood up. They walked back into the castle and back to Gryffindor tower.
"So Ronald," Luna Lovegood said, walking up to Ron during dinner. "When would you like to do our exercise?" she asked, staring intently at him. "Erm...I guess we could do it Saturday," he said, picking up his juice jug. "But, Ms. Landor said we were supposed to do this one hour everyday." She added thoughtfully.
"Yeah, but, I'm kind of busy, you know? I mean, we have a Quidditch match on Friday against Hufflepuff. A lot of practice you know..?" he said, looking away. "Ronald," she said, still standing there. "This is very important. Remember what she said? You know, this reminds me of the article about the Grape- Colored Flurikinjo in Wales, and it did the same—"
"OK!" Ron said, putting his juice down. "Ok, how about at 8? I'll, uh...meet you in the library..." he said uncertainly. "Ok Ronald. I'll see you there." Harry saw her wander back to the Ravenclaw table and sit across from Cho. "So Harry," Ginny said, trying to divert his attention. "Yes?"
"Are you looking forward to the play now? I mean, you do have the lead part." Ginny said, twirling her pasta. "Uh...sort of. I mean, I didn't want the lead. I guess I kind of have to read the play, I'm not sure what happens." He said. He hoped that nothing too gruesome happened.
"Don't worry Harry. If Ms. Landor is as avid about the play as she acts that she is," Hermione said in a half-mocking voice. "She'll help us read the play in class, instead of just practicing lines." She said, drinking her pumpkin juice. "I guess, but just in case, I think I'll look at it. I don't understand it." He said, scratching his head.
"Well, if she doesn't, we can just read it when we have to do our Pointer Pair exercise," she added. "Oh yeah, Hermione, I forgot about that. Could we start tomorrow, please? I mean, I have a lot to do tonight." "Sure," she said, putting the rest of her pumpkin juice down.
"Welcome, welcome!" Ms. Landor said, walking slowly back in forth in front of the class. "Today, we will begin 'Hamlet', by William Shakespeare." She smiled brightly. "If you haven't received one, I have a copy of the complete play for each of you. Who needs one?" she asked, looking around the room. Two long arms came up in the back.
"Ah, Severus and Remus." Ms. Landor walked to the back of the room and handed them each a copy of the play. "I am quite sure you'll make exquisite clowns..." she added walking slowly away. "Oh yeah, I'm real a cut-up." Snape said sarcastically.
"You know, Severus? I think perhaps your attitude could use a little adjustment." She said, after reaching her desk. "Would you please come to the front of the class?" "Excuse me?" Snape looked utterly mortified. "I am grown man. I do not have to sit here and listen to you treat me like a child!" Snape roared, standing up.
"This is madness, this is—" "My class, and you will obey my rules. Come here!" Harry saw Snape shaking with rage, so much in fact, that he walked slowly in restraint so as not to run and strangle Ms. Landor.
"Now Severus, perhaps you could give your best example of your part, the clown." Snape shook so furiously that his feet tapped on the floor. Ms. Landor handed him a scene from the play. "Now, begin."
Snape sighed, and looked at the paper. "Mine, sir. 'O, a pit of clay for to be made—'" "No! It says plainly on your paper—'Sings'. Act the part Severus, BE the part. BE the clown. Say it with me Severus, 'I'm a clown'. Come on, 'I'm a clown.'"
Snape looked around the room, and fixed his eyes on Harry. His nostrils flared, and his stared bored into Harry's eyes—ferociously. "I'm...a clown." He said.
"Again!" Ms. Landor said, enthusiastically. "Come on! Feeling! BE the clown!" "I'm a clown." He said again, looking at Remus now. "Again!" "I'm a clown."
Harry thought Snape looked as if he was going to cry. "I'm a clown.." "Now, you can sing the part!" she said. Snape shook his head. "I don't sing!" he snarled.
"Ok, Ok. Tomorrow." She said satisfied. "You may take your seat." The students roared with laughter, but quickly stopped when they spotted Snape's humiliated, angry face. "Good first day!" she said.
Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny left the class in laughter. "Did you see Snape? He was going to cry! That would have been SO funny." Ron said. Ginny giggled hard, and Hermione smiled a bit. "I hope he doesn't quit the play half-way through it," Hermione said, flipping through her book.
"It wouldn't surprise me if he did. He's no fun!" Ginny said. The group walked back to Gryffindor Tower, and waiting by the Portrait of the Fat Lady was Luna. "Ronald. You didn't come last night to the library—I waited for you." She said, a little creepily.
"I'm sorry Luna, I was really busy." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, please come today. We really need to do these exercises. We'll be as brilliant as Carl Kierkegaard, the famous auror that discovered the 4 eyes Canklebop." She said, walking away, pulling the Quibbler out of her pocket.
"She's odd, that one." Ron said, shaking her head.
"She's a really clever person, though." Ginny said to Ron.
When they entered the Common Room, all of the students were collaborating for the play. "Ginny—do you want to start now?" Neville asked her, pulling his bag off of his shoulder.
"Sure, let me put my books in my dorm." Ginny hurried off up the stairs, and Ron sat down near the window. "I don't want to do this! I have to be Rosenstern—"
"Rosencrantz!" Harry and Hermione said at that same time. "Oh yeah—see? I don't even know my character's name." Ron sighed and closed the curtains. "Well, if you don't practice, you're going to mess up the play!" Hermione scowled. "This is very important." She said.
"Yeah well, maybe if we do bad, they won't implement the plays for generations to come!" Ron said, staring at the wall. "Come on, Harry. We need to start." Hermione took Harry's arm and led him away. "Where are we going to do this? The—"
"The library is probably full." She sighed, walking out of the Common Room and into the hall way. "Let's go to the Quidditch pitch." Harry said. "Ok."
They walked out of the school and entered the pitch. It wasn't quite dark, but the sun was just beginning to set. Harry and Hermione made their way to the top of the Gryffindor stands and sat down.
"What are we supposed to do?" Harry asked, looking at his watch. "She said talk. I guess we can look at the play." Hermione pulled the play out of her bag and opened it to the first scene. "Let's see, your first lines aren't until scene two.." she said searching the pages. Harry wasn't listening; he kept thinking about Ginny.
"Do you know when the next Hogsmeade trip is?" he asked Hermione. "But my lines are in the first scene..." she said; she wasn't listening either. "Hermione! When is the next Hogsmeade trip?" he said, putting his hand on her papers. "Uh...I think next weekend." She said, pushing Harry's hand. She went back to the play while he sat there, and then she stopped.
"Did you have a good time with Ginny last week?" she asked all of a sudden. "Yeah..." Harry said dreamily. "Well that's good." She said. She put her papers away. "Did you have a good time with Ron?" he asked, half automatically. "Yes, it was nice." She said brusquely. Harry turned to her.
"He acted odd when we came back." He laughed. "It was like someone had put a spell on him." He said. "Yeah well, none of that was going on." She assured him. They both looked at the sun while it was setting, and Hermione sighed. "It's getting hard to read out here. Let's go back in." Harry said. She agreed and stood up. They walked back into the castle and back to Gryffindor tower.