Practice
The Yule Ball is fast approaching and we need a band to play that night. Auditions will be on Saturday in the Great Hall after dinner. Hurry!
Hermione could hardly contain her excitement as she read the sign posted in the common room. This was the perfect opportunity to impress Ron. After nearly crushing a couple of Ravenclaw first years she ran into the Great Hall and put her name down on the clipboard without realizing that she could not perform at the Yule Ball alone. "Just a minor setback" she thought to herself.
"Ginny do you think you could help me with something? It's really important." Hermione asked when she entered the nearly empty common room after dinner.
"What is it?" Ginny asked as she set down her magazine.
"Well, I learned how to play guitar so I could play in the Yule Ball, but I don't think I could handle being onstage alone....."
"Say no more," Ginny interrupted "I'd love to. I learned how to play bass years ago, but no one wants me in their band because I'm a year younger than most of the Gryffindors."
Hermione felt as if a huge weight was lifted from her chest. "I was thinking of asking Lavender to play drums. Is that alright with you?" Ginny nodded. "Do you know anyone who can do back-up vocals and back-up guitar?"
"Yeah... Parvati, she did karaoke with her guitar at the party I had this summer," Ginny replied with a smirk "She's such a showoff!"
Hermione sent notes out to Parvati and Lavender telling them to meet her and Ginny in the Room of Requirement at 8 'o' clock, and to bring their instruments. "I really hope they come," she muttered as she paced around the new and much larger Room of Requirement (fit for four people).
"Did you all bring your instruments," she questioned when they had all arrived.
"Yes, but why?" Lavender asked as she looked around the room.
"I was thinking about starting a band and playing at the Yule Ball, and since I don't have eight hands I was wondering if you'd like to help," Hermione announced strongly even though she was scared inside.
"I'm in." Ginny said to the others as she got up and stood next to Hermione.
"Well, I guess it would be fun. Plus there's no other place I can drum, it's not a very common wizard instrument." Lavender said with a sigh. They were now all looking at Parvati.
"I can't, I'm already signed up to play solo." Parvati replied reluctantly. Hermione felt her heart sink into her stomach, all her work for nothing. They needed a back-up guitarist and more importantly a back-up singer.
"Please Parvati; no one else can play as well as you can!" Hermione pleaded.
"I can't. I've been practicing for weeks!" she shouted.
"If I tell you why I need to be in the Yule Ball will you help us?"
"Maybe,"
"Okay, here goes nothing... I have a crush on Ron and I think he likes me back, but he won't say how he feels, and this whole thing is a setup to impress him so he will realize he likes me as much as I know he does and actually admit it," Hermione said hurriedly.
"Wow," Ginny blurted, obviously stunned "You never told me you liked him!"
"Please Parvati; this is my last chance!" Hermione begged.
"Okay, but only because I feel sorry for you," Parvati joshed.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! Oh, by the way you better not tell him or Harry anything I just said. I'm serious!" she demanded.
"Deal," they all said in unison.
They took out heir instruments and set up. Parvati had a cherry-colored guitar that was slightly larger than Hermione's. Ginny's bass was aquamarine with pearly white flames climbing up from the base. Lavender had a classic black set of drums with various band stickers on them. "Were going to look great on stage," Hermione thought.
"Do you have any songs written?" Lavender asked after tapping her drums and saying "sonorus" (the sound enhancing spell).
"A couple and I have most of the music for them too. Do you want to hear one?" she asked politely.
"Sure," Ginny said.
"Alright," she said as she strapped her guitar on and cleared her throat "Fall with you I fall too fast, I can hardly catch my breath I hope it lasts. Oh, I feel like I can finally rest my head on something real, I like the way that feels. Oh, it's as if you know me better than I ever knew myself...Pieces, Pieces, Pieces of me...How do you know everything I'm about to say? Am I that obvious? As if it's written on my face, I hope it never goes away...Pieces, Pieces, Pieces of me." She took of her guitar and set down her pick. "You guys of course would back me up with the drums, bass, and guitar. So how was it?"
"That was incredible! Did you write that song yourself?" Ginny questioned.
"Yeah, I have a lot of free time during the summer," she replied.
"That was really great, but at the end are we going to shout "This is for you Ronald Weasley! I love you!?" Parvati groaned as she acted like she was going to be sick.
"NO!" Hermione and Ginny shouted at the same time causing everyone to laugh. They practiced in the Room of Requirement every other day until they could play all Hermione's songs and even a couple they had all written together. Auditions were in a week, could they do it?