Chapter Eleven

A Brave Hufflepuff!

Draco stormed back to his seat. He flopped down into the olive-colored fabric, the meanest Malfoy Sneer plastered on his face. He felt a hand on his shoulder. His head whipped to the side and he was suddenly staring into the emerald eyes of Harry. The look darkened, and Draco shrugged the hand off violently. "What the fuck do you want?"

Harry winced at the sharp question, but pushed past it. "You look like you could kill Parkinson and Bulstrode. Are you alright?"

Draco raised an eyebrow. "And you care because…?"

"Because I'm already stuck sitting next to you all bloody night. I don't want to deal with you while you're cranky, too," said Harry.

Draco's eyes narrowed. "I'm fine. If I just get comfortable…" Draco turned, and leaned back against the arm of the loveseat. He brought his feet up and plopped them on Harry's lap. As he crossed his legs at the ankle, he smirked. "There. I'm feeling better already."

Harry tried to look pissed off. But having any part of Draco touching him was a bit overwhelming. "Oh, and you expect me to let you use me as a bloody foot stool?"

Draco looked thoughtful for a moment. "Yes, I believe I do," he said finally.

Harry glared at the blonde. "I suppose I'm not going to say anything that will change your mind."

Draco smirked again and shook his head. "Nope."

Harry sighed in defeat. "Fine. As long as you're not bitching at me for the rest of the night."

"I'm not making any promises." Draco placed his hands behind his head, looking very relaxed.

"I won't believe any of them anyway." Harry settled himself under Draco's legs. If they were going to be like for the rest of the show, he might as well be comfy too. He looked up at the stage.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Seamus mounted the stage again. He grinned at the audience and said, "Ladies and gents, it is my pleasure to introduce to you the only Hufflepuff with enough Gryffindor blood in him to perform. Put your hands together for Mister Justin Finch-Fletchley!" Seamus started off the stage, meeting Justin at the bottom of the steps. Seamus gave Justin a friendly pat on the back. "Good luck," he said quietly.

"Thanks," said Justin, his voice wavering slightly.

Justin stood at center stage and stared at the audience. His hands were shaking visibly as he raised them. He clapped once. And the costume change that resulted made everyone's jaws drop.

The Hufflepuff was now standing onstage wearing a white wife-beater-type shirt under a tight, tailored leather jacket. On his legs, it looked like the leather was painted on. They were that tight. Halfway down his calves, the pants got slightly looser. This made room for the black, dragon-hide boots covering his feet. On the boy's head was a bright yellow and black bandana folded and tied at the back of his head like a do-rag. In short, the shy boy that was standing onstage now looked hot.

Once the audience members recovered from this shocking sight, many started whooping in glee and appreciation, Justin's housemates making the most noise. This seemed to boost the boy's confidence and he smiled.

Justin clapped again and a guitar appeared in his hands. Everyone gasped and the Hufflepuffs cheered even louder. He opened his jacket, making many of the girls squeal, and drew his wand. He threw the strap of the guitar over his head and settled it in his left hand comfortably. Then with his right hand, he waved the wand above his head. He put his wand away, and grinned slyly at the crowd. He waited a second as a drum beat sounded. Then he was strumming out a heavy guitar riff. A second later, he started singing.

"I saw her dancing here in the Great Hall!

I knew she must have come alone to the ball.

I had to take a chance,

And ask that girl to dance."

Justin grinned, swaying his hips back and forth as he played and sang.

"I could tell that girl from France would be with me."

The voices of an invisible chorus came out of nowhere and yelled.

"Yeah me!"

Justin repeated the last line he'd sung.

"I could tell that girl from France would be with me."

The chorus echoed their former statement.

"Yeah me!"

Justin grinned and sang again.

"Singin' I love rock 'n roll!

So let's go ask the band to play it louder!

I love rock 'n roll!

So come on, take the time and dance with me!"

Justin grinned. The crowd was really getting into the song.

"She smiled, so I got up and asked for her name.

'That don't matter,' she said. ' 'Cause it's all the same.'

She said, 'Let's go outside.

Yeah, let's be alone tonight.'

And next we were movin' on, and she was with me."

Justin grinned as not only his invisible back-up singers, but his housemates in the audience as well, yelled along with him.

"Yeah me!"

Justin sang the next line by himself, only to be sung with by his housemates for the echo.

"And next we were movin' on, and she was with me."

"Yeah me!"

Justin was beaming, and he started singing the chorus again.

"Singin' I love rock 'n roll!

So let's go ask the band to play it louder!

I love rock 'n roll!

So come on, take the time and dance with me!"

Justin grinned broadly and started with a solo on his guitar. His housemates, as well as quite a few of the other girls in the audience, started whooping and squealing. The boys in the audience were even cheering him on. Then he started singing again.

"She said 'let's go outside,

Yeah, let's be alone tonight.'

Next we were movin' on, and she was with me.

This time, Justin and the Hufflepuffs were joined by a few others from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor.

"Yeah me!"

This boosted Justin's spirits even more and he sang.

"Yeah, we'll be movin' on and singin' that same ol' song!"

The crowd sang along again.

"Yeah with me!"

Justin sang one word, and then the invisible back-up singers sang the chorus of the song over and over.

"Singin' I love rock 'n roll!

So let's go ask the band to play it louder!

I love rock 'n roll!

So come on, take the time and dance with me!"

After the second time through, the crowd joined in, as did Justin. He grinned and played the underlying guitar riff. Near the end of the fifth time through the chorus, he signaled that he was going to end the song, and the audience stopped right with him. Then they erupted in whoops and cheers. Justin was grinning like crazy still, and he snapped once. His guitar disappeared and a rob appeared draped over his arm instead. He slipped his arms into the sleeves and drew the robe over his shoulders. He stepped down off the stage and walked back to his seat. All the way there, he was getting hearty pats on the back. Several girls asked him if he would spend time with them next time there was a scheduled Hogsmeade weekend. Justin just grinned, shrugged and finally plopped into his seat next to a beaming Ernie Macmillan.

~*~TBC~*~