Chapter Seven
Her Concert
Harry stared at his reflection in the mirror. He was in getting ready to go to River's concert. He couldn't believe that Jack had convinced his aunt and uncle to allow him to go to her concert. But he was beginning to regret it. The only pair of 'fancy' clothes he owned was the bottle-ink green robe he wore for the Yule ball in his forth year but he knew that Vernon and Petunia would blow their top if he walked out of the house in them.
He loosened his red tie with a coffee stain on the underside of it. The suit was one of Dudley's really old ones that was nearly high waters on him. He shook his head and pulled the suit off. He looked like an old gray elephant that lost too much weight. He pulled on his nicest pair of pants, which was a pair of black slacks and a collared shirt that he 'mysteriously' received through owl post. He just assumed that someone from the Order sent it to him or someone else who knew the kind of clothes he gets handed.
He had discovered that the fire that had burnt down Number two Privet Drive (luckily the family was gone for the summer) was actually Voldemort looking for him because of a letter Lupin had sent him but no one even responded to his question of: Should you take me out of here if that happened? It was merely ignored and that peeved him off and he wrote no more than two word sentences to the Order. "I'm alive."
He shook his head focusing at the task at hand, his attempt to find a suitable suit. He heard a flapping on the window and a hawk was pecking at the window, a package on its claw. He frowned and opened the window slowly and cautiously. Immediately the hawk flew in and landed on his desk. Hedwig hooed and her feathers ruffled up. He untied the rather large package and the moment the package was off the hawk took off into the setting sunlight.
He leaned out shocked to see someone on the corner with their arm extended and a large black hat. The person had a long black trench coat on and what he thought were black boots. The hawk landed and the person tipped their hat at him before walking around the corner disappearing.
Harry stared at the package for a moment and then little by little untied the package. He gasped when it fell open. A tailored black suit, as good as anything Dudley had, sat folded up with a sharp green tie, the same color as his eyes, attached around the white collared shirt. A note was rest onto the top of the suit. He lifted it up to read:
Thought you could use this.
He pulled the suit out when his uncle barged in. "WHAT WAS THAT THING DOING OUTSIDE YOUR WINDOW!" he thundered.
Harry looked at him. "What?"
"That, that hawk!"
"I don't know, I've never known anyone to deliver messages by hawk."
"What is that?" Vernon shoved him aside. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped open. "Who sent you this?"
"I, I don't know." He replied truthfully. "I don't recognize the—"
"Vernon is he dressed yet! We have to leave! It starts at eight!" Petunia called up the stairs.
Vernon grumbled something low. "Get dressed." He said slamming the door shut.
Harry stared at the suit momentarily and wondered who sent it. Who would know about it? He contemplated for a moment whether he should even wear the suit but the shouting of his aunt and uncle caused him to change into it. The suit fit as if it had been perfectly tailored for him. He ran a comb through his wild hair, knowing it wouldn't tame it. His uncle shouted his name up the stairs and he slid his wand quickly into his pocket before he left, shutting the light off as he went.
Dudley gaped at him when he hurried down the stairs, the shiny black shoes that came in the package forming to his feet like socks. "Where did he get that!" he whined pointing.
Petunia's heavily make-up'ed face looked sour like she was smelling something sour. "Vernon,"
"Just get out to the car, we'll be late." He griped opening the door.
Harry followed them out and slid next to Dudley into the car. He stared out the window as they drove towards London's Globe theatre, pensively. He was going over names in his mind, trying to figure out who was the person on the street corner was. He was certain that the person on the street corner sent it but he didn't know anyone who owned hawk.
The person was too small to be any one of the Weasleys, or come to think of it anyone I know. Maybe Hermione but I haven't spoken them very much. He thought to himself leaning against the window.
He didn't know how long it took to get there but he was in awe at how big the theatre was. He climbed out and was shoved along by his uncle towards where Mr. Jacobson was waving at them. Mr. Jacobson shook their hands, saying hello.
"Harry, nice suit. It looks good on you." Harry smiled his thanks, being pushed and jumbled around by surrounding people. "Come on, lets take our seats, I almost thought you guys weren't going to make it." Mr. Jacobson said handing the usher the tickets.
Harry followed them down towards the front rows. He felt people's eyes on him at every point. He reached for his wand, needing the smooth wood as a sign of protection. He sat down on the seat next to Mr. Jacobson and looked around, searching the crowd as River's father talked with Vernon and Petunia.
There was a girl with fiery red hair laughing and smiling at someone that looked similar to her. He felt a pang and longing for Ron and the other Weasleys, wishing he could talk with them. He looked away and saw a father bouncing a little girl with long brown hair on his lap talking with the girl's mother. There was a teenage girl flirting with a man that was nearly twenty years old. A girl with long blonde hair, reminded him slightly of Luna Lovegood, sat reading a magazine, a boy with matching hair color that reached his shoulders playing a Gameboy next to her.
The room was filled with happiness and life. A girl was giggling and chatting with an older man that looked a lot like the girl's father. A boy was bragging to his friends about something exaggerated. An old woman was holding the hand of an older gentleman and smiling. The sounds of joyful chatting filled the room, everyone talking over each other.
Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath in and looked the stage. He never felt so alone in such a large crowd. He spotted some movement by the curtain and had to smile. River was peeking out searching the crowd. Her soft brown eyes, lined with glitter and make-up, landed on him and a smile broke across her lips. He chuckled weakly at her as she gave head nod hello.
He nodded back at her when she looked back sharply and disappeared. He shook his head as the lights dimmed. An older gentleman walked onto stage holding a wireless microphone. Harry couldn't help but think back to the Quiddatch World Championship he went to with the Weasleys and the way they projected Ludo Bagman did his voice.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," The talking quieted down and they took their seats as the lights dimmed and a spot light shined on him. "My name is Robert Tealson and I'm here to start off this year's talented musicians from all around the country. This concert is dedicated to you, the audience, and is not contest. So lets give it up for this year's young musicians." The crowd applauded loudly.
"Now our first musician is very talented indeed being only ten years old. He loves baseball, guitar, painting, spending time with his family, but most of all he loves playing the drums in his band, Flying Tigers, give it up for Trent Parker and his band!"
The curtains pulled up and a small boy sat fidgeting at a drum set as another held a guitar. "Um, this is a song we wrote called Where are We Now, um, yeah, I'm Bill that's Trent on the drums." Said the boy with the guitar. "Oh," An Asian girl with black hair slid on with a xylophone. She straightened her black skirt and white shirt and flashed a bright smile. "That's Leah, she's on that xylophone thingie."
The boy stepped back and looked at Trent who tapped his sticks together. "One, two, one, two, three, four." The music started. Harry founded himself bobbing along with the up beat music when the boy on the guitar started singing.
"Where are we now? What can we look for? Where are we now? What can we hope for? Where are we now? Trapped in a world of pain. Where are we now? Trapped in a world of rains, and floods, and so much crying now. We are trapped in this world and no one can see how it's killing me! Yeah. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah."
The girl at the xylophone bobbed her head along and took her solo. "Where are we now? Who can we trust? Where are we now? Who can tell us the truth? We are, trapped in a world of pain, in world of everyone, and everything around me. We are not in a world of hope, we're in a world of pain. Where are we now? We have no way to cope with it now," She held the last note out long.
The drummer began to sing. "Where are we now? How can we love someone? Where are we now? How are we to know? The adults around us, tell us all to go, along with what they say. But we want to know why they say what they say and why should we try anyway! We just need to know: why should we! How could we! Just take a lie."
All three started singing. "What do we do? Trapped in this world." They hit the cords hard. "Who are we now? Caught up in all the lies," Another hard bang. "How can we live? In a world full of hate, and pain, that never goes away. In a world of violence, murders, rapes, and suicides. Where are we now?"
The girl on the xylophone suddenly had a solo. She hit the tones with such precision that Harry was surprised that she was the same age as the others. The girl was concentrating hard and hitting the keys. She was amazing. They all hit two keys hard for the last note.
The crowd screamed and applauded loudly. Harry was right along with them, being happier than he had been since the Ministry of Magic. They bowed and hurried off stage. "Give it up for Flying Tigers." Said 'Teals' coming back on. "Now, here is a girl that is blind girl from Cliffe Woods, England. She has won over two hundred national championship awards in piano and song. This amazing little girl is Paris Carter."
A girl no younger than fourteen was lead to a piano that was on the stage. She sat down and felt the keys, her brown fingers tracing the familiar bars and ivory. "M, my selection is actually one already written, it's from B, Beauty and the Beast the Broadway music, it's, it's called Home." She took a breath and began to sing.
Harry closed his eyes listening to the sound of her voice. He felt detached from himself, like he was watching far above, looking down at himself listening contently to the music. The music made him feel free, feel loved and wanted at the same time. He heard a cough and looked over towards Dudley. He was nodding off to sleep.
He sighed as Vernon shot him a glare. He glanced down. Such class and elegance was wasted on them. He was vaguely aware of others being lead onto the stage but he didn't pay attention any longer. The music sent him to a place he hadn't been in a long time. He wanted to cry and murder Bealtrixs. The anger and exhilaration filled him so much he clenched his fists together angrily.
He didn't know how long he sat like that but then something entered the air and he looked up sharply. River walked onto the stage. Her hair was curled into ringlets and pulled up from her face with only one long curl hanging down. She had on a black and royal purple Renaissance-style floor-length gown. Amethysts hung from her ears and a ruby hung off her neck. He spotted flashes of emerald and sapphire jewels on her wrists. She had spread pale pink gloss on her lips and a crown of silver vines on her head. She was beautiful.
"Hi, er, hello, I'm River Jacobson. I actually have two pieces I'm performing. The first is a song called A Place to Belong I've written myself the other is Why Did You Make Me Believe."
She sat down at the piano and closed her eyes beginning to play. "I sit here to watch and wait. The people walk by, never asking me why, I stare that way. A rock in left hand, crystal in my right. Drawing power from both ends, of my life. But they still walk by, never asking me why so that just shows me,"
She drew in a deep breath. "I am a fish without water, a bird without wings, just tryin' find a place to belong. I'm in land that knows English and I'm speaking French, being just as lost as I am. So I stare at the sky, just wondering why, I have no place to belong.
She did a short piano section before singing again. "I pass in school, bumped at the side, being hit like I'm not even there. At times I wonder, if I'm even there, passing by them too. Am I like that? Do I not see? Who's next to me? I fall down and get up, but they still walk by, never asking me why, so that just shows me:
"I am a fish without water, a bird without wings, just tryin' find a place to belong. I'm with people who lie, people who cry, never caring about me. So I just stare, at the sky, wondering why, I have no place to belong.
"Then I met him, on that busy street, slamming into him like most. We fell down and he got up, and that's how we met. His kind eyes loving me. And now, I am the fish, he is my water and strength. I'm the bird, he is my wings, and he is where I belong. Though I in the land he tells me what they say. When I'm with people who lie, he shows me the truth. When people cry, he shows me why and cares for me.
"I'll never forget how I used to be, dying as each day passed. I'll always remember how I used to be a fish without water, bird without wings, just tryin' find a place to belong. In a world with no plan but so many possibilities," she held out the last note loudly, her voice wavering, but on purpose not with nervousness. "Yeah and now I know who I am, and now I know who you are. My friend." The keys on the piano filled until she slowly faded off.
She turned out to face the audience smiling sweetly. Her eyes fell on Harry again, who was clapping loudly. Her smile widened before she hurried off the stage. She walked back on in a pure black gown, her hair was still up with the ringlets decorating it. The dress was a corset top with a silver and emerald green ribbon running through it. She turned around, her back to the audience in order to get the microphone, revealing that the dress had no back. The black outfit reveled her entire creamy white back.
"Hi," she clear her throat. "This song is sung accompanied by a piano skill I don't have so I'll sing it Acapulco and…well, there's nothing else really I can say to explain it. I never put any music to it because when I wrote it I was going through an extremely hard time…"
She looked out into the audience and smiled a rather sad smile at Harry, tears shinning in her eyes. "I scream, I cry, I live, I lie, each and everyday. You told me you'd be there for me. You told me I was everything, you told me you wouldn't leave me so why," she carried the sound of 'i' with an emotion and anyone could tell this song still effected her. "Why did you have to go? Why did you lie? Oh why did you bring me to the threshold, of happiness? Why did you steal my breath, my heart, my soul, and then break me down, break me down, oh break me down? Why did you, make me believe, that you, belonged to me?" The stage light caught a tear that trickled down her cheek.
"You gave me hope, strength and peace, feelings that were lost to me. You gave love, and made my life, a once upon a time. You were my love, my happiness. You were the one that brought me up, to heaven. So why," Another tear escaped her eye. "Why did you cry on me? Why did die on me? Oh why, why did you bring me up, oh bring me up to the very place of peace, if you would just leave me? Why did you make me believe, that you, belonged to me?" Harry felt his own tears pool over and fall down his cheeks at the song, the words making him think of Sirius slightly.
"You taught me love, hope and joy, you promised me you'd never leave, but here I am, right now, without you here with me. So I want to ask, ask you why…why did you have to die? Why did you have to lie? Oh why, why did you bring me up, bring me up to the very place, the very place I was home, and then just TAKE IT ALL AWAY! Why did you die on me? Why did you lie to me? Why did you make me love you, if you were leavin'? Why did you make me believe? I want you back, I need your love, I need your hope, your strength, your happiness. The peace you bring before the test, I just need you, yeah. But can't you tell me, why did you make me, believe?"
She held out the note and then ended. Many sniffles were heard in the audience before thunderous applause was heard. She curtsied, wiping her own tears from her face, smiling weakly. Harry couldn't help but stand up and cheer along with most of the audience. The song had made him cry but he liked it. When the crowd settled down the show went on.
Harry heard Dudley whisper—his version of whisper at least—how good she was as the show went on. A half-hour later into the show, Harry's eyes started drooping and Dudley had long since fallen asleep. The announcer looked nervous from his position on stage. "Um, I'm sorry, but we're having problems with one of our performers so the last performer on the ballet will be different. Give it up for River Jacobson,"
Harry sat up straighter. River half stumbled onto the stage. She looked nervous, her curls were coming out and her jewelry was taken off. She wore a large black sweater and black jeans. She winced and sat down. Harry almost laughed when he saw her shoes: the combat boots she always seemed to wear. She had flashes of looking angry at the announcer and then she looked at the audience.
She coughed nervously and cleared her throat. "Um, hi again. Well, this was sort of spur of the moment. Um, lets see, um, I'll sing another song I wrote. It's called Shattered Individual, I didn't really get a chance to write music to it so, yeah, here it goes."
She swallowed hard and brought the microphone to her lips. "Have you ever felt that special pain, That everyone around you seems to bring, The look you get when your different, The words you hear when you are not the same, It's unacceptable that your not like them, Stripping you of your dignity and your name, Have you ever felt so ugly, That you need to sit and cry, Have you ever felt so lonely, That you think your really dead inside, Have you ever felt so hated, That you cut yourself alone, And when the day is done, There's nowhere to call home."
She brushed her hair out of her face, her eyes trained on the back wall. "There's never any room, for someone just like me, The plastic dolls have taken all the air to breathe, I'm so different, everyone is scared of me, Just another bloodstain, On everyone's so perfect society." She closed her eyes and continued. "Have you ever felt so dragged down, You feel as though your friends want you to drown, Have you ever felt so strung up, By the noose of those around you, Have you ever felt so unloved, You don't know what else to do, It's what's on the inside that counts, That's what they say, is that what they mean, A cover for something else, Another stab, to make your heart bleed, No one knows how you feel, Because everyone's wants to be the same, If your not perfect, your not real, And your feelings are just another game."
When she opened her eyes, Harry saw a hardness in her that didn't fit River's soft, bubbly personality. "Can we make it to tomorrow, Can we survive the night, Is what your feeling, the beginning of sorrow, Or are you trapped inside another lie, Can you turn a frown into a smile, When everyone thinks your a disease, Is there a cure for how you feel? Or is this the oblivion, Everyone forces you to see…"
The crowd cheered as she stood and bowed. Jack touched Harry's arm as the curtains closed. "Come on. We can catch her around the side before the crowd floods the area." He said before following Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley out. Harry was in shock. River was a wonderful singer, an exquisite piano play, and beautiful girl, the question that nagged at him for a while. How the heck did she end up with Dudley?