Chapter Thirty-four: To be a Troubadour
Sirius Black was very pleased with how yesterday had turned out. He had tiptoed out as soon as the graduation ceremony had properly commenced, and turned up in a bar in Muggle London. He rather regretted not saying a proper goodbye to Lummy, but she seemed desperate to start her auditions with the circus or whatever she was part of, and he was determined not to stand in her way. He had just walked into an Irish-owned bar, where he saw a sign on the notice board.
"The Feedback (the winner of the recent St. Patrick's Day Contest in Limerick) is holding auditions for those who aspire to be traveling musicians. All instruments are welcome. To audition – please arrive before the seventh in Dublin and enquire at the Four Leafed Clover Tavern." (1)
It was just the thing that Sirius had been looking for – a band who wished for his assistance. There was just one problem – Sirius didn't actually play an instrument. He spent the rest of the time in the bar thinking of different instruments he could play and downing shot glasses full of vodka. It was rather disappointing that muggle liquor was not at the same level as proper firewhisky. He had just swallowed his seventh glass when the barman refused to give him anymore.
"I don't want to be responsible for what happens, sir."
Sirius thought that this was a bit rich, especially since they hadn't even realized that he was only seventeen. However, the buzz he had gotten enabled him to think of a proper instrument on the way back to his luxurious apartment. It was a keyboard-guitar. Instead of strings at the top, there would be an electric synthesizer. Two instruments in one – imagine!
He fell asleep sprawled on an armchair, his hands clutching a sketch of a key-guitar.
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Luhrmalleen Delaware was very annoyed. Three different circus companies had declined her request to be a knife thrower. It was a most obnoxious idea that sweet blonde girls were not capable of wielding knives and throwing them at startling speeds. It was really gender discrimination at its worst. She thought for a moment, and decided that no one would get the better of Luhrmalleen Delaware. And then she did a most extraordinary thing – she Apparated to Montreal.
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Lillian Evans had just submitted her application to be a Healer at St. Mungo's. Dumbledore and Professors Flitwick and Slughorn had agreed to write recommendations for her. She had pored over her essays, and now there it was the time to wait. She had met Ashley Turpin at her new job in the Ministry when she was passing through there to pick up the proper paperwork. That Ashley was really a delightful girl, a bit conceited, but delightful nonetheless. Lily smiled, no wonder Sirius dated her.
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Harold Delaware had become a lobbyist for Supporters of Dangerous Creatures (SDC). Her transfiguration powers were much sought after, especially from the capacity of their clients to inflict horrific amounts of harm on their employees. She had been sent on her first mission without any training, since, as the kind witch had stated,
"Most of our victims…er…employees, receive their training on the job."
So here she was, back at Hogwarts, knocking on Hagrid's door.
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Gerald Afbetoqui had visions that were becoming more and more frequent. He thought that he ought to speak to Dumbledore, but he could not even decipher what they meant. One moment, he saw a flash of blinding green light, and the next; he saw a happy family in a rural town. Were there two realities, or were they the same reality – only distantly related?
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Remus Lupin and Sasha Tsukino were holidaying in San Diego while James was in Northern California, handling the pressures of being Sirius' agent. Sasha had applied to be in the Control of Magical Creatures Department before she had left, and Remus had reacted in a surprising manner. He was happy with his position in the Muggle World, especially since they were not aware of his condition.
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So here Sirius was, lounging in Dublin, sipping a tankard of ale. It really was something out of a Muggle fairy-tale, although perhaps a leprechaun instead of a wizard. But, Sirius mused, who was checking? The barman here was not named Tom, but Brendan O'Malley, which, if Sirius bothered to think about it, was a rather curious name for a barman. Nevertheless, since he too did not bother to check Sirius' ID (or rather, James' identification) and continued handing him tankards of alcohol, it did not trouble Sirius Black.
He had just put down his fourth tankard, and began to play his new instrument absentmindedly when a shaggy-haired man walked up. Sirius had cleverly charmed his instrument to sound absolutely fantastic when he played it, for as ashamed as he was to admit it, Sirius was no musician. However, he felt that his rock-star persona and shocking moves more than made up for his lack of real talent.
"Are you James Potter, mate?"
"Unless he's being arrested, yes," quipped Sirius, leaning so that he almost fell off the bar stool.
The shaggy haired man smiled. He was young, about Sirius' age, with dark brown hair that fell past his ears. He had dark, inquisitive eyes that seemed to stare into Sirius' sapphire blue ones.
"Not that, he's getting an audition though. I'm Paul Hewson, frontman of the group you'll be traveling with – the Feedback."
"Fantastic. Why are you looking for another musician?" asked Sirius, giving Paul a piercing stare.
"Oh – one of our guys, Dik Evans, skived off on the band before our gig in March, and it's not the same without him," explained Paul. Sirius quirked an eyebrow at the surname "Evans", but otherwise nodded as if he understood. Another man, sporting a shorter haircut and donning glasses walked in, patted Paul on the back, and ordered a tankard from the barman.
"I'm Dave, if you're wondering, James Potter," began the new guy. Paul smiled at him, and added –
"Yes, Dave Evans, our fantastic guitarist."
"Another Evans?" asked Sirius inadvertently. Dave immediately stood up more defensively –
"You've got something against us, mate?"
"Nah, my best friend's girlfriend's name is Lillian Evans."
"Maybe we're distant cousins," said Dave, thoughtfully. Paul, once again, playing the part of the leader –
"Now then, are we going to chit-chat about Dave's familia, or is James going to play for us?"
Sirius immediately reached for his key-tar, and Dave looked at it interestedly.
"That instrument hasn't been invented yet."
"Well, I dabble in the electronic as well as the musical," replied Sirius rather mysteriously.
He immediately launched into a pitch-perfect rendition of Just What I Needed (2), which was a touch too much pop for his taste, so Sirius added a new guitar riff to spice it up a bit. He transitioned smoothly from the seventies American kitsch into the more classic Tainted Love (3). By the time he had finished, both Paul and Dave were staring at him wonderingly.
"That was bloody brilliant."
"Tour with us, love," added Dave. Both Paul and Sirius were shocked by Dave's rather uncharacteristic statement, but otherwise, Sirius was superbly pleased.
He was on his way to becoming a traveling musician.
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(1) This portion parallels the beginning of one of the most famous British bands worldwide, with some small alterations to fit the fan-fiction. Can anyone guess which band?
(2) The Cars
(3) The Ramones