A/N: Hi, and thank you for clicking on our story! We don't want to keep you from reading for too long, so we'll make this quick. Listen to My Fairy King by Queen when it comes up (you'll get it once you get there)! And if you're not a fan of long quotes of song lyrics (which, totally fair), please bare with us. It all goes away once you get to the third chapter.
Thanks again for choosing to read Peace in Pandemonium!
"Going out again?" Ahalya Mitran sniffed, her tone laced with disapproval.
Netra Mitran dressed casually rather than in her house robes, gave her mother an apologetic glance. "Preethika wanted to go to the library at Diagon again."
"You won't be able to go there next week—we're having guests over," her mother said as Netra adjusted her bag and walked over to the fireplace.
"I'll make sure to finish my essays by then," Netra said.
She looked back, saw her mother's responding nod, and took that as an invitation to Floo away.
Throwing the green powder in the fireplace, she said, "Diagon Alley!"
Netra stepped out of the fireplace with the grace of someone who had done so since birth, which she had. Once she had made sure that no one was going to come over to use the fireplace, she took off her robe, revealing the muggle clothes her neighbour had given her for her birthday. Netra folded the robe carefully and placed it inside her handbag, which also contained her keyboard, its stand, a speaker and a pot of Floo powder she had Owl Ordered at Hogwarts. Undetectable Extension Charms were useful.
"Platform Nine and Three-Quarters!" Netra exclaimed, throwing her Floo Powder into the fireplace again.
No, she didn't go through all of this trouble just to go to school. There was still a week and a day before she had to go back to Hogwarts, and in any case, her parents would bring her to King's Cross station themselves. Meeting up with her muggle neighbour to go busking, however,was something that they wouldn't condone. Willow Wood's parents felt much the same, though she was certain they didn't know about her magical abilities. He didn't, anyway.
It was because of this that they decided to busk by King's Cross rather than by their neighbourhood, as well asthe reason they chose to only do it during the last full week of their summer holiday. Willow and Netra first met during the summer after her second year at Hogwarts, and they'd been busking together since the summer after her third. She hoped that this tradition of theirs would go on for as long as they stayed in touch because while it started as a way for Willow to earn money for his cat's surgery, they had continued just for the fun of it.
Netra was startled out of her thoughts by Willow's butchering of her last name.
"Alright, Mitran?"
"Hey, Will!" she exclaimed, running up to him, albeit rather slowly than she usually would. Carrying a cumbersome keyboard with its stand and speaker tended to make running hard. "And for the last time, you say it like 'mitten' but with a 'thr' sound instead!"
Willow groaned, "I thought I got it for sure this time!"
Netra laughed as she set up her keyboard, thanking Merlin for the millionth time that Willow's parents got him battery-powered microphones. It would be so much easier if she could cast a Sonorus on the two of them and his guitar (her keyboard was battery-powered and charms hatedelectrical things apparently, so the speaker was unavoidable) but he was a muggle. The Statute of Secrecy was such a pain to maintain.
"Don't worry, you still say 'Netra' better than any other white person I know," she grinned.
"Of course I do," Willow agreed happily, setting up the mic stands.
"You've got a copy of our schedule for today?" Netra asked, plugging in her keyboard to the speaker.
This was the second time she'd done it herself; she wasn't used to most muggle pieces of technology. Willow found it funny that she couldn't figure out where the keyboard's wire should go. Netra was just grateful that when she met Willow for the first time, she knew enough about muggles to get by (perks of having three blood-traitors in her dorm willing to hear Evans go on and on about how Muggles weren't as behind as Wizarding society assumed). After that, she had rushed to the library by her home and sat there for hours on end reading about things she assumed were general knowledge.
Willow was the type of person that drew in other people, and his love for music was something she only ever found in the Frog Choir. She wanted to get to know him, and so she did. She didn't regret a thing.
"Here!" the boy grinned, handing her a piece of paper.
Netra took it and read the contents. On the paper was a list of what songs they would be performing, what key each was in as well as what instruments they would be playing for each.
"Organized as always," Netra chuckled, making Willow beam.
"You know me!" he replied enthusiastically.
Netra smiled fondly at his response. Willow really was the most organized person she knew.
Looking over the list he handed her, Netra raised an eyebrow. "I know I said I wanted us to start the week off strong, but these are the hardest songs we've learned! And not a single one of them is by us!"
Willow gave her a sheepish smile, "If we draw the audience in today, we'll have them hooked for the week!"
"You're crazy. We might not be able to sing for the rest of the week."
"... We can switch some out if you want, I guess."
"Nah, you're being crazy and I'm all for it," Netra said cheerfully. "We're gonna dazzle the crowd, then go home, drink tea with honey and not speak for the rest of the day. And if we still sound terrible tomorrow, they'll be too awe-struck to know."
Willow positively radiated happiness, "We're going to risk our voices for a good show and we're going to love it, aren't we?"
"Yes! But we aren't stupid so let's warm up."
✧༺ ༻∞
After about fifteen minutes, Netra and Willow felt completely ready to perform and a small crowd had already gathered after hearing their warm-ups.
Netra was especially excited because they were starting the first day with songs from Queen's debut album. She had been a huge Queen fan since its debut in 1973 and had secretly gone to many of their concerts with Willow over the past 3 years.
"Let's do this," Netra whispered and smiled at her friend in anticipation.
Willow gave her a shaky grin, a glint of excitement in his eyes. Netra took that as her cue and began to play the starting chords to My Fairy King with Willow. It took the two of them a month to figure out the notes to it and make the acoustic guitar work, but it was worth every second. They had also forgone the high-pitched screaming in the intro, figuring that waiting until the middle of the song would give them both enough confidence and would make it seem more powerful.
"In the land where horses born with eagle wings, and honey bees have lost their stings, there's singing," Willow began softly, pausing for a dramatic effect before continuing. "Forever!"
"Ooh yeah!" Netra joined in, quieter than Willow had been as her line would continue into Willow's next.
"Lion's den with fallow deer and rivers made from wine so clear, flow on and on forever!" Willow continued, getting louder as the piano slowly faded into the background.
"Dragons fly like sparrows through the air, and baby lambs where Sampson dares."
"To go on, on, on, on, on..." Willow and Netra harmonized, their voices slowly tapering out as the instruments took over.
The two shared a grin. The chorus is where things got interesting because they both sang different lyrics at the same time.
"My fairy king ("he rules the air") can see things ("and turns the tides") that are not there for you and me ("ooh yeah"). My fairy king ("he guides the winds...") he can do right and nothing wrong." Willow's voice was constantly interrupted by Netra's, who faded in and out, creating an almost ethereal feel to the song.
"Aaah ahh!" Willow sang the high-pitched scream.
Netra grinned; this was her cue to pick up the pace with her keyboard playing, and it also marked where she now had the main part to sing.
"Then came man to savage in the night, to run like thieves and to kill like knives. To take away the power from the magic hand, to bring about the ruin to the promised land."
"Ooh..." Willow and Netra harmonized together again, and the music became even more upbeat.
"They turn the milk into sour like the blue in the blood of my veins," sang Willow, taking over the melody.
"Why can't you see it?" Netra whispered into the microphone, her line continuing even as Willow began his next.
"Fire burning in hell with the cry of screaming pain."
"Son of heaven set me free and let me go-!"
"Sea turn dry, no salt from sand. Seasons fly, no helping hand. Teeth don't shine like pearls for poor man's eyes!"
Netra and Willow began to play their instruments faster and faster, but just as suddenly, they slowed down to match the theme of the next part of the song.
"Someone... Someone..." Netra crooned. "Has drained the colour from my wings, broken my fairy circle ring, and shamed the king in all his pride, changed the winds and wronged the tides. Mother Mercury ("Mercury-")," Willow joined in. "Look what they've done to me. I cannot run I cannot hide-" Willow and Netra sang the last note together, harmonizing.
There was yet another musical interlude, but this was the last, so Netra and Willow gave it their all. They played their instruments with all their might, softly and slowly at first, then loud and fast, then calmed it down once again.
Their last chord rang in the streets for two seconds, creating a goosebump moment for all before the claps of the crowd took over. Netra and Willow shot each other triumphant grins as members of their audience put coins in the cup they had placed in front of themselves. A few of their spectators left to continue with their day, but many of them stayed. It was with an addictive sort of happiness that the two teens only felt while in the spotlight that they began singing their next song, The Night Comes Down.