Author's Notes
Note 1: I used the characters regular names instead of fake play names, with one exception. It's less confusing this way.
Note 2: This is written in play fashion, but it is not Harry's script. It is an account of what is happening on stage.
Note 3: In shadow- the audience can still see what is going on on these parts of the stage.
Note 4: Sorry for all the notes. I hate when authors go on forever before a chapter. Now I'm doing it.
Parents arrived at Hogwarts, both the muggle and magical variety. Tonight marked the first theatrical production by the students of Hogwarts.
A large, vacant room of the castle had been modified into an auditorium. The seats filled as the crowd buzzed with murmurs of greetings and comments on what they were about to view.
Professor Metrobius, the head of the Art Department, walked out on stage. "Welcome. We hope you enjoy tonight's performance of The Night Death Fell."
Words appear in the air:
The Night Death Fell
By Jim Asterro Patherson
Center Stage: A single flickering flame tops a candle on a cake. A puff of air and the flame flicks out. Lights come up.
Narrator: Two mothers chat on a bench as their children build sandcastles and knock them down. Though the sun is bright, the chat is dark. (Foreboding music plays.) The other children zipping down slides and spinning on merry-go-rounds will return tomorrow and everyday following. But the two boys squeezing sand in their hands won't be in the sunshine for many a moon. A war brews, and though all are at risk, some have become a target. Why slay a child not yet two? The mothers have no answer for this, but they will each hide there child and pray it is enough.
Stage Left is in shadow: Four boys stand, arms slung around each other. (Fred, Lee, Harry and Ron).
Stage Right is in shadow: Hermione Granger is brewing a potion. The recipe for veritaserum is on the chalkboard behind her.
Harry exits stage left and enters center stage. One of the boys in the sandbox calls out.
Child: Daddy!
Harry walks over and lifts the child into his arms.
Harry: Hey squirt!
The curtain falls. When it rises the entire stage is in shadow.
Stage right: Hermione continues to brew. Snape enters now and then and scowls or glares, but makes no comment.
Stage Left: Lee is sitting at a late night cafe with a very pale, but beautiful woman (Daphnee Greengrass).
Center stage: It appears Fred, Ron and Harry are about to have a conversation in Harry's living room.
The lights rise on center stage.
Harry: I need my home hidden. He is planning on killing my son. Fred, would you be the secret keeper?
Fred: I have a better idea than that mate. Let's prank everyone. We'll put the word out that I'm the secret keeper, but Ron here will be the real one to cast the spell. They'll never expect it was all a ruse.
Ron: It's odd not having Lee here.
Harry (frowning): I don't trust him. Something's up with him. He's been sneaking around, avoiding telling us where he's off to. I'm worried he's joined the Death Eaters.
The lights fade on center stage as the men continue their discussion and proceed with casting the Fidelius charm.
The lights rise on stage left.
Lee: You look so beautiful tonight.
Woman: Darling, I'm beautiful every night.
Lee: Do you know how hard it is for me not to brag to my friends, to show you off?
Woman (sad smile): Most people lose interest in my beauty when they spot my fangs.
Lee: My friends aren't prejudice. They'll trust you.
Woman: During a war? They'll believe that a vampire isn't fighting for Him?
Lee: But you're not. You've never believed in that superiority bunk.
Woman: It's not my beliefs that are in question, Lee. Most people refuse to take the time to see past appearances. They believe everyone from a particular group to be identical in their thoughts and actions. That's why there are wars.
Lee: Yeah, but it still sucks that I can't brag about what a great girlfriend I have.
The curtain falls. Up to no good music plays in the background. Ron sneaks across the stage. Halfway across he seems to have transformed into a cat (actor cancels the disillusiment charm on the cat and puts one on himself to make it appear he is an animagus). The cat (Crookshanks) continues to sneak across the stage. The curtain rises and we see the cat approach an evil wizard (Draco). The cat transforms back into a man (switch who is disillusioned).
Ron: Master, I have discovered the boy's location.
Dark Lord (smirks): You have done well. Continue to be useful and you will survive this war. Those that serve me well will be rewarded.
The stage goes dark. One by one, the glowing faces of Jack-o-lanterns come to life throughout the room. Halloween music plays.
A child crosses the stage in a pirate costume, knocks on a door and chirps, "Trick-or-Treat!"
A spell blows the child away from the door and the Dark Lord exits the house and moves to the "hidden" one next door.
A spell blast away the door and the Dark Lord enters. Green sparks fly from his wand and moments later Harry lays dead on the floor. Voldemort continues to the nursery.
Luna: Please. Don't.
Dark Lord: Step aside.
Luna: No. Please don't. He's just a...
Luna tumbles to the ground as green sparks again leave the Dark Lord's wand.
The baby cries out: Mum? Mum? Mummy?! Da! Mum! (child cries)
Then a third time, green sparks fly from the wand. A barrier seems to be in front of the crib and the sparks fly back hitting the Dark Lord and the roof of the house. The nearby walls and roof explode. The Dark Lord's body crumbles to ash and his robes and wand lay on the ground (Draco disillusions himself, and makes the ash, robes and wand appear.)
A ghost like figure rises from the ash (Draco appears translucent; someone off stage levitates him). The cat (Crookshanks/Ron) looks up at the spirit.
The Dark Lord's spirit glares at the crying child then speaks to the cat: Let them see my things, let them think I'm gone. Once they've seen them take them and hide them someplace safe. One day I'll find a way to regain my body and you will help me. They have no idea what I've done to stay alive, no one does.
The cat morphs into a man (Ron): Yes, master. I'll see to it master.
The man morphs back into the cat and hides.
Fred arrives and collapses by his dead friend and begins to weep. The baby's cries reach his ears and he races to the nursery and lifts the baby from the crib.
Fred (voice cracking as he speaks): Shh, Shh. It's going to be alright.
Another man arrives ("Hagrid" is played by Goyle): Let me 'ave him, I'll take him to a safe place.
Fred passes the baby over to Goyle.
Fred: I'm going to kill him. (Fred "apparates" disillusions himself).
Goyle leaves with the baby. The cat comes out of its hiding place, morphs into a man and gathers the Dark Lord's wand and robes, then he too vanishes.
The curtain drops. Fred dashes on stage. Halfway across he transforms into a large black dog (Fred is disillusioned and cancels the disillusionment spell on the dog). The dog sniffs at the ground and continues across the stage. The cat sneaks across the stage. Then the dog barks and chases the cat. The cat morphs back into Ron and he disapperates (vanishes).
The curtain rises. Hermione places the last ingredient in the cauldron then proceeds to put the spare ingredients away while the potion brews.
The light rises on center stage. Rock music thrums from the doorway of a bar. Drunks dressed as super heroes and villains tumble out of the door. Amongst them hides a red head. The dog runs on stage and "morphs" back into Fred, wand pointed at Ron.
Ron: Murderer! He killed the Potters. He has a grenade!
Ron twirled his wand first shielding himself then causing a giant explosion. BANG! Debris flew every where. When the dust cleared the bodies of the party goers lay dead and bleeding and a cat's tale swished out of sight.
Fred: No!
Fred collapses on the ground and manically begins to simultaneously laugh and cry.
Fred: It's my fault. It's all my fault.
Aurors arrive and arrest Fred.
Chief Auror: Take him to Azkaban.
Fred is hauled off stage and pass the Dementors (moving painting of Dementors) and disappears into a castle on an island.
The curtain falls once more. Scene takes place in front of the curtain.
Little girl: Mum, a cat! Can I keep him?
Mother: I'm not sure dear. Pets are a big responsibility.
Little girl: Please, Mum.
Mother: Well, I suppose.
The girl picks up the cat and exits the stage.
The handle on a clock spins rapidly.
An older version of the girl enters the stage with her cat in her arms.
Girl: Mum! Mum! We won the pet contest. Our picture is going to be in the paper!
Mother: That's wonderful dear.
The light dims on the mother and daughter and rises on a jail cell. Fred, dressed in prison clothes flips through The Daily Profit.
Narrator: Reading material is a rare treat in Azkaban. In fact, this is the first paper Fred has read in several years.
Fred's eyes narrow, then grow in alarm.
Fred: So, my brother is still alive. Well he won't be for long. He won't get another chance to threaten my godchild.
Fred "morphed" into the dog, squeezes through the bars and leaves the island.
...
Off stage, amongst the audience, George and Dobby prepared the pranks requested by Harry. All audience members were about to become mute and glued to their seats, and their feet glued to the floor. Dobby brought up an invisible force shield in front of the stage.
...
Stage right, lights up: Hermione cast a cooling charm on the potion then bottles the veritaserum. Snape enters and peers at the bottle, grudgingly, he gives a slight nod.
The lights rise on center stage. Instead of the expected characters, Remus Lupin and Harry Potter stand poised for danger, wands pointed at the large black dog. The dog morphs, not in to Fred, but into Sirius Black.
The audience attempts to react, but is unable to do so due to George's and Dobby's "prank".
Remus: Incaserous!
Ropes fly out and tie Sirius to a chair.
Sirius: I'm not here to hurt Harry. I'm trying to protect him.
Harry: I don't believe you.
Hermione enters.
Hermione: Use this. It makes it so the person can't lie.
Hermione approaches the escaped convict and pours three drops on his tongue.
Sirius's eyes begin to look glassed over.
Remus: What is your name?
Sirius: Sirius Orion Black
Remus: Who was the Potter's secret keeper?
Sirius: Peter Pettigrew.
Remus: Why did you kill the muggles?
Sirius: I didn't kill them. Peter did.
Remus: Why did you say it was your fault?
Sirius: The prank was my idea, if I had just done as James said and been the secret keeper they'd still be alive.
Harry: You were sent to Azkaban. Were you given a trial?
Sirius: No.
Harry: So legally, you are a freeman.
Sirius: Technically, yes. But there are orders out to have Dementors give me the kiss.
Remus: We're doing what we can to change that, old friend.
Harry: Did my parents know they might die?
Sirius: Yes.
Harry: Did they want me to live with Petunia and her family?
Sirius: Never.
Harry: If you are legally cleared, can I live with you?
Sirius: Yes, you were always meant to.
Harry: Was the play accurate, specifically the important parts?
Sirius: Peter's animagus form is a rat, not a cat. It was a boy that adopted him, not a girl. The contest they won wasn't a pet show. Other than that, the important parts were accurate to the best of my knowledge.
Ron walks on stage with a rat in a cage.
Ron: Is this Peter Pettigrew?
Sirius and Remus: Yes.
Ron: Prove it.
Remus: Is the cage unbreakable?
Harry: Yes.
The rat squeales and desperately tries to escape the cage. Remus cast an enlargement charm on the cage. Then he cast a revilio on the frantic rat. Suddenly, a man replaces the rat. A man no one has seen in twelve years.
The audience's exclaim was muted by George's and Dobby's silencing spells.
Harry turned toward the audience. "Madame Bones, I believe you will find that the mute and sticking charm have been released from you. If you would, please approach the stage and arrest Pettigrew. He is currently in an un-breakable cage, so even if he reverts to his animagus form he cannot escape. Once he has been properly incarcerated could you remove the Dementors from the school? The scene of my parents murders and Pettigrew's betrayal were based on my memories, which I relive every time the Dementors come near me. I'm sure I'm not the only student who has been forced to relive unpleasant memories due to their presence. Also, before you leave, could I have it in writing that the charges against Sirius Black are dropped and that the Dementors are forbidden from approaching him?"
A stunned Madame Boones, Head of the Auror Department came on stage and made the arrest that would get her face on a chocolate frog card. Paper work freeing Sirius Black was signed and witnessed by three lawyers and a Wizengamot judge from the audience. A goblin also came on stage, and verified Sirius and the other signers identities with a drop of blood from each. He then made copies in quadruplicate, giving one to Black, one to Bones, one to the judge, and kept one for Gringot's files. Harry cast a magnifio on the documents as they were being written and signed so the whole audience could see a magnified version of them and be able to later validate their existence, he was taking no chance that people would later say that the document signing was just part of a made up play.
Finally, the few ropes still holding Sirus to the chair dropped away. Sirus grabbed Harry in a hug and the curtain dropped.
Professor Metrobius came on stage. "And with that, we thank all of you for joining us this evening. This was the first of what will hopefully be many theater nights sponsored by Hogwarts. Though, I do hope this will be the only one where a real murderer is arrested. My heart's a flutter just thinking of being on stage with a mass murder disguised as a rat," Metrobius put a hand to his chest. "The artwork and furniture were created by the students and the music was played by the students. Copies of the music are available for sale. A silent auction will be held for the furniture and art work. The proceeds will go to pay for tonight's meal and to help fund the next production. We hope you enjoyed the show. Dinner will be served shortly in the Great Hall."
The Ravenclaws were shocked by the truths they had learned. The Hufflepuffs on stage were disappointed that the only toil expected of them seemed to be the effort required to restrain themselves from attacking Sirius Black. The Slytherins felt they had been conned. It wasn't a Slytherin plot. Well, the style was Slytherin. But it was a Gryffindor, parselmouth plot! Some of the Slytherins were already plotting their next move. Some were terrified that their parents would return to His side.
Author's Notes:
Metrobius is a famous actor from Ancient Greece/Rome. He was known for his impressive impersonations of women. I haven't been able to find any etymology connection online, but I found it interesting that it has a similar spelling to metrosexual.
Jim Asterro Patherson: Harrison James Potter
Thank you for the reading, enjoying and reviewing. :)
For the number people, I had forgotten book 5 said veritaserum takes a month, but since the rest of what I wrote is AU, let's just pretend the time it takes to brew is also AU. Plus, who's to say Snape wasn't lying to Umbridge.