Harry Potter And The Cliches Of Doom Chapter 6, a harry potter fanfic

Chapter Six

Lunch was a quiet affair, as everyone had heard of Hermione's plight, and either sympathised, or just didn't want to draw her attention to themselves.

"Poor dear," said Ronnie, as she watched Hermione gaze mournfully into her onion soup.

Harry looked up in time to see Severus pat Hermione on the shoulder and quietly say a few words.

"Don't you 'Don't worry, dear' me, Severus Snape!" screamed Hermione suddenly, overturning her chair as she stood, "You're probably happy about this! You don't really care! You don't understand me!"

Harry's father looked shocked as his fiancé stormed from the Great Hall.

"And I refuse to have that portrait done!" she added from the hallway, before finally disappearing out of ear-shot.

The Great Hall was suddenly abuzz with chatter and speculation.

Snape stood, glared at every student he could see and then exited the room in a swirl of black robes.

"Oh no," groaned Ronnie. "He's back to normal – and we have Potions next!"

The Slytherin-Gryffindor Potions class was unusually silent as they waited for their teacher to arrive.

Ronnie glanced at Rachel Grey, who was sitting in the front row and looking excited.

"Poor thing," she muttered. "She doesn't know how bad Snape can be."

The door banged against the dungeon wall as it was pushed forcefully open by the Potions Master.

"As you may have deduced by now," he sneered, "my fiancé and I are not on speaking terms, which means my aggression displacement complex has returned. So don't expect this class to be enjoyable. You will begin making Veritaserum, which is inherently difficult and highly complex. You will be graded on the expectedly dismal results."

Before Snape could continue, however, the object of Harry's affections made his arrival.

Draco Malfoy paused in the doorway for a moment before strutting into the Potions Classroom; music sounded his arrival and echoed around the room.

Snape sneered. "Bad To The Bone? Hardly original, Draco."

Draco posed, causing several girls to sigh dreamily.

"True though," he smirked.

"I assume you have permission for this," said Snape irritably.

"Indeed," said Draco, producing a small square of parchment from his robe pocket.

"I herby give my son, Draco Malfoy, permission to do whatever the hell he wants," he read out loud, "signed by Lucius Malfoy."

Snape scowled. "Fine," he said. "Now sit."

Draco smirked again.

"Do you realise that's a Muggle song?" queried Dean Thomas.

"Do you realise you're an idiot?" replied Draco, taking the seat directly in front of Harry.

Harry gluped. "How can I impress him?" he whispered in Ronnie's ear.

"Make this potion perfectly?" suggested his friend.

Harry nodded. "Right."

By the end of the period, Harry and Ronnie's potion was both colourless and odourless.

"Perfect," said Snape, "Well done, Son."

The class gasped.

"Oh, do shut up," snapped Snape, "I still hate the rest of you."

The class sighed in relief – at least some things were still the same.

Snape moved to check the last potion, which belonged to Rachel Grey and Theodore Nott.

"Acceptable," decreed Snape as he checked their obviously perfect potion.

Theodore looked elated; Rachel looked crushed.

"Class dismissed."

As they filed out, Draco smiled at Harry.

"Good one, Potter," he said, "I'm impressed."

Harry felt as if he had taken up residence on Cloud Nine.

Harry walked out of the dungeons with a very silly grin on his face. Occasionally he would skip. Ronnie shook her head at him and continued digging around in her bag for their timetable. Rachel Grey hurried past them, muttering to herself.

"How could I have made a mistake?" said the Australian, "I'm meant to be a Potions Prodigy!"

"We've got Charms," Ronnie informed Harry, as Rachel continued muttering.

"Did you see him smile at me?" said Harry joyfully as they turned into a hallway lined with Suits of Armour.

"Yes," said Ronnie, "I did."

"Do you think I have a chance, Ronnie?" asked Harry, "Honestly?"

Suddenly, music filled the air, and the Suit of Armour closest to Ronnie jumped of its step and opened its visor.

"Wake up in the morning with a head like 'what ya done?'/ This used to be the life but I don't need another one/ Good luck cuttin' nothin', carrying on, you wear them gowns/So how come I feel so lonely when you're up getting down?" sung the Suit of Armour.

Harry blinked. "How surprising," he said.

Ronnie nodded her head to the beat. "Quite good though," she said.

"So I play along when I hear that favourite song /I'm gonna be the one who gets it right/ You better know when you're swingin' round the room/ Look's like magic's solely yours tonight," continued the Suit; motioning for the Other Suits to join in for the chorus, which they did.

"But I don't feel like dancin' /When the old Joanna plays /My heart could take a chance /But my two feet can't find a way /You think that I could muster up a little soft, shoop devil sway /But I don't feel like dancin' /No sir, no dancin' today!"

Dean Thomas flicked his wand and the long silver ribbon that shot out of it began to twist around in the air, spelling out the words for the song as it went.

"Don't feel like dancin', dancin' /Even if i find nothin' better to do / Don't feel like dancin', dancin' /Why'd you break down when I'm not in the mood/ Don't feel like dancin', dancin' /Rather be home with no one when I can't get down with you-o-o!"

As the song reached an instrument part, the other Suits performed a complication dance around the Lead Suit, complete with back-flips, high leaps, and lance juggling.

"Cities come and cities go just like the old empires /When all you do is change your clothes and call that versatile /You got so many colours make a blind man so confused /Then why can't I keep up when you're the only thing I lose?"

The Lead Suit suddenly gave a theatrical twirl, and, just like magic, all of the Suits were dressed in Metallic Silver Jumpsuits. The crowd went wild.

"So I'll just pretend that I know which way to bend /And I'm gonna tell the whole world that you're mine /Just please understand, when I see you clap your hands /If you stick around I'm sure that you'll be fine."

Prompted by Dean's lyric producing spell, the gathered Gryffindors and Slytherins joined in for the chorus.

"Don't feel like dancin', dancin' /Even if I find nothin' better to do /Don't feel like dancin', dancin' /Why'd you break down when I'm not in the mood?/Don't feel like dancin', dancin' /Rather be home with no one when I can't get down with you-o-o!"

The Lead Suit gave another twirl and winked at Lavender and Parvati, who immediately began shrieking and jumping about excitedly.

The Other Suits continued their dance routine, occasionally pulling in the students to dance with them.

"You can't make me dance around /But your two-step makes my chest pound /Just lay me down as you blow it away into the shimmer light!"

"Don't feel like dancin', dancin' /Even if i find nothin' better to do /Don't feel like dancin', dancin' /Why'd you break down when I'm not in the mood/Don't feel like dancin', dancin' /Rather be home with no one when I can't get down with you-o-o!"

"I - don't - feel - like – dancing - with - you!" sung the Other Suits, acting like backing singers.

"Don't feel like dancin', dancin' /Even if i find nothin' better to do /Don't feel like dancin', dancin' /Why'd you break down when I'm not in the mood/Don't feel like dancin', dancin' /Rather be home with no one when I can't get down with you-o-o!"

The crowd clapped and whistled as loudly as they could as the Suits bowed and returned to their original places, still dressed in their Metallic Silver Jumpsuits.

Cho Chang, who was the Head Girl, however, did not join in with the applause.

"Who did this?" she demanded, "Charming the Suits of Armour to sing and dance is against THE RULES!"

She emphasised her point by gesturing to a large bronze plaque on the wall which read, in large letters, 'It is against the Rules to charm the Suit of Armour to sing and/or dance.'

The crowd immediately protesting their innocence, quite loudly.

"I was in Charms before Lunch, and the Suits weren't singing and/ or dancing then," mused Cho, "The culprit must have charmed them during Lunch!"

"Louise was with me all day," intoned Rachel Grey, not even bothering to fake an expression of shock.

Cho frowned. "I'll figure this out," she said, "you mark my words!"

"I didn't do it!" cried Mark Evans.

"It's a figure of speech!" snapped Cho, "Go to Class!"

The assorted students hastened to obey.

"Draco has really pretty hair," said Harry dreamily.