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Author: Trystym Story: Harry Potter and the Singing Professor Rating: Teens Setting: Pre-HBP Status: WIP Reviews: 3 Words: 46,511
Harry stood at Gringott's top step and surveyed the street in front of him. Wizards and witches thronged the shops around him and gray clouds threatened rain before the day's end. For the first time in months he felt excited about the future. So what if Voldemort is still on the loose. He's probably not here today. For once I am going to live like I don't have all this hanging over my head. I WILL enjoy myself. "Well, that was nice," said Molly. "Where to first, Harry? You're the guest." "Mum! Hermione is a guest too," Ron snapped. He suddenly looked sheepish as he realized what he had said, and whom he had said it to. Molly just smiled, "Indeed she is Ronald. Excuse me, Hermione, where to?" "Oh, Mrs. Weasley, it's fine. Really. Though I do have several special errands that I need to run," Hermione stammered, obviously embarrassed by the sudden attention. "Harry and I wanted to go by Quality Quidditch Supply," said Ron. "Mum, why don't you go surprise Dad at work and take him to lunch, and we can meet you somewhere in a couple of hours." Ron saw the brief look of worry cross his mother's face before it slipped back to its usual neutral expression. "We'll be fine. I don't think You-Know-Who is going to attack us in Fortescue's or Flourish and Blots. We'll be careful." "Well, alright. But stay away from Nocturne Alley. And no more than one ice cream. You'll spoil your dinner. Come on, Ginny." Molly turned and started down the stairs. "Mum, I'm fifteen and I want to stay. Besides, I was supposed to help Hermione with one of her errands," complained Ginny. Molly Weasley's shoulders sagged in defeat. "Fine. I suppose you're all growing up now. I suppose that means that I can apparate. Ron, watch your sister...and two hours, no more. I'll meet you at Flourish and Blots." She pulled her wand and disappeared. Ginny looked at Hermione, "Oh, Hermione, I didn't mean to invite myself along. It's just that she always treats me like a child." "It's okay Ginny. I could use the help. I know what you mean; sometimes it seems like my parents think I'm still six. Shall we?" Hermione nodded in the direction of the street, and she and Ginny were soon lost in the crowd. "Well Harry, mate. Looks like it's just you and me. Where to first?" Ron asked. "How about Madam Malkin's? I need to pick something up there," Harry improvised. Reminding Ron of the state of his trousers wouldn't help matters at this point. A curious little bell rang as they opened the door to the shop. In response to the bell a voice called from the back of the shop "I'm in the back, dear, be with you in just a moment." Harry stopped just inside the doorway and stared in amazement. He was used to the racks of clothing, from the basic black students robes to the rich colors of the formal dress robes, even the normally small section of brighter colored clothing, but he had never seen a display like this. The size of the shop seemed to have been expanded magically, and everywhere he looked were the most garish colored robes and hats he had ever seen. Bright pink fought against turquoise, lavender and scarlet. There were stripes, prints, and even a robe of what looked like yellow and orange wool woven in a houndstooth pattern. Banners floated in a magical breeze proclaiming "1/2 off Gilderoy Lockhart Collection" "Everything Must Go" and "No Reasonable Offer Will Be Refused" "Cor, Harry, What IS this?" Ron's expression seemed to mimic Harry's thoughts perfectly. "Dunno, did we go into the wrong shop or something?" In reality it seemed to be the right place, just very, very different. "Oh, there you are love, what can I do for you?" The voice seemed to emanate from what looked like a moving pile of material. "School robes? Or perhaps I could interest you in something from the Lockhart collection…please?" The desperation in what turned out to be Madame Malkin weighted down with more robes than she could possibly carry, was evident. "What, you mean…" Harry paused and looked around the shop "this?" "Yes, well, I didn't think so, not really. It's not all this bad, really. Some of it is quite nice, if you have the right coloring for it." Madame Malkin's shoulders slumped in defeat. "I kind of like this one" Ron said. Harry looked up, although deep in his heart he just knew which one Ron had picked out. Oh please don't let it be. It was. Ron was sizing up the orange and yellow houndstooth robe. Worse, it had a matching pointy hat. And shoes. Hermione is going to kill me if I let him buy that. It would cover his bum and his ankles, though. "How much?" questioned Ron. "You like that one?" Madame Malkin couldn't keep the incredulous tone from her voice for a moment. "For you love, call it even for all the good that the two of you have done in the world." "What, you mean like, free?" Ron looked skeptical. "That would be like charity, I couldn't do that." "I have no problems with charity," explained Madame Malkin. Harry was confused. What did it matter what Madame Malkin thought of…oh, she means it would be charitable of Ron to take it. Maybe for her, probably not for the rest of us. "I…." Ron started but she shushed him quickly. "My dear, how many people do you think come in here looking for an orange and yellow houndstooth robe, with matching hat and shoes? I'll tell you how many. Until today, one. Took me forever to find a place that made them, and then he went and stepped in front of a lorry before he could pick it up," Madame Malkin finished, looking just the least bit indignant. "Well, yes, but. It's still not right. It must have cost you money." Ron simply refused to give in on issues like this. "Yes dear, it did. It also costs me money to keep it here, when I could use the space to stock something else." Harry's eyes were drawn to a nice emerald green set of robes. He walked to a rack on the far side of the room, and pulled them off the rack to examine them. Around the cuffs and the neck was a gold and black ribbon that had some sort of golden magical animals moving around on them. Harry looked closer. "Lions, that's neat." Madame Malkin was still arguing with Ron. She looked Harry's way as he heard him speak. "Lions? Oh, yes. Oh, dear that does look good on you. It matches your eyes so well. The lions are kind of fitting, too." "What do you mean?" questioned Ron. "Since Harry here is a Gryffindor, I just thought that the frolicking lion trim was a nice touch. It's not everyday that you find a piece of clothing that seems so personalized right off the rack." "You know who Harry is?" Ron looked around suspiciously. "My dear, I know who both of you are. I was a bit surprised that your other partner didn't come in with you," replied Madame Malkin. "But, how did you…oh, I guess it's Harry's scar." Ron's brow furrowed. "Well, that is a bit of a tip off," explained Madame Malkin. "But two fine looking boys-one with unruly black hair, glasses and yes, a scar. The other tall and handsome with bright red hair and an even brighter smile? It could only have been Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. After the things that you two, no, excuse me, you three, have done and been through lately, why, just about everyone knows who you are. You're a bit of a hero to my youngest boy, Mr. Weasley." "Cor...." was all Ron could manage, his mouth hanging open in an expression of shock. A hero? I'm a hero? Hmmm, Ron Weasley, Hero. I LIKE it. Ron broke into a smile at that thought. "I want to say thank you for all that you have done. Please. Though I do wish that you would let me pick something out that would match your hair better." "You sound like my mum. It's Chudley Cannons colors. I love it. Though Herm…Mum probably wouldn't" Ron looked quickly to see if anyone else had caught that slip and was surprised to find that Harry was staring intently back at him. Uh, oh Ron stared back. "You going to buy that, mate?" Ron stared back, daring Harry to say something and pointed at the robes in Harry's hands. "Yeah, I think I am. Aren't you having a sale?" Harry felt a little silly asking; with the banners and whatnot, people next door could tell that she was having a sale. Yes, I am dear. Trying to get rid of some of this overstock. Seems a shame really, but nobody wants Lockhart robes anymore. Haven't sold a one since his unfortunate accident. I used to not be able to keep them on the shelves. But, enough about that, I forgot, that was probably a rather dreadful time for the two of you wasn't it?" "Erm, yes," was all that Harry could manage. It seemed so long ago, and he had had so much worse happen since then, but the Basilisk still visited him in his nightmares occasionally. Lately, however, the dreams had changed, and instead of running from the monster, he was controlling it. Or having tea with it…but only that once, and he blamed that on some particularly old chocolate frogs he had one night. "Well, go on, try them on, and I'll be back in a minute to tailor them." Madame Malkin turned back to the rack she was working on, and resumed hanging robes. She started to hang the last one and paused, shook it out and looked more closely at it. Now this would look good… Harry and Ron emerged a few minutes later from their dressing rooms; Harry was in his green robe, carrying a cloak of black velvet lined with golden fabric and black lions. Ron had on the Cannons houndstooth and a broad smile. They examined themselves in the mirror, and then turned and examined each other. Harry could only smile; no matter what, Ron was always going to be Ron. "Bloody hell, Harry. Now I see what my sister was so nuts about. That looks smashing." Ron's face went crimson as he thought about what he had just said. "I didn't mean it like that. I don't want to snog or anything. I just...." "It's okay Ron. I know what you mean, and I know it's not me that you want to go out with." Harry was startled, he hadn't meant to say that, it just slipped out. "Um, yeah, right mate. About that. Umm." If it was possible, Ron turned a deeper shade of red. "Yes? About what, exactly?" Now that it was out there, Harry was going to have some fun with it. "About uh, you know," Ron began brushing unseen dust from his robes. "No, can't say that I do." Harry was not going to let him off that easy. He watched as his friend struggled with how best to admit what they both knew. "'BoutmylikingHermione," Ron blurted finally. "Come again? I didn't quite get that." Harry was enjoying this. "I LIKE HERMIONE! OKAY! HAPPY?!!" Ron suddenly went silent as he realized how loudly that had come out. "Bloody hell, maybe Dumbledore's right, You-Know-Who did rub off on you. You're evil, mate." "I like her too," Harry smiled. "I think you might mean something else. Go on, get it out, you'll feel much better." Harry knew he shouldn't tease his friend this way, but he was finding that it was too much fun to stop. "Okay, I love her. From the top of her bushy little head to the tips of her stubby little toes. Is that what you wanted to hear?" Ron was really beginning to regret befriending the skinny kind with glasses. "It's about bloody time. Now that you have faced the situation, you may devise a strategy to circumnavigate the defenses and envelop the target. Or at least I think that's how you say it." Harry wondered if he had pushed Ron too far. "You...circumnavigate? Envelop? What are you going on about?" Ron stared at Harry with a look of incomprehension on his face. "Walk up to her, put your arms around her, and bloody well kiss her like you mean business." Harry translated. Ron cringed. "I don't...I know I can't do that. What if she...what if she, well, didn't want to be kissed? Then what?" Harry had to fight to keep from laughing. "Not want to be kissed? I hate to be the one to break it to you, but she has wanted to be kissed for years now." "Yeah, but not by me...I mean, like, we're friends, right. I might kiss her when she really wants to be kissed by someone like, well, like Krum." Harry laughed out loud. "Hermione has stubby toes? I didn't know that." "Well, yeah, she does, a bit. Anyway, why are you laughing at me? I saw the way she looked at Krum at the Yule Ball. Then she went and made plans to visit him over the summer. And she's constantly getting letters from him." The more Ron spoke, the more put out he looked. "I don't see what's so funny about it." Harry managed to get control of himself. He wasn't laughing at Ron so much as he was laughing at the images that came from what Ron had said. Ron composing a love poem about Hermione's toes. "An Ode to Your Toes", he snickered once more and was about to try and explain when Madam Malkin came in carrying more robes. "It looks even better on you," she said pointing at Harry's robes. "Just a quick nip and tuck will see you finished." She then turned to Ron. "You're sure you like this one dear?" Ron nodded, "What's not to like? It's comfortable, it fits pretty well, and it's in Cannons colors." "Well, it takes all kinds, I guess." Madame Malkin shook her head and then seemed to remember the robes that she carried in her hands. "Oh, dear, losing my head. I found this on the rack as well, and thought that you might like to try it on. It's a bit more…dressy…than the one that you have on. It's part of the same Lockhart collection that Harry's came from." She handed the robes to Ron and started work fitting the houndstooth robes. Ron unfolded the set of robes and found that they were an odd brownish, red-purple color. Made of the same velvet material as Harry's they looked incredibly comfortable. The cuffs were trimmed in a silver magical ribbon that depicted black dragons flying and breathing flame. The cloak that came with it was made of rich red brown velvet lined in black with silver dragons. "This is nice, but there's now way that I could afford it." Ron sighed. "You did notice the signs as you came in, didn't you? No reasonable offer. I decide what reasonable is. Since you are taking two of the Lockhart collection and the houndstooth, I can make you a pretty fine offer. The Lockharts are already buy one, get one free and I still haven't moved that many of them. Shall we say 5 galleons even for the lot?" Madame Malkin had finished Ron's alterations by this time. "Now just you go and put those on. I want to see what they look like on you," she finished in the magical tone that a mother uses to ensure there will be no more arguing. As Ron stepped back into the changing room, Harry noticed Ron's jeans hanging over the door. He crept silently over to the door and pulled them down. He pulled Madame Malkin off to the side and said, "I don't know if you noticed...." Madame Malkin stopped him in mid sentence, "Yes, I did. The boy just seems to grow more every year. The rest of the Weasleys seemed to have reached their height fairly early, but this one, there doesn't seem to be any stopping him. Let me see what I can do about them. These spells don't last for too long on Muggle clothing, but I'll give it a go." "Do you know the Weasleys?" Harry questioned. "Oh, my yes. I've known Molly and Arthur since Hogwarts. I was a year ahead of her and in Hufflepuff, but I knew she was a dear, even then." Madame Malkin smiled with the memory. "I always try to set a few of the nicer things back for when she comes in, and of course, I try and give her a ‘special discount'. I think she probably knows, but she has never said anything about it. The Weasleys do have their pride, and that one," she pointed towards the back room where Ron was changing "he certainly got the full measure of it." Harry had a sudden inspiration. "Do you think you might have something that would look really nice on a girl? Maybe one about this tall," he gestured with his hand somewhere around his chin "with red hair? I…I'd be willing to make up the difference." This last was delivered so rapidly that it took Madame Malkin a moment to understand what he had said. "I might be able to find something like that. Any particular redhead? Do I know something the paper hasn't found out about, yet?" Madame Malkin smiled as she watched Harry blush. "Ah, young love." "No, it's nothing like that, honest." Harry spluttered. "She's just a really good friend. And I want to do something nice for her." Madame Malkin didn't seem very convinced, "I understand. I'll look around and see what I can find." "Find what," called Ron as he stepped from the dressing room, "and where did my trousers go, Harry?" Harry was glad for the distraction. He really wasn't sure what he felt for Ginny. He knew that she had claimed to be madly in love with him during his second year, but that didn't mean anything now, did it? He did know she was definitely a girl. Hermione's rant when Ron asked her to the Yule Ball had made sure of that. She was probably his favorite person to be around outside of Ron and Hermione, and sometimes when he was feeling down about his fate, she was the first person that he thought of, since she knew what it was like to have Voldemort in her mind. That always seemed to make him feel better. But a girlfriend? He had never really thought about her that way. "I have them right here. Now come out and let me see how you look." Madame Malkin called. Ron stepped out of the dressing room and Harry was shocked. Harry was used to seeing Ron in ratty old Muggle clothes, or his faded school robes. The Ron that stepped out of the dressing room looked…different. The word that came to Harry's mind was regal. Unconsciously he started whistling ‘Weasley Is Our King' under his breath. "Oh, yes, I think so. Let me just do up the hem and you'll be all set." Madame Malkin quickly set the length and sent Ron back to change. Harry quickly paid for their things before Ron could come back and protest. I'll just tell him that he can pay me later. Harry decided that he really wanted to wear the new robes for a while. "Could I get you to wrap up my old things? I think I'm going to wear these home." Madame Malkin took his old clothes off to package them. Harry went back to the dressing rooms to see what was taking Ron so long and found his friend standing in front of a full-length mirror. "Ron, hello? Ron? Are you in there?" Harry waved a hand in front of his friend's face. "This is what I looked like that day in the mirror. You remember?" Ron gazed dreamily at his reflection. "Well, we had better get dressed." "I'm going to wear mine, and everything's paid for. You owe me two Galleons." Harry clapped Ron on the back and pushed him into the dressing room. "Now decide what you're going to wear and let's get moving. Quality Quidditch awaits." Harry went back to the front of the store to collect his package and found Madame Malkin holding up another set of green robes. Harry immediately noticed several differences. For one thing they were a slightly darker shade of green. For another, they were quite obviously made for a girl. While the neckline was not scandalous, it was a good bit lower than the high collared affair on Harry's robes. "Very, ahhh, nice." He watched as Madame Malkin sprayed a few drops of something on the bottom of the robes and wondered what she was doing. He noticed that a few small stains had appeared where it was sprayed. As if in response, she answered. "My own special formula. Comes off quite easily with Magical Mess Remover," she whispered conspiratorially. In a louder voice, "Oh what a shame, stained. I guess I will have to mark it down and hope someone will buy it." Harry watched as she took the price tag dangling from a sleeve and changed the price. He couldn't help but notice that the original price was 50 galleons. He was so engrossed in staring at the dress and imagining what it would look like on Ginny that he didn't notice Ron come out of the dressing room. "Could you wrap these up?" Ron asked from behind Harry. As he passed the clothes to Madame Malkin, Harry noticed that Ron was not wearing the clothes he came in with. He was wearing the houndstooth. Grinning at Harry, Ron said, "those others are nice, but this one just feels right. Won't Mum be surprised when she sees it?" He got his package back from Madame Malkin and turned to Harry. "Ready now." They both thanked Madame Malkin for all her help and left the store. *** Harry and Ron found Hermione and Ginny in the most unlikely of places. Ron spotted Hermione through the front window of Spellings SecondHand Surplus. Ron scowled as he watched her disappear into the shelves that lined the store. "What's this place?" Harry asked. He was sure he had never been in here, nor did he think he had ever noticed the shop before. "It's a rubbish shop. Full of secondhand junk that nobody wanted the first time. Percy used to find books in here, Mum's in here constantly looking for anything cheap." Ron watched Hermione browsing the aisles, and his face twisted into a determined grimace. He muttered, "You'll never catch me needing to shop here again," to himself. "Well, that explains what Hermione is doing in there. She probably heard some lonely book calling out to her to be read. Either that or she's trying to find us both copies of Hogwarts: A History." Harry grinned at his wit. "Come on, let's go see what they're up to. Ginny will probably want to go look at brooms if Hermione is really looking at books." Harry opened the door and stepped inside, leaving Ron no choice but to follow. Harry immediately saw why Ron described this as a junk shop. There was just no other way to describe the collection of books, clothes, kitchenware, garden implements and the other accumulated flotsam that lined the shelves and spilled out into the aisles. Harry looked up, and saw that there were more things hanging from the ceiling. Ron led the way down the narrow aisle where they had last seen Hermione. "Ginny? Hermione?" He called into the darkening aisle. "Are you down there?" It seemed to Harry that outside light was having a hard time penetrating the clutter inside the shop. The interior lighting in the shop was almost nonexistent; just a few magical torches scattered here and there. Most of the shelves in this area seemed committed to books, but there wasn't any order that he could discern. Brew a Better Potion was next to A History of Goblin Financial Practice 1380-1645, and both of these were supporting a huge leaning volume entitled Famous Dark Wizards and How They Got That Way: A Pop-Up Story Book. Harry looked at the shelves to the other side and saw that they were full of what looked to be shallow wooden boxes of a book. Some had faded paper covers over them, and others were just bare wood. Harry picked one up at random and examined it. It was about the size of a good hardback book, made of wood and painted in garish purple and orange. Printed on the face of it was The Street Urchins Live in Lockerbie. "Ron, what are these?" Harry asked holding the box up. Ron turned and looked. "Harry, we're supposed to be looking for Hermione and Ginny." Harry caught up to Ron and handed the box to him. "Well, what is it?" "Oh, they're wizard recordings. Really old format, they haven't used this one in years. The new ones are much smaller and they don't wear out over time like these." He flipped the recording over. "See, this one says it was released in 1979. Really old wizards sometimes use these for spellbooks. It's easier than enlarging the book to a size that they can read." "Oh, like Muggles' books on tape. How do they work?" Harry was intrigued. He had heard some music on the Wizard Radio Network, but it always seem to be the same few songs over and over. His cousin Dudley had owned a CD player, but Harry had never been allowed to use it, and Dudley always kept the door shut so Aunt Petunia wouldn't hear the lyrics of the ‘music' he liked to listen to. "Let's see if I remember how to make these work." Ron pulled his wand and pointed it at the front of the box, "Obfuscate," he said and light shot from the end of his wand to the box, which promptly disappeared. "Oops…that's not right. He picked up another box, "Oppora," he tried and was rewarded this time with a burst of white noise from the box. "Hmmm, looks like this one is blank," he said and tossed it back on the shelf. He grabbed another box at random and tried it. An upbeat melody started playing. Harry looked at the box and tried to think. That song sounded familiar. It brought to mind the oddest things though…Nazis and…NUNS? Oh, cripes…what is that? A man singing…off key, even to Harry's untrained ear had joined the melody. Again, the voice sounded familiar, he listened more closely. "…sleighbells, and whiskers on kittens, brown paper packages tied up with string, These are a few of my favorite things." Ron suddenly set the box back on a shelf as he caught sight of Hermione moving at the far end of the aisle. "Hermione, wait up!" he called and ran off. Harry was concentrating on where he had heard that voice before. He finally figured out that the song was from some silly movie that Aunt Petunia liked watching on the television. He picked the box up off the shelf and glanced at the cover, then flipped it over and stared open mouthed at the title. Snape Sings: A Collection of Favorites. Harry flipped it over again to be sure that he hadn't imagined it. On the back was a picture of his potions master, Severus Snape. Snape was wearing torn up black robes with a deep V for the neckline that exposed half his chest. He had what looked like a piece of chain with a lock through it for a necklace, and his oily black hair had been spiked. The face in the picture, though a good deal younger, left no doubt as to identity when Harry saw that familiar sneer. "Ron! RON!! This is it! I know what we're going to do!" Harry yelled as he ran down the aisle, box in hand, to find his friends. *** "It's what? Who? Harry, are you raving? What do you mean Snape is singing? You mean like our Snape?" Ron took the still singing box out of Harry's hand and looked. "Bloody hell, oops, sorry Hermione, but…" Hermione waved her wand at the box and muttered, "Finite" The music stopped. "Bloody hell is about right Ron. I'll never watch that musical the same way again." "I'm buying it," Harry said. "This is too good. Padfoot would have loved this. I wonder if he ever heard it. I wonder if Remus knows about this." Harry tucked the box under his arm and looked at Hermione. "So, what are you doing in here?" "Looking for a book, and I found it. We stopped at Flourish and Blotts and they didn't have it, they said it had been out of print for decades. But then one of the clerks said that she thought she remembered seeing a copy in some secondhand store, and Ginny knew right where this place was and here we are and we found it and..."Hermione finally paused for a breath, but before she could continue, Harry cut her off. "See I told you. Looking for a book." Harry smirked at Ron. "Well, yes, but this is a special book. Just wait ‘til you see Harry. It's a surprise of sorts. I really think that you are going to like it though. I just have to find a few more items and then I can start to work. Oh this is going to be so much fun." Hermione looked as if she was about to burst trying to keep her own secret. "I don't suppose you know what this is all about?" Harry asked Ginny. "Well, yes, I do. Hermione swore me to secrecy though, so unless you want to be on the wrong end of one of my curses, I'd leave it alone." Ginny replied haughtily. "It's about time to go meet mum," she added. Ginny and Hermione headed for the front of the store to pay for Hermione's book. After they had gone, Ron looked at the way Harry was clutching the recording and said, "You've got plans for that don't you?" Harry smiled evilly, "Oh yes, I do. I think it's time for us to get into the music business." With that he left Ron standing in the aisle and went to pay for his purchase. Ron quickly caught up with Harry and whispered to him, "Two things, mate. First, you're not going to say anything to Hermione, are you?" Harry stopped. He thought about what Ron was asking for a moment and replied, "I won't tell her anything." He didn't say anything about telling Ginny, though. Ron looked relieved. "Second, you know mum's going to kill me if I get expelled." "I promise not to get you expelled." Detention for the rest of the year perhaps, but Dumbledore probably wouldn't expel us for blowing up the great hall. Harry thought to himself. "Now let's go and find your mum."
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