They Shook Hands: Year Three (Original Version)

They Shook Hands : Year Three

An alternate (but realistic!) universe Harry Potter fic
by Dethryl

Chapter Five - That's The Way It Goes At These Rock N' Roll Shows

Harry didn't sleep well that night. His dreams were haunted by visions of the insane Sirius Black from the wanted posters kneeling before Voldemort. The traitor offered up the location of Lily and James Potter and laughed with his master as they plotted murder. He slept so poorly that he didn't understand Draco's enthusiastic wake-up call.

"Get up, lazybones! You turn in early without saying a word to me, and now I have to drag you out of bed? Get up! That Firebolt won't ride itself!"

"It might," Harry mumbled. "It cost enough."

"He's awake enough to be funny. That's a start."

Then things clicked in Harry's brain. "The Firebolt!"

"That's what I wanted to see! Good morning!"

"Good morning!"

Harry threw himself through his morning routine in record time. He unlocked the closet, took out the hardwood case, and gently laid it on the bed. With anxious fingers, he undid the lock and opened the lid.

It was fleeting, but Harry swore he saw a few gleams of light shine off the polished handle. With awe, he lifted the Firebolt out with two hands. It felt firm, solid in his grasp. He kept his eyes on it, absently opening the door out onto the small terrace.

Harry swung a leg over the broom. He braced his right foot in the metal support. Holding onto for what he was sure would be the most exciting experience he'd ever had, he kicked off and leaned forward.

"Wooo-" his shout of amazement was torn from his mouth by the wind. His hair was whipping around at the back of his head. His fingers clamped tightly around the shaft, for he could feel it trying to pull away. He understood now the need for the foot brace.

His take-off had carried him up above the top of Malfoy Manor. Now he leaned low over the handle of his broom and looped around to flash across the second floor plane.

"Hey!" he yelled as he flew past Draco, who was standing on the terrace looking extremely jealous.

Harry arched into the sky, exulting in the sheer joy of fast flight. Higher and higher he flew, feeling the air getting colder. He went so far up that frost was forming on his tail twigs and stars were dancing in front of his eyes. He daringly took both hands off the handle, raised them to heaven, and posed -- just for a second or two -- then tipped forward, pointing straight down!

The land below looked so small. Harry marvelled at the beauty of the country. He could see the entire island of Great Britain and parts of the continent as well. The ground rushed up at him with immediacy, and when he saw Malfoy Manor approaching, he hauled back a bit on the Firebolt. With a flourish, he made a perfect hovering stop right in front of Draco's wide eyes.

His blond friend was speechless, a rare condition. His mouth sort of hung slack, like a halfwit. Finally he managed to gasp, "Blimey!"

Harry's breathing was still out of control. He sucked in great gulps of air, wheezing it back out almost instantly. His heart was pounding so fast he thought it might burst. By Merlin, what a rush!

* * *

Harry checked himself one final time in the mirror. He had gotten his new everyday robes from Madam Malkin's just the day before. He'd spent a great deal of time trying on each garment. The seamstress made very fine robes; Harry was pleased. He'd admired himself so long that even the encouraging spell laid on the glass was growing irritated with him.

Tim had advised him that black would be a good colour to wear. Millie had jokingly suggested that he wear his Quidditch leathers as well. Harry had laughed, but Tim had liked the idea so much that he appropriated it -- and Harry's gear as well!

Draco was waiting for him in the sitting room. "I can't believe Father won't let me go."

"He didn't say that. You just couldn't convince Elan to chaperone you."

"The great pillock," Draco scoffed. "I'll fix him, never fear."

"Be careful," Harry cautioned. He shouldered his overnight bag.

"I will. You'd best be off if you're going to get there on time."

"Casa de Nott," Harry said as he threw his Floo powder and stepped into the green flames.

Millie was already waiting with Tim, who looked very fierce in his get-up. "Good, you're early! Let's go!"

"Apple barn on wayside!"

The trip through the Floo was horrendous for Harry, as it always was. He fought back wooziness as he stumbled out of the very large fireplace. Tim, by contrast, was grinning broadly and lent Harry a steady hand. "Let's get something cold to drink. You'll feel better."

The large circular barn to which they'd come was heavily renovated. Large speakers and tracks of lighting ran along all the walls. A stage was set up in the centre. Seating areas were scattered around the edges, with lots of dance floor in the space leading up to the stage. Two expansive bars were on either side of the barn.

The place was a pleasantly unfolding chaos, as young people milled around, colliding, spilling drinks, and talking very loud. The crowd was young, with nobody older than he might have seen at Hogwarts. In fact Harry recognized a few students here and there, but nobody he could say he knew. Harry couldn't spot anybody who appeared to be younger than him, either. He grinned. They were out with the older kids!

"When does the music start?" Harry asked Millie, who was admiring the size of the speaker.

"We're early," she replied. "Probably another few minutes yet."

"Harry! Hi, Harry!"

Hearing his name called, he turned and saw Padma Patil and her twin sister Parvati moving through the crowd towards him. The girls were in Harry's form at Hogwarts, though neither was in Slytherin. Padma was a Ravenclaw, while Parvati was in Gryffindor.

"Hey!" Harry exclaimed, very surprised to see them. "What are you doing here?"

"We're ready to rock!" Parvati clapped her hands. "I've been waiting for this all summer."

"Padma?"

"Well, Parvati wanted this more than anything for her birthday present, but Mum and Dad absolutely refuse to hear any music other than their own. They would never go to a concert. So they said that Parvati could go if I went with her. As you see, here we are."

"Happy birthday to you both," Harry said at once.

"You're quite the enthusiast, Nott," Parvati said by way of greeting. "Where'd you steal the Quidditch gear?"

"Harry loaned it to me. I couldn't talk him into wearing it."

"And thank Merlin for that," Padma said slyly. "It would be too strange to see him in all that without the green and silver."

"I do love my green," Harry admitted.

"Where's Parkinson?" Parvati asked. "Does the loud noise frighten her?"

"It does," Tim nodded. "It's one of her lesser qualities."

"Don't badmouth Pansy to the Gryffindor," Millie admonished him with a laugh.

"Yes, leave that to me," Parvati snickered. "We all know how I feel about that-"

"Harry doesn't," Tim pointed out.

"Well you don't seem to be the best of friends," Harry said dryly. Their history went back beyond Hogwarts, he knew, both girls with blood as pure as their malice toward each other.

"We used to play over at Pansy's house when we were small," Padma said to Harry. "Her mother invited ours over sometimes, and we'd get dragged along. It was usually a decent time; very entertaining to watch Parvati and Pansy try to kill each other. Then in our Etiquette lessons, they had to be excruciatingly polite to each other."

"Did she throw rocks at you too?" Tim inquired of Parvati.

"Until I got her in the face with a clod of dung," she giggled.

"Is that where her potty mouth comes from?" Millie laughed.

"It must be," Parvati declared. "There's no other logic for it, given her breeding."

"So where are you girls sitting?" Harry asked.

"Who said anything about sitting?" Parvati replied. "I'm going to be up against the speaker all night."

"Now that's an excellent idea," Tim complimented her.

"When she's not trying to rush the stage," Padma chimed in.

"When is it going to start?" her sister asked impatiently.

"When the band is ready," Harry answered snarkily.

Padma laughed. "He's got you there, sis."

"He's a clever one, all right."

Just then there was a thunderous detonation! Plumes of smoke rose from the stage as five people materialized out of thin air. Seconds later a guitar chord reverberated from the speakers. The crowd began to whoop and shout as the show began!

Pansy had been quite correct in her assessment of Wand Smasher as garbled words screamed over fast guitar. The drums were also played at a frenzied pace. The frontman, the singer, looked as though his tongue would fall out of his mouth whenever he sang a long note. Harry thought it was all absolutely wonderful.

When their first song finished, the cheers rang loudly through the apple barn. The band members all bowed deeply, and Harry joined in with the applause.

"Thank you!" the singer said, not a bit out of breath. "We're glad teh be back here at the ol' apple barn. This next song you may know. It's a story about a boy who liked two girls and couldn't figure out which one he wanted. It's called 'Spinning Dizzy'."

The opening chords were slower, more sombre. Harry could actually understand the words to this song. He listened as the story unfolded about the young boy whose heart was torn by his two loves, equal in every respect. Every time he thought he had made a choice, something happened to unmake it, and the poor boy fell into despair. Finally he could bear it no more and cursed himself into the form of a dolphin to live out the rest of his days beneath the waves. But one girl loved him enough to follow him, and the pair swam together in a happy ever after.

Padma was wiping away a tear at the end of the song. "That was just beautiful," she sighed.

"Play something harder!" Parvati shouted out as the applause died down.

"Yes, ma'am," the singer nodded. "Would yeh like teh hear -- 'Smash, Break, an Burn'?"

Parvati's scream mixed in with those of the rest of the crowd as the bass guitar started thrumming a rapid line of notes. Then the drums kicked in, setting the tempo. When the lead guitar finally joined the song, Harry was caught up in the sheer momentum of it all, and he whooped along with the rest.

Tim, Millie, and Parvati melted into the throng in front of the stage, rocking out on the dance floor for all they were worth. Harry was left standing with Padma, who seemed to be enjoying the music as much as he was.

When the song was over, Harry needed something to drink, and while he could still be heard, he leaned over to ask Padma, "Thirsty?"

"Yes. It is a bit warm in here." That was an understatement. With so many bodies filling the apple barn, even with the high ceiling the heat was stifling. Harry shoved his way through to the bar.

"What'll it be?"

"I'll have a large pumpkin juice," Padma told the bartender.

"The same," Harry added. He laid a silver Sickle on the bar and took his change. "Cheers!"

Both of them drank deeply from their glasses and tried to get back towards where they'd been standing before. It was clearly going to be impossible; far too many people moving around swept the pair towards the large double doors that had been opened to get some cooler air circulating.

"Well this is nice," Harry commented as they ended up outside.

"A pleasant change," Padma agreed. "At least you can think out here."

"And what are you thinking about?"

"Oh, nothing in particular."

"How has your summer been?"

"Quiet. Mum and Dad like it quiet, so if we want to cause trouble we need to get out of the house. Can't do that with Sirius Black on the loose."

"I can't imagine you causing trouble," Harry chuckled. "It's beyond imagination."

"Parvati causes more than I do. But several of my ideas have been very bold indeed."

"Such as?"

"Oh, there was this one time when I thought it would be just a wonderful idea to take Mum's brand new kitchen stuff and make mud pies."

"Brand new?"

"Brand new," Padma nodded. "And if that's not enough, we tried to bake the things in the oven."

"What!"

"Oh yes. Fortunately we couldn't, because we didn't know the magic word to turn it on. That we hadn't succeeded was completely overlooked by Mum though."

Harry shook his head. "Unbelievable."

"And wouldn't you know, Parvati snitched on me! She was so used to being in trouble that she was very proud to point out that it hadn't been her idea."

"How could she?"

"Who knows? I was upset with her for a long time after that."

"And rightly so."

"So I haven't always been the angel I am now."

Harry smiled. "So modest too."

"And proud of it," she giggled.

"Hey!" came Millie's voice behind them, "Where have you two been? You're missing the show!"

Harry looked at Padma and inclined his head towards the barn. She nodded at him, and they followed Millie back inside. Getting through the crowd was rough, and Harry had several bumps and bruises by the time they found Tim and Parvati.

Parvati, true to her word, was up against a very large speaker near the front of the stage. She had a big smile on her face as she bounced up and down to the music. Tim was thrashing around in a frenzy. It was good that he'd worn the Quidditch gear, because he was colliding with everything! Millie jumped into the air and began dancing when her feet touched the floor.

Harry had no idea how to dance to this music. His wizarding education so far had covered Charms, Transfiguration, Curses and Hexes, Potion-making, and Herb Lore. He could fly a broom and play Quidditch, but he did not know how to dance.

Padma was dancing. Harry studied her motions for awhile while bouncing in place to what he hoped was the beat. They'd never had a beat this fast in the Hogwarts Choir, not by half! It appeared to Harry that her movements were entirely random, but definitely followed a meter. If he wasn't mistaken, that meter was eight beats.

So Harry tried to copy that, counting to eight in his head, and suddenly it was as if the entire song opened to him. He felt his pulse changing, aligning with the beat. The music felt like it was flowing through him. His arms and legs, hands and feet, were moving to the rhythm. His motions were completely random, but they made sense to Harry in some numerical way. But golly, he was having fun!

The song ended abruptly, and Harry stumbled. He caught himself on the edge of the speaker and cheered long and hard. His breath was heaving in his chest. Where was his pumpkin juice?

The next song was slower, but the bass was definitely more intricate. Harry was amazed by the precision of the musician. The way he was playing the thing, it seemed like art. The song went on and on, and Harry danced a lot more. He couldn't stop grinning, though he could barely breathe.

Somehow Harry made it through three more songs. Sweat ran down his face, pasting his hair to his head. Absently, thinking only about how hot he was, he ran one hand back through his hair. So wet was it, though, that it stayed smoothed back.

The lead singer walked back to the edge of the stage, and he stared long and amazed at the lightning bolt scar, plain as day on Harry's forehead, exposed for all the world to see.

Harry was considerably startled when the singer jumped down off the stage and came right for him. "Bloody hell, people! We've got Harry Potter here tonight! And look at him sweat! Tell it true, lad, do you like what you've been hearing tonight?"

With the microphone stuck in his face, Harry had only one answer. "Damn right!"

"You heard it!" the singer shouted as he turned away and jumped back on stage. "This is for our biggest fan, Harry Potter! It's called 'Irresistible Force, Immovable Object'!"

Harry found himself sweating again when the song was over. Tim and Parvati both came over with identical looks of disgust and amazement. Parvati put her hands on her hips.

"You cross-eyed, awful, smelly git," she said crossly. "So unfair."

Tim agreed. "Boy, I wish I was famous."

Harry chose to be annoyed at that. "Then you don't get to come when I try to go talk with the band later."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Harry," Parvati said, suddenly changing posture. "I didn't really mean all that stuff I just said. Please say you'll let me come with you?"

"And what's in it for me?" he asked.

Her face twisted. "Umm, I don't know. What do you want?"

Harry considered that. "I don't know."

"So neither of us knows."

"Seems like."

"How about this?" Tim interjected. "Parvati, you will agree to owe Harry a favour in the future."

"A favour to a Slytherin? Oh, I'll never hear the end of it from Weasley."

"That's the deal," Harry told her. "A favour now for a favour later."

"Deal," Parvati sighed. "But only if we actually get to meet the band!"

"Smart, sis," Padma said in an undertone.

The band at that moment took a break. A large booth had been blocked off, and now the five musicians sat down there. Harry didn't waste any time. He moved towards the booth with Tim, Millie, Parvati, and Padma close behind. When they got to the booth, he stopped abruptly. Everyone behind him stopped short as well, thudding into each other clumsily.

"Hello," Harry said to the singer.

"Lads, it's Potter, come to our table. Make room, squeeze in, all."

"You know me, but I'm afraid I don't know you," Harry stated. "This is my first time hearing your music, but I think it's great!"

"How you like that, Edgar? We've got our first celebrity fan. We should get him to make a statement. Maybe'll drive up our contract a bit." The drummer gave Harry a wink.

"That's horrid, Kevin. Apologize to the lad." The singer looked upset.

"Ah, t'were only after havin' a laugh at the idea," Kevin retorted. "Harry knows that. Right, Harry?"

"Right," Harry agreed. "So you're Kevin? Drums. Edgar? You sing."

"And well," Parvati interjected into the conversation.

"Who's the lass then?" Edgar asked.

"This is my, er," Harry looked at her quickly, "friend, Parvati Patil."

"And who's the lovely twin sister?"

"Padma," she answered for herself.

"And this is Tim, and that's Millie."

"Very nice to meet you all."

"I always love to see the young people out," the bassist said to them. "It's wicked to see the music dance in their eyes."

"That's poetic, Stan," the guitarist complimented. "Write it down."

"Writing it down."

"Speaking of writing down," Tim jumped in, "I've been a fan for two years now. I've got all your albums. But I've never been old enough to go to a show. Could I please, please have your autographs?"

"Lads, we're famous! Someone wants our autographs!" Edgar cheered.

"We'd be glad to," Kevin said sincerely. "Without the fans who listen to our music, what we do wouldn't have much meaning. Thank you for coming tonight."

"Fought tooth and nail to get here," Tim swore.

"Argued for days," Parvati chimed in.

Edgar waved over a man in a very neat suit. "Get a camera, some of glamour shots, and quill and ink."

Almost instantly, the quills and ink appeared. Each band member signed his name to a wizardly, moving photograph. When he had signed, the photo was passed to the right. When they were done, all five children had a band photo signed by each member. The band was, in each separate photo, jamming out wildly. Harry thought it was simply stellar.

"Ah, the camera! Gather in, big picture! How's the shot?"

"Not bad. Hold still." The cameraman stepped slightly to the right. "Perfect. Smile!"

The flash let off a cloud of smoke, but it quickly rose up above the crowd in the vast dome of the apple barn. The man stepped out of the room, coughing slightly as he went.

"And we'll owl that picture to you when we develop the film." Edgar told Harry.

"Sure."

"Lads, lasses, it's been a blast, but we've got to get back on stage and rock it out some more. We won't be around after the finale, but you must come see our next show in Hampshire."

"We're in Hampshire," Kevin corrected.

"The hell we are."

"Come see the next show wherever it is," Stan the bassist laughed. "Now let's get up there!"

Rock it, they did. Well. Very well.

Harry moved so much he thought his feet might fall off. He finally called it quits after two more songs. He wanted to dance, but his body wasn't having it.

"I'm exhausted," sighed Padma, who had joined Harry in leaning against the wall.

"Parvati's still out there. She's still sky high about having met the band. I'm going to hear about it constantly for the next forever. Expect it to be all around school."

"Is Tim still right there with her?"

"Yup. Millie looks a little ragged, though."

"Is anyone ready to call it a night?"

"I was ready an hour ago. I'm exhausted."

"Leave them here?"

"Tempting, but no."

Millie came staggering up at that point. "Ow! Some big fellow knocked me right into the speaker!"

"Are you okay?" Harry asked.

"He was bigger than Goyle! It happens, but it still hurts!"

"You're welcome to join us. We're the tired people," Padma invited.

"I will."

The finale came four songs later, and Harry cheered in a hoarse voice as flames engulfed the entire stage and everything on it! With a stunning crack of sound, the fire vanished, leaving the bare wood of the stage. The place went bananas.

Harry and his friends hurried back to the private booth to retrieve their signed pictures. That detour left them very far back in the line to access the fireplace. If only there were some way he could have brought his Firebolt, he could be halfway back to Malfoy Manor by now.

"I wish I could learn to Apparate," Tim rued. "None of this waiting in line for me, thank you."

"You could stand to learn a little patience, Nott," Padma chided him. "I seem to recall a story about a troll?"

"I recall that too," Harry added. "Your eagerness got us all in a lot of trouble."

"So you wait," Millie reiterated.

"Now my broom, on the other hand," Harry said casually, "can reach two-forty in ten seconds."

"Wow!" Padma exclaimed. "That's fast!"

"Too fast!" Parvati agreed. "What goes that fast?"

"A Firebolt," Harry said proudly.

"So you're the one who bought it!" Parvati exclaimed. "We saw the manager taking down the display at Quality Quidditch Supplies. He only had the one for sale."

Harry owned something relatively unique. Spiffy.

"I saw that," Tim said bitterly. "I asked the price, and Dad nearly had heart palpitations."

"Say good-bye to the Quidditch Cup again, before the year even starts," Millie gloated. "Harry's the best flier in school, and now he's got the best broom in the world. It's all over."

"Up Slytherin!" Harry cheered.

"Up Slytherin!" echoed Tim and Millie.

Padma smiled tolerantly. "Up Slytherin," she said with a twinkle in her eye.

"Padma!" Her sister sounded absolutely shocked.

"Slytherin plays a very good game of Quidditch, Parvati. Gryffindor has a good Keeper and good Chasers, but that's not all there is to the game."

"It's not a game, it's a way of life," Parvati sighed dramatically. "The players are so handsome, so dashing, so proud."

"I have to wait until next year to go out for the team," Tim complained. "Damn Flint and his family emergency anyway. If he'd finished school properly, I could go out for Chaser."

"Against how many others?" Harry speculated. "Don't forget, Warrington the Third is the reserve Chaser. You'd have to beat him at trials."

"I could do it," Tim nodded. "He's not that good."

"Not so, Nott," Parvati giggled. Then she giggled again. "Nott so. When he was playing Flint's position, he was really good. He got into sync with Pucey and Montague, and they really tore up the sky. He's got experience."

"If I don't get that Chaser position, it'll be fifth year before a position opens up. I don't want to be a Beater."

"You'd be good at Beating, Nott," Parvati smiled at him encouragingly. "Or in sixth year you could go for Keeper."

"I want to play!" he half-shouted.

"And I want to see you play."

"Then what say you to a pick-up match when we get back to school? First afternoon, your friends in Gryffindor, and my mates in Slytherin."

"Weasley is going to drool when we give him the news," Parvati smirked. "I don't know if we'd be able to get a full squad, though. Amy and Chrissy aren't really the flying sort."

"Plus Longbottom," Millie added. "Remember the first flying lesson?"

"Poor guy," Parvati sighed. "So even counting Lavvie, Weasley, Thomas, and Finnigan, plus me is five. That's not a team."

"Harry, me, Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, Millie, and Jenna," Tim said. "We've an abundance of Slytherins."

"You could leave out the Beaters," Padma suggested.

"No!" Parvati and Tim exclaimed at the same time.

"We could let the batshits play," Harry speculated.

Parvati looked confused, while Tim and Millie only laughed. Padma looked inquisitively at Harry.

"The Weasley twins," he chuckled. "Percy hauled Draco in to Snape's office for, among other things, calling them twin batshits."

Parvati laughed merrily. "That certainly sounds like him, obnoxious prat that he is."

"He'll be crushed to hear you say that," Harry said dryly.

"Well it sounds like a deal to me," she declared. "If not the twins, I'll find some Gryffindors somewhere to answer the call of house pride."

"Then we will meet on the Quidditch pitch," Tim said grandly. "Until then, adieu."

They had made it through the line now, and Harry, Tim, and Millie parted ways with the Patil twins. The trio headed for Casa de Nott. With the hour being so late, Harry and Millie were going to spend the night. Harry spilled out of the fireplace and collapsed on the floor.

"Good night!" he proclaimed, and promptly began fake-snoring.

"Guest room is this way."

"We only get one room?" Harry questioned.

"Do you need more than one?"

"She does."

"I don't."

"Boys and girls should have their own rooms," Tim declared. "It's just better. It makes more sense."

"Yes," Millie agreed.

"So the guest rooms, plural, are this way."

to be continued...