Harry Potter: The Musical

Chapter 1

How it began

The sun shone gaily down, so that every clean window in the Hogwarts castle was glistening with splendor. Harry Potter awoke with a smile on his face. He sat up and laughed joyfully. Ron, in the four-poster bed next door, sat up in surprise at the tinkling laughter sounding from Harry's bed.

"Oh, Ron!" Harry exclaimed happily. "The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, and the glistening, splendid lake is just waiting for us to swim in it!"

"You're right!" Ron agreed excitedly, smiling at Harry's sparkling eyes, "Let's go for a swim before breakfast!"

"Ron." Harry trilled. "Ron, I feel a song coming on!"

"I'll do the chorus!" Ron exclaimed delightedly, as Harry opened his mouth, and a beautiful high voice, full of sweetness began to fill the dormitory.

"The moooorrrrniiinngggg," Harry began sweetly, "the moorrninngg... is full of life and splendooorrrr.... the lake is glisteniinnngg.... the toast is tooaasstingg and the birds are sinnniinnggg.... and the breeze is BREEEEZINNGG!!" This last bit was sung so high, that Ron had to block his ears, (and a small crowd of birds had gathered at the window.) "Chorus, Ron!" He concluded enthusiastically.

"The morning is lovelyyy," sang Ron in a deep vibrating opera-like voice, "the morning is joyful!.. The morning is wonderfuuullll!!!" This last bit was sung so low that Harry had to block his ears ( and a small bear was waiting by the door).

The song ended, and the back-up music which had so mysteriously accompanied them, faded musically. Harry and Ron opened their eyes slowly, (for they had closed them as they sang meaningfully and expressively) and their fist slowly became unclenched.

"Nice chorus, Ron!" Harry exclaimed eagerly, admiring his best friend's unfound (but now found) talent.

"Right back at'cha!" Ron said cheesily giving him a wink, and they slapped hands (in a traditional Harry-Ron handshake) and skipped gaily down the stairs of their dormitory, Harry going first of course, because 'H' comes before 'R' in the alphabet.

***

They had barely gone a yard when "BANG!", Harry was catapulted head first into the expansive bookshelf bordering the corridor along where he and Ron had been skipping, and he was dimly aware of someone in the shadows yelling "IMPEDIMENTA!"

Books cascaded down upon poor Harry as if on queue, and if it had not been for the faithful efforts of Ron, he surely would have been buried alive!

Harry fumbled beneath a thick book titled Potions: A Beginner's Guide, and locating his glasses there, pushed them hurriedly on to his nose to see who his attackers were.

Draco Malfoy stood smirking down at him, and as Harry watched, his cronies Crabbe and Goyle emerged from the shadows behind him, cracking their knuckles threateningly.

"Bet you think you're really great, Potter, " drawled Malfoy, "singing at the top of your voice like that. We could hear you from the Slytherin common room!" He glanced at Ron.

"You too Weasley, " he said, and mimed an opera singing Ron. "I'll hire you for Potter's funeral. You need the money after all." Crabbe and Goyle sniggered trollishly, until Goyle suddenly fell backwards into an empty suit of armor, which then just happened to collapse instantly on top of the three Slytherins. For a split second, Malfoy's eyes grew large and he shrieked, but the yells soon became muffled as he was covered in clanging armor parts.

A final squeak from Crabbe, and the deserted hall fell into silence once more. Harry looked over at Ron inquiringly, but Ron merely shrugged and continued walking down the corridor towards the sounds of breakfasting Hogwarts students. Harry followed slowly, but as he turned the corner to walk down the old staircase, he looked back for a final glimpse of the books, metal and various body parts revealed in the wreckage, he saw, to his great amusement and astonishment, that none other than Albus Dumbledore crouched silently beside a suit of armor, and was giving him the double thumbs-up sign.

***