Harry - Star Rapper

All day Harry had been absentmindedly scribbling his lyrics on his parchment. He had sat staring straight ahead during all his classes before lunch. In Potions class, Snape had called him an ignorant empty-headed excuse for a Hogwarts student, but Harry had scarcely noticed.

They were cutting classes short for the contest, so he, though he didn't much care at the moment, had all his least favorite classes (Double Potions, Double Divination...), then lunch, then the Hogwarts Vocal Contest.

At lunchtime, though he didn't really notice anything all that day earlier, he did notice that neither Ron nor Hermione showed up. Hermione set off to Arithmancy, then wasn't to be seen. Ron was in Divinations, but was called to McGonagall's office for reasons unknown to Harry.

Harry had some turkey and boiled potatoes and set off to find them.

He checked the library.

He checked the common room.

He checked the boy's dormitory.

He couldn't check the girl's dormitory, so he sent Lavender up there to check the dormitory.

He went to McGonagall's office.

No luck anywhere. McGonagall told him they had both been summoned to her office, but wouldn't tell him why.

He stormed into Hagrid's hut, without bothering to knock. "Hagrid, I can't find..."- he stopped.

"Ron! Hermione!" Harry exclaimed. "Today, of all days, I couldn't find you. What are you doing here?"

"Um, chatting," Hermione said.

"Harry, too tired from running everywhere around the castle, sat down with them. "Well, lunch is almost over, and then it's the contest, so I'd better go and practice. Maybe another one of my friends could help me."

"Harry..." Ron started to say, "Mate, c'mon..."

"Harry!" Hagrid said. "Ben waitin' ter ask yeh...what's tha' yer singin' in the contest?"

"Shove it, Ron," Harry said, ignoring Hagrid. He slammed the door.

"Oh, dear," Hermione said into the silence. "Well, he'll get over it."

"Listen," Hagrid said. "I never got ter tell yeh what I wanted to, but lunch's over. Can yeh meet me at 4:30?"

Ron, hurrying to leave, replied. "Sure, whatever. Let's go, Hermione, we need to catch Harry."

And they left.

***

It was 2:30, and the Great Hall had been transformed into a sort of auditorium, with rows of chairs and a curtained stage. Backstage were microphones, Muggle CD players, and all sorts of things, including singers.

Dumbledore stood on a chair backstage. "I'd like to make an announcement," he said. "Although Muggle items will normally not work here at Hogwarts, I have made an exception. All magical things will be...toned down with the magic, so that Muggle CDs and other needed things will work. You may resume."

Everyone began running about again. "Er, Professor Dumbledore," Harry began. "I...I don't have that music I need."

"Harry, I have taken care of that," Dumbledore reassured him. "I went out for your music myself, along with everyone else's, in case they didn't have theirs."

Harry felt relieved. "Thanks, but, er...there are...curse words on that CD."

"I already took care of that," Dumbledore said again. "Trust me, Harry, I went through everyone's song and cut them all out."

"Thanks," Harry said again. "Well, I'd better practice to the CD."

Dumbledore fumbled through his stack and handed him one. "Go win, Harry."

"Thanks, professor," Harry said, and went into a corner to practice. He found a CD player and opened the top. These things weren't as hard as Ron treated them. You just put in a CD and push the button.

Then Malfoy walked by.

"Malfoy?" Harry said loudly. Pansy, walking with him, raised her eyebrows.

"What, Potter? Surprised that you have some competition?" Malfoy asked.

"No," Harry retorted. "Just wondering what song you would be able to sing...at all."

"If you must know, Potter, I'm singing a song better than Eminem," Malfoy said. "My performance will blow the crowd away. You know you need to perform, right?"

"Yeah," Harry said, but inside he was nervous. Perform? Like in a concert? But he would manage. He gave Malfoy a dirty look.

Malfoy looked down at him and strutted away, Pansy at his side. "Honestly," Malfoy said to her, "he already thinks himself a hotshot, now he thinks he has to sing about his own controversy..."

Harry reached into his bag and pulled out his outfit. Dudley's baggiest, oldest jeans, and a white tank top he borrowed from a tough-looking Hufflepuff who said he liked to 'work out' in it. Harry wondered what that 'work out' consisted of.

He went into one of the dressing rooms Dumbledore had created near one corner of the Great Hall. Inside was Neville.

"Hi, Harry," Neville said. He was staring into the mirror, wearing a suit.

"You okay?" Harry asked him.

"I'm fine," Neville said, still staring nervously into the mirror. "What-the suit? It was my dad's, when he was married. Gran yelled at me to not ruin it before I sent for it. Why does she always send Howlers?"

Harry shrugged. "Well, I'll just be dressing," he said. He went into a stall on the wall and pulled on the jeans and tank top.

He came out and looked in the mirror. With his small, wiry build, he looked silly in the baggy tank top. 'Like a nerd working out', Dudley would have said.

He posed like Eminem's posters from Dudley's room. Better, but still a little strange.

"Well, good luck," he said to Neville.

"Yup," Neville said shakily.

***

"Ron, where's Crookshanks?" Hermione asked at 3:00.

"I don't know where the stupid animal is," Ron replied, practically pulling Hermione out the common room door. "We're already late, let's go."

"Okay, okay," Hermione said, sighing.

They had gotten to the doors of the Great Hall when Professor McGonagall marched up. "Ms. Granger?" she asked.

"Erm, yes?" Hermione said.

"Will you come to my office? We need to talk about your classes."

"But, professor..." Hermione started. "We really need to go..."

"Weasley, go on, Granger, come to my office," she repeated.

Ron went into the Great Hall as Hermione followed McGonagall up the staircase.

Ron, halfway to a seat, was pushed back into the aisle by a large group of Hufflepuff second years.

"Shove it," Ron told them, and went up more. He finally found a seat near the front and saved one for Hermione.

"Welcome to the Hogwarts Vocal Contest," Dumbledore greeted them, arms spread wide and a smile on his face. "This is the first one, so let me explain it. Our judges"- he gestured to a table with Professors Snape, Vector, Sinistra, Trelawney and Flitwick sitting behind it- "will judge each entry with a scale of 1-10. At the end, the persons in first, second, and third place shall win various prizes. The first shall receive a trophy; the second, a certificate to Flourish and Blotts (10 Galleons); and the third, a box of assorted candies and goodies."

Many people cheered at the sound of 'candy'.

"And now, without further ado, welcome to the Hogwarts Vocal Contest!" Dumbledore said, backing off the stage.