The Hogwarts Players Present

Act the First: Part 6

Okay, Who Mentioned "Macbeth" Before the Show Started?

The music cues in for:

DO YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING?

Ron is standing center stage, obviously psyching himself up for this powerful number. The STUDENTS stand in a group just behind him, with Neville and Dean at the forefront, and Cedric toward the middle, still looking a bit confused. There are excited murmurings from backstage, and from the audience:

DUMBLEDORE: (practically bouncing in his seat) This is one of my favorite numbers! So powerful, so idealistic! (raising his voice) Huzzah for Enjolras!

Snape buries his face in one hand embarrassedly. Ron, hearing Dumbledore, glances down at the front row, and the Headmaster gives him a smile and a nod. Blushing, Ron launches into his song:

RON

Do you hear the people sing, singing the song of angry men?

It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again!

When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums,

There is a life about to start when tomorrow comes.

Dean and Neville walk forward to flank Ron, one on either side.

DEAN

Will you give all you can give so that our banner may advance?

NEVILLE (hoisting the tablecloth in the air, a la Ron)

Some will fall and some will live, will you stand up and take a chance?

RON (bellowing, punching the air with every word)

The blood of the martyrs will water the meadows of France!!!

From offstage,

Harry and Hermione cheer Ron on. The Gryffindors in the audience also begin to clap and cheer, including McGonagall. All of the STUDENTS (including a stumbling Cedric) join in on the next chorus. The cast members backstage, unable to contain themselves, join in with gusto, led by Harry (all except Draco, of course).

ALL

Do you hear the people sing, singing the song of angry men?

It is the music of a people who will NOT be slaves again!

When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums,

There is a life about to start when tomorrow comes!

The auditorium explodes in applause as

Neville begins to wave the tablecloth over his head like a flag. The STUDENTS cheer as Ron leads them offstage.

During the musical interlude/scene change, we hear from backstage:

HARRY: Ron, you were brilliant!

HERMIONE: Oh, good job, Ron!

RON: (you can hear the blush) Yeah, thanks, mates.

Meanwhile, the ABC CAFÉ set disappears, and is replaced by a freestanding stone archway placed at an angle center stage, with gates and trellises on either side. There is a bench stage right. This represents VALJEAN'S GARDEN.

A HEART FULL OF LOVE

Luna wanders on from stage right and sits down on the bench. She is still singing "Do You Hear the People Sing?" to herself, even as the next song begins.

LUNA (with music for "In My Life" under)

Do you hear the people sing?

Singing the song of angry men?

It is the music of a people...

Luna trails off and begins to hum the melody, staring off into space. From offstage, we hear Harry, Hermione, and Ron groan with frustration. Then Draco:

DRACO: For Merlin's sake, will someone get her off the stage?!

HERMIONE: Give her a minute...maybe she'll come around.

HARRY: Yeah, sod off, Malfoy!

DRACO: Get OFF the STAGE!!

RON: Shut it, ferret-boy!

DRACO: That's no way to address your betters, Weasel!

RON: Oh yeah?

DRACO: Yeah!

HERMIONE: STOP IT! (a pause) Harry, you'd better do something...

HARRY: Me?

HERMIONE: Well, you're the only character who can go onstage and have it make sense! Here, give her the script!

CEDRIC: Hey, that's mine!

HERMIONE: Sorry, Cedric, emergency.

CEDRIC: But I need it...

HARRY: He really does, you know.

HERMIONE: Harry, just go!

HARRY: (sighing) Fine...

Luna has kept right on humming during the above, totally oblivious. The audience is getting fidgety. While the students giggle and talk among themselves, the teachers have a conversation:

SNAPE: What is she doing?

MCGONAGALL: Haven't the foggiest...Should someone intervene, Headmaster?

DUMBLEDORE: Oh, no. The children can handle themselves. I thought I heard some debate going on backstage.

SNAPE: Why don't they just pull her off the stage? It would be much less painful for the rest of us.

DUMBLEDORE: Now, now...(pause) You must admit, though, this is an entirely novel way of playing the role of Cosette.

Snape and McGonagall look at one another, deciding not to comment.

Just then, Harry appears from stage right, holding the libretto for Les Miserables: School Edition. The audience falls silent as he crosses to Luna and taps her on the shoulder. She comes back to earth, and smiles up at Harry. Starting to blush a little, Harry opens the libretto and hands it to Luna. Over her shoulder, he points to a spot in the script and gestures for her to begin. Luna, perfectly agreeable, finally gets it:

LUNA (reading from libretto)

There's so little I know that I'm longing to know,

Of the child that I was in a time long ago.

There's so little you say of the life you have known,

Why you keep to yourself, why we're always alone.

So dark, so dark and deep, the secrets that you keep.

There are relieved sighs from backstage.

Harry also looks relieved, then he sings:

HARRY

You will learn.

Truth is given by God to us all in our time.

In our turn.

Luna makes as though to hand the script back to Harry, but he motions for her to keep it. Harry exits stage right. He's greeted with some praise:

HERMIONE: Wonderful, Harry.

RON: Yeah, wicked. You looked right humiliated, but still...wicked.

DRACO: Oh, for God's sake...all he did was hand Loony Lovegood a piece of paper!

Cedric and Cho enter from stage left. Again, Cedric is libretto-less and thus misses his cue to begin. There are immediate cries of frustration from the Company and the audience, except the Hufflepuffs. Cho glares into the wings, while Cedric glances feebly around for help. Luna is absorbed in the libretto, now humming "Weasley Is Our King." From offstage:

DRACO: Aargh!! This is bloody RIDICULOUS!

HARRY: For once, I actually agree with you.

DRACO: I don't need your support, Scar-head!

RON: Shut your face, you...[string of curse words]

HERMIONE: RON!!

HARRY: Will you all quit bickering?! (pause) They're all just standing out there...what are we going to do?

DRACO: We?

HARRY: Did I mention you?

DRACO: Watch your step, Potty!

HARRY: Just shut it!

DRACO: Oooh, touchy, aren't we?

HARRY: Forget it! Okay, I have an idea.

DRACO: (sneeringly) Oh, this will be classic...

HERMIONE: Shut up, Malfoy! What is it, Harry?

HARRY: Okay: Hermione, go tell the orchestra to skip ahead to the very end of "Attack on the Rue Plumet." Seamus, you go get Crabbe, Goyle and Nott, and get ready for the attack number.

SEAMUS: Right-o.

DRACO: (sarcastically) That's it? That's the grand plan? Oh, you are so brilliant, Potter!

HERMIONE: But Harry...That means skipping "A Heart Full of Love"--the romantic duet!

RON: (testily) I'll buy you a recording, Hermione.

DRACO: (meanly) Oh, how sweet! The Weasel and the Mudblood! (now sounding nervous) Weasley...you'll put that down if you know what's...

There's a cracking noise, a thud, and Draco moans in pain.

HARRY: Thanks Ron.

RON: No problem--it was my pleasure.

*~End of Part 6~*