Just a short A/N for all of you
First off, I know this story is odd, it's supposed to be odd but I hope you like it anyway.
Secondly, thank you to all that have written to let me know how much you like the story.
Thirdly to mercedes1327, this one's for you. I thought you'd appreciate it.
And lastly to Anonymous poster 95241 and your "oh yes so angsty... you need make it to obvious about the song lrics we dont want to read them.. please dont post them again,.. (Insert little snoring guy)" I posted that it was angsty due to Draco's personal reaction to it, care to give me your definition of angsty? (As it was I said "slightly angsty".) And I post the lyrics so that those who don't know the song can read it and so that they can get the full meaning behind it. Or did you miss the whole "everyone has thoughts on the songs being sung" thing especially in the last chapter? (Yes I'm being sarcastic.) And if you want to criticize fine, do that don't insult and don't presume to tell me what to do in my story. If you don't like the lyrics being posted, skip them, who says you need to read them? They're italicized so it shouldn't be that hard for you to tell them from the rest of the story and if it puts you off that much then don't read. I like my readership and I would hope to keep you as one but if not, I don't plan on losing sleep over it.
Again thanks to all whom have read and have left such positive reviews.
Seamus's POV
Seamus walked with confidence up to the stage. He had no fears about singing in front of the crowd. He enjoyed having people watching him. Dean was constantly calling him an exhibitionist. Oh well, he was Irish so it was to be expected really. As Dumbledore cast the Sonorous charm on him he smiled as he thought about what song he was going to sing. He'd thought about singing "Crimson Kneazeles" by Erwin Hobston but he thought this song would be better suited to catching his friends' attention. From the back of the room he heard Dean pipe up.
"Seamus if I hear you sing Danny Boy one more time I think I'll have to kill you."
The crowd roared with appreciation. Even Seamus grinned, he only sang that song because he knew it would get under Dean's skin.
"No, I have a much more appropriate song for me to sing. We sang it at the last family get together actually."
Seamus smirked and left them wondering until he began to sing.
"Tim Finnegan lived in Walkin' Street.
A gentleman, Irishman, mighty odd
He'd seen a brogue so soft and sweet
And to rise in the world he carried a hod.
Tim had a sort of a tipplin way.
With a love of the liquor now he was born
Helped a man with his work each day.
He'd a drop of the craythin' every morn'"
As he sang his legs began to dance a jig that had been dubbed "the Seamus" by his family. Legs twisting here and there and a slight stomp after he spun three times. Got a bloke's blood flowing quite nicely.
"Whack fol-de-dah
Now dance to your partner,
Welt the floor,
Your trotters shake
Wasn't it the truth
I told ye lots of fun at Finnegan's wake
One mornin Tim felt rather full.
His head felt heavy which made him shake;
Fell from a the ladder and burst his skull
So they carried him home, his corpse to wake.
Rolled him up in a nice clean sheet
Laid him out upon the bed,
A gallon of whiskey at his feet
And a barrel of porter at his head.
Whack fol-de-dah
Now dance to your partner,
Welt the floor,
Your trotters shake
Wasn't it the truth
I told ye lots of fun at Finnegan's wake"
Harry's POV
And he'd thought Dumbledore had been bad. Seamus had that Irish brogue that did justice to the song, but this jig he was dancing was enough to put Harry off of dancing for the rest of his life. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Hermione grimace as though in pain. She leaned over and whispered to him.
"I've read about Irish dancing and nowhere did they say anything about that."
She pointed just as Seamus's leg kicked up high in the air and he turned it foot facing the opposite leg and then hopping over his own leg as it hung there in the air.
"Yes, it really is rather odd. And the choice is pure Seamus really."
Harry agreed and chuckled as Hermione winced again.
"His friends assembled at the wake.
And Mrs. Finnegan called for lunch,
First they brung in tea and cake.
Then pipes, tobacco and whiskey punch.
Biddy O'Brien began to cry.
"Such a nice clean corpse, did you ever see
Tim, mavourneen, why did you die?"
"Arragh, shut your gob" says Paddy McGhee!
"Whack fol-de-dah
Now dance to your partner,
Welt the floor,
Your trotters shake
Wasn't it the truth
I told ye lots of fun at Finnegan's wake"
Again Harry leaned to whisper in Hermione's ear.
"Tell me, do you understand a word of this? I mean besides that a guy named Finnegan is toes pointed up?"
Hermione covered her mouth with her hand but not before Harry saw the smile there.
"Oh Harry. You mean to tell me you've been dormmates with Seamus for all these years and you haven't learned any Irish at all?"
Harry shook his head ruefully.
"What I'd learned was, that when Seamus went off into one of his strange speaking tirades to just leave the room before my eardrums split."
Hermione laughed outright at that. Her head thrown back against the booth and Harry could feel the vibrations of it through his arm that was still wrapped around her shoulders. Once she'd calmed down again she looked at him with a twinkle in her eye.
"I'll explain it to you when you're older."
At his startled look she again burst into laughter. Harry merely shook his head and tuned back into what he discovered to be the end of the song.
"Timothy rising from the bed
Said 'Whirl your liquor around, and run like blazes
Well mother of Jesus, Do ye think I'm dead?'
Whack fol-de-dah
Now dance to your partner,
Welt the floor,
Your trotters shake
Wasn't it the truth
I told ye lots of fun at Finnegan's wake."
With a final jump that reminded Harry of a first year on too many Fizzing Whizbees Seamus wrapped up the song and left the stage. The third of the day to get thunderous applause for their performance. Dumbledore walked up to the front of the stage again and clapped his hands.
"I would like to announce a short break so that you can get up and stretch if you'd like. We will begin again in ten minutes and at that time we shall pick our next performer."
Dumbledore left the stage and Harry's companions as well as the rest of the bar began to shuffle out of their seats to mill around. Harry watched as Draco went over to Ginny and tried to talk to her but she wasn't having any of it. Poor git, didn't he realize she was just getting revenge for his earlier comment? Harry knew Ginny well enough to know when she was truly mad and when she was having one over on you for her own enjoyment. Harry turned from one pair of squabbling lovebirds to another. Luna was apparently giving Ron what appeared to be a very Hermione like lecture. Her hands on her hips and her body stock still in a rather angry pose. That was unusual in itself, but more so was Ron's apologetic nature. Rarely had Harry seen Ron give in so easily. Apparently Luna thought it was a bit too soon as well for she turned on her heel and stalked by and Harry caught her parting words.
"It's time you learned Ron, not everything in this world is going to be about you. And not everything you do need be a competition with someone you claim to be your best friend."
Harry flushed slightly as Luna stormed past him. On the one hand Harry was glad he didn't have a female angry with him, as it seemed to be the running theme for the day but on the other he couldn't help but wish he had someone at all. That debacle in fifth year with Cho was the closest he had come to having a relationship with someone, that being said his love life was severely lacking. He looked over at Hermione and was surprised to see her making her way to the door as quickly as her legs would carry her which due to the crowd around her was not very quickly at all. He caught up to her without much trouble. Harry grabbed her wrist just as she was about to open the door.
"Hermione, where are you going?"
Hermione turned and smiled at him.
"As far from here as humanly possible."
She stated without batting an eye. Harry goggled at her.
"Whatever for?"
It was her turn to goggle. She shook her head and Harry saw a faint blush creep up her neck. And that's when he knew what it was. In the seven years he'd known Hermione he had never once heard her sing. Not so much as a Christmas carol had been known to pass her lips with any audibility. On his last birthday he could tell she was only mouthing the words to Happy Birthday and not very much at that. Not that the sentiment wasn't there it was just the whole need for singing thing apparently had her flummoxed. He looked down at her fondly.
"You'll do all right Hermione. You've nothing to worry about."
Hermione's POV
Damn this crowd. Damn Harry for spotting her and damn him even more for catching her. She had almost escaped and with her pride moderately intact. But no, Harry had to come and get her. She looked up at him only to find him gazing at her with that maddeningly adorable look he so often used. The affection he felt for her was evident in his emerald gaze, but affection was not what she wanted from him at least not the way he meant it. And she knew what he was thinking, that she was shy or embarrassed to sing in public, probably thought she had stage fright or some such nonsense, but no that wasn't the case at all. What she was afraid of went far beyond what her classmates and a few drunks in a pub thought of her. No her fear was that when she got up on that stage she would begin to sing a song that would tell the world what she felt for the boy in front of her. She couldn't subject herself to that, especially when she was quite sure the feeling was not reciprocated in the least. But gazing into his eyes as they silently pleaded with her to stay she found that she could not refuse. She had never been able to and probably never would be able to refuse him anything. So she let him lead her back to the table, let him squeeze her between himself and Luna, ensuring that she would not escape, and let him put his arm around her all the while trying very hard not to cry for the despair she was feeling at the moment. The break was apparently up as Dumbledore walked to the stage again and the crowd fell silent. In his hand was that damned goblet, again he reached in and pulled out a name.
"Our next performer will be…"
TBC…
I am evil.