BAND PRACTICE #1

[Christopher Anthony Brian]

With a pair of drumsticks clutched in his hand, Chris ran into the clubroom. It would have been a better idea if the first band practise were held in the music room, but Billie’s ideas where always what was going to happen. He was excited about the first practice, despite the fact his annoying cousin Matt was in the band.

The name Sunburn had already been decided on in the common room, a few nights back. Chris didn’t mind that name, as it sounded cool and it was simple. He took a seat at the drum stool. Chris wasn’t too sure about the drums. He had a few lessons from Billie in the music room - Surely that was enough for a small band.

He began to hit various parts of the drum, enjoying the loud crash and bang sounds they all made. He began to pick up a rhythm. It wasn’t very good, but it was just a practice until Billie and Matt arrived.

[Billie Joe Bryant]

[green]Billie Joe walked into the room, the guitar known famously as Stan was on her back, being held by a black guitar strap that had red hearts, roses and skuls imprinted on it.
She smiled as she saw her friend Chris on the drums, hitting the dymbals and drums rythmaticly. She'd taught him drums and so far he was learning well.

Seeing that Matt wasn't here yet she moaned to Chris.
"You won't have to pretend I'm your girlfriend again, will you?" She asked him. She wasn't furious about Chris pretending to be with her but she certainly wasn't exstaic about it to say the least.
She swung Stan round so that he was not the right way round, he had a black rim, was red and had a white scratchboard. She plugged him into her amp that was covered in muggle band stickers until you could hardly see the black that was underneath. The amp was known as Joey and was Billie Joe's. A few nights earlier on he and Stan were the main cause of the OOTP house being kept awake. She failed to mention to Leonardo Millhouse that she was a total insomniac.[/green]

[Christopher Anthony Brian]

Weakly Chris smiled at Billie as she entered the room. He still felt terrible about claming she was his girlfriend, to his cousin Matthew. Thank god Matthew hadn’t yet arrived. He shouldn’t have been in the band anyway, but it was better to have people he knew in the band. At least he could hopefully depend on Matt to play the bass guitar well. Matthew really was a great bassist.

Chris shook his head to Billie, and frowned at her. He had only done it to look himself look good. All the time Matt came out better than him. He knew what he did was wrong. He didn’t know if Slytherins where supposed to feel guilt at all. Slytherins where brave, and didn’t let ANYTHING affect them.

He carried on hitting the drum kit, trying to put a smile on his face. Chris didn’t want Matthew too see Chris sad. Matt would do ANYTHING to say bad things about Chris. Matt was number one in Chris’s hated relatives.
“I am sorry about what I did” He yelled over the noise.

[Billie Joe Bryant]

[green]Billie Joe smiled, "It's ok, you didn't make a crap pretend boyfriend." She smiled, raising her voice over the noise.
"Matt should be here soon, what song should we learn?" She asked Chris, she had the urge to learn a song by Lordi, the Rasmus or even HIM. She was in a Finnish mood. Don't ask why. It was probably because of Lauri Hakala.

She strummed Stan and winced, he didn't sound it but he was out of tune. She started to tighten and loosen the stings, strumming occassionally until she was happy with what she heard.[/green]

[Christopher Anthony Brian]

Chris laughed, he wished that he really could go out with Billie, as she was the only person that cared for Chris. Everyone had heard the leaked rumor about this years prom. Maybe if Chris asked her now, Billie would go to the ball with him. He was unsure what he should do. What happened if Billie refused? Chris would have to go alone to the ball. Who else would Billie go with anyway? Everyone hated Billie, as much as they hated Chris.

He had spent ages trying to find all the music tabs and chords for many songs. Wizards didn't have acesess to the internet, so Chris had to asked his pearents to go to music shops to buy the books for the band. It was a little hard trying to purswade his pearents, but in the end they gave in. This band meant allot to Chris & he wanted it to be good. Chris had 'kindly' asked Matthew to carry the books to the music room, as Chris was feeling lazy.
"Oh my stupid cousin is carrying all the tabs up. We are learning that Rasmus song, the one that we looked at last night." Explained Chris, as he began hit numerous parts of the drum lightly. It had been hard trying to find a way to listen to the songs, but Billie's magically powered MP3 player was a fantastic help, along with Billie's muggleness.

He knew that he needed to ask Billie this sooner or later, and there was no point in doing it while Matthew was about. Chris REALLY wanted to go to the ball with Billie. At once Chris stopped hitting the cymbal & put his hands to the side.
"Erm Billie, Will you go to that prom thing with me?" He asked poiltley. Beside Chris his arms where shaking terribly. He knew that she was going to refuse. Billie hated

[Billie Joe Bryant]

[green]Billie Joe was glad that they were doing a song by the Rasmus. She loved Finnish bands.
"Oh, he's kind, how much did you have to blackmail him to do that?" She asked sarcasticly, "The last Waltz? hopefully we'll be playing that at the prom, I arraged for us and some other bands to be playing when Kakashi isn't on the decks."
It was usefull being head girl, she found out many thing. Like arrangements for proms.

She loved the Rasmus, they were among her favourite bands. Muggle band but very good. The lead singer reminded her so much of Lauri Hakala in Ravenclaw. And the Drummer reminded her of Aki Neilla in Hufflepuff.
She tuned her guitar to suit The Last Waltz and took a sip of mineral water to clear her throat.

She paused as Chris asked her. Her heart sank slightly. She didn't know how to tell Chris. But she had to, she couldn't possibly be a cheating cow and she already made up her mind.
"I'm sorry Chris, but I was in Leo's room at 3:00 AM this morning and he asked me if I wanted to go with him. And I said yeah. I'm really sorry! But I'm sure you'll find someone else. Honest." She smiled at him sympatheticly. Her and Leo were dating now, and werequite happy.[/green]

[ekononom]

[green]Matt trudged up the stairs, why was the club room so high? Back in Durmstrang things were so much easier, he was captain of the Durmstrang quidditch team, he was popular and all of the guys looked up to him because he had some what some wit and could play an instrument. hardly anyone else could. But he felt that they were getting a little too close.
So he was happy when he was asked to join a band for his Bass talents.

He mumbled, carrying the tab books. Billie Joe didn't even need then, neither did he but for some reason Chris made him bring them all anyway. It was just Chris that needed them. Just because his stupid cousin couldn't actually play drums and had to have his stupid girlfriend help him out.
But he didn't want to get kicked out already, hopefully this would get him some sort of good reputation. Possibly even a rival when it came to Bass!
But who could beat him? He'd been learning Bass for as long as he could remember. He could listen to a peice of music and start playing the bass to it at once without a single mistake. Which he thought was pretty good.

He was about to enter until he heard an interesting peice of conversation.
So Chris had been rejected? And by his girlfriend!
Or ex-girlfriend now.
He waited until Billie said no before he kicked the door open, due to him carrying the tab books therefore having no free hands to open the door with, and smiled.
"Ohhh, Chris, dumped, and for a Gryffindor? That's worse than a rock!" He could help but tease Chris now. This had made his day.[/green]

[Christopher Anthony Brian]

Matt wasn't the type to do anything for nothing. Of course Chris hadn't paid Matt to carry the books up, Matt had simply bribed him. He had told Matt that he would be out of the band if he didn't agree with what Billie and Chris said. It was only Matt's amazing bass talents that allowed him into the band. It was better to have a family / friend band, than to have a band full of people you didn't know.
"I simply bribed him" Matt Laughed, as he continued to hit the drum quietly at a steady pace.

His hands began to tremble, as he awaited Billies reply. He hoped that the reply would be yes. If Billie rejected Chris, he didn't know what he would do. Who would Chris go to the summer prom with? He hadn't asked Billie if he was staying an extra year yet. Hogwarts wouldn't be complete without Billie Joe Hardings.

No this couldn't be happening! Billie was going with Leo. Chris started to shake uncontrollably. He wanted to cry, but he held back the tears. It wasn't like Chris to cry. He hadn't cried since he was a toddler.Chris wanted to punch something in anger. Leo was a Gryffindor, and she was a Slytherin. Those two houses had always been enemies, just like Leo and Billie, they had always been enemies.
"You c.c.c.ca't go with him" Stuttered Chris, as he clenched the drumsticks that where held tightly in Chris's pale hands.

That is all i need! Chris thought as Matt walked in. He always seemed to walk in at a time of trouble. Chris hated Matt. He wanted to kill Matt and Leo right now. Chris wanted too see them both in horrific pain. "You B......" Screamed Chris as he threw his drumsticks forcefully at the horrid Matt In his mind Chris imaged that it was Leo he was throwing the drumsticks at. He stood up from the drum-kit and started to kick pieces of the kit over. Cymbals and drums began to fly everywhere, making all of the other instruments tumble over too..

[Billie Joe Bryant]

[green]"Tch, sweeeet!" She smiled as Chris said about bribing Matt to take up the tab books.
She began to play the start to the song they were to play, she was just practicing so she didn't need for Chris to start drumming or Matt to run in and start playing the Bass to it.
She just needed Matt to come up and then they could put this band practice into action.

Billie Joe thought Chris was taking this very well. Good, he would understand that he could always go with someone else.
She frowned.
"Of course I can go with him. It would look pretty stupid if I didn't go with him. I am his girlfriend...I think so anyway." She said, she stopped playing. Maybe he wasn't taking this so well.

This new thought was backed up when Matt came in and was his usual mean self.
She jumped as Chris threw the drumsticks at Matt and bit her lip hard when he started to kick over the drumkit.
"Chris!" She shreiked.
She winced as a cymball hit her. Hard. She was scared now, she hadn't seen Chris like this before.
It was when something hit Stan and broke a guitar string she went over to Chris and slapped him.
"For christs sake!" She screamed at him, her eyes watering, "Pull yourself together! Why does it matter to you who I go with?"[/green]

[Christopher Anthony Brian]

It wasn't fair! Leo was a enemy & he always had been. Gryffindors HAD to be Slytherin's enemies. Chris was beginning to wonder if Billie should take the sorting hat test again. It was clear that Billie DID NOT belong in Slytherin. If she was placed in Gryffindor, she would be with her special boy Leo friend. Many thoughts circled Chris's head. Why had she rejected Chris for him? Leo was scum!

Life sucked! Why did everything have to go wrong for Chris? He continued to trash all the instruments, making everything fly across the room. Had Chris gone mad? no Chris could just very very angry at times. He didn't have a short temper. If he got mad, he became very very mad. As Billie mentioned that Leo and her where dating each other, Chris's stomach turned. The sight of Billie and Leo together crucified Chris. Why did she choose him? Had she been seeing Leo behind Chris's back? Was Chris just a joke.
"You don't understand!" Chris Yelled, as he continued to throw the instruments around.

Chris grasped his hands to his mouth as he noticed that the instruments where hitting Billie and her guitar. He didn't want Billie to get hurt. All Chris wanted was too see Leo in unbearable pain. That image comforted Chris deeply. The string on Billie's guitar had snapped. Chris didn't care. A guitar string could be fixed easily with a spell. What did Billie care about that? Billie needed to know how Chris felt. Chris was the only important thing at Hogwarts, NOT LEO.

With a force Billie slapped Chris. He grabbed his cheek, where Billie had hit him. She sure had a hard slap! Chris wanted to hit Billie back, but something was stopping him. Chris could not hit a girl, not unless he hated her terribly. Hitting girls was below Chris's standards. "I hate you all!" Screamed Chris as he threw himself onto the floor and landed in the pile of instruments. Chris could feel all sharp pieces of instruments sticking into his body. He wasn't injured, it just hurt. He began screaming loudly. You could call this a tantrum, or you could call this madness. Chris had defiantly gone mad.

[ekononom]

[green]Matt took a step back and dropped the books, Chris wasn't taking this well.
For once he wasn't teasing Chris about this.
"Dude, Chris. Take a breather!" He yelled at his cousin, but Chris was to wrapped up in trashing the room to listen to him.
He put his Bass out of the way so it would get hit or scratched.

He understood, Chris obviously liked Billie Joe alot. She didn't realised though. She thought of him and her as 'just friends'.
He dodged out of the way as a snare drum went flying.
When he heard one of Billie's guitar strings snap he took the guitar off of her and put it also out of the way near his Bass.

He shook his head as Billie was now getting hurt. She'd soon get angry too.
And guess what? She had. Even he felt that slap. It was a good thing that not even Chris believed in hitting girls.
When his cousin threw himself on the pile of instruments and screamed out his hatred for everyone he when over and hauled him up.
"She's right, pull yourself together! We need to practice!"[/green]

[Christopher Anthony Brian]

Leo was a betrayer. Chris couldn't wait for the next Quidditch match, where he would have his chance to kick Leo from the sky & get his own back. The image of Leo falling from the sky comforted Chris a little. As Chris lay on the floor, be began to breath hard - trying to pump all of the anger from him. Neither Matt nor Billie would ever understand how he felt right now. Everyone thought he was just being a prat, having a tantrum but nobody knew just how Chris felt.

For once Matthew wasn't being mean to him - why was that? Chris just sat silent in the pile of instruments that he was sitting him. For once Chris didn't have anything to say. All Chris wanted to do now was hurt Leo. He didn't care about his cousin Matt.Matt hadn't done anything to hurt Chris, unlike that stupid cow Leo.

There was no way Chris wanted to be in the band now, let alone practice, but if he left the band Chris would only be replaced with Leo. There was no point in quitting. Chris was NOT a quitter. At once Chris pulled himself from the floor and frowned.
"I am sorry" Mumbled Chris to Billie, as he pulled his wand gently from his pocket. Under his breath Chris muttered the spell 'repeat'. Within a few seconds the room was back to normal. The drum-set stood neatly, along with the rack of guitars and all of the other musical instruments.

Chris took a seat on the drum stool. He picked up a new pair of drumsticks from the floor and just held them tightly in his hand, imaging that they where Leo's neck. Just because Chris said sorry, didn't mean this was over yet.
"What should we play then?" Asked Chris quietly, still with the drumsticks clenched tightly in his hand. Leo was as good as dead already.

[Billie Joe Bryant]

[green]Billie Joe still shook slightly with fear. What was that all about?
She picked up Stan and flicked her wand, fixing the broken string. The was the first time she'd used magic on Stan ever.
She sniffed and put the strap over her head, shaking slightly.

"It's ok.She lied as Chris apologised. Sorry didn't make everything right, it just temporarily masked it.
She tuned the string that had been previously broken so it was in tune to the rest of the strings.
"We're learning the Last waltz, it's for the prom." She whispered quietly. She fear for Leo. She was so stupid to say who she was going with! She should have just said that she was going with someone else!
Or even tell him that she'd call him! That would make him not throw a tantrum and she would never have to call him because there were no phones in hogwarts!!
Yes! That was a great idea! Why didn't she use it?!

The first part to the last waltz had to be played on piano, so she went over to the large wooden black piano inthe room and began to play peacefully.
The next instrument was a repeatative beat with the bass drum and her quickly swapping to playing her guitar, followed by her voice and then you introduce the bass.
her and Matt knew what they were doing, she knew that. But did Chris?[/green]

[Christopher Anthony Brian]

Wow Chris seemed to have scared Billie - he didn't mean to do that, it just happened. Chris had never been that mad in front of Billie before, nor had he even been that mad before. It was strange to act as angry as he had just done. Leo was going to pay for this! Chris could tell that he had shaken Billie quite a bit. Inside Chris felt guilty. All he wanted to do was to hurt Leo, not Billie.

Chris brought his thoughts back to drumming and the band. They where supposed be covering; The Rasmus, Green Day & Muse, who where all muggle bands. Chris had spent ages reading the tab books & practicing the songs Billie had set alone. The song 'The Last Waltz' was prefect. "It is going to be Leo's last waltz" Chris mumbled under his breath. He didn't care if Billie could hear him. Leo deserved whatever he got.
"So we will learn The Last Waltz first then" Chris grunted.

He began to drum a steady beat, which wasn't in the actually song, but would go perfect with the guitar only intro part. Chris waited for Billie to start playing and singing the song. As Chris drummed, he thought of how he had been let down tonight. He just wanted to kill Leo, but did he really have it in him to do that. Billie had taught Chris all he knew with drumming & Chris wasn't leaving this band to make way for Leo Bryant, oh no.

[Billie Joe Bryant]

[green]Billie Joe was still shaking slightly, not because of fear that she might mess up. She knew that she wouldn't get a single mistake. She shook of Chris' comment about Leo's last waltz.
"Stick to the song." She mumbled as she was still playing the piano for the intro.
Chris didn't need to drum until the chorus came in and she hadn't even started singing yet.
It was extremly calming, but not to her. Her fingers shook as she pressed down on the white and black keys.

She quickly switched form piano to guitar in a matter of miliseconds. And then she finally took a breath and started to sing,
" Make me blind
Cover my eyes you can do what you want
I'm paralyzed by the perfect mood
When we're dancing with blindfolds on
You make it easy to love you and hate you
I can't explane it I feel insecure
You say it's simple "you die just to live again"
You say we're waiting for the last waltz" Her voice was somewhat calming and soothing, she made no mistakes and kept the right tone for the song.
She went into the chorus, Chris should start drumming a few seconds before the corus started,
"Another you and me
Another revolutionary heavenly romance
waiting for the last waltz
And so it seems
We won't find the solution
confusion leads the dance
We're waiting for the last waltz"
As she sung she blinked back tears, she refused to cry. Crying was for weaklings.[/green]