N.E.W.T.s Project


The selected music was not Professor Flitwick's favorite.

He didn't mind that it was Muggle-made; after all, Muggles did create some pretty good pieces of music, and he did have his own personal collection of the ones he enjoyed. But this was one song that he personally did not like, and it seemed that there was no escaping it, as it was playing all over the country and was now popular at Hogwarts.

The bass was just too heavy. Da-da-day-da-dum, thump, thump. Stomp. And it was so loud, he could feel it through the floor. The singing was passable, but the spoken dialogue was in his opinion, campy.

Paris Prince had been working on her seventh year N.E.W.T. project in secret for the whole school year, and was now doing a house rehearsal before presenting it to the examiners. A variety of twelve Kneazles and cats, all from the house of Ravenclaw, were standing on their hind legs, "dancing", or rather stomping and twitching to the beat of the Muggle song. Twelve, in unison. Thump, thump. Stomp.

Flitwick fervently hoped that The Friends of Beasts Society would have some mercy, if not a sense of humor, when they learned about the project, as surely they would. He imagined the sky dark with owls, each carrying a Howler with his or Miss Prince's name on it.

Twelve feline heads tilted to one side, and back up again. Da-da-da-dum-dum, stomp, stomp, stop. Twenty-four forelegs were thrust out to one side and then the other side.

The classroom was filled with mesmerized students and faculty. Flitwick felt a headache coming on, and was glancing around for a way out when he saw Argus Flitch, livid with rage, glaring back at him. Thump, thump, stomp. Fortunately his cat, Mrs. Norris, was not in the room.

Flitwick could imagine the rage the man would have over the perceived mistreatment of the animals. He motioned for the caretaker to meet him outside the room, and carefully picked his way out. "...thriller, in the night...," the music wailed as the teacher pushed himself out of the room.

He had never seen Flitch so furious, and braced himself for what would surely be the first of countless complaints.

"It's horrible, it is!" Flitch cried out. "Mrs. Norris wasn't included, wasn't even invited! She's terribly upset and insulted - you've got to do something!"