Rock'n'roll baby

[Jared Graas R4]

Jared glanced around the Great Hall and decided that it was the emptiest he had ever seen the room look. Not that it was a surprise to see it empty. It was Saturday and Hogsmeade weekend on top of that. Most students older than third year weren’t even in school, or if they were, they were retreated to their common rooms or in some cases to the library. “We’d better get started,” Rister remarked, pulling Jared out of his thoughts again. Glancing at his brothers, Jared couldn’t help but grin. Only Rister and Gabriel would show up for detention that would entitle manually washing the Great Hall floor while wearing tailor-made silk pants and shirts. Damon and Jared were dressed in admittedly expensive, but a bit more sensible jeans themselves. Damon procured a coin from his pocket and the brothers gathered in a circle to flip the coin and thereby divide the parts of the Hall that each would have to wash before the area near the professors table would be cleaned as a team effort. Learning the area he himself would have to wash – Ravenclaw table – Jared grabbed along a bucket and a mop and headed forward. Crouching next to the bucket, Jared soaked the mop properly, before kneeling on the floor and getting to work, seeing his brothers mirroring the same movements. No one could claim that the Graas brothers paid much attention to obeying the rulers at all times, but they always accepted the punishments and detentions without arguments and carried out their tasks precisely. “It was still worth it,” Gabriel called a couple of minutes later, causing Jared to glance up before bursting into laughter. A teasing word back, a sharp retort from the third and the detention carried on amongst bickering and laughter.

It was amid this that Jared noticed the Great Hall door cracking open as he half-turned to wet his mop again. Smiling warmly once he recognised the girl peeking in through the crack, Jared gestured for Layla to come in. After a moment of hesitation the first year Ravenclaw did, letting the door close behind her. Even as Jared noticed that she didn’t seem all that happy. “Hey,” Jared greeted, sitting back on his heels and smiling thoughtfully at Layla, “Came to decorate the Hall to make the detention pass a bit faster?” His brothers seemed to pick up on Layla’s not that great mood. “Everything alright?” Rister questioned, even as he tossed his mop on the Gryffindor table he had been cleaning around and walked over. “You know we’d only cheer at a chance to smack some kid around who attempt to steal a kiss from you, princess,” Gabriel added to lighten the mood even as he tousled Layla’s hair. Layla swatted at his hand, even if a faint smile appeared at her lips at that. Well, at least deep inside everyone wanted someone to care for, whether they denied it or couldn’t perhaps quite put a name to it yet. Damon caught on to the show to cheer Layla up, while leaving it up to her whether to tell what had troubled her or not. “Steal a kiss from my Layla?” Damon placed one hand over his forehead, the other over his heart and mimicked falling into an outraged faint.

“My girl,” Rister countered, grabbing hold of Layla and lifting her feet off the ground, while holding the girl securely in his arms. And now it really was high time for Jared to join in. his guitar was never far from him and even today he had came to detention from working on a song, so his guitar was already resting on the table next to him. Grabbing the guitar, Jared played an accord before swiftly taking up an Elvis Presley song, he thought would fit the occasion.
“Kiss me quick, while we still have this feeling
Hold me close and never let me go
Cause tomorrows can be so uncertain
Love can fly and leave just hurting
Kiss me quick because I love you so,” Jared sang out as Rister twirled around with Layla, still holding her high in air so that the girl’s feet never once touched the floor during. Layla seemed to be feeling quite secure in Rister’s arms but Jared watched with amusement as his brothers swiftly moved so that Rister finished a twirl right before Gabriel. Gabriel’s arms wrapped around Layla’s waist from behind and for a moment the trio swayed together, before Rister let go. Gabriel swayed with Layla’s back to him for one more moment, before tossing her in the air pulling an unexpected snort of laughter form the girl, before catching Layla and continuing the dance with her as Jared moved on to next verse: “Kiss me quick and make my heart go crazy
Sigh that sigh and whisper oh so low
Tell me that tonight will last forever
Say that you will leave me never
Kiss me quick because I love you so.”

Having swayed with Layla for the verse, Gabriel ended their dance-circles before the professors table. Hoisting Layla a bit higher, Gabriel gently deposited her feet on the surface of the table. Slipping the strap of his guitar around his neck, Jared walked closer to the rest as well. He watched with some amusement how Rister and Gabriel fluttered their eye-lashes to each other, holding hands and performing an odd mix of twist and rock’n’roll and jive. Layla seemed slightly more hesitant to be standing on top of the professors table. But Damon jumped on the table just as swiftly and catching Layla’s hand twirled her for a moment, before falling to one knee and dipping Layla so deeply that her hair swept the table. Layla seemed to find some more confidence in that and with a smile blooming on her face twirled with Damon on the table as Jared continued singing: “Let the band keep playing while we are swaying
Let’s keep on praying that we’ll never stop.

Kiss me quick just can’t stand this waiting
Cause your lips are lips I long to know
Oh that kiss will open heavens door
And we’ll stay there forevermore
Kiss me quick because I love you so.”

Catching the door moving again out of the corner of his eyes, Jared turned just in time to see Ashlyn stepping in. She seemed slightly speechless, but Jared oculdnt’ entirely decide whether it was because of Rister and Gabriel dancing together or Layla and Damon twirling on the professor’s table. Not that she was given much of a chance to decide which couple could use more reprimanding. Rister smirked a bit wickedly and that was enough of a hint for Jared’s fingers to change their position as he shifted to an other Presley song: “The warden threw a party in the county jail.
The prison band was there and they began to wail.
The band was jumpin’ and the joint began to swing.
You should’ve heard those knocked out jailbirds sing.
Lets rock, everybody, lets rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin’ to the jailhouse rock.”
Not giving Ashlyn much of a choice to protest, Rister simply pulled the girl into the fast swing-beat. Ashlyn seemed to protest but Jared simply grinned watching as Rister twirled her and simply swiped her feet out from under her, leaving Ashlyn no choice but to grasp hold of Rister’s shoulders. Using their momentum and Ashlyn’s momentary lack of stability, Rister hoisted both of them on the nearest house-table. Jared played the song at a relatively quick pace, but even so it was amusing to see Rister cramming two steps or a half-turn into every note, making it impossible for Ashlyn to flee from the dance unless she wanted to very ungracefully and possibly painfully land on her behind on the floor.

“Spider Murphy played the tenor saxophone,
Little Joe was blowin on the slide trombone.
The drummer boy from Illinois went crash, boom, bang,
The whole rhythm section was the purple gang.
Lets rock, everybody, lets rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin’ to the jailhouse rock,” Jared continued merrily, his brothers and Layla joining him in belting out the chorus. Had the door not closed properly behind Ashlyn, Jared wondered absently as he observed the door opening again to admit even more students. He hadn’t gotten further than even a verse before one of the curious students peering inside was Lita. Though, admittedly, she had known they had detention and she knew Jared’s voice too so she might have been attracted by that as much as the tune than the not-so-common rock tune Jared was playing. Gabriel, who had hopped on the table on the other side of Jared, noticed Lita too and held out a hand to her. Whereas Rister had simply pulled Ashlyn to the dance, Lita seemed merely amused and seemed to decide caution to the wind as she came forth and hopping to the table with Gabriel joined the dance willingly as Jared carried on with the song without any breaks and the rest joining in for the choruses: “Number forty-seven said to number three:
Youre the cutest jailbird I ever did see.
I sure would be delighted with your company,
Come on and do the jailhouse rock with me.
Lets rock, everybody, lets rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin to the jailhouse rock.

The sad sack was a sittin on a block of stone
Way over in the corner weepin all alone.
The warden said, hey, buddy, dont you be no square.
If you cant find a partner use a wooden chair.
Lets rock, everybody, lets rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin to the jailhouse rock.

Shifty henry said to bugs, for heavens sake,
No ones lookin, nows our chance to make a break.
Bugsy turned to shifty and he said, nix nix,
I wanna stick around a while and get my kicks.
Lets rock, everybody, lets rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin to the jailhouse rock.”

[Layla Ellison]

“Oh, why do you have to be so weird, Ellison?” One of the girls demanded, looking at Layla in disgust. “Would it really hurt you to open your mouth and talk every once in a while? Do you really think that you’re so superior to us that we don’t deserve to hear the wonderful sound of your voice?” Yes. Layla wanted to snap at them. Yes, I think that all of you are disgraceful and pitiful and I really want to know why your self-esteem is so low that you have to pick on a first year but I’ve felt your hexes before and I’d rather not provoke an attack. But her mouth stayed firmly shut and her blue eyes were still focused on the floor so, with a few more hurtful comments muttered at her mutinously, the group moved away, some of them taking care to push her into the wall as they passed. Trembling with anger and unhappiness, Layla hunched her shoulders, ducked her head and faded into the background as more students filled the corridors. Being essentially invisible was the story of her life really. Her brother and sister loved her, Layla knew that, but they had always been most important to each other. There wasn’t any need for anyone else in their world yet. One day there would be, but not just yet. Her parents had loved her, but her mother had loved her father more than anyone else whereas her father simply seemed distant from everything. Ashlyn was slowly coming to love them, a thought that made Layla smile softly but knowingly. She knew about the bond and, being neither an idiot nor lazy, had researched it. Ashlyn probably didn’t know it yet – really, her cousin was so slow about such things even though she had more knowledge than Layla – but Damon would always come first for her. Which was as it should be. Ashlyn deserved to be loved and Layla really couldn’t imagine anyone but Damon Graas being patient enough to handle her stubborn cousin.

“Hey, kid.” Lita fell into step next to her and Layla obligingly smiled up at the older Ravenclaw, hugging her quickly in wordless greeting. She knew what was expected from her after all. Just like she knew that her refusal to speak still had Ashlyn concerned. In her silences, Layla watched with a deceptively absent smile and took note of everything. Whatever she learned was hers alone, not to be shared with anyone else unless she deemed it necessary. After Lita supplied the knowledge of where the Graas boys where Layla offered a quiet goodbye and changed directions, heading for the Great Hall. Rister, Damon, Jared and Gabriel were lively and active; exactly what she needed right now to uplift her mood. Keegan and Alexis would just get overprotective at the hint of something being wrong with her and march off, wands in hand, to deal with whoever had overstepped their boundaries by even thinking of bullying their little sister. And then they’d get into trouble for duelling with other students and Snape would murder them for not having discretion, Layla finished with a wry half-smile. Ashlyn had a skill of coaxing the truth from her, but the bullies would be dealt with in a far more subtle manner. When they had been first let into her home, Ashlyn had openly told them that they were now her responsibility and that she took her duties very seriously, neglecting to mention that they were technically Damon’s problem too due to the bond between the two fifth years.

Shyly, Layla peeked into the Hall and slowly entered at Jared’s invitation. “I’ll be fine,” Layla assured Rister with a shrug. She wasn’t going to lie and tell them that she was fine, not when she could still hear mocking voices and see taunting smiles in her mind. She would be fine though, she always was. With a faint smile, she swatted Gabriel’s hand away before wrapping her arms around his waist for an impulsive hug. She liked Gabriel, liked all of them. They were nice to her. There had been a time when Layla wouldn’t have thought twice about people being nice to her because, truly, why wouldn’t they be? She was a nice girl; smart, cute and polite. Her mother’s friends had all patted her head and praised the woman for having such a lovely daughter, adding in low voices that she must be glad to not have a girl so much like the twins. Poor Keegan and Alexis had never been popular with anyone but themselves and their few friends. But nothing had saved them from the death of their mother or the abandonment of their father. Dad was the only one to know that Keegan had not been the only one of the three children to see the dead body, but the twins assumed that their innocent little sister had been protected from such a sight and they were quite happy to remain in that delusion. It didn’t matter to them that Dad had hated the potions lab because it smelt so awful with all the ingredients mixed together so it would obviously have been Layla to go in and fetch Mum to tell her about the day out. “I think you’d be more outraged about someone stealing a kiss from Ashlyn,” Layla commented mildly, amused by Damon’s antics just as she had known she would be. She had definitely made the right choice in whom to go to for cheering her up.

She had danced with Rister and Gabriel happily enough, shrieking with laughter when she was tossed in the air without being worried about the possibility of not being caught, but she cast Gabriel a doubtful look when he put her on the Professor’s table. What if one of the Professors walked in? Not only was she interrupting the boys’ detention but she was standing on the top of their dining table. Not even Flitwick would just let that pass without punishment. And the last thing she needed, Layla thought grimly, was to lose points and give the bullies more arsenal to use against her. Damon instantly joined her, pulling her into a twirl and Layla relaxed slightly, letting herself settle into the rhythm of the dance with the music playing as a guide.

[Ashlyn Swallow G5]

“Lita!” Ashlyn had to resort to tapping the Ravenclaw on the shoulder insistently before she turned her head, staring at Ashlyn like she had never seen the girl before for a moment before shaking her head and offering an apologetic smile and excuse. “Have you seen Layla?” Ashlyn repeated patiently, slightly irked that she had asked the question three times already and not received an answer. Her cousin had wanted help with some charm or something so Ashlyn had given her the Gryffindor password and told her to show up. That had been half an hour ago and Layla hadn’t appeared so she had gone in search of her but only found Lita. This wasn’t exactly how she wanted to pend her Saturday. “What would she be doing in the Great Hall?” Ashlyn questioned perplexedly, frowning slightly. “Oh right, the troublemakers have detention in there, don’t they?” Ashlyn shook her head disapprovingly, sharing an amused smile with Lita before heading to the Hall.

This wasn’t a usual sight. Ashlyn stared, utterly speechless. Rister and Gabriel seemed to have mixed together about five different dances for their own amusement, Damon had somehow persuaded Layla that dancing on the tables was a good idea and Jared was merrily providing the music for them. How on earth had Lita managed to stay sane while surrounded by the four of them for so long? The Ravenclaw had stayed sensible and uncorrupted by the Graas’ but, as the song changed and Rister actually forced her to dance with him, Ashlyn had to wonder if her sanity hadn’t already fled long ago. Surely anything sane would run, screaming, from the chaos of these boys. Apparently Layla, grinning and waving cheerfully, had already been infected by the chaos, Ashlyn surmised dryly.

“I don’t want to dance,” Ashlyn protested weakly, already knowing that Rister wasn’t going to pay any attention. Did they really have to dance on the Hufflepuff table? Wasn’t the floor a good enough dance-floor any longer, since Rister seemed determined to get everyone dancing? Sure enough, Rister tried his very hardest to ensure that she couldn’t escape from the dance and retain her dignity by stuffing more steps into every beat than was really necessary. With a sigh, Ashlyn gave in and took up the challenge, matching every step without hesitation. If she was going to be forced to dance with a madman then she could at least dance well, right?