The Frog Choir I PV Event frog choir

Mentions Morfran Griffith, Dymphna Teague, Serena Davies

Professor Griffith had not seen the weirdest yet to come, but he would certainly suffer that bizarre, awestruck smile for a few moments more. The auditions would finally steal away the young wizard's attention. Pericles did not know Dymphna Teague, only recognizing her as a fellow Ravenclaw, yet as soon as her song started his eyes went wide and spine straightened. He knew which play the lyrics came from, glancing about to see if others did as well. It took him back to a memorable night at a theater. His pureblood parents were not especially keen on going to the movies, but his father was enthusiastic about live performances, muggle cast or otherwise. Sweeney Todd was a personal favorite. Come its conclusion, he propped his toad's pillow perch up onto his forearms, freeing his hands so he could clap politely. The sound and smile faded when he noticed the glisten of tears on her cheeks. A faint shade of perplexity crossed his youthful features, but it was gone by the time the next girl stepped forth. For the moment. Then Serena Davies' words, wrought with emotion and attesting to a deep aching emptiness, brought back his concern tenfold. A worried glance was flicked for Professor Griffith. Peri's father had jokingly alluded, once, to the enigma of women and the anxieties awaiting all teenagers. Was that why the girls were crying? He looked around uncomfortably, but when the Hufflepuff rejoined those waiting for their turn, he leaned her way with what he hoped was a comforting whisper. "It's alright. You did really good."

He would take his turn next, hoping to clear his head. Pericles wasn't well-versed in muggle music, and the boy was suddenly, uncharacteristically, met with an unfamiliar flicker of stage fright. A moment was taken to combat it with sensibility. Bursting out in Old English Folk felt too tidy for this particular audience, but his mother had trained his voice for choir-song, and it wasn't as though he was auditioning for a rock-n-roll band. What did he really have to worry about...? Naturally, Peri spent this bout of excessive introspection staring at his toad with what looked to be absolute air-headedness. He blinked back, glancing up and around before standing, still carefully cradling his singing partner's pillow.

"There were three ravens sat on a tree. Down-a-down, hey, down-a-down...." His voice was of average range, something of an alto, appropriate for his age. That pitch may change (drastically) in a year or two, but in that moment it rang clear and even. "They were black as they might be, with a down.... The one of them said to his mate: 'What shall we for breakfast take?' With a down, derry derry derry down-" Crrrrrrrroak. Pericles paused, looking down with a start. The yellow-black toad in his hands stared contentedly onward, unassuming, so the boy picked up again. "Down in yonder green field, down-a-down," croak "down-a-down. There lies a knight slain under his shield, with a down..." crrrroak.

The final "down" had trailed on a long, lilting, haunting melodic note, but Pericles was undaunted by the macabre nature of the song. His singing was stopped by snickers, nose wrinkled, amusement dancing in his eyes for the musical timing of the toad. He couldn't go on so he took he stepped back into the group, muttering "Oh, well done, my baritone friend!" The toad blinked one golden eye, then the other.

Reducio

The best reference for his voice I could find was some of Michael Bannett's lower-pitched songs, but this one was a little too antiquated

People kept coming, which brought Ruthie a passing smile, especially as she noticed Gris enter the hall. Being in different houses meant that she had fewer interactions with the Gryffindor. Hopefully, this was one way to remedy that. But Gris was quickly found by some other students, including the girl who'd named her friend Awkward. The young Hufflepuff seemed so enthusiastic, Ruthie could forgive that arguably unfortunate frog name choice. Perhaps the frog might wear it as a badge of pride.

As she walked with Peri, she couldn't help but notice the surprise in his demeanor. It was common knowledge that he was musical, wasn't it? Or at least he looked like it--he was one of the most recognizable 1st year Ravenclaws with his white hair and scholarly glasses--and thankfully he was, indeed. "Of course I am!" she beamed, genuinely glad he and all these others had come out to the hall. She waited patiently for him to scrutinize the music. She liked singing, yes, and getting people together, but she wasn't an expert. Far from it. It'd be good to have a second opinion. "Simple, right," she repeated rhetorically, "And voice type. Got it. Thanks, Peri!" Nodding, she tried to remember that, although she had a feeling it would be just as fleeting as it had arrived. Hopefully, Griffith had more ideas on music and how to organize. At least Peri was a solid resource.

Soon another Slytherin would rush in, assuming she was late. Luckily, they hadn't really started yet. With a frog in hand, she walked over to Ru, greeting her with enthusiasm. "He's a big boy! Maybe he's got a deep frog voice," Ruthie responded playfully. It was quite a large frog with tall eyes. Funny how many frogs varieties there were and how each seemed to reflect their new owner in a way. "Thank you for coming. I'm Ruthie," she introduced herself quietly as Professor Griffith began to speak.

That was when it got scary: auditions. Ru had sort of expected it, but she had been praying that by making members list their vocal range on the sign up sheet, the whole singing-alone-in-front-of-people thing might be avoided. Griffith had provided a small respite, however: they could perform in groups should they wish. Quickly, Ruthie looked around for a partner. One would do; too many and it'd be hard to find a song they all knew. Eventually, her eyes settled on the Ravenclaw Prefect. After a brief exchange, they had agreed to go together. They'd seen each other fall during Quidditch practice so this couldn't be much worse. Still, they hung at the back and let some other brave souls, like Dymph, go first. The Veela did not disappoint, though hers and the ones that would follow were unknown to the Scottish girl. The songs were all different, but all a little bleak. At least Peri got his frog to croak with him, quite effectively too, and Santario had some hope in her song. Still, this was all together very different from what her and Cecily had prepared.

Looking at the older blonde, she nodded and together they walked with their frogs to the front of the hall. Ruthie wondered for a moment if they should introduce the song like Santario had done, but eventually what came out was just, "Okay, so we'll just be going next then." Very smooth. Together, they started their acapella number:

I love you, I love you, I love you so (L-O-V-E)
I only leave my house when I have somewhere to go
I only stop for petrol when I find I'm running low
I only buy birthday cards for people that I know
And I only brought you flowers because I love you so

The opening 'I love you's were sung in tandem, but then Ruthie broke off to add the 'L-O-V-E' while Cecily stuck to the main lyrics. Ruthie was happy to occupy this embellishing role when needed. As they sang this happy track, the blonde couldn't help but sway slightly with the music.

When you get home and you walk through the door (Walk through the door)
You can't believe that I have sent you some more (Sent you some more)
Oh yeah it is expensive
But you're worth it don't you know
And I will keep on sending flowers because I love you so

Her eyes looked down when she noticed Sir Hoppington croacking naturally at the verse pauses, often in tandem with her own melodical asides. It wasn't perfect, but perhaps she had picked a good frog after all.

Roses are red and violets are blue (So blue)
foxgloves and magnolias can bloom in any hue (Any hue)
I don't claim to be an expert but there is one thing I know
A pretty bunch of flowers always says I love you so

The verses were easy and melodic. They divided it up nicely between their two young voices. And that's how they took the stage with their cheerful 'I love you's, which would hopefully set a positive stage for the future of Frog Choir.

Permission to godmode from @Cecily Quinn, who if she wants to elaborate on this audition, totally can. Also interacting with @Pericles Dralt & @Santario Martin.

Mentions @ Griseldis Edelhardt @ Serena Davies

Alan was sitting away yet closer to his friend Gris as the young lad felt comfortable near someone familiar, which nullified the anxiety. Alan watched as people took their turn to sing their heart out. Worried about his turn and performance. Alan feared he might croak like his little toad friend in his hand to which the young man named without any regrets in mind ' Sir Ribbitstein.'

The toad now dubbed ' Sir Ribbitstein' sat in the boys lap quietly croaking, Alan watched as one by one the list of people sang their songs. He was amazed at the talent most people displayed. To Alans surprise Serena Davies despite cringing at her amphibious friend's name choice (Not that he had a right to complain) handled her audition beautifully which bolstered his resolve slightly. Distracted by all the ongoing performance, a song to sing completely eluded Alan. Looking down at his toad, it looked back up as he whispered to it "Hopefully we can make a first impression at least little guy." 'Sir Ribbitstein' responded with yet another croak as if pretending to acknowledge and understand what Alan was talking about.

After a short while and with nobody else volunteering, Alan cupped his toad into his hand, having thought of a song his Nan used to sing while baking in her little shop. It lingered on his mind how much he used to sing along while 'helping' around the shop as he said nervously "I-I-I'll go; next, I guess, while th-the song is still in my mind" Stepping onto the stage. Alan's anxiety skyrocketed, palms were sweaty, the chest was pounding he was lucky to not have fainted though the impulse to run away steadily grew. Sir Ribbitstein looked up then back to the crowd expecting Alan to sing right away. There was a long pause for the lad, looking towards his peers, his friend and the professor. Alan let out a deep sigh and just decided to go with it as he said with a stutter "W-w-well here goes suppose" peering down onto the toad he muttered, "First impressions now little guy." He said out loud before proceeding "T-This song is called Binks Sake."

Closing his eyes pretending the crowd wasn't there and picturing his Nan in the little bakery, Alan cleared his throat as he began to sing the song at first his voice cracked due to the nerves. But after the first set of lyrics and verses, it began to flow naturally. Sounding off key at some parts the toad bopped it's head along to the sea shanty as if looking for a moment to chime in with several off-key croaks. Sir Ribbetstein gradually got into the flow by the second set of "Yo-hos.

Binks Sake

Reducio

Yo-ho-ho-hoo, yo-ho-ho-hoo!
Yo-ho-ho-hoo, yo-ho-ho-hoo!
Yo-ho-ho-hoo, yo-ho-ho-hoo!
Yo-ho-ho-hoo, yo-ho-ho-hoo!

Making a delivery, bringing it across the sea
Binks sake in the hold as we sail through the breeze
Far across the eye can see, the sun is shining merrily
As the birds fly in the sky as they sing out with glee
Bid adieu to everyone, as we sail under the sun
Sailing on from dusk ‘til dawn and singing out as one
Cross the gold and silver waves, changing into water sprays
Sailing out on our journey to the ends of the sea

Making a delivery, of Binks sake through the sea
Let be shown that we are known as pirates sailing free
Time to raise the flag up high, of Jolly Roger in the sky
Raise the sails and tell the tales that never pass you by
Somewhere in the endless sky, a storm has started coming by
Waves a-dancing, sails a-prancing through the wind and rain
If we let blow winds of fear, then the end of us is near
Even so tomorrow the sunrise again

Yo-ho-ho-hoo, yo-ho-ho-hoo!
Yo-ho-ho-hoo, yo-ho-ho-hoo!
Yo-ho-ho-hoo, yo-ho-ho-hoo!
Yo-ho-ho-hoo, yo-ho-ho-hoo!

Making a delivery, of Binks sake through the sea
Through today and through tomorrow all your dreams will lay
Say goodbye should we depart, and keep your memories in your heart
Don’t you frown and don’t feel down but live to seize the day

Making a delivery, of Binks sake through the sea
Sailing on from dusk ‘til dawn and singing out as one
After all, is said and done, we all end up as skeletons
Tales unending, rules a-bending, journey just begun

Yo-ho-ho-hoo, yo-ho-ho-hoo!
Yo-ho-ho-hoo, yo-ho-ho-hoo!
Yo-ho-ho-hoo, yo-ho-ho-hoo!
Yo-ho-ho-hoo, yo-ho-ho-hoo![

Once the song had ended, Alan finally opened his eyes, looking at the crowd throughout the entire time he had stopped shaking until he opened them. Immediately he went pale and walked off the stage, only to come back on and say "T-T-Thank you for listening!" He immediately ran to his spot close to Griseldis dipping his head down to let out a deep sigh of relief that he got through it. A little proud that he broke his mould

Pat! Pat! Pat! Pat! went Jorah's sneakers against the stone floor as he desperately ran for safety. "Why are you running, Mr Moussa?", a sinister voice not far behind called after him. Jorah ran harder, turning left, down a corridor, then right. A second voice, "Canby has some sweets for you, Mr Moussa. Please try Canby's sweets. We made them"...then in a guttural darker voice...SPECIAL!!!" Jorah's heart was beating so fast his chest felt heavy. He had been running for how long? Forever it seemed. Always running down an endless labyrinth of corridors. The castle would not let him escape and the voices were drawing nearer.

He turned right. His legs were moving slower with time, but his pace quickened temporarily when he turned left, running straight into a group of white rats. Wait! Not white rats! They were the skeletons of pygmy puffs. The skeletons were alive and they were trying to bite Jorah's ankles as he ran by. They gave chase for a few meters before breaking apart and turning into dust. A third voice much closer than the others called, "Temie was wrong. Eat the sweets, Mr. Moussa."

Jorah fled down a stairwell into a poorly lit section of the castle. He couldn't run anymore, but maybe he could hide. He slipped into a broom closet, shut the door, and prayed. Jorah covered his mouth and nose with his hands to stifle his heavy breathing. The banging of his heart rang in his ears. Lub Dub, Lub Dub, Lub Dub. Then after a moment, quiet. Are they gone?, he thought. As if in response to his thoughts, then came the patter of several feet just outside the closet. "Mr. Moussaaa..." The closet door slowly opened. Squeeeaaak! The door hinges shrieked. Then Jorah saw them. Three house elves, the ones he had met in the kitchen. They stared straight ahead, unblinking, and wore expressionless faces. The stillness of their faces was so perfectly unnerving that they could have been wax models. The one in the middle held a small piece of lemon hard candy in his hand and moved to speak. "Here Mr Moussa, you almost left without your sweet." Jorah shook his head no. Instantaneously! The plain faces contorted into angry grins, teeth bared, and blood lust in their eyes. "TAKE IT!", the house elf demanded in a demonic baritone. With a shaking hand, Jorah grabbed the candy and delicately placed it in his mouth. It tasted fine, just like any lemon sucker. "Good, now was that so hard?," asked the elf. The words failed to process as Jorah watched each elf pull a long silver knife from behind their back. The last thing Jorah saw was their bodies flying toward him as they stabbed him all over.

"AAAHHH!," Jorah awoke in his bed to an empty dormitory. It was just a dream, it was only a dream, he tried to console himself as he clutched his pheonix plushie close to his chest. He had been having nightmares since the Masquerade ball, but they had been getting worse since the investigation. Less than a week ago, Jorah went looking for Headmaster Lear who had vanished from the castle without a trace. All Lear that had left behind was an abnormally barren office with a pile of pygmy puff skeletons in an unlit hearth. Jorah thought that the house elves could help him discover what happened, but his mission down to the kitchens only raised more questions. The house elves were terrified of something or someone that kept them from collaborating with his investigation. Despite Jorah's best efforts, they weren't giving up any information. What were they hiding? Jorah was kicked out of the kitchens, but not before he was given a warning. "Don't eat the sweets. Any sweets young Jorah," the house elf Temie made him promise. What was wrong with the sweets?!? Were they poisoned?! Temie's final words, "Not all house elves are good and you're not safe." The parting message haunted Jorah. What did Temie mean by not safe? Would the Half giants come back for him, he wondered. Would Headmaster Lear ever return? Would he ever enjoy sweets again? The young boy just didn't know. As the nightmares intensified, he found himself exhausted and taking naps throughout the day. It was this particular nap that made him late for the frog choir.

"Damn it! Not again!," Jorah cursed when he realized the time. He threw his sheets off, dressed, and burst out of the dorm. Why are you like this, he thought to himself. He was building a reputation for always being late. He couldn't miss the first choir meeting. His best friend Ruthie had put the club together and it was important that he be there to support her. Jorah had no real intention of singing himself, but he was happy to help the choir faculty advisor, Professor Griffith, care for the toads. Professor Griffith had quickly become the young lad's favorite teacher after he helped Jorah get his Nimbus broomstick. Jorah was happy to volunteer for the professor and listening to Ruthie sing was just icing on the cake.

Jorah slipped into the Great Hall in the middle of tryouts. Singing in front of a small crowd was a duo of girls he recognized; Cecily and Ruthie. The young boy quietly approached the group, listening to their harmonious song about love. They were pretty good. Jorah's attention focused on Ruthie as she swayed to the rhythm of the music. "I love you, I love you, I love you," they sang. Jorah had never been in love, but he had to admit that he felt something for Ruthie the night of ball.

When the song was over, loud claps rang out from Jorah as he shouted "Bravo! Bravo!" He approached Cecily first. "Wow, Cecily that was great! Where did you learn to sing like that?" The boy would exchange greetings before going off to congratulate his favorite Eagle. He gave her a hug and started with an apology. "Hey Ru, I'm so sorry I'm late, I was"...he thought it might be best not to mention the nightmares...."I was...I guess I just lost track of time. I'm so glad I got to hear you sing though. Honestly, that was, it was beautiful, just beautiful. I didn't know you could sing like that." After they had a chance to talk, Jorah walked over to Professor Griffith. "Hello Professor, How are you doing, sir? I'm here to help you care for the toads however I can. What do you need?"

Interacting with @Cecily Quinn @Ruthie Greer @Morfran Griffith | Open to Interactions

going back in time a little bit because my reply is so late whoops

Cecily thanked whatever force happened to be up above that Ruthie had approached her as an audition partner for a couple reasons. One, as much as Cecily loved to sing, singing by herself in front of a crowd of strangers was not her idea of a good time. Yes, she knew this was an unfounded fear, but wasn't the fear of public speaking one of the most widespread fears or something? She thought that she had read that somewhere. In that case, where did public singing rank? In Cecily's book, at least, it was pretty high. The second reason was that, being aware of the first reason but not quite being confident enough in her friendship with anyone here-- she was fairly sure that they all had better friends-- to approach someone else, she would have undoubtedly let the opportunity slip away, and ended up using someone as a human shield until the very last moment in which she would be forced to sing regardless of whether she really was willing to or not, and to be put in that scenario after knowing full well that it could have been avoided would simply have been humiliating to herself.

And so, with a slight smile, she agreed to Ruthie's plan, beginning to quietly hum the first part of the tune to herself to get it in her head. She wasn't quite sure when Ruthie would offer the duo up to audition-- she knew that she herself never would, so it would ave to be up to the younger Ravenclaw to get this over with-- but after lovely performances by fellow Ravenclaw Dymph and a number of other students she didn't quite know, Ruthie's voice rang out and Cecily begrudgingly made her way to the front of the room, holding Late on a pillow in front of her. She hoped that he would sing along-- she would feel absolutely ridiculous if she were to simply hold him there the whole time while he refused to make a sound.

Although, it wasn't particularly about the frogs-- not at the moment, at least. It was about having to sing in front of a mass of fellow students, albeit with Ruthie backing her up. And so, trying desperately to flatten her shaking voice and plaster a smile on her face, she and the younger girl launched into their upbeat, catchy tune.

I love you, I love you, I love you so (L-O-V-E)
I only leave my house when I have somewhere to go
I only stop for petrol when I find I'm running low
I only buy birthday cards for people that I know
And I only brought you flowers because I love you so

As the familiar melody came back to her, and Ruthie nailed the background flourishes, Cecily began to relax. It was a familiar feeling-- once she could hide behind the music, her confidence returned in full strength. The girls' voices blended beautifully as they split into harmonies, and Cecily allowed herself a real smile as they began the second verse.

When you get home and you walk through the door (Walk through the door)
You can't believe that I have sent you some more (Sent you some more)
Oh yeah it is expensive
But you're worth it don't you know
And I will keep on sending flowers because I love you so

Late had been silent so far, and Cecily was getting a bit concerned. Hopefully she didn't have a dud frog. She had already bonded with Late over his name, and she would hate to have to regress to Late the Second. Plus, Ruthie's creature already showing a natural talent did nothing to calm her worries.

Roses are red and violets are blue (So blue)
foxgloves and magnolias can bloom in any hue (Any hue)
I don't claim to be an expert but there is one thing I know
A pretty bunch of flowers always says I love you so

As the girls hit the last harmony and cut off, pausing for a moment to let the notes ring through the room, Late let out a quite loud and quite off-beat croak. Cecily glared at the frog. "Living up to your name, I see," she scolded him. It appeared that Late may need a bit of a push in the right direction in terms of musical talent, but then, she hadn't expected much from an amphibian in the first place. At least he could actually make a noise-- that was a start.

permission to godmod granted by @Ruthie Greer