47 Practice makes Perfect.

With the guitars and amps enchanted, we got to practise every afternoon. Gilderoy's Halloween Ball was announced, as he had happily named it. I rolled my eyes when I heard that. He asked us to play six songs a week before Halloween, so it really wasn't a ball, nor was it on Halloween. But whatever, I negotiated a deal: 4 galleons each. It was not much, but some was better than nothing.

I gave him the lyrics for the song I chose for Lockhart; I chuckled at his enthusiasm. We would do a couple of 'originals' apart from that song.

We were still working out the kinks; however, Tina was improving a lot each day, and she was in love with the song she was to sing. However, we had two problems.

One was Tina's friends; now, there's nothing wrong with having your friends watch you practice; it's just the snobbery of these Ravenclaw girls, which was a bit comical. I had to laugh at the fact that one of her friends was Cho Chang; though Cho didn't say much, her friend Marietta Edgecombe was constantly butting in with suggestions that came down to the same thing: give Tina more of the spotlight. Even Tina was getting fed up with her.

One day, after a dreadful practice that basically involved constant interruptions, Tina approached me.

"Eddie, I am so sorry," she said with embarrassment. "I don't know why they're like that."

"Look, Tina, you are great, but maybe don't let your friends come next time. We only got a few weeks and were not at the level, that I would like." I sighed. "They're your friends, so I haven't said anything yet, but if that happens tomorrow", I shook my head.

"I know", Tina sighed. "I will speak with them." She assured me. And she must have because her friends didn't show up again.

The other problem was Oswald. He did not take well at being rejected. He was spitefully and held a grudge, the angry first year denounced me infront of the school one breakfast called me a hack and didn't know good music. I was more relived than angry at his behaviour, it seemed we dodged a bullet, with not accepting Oswald. What an angry Hufflepuff.

Along with practising for the gig and study group, I also had my own research projects to work on. Mimic Rondeny and Now the Johan's Legacy, I realised that using Maryann's violin was the catalyst to awaken Johan, so I figured the book would tell me how to make a Magical Instrument. But the Minstrel Tale was worse than a book by Glideroy Lockhart; it was filled with missing information and exaggerations; halfway through the book, it broke out in song about him going to buy bread from the muggle village. There was no mention of how he got the lute except that he crafted it himself from yew. The lute was definitely a Magical Instrument, though, because of the countless references to him fighting the beast with song. I was missing something; wand-making was a closely guarded secret, so I doubted that either Maryann or Johan knew how to make wands, but they both made Magical instruments. "maybe I have to do, not think?" I thought out loud.

"That's what I do", Tim chirped. 

"that can't be right then", I sighed. Grant laughed

"Hey!" Tim sounded upset, then laughed along with Grant. Rodney Crowed at the noise.

I noticed the signs before it went too far; I was burning out, too many projects, and I had no time for myself. I decided to take a walk one sunny afternoon. I put my headphones on and just walked outside the castle; I didn't let anyone know where I was going because I didn't know myself. I did end up walking around the lakeside. Even though it was sunny, it was still fall, and the wind chill coming from the black lake made me bunch up my robes for warmth. I came across the tree where my friends spent our lazy day at the end of the last school year. I decided to sit at the base of the tree and stay awhile. Trying to relax and think of nothing for a while.

While I sat, the tape ran out, but I didn't flip the tap; I just turned it off and listened to the lake. Relaxing to the gentle waves at the shore. I leaned into the yew tree behind me and drifted off to sleep. Memories of that day filled my dreams: playing my guitar for the first time, not having to use a spell to channel my magic, the tree dancing with the music. the birds sitting in its branches, the splashes on the surfaces of the lake, my friends relaxing enjoying the song. I was sitting in the same position as I was now, playing music. My dream self smiled, reached into the tree, and pulled out a guitar; it looked like an electric guitar. Using his wand my dream self muttered a spell, over the guitar once done, he place the wand into the guitars jack. My dream self the strummed the guitar.

My eyes snapped open, "they didn't need to know how to make a wand," I whispered. "They had wands already."

-A/N-

It's a short chapter today; I'm still fighting the flu and getting better, but it's draining, and the heat is not helping.