chapter three

SMELLS like teen spirit by nirvana blasts in my ear as i walk through the halls, looking for this 'room of requirement.'

i have heard of it, even before george told me that that is where practice would be, but i never actually saw it with my own two eyes. to most people, it's a merely a myth.

i hope it reveals itself to me. if not, then, well, i'm in deep shit. i can't be late for my first day of practice.

i swear i've checked every hallway. maybe i just don't know hogwarts as well as i thought.

ding!

i get a message. it's from george. he's asking where i am.

i roll my eyes. do they really expect me to find this room all by myself? when i have never even seen it?

i text, 'you guys seriously couldn't have just led me there, right.'

george : right

i roll my eyes again. i seriously hate this guy. well, not really.

i turn a corner, and immediately bump into someone. the impact causes the one earbud in my right ear to fall out.

"oh, shit," the voice says.

i look up at the owner of the voice, only to see fred weasley.

"i am so sorry." i'm embarrassed. this is not how i pictured meeting fred for the first time.

"no, i'm the one that should apologize."

i smile at the taller boy like an idiot. merlin, i can't even believe that he's talking to me. i mean, obviously he would. i'm officially part of their band now.

"oh, jaz! you finally found us!" i hear lee say from behind fred.

"jazzie!" george adds when he sees me.

he pushes his brother to the side, and unexpectedly places his arm around my shoulder. i laugh at his excitement. it's stupid, really.

the three lead me to a brown door with a medieval design. so this is where the famous 'room of requirement' is. the name really speaks for itself.

inside, we find a set of drums, a keyboard, an electric guitar, and in the middle of it all, a microphone stand.

butterflies form in my stomach. i'm actually doing this. like, actually, actually.

ding!

i check my phone.

one new message from conan in our best friend group chat, called 'the three musketeers.' basic name, i know, but what else would we call it?

the message reads, 'you find the room of requirement, yet?'

i send a quick yes, and place my phone in my back pocket.

then, practice begins.

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i lay in my bed, and stare at the ceiling, recalling today's events. george and lee talked to me like we were the oldest of friends, while fred barely talked to me. but honestly, nothing is way more than something. 'cause he didn't ignore me. he would smile at me whenever we made eye contact. i'm grateful for those moments.

i pick up the navy blue notebook that lee had given to me. he said it was for any song lyric ideas that i randomly come up with. each member has one, but in a different color. fred's is a scarlet red, george's is a tiger orange, and lee's is a dandelion yellow.

i have never felt so excited in my life. i never once thought that i'd be doing this. joining a band. and, yet, here i am.

my heart beats faster at the thought of all the time i'd get to spend with fred. i'm glad i auditioned. even if it wasn't for the reason that they all think it was.