Back at it again
Sara
[7.44]
I'm here
Get down or we are gonna be late
[7.45]
I'll be down in a minute
Emma is just ready for her first day back at school, only getting her gym bag before leaving out the front door where she's getting picked up by her best friend Sara. It's their second year at Hogwarts Academy. They both had transferred there last year after both their families had to move because of their fathers jobs. Their families have always been close and with Emma as an only child and Sara having a little brother that's eight years younger they have always seen each other as sisters. So when both their fathers had gotten a new job offer at the same job things were great. They both took it and both families moved to England to the same neighbourhood, only a 5 minute walk to each other. Then they got enrolled at the same school, an expensive and prestin school.
They both have their individual hobbies. Sara’s being music. She's a great musician, known to many instruments to name them all, she has a great voice and a talent for writing her own songs. Emma on the other hand is a dancer, mainly an acro and contemporary dancer but got talent with other styles as well. When she was a kid she could never sit still and her parents put her in a dance class. That's how it started and she's been dancing ever since.
Before moving they lived in Sweden. At that school they didn't have a dance team so she went to individual classes on her own after school and used her space at home to create her dances. But at Hogwarts they do have a dance team, she tried out last year and was told that she was good. But you have to have gone to the school for at least one year before making A-troup, aka the competing team. So last year she had to be in B-troup. But this year she has been at the school for a year and she's ready to make A-troup.
Getting to Saras car Emma gets her bags in the back and then gets in the passenger seat. "Hii."
"Finally, you couldn't have been slower, could you?" Sara sighs, getting the car into gear and starting to drive to school.
“I was not that slow. I just had to grab my bags and put on my shoes when you texted." Emma tries to defend herself but she only gets a glare in response. "Yeez, are you trying to kill me with that look?"
"Wish I could sometimes..." She rolls her eyes.
Emma gasps loudly in response. "You wish. If you killed me you wouldn't have anyone to hang out with."
"You do know that I have other friends, right?"
"Yeah... But no one is as great as me." She smiles at her best friend. Sara looks over for a second seeing the smile on Emma's face, seeing that she's unable to hold a small smirk from forming.
This is how they are with each other. Small friendly bantering. It varies how far it can go, but they know that they only mean well with it.
It's true what they are saying about other friends. They do have other friends but no one close. Sara got some friends through her music and Emma got friends on both A-troup and B-troup. They talk and hang out during their activities but almost nothing after. But it's alright they like it like this, just the two of them. It's not like if they did try to get other friends they wouldn't, they just don't want to. They are happy with how things are.
They arrive at school within 10 minutes of the first period. "Told you we would be fine."
"Just because it was fine doesn't mean that it isn't stressful, it's a 15 minutes drive and you never know what traffic is gonna be like. And I know you don't really care about coming in time and if you get detention but I do." Sara starts to stress and ramble.
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I will be more considerate next time. I know that you want to keep up a good attendance." Emma puts an arm around her as an apology as they walk towards the school.
"Thank you." Sara puts her head on her shoulder with a small smile.
They got their first period together, maths. Getting into the class they sit down next to each other. Getting there 2 minutes before they start they just sit and talk and wait for their teacher.
About 20 minutes in and Emma can't sit still anymore. She feels like she's gonna explode from boredom. She really does not like maths, she only takes it because her parents want her too. They say it's good to have. She calls bullshit. When are they ever gonna use any of this? Plus it's only the first day how can they already have so much to go through.
"This is so boooring." She whispers to Sara laying herself a bit dramatically over her part of the table. "Like when are we ever gonna use this. All the maths I will ever need to do I can use the calculator on my phone for." Emma is complaining to her friend, Sara on the other hand does not really listen to her since she actually wants to learn and get a good grade.
"I know you don't like maths and want to sulk about it, but can you at least do that on your side of the table?" She tries to compromise with her so she can get back to paying full attention to her teacher.
Emma looks back at her hasty giving her a glare before mumbling something that no one can hear and lay on her own side of the table. She spends the rest of the class zoning in and out with listening, just doodling on her paper.
The rest of classes until lunch pass by in a bit of a blur. It's the first day so most teachers only got the introduction to the course talk today. Well apart from math so far, math always got to be the one that is different from all the other and always in a bad way.
For lunch they meet up outside the cafeteria since the only class they had together before lunch was math. Getting in the queue to buy some lunch as they make small talk about their first classes. They stick together as always and sit together by themselves.
Lunch is going smoothly with nothing special happening, people sit and eat lunch, chatting up with their friends after summer break. When they suddenly hear a strange noise. Not everybody seems to notice but the ones that do look really confused and wonder if they heard right. They hear the noise again. More people go quiet being confused.
“What the hell!” They hear somebody yell out. Looking where it came from they now see what made the initial sound they all got confused by. A couple tables down there are two chickens walking around.
“Oh my god.” Emma breathed out in utter disbelief.
Suddenly there was the sound again but this time from the other side of the cafeteria. Looking over there were two more over there. Everybody getting over their initial confusion now starts to react. Some laughing, some panicking slightly either trying to get up on the tables or just leaving the cafeteria, a few students throwing food for the chickens.
“How the hell have they managed this?” Sara questions looking around at the chickens. Of course referencing to the four biggest pranksters at the school James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. Technically we don’t know that this was them, but be for real, who else would have done this?
Chuckling Emma just shakes her head not believing what is happening in front of her. “That is a really good question that I’m not sure I actually want the answer to.”
Looking around at the scene unfolding in front of her she spots four figures off to the side. She sees said boys with two more chickens. They are trying to be discreet and look so no one sees them putting down the chickens, obviously missing Emma looking right at them.
“Sara.” Emma says, nudging her arm. As soon as she gets her attention she points to the boys who sets down the chickens and then leave to try and blend in with the rest of the students.
"HAH. I knew it was them.” She shrieked in happiness at being right. “They were awful at hiding that it was them tho. Like I know they usually are but this was bad even for them.”
“Agreed but I actually think we were the only ones that saw it.” Emma looks around trying to see if it looks like somebody else knows who did it. But she can’t say that she can see someone who looks like they know.
Soon headmistress McGonagall rushes into the cafeteria, probably having been told what is going on. “Mr Potter, Mr Black, Mr Lupin and Mr Pettigrew. "My office now.” She orders them strictly as soon as she lays her eyes on them.
“They are gonna have a fun first week back.” Emma comments to Sara thinking that a weeks detention is probably the least they will get.
“Tell me about it.”
****
“Good luck.” Sara says embracing Emma in a tight hug before leaving for the musicroom.
Breath in. Breath out.
It’s audition time and Emma is both nervous and excited. Walking into the room she is confident, or at least acts like it. On the inside she is a nervous wreck but she’s not letting anybody see that.
Leaving her bag at the back she gets on the dance floor with everybody else that are already there. Before starting everyone is spread out on the floor stretching, getting in their own headspace and doing whatever routines they have.
“Hey Emma. Excited to be trying out for A-troup this year?” She hears Daisy Wright, one of her friends from B-troup who is a year younger, asks her.
"Obviously. How could someone not be excited?” She’s smiling brightly at Daisy as she is on the floor stretching.
Joining her on the floor they keep busy stretching and talking. She really is excited. She’s been wanting all of this for a long time. She always wanted to be a part of a dance group like this. Sure she was a part of a group with B-troup but she really wanted to compete. She had been competing since she was a kid, it’s what she loved to do and wanted to do. This was her chance to get both of those things and she’s not gonna fuck it up.
“It’s time everyone!” Ms. Sinistra calls out, getting everyone's attention. “This is how it’s gonna go down. We will begin with solos. Then some people will be cut. Moving on there will be choreo. Where there will be 12 people chosen, who will make up this year's A-troup. Is everyone excited?” There is loud cheering confirming the excitement. "Alright. Let's spread out to the sides and make room in the middle.”
Spreading out in the room everyones getting ready, shaking off any nerves and loosening up to being ready to start moving. We are standing in a semicircle where we are going down the line so we know who’s up next.
The music starts *Be Free Tonight by Kevin Krouglow* The first dancer starts. The solos are freestyle solos, everyone is giving it their all. People show off their best moves and best tricks.
Going down the line, every person in here is amazing. The nerves are rising but Emma knows that she is good and the solution, challenging this energy into the dancing.
Daisy is next up. She is the person that she has gotten the closest to during her time in B-troup. To make the team together would be marvellous.
As it’s Emma's turn she gets in the zone and focuses on nothing beside her dancing. She shows everyone why she’s here and why she deserves to be on this team. She is letting out all her best tricks and moves. Not letting anything stop her.
As her part comes to a stop she moves back to her place and immediately embraces Daisy. She is breathing heavily Daisy having calmed down her breathing a bit already.
“You did amazing.'' Daisy shrieked in her ear, smiling big.
“Thank you. You were as outstanding as always.” She returns just as big of a smile. They stand against each other for the rest of the solo round watching everyone else go.
“Wonderful everyone. I’m gonna evaluate everyone and decide who moves on to the next round of auditions. Wait here and give me a couple minutes and I will be back with the results.” Ms. Sinistra announces and goes into her little office connected to the dance room.
With a few minutes passing and everyone falling back into small chatting Ms. Sinistra is soon back with her decision. “Okay! You have all been amazing but everyone can not make it to the next round. So I am now going to be naming the twenty people that have made it to the next round. Dean, Emily, Cleo, Noah, Summer, Josh, Simon, Daisy, Stella, Riley, Elliot, Leon, Nicoletta, William, Giselle, Theo, Sage, Olive, Ellie and Emma. Congrats everyone who made it, the ones that didn’t are always welcomed to B-troup.” That’s everyone that made it. Emma made it. She could not be happier.
“So we will move on to choreo. Space out on the dance floor and I’m gonna go through the routine, try to keep up.” Ms. Sinistra gets on the dance floor in front of everyone so they can go through the choreo. “5, 6, 7, 8. 1, 2 , 3, 4, turn on 5, 6, 7, 8.” Going through the choreography they are going at a fast tempo. Some are struggling to keep up. “Now that you have the choreo, you have forty minutes to practise and then it’s show time and then the final cut.”
Forty minutes?!
That is not a lot of time to learn a dance. But they have to make do with what they get and just push through.
Emma and Daisy are getting the hang of the choreo and they are getting there faster with the help of each other. Emma could not have been happier than to have someone to help her with the small bits she forgot and same goes for Daisy.
Forty minutes later and it’s time. They get split into two groups so they have space and get started. Group one consists of Dean, Cleo, Noah, Simon, Stella, Riley, Leon, Theo, Giselle and Olive.
They are going up first with Ms. Sinistra and the second group watching. There are incredible dancers out on the floor, however there are some that have been struggling with the choreo. They have either just not been able to learn and remember the whole thing or they simply can’t do some of the moves.
With the second group consisting of Emma, Daisy, Emily, Summer, Josh, Elliot, Nicoletta, William, Sage and Ellie, they make their way up on the floor and show what they got. The music starting *Rewind by Dave Sorbara and Hannah Fogel* and everyone showing who well they have been picking up the choreo.
Dancing the routine is going well. Emma was able to pick it up well and hit every move. In the mirror and from the corner of her eye she can see Daisy doing the same.
Getting to the end Ms. Sinistra does the same as after the solo round. She goes to evaluate and pick the twelve best dancers for the team.
It’s nerve wracking standing in the dance room just waiting for the results. Everyone here is so talented and it is going to be a tough decision for Ms. Sinistra. But there is nothing more she can do now just wait.
“I’ve got the result.” Everyone perks up, all attention landing on Ms. Sinistra as she is going to announce the team. “The names I say now are the team that is going to become A-troup and once again, the ones that don’t make it are always welcome to B-troup. So the ons that make it are Cleo, Noah, Stella, Olive, Ellie, Theo, Simon, Josh, William, Riley, Daisy and Emma.”
Yes she made it, they both made it. That was a lot .
The feeling of relief is spread among the people that made it and the one that didn’t leaving disappointed.
“Hi, I’m Olive.” One of the new A-troup members comes over to where Emma and Daisy are talking.
“Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Daisy.” Daisy speaks up, smiling bright.
“Hi, I’m Emma.” Emma smile.
“You weren’t in A-troup last year either, right?” She asks them politely.
“No, we were both in B-troup.” Emma answers kindly.
“Okay. It feels good to not be the only new member. I have actually never been on a team like this before.”
“Yeah we get the feeling.”
“Yeah. And don’t worry there are a few more new faces on the team this year. It was also my first time on a team like this last year, but don’t worry it’s great.” Emma can see the nerves on her that are starting to fade.
“That's good to hear. I don’t really know what exactly to expect. But I think this is gonna be a good change for me.” Olive tells them, looking around the room.
“That’s good to hear. Where or how did you dance before? If you don’t mind me asking.” Daisy questions.
“Oh, no, that's fine. I have been dancing at a studio outside of school but they had to close down a couple months ago because of money deficiency. So when I had to quit there I thought it was a great time to see how it was on the school's dance team.” Olive explained to them.
“Ah, I see. I’m sorry for your old dance studio.” Daisy apologises. “But you're a great dancer so it’s kinda good for our team.” She announces to lighten the mode.
“Okay everyone. Congrats on making the team. We are gonna start with practice this week. We have practice right after school on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. However keep in mind as we get closer to regionals that there could be added more days to train. I also expect you if you get a part in the solo, duet or small group dance to take time after practise or on other days to also train. If this is a problem come to me sooner than later and we can either try to fix the problem or you will be replaced. Understood?” Ms. Sinistra declares, with agreeing hums from the group. “Good. Then that’s all for today and I will see you tomorrow.”
This is gonna be a great year.