anthony goldstein. (goldest) wrote in caged, @ 2013-08-18 22:00:00 |
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[ When the phone rings, June sighs and moves off the couch to answer it, using her finger to hold her place in her book. ] JUNE: Hello, Chambers residence, this is June speaking. ANTHONY: Hi June, it’s Anthony. JUNE: [ Pause, frowning. ] Hey. Is everything okay? ANTHONY: Oh - what? No everything is fine. [He folds the paper so that he can quote the article Prophet if he needs to.] Have you see the Prophet? JUNE: You mean about the mandatory attendance? Yes, I saw. [ A pause, as she looks over her shoulder at her parents in the living room. ] I mean, you were planning on going back anyway, right? ANTHONY: [He purses his lips together and pauses for a moment, he honestly had planned on going back but he wasn’t sure what his parent’s plan had been given that his mother wasn’t there.] Yeah, I mean of course, it’s just really, Muggle-borns are the scourge of the Wizarding World? [He rolls his eyes.] JUNE: [ She sighs. ] You would've thought they'd have hammered that point home well enough, but apparently not. I don't really see how making Hogwarts mandatory is meant to protect us from Muggle-borns, but... One second, let me put you on hold and switch to the cordless. ANTHONY: Okay. [He plays with the cord of the phone he’s on while he waits for her to come back.] JUNE: [ A click as she puts him on hold, then finds the cordless phone and runs up to her bedroom. ] Right, sorry. I just don't want my parents listening in. My mum's not happy about all this. ANTHONY: Hey, yeah no it’s fine. It’s just really bloody stupid, like Hermione Granger is not a danger to any of us unless we’ve defiled a library book. [He rubs his forehead in frustration.] I mean my dad thinks that Hogwarts should still be compulsory but he thinks that they’re really doing it so they can keep tabs on us. JUNE: Yeah, that was what my dad said, that wizards should have compulsory education anyway, and primary school too, but my mum thinks that they want to have kids under their control so they can control parents. I don't even know who they is, exactly. ANTHONY: [There is a half second of a dark laugh.] Yeah. Your parents sound like my dad. He’s not happy about it and he doesn’t like the registration either, he thinks that they’re going to make halfbloods with Muggleborn parents register next. JUNE: My mum thinks they're going to start keeping track of mixed marriages, so. I just. It's really ominous, Anthony. You know how many people weren't going to come back because of last year. Have they even announced who'll be headmaster of the school, or Head Boy and Girl? ANTHONY: [A brief pause.] That makes sense, I think that’s what my parents were afraid of...[He trails a bit.] Well if Umbridge is in charge. [A scoff.] I don’t think there is much hope for us this school year, she was wretched fifth year, absolutely wretched. She almost made most of us fail our Defence OWLs! JUNE: I'm fairly sure she's the reason that I only got an A on my Defence OWL. [ Bracingly. ] But if she's headmistress, at least she can't teach, right? ANTHONY: If she teaches us I’m just going to go drown myself in the North Sea. She’s awful and hateful and the real scourge of the Wizarding World - who in their right mind would put her in charge of someone else’s education? Clearly no one who actually cares about educating people. JUNE: You know her appointment was political. Anthony, just take a deep breath. ANTHONY: Well she’s terrible and she shouldn’t be involved in our education. [His voice goes high pitched at an attempt to mimic Umbridge’s voice.] Hem hem. Students learn best from book learning! Why on Earth would a Hogwarts student need to know defensive spells?! Hem hem. JUNE: [ Laughs weakly. ] It'd be funnier if there weren't Death Eaters running about, potentially giving us need to use defensive spells, Anthony. ANTHONY: I wasn’t trying to be funny, just trying to be honest. JUNE: It won't be her, anyway. She's in charge of this new registration commission. I'm sure she'd rather be doing that than at Hogwarts. She always gave the impression that she hates kids. ANTHONY: She always gave me the impression that I was cleverer than she was. JUNE: [ Giggles nervously. ] You probably are, but, Anthony. ANTHONY: Yes Junie? JUNE: You can't talk like that if the Ministry puts her back in charge, you know that, right? Not the way that things are going now. ANTHONY: [A sigh.] Yeah I know, I mean I know I won’t be able to say that at school and I’m not looking to make it more miserable than it’s probably going to be, it’s just frustrating. JUNE: I know it's miserable, but... It'll be our job to keep everyone else out of trouble. Since we're prefects. ANTHONY: [There is a small smile on Anthony’s lips but he doesn’t laugh.] I know and I will I’m just frustrated about it right now. I’m sure it’ll be as normal as we ever get. JUNE: I really hope it's not her. I can't take having to traipse through another swamp to get to class. ANTHONY: She is the worst possible teacher I can think of, although now that I’ve said that I’ve probably jinxed us. JUNE: How could anyone possibly be worse? At least Snape could teach. ANTHONY: Who knows, we now live in a world where Muggle-borns supposedly steal magic. Anything is possible. JUNE: It's not like You-Know-Who is going to come teach us Defence Against the Dark Arts. ANTHONY: Well I hope not at any rate. JUNE: Surely he has better things to do. [ Sarcastically ] Like oppression and murder? ANTHONY: [Sniggering.] Yeah well maybe he’ll want to train to brainwash or something. [A pause.] This is depressing. JUNE: I'm sorry. Was I supposed to cheer you up? [ Pause. ] Do you know what anatidaephobia is? ANTHONY: No, you weren’t supposed to cheer me up, I’m just depressing myself. [Pause] No what is that? JUNE: [ Loftily. ] Anatidaephobia is the pervasive, irrational fear that somewhere in the world, a duck is watching you. ANTHONY: [Laughs] Are you trying to tell me something? JUNE: What would I be telling you? To be less paranoid about ducks? ANTHONY: No that you’re paranoid of ducks. JUNE: [ Laughs ] I'm not afraid of ducks, though ducks are mean. Never trust a duck. I was trying to get you to be less depressing. ANTHONY: How do you know ducks are mean? Is there some kind of child trauma? JUNE: One tried to eat my sandwich right out of my hand in Hyde Park. But that's not the point. ANTHONY: A duck tried to eat your sandwich, I hope you fought it off. JUNE: No, I ran away. I was like, six. ANTHONY: [laughs uncontrollably for a few seconds] You gave the duck your sandwich? JUNE: I gave it the bread. Never trust a duck, Anthony. ANTHONY: Alright, alright, I promise I’ll never trust a duck. [A pause.] So I take it you don’t want to go feed them with me? JUNE: Is that a serious invitation or are you just mocking me? I'm not actually afraid of ducks. ANTHONY: Well feeding the ducks would get both of us out of our houses. Do you think your mum’d let you go? JUNE: [ Pause ] Probably, since you didn't let me get killed last time. ANTHONY: I don’t think my dad would care either. Do you want to ask and then if they both say yes, I can head over? JUNE: [ Laughs ] Right now? ANTHONY: What else are you doing besides being afraid of ducks? JUNE: I'm not afraid of ducks! But okay, you're right, I'm not doing anything except reading. Can I bring a book? ANTHONY: [Anthony smiles] I thought that was a given. JUNE: Okay, one second. [ Silence as she runs to the top of the stairs to shout at her mother. ] MUUUUUUM, can I go to the park with Anthony? [ A pause. ] Hyde Park, I think, to feed ducks. [ Another pause. ] I promise he hasn't become a Death Eater in the last week! [ Last pause. ] Thank you! [ The sound of her door slamming. ] Okay, she says yes. Hmmm, what should I wear? ANTHONY: [While June is asking permission Anthony puts his hand over the phone and does the same to ask his father who is in the next room.] Dad, can I go to the park with Junie? [A pause.] Okay thanks. [Patiently he awaits Junie’s return and after she does he responds.] It looks like it might rain so if you have any wellies you might want to wear those. I’ll probably bring my backpack if you want to throw anything in it when I get to your house. JUNE: Maybe I should wear trousers then... [ Opening her wardrobe. ] But this sundress with the antique floral print is so cute. It's blue and my wellingtons are green, though. What do you think? ANTHONY: [Makes face.] I’m not one of your girlfriends, I’m sure either will look nice. JUNE: Oh, of course, you're a boy. I'm still in my pyjamas, so do you want to give me [ Pause, as she wants to say thirty but that sounds like a long time. ] Fifteen minutes and Apparate over here? That way my mum can triple-check you're not a Death Eater. ANTHONY: Yeah, that sounds good. Maybe we can eat lunch while we’re out too, I’ll ask Dad if I can have some mo - oh he’s nodding, so he’s going to give me some money. I’ll be over in a few. JUNE: Excellent. I'll see you soon. ANTHONY: See you in a bit. [He hangs up the phone and goes to get his backpack and book.] |