74Hogwarts: The Phantom of the Opera
Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter world nor the Phantom of the Opera.
AN: Okay, so this is what happened. I know this screenname is PhantomPhanGirl but I had to change it because my brothers found out my other screenname (Aeris921) and they were gonna read my fanfic and stuff and I didn't want them to so in a panic I deleted it. So I'm going to repost this fanfic on this screenname and hope they don't find this one out. Well since I'm reposting, I decided to just rewrite it, because despite that fanfic of mine being my best-written one, I knew there was major room for improvement. I hope you like this rewritten one better, or at least as much as before.
Another AN: This fanfic is AU since Half-Blood Prince came out and will continue to be written to be non-HBP-compliant or DH-compliant.
Yet Another AN: Please don't give me any flames over accuracy to a specific version of the Phantom of the Opera because I plan on taking bits and pieces from many versions and combining them. If you don't like it, I'm sorry, but you don't have to read it :-)
Okay, One Last AN Before We Begin: Please read all Author's Notes. I don't write them just to make the fanfic look longer, they ACTUALLY have stuff I want you to know (Imagine that, lolz). Also, don't write reviews telling me there's too much script in the story and not enough… story. 1.) Trust me when I say there'll be more story and stuff then there was in the old version (so I AM trying here), and 2.) When I started this fanfic way back when, it was my intention to include like the whole script at one point in the story or another. So I mean for there to be a lot of script. But I do agree that there wasn't enough non-rehearsal things last story, I'm changing that so bare with me )
Summary: The 4th-7th year Muggle Studies classes are going to perform a play, which meddling Dumbledore thinks is a great idea and gets involved in it. They're doing Phantom of the Opera! Dumbledore casts Hermione as Christine, Severus as the Phantom (Erik), and Draco as Raoul. (Hermione/Severus with a litte bit of Draco/Hermione but they're more like just acting :grin:)
-EDIT- 05/12/2007 - Okay, so it's been like half a year since I've so much as even looked at this fic, and I've just noticed many, many things that need changing. Hopefully this'll be a bit of an improvement to what I wrote like over a year ago, haha. -Holy cannoli! There's something wrong in the very first sentence! How has it gone so overlooked?
And now on to the story… Please review!
Prologue
Leicester, England - 2002
Hermione Granger looked around her room once more, checking to see if there was anything she was forgetting. She wouldn't want to leave anything behind and risk their plans being messed up by having to apparate back home to retrieve a missing item. Yes, she had their tickets in her purse, plenty of muggle and wizard money, and a camera.
It was their fourth anniversary. They always did the same thing for their anniversary, but Hermione couldn't think of any better way to spend it. Besides, it was really quite fitting.
Hermione looked again in the mirror and gave a wry smile. It was just a normal, ordinary mirror. It didn't even talk back to you like most magical mirrors, let alone open up and lead into an underground labyrinth. Five whole years, she mused. Could it really have been that long ago? She could scarcely believe it. It had been five whole years since her life had been changed forever…
She tucked her hair behind her ears. Her looks really hadn't changed much these five years. True, her hair was a bit shorter now, coming to her shoulders rather than the middle of her back like it used to. But the length was probably the only thing that had changed. She had been using self-made shampoos and conditioners since her sixth year at Hogwarts, turning her bushy mass of hair into sleek brown curls.
Hermione wore a simple black turtleneck with a nice pair of jeans. It was casual, comfortable, and elegant all at once. She didn't wear much makeup. Hermione never was one for spending too much time on her looks, but she didn't mind applying some mascara and lipgloss.
Soon she and her husband would apparate to the Majestic Theatre, 247 West 44 Street, New York. They would again see The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway in their normal seats (always the best). They really couldn't help but enjoy watching muggles perform it. It was nearly as spectacular as their own performance…
"Hermione! If we don't go soon we won't get in on time! Are you almost ready?" a voice called from downstairs.
Hermione smiled to herself, "Coming, Severus!"
Yes, Hermione was happily married to one Severus Snape.
How did that happen, you wonder?
She looked back fondly. It seemed like just yesterday Dumbledore had informed the school of that year's Muggle Studies project…
Chapter 1: Introduction
Hogwarts Castle, 1997
Minutes before dinner was about to begin, the Great Hall was filled with chatter. Meals at Hogwarts were always a big deal because they gave students from all years and houses a chance to converse. However, the usual clamor was even greater on this particular evening.
Hermione caught bits and pieces of conversations as she rushed into the hall past rows of students, to stop behind the seat Ginny had saved for her. She quickly caught her breath, composed herself, and took her seat. It wasn't unusual to see the head girl come to meals just barely on time, arms full of books, and hair in disarray from her mad dash through the school. No doubt she had lost track of time while entrenched in her homework.
"Okay, could someone tell me why I just heard about five different people say 'Muggle Studies' and 'Play' in the same sentence? What's going on here?" Hermione asked with a frown.
"Well I heard from Demelza Robins, who heard from Vicky Frobisher, who has a friend in Ravenclaw whose older sister is taking Muggle Studies, that the seventh year muggle studies class is putting on a play for their end-of-the-year project," Ginny said all in one breath.
"Oh, is that all?" Hermione said, a little disappointed that she had stopped taking Muggle Studies. It sounded like a lot of fun, though hardly important enough to be the topic of everyone's conversations. What business of theirs was it that a largely unpopulated class was putting on a play?
Hermione's thoughts were interrupted when Dumbledore arose from his seat with his hands held up. The talking quickly died down.
"As it seems, rumors spread like wildfire around this school," he smiled good-naturedly. "Though, I suppose from an optimistic point of view one could say it goes to show how close we all are here at Hogwarts, a unity that will undoubtedly serve us well in the end."
Harry looked gloomily at his friends. Really, could they not sit down to dinner and enjoy a meal without mention of the war against Voldemort? It was all rather depressing.
"For those of you who have not already heard, our Muggle Studies teacher, Professor Bailey, has proposed the idea of the Muggle Studies students performing a musical for their seventh year class project. Naturally I thought it was a splendid idea and decided we ought to include the whole school! I presented the idea to the rest of the staff and, well, most of them," here the headmaster stopped and looked pointedly at Professor Snape, who scowled in response, "agreed with me."
"All students and staff interested in being a part of the production should stay in the Great Hall after dinner for more information. Ah yes, and might I add that this opportunity is only available for students fourth year and up." Many of the younger students groaned with disappointment. "As for incentive, the participants will not be required to take the end-of-year exams… Now, I believe that's everything." With a wave of his hand, the plates and goblets all filled with food and drink along the tables.
Hermione couldn't believe her ears. All of Hogwarts would be performing a musical! Why it must be, though she made a mental note to confirm this with Hogwarts, A History, the first time ever that such an event has occurred! Hermione had loved musicals for as long as she could remember. She had even asked her parents if she could take voice lessons after they had taken her to see The Music Man. Perhaps the lessons would finally pay off and she could get cast in minor role. Or maybe she could play her violin in the orchestra pit or sing in the chorus. Either way, she would definitely need to find out more… Which play would they be doing? How could such a wide-scale event be organized effectively? Where would the performance take place?
A voice broke through her thoughts. "What do you think of this whole play business? D'you reckon you'll try to get a part in it?" Ron asked the group after washing his food down with some pumpkin juice.
"I don't know, it definitely sounds interesting... Worth looking into, in any case. Not to mention we get off taking exams…" Harry said.
Hermione showed more enthusiasm, "I think it's a brilliant idea! Just imagine us being involved in such a production! Maybe we'll all get parts together!"
Nearby at the head table, however, someone was clearly displeased. Severus Snape glanced around the Great Hall in disgust. The room was positively buzzing with excitement. He admittedly had an interest in muggle theatre and drama, but there was nothing this school could do to pull off a good musical. Their undoubtedly mediocre performance would be an insult to the person who wrote the play. He sighed dejectedly. No doubt the Headmaster would drag him into this whole thing.
As if on cue, Dumbledore piped in, "Severus, dear boy, how would you like-"
"No," he cut him off.
"Oh come now, I daresay you'd enjoy it immensely."
This comment earned him a raised eyebrow from the surly professor. "Severus, you need to get out of those dungeons once in a while, and I think this will be a great opportunity for you."
"An opportunity to what? Make myself look like a buffoon? No thank you," his lip curled in distaste.
"Severus, I know you can sing… Very well, in fact."
He ignored the compliment. "I wouldn't willingly get up on stage and sing with this lot of talentless dunderheads if it was a matter of life and death," he declared vehemently. And then he realized his mistake. He had said "willingly".
Dumbledore sighed, "I was trying to be nice about this Severus, but I can see it's no use. I have no choice but to make it a requirement for all Hogwarts staff to be involved."
His expression regained its usual lightheartedness. "Besides, I have the perfect role in mind for you," he said slyly before abruptly ending the conversation with an "I'll see you after dinner then.". And with that, the Headmaster turned away from Snape and began chatting animatedly with McGonagall on the other side of him, leaving no room for Severus's input
Severus stared at him. The headmaster didn't honestly expect him to have an acting role onstage, front and center, did he?… 'No, surely not…Barmy old codger'… he thought furiously at the Headmaster's back.
AN: So… How'd you guys like it? Better? Worse than before? I was going to wait until I had more chapters done for me to post it (I hate disappointing you guys with a long wait for the next chapter, and it's just to hard and stressful to get them out quickly, not to mention the quality of the work isn't as good) but I decided to go ahead and post it since I posted my other story on Aeris921. I mean you guys have probably noticed by now that I took the old version of this story off and I doubt you were happy about it, and then all of the sudden you may have gotton an email alert saying I wrote a new story, with still no word about what happened to the old one. I wouldn't like it if that happened to me, so I'm sorry and that's why I'm posting this now. But I do want to thank Natsuyori (At least, there may have been others, but I just recognized her as a faithful reviewer of my old one of this fic) for the nice review of my other story. I appreciate it when people take the time to read and review my work, even when it's not all that great. (Still no grade back from my teacher on it yet u.u)