74Hogwarts: The Phantom of the Opera
Disclaimer: I still don't own Harry Potter or Phantom of the Opera and I doubt any of my schemes to acquire the ownership of them will work, so you'll just have to settle with the fact that you can't sue me.
AN: Sorry I haven't updated in forever. No, I haven't abandoned this fanfic. I've spent far too much time on it to stop completely. Well at least it's summer, eh? I mean, I had a really busy school life; one thing after another, there simply wasn't enough time to think of updating this. But this is the second week of summer, so there's really no excuse, and I'm reeeeeeally really sorry. One thing you'll notice is I'm more of a sporadic updater. When I plan to update, I normally don't, and when I have no intention of updating is when I suddenly think "You know what, I wanna write the next chapter." So um, just check your email for my update alert like once every three months and you'll be fine :-) Once every 3 months is pretty pathetic, though. My apologies, I promise to do better this time around!
AN2: Also, there was a bit of confusion in the last chapter. The guest teachers are not muggles. Like the Professor Armstrong character, he's a wizard that has a muggle job because muggles are more advanced in music than the wizarding world is. I mean, not ALL magic folk live in the wizarding world. Some like muggle jobs better, don't you think? Now for the next chapter!
Chapter 3: The Preparations
Hermione figured she still had a few more hours until she had to retire to the Gryffindor Common Room, which gave her enough time to look for good books on the Phantom of the Opera. She had an awful lot of homework, but this couldn't wait another day if she was to try and get a head start.
She gave a wry smile. If the boys knew she was putting something like this before homework, of all things, they would say they were being a bad influence on her. She turned the corner of the corridor. But why should it be so unbelievable that she actually had a personality behind her books and cleverness? She had wants, fears, interests, and desires. She had passions in life besides learning. She was just as much a human as the rest of them. At that Hermione snorted, thinking of Harry and Ron's eating manners in particular, 'Well now, then again, perhaps more of a human in some cases…'
Over the past few summers her parents had been paying for singing lessons, as well as violin lessons. She had gotten quite good at both of them, she had to admit. Her music had become very important to her, and her friends had absolutely no idea, Hermione thought with a twinge of regret. If she could only get an acting role in the upcoming play, then maybe her friends and classmates would see she wasn't so different from them.
'Being smart and caring about your grades doesn't make you any less interesting, does it? I mean, just because I don't involve myself in all the silly little teenage dramas doesn't mean I can't be a fun, right?' Hermione tried to assure herself.
Every time she saw Lavender sulking in the girls' dormitory from having yet another bad break-up with a boyfriend, Hermione felt glad that she wasn't mixed up in any of that. She had two very good friends, her books and her studies, and sometime later in life maybe there might be some time for a love life. She did feel fairly confident that she could get a boyfriend if she actually wanted one. Handfuls of boys had asked her each year since her fifth year, but Hermione wasn't interested in any of them.
There was nothing astoundingly pretty about her, but her hair had gotten a lot better over the years. She no longer had a frizzy mound of hair but instead big, thick curls rolled halfway down her back. It was still very heavy and hard to manage, but it looked a lot prettier, and she had found certain ways to pull it back to minimize the effect and balance it out. Her eyebrows had been neatly plucked and shaped, giving her face a more feminine look, and she had started to wear mascara to really bring out her bright brown eyes, which it could be agreed were one of her better features. But Hermione really didn't feel like she needed any more makeup than that. In the end, the only one she had to impress was herself. The makeup didn't change anything.
But it was her seventh and final year at Hogwarts and everywhere she looked, she seemed to find happy couples amongst her friends and classmates. Whenever she saw Ginny and Harry sitting together, curled up on the couch in the common room talking, she couldn't help but feel a pang of… what? Jealousy? She shook her head to get rid of that train of thought. After all, she was perfectly happy as she was, wasn't she? She didn't need a boy to make her feel special. In fact, she highly doubted any boy she knew really could.
In the end she was just Hermione Granger. Hardly a change in her life, she kept the same easy-going routine. But since it was her last year, she felt she needed to make some kind of change. The past six years had passed by in a blur. It seemed more important now than it ever was to stop and take the time to smell the roses. She wanted to—no, she needed to make the most of her last year of Hogwarts.
When she finally entered the library, she had a small smile on her lips, thinking of her resolution. Regardless of any changes she might make, she knew what would always be the same to her: this library. Countless afternoons she had spent pouring over the thick tomes, trying to fill her insatiable desire for all the knowledge of the subjects that interested her most. Hermione could finally relax more than she could have hoped to anywhere else. Anything she needed to know, she could find in here, and she felt confident that information on The Phantom of the Opera was not excluded. She nodded a greeting to Madam Pince behind her desk as she continued to the left side of the library.
Hermione began her search, looking at titles of books on the shelves towering over her. She found several good factual books about the play and the different versions of the production. She was also happy to find sheet music and a sound recording. She figured it couldn't hurt to check out the novel itself, either.
'Leroux… Leroux… Gaston Leroux… Aha, there it is,' She thought, standing on her toes with her arms outstretched reaching for it. It was just beyond her fingertips. She spent a few moments more waving her arm and jumping, trying to get closer, but it was no use. Just as she was about to give up and use her wand, a long black-sleeved arm reached out and easily plucked it off of the shelf.
Hermione jumped back surprised, barely suppressing a squeal of fright.
"A little jumpy tonight, aren't we, Miss Granger?" Snape smirked at her as she glowered at him. "And what do we have here?" he continued reading the cover, "The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. Of course. I should have known at the first mention of a play the know-it-all would dash to the library in hopes of being one step ahead of all the other students."
"And what's wrong with taking the initiative to find out more information than is given?" she challenged.
"Oh nothing, nothing at all…" he said, his eyes gleaming with the pleasure of frustrating her, "it just shows your ignorance on the matter to begin with. Perhaps you haven't considered that maybe the other students aren't going to the library because they already know all about the Phantom of the Opera and you're one of the few who don't…" he said silkily.
Hermione snorted. "It surprises me that you, of all people, would be giving the student body that much credit. But if I am, as you say, one of the only few who aren't well-informed in the area of muggle drama and literature, why would I find you in this section of the library?"
"Not that it's any of your business, but I came here for… Shakespeare," he said with a sneer once he thought of something believable. "Ah, but of course, Shakespeare is unlikely something you're familiar with. I wouldn't expect you to appreciate—"
"These words are razors to my wounded heart," she interrupted, quoting dramatically. "Believe it or not, sir, but I am quite well-versed in Shakespeare… Not stepping o'er the bounds of modesty…"
He looked at her calculatingly before finally muttering, "Hmph. The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool. You Gryffindors have always been proud… and with nothing to pride yourself in either."
Hermione scowled, "Don't you have something better to do than insult me and degrade my house? As much as I'm sure you're enjoying yourself, I find it doubtful you sought me out for your bullying pleasures."
"Enjoying insulting my students? I haven't the faintest idea what you could be talking about, Miss Granger," Snape said, his eyes positively glinting with malicious amusement, "Why, that's like accusing me of enjoying taking points away from Gryffindor!" He smirked. Honestly, this man was insufferable. "But you're right in that I do have better things to do. Enduring your presence for any longer than is absolutely necessary would have to be the polar opposite of what I want to be doing tonight." He held the book out for her to take. She grabbed it roughly from his hands, making no attempt to hide her irritability at his rude comments.
"Thank you," Hermione said curtly, collecting her bags and continuing down the row of shelves. She stopped at the end and turned to face him. "Oh, and by the way, if you really are looking for Shakespeare, it's four aisles in that direction," she said pointing to her left with a smirk. "Good day." She turned on her heel and walked away briskly.
Severus watched the girl go to check out her books and leave the library, a small smile playing at his lips. He really wasn't quite sure what to make of the girl—no, woman, he corrected himself. She had... changed... and it had taken him until now to realize it. Seven years had gone by in a flash and after this one Hermione Granger would never darken his doorway again. She was certainly very bright, and a voracious reader, much like himself. She excelled in all her classes and didn't participate in all the juvenile activities of her peers.
It was amazing what adolescence could do to a child. She had an awkward start. Her looks and personality combined didn't help her much in her social life. She was landed with Potter and Weasley by way of an unfortunate incident involving a mountain troll. Funny how things like that seem to work out… She wasn't the same as the other girls, and had a hard time fitting in. Seven years later and all she had managed to do was irk him. But the conversation they just had was interesting. Could he really continue to see her as just a particularly annoying student?
It was hard to find people intelligent enough to engage in a verbal spar with, but she had proved to be a worthy adversary. Of course, he would have to get her back for that last comment. He shook his head in disbelief. So she had known all along what he was really there for…
He reached up on the shelf and found a second copy of The Phantom of the Opera. A few minutes later the library was deserted once more.
Hermione walked out of the library in an undoubtedly worse mood than she was when she went in. Professor Snape seemed to have that effect on people. Not that their conversation wasn't sort of entertaining, because it was… There was no way she could get into that kind of exchange of wits with either Ron or Harry… or any of the students for that matter. She grinned. She wished she could have seen the look on his face after her last comment. He must have been looking for Phantom of the Opera information too, and she had made sure he knew that she had him figured out. Hermione chuckled to herself.
'But really!' her mood changed sharply, reflecting over just how he had treated her, 'There was no need to insult me! Especially when he was doing the exact same thing! Oh what an awful hypocrite. That man can be so infuriating!'
She continued walking to the Gryffindor Common Room, and muttered the password to the portrait of the fat lady. She stepped into the common room and went to sit down by the fire next to Ginny and the boys.
"I've just been to the library and I checked out some good books that ought to help us with our auditions. I also got sound recordings of the version with Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford, as well as the version with Emmy Rossum and Gerard Butler. Ginny, could you go get your Wizard's Wireless, please?"
"Mhmm," Ginny nodded and ran upstairs to the dormitory. She returned several moments later with the small device.
Hermione opened the CD case and put the Phantom of the Opera CD in the Wizard's Wireless.
Hermione pressed 'Play' and everyone in the common room jumped as the overture blasted through the speakers.
(AN: Haha, am I the only one that's done this? I swear that overture gets me every time. I always forget to turn it down beforehand and it's so loud! XD Another thing, I know Wizard's Wireless is more like a radio, but I couldn't find anything else on the lexicon saying something similar to a CD player, so I figured this would do. And I also know that this story takes place before the 2004 movie version of PotO even came out, but I'm the author so what I say goes :-D)
They quickly turned it off to stop the sudden loud noise. "Ginny! Why do you have the volume turned up so high?" Hermione berated the girl.
"Sorry, sorry! I just like to listen to my music really loud… I was going to warn you…"
Hermione turned the volume dial down halfway and pressed the button again. This time the theme song came on still as strong and powerful as the first time, but at half the volume.
The small group stared in awe at the wizarding wireless.
A minute later, however, Ron, who had very little appreciation for classical or opera music, spoke his opinion, "This is getting boring. Where's the singing?"
"Shush," Ginny hissed, "I think it's almost over. See, listen…"
"This trooooooooooooooooooooooophy from our saviors, from our saaaaaaaaaaviors-" The wizarding wireless sounded.
Ron blanched, "You can't be serious. I'm not sure how much more of this I can take."
Hermione shot him an angry look just as Neville walked over. "Hey guys, mind if I join you?"
"Sure," they all nodded in agreement. He spotted the CD covers on the table. "Oh wow! Is that the Phantom of the Opera! Awesome! Whose is it?"
"Hermione got it from the library," Harry said.
Neville beamed at her, "What a fantastic idea! So does that mean you all hope to get parts in it?"
"We dunno. I'd like to think we'd all get acting roles, but they're quite limited. I'm interested in auditioning anyway." Ginny said and everyone nodded and murmured in agreement.
Neville sat down. "I know I may not seem the type to enjoy getting up on stage in front of everyone, but theatre is a sort of hobby of mine, so I want to try my shot at it."
"So, who's the bloke singing right now?" Ron questioned as the voice rang out from the small machine.
"Sad to return to find the lands weeee loooooove threatened once more by Roma's far-reaching grasp…"
"Let's see," Hermione said, opening her Complete Guide to the Phantom of the Opera, and turning to the back where the script was located. "Sad to return… Ah. That was Piangi who is… the lead male singer in the opera, opposite La Carlotta."
"She was the one just singing?" Ginny asked.
"Mhmm."
Harry did a low whistle to show he was impressed.
"Haha, whoever gets the part will need to have a bigger lung capacity than a tuba-player," Ron said with a grin as Hermione glared.
"No one asked your opinion, Ronald."
"Who said I needed to be asked to give an opinion?" Ron shot up angrily.
"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all," Hermione retorted coolly.
He sat back down grumbling. "I always hated it when mum said that…"Ginny stifled a giggle.
"So what song is next?" Neville asked, trying to bring the conversation back to the CD and end the quarreling.
"It's called 'Think of Me'…"
The night continued on in that manner, the group listened to the CD while Harry would occasionally jump up and try to mimic the opera singers, much to the amusement of everyone gathered around.
AN: So. Was it worth the wait? XD I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I really am! I've had this chapter written for ages but I thought it was only half-written because I had expected to write more, but then looking at it now I realized I had a good ending-point already so I might as well post it :-P I think my revision process actually TAKES this long. I swear the past few months I would read this chapter over and over and over again, but I would only make a few changes here and there each time, and then I look at it today and BAM! I add like a whole other page worth of content throughout the story and I'm finally satisfied with it XD I don't know what my problem is, I really don't :-D But hey, quality over quantity, right? Thank you everyone for being patient and reviewing. I hope, no matter how long it takes me to update, that you won't completely give up on this fanfic. If I care about this story enough to completely revamp it, I doubt I'm going to leave it incomplete.
Messages to my lovely reviewers (Some, not all, if you're not listed here, I'm sorry but know your review was also appreciated :-)) :
Zealous Writer: I hope I answered your questions ) Sorry It wasn't very clear last chapter. Lolz about your nieces though XD I certainly know what that's like. Thanks for reviewing :-)
kumikoblue: You're totally right. I must say that's one of my biggest weaknesses as a writer. I hope I did a bit better on this chapter though. Thanks for the constructive criticism, I need it
Meneyavewen: Thank you so much for the kind review. I'm glad you like it and I hope you continue to read and review. Lovely rose btw :-D
Karen: :giggles madly: I love your reviews XD Especially the "On to the next chapter!" rofl.
Lone Angel: Thanks so much for caring enough to actually look for this fic XD I seriously hope it's better than the last time I wrote it. I must say I'm much happier with it, but I really have no idea what I'm doing with it. This stuff I'm adding in is just what comes to mind as I'm writing XD Like in Chapter 2 the last line was "Little did she know that a certain Potions Master had the exact same thing in mind…" Well, after I updated and realized what I wrote, I was like "Oh crap, now I have to think of a library scene for Chapter 3... I wasn't expecting that... O.o"
frodoschick: Hmm, no, I haven't read yours yet I think I will, though, Thanks for telling me about it )
99PENDRAGON99: Um... Sorry? Lolz, I know, I know, Harry would make a better Raoul, I'm sorry. But I simply don't like Harry/Hermione. It's tolerable, sure, but I think they're so much better off as friends. Hermione/Draco is different And hey, Draco as Raoul, it could happen. They're both snobby rich boys, right? Haha, no, I exaggerate, I know, but I'm not changing it.
The Dragon Sorceress: Lolz! That's pretty cool Well I hope you keep reading. I AM continuing this
Review! I'll update faster! Please:-)