1Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all the HP world stuff and Gaston Leroux owns all things Phantom. I just mixed them up 'cuz I'm weird that way.
A young woman entered the beautiful Opera House through the glass doors. Her long, straight brown hair hung to her waist and swayed with every step. Her dark green eyes sparkled with curiosity. She took in the classical architecture mixed with the modern and smiled happily. This was to be her new home.
An older man walked toward her. He was dressed in a crisp black suit with white dress shirt and a black top hat. He was pale, short and overweight, with curly black hair and a drooping black mustache. He bowed quickly to her. "You must be Miss Adriana Nathan? If you would be so kind as to follow me I will show you to your new rooms."
Adriana smiled politely and followed the man out of the entryway. He led her through a door that no guest ever entered and down a dark hallway. They arrived at a beautifully carved wooden door which the manager, Mister Braxton Lynch, pushed open. Adriana stepped into the room and gave a small gasp of delight.
The room was exquisite; certainly much more than Adriana had expected. The floors were a dark walnut, Brazilian wood and the walls were covered in a forest green fabric which seemed to shimmer in the light emanating from the fireplace and gold wall-mounted sconces which were holding real white candles.
Adriana had noticed as she came down the hallway that there seemed to be no electricity. She made a mental note to ask Mister Lynch about that later.
The room held two plush forest green armchairs which stood in front of the fireplace, as well as a dark walnut writing desk with matching chair. All along the rest of the wall, on either side of the writing desk, were floor-to-ceiling dark walnut bookcases filled with a motley of books. A painting of a man hung over the fireplace. The man had long black hair, piercing black eyes and pale skin. He looked very unhappy and more than a little malevolent.
Adriana shivered as she beheld the painting and made another mental note to ask Mister Lynch if they could have the painting removed.
"I trust this room is to your liking, Miss Nathan?" Mister Lynch asked, though from his tone it didn't sound like he really cared.
Adriana nodded. "Thank you, Mister Lynch. It is even grander than I dreamed."
Mister Lynch inclined his head and began to walk back out of the door. "I am glad. We will speak again tomorrow morning. Oh, and one final thing - a warning: do not venture out of your rooms at night." And on this ominous note he firmly closed the door.
Adriana stared at the closed door and wondered what exactly she had gotten herself in to. After a few moments, however, she shook her head, as though to clear it, and turned back to her living room. It was time to explore the rest of her rooms.
There was one door to her left and she went through it to discover her bedroom. The walls were a dark red fabric with gold swirls and the floors were a mahogany Santos wood. The bed was a large black iron four-poster hung with a blood red canopy that matched the bedding. To one side stood a mahogany vanity with a matching puff stool, and to the other side, next to a door, stood a mahogany wardrobe.
Adriana went through this last door and found the bathroom. It was decorated in black and silver; with a large, garden-sized bathtub and steam shower. The rooms may not have electricity, but at least they had running water.
Adriana moved back into the living room. She sat down in one of the armchairs and stared into the gleaming, flickering fire. She felt her eyelids begin to grow heavy and began to drift into sleep.
A sudden noise jerked her awake and she looked around, wondering where it had come from. Her eyes rose to the painting and she found that the man was gone. She gasped and raced into her bedroom where she flung herself onto her bed and fervently wished that she had never come to this strange place.
She cried from fear, loneliness and home-sickness and eventually cried herself to sleep.
At exactly midnight a beautiful song came from the fireplace in the living room. It soared into Adriana's bedroom and swept over her like a warm blanket.
Adriana smiled in her sleep as the music invaded her dreams. She dreamt she was in a beautiful garden, waltzing by herself to this strange and beautiful music. Then a dark figure appeared. She halted and stared at this shape in curiosity. She held out her hand to the figure and for a moment she thought it would come to her. But then it turned and vanished in a swirl of mist.
Adriana awoke the next morning, the dream completely forgotten.
A/N: Thank you so much to my beta reader, Chelsea! I hope you guys like this story! Make sure you review please!
