I do not own Harry Potter.
"Normal speech!"
'Thoughts!'
Chapter One: Music to My Broken Ears
Hermione sat on the floor of the practice room with her clarinet in one hand while the other transfigured an old sheet of music into a temporary music stand. It was way too early to be here, since orchestra didn't start for another hour, but she didn't have much else to do. She fixed her reed just right and pulled out her tuning fork, metronome and folder full of music. She thumped the tuning fork against her ear and began to play B. Her pitch was perfect, as she heard no varying sound waves in her well-trained ears.
She flipped to a three-movement solo in her folder and began to play it, not needing the metronome because she knew this one so well. It was a rather difficult solo, but Hermione was a very fast learner and had been getting special lessons with the new orchestra staff, especially the woodwind instructor Anthony Chord, his name fitting perfectly with his profession.
Hermione squeaked the whole note she was holding as Professor Hooper, the string instructor, slammed open the door and walked in with his arms full of supplies. He was a rather young man, but he was obviously very practiced in music knowing the basics of all the orchestral instrument but specializing in strings. He had the longest hair of all the male teachers (well, now that Snape was gone. *sob*), which made his young age of twenty-five stand out even more. He flipped said locks from his large brown eyes and gave a startled gasp.
"Hermione? Goodness, why are you here so early?" He asked as a pencil fell to the ground.
"I- I just- I needed to practice." Hermione said with a blush.
"You need practice? Well, I'm not saying practice is bad, but too much can be, well… too much. You're a brilliant player."
"Well worded sir, but I just needed to practice this one part." Hermione did need to practice, but her goal wasn't to get better; when she was focused on the notes, her embouchure, dynamics and just playing in a whole, she almost forgot who she was. All she knew was what was on that sheet and what beautiful, tranquil sounds were coming from the bell of her clarinet.
"Very well. Don't tucker yourself out, though, Granger. I wouldn't want to see one of our top players busting a lip or straining a jaw muscle." Professor Hooper said with a grin.
"I won't, sir." Hermione replied with a small smile.
After he went across the practice room and disappeared into an office, she took apart her clarinet and set it in her case, but not before she cleaned and oiled it with a quick spell, and transfigured the music stand back into the old sheet of music. With her lips still tingling, Hermione set her clarinet with the four other ones and walked outside to await the rest of the class.
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The sound of all the instruments warming up made Hermione's ears buzz with excitement as she sat first chair next to last flutist, Hannah Abbott and second chair clarinet, Terry Boot. They were both perfect to sit by since Terry liked to talk to Samantha King on his left and Hannah was too shy to ever say much at all.
One instrument always made Hermione's ears jump with excitement, the oboe. The only oboe player was Ginny Weasley and she was amazing. Hermione loved, just loved listening to her practice, the seldom time she did practice. Ginny was one of those girls who could pick up on anything and do it amazingly without even trying, but she was also very humble, which Hermione loved about her. The high, exotic sound of the oboe sent chills to Hermione's arms as she stopped tuning herself just to heighten her sadistic need to hear this double-reed sound.
"Hermione, you got an extra reed? Samantha just broke mine." Terry said with an annoyed glance behind him, completely ruining Hermione's musical moment.
"Oh- well I know a spell to fix it." Hermione said, "But it still wouldn't be the same… Would a somewhat used reed disgust you?"
"Nah, I can clean it. Thanks." He said taking the reed, running his wand over it, and wetting it in his mouth before strategically placing it on his mouthpiece and tightening the ligature to perfection. Once Terry was playing fine on his clarinet, Hermione turned her head to see Ginny's oboe in her lap and her head turned to talk to Luna Lovegood, third chair flutist.
'How dare her not make beautiful music when the privilege was shaking it's luscious bon-bons right in front of her!' Hermione thought angrily, 'I need to see if we can do an ensemble for the group. I need to hear her more.'
"Alright everyone! Now that we are all tuned and warmed up, lets run through some scales and a chorale!" Professor Wilson, the conductor of the orchestra, said in his loud voice that seemed to resonate off your very bones.
They went on to go through many scales and a nice chorale by Johannes Sebastian Bach before they got down to business; the Yule Concert. They were going to be performing their first concert in Hogsmeade where the entire town has been invited as well as the school and staff. It was going to be held two days before they were to be let out of school.
'Carol of the Bells' was Hermione's favorite as the different instruments mirrored the repetitive line but she had a soft spot for the Nutcracker Suites. When they began to practice the March from the Nutcracker Suite, her legs broke out in goosebumps and she felt her spirit lift when she got a beautiful duet with Ginny. This was going to be an amazing concert.
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When class was over and after everyone left for a well deserved lunch break, Hermione lazed behind and took extra care to clean her clarinet and even arranged her music in alphabetical order. She hated to leave the music room. This was where she forgot the pain of losing friends, enemies and even parts of herself she loathed. She only just found her parents a month before school began and they were situated back in their home, not recalling anything thanks to a group of Healers setting their minds straight again. That also meant that Hermione didn't have any third party to discuss the war to, they would forbid her from ever going back to the wizarding world if they knew.
"Miss Granger."
Hermione looked up from her still open case into the hazel eyes of the woodwind instructor Professor Chord.
"… Yes?"
"Why do you always dally about after rehearsals?" He asked, concern a main tone in his voice, "Surly you would like to get to the Great Hall for lunch?"
Hermione knew exactly why, but she wasn't sure how to voice it. She blushed and looked at the ground. She probably looked like a lonely idiot to him, a man she trusted and learned from.
"I'm sorry. The rehearsal never seems to last long enough and everyone seems to be in such a rush to leave." Hermione said with a glance to the door.
"I understand. The soul purpose of this is to help you forget, but- we mustn't dwell on what makes us forget. You need to stop abusing your clarinet. You're only abusing yourself." He said with a small smile.
"I understand. It's just… When I play I feel like the only thing that matters is my clarinet and all I live for is to play my music." Hermione said gesturing to the open music folder on her stand, "I'm still going to play, but I promise not to dwell on this for the motive of mental relaxation." Hermione said as she got up.
"Good. Now, leave your clarinet in the instrument room this evening." He said with a warm smile, "Give your poor mouth a break."
"Yes, sir."
Hermione blushed as she turned around, not sure if that was an innuendo or if her mind was just acting badly at the moment. If it had been… Well, Professor Chord wasn't that older than she was, him being twenty-seven. He was also very attractive in every sense of the word; he had short, curly blonde hair, large blue eyes and the most dazzling smile she'd ever seen. Oh, but then again, orchestra talk could often sound dirty without actually being dirty, like 'fingering' or 'blowing'.
"Hermione! There you are!"
Hermione didn't have to look up to know that Ginny was running up to her in the courtyard between the music building and the whole of Hogwarts. They didn't have a room big enough (who would want to reveal the Room of Requirement to teachers?) for a music class to take place, so they just built a small building between the Quidditch pitch and the greenhouses. It also served as a practice hall for the Quidditch pep band, which only consisted of brass and percussion.
"Hullo, Ginny. I was just putting my things away."
"Oh, please. I know you were flirting with Professor Chord! He's so cute, I don't blame you!" Ginny said with a small laugh and a playful shove.
"I was not! I just- I was-"
"Ugh, I know Hermione. I know. I was just pulling your leg." Ginny said more sincerely, "You want to grab some lunch and head to the library for our free period?"
"That sounds nice." Hermione said, "All the practice made me famished."
"Yes, all that fingering and blowing can really tucker a girl out!" Ginny joked.
"Must there always be jokes? I am so tired of all this juvenile bilge being spewed out the mouths of damn near every member of this orchestra!" Hermione said with a huff, "If it's not you it's a third year and if it's not them-"
"Sorry. But you know they're hilarious!" Ginny cut in.
Hermione scowled at Ginny but sighed after a moment. She could never stay mad at her.
"Yes. They can be." Hermione bit out, "But please stop turning everything I say into a vulgar joke."
"Yeah, yeah." Ginny sighed, "Hey, have you heard from Ron?"
Oh, yes. Ron. Hermione had been so busy over school, orchestra and just balancing her schedule she never replied to his last letter, hence no new letter from him in a few weeks. Hermione loved Ron, she really did, she just didn't have time to keep up with this long-distance relationship since he was out being an Auror with Harry while she was at school and getting her education.
"No I haven't." Hermione sighed, "I really should write him, though. Why?"
"He's just seemed a bit sad in his last one. Says he misses you." Ginny said looking Hermione in the eyes.
"Oh-… Well, I've just been busy is all…" Hermione said pathetically, "I'll write him when we get to the library." She added hastily.
"Good. He can be such a baby sometimes." Ginny said with a laugh as they entered the Great Hall.
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*POV of Hermione*
Ginny and I sat in the courtyard with our instruments in our hands, tuning on a concert G.
"Ugh, I've been so sharp lately." I sighed as I pulled my barrel out slightly.
"You sound perfect." Ginny said before she went back to tuning and I soon followed. Now their sound was perfectly in tune and made me smile, internally, of course.
"What do you want to work on?" Ginny asked after a moment.
"How about that etude Professor Chord handed out yesterday? It's really difficult…" I said, eyeing the sixteenth notes and insane accidentals.
"Oh, yes! I hate it so much." Ginny said with a sour look to the page as if it were going to sprout pustules.
We didn't practice for five minutes together, with aid of my metronome, that I remembered my practice with Professor Chord. I bid a quick farewell to Ginny and nearly ran to the music hall. When I walked in, Professor Chord was bending over his bag reaching for something. He had such a nice butt and it left me searching for my ability to speak for a moment.
"P-Professor Chord. Sorry I'm late." I said, my cheeks already tinged pink.
"Hmm? Late?" He asked, and with a quick look at his watch he said, "You're a minute early!"
"Am I?" I asked, "I meant to be five minutes early."
He just chuckled and sat next to me in the closest chairs to us. I handed him my music folder and he took out a notebook that recorded my progress from his bag.
'10-12-95' He added.
"Okay, what we need to work on is sound quality. It's amazing, don't get me wrong, you just need to make it bigger and build up your embouchure." He then got out the dreaded four sheets of scales from my folder and asked my to play the three and a half octave chromatic scale, which I did.
"That was very good, Miss Greanger," He said, his breath smelled like mint, "Now I want you to start loud and play the highest note soft and then crescendo from there."
"Yes, sir." I said. And I did as he said.
"Now, I want you to start soft, crescendo to the top note and then decrescendo."
"Yes, sir." I said. And I did as he said.
"No, no, no. I want you to blow!" He said, "Play me G above the staff."
And I did.
"Louder." He demanded.
I strained keeping a steady sound playing this loudly, but he took his fingers and adjusted my mouth manually. It was an odd sensation that turned a different route when his fingers brushed my lip and I caught his eyes. He paused for a moment, looking into my eyes and my note faltered, I not being able to sustain the note when he took my breath away. I took my clarinet away from my mouth; it was gone for only second before his mouth covered my already swollen lips.
My clarinet fell to the floor with a clang.
AN: YES! Finally I have a genre I can write and keep writing as I live it every weekday and Sunday! Please tell me if you like Hermione with Professor Chord or Hermione getting with Ginny better! Or should Hermione be with both? Hm… Any other pairing suggestion?