I own absolutely nothing other than a creative mind. The characters will be returned to their rightful owner. The two songs that could be listened to are both versions by The Piano Guys; Moonlight, and O Fortuna (Carmina Burana).
She sat at the piano, wondering if she even remembered how to play the damn thing. Her long fingers reverently ghosted over the key cover and traced the contours of the instrument. Lifting her hand to her chest and grabbed the hip-length plait that rested over it, the woman tossed it so that it fell down her back. Tonight she was grieving, her best friend and confidant had been killed. Minerva McGonagall wore none of the glamours that she put up to teach. Her raven black hair had no gray, her skin no wrinkles.
Minerva lifted the cover on the grand piano and pressed middle C. She was pleased that it was perfectly tuned, even though her mind told her that someone else in the old castle played as well. Sitting on the bench and making sure it was placed well so she could reach petals and keys without reaching or being cramped, she closed her eyes. The middle aged witch pulled a piece of music from her memory and began to play it. She could have conjured it, but there was point for her brilliant mind that came with a photographic memory.
Her fingers ghosted over the keys at first, almost unfamiliar with the movement after so long. She felt rusty, like an alien to it almost. Over the next minutes she became more confident and began dynamics as they should have been properly applied in the first place. Professor McGonagall did not exist here; there was Minerva, the woman who now had to finish what her now dead best friend had started. Tears flowed over high cheekbones and the music transformed, to become dark for a time of grieving.
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)
Hermione Granger wanted nothing more than to scream and cry for Dumbledore. He had been a great wizard, and had cared for her best friend, always looking out for him. She slid out of her bed and opened her trunk at the end of the bed, before reaching in and pulling out a case. She grabbed Harry's cloak and tossed it over herself and the case before making her way out of the portrait hole and down the corridors in the transfiguration wing of the school.
When she turned into a hallway she heard the piano, which meant that someone else was playing. As far as she knew she had been the only one who knew about the music room. Hermione approached with caution and opened the silent door to peek in. What she saw nearly brought her to tears. A beautiful woman with the longest plait running down her back was running her fingers over the ivory keys, playing the most heart wrenching music she had ever heard. The song was beautiful and complicated; dark and emotional, the music was perfect for grieving.
Slowly Hermione entered the room and figuring that the woman was too immersed in her music to know that Hermione was there to add to the piece of music she was playing; proceeded to move over a chair and gently place the case with her instrument in it on the floor. She undid the locks and lifted the top to reveal a red velvet lined case with a cello housed in it safely.
She pulled it out and checked her bow to make sure everything was okay to use. Hermione waited for the perfect time to join in. When she felt it she slowly drew the bow over the strings and began a soft melody that added so much to the dark music. Hermione too, closed her eyes and just played with the woman at the piano.
Both women were so lost in the music that they fluidly moved together with the notes. One would change something and without realizing it the other would compensate. The result was a sound worthy of a phoenix song. Not unlike what Fawkes was crying out to the winds of the castle grounds. The sounds created were magical and full of the emotions that all in the castle felt, but would not openly express.
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)
Music permeated the walls of the ancient building, washing over the grounds. Magic pulsed between the two witches as they played two well known songs alternating over and over again. The anguish felt by all that could hear the music. A fiery glow encased the women as the music continued and when it became as bright as the sun they opened their eyes and both gave pause. Hermione had stopped because Minerva had stopped playing, and Minerva had stopped because Hermione had at some point joined her in playing the music. Minerva turned her head towards the breathing that she could hear now and saw Hermione looking back at her with tears in her eyes.
Love flowed between them, each understanding the significance of what the magic had done, Fawkes had given his blessing. Brown eyes met vibrant green and both nodded, returning concentration to their respective instruments.
Both began to play notes and the music permeated the castle all over again. This time people began to wake, hearing the anguish and the hope that was poured into the notes. A song that entered every soul within hearing range and refused to leave as one by one people moved to the windows or out into the corridors to watch the sky as Fawkes sang for the loss, as Minerva and Hermione played for the loss, but infused the dark music with a glimmer of hope. Everything would play out as it was supposed to. The war had been raging behind closed doors, a war that had now been brought out in the open.
Tears fell from unsuspecting eyes as the music washed over the grounds. People watched as the moonlight lit up the grounds, clouds giving way to a cleared and star filled sky. After a while, teachers pulled themselves out of the music and began people who had been injured in the battle and others began moving to the Great Hall. No one felt the need to be alone again and people settled into the sleeping bags and bean bags that had been conjured. Groups huddled together and grieved for lost ones and silently, everyone acknowledged that no more sleeping would be done tonight. The players would play music till morning, respecting the vigil of the great man that had brought them all together as one unit against a powerful enemy.