Angel of Music
Author's Note: Nothing that you recognize from Harry Potter belongs to me; that all belongs to Ms. J.K. Rowling. Nothing that you recognize from Phantom of the Opera belongs to me; that all belongs to Gaston Leroux. Continuing. . .
It's been ten years since the gang graduated from Hogwart's. In a surprise move, Hermione decided to pursue a career in theatre, but she hasn't been terribly successful. She is currently a dancer in the biggest wizarding theatre in London. She has become very mysterious and secretive, not even telling things to her best friend Ginny Weasley. But all that is about to change. . .
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
Chapter One: A Change in Management
"People, please!"
The director's voice echoed through the lofty auditorium, but had no affect on the busily working actors and actresses, and little affect on the hard- working elves, who were building the set. Frustrated, the director pulled out his wand, ran a tired hand through his curly brown hair, and with a swish and flick, hollered, "Silencio!!" Immediately the entire room was silent and every person was staring at him.
"Thank you," he said softly. "Now, I want to run through scene five again before the new managers get here. We'll want to show them our best work, won't we?" There were nods. "Alright. Helena and Luka, everyone take your places. And. . .action!"
Tall and dark haired with pale skin, Helena Levernov was a graduate from Durmstrang with a nasty attitude. Her lover and co-star, Luka Petrov, would have been a wonderful and attractive person if not for his staunch pride in being pure of blood. His pointed nose was still stuck high in the air as he began his and Helena's duet. On the other side of the stage, the troupe of dancers attempted to complete their routine flawlessly, but as they were coming to the end, one of the dancers spun out of control and knocked into the dancers on either side of her. Those girls lost their balance and fell, creating a domino effect in the dancing chorus. Sitting up painfully, they all joined their director in glaring at the girl who had caused the trip up. She stared down at the floor in embarrassment, and accepted the lead dancer's hand in standing. Suddenly, the doors to the auditorium burst open and everyone jumped.
"They're here!" someone's voice called from the back of the auditorium, and two figures were seen walking to the front of the auditorium, laughing jovially. As they came into the light, their red hair became visible, and the lead dancer jumped off of the stage and ran to hug them. The director followed suit, not hugging the new managers, but shaking their hands heartily.
"Fred and George Weasley, I presume from Ginny's response to seeing you," the director laughed, patting the red-haired dancer on the back. "Welcome to the Merlin Theatre! I am Kieran Buck, the director. I'm so happy to meet you at last!"
"It's a pleasure, a real pleasure," George laughed, shaking Kieran's hand. Neither he nor Fred had changed in appearance much since their days at Hogwart's. They still took delight in getting people confused over their identities. The only way to tell them apart, as Ginny pointed out to the director later, was that Fred had a single, stubborn tuft of hair that always stuck up on the back of his head, no matter what he did to it. George did not.
Fred, meanwhile, was looking around the auditorium in awe. "So what happened to the old manager, eh?" he asked, running his hand along the front of the stage. "Did Ginny here give him too much grief?"
Ginny giggled as her older brother hugged her from the side, but shook her head. "No. They got fed up with the. . ." She froze as the choreographer gave her a harsh look.
"Fed up with what?" George asked.
The choreographer sighed. She was an ancient woman, her face criss-crossed with wrinkles and age. Her hair was slowly turning white from brown, but her gray eyes held wisdom beyond age. She looked George steadily in the eyes. "Fed up, Mr. Weasley, with the phantom," she explained simply. "Be wary of him, and do not deny his requests."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Fred asked. "Phantom?"
Kieran decided to laugh this off, rather nervously. "A mere. . .story. Conjured by the dancers, in particular, to explain 'strange' goings on backstage. The Phantom does not exist," he explained hastily.
"I certainly hope not," George answered, but saw in Ginny's face that the Phantom was, indeed, at least some more than a story.
"Would our new managers like to see a scene from our play?" Helena asked in her heavily accented voice. "Perhaps my solo?"
"I think that's a wonderful idea!" Kieran exclaimed, showing Fred and George where to sit. "Here, have a seat and listen to Helena. She is our best singer and has the lead in the musical, 'Lavender Water'. Enjoy!"
With a nod to the pianist, Helena began her solo, a beautiful number called "How I've Missed You." While her voice was pretty, perhaps even beautiful, George found himself nodding off and Fred found himself poking George in the side every minute or so to wake him. George was beginning to get annoyed with this, and finally slapped Fred's hand away crossly. As he was doing so, however, a loud bang and screams made him jump out of sleep. He looked up at the stage to see one of the ballast weights on the floor a few feet from a very pale Helena. The ballet chorus, Ginny included, were cowering in the corner and whispering to each other. At one point, their voices rose loud enough for George to hear, "It was the Phantom!"
"Now see here," he stated, standing crossly, having heard enough of this Phantom. "It was not some 'Phantom'. It was an accident. They happen all the time."
"George, you don't understand!" Ginny exclaimed, coming to the front of the stage. "This isn't all that's happened."
"Well, then, perhaps someone should explain what else has happened," Fred stated, just as angry as George.
"Things have been happening for the last two years," Kieran relented. "We've had six managers in those past two years. 'Accidents' they all said. But then something truly horrible would happen when they started to ignore the notes."
"Notes?" George asked.
Kieran nodded. "Notes demanding things, like a raise in pay or food in his box--things like that. He'd start warning the managers about a month before a big disaster, but they always ignored it, and horrible things would happen," he finished, shaking his head sadly.
"Like what?" Fred looked from Kieran to Ginny and back.
"We had a fire last month-a big one," Ginny finally explained. "No one was hurt, but it burnt down nearly the entire West Wing of the theatre. That's why the last manager left. Oh, please, don't ignore him!" She ended on a pleading note, when everyone's attention turned to the choreographer, banging her cane on the floor.
"He has left us a note," she announced, holding up a piece of paper as evidence. "Shall I read it, or do the new managers wish to ignore the Phantom?"
She looked hard at Fred and George, who looked at each other and shrugged. "Go ahead. Read it." Fred's voice came out more shakily than he intended.
" 'To the Weasley twins, the new managers of my theatre,'" she began. George snorted, and Ginny gave him a harsh look. " 'I welcome you with the greatest of courtesy. I would like to take this moment to remind you that Box Five is to be kept empty, as I prefer to sit there during performances. I would also like to remind you that my salary is ten thousand galleons a year, and I expect to be paid in late June. Finally, I would like to see more of the brilliant actress Hermione Granger. Your Obedient Friend, the Phantom.'"
George was furious as the letter finished, but Fred was staring at the stage. "Hermione Granger?" he murmured, and was about to ask about her in a louder voice, but George barreled in and took over, as he usually did.
"I will not be ordered about by a 'Phantom' who cannot do better than to throw things at the lead actress and leave vague notes about, making outrageous demands!" he declared crossly and looked at the still shaken Helena. "I'm sorry for your misfortune, Helena, but these things happen."
"Yes, these things happen, Mr. Weasley," Helena snapped crossly. "But if you do not stop these things happening, this thing does not happen!"
With that, Helena stormed from the auditorium, flipping her dark hair over her shoulder. Kieran looked sufficiently disheartened. "Well, that's perfect. Now who will be our lead?" he cried to no one in particular. All was silent a moment, before Ginny stepped forward.
"Hermione could do it!" she proclaimed. In the back of the group of dancers, someone seemed to be backing away, but the other dancers grabbed her by the arms and pushed her to the front of the group. Fred immediately recognized Hermione Granger. She'd changed some in the twelve years it had been since he'd seen her, but she was still the same Hermione. Her thick brown hair was pulled into a messy ponytail at the nape of her neck, and she still had a smug "I know the answer" look to her, however, her eyes held the look of one who is haunted. She looked terrified at the prospect of singing the lead.
"Hermione? She's the most clumsy one in this troupe!" one of the other dancers sneered indignantly. Hermione dropped her gaze unhappily.
"That will never work!" Kieran exclaimed. "Hermione. . .I've never even heard her sing!"
"Can you sing, Hermione?" Fred asked, kindly, smiling his old friendly smile at her. She met his gaze, biting her lower lip shyly, and some of the old Hermione seemed to be looking back at him.
"I. . .I have been taking lessons," she said, quietly.
George looked skeptical and was about to protest, when the choreographer spoke up again. "Let Hermione sing for you. I can assure you that she has been well-taught," she announced. Hermione smiled at the choreographer shyly and gratefully, and the choreographer winked at her as she went to center stage.
The pianist rolled out a chord, and Hermione began singing in a small, timid voice that could barely be heard in the front row. George gave an exasperated sigh and looked away, but Fred kept looking at Hermione. "Come on, Hermione," he murmured.
Hermione didn't seem to have heard his encouragement, but she was clearly thinking of something that gave her some strength. She closed her eyes and her voice rose in volume and became far more beautiful than either Fred or George had expected. Ginny was grinning broadly, as were the choreographer and several of the other dancers. As Hermione finished the song, Kieran heaved an enormous sigh of relief, and George stepped up on stage.
"Hermione, I would like to congratulate you on getting the lead role," he stated happily, and a more genuine grin spread across Hermione's face than had been seen in the last ten years.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
A/N: Here is a disclaimer for you if you plan on reading further: I do NOT want to write this fanfic! It's painful, knowing how everything is going to work out. It's predictable. It's obvious. It's stupid. But it was begging to be written.
You see, Chapter 12 of "Falling Through Glass" is at home. And I am at school, not to return until May 11. So for now, this will have to be your dosage of Princess' fanfiction. It's mine, at least. I'm sorry that it's going to be so terrible. Please don't stone me!!
So, anyway, leave me a review or so, and flames are welcome, because I probably agree with you. I don't like the way this plot is going to twist, nor the Mary Sue that Hermione must become, but this fic begged to be written, at least until I can get back to "Falling Through Glass", which I actually like.
Keep reading! Princess
Author's Note: Nothing that you recognize from Harry Potter belongs to me; that all belongs to Ms. J.K. Rowling. Nothing that you recognize from Phantom of the Opera belongs to me; that all belongs to Gaston Leroux. Continuing. . .
It's been ten years since the gang graduated from Hogwart's. In a surprise move, Hermione decided to pursue a career in theatre, but she hasn't been terribly successful. She is currently a dancer in the biggest wizarding theatre in London. She has become very mysterious and secretive, not even telling things to her best friend Ginny Weasley. But all that is about to change. . .
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
Chapter One: A Change in Management
"People, please!"
The director's voice echoed through the lofty auditorium, but had no affect on the busily working actors and actresses, and little affect on the hard- working elves, who were building the set. Frustrated, the director pulled out his wand, ran a tired hand through his curly brown hair, and with a swish and flick, hollered, "Silencio!!" Immediately the entire room was silent and every person was staring at him.
"Thank you," he said softly. "Now, I want to run through scene five again before the new managers get here. We'll want to show them our best work, won't we?" There were nods. "Alright. Helena and Luka, everyone take your places. And. . .action!"
Tall and dark haired with pale skin, Helena Levernov was a graduate from Durmstrang with a nasty attitude. Her lover and co-star, Luka Petrov, would have been a wonderful and attractive person if not for his staunch pride in being pure of blood. His pointed nose was still stuck high in the air as he began his and Helena's duet. On the other side of the stage, the troupe of dancers attempted to complete their routine flawlessly, but as they were coming to the end, one of the dancers spun out of control and knocked into the dancers on either side of her. Those girls lost their balance and fell, creating a domino effect in the dancing chorus. Sitting up painfully, they all joined their director in glaring at the girl who had caused the trip up. She stared down at the floor in embarrassment, and accepted the lead dancer's hand in standing. Suddenly, the doors to the auditorium burst open and everyone jumped.
"They're here!" someone's voice called from the back of the auditorium, and two figures were seen walking to the front of the auditorium, laughing jovially. As they came into the light, their red hair became visible, and the lead dancer jumped off of the stage and ran to hug them. The director followed suit, not hugging the new managers, but shaking their hands heartily.
"Fred and George Weasley, I presume from Ginny's response to seeing you," the director laughed, patting the red-haired dancer on the back. "Welcome to the Merlin Theatre! I am Kieran Buck, the director. I'm so happy to meet you at last!"
"It's a pleasure, a real pleasure," George laughed, shaking Kieran's hand. Neither he nor Fred had changed in appearance much since their days at Hogwart's. They still took delight in getting people confused over their identities. The only way to tell them apart, as Ginny pointed out to the director later, was that Fred had a single, stubborn tuft of hair that always stuck up on the back of his head, no matter what he did to it. George did not.
Fred, meanwhile, was looking around the auditorium in awe. "So what happened to the old manager, eh?" he asked, running his hand along the front of the stage. "Did Ginny here give him too much grief?"
Ginny giggled as her older brother hugged her from the side, but shook her head. "No. They got fed up with the. . ." She froze as the choreographer gave her a harsh look.
"Fed up with what?" George asked.
The choreographer sighed. She was an ancient woman, her face criss-crossed with wrinkles and age. Her hair was slowly turning white from brown, but her gray eyes held wisdom beyond age. She looked George steadily in the eyes. "Fed up, Mr. Weasley, with the phantom," she explained simply. "Be wary of him, and do not deny his requests."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Fred asked. "Phantom?"
Kieran decided to laugh this off, rather nervously. "A mere. . .story. Conjured by the dancers, in particular, to explain 'strange' goings on backstage. The Phantom does not exist," he explained hastily.
"I certainly hope not," George answered, but saw in Ginny's face that the Phantom was, indeed, at least some more than a story.
"Would our new managers like to see a scene from our play?" Helena asked in her heavily accented voice. "Perhaps my solo?"
"I think that's a wonderful idea!" Kieran exclaimed, showing Fred and George where to sit. "Here, have a seat and listen to Helena. She is our best singer and has the lead in the musical, 'Lavender Water'. Enjoy!"
With a nod to the pianist, Helena began her solo, a beautiful number called "How I've Missed You." While her voice was pretty, perhaps even beautiful, George found himself nodding off and Fred found himself poking George in the side every minute or so to wake him. George was beginning to get annoyed with this, and finally slapped Fred's hand away crossly. As he was doing so, however, a loud bang and screams made him jump out of sleep. He looked up at the stage to see one of the ballast weights on the floor a few feet from a very pale Helena. The ballet chorus, Ginny included, were cowering in the corner and whispering to each other. At one point, their voices rose loud enough for George to hear, "It was the Phantom!"
"Now see here," he stated, standing crossly, having heard enough of this Phantom. "It was not some 'Phantom'. It was an accident. They happen all the time."
"George, you don't understand!" Ginny exclaimed, coming to the front of the stage. "This isn't all that's happened."
"Well, then, perhaps someone should explain what else has happened," Fred stated, just as angry as George.
"Things have been happening for the last two years," Kieran relented. "We've had six managers in those past two years. 'Accidents' they all said. But then something truly horrible would happen when they started to ignore the notes."
"Notes?" George asked.
Kieran nodded. "Notes demanding things, like a raise in pay or food in his box--things like that. He'd start warning the managers about a month before a big disaster, but they always ignored it, and horrible things would happen," he finished, shaking his head sadly.
"Like what?" Fred looked from Kieran to Ginny and back.
"We had a fire last month-a big one," Ginny finally explained. "No one was hurt, but it burnt down nearly the entire West Wing of the theatre. That's why the last manager left. Oh, please, don't ignore him!" She ended on a pleading note, when everyone's attention turned to the choreographer, banging her cane on the floor.
"He has left us a note," she announced, holding up a piece of paper as evidence. "Shall I read it, or do the new managers wish to ignore the Phantom?"
She looked hard at Fred and George, who looked at each other and shrugged. "Go ahead. Read it." Fred's voice came out more shakily than he intended.
" 'To the Weasley twins, the new managers of my theatre,'" she began. George snorted, and Ginny gave him a harsh look. " 'I welcome you with the greatest of courtesy. I would like to take this moment to remind you that Box Five is to be kept empty, as I prefer to sit there during performances. I would also like to remind you that my salary is ten thousand galleons a year, and I expect to be paid in late June. Finally, I would like to see more of the brilliant actress Hermione Granger. Your Obedient Friend, the Phantom.'"
George was furious as the letter finished, but Fred was staring at the stage. "Hermione Granger?" he murmured, and was about to ask about her in a louder voice, but George barreled in and took over, as he usually did.
"I will not be ordered about by a 'Phantom' who cannot do better than to throw things at the lead actress and leave vague notes about, making outrageous demands!" he declared crossly and looked at the still shaken Helena. "I'm sorry for your misfortune, Helena, but these things happen."
"Yes, these things happen, Mr. Weasley," Helena snapped crossly. "But if you do not stop these things happening, this thing does not happen!"
With that, Helena stormed from the auditorium, flipping her dark hair over her shoulder. Kieran looked sufficiently disheartened. "Well, that's perfect. Now who will be our lead?" he cried to no one in particular. All was silent a moment, before Ginny stepped forward.
"Hermione could do it!" she proclaimed. In the back of the group of dancers, someone seemed to be backing away, but the other dancers grabbed her by the arms and pushed her to the front of the group. Fred immediately recognized Hermione Granger. She'd changed some in the twelve years it had been since he'd seen her, but she was still the same Hermione. Her thick brown hair was pulled into a messy ponytail at the nape of her neck, and she still had a smug "I know the answer" look to her, however, her eyes held the look of one who is haunted. She looked terrified at the prospect of singing the lead.
"Hermione? She's the most clumsy one in this troupe!" one of the other dancers sneered indignantly. Hermione dropped her gaze unhappily.
"That will never work!" Kieran exclaimed. "Hermione. . .I've never even heard her sing!"
"Can you sing, Hermione?" Fred asked, kindly, smiling his old friendly smile at her. She met his gaze, biting her lower lip shyly, and some of the old Hermione seemed to be looking back at him.
"I. . .I have been taking lessons," she said, quietly.
George looked skeptical and was about to protest, when the choreographer spoke up again. "Let Hermione sing for you. I can assure you that she has been well-taught," she announced. Hermione smiled at the choreographer shyly and gratefully, and the choreographer winked at her as she went to center stage.
The pianist rolled out a chord, and Hermione began singing in a small, timid voice that could barely be heard in the front row. George gave an exasperated sigh and looked away, but Fred kept looking at Hermione. "Come on, Hermione," he murmured.
Hermione didn't seem to have heard his encouragement, but she was clearly thinking of something that gave her some strength. She closed her eyes and her voice rose in volume and became far more beautiful than either Fred or George had expected. Ginny was grinning broadly, as were the choreographer and several of the other dancers. As Hermione finished the song, Kieran heaved an enormous sigh of relief, and George stepped up on stage.
"Hermione, I would like to congratulate you on getting the lead role," he stated happily, and a more genuine grin spread across Hermione's face than had been seen in the last ten years.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
A/N: Here is a disclaimer for you if you plan on reading further: I do NOT want to write this fanfic! It's painful, knowing how everything is going to work out. It's predictable. It's obvious. It's stupid. But it was begging to be written.
You see, Chapter 12 of "Falling Through Glass" is at home. And I am at school, not to return until May 11. So for now, this will have to be your dosage of Princess' fanfiction. It's mine, at least. I'm sorry that it's going to be so terrible. Please don't stone me!!
So, anyway, leave me a review or so, and flames are welcome, because I probably agree with you. I don't like the way this plot is going to twist, nor the Mary Sue that Hermione must become, but this fic begged to be written, at least until I can get back to "Falling Through Glass", which I actually like.
Keep reading! Princess