Hello, my fellow...human...beings. Welcome to another one of my mind's purges of imagination! This time, it's a Harry Potter fanfic!

This story is purely experimental right now. The idea only came to my head as something to try out (and it is a result of my new obsession with Severus Snape). If I continue, this WILL be SnapeOC. But that all depends on the response I receive from you all, the readers. .

Disclaimers. I've actually come to a strange realization: why do people put them in their stories? I think it is quite clear that these are FANfiction stories on a site meant for FANfiction. Even the URL is FANfiction dot net. My point is, I wiill not be posting any disclaimers because, unless you have less than half a brain, I think you will realize that this is purely fan-made and is in no way connected to J.K. Rowling.

Music to My Ears

Chapter 1: Passing By

Late couldn't even begin to describe Cadance this morning. Despite being in her small apartment, she felt like she had run a marathon, rushing to get ready for her gig, which was supposed to start in the next ten minutes. Her mind sped fifty miles a minute, trying to make her do ten things at once. She had forgotten to let her spotted owl, Gwendolyn, out for her morning hunt, for example. As she was dressing, Gwendolyn nipped not too gently at her ear.

"Ok, ok, hold on Gwen."

Cadance roughly pulled her blouse over her head and buttoned herself before opening the window. Gwendolyn chirped happily before she spread her chocolate brown wings and soared out the window.

Cadance didn't stop to watch the owl fly out past the horizon. She still had to pack her equipment up in her suitcase. Clothes were strewn all over her floor, making it barely visible. She'd have to clean that up later. For now she had to concentrate on finding her equipment.

Actually, it would be nice if she could find her suitcase to put it all in, first.

With a frustrated cry, Cadance snatched her wand from her dresser. It was ten inches long, made of a light mahogany wood, with a phoenix feather core. Cadance loved it to death as if it was a human baby. She never let it out of her sight. Even in the shower, she'd wrap it in a plastic bag and set it near the sink so it would be close to her. At night, she kept it in a luxurious red oak wood case lined with smooth microfiber cloth so that it wouldn't be scratched inside its bed. When she was eleven, her parents tried to give her her brother's old wand. It was a handsome, 11 ¾-inch wand made with rich holly. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it, as her brother was just as careful with his wand as she was. However, his wand was powered by a pearly-white unicorn hair. When she had learned that, Cadance absolutely refused to touch it ever again. She firmly believed that unicorns were a heavenly race, set on this earth to serve as an example of what humanity should be like. Her family tried to convince her that the unicorn whose hair resided in her brother's wand had sacrificed its life years ago to save her ancestors. As a token of their appreciation, her family had given the unicorn a proper burial, away from 

any prying eyes, and fabricated a wand using a hair from its tail. It has since then been passed down through each generation of wizards when they start at Hogwarts.

That had made Cadance even angrier. She had refused to speak to her parents until she had been allowed her own, unicorn-free wand.

"Accio, suitcase!"

A pile of books five feet away began to vibrate. Before Cadance registered what the vibrations meant, her suitcase flew and hit her flat in the face, knocking her on her bottom. She held her nose, hoping it wasn't broken, and sat on the floor for a few seconds before she got back on her feet, cursing under her breath.

That was one reason why she never used magic. Cadance believed that magic took away from the natural gifts of the world. Sure, some magic was necessary, helping people get through each day a little easier. More often than not, however, she had seen otherwise good people turn greedy or get hurt (such as was the case a moment ago) because of magic. Unless totally necessary, her wand stayed in her case, occasionally coming out for weekly maintenance, or, like today, when she was hopelessly late for an appointment.

Cadance cursed even louder when she glanced at the clock. Forgetting the headache that was building behind her eye, she resumed the chaos that was getting ready for her job, which was about to start in three minutes.

She had no choice. She would be late for her job if she didn't hurry up, and if that happened, she would be fired for sure. She couldn't afford to lose her job now. It had taken her almost three months to find a decent job that would pay her enough to support her passion.

She found her wand on the other side of her apartment. Snatching it up, Cadance waved it in one fluid motion. At once, equipment from every corner of her apartment rose and glided over to her suitcase, where they compressed and compiled themselves neatly inside. Everything inside, the suitcase closed itself with a click.

Cadance was about to walk out the door when she remembered something. She was missing the one part of her that she couldn't go without. She went back inside and picked up a small black case sitting on her couch. The case—or rather, what was inside—was just as dear to her as her wand. There was never a night when she didn't clean Clare inside and out. At night, she laid it beside her bed where she could see it and sang to it. Unlike her wand, however, she used Clare everyday for work and pleasure.

"I wouldn't forget you, Clare," Cadance cooed.

With a smile, Cadance walked outside. Making sure no Muggles were watching, she concentrated for a few seconds, picturing her destination in her mind, and then turned on the spot. With a pop, she Disapparated.

Cadance was never skilled at Apparition. Sometimes, she would Apparate, but would accidentally leave her stuff behind. When she would reappear, most times it was less than graceful, as she would land head or bottom first. Also, sometimes she would be distracted, and the magic would backfire on her. Many times she had almost burned down her apartment when her wand set off powerful sparks as she attempted to Apparate. When that happened, she had to make up some crafty excuses to her Muggle landlord to allow her to stay in her apartment. Cadance has since learned that the noise of the busy streets were best for her apparitions, as the noise covered up the pop, and the fresh air seemed to calm her enough to allow her to devote her full attention to Apparition.

Cadance was thankful that at least she could Disapparate and Apparate well enough to keep her body intact and in one piece.

Within one second, Cadance was able to discern that she had Apparated in the right spot, her body intact and her things still safely in her hands. However, that second hadn't been long enough. She had landed on her feet, but the uneven weight distribution due to her equipment caused her to lose her balance and fall face first onto the pavement.

Could her day get any worse, she thought?

Cadance brought herself up to her feet, careful not to look anyone in the eyes for fear that she might know someone who had seen her fall. Her eyes still downcast, Cadance quickly gathered up her things and walked inside the Leaky Cauldron.

The Leaky Cauldron, Cadance was relieved to find, was loud and full with the chatter of people early in the morning. The air was damp and, despite it being still early in the morning, smelled of alcohol. People were chatting happily with one another, unaware that anyone had entered the bar. Cadance watched a small boy chat with Tom the barkeeper and gave a soft smile. The old man still stuck to his job every day. He enjoyed it, he said, but Cadance noticed the dark bags that had been forming under his eyes as of late. She admired his bravery. Not many people would have been able to remain so calm in such an oft commuted place with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named at large and has powerful as ever.

However, he was still her boss and client, and if he caught her just walking in…

"Lily!"

Cadance cringed.

"Good morning, Tom," Cadance greeted him hesitantly. "Sorry about being so late. The traffic outside was horrible, and Muggles were everywhere, so I couldn't App—"

"Codswallop!" Tom reprimanded. By now, he had come from behind the counter and stood face-to-face with her at the door. "You give me that excuse almost every day."

Cadance didn't know what to say. At a loss for words, she hung her head in silent apology.

Tom smiled. "Well, all that matters is that you're here, safe and sound. It just wouldn' do if I were to lose my most popular musician, now would it?"

Tom clapped his bony hand on her small shoulder, and she looked up into his smiling face. "Yes, I'm sorry. I promise it won't happen again."

Tom cocked a suspicious eyebrow at her. "That's another one I hear over an' over again." Holding back a smile, he walked back over to the bar, where customers were whining for another drink. Before he disappeared behind the counter, Tom looked back and shouted, "Just hurry up and play something before I run out of rum and we have a riot."

Cadance didn't need to be told twice. She picked up her stuff and began to set up in her usual corner by the door that led to the entrance to Diagon Alley.

Cadance never gave her real name out. She always introduced herself using her cousin's name. Lily Potter had been everything that Cadance wanted to be: beautiful, intelligent, popular, and the epitome of kindness and patience. Cadance was the exact opposite: her hair seemed to always look as if an electric current had run through it; her grades in school had been less than desirable; and she had a stubborn streak that more often than not was followed by her short temper.

The only thing Cadance did keep that was her own was her family name: Balely.

"Music, check. Stand, check. Accompaniment, check." Cadance checked that all her equipment was set up before she put Clare together.

"Ready to sing again today, Clare?" Cadance spoke sweetly as she opened her smallest case. Five black and silver pieces gleamed back at her. From a small nook in the case, she took out a thin plastic case and some white gloves with the fingertips cut off. From the case, Cadance took out the small, wooden reed and placed the thin half of it in her mouth to get moist as she put her gloves on. Then, with the gentleness of a new mother holding her newborn infant, she carefully assembled her clarinet from the bottom, up. A few moments later, the 

clarinet was almost completely put together. Cadance took the moist reed from her mouth and carefully placed it on her mouthpiece before placing the ligature over it to hold it in place.

Now she was ready. Cadance looked over at Tom and nodded. He clapped his hands together to get the attention of the crowd.

"Now, everyone, for your entertainment pleasure, please give a round of applause for…Moonlight Lily!"

People had started calling Cadance "Moonlight Lily" because of her eyes and skin. Her eyes were a light blue-grey color. Cadance took great pride in her eyes, as she was the only one in her family with light eyes. Even Lily had a rather dark shade of green in her eyes. In pictures, people had always complimented how photogenic her face was because of her eyes. Whenever anyone asked for a picture of her, she always requested that it be a headshot only.

Her skin, in great contrast to her dark blonde hair, was a pale, creamy color. When she performed at night, people complained that the reflection of the lights off her skin was blinding. The only lighting she had received after that was the moonlight that entered from the window. Most of the time she would perform at night, so customers had naturally come to compare and refer her to the moonlight in which she performed.

Cadance smiled and waited until the clapping had died down. "Thank you, Tom! I know it's a little strange to be calling me "Moonlight" when it's nine in the morning. I hope you'll forgive me." Cadance pressed play on sound system, and familiar jazz tune began to play. "For all of you out there who have never heard me before, I always start my shows with this song. It's called, 'Fly Me to the Moon'."

Cadance picked up her clarinet and began to play. Immediately, everything seemed to disappear, and all that mattered was the sound she was producing. She lost herself in her playing as her fingers danced upon the silver keys. Her body danced in rhythm to the music, and Cadance felt like she was on Cloud Nine. So immersed was she in her music, that halfway through her improv solo, she failed to notice two eccentric-looking men enter the bar. They had paused for a moment to listen to her playing before they disappeared behind the door to go to Diagon Alley. The only thing that alerted Cadance to any sort of change in the atmosphere was the crescendoing chatter of the crowd and the scrape of chairs on the floor as people got up to move closer to the back door.

Cadance finished playing, quite pleased with her performance. She was about to announce her next song when she noticed everyone crowding the entrance to Diagon Alley.

"What's going on?" she asked as she hopped down from her stage perch.

"Lily, Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape just went into Diagon Alley!" Tom cried. Cadance tried to look over the heads of the crowd, but couldn't see anything. The brick pathway had shut itself. The people began muttering amongst each other, disappointed that the gentlemen had left so quickly, but bubbling with excitement.

"What do you think they are doing here?" Cadance heard someone ask.

"Who knows? Maybe they know the whereabouts of a dark wizard!" Another answered.

"A Death Eater!"

"Sirius Black!"

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!"

At the mention of the last name, the rising volume had quickly died down, leaving an uneasy tension in the room. Cadance swallowed a particularly large lump in her throat. The thought of the Dark Lord being anywhere, whether rumor or fact, was enough to quiet even the most arrogant of people and quiet an entire bar. Since the Ministry of Magic had revealed that the Dark Lord had returned to full power only a month ago, everyone was on edge, afraid to go anywhere, even within their own home.

Finally admitted it, actually, Cadance corrected herself. For the entire year last year, the Ministry had refused to believe the "cock-and-bull" stories that Albus Dumbledore and fourteen-year-old Harry Potter had told them. They had been publicly humiliated and berated by the wizarding world, most people in denial and taking the side of the Ministry because of their fright.

Cadance had not been convinced at first. She, like many others, didn't want to see the events of 15 years past repeat again. She just wanted to live a normal, peaceful life doing what she loved to do: play music. She found herself agreeing with the Daily Prophet's claim that Harry Potter had finally gone mad, and that Dumbledore was finally going senile because he trusted the outrageous story of a fourteen-year old boy, who claimed he witnessed the Dark Lord's revival and that Cedric Diggory had died at his evil hands.

That feeling changed rather quickly, however, when Cadance noticed several of her neighbors disappearing at odd hours in the night. Cadance at first thought that someone had organized some rave in town, and that she had failed to receive an invitation. When she had question some of them the next day, however, each of them grab the same spot on their arm, complaining of pain at the hands of some sort of injury. One hadn't even bothered to cover up the skull-and-snake tattoo. Their story was that they might have contracted some sort of infection from getting the tattoo.

Cadance wasn't fooled, though she didn't let it show. She knew that mark anywhere. It was the Dark Mark, the sign of the Dark Lord.

As soon as she had come to that conclusion, she quickly and quietly moved as far away as she could from that neighborhood.

"Lily, maybe you could play something to calm everyone down?" Tom said, bringing Cadance out of her reverie.

"Huh?" It took a moment for Tom's words to register with her. "Oh, sure. Right."

Cadance hopped back on her stage, her clarinet still in hand.

Cadance had stayed at the Leaky Cauldron for longer than she had anticipated. The mood in the bar since the appearance of Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape (whomever that was) had remained tense, she could sense that. Nothing she played could lighten the mood. She even debated whether or not to play slow and emotional to at least try and elicit some type of reaction from them, but thought against it. It would have probably made the situation worse.

Her lips absolutely sore and dead, Cadance sauntered over to the bar. "I'm sorry, Tom. I've tried everything, but nothing seems to work."

Tom looked up from the glass he had been cleaning for the past half an hour, and stared at her. He gave her a smile and a nod before thanking her and telling her that everything will be back to normal the next day. Cadance returned his smile, but it quickly disappeared when his gaze returned downward and he resumed the aimless cleaning of the glass. She knew nothing would ever be normal again. Not until the Dark Lord was out of their lives. Who knew when that would happen, or even if it would happen? Would the damage be so great by that time as to be irreversible and beyond repair?

"Tom," Cadance started to say, but then paused for a moment. How should she ask this question?

"Tom, what do you think would give an adult wizard with no children a reason to travel through Muggle London to Diagon Alley?"

The only way that Cadance knew that he had heard her question was the whitening of his knuckles on the glass.

It was a while before Tom had given a reply. "I dunno what could've 'appened to bring two splendid wizards down here like that. Severus Snape is one thing, but Dumbledore as well? Somethin' must be wrong."

"Who is Severus Snape?" Cadance asked.

"He used to be a Death Eater. They say he joined Dumbledore's side after he witnessed something while with the Dark Lord. Some say he can't be trusted 'cause he's a spy for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Others say it's the other way around. I don' know what to believe, myself. He's a strange man, that one." Tom paused for a moment, seeming to contemplate something. "But there's no denyin' that he's got a gift for potions. Teaches at Hogwarts as the potions master."

Already, Cadance didn't trust Severus Snape. Something inside her head told her to stay away from him at all costs, whether Albus Dumbledore trusted him or not. Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater, she thought. It was like a marriage with the dark side. Once you say "I do," you will never be considered single—or in this case, good—again.

Well, there you have it. The first chapter. I decided to stop there (though there were were plenty of places beforehand) because, if you don't like it, then why should I continue?

Please press that little purple button at the bottom of the page. You know you want to.

Serena a.k.a Akane-chan