Chapter 1
Surprise Announcement

This was rapidly turning into a very bad day. I usually love the first day back at Hogwarts as it means more classes, reading, and time with my two boys. This year however was going to be different. Dumbledore had made the usual speech at the Welcoming Feast, instead of sitting down at the end he added an announcement. Apparently, he had decided that the students needed to branch out. I'm not sure if this was brought on by the defeat of Voldemort or if he had just finally lost it but he had decided that Hogwarts was going to be putting on the famous muggle play 'Phantom of the Opera'. Fucking lovely.

If you still don't see why I'm so uncomfortable let me explain. 'Phantom of the Opera' is a musical. Everyone in it has to sing and dance. Another reason is that there are more than enough parts that everyone will have to participate. Even though I may not end up with the lead, (God forbid) I will still end up as an extra. Another face in the singing, dancing crowd. Whoever came up with opera was seriously twisted.

The old coot didn't give any one a chance to beg off either. Instead of holding try outs like a normal person he was allowing the sorting hat to choose the parts based on each individuals personality and level of talent. No one was exempt. Even the teachers who had not gone to Hogwarts were going to have to put on the bloody all seeing hat for this event.

As Harry, Ron, Ginny, and I crowded into the common room and dropped onto our regular seats I sighed and began to rub at the cluster headache that was forming in my temples.

Harry noticed this and placed a soothing hand on my back as he leaned towards me. This was a routine for when I was particularly stressed. Only Harry knew of my chronic headaches as he was like a brother to me. Thankfully Ron and Ginny were absorbed in a game of Exploding Snap and hadn't noticed the exchange between Harry and I. I didn't want anyone to know about my weakness besides Harry. He only knew because he had found me one night in a corridor crippled by a migraine and had taken care of me.

"Mi." Another thing that only Harry was allowed to know about. Mi had been my parents nickname for me before the war had taken them from me. If I had ever heard anyone else call me that it would have probably ruined me. Harry had become like family when I had lost them. The fact that neither of us had anyone left had pulled us closer together. We had bonded like siblings afterwards and I had confided everything in him. He had done the same sharing his hopes and fears. Now we were practically inseparable.

A tiny moan escaped me as the simple cluster headache began to develop into the beginnings of a very miserable migraine. "I'll be fine, Harry." I whispered. "Just help me to the Head's Common room please." He nodded and stood.

I was grateful for him distracting Ron and Ginny by telling them that we needed to head back to our common room before curfew was up. Since he was distracting the two youngest Weasleys with promises to tell them all about the common room no one payed any attention to the wince that accompanied me standing or the fact that I fairly staggered out of the common room. Harry was behind me in thirty seconds flat.

I allowed a sigh to escape me as he wrapped an arm around my waist to support most of my weight. After only making it down two corridors in a half hour he finally gave in and simply lifted me into his arms. I sighed deeply and snuggled further into the toned chest under my cheek. A tiny smile lit my face as the rocking of his steps lulled me to the place between sleep and awake.

Mere minutes had passed before the rocking stopped and we were at my portrait hole. I felt Harry's breath as he leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Mi, hunny. What's the password?" I moaned lowly and mumbled into his sweater clad chest. "Mi. Hunny. I need the password. Come on. Wake up and tell me the password so I can get you to bed o.k.?"

I lifted my head and looked at him through bleary eyes a little irritated that he had not yet learned it, before shifting my gaze to the portrait before us. It showed the night sky. The stars of the constellations were brighter than all of the others. I smiled at the beauty of it. "Give me one firm spot on which to stand and I will move the world." I whimpered as I shifted against Harry's warm chest again. He smiled and held me tighter as we entered the rooms that we now shared.

Without pausing to take in our surroundings he headed up the stairs to the room he guessed belonged to me. I'm not sure if he was right but he layed me down on the bed either way and knelt down to rid me of my shoes. I had broken out into a light sweat but lifted myself into a sitting position to help him. He simply batted my hands away as he pulled down my knee high socks.

I watched through half hooded eyes as he put everything away just as I liked it. He had come to respect my O.C.D. since we had spent the summer together at Grimmauld Place after I had lost my family. He finally understood that it actually did mean a lot to me if things were not in their place. I smiled as he pulled off my robes and folded them in half lengthwise before laying them over the back of an armchair. He stripped me methodically until I was in only my knickers. When everything was put away he stood and made his way to the armoire to find my 'first night back' nightgown.

After slipping it over my head he preformed a quick healing spell and two aspirin from my side table. He grinned as he watched me swallow them dry. He knew that I still had a preference for muggle medicine. He stood and headed down to the little kitchenette to fix me a glass of water.

When Harry returned he found me sitting up, listening to music, and practicing my calligraphy. He smiled that smile that he kept just for me and sat down on the side of the bed, passing the water to me.

After a moment of silence he sighed heavily and nudged me with his shoulder. "So..." He nudged me again and I nudged back. " Wanna talk about why you ended up with one of your famous cluster headaches?" He stared deep into me and I felt myself giving in.

"It's this whole play business. I'm nervous, Harry. I really don't wanna do this." He stayed silent waiting for me to continue. That was another thing that I loved about Harry. He never pushed me, always letting me get to things in my own time. "See, it was my dad. You remember me telling you that he had been a drama major before deciding to practice medicine?" At his silent nod I continued. "Well, his favorite play was 'The Phantom of the Opera'. He took me to see it when I was four the first time. I fell in love with the story. He bought me the soundtrack when he found out how much I loved the music." I trailed off and thought back to those times, before I found out I was a witch. I was happy, never worrying about anything. Life was simple.

"We always listened to the soundtrack together and those songs quickly became my lullabies. After we found out I was a witch he and I would listen to it and act out the parts during the summers. It was our thing. Just me and daddy." I trailed off and didn't notice the tears streaking my face until Harry wiped them away with his thumbs. I smiled up at him knowing that he would understand. He just got me.

"I don't want to do this, Harry. I don't want to be a part of this." Another whimper tore from me.

"You sing so beautifully though. I've heard you, Mi. I don't understand why you would want to hide your voice from everyone when it's so wonderful. I know it may be painful to remember but that's no reason to hide your talent from the world, hunny."

He wiped my hair away from still wet cheeks and cupped my face in his hands. His eyes shone with understanding as they connected with mine. "Just think about it." With that he kissed my forehead and left me to sleep for the night.