(Chapter two: This is not the dedication chapter, because this is not the cast list chapter, it's just the auditions. I will apologize for waiting to update for so long. I really should've pushed this out there weeks ago… there really hasn't been time, and there won't be much until Spring Break… and then I'm going to be in Florida… sorry! I'll try my hardest to update at least a little bit sooner. Oh, and for those who are waiting for me to update The Search For Love In The Second War, please don't. I don't think I'll continue with it. I'll leave it up for a few more months incase I decide to TRY to update, but I'm flat out of ideas for it… I apologize again!)
Chapter 2Hermione was out on the Hogwarts grounds storming straight to Professor Sprout's green house, not even caring that she was being drenched with rain. She got to the door and yanked it open and went up to Professor Sprout, who, luckily, did not seem to be doing anything important.
"Professor Sprout?"
"Yes, dear?"
"I want to audition for a lead!"
"And who might that be? Meg, Madame Giry?"
"No, Professor. Christine Daae is who I had in mind."
For a moment, Professor Sprout just looked a bit surprised. She then regained her composure. "And you do realize that Ms. Daae is possibly the hardest roll in the entire opera, Ms. Granger, correct?"
"Yes, Professor. I'm serious about auditioning!"
Professor Sprout pursed her lips together and bustled around for a few pictures. She found a rather old, dusty photo album and opened it. It contained pictures from every important scene in The Phantom of the Opera. She gave Hermione some valuable information on the part.
One Hour Later
Ron stormed off to the green houses to meet with Professor Sprout. He opened the door and there she was, holding an old photo album. He walked up to her.
She shushed him before he even began. "You want to audition for the part of The Phantom, don't you?"
Ron turned red. "Ah, no… Raoul."
Professor Sprout looked surprised and opened up the photo album.
After they had flipped through some of the pictures of him at his best, Professor Sprout spoke again, "Raoul is very noble, Wealsey. He would do anything to save Christine from the Phantom, even if that included sacrificing himself. My suggestion is to think of the girl you have a crush on. If she were in dire need of loosing her self to an evil genius, what would you do?" Ron was about to speak, but she put her hand over her mouth. "Think, Weasley. Do not tell me. Just think."
He nodded and left the green houses.
5:00 In the Evening
Everyone was gathered in the Great Hall, and very bad singing rang out, punctuated by the few Christine-wanna-bes, Phantom-hopefuls, and Raoul-look-a-likes, who could actually make it.
Harry was off in a corner, looking around at the entire hall, closing his ears to all around him. Ron was beside him, and Hermione was across the hall, talking with Ginny, who was apparently trying for a lead as well. Luna and Lavender Brown were trying to out sing each other, to the feat of which Lavender was winning, but only because she has an extremely loud voice, and Neville, very surprisingly, was off by himself, his nervous voice shaking like a 10.5 earth quake.
And then, from the middle of the hall, came the most unlikely hopefuls for the play, Draco Malfoy and Crabbe. Malfoy was wearing his typical Slytherin school robes and smirk, yet Crabbe looked strangely uncomfortable; as if he had been forced against his will into this, which he probably had been. They stopped and stood near the middle of the hall, and Malfoy prepared his voice. Just as he was about to launch into a rendition of a song, Professor Sprout and a very pretty Brunette woman took the stage.
The Brunette spoke first, "Hello to you all! I'm Emmy Rossum, your director. I played Christine Daae in the recent movie version of the opera. I can tell you that this opera is extremely difficult and that I will not accept tardiness or excuses to miss a rehearsal, except if you are deathly ill and Madame Pomfrey has ordered you to stay in bed. Now, if you will all separate into two groups, the ones hoping for a lead, and the ones trying for chorus," her voice was clear and loud. You could tell that she was very confident and that she had an amazing singing voice, from the purity of her tone.
Hermione walked lithely over to where Madame Rossum and ordered the lead-hopefuls to go. She saw Ginny and Luna, along with Lavender and Ron. She was taken by Ron's hope in getting a lead. But perhaps the most surprising people to see there at all were none other than platinum haired Draco Malfoy and his pudgy sidekick, Vincent Crabbe.
They can't possibly be hoping for a lead! She thought. They're just not the musical type! At all!
Seeing them their immediately gave an extra air of nervousness to all of the hopefuls for the play; if they didn't make it and Malfoy or Crabbe did, would they ever live it down? It was amazing how the appearance of two people could inspire such fear among a crowd of possibly two hundred or more students.
Madame Rossum saw that all of the students were situated, and immediately commenced to cue the pianist, a young wizard who no one seemed to recognize. He launched himself into an absolutely spell-binding version of the opening number, with sound effects and organ music, all with the help of his wand and his fingers. He played the last note and removed his spindling fingers from the piano. He turned to face the audience, and, as they saw his face, smiled his jeering leer of a smile; Professor Snape, the potions master, is also a master of the ivory keys, apparently.
In the audiences' apparent awe, Madame Rossum called forward the first applicant, a young chorus hopeful. Her hair was done up in an elegant French-twist, and her dress robes fit her body firmly. She turned to face the audience; her face was like that of a swans; elegant, yet fierce. She opened her little mouth to sing and out came the sound of a hundred and two broom crashes, happening all at once. No, it wasn't loud, it was just the sound of a poor dying chicken who had previously lost all of it's limbs in a horrible butchering accident.
Nevertheless, Madame Rossum let the girl finish, took her small, finely written application, and dismissed her from the hall. The poor girl knew she had done badly for the sneers by all of the Slytherin who were present were prominent among of gentle murmur of the crowd; she turned on her heal and ran the length of the hall, wiping her eyes all the way.
After the entire chorus had auditioned, many of the auditioned students had fled the hall, yet many more had stayed to watch the rest of the auditions. Hermione was growing more and more nervous by the second, and Harry as well. He hadn't told anyone that he was to audition for a lead, but he was. He didn't exactly know who he wanted to be, but he knew he didn't want The Phantom or Raoul; perhaps Firmin, Andre, or Reyer, instead?
The group of leaders was rather small, holding only about fifty people. Some were very unlikely candidates, such as Malfoy, Crabbe, and Neville. Some, yet still, you could sense just had an air about them that made them perfect for a certain role, like Lavender, Ginny, and Luna. Others, yet still, just seemed unsure about why they were there, and what on EARTH their hopes were, like Hermione, Ron, and Dean.
Madame Rossum called the hall to attention and had everyone tell whom they were auditioning for. Before she got to Harry, he realized, he would have to choose. He made up his mind and very quickly chose the part of Reyer, who had little or no singing at all, but a few lines; a minor part, but a speaking role, nonetheless, and therefore, a lead.
She called Hermione forward, and instructed her to sing, very simply, "Think of Me." Professor Snape played the first note or two, to show Hermione the key, and then took off, Hermione's silky-smooth voice flowing behind him.
Think of me, We never said our love
was evergreen Think of me,
Think
of me fondly when we've said goodbye.
Remember me,
Once in a
while, please promise me you'll try.
When you find
That once
again you long to take your heart back and be free,
If you ever
find a moment spare a thought for me.
Or as unchanging as the sea.
But if you can
still remember
Stop and think of me.
Think of all the things
we've shared and seen,
Don't think about the way things might've
been.
Think of me waking, silent and
resigned.
Imagine me
Trying too hard to put you from my mind.
Recall those days, look back on all those times,
Think of the
things we'll never do.
There will never be a day when I won't
think of you!
Hermione skipped Raoul's part and let
herself be lost again in the beauty of the song. Flowers
fade, The fruits of summer fade,
They have their seasons so do
we.
But please promise me that sometimes
You will think...
She took a breath, and went into the strange vocalization of the word 'of', ending on a high, shrill note.
Of me!
The room stayed still for a moment as Hermione caught her breath. Emmy Rossum stood up and clapped her hands together a few times, congradulated Hermione on a job well done, and told her she was free to leave if she felt the need for water, explaining it was what she herself had done after every rehearsal of that song. Hermione shook her head, and went to sit with the rest of the chorus. A young second year, who, no doubt, greatly admired Hermione tapped her on the shoulder and said, "You were brilliant, Hermione. Great. I hope you get the part!"
"Thanks, Arielle," Hermione gasped, still a bit breathless.
Next up was Ron, who sang a bit of "All I Ask Of You," very well, I might add. After Ron was Crabbe, who sang for the part of Piangi, and actually had a very nice tenor voice, other than the fact he had difficulties with pronunciation. Soon after Crabbe went Ginny, and then Luna, both of whom did very well, and then Lavender, who used a strong opera voice that Hermione had never heard before, except on Carlotta, the leading soprano in Phantom of the Opera before Christine. Harry auditioned, and, Hermione admitted, though his singing wasn't bad, he was asked to read lines, and his acting was brilliant.
And then came the other audition she had been waiting for: Draco's. He sang a very pure version of "Music of the Night" with a VERY impressive tenor voice, and EXTREMELY impressive lungs, for he held the last note the required amount of time, without loosing pitch. Needless to say, Draco was positively amazing.
And then, after about three and a half hours, Madame Rossum dismissed the tired hall. Hermione went straight to bed, along with Harry and Ron, looking forward to finding out whether they made the play or not. Their dreams were plagued with nightmares of making the lead and then every thing going catastrophically wrong, all because of them.
(A/N: If I'm not mistaken, I believe this is possible the longest chapter I have EVER written, except for that one overly descriptive dance oneshot in my funny oneshot series. Anyways, R/R, and I HOPE to get the next chapter up within a week.)
