Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the Phantom of the Opera. And I don't think I ever shall. HP is owned by J.K. Rowling and Phantom of the Opera is Gaston Leroux's… I don't even think I spelled his last name right. LOL! And the lyrics that are used are from the stage play, which belongs to Andrew Lloyd Webber. Le Sigh!

A/N: I just wanted to say thank you to those of you who have stayed with me thus far. I know it's been a while since I updated this story, but it happens. I'm sure you all know how that is. Read long and prosper.

Chapter Ten: Notes Two…

It was in the ministry the next day that things really started to get heated. Fudge was sitting there, in his office, looking over the phantom's score. This whole thing was absolutely absurd; ridiculous. When Scrimgeour entered, Fudge looked up and said as much.

"Ludicrous! Have you seen this bloody score? It's ridiculous!" Scrimgeour simply huffed as he hung up his cloak and walked over to the desk. He sat down across from Fudge.

"Of course it's ludicrous. This is horrible. I tell you, Cornelius, I do not like this. I do not like this one bit," He sighed then. "But we daren't refuse." Cornelius closed his eyes and sighed heavily.

"Not another chandelier." He rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. "This is getting to be more complicated than either one of us has bargained for, my friend."

"It gets worse, my dear friend," sighed Rufus. He reached into his pocket and pulled out two letters he had received only that morning. "Look what we have here." He handed one over to Cornelius and kept one for himself. Cornelius opened his and began to read it out loud.

"Dear Cornelius, re my orchestrations: We need another first bassoon. Get a player with tone, and that third trombone has to go! The man could not be deafer so please preferably one who plays in tune!" Cornelius crumpled up the piece of paper and threw it in the waste basket. "Please. Aloiscious is a wonderful bassoon player. Where does he come off demanding these things from us, anyway? This is a Hogwarts production, not a Phantom production." Rufus interrupted him by clearing his throat.

"Oh, there's more," he said. He opened his note and read it to Rufus. "Dear Rufus vis a vis my opera: some chorus members must be sacked. If you could, find out which has a sense of pitch. Wisely, though, I've managed to assign a rather minor role to those who cannot act!" He set his note on the table. "Did you hear about Jane?"

"No, I have not," replied Cornelius, leaning over his desk as if he were about to hear the biggest secret of the decade. Rufus opened his mouth to say something, but was saved when Jane entered the office, looking quite flustered. Joshua was coming in right behind her. Both were holding notes of a similar nature.

"Outrage!" Jane shouted. Rufus heaved a heavy sigh and stood up.

"What is it now?" he asked.

"This whole affair is an outrage!" Jane shouted, thrusting the note into Rufus' hand, who was now standing.

"Madam, please…" he said.

"Now what's the matter?" cried Cornelius. He stood and went around the desk so that he was now standing with the other three.

"Have you seen the size of my part?" asked Jane.

"It's an insult!" cried Joshua. "Her part, as well as mine. Just look at this, it's an insult!" He thrust his note into Cornelius' hand. Cornelius and Rufus looked at the notes they had been given.

"Chorus parts," replied Cornelius. Rufus folded up the note and looked at them.

"Please understand, we have no way to control this," he said. Jane huffed, rolled her eyes, and folded her arms over her chest.

"The things I have to do for my art!" she huffed. "I am a thespian of the theater. He wants me to sing in the chorus? How demeaning this is for my art."

"If you can call this gibberish art!" huffed Joshua, pointing at the works which was laying upon the desk. Just then, the door opened again and Minerva and Albus walked in. Jane bristled.

"Ah! Here's our little flower," she said dryly as she glared at Minerva. Minerva also bristled, but duly ignored Jane's snarky comment.

"Ah, Miss McGonagall," said Rufus, hoping to keep the peace somewhat. "Quite the lady of the hour." Minerva looked at him, confused. Cornelius explained.

"You have secured the largest role in this, 'Don Juan'." Minerva's eyes widened and looked at the music sheets upon the desk. Jane's eyes also widened as she gasped.

"Minerva McGonagall? She doesn't have the voice!" Albus glared at her from where he stood next to Minerva, his hand upon her elbow.

"Madam, please," pleaded Rufus. He rubbed his head as he tried desperately to fight off the upcoming headache. Albus' head snapped to Rufus and Cornelius.

"Then I take it you're agreeing," he frowned. Cornelius shrugged.

"It appears we have no choice."

"She's the one behind this," hissed Jane. She was no longer able to control herself. She pointed accusingly at Minerva. "She's the one behind this! Minerva McGonagall!" Minerva gaped at her as she pulled her arm from Albus' hand and came up toe to toe with her accuser.

"How dare you!" she shouted.

"I'm not a fool!" Jane hissed.

"You evil woman, how dare you!"

"You think I'm blind?"

"This isn't my fault. I don't want any plot in this plot!"

"Miss McGonagall, surly," stated Rufus. He was getting rather tired of attempting to keep the peace in the office.

"But why not?" asked Cornelius as he came to stand next to Minerva.

"What does she say?" Joshua asked, somewhat baffled by Minerva's refusal at the part.

"Let's be reasonable about this," he said. "It's your decision…" He suddenly rounded on her. "But why not?"

"She's backing out," Jane whispered to Joshua, a smirk upon her face.

"You have a duty!" Cornelius told Minerva. Minerva shook her head.

"I cannot sing it, duty or not!" Albus walked next to Minerva and placed his hand on the small of her back in a comforting manner. Minerva looked at him, and then looked down at her hands.

"Minerva, you don't have to." He glared at the ministers. "They can't make you." Minerva nodded. Just as she was about to say something else, Poppy and Rose entered, the latter carrying a note. Cornelius threw his hands up in the air.

"What now?" he muttered to himself.

"Please, sir, another note," Rose said.

"Well, read it," sighed Rufus, resting his right hand on his desk and his left hand balled up on his left hip. Rose nodded and began to read the note aloud.

"Fondest greetings to you all. A few instructions just before rehearsal starts: Jane must be taught to act, not her normal trick of strutting round the stage!"

"Well I never!" huffed Jane as she rested her hands on her hips. Rose looked up momentarily to pass her a glare, but then turned back to the note. "Our Don Juan must lose some weight-," Josh gaped and rested his right hand on his large belly, "-It's not healthy in a man of Miller's age." The note then turned to Rufus and Cornelius. "And my ministry officials must learn that their place is in an office, not the arts. As for Miss McGonagall…" Minerva inhaled a quick breath as the note turned to her. The note continued.

"No doubt she'll do her best- it's true her voice is good, being a vela." Minerva sighed and looked down as nearly everyone in the room gasped.

"You're vela?" Albus asked as he looked down at her. Slowly, Minerva nodded.

"I did not want anyone to know," she said.

"Why not?" Rufus asked. Minerva glared at him.

"If the ministry knew, do you honestly think I would have been left alone?" she asked. Rufus opened his mouth, but then shut it, nodding. Rose continued.

"She knows, though, should she wish to excel, she has much still to learn. That is, if pride will let her return to me, her teacher… Her teacher… Your obedient friend, and angel…" The silence was thick in the room as Rose folded the note up and then set it in her pocket. Albus stood in the middle of the group and called for their attention. All eyes rested upon him now.

"We have all been blind, and yet the answer is staring us in the face." He looked at the ministry officials. "This could be the chance to ensnare our clever friend."

"We're listening," said Cornelius.

"Go on," replied Rufus. Albus nodded.

"We shall play his game-perform his work- but remember we hold the ace. For if Miss McGonagall sings, he is certain to attend." Cornelius smiled and snapped his fingers as he caught on to what Albus was saying.

"We make certain the doors are barred…"

"We make certain our men are there…" Rufus continued as he, too, caught on.

"We make certain they're arm," Albus continued. "The curtain falls, his reign will end." Rose could not stand it any longer. She had to speak up.

"Madness!" she cried.

"I'm not so sure," said Cornelius.

"Not if it works," Rufus replied.

"This is madness!" Rose insisted.

"The tide will turn," Cornelius assured.

"Sir, believe me, there is no way of turning the tide!" Rufus glared at her.

"You stick to medicine," he said. Albus also turned to Rose.

"Then help us!" he said.

"No, I can't," she said, backing form him slightly.

"Instead of warning us, help us," Albus said, becoming more than a little angry.

"I wish I could," Rose said.

"Don't make excuses," Rufus said.

"Or could it be that you're on his side?" Albus asked. Rose sighed and stared at him.

"Professor, believe me, I intend no ill-," she turned to the ministry officials, "-but be careful, we have seen him kill." That was when everyone, with the exception of Minerva, began talking at the same time.

"We say he'll fall and fall he will!" Rufus was saying.

"If you succeed, Albus, you free us all from this so-called 'angel'-this angel who has to fall!" Cornelius was saying. The entire time, Jane and Joshua were attempting to tell Rufus and Cornelius that Minerva was behind it all. They were pointing to where she stood, in a dark hall.

"She's the one behind this! Minerva! This is all her doing!" Jane was saying. Joshua was agreeing fully.

"This is the truth! Minerva McGonagall!" Rose was attempting to get Albus to listen to reason.

"Hear my warning! Fear his fury!"

"This phantom has to pay for all the pain he has caused," Albus was trying to tell her. All the while Jane and Joshua were still trying to say that Minerva was the one behind it all.

"What glory can she hope to gain? It's clear to all the girl's insane!"

"She is crazy! She is raving!" Joshua was saying. Cornelius was talking to Rufus.

"If Minerva sings, we'll get our man…" Minerva, who had been standing in the corner up until then, tried vainly to stop them.

"Please don't," she vainly pleaded. The noise grew louder and louder until Minerva sent up red sparks with her wand and everyone grew quiet, looking at her. Her bottom lip quivered.

"If you don't stop, I'll go mad!" she turned to Albus, who had been looking at her in shock. "Albus, I'm frightened. Don't make me do this. Albus, it scares me, don't put me through this ordeal by fire. He'll take me, I know. We'll be parted forever, he won't let me go." She became dazed as he held onto her. "What I once used to dream I now dread… If he finds me, it won't ever end. And he'll always be there, chanting spells in my head. He'll always be there chanting spells in my head." By now, everyone was looking at her.

"She's mad," Jane whispered. Albus sighed as he held her.

"You said yourself he was nothing but a man," he said, lifting up her chin. He saw the unshed tears shining in her eyes. "Yet while he lives, he will haunt us till we're dead." Minerva turned away unhappily and walked to the window. Everyone was still staring at her, no one not sure what to say or do.

"Twisted every way, what answer can I give? Am I to risk my life to win the chance to live?" She began to trace unseen patterns on the window as she stared at the rain outside. "Can I betray the man who once inspired my magic? Do I become his prey? Do I have any choice?" She suddenly became angry and pounded her fist upon the window. "He kills without a though, he murders all that's good…" Flashes of all the unfortunate events which had occurred since the start of term jumped into her mind. "I know I can't refuse, and yet, I wish I could…" She was now shaking. "Oh God, if I agree, what horrors wait for me in this, the phantom's opera?" Albus walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, speaking tenderly to her.

"Minerva, don't think that I don't care-," she turned to him and stared up at him. "-but every hope and every prayer rests on you now…" Minerva opened to mouth to speak, but she just couldn't bring herself to say anything. Instead, she pushed past him and ran from the room. Albus sighed to himself as he continued to stand there, his gaze resting outside at the rain.

"We'll go and prepare everything," Rufus said, gesturing to the others to follow him. When he was all alone, Albus rested his forehead against the window. It was a few moments before he spoke aloud.

"So, it is to be war between us! But this time, my clever friend, the disaster will be yours!" With a huff, he pushed himself away from the window and left the room.

A/N2: Well, that is it for now. I promise I'll write some more again soon. Peace out. Read long and prosper. Always Hopeful