Chapter 10 – The Diary is taken

October 3rd 1870, Sunday, 06:00 PM

Diary

Today I finally managed to send everything to my dungeons. I am glad the Giry's are on my side. I had no idea Antoinette's grandmother (Anne that was her name) was also a witch – no wonder they accepted me so well! She decided to tell me later on the 2nd. Anyway she claimed to have some papers from her grandmother, which she hid away from the rest of her family when she was young (for obvious reasons), after Anne died, and decided to pass them on to me. With all the packing I asked her to give me them later.

I wonder if I should leave the music room as it is. O.G. has been taking and returning book after book and playing there frequently, he plays the piano marvellously. Like a God. Sometimes, while playing, he seems to loose himself in the music, his eyes turn dazed, as in a sweetest dream. He sighs my name, sometimes, while caressing his exposed face. As for the white porcelain mask… curiosity will certainly be the death of me – Severus kept saying that to me. I will have to watch my steps, though. The Phantom has ears and eyes in all of the Opera and outside of it too I suspect, he may want to follow me. But I'll know when he will be watching and when to go. This is going to be interesting. Just like the old days.

As I remain, after the room is cleaned of all of my possessions, sit in the couch, with the journal at my right, writing in my diary, I feel my Angel's eyes upon me. I wonder what tomorrow will bring. By tomorrow, everybody will know I'm no longer living here. Carlotta will be more insufferable than ever. The managers will certainly find a message from O.G. on their office and Antoinette will certainly try to put some sense on their heads to let me stay. And I'll be on my dungeons. Oh, Severus, I wish you could see me now! You would tease me endlessly I know, but I miss that.

I decide at last. And I speak.

Christine's room

"Angel. I know you're there." He remains silent for a while. I sigh dramatically, put my diary aside, not closing it. "Stop playing these games. I'm sick of them. And could you please" I smirk at this "come to me, and stop hiding beyond the mirror. I'd like to speak to you face to face."

It works. He comes through the mirror, deathly pale and confuse between astonishment and… anger?

"How did you know?"

"One day I will tell you. If you don't understand…"

"What then?"

"I'm afraid I'll have to leave.", I frown slightly.

"Leave to where? You have no family. The Opera is your home, your life."

"I will leave someday. I may not have a family of my own, but I have friends, Albus. I could go back to that school." I muse.

"You wouldn't!" he's livid; there's a vein rather prominent in his forehead.

"I will if needed be. You cannot stop me. You may be my voice coach, but I don't even know your name."

"You are becoming like Carlotta, pretentious and stubborn!"

"I have always been stubborn, like you! And I'm not pretentious at all, there is much at stake. Albus is like me and he needs me. There is a war coming…" I stop yelling.

"A war?"

"Yes. And I'm going to fight in it, besides Albus." He's silent for a moment.

"I won't let you go, Christine, you're mine." He states, in a very cold manner, roughly grabbing my arm.

"I am myself. You are not my master. Only my teacher.", I smile sadly.

"Only!" he roars, "I've taught you everything. Does that mean nothing?" he pushes me forward to the couch.

"But you have not given what matters most. All you seem to care for is music and my voice. What about myself? Why do you keep hiding yourself from me? I don't even know your name, where you come from. Who are you? And you want to know more about me."

"I never said that." He muttered.

"But I know you want to. You wonder how I sometimes vanish from the Opera; you feel worried, annoyed and jealous because of it. You wonder where I'm going to live because you know most of my belongings have not been sent to the Giry's. Because there is something about me you do not know, and you can't stand it. You fear your precious Christine is not the little unharmed innocent you think. Well, Angel, I never was and never will be." There is an awkward pause. For several minutes none of us speaks. His gaze is in my diary, but I don't even notice it, I deeply stare at his eyes; a green deeper than the ocean, with a yellow glow, like a cat's. I've never seen such eyes.

"Erik. My name is Erik." I smile. But he is suddenly furious, he's looking at my diary's last page. "Who is this Severus!" I sigh, still rather relieved the page had only a few lines in it. "I knew it! I knew there was a man involved, corrupting you!"

"Silence!", I roar, my eyes are glazing, the room turns suddenly cold due to my power and annoyance. "that is enough. Severus is a long lost friend." I stress these last words. "Are you jealous?"

"I don't k-know what you're talking about."

"Of course not, dear. That's why you suddenly blushed and started stuttering.", I smile mischievously. I suddenly hear a knock on the door and while I turn to answer he runs toward the mirror. It's Meg and Antoinette Giry.

"Hello Christine." The ring turns colder.

"You chose quite the time. He's gone."

"Oh. Is that your diary?", Antoinette looks at the couch, approaching.

"No, that's a journal I use to keep in touch with Albus. I write and he writes back. Like letters, but in real time."

"That's fantastic! And really useful." I lift an eyebrow. "I heard you two. He sounded rather ashamed, I felt pity for him… that's why I knocked." Meg laughs a bit. "What is it, Chris? You're suddenly pale."

"My diary! It's gone! He's taken it… I wrote everything there, everything!" I retrieve my wand.

"But Christine, dear, didn't you charm it so it would only reveal itself to someone who loved you or cared for you?"

"He read a few lines. He could read it! So he cares… but."

"Chris, perhaps it's better this way."

"Meg is right. He would have to know, the sooner, the better. You could always make him forget, couldn't you?"

"I don't want to do it. I must retrieve it." I get hold of my wand, journal, map and invisibility cloak and apparate to the 2nd cellar, hiding in the shadows behind him, he has stopped there and prepares to open the diary. He suddenly stops that motion and walks hurriedly to his lair, whose path I know by heart. I perform a verbal invisibility spell on myself and follow him. He hears my voice and turns around.

"Christine?" he sees nothing different. "I'm going mad…"

I follow him, trying not to make any noise. When we reach the lake, he hops into the boat and I apparate into his home, wait a few more minutes, after enlarging the cloak, hiding myself under it and transfiguring the journal. My Angel arrives arrives finally. He goes into his room, settles on his chair by the desk and settles the diary on it, after opening it on the first page. He turns around to gather a candle and matches and I quickly seize the opportunity to switch the books. I suppress my urgent need to giggle once I see his surprised and a bit weary face, after contemplating the blank book.

"What is going on?", he mutters, checking his room and all of his lair.

Once I feel him in the entrance hall I sing softly, before apparating.

Look at me

You may think you see who I really am

But you never knew me

Everyday

It's as if I play a part

Now I see

If I wear this mask

I can fool the world

but I cannot fool

My heart.

I must let Albus know. I leave to Hogwarts.

Forbidden Forest

I transform and pass quickly through the Forest, and in a few minutes I reach Dumbledore's office. He's reading, the window is open and I enter and transform back.

"Christine." He looks at me. "He knows?"

"He took my diary. He can read it. But I switched it by our journal. So I had an idea…"

"I'm all hears."

"How about we write him? Right now?"

Dum dum dum duuuuum! So? Did you like that?