Even though Prof. Snape had mellowed slightly since the defeat of Voldemort
last year, he was still without a doubt the most feared teacher at
Hogwarts. Hermione was still trembling a little from their encounter in
the library when she finished her most recent assignments and got ready for
bed.
She had not had time to check out magical uses of music that evening, because she had been trapped into playing chess with Ron. She would just have to do that tomorrow, she supposed. She was still suffering slightly from lack of sleep the night before and had to go to bed at a decent hour tonight.
That night, she slept fitfully. The skies were cloudy, and the moon was new. A thick blanket of darkness covered the castle and its grounds, so that even in her tossing and turning, she failed to notice the shadowy silhouette keeping watch on her from her window ledge.
The next morning, Hermione woke up shortly after sunrise and went to the library. The tables were empty, except for one Ravenclaw witch, who was completely absorbed in her book.
She quietly made her way to the extensive music rooms off from the main library. Even though the school offered no formal music classes, Dumbledore had created this section to satisfy his own love of music and to offer a place for any students who shared his passion. The Music Room had many books about music and musicians, as well as regular sheet music, enchanted sheet music that played itself, books with whole concerts played through a series of pictures, quills that wrote music as it was played live, and lockers with instruments - both magical and muggle - stored away. The air seemed to vibrate with the possibility of sound in the still quiet morning.
Careful not to disturb the silence, Hermione scanned the spines of the purely informative books. One dark book caught her eye. Looking closely, she read the faded title: "Nocturnal Notes."
'Bats.Music. This one could be promising.' she thought.
She carefully slid the black, leather-bound book out from between its neighbors and sat down with it at a table. As she cautiously opened the cover, she heard the beginnings of a faint, familiar melody. It almost could have been the very song that she had sung the night before! But a chord was wrong here or there, and the time was a different meter entirely. Still, it was a closer than anything she had ever heard before. She held the book close with the cover cracked near her ear so she would be able to hear it better.
As she sat there entranced by the variations, she heard a tinny alarm going off. She looked at her enchanted watch and realized that she was going to be late for charms class if she did not leave the library now. The books in the music section could not be checked out, so Hermione reluctantly replaced the book and headed out the door.
She had not had time to check out magical uses of music that evening, because she had been trapped into playing chess with Ron. She would just have to do that tomorrow, she supposed. She was still suffering slightly from lack of sleep the night before and had to go to bed at a decent hour tonight.
That night, she slept fitfully. The skies were cloudy, and the moon was new. A thick blanket of darkness covered the castle and its grounds, so that even in her tossing and turning, she failed to notice the shadowy silhouette keeping watch on her from her window ledge.
The next morning, Hermione woke up shortly after sunrise and went to the library. The tables were empty, except for one Ravenclaw witch, who was completely absorbed in her book.
She quietly made her way to the extensive music rooms off from the main library. Even though the school offered no formal music classes, Dumbledore had created this section to satisfy his own love of music and to offer a place for any students who shared his passion. The Music Room had many books about music and musicians, as well as regular sheet music, enchanted sheet music that played itself, books with whole concerts played through a series of pictures, quills that wrote music as it was played live, and lockers with instruments - both magical and muggle - stored away. The air seemed to vibrate with the possibility of sound in the still quiet morning.
Careful not to disturb the silence, Hermione scanned the spines of the purely informative books. One dark book caught her eye. Looking closely, she read the faded title: "Nocturnal Notes."
'Bats.Music. This one could be promising.' she thought.
She carefully slid the black, leather-bound book out from between its neighbors and sat down with it at a table. As she cautiously opened the cover, she heard the beginnings of a faint, familiar melody. It almost could have been the very song that she had sung the night before! But a chord was wrong here or there, and the time was a different meter entirely. Still, it was a closer than anything she had ever heard before. She held the book close with the cover cracked near her ear so she would be able to hear it better.
As she sat there entranced by the variations, she heard a tinny alarm going off. She looked at her enchanted watch and realized that she was going to be late for charms class if she did not leave the library now. The books in the music section could not be checked out, so Hermione reluctantly replaced the book and headed out the door.