Severus snarled as he walked along his new patrol route. The headmaster had decided that he should patrol the third floor corridor, a corridor which had been restricted in 1991, and had never really been used since. No one really traveled down it. Especially not Gryffindor's. As he strode down the corridor, he was forced to stop as a tune caught his ears – signaling the one thing he loved more than taking points from Griffindors, and that was catching a student out of bed. As he listened, he recognized the tune, Alexander Reinagle's sonata in E, being played expertly on a piano. The trills caused shivers down his spine. He listened as what is normally considered to be a bright tune had changed, whilst still otherworldly in beauty, it now held sorrow, the air thick with emotion.
He moved silently towards where the sound was coming from – a room which once held the great brute known only as 'Fluffy'. Inside was a large black grand piano, it's players back towards him, swaying with the music as his fingers expertly moved along the keyboard. He looked to the east wall, along it was a shelf filled with music. The west wall held a number of instruments, a violin, a harp, a flute, a cello, to name a few.
Severus stepped inside of the door, and quietly moved into a dark corner of the room, hoping to catch a glance of the person playing. The master of music had not acknowledged his presence, although that was not unexpected, he had of course mastered the art of staying silent and sneaking over his years as a spy.
When the final chord was struck, it's sound lingering in the air, the figure stood up, and without turning spoke softy "I hope you enjoyed, Professor Snape."
He then picked up the music and placed it in the shelf, all the while his face was obscured from view.
"You do realise it is after curfew, do you not?"
"Of course professor. The headmaster has given me permission, provided of course I play for anyone who discovers my music room. It seems, instead of the headmaster tonight, I have you to play for now."
Severus' eyebrows rose. "What is your favorite instrument, professor?"
"The harp."
The figure nodded and made his way over to the harp, sitting down. He began to pluck a tune out, its lilting rhythm floated around the room majestically, Severus vaguely remembering the name of the piece, Princess. The piece was hardly longer than a minute. He played another few songs.
Severus decided to try and figure out more about the mysterious player.
"How long have you played?"
"I have played since I was 8, although only at school. Where I live, they would not allow me to have music."
"You do not live with your parents?"
"No."
"Which house do you belong to?"
"The house I reside within is not the house the hat chose. Going by the hats choice, I am one of your students, however I do not wear your uniform."
"And your best class?"
"My best and my favorite are different. Strangely enough, the peace of potions reminds me much of my music. However, ask anyone, and they would tell you I have a love for Defense. I hate fighting."
Severus was intrigued. The boy gave him answers that answered the questions, yet gave away nothing.
"When did you get this room as your music room?"
"After the end of my first year, when the corridor was no longer restricted, I came here, and used it for a few nights to play my flute. The headmaster stood where you are now and offered it to me. Music is the greatest magic of them all, he said. He said that Hogwarts was a place of magic, and that I may practice my magic so long as I share with any who ask of it. Over the last 6 years I have played for everyone who has come, however few remember, as I always finish with a song of sleep and dreaming, and the headmaster always returns the students to their rooms. Since he is not here tonight, I suppose I will not play my final song."
"Then you are in Seventh year this year?"
"Yes Professor."
"You graduate tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"Will you play tomorrow night?"
"I will play my final song tomorrow, yet it will be heard by those who wish to hear it for a thousand years. Such is the magic of music."
"May I come and listen?"
"Of course Professor. Have a good night."
Severus nodded and turned, vowing to find out the mystery of Hogwarts Maestro.
He went through the next day in a daze, watching as students graduated in a small ceremony. He watched as his students collected certificates of graduation, wondering which student from the other three houses should be standing with his. He watched as the students badges changed from a house badge to the Hogwarts crest.
That night he walked down the third floor corridor, which was eerily silent. Inside the room at the end, the student was sitting at the piano, his hands poised. Albus was standing in a spot opposite to where he himself had stood the night before.
"Are you ready to play the final song?" Albus asked.
"I am ready." The figure spoke quietly.
Slowly, a melody began to flow throughout the room, building rapidly, it spoke of love and light, hate and darkness, it spoke of balance, of creation and destruction. As it built, it began to feel like Hogwarts itself was singing its melody, as if magic itself was responding. It was a glorious battle where darkness pit itself against the very rightness of the world, where the light fought against injustice. A mist built up around the foot of the piano, spreading through the room, a beam of light fell through the window illuminating the pianist and piano. The fog began rolling out, twirling around the pianist, then Albus and Severus, then it crawled out of the room and spread throughout to castle, and outside. Minutes later, the epic struggle between the two opposing sides started to come to a head, and slowly, the light won over the darkness of the music, and finally the darkness was banished, leaving a song of love behind. The mist slowly vanished, as the final notes of the song ended. The pianist slumped to the side, in a dead faint.
For a moment, Severus and Albus stood silent, whilst the rest of the world slept in peace.
"Look at your arm Severus."
Used to the method of the headmaster, he looked at his arm, only to find the horrible tattoo that had once adorned it gone.
"The last song has been played Severus. The battle was won."
Albus walked over to the figure behind the piano and scooped him up.
"Well played Harry." He smiled, as he took the boy to the hospital wing, Severus following behind in a daze, listening as the very magic around him continued to sing.
The last song had been played, and magic listened.