Ronald's nurse helped him into the car as he left the École Hogwarts, thoughts of the moment before still in his head. With the Sorcerer's Stone still placed in his hands, he entered the back seat of his vehicle in which he had been only an hour before. If only he had known that the chandelier would be up once again, he, perhaps, might not have come. Yet, would that really stop him?

He pondered for a few minutes in his silence making a decision. These memories are the ones he needed to keep. Therefor, he needed a pensive…

He turned around slowly with his wand pointed to the trunk. With the words in his head ("Accio pensive!") the bowl flew into his hands comfortably with a trail of mist behind it. Again, he took his wand and placed it to his head, while one, long silver hair came from out of his temple. He dipped it into the pensive, and did this once again. This continued for a moment, but on the fourth time around, he stopped abruptly.

An image slowly started to form in the pensive. A blonde woman around the age of seventeen was on a stage. She was singing a song that he couldn't hear. As the fog lifted somewhat, he began to see that she had curly ginger hair and was wearing an elaborate costume of gold, red, and blue.

He realized that this must have been the École Hogwarts in its younger days. This was the play Hannibal they had been rehearsing, and this…This is where his story started.

---

Hermione Granger waited patiently for her cue to enter onto the stage, while enduring the "singing" voice of Fleur Delecour. She had used the spell "Vox Bona", a difficult spell to achieve without years of practice, to enchant her very own voice for the opening night of the opera Hannibal. Fleur had used the enchantment to perfect her voice but, as Hermione saw it, hadn't perfected it at all. Still, Mlle. Delecour was the star of the École Hogwarts, no matter what happened. Nothing would change that.

Beside Hermione, Luna Lovegood was making a face of disgust and shaking her head, her radish shaped earrings flying from side to side. Hermione giggled at this, for she admired Luna's sense of humor. She and Luna had been friends since they were seven, after all.

In a moments time, Fleur's singing stopped and her face was screwed up in anger. Four men had interrupted her singing, for they spoke loudly. The first to speak was the current headmaster, Monsieur Dumbledore. Hermione only caught his voice in midsentance.

"-retirement. I can now tell you these are all true-"

Fleur folded up her fan in annoyance, while pointing at her opposite, Bill. "Aha!" She told him in an know-it-all manner, in which he merely nodded, and turned his attention back to Dumbledore.

"-the two men who now own École Hogwarts: Messieurs George and Fred Weasley."

The two personalities could have not been more different. Fred held his head up high as Dumbledore introduced him so gracefully, while George waved happily at everyone.

"Heh." Hermione mused herself. Luna, however, was standing on her tiptoes above everyone and their heads. Hermione saw her having a difficult time, and grabbed her hand.

"Come on." she smiled. "Let's go to the balcony."

Luna, unexpected to Hermione, exchanged her expression for a frightened one.

"We can't go up there!" she hissed easing her feat down to the floor. "There's a rumor of Greeseachers up there."

Hermione, now pulling her along behind her, gave a flat tone. "Luna, there won't be any Greeseachers." and hurried up the stairs.

The muffled voice of George filled the stage. "And we are deeply honored to introduce our new patron: The Vicomte de Weasley."

Hermione's ears pricked up as she made her way to the top of the stairs. "It's Ron." she gasped to Luna. Staring in amazement, her eyes immediately recognized him: The shaggy mid-length hair of flaming red, the tall and lanky figure, and the freckles. This was indeed the Vicomte de Weasley.

"Before Sirius died," Hermione explained to Luna. "At the house by the sea...I guess you could say we were childhood sweethearts." Hermione paused while recalling the memories. How could she forget that- "He called me 'Little Hermy'."

Luna tore her eyes away from him and spoke softly, "He's quite handsome."

Hermione suppressed a laugh by clutching her teeth. Luna had never openly admitted that a man was "quite handsome" in her life. She guessed, in this case, that Ronald de Weasley really was quite handsome if Luna Lovegood had admitted it.

"My parents and I proud to support to world round École Hogwarts." He spoke with a soft yet manly voice that Hermione hadn't heard for years. It filled her with great joy to hear it again. It had been so long. She had missed him so much, that boy who had swam into the crashing waters of the sea just to save her red scarf. This was the Ron she remembered. The one who had given her her first and last kiss-

Shaking her head, the world came into focus and the applause of Ronald's speech grew to the normal volume. She noticed that it was over, for he had begun to walk away with Monsieur Dumbledore trailing behind him.

Hermione breathed in quickly, hoping to catch his glance as he walked by her. The vicomte simply walked pass her without eye contact or recognition of her.

Hermione, her eyes now becoming strangely moist, gave a weak smile to Luna. "He wouldn't have recognized me." She softly said doubtfully. Although Luna gave her reinsurance, Hermione's head still filled with doubts. Nothing, she thought, will ever make Raoul notice me like he did.

---

This couldn't be! Me, Hermione Granger? No, not I. The girl with the highest grades in the school in an opera? The leading lady of the opera, at that! I only joined the opera because He asked me to. If I had known I had gotten the lead, I would have refused…

Thoughts flooded into Hermione's head like a dam, while she walked onto the stage. Though on the outside she was Alissa singing her sad song, on the inside she was Hermione thinking of the events of earlier that day. The recollections came to her like a film in her mind…

Fleur had officially left the École Hogwarts, not surprisingly, since the backdrop of the "Dans le Alps" sequence almost crushed her. "It's him, the Phantom who lived!" she recalled Luna saying. After that…well, He had been revealed to the managers. Luckily, they hadn't believed it, but Fred's cry had come into her mind so clearly.

"A full house, George. We're going to have to refund a full house! That's not going to look good on the Ministry's record, I can tell you that. Suspect that dark magic has been going on or something…" Fred's complaints had trailed off, and covered over by the Transfiguration mistress.

"Hermione Granger could sing it, sir." Madame McGonagall piped up. No one had really expected this, for she had been so quite in the back of the stage. As she spoke these words, all heads turned to Hermione as she stopped her conversation with Luna. She straightened her back as she was bent over talking in secrecy with her.

As she stared at the curious managers, most everyone as well, had curious looks on their faces.

Exasperated, George spoke. "What, a sixth year student? Don't be ridiculous!"

But Madam McGonagall was prepared for her defense. "She has a great tutor." Again, the cast of the opera had curious looks on their faces.

Although George disagreed with this sixth year student to sing in the lead of the opera, Fred decided to give in. He wanted to try finding this girl out. He would ask the question everyone was wondering.

"By whom?" he asked in a confused tone. Hermione's face grew almost scared at these words, but spoke.

"I do not know his name, Monsieur." She said hesitantly. Unfortunately, that was the truth. What had He been called? Luna had called him "The Phantom who Lived" or "Hogwarts Ghost". Hermione had just called him "Angel" or "Master". Could she really give an answer without having the managers appalled at her?

"I think it would be in the right mind to let her sing for you, messieurs." McGonagall replied to the managers in her most distinct Scottish accent.

Only in a few short seconds, she was standing in front of Mme. McGonagall, the managers, the cast of the opera – everyone.

Miss Granger stood on the stage unsure of herself with a frightened expression on her face. The thoughts rushed into her at that point.

What am I going to do? I've never sung in front of anybody. Will they hate me? They sound like they do. I've practiced the spell, but what if it's no good? Oh, I wish my Angel were here to help me. I can't do this on my own. What if I-

She sighed to calm herself down, shutting all thoughts from her mind. If she wanted to do well, she'd have to not think about anything except for the task at hand.

Hermione glanced at a small figure climbing onto a rouge chair a stagehand had placed there. The conductor of the opera gave almost a small squeak, and successfully climbed onto the chair. "From the beginning in the aria, Miss Granger?" Monsieur Flitwick said in a high pitched tone, while tapping the end of his wand onto the pedestal.

Placing the wand at her throat, she softly said "Vox Bona", and the music from the piano began.

In a whisper that could be heard by all ears, Fred leaned over to his brother's ear and said, "George, this is doing nothing for my nerves."

George shrugged at this, replying "Hey, at least she's kind of pretty."

Not a moment too soon, a beautiful sound came into the room of the school. The sound was of angel's singing in the heavens onto the stage of the opera. This was Hermione Granger's voice, singing for the managers, gradually to the cast of Hannibal, and eventually to the whole Ministry of Magic.

"Flowers fade, the fruits of summer fade. They have their seasons, so do we," she sang. All of the Order of Merlin, first class wizard's smiled gratefully at her as she sang in the night. The wives of the men tilted their heads in thought, but they too grinned.

All was going well. The spell was working. However, it was coming to the end of the song. Now was the time to test if her Vox Bona spell had advanced enough. So she breathed in and continued the last lines of the song.

"But please promise me that sometimes you will think…"
And it began. The scale was exquisite. Never before had an audience heard such a sound as this. From note to note of the scale flowed easily and softly from her mouth. But it had to end, and she would end it beautifully. It began with a low A, a breath, and to the low A once again to the high A.

"Of me!" she finished, putting the song to rest. Not a moment later, the crowd in the auditorium stood and clapped wildly, some even shouting her name in excellence and accomplishment.

Happiness burst through her, and she no longer could keep a professional straight face. A smile spread across her face as she bowed to the spectators, her bushy dirty-blonde hair falling onto her shoulders.

She had done it! She was now the star of École Hogwarts, meaning the lead role. It was only hours ago when she hated anything to do with the opera, but what a difference a few hours can make. She now was truly happy.

And she knew only one person who could be happier than she was now…

X

Had to change this chapter a little bit. If you look at my OS Reviews thing, it will explain why. It's longer now. More Phantom/Harry goodness. -pounces onto Erik and Harry- Mine, I tells ya! ...Okay, I'll share. ;)

Yumi