Chapter 3

Auditions

The sun peeked through the windows of the heads common room as Hermione began to wake. She took a look at her surroundings realising that she wasn't in her room but was downstairs, on the floor, lying in Draco Malfoy's arms. Fabulous.

"Oh my arm." She whimpered as she tried releasing it from Draco's grasp. After five minutes she managed to escape and make her way to the bathroom. As she did so she passed the clock which read five to six.

"What? That's way too early. Oh well, I'll go for a run." She said shrugging off the matter that it was too early to be doing anything. She quickly showered and put on a sports bra and her short-short running shorts. She quietly tiptoed past the sleeping form of Draco Malfoy and escaped through the portrait hole and out onto the grounds.

As soon as she stepped outside into the autumn breeze she knew that this year was going to be the best. She started in a short jog, then a run and then a full blown sprint. Soon enough, she was running so fast all you could see was a blur.

Meanwhile, back in the common room, Draco had just woken up and was now looking for Hermione. He couldn't find her anywhere and not only that, it was six thirty in the morning and he was not in a good mood.

"Hermione where are you?" he called out in a whining tone.

"Here I am!" someone said behind him.

He turned around to find a sweaty Hermione standing right in front of him. He yelped and jumped a foot in the air before landing on the floor with a thud.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked trying not to laugh.

He looked at her disbelievingly. Alright? He was bloody furious, not to mention in pain.

"I know you're angry with me for leaving without writing a note to say where I went and whatever and I'm very sorry. I didn't want to wake you up at five to six in the morning because I knew for a fact that you would be grumpy." She said quickly and letting out a breath that she didn't know she was holding.

"Next time, please leave me a note. I was worried sick." He said looking at her with concerned eyes.

She took a quick breath. He cared about her? She felt extremely touched.

"I will leave a note next time and thank you for worrying but seriously I can take of myself. I'm a big girl!" she said giggling.

She patted his head and set off to have a shower before stopping herself.

"What am I doing? I'm a witch." She said laughing.

"Yes Hermione but that means you need to go have a shower." Draco said stating the obvious.

She rolled her eyes and clicked her fingers. A moment later she was clean, dressed in her school clothes and her bag on her shoulder ready for the day set for her. Draco gaped at her.

"You can do wand-less?" he said still staring.

"Yes but you can't tell anyone. I plan on showing people when I'm ready. Please don't tell anyone. Not even Harry knows which is pretty selfish of me but I wanted to keep it a secret." She said rubbing her arms.

"I won't tell a soul. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go have a shower and get changed." He stood up and started making his way to his room when someone stopped him.

"You're so dense." Hermione said shaking her head.

"Am not!" he replied.

"Are so!"

"Am not!"

"Am not!"

"Are so!"

"Aha! So you are dense! I knew it all along!" Hermione said laughing her head off.

"Stop doing that." He said whining.

She shook her head again and clicked her fingers. A moment later Draco was also clean, in his school clothes and with his school bag.

"You're brilliant you are." He gasped.

"Hmm. Sure. That's what everyone says. I've heard it all before. Now come on before we miss breakfast." She said tugging at his hand.

"But its only…"he started.

"Half past seven. We have an hour until classes dear." She stated.

"Be quiet. I'm still asleep." He said pouting.

She rolled her eyes and pulled him along by his hand out of the common room and down to the Great Hall. Along the way they talked about when they were going to talk to Dumbledore about their idea. Correction; Hermione's idea.

"I think we should see him after breakfast. Just before the classes start so then he can have the day to think about it." Draco said as they ate their breakfast at the Gryffindor table. Funnily enough, none of the Gryffindors were glaring at him or yelling at him to get off their table. Most of them said 'good morning' or 'how are you Draco?' and it made Draco feel like he had some real friends.

Once the two had finished their breakfast, they made their way to Dumbledore's office arm in arm still talking about the 'idea'. They had just made it to the statue when Hermione tripped and landed into someone's arms.

"Sorry. I must have…" she couldn't finish. The person who held her was Ron Weasley.

"Doesn't matter. At least I was here, unlike ferret boy over there." Ron said smirking.

Hermione glared at him and wriggled out of his grasp.

"Don't you dare insult Draco! He's much more mature than you'll ever be and more of a man as well." She said angrily.

"He may be more mature than me but I'm more mature than you and Harry. I know what I'm talking about when…"

"Weasley, look, we just came down here to talk to Dumbledore and you're making it harder by the minute. Either fight properly or go shag some other poor Ravenclaw." Draco interrupted angrily.

Ron looked at him stunned and before he could reply Draco and Hermione had said the password and had made their way up to the Headmaster's office. He glared at the gargoyle and walked away angrily.

"You may have won the battle but the war has only begun." He whispered to himself before disappearing into the Great Hall.

Draco knocked on the door three times before hearing an 'enter' from the other side.

"Mr. Malfoy, Miss. Granger, what a pleasant surprise. How may I assist you?" Dumbledore asked as the couple entered the room.

"Hermione you tell him. You're better at explaining things like this." Draco said as Hermione stepped forward.

She explained her idea to Dumbledore in full detail and how and when it should be held. The Headmaster sat there listening intently and nodding his head in understanding.

"So, what do you think?" Hermione asked timidly.

"Miss. Granger you really do outstand me sometimes. Not even I could have thought of a better idea for this year's graduation. A hundred points to both Gryffindor and Slytherin." He said to them smiling.

The two of them beamed at him and the three decided that they ought to start auditioning soon, so they scheduled it for the 31st of October, Halloween.

The 31st couldn't have come any quicker. Hermione and Draco were rushing all over the place checking the teachers were ready for the evening. Both Hermione and Draco had agreed to audition and it they didn't get to be in the play then they would help with the scenery.

The evening came very quickly for Hermione. She had taken singing lessons every summer since she was five and was quite good but she didn't think so herself.

"Hermione, are you ready to go down to the hall?" Draco yelled up the stairs.

"Just a second." Came a yelled reply.

A few minutes later Hermione came down the stairs ready to go. When Draco heard her he looked up and found her dressed like an angel. She was wearing a brown skirt that came to her knees and a coffee brown vest. It was her hair that amazed him; it was completely straight. No kinks in it or anything and just to finish it off she had the slightest bit of make-up on which made her shine.

"Ready to go?" she asked.

He nodded and offered his arm to her. She giggled and gladly accepted. They made their way down to the hall together talking about what the auditions were going to be like. As they turned into the main hallway they met up with Harry and they walked down together; they were like the new trio of Hogwarts. Most people thought it was nice to have some house unity and others just thought it was plain weird to have enemies become the best of friends so quickly. They came to the hall and sat down at the appropriate parts that they were auditioning for. Harry sat down in the line for Raoul, Draco sat in the line for the Phantom and Hermione sat down in the line for Meg.

"Welcome to the auditions for the play The Phantom of the Opera. Let's start with the smaller parts." McGonagall said.

Twenty minutes later, Professor McGonagall stood on the stage once again. She raised her hands for silence and it was given.

"Thank you. Now for the main parts. First let's have The Phantom. First we have Draco Malfoy."

Draco took his place on the stage and started to sing. The audience were dazed by the fact that he could sing so well. Hermione was in so much of a daze that she started to fall off her chair but caught herself just in time. She looked over at the judges table and saw them scribbling furiously.

"Thank you Mr. Malfoy. Next!" Professor McGonagall shouted.

Draco walked to where Hermione was sitting and sat down next to her. She hugged him tightly.

"You were brilliant! I didn't know that you could sing that well!" she said amazed.

He just shrugged it off. He didn't think much of it but did like the compliments from Hermione. Ten minutes later, the auditions for Raoul started. Harry was up first and he sang just as well as Draco did. Hermione and Draco cheered for him and he came to sit with them once he was done. They gave him compliments and he thanked them.

Five minutes later, the auditions for Christine started and ended quickly. The teachers looked worried that only one person, Hannah Abbot, had sung just about well enough. They called the people who wanted to audition for Meg.

"Hermione Granger!" Snape shouted.

The boys said good luck and she went onto the stage. She looked around nervously before speaking.

"Before I start I would just like to say that I'm going to sing a song that Christine sings as the only one Meg sings is very short." She said to the teachers and they nodded as 'okay'.

She nodded back at them and then nodded at Professor Flitwick who was the piano man. The first few notes started and after eight beats in her head she started to sing;

"Think of me
Think of me fondly when we've said goodbye
Remember me once in a while, please promise me you'll try

When you find that once again you long to take your heart back and be free
If you ever find a moment spare a thought for me.

We never said our love was evergreen
Or as unchanging as the sea.
But if you can still remember
Stop and think of me.
Think of all the things we've shared and seen,
Don't think about the way things might have been.

Think of me,
Think of me waking, silent and resigned.
Imagine me
Trying too hard to put you from my mind.
Recall those days, look back on all those times,
Think of the things we'll never do.
There will never be a day when I won't think of you!

Flowers fade, The fruits of summer fade,
They have their seasons so do we.
But please promise me that sometimes
You will think...
(Opera singing)
Of me!"

She finished the song by hitting the last note. She looked down at everyone and found them gaping at her. Had she really done that badly? She was about to leave the stage when she heard someone clap. She looked back to find that everyone was clapping and whistling for her. She took her place back in the middle of the stage and bowed. She sawthat the teachers were whispering something to each other. She sat back down next to the boys who hugged so tightly she couldn't breathe.

"Guys…can't breathe…choking!" she said gagging.

"Sorry Hermione. Why didn't you tell us you could sing that well? You were amazing!" Harry said happily while Draco nodded in agreement.

"Its not a big thing guys. My mum made me take singing lessons every summer since I was five. I guess they paid off but its really nothing to get excited about." Hermione said exasperatedly.

"Not a big thing? Hermione all the boys had their eyes glued to you, especially Draco here. He looked as though he had died and gone to heaven about a thousand times. I swear his eyes weren't connected to his head." Harry said laughing as Hermione and Draco blushed furiously.

"Harry be quiet will you. For your information, my eyes were connected to my head and I wasn't the only one staring like I had died and gone to heaven. You were too!" Draco said indignantly.

"At least I admit it!" Harry said still laughing.

Draco swatted his arm and gave Hermione a pouted look which meant 'make him apologize'.

"Harry apologize." Hermione said simply.

"Sorry Draco." Harry said politely.

"Draco apologize."

"For what?" he said gaping.

"For swatting his arm." She said simply yet again.

"Sorry Harry." He said grumpily.

"Now you're both even." She said smiling.

They carried on talking while the teachers made their final adjustments on who was playing which part. After waiting an intense half an hour Professor McGonagall stood up on the stage.

"The main parts will be read out now and the smaller parts while be put on the house notice boards. Now for the moment you've all been waiting for."

The hall elapsed into silence. The tension was killing everyone.

"The part of the Phantom will be played by…Draco Malfoy!" the hall clapped wildly for him as he got hugged by Hermione very tightly.

"Well done Draco!" she squealed.

"Thanks Hermione." He replied.

The hall elapsed into silence once again.

"The part of Raoul will be played by…Harry Potter!" the hall cheered loudly.

"Well done Harry!" Hermione and Draco said at the same time. They laughed and hugged him.

For the last time that evening the hall went back into silence. The next part was the most crucial part.

"The part of Christine will be played by…Hermione Granger!" with that, she left the stage and returned to her seat.

Hermione sat in her place shocked. The lead role? Never in her life did she think she would make a lead role. The whole hall was silent and then came the clapping, the whistling, the compliments and the tears. Girls who didn't get the part of Christine were crying their eyes out but were happy that Hermione got the part.

Afterwards, everyone started making their way back to their dorms. Hermione was still shocked that she was 'Christine'.

"Hermione?" Draco put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and realised something; she was in love.

"Are you alright? You look dazed." He said concerned.

"I'm fine. Thanks Draco." She said smiling.

They walked back to the common room and entered it. They sat down on the sofa thoroughly exhausted.

"Hermione?" Draco said.

"Hmm." Came the reply.

"Could you sing for me?" he said quickly blushing at what he had just asked.

She looked at him with a questioning look.

"Why?" she asked curiously.

"I like you voice. Its very comforting." He said in a small voice.

She was very touched by his words, even if they weren't very many.

"Alright then. What do you want me to sing?" she asked.

"Um…could you sing 'Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again' please?" he asked quietly. It was his all time favourite.

She nodded and cleared her throat. She waved her hand and slow music started playing. Draco got in a comfortable position and watched as she stood and walked towards the window. She sat on the window sill and started singing.

"Little Lotte thought of everything and nothing.
Her father promised her that he would send her the Angel of Music.
Her father promised her...
her father promised her...

You were once my one companion,
you were all that mattered.
You were once a friend and father,
then my world was shattered.

Wishing you were somehow here again,
wishing you were somehow near.
Sometimes it seemed if I just dreamed,
somehow you would be here.

Wishing I could hear your voice again,
knowing that I never would.
Dreaming of you won't help me to do,
all that you dreamed I could!

Passing bells and sculpted angels,
cold and monumental.
Seem, for you, the wrong companions,
you were warm and gentle.

Too many years fighting back tears,
why can't the past just die!

Wishing you were somehow here again,
knowing we must say goodbye!
Try to forgive, teach me to live!
Give me the strength to try!

No more memories, no more silent tears!
No more gazing across the wasted years!

Help me say goodbye
Help me say goodbye..." she faded out along with the music.

Draco sat in his seat awed. He couldn't believe how passionately that girl could sing. It was as if she had lost her own father and she was asking him to help her say goodbye. It was incredible. Then he realised something that he should have long ago.

He was in love with Hermione Granger.