Disclaimer: I do not own anything dealing with Harry Potter or Phantom of the Opera. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling, Gaston Leroux, and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

A/N: I just wanted to say thank you to those few reviewers. If they didn't review, I'd take down the story for lack of interest. So thanks so much to those few reviewers who keep me going. I hope you like this chapter.

Chapter Eight: Masquerade…

It had been nearly four months since the horrible meeting and it was now time for the Yule Ball. Everyone was fully aware and believing in the Phantom of Hogwarts, but that did not stop their spirit of the New Year. The only problem was that none of them knew what to do. So, Albus and the ministers had decided that they would throw a New Years Eve Ball at the school while all the students had gone home for the holidays. They hoped everything would go on as planned in an attempt to make everything seem normal. They were sure they could pull it off. Besides, they hadn't seen or heard from the phantom since that fateful night, when he had murdered Argus Filch. In a sort of commemoration of no longer having to put up with the phantom, Albus decided that the New Years Eve Ball should be a masquerade of sorts.

All the students had gathered there and they were really excited to have the chance to dress up. Several of the ministry officials had been invited, as well as a few other witches and wizards high on the social ladder. Everyone was arriving, and outside the doors to the Great Hall, two figures met.

"Cornelius?" one asked. He was dressed in a skeleton outfit.

"Rufus?" the shorter one replied. He, too, was dressed as a skeleton. They both lifted up their masks and laughed. Both turning, they walked side by side into the Great Hall where others were already dancing and drinking, all in beautiful costumes of the most elaborate kind.

"Cornelius, I must say this is such a charming party," smiled Rufus.

"The prologue to a bright new year," Cornelius agreed, a smile upon his face.

"What a night, I'm impressed." Rufus was looking around at the wonderful decorations, and it was clear to him that Albus had spared no expense in making the school look bright and warm and welcoming.

"Well, one does ones best," replied Cornelius. He lifted two champagne glasses off a floating tray and handed one to Rufus, who gladly accepted it. "Here's to us." They clinked glasses and sipped.

"I must say that it's a shame that 'phantom' fellow can't be here." They both chuckled at the joke Rufus had made in an attempt to keep things light. It worked, because they continued to laugh merrily before they decided it was time to mingle with the others who had attended.

All around, there were people dancing and drinking and laughing at seemingly invisible jokes. It was almost impossible to tell who was who unless one spoke directly to each other. It seemed as though a long time had passed since anyone from the school was able to meet up with another from the school. But there was one point in the festivities when Scrimgeour, Fudge, Madam Pomfrey, Poppy Pomfrey, Umbridge, and Miller were all together. They were standing where the long teacher's table usually sat and they all smiled as they looked out and surveyed all the people who had come, all of whom were dancing and laughing and paying those six no mind at all.

"What a night," smiled Rose, who was dressed as an Egyptian queen, bearing a striking resemblance to Cleopatra.

"What a crowd," breathed Poppy, who was dressed like a swan. She had rarely seen crowds as big as this one gathered in one room.

"Makes you glad," Cornelius put in. He puffed out his chest in a sign of pride. He acted as though it were his doing that brought everyone here tonight and not Albus'. Oh well, if it made him happy, everyone assessed.

"Makes you proud," agreed Rufus. "All the crème de la crème, here, in our very own school."

"Watching us watching them," said Jane, that horrible sneer upon her face.

"And all our fears are in the past," smiled Poppy. Rose was not so sure, but she said nothing. True, they had not heard much from the phantom, but she had learned a long time ago not to be deceived by appearances. Who knew where or when he'd show up? No one, not even her. So she decided to let them have their fun before going around dispelling their hopes of never seeing the phantom again.

"Can you believe it?" asked Cornelius. "Four months of relief and delight."

"Four great months of Elysian peace," smiled Rufus.

"And we can breathe again," agreed Rose, clutching her stomach.

"No more notes," said Carlotta. This really pleased her.

"No more ghost," breathed Joshua. Cornelius lifted his glass in the others.

"Here's a toast to a prosperous year." The others lifted their glasses in the air.

"To the new chandelier," said Rufus. They all looked up at the chandelier, which now rested above their heads. They were originally going to put it in the room of requirement, but then decided against it since they were afraid the phantom would show up again and cause it to fall during another meeting.

"And may its splendor never fade," toasted Jane. They all took a drink of their champagne and smiled at each other.

"What a blessed relief," said Rufus.

"And what a masquerade," toasted Rose.

Meanwhile, Minerva was having a little trouble. She had been dancing with several men that night. Normally, this would have pleased her, to be the center of attention, even if it were for only one night. But it seemed that so many of the young men she danced with her replicas of the phantom, and it scared her more than it annoyed her. She didn't want to take that chance that she might be dancing with the real one. She was dressed like an angel with wings that fluttered about every now and again. She was incredibly relieved when the next hand to grab hers was Albus'. He spun her around and she actually giggled, something he had not heard her do in quite a while. He pulled her off to a corner to get her a drink. He was dressed like a medieval knight, without the shiny armor.

"Oh, my wonderful knight," she teased. He bowed to her.

"My lady," he smiled, handing her a glass of champagne. She took it and took a small sip. She then began to play with the necklace around her neck, which she often did. It was a long, silver chain with a ring on the end. It was a beautiful gold ring with a large diamond in the middle and an emerald on either side.

"Think of it, a secret engagement. Look, your future bride. Just think of it." She smiled as she toyed with the ring around her neck. Albus had proposed some months earlier, and she had accepted gladly. He set his glass down, as did she.

"But why is it secret, what have we to hide?" He leaned in to kiss Minerva, but she pulled back, looking around.

"Please let's not fight," she breathed.

"Minerva, you're free," he said. He could tell that she was still scared of that man or phantom or whatever he was.

"Wait until the time is right," she said, placing her hand upon his cheek.

"When will that be?" asked Albus. He wanted to be mad with her, but he knew he couldn't. He understood her fear, and he knew that it would be a while before she felt totally comfortable and able to enjoy her life with him. "It's an engagement, not a crime. Minerva, what are you afraid of?" He knew all too well what she was scared of, but he thought there was a slight chance that she was afraid to let anyone know of their actual engagement. He was, after all, quite a bit older than she was, and he knew what people might say or think. But he didn't care.

"Nothing," she lied. He knew it was a lie, but neither one of them cared to argue. Especially not on a night like tonight. So instead, he pulled her out onto the dance floor and they began to dance.

Barely five minutes had passed before the lights began to flicker dangerously. The music, as well as the dancers, began to slow and then eventually stopped. They all looked around in question, wondering what could possibly be interrupting their party. Suddenly, the lights went out completely and everyone was left in the dark. Then, when the lights came back on, there was a lone figure standing in front of them where the teachers usually sat during the school year. The figure was dressed like the Red Death, but they all knew who it really was. It was him, the Phantom of Hogwarts. Just when they were sure they were rid of him, he appeared, looking more dangerous than he ever had. Everyone back away slightly as he took a few steps towards them.

"Why so silent good messieurs?" he asked. No one knew why he had suddenly begun to say 'messieurs' as opposed to 'gentlemen', but Minerva guessed it was because several of the attendees were French. But the reasoning behind his change of wording was not first and foremost on her mind. She was too busy trying to remember how to breathe to really care what he said and exactly how he said it.

"Did you think that I had left you for good? Have you missed me, good messieurs? I have written you an opera! Here I bring the finished score: Don Juan Triumphant!" With that, he threw a large stack of sheet music at Rufus and Cornelius' feet.

"Why the devil do we need an opera?" asked Cornelius before he could stop himself. Tom turned to him.

"Surely you have not forgotten the festival which is held every February, have you?" he asked in a mock innocent voice. "Surely it is the highlight of the year for the social elite in the wizarding world. And I would most certainly hope that you would not have forgotten, since our dear Headmaster-," pointing over to Albus, who was standing there, stunned, "-is kind enough to offer to hold it here, at Hogwarts. Isn't that right, Albus?" Albus wanted to say something, but Minerva stopped him by placing a hand upon his hand and shaking her head slowly. She knew it would be futile to go against Tom, and she did not want to see Albus as the next victim. He obeyed, but only barely. Tom sneered at him, leaving Albus angry and frozen to the bone.

"I'd advise you to comply, my instructions should be clear. Remember there are worse things than a shattered chandelier." He motioned to the new chandelier above.

"Minerva?" whispered Albus as he felt her leave his side and begin to walk to Tom. He could not understand why she was doing so, but it soon became clear that she was, once again, in a trance of some sort. He wanted to jump in front of her and threaten the Phantom, but he was stopped by a hand upon his shoulder. He turned around and saw Rose Pomfrey shaking her head and holding him back. He made to argue with her, but she pressed a finger to her lips. He looked back to Minerva helplessly as she continued to make her way to the Phantom, who was beckoning to her with just a finger. When she finally was close enough to touch him, he reached out his hand and tore the necklace from her neck. She gasped as she came out of her trance and stared at him unbelievingly, her hand around her neck as she felt the immediate loss of her engagement ring.

"Your chains are still mine, you will sing for me!" With that, he wrapped his cloak around him and disappeared. What did that mean, she would sing for him? She did not know, nor did she care. She looked around at all the people who were, in turn, staring at her. She did not want them to see her cry, so she ran from the Great Hall and through the halls. She had to get to her room before she broke down in a large crowd like a baby.

Albus wanted desperately to follow her, and was about to, when he caught sight of Rose making an exit through the side door which stood just behind the teacher's area. He hadn't even realized she had let go of his shoulder. He made his way across the floor, which now played host to extremely confused party guests, and out the door. He had to ask Rose Pomfrey what she knew of the Phantom, and if he guessed correctly, she knew much more than she let on.

A/N2: Okay, there is my next update. I hope you all liked it. I will try to update my other fics as soon as possible. I can't promise anything, but I shall try, I promise. K? Always Hopeful