A/N: The songs in this chap are ancient as it was like 04/05 when I wrote this chap hahaha

A/N: The songs in this chap are ancient as it was like 04/05 when I wrote this chap hahaha.

Chapter 18

Severus stood behind the scenes watching Robin Green with proud shining in his eyes.

The songs she was now performing didn't need the accompaniment of a piano, so he had some time off. At least that was what he thought…

"Professor?"

Snape turned around annoyed.

"Yes Ginny?"

"I … I'm not sure if this," she said motioning around her. "was such a good idea. I mean my voice isn't THAT great and what… and what if I forget my lines or start to sing out of key?"

"Ginny! Please calm yourself!" Snape said, looking her deep into the eye and resting his hands on both of her shoulders. "You ARE going to do this and it'll go perfect, trust me! You have a beautiful voice and you're going to use it to the limit, alright?"

Silence.

"I said: alright?"

"Well, yes… I ..uh guess so." Ginny replied, doubt still ringing in her voice.

"No you don't guess so. I KNOW so. Besides if you really forget your lines, I'll accompany you."

"You'll what?"

"I conjure up some background singers." Severus explained.

"You can do that?" Ginny asked amazed.

"Yes, of course I can, I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise, now would I?" he replied a little annoyed. "Now go on and rehears your lines one more time if you're so unsure about them."

"Okay, thank you professor Snape…. For everything."

"Yeah, yeah… just run along." He replied, turning around to watch the show again.

When he was almost engrossed in the show once more, he heard two soft voices from somewhere nearby.

"Oi Pip, you are sitting on my left foot!"

"Sorry………………….. Can you see him?"

"No, not really. Wait! How about if I were to stand upon your shoulders?" Merry suggested. "This thing is just a bit too high to look over, so.."

"Yes that might work, Merry. Come on, climb on top off me, quickly now."

Merry did as he was told and soon he stood onto his nephew's shoulders.

"Can you see anything?"

"Yes, yes I can." He replied excited. "Gimli is dancing!"

"He is what??" Pippin exclaimed.

"Yes with a lady nonetheless."

"You have got to be kidding me!" Pippin said laughing.

"No, I am not. And she is over two heads bigger than he is." Merry told him, laughing so hard that he lost his balance.

They both tumbled onto the ground and through the curtain where they were hidden behind.

"What in the bloody hell do you think you are doing here?" a voice bellowed.

They both looked up from the ground into the very angry face of professor Severus Snape.

"Oh good evening, Severus, we were just.. uh…" Merry looked at his fellow Hobbit for support.

"Yeah, we were just… we lost something… yes, yes that is it."

"And what is this mysterious thing that you lost right here?" Severus demanded to know.

"Oh, that is a secret." Merry informed him.

"Yes, we have not the privilege to tell you." Pippin added smugly.

"I see." Severus said, not believing one word, but really not feeling like playing the bully tonight. "Well just get the hell out of here, because I presume you have found this very important thing by now."

"Yes, we have actually. Bye." Merry said, spinning around and running away quickly, with Pippin on his tail.

Severus shook his head and turned around once again to try and follow the show.

Legolas walked across the Great Hall in search of some beverages.

He really loved the music that was being played tonight.

When he had finally worked his way to the other end of the room, he spotted a table with food and drinks on it. He was about to pour some Pumpkin Juice into a glass, when he felt someone tapping his left shoulder.

"Excuse me.." a girl said.

He turned around surprised: "Yes?"

"Hi, I'm Nancy. You wanna dance?"

"Uh.." Legolas scanned the room quickly in search of Aragorn, because he was not sure of what he should do.

"Well?" the girl asked, getting a little impatient. "It's a simple question really. It's either yes or no."

"I … uhh.. alright, why not." He said, making up his mind. Aragorn probably would not care anyway, plus he really wanted to dance.

She took his hand and dragged him over to the dance floor, looking smug at her friends and all the other girls, who looked at her jealously.

She started to dance to him closely. Legolas, who was used to dancing completely different, didn't really know what to do.

The Elves dance with much more grace, he thought. While humans just… just do.. something.

After a few minutes he finally got the hang of it and started to enjoy himself. Nancy still tried to dance rather close to him, but he backed away a little, every time she got too close for his liking. He rather liked to dance a bit more alone, unless he was dancing with Aragorn of course. Suddenly she grabbed his hands. He looked at her questioningly.

"Just follow my lead." She whispered in his ear.

This he did enjoy, because now she started to teach him all kinds of classic dances, which he picked up pretty quickly as of course being an Elf, who had the trait of having a natural feeling for rhythm, he could do them all in no time.

"Good, you're quite the dancer you know and handsome too." She spoke seductively.

"Uh, thank you." Legolas replied, not really knowing how to react.

Snape looked around in search of Ginny.

Where in the hell is that silly girl?

"Ah Ginny there you are. Hurry will you, you have to be on stage in five minutes." He informed her.

"I know, I know. No need to remind me. Besides I am here now, aren't I? I just played with the thought to hide somewhere and come out again, when it was all over and done with."

"Oh, don't make such a fuss, will you. You have a great voice, plus the band knows the music by heart. There is nothing to worry about."

"That's easy for you to say. You are the one wearing a mask and aren't in the spotlights."

Snape looked at her in mild amusement, cocking both of his eyebrows surprised.

He wasn't at all familiar with this side of Ginny's personality, which he didn't dislike.

When she realised what she just had said to the feared Potions master, she started to blush deeply: "I…uh…."

"It's okay." He interrupted her. "You actually may have a point there. But I was sort of forced into doing this and YOU are not."

"Oh, I didn't know that. I think we'd better get backstage, 'cause it's time to shine, huh?"

"Quite right, remember if you need my help, just look at me okay?" Snape told her, starting to walk away.

"Alright, thank you, professor."

"Hello everyone, we meet again! This time I'm here to prepare you for yet another singer, who also attends this school. Yes we have many talented people here…

At first when they told me her name, I was like: No way! This can't be!

But then I heard her sing and oh my God, what a beautiful voice she has. Anyway I can keep rambling on for hours but that's not the reason why you're here, now is it?

Now please, give her a warm welcoming applaud. Here is Ginny Weasley!!"

Ron stared at the stage open-mouthed where his 'little' sister appeared.

"Bloody hell." Was all he could muster.

Next to him Hermione and Harry also looked very surprised.

"I didn't know she could sing." The latter said surprised.

"I did." Came Ron's short reply. "But .. I .. I just never expected her to have the guts for something like this. I mean my little sister a singer? This is just too weird! How could she have hid something like that from us?"

"Well it's not like you have paid THAT much attention to her lately. You were quite busy with other things." Hermione remarked grinning.

"I guess you're right." He said, pulling her close to him and kissing her softly.

"Argh please.. I already have too many moments like this burned inside my skull. No need to at some to the already colourful collection, thanks."

"Shut up, Har! I'm sure when you got yourself a nice girlfriend you'll be wanting to kiss her 24/7 as well."

"Not very likely." Harry muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Riiiight, just you wait. I'll talk to you again when that time has come. Then we will be the ones who have to pull you two apart." Ron smirked.

Harry rolled his eyes, turning his attention to Ginny again. "Hmmm looks like she is nervous."

"Yeah maybe a little too nervous. She hasn't sung one word yet."

Now all three of them looked at her expectantly as did the rest of the Great Hall.

Oh my gosh… what were my first lines again? Ginny thought, really starting to panic now. She looked around seeing all the eyes that were focussed on her, before hers finally rested on one particular pair of almost black looking eyes. She pleaded him for help silently and he immediately got the message.

He continued playing the piano with his left hand, while he rose the other, holding his wand loosely. He muttered something, which Ginny didn't here as the noises around her were too loud. After a few seconds something was coming out of his wand, like a Patronus.

But Ginny soon realised that it wasn't the expecto patronum spell.

It was a person that was coming out of his wand, well more like the ghost of a person, but not just any person. The ghost that was coming out of his wand resembled her!

When the Ginny ghost had emerged from the wand completely, Snape withdrew his wand and only kept his eyes firmly fixed on the conjured figure. Suddenly he started to talk again, or so it seemed, because now the Ginny ghost started to sing in the exactly the same voice of the real Weasley girl.

Ginny stared at her double open-mouthed. Although Snape had told her that he could conjure some background singers. She had never expected that he could make a duplicate of her.

She noticed that Snape and her look-a-like had some sort of mental connection as she sang exactly what he was singing only many times louder and in a different voice, hers to be exact.

Christina Aguilera - Stripped

Fighter

When I, thought I knew you
Thinking, that you were true
I guess I, I couldn't trust
'Cause your bluff time is up
'Cause I've had enough
You were, there by my side
Always, down for the ride
But your, joy ride just came down in flames
'Cause your greed sold me out of shame, mmhmm

After all of the stealing and cheating
You probably think that I hold resentment for you
But, uh uh, oh no, you're wrong
'Cause if it wasn't for all that you tried to do
I wouldn't know just how capable I am to pull through
So I wanna say thank you

'Cause it makes me that much stronger
Makes me work a little bit harder
It makes me that much wiser
So thanks for making me a fighter
Made me learn a little bit faster
Made my skin a little bit thicker
Makes me that much smarter
So thanks for making me a fighter

Oh, ohh

Never, saw it coming
All of, your backstabbing
Just so, you could cash in
On a good thing before I realized your game
I heard, you're going around
Playing, the victim now
But don't, even begin
Feeling I'm the one to blame
'Cause you dug your own grave, uh huh

After all of the fights and the lies
Yes you wanted to harm me but that won't work anymore
Uh, no more, oh no, it's over
'Cause if it wasn't for all of your torture
I wouldn't know how to be this way now, and never back down
So I wanna say thank you

'Cause it makes me that much stronger
Makes me work a little bit harder
Makes me that much wiser
So thanks for making me a fighter
Made me learn a little bit faster
Made my skin a little bit thicker
It makes me that much smarter
So thanks for making me a fighter

When Ginny finally got over the initial surprise and shock, she started to sing along. Now she was actually singing she realized that she had nothing to be afraid of. She didn't even notice when Snape stopped singing along from time to time.

-- same time, different person

When Severus locked his eyes with Ginny's he immediately saw that something was wrong. It didn't take him long to realize what it was that was bothering her as she hadn't sung one word as to yet. Gathering all his energy inside him he redirected it to his wand. He would probably be using all of it as the spell that he was about to do was a very difficult and tiresome one. Closing his eyes for a second so he could concentrate, he said:

"Duplicato apparato"

Slowly Ginny's ghost began to form and as he directed an extra bit of power into his wand the figure detached itself from his wand and drifted a little towards Ginny.

Wow this is a little harder than I remember. Snape thought a little frustrated at his own incapability. I should have practiced it more often he thought, being quite angry with himself. Not that he would ever let Ginny down, of course he wouldn't. But the fact remained that he probably would have to drag himself of the stage and to his quarters when this was all over and he hated to see his own weaknesses. Grinding his teeth together to prepare himself for another song, since Ginny motioned for him to continue, he searched inside himself to once again bring up the power to feed the ghost, so it wouldn't vanish in tin air.

Beautiful – Christina Aguilera

"Oh my God, do you see that?" Hermione said excitingly, nudging Ron with her elbow.

"That man behind the piano conjured a duplicate of Ginny."

"So?"

"So?? Well I have read about that spell and it's a very difficult one. You have to really be a wizard of great power to be able to do that." she told them. "And he is playing the piano as well. How I wish I knew who he was. Robin said he was a Professor, right? Hmm who could he be?" she wondered out loud.

"How should we know? He probably isn't from this school anyway, since none of our teachers are that powerful, except Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick and Lupin, but I've seen them all walking or dancing around here."

"Hmmmm, who could it be then?" Hermione said, thinking very hard. "Oh what about Professor Snape? He is pretty powerful."

"What makes you say that?" Harry questioned.

"Well, I don't think Voldemort would hire, some kind of powerless loser and use him as his most trusted spy, now would he?"

"You may have a point there, Hermione, but I think Snape would rather kill himself than sing and play piano."

"Yeah, you're probably right. But Robin DID say that she couldn't give us his name, because otherwise she would regret it for eternity, or something." Hermione reminded him.

"So? I'm sure many other teachers have a reputation to held high, like professor Sinistra for instance. I don't think he would be too happy about the fact that the entire school knows that he writes sappy love songs."

"Well I for one think the lyrics are great." Hermione said, with a huff.

"I don't think they suck either, I only wanted to make my example clearer. No need to get all excited about it." Ron said, shaking his head a little.

Christina Aguilera - Reflection

Christina Aguilera - I'm ok