Musical Me answers
1. Hermione and the Professor’s Spoon by Welluthink (WIP)
2. Tempo by bluestocking79
3. She was Beautiful to him by keladry_lupin
4. Phantom of Hogwarts by good_witch a/k/a pern_dragon (WIP)
5. Stealing the Siren by ms_figg
6. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Lifeblood
7. Play, Outcast, Play by lady-karelia
8. A Duet Well Played by Iphignia
9. Discovery by melenka
10. Schadenfreude by Dressagegrrrl
1. Severus found that kicking his furniture was very therapeutic, if rather painful for the feet. The only good thing he could see that had come out of today was that the staff would probably stop teasing him. After all, one does not just ignore a request from the Headmaster!
Snarling softly, he gave his sofa another vicious kick as his mind was dragged back to the reason for his humiliation. Singing! Honestly! For Merlin’s sake, I never sing alone, let alone in front of an audience! Groaning, he gave the end of the sofa another vicious kick, blessing his boots for being sturdy enough to prevent a great amount of pain.
Someone laid a hand on Severus shoulder.
He spun around with a cry, whipping his wand out and pointing it at… the Headmaster’s nose. Hermione and the Professor’s Spoon by Welluthink (WIP)
2. Hermione dislikes Tchaikovsky.
She was certain she'd never appreciate it-it's too romantic-but when she hears it alongside Severus, she finds herself reconsidering.
The music sounds lush and lovely now. It conjures thoughts of crashing waves, beautiful and slightly frightening in their power to sweep her away, flooding her with emotions she couldn't begin to name.
Severus feels it, too. It's obvious in his warm, glittering gaze and the flush of pink on his cheek.
The pink deepens when she kisses that cheek.
He says nothing-but the hand he presses to his cheek in silent amazement speaks volumes. Tempo by bluestocking79
3. But a cheerful Hermione Granger was contagious, too. She was quite jovial when she was industrious, or studying. She even seemed to enjoy the rows that warmed the laboratory with no other fuel than a colossal amount of hot air. He'd certainly enjoyed working with her, these last four months.
Why did she have to go and fancy him, damn it?! Wasn't life complicated enough already?
His eyes strayed to his bookshelves, and he knew what could calm him down quickly. Despite the cold, he stripped down to his waistcoat, shirt, trousers and socks. He found a record and set it upon his old phonograph, and gently set the needle in place. As the music began, he pulled his grandfather's Stradivarius out of its case and caressed its strings with the bow, tuning it to this particular recording. Violin tucked under his chin, he gestured, and the needle moved back to the outer rim of the record. He sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the fire, and waited for his part of the piece to begin.
He found such peace in this. She was Beautiful to him by keladry_lupin
4. Pushing herself off the door, she picked her script up from where Harry had dropped it. She already knew the story. She had loved the musical when she had seen it with her parents years ago. She had even bought the CD of the soundtrack right after seeing the show. What none of the others at Hogwarts knew, as she had kept it to herself, was that she already knew the whole soundtrack word for word. She was still curious to read the script, however, knowing it had some dialogue that was not on the soundtrack. She idly hoped that the singing lessons she had had as a child would be enough for her to perform on her own without the spell. Of course, being the perfectionist she was, she knew that if her skills weren’t good enough, she’d use the spell in a heartbeat. She loved the play too much to not give it the very best she could. Phantom of Hogwarts by good_witch a/k/a pern_dragon (WIP)
5. Mechanically, Snape stood up and walked over to the sign-up table. He picked up a pen and wrote his name down. The girl sitting there read what he was going to do, then looked up at him and smiled.
"Going to do a bit of magic, eh?" she asked him.
Her ears both had two huge disks in their lobes.
"Yes," Snape said shortly, still looking at Hermione and hoping she wouldn't leave before he took the stage.
Hermione finished singing, and smiled shyly at the audience as she left the stage and took a seat at a table to watch the other performers. She was alone. She and Ron had a big row and she took off here. No one knew she did Open Mikes or that she could even sing. She kept this part of her life private.
Stealing the Siren by ms_figg
6. She stood there for a few minutes, watching him pour everything he was into the melody. His eyes were closed, his face both gentler and more intense than ever she had seen before. The last bars of the piece played out and he sat for a minute, contemplating the next selection.
He drew his bow across the strings, sounding the opening chords of Hayden’s concerto for flute and cello. He obviously intended to play the piece alone, but Hermione decided that he would not have a solo tonight. A murmured “Accio” and a few moments later she was holding a leather case. Her parents had gifted her with it for her last birthday, instead of the usual books. She was incredibly grateful, as her old one was in constant need of repair.
Lovingly, she drew out a finely crafted flute of solid silver, accentuated with fine gold inlay along the keys, that felt like butter beneath her fingers. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Lifeblood
7. A vague memory hit Hermione. She was watching Professor Snape in several situations, all of them involving her in one way or another. It was an almost creepy déja-vu feeling that she could not make sense of. She shook it off, not wanting to feel uncomfortable.
The weeks following Hermione’s arrival in the secret room were filled with studying, talking and most of all, music. Draco’s musical skills had improved tremendously, and both enjoyed playing instruments together. Hermione’s mind was once again set to find a way to create some music resembling the song of the phoenix, music that transmitted the feel of euphoria, music that inspired the feel of the pure energy of the universe in anyone who heard it. Play, Outcast, Play by lady-karelia
8. He shook his head, running his fingertips along the horsehair of his bow, testing the flexibility of a familiar tool. As the first note sounded from beyond the wall, he looked up, smiled. Picking up his violin, he listened for a moment, poised as he was with the instrument beneath his chin, and readied his bow. Ah, Mozart tonight. Steadying his posture, he breathed in deeply through his nose, and on his exhale, brought his bow to meet the strings, releasing a steady hum of harmony to her own note behind the stone wall. Playing along with her, they got through most of a movement before she noticed his presence. He felt her stop, her bow wavering, and turn towards his wall. He could almost see the expression of curious wonder on her face as she questioned, "Did I just hear.?" In a moment, the music continued, this time Bach again, a concerto. He picked up beside her, the song of the violin ringing out in melodious tune with her fine playing. He heard the music waver as she realized he had started again, but she was quick to recover her surprise, and through the tone, he could hear her excitement. A Duet Well Played by Iphignia
9. A single flute dared more, beckoning the other instruments toward joy.
Without warning, the music stopped. As always, the sudden quiet took Hermione back to the moment where everyone had paused, unknowing. She fought to suppress the fear, the loss, the cost of secrets kept. She turned to face Severus.
“Beautiful,” he murmured. “What was it?”
“Your requiem. Not a proper one, but that wouldn’t do, would it? I heard the music in my head, war raging around me. It would not stop. And now, it will not be finished. Cannot be, because you lived.”
“And whose fault is that?”
She closed her eyes. “Mine.” Discovery by melenka
10. Picking up the mortar and pestle, I ground the beetle carapaces into a powder while I watched Professor Snape hover over his cauldron, stirring the potion with care. How could someone who was so precise and well-timed in the art of Potion-making be so a-rhythmic and hopeless with a musical instrument? I wondered if he had danced when they played, rocking back and forth like a goblin with a bad hip.
“So, Professor, do you have any hobbies?”
“Good lord, Ms. Granger. Have you taken leave of your senses? What on earth would make you think that after two years of your Apprenticeship, I suddenly have developed an interest in idle chit chat? Stop your nattering, or I’ll toss you out like a bit of poofy-haired baggage.”
I smiled, sure of my footing. “That would be your loss. I am the most brilliant witch of my generation, so they say, and I’m sure there are plenty of other Masters who’d love to take me on.”
He rolled his eyes, grunting, “They’re welcome to you and your entitled attitude.” Schadenfreude by Dressagegrrrl