Kaysha Stewart had not an ounce of musical talent but it wasn’t as though she occasionally liked to teach herself the piano. It was the possibly the only instrument she was drawn to which was why she found herself at the Music room that day. Quite mercifully, the piano was unoccupied so she took up position before it. For a moment, she studied the black and white keys, mentally recalling the notes each played.

Long, slim fingers trailed across the keys as she moved her gaze to the song book propped directly in front of her. A few notes were memorised before she looked back at the keys. Rather slowly (painfully so) Kay started to gently push them so that they corresponded to the music sheet.

Still... it sounded off key.

After the rather I N T R I G U I N G start to the school year, Chase needed to take a walk. He needed to clear his mind. The happenings of the Start of Term feast were mind-boggling. Why was their Headmistress sent away? And why did two randos replace her and the Divination Professor?? It was jus strange... Had Headmistress Hawthorne committed a crime? Was she responsible for all the things that had happened in the past few years? Could someone even try to correlate such events to one person? He pursed his lips, shoving his hands into his pocket and then began to whistle as he walked past the music classroom until he heard...

THAT.

What was THAT!?

The very hair on his skin was standing up and the fourteen year old felt incredibly, incredibly uneasy. Ominous, slow, and slightly off-key music emitted from the classroom. It reminded Chase very much of the muggle films that his father enjoyed to watch. The good old classic horror films were a popular song could be playing but it would be playing so slow and in a different key that it would just send shivers down your spine.

Perhaps it was the new Headmaster. How cliché. He chuckled. How fitting, he supposed. The new Headmaster or Professor was casually playing music right where he would be walking. He halted in his tracks. What... What if they could read people's minds? Maybe they were Legilimens. Was that the term for people who practiced legilimency? Welp. If they did, he blew his cover and it was better to face the problem than avoid it. He'd learned that lesson last year.

He opened the door to the classroom and found.... "Professor Stewart?" he asked rather surprised to see her. He hadn't been expecting this. "Hi."

SPOILER!!: CHASE! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Watson

After the rather I N T R I G U I N G start to the school year, Chase needed to take a walk. He needed to clear his mind. The happenings of the Start of Term feast were mind-boggling. Why was their Headmistress sent away? And why did two randos replace her and the Divination Professor?? It was jus strange... Had Headmistress Hawthorne committed a crime? Was she responsible for all the things that had happened in the past few years? Could someone even try to correlate such events to one person? He pursed his lips, shoving his hands into his pocket and then began to whistle as he walked past the music classroom until he heard...

THAT.

What was THAT!?

The very hair on his skin was standing up and the fourteen year old felt incredibly, incredibly uneasy. Ominous, slow, and slightly off-key music emitted from the classroom. It reminded Chase very much of the muggle films that his father enjoyed to watch. The good old classic horror films were a popular song could be playing but it would be playing so slow and in a different key that it would just send shivers down your spine.

Perhaps it was the new Headmaster. How cliché. He chuckled. How fitting, he supposed. The new Headmaster or Professor was casually playing music right where he would be walking. He halted in his tracks. What... What if they could read people's minds? Maybe they were Legilimens. Was that the term for people who practiced legilimency? Welp. If they did, he blew his cover and it was better to face the problem than avoid it. He'd learned that lesson last year.

He opened the door to the classroom and found.... "Professor Stewart?" he asked rather surprised to see her. He hadn't been expecting this. "Hi."

She was HORRIBLE at this.

Very horrible.

Surely she was about to scare away everyone in the vicinity of the Music room. It was the thought that crossed her mind and lingered there as her fingers continued to move over the keys. Maybe her playing was so bad that it would annoy Scrimgeour and Fletcher enough to confront her. What she wouldn't do to stand up to them... that next thought brought a warm feeling about her.

Kay didn't hear the door open but she heard the voice. Her fingers paused as she looked around. "Hello, Mr. Spenley! How are you? Here to play an instrument?''

Hanna had come into the Music classroom three times a week since she started Hogwarts. Usually, though, she came early in the morning or late at night. Not now, however. Stupid curfew.

Clad in her full Ravenclaw Robes, with the only exception being her pointe slippers, Hanna flicked her wand at the piano, charming it to play a gentle tune. She started warming up her ankles, feeling her face go red as anger swelled inside her.

Practicing her dancing in her school uniform was unbearably annoying. It restricted the movement she needed. She could wear her SORE uniform, but she wasn't actually sure that would be allowed. And she really didn't want to ask permission from the Headmaster. But she needed to practice dance if she was going to keep up with her studio back home. Even though she could no longer perform in the bigger showcases, she could still partake in both the Christmas and Summer shows.

"Five, six, seven, eight..." she counted herself in, and started doing the first few moves of her piece. Although when she went from a squatting pose, to a one-legged balance pose, her robes were caught underneath her shoe, causing her to lose balance and fall sideways. "Ahh," she winced, as a sharp pain spread from the point where her hip had smacked into the floor. She pulled off her shoes and threw them towards the door, biting her lip to prevent any stupid crying she may want to do.

Benji was looking for a soothing place to study Divination -- he was truly horrible at it, and adding a new terrifying professor into the mix was really stressing him out -- and figured the Music room would be a good place. There usually weren't too many people, and the ones who might be there were generally playing nice music. He could work with that.

He was a little annoyed to be stuck in full robes outside of class, but he wasn't about to try to argue the point with anyone. Best to just live with it. He trudged up the stairs slowly, carrying his giant Divination textbook and repeatedly shoving his left sleeve up as it kept falling back down every ten seconds. Ugh. Wearing something uncomfortable to go study something he hated. What a dream. He just hoped someone would be playing the piano or something (as long as they were playing it well, that is). That always helped him focus.

He finally arrived on the sixth floor and pushed his sleeve up one more time as he approached the music classroom. He opened the heavy door, only to immediately have to dodge a pair of shoes forcefully hurtling directly at him. "Whoa," he said, accidentally dropping his textbook with a loud thump as he jumped to the side. "What the...?" He looked around for the source of the projectiles and spotted a girl sitting on the floor and looking like she was about to cry. Um... Explanation, please? (And pleeeeeease don't cry. He was so not good with crying people...)

The sound of someone saying Whoa, along with a loud thump, made Hanna almost jump out of her skin in surprise. "Ahh," she squealed, hands to mouth. She scrambled to her feet, which took a few moments of tripping over her robes, but she was finally up. She went to retrieve her ballet shoes and picked up the fallen textbook. Divination. She let out an "Ugh," and handed it back to him, then replaced her bare feet with her school shoes. "I'm sorry, I- I didn't mean to throw these at you. Just impossible practicing with robes on."

She recognised him though. "Benji, right?" Yeah, she knew it was Benji. She was good with names. But some people weren't, and adding some tone of doubt might put him at ease if he didn't remember her name.

"Ah... Thanks," said Benji, taking the textbook. His heart was still racing from the sudden fright (and subsequent burst of physical activity). He concurred with her "Ugh" but didn't say anything -- you never knew who could be listening, and he had a deep-seated fear of authority in general, let alone the Wicked Witch of the West and his flying monkey the new headmaster and Divination professor.

"It's... Okay," he said, as soon as he'd had a moment to catch his breath. "Benji, yeah. You're Hanna? I know we've run into each other in the common room..." He was almost positive that that was her name, but there was room for doubt. They had never said much more than a polite hello to each other, and now that the rules were so strict, he felt like there hadn't really been time to talk to... you know... anybody. (But of course, he wasn't going to say that. Sounded too much like criticism.)

"Do you mind if I stay? I don't want to interrupt you. Just... everywhere else is super busy." He shrugged a bit, pushing up that pesky sleeve once again, and waited for an answer.

Hanna nodded, "Yup, it's Hanna." She was pleased that she'd at least escaped enough for people to know her name. Last year it was minimal contact with anyone outside at least her dormitory. And even then, she was mostly mute. She felt rather guilty at having given him the shock of an object being thrown, but she was very relieved he didn't seem mad at her.

"Not at all. Are you... doing Divination homework?" she asked. "I like it here, it's usually pretty quiet." She picked her wand up from her pile of belongings and flicked it at the piano, ceasing the charm that had kept it playing for her. No longer wanting to dance in her stupid uniform.

"No, not exactly," Benji answered. "I already did the homework, but I'm so scared I'm going to fail. I feel like I need to know the book inside and out. I'm horrible at Divination, and especially now that--" he stopped himself, thinking better of what he was about to say. "Now that I'm a third year, you know. Things get more serious. Don't want to fall behind." Nice save, dude. (Yeah, right.)

"For some reason, nobody ever thinks of coming here to study, but it's a pretty good place to do it," he added with a shrug. "You were dancing, I take it?" Y'know, judging by the flying ballet slippers and all.

Hanna felt herself agreeing with Benji wholeheartedly. "Yep, I feel the same." Besides, it appeared if people just weren't gifted in, or didn't enjoy Divination, they were punished. That wasn't good teaching. "Failure just... doesn't seem like an option without severe consequences," she said in a hushed tone. Hanna nodded, in two years they would be sitting their OWLs, something she was already worried about. But before they got to that, they had two years of exams still.

"Yeah," she grinned, "I very rarely see people here. That plus the piano make it a perfect place for... well, anything." And the library, though quiet, was often full of students anyway. Hanna nodded again. "Yeah, practicing my ballet. At least I was trying to. I usually do it in my dancing clothes."

"Um... did... did you want a study buddy for Divination?" Hanna wasn't awful at the subject, but her keenness to learn had certainly taken a beating since being introduced to the Professor. So a study friend for her, now, least favourite subject would be something she at least would like.

Nimma arrived in the music room with a *POP*

Nimma did not want to see any dust on the music! No no no! A cloth in hand, Nimma began to carefully clean the instruments.

Benji agreed with Hanna about failure not being an option, but he didn't feel brave enough to actually say so aloud. It seemed a little too close to criticism to do so. Instead, he gave a subtle nod and hoped she'd understand.

"Hmm," he said at her mention of dancing clothes. "I see the problem... Well... This is athletic, isn't it? Could you wear your SORE clothes? Does the rule still apply here? I really don't know..." he trailed off, furrowing his brow a bit and thinking about her problem. He could understand how it would be frustrating to try dancing like that in robes. (The flying shoes made sense now, too.)

His puzzling over the issue was interrupted by her asking about being study buddies. "Actually, that sounds kind of nice," he said, smiling at Hanna. He wanted to do well and not get in trouble by the scary bald man, and he could see himself being friends with Hanna, so it seemed like a win-win. "Are you any good at Divination?" It was his worst subject, truthfully, so he really hoped she was.

He suddenly heard a popping sound and looked over at its source: a house elf who had begun cleaning the instruments. He wasn't sure if he was allowed to talk to her while she was working (for all he knew, the headmaster was terrorizing them too -- or had them totally under his thumb), so he just gave her a polite smile and tried not to distract her from her work.

The music room was a place Alice visited now and then, though usually after the students had gone to bed but before the staff had to do the same. Today she was bringing an antique music box to the room as a gift. History of Magic's previous professor (a strange man named Charles O.Curtains) had sent her a music box as a gift. Claimed he found it on a battlefield. Nice of him to send a gift to her when he didn't even know her, but that wasn't going to stop her from gifting it to this music room.

She nodded approvingly at the house elf but said nothing. Ah yes, house elves. Her old school in Romania didn't have enough. The number of working house elves at Hogwarts was one of the things she liked better about Hogwarts.

Her gaze met the two students in the room. They weren't breaking any rules. Good. "Greetings, students," she greeted them professionally as she set about placing the music box on a stand. There, it should fit there.

Hanna commenced chewing her finger nails at the suggestion of wearing her SORE uniform. "Well I just... I don't want to risk it. And I don't want to... to ask for permission", she said the last bit quieter. The two new men made her very nervous.

Hanna smiled about being study buddies. "Great," she said. That was a big relief. Better than one mind was two! At least sometimes, anyway. But she found herself shaking her head at the question. "No, not really. I mean I don't struggle with it, but I definitely lack the inner eye." And the interest. "Are you?"

She was distracted by a pop, and looked to see one of the house elves starting to clean the instruments. Hanna didn't know their names, at least not all of them, but she greatly appreciated the work they did. "Hello," she said to the elf.

But it wasn't just the house elf to appear. In came Professor O'Hara. Hanna was quite relieved it wasn't one of the two new men, but found herself flicking back to all the things she and Benji had been talking about, worried that they had been caught. No, no... she didn't recall them saying or doing anything against the rules. "Hello Professor O'Hara," she said, and then noticed the thing she was carrying. "That's beautiful!"

"Ah," Benji answered solemnly. He understood what Hanna meant. He would never have asked for permission, either. For all he knew, anytime they were alerted of anything even remotely fun, they might snatch it away just because they could. But of course he would never say that. He hoped she understood that he got it.

He couldn't help but laugh when she asked if he was good at Divination. "Not in the slightest! I'm afraid you've just signed yourself up for something more like studying and feeling very sorry for me because of how bad I am at it." He grinned hugely at that idea. Divination was certainly not his forte. "Although I am good at following rules, so I guess that does come in handy." That and, you know, his deep-seated fear of authority. The usual.

Following Hanna's gaze and the sound of the door swinging open, Benji's breath caught in his throat. What if it was Headmaster & Co. trying to surprise attack them?! He wouldn't put it past them, to be honest, they were the scariest adults he'd ever met. His tightened, nervous fists began to relax when he saw that it was Professor O'Hara busily putting an... old looking... box??? of some sort... away. He puzzled briefly over what it was before realizing she'd said something. "Hello, Professor," he said with a smile. He was thankful for all the years he'd had to keep a neutral face with his parents despite what was happening internally. He was still feeling a little high-strung and jumpy, but judging by his face, he was having a great time not breaking any rules and being the Politest Boy you'd ever met.

Gaston's blue eyes scanned his surroundings as he walked into the music room. This place had been his safe haven for the past seven years, but Scrimgeour's reign of terror changed all that. The ever-increasing list of rules and the firings of so many of his friends silenced his songs, out of fear they would be used against him. His visit became less frequent until one day, he stopped coming here. But stifling his creative voice hadn't saved him; all it had done was make him sicker and sadder until the strain of hiding nearly killed him from the inside. Now he was done hiding.

With a sigh, he crossed the room to the piano and sat on the bench. He absentmindedly fingered the keys as he thought back on his time here at Hogwarts and how much everything had changed. He no longer recognized the school he served; he no longer recognized himself.While he still loved his students as if they were his own, his love for Hogwarts as an institution had died, crushed in the iron fist of Julian Scrimgeour's rule. Nobody would ever know how much he'd sacrificed to try to minimize the damage to the students this term... and would it even matter if they did?

He felt...a lot of things; sad, disappointed, betrayed, This school had taken so much out of him, and now he had nothing left to give. He didn't want to go, but he knew he couldn't stay. Lost in a whirlwind of emotions, he began to play and sing very quietly: Wrap me in a bolt of lightning/Send me on my way still smiling/Maybe that's the way I should go/Straight into the mouth of the unknown...

To the untrained ear, it might sound like just another breakup song, but it held a much deeper meaning to Gaston. It was a reflection of his parting of the ways with Hogwarts.

Stretching his legs for the first time in what seemed an eternity, Ewan walked, his head down as his legs took him…he didn’t really know where. It had been the first time in many moons, he almost willingly wandered the corridors of the school, his eyes somewhat less glazed over than they had previously been the past few months.

Looking up as a low sound penetrated his ears, his eyes couldn’t help but wander over to the classroom nearest him. Was someone actually singing? Music. Strange. When had he last listened to music?

With a tentative step, he moved towards the door, his ears straining to hear the sound. Slowly he pushed the door open ever so slightly and sat down outside of the room, not wanting to be seen. Whoever this mystery person was singing about had a lot to answer for. Closing his eyes, he leaned back against the cold stone wall and listened.

Stella needed a breather from all the studying she been doing lately, she was glad it was over to be honest. Thinking about how this year went it sure wasn't how she expected it to be that's for sure. She remembered telling Professor Marchand about the problems that they were facing, oh.. how things gotten so much worse. It was to a point to where she didn't want to be here anymore, this wasn't the Hogwarts her parents and brothers told her about. It was still like a military school in her opinion, but worse WAY worse.


Walking around the castle her feet guiding her seeing how she was in deep thoughts she wondered to the music room. Peeking inside she walked in biting her lip as she did, she wasn't going to get into trouble for being in here was she? Music was educational and you learned alot from it she thought. She loved the piano it was so beautiful and showed so much emotions through it. She was quite good with it herself, seeing how she learned at such a young age.


Closing the door softly she walked over towards the paino hearing it being played. She didn't know what it was but it sounded beautiful. Walking closer she seen Professor Marchand playing it. "Professor Marchand?" she asked surprised that he was in here. "Sounds beautiful sir, really beautiful. " Stella said with a weak smile. It sounded like a sad song due to the key it was played in but she could be wrong.

Text Cut: Ewan & Stella

Quote:

Originally Posted by GD2204

Stretching his legs for the first time in what seemed an eternity, Ewan walked, his head down as his legs took him…he didn’t really know where. It had been the first time in many moons, he almost willingly wandered the corridors of the school, his eyes somewhat less glazed over than they had previously been the past few months.

Looking up as a low sound penetrated his ears, his eyes couldn’t help but wander over to the classroom nearest him. Was someone actually singing? Music. Strange. When had he last listened to music?

With a tentative step, he moved towards the door, his ears straining to hear the sound. Slowly he pushed the door open ever so slightly and sat down outside of the room, not wanting to be seen. Whoever this mystery person was singing about had a lot to answer for. Closing his eyes, he leaned back against the cold stone wall and listened.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Granger Danger

Stella needed a breather from all the studying she been doing lately, she was glad it was over to be honest. Thinking about how this year went it sure wasn't how she expected it to be that's for sure. She remembered telling Professor Marchand about the problems that they were facing, oh.. how things gotten so much worse. It was to a point to where she didn't want to be here anymore, this wasn't the Hogwarts her parents and brothers told her about. It was still like a military school in her opinion, but worse WAY worse.


Walking around the castle her feet guiding her seeing how she was in deep thoughts she wondered to the music room. Peeking inside she walked in biting her lip as she did, she wasn't going to get into trouble for being in here was she? Music was educational and you learned alot from it she thought. She loved the piano it was so beautiful and showed so much emotions through it. She was quite good with it herself, seeing how she learned at such a young age.


Closing the door softly she walked over towards the paino hearing it being played. She didn't know what it was but it sounded beautiful. Walking closer she seen Professor Marchand playing it. "Professor Marchand?" she asked surprised that he was in here. "Sounds beautiful sir, really beautiful. " Stella said with a weak smile. It sounded like a sad song due to the key it was played in but she could be wrong.

Gaston was so consumed in the moment that he didn't notice anyone else enter the room. He sat with his head bowed over the piano, graying black hair obscuring the anguished expression on his face, as his fingers moved nimbly over the keys. Months' worth of stifled emotions poured out of him as he continued the song, his voice gradually becoming louder and louder with each verse. Normally he was nervous about other people hearing him sing, but this time he wanted them to hear. He wanted them to know how he felt!

His voice reached a crescendo as he came to the bridge of the song: I'll always keep you inside/You healed my heart and my life/And you know I've tried... He would always hold on to his fond memories Hogwarts, but that time in his life was ending. The school had given him a wife and a daughter, but it had also taken so much from him. He tried so hard for this school, but it seemed his best wasn't good enough.

Call me a sinner, call me a saint/tell me it's over I'll still love you the same... No matter what he did, it seemed disapproval followed him. Now he realized he could never be what Hogwarts wanted, especially under the current circumstances. Call me your favorite, call me the worst/ tell me it's over I don't want you to hurt/ So I'll be on my way... But no matter how much his feelings had changed toward the school itself and its leadership, he still loved his students as if they were his own children, even the ones who thought badly of him.

As Gaston played the final note of the song, a voice called his name. He jumped slightly but upon realizing it was a student's voice, he looked up and saw Stella. How long had she been there? "Oh! Hello, Stella. I'm sorry, I didn't see you there," he said, inwardly berating himself for ignoring her. Her smile was met with a warm beam. "Thank you. I've found that music helps me process my emotions when they get to be too much to handle."

He suddenly had the feeling that she wasn't the only one watching him, and he peered across the room to find the door slightly ajar. "Is someone else there?" he asked, hoping against hope that it wasn't Scrimgeour.

Looking at him she noticed that he looked lost in the music, she did that alot as well when she played. Amazing thing music was, you can lose yourself in it abd forget about the world around you. Stella could feel and hear the emotions as he sung the song, she couldn't help but not to frown. It was a very sad song indeed, she knew that just by listening to it. She felt bad for him, but then again this year been though on all of them.


She was only a first year and this year has been a bad one for her, but through it all she kept her up above the water. She made it through the year like a strong brave lioness would, she felt proud of herself. Hearing the crescendo she felt a ache in her heart, there was so much emotions she felt like crying. Although she wasn't going to do that yet... she was strong and brave. Although the stron and brave broke down as well, even the strong broke down at times, and she was seeing that now.

Seeing him jump a bit she frowned. " Oh... I'm sorry Professor, didn't mean to startle you. she said smiling at him. She shook her head. "It's ok sir, I know how lost you can get in music, makes you forget about the world around you. " she said looking at the piano. She nodded. "I understand, I play the piano like yourself to deal with my emotions when they become too much. " she said softly. "I been playing the piano since I was able to reach the keys or so my mum says!" she said giggling. She seen that he looked sad and broken she frowned. "Are you ok sir? You look sad and broken. she said still frowning sadly.


Stella looked at the door and started shaking, she wasn't going to be in trouble for being here was she? In her defense music was educational and made your body and mind strong. Just their luck the Headmaster and his minions would be lurking around spying on them looking for a reason to punish them. "Y...you don't think it's the Headmaster or his minions do you Professor?" Stella asked him. She hoped not, she didn't want to see any of them, lessons was enough in her opinion.

Ewan couldn’t help but listen at the door, the cold of the floor seeping through his robes slightly now. His eyes still closed, he wasn’t sure how long he sat there. Listening. Lost in his own mind. That was until he someone called out to him. Eyes snapping open, his head turned slightly at the word spy. Spy? SPY? He wasn’t a spy! Or was he? Well either way, he didn’t mean to.

Hesitantly, he pushed the door open a little more and poked his head through the gap. “Uh… Hi? I’m not spying. I was just listening. Well, actually I came here to play but there was already someone here”, holding up his Ukulele as a shield now. “I can leave if you want Professor?” looking down slightly now. He knew exactly how intimate playing music could be. And well, this sounded emotional and private. Turning slightly now, he gave a small tentative smile and nod to the other student in the room as he walked further into the room. He didn’t have anything to hide and well…who knew, maybe they’d want to play together.

Gaston had been too lost in his music to notice how deeply his song affected Stella while he played. If he had, it would've broken his heart! He didn't want her - or any of his students, for that matter! - to feel sad on his account. He returned her smile with a reassuring one of his own. "It's quite alright," he replied. "I should've been playing more attention to my surroundings." Imagine if Scrimeour or one of his lapdogs had snuck up on him while he was distracted pouring his heart out! He never would've heard the end of it... His smile grew at his little Lion cub's next words. "It most certainly does," he said, nodding. "That's why I love it so much! There have been many times in my life I've needed to forget about the world..." Like this whole term, for example. His expression darkened for the briefest of moments, but his smile returned even wider than ever as Stella mentioned the piano. "Oh? I didn't know you play. I'm impressed! My father tried to teach me to play the piano when I was young, but I was too afraid of making mistakes and disappointing him to learn. I didn't start really playing until my fifth year at Beauxbatons; one of my friends taught me." He laughed a little along with her. "Would you like to play something? It's only fair after you listened to me."

Gaston was slightly caught off guard by Stella's question, and his face fell at the sight of her sad frown. He bent so his eyes met hers and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Scrigeour could take his "no displays of affection" rule and shove it! "I can't lie to you, Stella. I am sad and broken, but I'll be okay in time," he said with a small reassuring smile. "Getting thing out in song helps. So don't worry about me."

He suddenly jerked his hand back as the little lioness voiced exactly what he was thinking. "I have no idea, but it wouldn't surprise me at all," he said, his overprotective dad!professor instinct taking over as he stood between Stella and the door. If it was the headmaster on the other side, there was no way Gaston was letting him punish her! His heart raced as the door opened, and...

Phew, it was only Ewan! A huge smile of relief spread across Gaston's face. "Hello, Ewan," he said. "It's okay; I didn't think you were spying. We were just worried you might be Headmaster Scrimgeour..." He gave a halfhearted chuckle, but his expression changed at the offer to leave. "No not at all; you have every right to be here. Maybe the three of us could play somethign together?"