Chapter Three- The Music of the Night
Draco threw a longsuffering look in Patrick’s direction as the costume woman fiddled with the waistband of his black pants. The director shot a warning look back, but there was a hint of sympathy in it as well. Both men thought Mara took her job a little too seriously.
Oblivious to the men’s thoughts about her, the plump woman pulled a safety pin out of her mouth and stuck it into her fistful of fabric. “Alright, Draco, these will need to be taken in a bit at the waist, but it’s overall a pretty good fit.”
Draco just nodded at the frenzied costume lady and looked at the director.
“What do you think, Patrick?”
“It’s looks good, considering it’s just black pants and a white shirt. Mara, you should have him try the mask that goes with it.”
“Oh yes, of course,” the woman said, and promptly forgot to fetch it. She headed instead to the woman’s dressing room and knocked on the door. “How’s it coming in there?”
“Umm. . .it depends,” came the awkward reply from the other side. “I’ve got on the Phantom/Music of the Night dress. It’s kind of not even a whole dress.”
Mara frowned. “What do you mean? Does it fit correctly?”
“It’s. . .alright.” Ginny’s voice was strained.
“Why don’t you come out and let us have a look?” Patrick suggested.
There was no reply for a moment, then the door slowly opened and Ginny stepped out. Looking acutely uncomfortable, she pushed the door shut behind her and looked pleadingly at Patrick.
“Oh, my,” Mara exclaimed, making over the embarrassed girl. “Oh, honey, it looks just fabulous!”
“Now, I forget, what scene is this for?” Patrick’s voice was carefully neutral; he’d noted Ginny’s red cheeks, and this was not a stupid man.
“This is the dress she wears her first time down in the phantom’s lair.”
“Isn’t it a bit. . .,” Patrick paused to search for the right word, watching Ginny’s face turn from dull pink to bright cherry. “Provocative?”
“Oh, no, this scene takes place as Christine is changing out of the Think of Me dress. This was a shift, something to have on under the dresses in that period. It was never meant to be worn in public. This corset tightness gave women the hourglass figure that was all the rage,” Mara prattled, gesturing to Ginny’s partially exposed bosom. “The volume gave proper fullness to their skirts, and these long strips allowed for a few minutes of fun in a corner, if you get my drift.”
Ginny’s face flickered to scarlet, Draco snickered disturbingly, and Patrick roughly cleared his throat.
“Why don’t you go try the next costume, Gin?”
Seemingly ages later, Ginny sat in her slutty under dress again, watching Patrick and Mara spar over her costumes.
“The Think of Me and Point of No Return dresses are fine, but I’m still worried about the Phantom one.”
Mara’s voice took on that of an adult explaining something painfully simple to a small child who just wasn’t getting it. “Patrick, you don’t understand. Christine is a sheltered young woman and the Phantom is a testosterone-driven man. The Phantom of the Opera leads straight into The Music of the Night, which is where the seduction begins.”
Patrick stared at her for a moment, then sighed, shook his head in defeat, and gestured to Ginny and Draco.
“Get in your places. I want to see The Music of the Night.”
The pair scrambled to their places on the stage as the violins began their slow melody, and Draco began his alluring solo:
“Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation.
Darkness stirs and wakes imagination.
Silently the senses abandon their defenses.”
Three violins continued the melody. Draco stepped close and slipped a hand under Ginny's chin, tilting her head to face him.
“Slowly, gently, night unfurls its splendor
Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender.
Turn your face away from the garish light of day,
Turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light
And listen to the Music of the Night.”
Ginny’s eyes slipped closed as he turned her around and drew her into him. He wrapped his arms around her, and his chin rested, just for a moment, on the top of her head.
“Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams.
Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before.
Close you eyes, let your spirit start to soar,
And you’ll live as you never lived before.”
Draco’s breath was hot on her cheek, and she moved her face toward that beautiful voice.
“Softly, deftly, music shall caress you,
Hear it, feel it, secretly possess you.
Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind
In this darkness that you know you cannot fight;
The darkness of the music of the night.”
The tempo of the song increased as more strings began to play. Draco walked swiftly away from Ginny across the stage, candles lighting magically behind him.
“Let your mind start a journey through a strange new
world.
Leave all thoughts of the life you knew before.
Let your soul take you where you long to be.
Only then can you belong to me.”
Ginny moved instinctively toward him, and her fingertips ran slowly, hesitantly down his chest.
“Floating, falling, sweet intoxication;
Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation.
Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in
To the power of the music that I write;
The power of the Music of the Night.”
Draco pulled back a curtain to reveal a perfect statue of Christine Daae. Ginny let herself go limp upon seeing it, and her heart leapt he lifted her easily in his arms. As he lay her down on a cushion, Draco’s voice floated gently through the last few bars of the song.
“You alone can make my song take flight.”
A black gossamer curtain fell in front of the sofa.
“Help me make the Music of the Night.”
Draco threw a longsuffering look in Patrick’s direction as the costume woman fiddled with the waistband of his black pants. The director shot a warning look back, but there was a hint of sympathy in it as well. Both men thought Mara took her job a little too seriously.
Oblivious to the men’s thoughts about her, the plump woman pulled a safety pin out of her mouth and stuck it into her fistful of fabric. “Alright, Draco, these will need to be taken in a bit at the waist, but it’s overall a pretty good fit.”
Draco just nodded at the frenzied costume lady and looked at the director.
“What do you think, Patrick?”
“It’s looks good, considering it’s just black pants and a white shirt. Mara, you should have him try the mask that goes with it.”
“Oh yes, of course,” the woman said, and promptly forgot to fetch it. She headed instead to the woman’s dressing room and knocked on the door. “How’s it coming in there?”
“Umm. . .it depends,” came the awkward reply from the other side. “I’ve got on the Phantom/Music of the Night dress. It’s kind of not even a whole dress.”
Mara frowned. “What do you mean? Does it fit correctly?”
“It’s. . .alright.” Ginny’s voice was strained.
“Why don’t you come out and let us have a look?” Patrick suggested.
There was no reply for a moment, then the door slowly opened and Ginny stepped out. Looking acutely uncomfortable, she pushed the door shut behind her and looked pleadingly at Patrick.
“Oh, my,” Mara exclaimed, making over the embarrassed girl. “Oh, honey, it looks just fabulous!”
“Now, I forget, what scene is this for?” Patrick’s voice was carefully neutral; he’d noted Ginny’s red cheeks, and this was not a stupid man.
“This is the dress she wears her first time down in the phantom’s lair.”
“Isn’t it a bit. . .,” Patrick paused to search for the right word, watching Ginny’s face turn from dull pink to bright cherry. “Provocative?”
“Oh, no, this scene takes place as Christine is changing out of the Think of Me dress. This was a shift, something to have on under the dresses in that period. It was never meant to be worn in public. This corset tightness gave women the hourglass figure that was all the rage,” Mara prattled, gesturing to Ginny’s partially exposed bosom. “The volume gave proper fullness to their skirts, and these long strips allowed for a few minutes of fun in a corner, if you get my drift.”
Ginny’s face flickered to scarlet, Draco snickered disturbingly, and Patrick roughly cleared his throat.
“Why don’t you go try the next costume, Gin?”
Seemingly ages later, Ginny sat in her slutty under dress again, watching Patrick and Mara spar over her costumes.
“The Think of Me and Point of No Return dresses are fine, but I’m still worried about the Phantom one.”
Mara’s voice took on that of an adult explaining something painfully simple to a small child who just wasn’t getting it. “Patrick, you don’t understand. Christine is a sheltered young woman and the Phantom is a testosterone-driven man. The Phantom of the Opera leads straight into The Music of the Night, which is where the seduction begins.”
Patrick stared at her for a moment, then sighed, shook his head in defeat, and gestured to Ginny and Draco.
“Get in your places. I want to see The Music of the Night.”
The pair scrambled to their places on the stage as the violins began their slow melody, and Draco began his alluring solo:
“Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation.
Darkness stirs and wakes imagination.
Silently the senses abandon their defenses.”
Three violins continued the melody. Draco stepped close and slipped a hand under Ginny's chin, tilting her head to face him.
“Slowly, gently, night unfurls its splendor
Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender.
Turn your face away from the garish light of day,
Turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light
And listen to the Music of the Night.”
Ginny’s eyes slipped closed as he turned her around and drew her into him. He wrapped his arms around her, and his chin rested, just for a moment, on the top of her head.
“Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams.
Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before.
Close you eyes, let your spirit start to soar,
And you’ll live as you never lived before.”
Draco’s breath was hot on her cheek, and she moved her face toward that beautiful voice.
“Softly, deftly, music shall caress you,
Hear it, feel it, secretly possess you.
Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind
In this darkness that you know you cannot fight;
The darkness of the music of the night.”
The tempo of the song increased as more strings began to play. Draco walked swiftly away from Ginny across the stage, candles lighting magically behind him.
“Let your mind start a journey through a strange new
world.
Leave all thoughts of the life you knew before.
Let your soul take you where you long to be.
Only then can you belong to me.”
Ginny moved instinctively toward him, and her fingertips ran slowly, hesitantly down his chest.
“Floating, falling, sweet intoxication;
Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation.
Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in
To the power of the music that I write;
The power of the Music of the Night.”
Draco pulled back a curtain to reveal a perfect statue of Christine Daae. Ginny let herself go limp upon seeing it, and her heart leapt he lifted her easily in his arms. As he lay her down on a cushion, Draco’s voice floated gently through the last few bars of the song.
“You alone can make my song take flight.”
A black gossamer curtain fell in front of the sofa.
“Help me make the Music of the Night.”
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