Chapter 1: The Casting

When Beauty and the Beast was announced as the spring musical at Hogwarts, Harry and Ron and Hermione eagerly signed up for an audition time. Ever since their successful performances in the previous' years Sleeping Beauty, the Golden Trio could not wait to be in a show again.

One morning in the Great Hall, Harry and Ron were at breakfast, when they saw Hermione in the doorway. She signaled to them, and the boys looked at each other before eagerly rushing up to her and out into the Entrance Hall. They had a feeling about what was coming.

Sure enough, the cast list had been posted. None of the friends had to scroll down very far to discover what their parts were.

Ron and Hermione whooped and squealed in delight before giving each other a chaste kiss: the real-life couple had been cast once again as love interests Belle and the Beast. Harry, meanwhile, had nailed the part of Lefou - a better turn than when he had shared the role of Prince Phillip's horse the year before. All three laughed at the thought of Draco Malfoy playing Gaston, though Ron thought it quite fitting ("He won't have to reach far to be an egotistical prat!") and were thrilled that Neville would be playing Maurice. Now, all was left was to wait excitedly for rehearsals to start.