After their explosive rehearsal in the Slytherin boys' dormitory, Harry and Draco quickly fell into a routine. Once lessons had finished for the day, they would have their dinner—usually with Draco sitting at the Gryffindor table, much to Ron's ire—before excusing themselves for their evening 'rehearsals', which usually involved heavy petting and sometimes actually practising their lines. They practised wherever they could without interruption; their respective dormitories, abandoned classrooms, and the odd broom cupboard came in handy for their liaisons. They even fulfilled one of Harry's fantasies by christening the Quidditch locker rooms before McGonagall and the other members of staff focused their efforts on making round the clock repairs to the ruined stadium, making it impossible for them to hook up there again.
Of course, sneaking around the school snogging his secret beau wasn't without its risks. There had been a couple of close calls when Harry and Draco had almost been caught in the act; one evening, after sneaking away from their study group, they had found a dark, seldom-visited corner of the library for themselves, thinking surely nobody was likely to stumble upon them in the Muggle poetry section. Typically, they had been interrupted mid-kiss when they heard approaching footsteps and barely threw the Invisibility Cloak over their heads in time when Madam Pince came into view, replacing books on the dusty shelves before moving on a few moments later.
Harry was loath to admit that the risk of getting caught wrapped up in Draco Malfoy's arms by an unsuspecting passerby did give him quite a thrill. The school year had been, for the first time since he had become a student at the renowned institution, extremely dull and uneventful. Not that he missed being in constant peril, but without even Quidditch to distract him from the monotony of lessons and homework, he had to find other ways of keeping the blood pumping and Draco was certainly more than capable of doing that.
After another successful 'rehearsal', Harry collapsed back onto his bed with a satisfied sigh, savouring the post-orgasmic afterglow as he slowly got his breath back. Draco lay sprawled by his side, eyes closed and panting and Harry thought he'd never seen anything more gorgeous and more fuckable in his life. He leaned over and nuzzled the crook of Draco's neck, peppering his soft skin with featherlight kisses. Draco hummed in satisfaction and teased Harry's hair between his fingers, his expression one of contentment.
"We really should practice some of our lines," he murmured eventually and Harry groaned in protest.
"In a minute," he said sleepily, his hand playing with the buttons of Draco's shirt. "I think I might be ready for round two."
Draco humphed out a laugh and pushed Harry's hand away. "You really do have the libido of a jackrabbit, don't you?"
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Harry pouted. "It's your fault, really. Every time you do that little twisty movement with your wrist, I just about lose my damn mind."
Draco quirked an amused eyebrow at him. "Really? I'll keep that in mind for the future."
He pressed a quick kiss to the crown of Harry's head before wriggling free from his grasp and scooped his discarded trousers from the floor. Harry watched Draco get re-dressed, knowing that he should probably do the same but making no effort to move. Draco spent an inordinate amount of time fixing his belt buckle, his expression suddenly serious as he avoided Harry's watchful eye.
"Tell me something," he began. "What happened between you and Ginny?"
Harry was surprised at the directness of the question. They hadn't talked much about the particulars of their own relationship, let alone previous ones. He could tell Draco was trying to sound as casual as possible but he couldn't disguise the tense note in his voice. Clearly, it was something that had been on Draco's mind a lot if he was bringing it up now. Harry sat upright and pulled his quilt cover over his lap as it felt a tad indecent to talk to Draco about his ex-girlfriend with his wilting erection on full display.
"Umm...how do you mean?"
Draco still wouldn't meet Harry's gaze, straightening the sleeves of his shirt and fiddling with his cufflinks as he spoke. "What I mean is, you two were pretty loved-up for a long time and then all of a sudden you weren't. I'm just curious what happened."
Harry gave a careless shrug. "There's not much to tell, really. We realised that we weren't compatible so we broke up, but we stayed friends. That's about it."
A slight frown creased Draco's forehead. "So, when you say that you weren't compatible, I take that this incompatibility was sexual in nature?"
Harry felt the heat rise in his cheeks. "Uh, yeah. I suppose so…"
"You've only ever dated women before, am I right?" asked Draco evenly, checking his reflection in the nearby window since Harry didn't own a vanity mirror.
"Yeah, what of it?" he replied a little defensively. Draco finally turned to face him, his face deliberately set in an unreadable expression.
"Honestly? I never would have guessed that you were that way inclined until you started sucking my face off like a limpet."
"I did not suck your face off!" Harry protested, tossing one of his pillows at Draco. "And even if I did, I didn't hear you complaining."
Draco caught the pillow in mid-air and smirked at Harry. "Well, you've certainly improved with practice, I'll give you that much." His smile faltered and he bowed his head. "As someone who hasn't shown any previous inclinations towards anyone else of the same sex before now, I'm just curious when you realised that you preferred the company of men."
"When did I realise that I was gay?" Draco nodded and Harry thought about it for a moment. "It's hard to say. I guess it's something that's always been in the back of my mind but I've only really given serious consideration to it in the last few months: when your life is in constant peril, sex ranks fairly low on your list of priorities."
"Agreed," muttered Draco darkly and Harry gave him a weak smile. He supposed Draco knew all too well what that was like.
"Other than a couple of crushes, I've never really had strong feelings for anyone before. I mean, I love Ginny"—Draco's jaw tensed when Harry said that—"but as she pointed out, there's a big difference between loving someone and being in love with them. It quickly became clear that was the case for me. I love Ginny, but more like a sister than anything else."
Draco sat next to Harry, hugging the pillow to his chest. "So this is all pretty new to you?"
"Pretty much," he sighed. "I mean, I've had crushes on guys before but it wasn't something that I ever planned on acting on." Seeing the confused expression on Draco's face, Harry explained, "Being gay in the Muggle world isn't exactly universally accepted."
Draco frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Well, homosexuality was only legalised fairly recently, for starters…"
Harry went on to give a brief explanation of attitudes and laws in British Muggle society to Draco, who looked increasingly horrified with each revelation. Upon hearing that homosexuality used to be a criminal offence, Draco shook his head in disgust.
"Well this simply goes to prove what I've always said: Muggles are a barbaric bunch," he declared.
"Muggles aren't all bad, and things have gotten a lot better in recent years," Harry argued but Draco was having none of it.
"You can't help the way that you're born. Why should you be treated differently over something that you have no control over?" he raged.
"You mean like the way Muggle-borns are treated differently by some pure-bloods?" said Harry coolly. Draco blanched and stuttered.
"No. That's…"
Harry was fairly certain that Draco had been about to argue "that's different", but he stopped speaking abruptly and averted his gaze, looking a little embarrassed. Normally, Harry would have jumped at the chance to point out Draco's hypocrisy but evidently, he had realised it himself. Harry cleared his throat and continued.
"Being a wizard in the Muggle world was difficult enough already without my sexuality complicating matters further. I didn't want to give my aunt and uncle another reason to hate me more than they already did, so I kept my thoughts and feelings to myself."
"Someone hated you more than I did? I didn't think that was possible," Draco joked.
"You never met my aunt and uncle," said Harry with a wry smile. "It was safer just to ignore my feelings, I suppose, than to think about what they really meant. But Ginny explained that things are different in the magical world, that people are more accepting of that sort of thing. I think that's going to take me some time getting used to, though. I've spent so long trying to hide who I really am that it's become second nature, of sorts."
Draco worried his lip in silent contemplation for a few moments before admitting quietly, "I'll admit that I have some idea what that feels like. While it's true that being gay in the magical world is largely accepted, being an unmarried pure-blood with no heirs is still frowned upon."
Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Really? What did your parents say when you told them that you were gay?" When Draco didn't answer, a look of understanding dawned on Harry's face. "You haven't told them, have you?"
"Not exactly," he said, squeezing the pillow a little tighter. "You must understand, there are so few pure-bloods left, there's extra pressure on the last of us to get married and have children, to keep the bloodlines alive and whatnot."
A heavy weight seemed to rest in the pit of Harry's stomach then. "So...does that mean that you're going to get married regardless?"
Draco let out a derisive snort and some of the tension in his shoulders eased. "Not bloody likely. I'm the social pariah of the magical world, remember? Even if I am wealthy, suitresses are hardly lining up to marry a gay ex-Death Eater. Which suits me just fine, I'm not the marrying type, anyway."
Harry was privately relieved to hear this. "Do you think you'll ever tell your parents?"
"I will eventually," he said, tossing the pillow back onto the bed. "I'm not ashamed of who I am, but the less they know, the better. Things are complicated enough with my parents at the moment, it would be better to wait until after I've graduated and moved out of the Manor before I speak to them about it. What about you? Do Weasley and Granger know?"
Harry's stomach twinged as he thought of his friends and he shook his head. "Ginny's the only one who knows. And you, obviously."
Despite feeling the happiest he had felt in as long as he could remember, Harry couldn't help but feel guilty about keeping such a big secret from Ron and Hermione. They had been to hell and back with Harry, seen him at his very best and worst. They were a constant source of strength and support for him throughout the years and he was repaying them by lying to them about his relationship with Draco. The more he thought about it, the more his guilt ate away at him.
"And you trust Ginny not to say anything?" asked Draco, interrupting Harry's morose train of thought.
"With my life," he declared with confidence.
"When will you tell Weasley and Granger?" he asked.
"Soon," said Harry. "I'm just trying to find the right moment, you know? Ron still has it in his head that Ginny and I are going to get back together." Seeing alarm flash across Draco's face, Harry reassured him, "That's never going to happen."
"Really?" asked Draco uncertainly.
"Really," he grinned mischievously at Draco. "I'm actually seeing someone at the moment, if you must know."
Draco smirked. "Oh? Anyone that I know?"
"Maybe," Harry wrapped his arm around Draco's waist and pulled him closer. "Know any hot blondes that run their mouths all the time?"
Draco's smile broadened. "No, but he must be pretty special to put up with your nonsense."
Harry's smile softened and he pressed their foreheads together. "Yeah, he is pretty special, actually."
He pressed a soft kiss to Draco's lips which Draco briefly returned before pulling back. "When you do decide to tell your friends...will you tell them about me?"
Draco's expression was conflicted and Harry felt a wave of sympathy for him at that moment. As much as Harry hated keeping secrets from his friends, he knew how gossip could spread like wildfire; if anyone found out about him and Draco, Draco's parents would surely learn about them soon after. Given what he knew of the Malfoys, Harry didn't think their reaction to their son being gay and in a relationship with Harry Potter would be viewed favourably.
Harry was going to come out to his friends when he felt ready to do so. Draco ought to be accorded the same right to come out to his parents when he felt ready, too. He wasn't going to begrudge Draco wanting to keep his sexuality and—by extension—their relationship private. And if Harry were being completely honest with himself, the idea of having some semblance of a private life was more than appealing to him. Up until this point, everything in his life had been reported, documented and scrutinised at such length that he wouldn't be surprised if the cover page of the Daily Prophet one of these days was a play-by-play analysis of his latest bowel movement. It was nice keeping something in his life just to himself for a change—something special, something only for him and Draco.
"I would like to, but I'll only tell them when you feel ready for them to know," Harry assured him.
Draco hesitated. "So you're okay keeping things just between the two of us for the time being?"
"And Ginny," Harry reminded him.
"...And Myrtle," Draco added quietly.
"Myrtle?" Harry spluttered. "How did she find out?"
"I told her. Don't pull that face, she can be very discreet when she wants to be," he said briskly.
"If you say so." Harry looked sincerely at Draco. "As far as I'm concerned, what we do is nobody else's business but ours. Let's work things out for ourselves first before posting a public announcement on the school notice board."
Relief and gratitude flickered across Draco's face and he leant forward, kissing Harry deeply. The tenderness behind the kiss took Harry aback and he felt the ache of affection deep inside his chest intensify. He felt like there was more to this kiss than simple sexual attraction, something deeper that he couldn't quite put into words yet. Rather than overanalysing the moment, he just went with the flow; he lay back onto the bed and pulled Draco on top of him, both of them pulling at his belt buckle and zipper. Evidently, there was going to be a round two, after all.
Of course, the increased amount of time Harry and Draco were spending together hadn't gone unnoticed by Harry's friends. As Draco took his now-usual seat next to him at the Gryffindor table for breakfast, Hermione listened with interest as the two boys began making arrangements for where they were going to rehearse later that evening.
"That's almost every night you two have arranged to rehearse together," she said suspiciously. "You've certainly become much more studious of late, Harry."
"Maybe he just finally found the right study partner," Ginny suggested innocently, grinning into her goblet as she took a swig of juice. Draco smirked at her.
"It probably helps that he's finally found something that sparks his interests," he said smoothly, giving the top of Harry's thigh a tight squeeze under the table. "You're a fast learner, aren't you, Potter?"
Harry paused eating his breakfast and Ginny choked on her orange juice. While Hermione patted Ginny gingerly on the back, Ron looked perplexed at the exchange between Draco and his sister.
"Fast at learning what?" he asked, confused.
"My lines," said Harry quickly, grabbing Draco's hand in an effort to stop his wandering fingers in their tracks. "I-I'm fast at learning my lines."
"Well then today's rehearsal should be very interesting," said Ginny conversationally. "We'll be doing our first run-through of the Capulet's Ball scene. Isn't that when you and Malfoy kiss for the first time?"
"Is it?" said Harry as casually as possible, knowing perfectly well that was the scene they would be rehearsing today; he'd spent the previous evening tossing and turning in his sleep at the prospect of kissing Draco in front of everyone.
"How are you both feeling about it?" Hermione asked Harry and Draco gently.
"Fine," Harry lied. "It's just acting, isn't it?"
"Whatever you say, Romeo," Ginny muttered under her breath.
Before Harry could respond to Ginny's sly remark, silence fell over the Great Hall and he turned his attention towards the staff table to see Professor McGonagall standing, waiting patiently for the chatter to die away before addressing the students.
"Good morning, everyone," she greeted them in her usual clear, brisk tone. "Before you depart for your first lessons of the day, Professor Tonks has a very special announcement to make."
She turned to Liv and gave her a quick nod and took her seat again. Liv leapt to her feet so fast that she knocked over a goblet of pumpkin juice in the process. Cursing under her breath, Hestia and Professor Slughorn helped her mop up the mess with tissues before she straightened her robes and smiled sheepishly at the students.
"Thank you, Headmistress. Good morning, everyone! I know you've all got a busy day ahead, so I'll make this quick. As I'm sure most of you will be aware, Halloween is fast approaching. It is an important festival for both wizards and Muggles alike, and festivities will take place on All Hallow's Eve, as they do every year. However, this year we've decided to do things a little bit differently. Instead of having the traditional feast, we will be having a costume party!"
Liv's smile broadened as an excited murmur spread throughout the crowd and she continued. "Since we've been learning about Muggle society and culture this semester, that will be the theme of this year's costume party: famous Muggles! Whether it be real people or famous characters from Muggle literature, this is an opportunity to show what we've learned so far this year, and to show our appreciation and admiration for our Muggle brethren. There will be Muggle-themed party games as well—bobbing for apples, wrap the mummy, and a graveyard scavenger hunt—and, of course, a prize for best costume! Further information about the festivities will be posted to the notice boards in each house. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact myself or Miss Jones. Thank you!"
As the students filed out of the Great Hall to attend their first lessons of the day, many of them were chatting excitedly about the party, already brainstorming ideas for costumes.
"We'll need to do a couples costume, Ron!" said Hermione excitedly, hooking their arms together. "Maybe something historical. Oh! We could dress up as Shakespearean characters! Titania and Oberon, perhaps?"
"Will I have to wear tights?" asked Ron.
"No."
"Then count me in!" Ron declared cheerfully. Hermione beamed at him.
"Excellent! I know that Gladrags in Hogsmeade sell Halloween costumes every year but they're normally magical. I'm not sure where we'll find Muggle clothes," she mused. "Oh, what if they don't have what we're looking for?"
"Yes, it is quite a pickle we're in," said Draco sarcastically. "If only there was some way we could transfigure out clothes to look the way we want them to—using magic, perhaps?"
Hermione tutted and rolled her eyes. "Oh, ha ha."
"Okay, this weekend we'll go to Hogsmeade and see what we can find," Harry suggested. Ron and Hermione agreed and he turned to Draco. "Fancy joining us?"
"I suppose I better," he sighed. "I'll admit that my grasp of Muggle cultural references is fairly limited. I might need your assistance on this one."
"Are you really going to dress up as a Muggle?" asked Ron, earning a cocked eyebrow from Draco.
"You seem surprised, Weasley."
"I am," he admitted. "Considering how much you've always hated them. Now you're acting in Muggles plays and talking about wearing their clothes. It's weird."
"Well, I think it shows a lot of personal growth on your part, Malfoy," Hermione offered kindly.
"Thank you, Granger, I appreciate that someone's taken notice of that," he simpered before addressing Ron. "If you cared to take the time to get to know me a little better, you'd find that I'm really quite pleasant company."
"I'd rather not," Ron replied coolly. Draco, however, didn't look ruffled by Ron's icy attitude. He merely gave a careless shrug.
"Suit yourself," he drawled. "It's your loss."
As Harry and his friends made their way up the Grand Staircase towards the Room of Requirement for their morning rehearsal, he could feel the butterflies in his stomach intensify with each step. Evidently, worry was written all over his face because Draco lightly touched him on the elbow and leant forward to whisper in his ear.
"You look really nervous," he said quietly enough so nobody else could hear.
"And you aren't?" Harry replied. Draco shrugged.
"Not particularly." A sly grin spread across his face. "Don't tell me that you can't remember your lines? We've practised the scene enough times."
"I remember my lines just fine," said Harry. "That's not what I'm worried about."
"Then what's the problem?"
Harry double checked nobody was listening to their conversation before answering, "I'm worried that our acting might be a little too convincing, if you catch my drift."
Draco snorted. "It's in the script, Harry. Unless you pop a boner during our kissing scene, I doubt anyone will think anything of it."
"Oh Merlin, I didn't even think about that," said Harry worriedly. Draco laughed and Harry glared at him. "This isn't funny, Draco!"
"It is a little bit," he argued, grinning broadly. "And if you do get hard kissing me, I'm going to take it as a compliment."
"I should have known better than to expect any sympathy from you," Harry muttered. Draco's amused smile fell and he nudged Harry in the ribs.
"Well, this is an interesting development, isn't it?" he whispered.
Curious as to what he was talking about, Harry followed Draco's line of sight and, to his surprise, he spotted Theo walking side by side with Ginny. The unlikely pairing didn't go unnoticed by Ron, either. He glowered as his sister chatted animatedly to Theo while he smiled warmly at her and nodded in agreement with whatever she was saying.
"Since when have Nott and Ginny been friends?" he said testily, falling into step with Harry and Draco.
Harry shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe they're talking about the play, they've got a few scenes together, don't they?"
Just then, Ginny's raucous laughter filled the busy corridor and she lightly slapped Theo on the chest. Theo's face broke out into a goofy grin and Ron's scowl deepened.
"I don't like the look of this," he grumbled.
"What? You don't like Gryffindors making friends with Slytherins?" Draco teased.
"He's got more than friendship on his mind," he said darkly. "You better have a word with your mate about this."
"He's no friend of mine," Draco argued. "And even if he was, what would you expect me to say to him?"
"That my sister is out-of-bounds."
Draco snorted. "I think that whomever your sister chooses to talk to is entirely up to her, Weasley."
"Like hell it is," Ron muttered before suddenly yelping in pain as Hermione struck him on the arm with one of her heavy school books. "Ouch! Bloody hell, what was that for?"
"Ronald Weasley, we have been over this before," she hissed. "You will not meddle in your sister's love life!"
"But she's talking to Nott!" he protested.
"And? Ginny's a grown woman, she can talk to whomever she likes!"
Ron gaped at Hermione before turning to his best friend for support, "Harry, help me out here."
But Harry shook his head, "Sorry mate, I'm with Hermione on this one."
"I don't believe this," Ron despaired. "First you two make friends and now this! What next? Actually, don't answer that, I don't want to know."
Draco and Harry glanced nervously at one another but didn't answer. Perhaps it was best that they kept the recent development in their relationship to themselves for the time being. As the students entered the Room of Requirement and assembled in front of the stage, Liv stood in front of them with Hermione, clearly relishing her role as assistant director, by her side.
"Alright, everyone!" she said clapping her hands together. "Today we're going to rehearse one of the most important scenes in the whole play—when our star-crossed lovers meet for the very first time!"
Ginny nudged Harry and winked licentiously at him while a few of the other girls giggled. Harry wished the ground would open him up and swallow him whole.
"There will be a choreographed dance scene for the Masquerade Ball but we won't begin learning that for another few weeks yet, so for now, we'll begin with Lord Capulet's speech and move straight onto Romeo and Juliet's first meeting," she instructed. "Mr Corner, if you could come centre stage, please. Everyone else, take positions. Any questions? No? Brilliant. Let's get started, shall we?"
The students quickly dispersed and took their positions while Liv and Hermione took their seats at the front of the stage on their directors' chairs. Hermione was shuffling through her already extensive script notes, making suggestions to Liv while Michael Corner approached the front of the stage, cleared his throat, and began to recite his speech. "Welcome, gentlemen! Ladies that have their toes unplagued with corns will walk a bout with you…"
Harry stood watching at the side of the stage, waiting for his cue to enter the scene, when he heard Draco step up behind him. His skin tingled when Draco leant closer and whispered in his ear.
"Scared, Potter?" he teased. His hot breath made the hairs on the back of Harry's neck stand on end and he had to suppress the pleasant shiver that traversed his spine.
"I'm fine," he replied quickly, trying to keep his voice steady. "I'll try my best not to outshine you."
Draco laughed gently. "You wish!"
Making sure nobody was watching, Draco pressed a quick kiss to Harry's neck and whispered "Good luck" before stepping on stage, leaving Harry staring after him and wishing that they could find a quiet spot where they could 'rehearse' some more in private.
"...you are welcome, gentlemen! Come, musicians, play."
When Harry heard Michael recite those lines, he stepped onto the stage and began to mingle among the other students, listening carefully for his next cue as Michael and Hannah Abbott, in the role of Second Capulet, began to converse with one another. Harry—more himself than acting as Romeo—watched Draco intently from across the stage. He couldn't help but be drawn by the taunting lure of Draco's lips and the way they curl up at the corners when he smiled like they were now, teasing him to come closer. It was difficult paying attention to what the others were saying around him, struggling to find the words that he had spent long hours trying to memorise when he was so captivated by the person before him. Harry wondered if this was how Romeo had felt when he saw Juliet for the first time.
Harry grabbed Hannah by the shoulder and nodded to Draco. "What lady is that, which doth enrich the hand of yonder knight?"
Hannah followed Harry's line of sight and shook her head. "I know not, sir."
"O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!" Harry declared. "It seems she hang upon the cheek of night as rich a jewel in an Ethiope's ear: Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!"
As Harry recited his lines proclaiming love at first sight, Liv and Hermione watched intently as he crossed the stage to be nearer to Draco. On cue, Theo, in the role of Tybalt, and Michael began to argue on stage about the presence of a Montague at the Capulet ball but Harry paid them no mind. He had eyes only for Draco—or Juliet—whatever...
Several of the other students seemed to have forgotten that they were supposed to be in character as they stopped to watch Harry reach out to Draco and touch his hand.
"If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: my lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss," said Harry with a nervous note in his voice. Draco smiled at him.
"Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much," he teased. "Which mannerly devotion shows in this, for saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch. And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss."
"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?" asked Harry.
"Ay, pilgrim," Draco nodded. "Lips that they must use in prayer."
"O, then, dear saint, let lips do what palms do." Harry pressed his palm against Draco's before lacing their fingers together. "They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair."
"Saints do not move," said Draco, "though grant for prayers' sake."
Harry moved closer to Draco and everyone in the room seemed to hold their collective breath. Despite his calm exterior, he could feel Draco's pulse beating as rapidly as his own heart. It was comforting to know that he was feeling just as nervous as Harry was.
"Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take," Harry whispered. "Thus my lips...by yours...my sin is purged."
He leant forward and pressed a chaste kiss to Draco's lips and there was an audible gasp from the other students. Liv shushed them and everyone quickly fell silent again. As Harry broke the kiss, Draco spoke again, his voice a little hoarse.
"Then have my lips the sin that they have took."
"Sin from my lips?" Harry chuckled. "O, trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again."
Harry kissed Draco harder this time, perhaps for longer than necessary...but he wanted to put on a convincing performance, didn't he? When he finally broke the kiss, Draco's eyes fluttered open and he smiled.
"You kiss by th'book." he joked.
"MADAM! YOUR MOTHER CRAVES A WORD WITH YOU!" bellowed Luna, lunging forward and grabbing Draco by the arm before dragging him across the stage.
The tension which had bewitched their captive audience only moments before vanished in an instant and several of the students erupted into laughter at Luna's overenthusiastic performance. Liv waved her hands trying to get Luna's attention.
"Cut! Cut!" she chuckled. "Luna, that was a wonderful performance but we don't need to bellow at Juliet. She's standing right next to you, not at the opposite end of a Quidditch pitch."
"Ah. Right you are, Professor!" said Luna airily, still holding Draco's reluctant hand firmly in her grasp.
Not everyone found the performance so amusing. Theo looked as though he had been slapped across the face while Ron's face was screwed up with confusion. Harry felt a stab of panic as Hermione looked curiously between him and Draco before scribbling something hurriedly in her notes. Perhaps their performance had been a little too convincing.
"Messieurs Potter and Malfoy, an exemplary performance from both of you," Liv continued. "Really wonderful. Okay, let's take a five-minute break and start from the top, shall we?"
Harry didn't have time to worry about his friends' reaction to the kiss as they spent the next couple of hours rehearsing intensively. When the lesson concluded for the day and everyone began to file out of the room, Liv asked him and Draco to stay behind so that she could have "a word" with them about their performance. Harry's panic spiked when Hermione also chose to stay behind, lingering by Liv's side, clutching her notes closely to her chest. Had he and Draco given themselves away?
"Don't look so worried, Mr Potter, I won't keep you long," Liv assured him. "Miss Granger has an interesting proposal to make with regards to the play but I wanted to run it by both of you first."
Hermione shot a nervous glance at Liv before addressing Harry and Draco. "Well, I've been doing some research…" Harry couldn't help but smile at that. Of course she had. "...specifically about Renaissance culture and I stumbled across a book in the library that explored the heterosexist norms in drama and poetry, specifically identity formation and sexual stereotyping. Now, I don't want to be accused of presentism because there are plenty of theories surrounding how Shakespeare had originally intended for the play to be performed but I think it would be interesting to subvert expectations with regards to how Juliet is portrayed."
"What on earth are you talking about, Granger?" asked Draco.
"What if Juliet was a boy?" Hermione suggested. "It would introduce a whole new dimension to the love affair! By all accounts, Romeo and Juliet's relationship is already the perfect example of a queer romance: the fact that they transgress the norm by falling in love with someone outwith their respective kinds and engage in a forbidden relationship, the philosphical debate behind the weight of names of identity…the play provides a perfect critique of the heteronormative society surrounding them in Verona!"
Draco raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You think I should play Juliet as a boy?"
"I do," said Hermione enthusiastically. "I mean, Shakespeare wrote the part to be played by a man, so I think it would be interesting to keep it that way but in a more literal sense." She looked expectantly between the two boys. "So...what do you think?"
Harry turned to Draco to gauge his reaction. As much as he thought it was an inspired idea, perhaps it was hitting a little too close to home for Draco's liking. But Draco looked contemplative for a moment before an amused smirk spread across his face.
"You know what, Granger? I like it."
Hermione positively beamed and Liv nodded in agreement. "Then it's settled! I'll speak to Miss Parkinson about making the necessary adjustments to your costume and I'll see that everyone's scripts are updated accordingly. What should we call you instead?"
Draco thought for a moment. "How about...Julien?"
Hermione and Liv enthused over the new name but Draco turned to Harry and asked, "What do you think, Potter?"
Harry smiled. "Romeo and Julien. I think it's got a nice ring to it."