Chapter One
Try-outs

"Ron! Harry!" called Hermione and she ran into the common room clutching a piece of paper in her hands, "I can't believe it! I can't believe it!"

"Can't believe what?" asked Ron.

"Oh! Dumbledore is putting on a play for the school, oh its one of my favorites!" said Hermione looking at the piece of parchment lovingly.

"What play?" asked Harry looking up from his Astronomy star chart.

"The fabulous muggle play Romeo and Juliet!" said Hermione. "Oh! I can't wait for the try-outs!"

"What's it about?" asked Ron, who didn't know anything about muggle anything.

"It's about two young teenagers and their forbidden love," said Hermione, "a tragic play by William Shakespeare."

"William what now?" asked Ron still looking confused.

"William Shakespeare, a great play writer of the early ages," said Hermione then stared at the piece of parchment, "its says here only prefects can try- out for the part of Romeo and Juliet. Oh! I am going to try out for Juliet!"

Harry looked over at Ron who smiled. They both liked it when Hermione found something she loved passionately (besides books that is).

"Ron! You could play Romeo!" said Hermione gleefully.

Ron's head shot to look at her.

"I don't know Hermione," said Ron.

"Oh! Don't be silly here's a copy of the script," said Hermione breathlessly.

She thrust a large stack a paper onto his lap.

Ron looked through it, his eyes quickly zooming across the page.

"Please do it!" thought Hermione, "please do it!"

Ron's eyes reached the last page and froze.

"Hermione," said Ron slowly, "you do realize that there is a kiss scene at the end of this play right?"

"Of course," said Hermione briskly, "I would much rather kiss you than some bloke from another house I don't know very well."

Both Ron and Hermione were trying to control their blushing. Harry found all this very amusing he leaned back in his chair put his hands behind his head and watched the very amusing situation.

"Oh! Really!" said Ron surprised at what she had just said. "Okay I'll try- out then."

"Oh! Ron this will be wonderful!" said Hermione, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, "I going to bed and telling Ginny about this she will want to play one of the lesser characters because only prefects can try-out of the main ones. Good night Harry. Ron!"

Hermione dashed upstairs.

"Looks like Hermione has a crush," said Harry, in a singsong voice, still leaning back in his chair looking very pleased with himself.

"No she doesn't," stammered Ron, "its just that nobody else in Gryffindor could try-our for Romeo!"

"Looks like Ron has a crush back!" said Harry, still in his singsong voice, and Ron chased him up to the dormitories.

~**********~

"Ginny!" cried Hermione as she burst into the room. "Dumbledore is putting on the play of Romeo and Juliet and is letting students try-out for it."

Ginny, who at least knew the story and author vaguely looked very excited?

"Really," said Ginny, "I wish I could be Juliet, but I don't have the talent."

"Yes you do," said Hermione, "but you can't try-out for that part anyway its for prefects only, same with Romeo."

"Oh! Well," said Ginny, "the are other characters."

"Yeah," said Hermione, "will you try-out?"

"Of course!" said Ginny and then smiled, "so I'm guessing that Ron is trying out for Romeo."

"I made him!" said Hermione, "still I think that I made it really obvious that I liked him."

"It doesn't matter," said Ginny, "the only reason I noticed over the summer was because of the dream where you woke up screaming Ron's name and something about saving the love of your life from You-Know-Who."

"Well," said Hermione wanting to get off the subject, "try-outs are tomorrow afternoon in the Great Hall and then results will be posted at dinner."

"Alright," said Ginny and then yawned, "well I'm going to bed see you tomorrow."

"Yeah," said Hermione. "Good night Gin!"

~**********~

Hermione woke-up looked at her clock and got up quickly. It was 7:00 and even being a Saturday, she still wanted to get to the great hall to learn about her Juliet competition. She brushed her hair and quickly got dressed and went down to the great hall.

When she got there the play was all anybody was talking about.

"I can't wait to see if I can be Juliet," said Hannah Abbott over at the Gryffindor table.

"There is no doubt that Draco and I will be Romeo and Juliet," Pansy was saying to a gang of Slytherin girls.

Hermione took her seat.

"Hermione are you okay," said a voice behind her.

She whirled around to find Ron looking at her worriedly.

"Yeah," said Hermione, "just nervous about try-outs now that I know the competition."

"You'll do fine!" said Ron, looking nervous himself, "you're the prettiest out of all these girls."

"Thanks, but I just don't think I have what it takes!" said Hermione.

Hermione ate the rest of her breakfast and spent the time until lunch practicing the play with Ron.

"Romeo o Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo! Deny thy father and refuse thy name: Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I'll no longer be a Capulet," recited Hermione.

"I take thee at thy word. Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized; Henceforth I never will be Romeo," said Ron, and Hermione had to admit he sounded pretty convincing when he spoke.

"What man art thou, that, thus bescreened in night, so stumblest on my counsel? Hi Harry!" said Hermione, very much breaking the mood.

"Hey! Whatcha doin'?" asked Harry, sitting down on the couch beside Ron.

"Practicing for the play," said Ron handing Harry an extra script.

"Harry! Are you trying out for the play?" asked Hermione excitedly.

"Yeah," said Harry, "I thought I'd give a shot at one of the lesser roles."

"That's great we could all be in this together," said Hermione. "Who are you trying out for?"

"Romeo's friend, " said Harry eyeing Ron, "thought that would be appropriate."

"If I make it, of course," said Ron.

"Ron, you will!" said Hermione, "you have to!"

"Hermione," said Harry grinning, "why do you want Ron so bad? Could it be the kiss scene?"

"Harry James Potter!" screamed Hermione and she threw a pillow at him, "you know perfectly well that's not the reason. Just look at my other choices: Ernie Macmillan, Anthony Goldstein, and.(there was a slight pause where she made a face of utter disgust).and.Malfoy!"

Ron and Harry both grimaced at the thought of Draco kissing Hermione, though for different reasons.

"So that's why!" said Hermione, "would you rather watch me kissed Ron or Draco, Harry?"

Harry knew the answer.

"Ron," said Harry, Harry saw Ron blush.

"Well, Harry you'll be very pleased to know that Ginny is trying out for my nurse, Lavinia," said Hermione, "so you'll be able to goggle over her at play practice too!"

Harry started to sweat. He turned to look at Ron who was looking at him in a state of pure shock.

"And what is that supposed to mean Harry?" asked Ron.

"Um.nothing.Ron.Why would you think that?" asked Harry loosening the tie on his uniform.

"You've been goggling over my sister!" said Ron, now standing up.

"Hermione!" said Harry turning to her, "why did you have to go and say that in front of him!"

"So its true!" said Ron putting his hands in a fist.

"Oh! Ron!" said Hermione and she put her hand on his fist, which loosen slightly under Hermione's Touch, "please, just.chill!"

"Fine!" said Ron, "but Harry if you hurt her I'll."

Harry cut him off.

"I know! You'll crucio me then imperious me off a cliff onto sharp jagged rocks with man eating Hippogriffs put around them to eat my remains!" he said, "Ron I am not going to hurt her, I ma probably not even going to tell her that I like her!"

"Okay!" said Ron, "just, ugh, lemme go up and get ready for the try-outs."

With that he walked up to the boys' dormitories.

"You like Ron! You like Ron!" said Harry with his singsong voice.

Hermione her script, rolled it up and started beating Harry over the head with it. Harry started to run and she chased all over the Common Room until he went up to the boys' dormitories and slammed the door.

~**********~

Ron came down in a Romeo suit he had managed to talk Neville into letting him borrow (why he had one was a mystery to him). Harry took one look at him and began rolling on the floor with laughter.

"That suit suits you Ron!" he said between his breaths.

"Well Harry your tights don't look to manly either," said a voice from behind them.

Ron turned to see Hermione standing on the last step of the stairs. Wearing a Juliet gown. It was blood read with white see through sleeves and there were roses circling the waist. She had already braided her hair with tiny roses. Ron walked over to her.

"Malady," he said and bowed and offered her his hand for the last step.

"Good Sir," said Hermione, playing along, taking his hand and curtsying while he kissed her hand.

They both turned to Harry, Ron still holding Hermione's hand. And for the first time since they had heard about the play they saw him look absolutely serious.

"You two look right like that," said Harry, and he went through the portrait hole and out of sight.

Hermione stepped down and Ron offered her his arm (though awkwardly because of what Harry had just said) she took and they walked out of the portrait hole together.

They both blushed when they heard the Fat Lady saying, "There goes the cutest couple in Hogwarts."

They made it to the Great Hall. It looked like Hogwarts went 15th century between breakfast and lunch. Everyone was wearing beautiful gowns and robes and funny looking hats. Ron could just make out Dobby on the floor picking up hats that had fallen and stuffing them in his new yellow plaid jacket.

"Shall we," said Hermione, breaking him out of his daze.

"Yeah," said Ron and they walked up toward were sheets were posted. Hermione reached the sheet labeled "SO YOU'RE TRYING OUT FOR JULIET."

She read:

FOR ALL THE YOUNG PREFECTS TRYING OUT FOR JULIET PLEASE CONPLETE THE
FOLLOWING TASKS.

FIND A ROMEO TO AUDITION WITH.
CHOOSE A DIALECT TO PREFORM IN FRONT OF THE CAST DIRECTORS
MAKE SURE THAT DIALECT HAS PARTS FOR BOTH ROMEO AND JULIET

THIS COUNTS AS THE AUDITION FOR BOTH ROMEO AND JULIET SO MAKE SURE THAT
THE ROMEO YOU HAVE SELECTED AGREES WITH THE DIALECT YOU HAVE CHOOSEN.
WHILE YOU ARE WAITING YOUR TURN TO AUDITION IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO
PRACTICE THE LINES WITH EACH OTHER!

"Ron!" yelled Hermione trying to find him for the sheets for Romeo and Juliet were far apart, "Ron!"

"Hermione!" said Ron and Hermione saw his red hair moving towards her. She smiled, she loved his red hair.

"Ron will you be my Romeo!" said Hermione in fake theatrical voice; she even put the back of her hand to her forehead in a fake faint.

"Why of course!" said Ron in an equally fake voice, "I would have no other!"

The both laughed and made their way to a private corner.

"Okay," said Hermione taking her script out of her bag.

"Um.Hermione," said Ron.

"Yes Ron," said Hermione.

"I forgot my script in the boys' dormitory do you think we could share?" asked Ron.

"Alright," said Hermione slowly and she pulled her chair up against Ron's, they both blushed. Harry walked passed them with Ginny and he eyed them and mouthed (in his singsong voice) "Ron and Hermione sitting in a tree." Then they were sucked in by the crowd.

"Okay," said Ron looking at the script, "Hermione?"

"What?" she asked then looked down at the sheet and quickly threw it in her bag.

"Why were there hearts all over your paper with the name Hermione W. on it?" asked Ron raising his eyebrow.

"Because," said Hermione, "There is a kid that lives next door to my parents, I see him every summer his name is Keith Wazowski, and he is very attractive."

"Who the heck is Keith Wazowski!?" she thought to herself, "that was the stupidest story ever! Well my other option 'Oh! Yeah Ron! I want us to get married!' Or in other words the truth."

"Oh!" said Ron and he looked down and was Hermione mistaken or did he look upset.

"Okay!" said a voice that boomed over the Great Hall, It was Dumbledore. "The first to try out for Romeo and Juliet are Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson!"

Hermione and Ron saw Draco and Pansy get up from their two gangs and step towards Dumbledore.

"Who does Pansy thinks she kidding," said Ron, Hermione turned to look at him, "if she thinks she has even a small chance of beating you at this part than she's off her rocker!"

Hermione blushed.

"Well I don't see why Draco's even trying with you trying out for Romeo!" said Hermione! "He pathetic if he thinks he can beat my Romeo!"

Ron blushed deep red, at the thought of Hermione calling him her Romeo!

They practiced their lines (which would be the ones they were practicing in the Common Room).

Finally they saw the door at the far end of the Great Hall open and close and Draco and Pansy came out looking very proud of themselves.

"Wait till we get in their!" said Hermione looking at Pansy, skipping joyfully over to her gang of Slytherin girls, "we'll blow them away if they told her she did good!"

"The next pair for the part of Romeo and Juliet will be Ron and Hermione!" boomed Dumbledore's voice.

"Here we go!" said Hermione and they walked hand in hand through the door.

~**********~

Ron and Hermione were talking in the common room.

"I think we did excellent!" said Hermione joyfully.

"Yeah well I can charm teachers with my looks now can I," said Ron, "at least your beautiful."

"Ron how could you say that!" said Hermione standing up, "what do you mean I beautiful.remember this!" She pulled at the strands of bushy brown hair now woven in a tight braid. "Looks terrible."

"No Hermione can we just drop it!" said Ron putting his head in his hands.

Just then Harry came rushing through the door.

"Ron, Hermione," he said, quite out of breath, "the sheets are posted, about who plays who!"

Ron and Hermione looked at one another before jumping up.

"Well Harry!" said Hermione joyfully, "what part did I get?"

"Well Hermione," Harry started out slowly.

"Oh for the love of Godric!" said Hermione, "just tell me who I am!"

"Okay, Hermione you're Juliet!" said Harry looking happy for her.

Hermione paused as if in a state of shock before jumping up and down.

"Yes! Ron! Yes! We'll be the best Romeo and Juliet ever seen!" said Hermione as Ron went around to look at the paper.

"Just think of the poster that will be put up," said Hermione, "Romeo and Juliet, starring Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger!"

"Hermione," said Ron.

"And when the play is over we'll get a standing ovation!" said Hermione still jumping up and down.

"Hermione," said Harry.

"And the everyone will come to congratulate us! We'll become famous!" she screamed.

"HERMIONE!" both Harry and Ron said together.

"What?" she asked.

"Ron isn't Romeo," said Harry, "Romeo is."

~*********~ OH! NO! Cliff Hanger! Who is Romeo! See next chapter! Please Review!