My Only Love, Sprung From My Only Hate
By: booboofishlake
Chapter Two: Cast List
For the next week, all that was on anybody's mind was the upcoming auditions. A person couldn't start a conversation without mention of the auditions sneaking in. Truth be told, it was starting to give Draco a headache. He figured he might as well audition. You don't know if you like something until you try it, right? Besides, know-it-all Granger was going to audition (this he heard from Pansy, who heard it from Parvati, who heard it from Lavender, who heard it from Ginny. Ain't the school grapevines just lovely?). As if he was going to give Granger another opportunity to best him. Who knew? He might even enjoy it.
Friday was on them before the students knew it. All of those serious about auditioning were nervous wrecks, including Draco himself, though he was careful not to show it. The auditions went well and McGonagall, who had, er, volunteered to direct the play had a heck of a time deciding in who would be playing whom. A few of the partswere obvious, but some made her wonder why she had agreed to direct the bloody play.
After the auditions, the auditioners went back to their respective houses to fret in peace, before going to sleep in short order. The next day the cast list would be posted.
"Hermione! Hermione, wake up!" Hermione opened her eyes groggily to see her auburn-haired best friend bouncing at the foot of her bed. What the heck was Ginny doing in her room at nine in the morning? On a Saturday, no less?
"Wha-" Hermione began, but Ginny cut her off.
"The list, 'Mione, the cast list. It's been posted!"
"And you figured that I couldn't just wake up and go to the notice board in my own common room to look for the cast list because…?"
"'Cause, McGonagall didn't post it in the Head common room," Ginny explained. "She must have forgotten."
Not likely, Hermione thought. I wonder why she didn't post it in the Head common room. Probably figured just Malfoy and I weren't worth the trouble. She sat up in bed and asked Ginny, "So, did you make it?"
"Mm-hm. I stand before you as the one and only Lady Capulet."
"That's great, Gin," Hermione congratulated her. But even as she congratulated Ginny, she could tell that there was something Ginny wasn't telling her. "What—never mind, don't tell me. I want to find out myself." She jumped out of bed and threw on a robe over the flannel pajama pants and tank top she'd worn to bed. "It's posted in the Gryffindor common room, right?"
By the time the two teens had made their way to the Gryffindor common room, a sizable crowd had gathered and was buzzing around the notice board. Everyone on the entire tower was probably there. As Hermione arrived, the crowd suddenly fell quieter and began to thin as people made way for her.
Hermione noticed the reproachful looks on the faces of her fellow Gryffindors as she approached the notice board. "What is up with…" she began, but her voice trailed off as her gaze found the cast list posted on the board.
There at the top of the cast list, read two names next to two characters—Draco Malfoy as Romeo Montague and Hermione Granger as Juliet Capulet.
Hermione stared at the cast list in utter disbelief. She had to be hallucinating. There was no possible was McGonagall could have actually cast the most infamous pair of loathed enemies in Hogwarts as the characters of the most famous lovers in history.
Suddenly Harry was at her side. "That's pretty awful, huh?" He offered. "But still, congratulations, Hermione."
"Awful doesn't even begin to cover it, Harry," Hermione snapped, still in disbelief. "I can't do this. I won't do this. I quit." She began, before her eyes landed on a note added to the bottom of the cast list.
Thank you to all that auditioned. All of you who have made the play, you have made a commitment. You mad this commitment when you decided to attend auditions. An extensive amount of thought and consideration was put into the casting. Therefore, no one will be permitted to drop out of the play, except, of course, under extenuating circumstances. The first rehearsal will be held tonight. All following rehearsals will be held on Sunday evenings, so as not to interfere with schoolwork and other practices. Congratulations, and I expect to see all of you tonight.
"No way out," Seamus Finnigan pointed out the obvious. He was reasonably happy, seeing as he had gotten casted as Mercutio, Romeo's friend. Even if Malfoy was Romeo, the part of Mercutio was still pretty good.
"Besides, "Mione, I've never known you to turn down a challenge before," Ron quipped. Neither he nor Harry had auditioned, seeing as they would be too busy with Quidditch.
That's all, Hermione thought somewhat bitterly. It's a bloody challenge, alright.
On his side of the school, still in his bed, Draco was awoken by Blaise Zambini, his closest friend. "You'd better have an extremely good reason for waking me up at this ungodly hour," he growled before Blaise shoved the cast list he had stolen from the Slytherin common room into his face. Draco read the first two names on the list and sat bolt straight up in bed. "Holy crap!"
Only he didn'tsay crap.
For your pleasure, dear reader, I have enclosed a complete cast list of the, as I feel, more important characters below. I apologized for the predominantly Gryffindor population of the cast, but I had to work with what I could dig up, and I hope the castings are not to terribly out there.
Romeo Montague—Draco Malfoy
Juliet Capulet—Hermione Granger
Lord Montague—Gregory Goyle
Lady Montague—Pansy Parkinson
Lord Capulet—Neville Longbottom
Lady Capulet—Ginny Weasly
Benvolio—Ernie Macmillian
Mercutio—Seamus Finnigan
Tybalt—Blaise Zambini
Prince Escalus—Justin Finch-Fletchly
Friar Lawrence—Owen Cauldwell
Friar John—Terry Boot
Count Paris—Stewart Ackley
A/N: Well there you have it, dear readers. I know it's sort of zipping along at this point, but what can I say? The best is (always) yet to come. Review, review, review, my little cherubs. Don't be shy; every author likes to know when (and if) she's appreciated. Your reviews determine how quickly I update this.