Playing the Part
By: Shrk-bait
Chapter 6: Just a Phase
Love does not begin the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is growing up.
-- James Baldwin
"So, how did you do?" Charlotte asked earnestly, tugging on Lily's arm.
"I don't know. I think I did okay. Maybe I'll get the part of the Nurse." She shrugged shakily, the adrenaline of being up on stage still coursing through her veins.
"Have confidence, Lily! I'm sure you were great!" Kira reassured her.
"She was, no doubt about that." James revealed, just as he was walking past. He turned the corner and disappeared, leaving the three girls confused.
The three girls looked perplexedly at each other and Kira raced to catch up with him. She tugged back on his robe and stopped him.
"Damn, woman! You're choking me!" he griped, massaging his neck, only after Kira had let him go.
"Puh. Men are such babies. But that's beside the point. What do you mean, she was? How would you know?" she demanded forcefully.
"Has anyone ever told you that you're incredibly forceful?"
"Yes, and stop avoiding the question!"
"Well, I was filling in as a temporary Romeo for the girls to audition with. And in my opinion and from what I can tell by Harris' reaction, she was undoubtedly the best." He stated nonchalantly. "Now if that is all, I need to go soak my feet in a whole load of murlap weed."
He left, hobbling back to the boys dormitories of Gryffindor Common Room. Charlotte and Lily meandered over to their stunned friend, prodding her in her dazed state.
"That was completely unexpected." Kira muttered. "Do you think he's had a run-in with a Cheering Charm?"
"I know. It's strange, isn't it? I thought maybe he was playing a prank on me when he was being somewhat decent, but he sort of seems . . . genuine. I never thought I'd say that." Lily laughed uncomfortably.
"Yeah, tell me about it. I'm still not convinced he's changed. People can't change in a day, but hopefully, it's a step towards the better, eh?" Kira grinned.
"You two. So cynical. Maybe he's maturing." Charlotte shook her head, sighing.
Just then, Kira and Lily burst into peals of laughter, leaning on each other for support.
"What's so funny?" Charlotte placed her hands upon her hips and looked disapprovingly.
"YOU! The thought that James Potter might mature. It's delirious. Laughable, really." Lily stated, mid giggle.
"You're just acting this way because you know I might be right. People grow up, eventually, Lily. Maybe it's James' turn."
"Oh, yeah, riiight. It's Potter's turn to get a chance in the real world." Lily said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "And the moment he steps into it and gets his first dose of reality, he'll abandon it in an instant for his adoring fans and childish pranks. Face it, Charlotte. Potter won't stay mature for long. It's just a phase."
"So, Prongs, I'm guessing auditions for Juliet didn't go too well." Sirius commented, noting how James was soaking his feet.
"How can you tell? Is it the gigantic swelling of my feet, which seem to resemble balloons now?" he retorted sarcastically. "Evans did great, though. It's hard to believe someone so spiteful and cruel could ever act so . . . Juliet-like."
"You know, she's only that way towards you, right? To everyone else, Lily is completely nice and has an incredibly attractive quality to her. Perfectly Juliet-ish." Remus informed him.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I hate it when you're right. I even took your advice with that whole, acting mature thing. Just to see if she'd act differently. I'm not sure if she was just nervous from auditions or what, but she didn't hex me, which is always a plus. Did I mention how much I hate it when you're right, Moony."
"I know, I know. Wisdom is such a curse. So you apologized, then?"
"Not exactly. I just acted normally, didn't go out of my way to bother her, I guess. I just acted as if she was a real person, rather than . . . well . . . Evans, the girl who detests the very sight of me."
"Awww . . . little Prongsie is growing up. He's learning how to act like a big boy so the pretty lady Lily won't hate him and hex him into oblivion every time she sees him." Sirius cooed in a childish, teasing voice.
"Grow up, Padfoot. You're such a prat." He snapped, unable to think of a better comeback.
"Oh, what? Like you? No thank you. You're beginning to sound like a certain red-headed Head Girl. Now, who could that be, causing this rather sudden change in our Prongs here? Any guesses Mr. Moony?" Sirius asked, mockingly.
"Oh, I'm not sure. There are so many choices. Let's see, there's Lily, and Lily, and Lily, and Lily . . . I wonder who it is . . . I'm going to take a wild stab at it and say that Miss Lily Evans and Prongs' insatiable need to get closer to her is fueling this sudden change. What do you think, Mr. Wormtail? Am I right?" Remus responded, deciding to play along.
"Oh, let's check. YES! The answer is Lily Evans! Incredible! Who would have guessed? Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Moony is clearly a genius! Mr. Padfoot, tell him what he's won!" Peter teased, happy that he was part of their joke on James.
"Well, Mr. Wormtail, I'm glad you asked! Mr. Moony has won all bragging rights and freedom to take advantage of every opportunity to embarrass Mr. Prongs in front of subject A, Lily Evans. Actually, we can do that as well. So everyone's a winner, except for, of course Mr. Prongs, who is still Lily-less. That's it folks! That's the end of our game! Thank you for playing. We'll be here all week." He concluded, grinning happily.
James sat moodily on the couch, watching his friends with a scowl on his face.
I'm not changing and even if I am, she has nothing to do with it, he told himself.
"Oy! Prongs! Geesh, we've been trying to call you for quite some time now. What's wrong, got Evans on the brain?" Remus asked, sardonically.
James shot him a frosty glare and marched up the winding staircase to the boys dormitories, leaving the three remaining Marauders in hysterical fits of laughter.
"Eh, hem. Attention all students! I have an announcement for all those who auditioned for a part in the play at the beginning of the week. You all did magnificently and Professor Harris has made her decisions. After the end of today's classes, assigned parts will be passed out on pieces of parchment in the Great Hall. Feel free to check to see if you will be playing your desired role after lessons. That is all. Thank you!" the Headmaster announced, as the noisy hall once again resumed its usual hustling and bustling.
"Ooh, Lily! I hope you got the part!" Charlotte squealed animatedly.
"Me too, Charlotte, though I highly doubt it. There was this really gorgeous blonde Hufflepuff who looked like a perfect Juliet. She'll probably get the part. I wonder who will be Romeo though . . ." she sighed, shrugging.
"Have faith! You did great, even Potter said so. I'm not exactly sure who auditioned for the part of Romeo, other than Scott Davies, but he'll probably be most likely to get it." Kira assured her, while cutting her ham absentmindedly with a fork.
"Well, who knows if we can trust Potter or not. Whoever plays Juliet is a very lucky girl, if Scott Davies is Romeo. Very lucky, indeed." she murmured, daydreaming.
"Lily? C'mon. Class starts soon and you know how Professor Argos gets if we're late." Charlotte warned, tugging at Lily's robes.
"Oh, right. Ugh . . . N.E.W.T level Defense against the Dark Arts with a teacher that loathes me almost as much as I despise Potter. I simply can not wait." Lily muttered mordantly.
She rose wearily and trudged out of the Great Hall, dreading the hours that she would have to wait before classes ended.
She thought Defense against the Dark Arts would be bad, but clearly, she had overlooked the fact that her last class of the day was one of the worst – N.E.W.T History of Magic.
Lily glanced wearily around the room at the lifeless students, who were obviously tuning out the monotonous voice of Professor Binns, who was equally lifeless – literally.
Like the rest of the students, her head was rested comfortably on her hand, her heavy eyelids threatening to close. There were hardly any Gryffindors taking the N.E.W.T class, excluding James Potter and herself, of course. The population of the classroom was comprised mainly of Ravenclaws, with a few Hufflepuffs and Slytherins thrown in for variation. James had his head laid conspicuously on his desk, his glasses slightly askew. He looked so . . . different. Innocent, compared to the devious, ignorant, conceited troublemaker Lily was so used to seeing.
I even have to observe Potter to keep myself occupied. The entire class is practically snoring, she thought to herself.
You'd think Headmaster Dumbledore would hire someone who students actually paid attention to. I think this is possibly the most boring class I have ever been in. Including muggle studies.Born a muggle; studying muggles! I don't know how more boring one can get, she paused and looked around the classroom. Oh wait, I guess I do know.
After what seemed like hours of listening to the Professor's dull lectures about the past wrongdoings of notorious villains of the Wizarding World, the time to be spent with him had been reduced to a mere five minutes.
Lily glanced nervously at her watch, wringing the piece of paper in her hands and impatiently wiggling her foot to and fro.
The second hand reached the number twelve and the watch's face immediately flashed "AUDITION RESULTS! GET 'EM NOW!".
Professor Binns dismissed the sleepy students, who seemed to be suddenly rejuvenated as they exited the dreary classroom.
Lily contemplated looking at the results in the Great Hall, pausing in the middle of the hallway as she attempted to decide.
"LILY EVANS! IF YOU HAVEN'T GONE TO SEE AUDITION RESULTS, YOU BETTER GET YOUR ARSE INTO THAT GREAT HALL RIGHT THIS INSTANT!" the watch on her thin wrist howled, attracting quite a lot of attention from surrounding students.
She grinned embarrassingly, a slight pink tint appearing upon her cheeks, as the students loitering in the hallways stared at her. She reminded herself to reprimand Kira for purchasing the bothersome watch for her on her previous birthday.
She nodded apologetically and rushed off down the hall into the Great Hall. Once she entered, she stared at her feet and exhaled, glad to be rid of the compromising situation.
Lily took a moment to breath and regained her composure, smoothing out her skirt and adjusting her gold and scarlet necktie. Students sporting similar outfits were clumped in various groups, conversing breathlessly and pointing to relatively large sized pieces of parchment clutched in their hands.
She began to walk to the front of the Great Hall, where the remnants of a muddled stack of papers were fanned out across the wooden table.
Immediately, the crowds of students parted, allowing her to walk. The hall grew silent, eyes centered on her movement towards the papers. Lily, being the observant person she was, noticed this, immediately feeling a rise of heat into her cheeks and a loss of strength in her legs.
What now? Why is everyone staring at me? I wonder what I did . . . she worried herself, attempting not to look at the others.
After quite a few seconds of virtual silence, Lily let out a cry of vexation and muttered "Accio Parchment", pointing to the mess of paper with her wand. A rolled up scroll hurtled towards her, past the faces of the gawking audience.
She easily caught it with her left hand and spun around, heading out of the hall. She tucked back tendrils of fiery hair and headed towards the common room, wondering why she was even bothering to look at the roles.
Was it curiosity? Wondering who had gotten what? Or was it hope? Hope that maybe, even by a sliver of a chance, that she, Lily Evans, might have gotten the part of Juliet. The thought was simply absurd.
"Lily?" a voice called, demanding her attention.
She turned around, searching for the voice, her eyes landing upon a man with striking features, his fair blend of creamy chocolate and light bronze locks complimenting his strong jaw and deep azure eyes.
"Yes?" she responded, her body growing tense in his presence.
Scott Davies. One of the rare guys who had always managed to put Lily's sharp tongue at bay and cause her to melt into a pile of mush with one acknowledging head nod.
"I just wanted to be the first to congratulate you." He smiled, Lily softening underneath his gaze.
"C-congratulate me? Shouldn't I be congratulating you?" she murmured, confused.
"Thanks! It's not exactly the part I would have liked, but it is a great part to play, nonetheless." He admitted, shrugging his broad shoulders.
"Really? What part were you hoping to get? I thought Romeo would be the perfect role for you . . . I mean, you're probably the only person here who could be such a fitting lead." She blushed furiously, staring at the ground.
"That's what I thought. Obviously Professor Harris thought differently, because she cast me as Tybalt."
"WHAT?" she blurted out, practically overlooking who exactly she was addressing.
"Yeah. Anyway, congratulations on being Juliet. You're perfect, Lily. Harris chose wisely. See you at rehearsal." He nodded goodbye and sauntered down the hall.
"Scott Davies just told me I am a perfect Juliet. Somebody pinch me." She muttered aloud.
Suddenly, she felt a sharp prick on her arm. Inspecting it, she saw that a darker pink spot had appeared. She frowned and looked up into the eyes of a friendly Ravenclaw's face.
"Hey!" she cried out, crossly.
"What? You told me to pinch you! By the way, way to go on scoring the lead. I watched you audition. You were brilliant, Lily. Bloody brilliant." Jessica giggled.
"Um . . . thanks. I didn't even realize that I'd gotten the part. I haven't had a chance to even look at the list of people cast. Erm . . . I have to go, but I'll see you around." Lily promised, still grasping the curled up parchment in her hand.
Once the two had parted, Lily unrolled it and took one look at the list of names. She scanned the names on the right side, running her slim finger along the edges of the paper as she read.
"Romeo Montague: James Potter. Juliet Capulet: Lily Evans. Tybalt: Scott Davies. Mercutio: Sirius Black. Benvolio: Remus Lupin . . ." she read off carelessly in a sing-song voice.
Suddenly, her eyes snapped back to the very first name on the lengthy list.
"Romeo Montague . . . J-James P-Potter? Is she mad?" Lily ranted, throwing her hands up into the air and storming up the stairs to the Gryffindor Tower. "This is not possible. Someone must have changed it. There is no way . . ."