Playing the Part
By: Shrk-bait
Chapter 12: Taking a Second Glance
Love sought is good, but given unsought, is better. -- William Shakespeare
"I can't believe you agreed to work with him." Lily pouted between bites of dessert.
"He's honestly not that bad, Lily. I took pity on him! He would've ended up with some clingy 'fan' who was too prissy and high-maintenance to help with this assignment." Kira protested, poking her pudding with a fork. "And not even James Potter deserves that."
"Showing pity shows weakness." Lily shrugged pompously, taking a large gulp of pumpkin juice.
Kira frowned and opened her mouth to respond, but was promptly cut off by Charlotte's voice.
"Didn't you say you were going to try to find the good in him?" Charlotte pointed out. "You keep saying that, but you haven't done acted on it. You're so inconsistent, Lily. Saying you're going to try and be nice, but doing the exact opposite."
"B-but, this is James Potter! Potter the cocky, irresponsible, prat!" Lily insisted indignantly.
"So?" Charlotte retorted, sighing and massaging her temple. "You know, sometimes I don't know what's worse. James' cockiness and pranking or your broken promises and fickleness."
Lily froze. Charlotte, the one friend who always seemed to be neutral and unbiased, had just told her, straight out, what a complete twit she was being. It was a shock, being told off by Charlotte, of all people. She took a moment to glance over at the Hufflepuff table, where Zeno was seated among his friends.
They're right, she told herself. They're all right. I did it again. Just like I said I wouldn't. I did it again. I forgot about my promise.
I watched him, honestly, I did. He didn't do anything wrong. And yet, I still talk about him as if he's been pranking people left and right. As if he's been a selfish, uncaring, irresponsible person . . . but he hasn't.
"I've got to go. I'll talk to you later at rehearsal." She murmured, a spaced look clouding her eyes.
Charlotte and Kira stared at each other, shrugging as they watched Lily disappear through the doors of the Great Hall.
She ran a hand through her hair, forgetting for a moment of a certain annoying Gryffindor who did the exact same thing. The same annoying Gryffindor that had been circling inside her mind since the beginning of year.
I am officially insane, she thought. I'm thinking about Potter, wondering if he's actually changed, or if this is just another phase of his, feeling horribly guilty for hating him so much. If that isn't grounds for insanity, I don't know what is.
Lily leaned against a wall and sunk to the ground, hugging her knees close. She needed to think, to sort everything out. She was behind a large gargoyle-like statue, so no one would bother her.
Alone, she decided. That's what I need to be. Alone.
"C'mon, kid. Just push her around a bit, make her scared and I'll come along as her knight in shining armor. You won't have to do a thing. My charm will do the rest." A voice resounded through the deserted hallway.
"I don't want to. My brother may hate her, the Marauders, and all Gryffindors in general, but I don't. She's not that bad." A younger voice retorted stubbornly.
Lily, irritated by the broken silence, poked her head over the statue to see Derek Harrison and a young Slytherin speaking quietly nearby. She recognized the Slytherin to be the younger brother of one of her fellow 7th years who absolutely detested the thought of having her, a muggle-born, as Head Girl. Being the curious person that she was, she remained silent behind the stone.
"I'll pay you 15 sickles, then. How about that? Just get Lily Evans a little shaken up. Nothing big. Intimidate her a bit." Derek coaxed, offering him a jingling sack of coins.
"You idiot. I told you I wasn't going to do it. She's not all that helpless, you know. I'm only in 5th year and from what I've seen her do to Potter with that wand of hers, I don't fancy getting the same treatment. And he was a Gryffindor. I can't imagine what she'd do to a Slytherin, especially one whose brother has given her some less than fond memories of Hogwarts."
"You're a wimpy kid who doesn't deserve to be a Slytherin, let alone McGrath's younger brother. I'll teach you to listen to your elders. If you were scared of what Lily Evans could do to you, you have no idea what you're in for." He angrily hissed, whipping out his wand and pointing it at the boy.
Lily growled, eyes narrowing and hand clamped tight around her wand. She rose to confront Derek and show him exactly what she was capable of, but someone else had gotten to the two first.
"Let him go." James ordered, hands tucked away in the pocket of his robes.
"He's a Slytherin. I'd think you'd be happy that I'm teaching him a lesson." Derek shrugged, pocketing his wand.
"So? He may be a Slytherin and brother to a complete bastard, but you are treading on dangerous territory by threatening him."
"Oh really. Dangerous territory with whom? Who would defend him? His slimy Slytherin friends? His brother? HA! No one cares about this worm."
"Dangerous territory with me. That's who. And that's who'll defend him." James brandished his wand, twirling around his fingers. "So now that I'm here, the real question is . . . do you have the guts to take me on?"
Derek gulped, sweat droplets clinging to his forehead under James' commanding gaze.
"Or perhaps the question is, do you have the common sense to accept the detention and 25 points I'm taking from Ravenclaw and leave while you can?"
"Whatever." Derek muttered angrily, turning his back to James and uttering a string of curse words.
James arched one eyebrow in his direction before motioning for the other boy to leave. The boy sent him a grateful glance and walked off, leaving the two older boys in an ominous silence.
"Don't you think 25 points is a bit much?" Derek inquired, hoping for James' pity. "I didn't actually curse him, you know."
"You were trying to get him to hurt Evans so you could save her and trick her into thinking you're a decent guy. I can't let you do that to her." He spat. "So that's 10 points for threatening him with a wand, 10 points for malicious intentions, and 5 points because you're an arse and frankly, you bug me."
Lily became immediately immobile the moment her name slipped from James' lips. Who'd have thought that James Potter would actually give a damn about what happened to her?
"I thought you hated Lily Evans. You sure act lik—" he stopped short, a smirk passing across his face. "Oh, I see now. Looks like the mighty James Potter finally reveals his soft spot. You finally fell for the one girl who hates you and can't stand to be near you. This is amusing."
"Shut it. I have no soft spots. We may hate each other, but she shouldn't have to be deceived into liking you and spending time with you until she realizes what a bastard you are. No one needs that." James' face hardened, the carefree, humorous side of him completely wiped away. "The truth is, Harrison, you're not good enough for her."
"Who is, then? You? She can't stand the sight of you." He sneered.
"Doesn't matter. That's my business. Do yourself a favor and stay away from Lily Evans." James warned curtly, cutting Derek short.
He returned his hands to his robes' pockets and walked off, leaving Derek cursing under his breath once more and Lily in complete and total shock.
H-he stood up . . . for me. He . . . protected me? NO, she said to herself. It can't be. There must be some mistake.
Lily hugged her knees closer to her body, staring at the detailed tiling of the floors. She couldn't help but wonder if Potter was always like that.
If he just acted selfish and cocky in front of her and the majority of the students at Hogwarts, while being self-less and caring when people really needed him . . . If he had always defended her or been on her side, just not whenever she, herself, was around . . .
Why? Why did he have to end up being so . . . nice?
She wanted to believe that it was an act. She wanted to be right about Potter. She wanted . . . to know. Wanted to know how he could possibly take all her insults without once bringing up the selfless things that his friends always claimed he did.
Why couldn't he just have been an arrogant, self-obsessed jerk? Life would be so much simpler if he was.
"Just wondering, but have you noticed that Lily's been acting a bit strangely lately?" Kira whispered to Remus, leaning closer to do so, while her eyes were still fixed on the people rehearsing their scene.
Remus turned his head to face her at the exact same moment that she had turned her head to face him. She could feel heat radiating off her cheeks at their proximity.
He nodded slowly, silently catching Sirius' attention and motioning for him to join them.
"You summoned?" Sirius whispered, bowing extravagantly.
"Lily. She's been acting rather odd, right? James as well." Remus noted, stretching his long legs. "Or am I mistaken?"
"They're becoming closer. That's why. They're beginning to realize their undeniable love for one another." Sirius declared loudly, getting him a menacing glare from Professor Harris and the other cast members who were watching the rehearsal scene.
"Are we all talking about the same two people?" Kira muttered, cautious in keeping her volume below normal. "Lily Evans and James Potter, right?"
"She's right. They're both intensely stubborn, not to mention they both have deadly tempers. Do you really think that they'll be developing feelings anymore friendly than tolerance or respect, anytime soon?" Remus concurred, a gentle smile upon his face as Kira grinned happily at him for taking her side.
"Keh. You're just saying that because she's here." Sirius retorted, folding his arms across his chest. "You wait and see. They'll end up together and then you'll all have to admit that I, Sirius Black, am an almighty love god."
"Wha—" Kira and Remus blurted out in unison, before being cut off by a loud growl from behind them.
The pivoted on the spot, only to meet the fierce stare of Professor Harris.
"WILL YOU THREE PLEASE ACT MATURELY AND PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR FELLOW ACTORS?" she bellowed, fire in her eyes.
They nodded, gulping and glancing nervously at each other. She sure was scary when she was mad, that's for sure.
In the clearing towards the front of the Great Hall, Zeno and James snickered, distracted from their scene.
Lily stood off to the side, observing the three troublemakers suspiciously and preparing for her entrance as Juliet. Their first rehearsal without the scripts and Lily could already feel Shakespeare's words twisting in her mouth.
"So smile the heavens upon this holy act, that after hours with sorrow chide us not!" Zeno quoted, his voice shaky.
James shot him an encouraging look, which didn't go unnoticed by Lily. Her head pounded, a wave of shame washing over her. She couldn't stand watching him encourage Zeno to be more confident. Lily refused to admit that he'd changed and she wasn't giving in without a fight.
Luckily, she didn't have to. James moved across the stage, turning his back towards her. Her lips formed a relieved smile and she exhaled. Good.
"Amen, amen! But come what sorrow can, it cannot countervail the exchange of joy that one short minute gives me in her sight . . ." he recited, shifting his head just a bit to glance at Lily for one second.
She didn't notice, but what else was new?
"Do thou but close our hands with holy words, then love-devouring death do what he dare; it is enough I may but call her mine."
She hadn't noticed the inconspicuous glance that James had sent her, but she had noticed the confidence and poise with which he presented Shakespeare's words. He seemed to fit Romeo perfectly. Rash, overjoyed, fallen for some pretty girl he'd just met. She began to realize how well he matched Romeo.
Not to mention how confident he performed. She never thought that James Potter, of all people, would actually memorize his lines. He knew them, she could tell. He knew them through and through, delivering each word with such conviction and assurance.
He was facing Zeno; Potter's back turned towards Lily, while Zeno seemed to face her. Good. Looking at Potter would only make her think about him more. She didn't want that at all. She would much rather let her mind wander to insignificant things than think about James Potter and the confusion that he brought to her life.
Lily leaned casually against the wall of the Great Hall. Her eyes traveled around the room as the Professor whispered at Zeno to recite his lines.
"Oh . . . t-these violent delights have violent ends and in their triumph die, like fire and powder, which as they kiss consume: the sweetest honey is loathsome in his own deliciousness and . . ." he stopped, racking his brain for the rest of the words.
Professor Harris looked irked, recalling how she had clearly told the main characters that they had to have memorized their lines up to this point by now.
Lily looked upon her young friend's face sympathetically. Zeno glanced in her direction. She gave him an encouraging smile, but was confused to discover that it was not her that he was glancing at, but James.
She tilted her head slightly, making sure not to get caught staring at Potter's back.
"and in the taste confounds the appetite," James whispered so only the three of them could hear. "Therefore, love moderately . . ."
". . . a-and in the taste confounds the appetite: therefore love moderately; long love doth so; too swift arrives as tardy as too slow." Zeno delivered, regaining confidence.
Lily entered onto the stage, her knees shaking. Don't mess up, she told herself.
"Here comes the lady: O, so light a foot will ne'er wear out the everlasting flint: a lover may bestride the gossamer that idles in the wanton summer air, and yet not fall; so light is vanity." The young Hufflepuff grinned, sensing that her nerves were beginning to take effect.
James, playing the part of Romeo of course, grabbed a hold of her hand and awkwardly wrapped his arm around her waist. Despite this somewhat intimate position they appeared to be in, James was unusually cold, refusing to even notice her. She frowned, stealing glances at him from the corner of her eye.
That was Zeno's line that he had been whispering just a minute ago. Was it actually true that JamesPotter, of all people, also knew someone else's lines in order to help them? It couldn't be.
She couldn't help but wonder what his motivation could possibly be. She knew how difficult it must have been to have the part as Romeo, seeing as how she had an equally challenging part. But to offer assistance to someone without getting anything important in return? She could barely comprehend the thought.
"Miss Evans! Can you not remember your line?" Professor Harris exclaimed, groaning. "I thought I told you lot that I expected you to memorize up to this point!"
Lily blushed a deep red, bowing apologetically.
"S-sorry. I've memorized them, honestly. Good even to my ghostly confessor." She said, her voice both rushed and clearly embarrassed.
"Smooth one, Evans." He leaned closer to her and chuckled.
"Shut it! You're a jerk, Potter." she hissed loudly, glaring at him warningly.
"Miss Evans! Would you please stop talking to Mr. Potter and concentrate on the play? There'll be plenty of time for you two to flirt or get closer or whatever you young people do, later." The Professor growled, ignoring the noisy giggles from the rest of the cast.
Heat radiated from her face. She could see James smirking and stared at the ground in order to avoid his taunting eyes. That was embarrassing. She hated being made a fool of.
I'll just have to ignore Potter, she told herself. He always seems to be able to make me look like a mindless idiot in front of everyone.
"Romeo shall thank thee, daughter, for us both." Zeno stared at her, eyes laughing sympathetically at the discomfort she must be feeling.
"As much to him, else is his thanks too much." She reverted back into her composed character, though she took a second to stick her tongue out at James while the Professor wasn't looking.
"Ah, Juliet, if the measure of thy joy be heap'd like mine and that thy skill be more to blazon it, then sweeten with thy breath this neighbor air, and let rich music's tongue unfold the imagined happiness that both receive in either by this dear encounter." James responded perfectly, eying Lily with a challenging grin.
"Conceit, more rich in matter than in words, brags of his substance, not of ornament: they are but beggars that can count their worth; but my true love is grown to such excess that I cannot sum up sum of half my wealth." she spoke flawlessly in return.
How's that, Potter? I can be just as good as you, she seethed, still heated by Potter's ever-cocky attitude.
To her surprise, he nodded his head acknowledging and made the motion of clapping his hands together.
"That's enough for today. Wonderful work, Zeno. As for you two," she narrowed her eyes at James and Lily. "We need to have a little chat. Just the three of us."
The other students whispered to each other, watching the pair of them trudge behind the peeved professor.
"Oy, Evans." James murmured, tilting his head slightly closer to hers. "What do you think she's going to talk to us about?"
Calm down, Lily. Don't blow up at him, she warned herself. Don't let him take control of your temper. Just breathe. Calm.
"Who knows. She could lecture us about just about everything." Lily whispered back, making sure to stay out of Professor Harris' hearing range.
"Well, at least we're in it together." he flashed Lily his trademark grin. "So if she starts going psycho nutcase on me, you've got my back, right?"
That's reassuring. We're in it together, she thought. Potter and I.
She nodded her head and shot him a tiny smile, continuing to follow the professor to her office.
"Please, take a seat." Professor Harris motioned to two uncomfortable looking wooden chairs.
James and Lily glanced warily at each other and hastily sat down. The worn look on Harris' face was enough to make them submissive, ending, even if only for a brief moment, their bickering and mutual irritation with each other.
"I'm pleased that you two have both taken the initiative to memorize your lines up to this point and I expect you to continue to do so. There's much more to remember, so I think it would be advantageous to everyone if you practiced outside of rehearsal with each other and the other cast members." She informed them curtly, taking a long sip of chamomile tea.
Lily exhaled, fingers crossed and hands behind her back.
Please let that be all, she thought.
"The other thing I wanted to talk to two about was . . . well, I know it's difficult, considering the argumentative history between the two of you . . . but this play is a tragic love story."
And? And? AND?
Lily fidgeted nervously with her tie, twisting it with her shaky hands. James noticed this and gently prodded her side, motioning for her to calm down.
She really does need a break, he thought to himself. Evans seems far too overworked and tense. The girl needs some serious loosening up.
But he didn't care if Evans was under stress. Not at all. Because he didn't care about her. Period.
"You are both wonderful actors. I know that. That's one of the reasons why I chose you for the part you were given. The other reason, the main reason, is the way you interacted with each other during the audition."
Both Lily and James had begun to turn into beets, staring fixedly at the floor.
How embarrassing, Lily groaned, wishing that the Professor could've left that part out. Nothing special happened at the audition. Between me and Potter? Nothing special has ever or will ever happen.
"So, I need you to seriously take the roles of Romeo and Juliet! You're supposed to be in love, yet the pair of you are always awkward or glaring daggers at each other onstage when Romeo and Juliet are supposed to be interacting. It's out of character and I trust that you'll find a way to fix it." She clearly hinted.
"How do you expect us to accomplish something like that, Professor? I mean, Evans and I have been putting our mutual dislike aside during rehearsals, as much as possible, that is. I don't see how we could possibly do anything differently . . ." James persisted, grumpily tapping his foot upon the leg of his chair.
"So become closer outside of the play. Speak on friendly terms with each other when it's not time to rehearse. It's up to you to decide. I don't think I need to stress the fact that the success of this production is basically on your shoulders. I trust that you are both mature enough to see that. You may be excused."
Lily and James hastily rose to their feet and stalked out of the room, leaving the Professor to leaf through her Muggle book titled How to Deal with Today's Youth.
"That old bat. The success of this production is basically on your shoulders." James grunted, proceeding to mimic the professor in a girlish tone. "Honestly."
"Why are you getting so worked up over this, Potter?" Lily inquired curiously, increasing her pace just to keep up with James. "She just asked us to try and get along. It's no different than what everyone else has been saying."
"Maybe I'm just tired of hearing it, over and over. It just seems like everyone is pushing us together. Work together, you two. Don't fight. Get along." He blurted out loudly, repeating what he'd heard so very often. "It's bothersome. It's not like we've been at each other's throats lately. We've been civil, haven't we? People are just never satisfied, that's the problem."
She nodded, avoiding James' eyes as they headed towards the Ancient Runes classroom for a Prefects meeting.
"Furthermore, that loony professor is piling up more unnecessary stress and weight upon our shoulders . . . frankly, it's overwhelming and driving me bloody mad with worry. Being Quidditch Captain, Head Boy, Romeo, not to mention a student with a jam-packed schedule of N.E.W.T classes, it's beginning to get to me. I've never had to handle this much before. I never really expected it to be this hectic." He sighed, reverting back to his relaxed self and declaring a silent end to his lengthy rant.
"Welcome to my world, Potter." Lily stated simply, a grin tugging at her lips. "Feel free to request advice from a long time resident of Crazy-land. I know all the tricks."
"Very pleased to meet you." He greeted mockingly, enthusiastically shaking her hand. "Any chance of escaping this so called Crazy-land?"
"Not that I've discovered. No chance in hell." She chuckled cynically.
"Not yet, that is. I'll find a way to escape this chaos. Mark my words, Evans. I, James Harold Potter, will most definitely flee this horrid place I've been condemned to." He declared, holding his fist up towards the ceiling. "No worries, though. I'll be sure to release you from this stress-filled environment as well."
The corners of her lips formed a hint of a smile as a determined look made its way onto James' face.
If only it was that simple to get away from it all, she thought dreamily.