Chapter 20 - The Performance
James and Remus continued to watch as Lily, Belle and Julie set up their cauldron and told Professor Litana how they wanted the lighting. "Do you think she'll manage?" James whispered to Remus.
"Of course she will. It's Lily." Remus sounded slightly uneasy though.
"You don't sound too convinced mate."
Remus exchanged glances with James and they didn't need to say it out loud. They were both worried that Lily would simply back out. Although that went completely against the person they knew Lily to be, they had just seen a side to her that the two of them had never seen before. James and Remus had never seen Lily scared before. And quite frankly they never wanted to see her scared again. It freaked them out just a bit too much.
The lights went down and Lily, Julie and Belle began too circle the cauldron. All of them threw things in as they walked while Remus and James watched on in apprehension. Finally after what seemed like forever although really only about a minute Lily began to speak.
"When shall we three meet again In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"
Belle then picked up the next line.
"When the hurlyburly's done, When the battle's lost and won."
Finally Julie spoke her first line.
"That will be ere the set of sun."
James and Remus grinned as Lily really got into her character as she recited her next line.
"Where the place?"
As Belle came quickly with the next line in the scene Professor Litana knew she had picked the right people for the witches.
"Upon the heath."
Julie sounded particularly sinister as she brought in the title character of the play.
"There to meet with Macbeth."
Lily looked up towards the ceiling while still circling the cauldron as she said,
"I come, Graymalkin!"
Belle threw her last ingredient into the cauldron.
"Paddock calls."
Julie called out,
"Anon."
The three witches stopped walking and joined hands. They spoke the final lines as smoke began billowing out of the cauldron.
"Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air."
James and Remus began clapping and cheering as the lights came back on. "Encore, encore," they called out. Lily smiled as she sat back down next to them.
"I think that went pretty good," she said.
"Pretty good? I think you did great," commented Remus.
"I never knew you could sound so evil and Slytherin Lily," said James.
"That's how the witches are meant to sound. Besides I can be very evil I want to be."
"Just don't start another prank war with your evil ways," replied James. "I don't think my hair could handle it," he added with a wink.
Lily laughed and quipped back, "Yeah well, can't wait to see you act like a girl Potter. Oh wait you already do that."
"She got you mate," laughed Remus.
"Lastly we have Remus Lupin and James Potter doing Romeo and Juliet," announced Litana.
"Here we go," said James. James went to pick up a very big piece of painted cardboard while Remus brought a wooden ladder out of the storeroom. As James set up Remus told Litana that the only lighting they wanted was a spotlight on James and nothing else. James ascended the ladder but stayed a few steps below the top so that he wasn't visible behind the cardboard.
Remus walked over to the side of the room as he prepared to give his first line.
"He jests at scars that never felt a wound."
James climbed the last few steps and gently leaned on the cardboard with his cheek resting on his hand. Remus continued to speak.
"But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, Who is already sick and pale with grief, That thou her maid art far more fair than she: Be not her maid, since she is envious;"
Remus began to slowly walk towards the other side of the classroom where the cardboard wall, ladder and James were.
"Her vestal livery is but sick and green And none but fools do wear it; cast it off. It is my lady, O, it is my love! O, that she knew she were! She speaks yet she says nothing: what of that? Her eye discourses; I will answer it."
'This spot light is bloody hot,' thought James as Remus continued his soliloquy. 'Hurry it up Remus.'
"I am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks: Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, Having some business, do entreat her eyes To twinkle in their spheres till they return. What if her eyes were there, they in her head? The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars,"
'Who would've known Remus would turn out to make an alright Romeo?' Lily pondered as Remus delivered his next lines.
"As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven Would through the airy region stream so bright That birds would sing and think it were not night. See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand! O, that I were a glove upon that hand, That I might touch that cheek!"
'About bloody time Moony old' boy,' James thought as he took a breath to say his two lines.
"Ay me!"
'Did James just have a female voice or am I imagining things?' Lily wondered as Remus again began speaking.
"She speaks: O, speak again, bright angel! For thou art As glorious to this night, being o'er my head As is a winged messenger of heaven"
Remus had reached the base of the cardboard and he looked up at James as he delivered his last lines.
"Unto the white-upturned wondering eyes Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him When he bestrides the lazy-pacing clouds And sails upon the bosom of the air."
James inwardly grinned about being so close to being out of the spotlight. He heaved a girly sigh and then spoke the final lines of the section of their scene in a rather believable female voice.
"O Romeo, 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."
James gave Remus the thumbs up as the lights came back on and got down off the ladder. Remus and James plopped themselves down in seats next to where Lily was sitting stunned. "Remus how did you remember so many lines?" Lily asked, incredulous. "And James if I didn't know better and you had been wearing a wig I would've thought you were a girl."
"My mum and I used to make up voices when I was little. I managed to perfect a female voice," replied James.
Lily suddenly started laughing. "I thought the day I saw James in girl's clothes would be the day pigs fly."
"That can easily be arranged you know," Remus said with a grin.
"Oh shut up smart arse, it's a muggle phrase."
James and Remus continued to watch as Lily, Belle and Julie set up their cauldron and told Professor Litana how they wanted the lighting. "Do you think she'll manage?" James whispered to Remus.
"Of course she will. It's Lily." Remus sounded slightly uneasy though.
"You don't sound too convinced mate."
Remus exchanged glances with James and they didn't need to say it out loud. They were both worried that Lily would simply back out. Although that went completely against the person they knew Lily to be, they had just seen a side to her that the two of them had never seen before. James and Remus had never seen Lily scared before. And quite frankly they never wanted to see her scared again. It freaked them out just a bit too much.
The lights went down and Lily, Julie and Belle began too circle the cauldron. All of them threw things in as they walked while Remus and James watched on in apprehension. Finally after what seemed like forever although really only about a minute Lily began to speak.
"When shall we three meet again In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"
Belle then picked up the next line.
"When the hurlyburly's done, When the battle's lost and won."
Finally Julie spoke her first line.
"That will be ere the set of sun."
James and Remus grinned as Lily really got into her character as she recited her next line.
"Where the place?"
As Belle came quickly with the next line in the scene Professor Litana knew she had picked the right people for the witches.
"Upon the heath."
Julie sounded particularly sinister as she brought in the title character of the play.
"There to meet with Macbeth."
Lily looked up towards the ceiling while still circling the cauldron as she said,
"I come, Graymalkin!"
Belle threw her last ingredient into the cauldron.
"Paddock calls."
Julie called out,
"Anon."
The three witches stopped walking and joined hands. They spoke the final lines as smoke began billowing out of the cauldron.
"Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air."
James and Remus began clapping and cheering as the lights came back on. "Encore, encore," they called out. Lily smiled as she sat back down next to them.
"I think that went pretty good," she said.
"Pretty good? I think you did great," commented Remus.
"I never knew you could sound so evil and Slytherin Lily," said James.
"That's how the witches are meant to sound. Besides I can be very evil I want to be."
"Just don't start another prank war with your evil ways," replied James. "I don't think my hair could handle it," he added with a wink.
Lily laughed and quipped back, "Yeah well, can't wait to see you act like a girl Potter. Oh wait you already do that."
"She got you mate," laughed Remus.
"Lastly we have Remus Lupin and James Potter doing Romeo and Juliet," announced Litana.
"Here we go," said James. James went to pick up a very big piece of painted cardboard while Remus brought a wooden ladder out of the storeroom. As James set up Remus told Litana that the only lighting they wanted was a spotlight on James and nothing else. James ascended the ladder but stayed a few steps below the top so that he wasn't visible behind the cardboard.
Remus walked over to the side of the room as he prepared to give his first line.
"He jests at scars that never felt a wound."
James climbed the last few steps and gently leaned on the cardboard with his cheek resting on his hand. Remus continued to speak.
"But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, Who is already sick and pale with grief, That thou her maid art far more fair than she: Be not her maid, since she is envious;"
Remus began to slowly walk towards the other side of the classroom where the cardboard wall, ladder and James were.
"Her vestal livery is but sick and green And none but fools do wear it; cast it off. It is my lady, O, it is my love! O, that she knew she were! She speaks yet she says nothing: what of that? Her eye discourses; I will answer it."
'This spot light is bloody hot,' thought James as Remus continued his soliloquy. 'Hurry it up Remus.'
"I am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks: Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, Having some business, do entreat her eyes To twinkle in their spheres till they return. What if her eyes were there, they in her head? The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars,"
'Who would've known Remus would turn out to make an alright Romeo?' Lily pondered as Remus delivered his next lines.
"As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven Would through the airy region stream so bright That birds would sing and think it were not night. See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand! O, that I were a glove upon that hand, That I might touch that cheek!"
'About bloody time Moony old' boy,' James thought as he took a breath to say his two lines.
"Ay me!"
'Did James just have a female voice or am I imagining things?' Lily wondered as Remus again began speaking.
"She speaks: O, speak again, bright angel! For thou art As glorious to this night, being o'er my head As is a winged messenger of heaven"
Remus had reached the base of the cardboard and he looked up at James as he delivered his last lines.
"Unto the white-upturned wondering eyes Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him When he bestrides the lazy-pacing clouds And sails upon the bosom of the air."
James inwardly grinned about being so close to being out of the spotlight. He heaved a girly sigh and then spoke the final lines of the section of their scene in a rather believable female voice.
"O Romeo, 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."
James gave Remus the thumbs up as the lights came back on and got down off the ladder. Remus and James plopped themselves down in seats next to where Lily was sitting stunned. "Remus how did you remember so many lines?" Lily asked, incredulous. "And James if I didn't know better and you had been wearing a wig I would've thought you were a girl."
"My mum and I used to make up voices when I was little. I managed to perfect a female voice," replied James.
Lily suddenly started laughing. "I thought the day I saw James in girl's clothes would be the day pigs fly."
"That can easily be arranged you know," Remus said with a grin.
"Oh shut up smart arse, it's a muggle phrase."