Chapter 26 – First Rehearsal
Everyone at Hogwarts was looking forward to the Easter holidays now that they were only two weeks away. Seventh and fifth year students had thrown themselves into their work, trying to get ready for NEWTs and OWLs in June. The House Quidditch teams were busy with plenty of practices getting ready for the final matches and then the Grand Final in May. And the sixth year Muggle Studies class was busy collecting props and learning their lines as they tried to get ready for their first proper rehearsal.
"Oi lovebirds!" Lily yelled as she stepped into the common room carrying her copy of A Streetcar Named Desire. James and Carly looked up from the table they were sitting at where they had been whispering sweet nonsense to each other while allegedly doing homework.
"Hey Lily," Carly greeted her friend merrily. "What's up?"
"I have to steal your boyfriend for a while Car. Sorry."
"Oh," Carly looked disappointed. "What do you need him for?"
"Me and my hubby James here," Lily said jokingly as she slung an arm around James' shoulders, "have some work to do."
James looked uncomfortable as Carly asked suspiciously, "Husband?"
"Calm down Car," Lily replied as she rolled her eyes. "I'm talking about the play. We're Stanley and Stella Kowalski in the Muggle Studies end of year play. We have to practise our lines since we have our first real rehearsal tomorrow."
"Can I come?"
"What? Why?" James questioned her as Lily looked at her best friend in shock.
She shook her head and answered Carly's question. "No you can't. This is the second assignment I've actually liked and I'm going to do it right. If you come James will be distracted. So I'm sorry Carly but you can't come. You understand don't you?"
"Yeah I understand. It's okay," Carly replied lightly. 'James will be distracted by you not me Lily,' she thought bitterly as Lily and James left to go outside and meet Remus to go over their lines together.
The next day the group was at lunch. Lily was doing her hair, eating lunch, doing her homework and going over her lines once more. Remus and James were also eating, doing homework and going over their lines but doing it far less successfully as Lily. Carly looked from Lily to James and Remus and voiced the question that women had asked for years previously and would continue to ask for many years to come. "Why is it that men can't multi- task?"
The bell went to signal the end of lunch and practically the whole school left the Great Hall. "Bugger," Lily muttered and doubled her efforts to finish her homework.
"See you guys in Divination," Carly said as she, Sirius and Peter stood up to go to class.
Once the hall had cleared leaving only the Muggle Studies class, Professor Litana took out her wand, removed the tables and created a stage. "Okay class," she said. "I want you to get set up for the first scene. The lights will continue changing so that we can find out what works. Everyone in their places please!"
Litana stayed on the floor as the class went up to the stage to prepare. Lily was standing on a raised platform ready for her cue while Remus and James were backstage. As Lily heard Lisa McCarthy say, "...won't go out on your own feet," she saw James and Remus walk onto the stage.
"Well, what did he say?" said James.
"He said he'd give us even money," replied Remus.
"Naw! We gotta have odds!"
Lily chuckled lightly, listening to her friends trying to speak in a southern American accent. She watched as they stopped below her. "Hey, there! Stella, baby!" James bellowed. Lily stifled her giggle, walked across the platform and leant over the rail slightly.
"Don't holler at me like that," she said, putting on her accent. "Hi, Mitch." Lily smiled. She was having so much fun.
"Catch!" James yelled.
"What?" Lily replied.
"Meat!" James threw a box up to Lily but he had chucked it so hard that it flew straight over her head and landed on the other side of the platform.
"CUT!" Litana shouted. Lily grabbed the box and dropped it back down to James, grinning widely the whole time. "That was very good until the package being thrown. We'll start again from those four lines between Stella and Stanley. This time, James, try and throw it so Lily can catch it."
"Aye, aye Captain!" James said as he, Remus and Lily all saluted Litana.
Litana frowned slightly. "You three jokers be serious for a change. I want this play to go off without a hitch at the end of June. Now positions everyone!"
Lily leant on the rail to say her first line again. "Don't holler at me like that. Hi, Mitch."
"Catch!"
"What?"
"Meat!" James threw the box again and Lily did as she was meant to. She cried out in protest but caught the box and gave a breathless little laugh. James and Remus began walking to the other side of the stage.
"Stanley!" Lily called. "Where are you going?"
"Bowling!" James shouted back.
"Can I come watch?"
"Come on." James and Remus walked offstage.
"Be over soon. Hello, Eunice. How are you?"
"I'm all right," replied Belle Parle. "Tell Steve to get him a poor boy's sandwich 'cause nothing's left here." The three girls laughed, though none really understood what was so funny about that statement.
Lily walked back across the platform and down the ladder behind it. She met up with James and Remus to have a chat before she and James had to go back onstage to finish the scene.
-
By the time the bell went an hour later, Litana was pleased by the fact that the class had managed to get through the first scene. They'd had to stop and re-do it many times, but the final run through had only a few mistakes.
James, Remus and Lily packed up their stuff and walked to Divination. As they went the three recited lines from Scene 1 in funny voices. As they reached the top of North Tower, James and Lily were saying the last lines from Stanley and Blanche while Remus was trying not to fall over from laughter. "What happened?" asked James.
"The boy – the boy died!!" Lily pretended to go into hysterics. "I'm afraid I'm going to be sick!!"
The rest of the Divination class stared at them as if they were crazy while Remus, Lily and James all burst into laughter. "Um how did the rehearsal go?" Carly asked, looking at them askance.
"Oh, um, it went great," Lily replied, trying to hold in her laughter but not succeeding. "At least I haven't had to kiss James yet."
Carly stood there with her mouth open trying to process what Lily had said, as James, Remus and Lily continued to laugh.
Everyone at Hogwarts was looking forward to the Easter holidays now that they were only two weeks away. Seventh and fifth year students had thrown themselves into their work, trying to get ready for NEWTs and OWLs in June. The House Quidditch teams were busy with plenty of practices getting ready for the final matches and then the Grand Final in May. And the sixth year Muggle Studies class was busy collecting props and learning their lines as they tried to get ready for their first proper rehearsal.
"Oi lovebirds!" Lily yelled as she stepped into the common room carrying her copy of A Streetcar Named Desire. James and Carly looked up from the table they were sitting at where they had been whispering sweet nonsense to each other while allegedly doing homework.
"Hey Lily," Carly greeted her friend merrily. "What's up?"
"I have to steal your boyfriend for a while Car. Sorry."
"Oh," Carly looked disappointed. "What do you need him for?"
"Me and my hubby James here," Lily said jokingly as she slung an arm around James' shoulders, "have some work to do."
James looked uncomfortable as Carly asked suspiciously, "Husband?"
"Calm down Car," Lily replied as she rolled her eyes. "I'm talking about the play. We're Stanley and Stella Kowalski in the Muggle Studies end of year play. We have to practise our lines since we have our first real rehearsal tomorrow."
"Can I come?"
"What? Why?" James questioned her as Lily looked at her best friend in shock.
She shook her head and answered Carly's question. "No you can't. This is the second assignment I've actually liked and I'm going to do it right. If you come James will be distracted. So I'm sorry Carly but you can't come. You understand don't you?"
"Yeah I understand. It's okay," Carly replied lightly. 'James will be distracted by you not me Lily,' she thought bitterly as Lily and James left to go outside and meet Remus to go over their lines together.
The next day the group was at lunch. Lily was doing her hair, eating lunch, doing her homework and going over her lines once more. Remus and James were also eating, doing homework and going over their lines but doing it far less successfully as Lily. Carly looked from Lily to James and Remus and voiced the question that women had asked for years previously and would continue to ask for many years to come. "Why is it that men can't multi- task?"
The bell went to signal the end of lunch and practically the whole school left the Great Hall. "Bugger," Lily muttered and doubled her efforts to finish her homework.
"See you guys in Divination," Carly said as she, Sirius and Peter stood up to go to class.
Once the hall had cleared leaving only the Muggle Studies class, Professor Litana took out her wand, removed the tables and created a stage. "Okay class," she said. "I want you to get set up for the first scene. The lights will continue changing so that we can find out what works. Everyone in their places please!"
Litana stayed on the floor as the class went up to the stage to prepare. Lily was standing on a raised platform ready for her cue while Remus and James were backstage. As Lily heard Lisa McCarthy say, "...won't go out on your own feet," she saw James and Remus walk onto the stage.
"Well, what did he say?" said James.
"He said he'd give us even money," replied Remus.
"Naw! We gotta have odds!"
Lily chuckled lightly, listening to her friends trying to speak in a southern American accent. She watched as they stopped below her. "Hey, there! Stella, baby!" James bellowed. Lily stifled her giggle, walked across the platform and leant over the rail slightly.
"Don't holler at me like that," she said, putting on her accent. "Hi, Mitch." Lily smiled. She was having so much fun.
"Catch!" James yelled.
"What?" Lily replied.
"Meat!" James threw a box up to Lily but he had chucked it so hard that it flew straight over her head and landed on the other side of the platform.
"CUT!" Litana shouted. Lily grabbed the box and dropped it back down to James, grinning widely the whole time. "That was very good until the package being thrown. We'll start again from those four lines between Stella and Stanley. This time, James, try and throw it so Lily can catch it."
"Aye, aye Captain!" James said as he, Remus and Lily all saluted Litana.
Litana frowned slightly. "You three jokers be serious for a change. I want this play to go off without a hitch at the end of June. Now positions everyone!"
Lily leant on the rail to say her first line again. "Don't holler at me like that. Hi, Mitch."
"Catch!"
"What?"
"Meat!" James threw the box again and Lily did as she was meant to. She cried out in protest but caught the box and gave a breathless little laugh. James and Remus began walking to the other side of the stage.
"Stanley!" Lily called. "Where are you going?"
"Bowling!" James shouted back.
"Can I come watch?"
"Come on." James and Remus walked offstage.
"Be over soon. Hello, Eunice. How are you?"
"I'm all right," replied Belle Parle. "Tell Steve to get him a poor boy's sandwich 'cause nothing's left here." The three girls laughed, though none really understood what was so funny about that statement.
Lily walked back across the platform and down the ladder behind it. She met up with James and Remus to have a chat before she and James had to go back onstage to finish the scene.
-
By the time the bell went an hour later, Litana was pleased by the fact that the class had managed to get through the first scene. They'd had to stop and re-do it many times, but the final run through had only a few mistakes.
James, Remus and Lily packed up their stuff and walked to Divination. As they went the three recited lines from Scene 1 in funny voices. As they reached the top of North Tower, James and Lily were saying the last lines from Stanley and Blanche while Remus was trying not to fall over from laughter. "What happened?" asked James.
"The boy – the boy died!!" Lily pretended to go into hysterics. "I'm afraid I'm going to be sick!!"
The rest of the Divination class stared at them as if they were crazy while Remus, Lily and James all burst into laughter. "Um how did the rehearsal go?" Carly asked, looking at them askance.
"Oh, um, it went great," Lily replied, trying to hold in her laughter but not succeeding. "At least I haven't had to kiss James yet."
Carly stood there with her mouth open trying to process what Lily had said, as James, Remus and Lily continued to laugh.