Chapter 4 :

The memorizing of the play, much to Christine's annoyance, had taken up a lot of her study time. Instead of spending time in the library gouging her brain with information on Charms, Potions, or Transfiguration, she spent time in any free classroom tearing at her hair, trying hard to memorize the lines. Being a perfectionist, she would keep repeating the lines until she got them 100 right. But when she got it right, she would forget the next, and thus the whole cycle repeats itself. Only after five days of stressful physical and mind torture in the evening(which involved her sometimes overturning tables and chairs in despair and utter frustration, which was stopped by tsk tsk Diggory when he heard her), she was able to recite the lines fluently. The ironic thing was that she never found it difficult in her stride to memorize information related to Transfiguration or the ingredients to an important Potion.

"Hey Christine!" shouted Tammy, Christine's Gryffindor friend from the fourth year, "I heard you got the part! Congratulations! Although I would have loved to play the part of Juliet! I got the part LADY MONTAGUE! Romeo's mother!" she gushed, full of excitement and sincerity in her voice.

This was one of the qualities Christine really liked about her. She was sincere. Especially when she was congratulating Christine for getting the role of Juliet.

"Thanks but…If you want to take over my part, you can. First of, I hate the play, second, I hate Cedric and working with him will either kill me, or him, thirdly, its taking up too much of my time," she replied, walking with Tammy to the Green House.

"It's okay, I mean there are really bad rumour's about you spread by those Slytherin and Ravenclaw girls, so if I were you, I'd actually act well to make them eat their hearts out, I mean they actually said that you were…"

"Hey I get the point!"

"Okay but my friend from Hufflepuff said that Cedric told him that he didn't mind working with you, I mean, if people saw you walking with Cedric, they'd actually think you two are a couple!"

"Never, ever, will I EVER," she replied coldly, with a hint of anger to stop Tammy from yakking about the play.

And with those words, Tammy shut up and went over to sit with her Hufflepuff friend. That day, for some reason, the lines for Juliet kept repeating itself in Christine's head…

"How now? Who calls?"

"I'll look to like, if looking liking move. But no more deep will I endart mine eye than your consent gives strength to make it fly…"

"Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much…"

Flipping open her diary in the library after class, she realized that rehearsal was that evening at eight, in the Great Hall. Swearing under her breath, she flung her diary into her bag and took out her textbooks. She studied past dinner, desperately trying to find a book which could provide her sufficient information on the Wolfsbane potion for her essay. It was half past eight and she was still rummage the shelves for a suitable book. It's okay, the first few chapters aren't inclusive of Juliet anyways , she thought. It passed another fifteen mintues before she realized that she was extremely late. Grabbing her best option, "Potions of the Dark Ages" , she borrowed the book and dashed out of the library, sprinting and skipping steps to the great hall. She tripped and fell on the way, receiving a certain amount of scratches and cuts across the cold granite floor, her robe snagging on spears attached to armours, tearing the black cloth. Skidding to a halt in the great hall, announcing her arrival by tripping on her robe and knocking over a groaning suit of armour. Intruding on the scene where she was supposed to be present. Was supposed to be.

In her place, she found Cho Chang with a script at hand, reciting her lines at the Capulet feast. Her lines. She stared incredulously from Cho Chang, to Cedric, to Abigail, (the seventh year director).

"Umm….you were late, so we decided to let Cho have the part…"

"YOU, CANT DO THIS TO ME. I SPENT THE LAST FIVE DAYS MEMORIZING MY GUTS OUT, JUST FOR A PART WHICH I ABSOLUTELY DIDN'T WANT TO PLAY. I WAS IN THE LIBRARY.(cedric raised his eyebrows). NOW YOUR GONNA LET THIS BLOOOODY BITCH HAVE THE PART EVEN WHEN SHE DIDN'T EVEN BEI (Chinese for memorise) THE LINES!" she screamed loudly, still gasping for air.

Tammy then stepped in, telling the director that she had really worked hard and memorizing the lines, persuading the director to give her a chance.

"Okay, but the next time you're late, Cho gets the part. Let's start over,"

Christine flung her bag to a corner and walked slowly over to the short and thin wooden platform, slightly embarrassed at her blow up, feeling everbody's eyes on her. When she got to the platform, Cedric noticed her scratches and cuts.

"Are you okay?" he murmured as softly as he could.

"Better than you," she replied with anger still shaking in her voice.

"Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake."

"Then move not while my prayers' effect I take,"

He pressed his forehead against hers, allowing his nose to nudge hers, placing two hands on her waist, his lips brushing aginst hers. She had never allowed a guy to ever be this close to her. He stared deep into her eyes, as if trying to find some compassion or love for the world. She looked away, satisfied to see Cho Chang staring at them. She pushed him away and allowed him to recite :

"Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purged."

"Then have my lips the sin that they have took"

The recital was over at ten (thanks to the prefects who were part of the play) at they went back to their dormitories. Christine on the other hand was stopped by Abigail.

"Hey you, Girl!" barked Abigail, a potential Professor Mcgonagoll, "You need to keep your temper at check. This wont do. Although your acting is great, we cant afford someone with your temper in the play, I know you don't want to be part of this play, well, you have to. Cause we cant find any other girl as good as you. So do well and keep your temper from blowing."

Scowling, Christine walked off to her dormitory, tired from the day's work. She was the only person in the empty corridors and the deserted stairways. She smirked, taking another good look around to make sure no one was around, she started to sing…

I came to have a party

Open off the Bacardi

Feeling so hot tamale

Boy, I know you watchin' me

So what's it gonna be

Purple taking me higher

I'm lifted and I like it

Boy, you got me inspired

Baby, come and get it

If you're really feeling me

Cause it's my night

No stress, no fights

I'm leaving it all behind

No tears, no time to cry

Just making the most of life

Everybody is livin' it up

All the fellas keep lookin' at us cause

Me and my girls on the floor like, what

While the DJ keeps on spinning the cut

It's like that y'all (that y'all), that y'all (that y'all)

It's like tha tha tha tha, I like that y'all (that y'all)

It's like that y'all (that y'all), that y'all (that y'all)

It's like tha tha tha tha, I like that y'all (that y'all)

She pulled her bottle from her bag and brought it to her mouth, flinging her bag to a corner in the corridor and started to strut in a bad girl way, slamming the visors on the suits of armour, grinning so widely that her retainers made from pure silver could be seen. She started to sing, her voice getting louder, and louder and louder….until….

"HEY!"

She froze for a few seconds, and straightened her back. Looking around, she saw Cedric with a half bemused look and a half angry look on his face. Clearing her throat, she picked up her bag and thrust her bottle into the bag, taking the stairway back to the Common Room.

"I'm coming with you,"

"You're a bloody stalker aren't you? Cant leave people alone can you!" she said, her voice growing louder.

"I'm just going to make sure you get back to your common room,"

"Fine," she snapped, "Keep up if you can,"

Then she sprinted for it, up the stairs and back to the common room, slamming the portrait in his panting face, feeling extremely angry and disgusted at herself for allowing Cedric to see a side of her… A side of her which she only had when her mother was alive…

Hey everyone, don't know if this chapter is much of a success. So you have realized her mom is dead ehh? Tragic….shakes head …oh well, I just wanted to say that she's still remaining cold to everyone else and she still hates Cedric. Yeah, but not as much as last time though, she has to keep her pride to make this play work, which is rather ironic cos she doesn't even wanna be in the play. Ahaha, She has a side she has never revealed to anyone, not even her father, but her mother knew her as that joyful / bad girl soul when she was alive. Ever since her mother died she turned herself away from the world. So keep reading ya? After this whole play escapade thing ends, I'm planning something interesting for a Christmas a Hogwarts. ((: that's all for now to my loyal reviewers .