𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰!
act one, chapter ten
" 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 "

𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟕

          𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑫𝑨𝒀 𝑯𝑨𝑫 𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑬. The fated day when all that Wyatt Buckley had been working towards for the last six years would accumulate and she would hopefully ─ oh dear hopefully ─ go to sleep that night with a permanent smile resting on her face counting down the days until she would perform as the leading lady in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

          Wyatt woke up extra early the day the cast list was due to be announced. She went for a jog first thing, slowing down when she came across the Black Lake to take in the sun rising higher as it glimmered across the surface of the water. When she made it back to her dorm, she soaked herself in a long shower, letting the rain of the falling water caress her skin in calm trickles. She then made sure she had a big breakfast, down in the Great Hall before most students had even awoken. Scrambled egg on toast with a side of strawberries and banana was her favourite and so that is what she had, feeling fulfilled by the time she made her way back to the Hufflepuff common room to immerse herself in some light reading before her first lesson.

          The cast list wasn't due to be posted until lunch when the Drama Club were due to have a meeting to discuss rehearsals and the play going forward. All week Flitwick hadn't made any kind of announcement to suggest he hadn't made his final decision yet so it was likely that, as Wyatt sat in the depths of the castle, hidden in the Hufflepuff basement, her fate was already decided.

          All week she had been trying to tell herself that she should be proud no matter the outcome. She had contributed heaps of effort to the Drama Club since she joined Hogwarts and her commitment in itself was achievement enough. In the case where she didn't get the lead, Wyatt was preparing herself to feel okay about it and come to terms with the disappointment in a healthy way. She had tried not to think about Theodore Nott's rude involvement in her big plans for her seventh year, but she had been weirdly seeing him everywhere lately and so that was proving a difficult task. As for the outcome she wanted, Wyatt had already made plans on how to celebrate.

          Wyatt couldn't tell whether the time up until lunch went slow or not. It was sort of like time stood still ─ she was stuck directly in between too nervous and too excited so she hardly paid attention to the ticks of the hands on the clocks.

          At break, Wyatt found she didn't want to talk about the play at all. Theo had deliberately walked into her on her way to the Great Hall and she had decided it was time to give her mind a rest while she, Teddy, and Rudy shared a bowl of crisps. She engrossed herself in conversation about Rudy's failing love life and Teddy's hate for Arithmancy, and, before she knew it, the bell rang and third period was over and she found herself walking to the Charms classroom.

          The only way she could describe it was like a fever dream. The entire time she entered the already filling room, the time she and Luna shared idle conversation, the moments she found herself glancing at the door to make sure Theodore Nott was staying well away from here was like she was floating, defying gravity.

          It wasn't until she placed her bag down by the cubby holes at the back of the classroom where she saw a loose bit of parchment sticking out on the top of her collection of books and quills that everything felt real again. Curiously, she lifted the note from her bag and unfolded it, smoothing out the creases, to read the neatly written message.

          Good luck today, Wyatt. You deserve it more than anyone.

          The note wasn't signed and there was no kind of clue as to who it was from, but Wyatt smiled to herself, suddenly feeling very aware of her surroundings and a surge of confidence shot through her. She had the best of friends.

          Flitwick then made his way up onto a raised platform so that they could all see and hear him, the coveted parchment upon which Wyatt's fate was written, was pressed up against his chest. The room went silent, every body in the room tensing up in apprehension. Wyatt clutched the note in her hand and rejoined the shrinking crowd as it clumped together at the front of the room in front of him. Her breathing even went quiet, but it certainly didn't slow down.

          As all eyes were now glued onto the professor, he addressed them all at once. "I'd like to start off by saying you were all incredible," he said, "and I was so lucky to have such a great bunch of students to choose from; you should all be very proud! But as you know, not everyone can be the lead, so don't feel disheartened if you didn't get the role you wanted."

          He paused momentarily, looking out at the crowd, moving from left to right as if to soak in the moment.

          Wyatt couldn't soak in the moment, she was too anxious, and so was very glad when he lifted the piece of parchment into the air and waved it about for everyone to see. "So without further ado," he said, getting down from off the platform and making his way over to the main notice board that had an empty spot in the middle, cleared especially for the cast list, "here it is!"

          The moment he reached up and dug a pin into the cork, the sharp point piercing the parchment, the crowd erupted, shuffling in one big manic clump over towards where the professor still stood.

          Flitwick was swallowed into a mob of excited students, lost to people much taller than him. As yelps of happiness and groans of disappointment found their way to Wyatt's ears, while she was still stuck near the rear of the throng of people, Flitwick made one last attempt at being heard. "And remember, rehearsals start in November!"

          It took a while until Wyatt was at the front of the pack, the cast list a mere metre in front of her. There was practically no one else waiting to sneak a peek by the time she was stood in front of it. Everyone else had dispersed in small groups, either with elated grins, shrugs of indifference, or huffs of disgruntlement. Wyatt hadn't been able to spot Yasmine to gauge her reaction, nor Luna nor Justin.

          Taking a deep breath and a final step closer, Wyatt settled her eyes on the brown paper, ink sprawled out in a long list, adjusting to the glare of the sunlight pouring in from the nearest window.

          The world went still again.

          She had done it. She had actually done it. It wasn't a joke, not wishful thinking ─ it was right there, in thick black ink, plain as day. Her name and Juliet's.

          Her heart started beating a little faster, her cheeks growing warm with a light shade of pink flushing her skin. A smile tempted her lips, threatening to break out into the widest grin she had ever even thought of making.

          Wyatt kept reading over the same line, again and again just to make sure her mind wasn't playing tricks on her. And sure enough, she was seeing clearly, no glasses needed. She was going to be playing Juliet.

          She wanted to jump for joy, even squeal a little. But that might have been a little disrespectful because she knew how many other girls had wanted the role. But there was also one more thing she needed to check before she expressed her excitement via a little more than a modest smile and a light blush.

          And as her eyes scanned a tiny little bit lower to see who would be her on-stage lover, it seemed her desire to leap around in delight was seriously premature. 

          This time, she didn't blink a couple of times or read it over and over again to confirm its existence in reality, but Wyatt simply stared at the name and the character of Romeo Montague, completely and utterly dumbfounded. Because what on earth had she done to deserve this?

           She suddenly, and horridly, found herself asking one other question: how could one person be so thrilled and so distraught all at once?

          While her mind tried to come to terms with this twisted, year-ruining fact, Wyatt didn't notice the body creep up behind her.

          Theodore had arrived late to the Drama Club meeting for two reasons: 1) he hoped Flitwick would see that he didn't care that much about all this play debacle and 2) he couldn't be bothered to show up in the first place and so procrastinated coming for as long as possible.

          He was planning to scare Wyatt whom he noticed first standing stock still in front of the poster that had been pinned on the corkboard in front of her. Her sheer stillness meant only one thing ─ she had gotten the role.

          And gotten the role she had. Theodore just didn't know the full story until he snuck up right behind her, was ready to pounce hoping that the surprise would make her soul leave her body, where he then read the same inky words she was fixated on. This time in more detail.

          He now understood while the girl's hand was twitching by her side.

          "Shit," was all he could think of saying. This was not how he planned this to go.

          His single word did indeed make Wyatt jump to the point she felt her heart leaped but when she spun quickly on the spot to see who was peering over her shoulder, she was no longer momentarily high on adrenaline.

          Wyatt stared at the boy and he felt so intimidated by her cold, sharp glare, his shoulders retreated feeling small. As she stared at Theodore, one thought came to mind: she had to pretend to be in love with this boy. From the greatest love story of all time. In front of all her friends and all of his.

          But not only did this seem like an impossible task but what did Flitwick even see in him? There were other students that could have played the role just as well, who also didn't sign up for auditions as a childish, pathetic joke. Someone who was going to be fully committed and serious. Someone who would compliment her acting so that her experience as the leading lady was to be as glorious as she had always imagined it would be.

          "Shit?" She repeated his pathetic response incredulously. "Is that all you have to say? Shit? Really?"

          Theodore had briefly felt a pang of guilt, that much was true, but Wyatt didn't seem even a little bit okay with what was happening. There was no sense of maybe this will all work out or Flitwick knows best ─ nothing. She hated his guts. And even if Theo knew that all along, he had at least thought that she'd warm up to him eventually. But at this moment in time, it did not look like she was going to come around any time soon.

          "What do you want me to do?" Theo scoffed. "Drop to my knees and beg for forgiveness?"

          Wyatt knew he was only teasing but she folded her arms across her chest and quirked an eyebrow as if to stir him up.

          He chuckled dryly, swiping his thumb along his chin as his eyes wandered to the group of people surrounding them, a mixed bunch of emotions ─ joy, disappointment, surprise. But the entire time he let his gaze drift away from her, he could feel her stare piercing the side of his face, not moving for a second. And he knew, there was no way she was ever going to like him, even if they had to pretend to be in love.

          Theo felt a little bad for Wyatt. He did. Only a little because, frankly, it was about time she warmed up to him. He was getting sick of trying to get the one girl that didn't fancy him to at least like him a little bit. Plus, it seemed his chat with Flitwick had made him completely committed to the project which meant he had to come up with a way to play this off to his friends. He was gonna go the whole way for a laugh? He couldn't back out now, but how hilarious is it that he actually got the role? He could sabotage the entire play to entertain his petulant friends?

          Theo was about to sigh at Wyatt's suggestion that he should get on his knees and beg for her forgiveness, but a gleeful voice snapped them both out of their glaring contest.

          Neither of them were prepared for Professor Flitwick to come up to them at that moment. Especially not with a cheery grin, oozing with pride, that made Wyatt briefly feel warm again.

          "Here they are! Our Romeo and Juliet!" Flitwick called out as he walked right up to them. Wyatt's sense of warmness disappeared then because she thinks she had some kind of aneurysm that made her forget there was a Romeo to her And Juliet. 

          Flitwick had to stare up at them but even then it was clear he was admiring his casting choice, his gaze jumping from Wyatt to Theo and back again. "And what a delightful couple you will make," he pointed out making the both of them annoyingly uncomfortable, considering the circumstances. Neither of them showed their discomfort but instead smiled along as if they were both blissfully happy to be there.

          "Congratulations to the both of you; I know I made the right choice."

          "Thank you, Professor," Wyatt willed herself to say. She clearly didn't like the fact that Flitwick thought his decision, not only to make Theodore Nott the leading man but also his expectation for the pair of them to act with such chemistry on stage were strokes of brilliancy.

          It looked like it pained her to speak in such conditions, but Theo should have expected Wyatt to show her undying appreciation for the Drama Club leader even in times of strife.

          Theo returned a polite smile that even he found awkward to perform. "Thanks, sir."

          With another tug of a bright smile, Flitwick made his way into the crowd, where Wyatt then realized she was so angered with Theo, that she wouldn't even have the strength to talk with her castmates, or even smile sickly sweetly in Yasmine's direction.

          Once the professor was out of earshot, Wyatt felt like she had just about enough energy leftover from that first shot of serotonin she gracefully received when she saw her name on the cast list right where she wanted it to have one last go at the infuriating boy in front of her.

          "Do you know how hard I've worked for this?" Despite the anger he sensed raging inside her, Theo could also hear the genuine severity in her voice ─ she had certainly worked hard. "Did you ever consider that when you and your friends made fun of everyone in this room on numerous occasions? To our faces?"

          The guilt had returned and Theo didn't quite have the words to respond with. She was right and he was wrong. But the part was still his, sort of fair and square. "Look, Wyatt-" He started, mainly to procrastinate until he had thought of something good enough to respond with.

          But Wyatt cut him off with a scrunched-up expression before he even got the chance to consider what came next. "Don't look, Wyatt me, sweetheart."

          Theo remains to be incapable of restraining himself from jumping at the chance to tease her. "Sweetheart?" He repeated, no longer worried about addressing her earlier questions. "See," he smiled, knocking his arm against hers, "you're already getting into character."

          Wyatt was far from amused and just let his force sway her a little to the side. "I swear to Merlin, if you ruin this for me, you will regret it."

          "I won't ruin it."

          She couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes. "Because you certainly don't ruin everything else."

          There was a change in the atmosphere for Theo. When she had finally acknowledged the reality of the situation, Theo at least knew she was going to work through it, no matter how much protest she made. But even when he promised not to sabotage this for her ─ because he genuinely didn't want to do that ─ all she could say was something Theodore Nott heard far too much back home.

          She too could feel that change in atmosphere in his face. How it hardened, how his jaw tensed, and his eyes went colder.

          Theo then bent down to her height and pressed his face up against hers so he could whisper into her ear as apathetically as possible.

          "I'm going to be your Romeo, Buckley," he said. "And you're just going to have to deal with it."

          She couldn't stand to look at the hint of a smug grin on his face or the nonchalance of the way he leaned down to let his breath tickle her ear. Her scowl was beginning to hurt her face by the time Theo was sauntering away, not bothering to meet any of his new castmates or to listen to the details of how the rehearsal schedule was going to work.

          Her eyes were trained on him until he was no longer in sight, which is when she uttered the only words that came to mind. "What. The. Actual. Fuck."

          Wyatt could feel the anger begin to boil her blood; her face went warm and her hands went dry. Her chest rose and fell at an excruciatingly slow pace with her growing fury as she tried to find some kind of reason for her mind to calm down. The only thing that could come to mind that could potentially be the twisted silver lining she was desperately looking for was that she would never have to speak to Theodore Nott again in her life after this year.

¨. ༢ ͎۪۫ ༊*·˚