A Lily By Any Other Name

Act VI: Lily

"Wilt thou be gone? it is not yet near day:

It was the nightingale, and not the lark,

That pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear- GAH, I keep messing up the rhythm! How am I supposed to recite this in front of everyone, much less memorize it? Who let me sign up for something I'm not cut out for?" Marlene groaned, flopping face-first into her pillow as Mary and Lily looked at her with expressions that were a combination of sympathy and amusement.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Shakespeare's not easy. I've been reading his works since I was a kid and even I still mess up sometimes when trying to read out loud. You just need some more practice." Lily offered kindly, gently grabbing her by the hands and pulling her friend back up to her feet.

"There's still plenty of time before you have to be off-book anyway, you'll learn your lines in time. And you are an amazing Juliet, so hush. Totally not saying that because I started making your costume yesterday and the dress is in your measurements." Mary added, reopening her copy of Romeo and Juliet. "Now, from the top!"

Marlene, however, closed her book. She pretended to look lost in thought.

"Lily's around the same size as me, she can easily play Juliet."

Lily's head shot up from her book. "Absolutely not, don't even think of that. I already told both of you I'm not going to be involved in the performance. Even if Potter wasn't in charge of this, being in front of everyone like that isn't my thing." She flipped back to the scene they were on. "I said I'd help practice lines with you, so come on, Juliet. Are you going to bid farewell to Romeo, or is he just going to climb out of the window all lonesome?"

Marlene picked up her book again, but she wasn't done yet. "I'll read Romeo's part. Do Juliet's; hearing how her lines are supposed to sound will help me learn faster."

The redhead frowned, but it made sense. She shrugged, flipping back a page to the beginning of Act 3: Scene 5, which Juliet opens.

"Wilt thou be gone? it is not yet near day:

It was the nightingale, and not the lark,

That pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear;

Nightly she sings on yon pomegranate-tree:

Believe me, love, it was the nightingale."

Marlene continued the conversation swiftly with Romeo's part. She sounded a bit unsure at first with the unfamiliar lines, but she soon found the flow and she grew more confident as the scene unfolded.

"It was the lark, the herald of the morn,

No nightingale: look, love, what envious streaks

Do lace the severing clouds in yonder east:

Night's candles are burnt out, and jocund day

Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops.

I must be gone and live, or stay and die."

The pair continued their back and forth for a few more verses before Mary, as Juliet's Nurse, entered the scene. They continued practicing as such, even acting out some of the stage directions, until Dorcas and Alice barged into their room to drag them downstairs. In addition to Marlene not switching back into doing Juliet's parts, they had completely forgotten about the Hogsmeade trip that weekend.

When they were all dressed up for the January weather, the five girls made their way to Honeydukes for some treats. Alice had quite the sweet tooth and the other four weren't that far off themselves from a cavity or two. At some point they decided to split off so everyone could get their shopping done in time. They agreed to meet back at The Three Broomsticks for some Butterbeer in an hour, and the two groups parted ways.