Work Text:
Summer was near and soon all the sixth- and seventh-year students would have to take part in the Hogwarts end-of-year show.
The theme of the year was Romeo and Juliet and the students were divided into a dance group, a musical group and a theatre group, each dedicated to certain acts.
It was a stressful time for everyone and the evenings were the only moment of peace.
“I can't take it anymore,” complained Pandora, jumping on her bed. “If I have to do another day of rehearsal with Snape’s friends in the way I might go crazy,” she added.
“What are you talking about? Don’t they do theatre?” asked Barty.
“Yes, but they are always around because of Charity,” snorted Pandora. “I really can’t stand them,” she added.
“You’re right, Dora. They’re unbearable,” intervened Evan, who knew them very well. Their families were shitty and they made no effort to not be like them.
“Charity seems fine though,” said Pandora, defending her. “She and that friend of hers… Aurora… are nice,” she added. And in fact, they were from a different cloth, even though they still hang out with them.
“I don’t like Aurora,” said Dorcas playing with one of her braids. And they all knew it was about Quidditch.
“She’s fit,” commented Barty, who was sitting on the ground from where he received a few dirty looks from the others.
“You're always the same,” scolded him Evan, rolling his eyes, and before he could see it coming, he had Barty crawling into his lap to make a scene.
“Would you like me to change?” he teased him, before Evan could shake him off.
“I think they’re more than friends actually,” commented then Regulus, without looking up from the sheets he was looking at. “Might be,” Pandora agreed, grabbing a blanket and covering herself.
“How is it going with the lines?” she yawned, turning to Regulus. “All in all, good!” he said, reaching out to grab a pen to circle a few lines.
“I, on the other hand, am desperate!” exclaimed Evan. “They just handed us the scripts and I already have to work exceptionally hard if I want to learn all the lines for the show.”
“That's why I decided not to audition for the role of Romeo,” mumbled Regulus with the pen cap between his teeth.
“Yes well, I had auditioned for the role of Mercutio. But they saddled me with the role of the fucking leading man!” complained Evan.
” ‘You are more suited for this role and you are the best candidate to play Romeo. Plus, we would like to prove our progressivism and value minorities studying in our school’,” he mocked the jury in charge of assigning roles.
“That's why in the orchestra they put all the half-bloods in front rows!” stated Pandora connecting the dots. Apparently, the jury’s intention was not public knowledge.
“How stupid,” Dorcas mumbled, and despite her intention not to be heard they all turned toward her. It was odd coming from her: no one would have thought that Dorcas could think such a thing about including minorities.
“What do you mean?” Regulus asked, raising an eyebrow. Dorcas was good at many things but lying wasn’t one of them.
“Nothing,” she replied but it only took her a few seconds to admit it.
“Marl and I had auditioned as Romeo and Juliet,” she said, “It was her idea, but they didn't let us do it.”
Everyone looked at her. There was shock and pity on their faces. “This sucks!” burst out Barty. “Yes. It was very unfair,” added Pandora, smiling sweetly at her.
Dorcas smiled back, not wanting to show herself too dejected.
“Little homophobes,” blamed them Regulus, extending an arm to encircle Dorcas' shoulders. “I guess they are progressive when it comes to black or half-blood people, but not when it comes to gay people,” spat out Dorcas.
“Oh,” exclaimed Evan as he realized, “Is that why Marlene plays Juliet?! I'm even more sorry to be Romeo now, Dowes.”
“Don't be, Ev. I already told you it doesn’t bother me.”
“Yes, but that was before I knew you wanted to be her Romeo! I thought we’d just been chosen for the two roles,” he explained.
“Actually, she would have been Romeo,” admitted Dorcas shyly, as she shrugged her shoulders and her eyes became slightly wet. Her lips smiled though.
Regulus' hand gripped her shoulder more tightly.
“They should have let Marlene do it,” he stated, studying her expression for just a moment before casting a glance at the others.
Dorcas did not often show herself vulnerable, and each of her friends wished they could have done something to help her.
“We need to do something about it,” said Barty, “I’m not one of the fucking marauders but something has to be done!”
They all looked sceptical at him.
“What are you gonna do? Go around kissing guys?” joked Dorcas, “As if he doesn’t already,” muttered Evan always ready to reproach him.
“I don’t know. Maybe,” replied Barty to Dorcas, scratching his head.
“No, wait. I got an idea!” he exclaimed then. “I’m scared,” commented Regulus, “Yeah, me too,” said Evan.
“We’ll make the show gay,” exclaimed Barty. “I, as Romeo, will dance with a boy,” he explained, “And you and Marls will play Romeo and Juliet.”
Barty had in fact the leading role of the dance show.
“You make it look so easy as if the professors agreed,” said Regulus but Pandora and Dorcas had already started celebrating by clapping their hands. His idea was actually not that bad.
“Barty you’re a genius!” exclaimed Pandora. “And I'm not done yet,” he said, “Since Dorcas should dance with me as Juliet and Evan should act together with Marls, we simply have to switch. Isn't that perfect?” exclaimed Barty.
“Wait what?” exclaimed Evan, and before he could even meet Barty's gaze, he vigorously shook his head. Considering his huge crush on Barty, that would be catastrophic! There was no way Evan would have done that.
“No, no. No way” he protested. “Come on, Ros. It’s genius!” insisted Barty and everyone seemed to agree with him. The universe wasn’t really on Evan’s side.
“Why me? Why don’t you ask Reg?”
“Because he will never do it.”
“Ok, fine. Why not Sirius, then?” Evan objected. Sirius would have been a good option since he was already a dancer and he was training with Barty and Dorcas.
“I don’t want to dance with him!” burst out Barty and Evan rolled his eyes. Sirius could be a bitch sometimes, but he was the dream of every gay guy. There was no way Barty did not want to dance with him.
“You’re afraid of Remus, huh?” mocked him Regulus and almost everyone giggled.
“Don’t play!” replied Barty, “He already has a part, and if we want the plan to work, it would be better if we did everything as secretly as possible.”
Evan cast helping glances at his friends but no one helped him. Barty actually had a point and Evan didn’t know how to call himself out.
“Ok… anyway I can’t dance,” he protested, determined to try any way possible to get out of it.
“Oh, come on. We both know your family made you take dance lessons!” exclaimed Barty.
“Yes but - not of fucking ballet!”
“Honestly, Ros, it will be enough. The point will be that you are a boy, rather than if you are dancing well,” Barty said.
“Plus, it's not that difficult. I started dancing this year and I still got the part!” intervened Dorcas, and looking at her smile, Evan realised how happy the idea made her and he no longer felt like opposing it.
“And I also think you can simplify the choreography a little bit,” intervened Regulus trying to help, then everyone looked at Evan waiting for his response.
“Ok fine,” he exclaimed and Barty applauded all happy. The others were also smiling and cheering.
“You don't have to worry, Ev. We have just started learning the choreography very recently. You can come and watch the rehearsal, and Barty and I will simplify the choreography and help you practice,” said Dorcas hugging him to thank him, and she was so happy that for a moment Evan thought he might not regret it.
Which absolutely changed after a few days of Barty's plan.
Evan had in fact started to attend the dance rehearsal to watch the choreography, and day by day it had become increasingly difficult for him not to find Barty tremendously hot.
Barty was known to be a desirable guy, both by girls and boys - to none of whom he denied his attentions - yet he, that was his best friend, should not have felt such things for him. Evan was not supposed to desire him.
So, he tried to focus on Sirius's soft hair or Dorcas's elegant hands, yet his gaze always fell on Barty.
He always found himself observing his strong arms supporting Dorcas, his hair clinging to his forehead, the sweat pouring down his neck, his muscles twitching, or his pants wrapping perfectly around him. And that was bad. Really bad!
However, the worst came when they began rehearsing the choreography.
Initially it was just being so close to Barty and being in constant contact with his body, although Dorcas was always with them and they were all focused on rearranging the choreography.
Evan had just to play it cool when Barty's breath blew insistently against his neck, when his hands touched his waist or hips, when his strong grip supported him or when he spoke to him at a very short distance. Which was easier said than done.
Later though, they finished the choreography and Dorcas stopped joining them to practise for her own performance, so the two of them were left alone to rehearse in the dim light of the dorm.
That was the worst of the worst.
“You know, it's hard to grab you with all this fabric,” stated Barty once, referring to Evan's oversized t-shirt as he tried to pull him up by grabbing his waist.
“I will not take off my shirt,” retorted Evan with disdain, already nervous without adding Barty complaining about him not being fucking shirtless.
“I was not suggesting that,” scorned Barty, putting him back to the ground. “Maybe a tighter one,” he suggested, spinning him around on the spot.
Evan mumbled something in assent, then gasped when one of Barty's hands went under his shirt to grab him by the waist instead. It may be practical, but not ideal for Evan.
“Sorry if my hands are a bit cold,” blurted Barty, even though his hands were not that cold. They weren’t the problem at all. The problem was Barty touching him like that.
His fingers sank into Evan’s skin as he pulled him up and then down, only to grabbed him again and spin around holding him up. This time, Barty had to hold him with one hand on his hip and the other on his inner thigh, which made it rather difficult for Evan not to wince.
“You should trust me more,” Barty said, “You shake as if I could drop you at any moment.”
Evan was about to say something to hide the fact that he was shaking – which wasn’t a matter of trust but a matter of tension - when Barty hugged him from behind with more vehemence than usual, tucking his head into the crease of his neck.
Barty's entire body, now in his pyjamas instead of dancer's attire, was relaxed against Evan’s back and he really just wanted to scream.
“And we should practice dancing with more emotion,” he suggested in a relaxed voice that reached Evan's ears low and hoarse making him feel weak, as if his legs wanted to give up on him.
Fortunately, it was the moment when Evan had to walk away from Barty, so he managed to put some distance between them. Unfortunately, he then had to run back to Barty and jump into his arms to kiss him.
When he had agreed to dance with Barty, he didn’t know that was part of the script and when he found out it was too late to back down. Yet, Evan had managed to obtain that they would only kiss during the actual show, and that for the rest of the time they would only pretend.
So, it was very calmly that he rushed into Barty's arms, letting himself be moved and reclined slightly, but when he pulled him back up, he hugged him tightly and kissed him.
For a moment Evan froze, then he chased the other's lips, kissing him back, before realizing what they were doing and pulling away.
“Barty, what the fuck!?” he burst out.
“Don’t ‘what the fuck’ me. You kissed me back!” replied Barty without moving his hands from Evan’s lower back.
“Well, we had clearly agreed that we wouldn't kiss before the show and you kissed me first!”
“Ok, you're right. I was wrong,” he admitted, moving his hands away from Evan's body and taking a few steps back.
Something about him, however, suggested that there was something unspoken. Evan couldn’t really figure it out, but he was too angry to even care.
“I think that we’re done for today,” he said, picking up his things and leaving Barty’s dorm to head towards his.
When he arrived in his room, there was only Regulus who was lying on his bed reading something. His other roommates must have been at Quidditch practice.
Evan just walked to his bed and dropped his things on the floor before jumping on it. He kicked off his shoes and snorted.
“What happened?” Regulus asked, without looking up from his book like usual. Evan was grateful he didn’t have to cross his eyes.
“What do you mean?” said Evan evasively.
Regulus rolled his eyes blatantly and turned the page he had done reading. “Whatever,” he said and Evan thanked heaven that he had dropped the subject. He mumbled something and then slipped under the covers.
He couldn’t wait to fall asleep, but when he tried, he could not stop thinking about the kiss he shared with Barty.
He hated that he decided to kiss him with no reasons at all like it wasn’t a big deal, cause now he couldn’t stop thinking about it which was annoying and really a big deal for Evan. Because he was trying to not feel like that for Barty.
Evan wondered why he had done it. He thought it would be fun? Cause judging by the following days it certainly wasn’t.
The rehearsals became in fact more and more of a burden and, outside of them, Barty did nothing but avoid him - like he resented him or something.
Evan tried not to pay too much attention to it, since the show would be in a few days and he hoped that after that everything would work out. Meanwhile, he spent his time with Regulus and Remus, while Barty always slipped away to hang out with Pandora. Dorcas sometimes joined them, but for the rest of the time she was all over her girlfriend.
When the fateful day arrived, Evan followed Barty and Dorcas backstage, aware that until the last moment they would have to pretend that it would be the two of them to get on stage.
The orchestra was playing the first four scenes of the act and Evan couldn’t believe that they were about to do it.
When the music ended, everyone cleared the stage and Pandora joined him in the wings. She fixed his shirt around his shoulders and said some words of encouragement to him, before he could grab the mask that Dorcas was handing to him and rushed onto the stage.
The scene that they were about to play – which was the fifth one – was in fact set at a masquerade party, and both Romeo and Juliet would have been wearing party masks.
Looking at Barty from across the stage, Evan thought that the students working on costumes had done a really good job for how beautiful those masks were! Yet, it was not the beauty of the mask that made Evan's stomach twist, but the way it framed Barty's eyes and stood out under his messy hair.
Evan wondered if Barty was allowed to wear his hair like that or if that was also part of his rebellion.
At first no one seemed to notice anything, then, as soon as Barty turned to him with a big smile and approached him, the audience began to gasp.
Evan blushed slightly, forcing himself not to look away from Barty as he placed his hand on his. He had been worried about finding resentment in his eyes, but he saw no trace of it.
They began to dance together, and Evan tried to ignore the audience that had become increasingly loud as he kept his gaze fixed on Barty's mask. It was comforting to be able to look at the beads on his mask instead of his eyes, which he felt fixed on him.
He once again pulled him up by the thigh and spun with him, so that Evan was able to look at the audience. Barty was actually a great dancer and he was sure that they were not completely sucking at it, so apart from making it gay they were not ruining the show and it could be seen in the spectator’ faces.
Despite everything, Evan found himself thinking that they were doing the right thing.
“Ready?” asked him Barty with a smile when it came the moment of the kiss. Evan noticed something strange in his gaze, but had little time to think about it, so he mumbled something in response and then moved closer to Barty for what was supposed to be their only kiss.
Barty hugged him as that night and their lips pressed against each other before their tongues met.
They had not actually talked about how it was supposed to be, but they both realized that they had gotten carried away when they found themselves wrapped around each other, chasing each other's tongues with increasing transportation.
Evan had no clue about what was going on, but it looked like Barty didn’t mind kissing him, so who was he to argue?
When they stopped kissing, Evan loosened his grip on Barty's clothes but none of them stopped looking at the other. Barty’s eyes were DEEP into Evan’s and he looked strangely invested, making Evan wonder if it was possible that he felt something… for him… for Evan.
“Oh, fuck it!” exhaled then Barty, a moment before grabbing the side of Evan’s neck and kissing him again, making the crowd cheer. It really seemed that he fancied Evan and he just couldn’t believe it!
It was another passionate kiss and the theatre curtain closed before they could have finished, which was enough after.
Barty held Evan’s lip between his teeth and grabbed his waist to hold him close.
“You are actually obsessed with me, aren’t you?” questioned him Evan, smirking like it was some sort of payback for all the years he had spent pining for him.
“Yeah, I so am!” confirmed Barty, letting his fingers slightly sink under Evan’s waistband.
“Stop it!” threatened him Evan, grabbing him by the shirt and pulling. He would obviously have wanted to, but they simply couldn’t, and of course Barty had to tease!
“Wouldn’t you like it?” smirked Barty and then they kissed again. Evan couldn’t believe that he was about to have everything he thought he would never have.
They were still kissing when Pandora and Dorcas ran to them interrupting the kiss.
“You were great!” was saying Dorcas clapping his hands. “And I’m so happy you told him!” exclaimed Pandora, referring to Barty when she noticed that they were still kissing.
“Told me what?” joked Evan with a grin on his face. “Oh, that he’s so pathetically in love with you just like you are,” mocked him Dorcas and Barty’s hands slipped under Evan’s shirt to touch him. He was unable to take his hands off him.
“Ok, now you two must go hide in some dressing room! The teacher is coming for you,” intervened Regulus, who was rushing to join them. No one knew exactly what to expect but there was no award for messing up the show.
“With pleasure,” smiled Barty, dragging Evan even closer - if possible - before sneaking away with him.
“Those two!” commented Regulus, before turning to Dorcas. They shared a knowing glance, since neither of them wanted to picture their friends in the dressing room, then they quickly shook their heads and proceeded with the plan.
Regulus pushed Dorcas to her girlfriend, who kissed her cheek rapidly before letting her reach for Juliet’s dress.
Marlene laced the pieces of her armour – which was her stage costume - and had no time to look at Dorcas before she climbed onto the fake balcony and the curtain began to open.
The lights went on as Dorcas placed a braid behind her ear with a shaky hand.
“Oh, Romeo, Romeo, why must you be Romeo? Deny your father and give up your name or if you won’t I’ll give up being a Capulet,” she burst out, looking at the painted moon and fighting the instinct to look at her girlfriend instead.
“I take you at your word. If you call me your love, I’ll take a new name. From now on I’ll never again be Romeo,” exclaimed Marlene, stepping out of the shadows to place herself in the spotlight.
Dorcas could watch the light shining on her golden hair and for a moment she feared that she had forgotten the lines, then Marlene’s smile prompted her to speak.
“It will mean your death if any of my family members find you here,” she said without taking her eyes away from Marls. Now she could tell why Marlene wanted to do that so bad. It felt amazing!
“There would be more danger for me in one angry look from you, than there would be from twenty of your relatives with swords. If you just look at me with love, their hatred would not be able to touch me,” said Marlene, now pausing to look at Dorcas’ dress. It was stunning, and honestly, to be something supposed to be thrown on at the last minute, it wrapped her divinely.
“I’d give the world to make sure they do not see you here,” said Dorcas, smiling once she saw how Marlene was staring at her. “A few words, dear Romeo, and then good night. If your love is honourable and you want to marry me, send me word tomorrow. I’ll send a messenger,” she added, leaning out of the balcony.
“My soul depends on it,” croaked Marlene's voice in a damnably attractive tone that Dorcas really wanted nothing more than to kiss her, and from the look on Marls’ face she was feeling the same.
“A thousand times good night!” she said and with a look of understanding she rose on her tiptoes and kissed her. It was not part of the script but neither of them cared.
As none of the two cared that the whole school was watching, judging by the way they were kissing.
When the two of them moved away, they laid their foreheads against each other and were relieved to hear the audience cheering as the curtain was closing.
Dorcas smiled and almost burst out laughing, ignoring all the artists that were rushing around her to line up for the curtain call. Some of the students looked annoyed by the upheavals, but the majority of them had accepted it, since it wasn’t up to them to have it under control.
"Aren’t you coming?" shouted Barty, and Dorcas and Marlene joined the other artists smiling at each other while holding hands.
All the musicians, dancers and actors bowed to the roar of applause, before they could go and meet their friends. The artists mixed with the crowd of the audience and so did Dorcas and their friends.
While they were standing in the crowd, Dorcas looked down to see her hand still clenched in Marlene’s and smiled. She didn’t care what they would have gone through because of what they had done. It was worth it.
She was just thinking that, when an enthusiastic voice caught Dorcas' attention.
"You girls have been fantastic!"
"Yes. It was really beautiful and very important!" agreed another voice.
Dorcas glanced up and saw Emmeline Vance and Emma Vanity standing in front of them.
"Well, thank you," muttered Marlene, grabbing Dorcas' waist before the two girls could go on.
"No, really! You have no idea how much this has meant to us and probably many others," said Emmeline, surrounding Emma’s shoulders with one arm.
Marlene held Dorcas closer as Emma grabbed Emmeline’s waist and kissed her. They were so cute that they gladdened Dorcas’ heart, and she was so happy that her cheeks were hurting from smiling.
Barty’s plan had worked perfectly and even better than expected.