In this modern Hogwarts AU, the students of a Marauders High are putting on a production of Anastasia: The Musical.
Lily Evans, a passionate senior recently deferred from Yale Drama, lands the role of Anya. She's less than thrilled when James Potter, a charming, popular varsity athlete who's only joined theatre on a whim, is cast opposite her as Dmitri. Their fiery enemies-to-lovers dynamic ignites both onstage and off, fueled by undeniable chemistry and begrudging respect.
Sirius Black, James's best friend and NYU-bound theatre kid, plays Vlad, while his younger brother Regulus-a talented but intense junior-expected to land Dmitri is fuming. Tensions rise in the rehearsal room and beyond, with the cast/crew also including Severus Snape as Gleb (much to everyone's dismay), and a variety of magical and muggle-born students across grades and cliques, blending chaotic teen energy with high-stakes theatre drama. Group chats, hallway drama, callbacks, and after-rehearsal parties at the Blacks' lavish (and unsupervised) home add layers of tension, flirting, secrets, and revelations.
As opening night approaches, lines blur between performance and reality, and relationships are tested under the spotlight.
In which James Potter returns to Hogwarts as a substitute professor, with a very special someone as a student.
Or:
Lily Evans's worst nightmare comes true as her ex-boyfriend reappears after almost two years of their break-up.