After a brief stay in Los Ao gather our stuff, we flew back to London. London was crowded, loud, cold, a. Yet, it was home. As much as the sunny days of LA enticed me, nothing could beat the cloudy skies of London in my 10-year-old self's opinion. In the long run, I khat staying in London after Harry Potter was impractical, yet I inteo enjoy this time as much as I could.

  Most Hollywood filmmakers stayed in or around Los Angeles, making it difficult for London-based actors to attend auditions and shoots. It ossible to work from New York because of Broadway and the many TV and film studios there, but unless you wao strictly work in British films and TV, relog was iable.

  Some actors tried to live far away from LA or other metro cities like London to escape the paparazzi, but it made their lives difficult due to the stant travel for everything—auditions, shooting, promotions, and talk shows.

  And I really hate flights.

  "Troy, what do you pn to do for the few months?" Mum's voice broke my reverie.

  "Huh?" I responded intelligently, looking around at our London home's interiors, fused.

  When did we get here?

  She sighed at my lost look. "I mean, you have vinced your dad ao let you use a private tutor and the accelerated study program. But what about in the meantime? You don't have school, you don't have a job at the moment, what do you wish to do with your time? I know for a fact that you'll get very lonely without people your own age around or a full-time job. Even your music lessons are private now."

  "I…" I hesitated.

  Until now, I'd been very busy. It was either sy ag job, or one of my lessons—musiartial arts. Aly, ballet…

  Wait a minute, I could try that out. Unlike music, I didn't have to do it in solitude. And it's a fun activity when I'm not being forced into it. Thinking of the logistics for a quient, it didn't take long to make up my mind.

  "I want to enroll in two csses: one for martial arts and one for professional ballet," I answered her with a grin. "There, I work with children my age and not be so isoted. I do csses that take up to five sessions a week."

  By the time I finished, my words were already ooziement over the prospect of doing something practical. More thaarting Muay Thai and Krav Maga, it was the ballet that intrigued me. After my performances iwo films and my singing lessons, I learned ohing about myself: I love physical activities over studying. Ohing was very clear to me—I would never do a desk job in my life.

  "That's… a surprisingly good decision," Mum accepted grudgingly. "Holy, I was hoping you'd go to school for at least a year, until Harry Potter, that is. I know, I know, you're bored, csses are too easy and all that. But I agree that joining a dance css along with martial arts may actually be good for you, given your inations towards perf arts."

  I beamed at her. "Thanks, Mum!"

  "Don't thank me just yet! I have to first find good enough teachers for you. Someone who'd be good at what they do and, at the same time, discreet when it es to media and paparazzi. Of course, an NDA would have to be signed, among other reassurances…"

  I tuned her out at this point. She has been very protective ever since I won the Golden Globe. She's n, as we've had to dodge paparazzi many times sihen.

  Luckily, London is a safe pce. Mostly.

  Harry Potter auditions for the roles of Hermione, Ron, and all other major and minor characters will begin in a few days. I'll also have to go and read a few lio finalize the role. Just a few st-minute formalities. However, Dad promised me that no one would know about me signing the tratil after the other cast members had been finalized.

  Already, the media were in a frenzy because the audition called for all the other roles but not the titur role of Harry. Warner Bros and Chris bus fahe rumors further by keeping mum about Harry's casting. Chris' appoi as director was on knowledge at this point, as was Dad's being the producer and the swriter.

  I am astouhat no one has put two and two together by now.

  There was another reason for Warner deying my signing the tract: the release of The Sixth Sense in August 1999. The studio's first preference for Harry was a tie between yours truly and another actor by the name of Liam Aiken.

  Liam worked with Chris in the movie Stepmom, which had just been released a few months ago in December 1998. Liam's performance raised immensely, and Warrongly believed that Liam could carry a hefty role like Harry on his shoulders.

  The only hurdle in his casting was Rowling's insisten the cast being British. Although he was born in Irend, he relocated to the US before his first birthday, thus making his citizenship a little questionable as he was raised in the US.

  I had the advantage of being raised in the UK, barring the st two years in the US.

  To prepare for doing a British role again, I began speaking in my inal London at as soon as the shooting for The Sixth Sense ed up. After all, I didn't want ao insihat I'm no longer British.

  "Troy! Are you even listening to me?" Mum's voice brought me out of my thoughts. Again.

  "Now I am," I said and gave her my full attention.

  "I said, I got a few numbers of ballet instructors from the phone directory." She waved a thick directory in my face. "I'll tact everyone nearby, get their credentials, a you a tutor soon."

  "And the martial arts?" I asked.

  "Your dad will take you there one of these days when he's free."

  "Thanks, Mum, you're the best!" I tackled her in a hug.

  I couldn't help but think that I'm very lucky to have such good parents in this life, even if a little te.

  (Break)

  "Owo, three, four and hold! Hold it! Hold it! And down…"

  I immediately went down on my heels after standing on my toes for at least half a minute. Arouher kids my age were also taking breaths of relief.

  "Now that the warm-up is over, is the pique into a pirouette. Hold the pique until I say so and then a pirouette. And I erfe!" our instructor barked harshly.

  Without holding onto the support, I did a pique, raising my hands in the air in a perfect ard bending my right leg at the knee, pg my right foot on my left knee befoing up ooes of my left leg. This was the retively easy part.

  , I started slowly spinning on my toes. After each turn, I would go down bay left heel for a moment befoing back up to take aurn. I kept making turn after turn to see how many I could do.

  While practig with Toni, I could do up to five before my feet would start killing me. Here, I had already surpassed seven, but I kept going. After the eighth turn, I couldn't tinue anymore, so I took a break a down.

  Only then did I notice the awestrud jealous looks from the kids around me and the impressed look on our instructor Peter's face.

  "Not bad, kid. Not bad at all. Tell me holy, do you know any other on ballet moves?" Peter asked.

  I shook my head. "I started only a few months ago, and my st teacher… told me to master this move first before doing anything else."

  Peter audibly hummed. "Okay. Everyone else, keep doing the pirouette. Armitage, e with me."

  He led me to a little er and gave me a long, searg look.

  "You said you acted in an Ameri film, right?" He broke the sileer a few minutes.

  "Yes, The Sixth Se will e out this summer," I answered holy. Peter had sighe NDA, so it didn't matter what I told him.

  "Hmm. With an Ameri at?" he inquired.

  While the line of questioning was a little weird, I answered heless, "Yes. I took dialect csses for a few weeks and I was all set. May I ask why you're asking?" I used my Ameri at the eime.

  "Nothing, just curious," he waved off my question nontly. I shrugged it off as a quirk of the man.

  "Anyway, onto your lesson. Do as I do." Peter instructed while going up on his toes and taking a leap across the floor.

  I copied him.

  For the five minutes, he went through many different poses and ballet moves that I tried to emute as much as I could with my brief training. He never once corrected me uided me verbally or otherwise. And he rictly stuck to ballet. If my guess was correct, he mixed in Waltz and Tap within his steps.

  It didn't take me long to realize what he was aiming for. He was showing me how far I was from being a profit dancer. Maybe a power move to curb any ego on my side? Possible.

  "I see your strong points and oints very clearly," he critiqued after we stopped.

  I was huffing after the set but he ristine as ever.

  "The good news is that the most crucial part you've got down pat—that's the poieique, oing up on your toes. The bad news is that part is mostly firls. I think your previous instruight not have known how boys are taught." He finished with an amused smile.

  That would be the most likely case with Toni.

  "Don't get me wrong, it is a great practice move to improve your bance, irrespective of gender, but while perf, that move is mostly for the female dancers," Peter expined.

  I nodded in uanding. "So what should I do?"

  "Girls usually spin on their heels while boys focus more on jumping and turning in the air because of their higher muscle mass. And because yoal is not to bee an exclusive ballet dancer, I suggest you mix in a little Tap iween. We'll do this today."

  Saying that, he made a jump in the air, kig his feet together and then nding on one foot befoing back to rest. Then he finally made a tap with both his feet, slowly showihe movement so that I could copy him.

  "Start practig this until you perfect it. This sed part is the initial step of tap dang called Ball Heel." He ordered befoing back to his other students.

  So much for being around people my age and making some friends. It would be a wonder if I made any when I'm being singled out on the first day itself. Sometimes I think of l my performance just to blend in with everyone else.

  But then I remember the P.E. css in my st school and how much below average I was, and all those thoughts go dowoilet.

  I am good at perf arts, and not because of some miraculous haowledge. So why would I lower myself to satisfy the egos of some lowly plebs? Why would I hinder my own growth in the one field where I don't feel like I've cheated someone else?

  With that renewed resolve, I went bay practice as instructed by Peter.

  __________________________________

  AN: Visit my Pat reon to read ahead up to 20 chapters, or participate in free polls about the story.

  Link: (dot)pat reon(dot)/fableweaver