"Hermione! Wait!" I shouted while running behind Emma. "Hermione, will you please tell me what it is we are doing?" She stopped behind the er of a wall and I saw six people standing together. The actors portraying Ron, Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle were the real ones, while two body doubles were wearing clothes simir to Emma and me.

  "That's us," I whispered in realization. "This is not normal."

  Suddenly, Emma grabbed me and pushed me against the wall in an attempt to make sure no one saw me. She took out the pendant on her neckce from under her pink hoodie and said, "This is a time-turner, Harry. Magall gave it to me first term. This is how I've beeing to my lessons all year."

  "You mean we've gone ba time?" I half-asked.

  "Yes," she firmed. "Dumbledore obviously wanted us to return to this moment. Clearly, something happehat he wants us to ge."

  Seeing her body-double pung Malfoy in the nose, I grinned and said, "Good punch."

  Emma smiled back, "Thanks." Then she became serious, "Malfoy's ing." And then she grabbed me and together we stepped bad hid behind a different wall as the three boys came running towards us, badmouthing Hermione.

  "e on," Emma beed me forth and together we stood oop of the small hill from where the set of Hagrid's hut was visible. This was the best part about Alfonso's dire that he had made Hogwarts real by creating small trag shots from Hogwarts, all the way to here, making it seem as if all of this was real and present on the same set when iy, they were differes entirely.

  "Look. Buckbeak's still alive," I ented happily.

  "Of course, remember what Dumbledore said, if we succeed, more than one i life could be spared. Let's go." With that, the two of us ran away from the cameras.

  "Cut!" Alfonso's voice rang out o. "Perfect job, everyone. Let's move on to the one."

  Emma and I turo each other in unison and smiled. This was the first time we had shot this se, and by now we uood each other's physical cues so well that it was sed nature to shoot a se and be in perfect syn the get-go. The same thing applied to Jamie as well.

  "Shall we go down for the se?" Emma asked me while pointing towards Hagrid's hut downhill.

  "Sure," I nodded enthusiastically, but before we could, makeup people ran up to us to make sure everything erfect. Meanwhile, the two of us were hahe script pages for the part to be shot. Although I remembered everything that I had crammed st night, I still read my lines while walking towards the set of Hagrid's hut.

  "What have you ged in this film?" Emma asked out of the blue.

  "I'm sorry?" I asked in fusion.

  "You told me st year that the enhanced roles of Ron and Ginny in the sed film were because of you," she expined. "What have you ged this time around?"

  "I don't have the power to ge anything," I said as a matter of fact. "I only make suggestions."

  Emma rolled her eyes before saying, "And what suggestions did you make this time?"

  I shrugged, "Nothing major. Just a few, like the opening se of the film where Harry was doing magic at home, which is illegal. Just that, and the inclusion of the Marauder's backstory, and the Fidelius Charm."

  Emma gaped at me. "They were excluding the Fidelius? Then how would they expirayal of the Potters by Sirius Bck?"

  I grinned, "That's what I said! You know, great minds think alike. It took a lot of ving Erid Dad. They argued that the film was already so long. But finally, Alfonso agreed with me that we o include the Fidelius expnation."

  "Thank God he did," Emma breathed out. "It would be such a big plot hole otherwise."

  "We would've made it work still," I said. I khat the inal [Prisoner of Azkaban] was one of the most accimed films of the series, but in my opinion, this was the best film. This was the ematic peak of [Harry Potter], where everythi right. But when I have the advantage of hindsight, why wouldn't I make this film perfect?

  " I run my lines with you?" I asked Emma, turning the versation away from the ges in the film. I really o practice my lines, and what better person than my co-actor?

  "Sure."

  (Break)

  Emma was engulfed tightly in my embrace as we acted as if a great werewolf was attag us. I wish there was more to the se, but all of the fantasy elements would be added using CGI. Like Lupin in his werewolf form attag us, or Buckbeak saving us by thwarting the werewolf Lupin's atta us.

  "That was so scary," Emma whispered against my chest.

  "Poor Professor Lupin's having a really tough night," I ented as rge fans started blowing wind in our dire. Dried grass and leaves on the ground started blowing over to us as we looked up in the sky where a horde of dementors were supposed to be flying. (Again CGI.)

  "Sirius," I said in realization. "e on!" I took Emma's hand in mine, and together we ran off to a different part of the set, the camera following our movement precisely.

  "This is horrible," Emma ented, referring to the se where past-Harry and Sirius were being attacked by Dementors. Harry yed by a body double for obvious reasons.

  "Don't worry, my Dad will e!" I said with utmost belief. "He'll jure the Patronus." I waited for a few more seds, but nothing happened. "Any minute now." I brought forth some desperation. "Right there. You'll see."

  "Harry, listen to me. No one's ing," Emma pced a hand on my shoulder.

  I shrugged it off, "Don't worry, he will. He will e."

  After a few more seds, Emma said, "You're dying. Both of you!"

  Seeing nothing happening on the se, I decided to take matters into my own hands as I ran forward on the edge of the ke and raised my wand while shouting, "Expecto Patronum!"

  This ecial wand with an LED fixed oip of it which glowed brightly to show that the spell was w. I panted while holding on to the wand for a few minutes as different cameras recorded my expressions before I looked around in amazement.

  "Prongs," I whispered in awe, finally realizing what my father's Animagus form and Patronus were. The same ohat would be pced in front of me using CGI. A stag.

  This se was omitted from the inal film, which I felt dimis impact a little. versations were also ged in the rest of the film so that all of the Marauders' names were attached to them. This was a little pet peeve of mine in the movies, about insistency like Voldemort callier Pettigrew 'Wormtail' in ter films, or Harry telling Shat 'Padfoot' is in danger, but it was never explicitly stated ho. This film was the best pce to solve that problem.

  "Cut! Print. Check the gate," Alfonso called out in quick succession before walking over to me. "Good job, Troy."

  "Thank you, Alfonso," I the Mexi. "Do we o shoot anything else?"

  "No, we are done for today," he looked down at his wristwatch. "And earlier than we were supposed to."

  "All because of you," I fttered him a little.

  He chuckled, "We are behind on our overall schedule. We should've already begun [Goblet of Fire] by now."

  Only then did I realize how much time had passed. It was the middle of December 2002, and as per the inal pn, we should be doh the third film by November. But as they say, no pn survives first tact with the enemy, and shooting was our only enemy here. Alfonso had shot some of the supp ses of [Goblet of Fire] during [Prisoner of Azkaban] itself. Mostly they were ses that didn't involve child actors or involved no-ras; that's why the produ had stretched a little.

  I would turn 14 in a few weeks, but that's not very relevant here. [Prisoner of Azkaban] would finish shooting ihan a week, and because of the deys in the film produ, the team had decided to postpone shooting the main [Goblet of Fire] until after the holidays, thus giving everyone a little break of two or so weeks.

  "Man, you've grown so mu the st few months," Alfonso ented idly as he looked me over. "I 't believe you're the same kid who began shooting this film."

  I felt a little happy hearing that from him. It was such a relief for me that I had finally grown i. A small part of me had this irrational fear that the Harry Potter role was cursed or something, and I would remain a midget like Daniel Radcliffe. Thankfully, I had had my first growth spurt a few months ago and had shot up from 5'2 (157cm) to 5'9 (175cm). Now, I was taller than Jamie, who was only 5'7 (170cm). Given that I was barely 14 at the moment, it was likely I would grow some more.

  "And I 't believe you're the same director we began w with," I joked back, hinting at our differences when we began shooting the film.

  He ughed good-naturedly at that. "I deserve that. I believe we both have grown a lot with this film, no?"

  I ined my head in acquiesce but didn't ent on it.

  "What're you guys talking about?" Emma asked while walking over to me, taking my hand and putting it over her shoulders casually as she stood against me. She looked tiny at her height of 5'1 (155cm).

  "Nothing serious," I said. "Just about the film."

  "If that's not serious, I don't know what is," Emma retorted while putting her arm behind my waist and snaking her hand in my left back-pocket.

  I raised my one arm in surrehat she was not holding, "You got me."

  Alfonso looked between Emma a-so-subtly and said, "I just remembered that I had to decide tomorrow's shots if we have to finish the shoot this week. See you ter." And with that, he walked back over to the creas winding up the se. Since Jamie did not have a se today, it was just the two of us from the main cast who were present.

  I disentangled my arm from Emma's grasp and asked her in a serious tone, "What the hell was that, Emma?"

  "What was what?" she asked ily.

  "You kly what I'm talking about," I deadpanned. When she didn't speak for a few moments, I tinued, "Do you want rumors to spread about us o or in some sleazy tabloids?"

  "There are ers here," she said meekly.

  "Yeah?" I asked challengingly. "And where do these repet their anonymous sources from?" I pointed around at the set. "These are the sources. They may have signed NDAs, but if their names are not published, they and will say anything and everything they witnessed o. Sometimes even lies. If you give them an inch, they'll take a mile. Just because you want to cozy up to me doesn't mean that you should do it where anyone see it."

  I didn't think I said anything bad or too harsh. I still don't. Yet, I wasn't expeg Emma to get teary-eyed.

  Before I could apologize, she said, "Would it be so bad if there were rumors about us? Am I that repulsive to you?" And then, without waiting for my reply, she turned around and ran in the general dire of her trailer. I kept standing there, a hand raised in her dire, wanting to stop her, but for some reason couldn't.

  I'm su asshole.

  (Break)

  "Troy. Troy! TROY!" Mum literally shook me out of my thoughts violently. "What has gotten into you? These st few days you've been ag weird. Everything alright?"

  I didn't want to share with her what was going through my head, so I shook my head. "Nothing. Just something trivial on my mind. What were you talking about?"

  She gave me a skeptical look for a few moments before dropping the matter. "I asked you what did you decide about year? You'll finish the third movie tomorrow, and hopefully, we'll finish the fourth movie quickly as well because some of its ses have already been shot. So from September onwards, you join a uy if you want."

  "What is the schedule for the fifth film?" I asked.

  "Not even in the question until after the fourth film has been released," Dad replied in pum. "Given how nning to release the third and fourth films in Nov 2003 and Nov 2004, and given how long it takes for the pre-produ, we ot begin shooting before the summer of 2005 in any case. So you go to uy uninterrupted for two years. Or you take my advid go learn different skills."

  "Right," I nodded slowly. "I have thought about it long and hard, and I have decided that I don't want the restris that a uy will impose. So I will take up your offer for individual courses. Also, that gives me the freedom to take up more roles iween those films, if I want."

  Dad smiled, "I had a feeling you would do that. I know you better than you know yourself."

  I curbed the urge to roll my eyes at that. He barely knew anything about me at all. Especially my future knowledge.

  I tinued as if he had not spoken, "I will take up music, drama, dance, and martial arts csses. At least two hours a day, five times a week."

  "Makes sense if you are doing it long term," Mum nodded in acceptaruthfully, I wanted you to go to college, but I will support whatever you decide."

  Then a thought came to my mind. "What about Evan?"

  "What about him?" Dad asked.

  "Will he go to school or will he tinue what he's doing now?"

  Dad sighed out loud, "Let us finish the fourth film first. I'll talk to him before the new session begins. It would be stupid of us to keep him at home for two years. All it would do is make him a recluse. At least right now he's on a film set that we know has a safe enviro."

  "That reminds me," I spoke up suddenly and fished out a piece of paper from my pocket. "I want you to purchase adaptation or filming rights of these." I offered the paper to Dad, who shared it with Mum as they read it.

  "'The Curious I of the Dog in the Night-Time'?" Dad read the first name.

  "Yup, the book was released earlier this year. It is damn good." Not to mention, it gives a lot of room to show your ag range because the lead actor has autism in it. In the inal timeli was made into a very successful stage py rather than a movie, but I always ge that, 't I?

  "Okay," Dad nodded before moving on. "'The Perks of Being a Wallflower'."

  "Oh!" Mum perked up. "I have read that book. It's good."

  "Yup," I nodded. "I really, really want to work in that. I loved the book and have read it like ten times already. Please make it happen." Not to mention, it was one of my favorite movies. When I got the déjà vu of the movie after seeing the title of the book, I started g. That's how good the movie is.

  "Alright," Dad nodded slowly before moving on, "What are these other books you've written here? Seems like names of writers rather than books."

  "These are spys that Mum got for me st year," I said. "These five are the ohat I liked the most. If the writers agree to it, I want you to buy the script, and produce it in-house."

  "All five?" he asked incredulously.

  "No, that would be impractical. Not everyone would want to sell, or they may impose unnecessary ditions on the produ. Any two will suffice at the moment. If the films are already in pre-produ under someone else, offer them that I want to join the cast as long as produ begins after [Goblet of Fire]."

  "A month after [Goblet of Fire] ends," Mum amended my statement. "We will go for a vacatio does."

  "Alright," I ceded.

  "Maybe we ask Emma and Jamie to join our family this time as well," Dad said thoughtfully.

  And that brought me back to the main problem. Emma. What was I to do with her now? These past few days she had been avoiding me. She would still finish her ses with me professionally, but other than that, total silence.

  I hated it.

  _____________________________________

  AN: I have added a new free poll on my Pat reon fame of Thrones. Go vote on it if you haven't already.