"Bullshit!"

  "Troy," Dad and Mum said my name in unison. Dad's voice carried a wearihat matched the te hour, while Mum's was sharp with a warning edge, the kind that always made me pause.

  "What!?" I shot back, my frustration spilling over. "You know I'm right. They agreed to a 5% share of the musical only because I said I'd share my [Harry Potter] sary with my co-actors. And now they want a win-win situation for them? Fet it, we'll tact other studios for the musical, and [Harry Potter] is on hold till then. Did you get me that meeting with Jo and Eric?"

  Dad sighed and leaned ba his chair, ping the bridge of his nose. "It's not that easy."

  I frowned, my agitation rising. "What's not so easy about getting a meeting?"

  "I meant, it's not easy to walk away from Warner now," Dad crified, his toient but firm. "Not until [Harry Potter] is over. Do you think this news won't reach the media? If filmis deyed for aended period, someone from the cast or crew will leak something."

  "I don't care about that," I replied curtly, crossing my arms.

  Mum stepped in, her expression as stern as her voice. "Don't fet, Barry is a shark. He won't hesitate to release a statement that could tarnish your reputation in the industry. The only reason he hasn't is because Warner has a lot riding on your il [Harry Potter] s up."

  I threw my hands up in frustration. "What do you think we should do then, huh? If t their offer, it won't take them long to pull something like this again when we're shooting the seventh film."

  "True," Dad admitted, nodding. "That's why we'll propose a noiable dition: I'll have plete creative trol over all the uping [Harry Potter] films."

  The suggestion gave me pause. It wasn't a perfect solution, but it addressed some of my s.

  "As for the profit share," Dad tinued, his tone now more analytical, "I know their demand of 15% sounds like a lot as pared to the inal 5% we had agreed to, but don't fet that 15% is the industry standard. I'm fident I get them to settle for 10% instead. Even if you go to some other distributor, you'll likely get a deal of 15% at best. Unless you want to start your own film distribution ?"

  The thought alone made my stomach turn. Distribution s demanded massive capital iment and exhaustive managerial work. Produg films was ohing, but distribution was airely differe. I was an artist first and foremost, not a businessman. Maybe someday I could hire someone else to ha, but for now, it was a hard no.

  I exhaled deeply, f myself to stay calm. "Fine. iate with them as you like. But it only applies to the movie, not the musi it. I will still own it in its entirely."

  "Done," Dad agreed.

  "Also, make it crystal clear to them that I won't sell any of my future films to them again."

  Mum held up a hand, her brows furrowing. "Don't be so hasty. We don't know what the future holds. You 't just write off aire studio because of one disagreement."

  I waue, but the words wouldn't e. Deep down, I k would be futile because Mum was right. She always had a way of pointing out the bigger picture, even when I didn't want to see it. Something simir had happened with Universal Studios years ago. They'd fired me from a movie before I could even sign the tract, all because of a deraalker. Back then, I'd sworn o work with them again. In hindsight, that decision had been shhted, a product of anger rather than reason.

  For an actor, cutting off ties with a major studio is like giving yourself a perma handicap. Only the big studios have the resources to i hundreds of millions into a single movie. Even with a worth north of 400 million, I couldn't mahat. Produg a film involves more than just making it—marketing and distribution are where the real battles are fought. And the big studios? They were experts at both.

  "Fine," I said at st, my voice heavy with reluce. Just because I agreed didn't mean I had to like it. "Do what you think is best. iate as much or as little as you want, but there 't be any more creative differences in [Harry Poing forward."

  "I'll make sure of that," Dad promised, his tone firm.

  I nodded but felt a spark of anger grhter within me. Outwardly, I had agreed, but I couldn't just let Barry Meyer push me around. I o make him uand who he was dealing with. One day, I will.

  (Break)

  "That's fucked up," Jamie Bell decred, shaking his head. His bluntness was oddly reassuring.

  "I know!" I replied, throwing my hands in the air. "Jo and Eric were getting bribed by Warhey agreed to give them both additional saries if they went along with the rewrites. And the kicker? They didn't even like the ges themselves."

  Emma gnced around nervously, her eyes sing the room as if she expected someoo be listening. "Should you eveelling us about this, Troy?" she asked in a low voice.

  I shrugged nontly. "I don't care. I haven't signed an NDA prohibiting me from talking. Besides, you two are some of my best friends—I just wanted you to know why the shoot got deyed for a few days."

  Jamie's gaze flicked between Emma and me, a spark of curiosity lighting up his expression. He looked like he had a question perched oip of his to wasn't sure if he should ask.

  "What is it, Jamie?" Emma asked, tilting her head slightly.

  He hesitated, shifting in his seat, before finally blurting out, "Are you two…" He gestured between us, leaving the sentenfinished. He didn't o say more; the implication was clear.

  "We're friends now," Emma answered calmly, her tone leaving no room for misinterpretation. "We've decided to move on with other people."

  "Yes," I agreed, nodding along.

  Emma and I hadn't told anyone about our respective fake retionships. I'd shared the details about Rihanna with Emma only because she'd fided in me about Nichos Hoult. Beyond her and our respective families, no one else knew about it. Not even Jamie.

  "Thank God!" Jamie heaved a dramatic sigh of relief, leaning back as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "Do you two know how much I've missed these meetings of ours? Talking about anything and everything, just the three of us? For the st few years, I've felt like a third wheel. Please don't ever put me in that situation again."

  I g Jamie, feeling a pang of guilt. He was one of my closest male friends, and I hadly been the most attentive one i years. Before I could say anything to make amends, a sharp knock sounded on the door of my trailer. A momehe door swung open.

  "Troy, Jamie, Emma," the sed AD greeted us casually, clipboard in hand. "The shot is ready."

  (Break)

  The set was buzzing with activity when we arrived. The "Golden Trio" was no lohe only focus; Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood had joined us for the se. The kiss between Harry and Cho had been postpoo rewrite it, and today we were filming the first meeting of Harry and Luna orain.

  "A!" Rian Johnson's voice rang out across the set, and just like that, we slipped into our roles.

  "Sorry, mate," Jamie said relutly, giving me an apologetic look as Ron. "Got to go do prefect's duties."

  "You should be proud of the position that has beeowed upon you, Ronald!" Emma snapped ba character, grabbing his sleeve with exaggerated frustration. She shot me a look, adding as she dragged him off, "Don't get yourself in trouble, Harry."

  I waited until they exited the partment before muttering under my breath, "As if I go looking for trouble."

  The remaining cast members in the se were Imogen, pying Ginny; Matthew, pying Neville; and Evanna, perfectly embodying the etria Lovegood.

  "I don't know what Magall was smoking when she made Ron a prefect," Imogen said, her tone light and teasing. "That should've been you, Harry."

  A small snort escaped me before I quickly schooled my features back to Harry's signature brooding expression. At this point iory, he was meant to be riddled with self-doubt and frustration, and I had to make sure my performance reflected that.

  "That's your brother you're talking about," I reminded her with a raised eyebrow.

  "Exactly!" she excimed with mock exasperation, leaning ba her seat.

  There was a brief lull in the versation, and I filled it with an awkward question, shifting in my seat. "So, I heard you got a mystery boyfriend."

  Imogen's ft stare made me instantly regret the attempt. "Ron put you up to this, didn't he?"

  I shrugged, letting the implication hang in the air without firming anything. Sensing the topic was a dead end, she turo Evanna, ging the subject smoothly. "Did you meet my friend Luna Lovegood, Harry?"

  Evanna smiled dreamily, tilting her head as if me through an invisible lens. "Hello, Harry Potter. I know you," she said in a soft, mysterious voice before shifting her gaze to Matthew. "I don't know you."

  Matthew's characteristically shy demeanor fit perfectly in the moment. He fumbled with his words, looking unsure. "I… I'm…" He paused, gng at the others before finishing, "…a nobody."

  Imogen bristled, jumping to his defense. "He's Neville Longbottom," she said hotly, her protectiveness ing through even in character. "He's very good with pnts, like the one he's holding now."

  Matthew's face lit up as the versation turo something he assionate about. "Oh, yes!" he said excitedly, carefully lifting the cactus he'd been holding. "This is Mimbulus Mimbletonia."

  The prop cactus would be enhaer with CGI to give it a pulsating, otherworldly look. Even though it was i now, Matthew ha with care, given how vital it was to the se.

  "It's a very rare pnt," Matthew tinued, his enthusiasm bubbling over. "Here, hold this for a moment." He hahe cactus to me before diving into his bag. "Now, where is Trevor? I'll show you a trick with the pnt. Just a sec…"

  He rummaged through his bag with single-minded determination, his focus entirely on finding the elusive toad. The rest of us exged amused gnces, waiting to see what he'd e up with .

  I felt the tickle in my nose and instinctively closed my eyes, as if a sneeze was about to erupt. When it came, it was loud—and a mistake.

  The cactus exploded.

  Evanna ducked behind her copy of The Quibbler, holding it up like a shield, while Imogen used her hands to cover her face. Matthew and I weren't so lucky. Being closest to the pnt, we took the full brunt of its sticky attack. Dark green, gooey slime spttered us from head to toe.

  Of course, it couldn't all be done iake. For practical reasons, Rian called for a cut, and the makeup team swooped in. They worked quickly, smearing sticky green slime generously over Matthew and me, and adding just enough to the girls' es to make it look like they'd been caught in the crossfire.

  "I'm so sorry!" Matthew stammered, clearly mortified. "I didn't know it would do that. It's not poisonous though…"

  Before he could finish, the partment door slid open, revealing Katie Leung who pyed Cho g—Harry's crush for this year. She stood there awkwardly, her hand still on the door handle.

  "Um, hi, Harry," she began, but whatever else she had po say died on her lips when she saw the state I was in.

  I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out. After a moment of stunned silence, I shut it tightly, realizing anything I said would only make things worse.

  "Just thought I'd say hello," Katie mumbled, gng away. "Bye, then." She turned and closed the door behind her.

  I sighed i, the sound of it almost drowned by the muffled ughter from the others.

  "Holy, I don't know what you see in her," Imogen muttered, crossing her arms. "She's so…" Her expression cycled from disgust to dislike before she finally settled on indifference. "Fet it."

  Before I could respond, the door opened again. This time, it was Emma and Jamie.

  "We leave you alone for ten minutes!" Emma said with mock exasperation, throwing up her hands.

  "Cut!" Rian's voice rang out from behind the monitors. "Perfect work, everyone! Let's move on!"

  As the crew began preparing for the setup, I scooped a handful of slime off my fad let it drip onto the floor.

  inally, this se had been omitted from the movie, but with the tone of the film leaning too serious, Dad thought a humorous moment at my expense was necessary.

  "You look quite dashing in green, Troy," Jamie quipped as he passed by, his grin mischievous. "Now we know for sure you'd do well in Slytherin."

  "Fuck you too, Bell," I shot back pyfully, shaking my head.

  (Break)

  Jamie paced the Gryffindor on room, his unease evident in the way his hands fidgeted at his sides. Only Emma and I were there with him, seated on one of the oversized couches by the firepce.

  "Umbridge has the entire castle under her trol," Jamie grumbled, breaking the silence. "We need somepce to practice."

  Emma let out a tired sigh. "If only the castle wasn't ed by magic, we could've asked the ers."

  I nodded, agreeing with her logic. But Jamie suddenly stopped in his tracks, his eyes lighting up as if struck by inspiration.

  "You're a bloody genius, Hermione!" he excimed, turning to Emma.

  She blushed, looking away. "What did I say?"

  "Hogwarts isn't ed by magic," he expined. "Well, teically, it is, but there are ers who perform the magid those ers are house-elves."

  "Hogwarts has sves w for them!?" Emma burst out, her e clear.

  "Not sves. House-elves," Jamie corrected, his toter-of-fact. "Who else do you think cooks our food?"

  Emma looked visibly green at the thought, her lips parting to unto a tirade, but I cut her off.

  "Even so, we don't know any house-elf besides Dobby," I pointed out.

  As if summoned by magic, a cheerful voice rang out across the set. "Harry Potter, sir, called?"

  But instead of Dobby, it was Diane, a petite woman standing in as his height double. She wore a motion-capture suit, and her expression was bright as she stepped into the se. Back when Dobby's ses were shot for the seovie, he'd beeirely puter-geed. Now, the produ had opted to use a stand-in for better iion, with the voice actor, Toby Jones, also present oo provide cues.

  Diane gave us all a wide smile as she positioned herself, ready for the part.

  "Dobby?" I asked, my amazement genuine as I stared at the small figure before me. "What are you doing here?"

  "Dobby gots him a job at Hogwarts," Dobby said proudly, puffing out his chest. His enthusiasm was iious, even through the motion-capture suit Diane was wearing. "What Dobby bes doing for sir?"

  I gnced up at Jamie, who simply shrugged as if to say, Worth a try. Turning back to the excited house-elf, I asked, "Dobby, I o find a pce where ractice spells without being discovered by any of the teachers. Especially Professor Umbridge."

  Dobby began hopping in pce, his tiny frame boung up and down with excitement. "Dobby knows the perfect pce, sir! It's be called the Room of Requirement!"

  "Cut!" Rian's voiterrupted, breaking through the moment. "Troy, don't smile. You're meant to be determined here."

  "Sorry," I called out, trying to stifle my ughter. But it was no use—Diane's enthusiastic jumping, fully in character as Dobby, was impossible to ignore, and my grin liubbornly.

  Rian chuckled lightly. "No worries, let's start again."

  It took nearly an hour to perfect the se. By the time we ed for the day, I was exhausted, but my mood lifted instantly when I saw someone I'd been hoping to see for weeks.

  "Hey there, Potter," came a familiar voice.

  I turned just in time to catch Rihanna's wide grin before she closed the distaween us. Her lips met mine in a passionate kiss, unbothered by the fact that half the cast and crew were still around. For once, I mao rein myself in, pulling back before anyone could scold us.

  "Hey, Ri," I whispered, keeping my voice low so only she could hear. "What are you doing here? I thought you were on tour."

  "I am," she replied, her eyes sparkling. "I've got a cert in London in two days."

  My brows shot up. "So you wao be there?"

  "If you , then yes," she said, nodding eagerly. "But I'll uand if you're busy."

  "I'll try to e for a few hours at least," I promised, then remembered something. "Oh! One of my co-stars is a huge fan of yours. you sign an autograph for him?"

  "Of course," she replied, her excitement evident. As a rising star, she still relished the autograph and photo-op aspects of celebrity life.

  Her grin turned mischievous as she motiooward the exit. "e now. If you're done here, I think of several things we could be doing instead."

  I didn't need further encement. Taking her hand, I walked with her toward the lot's exit, the warmth of her fingers grounding me.

  As we passed by, my eyes uedly locked with Emma's.

  For a moment, I froze. I'd pletely fotten she was still there. A flicker of worry crossed my mind—what would she think of Rihanna's presen the set? To my surprise, Emma gave me a thumbs-up with a small smile.

  I blinked, caught off guard, but quickly returhe gesture. In that moment, I realized something important: I was finally over Emma. And, judging by her a, she was over me, too.

  The relief was like shedding a heavy weight I'd carried for months. Now that the moment I'd dreaded had e and gone, I couldn't have been happier with the oute.

  With that chapter finally closed, I put thoughts of Emma aside and focused on the woman beside me—Rihanna, whose ha so natural in mine and whose body could easily make me fet the world.

  _____________________________________________

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

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