Hollywood Zenith

Three young actors and actresses sat in a circle holding the script. Ella and the other production crew sat in the distance and gave the go-ahead signal.

The announcer started by setting the scene:

Narrator: The train is traveling through an unknown country. Pan to the inside compartment, where Harry is sitting. The red-headed boy, Ron, appears with dirt on his nose.

Rupert went first according to the script.

Ron: Excuse me, do you mind? Everywhere else is full.

Samuel delivered his lines with a slightly surprised face.

Harry: No, not at all.

Rupert stood up and sat down casually to bring some depth to it.

Ron: (sits across from Harry) I'm Ron, by the way. Ron Weasley.

Harry: I'm Harry, Harry Potter.

(Ron goes agape.)

Ron: So-so it's true?! I mean, do you really have the...the...

Rupert fumbled between his sentence to display his hesitation.

Harry: The what?

He acted confused.

Ron: (whispers) Scar...?

Harry: Oh, yeah. (lifts up hair)

It was made believed there was no scar currently.

Ron: Wicked.

A trolley comes by the compartment full of sweets. Ella placed her assistant to do the part of the shopkeeper lady.

Woman: Anything off the trolley, dears?

Ron: (Holds up mushed sandwiches) No, thanks, I'm all set.

(smacks lips.)

Rupert lifted the script as a substitute for the sandwich bag.

Harry: (pulls out coins) We'll take the lot!

Samuel wore simple pants, but they had a few hundred bills. He displayed that as coins.

Ron: Whoa!

Rupert exclaimed genuinely, but it was unclear whether he was acting or was surprised by Samuel's unexpected wealth.

Scene end.

They showed remarkable synergy for people that had just met. Emma was also surprised by their performance; she began to feel more unsure of herself. But the production staff didn't let her dwell on it.

" Great scene. But we will do next one with three of you. It is a connected event, so you are still on the train alright?"

They nodded and flipped to the page that contained the scene.

Harry: And your brothers go to Hogwarts too?

Ron: Yes, and their house is Gryffindor.

Harry: I don't know which house I will go to; I am okay with it.

Ron: I don't want to go to Slytherin. Because I heard they have Dark wizards.

Harry: I don't want to go to that house too.

The announcer took over and introduced the following scenario:

Emma was already standing and waiting for her cue. She was nervous but didn't want to back down by coming this far.

' I can do it.' She thought as she cleared her mind of needless worry.

Storyteller: Hermione will approached their compartment.

She completely flipped, displaying a confident aura while acting a little haughty like her character.

Hermione: Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville lost one.

Ron: No.

Rupert, as Ron was attempting to show harry some magic. He was experimenting on his pet rat.

Hermione: Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see, then.

Emma acted curious but still confident. She had a thicker accent than usual as she finished the line.

Ron: Aghhhemm ( Clears his throat). Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow!

Rupert waved his hands while pointing the finger at bo'ohw'o'wo'er.

(Zap. Nothing happens. Ron shrugs.)

Hermione: Are you sure that's a real spell? Well, it's not very good, is it? Of course, I've only tried a few simple spells myself, and they've all worked for me. For example...

(Hermione goes over and sits across from Harry. She points her hand at his glasses, and Harry tenses)

It was hard for Emma to visualize the glasses, so she messed up her delivery, but Samuel carried the flow with his excellent expression, which gave her some breathing room.

Oculus Reparo.

(The glasses are repaired. Harry takes them off, amazed.)

Hermione: That's better, isn't it? Holy Cricket, you're Harry Potter. I'm Hermione Granger...and you are...?

Emma was back in her groove and gave excellent expressions.

Ron: (full mouth) I'm...Ron Weasley.

Hermione: Pleasure. You two better change into your robes. I expect we'll be arriving soon. (Gets up and leaves, then come back and looks at Ron.)

Hermione: You've got dirt, on your nose, by the way, did you know? Just there. (Points) (Ron scratches his nose, embarrassed.)

Scene end.

The family members cheered with excitement, watching little kids perform. Especially Laura and Eleanor, who had seen Samuel first time on stage.

Meanwhile, the director and the production team also gave compliments.

" Perfect!"

" They looked so good together."

" I am surprised with Emma. She embraced the character so well. I wish Jo was here to see this."

" See you are perfectly capable. You just have to believe in yourself." Rupert said to Emma.

" Yeah, look at everyone. They love you." Samuel added.

Emma was in a trance, looking at the people. She could see her father looking proudly at her, which made her the happiest person in the room.

" Thank you." She thanked them for their encouragement. It meant a lot for her as she had respect for both of them. Being the youngest meant that she had much more to prove.

" Do we need more scenes?" Ella asked David, to which he shook his head in denial. He was convinced that they were the perfect fit for their respective roles.

What they needed to do next was to sign a bunch of contracts. There would be some issues with child labor, but they were getting around it somehow.

Three families were led one by one to note their preferences and disclose their rough schedule beforehand.

Rupert and Emma went first, and Samuel was the last. He sat with his family, listening to their endless praises while smiling awkwardly.

" You are really eloquent for a child of your age." Emma's father pointed out.

" Thank you. I oftentimes hear such remarks."

" You are doing it again! why don't you speak normally like me?" Emma said in frustration, which made everyone chuckle a little.

Soon, Samuel was the only one left. Rupert and Emma had to head out, so they said their goodbyes before promising to meet later.

" They are good kids," Laura said while looking to the left.

" Yeah, I never knew I would like children's play this much. I only go to opera and some Broadway shows but seeing cute children acting a part is a different experience." Eleanor gave her views.

" Mother, It is not a play. They are making a big budget movie. Don't be saying that stuff when we meet with production crew later." Laura said.

" Why? It is based on a children's book play, no?"

" But they are pouring more than hundred million for this movie."

" I know but is that enough? I feel like we should offer 'something' to support them. We can't be having our child failing due to money problems."

" You should have known how the world works by now. It is not a small amount of money. You have so much things to consider when you are making a movie."

" Right, Right. You could explain it in detail later. Look that women is waving at us, I think It is our turn to go in. I don't like her that much. She almost caught me."

" Only a fool would not recognise you. That hat does nothing beside screaming ' I am a crazy woman' "

" Mother, Grandma, we should go inside." Samuel had to step in to stop the two women. How can a daughter and mother have such polar personalities that they always fight? It still blows Samuel's mind thinking about it.

They went inside to find David and Ella waiting for them. They exchanged a few words before going for the negotiations.

​ " We are still unsure about the film's success, due to which we can only offer you this much." David slides a note stating his offer.

They were offering around 150k for the whole movie. Further expenses could be added, but this was his pure salary for the role.

Amelia, as the agent, had nothing to say about it. She knew no matter how much money they offered, it was meaningless.

They couldn't match it even if they wanted to if they knew about Samuel's identity. She accepted it. But Samuel interjected.

" I don't know if it would be possible, but can you share your budget for the movie?" Samuel asked, which stunned David and others. They thought he was playing hard to get and would make excuses for his salary.

" That is not something we could disclose at the moment." He said with hesitation.

" I think you misunderstood. I am perfectly happy with the amount. I had another idea that's why I asked."

David looked toward his colleagues before deciding to disclose the amount. It was around one hundred thirty million USD. Not a small sum of money for a starter franchise.

" How about this? You can keep my salary, and my family will invest a few million in the film for the same share of profit." Samuel proposed. He was not an actor but a businessman betting on himself.

David was dumbfounded. What kind of situation was this? Typically, he would argue with actors for salary, but this kid wanted to pour money into the movie. How is he so confident about it?

He looked at Samuel's parents, who were not fazed by any of this, which showed that they had complete trust in him. Was that really fine to trust a kid?

" Are you sure?"