Alternate Universe; Yellow Brick Road

Chapter two: Brit Wizz Flick Picked to Click

Leavesden studios; that's where they had to go. An article in the booklet had said that that's where they'd get their answers.

Draco, who had never been to the muggle world alone, was rather nervous at the prospect; it was a foreign world to him. In fact the first time he had even seen a muggle born was in the Wizards slave market of Egypt.

His father had taken him there after much begging, pleading and then finally a hug round the knees. The sun was scorching hot and little Draco clung to his daddy's hand- He felt safe then. No one could hurt him when he was with his Daddy. Scents of spices and herbs were strong. The feel of fine silks in bright colours awed him as he brushed his hand along them. There wasn't a place like this in England.

"What's that father?" he had asked, pointing to an animal in chains. Lucius looked at the huddle of bustling Arabs, shouting various words to a dirty looking peddler with ragged black hair.

"That beast is an unwashed shell of an animal, Draco." He bent down to his son's ear. "The other one is a unicorn," he whispered, brushing a stray piece of hair out of his son's eyes. The small boy giggled. Lucius sighed. He was looking for a new servant since his wife had put Parley's head on the wall; a family tradition she insisted on keeping.

There was a gasp at his thigh and small hands gripped tighter; Draco was staring wide-eyed at a screaming girl on the platform. "Father, what's that!?" There was a small note of fear in his voice.

"A mudblood," he replied simply. He looked about, trying to find a house elf salesman in all this bedlam. He wanted to get back before sunset, after all - Narcissa was an awful worrier.

A screech at the head of the crowd caused him to turn his head back. What he saw made his heart stop; the slave girl was clawing at Draco, holding the small boy by his wrist. For a tiny six-year-old, he was trying his utmost to get away from her, but it was to no avail.

Taking action, Lucius dived forward, only to be pushed back by the cheering crowd. Drawing his wand, he blasted the men around him, trying to clear a path to Draco. Finally getting to his son, he pulled him from the feral girl and glaring as the growling girl was dragged away. Spit and mud smearing her face.

Draco spent the next half hour clutching his father's robes while the angered man shouted at the petrified vendor. 'If he had only known it was the son of the great Lucius Malfoy...' and they'd left with a free elf named Dobby.

Later, his father told him that muggles were a different race altogether, a race that plotted to bring about the apocalypse. And now they surrounded him. Them who would blow him up with their science given half a chance, and Potter was fine with it!

"Will you stop fidgeting? You're drawing attention to us!" Harry's voice hissed from his side.

"Heh, two boys in wizarding robes, on a bus. I don't think we need to do much more Potter; they're already smiling at me funny."

Harry looked around, so they were, but they were kind sort of smiles. Every so often, a child in his mother's arms peeked over her shoulder waved and hid in her neck again. "Stop it!" he whispered as Malfoy jumped at a small old lady brushing by his arm. "Anyway, we're here now so you don't have to worry about your pureblood self being tainted any longer".

The studio they had been looking for was large and a little ways away from the main road. All in all, it was unimpressive. As they walked, they noticed green signs here and there saying 'WB, this way.' Trucks all around made it impossible to walk in a straight line to the door.

"What do you propose we do once we find her?" Malfoy asked. "Have you ever met her?"

"No, and this is your brilliant plan. I'm just waiting 'till you screw it up," replied Harry. He was edgy; the lack of people in the reception area couldn't be right.

Draco whirled around "That's IT! I can't stand you any longer. I tried being nice, I tried ignoring you, but you seem determined to get on my nerves! So just say it! Come on, you think your better than me, huh? Well you know what? I'm the only one bloody trying to get us out of here!"

'Don't say anything, keep together, I know it's the most tempting thing to do but don't smack him.' Harry took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. 'Oh sod it.'

"Me Malfoy? You're the tit who got us here in the first place! You can't even AIM properly. God, it's no wonder that we trash you so badly at Quidditch! Perhaps it's a Malfoy thing - can't help but loose!"

"Screw you!" Harry was vaguely aware of other angry voices advancing and found himself being yanked forward by his collar. "-So who cares if you've got no parents! It doesn't give you the right to make the rest of us pay!"

At that, a door burst open and a blonde boy with blue eyes stormed through, absolutely livid. "I don't care what you say, I'm going!"

"But Tom", pleaded a woman holding a clipboard, "we're in the middle of a really big scene! You can't go now!"

The boy spun on his heal to face her "I asked, I ASKED Alfonso if I could leave when I needed to and he said yes! He can't go back on his word like that! Contract or not, I'm going home."

His robes whipped round him as he turned to the door. "MOVE!" he ordered Harry and Draco. The two of them frozen mid strangle watching the scene unfold. After a second, Harry stepped to the side and let him pass.

"YOU WALK OUT THAT DOOR AND YOU'RE FIRED!" screamed the woman.

"Too late! I quit! Find yourself another Draco Malfoy."

"Pardon?" Draco asked, slightly muffled by Harry's loud, "What?!"

Ruffled and not in the mood to be bothered by obsessive fans, the woman made to tell them off. Seeing the blonde one, however, she stopped short. Tallish, silvery hair, and the kind of face that would look quite handsome if he'd stop gaping at me' she thought to herself, her eyes lighting. "You're perfect!"

Draco snapped out of his trance. "What? Well I know but -"

"Oh God your vanity knows no bounds does it?" Harry said in disgust. They really needed to find that witch.

Without so much as a 'hello', Wander Brother's senior cast director (25th on the credits role) pulled Draco's hands from Harry and led him onto the Harry Potter set. Leaving the boy himself with no choice but to follow.

Alfonso Newell had never seen so many things go wrong with a film. Not once did Leonardo demand anything more than bottled water and Mr. Williams didn't have a problem with putting on make up! But Alfonso was now seriously regretting taking on Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. The severe looking people holding bar graphs had set him on an impossible schedule, and Jo Rolling, bless her soul was making it all harder. She was only trying to help, but how could she expect him to dangle Daniel Redcliffe over real flames? But then if Daniel didn't stop setting the fire alarms off he'd consider it. On top of all that, their Malfoy was missing!

"Alf!" Oh God Helen, what's happened now? "Alfie! I've got to tell you something about Tom"

"Where is he? He's late again! What's happened to him?"

"He quit."

Alfonso clutched his chest and went to the happy place.

"But not to worry, I may have found you a replacement", she said, swinging Draco in front of her and grinning.

The boy, although wide-eyed and struggling to get a hold of things, was exactly as he pictured the real Draco Malfoy to be - grey eyes and all.

'Thank the lord and all the angels', he thought to himself. Smiling, he held his hand out to what could very well be his saviour. "Hello there, young man. Got a name?"

Draco folded his arms and looked at the proffered hand. "Draco Malfoy", he said arrogantly.

Alfonso laughed tucking his hand away. "Yes, yes but out of character"

"I told you," he said, side stepping the strange individual. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm looking for a Ms. Rolling."

"Oh easily sorted," said Helen. She disappeared as Harry made his way towards the blonde.

"Malfoy, I could hit you!"

"What did I do!? I didn't want to be touched by that-"

"What did you call him, son?"

Harry looked over at the man wearing a red neckerchief. "I said Malfoy, but I could think of a few other things to call him!" He turned back. "We need to find J.K or we'll never get out of here!" he breathed. For once Draco didn't argue.

As they started off, a voice called across the room. "Who wanted to see me Helen?"

"Two boy's Joanne - these two boys, in fact", Alfonso said while he swivelled them round and threw an arm over each. When Harry had his glasses sorted out, he found the startled woman looking straight into his eyes.

"Harry?" she whispered.

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'Why, when everything goes down the Karzi, do people make tea?' Harry thought as he looked down at the mug in his hands. This morning, he had a plan. He would go to his classes, not think about Voldemort more than he needed to, and see if Hermione might find it in herself to help him with a particularly vile charms essay, the silly thing kept growling at him.

He looked up at the woman called Jo; she was staring off into space, which gave him an opportunity to study her. She was young looking with long blonde hair and light blue eyes. 'Perhaps she's a Malfoy?' he wondered. She was pretty enough, but she had the tired look of someone who has a lot on her mind.

She sighed and looked up at him again. "You know, I can't for the life me find something to say".

"Erm...do you want me to start?" She nodded. "Ok then... err. How about you tell me what's going on here?"

"The film?"

He paused. "Well, all of it really. I was only in the muggle world a few weeks ago, and it wasn't like this."

"Then that's rather a two sided question. The simplest version is - it's been 'like this' for a little over eight years now."

"I don't understand"

"Believe me, neither do I but..." She paused. "Uh, Harry? Could you...err...re-heat my tea for me?"

'Odd thing to ask,' thought Harry as he waved his wand and muttered a warming spell.

Jo picked up the steaming drink.

"...Right. Right, ok then. Right then." She looked up at him clearing her throat "What do you know about the Harry Potter books?"

"Er...I..." He'd not really paid attention to the press attention he got. "Not much... erm my friend once told me I had lots of books written about me. And I s'pose my other friend has always said he read about me since he was little. Does that help?"

Jo was scrutinising him over the rim of her mug. "Kind of, but I'm talking about the books I wrote."

"Which ones?" He felt incredibly awkward asking her this, but she smiled.

"Oh try Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chamber of Secret's, Prisoner of Azkaban... those ones."

Now his face was really red. "I can't say I've ever read those. Sorry." He hid his face behind his cup.

"You've never... then how..."

"I'm sorry, but I don't have much time for reading."

"No not that. It's just, you have to be him! You look exactly like him!"

"Who?"

"Harry!"

"I know I look like Harry. It's my name."

"That's what I said. Oh look", she rubbed the bridge of her nose "this is very confusing, agreed?" Harry nodded his assent.

"We need to sort this all out. So... my name is Joanne Rolling and I'm a writer, I write books about a boy wizard and I think I'm what wizards would call a muggle."

"Wh-" she put her finger over his lips. "Tell me in a minute. I've been writing these books a good long while and since their release in 1997, there's been films, merchandising and who knows what else. The books follow three friends through their school career. There's a boy called Ron, a girl called Hermione, and a black haired, green-eyed, bespectacled, and very friendly boy named Harry James Potter." Harry looked slightly ill. "And you want to know the frightening part?" she asked. He nodded again.

"I've never seen you anywhere else but my imagination before.

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Draco was having a time of it. Being hauled about by a frantic Helen then having various people ask him over and over again what his name was, causing Alfonso ask him if he was quite sure and if he would like to work for him. It had left him in an extremely vindictive mood and his scowl increased.

Which only got the pillock smiling more 'perfect, perfect' he kept saying. It was a relief when he'd finally escaped the crowd's stifling closeness to a deserted room with big red sofas in.

He let out a long breath and closed his eyes. So peaceful and quiet...but it wouldn't last, would it? Potter or someone would bang in here and start shouting. Maybe they'd make him go somewhere else, but for now he had a nice peaceful corner where he could think.

The curse he tried was supposed to have the same effect as getting splinched, no mess just a load of body parts scattered everywhere. He had, however, missed in his anger and got the vanishing cabinet instead of Potter sending its parts flying. Then he'd ended up here, in this horrid muggle ridden place where they were all creepy and wouldn't believe he was who he said he was; which he found annoying.

Over all he thought that he would be exceptionally pleased for the first time in his life when Potter showed his face again, then he could get home.

Suddenly, the doors opened and Potter flopped face down next to him. "Ugh! Never, I repeat never put itching power in Alfie's bandanna thing." He lifted his head and grinned, revealing a face that wasn't Potter's at all. "Nice to meet you, I'm Dan. You must be the guy who thinks he's Draco Malfoy."

"My name IS Dra- oh sod it. I'm not in the mood."

The pretend Potter grinned some more "Thought you'd say that. Does this mean your going to take the part?"

"Doubtful"

"Oh come on! You get to go all over the world and -" Draco looked over at him, he'd frozen listening to a voice that was coming closer. "Oh bugger, come on!" Pulling Draco with him, he sprinted though another door, leaving it slightly ajar. Looking back, Draco could see the first door fly open revealing an angry Alfonso. The director looked about, then left, swearing creatively. Dan cackled. "Close, huh? Want to walk with me?"

With nothing better to do until the real Harry Potter turned up, Draco shrugged and followed the boy, whom, despite first impressions, was quite interesting to talk with.

"So, you're saying you and the black haired guy are Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy?"

"Why would I lie?"

Daniel smirked at him. "Yeah, cause Slytherins never lie."

Draco matched him sneer for sneer. "We are honest, remarkably handsome, upstanding member's of society. How dare you suggest otherwise." The dark-haired boy laughed easily. Dan took him through the different sets, giving him bit's of information about them and what they 'filmed' there. They met people dressed in Hogwart's robes as well as people with odd wires sticking out; a group that Dan introduced as 'the crew'.

"People are generally alright here. Most of them have a good sense of humour" he said walking directly though a duelling pair of Death Eater's "there's Alan Rickton- plays Snape aaaand oh Jason Ezekiel who play's your dad on screen, he's cool"

"They look so much like them," Draco said, noting the two men talking together. They nodded politely as he passed.

"But that's the thing," said Jason, "how are they going to show a dragon setting Fleur whoever she is on fire with out her actually burning to death?"

"I'm not particularly bothered myself," said the one who could only be Snape, "so long as she's not near me."

Dan snorted. "Must be the Death Eater instinct getting to them. Ah here's two of the best people in this place," he said as two robed people around his age came up, looking unfortunately familiar.

"This is Emma Waterson- Hermione and that's Rupert Grant- Ron, or weasel as you may know him"

The red head gave his smaller friend an evil look and put his hands on his hips, puffed out his chest in an indignant manner. "I find that extremely offensive!" There was laughter in his voice. "And just so you know, the right to be heard doesn't include the right to be taken seriously. So stop talking like the muddle of a muggle you are, because our five senses are incomplete without a sixth... a sense of humour, and yer lacking pal!"

"Touché" said Draco while Dan leaned on him and pretended to cry; "I'm wounded, wounded!" The Potter look alike paused. "What's up with Em?" Draco looked up to find a girl tearing the room apart.

"She lost her wand."

"Good luck helping her."

"Fine bugger off then!" Rupert replied before flashing a bright smile as they left.

The dark new room was filled with everything Draco could think of; anything from cauldrons to the body of what looked to be huge spider. Draco's eyes wandered around the room as Dan led him through a tangle of spider's legs. They came to a group of people who were holding papers and talking loudly.

"-Ergh just imagine it! Potter's hair and Granger's mudblood!"

They laughed and the blonde girl turned to Daniel. "Here, run lines with us... So! Is it true you and Granger are together?"...

Draco sat to the side with the other's watching them arguing and quoting an article about Potter which Snape had once read in class. These were some of the strangest wizards he'd ever met but if the robes and accuracy of their knowledge were anything to go by wizards they were. Maybe they weren't too far from home.

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"I had been coming back from a business meeting with an adult book publisher that I'd rather forget about and the train was delayed. I had finished my magazine, eaten my food, and had nothing else to do, so I let my mind wander."

Harry was listening to her intently, he had already told her all about himself. Now Jo was taking her turn, informing him of how she'd come to write such a detailed account of him.

"I thought about a majestic castle that was all turret's and towers and a huge man holding the lead to a boar-hound. After that, it kind of turned into a daydream. There was the great hall, packed with hungry people seated at four tables laden with food. They were all chatting happily in the sun that came down through the ceiling... only I couldn't find the right angle to tell the story from and then I think I fell asleep. I dreamed about a small child about seven or eight and he was called Harry, although I'm not sure how I knew his name.

Harry stood at the door of the compartment his cousin Dudley had been perfectly horrid to him so he asked his aunt if he could go for a walk. Once he'd stated his request to sit in the chair opposite, the lady who introduced herself as Jo moments before nodded; she was weary after another lead taking her only to a dead end. And she tried so hard this time too, perhaps she wasn't supposed to be a writer and she should leave it to the professionals.

The little boy was looking at her with big curious green eye's he blushed and looked away when he saw she was looking back at him, what an adorable creature he was.

"What's that?" piped a voice; she blinked and looked at what he was pointing to.

"Oh it's a manuscript of a book I'm trying to sell"

"Why do you want to sell it, Don't you like it?"

She laughed softly "I like it but I wrote it I have to sell it to see if anyone else likes it too"

"You wrote it? What's it about?"

"Yes I wrote it" she sat up to speak to him; he was an interesting boy and such an attractive child too, with his pouty red lips and messy hair "it's hard to explain what it's about though, grown up stuff"

"My uncle always says that. Why don't you write better stories?"

"Better stories? Oh you cheeky thing!" but there was no wrath there, it wasn't his fault that he hit the very place where she hurt the most and it really was better if she laughed it off.

"Yeah I mean like one's with witches in"

"Witches! Oh no that's scary!"

"Not! Cause that's when the lion comes along"

"Lion what lion?" she was baffled but she was obviously supposed to get it

Harry blinked at her - she didn't know? "The lion! The king they met when they went though the wardrobe! The lion who killed the bad witch!"

It clicked. "Oh! You mean Aslan from the lion the witch and the wardrobe." He nodded. "Is that the kind of story you like?" Nod. "What do you like about it?"

He smiled widely. "All of it. I like the badger called Trufflehunter and the eagle called Sallowpad and I like it when they kill the snake with a sword! But best of all, I like the bit in the first book where the boy and girl get on the flying horse and they get an apple to save his mum so they could be a happy family." As he concluded his short monologue, the smile faded. Jo quickly decided that this was not the best topic to be on.

"Do you like the bit where Aslan tells them that they are going to be kings and queens?" He nodded, but was still preoccupied. The damage had already been done and she didn't know what to do. Fortunately, after only a short moment, the small boy spoke. "Will you tell me a story please?" he asked timidly.

She would have loved to, but at that precise second, her mind was blank. "I don't think so," she said slowly. Harry nodded his understanding and moved to the door. 'Oh how heartless I am!' she thought

"But... could you tell me one?"

From the exit he frowned at her "I don't know many good one's"

"Then what if you told me all about you? That's like a story"

Harry considered this, she wasn't sure if he was old enough to grasp the concept of autobiography yet but he walked back to her and sat down anyway "ok but then it's your turn"

Her eye's widened when he told her about his life. Was it likely he was lying? It was hard to say because his eyes looked so full of truth, and he had to stop himself crying when he told her about what happened after he turned his teacher's wig blue.

"What a horrible woman!" Jo gasped

"Mhmm" agreed Harry with his mouth full of the biscuit she gave him

"What happened then?"

"She wouldn't call Ripper off for ages and I spent nearly the whole night in that tree. And then we got on the train to go back home and now I'm here eating a biscuit-or two" he added eyeing the packet

She laughed for what felt like the hundredth time and gave him the three remaining rich teas. "It's your go now. You said you'd tell me a story."

Jo had no memory of promising such a thing, but gave in. Fair was fair after all. "Hmmm... ok once upon a time there was a boy called Harry... what?" He was making a face.

"I'm not a baby"

He had crumbs all round his mouth, and it was all she could do to keep from laughing. "Oh, not good enough for you? What about... there was a prince called Harry - no. Fine..." she struggled. She couldn't even tell a story to a child! This should not be this hard.

The door slid open. "Harry James Potter!" said a stick insect. "What do you think you're doing here! We're getting off the train; do you want to make us late? Do you want to cause me grief? Oh the things I do for you!"

She grabbed Harry's wrist so tightly he squirmed and bit his lip. Oh, now that's not right! "Excuse me but who might you be?"

The woman looked up at Jo. "I am Mrs. Dursley, his aunt and legal guardian. I'm sorry if my nephew has caused you any trouble, but I really must be going."

"He wasn't any bother" so this is the aunt Harry had confided to Jo was a bit like a horse. Humph children are so very perceptive.

Harry's aunt sniffed and dragged the little boy out the door, leaving Jo alone. After a minute or so, there was a commotion on the platform. Curious, she looked out the window. There was Harry again! With... oh that woman and two other men. No, one man and one extremely fat boy. Jo sniggered shamelessly. Oink!

Harry looked at the train, ignoring the man who was shouting quite loudly at the ticket master while his wife nodded at his side. Harry spotted her and waved. Jo waved back and then did so more franticly, trying to warn him that his cousin was about to hit him over the head with a bag. There was a flash of light, which caused her to shrink away from the window. When she could see again, she wiped the fogged window rapidly and scanned the area to see if he was ok. She spotted him being shaken by his uncle just as the train whistled and the ticket master cried, "all aboard 'oose goin' aboard!" The train tooted again, but louder.

Jo blinked. The train was moving again- away from the station. Away from Harry! She put her head against the window at an angle, but she couldn't see anyone on the platform. She checked again just to be sure - no one there. She lay her head on the cold glass. "It was all a dream," she said to nobody in particular; and what a dream! Orphan boys with green eyes! What a tale to tell... what a tale to tell... What if Harry was the eye's for her world of magic? Jo sat up "Harry Potter and the magical..." oh it's a working title. Pen, pen... no pen!

She settled into the chair again as the train chugged along. How would such a book start? Once upon a time Harry... no, it was absolutely too childish. Harry and his relatives... no. Jo pressed the heels of her hands into her eye's so hard star's blossomed. Mr and Mrs Dursley were very normal. Too normal for a remarkable boy such as Harry Potter.

For now, it would do. She relaxed and let the ideas come.

The green eyes that she saw every waking moment of her day flickered as Harry brought himself back to reality. "I don't remember that," he stated, "you can't do Occlumency can you?"

"No Harry, I can't, but I know what you're getting at. I haven't a clue how I got things so close to what happened to you after that, and I don't know where the dream came from either."

Harry sat back. He'd been so drawn in by her story - it seemed so real, like he was actually there too. "I should find Malfoy." He said quietly. "Hopefully he hasn't done anything too stupid".

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