My Life is a Movie

Chapter 5: Erm... Surprise?

They were spinning so fast they could hear a slight roaring sound in their ears as a flurry of emerald flames swirled around them. Todd, not having experienced anything like this before, felt his elbows bang into something and he automatically tucked them towards his body. He could see flashes of different scenes changing in front of his face, but they were too blurry to make out. The combination of the rapid irregular scenes and the swift turning caused his stomach to churn, so he closed his eyes in order to keep himself from becoming ill. A few seconds later, he felt himself slowing down, and before he knew it the spinning just stopped. He was about to fall forward, but Hermione caught him around his arms, nearly causing herself to fall as well.

Hermione stepped forward to regain her balance and then asked, "Are you all right?"

Todd nodded his head a bit, "Er, yeah. I think so," was his shaky reply. He followed Hermione out of the fireplace and started dusting soot from his hair and clothes. After getting as much of the dirt off of him as he could, he began making his way back to the couch, but stopped dead in his tracks. He had expected to see Hermione's large living room, the one they had been in not a minute before, but he didn't. He didn't see a living room at all. Instead he found himself in a kitchen. A small cramped kitchen. He looked at their new surroundings wordlessly. There was a scrubbed wooden table and some chairs in the middle of the room, on the table were several dirty dishes and half-empty glasses, suggesting the occupants had probably just finished eating. On the wall to their right was an odd looking clock that didn't have any numbers around it, instead, it read: Time to greet your visitors. Next to the clock was a mantelpiece that housed several stacks of old looking hardcover books and an old radio. On the opposite wall just above the sink was a window. Through it, he could see a huge yard with overgrown grass, a scattering of large gnarled trees, and a small lake not too far off. There didn't seem to be any other homes in the immediate area.

The room looked somewhat familiar, but Todd wasn't quite sure why. "Hermione, is this your kitchen?" he asked suspiciously, still looking around. His initial thought at seeing the new backdrop was that maybe the fireplace they had just stepped out from had some kind of trapdoor that connected the living room to the kitchen. Although he knew it was unlikely since Hermione's house was in a suburban area and this place was obviously somewhere in the countryside, it was the only fairly logical explanation he could think of.

"No, it's not," she replied honestly, trying to gauge his reaction. She still wasn't sure how or what she was going to tell him. Her original plan was to just floo with him to the Burrow, she hoped that once he comprehended that they actually traveled through a fireplace like in the book, he would be able to put two and two together. However, she was starting to realise she should have planned this out a little more carefully.

"Oh," he turned to look at her, an impassive look on his face. "How did we get here?"

"Er, magic?" Hermione answered tentatively. It was the truth after all, but she knew he wouldn't believe that. At least not at first.

He gave her an uncertain look, but said nothing about it. "And where are we exactly?" he asked, a million emotions flowing through his mind: confusion, skepticism, discomfort, anxiety. He wasn't exactly sure what to think or how to respond.

"The Burrow," she answered.

"The Burrow? You mean we're at Leavesden Studios?" He looked around the room again, finally understanding why the place looked so familiar. It was the set of The Burrow from the movie. "Hmm..." he said, shaking his head. Although he now knew where they were, he was still a bit confused. "But how did we get to the studio when we were just at your house?" he asked.

"No." Hermione shook her head, playing with the hem of her shirt nervously. She was afraid of how Todd might react. "Not the set of the Burrow. The real Burrow, right outside Ottery St. Catchpole."

"What do you mean the real Burrow?" he asked confused. He looked at her, scrutinizing her actions. He noticed the apprehension coming over her again. "Hermione, are you feeling well? Perhaps you've been reading the books a tad too much," he said seriously.

"No, trust me Todd; I haven't," she told him. He still had that look of doubt in his eyes and Hermione sighed. "Look, I think you'd better sit down." She led him over to the table and he sat down on one of the chairs silently. "Firstly, I know you probably won't believe what I'm about to tell you, but it's all true. Trust me. I can prove it to you if you want, but just let me tell you everything first and then you can ask me whatever you'd like."

"All right," Todd said uneasily. He was somewhat fearful of what she was about to say seeing as how just the thought of it seemed to make her nervous.

Hermione's head was spinning. Why is this so hard for me? I'm supposed to be the smartest witch in our year. Why can't I think of a way to just tell him? She looked over at him waiting patiently for her to explain. OK, I'll just go with the flow, right? It's easy enough... maybe... I hope... She shook her head to bring her out of her thoughts, took a deep breath and began.

"I suppose we should just start from the beginning, shall we?" Todd nodded. "Remember how I met you at the café and I asked if you were Malfoy?" He nodded again. "But I got really confused when you were talking about the movies, so I asked you if you can tell me all you could about Harry Potter. Didn't you wonder how I recognised you when I didn't know a thing about the movies or the books?"

"I guess I never really thought about it," he answered.

"Well, the reason I thought I knew who you were is because you look exactly like Draco Malfoy."

Todd thought about that for a while then replied, "But he's a character from a book, how would you know..."

"No, he's not Todd. He's real," Hermione interrupted. Todd looked at her with confusion, but said nothing. Undaunted by his bewilderment, she continued. "Draco Malfoy is a real person. Everyone from the Harry Potter books are real people," she told him firmly. "In fact, there really is a Wizarding world and I'm part of it. My name is Hermione Granger, and I've been a witch for more than five years now. And this," she said, gesturing around the room, "this is The Burrow. The real Burrow, where the Weasley family lives."

Todd stared at her for a long time, not saying anything. He was waiting for her to burst out laughing, and then tell him she was just pulling his leg or something. But she didn't, she just stared back at him, looking as serious as a heart attack. He scrunched up his face, refusing to give in to what she was telling him.

"But...no, that can't be right. It's just a story. A fictitious story," he insisted. "It can't be real, that would crazy." He shook his head furiously. "You're last name isn't Granger, and there isn't a real Burrow. We're just at the set. This is probably just some sort of joke right? Any minute now people are going to pop out with cameras and yell 'Surprise!' and then we'll all have a great laugh," he said, laughing nervously and looking around. His head turned to the doorway of the kitchen where he could hear footsteps and soft voices emanating from it.

Hermione turned her head towards the doorway as well. "Hey guys, we're in here," she yelled. She turned to look back at Todd. He had a relieved look on his face. He seemed to think this was all part of the joke, and these were the people who were supposed to pop out of nowhere with their cameras.

"Hermione," she heard Ginny reply. "Did you tell Todd yet?"

Todd's face changed from relaxed to doubtful as he looked away from the doorway and back towards Hermione. She smiled faintly at him and replied, "Yeah, I just did Gin."

"Oh how did he take it?" Ginny asked as she walked into the kitchen with Ron and Harry following closely behind her.

Todd looked at the newcomers dubiously. They didn't seem to have any cameras and they certainly did not yell 'surprise'.

Hermione gave Ginny a nervous look, turned towards Todd and cleared her throat. "Todd, I'd like you to meet my friends. This is Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter," she said, pointing to each friend in turn. The three smiled and waved at Todd.

Todd looked at them, noticing the two redheads and the raven haired boy with glasses. Astounded, he looked back at Hermione with wide eyes, his mouth open in surprise. She was telling the truth.

Unsure of how to respond to his speechlessness, all Hermione could manage was a weak, "Erm... surprise?"

***

"So you're saying everything from the books are real?" Todd asked, looking around at the four sitting at the table with him.

"For the most part, yes," Hermione told him. After introducing Todd to her three friends, it hadn't taken much to convince him of the truth. They had spent the last twenty minutes or so, sitting around the table asking questions. Todd was asking about the Wizarding world, and the four asking Todd about how the Muggle world perceived them.

"Yeah, it's all real," said Ron dismissively. "Anyway, is that actress that plays Hermione really that fit in person?" Ron asked eagerly, his eyes dancing with anticipation.

"That question has no relevance whatsoever," Ginny reprimand. "Stop being a prat."

Ron shrugged and looked over at Todd who had a knowing smile on his face. He nodded his head in conformation to Ron's question, and the drool coming from Ron's mouth became more noticeable.

"Honestly Ron," Ginny scolded, rolling her eyes. "Like you have a chance with her. Even if she thought you were cute, she'd probably just get with the guy that plays you. At least he doesn't slobber all over himself."

Ron wiped his mouth with his sleeve and grumbled something under his breath.

"You do look a lot like him," Todd started, obviously talking to Ron about the actor that portrayed him. "Well, except for the fact that he's..."

"Yeah, yeah I know. Except he's cuter than me," Ron groaned. "No need to inform me. I already know."

"Actually, I was going to say that he's shorter than you." Todd explained, raising an eyebrow towards Ron's unexpected reaction.

"Oh," Ron replied awkwardly.

"So, all that magical rubbish is real?" Todd asked, changing the subject. "I mean are there really broomsticks that fly, and cloaks that turn you invisible? Oh and are there really pastries that can turn you into giant canaries and candies that make you sick so you can get out of class?" he asked excitedly. The four nodded. "Blimey," he breathed, astounded.

Harry and Ron smiled while Ginny and Hermione giggled. It was entertaining for them to see the response of a Muggle when learning about the Wizarding world for the first time.

"Would you like to see it for yourself?" Hermione asked him amiably.

Todds eyes widen considerably. "Really?" he inquired, elated. "I can see it, even if I'm a Muggle?"

"Of course," she stated. "Dumbledore made special arrangements so that magic can be performed in front of you without the ministry finding out."

"Wow, why did he do that just for me?"

"I asked him to." Hermione replied with a smile.

"How come?" Todd asked curiously.

"I wanted to take you somewhere special for all the help you've given us, that's why I've been so secretive about it. I wanted it to be a surprise." she told him simply.

"And where would we be going?"

"Diagon Alley!"

***

They made their way down Charing Cross Road in London, passing a big bookshop, and stopping in front of a narrow alleyway about one foot in length.

Hermione turned to Todd and smiled, "Well, this is it," she announced. Todd looked around, trying to determine where they were. He looked back to his right where they had just come from. In the bookshop people were walking in and out of the door; he looked through the window, nothing special. He shrugged and looked to his left. Another average looking shop, this one sold records. He looked back at them; they were all smiling and watching him amusedly.

"Where is it?" He asked them explicitly.

"Right there," Harry said, pointing to the alley. Harry turned and headed towards the small passage. He reached his hand out to something that Todd, and apparently all the other Muggles around them, could not see. Once his hand touched what he supposed was a doorknob, Todd saw the most amazing thing happen. First an old wooden door materialised right in front of the alley. It was followed swiftly by rough stone walls and grimy windows. It looked to him that the newly emerged shabby looking inn had just inflated out of the tiny passageway, shoving aside the bookshop and record shop to make room for itself. He stared at the building, enthralled.

He was about to ask how Muggles couldn't notice something like that when Hermione interrupted him. "Welcome to The Leaky Cauldron," she announced, grabbing his arm lightly and leading him to the door, "Come on."

Harry, Ron, and Ginny walked into the dark pub first, with Todd and Hermione bringing up the rear. Todd stopped by the doorway and surveyed the room. He was amazed by the simple fact that he was actually in a place he had only thought existed in books and movies. The pub itself wasn't very crowded, considering it was just after lunch. There were a couple of people sitting at the bar, drinking what looked like firewhiskey. In a dark corner near the door, a lone figure sat at a table reading the Daily Prophet, blocking his or her face from the room. On the other side of the dining room sat a group of middle-aged witches, gossiping and giggling carelessly to themselves.

"Come on guys, we've got a table." Harry yelled over to Todd and Hermione, who were still standing near the entrance. He, Ron, and Ginny were sitting at a large circular table in the middle of the dinning room.

Todd, however, did not hear because he was mesmerised by one of the middle-aged witches who was pointing her wand at the empty glasses at her table, refilling them automatically with different beverages.

"Wicked!" he whispered in awe.

Hermione giggled softly, she leaned over to whisper in his ear, "That was nothing. Wait 'til we get to Diagon Alley and Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, it's amazing." She let go of his arm and walked over to the table, allowing Todd to gaze around the room a bit more before he sat down.

When Hermione reached her friends, she couldn't hide the smile from her face. "Isn't it amusing to see Todd's reactions to things we see almost daily?"

"Yeah, it is rather cute," Ginny commented, also referring to the visibly elevating effect the blond gentleman seemed to be having on her friend.

"Hey 'Mione, do you think Todd would like to try some Butterbeer?" Ron asked, preparing to get up and fetch them all some drinks.

Before Hermione could answer however, another female's voice pierced through the air, "There you are Draco. I've missed you so much."

The four occupants of the table turned their heads towards the voice and found Todd being enveloped into a huge hug by a young woman with dark blond hair.

Oh no, this is not happening, Hermione thought to herself. She heard the faint rustling of a newspaper and the sound of someone coughing, but she paid it no mind. I'm so stupid! I didn't even think about anyone recognising Todd as Malfoy! She turned to her friends for help, but they were all looking at Todd, looks of utter shock visible. I guess no one else thought about it either.

"Er..." was the only response that came out of Todd as the blonde released him from the embrace. He looked towards their table for assistance, terror written on his face. They looked at him helplessly, everyone's mind working diligently to come up with a solution to get him out of this.

"What's wrong Draco? Are you OK?" the young woman asked, bringing her hand towards his cheek, apparently thinking it would make him feel better.

Todd jumped back startled. "Yeah, just fine," he replied uncertainly. "Uh, thanks for asking," he said, giving the girl a small smile. He turned and walked over to their table. Hermione, Ginny, Harry, and Ron looked at him with dread as he sat down with them at the table.

"No Todd, don't sit with us," Ginny whispered frantically, "Pansy will get suspici..." she began, but it was too late.

"Draco, what's going on?" Pansy asked disbelievingly, she shot looks of loathing towards the alarmed occupants at the table. "Why are you sitting with this pathetic lot?" she demanded.

"Oh, well... umm..." Todd started, unsure of what he should do.

"You know, when I told you to meet me here I didn't expect you to want to hang around Potter and his little sidekicks," she sneered. "I wanted to be with you all by myself," she whined, hanging on to Todd's arm possessively.

"Did you say you're supposed to meet Malfoy here?" Hermione asked worriedly.

Pansy looked down at her with distaste, "Not that it's any of your business Mudblood," she spat, "but yes, I did say this is where Draco and I agreed to meet. Why else would he be here?"

Worried beyond belief, Hermione did not reply. Crap, Malfoy is supposed to meet Pansy here! That means he'll be here any minute, she thought to herself.

Sensing the dire predicament, Ginny reacted the only way she knew how. "Hey Parkinson, nice shirt," she said sweetly. Pansy looked at the redhead dubiously, a frown on her face. "It goes really well with that pimple on your nose," Ginny explained. Pansy gasped in horror and immediately covered her nose with her hands. Ginny looked at her and shrugged simply, "What? It does."

Pansy turned to look at Todd who had an impassive look on his face, he just shrugged. She gave a soft sob and ran towards the girl's lavatory.

"Come on, let's go before the real Malfoy shows up," Ginny announced. They all got up and headed back towards the entrance to Muggle London.

Hermione scanned the room quickly, checking to see if Pansy was coming back or if Malfoy was already there. She felt someone nudge her arm softly, and turned to see Todd right beside her with a look of confusion.

"What's wrong Todd?"

"I thought Pansy Parkinson had brown hair," he said simply as they made their way to the door.

"That's just in the movies," Hermione explained distractedly, paying more attention to getting themselves out of there than Todd's questions about Pansy's hair.

Had she been more attentive towards her surroundings, Hermione would have noticed the pair of silver grey eyes in the corner of the room that had been watching them intently since they entered the pub.