NOVEL WEB Chapter 15: Chapter 14:
Chapter 14:
...
-Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire, England
-March 10th, 1990
After several failed attempts, one of the runes began to glow faintly.
Adam held his breath as he worked on the others, focusing as much as he could.
Finally, after what felt like hours, the runes fully lit up, and the stone door slowly began to open.
Pansy let out a relieved sigh and quickly stepped into the brightly lit hallway, followed closely by Adam.
Once they were both out... thanks almost entirely to Adam's efforts.... Pansy, overwhelmed with relief and happiness at finally being free from the dark, eerie room, instinctively hugged Draco and gave him a kiss on the cheek, much like she had seen her mother do with her father.
Of course, she immediately realized what she had done and quickly stepped away, clearly embarrassed.
The two stood in awkward silence for a moment, processing everything that had just happened.
"This never happened. Understood?" Adam said, fixing her with a serious look, deciding to ignore the last part of their interaction for now. Although, for some reason, he now felt quite uncomfortable down between his legs. However, he chose to ignore for now this suddenly slightly hardened part of him as well.
Pansy nodded, though she couldn't resist adding her signature sarcastic tone.
"Sure, bookworm. But only because I don't want my father finding out."
Adam didn't reply and instead started walking toward the game room, making sure Pansy followed this time.
One thing was certain: he would avoid that door from now on, and he'd make every effort to keep Pansy out of trouble that could drag him down with her.
.....
Apparently, they had spent much more time in that room than they thought because not long after they finally arrived at the game room, Lucius and Lord Paris appeared, having apparently finished their private conversation.
With their matters settled, Lord Paris and his daughter... who was still visibly embarrassed for reasons her father couldn't comprehend.... left Malfoy Manor via the Floo Network.
Adam didn't waste any time either and excused himself from Lucius, using the reliable excuse of needing to "study" in his room. It was true, at least for everyone else. For him, reading about magic was anything but studying... it was pure fascination. Nevertheless, he also had other reasons behind his desire to stay alone, he needed to find out more about this unusual and sudden feeling/reaction he had today.
.....
-Parkinson Manor, Meadow District, Midlands, England
-March 10th, 1990
Back in her room at Parkinson Manor, Pansy couldn't stop thinking about what had happened earlier that day at Malfoy Manor with that boring and supposedly stupid bookworm.
"They lied to me. He's obviously not a stupid, boring bookworm. But he deliberately annoyed me!" Pansy complained as she flopped onto her bed, furiously squeezing her small plush dragon as if it were her enemy.
"I bet he took me to that creepy place on purpose to scare me! Yeah, he probably faked the whole thing just to look good. Ugh…" Pansy grumbled, gripping the dragon's tail tightly and smacking it against her pillow in frustration.
"Hmph, he's not going to fool me that easily!" she muttered to herself, already plotting some sort of revenge. She stared at her plush dragon, imagining how she'd teach Draco a lesson the next time they met.
The thought of her future triumph made Pansy laugh, but when she recalled hugging him and giving him a kiss in that moment of relief, her cheeks turned bright red.
In just a short time, Pansy's emotions swung wildly from anger to embarrassment and back again.
While she stewed in her conflicting feelings, a knock suddenly came at her bedroom door.
"Pansy, dear, it's late. Stop playing and get to sleep, or you'll be too tired tomorrow," came a warm, mature voice from the other side.
"Alright, Mom," Pansy replied quickly, though internally, her thoughts remained fixated on her plan for revenge. She gave the poor plush dragon's tail one last tug before finally lying down to sleep.
....
....
-March 11th, 1996
The following morning, Adam woke up early, feeling refreshed and slightly nervous.
Even though he had already gone through several days of filming in New Jersey, being in a completely new location like Canada made it feel like the first day on set all over again.
He was excited to start acting again and see how everything would come together.
He must also admit that he loved being the center of attention. On set, everyone focused on him, ensuring he looked perfect and was in top form to deliver a great performance.
Well... Adam blamed this somewhat narcissistic side of himself on Draco Malfoy and the memories that might be influencing him, but little did he know that Draco's memories had far less of an effect on this aspect of his personality.
The truth was, Adam shared this trait with Draco: both relished being in the spotlight.
Andrew, as always, was in his role as tutor, staying close by and, of course, taking every opportunity to tease him.
Yup, that was just Andrew's style.... sarcastic and irritating at times, but reliable when it mattered.
"Ready to be a star again?" Andrew asked, handing Adam a glass of orange juice at breakfast.
Adam took the glass and smirked.
"I've been ready since we left New Jersey"
They both laughed, and while Adam often complained about having Andrew as his tutor, there was something comforting about his presence.
Even in his most annoying moments, Adam felt reassured knowing his brother was there.
Far from home, with a career just beginning and an incredible secret life waiting for him every night, Adam couldn't help but feel that life couldn't get any better.
.....
When they arrived on set, the place was already buzzing with activity.
Adam was greeted warmly by the crew. Even though it was early and the cold Canadian air nipped at his skin, there was something about the energy of the place that made him feel excited and motivated.
The technical team was already adjusting the cameras and setting up the locations, while production assistants hurried back and forth with papers and equipment. Meanwhile, director Norman Jewison was giving final instructions to the crew.
The set was alive with motion, and Adam felt a spark of enthusiasm as he took in the bustling scene.
He couldn't wait to get started.
Norman Jewison approached him just before the first shot of the day.
"How are you feeling, Adam?" he asked with a warm smile.
"Ready, Mr. Jewison," Adam replied with a small but confident smile.
The director nodded, satisfied, then turned to the rest of the crew.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, let's get started!"
With those words, the set came to life.
Cameras began rolling, and Adam slipped into his role as Albert Franklin with the same ease and naturalness he had displayed in New Jersey. His Acting Perfection ability made him shine, but beyond that, Adam realized there was something about acting itself that captivated him. Maybe it was the attention, the way he could lose himself completely in another persona, or perhaps it was a combination of all those things.
....
Despite the success of his first day of filming in Canada, Adam was still having his second thoughts about what happened yesterday in the wizarding world when that snotty little girl kissed him.... Maybe he could ask his brother more about it, yet something was telling him that doing so was only going to encourage his irritating brother to tease him even further.
Although he couldn't stop thinking about what had happened in the forbidden room at Malfoy Manor. His new skill, Parseltongue, lingered in his mind. He had read enough about the ability to know it was rare, almost unique, and often associated with dark wizards. But that didn't make it any less fascinating.
As his day in the normal world ended, Adam found himself eager to return to the magical world and test his newfound skill.