| �I never should have tasted that champagne!� Terren yelled at Anya the next day as they hastily made up in the vast bathroom. Anya laughed. �You certainly did enjoy it after that third glass.� Teri rolled her eyes. �Just remind me never to drink straight from the bottle again. I will be so mad if I have this headache when we leave tonight. I am determined to flash my best smile at Daniel.� Anya again laughed as she leaned over to thoroughly inspect her mascara job. �Daniel, huh? It�s just down to one? Not the various list of names you�ve given me?� �Nope,� Teri sat down on the edge of the toilet seat and stared up at her friend. �It�s purely Harry. I don�t mean to cut down Rupert or anything. Of course he�s cute and all and I love Ron! He�s one of my favorite characters. There was always just something about that smile that got to me. I need to see Daniel in person.� Adrienne then strolled into the bathroom fully dressed. She stared at the two girls and then frowned. �Who are you talking about?� Teri laughed. �We�re not talking about your Daniel, by the way.� Adrienne turned red. �HA! I knew that was what you were thinking.� Anya turned away from the mirror, throwing her hair into a messy, tight ponytail and pushing her cosmetics out of the way. �For your information, I am getting ready for tonight,� she declared suddenly. �I thought we were getting this all done professionally?� Teri asked, leaning back now on the toilet. �Well, I�m getting my hair done right, but I�ll be damned if I�m going to let a strange person touch my face,� Anya said, smearing a line on her chin before turning away from the counter. Adrienne stepped up, leaning forward. �Not me. I�d rather have someone who gets paid to do it before I screw it up.� Terren was now thoroughly interested in the subject. She sat forward and cocked an eyebrow at her friend. �And why would you want to go to such lengths to make yourself presentable? Is there a certain mysterious plane hunk that is going to be attending the event tonight?� Adrienne didn�t look up. �I don�t know. I just think it would be in both of our best interest that we looked decent tonight. For Anya.� Teri shrugged, getting up from the toilet. �Okay, okay fine, if you want to lie to yourself, go ahead. But I know,� she said, winking at her friend and retreating. She heard the door slam and slowly, her big brown eyes traveled up the length of the mirror. Quit kidding yourself, she thought. Terren�s absolutely right. The desire to impress that mystery man is burning inside of you. You know the only real reason you want to go is to entertain the slight possibility you might see him. After regaining much of her composure and slapping on some quick powder to look presentable for public, she left the bathroom and joined her friends to go to the beauty parlor. It took no less than two hours for all three girls to get their hair done and they agreed that it was worth it. As usual, Adrienne chose a simple, conservative look to match both her dress and style. It was thrown into an upsweep and the several hairs that stuck to her neck were curled in a very elegant fashion. The eye shadow they applied was a very light shade of brown that had a sparkly sheen, bringing out the dark color of her eyes. Terren wanted to go all out. She had her hair completely curled and then thrown into a large up do, leaving the remaining hairs bobbing in wonderful curls by her cheeks. Her makeup had been done with darker reds and purples. Anya needed to be as sophisticated as possible. She had her hair done up as well, but it was tied back tightly and fluffed out so that it looked full and spiky. She had down her own makeup in lighter tones to match her dress. The girls couldn�t have been happier with the way they looked and knew that in a matter of hours, they would be on the red carpet. They headed back to the hotel to get ready. After trying their hardest not to mess up hair and makeup, they slipped their dresses over their heads and called it done. They carefully looked themselves over, redid small spots in hair and makeup, made final adjustments, and then jumped when there was a knock at the door. Anya nervously swung the door open and noticed that their bellhop Jeremy was standing in front of it. �Your limo is here,� he said, smiling at the three of them. �And I must say, you ladies are looking quite smashing this evening. Night on the town?� Teri squealed and Adrienne rolling her eyes, replying, �You could say that.� They walked out the door and downstairs to the limo. Teri couldn�t hold back her shrieks of excitement as they plopped themselves down into the large, white car. The driver immediately took them to their destination as they all held hands in anxious anticipation. As the limo pulled up slowly to the entrance of the premiere, Terren and Adrienne�s jaws both dropped in astonishment. Neither of them had ever seen something so chaotic in their entire lifetime. Photographers, cameramen, reporters, journalists, fans, hotel personnel, security guards, actors, actresses, movie crews, and celebrities clogged the entrance to the hotel the movie was being shown at. It was a complete mess and the three of them had about as much chance finding one solitary person as they did finding a needle in a haystack (as the old saying went). The limo skidded to a halt and Anya�s friends once again went slack jawed as members of the media pressed their cameras right at the door of the limo. The driver went immediately to it, opening it and allowing the girls to step out. Anya, calm and collected but throbbing with mad excitement on the inside, stepped out of the car first, smiling and waving. �ANYA BISBEE!� they shouted several at a time. �Anya, can we get a comment?� �Anya, this way!� �Anya, over here!� �Miss Bisbee, a comment please?� Terren and Adrienne got out of the limo, almost unable to walk. They were still in pure, mortal shock as they followed their friend loyally up the carpet. She had stopped to talk to a couple of journalists. �Seventeen Magazine, Miss Bisbee. Tell me, whom did you come with?� a short, dark haired female journalist poured into a microphone. �These are my two best friends, Adrienne Sims and Terren Made. I promised them they�d get to see a Harry Potter movie one of these days,� she answered, a smile plastered to her face all the while. �What do you plan to accomplish while you�re here?� �I plan to get a few good quotes and some additional information from Miss Rowling about the new characters in her final book of the series.� �What happens when the Harry Potter phenomenon is over? Does this mean that your writing of Harry Potter fan fiction will be over too?� Anya bit her lip, unsure of how to answer the question. �Well, I figure that as long as the people want Harry Potter, I�ll continue to give them just that. I don�t in any way shape or form want to become Miss Rowling or to take her place, but if demands are up for Harry, I�ll continue to write.� �Now, Miss Bisbee, what are the plans for your next book? We all of course, simply loved your book about the chance love you found in Neville and Ginny. We�ve seen so many parings that a lot of us are wondering who is coming next.� Anya shrugged. �I�ve been kicking around a lot of ideas. There are so many good angles I could go back on and use with old fail-safes, such as the Ron /Hermione pairing, or Harry and Ginny. I guess we�ll see what happens.� �Miss Bisbee, we�re greatly anticipating the movie version of one of your books. Is there any chance that will happen?� �Not a chance.� The voice was not Anya�s, nor was it either of her friends�. Anya turned her head slowly around, afraid to face the cold blue eyes she had seen in nightmares past. None other than Tom Felton was standing behind her, looking smug yet gorgeous in a pair of black dress pants, a blue button up dress shirt, and a black coat. The natural dark brown hue contrasted with the light streaks in his hair. None of this could be found appealing to Anya as it had when she watched him on the screen. His mere presence made her sick. �Excuse me, I forgot who I was talking to,� he said without giving Anya a chance to retaliate. �Why, it�s Miss Anya Bisbee. The famous trash novel writer. Good luck with Blind Forces. It�ll be a great seller,� he said, his voice turning rude and sarcastic. �Sort of like War of the Wands.� Anya�s face turned bright red with anger, completely outdoing her makeup. Out of Anya�s eleven love story Harry Potter spin-offs, War of the Wands had done the worst in selling. �Thank you for that, Mr. Felton. Why don�t you go sit in the theater now and contemplate where you�ll be after the next movie?� She stopped and then widening her eyes for effect, said, �Then, you can conjure up a list of how many people will remember you once your career is over.� She spun back around to walk away but then stepped when she heard Teri speak. Adrienne looked at her friend sympathetically but Terren was staring at Tom, wide eyed. She stepped closer to him, as he had not moved an inch. �Y-You�re Tom Felton�� Tom cocked an eyebrow at Anya who shot a quick, threatening glance over her shoulder at Teri. �I see your own company hasn�t soon forgotten who I am,� he commented nastily and then looked back at Teri, his tone completely changing. �Yes, love, I am Tom Felton. May I ask who you are?� Teri went red from head to toe. Words almost failed her. �T-T-Terren Made.� �Terren Made. Are you a big fan of Harry Potter?� Eyes still wide, mouth open, Terren nodded. �Huge. I love your work, even though I can�t stand your character.� Shooting a quick sinister glance at Anya, he laughed at Terren�s comment. �I don�t blame you. I personally love to play my character, but I see where fans have a problem with him.� �Just a little bit,� Terren sighed, staring at Tom as if he were the whole world. �Well, are you accompanying your, uh,� he cleared his throat, �friend to the movie?� Anya tried to brush off the comment as Teri replied, �Yes, I am. She was nice enough to give us her extra tickets.� Tom�s voice became sarcastic and biting once again. �Oh, wasn�t that nice of her? Such a big, famous celebrity, receiving extra tickets for a movie, giving them to her friends. How wonderful for a big, famous celebrity to do such a charitable thing. How is it that she�s famous again? Oh, I remember!� Tom stepped up close to Anya�s ear and whispered, �She writes romance trash and reaps the profit off of someone else�s idea.� Anya had had enough. She shot around and stared Tom right in his cold, distant eyes. �Listen to me you so-called actor. You shouldn�t be sitting here spouting off the insults when in only a matter of years, your time will be over. No one will remember your hideous face, no one will remember what role you played, and no one, especially me, will care.� As his ego deflated to its absolute minimum, Tom�s will and resolve to win the fight increased. �You are only using words to get you out of a predetermined mess of sorts, which is quite surprising to me seeing as how I�ve read your books.� �How dare you insult the most passionate part of my life,� she spat, stepping closer to his face. �You call that passionate? Miss Bisbee, you obviously need to find a new passion.� �Do you really want all of these cameras to watch as I slap the hell out of your face right here, Mr. Felton?� �You don�t have the gall to do it.� Adrienne stepped up at this point as the two closed in on each other, unaware that anxious reporters and cameras were pressed in around them. She spoke up. �Listen to me, Mr. Felton, I�ve been friends with this woman ever since we were in seventh grade. If you continue to tempt her, she will do it, I have no doubt in my mind. You are crossing a severe line with the things you are saying anyway. You�re better to just back away right now.� Not taking his eyes off of Anya�s, he opened his mouth and slowly spoke, �Fine. I�ll go.� Backing away from her slowly, not taking his eyes off of her for a second, he moved slowly toward the entrance of the theater. Anya broke her trance and felt her entire head throb with heat and stress. Tears started to sting at her eyes. Adrienne and Terren knew that it was time to leave the red carpet. Both of them took their friend by the arm and pulled her inside. They stopped just inside of the doors, making sure there was no sign of Tom. Adrienne stared at Anya for a few seconds as she collected herself, than blurted out, �Who was that?� Teri, still comfortingly stroking her friend�s shoulder, replied, �It was Tom Felton. He plays Draco Malfoy in the movie.� �Who in God�s name is Draco Malfoy?� �That,� Anya finally spoke. �What you saw. That was Draco.� She scoffed loudly, shoving her Kleenex back in her purse. �He claims in all of his interviews that he loves to play the part of Draco because they�re so different.� �From the way he spoke to you tonight, it sounds like he plays that character for a different reason than specified,� Teri said quietly. �I don�t blame you for wanting to hit him. I almost did, and you saw the way I was when I first saw him. I can�t believe I was like that when he was so rude to you. I�m sorry.� Anya smiled. �It�s all right, don�t apologize. He�s a celebrity in your favorite movie. It�s perfectly understandable. You didn�t know how he really was.� Adrienne shook her head. �I cannot believe some of the things he said to you. It was completely uncalled for. Just because you write books based on another idea doesn�t mean your books are trash! If they were good enough to become published in the first place, they�re not �trash.� Oh, that made me so angry! Especially when he started to attack your writing. If people didn�t like it, you wouldn�t be as popular as you are.� Anya sniffled and looked around. �I don�t want this to get out, me standing here crying. I need to be better than that tonight. What do you say we just go into that theater, sit down, and forget everything that has happened tonight?� Both of Anya�s friends knew that there was no chance in the world Anya would so easily forget the ego lashing Tom had given her. Yet whatever Anya wanted to do, they would gladly go along with it. It was her night to shine and they were going to help her get through it easily. �Come on, let�s go,� Adrienne stepped forward to take Anya�s arm but Terren was frozen in place. �What is it?� she asked. Terren said nothing and only pointed. The girls turned to see what she was gaping at. It was none other than Rupert Grint and Daniel Radcliffe. They were standing ten feet away from them, talking to various reporters. Daniel stood loyally next to Rupert as he flashed his huge, toothy grin at the cameras. Adrienne got a feeling deep in the pit of her stomach that she had seen that smile somewhere before. Anya looked at Teri, who still had her finger outstretched. Forgetting her plight for the moment, she stepped forward and thrust Teri�s arm downward. �Would you like to meet your date or do you want to drool to death?� Teri�s face contorted into confusion. �Let me think about it.� Anya rolled her eyes just as Rupert turned around. Teri�s eyes once again widened as she saw the face of the actor who played Ron Weasley staring at them. He then laid eyes on Anya, immediately smiled warmly, and walked toward them. Teri could feel her body freeze up. �Anya Bisbee! My God!� Rupert greeted, taking Anya in his arms for a long, affectionate hug. �Seems like I haven�t seen you in years.� �Rup, you haven�t,� she reminded him. �Oh yeah,� he said, donning his famous crooked smile. �Who are these lovely ladies?� �Rupert, these are my best friends Adrienne Sims and Terren Made. Girls, this is Rupert Grint,� Anya introduced them. Adrienne smiled pleasantly, offering her hand forward warmly. Rupert stepped forward to take Terren�s trembling hand in his own, and for a few seconds he stared into her congenial blue eyes, not being able to pull himself away from her gaze. Terren�s heart raced as her hand stayed clasped in Rupert�s. She had never imagined seeing this man in person, let alone practically hold hands with him. She stared into his beautiful blue eyes and almost lost it until he pulled away and cleared his throat awkwardly. In a hazy, dreamy voice, still looking at Terren, he whispered, �Pleasure to meet you.� She barely had time to notice the fact that Rupert had opened his mouth to say more when Daniel walked up behind him. �Hello, love! Haven�t seen you in ages!� he greeted Anya, kissing her cheek and hugging her sincerely. Adrienne�s stomach lurched again. That hair, that smile, that voice� it was all coming back to her now. �Daniel, how wonderful to see you again! How are you?� �I manage,� he said jokingly. �Who are your�� but before he could finish the sentence his eyes had landed on Adrienne. Finally, the light in Adrienne�s head switched on and she recognized everything immediately. It all made sense. �Dan?� �Adrienne?� �You�re here�� �Told you I would be,� he said, stepping forward, taking her hand and placing his free hand on top of it. �I didn�t think I was going to see you.� Teri watched the two and couldn�t believe her ears. This was the Dan from the plane? The Dan Adrienne had been so taken with? Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter, had been on that flight and she missed it? �I can�t believe it, why are you here?� she asked him. Anya laughed whole-heartedly along with Rupert and Daniel. �Needless to say, Dree!� she responded. She looked over at Teri, who seemed to be lost in a trance. �Hey, Space Cadet,� she called to her friend. �Wake up! It�s your big chance.� Teri finally shook the fog and looked at Daniel, who was still clutching Adrienne�s hand. �Oh, sorry, I hallucinated. What?� The company laughed. �Daniel, this is my very good friend, Terren Made. She�s a massive fan of your work.� Daniel finally let go of Adrienne�s hand to step forward and shake Teri�s. �Pleasure to meet a fan this time,� he said and behind him, Adrienne laughed. �I hope you enjoy the movie.� Staring at him with big puppy dog eyes, Teri simply nodded, unable to do much else. �So, why are you here?� Adrienne demanded again as Daniel stepped back toward her. Rupert snorted and stood close to the other girls as Daniel stared at Adrienne with eyes that any of them could have hoped for. Rupert looked at Anya. �How thick is she? Does she not even notice?� �She�s not a fan of Harry Potter.� Rupert rolled his eyes dramatically, �I couldn�t tell.� Teri was still staring at Daniel, entranced. Rupert couldn�t help but notice. He nudged Anya hard in the ribs and nodded toward her. �What�s the deal with her?� She laughed. �Complete opposite of Adrienne, and I mean complete.� Rupert chuckled as well. �Little bit into the movie, ay?� �Just a little bit,� Anya said in a mock English accent. �What are you doing, picking on me?� Rupert demanded, giving her a joking shove. �Excuse me!� Anya replied, still in the accent. �I didn�t mean to! I swear!� They laughed together and Rupert�s let his gaze land on Teri once again. She was still watching Daniel�s every move. Adrienne�s lip was almost raw from her tremendous amount of biting. Every single part of her body was on fire, standing this close to Dan. �Told you I was a celebrity,� he said, smiling at her. �Have you figured it out yet?� �No!� she screamed, slapping his jacket lapel jokingly. �I told you, I don�t do Harry Potter.� �Oh, come off it! You couldn�t have been living under a rock for seven years!� he yelled at her. �Maybe I could have,� she said, sticking her nose up. �Oh, please. You can�t use the excuse �I was hiding in my work� for the past seven years. You had to have been in high school at one point of your life,� he laughed. Teri�s gaze finally drifted from Daniel to Rupert. The two couldn�t have looked any different. She smiled at him sweetly. �What time does the show start?� she asked quietly. Rupert smiled back at her just as sweetly and looked at his watch. �Oh, bugger me! It starts in only a couple of minutes,� he said, stepping forward and grabbing Daniel�s arms. �Hey there, Romeo! We�ve got two minutes to find our seats.� Daniel�s eyebrows shot up and he looked back at Adrienne. �All right then. Guess you�ll find out soon enough. May I escort you to the screening room?� he asked, offering his arm. Adrienne took it hungrily. �I�d love to be escorted by a handsome gentlemen.� Rupert looked jokingly at Anya, offering his left arm. Clearing his throat, he announced, �I, Rupert Grint, will now take the young and beautiful Anya Bisbee to the premiere of Harry Potter and the Green Flame Torch.� Anya stepped up to him, linking her right arm in his and curtsying quickly. �I would love nothing more, Rupert Grint.� They laughed and Rupert�s gaze drifted toward Teri, who was standing in a completely confused stupor. �Miss Made?� She was snapped out of her trance when she found Rupert�s eyes looking deeply and admiringly into her own. �Yes, Mr. Grint?� �Don�t sound all formal about it. I�m only twenty,� he said, and then summoned her with his head. �Come, I have two arms, let me take you to the premiere as well.� Terren looked at him for a second, and then it finally clicked. �Oh no, no, that�s all right. I�ll just follow on my own.� Rupert shrugged but Anya watched a dejected look cross his face quickly. They began to walk. �I saw what happened with Tom,� he said. Anya stiffened and closed her eyes, willing the moment to slip away. �I don�t know what to do about him.� �Oh, please,� Rupert said, waving his free hand at her. �He�s so attracted to you it kills him.� �What?� she screamed suddenly, causing Rupert and Terren, �Attracted to me? The man hates me! How could you even suggest such an absurd thing?� �Oh, it�s the truth and you know it,� Rupert lowered his voice. �Admit it! You didn�t wear that dress for nothing.� Her face contorted into anger. �Rupert! You know me better than that! This premiere is important to me and my books�� �Every premiere is right, ever since you met Tom.� �You�re insane,� she stated, looking away. Rupert stuck his head in closer. �You forget that I know you quite well. After meeting you at the third movie, I had you figured out.� �We weren�t talking like this until the fourth movie,� she reminded him, still looking away. �Well, I�ve known you long enough now to know that you don�t get all dressed up to come to a premiere.� �I hate him, Rupert, how could you even suggest�� �You two are a walking time bomb.� �I stand by what I said. You�re insane.� �Let�s bet on it,� he challenged. �If I�m right, you treat me to dinner.� They arrived at the screening room and she pulled him, standing off to the side. She put her hands on her hips and faced him with a defiant look. �All right. If you�re right, and he and I do end up together, I buy you dinner. But if we don�t�� �I�ll treat you to the most expensive meal in town.� �The most expensive meal in town I can afford,� Anya muttered under her breath as Terren approached. �Swallowing my pride long enough to fall in love with that asshole I can�t.� |
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