The Boy Who Signed

July 22, 2000 | Mill Grove, London, England

POV Oliver

Oliver had just arrived at Mill Grove and opened the door to Sister Margaret's office. He immediately froze, his gaze wandering from Margaret to the crazy author before stopping on an unfamiliar man.

Before anyone could say a word, he closed the door and turned on his heel.

Nope, not her again!

"Come back here right now!" the nun called after him.

He opened the door and reluctantly stepped inside. He did occasionally think that turning down the role of Harry Potter had been a mistake. But that was simply his way of dealing with the situation.

Did he actually regret it? — No.

He had seen enough of how the world would develop. Everyone had smartphones, every step superstars took was recorded and uploaded by someone. God—even in their own homes, they weren't safe from the public.

"Hello, Oliver. Long time no see!" Joanne said, greeting him warmly.

Not long enough!

"Hello, Miss Rowling, Sister Margaret—" He greeted the two of them before looking questioningly at the stranger, waiting for him to introduce himself.

"Chris—Chris Columbus. I've heard a lot about you!" the man introduced himself.

Oliver eyed him suspiciously and tried to remember whether he had ever heard the name before. He had no idea who the man was. But if he was here with the crazy woman, that couldn't be a good sign.

"Olli, Joanne and Mr Columbus want to talk to you about your future," Margaret explained.

Oliver was already opening his mouth to tell her that his future had been planned out long ago, but Margaret knew him well enough by now to beat him to it.

"And you will listen to them!" she said, giving him a stern look.

He closed his mouth again and reluctantly turned his attention to Rowling.

"Oliver, let's get straight to the point!" She straightened up in her seat. "How much do you want?"

"Jo, that's not—" Chris tried to object, but Oliver had already interrupted him.

Everyone had their price, and Oliver was no exception. But if he had to sell his freedom, it would only be for a damn high price. Besides, he didn't believe they would ever agree to his proposal.

"Two percent!" he said simply before pausing. "Two percent of everything earned from the films. Fixed for the entire series."

He looked at Chris seriously.

"On top of my salary, which gets renegotiated for every film."

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"That's ridiculous!" Chris said, looking at him as though Oliver had just insulted his mother.

"Hogwarts has seven school years. That means seven films, correct?" Oliver asked, looking at Chris.

Chris nodded hesitantly.

"Seven years in which I'm supposed to play Harry Potter. Seven years in which I'll have to neglect my studies at Oxford, my private life, my nun—I mean, my grandmother Margaret," he said, looking seriously at Chris before slowly shifting his gaze towards Rowling.

"Seven years in which I practically belong to you!"

"You make it sound like you're going to prison! Every child in England will envy you—maybe even children all over the world!" Chris said.

"Mr Columbus, let's be honest. If Harry Potter becomes a success, what kind of image am I supposed to portray to the public for the next seven years?" he asked without even waiting for an answer.

"Harry Potter. The innocent boy." Oliver looked at him seriously. "You say I'm making it sound like a prison. But is it really that different? Can I go wherever I want? Can I eat whatever I want? Can I have relationships however I want?" Oliver fired at him.

"Of course you can."

Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Really? So if I show up on set next year weighing a hundred kilos, that won't be a problem for you?"

"Enough!" Rowling said. "If we agree to your demands, are you prepared to commit to being Harry Potter for the next seven years?"

"Of course!" Oliver said, inwardly mocking the crazy author.

As if Warner would ever agree to that.

***

A little while later, Oliver sat back in his chair, still trying to work out how things had moved this quickly.

He looked at Rowling, then at Chris, and finally down at the sheet of paper in front of him.

"It hasn't even been an hour!" he said, looking back at the two of them in complete disbelief.

How is that even possible?

"This is insane! You don't even want to negotiate? Mr Columbus, you haven't even seen me act yet!"

"Here," he said, pointing to a paragraph on page eight. "The contract requires, among other things, that you pass your audition."

"So, let me get this straight. If I sign this, my ass belongs—" Oliver was interrupted by a loud clearing of the nun's throat.

"I mean, I'm committing to taking acting lessons before filming begins. Warner will also provide me with an agent for the time being, who'll handle the legal and organisational matters involving Oxford, school, and the necessary licences?", he asked before pausing briefly and continuing.

"The two percent are fixed for the entire film series and won't be renegotiated. My salary will be—and for the first film, I get £250,000?"

Rowling wore an expression of satisfaction that Oliver found difficult not to comment on. Her smile seemed to be openly mocking him.

"Congratulations. From now on, you're Harry Potter!" she finally said.

"Only after he passes the audition!" Chris interjected. He looked visibly torn. On the one hand, he seemed relieved, but on the other, he almost seemed to regret something.

Oliver let out a breath and looked at Margaret.

"What do you think?" he finally asked her.

"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." she said, looking at him with a warm smile.

"Ever since you arrived at Mill Grove, you've always had a plan. Today, you're facing a decision that only you can make." She paused briefly. "But whatever you decide, God will watch over you—and so will I."

Oliver took another deep breath. Normally, he wasn't this uncertain about his decisions, but this one would change everything, and Margaret knew it. Otherwise, she would never have said something like that to him—not Margaret.

"I hope Buddha watches over me too!" he said, signing the contract before handing it to Margaret for her signature.

Margaret gave him a stern look at the comment, but signed it as well before placing the pen back on the table.

Then Joanne jumped up from the sofa and burst out laughing.

Oliver looked at the crazy author and simply shook his head. What a day. That morning, he had still been sitting on a train complaining about his shares, and now he was suddenly Harry Potter.

This day really couldn't get any crazier.

***

Several hours had passed since Joanne and Chris had left Mill Grove. The audition had been scheduled for the following week.

He still couldn't quite believe that he would begin filming Harry Potter later that very year.

"Oliver!" Margaret's voice pulled him from his thoughts. "Come here for a moment, please!"

When he reached the door, he saw a man whose face he had seen in the newspaper only that morning.

Oliver sighed and stared at him without moving.

Well, I jinxed myself.

The day just got even crazier!