….
Regal's voice was calm, but it carried like a bell through the half-lit soundstage. "Time is up, Chris…"
Columbus stood there, shoulders slumped, eyes lingering on the children who were still buzzing around in small clusters.
His reply came low, almost pleading. "Do I have to be the one? Can't you just… take over from here? I did my part. I made the film we agreed on."
Regal didn't soften, though his tone wasn't unkind.
He stepped closer, eyes fixed firmly on Columbus. "Chris, this is your movie, and it will stay that way. You have guided them this far - you don't get to back down on the last step."
Chris let out a long breath, almost a groan. "Offf… you can be really… to the book sometimes, Regal."
"That's because someone has to be." Regal answered with a faint smirk. He tilted his head toward the set. "Go on. They are waiting for you."
Chris straightened, rubbed his palms together, then clapped his hands loud enough to cut through the chatter.
"All right, my Gryffindors, Slytherins, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs - listen up!" He raised his voice with a cheerfulness that carried something final beneath it–
"That's a wrap!"
For a beat, silence. Then—
"WHAT?!" one of the younger Slytherin extras shrieked, wide-eyed.
Lily gasped and squealed. "Nooo, don't say that!"
"It's over!" Rupert shouted, pumping his fist in the air. "We are free!"
"Free until the next detention!" Only for one of the twins to shout back.
Daniel groaned dramatically. "Wait, does this mean homework's back on the menu?"
"Oi, Harry, you will survive!" a Gryffindor extra teased before grabbing him in a headlock.
From the corner, Lily shrieked at the top of her lungs.
"WE DID IT!" and leapt onto her friend, nearly knocking both of them over.
Kids were screaming, laughing, colliding into hugs.
A Ravenclaw girl darted across the set shouting. "Group hug! GROUP HUG!" as a cluster of robes and sneakers piled together in a tangle of limbs.
An AD tried valiantly. "All right, calm down, careful of the set - oh, no, not the wand rack—"
It was too late.
A clatter rang out as half a dozen fake wands spilled across the floor.
"I call this one!" A boy yelled, snatching one up.
"It's broken, you idiot!" Another shrieked back, laughing so hard he nearly fell.
In the middle of it all, Lily threw her arms around Daniel and said. "We are not done, okay? We will see each other again."
Daniel, face flushed, mumbled. "Yeah - yeah, of course."
Behind them, Rupert yelled over the noise. "High five, everyone! Line up!" and immediately got mobbed by five kids slapping at his hands at once.
The adults weren't much better.
One makeup artist openly wept, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue, while a boom operator shouted. "Congratulations, you legends!" over the din.
The entire stage roared - screams, yells, laughter echoing into the rafters, no single voice distinguishable anymore.
It was chaos, beautiful chaos, and no one wanted to stop it.
An extra in Hufflepuff robes, a girl barely twelve, piped up nervously. "I don't want to leave. It feels like… like Hogwarts is closing forever."
One of Columbus's assistant directors crouched down beside her, gently fixing the wig she still wore.
"Hey, it's not closing, you will see each other again. You are part of something people will always remember. That's not going anywhere." His voice cracked slightly at the last words, betraying the emotion he was trying to hold in.
Nearby, Tom Felton was still holding onto his wand like he wasn't ready to give it up.
"Well, at least Draco goes out in style." He smirked, tossing his hair dramatically. "Unlike certain Gryffindors who cry at the drop of a hat."
"Excuse me?!" Daniel turned sharply, though the grin on his face ruined the effect. "That was one time, and there was dust in my eye!"
"Dust?" Rupert chimed in, deadpan. "Yeah, sure. Loads of dust flying around a closed stage. Totally believable, mate."
Laughter rippled through the kids and crew, though a few adults were openly dabbing their eyes now. One of the second ADs, a woman who had spent months corralling dozens of children with patience bordering on sainthood, was practically inconsolable.
"You are all growing up so fast." She sniffled, hugging one of the younger Ravenclaw extras so tightly the poor boy squeaked. "I won't get to boss you around tomorrow, and I don't know what to do with myself."
The boy wriggled free, cheeks pink.
"You can boss your cat around!" He suggested, making everyone around burst out laughing again.
The chaos still hadn't died down when a pair of ADs wheeled out a small table from the side, balancing a cake that had clearly been hiding under a plastic cover all day.
The kids froze mid-shove and mid-shout the moment they saw it.
"Cake!" someone screamed, and immediately the noise doubled again.
"Careful, careful, don't knock it over!" one of the ADs pleaded, nearly tripping as a wave of children surged toward the table.
The cake wasn't extravagant, just a simple white frosted sheet with the words "Chamber of Secrets – That's a Wrap!" piped in red icing across the top, little golden stars dotted in buttercream.
But to the kids, it may as well have been a treasure chest.
Lily clapped her hands together. "Oh, it's so pretty! Don't anyone smudge the writing!"
Rupert, already licking his lips, leaned in dangerously close. "I just want one corner, that's all."
"You will ruin it!" Lily pushed him back by the shoulder, laughing.
Daniel snorted. "You two are worse than Dudley and Harry fighting over cake."
"Oi, I am not Dudley!" Rupert shot back with mock offense.
Lily had already managed to poke a finger in the frosting while no one was looking.
When Chris Columbus caught her, she only shrugged, grinning with icing on her fingertip. "What? It's tradition!"
Columbus shook his head, but he was smiling too. "All right, let's do this properly."
He handed the knife to Daniel first. The boy hesitated, glancing at his friends. "Me?"
"You are the Boy Who Lived, aren't you?" Chris teased. "Start us off."
Daniel carefully pressed the knife into the cake, making the first neat slice, before passing the handle to Lily.
"Ladies first after that!" She announced, slicing with dramatic flair.
"Oi, what about me then?" Rupert protested as she handed the knife straight past him to Lily.
Lily smirked, eyes sparkling. "Oh right, Ron - silly me. You are a lady too, aren't you?" She carved the tiniest sliver imaginable and plopped it onto his plate.
Rupert stared at it, utterly baffled. "Wait - did I just win, or did I just get insulted?"
The room burst into laughter, Tom nearly choking on his bite, while Daniel muttered imitating Ron. "Bit of both, mate."
The extras crowded close too - little witches and wizards who had spent most of the year in the background now cheering as they each got a sliver of cake.
One of the smallest Slytherin boys shouted through a mouthful.
"This is the best part of filming!" and got frosting smeared on his nose by his friend in response.
The crew joined in as well, plates of cake being handed around, laughter and chatter filling every corner of the soundstage.
Even the tough-looking grips and electricians softened, chuckling as they balanced plates in their big hands.
Chris Columbus raised his slice and called out. "To the best second year at Hogwarts anyone could ask for!"
A chorus of voices, young and old, echoed back: "To Hogwarts!"
….
Regal was still at the back, his lips curving into a small smile, he just let them have their moment.
It belonged to them - the kids who had carried the weight of magic on their small shoulders, and the crew who had given everything to make sure that magic lived on screen.
But his mind was already moving ahead, working in layers.
The shoot was over, yes, but the true work had only begun.
It was one thing to make a film; it was another to make the world care about it again.
The first movie had been a phenomenon.
He knew that.
Everyone knew that.
But lightning rarely struck twice on its own.
Curiosity had to be nurtured, anticipation cultivated.
That was his role now.
He had already drawn the blueprint: the release of the second book alongside the film.
A gamble most studios would never dare attempt.
If one stumbled - the movie or the book - it could drag the other down with it.
Negativity spread like fire in this industry, and doubters would feast on it.
But Regal believed…
The book would feed the film, the film would amplify the book, and together they would plant themselves into the cultural bloodstream where no critic could tear them apart.
Still, that was for tomorrow.
Today belonged to the children.
Regal finally stepped forward, weaving through the milling crew.
A few heads turned, whispers rippled, but he waved them down - nothing dramatic, just a reminder to let the moment breathe.
He passed Lily, who was laughing with two of the younger extras, and gave her a light tap on the shoulder.
She turned, eyes widening, then brightened with a grin.
Rupert was already stuffing props into his robe pocket like trophies, while Daniel stood rooted, half-relieved and half-exhausted, soaking in the applause but too shy to run with the others.
First, he wanted to see all of them - the dozens of children who had given a chunk of their childhood to this world.
Some would stay for later films, others would fade into different lives, but today, they deserved to celebrate.
Regal thought to himself: This is the last day they will ever be this innocent about it. By next time, they'll understand the machine they're a part of.
And he silently vowed to let them have this one day, untouched by the storm of promotion and spectacle waiting just outside these studio walls.
.
….
[To be continued…]
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