Adam in the Real World and Harry Potter?(OC/HP/Showbiz/Hollywood)

Chapter 8:

...

The first days on the Bogus set in New Jersey were a whirlwind for Adam.

Everything was quite new to him: the cameras, the technical equipment, the constant buzz of the production crew. But the moment he stepped in front of the cameras for the first time, something changed.

All his nervousness disappeared as if by magic, and a calm confidence took its place.

It wasn't that Adam wasn't nervous at first. After all, this was his first movie, and naturally, he wanted everything to go well.

He wanted to prove to the production team and the director, Norman Jewison, that they hadn't made a mistake in choosing him for the role.

And for that, he had no qualms about using his Perfect Acting skill.

Thanks to that ability, the moment the director shouted "Action!" it was as if a switch flipped inside him.

The world around him seemed to fade away, leaving only the character he was meant to portray.

Every line, every gesture, every expression came out naturally, as though Adam wasn't acting at all but truly living as young Albert, the character he played in Bogus.

…..

With Natural Occlumency complementing Perfect Acting, Adam didn't just memorize his lines and deliver them flawlessly.

His skill also automatically improvised, making small tweaks… or sometimes larger ones… to the dialogue, creating scenes that felt even more authentic and emotional.

"That was brilliant!" Norman Jewison exclaimed after an especially good take. "You know what, Adam? We should add that line to the script!"

Norman was the kind of director who would typically insist that a 9-year-old actor stick to the script, patiently guiding them back to the written lines if needed. But now he found himself in an unexpected… no, a unique… situation. He never imagined that a child's improvisation could be better than the carefully crafted script.

'Ha, Alvin must feel like he's in some kind of strange dream' Norman thought amusedly, glancing over at Alvin Sargent, the renowned screenwriter and his long-time colleague.

Alvin, though visibly stunned, also seemed genuinely impressed with the boy. And Norman couldn't blame him… he himself was delighted by this extraordinary phenomenon.

They had found a second Macaulay Culkin… or rather, a 2.0 version?

Adam, meanwhile, smiled shyly, shrugging. He knew it wasn't exactly his natural talent that made him act so well. His Perfect Acting ability was doing all the heavy lifting, but he had no plans to share that secret with anyone.

And really, he couldn't share it even if he wanted to.

Revealing the system… or anything related to it…. would mean losing access to it entirely, along with his ability to travel to the magical world.

That alone was more important to him than anything else since, so far, the system had only provided him with two abilities and nothing more.

The rest of the team, however, couldn't understand how a boy so young, with no prior experience in film, could act so flawlessly. His ability to convey emotions and fully immerse himself in his character was something typically seen in seasoned adult actors.

"It's like he was born for this," one of the assistant directors commented during a break, watching Adam from a distance. "He just gets everything and improves it in his own way"

Norman Jewison nodded, crossing his arms as he watched the monitors displaying the footage.

"If this kid doesn't know he's got monstrous talent, someone should tell him. He's a rare gem"

Of course, Adam, who was close enough to hear some of these remarks, couldn't help but blush. While his modesty made him feel a little embarrassed, he also felt a sense of pride.

He couldn't deny that the praise made him happy.

As for the fact that it was all thanks to his ability?

Well, that didn't bother him one bit. After all, the skill was his to use however he wanted.

….

….

With Adam giving his best in front of the cameras, the filming progressed at an incredibly fast pace. What was initially planned as a tight shooting schedule turned into an efficient, seamless workflow.

Scenes involving Adam were completed in just a few takes, saving both time and resources.

"This kid is saving us several days of work," Norman commented to the production team, visibly satisfied.

"He's even improving your work, Alvin," he joked.

Initially this puzzled the cast and the director for a while, but as professionals they all continued doing their job and the result was much better than expected, so no one questioned the young man for improvising things when he was only 9 years old, surely more than one considered doing it, but the fact that he managed to achieve a good result was already an amazing performance that none of them would criticize or discourage as long as he kept on improving the scenes filmed.

Thus it soon became a constant occurrence for everyone to see young Adam improve his acting and of course everybody adapted to the changes, although it was not always perfect since the constant changes meant that the others could not always follow his scripts and not everyone was able to perform perfectly in all the shoots.

However, when they had to reshoot the scene, the new lines that Adam made during the failed shoot always remained because the director, Norman, really liked them and then Alvin, the scriptwriter, was in charge of slightly modifying the script of the others to adapt it to the additions that Adam made in his own lines.

"He actually is," Alvin Sargent agreed, unfazed by the joke. He had seen the boy's incredible talent firsthand and, like Norman, was thoroughly impressed.

Besides, Adam was a delightful kid who seemed genuinely eager to do his best and always cared about whether everything was going smoothly.

Of course, the effort wasn't just Adam's. Everyone on the team was working hard, but it was undeniable that the young actor's talent was making a noticeable difference… especially since he was the film's lead.

By the time they wrapped the primary scenes in New Jersey in early February, the production had advanced much further than expected.

….

"So… Is this normal?" Adam asked Andrew one night as they headed back to the car after a long day on set.

"What do you mean?" Andrew replied, yawning and rubbing his eyes.

"Uh, well… that everything's moving so fast"

Andrew shrugged.

"Well, I'm no expert on movies… I work in advertising… but even I know this pace is… unusual. Mom always says good things take time, but here it seems like they're blown away by you"

Adam looked down, feeling a mix of modesty and satisfaction.

"I guess that's a good thing, right?"

Andrew smiled and ruffled Adam's hair in that annoying, very annoying way of his.

"Oh yeah, it's a very good thing, little bro"

…..

Throughout the filming process, Adam kept himself mostly busy by spending equal amounts of time in the magical world, reading practically anything he could get his hands on. There was so much to learn, and it was incredibly fascinating… he had never enjoyed reading as much as he did now.

He spent most of his time in his room, diving into books from the massive Malfoy family library.

Narcissa occasionally complained because she wanted him to attend certain events with her to meet new people before heading to Hogwarts next year, but Adam was too engrossed in his reading to participate.

For the first time, Lucius supported Draco's decision.

Yes… It seemed that being an intellectual who was preparing in advance for Hogwarts was a source of pride for Lucius. Because of that, he stopped Narcissa from forcing Adam to go to these events and allowed him to spend as much time reading as he wanted.

Who would've thought Lucius would ever do something good for him? Even if, of course, Lucius had his own reasons for such actions.

Adam truly felt like he was living the best life anyone could wish for.

By day, he could act and work toward becoming a future celebrity while studying without having to attend school. Then, that very same day, in the magical world, he could explore and read about a world filled with wonders and incredible things.

Yes, he was living the good life.

The only downside was the dreadful meetings Lucius held with business associates or potential future partners who often brought their children along to bond with him.

Every single one of these kids was far from pleasant. But Adam endured it and managed to navigate the "hardships of life" at only nine years old. Amazing, right?

He even tried playing some fun magical games with these kids or engaging in other activities, but his attempts were largely unsuccessful. All of them turned out to be insufferable brats he preferred to keep as far away as possible.

…..

With the New Jersey portion of filming completed ahead of schedule, the production team began relocating to Canada to continue shooting.

This gave Adam a few days off at home while everything was being set up at the new locations.

Those days at home were a small breather for Adam, though they also meant returning to the normal routine of his family life. His parents were busy with work, his older siblings were tied up with their studies and other activities, and Adam spent most of his time alone, reflecting on his experience on set.

He was enjoying acting far more than he had ever imagined, and being back home only made that even clearer.

Whether he liked admitting it or not, he enjoyed the attention he got from everyone. And no, this wasn't Draco's memories influencing him.

Sure, Draco had a bit of a narcissistic streak, but Adam knew this was different. He realized he also had a side… well, not narcissistic, but one that undeniably loved the attention.

Soon it would be time to travel to Canada and continue filming, and the thought of it excited him even more. Almost as much as going to the magical world every night, though nothing had yet surpassed the thrill he felt before living his second life as Draco.

Today, once again, he planned to spend his time reading more and more incredible things about the magical world. He doubted he would ever lose the fascination he had for magic and everything related to it. There was simply nothing else like it.

So, he went to bed early tonight, determined to make the most of his time there once the clock struck midnight.