….
May 2, 2015 | Red Pictures Screening Room.
….
The screening room was the same usual close and intimate space, where Red Studio green lit, Regal's first film - [The Following].
Just like the past, only the first two rows were occupied.
Regal had called this screening personally, reaching out to specific people for specific reasons.
It wasn't a test audience situation, or a marketing strategy session, just a chance for the people who had poured years into this franchise to see something before the world did.
The attendees were still filtering in, with 3D glasses being distributed.
Rupert Grint sat in the middle of the front row, talking animatedly with Daniel Radcliffe about something that was making them both laugh.
They had grown up on the [Harry Potter] franchise, spent their teenage years becoming the characters millions of people now associated them with.
"I am just saying." He was telling Daniel Radcliffe. "If they make us do another premiere tour, I am demanding better hotel rooms. Last time I had a view of a parking garage."
"You had a suite." Daniel replied, though he was smiling.
"A suite with a parking garage view." Rupert gestured dramatically. "I am an international film star, mate. I deserve parking garage views from at least the fifteenth floor."
Daniel laughed, then immediately glanced sideways at Lily Harris to see if she was laughing too. Lily sat beside Daniel, responding to their conversation but with less of the easy brightness she typically brought to set.
She had grown up adjacent to this franchise through her grandfather Richard Harris, visiting sets together and attending premieres before eventually working in film herself.
…and three months ago, Richard had passed away.
And honestly even for him, his replacement is something that is very personal and emotional. But from a studio and production standpoint it will be necessary for the next two films.
So he could only imagine how it feels for Lily.
Everyone was trying to be normal around her. The trying was obvious and well-intentioned and slightly awkward for everyone involved.
"Remember when Richard told us that story about Dumbledore's backstory?" Rupert said, then immediately realized what he'd said. "I mean… not that we should… sorry, I wasn't thinking–"
"Rupert." Lily's voice was gentle but firm. "You can talk about him. I am not going to shatter if someone mentions my grandfather."
"Yeah, but—"
"Honestly, I would rather you just act normal instead of walking on eggshells every time his name comes up." She tucked hair behind her ear, a nervous gesture. "He would hate everyone being weird about it."
Daniel seized the opportunity to contribute something helpful. "He had the best stories. Remember when he told us about his first time working for a film?"
"The time he messed up his only line?" Lily smiled, more genuine now. "He was embarrassed every time he bought it up."
"I feel like he was just trying to ease our nerves." Rupert said, relaxing slightly.
"Dah… Mr. Obvious." Daniel replied.
Lily actually laughed at that, and Daniel's entire face brightened in response.
Rupert caught the expression and rolled his eyes where only Daniel could see, mouthing the word 'subtle' with maximum sarcasm.
Daniel mouthed back 'shut up' while his face went slightly red.
This was the worst-kept secret on every [Harry Potter] set: Daniel Radcliffe had been nursing a crush on Lily Harris for approximately three years. Everyone knew - cast, crew, producers, probably the catering staff. The only person who seemed genuinely oblivious was Lily herself.
Rupert had initially found it amusing. Now, after watching Daniel spend three years being slightly too helpful, slightly too attentive, and completely unable to just ask her out like a normal human, it had become both endearing and mildly painful to witness.
"You alright there, mate?" Rupert asked innocently. "You look a bit flushed. Maybe coming down with something?"
"I am fine." Daniel said through gritted teeth.
"Could be a fever. Lily, does he feel warm to you?"
Lily reached over automatically to check Daniel's forehead, and Daniel shot Rupert a look that promised future revenge while simultaneously looking like he might actually combust from the contact.
"You feel normal." Lily said, pulling her hand back. "But we should probably get you water if you're not feeling well."
"I am completely fine." Daniel insisted, his voice slightly higher than normal. "Rupert's just being—"
"Concerned?" Rupert supplied helpfully. "Caring? An excellent friend?"
"An absolute menace."
Near the back of the room, Rock and Simon stood in their usual dynamic - Rock silent and imposing, Simon explaining something with excessive hand gestures.
"-which is why the color grading in the underwater sequences needed at least fifteen percent adjustment to maintain visual clarity while preserving the atmospheric darkness. Rock, you understand what I am saying, right?"
Rock nodded once.
"That's not convincing."
Rock's expression remained completely neutral, but one eyebrow raised approximately one millimeter, which for him was basically hysterical laughter.
"I hate that I can't tell if you are mocking me or genuinely engaged." Simon muttered.
Samantha stood to the side, reviewing something on her tablet while maintaining peripheral awareness of the room's emotional temperature.
Gwendolyn sat in the second row as one of the investors from the Everleaf Press side.
Deonte Maravich, President of Red Pictures Distribution, occupied a seat in the second row, looking simultaneously relaxed and intensely focused.
This screening mattered for reasons beyond just creative appreciation - the delay had been expensive, and the 3D investment represented significant financial risk.
Zack, Regal's longtime editor who had cut this trailer personally, sat near the projection booth, ready to address any technical issues.
And Chris Columbus stood near the front, looking at the blank screen with an expression that mixed pride and melancholy. This was his last [Harry Potter] film. After years of helping build this franchise, he was stepping away to pursue other projects.
The weight of walking away hadn't quite settled yet.
Regal watched all of this from his position near the center of the second row, taking in the room's dynamics with practiced observation.
The kids were trying too hard to be casual around Lily.
Daniel was trying too hard to hide feelings everyone already knew about.
Rupert was trying too hard to pretend he wasn't enjoying Daniel's suffering.
Chris was trying too hard not to think about this being his finale.
Everyone was trying, which meant everyone was nervous.
"Alright." Regal said, his voice cutting through the various conversations. "Let's get started."
Immediate attention. Everyone turned toward him.
"You all know why we are here - first look at the [Goblet of Fire] trailer before it releases publicly next week. But this isn't just a normal screening." He gestured to the 3D glasses stacked on the armrests of each seat. "This is the first 3D Harry Potter film, shot natively rather than converted in post. Everything you're about to see was designed specifically for this format."
He picked up a pair of glasses. "So put these on, settle in, and let's see if three months of delay was worth it."
Rupert grabbed his glasses immediately. "If this gives me a headache, I'm billing you for the aspirin."
"Bill me for therapy while you're at it." Daniel muttered, which made Lily laugh.
The room complied, the atmosphere shifting from nervous energy to genuine anticipation.
Lights dimmed and the screen illuminated.
….
The trailer opened in complete silence.
Black screen with no studio logos, or title cards - just darkness and the faint sound of breathing.
Then: a whisper. Young and scared.
"Harry Potter."
The darkness began to ripple, like water disturbed by something moving beneath the surface.
"Harry Potter."
Louder now and more voices joining.
The rippling intensified, and suddenly the darkness wasn't empty, it was filled with shapes moving just out of focus, shadows that suggested things massive and terrible and wrong.
"HARRY POTTER."
A scream - and the darkness SHATTERED.
The 3D effect hit immediately and viscerally. Fragments of black exploded outward, flying past the camera toward the audience, each piece rendered with enough depth that several people in the screening room instinctively flinched.
Behind the shattered darkness: the Triwizard Cup, gleaming golden, suspended in empty space.
The camera pushed forward through the debris, moving toward the Cup as ethereal voices whispered prophecies and warnings in languages that sounded almost but not quite like English.
The Cup grew larger, filling the screen, and reflected in its polished surface—
Harry's face was older, hard and more than anything terrified.
Then a smash cut to:
….
The Hogwarts castle materialized from mist, and the 3D depth made it feel like you could reach out and touch the towers. Students moved across the grounds in the foreground while the castle loomed behind, each layer of distance perfectly defined.
Dumbledore's voice, warm and measured: "The Triwizard Tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contests."
Quick flashes:
The Goblet of Fire burning blue, names shooting upward
Durmstrang students performing synchronized magic, their wands creating geometric patterns that extended into the audience space
Beauxbatons students demonstrating graceful spellwork, butterflies of light floating through multiple planes of depth
"One champion per school." Dumbledore continued. "Chosen by an impartial selector."
The Goblet again, flames roaring higher.
Harry's name emerged from the fire, the parchment floating forward in 3D so realistic it felt like you could grab it from the air.
Shocked reactions from the crowd, rendered in perfect depth, foreground students sharp and detailed, background figures softer but still distinct.
….
The Hungarian Horntail emerged from darkness, and the 3D effect made it impossible not to comprehend the dragon's sheer scale. Its head alone was fifteen feet across, teeth like swords, eyes burning with predatory intelligence.
It roared directly at the camera, and the sound design made the screening room's seats vibrate.
Harry on a broomstick, tiny against the dragon's mass, diving and weaving through the air. The depth perception made every near-miss genuinely terrifying - the dragon's claws passing within inches, fire breathing around him, the ground far below rendered in sickening detail.
The dragon's tail whipped toward the camera in perfect 3D, and Lily actually gasped.
Harry grabbed the golden egg, the dragon lunging after him, jaws snapping closed on empty air as he rolled away with impossible precision.
….
.
[To be continued…]
★─────⇌•★•⇋─────★
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