Leavesden Studios.
On the Harry Potter set.
Columbus hugged his script to his chest and looked around at the cast."You all know the next scene we're shooting, right?"
Daniel nodded. "Mm-hmm."
Isabella, however, jumped right in: "Of course! Hermione comes out of the shop in Diagon Alley, just as Harry's being brought back by Hagrid, so she runs up happily to greet him.
And then she notices Harry's glasses are broken—again—and she casts Reparo~~~"
As she said "Reparo," Isabella pulled out her wand and gave an exaggerated flourish.
She dragged out the last syllable so looooooong that it made her sound ridiculously cute—everyone burst out laughing.
Columbus chuckled too. "And what about their emotions in this scene?"
"They're both happy," Isabella replied. "Because they haven't seen each other all summer.
In the script, before Harry meets Hermione again, he's been longing for school to start, longing to see his friends—but because of Dobby, he hasn't received a single letter.
So this reunion has to feel even more intense than usual—like the outburst you get when you've lost touch and then suddenly meet again."
She tilted her head thoughtfully. "I personally think… a bit of exaggeration in their expressions wouldn't hurt.
And also, when Hermione fixes Harry's glasses, she should carry a touch of exasperation—because every single time she sees Harry, he's a mess. Anyone would be speechless at that point."
"Ohhh~~~ very good!" Columbus clapped his hands.
He was clearly delighted with Isabella's take.
But at the same time, curiosity flickered in his eyes. "Well then, my dear—since you know the script so well—can you tell me what you and Bonnie were just laughing about? Were you laughing at the story? Or… something else?"
The whole set immediately turned their gaze on the two girls.
Off to the side, Bonnie—waiting for her scene—covered her mouth, still giggling.
Isabella glanced at Bonnie, then at Daniel. She shrugged. "I told her, at the rate Harry breaks his glasses, even if I only charged him one Knut each time, by the time we graduate from Hogwarts his Gringotts vault would have my name on it."
"Hahaha!"
The whole crew roared with laughter.
Everyone knew Isabella was poking fun at Harry's "strongest defensive buff" in the books: every time he got hurt, the damage was always to his glasses.
Which is why Voldemort could never beat him! You cast Avada Kedavra—and what happens? His robes get a little dirty. How are you supposed to fight a guy like that?
Even if you smash his glasses, one quick Re~pa~ro~ and boom—Harry's back at full health. So… maybe Hermione was actually the most powerful healer in Harry Potter!
"Isa, that's enough already…"
Columbus rubbed his temples, the mischievous chatter giving him a headache.
But shaking his head, he didn't waste time scolding them further. "Alright, enough. Let's roll."
With a sweep of his hand, the crew took their positions.
The clapperboard snapped, and everyone went to work.
That's right—while Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was storming the world outside, the creative team was holed up in Leavesden filming Chamber of Secrets.
Why?
The real reason was simple: if they didn't keep filming, the kids would grow up too fast.
The Harry Potter series was uniquely difficult to make because the story's timeline was tightly bound to the children's real growth. Fans could accept a prettier face or a different eye color. But a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old playing a twelve-year-old? That would be absurd.
Starting Chamber of Secrets immediately after Sorcerer's Stone was true respect for both the original work and the fans.
No one on set objected.
First, because the filming schedule had already been written into their contracts. Keeping to it was simply honoring their agreements.
And second—well, most of them were hiding out on set anyway. Even if they weren't shooting, they didn't exactly have the freedom to go play.
So—why not just film?
And once they were tucked away on set, all the promotional frenzy outside no longer involved them. Still, they weren't in the dark either.
Not only did the executive producer report the box office numbers daily, but the assistants read aloud all the glowing reviews. And even in a "closed set," countless collaborations kept swarming in like bees.
Take Isabella, for instance.
Vogue. Vanity Fair. ELLE.
All wanted her for cover shoots.
Global editions.
On top of that, a slew of brands sought her for endorsements.
One of them was Skechers.
Founded in 1992, the American apparel brand had both sports and casual lines, split across men's, women's, and kids' markets. In fact, their last children's ambassador was none other than Britney Spears.
Little Miss Britney! See? Once you've beaten Star Wars, everything falls into your lap.
Invitations snowing down—that was the truest sign of stardom. And for the cast, it was also their daily dose of laughter.
But no matter how crazy the offers, nobody accepted them.
No magazine covers. No endorsements.
Why?
Time didn't allow—and Warner wouldn't allow.
The first reason was obvious: they were all too busy filming.
The second was contractual.
When they'd signed on last year, Warner had stipulated clearly: if the film exploded and commercial offers came in, no matter the fee or duration, every actor had to submit those invitations to Warner for approval. Only with Warner's greenlight could they accept.
Warner's insistence was easy to understand.
It was about avoiding commercial conflicts.
Put simply: if Coca-Cola had already spent $150 million to license Harry Potter's film imagery, and then one of the leads suddenly appeared in a Pepsi ad—Coke would lose its mind.
That could never, ever happen.
Of course, Warner didn't just slam the door and expect them to swallow it.
There was compensation.
Isabella didn't know what others got, but she herself had received £1 million the day before filming began.
Which, frankly, put her in a great mood.
Getting paid without lifting a finger? What could be better?
"Okay~ Good~"
At Columbus's pleased call, the reunion scene of Hermione and Harry was in the bag.
"Next scene is in Set 3, Flourish and Blotts. Hermione will take Harry inside. Then Harry meets the Weasleys, Mrs. Weasley's delighted he's safe, and Lockhart and Malfoy make their entrances…"
Isabella's second scene of the day was more complex.
It involved multiple characters, and it kicked off the actual Chamber of Secrets storyline: Harry, buying new schoolbooks, runs into Gilderoy Lockhart doing a signing. Lockhart drags him into a photo-op, really just leeching off Harry's fame.
Harry is mortified and tries to leave—only to bump into young Draco Malfoy and his father. As former Death Eaters, the Malfoys can't help sneering at Harry's scar, showing a twisted kind of respect for Voldemort. Harry, of course, bristles, and an argument sparks.
Ginny and Hermione both speak up to defend him.
Even Arthur Weasley is there, but still, everyone ends up suffering Lucius Malfoy's barbs.
Because the scene required constant repositioning and multiple camera angles, even with most of the main roles played by seasoned adults, the kids spent a lot of time just standing around as background.
Still, the four-and-a-half-minute scene took over two hours to shoot.
That was actually quite long, considering Arthur Weasley's actor Mark Williams had twenty-plus years of National Theatre work under his belt, Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy) had starred in over a dozen films, and Kenneth Branagh (Lockhart)—well, Isabella had just shot with him previously.
Even so, when "Cut! Good!" rang out, it was only just mealtime.
The cast had worked together for over a year, and Columbus always called wrap on time. He really was a good man.
Smiles broke out everywhere.
And once they piled onto the bus to the cafeteria—
"Oh Isa… your sister's so good to you. She's already gotten your food."
Young Master Tom Felton's eyes went green with envy as he spotted the figure waving them over from a front table.
Then he shot his older brother a sour look. "Ashley, when are you ever going to be that good to me?"
"Wow—Tom—you're out of your mind—"
Ashley, Tom's guardian and second brother, was floored.
He pointed back toward the soundstage they'd just left. "You were just filming, weren't you?
So tell me—how exactly am I supposed to be watching you shoot and also fetching your food at the same time?"
"You don't need to do both," Tom sniffed, arms crossed. "All you had to do was grab a broom, fly over as soon as I was done, and get in line for me. Plenty of brooms on set, you know. But you didn't."
He bumped his brother's shoulder dramatically. "Oh Ashley, I'm so disappointed in you."
"…"
Ashley was struck dumb.
"Hahaha~"
Everyone else, knowing full well Tom was just being absurd, gave Ashley a look that said, Poor you.
And then they went about their business—some queuing for food, while others…
Well, only Isabella darted straight over to her sister's table instead of lining up.
Since St. Paul's had made it clear they wanted Catherine gone, the sisters weren't about to force their way back in.
Vivian had simply processed Catherine's withdrawal, then moved her into the studio housing with them.
It meant an extra mouth to feed, sure—but for Warner, that was nothing.
Besides, Hollywood productions worked like outsourcing: the investors provided the money and oversight, but day-to-day micro-decisions were the producer's call.
So…
David Heyman raised no objection. J.K. Rowling outright approved.
And once she'd joined, Catherine quickly grew to love life on set.
Because here… things were easy.
Unlike school, where she had to follow rigid schedules—
But now?
When Isabella was filming, she could attend lessons with the resident tutors. Once her class time was over, she was free to move about. The conditions on set weren't as comfortable as home; accommodations were simple, but whether she wanted to paint, go online, or do something else, everything was convenient—especially painting. The Harry Potter art director and set designer were permanently stationed there.
The former was Stuart Craig.
He had worked on Gandhi, Chaplin, The English Patient, and Notting Hill.
The latter was Stephanie McMillan.
She had handled art direction for A Fish Called Wanda, Shadowlands, and Chocolat.
When people worked together on a single production for up to seven years, if you knew how to ask, anyone in the crew would teach you anything you were interested in.
"What were you laughing at just now?"
Isabella had just sat down with her mom when Catherine curiously asked, "I feel like Ashley wanted to beat up Tom?"
"Oh~ that's because you help Isa with her meals every day~"
Vivian, who had witnessed the whole thing, explained the little incident.
Learning that young master Malfoy had 'snarked' at his older brother out of jealousy, Catherine immediately shook her head, laughing.
"I only got there early, that's why I served the meals! And Mom, didn't Tom see that I served three portions in total—yours, mine, and Isa's? How does that look like I'm spoiling Isa? This is really…"
Catherine shrugged helplessly.
Vivian thought it made perfect sense. "Maybe Tom was just hungry. Last year, he was the shortest of all the kids. This year, he's the tallest. He must be eating a lot and digesting well, so I guess he was hungry before noon? And then, to get his food, he had to wait in line, while Isa… oh~ I guess he must have thought, why didn't Mom give me a sister?"
Last year, on set, Tom had been the shortest.
Sometimes, to highlight his imposing presence, he had to…
Stand on a crate during scenes.
But this year was different. Everyone had grown taller. Isabella was over five feet, and Tom…
He was slightly taller than Isabella.
The growth was astonishing.
"Oh~"
Since they were just chatting, Catherine didn't dwell on it.
But Isabella sensed something. "Mom, I think Tom's just jealous."
"Huh?"
Vivian looked puzzled.
Isabella shook her head and grinned. "Because I'm cuter—he's not as cute as me. Even if he had a sister, even if she were his guardian, with that attitude of his… he'd still be getting smacked around…"
"…"
Vivian had to admire her daughter's confidence.
"Hahaha~"
Catherine laughed out loud.
Their cheerful family attracted some curious glances, and realizing they were being noticed, the three waved apologetically and lowered their voices.
After a few bites, Catherine suddenly put down her fork, opened her bag, and pulled out a stack of letters, saying to Isabella, "Oh! You haven't seen today's mail yet."
The stack of letters, thick as the Oxford English Dictionary, made Isabella's eyes light up.
Nodding eagerly, she said, "Quick, quick! Let's see what's here today!"
Although Warner hadn't arranged any roadshows for Isabella and the cast, since the Sorcerer's Stone preview, the crew had received a steady stream of fan letters every day. Harry, Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall got roughly equal numbers, but Hermione… well, the studio had set up a whole shelf just for Isabella's letters.
Of course, she still wasn't the one receiving the most letters.
That honor went to J.K. Rowling herself.
It was understandable—the actors couldn't outshine the original author. Isabella had only played Hermione; she hadn't written a book called Harry According to Hermione under her own name.
But reading fan letters during meals or downtime—that was something Isabella genuinely enjoyed.
Why?
"This one from Ireland is really well written!"
Catherine opened a letter, scanned it, and read aloud with delight: "Dear Isabella, hello! I'm a twelve-year-old girl living in Galway. I started reading Harry Potter when I was seven, as my mother read it to me.
From the very first moment, I loved Hermione. She is hardworking and diligent, and I wanted to be like her. For the past five years, I have tried to live up to that. I'm now at the best middle school here. But sometimes the coursework is hard, and I felt like giving up.
For example, giving up on math, giving up on languages.
I thought, even if I'm not good at math, it probably won't matter much in life. Even if I'm not good at languages, it won't stop me from communicating. I really didn't want to memorize those ridiculously long and strange words anymore.
But since watching The Philosopher's Stone movie and meeting you, I've changed my mind.
You acted so wonderfully! You are Hermione in my eyes! At first, I thought your performance was just natural, but after watching the preview interview that BBC aired, I realized I was wrong. All your excellence comes from your daily dedication!
When Ron said your talent was all self-taught, I was truly shocked! When Malfoy said you had memorized the script before filming began, I was amazed! It also made me realize that no one can master a skill effortlessly.
So, thank you for your performance, thank you for playing Hermione, and thank you for giving me strength. I will also take every course seriously in my future studies. Let's keep working hard together!"
"Yara Carson."
"November 23, 2001."
"Oh~ you've saved another child~"
As Catherine finished reading, Vivian winked at her youngest daughter.
Isabella subtly raised her eyebrows.
Yep~~~This was why Isabella loved reading fan letters~~~The core audience of Harry Potter was children. Their affection was mostly pure, and letters born from that purity were full of emotion and sincerity. The wording might be naive, but the love was genuine.
"This one deserves a reply."
Isabella said, scooping up her lunch as she spoke: "Just say—thank you for the letter, thank you for your support, and then—everyone gets tired sometimes, I do too, so when I'm tired I rest. Tell her not to stress too much."
No matter which country's entertainment industry, most celebrities didn't dare reply to fans.
Because it could invite countless troubles.
But Harry Potter was different.
Its core audience was children, and fans full of innocence were approachable.
Or put another way, the biggest appeal of Harry Potter was the story that drew in children and the magical world. When the characters were simply lights illuminating the beautiful world created by the author, the actors and fans could meet halfway emotionally.
This was a feature other works couldn't replicate.
Of course, there were always some creepy fans, but they could be ignored.
Listening to her older sister read and eating lunch, Isabella's days were…
Absolutely comfortable~
After finishing lunch, Isabella felt a little lightheaded and wanted to find a place to rest so she could be more energetic for filming in the afternoon. At the same time, Catherine, who had finished eating and was sorting letters, suddenly frowned.
"Isa—"
"Hm?"
"This letter seems a bit off."
"What's wrong?"
"The sender is a company?"
'?'
This made Isabella and Vivian look up simultaneously.
Then, the words Endeavor Talent Agency came into view.