The crowd was getting restless. They had been sitting in the stadium seats for what seemed like two hours. They entertained themselves by staring at the program brochure of the Timeline show, while wondering who the contestants were.
Those who were not pondering over the choice of contestants, were thinking about a completely unrelated topic – the interview with Harry Potter, Remus Lupin, and Bob Telekol. The interview had taken place yesterday morning. By the afternoon, every large book-store in New York City, Ottawa, Washington and Toronto had sold out all of their remaining Harry Potter books in stock.
Harry Potter Fan sites encountered a sudden enormous flood of joining members – and every site had chat rooms – where the thousands of new Muggles would discuss the reality of magic.
Many shopping malls and theatres had closed, and President George Bush and Prime Minister Paul Martin officially named July Tenth – International Magic Day.
In London, the news brought screaming fans into Kings Cross, and various attempts at crashing through the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10. At Privet Drive, the unfortunate Dursleys locked their house in terror, as Muggles pounded on their chestnut door. Several Muggles had the idea of bringing a rope, and somehow attempted to attach it to the windows and climb up – so they could crawl through the window.
Vernon Dursley, in panic, threatened to cut any ropes with his brand new hedge-cutters. After an hour, the 'severely-angered' Dursleys resorted to the basement – where they decided they would not receive any disturbances from the hundreds of 'freaks'.
The proceeding of Timeline, amazingly, had not been cancelled due to yesterday's events.
The Timeline stadium had costed the producer millions of dollars – but looking at it now, it was well worth it. It was an indoor stadium, with a ceiling full of enormous revolving lights and enough room for the fifty thousand Muggle-audience to sit comfortably side by side, around the arena.
The entire stadium was built like a hockey arena, with the enormous audience sitting in their respective seats. However the front row of the audience was not at level with the audience itself.
Instead, the entire audience would look down at the contestants. Below the audience, but around the circumference of the arena were twelve large doors, which could slide up and down.
Each contestant was standing behind each of the twelve soundproof doors. They were given the impression that they were in some sort of pitch black broom cupboard, with barely any room to move in.
When the doors would open, the producers of the show hoped that the contestants would be a little shocked, in seeing the sudden open stadium.
The audience had been informed that the show would start at noon. Sure enough, at exactly 12:00 PM, a loud gong resounded throughout the stadium.
This was followed by the American national anthem... and then –
"GOOD MORNING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, AND WELCOMETO THE FIRST SHOWING OF TIMELINE!"
"AND NOW HERE ARE YOUR CONTESTANTS FOR THE BIGGEST REALITY SHOW OF 2004!"
By now, the entire audience was screaming and cheering themselves hoarse.
"CONTESTANT NUMBER ONE IS A HANDSOME BLONDE HAIRED SIXTEEN YEAR OLD FROM PARIS, FRANCE – WHO WANTS TO GO INTO BUSINESS LIKE HIS FATHER! PLEASE GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR.... ALPHONSE PERCIVAL LABRIE!"
One of the doors opened, and a dazed boy stood, his eyes squinting at the sudden exposure to bright light. Most of the cheers slightly diminished in volume, but the thunderous clapping still remained present.
Alphonse Percival Labrie looked just like his name – a boy with a large delicate plump face, and a body shaped like two snowballs laid on top of each other, with a small skinny face poking out of them. Te boy took a few steps, and the door closed behind him. Then, uncertain of what to do next, he waited.
"CONTESTANT NUMBER TWO IS A SIXTEEN YEAR OLD WITCH ATTENDING HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY!"
The audience gasped. Could it be that one of their heroes was standing less than a hundred feet away, separated by a mere door?
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLEASE WELCOME... HERMIONE GRANGER!"
The entire audience rose to their feet and screamed with pleasure, as the door next to Alphonse's slowly opened. Hermione walked away from her door with an enormous proud smile on her face.
It took five full minutes to calm the audience down, and when half of them finally stopped screaming, the announcer continued.
"CONTESTANT NUMBER THREE IS A WORKING SIXTEEN YEAR OLD FROM OTTAWA, CANADA! PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR... DANA MIRCHEVOV!"
Dana had been standing in what looked like a broom cupboard in silence for half an hour. She had decided that perhaps, this was some sort of test by the doctors, to see if any of them were claustrophobic.
She had been daydreaming in silence about Mina's cure – when suddenly, the wooden surface which had felt like a wall – started to move. She stood, a little openmouthed, as she watched the thousands of onlookers chant her name... Daaana! Daaaana Daaaana!
She had never ever received this much attention in her life. She took her place next to a girl with brown pretty and thick hair.
The girl grinned at her, and she weakly smiled back. The girl's smile had been warm and friendly, and it encouraged Dana to say something.
"Hi! Er... did anyone tell you that you look like a seventeen year old Hermione Granger?"
She had meant it as a joke, but she realized that her sense of humour had been seriously injured – due to her 'jangling' nerves at standing in front of fifty thousand people. The girl, however, found the lame joke extremely funny, and she burst out laughing.
"Well... anyways. Dana Milchevov, nice to meet you."
She held out her hand. "Hermione Granger."
Dana laughed. "What's your real name?"
"Hermione Granger. Look," she pointed to the huge screen behind Dana, where the words: 'CONTESTANT NUMBER THREE: DANA MILCHEVOV" were still flashing. At the bottom of the screen were two names – the names of the contestants who had already appeared. Contestant Number Two – Hermione Granger.
"Didn't you see the news last night? We all exist."
She had watched the news with Mrs. Filia... but standing with somebody she had believed to be fiction until less than twenty-four hours ago was still disturbing.
"CONTESTANT NUMBER FOUR IS A DASHING BLOND SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD FROM HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY!"
The crowd erupted again, and Dana turned to look at Hermione Granger, whose eyes had suddenly popped out in shock –
"Noo...." muttered Hermione. "Not--"
"DRACO MALFOY!"
The entire audience leapt to their feet and screamed with delight. Only a few onlookers remembered that Draco Malfoy – although quite handsome – was notorious for his hatred of Muggles. The rest of the audience completely ignored this fact.
Joanne Rowling had told the press long ago that too many readers were too obsessed with Malfoy. Looking at the screaming crowd of fifty thousand, it was obvious that she had been telling the truth.
Poor Draco didn't know whether to be horrified in being surrounded by fifty thousand beings of what his father called 'Muggle filth' or to grin at all this attention.
However, remembering that the Muggles voted off contestants and essentially decided the winners – he realized that if the Muggles knew that he subconsciously thought them as 'filth' – he would be the first to lose the contest.
Besides, the attention he was receiving was quite flattering. So, he gave the audience a huge smile and wave, and then walked to the 'contestants row'.
There, he saw a plump boy who reminded him of a blond Longbottom, a black haired girl, and... no it couldn't be!
What was the Mudblood doing here?
Granger certainly didn't look very happy to see him. On the contrary, her face was completely pale. The others were looking at him with a faint sense of curiosity.
"Hey Mud... err... Granger, what are you doing here?"
Hermione noticed his 'change of wording' immediately. She of course, was furious at the fact that they boy dared to almost use the word 'Mudblood' – when he had willingly signed up for a Muggle contest.
She knew exactly why Draco had changed 'Mudblood' to 'Granger', and she also now knew why Malfoy had been looking for a book on Muggle Currency. He probably hadn't used the word 'dollar' in his life – let alone know what 'one million dollars' were.
Instead of replying to Malfoy's comment, she only glared at him. Besides, the next contestants would be announced in a minute.
"CONTESTANT NUMBER FIVE IS A SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD ALL-STAR FOOTBALL PLAYER IN RALEIGH, MICHAGAN! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, LET'S HEAR IT FOR J.C... FINN!"
The crowd gave another burst of applause, as a burly seventeen year old appeared behind the fifth door. He was quite handsome, in a rugged point of view. He wore a half smile, which Dana noticed, did not reach to his eyes. His eyes didn't look mean – they looked empty of emotion. Dana shivered, as the eyes mad contact with hers for a few seconds, and then moved on to Hermione and Alphonse.
"CONTESTANT NUMBER SIX IS A BEAUTIFUL BLONDE ATTENDING HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY!"
The crowd was going wild again. Draco's eyes met with Hermione's – and for once, they weren't glaring at each other. Their faces displayed the same emotion – shock.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLEASE WELCOME LUNA LOVEGOOD!"
"Luna! Luna! Luna!" the crowd screamed, as the next door opened. Like Hermione, Luna gave a shy smile to the audience, expressed her shock at seeing Hermione and Draco, and stood next to Finn.
The next contestants included a beautiful model from New York City – named Renée Spears – who was rumored to be related to Britney Spears, a shy 'self described computer nerd' named Cody, and a twinkling-eyed brown haired boy with a mischievous grin – named Joshua Helmer.
And then...
"CONTESTANT NUMBER TEN IS A FIERY SIXTEEN YEAR OLD WITCH ATTENDING HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY."
Hermione, Luna, and Malfoy choked, while the crowd cheered wildly once more.
"PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR... GINNY WEASLEY!"
The 'fiery redhead' walked out the contestants row, and exclaimed her shock upon seeing Draco, Luna and Hermione. She hugged the last two witches, and waited.
"CONTESTANT NUMBER ELEVEN IS ANOTHER GOOD LOOKING RED-HEAD ATTENDING HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY! LET'S HAVE IT FOR RON WEASLEY!"
The door opened to a confident but grin Ron Weasley, who only lost his expression of absolute determination when he saw his best friend and sister.
"Her-Hermione? G-Ginny? What are you doing here?""We're contestants Ron! Oh I'm so glad you're here!" exclaimed Hermione
"But-but... you didn't tell me!"
"Well you didn't tell us either Ron," said Ginny sensibly.
The two Weasley's had given the excuse to their mothers that they were on a foreign exchange trip.
But Ron had suddenly seen Draco Malfoy.
"Malfoy??! " his jaw dropped.
"Well if it isn't the Weasel. Tell me Ronniekins, did you have to bribe the judges to get here?" said Draco lazily.
"I wouldn't talk!" Ron snapped. "Look who's enrolled in a Mugglecontest! What are you, desperate? Who ever heard of a Death Eater Muggle Torturer who enrolls in a Muggle show!"
Draco felt like punching Weasley, but he realized that most of the audience were looking at them. Instead, his eyes grew cold, and his voice became deadly.
"I'm not my father Weasley."
"Not... Not your father?" Ron laughed, yet it was painfully obvious that he didn't find this amusing at all. "Why you—"
"Oh shut up you two."
Ron's mouth fell open.
"Aren't you on my side Hermione?"
"There's no sides in this Ron. There's just an immature idiotic quarrel lead by two little boys."
Draco started smirking, until Hermione added:
"That goes the same for you too Malfoy."
Dana didn't know what to think. Five characters who she had thought were absolute fiction only a day ago – were now quarreling on either side of her. Ron had resorted to glaring at Malfoy, while trying to glare at the brown haired boy (A/N: Remember... the twinkling-eyed boy) – who looked like he was flirting with Ginny.
"CONTESTANT NUMBER TWELVE IS A SIXTEEN YEAR OLD WIZARD ATTENDING HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE GUY WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR... LET'S HEAR IT FOR HARRY JAMES POTTER!"
Draco had suddenly turned green. No it couldn't be.... Weasley was bad enough.
And as the door slowly opened, Draco remembered how many times Potter had smirked at him after catching the snitch in front of his very nose; how many times he'd sniggered after aiming his stupid Firebolt to overtake him, catching the Snitch, and becoming the hero of the day.
He remembered Dumbledore's disdain for himself, and equally remembered the headmaster's obvious favoritism towards the arrogant Potter.
And while he saw the audience, all jumping up and down – and Potter giving a stupid wave, and Hermione and Ron smiling at their hero (Ron had shifted all his previous anger at Harry to Draco)...
He promised, he swore – that whatever happened in this stupid show – Harry Potter would not be the winner.