Crossroads

Chapter Five

She watched as, like moths to a flame, people gathered around Tom as soon as he was spotted entering the party.

Most of them would belatedly notice her, say "Hi!" then ask how she is enjoying California weather so far, share bits and pieces of anecdotes about who they are and how they are friends with Tom, encourage her to go around more, return to talking to him, and then tell the both of them that they are looking forward to bumping into them again.

Her face almost split in half with how wide she has been smiling.

"Hi!", she shook hands with a girl named Shelley now.

"I am SO sorry I didn't immediately say Hi to you. Oh my God!", the other woman looked truly contrite, "I cannot believe how rude that was! So so sorry!"

Emma shook her head good-naturedly to put the other woman at ease. After several encounters, she was getting used to being belatedly noticed. "No. No. It's absolutely fine."

"You look familiar!", another friend cut in, "I'm Chris!"

"I'm Emma", she responded, shaking his hand back.

"Holy shit! No way!", Shelley exclaimed then as realization hit her. She and Chris both declared, "HERMIONE GRANGER!"

Tom, who hung back a little while the exchange was going on, laughed.

"You could have just said SHE is EMMA WATSON!", Shelley berated the man with a guitar, swatting his arm, and then turned back to her, "I am so sorry that I – we – didn't recognize you!"

She waved her hands. "No. Please don't be sorry. Really."

Tom's friends were red in the face.

"It's just I always have this image of you in a castle in Scotland somewhere and seeing you looking like this out here on the beach is –", Shelley piped up, trying to explain but completely got lost in her own words, ending the sentence with a sheepish smile instead.

"I got the same reaction the first time Chris introduced me to her", Tom shared to her, "And then she proceeded to ask whether I was a shithead, just like my character Draco Malfoy."

"She won't do the same to you, I promise", Chris assured Emma, "Ask if you are a shithead – that is."

She could not help but laugh. "That's good to hear. But just the same, I would like to reassure you I am NOT a shithead... I think."

"Of course you are not!", Shelley agreed quite passionately, "You could not be! I just had to ask Tom that question because one, I hate Draco Malfoy, and two, doesn't how Tom look beg for anyone to ask that question?!?!"

They were the fourth pair of friends Emma has met, who teased Tom mercilessly.

"Don't answer that you!", he turned to her before turning to raise an almost aristocratic brow at his accuser "Draco Malfoy is a troubled and misunderstood character. He isn't JUST a "shithead". The man has depth. I keep reminding you this Shelley. ALSO!!! I acted in other movies too, you know."

Shelley's eyes beseeched hers after the impassioned declaration. "You can't blame me right? He's too good in his role. I have a problem disassociating."

Emma nodded in understanding. After all, Shelley and Chris had just called her Hermione Granger too. It isn't a surprise that people have difficulty disassociating actors with some of their most memorable roles.

"Tom IS infuriatingly talented. I'm glad he didn't look much more feminine or I might have lost Hermione to him", she jested, noting the glint in his eyes, "And yes, he has indeed also played other "shitheads" in Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Belle far too effectively so I certainly won't blame you in asking him if he is."