[New York City] [Hotel Room] [Morning of the Harry Potter Fan Event]
Sheldon Cooper stood in the middle of the hotel room with a printed event schedule in one hand, a laminated seating chart in the other, and the grave expression of a man preparing for diplomatic negotiations.
Leonard sat on the edge of the bed tying his shoes.
Howard was checking himself in the mirror.
Raj stood near the window with a coffee cup.
Penny sat sideways in a chair, scrolling through her phone.
Amy was carefully organizing a tote bag full of books.
Bernadette looked at Sheldon over her glasses. "Sheldon, we don't need a strategy meeting to attend a book signing."
Sheldon lowered the schedule and stared at her like she had just suggested eating soup with a fork. "Of course we do. This is not merely a book signing. This is a once-in-a-generation literary event involving the most important modern fantasy writer of our time."
Leonard looked up. "He's nineteen."
Sheldon pointed at him immediately. "So was Blaise Pascal when he was making meaningful mathematical contributions."
Howard smirked. "Yes, but did Pascal write teenage wizard drama and become richer at the same time?"
Sheldon's eyes narrowed. "You mock because your feeble mind cannot handle genius arriving in attractive packaging."
Penny looked up from her phone and gave a small shrug. "You can't really argue with that. Jack Preston is young, rich, famous, an actor, and an author. That is kind of a whole package deal."
Sheldon lifted one finger. "You missed genius, which is the most important part of the package."
Penny gave him a look. "I was trying not to feed the monster."
Leonard stood and grabbed his jacket from the chair. "Can we feed the monster after we get downstairs? The event starts in an hour."
Amy zipped her tote bag carefully. "I have three books for him to sign, and I already wrote my questions in order of importance."
Bernadette glanced at the tote. "Please tell me one of those questions is normal."
Amy adjusted the strap over her shoulder. "Define normal in the context of literary worldbuilding."
Howard picked up his bag. "That answer tells me everything I needed to know."
Raj took one last sip of coffee and moved away from the window. "I just hope the line isn't insane already. Fantasy fans are very serious about waiting early."
Sheldon folded the schedule with care and tucked it into his messenger bag. "That is why I created an arrival plan, a signing plan, and a backup plan in case someone violates basic line etiquette."
Leonard opened the hotel room door. "Nobody is going to violate line etiquette just to bother you."
Sheldon stepped through first. "That is exactly what someone planning to violate line etiquette would want me to believe."
Penny followed him into the hallway, laughing under her breath. "This is going to be a long day."
The others gathered their bags and filed out behind her. Leonard checked the room once, then pulled the door shut. They took the elevator down to the lobby, crossed through the morning crowd, and stepped outside into the busy New York street.
..
..
[At the Event Hall]
The event hall was enormous.
Jack stood in the upstairs observation area with Richard beside him, looking down through the glass railing at the floor below. For a few seconds, he did not say anything because his brain was still trying to accept the scale of what he was seeing.
There were racks stacked with new hard-cover editions of his Harry Potter books, their covers redesigned with darker, more elegant artwork. Posters lined the walls. Banners hung from the ceiling. Staff members moved between merch booths filled with scarves, notebooks, bookmarks, wand replicas, collector boxes, and signed-edition display cases.
And then there were the fans.
So many fans.
They filled the main floor in winding lines, talking excitedly, clutching books, wearing house colors, holding cameras, and occasionally screaming whenever someone thought they saw Jack through the upstairs glass.
Jack slowly turned his head toward his father.
"Uumm... Dad," Jack said. "Isn't it too much?"
Richard didn't look even slightly apologetic. He stood beside him in a suit, one hand in his pocket, watching the crowd with satisfaction.
"What's wrong with riding on the popularity of your work and getting a bit more famous?" Richard asked.
Jack stared at him.
Richard glanced back.
Jack kept staring.
After a moment of silence, Richard sighed and looked down at the crowd again. His expression softened.
"Look at them," Richard said. "They took time off their schedules to come here because they love your work. So chin up, get out there, and break a leg."
Jack looked down again. A group of teenagers near the front were holding a hand-painted sign with his name on it. Another fan had brought a stack of all seven books and looked like she had not slept properly in two days.
"Yeah, well, I'm happy that they came," Jack said. "But signing thousands of books and you want me to chin up?"
He raised an eyebrow.
Richard smiled. "That is why I arranged wrist support, scheduled breaks, water, snacks, and two backup pens for every hour."
Jack blinked. "You made a pen schedule?"
"I made a signing operations plan."
"That sounds worse."
"It is efficient."
Jack looked at him for another second, then shook his head. "You're enjoying this way too much."
"I am watching my son become one of the biggest fantasy writers in the world," Richard said simply. "So yes. I am enjoying this."
Jack's expression shifted slightly.
Richard did not make the moment too heavy. He gave Jack's shoulder a firm pat instead.
"Now go," he said. "Before the crowd starts chanting."
Jack looked down at the fans again.
At that exact moment, one section of the line began chanting.
"Jack! Jack! Jack!"
Jack slowly turned back to Richard.
Richard smiled. "Too late."
Jack exhaled, adjusted the cuffs of his jacket, and muttered, "This is how my hand dies."
Then he headed toward the stairs.
...
[Downstairs]
Sheldon Cooper stood in line with his books held tightly against his chest, his eyes wide as he took in the hall.
For once, he was quiet.
Leonard noticed immediately. "Are you okay?"
Sheldon did not blink. "I am standing in a room dedicated to the improved literary structure of one of the most significant fantasy sagas of the modern era. My emotional state is beyond the limits of common language."
Howard leaned toward Raj. "So he's excited."
Raj nodded. "Terrifyingly excited."
Penny looked around at the booths. "Okay, I'll admit it. This is bigger than I expected."
Bernadette lifted one of the event pamphlets. "There's a panel, a signing, a Q and A, a collector's edition release, and a teaser announcement."
Amy adjusted her tote bag. "I have prepared questions for all possible stages of the event."
Leonard gave her a cautious look. "All possible stages?"
Amy nodded. "Casual greeting, intellectual conversation, signing-table time constraint, unexpected hallway encounter, and emergency elevator meeting."
Howard frowned. "Emergency elevator meeting?"
Sheldon finally looked at him. "You always prepare for vertical transportation encounters, Howard. That is where many great conversations are lost to poor timing."
Penny looked at Leonard. "Do I want to know why that sounded like something you guys already believe?"
"No," Leonard said. "You really don't."
The line moved forward a few steps.
Sheldon immediately held out one arm. "Careful. Maintain formation."
Penny stared at him. "We're in a book line, not storming a castle."
"Incorrect," Sheldon said. "We are entering a high-density fan environment where personal space, signing time, and conversational opportunity are extremely limited."
Bernadette smiled sweetly. "Sheldon, if you scare the nineteen-year-old author, I will personally drag you away by your messenger bag."
Sheldon looked offended. "I do not scare authors."
Leonard raised a hand. "You made that physics textbook writer stop doing public signings."
"That was not my fault," Sheldon said. "He used the phrase 'close enough' in a chapter on measurement."
Amy nodded seriously. "That was unacceptable."
Penny glanced at Raj. "Is there a normal section of this line?"
Raj looked around at the fans in robes, costumes, and homemade signs.
"No," he said. "But this one has snacks."
...
The lights dimmed slightly a few minutes later, and a wave of noise swept through the room.
A host walked onto the small stage near the front of the hall with a microphone in hand.
"Good morning, everyone."
The crowd cheered.
"Thank you all for coming to celebrate this incredible milestone. In only two years, the Harry Potter series has become one of the most talked-about fantasy works in the world."
More cheering.
Jack stood just offstage, rubbing his hands together as if warming up before a boxing match.
Richard stood beside him. "Smile."
"I am smiling."
"You look like you're preparing to testify."
"I'm about to sign books until my fingers forget their purpose."
Richard leaned closer. "That is the price of success."
Jack looked at him. "Can I return success?"
"No."
The host continued speaking to the crowd. "Please welcome Jack Preston!"
Jack walked onto the stage with a smile, lifting one hand in a wave. The cheering grew louder. Phones shot into the air. A few people screamed his name.
Sheldon gripped Leonard's arm.
Leonard winced. "Ow."
Sheldon whispered, "There he is."
Jack reached the microphone and waited for the noise to settle. It took a while.
"Wow," he said finally, looking out across the hall. "Okay. This is definitely more people than my dad told me would be here."
The crowd laughed.
Richard, watching from the side, smiled without shame.
Jack glanced toward him. "And judging by his face, he did that on purpose."
More laughter.
Jack turned back to the audience. "Seriously, thank you all for coming. I know some of you traveled, some of you waited outside way too early, and some of you are carrying book stacks large enough to qualify as gym equipment."
A girl near the front lifted seven books proudly.
Jack pointed at her. "See? That's arm day."
The crowd laughed again.
Jack smiled, relaxing a little now. "This series means a lot to me. Not just because of the magic or the battles or the world itself, but because of what these characters represent. Loyalty, fear, courage, grief, second chances, and the idea that people can choose who they become even when the world tries to choose for them."
Sheldon's expression turned reverent.
Amy whispered, "That was a very strong answer."
"He hasn't even been asked a question yet," Leonard whispered back.
Sheldon shushed him.
Jack continued, "Today, I'll be signing books, answering some questions, and talking a little about what comes next for the wizarding world."
The entire room reacted at once.
Jack laughed as the cheering hit him. "A little. I said a little. Please do not attack me with collector editions."
Penny smiled. "Okay, he's funny."
Leonard nodded. "Yeah, I hate that he's this likable."
Howard leaned closer. "Young, famous, talented, rich, and charming. It's like the universe made him specifically to make the rest of us feel undercooked."
Bernadette patted his arm. "You were already doing that by yourself, sweetie."
Howard frowned. "Thank you."
Jack stepped back from the microphone as staff began guiding the first signing group forward.
Richard met him near the signing table.
"How was that?" Jack asked quietly.
"Good," Richard said. "Natural, charming... No signs of panic."
Jack sat down behind the long table and picked up the first pen. "Give me an hour."
Richard grinned. "That's my boy."
The first fan stepped forward, trembling so badly she nearly dropped her book.
Jack smiled warmly. "Hi."
She stared at him.
"Hi," he repeated gently. "What's your name?"
"Jenny," She replied as she placed her book on the table. It's the first edition of The Prisoner of Azkaban. "I'm a big fan."
"Thank you," He took the book, opened it, and signed it.
Richard watched from the observation area as the next fan came forward, then the next, then the next. He was proud of his son.
...
[After break]
Jack resumed the signing event.
He was stunned for a moment as Sheldon walked forward. His eyes went toward the people behind him. 'Holy crap! Big Bang Theory is a part of this world?!'
--[Okay, 5 chs quota of this week completed. See you next week.]
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