Rendi nodded. He thought of his own father, who worked twelve-hour shifts at a textile factory and never understood why Rendi wanted to “talk into microphones.” He thought of the first time he heard his own voice come out of a cartoon cat on a Sunday morning—and how his mother had cried.
The engineer grinned. Bu Dewi took off her glasses and wiped them slowly.
He smiled. For seven films, he had been the bridge between a British orphan and a hundred million Indonesian children who couldn’t speak English. He had taught them that bravery sounds the same in any language.
“Expecto Patronum!”
“Expecto Patronum.”
“Again,” Bu Dewi said. “And remember—Harry’s voice is cracking. He’s just seen his own future self cast the spell. He’s in awe.”
Rendi glanced at the muted TV screen inside the soundproof booth. There was Daniel Radcliffe’s Harry, wide-eyed, face pale, chest heaving. On the Indonesian script sheet, his dialogue was written in bold: “Aku tidak akan mundur.” (I won’t back down.) Harry Potter Dub Indonesia-
“Mas Rendi,” she whispered. “When I was scared of the dark, I played your Harry Potter cassette. Your voice made me feel like I had a wand too.”
He opened his mouth and spoke.
Then he looked up, smiled, and said—softly, so only she could hear— Rendi nodded
But Rendi stayed still for a moment. He had just spoken the last line of Deathly Hallows : “Kausangka aku tak tahu caranya? Aku sudah cukup umur, tentu saja aku tahu caranya.” (You think I don’t know how? I’m of age, of course I know how.)
“Kamu penyihir sejati. Percayalah pada dirimu sendiri.” (You are a true wizard. Believe in yourself.)