Life Is All About Acting

The days that followed were quite uneventful.

Quietly following Jon's recommendation, Hermione bought a few books on improving her acting skills. Of course, she made sure Harry and Ron never saw them, keeping them in her dormitory. Every evening, she would read them in silence—as she usually did, except that she normally read magic books, while now she was reading about how to become an excellent actress.

Jon had originally intended to have Lockhart teach her personally, but he later abandoned the idea. If Lockhart were to teach Hermione, he would have to appear at the school. Hermione was not like him; she could not act without restraint. Fortunately, Hermione had a remarkable ability to teach herself. Even just by reading, she could quickly grasp the essence of it. Though she was still somewhat green, she was already far better than before at that stiff, forced disguise.

And just as Hermione had predicted, the free time in sixth year was nothing like the carefree rest Ron had hoped for. It had to be spent working hard to finish the mountain of homework assigned by their teachers.

Not only did they study desperately as if they faced exams every day, but the coursework itself was much harder than before.

These days, Harry understood barely half of what Professor McGonagall taught. Even Hermione had to ask Professor McGonagall to repeat things once or twice before she understood. In truth, she had a more convenient method: she could ask the notebook for help. But she chose not to, because the book said: Do not constantly think of yourself as acting. This is a life.

Experience was the best way.

To the disbelief of most people who did not know the truth, Harry's best subject had suddenly become Potions. This was all thanks to