Early the next morning, Will was woken by his alarm after barely two hours of sleep. The first thing he did upon getting up was cast the Clear-Headed Charm and the Felix Charm on himself to keep himself in good shape.
After washing up, Will headed to the Great Hall for breakfast. On the surface, he led an exceptionally regular life—the very picture of an outstanding Hogwarts student and an exemplary young man.
Of course, that was true in practice as well. It was just that, out of everyone else's sight, Will devoted even more time to studying and research.
As he ate his oatmeal, Will directed a floating alchemy book to turn its pages.
Beside him, Sylvia was long past finding this strange. It was hardly news to her that her boyfriend was a study fanatic.
Owls flew into the Great Hall, sweeping over everyone's heads as they delivered news and letters.
A letter dropped beside Will's hand without so much as a sender's name on it. This surprised him a little—even letters from the Howard family would at least bear their family crest.
He put the letter away with some misgivings.
That morning's lesson was Potions. These days, once Will finished brewing the potion assigned in class, he would start writing papers or reading material on Charms.
Sometimes, he even did so while brewing. It had become a privilege reserved for him.
Slughorn knew perfectly well that Hogwarts Potions classes had nothing left to teach Will.
"Oh, perfect, absolutely perfect! Mr. Behrens, I daresay even I couldn't brew a more perfect Calming Draught than yours.
"When it comes to potions, you are a master in every sense of the word."
Slughorn's unreserved praise rang through the classroom. Most of the students had long since grown used to it.