Under the guidance of numerous Professors, more and more students were able to cast a corporeal Patronus Charm.
The Patronus Charm was difficult, which instead activated the competitive spirit of the students, and they all held back a strong urge, as if if they couldn't cast a Patronus Charm, they would be left far behind by others.
Affected by this, the learning atmosphere in the school became exceptionally strong, and every corner of the school seemed to be filled with an aura of hard work and struggle.
Students no longer laughed and played easily as before, but instead focused intently on their respective studies.
The Duelling Club became a popular place for students to display and improve their magic abilities, crowded daily with Little Wizards practicing various spells.
In the corridors, figures discussing course content in twos and threes could be seen everywhere.
And the library, even more so, was packed to capacity. Between the bookshelves, rows of students with their heads buried in books, with the occasional soft rustle of turning pages and hushed discussions.
The third-year Little Wizards, facing increasingly heavy academic pressure, redoubled their efforts.
Although everyone was working very hard, if one were to say who was the most diligent, without a doubt, Hermione Granger was the well-deserved top.
In fact, perhaps not only in the third year, but looking at the entire school, Hermione's diligence was almost unmatched.
Because she had signed up for too many classes, she was busy like a spinning top every day, with almost no moment to breathe.
To solve the problem of conflicting class schedules, as early as the beginning of the school year, Professor McGonagall specifically applied for a Time-Turner for her, allowing her to attend simultaneous classes.
Even so, her time was still suffocatingly tight.
Whether in the classroom, library, Duelling Club, or corridor, everyone could always see her hurrying figure, holding heavy textbooks, rushing to the next class, or writing furiously in a corner.
In just over two months, Hermione's body and spirit were clearly starting to give out.
The rosy color had left her face, replaced by a pallor.
Her once fluffy curly hair now often hung messily over her shoulders, and coupled with deep dark circles under her eyes, she looked utterly haggard.
Today's Muggle Studies Class was not a practical class, but rather learning some basic Muggle life knowledge in the classroom.
Listening to the Professor's explanation, Hermione occasionally rubbed her temples, trying to keep herself awake.
However, due to extreme fatigue, she would occasionally zone out due to lack of energy, her gaze wandering between the pages, appearing particularly weak and blank.
When the class bell rang, Hermione was packing her bag, just about to leave with Ron, when she heard the Professor's voice from the podium.
"Miss Granger, please stay for a moment."
Oh no!
It seemed Hermione's dozing off had been discovered by the Professor.
Ron looked at Hermione, his expression full of worry.
He had long noticed that she had not been in a good state recently, looking exhausted every day.
However, every time he asked Hermione the reason, she would deflect with another topic.
Giving her a look of 'take care', Ron followed the crowd out of the classroom.
Hermione was incredibly nervous at this moment, she sat uneasily in her seat, awaiting the Professor's scolding.
"Miss Granger, you look too tired. Drink a bottle of Vitality Potion first."
Looking at the Potion in front of her, Hermione looked up in surprise.
She had expected a scolding and deduction of points from the Professor, but instead, she received the Professor's concern.
Looking at the Professor's gentle eyes, her tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and she picked up the Potion and drank it.
"Professor Swan, thank you for the Potion, I feel much better."
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have dozed off in class."
Sebastian smiled slightly: "Don't worry, I know the reason for your fatigue, so I won't be harsh on you."
"But to be honest, you really are pushing yourself too hard."
"It's not worth breaking your body for studies, you need to rest properly."
"But, Professor," Hermione said with a troubled expression, "My schedule is too full, I have twelve classes to attend. There isn't enough time for studying, so I really can't squeeze in time to rest."
Twelve classes!
Sebastian was stunned, suddenly realizing that he hadn't specifically understood Hermione's course choices for this year.
He had just subconsciously assumed, based on his impression from the original work, that the young girl had still chosen ten or eleven classes.
No wonder she couldn't squeeze in time to rest, this intensity is deadly.
He looked at Hermione, his voice softening a few more degrees.
"Can we talk about how you're studying so many classes? As a Professor, I might be able to give you some advice."
Hermione frowned, and recounted her study methods in detail.
Sebastian transformed into a listener, patiently listening to every word Hermione said.
After understanding Hermione's biggest problem, he asked: "Miss Granger, I noticed that you put a lot of effort into every single class, without any distinction between primary and secondary importance in your studies."
"Are you planning to get an O (Outstanding) in all subjects?"
"Of course," Hermione said without hesitation, "Since I've put in the effort, of course I have to get excellent grades."
"Not only that, I'm also preparing to learn from Percy and get O.W.L. certificates with excellent grades in all twelve exams."
Sebastian couldn't help but shake his head, smiling as he said: "Miss Granger, you might have some misunderstanding about Percy's grades."
"Although he received twelve certificates, not every single one of his grades was Outstanding."
"What's more, even though you both chose twelve classes, your situations are not the same."
Different?
Hermione frowned in confusion.
She and Percy had chosen two different classes, but how big could the difference be?
Seeing Hermione's expression, Sebastian knew exactly what she was confused about.
From the perspective of classes alone, the only difference between her and Percy was Divination Class and Alchemy.
However, Divination Class was a notoriously easy class, where one could get the Professor's favor and high marks simply by fabricating some shocking statements in the exam.
Alchemy, on the other hand, was much more difficult, requiring a significant amount of time to master.
What's more, Percy, in his studies, categorized various classes into different levels of importance.
As far as Sebastian knew, he never spent too much time on Divination Class and Muggle Studies Class.
And Hermione?
She spent a lot of time on every class.
Not only that, she also liked to memorize all the content in the textbooks verbatim, which further increased her study burden.
Given all these differences, it was natural for her to be overwhelmed by the heavy study load.
Sebastian meticulously explained the differences to Hermione, and after the young girl understood, he continued.
"Miss Granger, I noticed that you have been using the Time-Turner to study."
"That won't do, you need to learn to use it to be lazy."
...