"Oh~ Isabella, you were so cool answering those questions just now—"
"Isabella, did you read the entire script? How did you know all the answers the director asked?"
"You're amazing, Isabella. I've read Harry Potter several tis too, but I can only rember the general plot. I can't recite the chapter details like you just did—"
"Yeah, sa here. Do you have such a strong mory?"
"I don't think so. You must have read it many tis?"
"No wonder Rowling recomnded you for Hermione—you're exactly like the Hermione in the books…"
With the tea party over and noon arriving, everyone who had been busy all morning went to the dining hall for lunch.
Though called a "dining hall," it was more like a cafeteria. Everyone queued with trays, served themselves, and freely found a table. Even so, it had a special touch: the food was far better than typical cafeterias.
In England, a culinary desert, even at Cambridge's dining hall, you might find pork pies, jellied eels, or lamb offal. But in a project backed by the world's largest dia conglorate? Only proper Michelin-quality dishes appear here.
Regardless of taste, the presentation alone would make even the most discerning diner pay handsoly.
After picking their food, everyone sat down.
Imdiately, Isabella noticed that around her, one by one, little heads began to gather.
The kids carrying trays spontaneously sat next to her. They all looked at her with surprise and admiration, greeting her sincerely. Remarkably, no one was flattery—they were genuinely thrilled.
Isabella admitted she was startled at first glance.
The rush of warmth made her feel like she was wearing an African diamond around her neck!
The next mont, she feared soone would shout "flowers incoming!"
Only when she heard their words clearly did she finally relax and smile.
The pure joy reflected their love for Harry Potter.
Every child here liked Harry Potter.
So when they realized that the characters from the books had real-life counterparts…
"Oh, Rupert, thanks for the complint."
"Bonnie~ I really did read the whole script. That's why I could answer the director's questions."
"Daniel, I can't fully recite Rowling's novel either. I rember mostly the differences between the script and the original because they're not the sa. As for the parts that are the sa? My brain, not a computer, is in charge of that."
"But that's still impressive," said Sean Biggsstaff, who played Oliver Wood, sincerely.
"Thank you~" Isabella bead, shaking off her hair.
Any normal person would feel overwheld by such genuine admiration.
Especially now, with such heartfelt emotions surrounding her.
"Chris, it seems your plan worked."
The fact that Isabella had beco the center of attention didn't escape the adults' eyes.
Watching this "star-surrounded-by-suns" scene, Richard Harris, playing Dumbledore, felt moved.
His words made Chris Columbus chuckle, satisfied as he looked at the gathered kids. At this mont, he had to admit, J.K. Rowling was skilled at casting.
"Seeing them happy chatting like this makes feel relieved," Columbus said, lowering his head to eat.
"Honestly, HP has the most children I've ever worked with on a project."
"I'm really afraid of ssing things up."
"It's such a big investnt, after all."
"Hahaha~"
His sincere words sparked light laughter.
anwhile, on the parents' side of the cafeteria…
"Oh, Vivian~ your daughter is amazing~"
"Thank you, your son is amazing too."
"I really can't imagine how a ten-year-old girl can be so talented. Vivian, is Isabella really ten?"
"Of course~ she was born in '90 and just turned ten this year. But she wasn't always like this; all the changes have happened recently, so… I can only say she grew up suddenly."
"Oh~ Vivian~ I'm sorry. I didn't an to bring up your sad past."
"It's okay. You don't need to apologize. It's been a long ti, and I've moved on from the sadness."
Minors couldn't work alone, but adults couldn't constantly hover over them either, which might feel intrusive. So the morning chats actually ran in two groups.
Around Columbus sat the crew, while parents stayed in the back.
At first, parents were getting acquainted too, many eting for the first ti. It looked like a Chinese elentary school before dismissal—parents gathered at the gate, knitting or chatting.
But when Isabella seed to rise like the sun…
Vivian beca the focal point of the parent group as well.
After all, other kids might receive equal attention anywhere, but this one stood out.
On the first morning on set, Columbus strengthened their bonds. In the afternoon, with everyone able to call each other by na, he led the kids into the makeup room to try costus and take official photos.
By normal Hollywood standards, this step should happen during auditions. But because Columbus and Rowling had disagreents, they couldn't even sit at the sa table during earlier disputes. So costu and makeup decisions hadn't been finalized.
Moreover, Warner supported Columbus making the U.S. version of HP. Initially, costu designs followed U.S. illustrations, which infuriated Rowling—she outright refused to use them.
Once Rowling formally took control, the previous designs were scrapped and remade entirely in British style. Quidditch uniforms, for example, were redesigned to resemble British school attire instead of resembling Arican football gear.
After this upheaval, confirming costus and makeup could finally happen efficiently.
And now…
"Oh, Daniel, don't wear contact lenses. I think Harry can have blue eyes."
"Isabella, don't wear braces either. Susie's right—the book Hermione can be ordinary, but the movie version can't."
During costu trials and photo shoots, Rowling was present.
Seeing Daniel uncomfortable in contacts and Isabella transford by braces, Harry's eyes changed from green to blue, and Hermione went from a little beaver to a little princess.
Isabella had bought Hogwarts robes in her previous life, but Universal Studios' rchandise couldn't compare to actual costu design.Honestly, Rowling's decisions made both of them happy.
Daniel disliked unnecessary struggles; Isabella didn't like looking ugly.
Rowling's words left Rupert thoughtful.
"Ah, I thought I was the most unique—no contacts, no braces—but now…"
"I've beco the least special one."
"Because you all differ from the book. … I'm basically the sa?"
Rupert's regret made everyone in the makeup room laugh.
Indeed, of the "iron triangle," only Rupert resembled Ron as described in the books.
Everyone else, whether Harry or Hermione, deviated from their book counterparts.
Of course, fans of the Chinese translation might wonder—Ron is described as "red-haired" in the Chinese version. In reality, Rupert's hair isn't red. This is just a translation issue.
In the English original, Ron has "flaming red hair," which isn't the bright red of ani. It's a strong blonde with orange-red highlights in sunlight, or a yellow-orange blonde—this counts as "flaming red hair."
"Okay, Daniel, hold your arms crossed and look at ."
"Yeah, turn your body a bit, perfect~"
"Rupert, give a mischievous smile, okay?"
"Yes, yes, your smile looks cheerful."
"Isabella, hold the book for the photo. You know, nothing fits a bookworm better than books."
"Oh, perfect, your smile is so sweet~"
"Next… Tom? Draco is a sassy little master, so… Hitchcock-style gaze, understand?"
"Very good—raise the corners of your mouth a bit more—"
At 1 p.m., Isabella followed the group into the makeup room.
Just after 3 p.m., she was told it was ti to finish.
Minors only had a four-hour workday.
Two hours of morning chat counted as work legally, leaving only two hours for the crew in the afternoon.
When this fact hit, Isabella was stunned—she hadn't expected the HP crew to follow the rules so strictly. Her second thought? She really had beco Hermione Granger.
Following in her predecessors' footsteps, with Yu Hua's essence!Four-hour workdays?
Wow… this was the right place!
Even in her two lifetis, she had never done such an easy job. Just as she was about to find her mother and head ho, Rupert suddenly called out.
"Isabella, where are you going?"
"Isn't it the end of work?" Isabella asked. "I'm finding my mom and going ho."
"Ah???"
Everyone around froze.
No matter Daniel, Tom, Bonnie, or Matthew, all looked at her in surprise.
"Is there a problem?" Isabella was puzzled. "Can't we go ho?"
"Uh… we can, but…"
Rupert didn't know if Isabella was pretending or truly didn't understand. After hesitating, he finally finished his sentence.
"We still have class."
"We still have three hours of lessons today, so… you're leaving now?"
"..."
Isabella was speechless.
Oh, right!
They finished work early because they still had classes! This fact made Isabella droop her head.
If they had to go to school after work, then what was the point of this shift???
Grumbling, she followed the group to the production's teaching building. With the staff's introduction, Isabella finally understood the on-set class process. Currently, the UK implents 11 years of compulsory education: ages 5–11 are primary school, and 11–16 are secondary school.
So, when the kids on set were of different ages, Warner invited teachers for both stages.
That way, everyone could attend classes according to their age.
A simple example: Isabella was born in 1990 and is only ten years old, so she received Year 5 education—aning she joined a primary school class. The sa applied to Daniel; although older than Isabella, he was still in primary school, following Year 6 curriculum. Rupert, born in 1988, was legally at the GCSE level, which is secondary education.
So, following the rules, Isabella's classmates were Ginny, Harry, and Neville.
Ron was in the sa room as Draco and others.
Then, the nightmare appeared.
Even though the UK's basic education is pretty good—primary school students study history and geography in higher grades—the scope of a child's learning couldn't compare to an adult's knowledge. And Isabella, in her previous life, was no slacker.
She learned arts because she liked it; she was not illiterate.
So?
Flipping through the textbook given by the teacher, Isabella realized that if she had to sit here for three hours every day, she would go crazy. This was basically like being in prison!She wanted to save herself.
Fifty minutes per class, ten-minute breaks. After three cycles, the class finally ended, and Isabella found the substitute teacher, her face serious:
"Teacher Halia, I'd like to ask you a question."
"Of course, go ahead."
"I want to know if these classes are really mandatory?"
"Yes, it's legally required. We record all classes, and if the education authorities find you absent, the crew will be fined—just like working without a license, twenty thousand pounds each ti."
Halia Schmidt specialized in teaching minors working in the entertainnt industry.
After all, London has a West End.
The demand for extra classes there was quite high.
So when Isabella approached her, Halia guessed the little girl's intent.
Or rather, a child who left school at barely ten to embrace the stage probably didn't like studying. Given countless similar cases, Halia suspected Isabella was essentially saying she didn't want to attend class.
Halia Schmidt was half right.
The other half…
"Teacher Halia, is there really no way to skip class?"
"Uh…"
Halia looked troubled. She genuinely wanted to tell the girl that knowledge is valuable everywhere—even in the entertainnt industry, learning a little is better than nothing.
But she wasn't the child's mother, so…
"Then your guardian will need to speak with ."
Isabella had no intention of involving her mom.
If she told her mom she didn't want to attend class, Vivian would panic.
Vivian and Eric shared the sa wish: both wanted their daughter to go to Oxbridge.
St. Paul's Girls' School is secondary, minimum age 11. If not, Eric would have already enrolled the sisters together—six thousand pounds a year each, easy for him.
"Other ways…"
Halia sighed. Isabella's beauty made her regretful. "There is another way."
"What?"
"The education office only checks hoschoolers through SATs. I can request exam papers from the affiliated school. If you pass English and Math, I can help you apply for hoschooling. Even if the authorities inspect, it won't matter."
SATs are the UK primary school graduation exams, roughly equivalent to China's elentary-to-middle school transition.
They determine which school a child attends in Year 7. Only public schools care deeply about this, because private schools also consider parental input. Each UK school is highly autonomous and issues its own SATs.
Even if SATs weren't very important, they're the only way the education office can check learning progress—no one can follow every child daily.
So…
"I'll take the exams."
"Huh?"
"Teacher, can you give the papers?"
"..."
Halia Schmidt thought Isabella was crazy.
Art students don't usually take these exams!
But three days later…
"What? Isabella can hoschool now?"
Children only worked four hours a day, unlike adults. During breaks, Columbus and other adults completed final pre-production tasks. Then he heard the shocking news.
"Yeah~"
The reporting assistant said, "Teacher Schmidt gave Isabella three SATs papers today. She scored full marks in English and reasoning, then did the CAT4 test—verbal, nurical, spatial reasoning—everything excellent…"
"In Teacher Schmidt's words, it's a sha she's going into arts."
"..."
Chris Columbus was speechless.
The next mont, he realized the brilliance: "Isabella didn't want to attend class, right?"
"Yes," the assistant nodded.
"What about her mother's attitude?"
"Her mom…"
The assistant hesitated, unsure if they should say too much.
anwhile—
"Oh—Vivian—how did you teach your child? Can you teach ? Rupert really doesn't like studying. He runs away from school and sleeps when reading. I'm exhausted every day…"
In the teaching building, Rupert's mom grabbed Vivian's hand and complained loudly.
Many parents around nodded in agreent.
Outside, Rupert looked embarrassed while Isabella was alone.
Actually, Isabella stood at the right of the classroom door. On the left were the helpless adults.
"You really don't have to attend class?" Rupert couldn't believe it.
"Mm-hm." The little blonde nodded innocently.
"Oh—that's a bit outrageous—"
Daniel shook his head: "Do you study while researching the script? This is… unimaginable…"
"Maybe a genius studies 48 hours a day?" Bonnie said enviously. "Honestly, I don't want to go to class either."
"Who wants to go to class!" ca complaints from the back.
Isabella understood their mood—well, that might sound pretentious—but she did know that very few in the HP main group were true geniuses.
Harry and Ron, in her past life, were college slouches who openly admitted they disliked studying.
Even though she thought making them study was as cruel as torturing them, now she could only save herself—not others. After all, Hermione Granger studied magic, not literacy.
Seeing the group of despondent kids, Isabella felt her mind sharpen.
She imagined two little devil horns sprouting.
The tutoring program had barely started, and she was already excelling.
For the others, this was nightmare-level news…
After a brief chat, she bid farewell to the kids who regarded her as a study god—or, no, a demon—and went ho with her mother.
On the way, Vivian's emotions were mixed.
On one hand, her daughter's excellence brought joy; on the other, her independent actions caused helplessness.
During a traffic jam, she glanced at the rearview mirror.
Isabella leaned back in the rear seat, eyes closed, swaying slightly to the music.
"So, can you tell why you did this?"
Her mother asked.
Looking up, Isabella smiled: "The director told to. On the first day on set, he made Hermione Granger, and Hermione is a genius. So, not attending class but learning independently—that's the hallmark of a genius, right?"
Yes.
Isabella had pinned the responsibility on Chris Columbus.
Now she had official permission to skip class!
Vivian could only be speechless.
As she pondered whether to scold her mischievous daughter, Isabella continued:
"Okay, Mom, honestly, if filming requires staying on set, I'm all in. But if not filming, finishing at six? We can't have my sister wait until eight to eat every day, can we?"
Vivian fell silent.
St. Paul's Girls' School is a day school among the nine prestigious schools.
Isabella needed a guardian on set. What about Catherine? She couldn't stay alone.
In fact, Warner provided on-set accommodation. Isabella could stay with her mom in Leavesden.
For Draco, he stayed with his older brother, who acted as his guardian.
But for family peace, even though Vivian hired a nanny at the start of the month to take care of Catherine's school and als, she still checked in daily.
If her mother ran back and forth, Isabella couldn't stay alone on set.
Of course, she also admitted she didn't want to repeat the sa knowledge in classes.
"Eric is truly disgusting!"
Vivian couldn't help cursing her late husband.
Yet her relaxed features showed her inner calm.
"So you'll self-study?"
"Of course~"
"Go ho and look at your sister's textbooks."
"Mom—don't you trust to do things?"
"Right now, you're the one I worry about most."
Vivian said bluntly.
Isabella felt a pang of sadness.
After a while, both laughed.
Yes, they were putting on a show.
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