"The first year at Brown was about finding my feet," she said. "I found a great group of girlfriends, and now that I know how things work and what the professors expect, I'm really excited about going back for my second year, because I feel this time I can relax and enjoy it."

Watson is deeply grateful for the way she's been treated by her peers. "Brown has a real sense of community, and people are very protective of me," she said. "They really look out for me; they want me to feel like I'm part of it. I threw my 20th birthday party at Brown, and I didn't even have to say to anyone not to put pictures on Facebook. Not a single picture went up. That was when I knew I'd found a solid group of friends, and I felt like I belonged

When Watson finished shooting last June, she was left with a welter of powerful feelings. "My last day was pretty emotional," she admitted. "It was sad; it's the end of an era. What an amazing learning experience! I gave everything I could to that role, and I got so much from it."

"Playing Hermione just came so naturally; I had a real affinity for her," she said. "I felt like I knew exactly who she was. Like me, she's very loyal and determined, she's very intelligent, and she has a lot of guy friends, as I do. Her eagerness to please and to have the right answer is definitely like me. I'm a perfectionist, so my bossiness definitely comes out."

"I do things in my own way, but I've never felt any need to rebel," she said. "To be honest, I've always had far too much freedom. I had a job when I was 10. I started living on my own when I was 17 or 18. I've earned my own money; I've traveled the world. What would I rebel against? I've had so much freedom, sometimes it was hard. My parents wanted to protect me, but they had no idea how to. I had to learn as I went and make my own mistakes. I went from being totally unknown and never acting professionally to being in a major movie and being very famous. It all happened so quickly, I didn't have any time to work things out. It's been pretty scary at times."