Like much of the country, I recently watched Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. And, like much of the country, I found it, like it’s predecessor, sort of blandly enjoyable.

While watching the film, however, I frequently found myself speculating as to the real-life fates of the three young protagonists. Which is to say, will any of the little Brits ever find acting work once their Potter runs end?

After much contemplation, I was left to conclude that poor Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) is more or less doomed to immediate disappearance from the world of film, largely due to his inability to actually act (oddly constipated facial gesturing notwithstanding). Further, that Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), who I suspect will look surprisingly incomplete without a jagged scar on his forehead, is likely to slowly fade into Mark Hamill-esque oblivion. But that Emma Watson (Hermione Grainger) might very well turn out to be the next big thing.

Throughout the film, I found Watson so much more believable, so much more subtly emotive, so much more interesting to watch than the other two that it made me almost embarrassed for them. By all indications, she’s similarly shamed the boys on the talk show circuit; while they’ve been rather inarticulate, Watson has produced gems like: “It was unbelievable seeing me as an action figure; in a few months, toddlers around the country will be biting my head off!”

All of which leads me to believe that Watson will follow in the footsteps of actresses like Ricci and Portman, leveraging a fascinatingly precocious maturity and an apparently innate ability to create subtly nuanced performances to make the rather difficult jump from child-star to more adult roles.

[And I say this all now so that when I cast her in a film ten years down the road, I can legitimately say I’ve been a long-time fan.]