Favorite Characters: Hermione Granger (Harry Potter)

Over the years, as I’ve revisited the Harry Potter series in the form of both book and film, a certain fact continues to be further cemented:  I love Hermione Granger.  All things considered, she might be my favorite nerdy teenage witch (sorry, Willow!)  Some basic spoilers.

One thing that I like about Hermione is that she isn’t framed as girls typically are in stories for this age range.  Since she’s a supporting character, she isn’t the Ordinary Girl who turns boys’ heads every time she moves, which she can’t figure out because she’s so Ordinary.  Neither is she The Girl in the boy book, the beautiful object of his affection who basically exists for him to moon over.  She’s a bit of the Female Friend who, to the surprise of both young person’s involved, winds up being The One, but because her destined love interest is Ron rather than Harry, the trope isn’t hammered home as vehemently.  Instead, she originally comes in as a bit of an unwelcome guest.  Even though her natural smarts, workhorse dedication to learning, and well-practiced magical aptitude are obvious assets, Harry and Ron aren’t eager to hang out with her.  They find her annoying – a bossy, know-it-all goody-too-shoes.  (Interesting how Hermione is essentially dismissed because they don’t like that she’s outspoken, opinionated, and confident about her intelligence.  Ingrained gender expectations, much?)

But of course, Hermione is mad smart.  And hard-working.  And a skilled witch.  And curious.  And determined.  In other words, she’s who I’d want on my side if I was trying to combat the baddest wizard who ever lived and I was pretty set on only enlisting fellow children to help.  Hermione’s spell-casting ability is especially vital in early books/films, since the time she spends on her studies definitely pays off and the boys aren’t yet up to her level.  Beyond that, her book knowledge comes in handy time and again, and her practicality can be a lifesaver.

Oh yeah, and because both of her parents are Muggles, there are a number of kids – and even teachers – at the school who think she doesn’t belong there.  Malfoy hurls blatant slurs in her direction, and matters get more dangerous for Hermione as the series continues, because putting Muggle-borns “in their place” is a major goal of Voldemort and his Death Eaters.  Rather than let ignorant bigots make her feel small, Hermione holds her head up high and keeps working.  (I suppose it makes a difference that, as a Muggle-born, she wasn’t raised in the wizarding world, and so, the first time she’s called a mudblood, she doesn’t even know what it means.  Still, from age 11 on, Hogwarts is her home nine months of the year, and it’s not cool to discover that a bunch of people in your new community hate you because of your parentage.)  Kudos to Hermione for not giving the haters any satisfaction!

As a matter of fact, Hermione takes time to look out for a class of people even more marginalized than Muggle-borns:  the house-elves.  It’s kind of a weird subplot in the books, because everyone acts like her campaign to free the house-elves ranges from annoying to embarrassing, when the house-elves are actual slaves.  I get that it’s been a part of wizarding culture for a long time, and a lot of the kids from wizard families probably grew up with this instilled understanding of a house-elf’s “position,” but still.  There’s nobody else who’s not down with slavery?  The wizarding world is messed up.  Anyway, it means Hermione is a brave, smart, resilient, powerful, Muggle-born witch abolitionist, and that’s awesome.

Relationship Spotlight: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley & Hermione Granger (Harry Potter)

 

It’s only fitting that this team is the first non-pair to break its way into the relationship spotlight.  Come on, who doesn’t love the trio?  Even when the books occasionally get bogged down by unfortunate plot developments and interminable boy-girl drama, the relationships between these three keep me coming back, and the movie producers won a jackpot with the onscreen chemistry between Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson. 

 

They spark from their first moments together on the Hogwarts Express.  Their near-instant union may seem surprising, since they come to the school of witchcraft and wizardry from very different places.  Ron is from what you’d call a culturally-magical “Pure-Blood” family, immersed in the wizarding world from infancy, while Harry – with magical heritage but reared with no knowledge of it by his abusive Muggle relatives – and Muggle-Born Hermione are thrown into this underground world they’ve never seen before. 

 

And yet, when you think about it, there’s one tremendously important similarity between them on that first day:  they’re all desperate to prove themselves.  Harry has only just been introduced to the heroism of his murdered parents, as well as his own fame as the dark-wizard-vanquishing Boy Who Lived.  He’s the most recognizable figure in the society he’s just entered, and with everyone waiting to see if he’ll live up to his promise, he just wants to become a wizard his parents would have been proud of.  Ron, the second-youngest in a big family, has grown up in the shadow of his older brothers, all of whom are known at Hogwarts for their academic achievements, athletic skill, or popularity.  The family legacy weighs heavily on his somewhat insecure shoulders, and he feels immense pressure to pass muster.  And in addition to Hermione’s natural overachieving tendencies, she’s likely done enough preparatory research to at least have an idea that her kind aren’t universally welcome at Hogwarts.  With people like Malfoy looking down on her and spewing bile about “mudbloods,” this very smart girl is out to prove that her genetics don’t determine her magical abilities.

 

So they come together, each bringing different skills and qualities to the table.  From Harry’s relentless bravery to Hermione’s voluminous knowledge to Ron’s fierce loyalty, they work best as a unit, a fact proven every time there’s a temporary falling-out between any of them.  Together, they get more accomplished, defeat larger threats, and even have more fun than they do in pairs or individually (OT3 shippers, insert joke of your choice here.)  It’s a lesson that they unfortunately have to learn more than once, in part because they spend much of the series as temperamental teenagers who get in their own way, and in part because of Harry’s martyr-y tendency set forth alone to protect Ron and Hermione from his dangerous destiny.

 

But that never works for long, because for good or bad, Hermione and Ron have thrown their lots entirely in with Harry.  Despite whatever squabbles or disputes come along, there’s nothing they won’t do in support of him, and when the serious business goes down, they face death by his side with nary a thought.  For seven books and eight movies, they keep each other company, keep each other sane, and keep each other alive.  They’re one another’s sources of strength and hope, at times of aggravation and jealousy, but also of courage and comfort, and above all, of love.  Trio for.  The.  WIN!