Hermione Granger

From Hpwiki

Hermione Jean Granger is a student in the Gryffindor house at Hogwarts, the female representative in the trio of friends that consists of Harry, Ron, and herself. It takes some time for the two boys to form a friendship with Hermione, but after fighting a mountain troll together, the three students become inseperable. Their friendship is not without its rocky points: due to her book smarts, Hermione can be - to quote Professor Snape - an insufferable know-it-all.

Hermione has bushy brown hair and large front teeth that were magically resized by Madam Pomfrey in Goblet of Fire. She knows many of the school books by heart and often quotes from them, her favorite being Hogwarts, A History. While facing a boggart in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban it is revealed that her greatest fear is academic failure: Hermione panics at the thought of her grades falling five percent below maximum. Her mother and father are Muggles, both of whom are dentists. Hermione's parents are open-minded and fully support their witch daughter. Yet her non-magical linneage leads many Slytherin students, often led by Draco Malfoy, to call her a filthy little Mudblood.

Contents 1 Personality 2 Opinions and Reactions to Hermione Granger 3 In Fanfiction 4 Trivia 5 References

Personality

Hermione is a very intelligent witch for her age: her book smarts resemble that of a Ravenclaw more than a Gryffindor. Yet the bravery she displays during her many adventures with Harry and Ron cements her as a true Gryffindor. According to Hermione the Sorting Hat seriously considered putting her in Ravenclaw, but eventualy decided on Gryffindor. She believes that there is very little that can not be learned from books, and spends a great deal of her time in the Howarts library. Hermione clearly values brains over beauty; for example, only once during her six years at Hogwarts does she bother to straighten her fluffy hair (for the Yule Ball).

Hermione is an extremely kind and thoughtful girl, but can sometimes be overly skeptical and sarcastic. This, coupled with being the smartest witch in her grade sometimes intimidates others, causing people to distance themselves from her. As the most sympathetic character in the trio that also includes Harry and Ron, she can become quite emotional, bursting into tears or stuttering. However, Hermione proves many times through out the books that she is usually a confident speaker. She is usually opposed to breaking restrictions, and is very honest, but can bend the rules when necessary, such as when she is worried or deeply upset (as in Prisoner of Azkaban, when she quits Divination after reaching to her wit's end). Under extreme pressure, Hermione sometimes panics, and despite her intelligence, she's not always as quick on her feet as Harry, who can think up plans and strategies on the spot.

Hermione has experienced bullying, by Ron in her first year, and then in continuing nasty comments that are fired at her every so often about her looks or know-it-all attitude from other students. This makes Hermione especially aware of the harrassment of others, such as Hagrid. Though she often mutters words under her breath in suppressed rage, she sometimes lets her anger get the best of her: she once punched a smug Draco Malfoy in the face. Despite being fairly sensitive, Hermione is usually less impulsive than Harry or Ron, commonly stopping the two from getting into brawls with Slytherins and the like.

Hermione shows a blossoming social conscience by becoming quite concerned about the living conditions of house-elves. For this reason, she founds the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, or S.P.E.W. She also comes up with the idea to found Dumbledore's Army and is a vital member of the group.

Though being Harry's closest female friend, the speculation that Hermione and Harry may have a romantic attachment to one another has been permanently put to rest by the events of Half-Blood Prince, in which the characters are attracted to Ron and Ginny, respectively.

Hermione's use of logic and academic prowess often come in handy outside of the classroom. In Chamber of Secrets, Hermione brews a highly-complicated Polyjuice Potion, and is the first person to discover the identity of Slytherin's monster, though she is Petrified before she can tell anyone about it. Because of the use of a mirror to look at the creature, her research saved not only her own life, but that of Penelope Clearwater as well, who was found Petrified along with Hermione.

Opinions and Reactions to Hermione Granger

Harry Potter is best friends with Hermione, and so values her support, advice, and help. She is a regular accomplice of his, second only to Ron. Harry is fortunate to have her as a friend; without her brain, he and Ron would never have unravelled the many mysteries and puzzles they have faced (such as the logic puzzle in Philosopher's Stone).

In the beginning of the series, Hermione treats Harry with nearly the same contempt as she treats Ron, believing both to be quite stupid. Once they help save her from a mountain troll in the girls' bathroom, Hermione saves them from detention by pretending she was trying to stop the troll alone. Through these actions, there is the first exchange of trust and true friendship between Hermione and the boys. Later on, Hermione tells Harry that he is a far greater wizard than she.

Ron Weasley is also best friends with Hermione, yet they are often bickering, and have fallings-out many times during the series. This is mainly due to their poorly-hidden romantic feelings for one another, caring so much what the other thinks that arguments are inevitable. It can be seen through one generally disliking the other's attitude: Hermione often points out Ron's tactlessness, while he sometimes sees her as a know-it-all. The two disagreed over Hermione's founding of S.P.E.W (it's feasibility, participation and rights and wrongs), and Ron is sometimes prepared to cut corners academically, which irks the hard-working Hermione. Jealous, both develop deep loathing for whomever the other is associated with romatically: Ron started despising Viktor Krum and Cormac McLaggen, while Hermione disliked Fleur Delacour and Lavender Brown). Ron and Hermione often disagree over theories which are connected to the main mysteries of the books, such as is shown through Ron's unflinching belief that Snape is evil, and Hermione's disbelief of this view (until Half-Blood Prince). Each has a habit of holding a grudge from past arguments, usually boiling to an angry climax, which is often resolved when something more important occurs, usually involving Harry. Ron and Hermione seal their relationship during The Battle of Hogwarts one of the last chapters of Deathly Hallows by kissing profusely at a rather inoppurtune time, Harry is quick to point this out, to which Ron, sporting a slightly dumbfounded expression and still holding Hermione answers: "...It's now or never isn't it?" In the epilogue of DH the two are reportedly married, still bickering slightly (over driving examinations) and the parents of two children, 11-year-old Rose and aproximately 9-year-old Hugo.

Neville Longbottom, clumsy and hopeless in Potions, is slightly pitied by Hermione. She often whispers advice to him in Snape's classes, even when she could get in trouble, and when Neville is experiencing spiritual growth in Harry's DA classes, he successfully disarms Hermione, to her excitement. While not best friends, Hermione and Neville have a schoolmate friendship and talk kindly to one another, though after facing dark forces together multiple times, they know they can depend upon each other.

Luna Lovegood is often described, particularly by Rowling, as an anti-Hermione. Luna believes, somewhat similarly to Professor Trelawney, in anything that isn't proven, while Hermione relies upon pure fact. This of course initiates the odd feud between the two as to what exists and what doesn't, but the two do not hold their grudges, and it is Luna who comforts Hermione after a particularly bad row with Ron. Hermione and Luna are then polite to each other and, like Neville, they share a schoolmate friendship linked by Harry and strengthened by their time in battle together.

Ginny Weasley is Hermione's companion at the Burrow and sometimes at Hogwarts. Ginny and Hermione get on very well, in many cases because they are the often the only two girls among lots of boys. From the sixth book, readers learn that Hermione has also been a secret consultant to Ginny on the subject of Harry. Hermione is responsible for opening Ginny up from her infatuated and quiet state into an extroverted girl. This demonstrates that Ginny and Hermione trust the other a great deal.

Viktor Krum has a romantic attachment in Hermione. During the Triwizard Tournament, he stays in the library, Hermione's favorite hang-out, just to try and work up the courage to ask her to the Yule Ball. While the interest is obvious in both parties, the two do not court apart from at the Yule Ball, although Viktor is evidently anxious of Harry's involvement with her. Ginny reports that during this time period, the two had kissed. After the Tournament ends, Hermione and Viktor break things off romantically, yet remian in contact as pen-pals, much to Ron's chagrin. Due to the strong evidence of a potential relationship with Ron, it is highly unlikely that the two will reunite.

Not everyone appreciates Hermione Granger. In fact, Draco Malfoy loathes Hermione for several reasons, including her being Muggle-born (he calls her a Mudblood very often) but still excelling in lessons far beyond him. Malfoy's hatred of her best friends Harry and Ron is another ingredient in their negative aquaintence. And the dislike is not one-sided: in one memorable instance, Hermione even went so far as to slap Draco as hard as she could across the face, and attempted to curse him for insulting Hagrid. However, on most occasions Hermione is the one preventing Harry and Ron from unleashing their rage upon Draco ("ignore him... just ignore him...").

Rubeus Hagrid shares a friendship with Hermione as just strong as his kinship with Ron and Harry, if not stronger. Hermione tries to help Hagrid avoid probation (to no avail) when Umbridge is in the school. Hagrid is the one who comforts Hermione after Harry and Ron neglect her due to disagreements in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

In Fanfiction

Hermione, being one of the main characters, has been paired with many of the other characters. One of the most popular pairings in the whole Harry Potter fandom is Dramione a pairing between Draco Malfoy and Hermione. The more canonical pairing of Ron and Hermione is quite popular, but the also canonical pairing of Viktor Krum and Hermione is considerably rarer, though not non-existent. Harry and Hermione couplings are also popular, especially among writers who are disappointed with Rowling's choice of Ginny as Harry's girl in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. And for those of you who need a change of pace beside the norm, there is also the pairing of Severus Snape and Hermione. Hermione is also quite often paired up with other girls in femmeslash. The most common pairing is probably with Ginny Weasly, but it is not too rare to pair her up either with Luna Lovegood or Pansy Parkinson.

Trivia

• Hermione is older than both Harry and Ron.
• At one point during the writing process, Hermione had a younger sister, yet she was quickly written out so that Hermione could be an only child.
• Mr. and Mrs. Granger, though accepting of the magical world and their daughter as a witch, disapprove of utilizing magic as a quick fix. For example, the parents insisted that Hermione's slightly large front teeth be dealt with using braces, instead of allowing her to shrink them with her wand.
• Hermione owns a large ginger cat with a squashed face named Crookshanks, who is hybrid of a cat and a kneazle.
• She was made a Gryffindor prefect in her fifth and sixth years at Hogwarts.
• When Hermione smells the amortentia (love) potion brewed by Professor Slughorn in class, she starts to describe her interpretation of the smell as freshly mown grass, new parchment, and then cuts herself off, blushing and refusing to describe the third smell. J.K. Rowling revealed in a webchat that she thinks the third smell was Ron's hair.
• Her wand is made from vine wood with a core of dragon heartstring. Hermione was also able to use Bellatrix's wand which is walnut with dragon heartstring, approximately 12.5 inches, this happened in the last book.
• During her third year, McGonagall placed great trust in Hermione by giving her a time-turner: Hermione initially used it so that she could take on a massive academic schedule, and be in several classes at once.
• Waterproof, portable fires are one of her many magical specialties.
• Her patronus comes in the form of an otter.

References

• Madam Scoop's: J.K. Rowling on Hermione Granger
• Harry Potter Lexicon: Hermione & the Granger Family
• Harry Potter Lexicon: Timeline Hermione Granger