Published by CultNoise Magazine.
Growing up watching the Harry Potter series, Hermione was unsurprisingly one of my all time favourite characters. Having someone – albeit a fictional character – to look up to who showed that you could still be funny, friendly, pretty, brave and clever all in one go was something that hadn’t been shown to girls so much in other fandoms. So, naturally, I loved everything about little Miss Granger. Here are my pick of seven reasons to love Hogwarts most famous insufferable know-it-all, Hermione Granger:
1. She may be a bookworm but she knows what’s really important
Remember this scene in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone when Harry is about to go off on his own to face what he thinks could be his sticky end? Instead of blushing at Harry’s compliments, Hermione reminds him that there are more important things in life than having your head stuck in a book. She reminds him that friendship and bravery are fundamental qualities, both of which Harry has in bucket loads. She also builds Harry up, encourages him and makes sure he knows how much of a great wizard he really is. She’s just great, isn’t she?
2. She’s a clever cookie
Aside from showing young girls that you can study hard, be a bit of a geek and still be fab, Hermione also has intuition as well as brains. She often picks up on things that Harry and Ron miss and is able to solve puzzles with minimal clues. Ron’s right – they wouldn’t last two days without Hermione.
3. She isn’t afraid to stand up for herself
I’m not condoning violence or anything (although Draco did kind of deserve this one and it was “bloody brilliant” as Ron would say) but you have to admit it’s a great that Hermione sticks up for herself and what she believes in. She shows that you can still be polite and appropriate when need be but that doesn’t mean you should ever let someone walk all over you. Hermione isn’t afraid to speak her mind and call people out for being mean or disrespectful and this is definitely a reason to love her.
4. She is a true friend
Hermione is always there for her friends, whether it’s to help Ron out with late homework or to assist Harry in working out the latest trail of puzzles left behind by the Dark Arts seeking to harm him; she’s always there for them and always tries to keep them safe (like when she saved Harry from the tampered-with broomstick during his first Quidditch game in first year). Even when Harry decided to give himself up to Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Hermione offered to go with him and be with him right until the end.
5. She is brave
Being caught in the middle in situations that would make anyone else crumble and cry like a baby (e.g. getting trapped in Devil’s Snare, facing Death Eaters, being tortured by Bellatrix and fighting against the Dark Lord himself), Hermione is shows courage. She shows that it isn’t just the boys who can get down and dirty in fights with the strange and dangerous demons from the Dark Arts, but that girls can put up a fight too. Hermione might not have super powers or a costume with a cape but she is a great example of a female superhero.
6. She’s funny, even without trying to be
“Emotional range of a teaspoon” is one of my favourites of Hermione’s often unintentional one liners. Hermione might be clever and serious most of the time but she also has a sense of humour and knows how to be silly and have fun.
7. She’s got sass
“…Or worse, expelled.” This iconic Hermione quote may show that she “needs to sort out her priorities” but it also shows how sassy Hermione is and that she doesn’t care what anyone else thinks about her or her geekiness.
Hermione is definitely someone worth looking up to and sticking a picture of up on your wall with the caption “role model”. She’s a bit of a feminist icon for children’s literature and she’s the brightest witch of her age. What’s not to love?
Who is your favourite Harry Potter character and why? Let us know in the comments section below.
Featured image image courtesy of Jim Kay via Scholastic.
sophie. 