Along with Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley, Hermione Jean Granger is one of three main characters in the Harry Potter series.
She was played by Emma Watson in all eight films, growing from an 11-year-old Muggle-born first year to a young woman and powerful witch.
Hermione is the favourite character of both author JK Rowling and screenwriter Steve Kloves, who scripted seven of the movies.
One of Hermione’s most defining traits is her intelligence. From very early on, it is clear that she excels when compared to her classmates by quite a mile.
In fact, this intelligence almost led to her being Sorted into Ravenclaw, the Hogwarts House which values this quality.
When she was younger, this intelligence came across as being stuck-up or bossy, which often rubbed people the wrong way. Thus, Hermione found it difficult to make friends.
Although introduced almost immediately after Harry boards the Hogwarts Express for the first time, she enters his life as a friend much later compared to Ron.
As ardent Potter fans will remember, the two boys befriended Hermione after they survived a troll attack together.
From then on, Hermione’s intelligence became a great asset to the group. Whether it was something small to helping with homework… to much later, when it was a matter of life or death.
Although petrified into unconsciousness at the time, it is Hermione’s research that helps Harry figure out that a Basilisk was roaming Hogwarts’ pipes during Chamber of Secrets.
In Prisoner of Azkaban, Hermione’s time-turner helps save two innocent lives; Sirius Black, who had been wrongly imprisoned for murder over a decade earlier and the hippogriff Buckbeak, who was being unfairly sentenced to death.
In Order of the Phoenix, it was Hermione who had the idea for what later became the Dumbledore’s Army, a group that played an important role in the fall of Lord Voldemort.
Finally, in Deathly Hallows, it is clear that Harry and Ron would have struggled on the quest for Horcruxes had Hermione not been there whether it be sourcing shelter, healing splinching or getting out of dangerous situations.
While typically listed third (i.e. Harry, Ron, Hermione), Ms. Granger was ultimately an invaluable part of Harry Potter’s life, on some occasions saving him as well as being a true friend.
