Hermione Granger

"Books! And cleverness! There are more important things — friendship and bravery."

- Hermione Granger

Hermione Jean Weasley (née Granger), born September 19, 1979, is a Muggle-born witch and the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Granger. She learned at the age of eleven that she was a witch and had been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She began attending the school on 1st September 1991, when she was nearly twelve, and was sorted into Gryffindor House.

An academically brilliant student, Hermione became close friends with fellow students Harry Potter and Ron Weasley in her first year of school. In her second year, Hermione was one of the victims of the Basilisk that was unleashed upon Hogwarts with the opening of the Chamber of Secrets, but recovered from being petrified. The next year, Hermione was given permission to use a Time-Turner to facilitate her attending more classes than other students, and which she and Harry later used to save Sirius Black from receiving the Dementor's Kiss. Hermione became an advocate for the better treatment of house-elves, forming the association S.P.E.W., in her fourth year. In 1995, she was the driving force behind the creation of Dumbledore's Army, and fought in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries in 1996, and in the Battle of the Astronomy Tower and the Battle over Little Whinging in 1997. Hermione, as well as Ron, decided to forgo their last year of school in order to accompany Harry on his quest to retrieve and destroy Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes, and later fought in the Battle of Hogwarts. Following the Second Wizarding War, Hermione attained employment at the Ministry of Magic, furthering her cause for the better treatment of house-elves before gaining promotion to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She eventually married Ron, and they would have two children: Rose and Hugo Weasley.

Early Life
Little is known about Hermione's life before she entered the wizarding world. She is the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Granger, who are both Muggle dentists. They are "quite ordinary" and "a bit bemused by their odd daughter but quite proud of her all the same".

Hermione was quite surprised when she learned in the summer of 1991 that she was a witch and was invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry beginning September of 1991. She eagerly accepted, and took to studying magic before she began her first year, even performing a few spells successfully.

Education
Hermione enjoyed her years as a pupil at Hogwarts, and took assignments, classes, and school rules very seriously. Her favorite subject was initally Charms, and later Arithmancy, and the only areas of study that gave her trouble were Flying and Divination. Some students, such as Terry Boot, wondered why Hermione was sorted into Gryffindor house rather than Ravenclaw, given her keen mind. Hermione admitted that the Sorting Hat did consider putting her in Ravenclaw, but she proved her rightful place in Gryffindor with her steadfast bravery and loyalty to her friends, Hogwarts, and Dumbledore's Army.

First Year
"Are you sure that's a real spell? Well, it's not very good is it? I've tried a few simple spells myself and they've all worked for me."

- Hermione upon first meeting Harry Potter and Ron Weasley

Hermione was a couple of weeks away from turning twelve when she boarded the Hogwarts Express in 1991, where she met Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley while helping Neville Longbottom find his pet toad, Trevor. Hermione demonstrated a knowledge and talent with magic beyond those of most her age, despite having only recently discovered that she was a witch. She soon proved to be the best in all her classes, eager to please the professors and to help others learn, albeit in a bossy way that made it difficult for her to make friends.

Hermione attached herself to Harry and Ron, following them around and trying to prevent them from breaking school rules and getting into trouble. On one night, she followed them as they were leaving Gryffindor Tower to duel Draco Malfoy. They were chased by Argus Filch into the third floor corridor — forbidden to students — where they came face-to-face with a three-headed dog. Later on, she argued that her spying was to their benefit when she pointed out the dog had been standing on a trap door, which Harry and Ron hadn't noticed.

The friendship between the three was solidified when, on Halloween in 1991, the three were forced to confront a mountain troll. Unaware that a troll was on the loose in the school, Hermione had spent that day crying in the girls' bathroom after overhearing Ron making unkind comments about her. Harry and Ron came to her rescue. When Professors Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape and Quirinus Quirrell arrived at the scene, Hermione covered for the boys, claiming she was fighting the troll because she had gained a great deal of knowledge about them through reading, and that they had merely come to help her escape. From that point on, the three students were best friends. "I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed — or worse, expelled."

- Hermione to Harry and Ron

During the events surrounding the attempted theft of the Philosopher's Stone, it was Hermione who freed Harry and Ron from a patch of Devil's Snare using a spell. She later got herself and Harry through a challenge involving a Potion Riddle. Hermione used her logic to figure out the riddle and let Harry go forward without her, as there was only enough potion for one person. Later, at the Farewell Feast in the Great Hall, Hermione, Harry, Ron and Neville were all awarded extra House Points for bravery and heroism, which won Gryffindor the House Cup.

Second Year
"And they haven't invented a spell that our Hermione can't do."

- Rubeus Hagrid

Prior to starting her second year, Hermione wrote several letters to Harry, all of which were intercepted by Dobby since the house-elf wanted Harry to believe that his friends had forgotten him so he would not want to go back to Hogwarts. She and her parents also accompanied Harry and the Weasley family to Diagon Alley to shop for school supplies.

It was during her second school year that Hermione first encountered the prejudice and hatred surrounding her blood purity, when Draco Malfoy called her a "filthy little Mudblood" after she told him off for insulting the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Hermione had never heard the highly offensive term before, but others present did and lashed out at Draco. Fred and George Weasley lunged at him, and Ron even tried to hex him, but it backfired, as his wand had been damaged. To help Hermione feel better about the incident, Hagrid urged her not to think about it, pointing out that she is a talented witch, regardless of what bigoted people say about her Muggle-born status.

Hermione surprised Harry and Ron with her obvious crush on Gilderoy Lockhart, who became that year's Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. In fact, she went as far as to doodle hearts on her D.A.D.A. assignments, not knowing until later that he was a self-obsessed fraud.

Hermione began spending all her free time in the Hogwarts Library after vandalism on the corridor walls indicated that the Chamber of Secrets was set to be re-opened. Hermione shocked everyone when she actually interrupted Professor Cuthbert Binns during a History of Magic lecture and asked him for information about it; this was the only known time when a student asked the boring professor a question and the class was interested in what he had to say. Hermione went even further by daring to check Moste Potente Potions out of the library using a note from Professor Lockhart, in the desire to research Polyjuice Potion. Hermione risked serious consequences when she stole potion ingredients from Professor Snape's cupboards and began brewing the potion on the second floor girls' lavatory.

Unfortunately, Hermione was unable to join Harry and Ron in the ruse with Polyjuice Potion because the Extract of The-Transfigured-Being-To-Be she obtained from Millicent Bulstrode during their scuffle in the Dueling Club was actually cat hair. Hermione grew fur and a tail, and was in the Hospital Wing for weeks. Harry and Ron, however, were able to use the potion she brewed to transform into Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe, respectively. They entered the Slytherin Common Room, and through conversation with Draco Malfoy, realised that he was not the Heir of Slytherin and was not involved in the opening of the Chamber.

Just when she had been cured, Hermione suffered another accident. She had rushed to the library to research Basilisks, for she reasoned that must be the beast attacking students. She warned the first person she saw, Penelope Clearwater, and advised her to look around corners with a mirror before going anywhere. It saved both their lives, because they were both petrified when they spotted the basilisk's eyes through the mirror. Though she was petrified for the rest of the school year, Hermione was still able to assist Harry and Ron, for she had torn out the page on basilisks and scribbled on it, pipes. It was through this note that Harry and Ron were able to successfully put an end to Lord Voldemort's plans to resurrect his body through his Horcrux, an old school diary. Hermione was later cured with Mandrake Restorative Draught. She was also disappointed to learn that, as a special treat for the school, Professor Dumbledore cancelled the students' end of year exams.

That summer, Hermione went on holiday to France with her parents.

Third Year
"P-P-Professor McGonagall! Sh-she said I'd failed everything!"

- Hermione faces her Boggart

Just prior to beginning the 1993 school year, Hermione met and adopted a part-Kneazle cat named Crookshanks from the Magical Menagerie. However, her new bond with her cat caused friction with Ron and his pet rat Scabbers, as Crookshanks was always trying to catch the rat. Also at the beginning of this school year, Hermione obtained a Time-Turner from Professor McGonagall so she could double up on classes, though this was kept secret.

When Harry received a Firebolt for Christmas with no note, Hermione reported it to Professor McGonagall, thinking it was sent by Sirius Black, whom everyone believed to be a dangerous murderer who was after Harry. His broom was taken away to be inspected, which caused a temporary rift between the two friends. There was further social strain for Hermione when Ron accused Crookshanks of eating Scabbers, who had gone missing. Hermione poured herself into defending Buckbeak, the hippogriff on trial for attacking Draco Malfoy during a Care of Magical Creatures class. She worked furiously to save Buckbeak, eventually with Harry and Ron's assistance once the trio reconciled, but their attempt failed, as Lucius Malfoy frightened the committee into deciding that the creature would be executed. Hermione was extremely upset by this news, and furious to the point of slapping Draco when he mocked Hagrid for being upset about Buckbeak's fate. That year, Hermione was also among the students who found Remus Lupin to be an excellent Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. Hermione cleverly deduced that Professor Lupin was a werewolf, based on his Boggart taking the form of a full moon, the timing of his unexplained absences from class, and Professor Snape changing a lesson he took over to the subject of werewolves. However, Hermione did not expose Lupin, presumably because she believed he was a good teacher and did not agree with the prejudice many hold against werewolves. Divination, on the other hand, turned out to be a subject Hermione had no respect for or interest in, and soon dropped.

Hermione, Harry and Ron all witnessed what they thought was Buckbeak's execution, but before they could return to their dormitory, they were attacked by a black dog, which pulled Ron into a cavity beneath the Whomping Willow. Hermione and Harry hurried after them, but got caught up in a battle against the tree, but eventually they found a tunnel that led to the Shrieking Shack, where Sirius Black, whose Animagus form was the black dog, confronted them. They were joined by Professor Lupin, and Hermione told Harry and Ron of her belief that he was a werewolf, which he confirmed. It was revealed that Sirius had been framed for the betrayal of James and Lily Potter, and that the true traitor was Peter Pettigrew, who had hidden in his rat Animagus form as Scabbers.

Chaos ensued, ending when Harry fainted in the presence of a Dementor, come to recapture Sirius. He awoke in the Hospital Wing after being rescued by a mysterious, unseen person. After realizing that Sirius's soul was to be destroyed by the Dementor's Kiss, Hermione used her Time-Turner to return herself and Harry to a time earlier in the evening. They used this opportunity to rescue not only Sirius, but Buckbeak as well. As evidenced by her assertion that time-traveling is extremely treacherous, Hermione took great personal risk to save Sirius and Buckbeak. At the end of the year Hermione returned her Time-Turner, claiming it caused too much trouble and that she would drop a few subjects instead.

Fourth Year
"You know, house-elves get a very raw deal! It’s slavery, that’s what it is! That Mr. Crouch made her go up to the top of the stadium, and she was terrified, and he's got her bewitched so she can't even run when they start trampling tents! Why doesn't anyone do something about it?"

- Hermione begins her campaign for the better treatment of house-elves

Before her fourth year at Hogwarts, Hermione spent much of the summer holidays at the Burrow with |Harry and Ron, sharing a room with Ginny Weasley. With the other Weasleys, they attended the 1994 Quidditch World Cup in August. After the game, the communal campsite was attacked by Death Eaters. Hermione, Harry, and Ron fled into the woods and witnessed the casting of Morsmordre.

Once at Hogwarts, Hermione began a crusade for the liberation of house-elves by beginning the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, having been appalled by Bartemius Crouch's abusive treatment of his house-elf Winky. This did not earn her any popularity, as most believe that house-elves enjoy their work; indeed, even the house-elves did not like her campaigning. Hermione learned how to knit socks and hats for the house-elves, and hid them in Gryffindor Tower. The elves found this attempt at freeing them insulting, and they stopped cleaning the Tower at all. Dobby, already a free elf, was the only one who enjoyed the gifts, took everything Hermione had made, and cleaned the Tower by himself. After the events surrounding Harry's name coming out of the Goblet of Fire, Hermione was the only student who believed Harry's innocence; in fact, she "accepted his story without question". Even Ron was suspicious that Harry had cheated in order to gain more glory, creating a rift between the two friends for some time. Hermione helped Harry for the Triwizard Tournament by teaching him useful spells, such as Stupefy, Impedimenta, and Accio, and tried to get Harry and Ron to talk to one another multiple times.

At this time, Hermione unknowingly attracted the interest of Durmstrang Triwizard Champion and Bulgaria International Seeker Viktor Krum for her intelligence, unconventional beauty, and the manner in which she declined to hound him for autographs, unlike other girls. Krum began following Hermione to the library and other places around Hogwarts, and even asked Harry if it was all right for him to pursue Hermione. He eventually asked her to attend the Yule Ball with him and she accepted, not telling anyone but Ginny Weasley. Thus, when the pair arrived, many were stunned and jealous. Hermione wore robes of "floaty, periwinkle-blue material," and her hair in an "elegant knot at the back of her head." The attention to her appearance was unusual and she received many positive remarks on it. Hermione commented that she had used Sleekeazy's Hair Potion, but that it was too much work to use it every day. Ron was overcome with jealousy of Krum, as he had wanted to attend the ball with Hermione but failed to ask her in time, and the two argued bitterly over it, though the row was not a prolonged one. Hermione was chosen as a "kidnap victim" for Krum during the Tournament's Second Task, something that she subsequently endured teasing over. She was taken to the bottom of the Black Lake to await rescue from Krum, who donned a half-shark Transfiguration. Krum managed to rescue her and carried her to the surface, where he revealed to her later that he "never felt this way about any other girl" and asked her to visit him in Bulgaria over the summer.

Rita Skeeter, a journalist for the Daily Prophet and unregistered Animagus, was hiding in beetle form in Hermione's hair during this conversation. Hermione had previously told Skeeter off for printing horrible lies about Harry and Rubeus Hagrid, angering the journalist, who wrote a scathing article on the "the devious Miss Granger", claiming that she was toying with both Harry and Krum's affections and possibly brewing love potions. Although Hermione found the lies ridiculous, some people believed them and started sending Hermione hate mail, and even Molly Weasley treated her coldly until Harry corrected her. Hermione found this irritating and vowed to get revenge on Skeeter for her libel.

On the ride home on the Hogwarts Express, Hermione happily revealed she uncovered Skeeter's status as an unregistered Animagus and trapped her in a jar. She kept Skeeter from writing for a year by threatening to expose her to the authorities. She single-handedly drove Skeeter into poverty, gaining revenge for the pain caused to Harry and her other friends. However, with the return of Lord Voldemort and the murder of Cedric Diggory at the end of the school year, there were much more serious challenges ahead for Hermione and her friends.

Fifth Year


The Ministry of Magic refused to accept Harry and Albus Dumbledore's claims that Lord Voldemort had returned following the death of Cedric Diggory, and the Daily Prophet labeled them either liars or nutters. However, Hermione and Ron believed Harry and defended him against the criticism of doubtful classmates. They also became underage members of the reconvened Order of the Phoenix. Hermione helped exterminate Number 12, Grimmauld Place, which served as headquarters for the Order, and was immensely relieved when Harry was acquitted of the charge of having used underage magic. Also before returning to Hogwarts, she and Ron learned that they had been appointed Prefects for Gryffindor house and recieved badges.

Once the school year had started, it wasn't long before Hermione realised that the Ministry of Magic had decided to interfere at Hogwarts. Dolores Umbridge, a foul Ministry worker, was appointed as the new professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts. She refused to teach students practical defence, focusing only on theory. With this being the case, Hermione decided that Hogwarts needed a competent teacher and, together with Harry and Ron, founded Dumbledore's Army, a secret organisation in which students would gather after classes and be taught practical defensive spells. One of the many spells Hermione learned was the Patronus Charm; hers took the form of an otter. Hermione also became one of the few people brave enough to call Voldemort by his actual name. In an effort to combat the lies being told about Harry, Hermione also arranged for an interview with Rita Skeeter to be printed in The Quibbler telling his side of the story. Despite being banned, it became the magazine's best-selling article of all time.

It was Hermione's brilliant spell-work that ensured the security of Dumbledore's Army. She created coins enchanted with the Protean Charm, an advanced spell, as a method of communication, and jinxed the club's attendance sheet to give any tattler a horrendous rash on the face, which would spell out "SNEAK" in painful boils. This is exactly what happened to Marietta Edgecombe later in the year. Hermione was not exposed at that time, but later she was brought to Umbridge's office by the Inquisitorial Squad.

Just after their class took their O.W.L.s, Harry had a vision of his godfather being tortured by Voldemort in the Department of Mysteries. Hermione worried that it was a trap, and convinced Harry to try to contact Sirius before doing anything rash. To that end, they snuck into Dolores Umbridge's office to use the Floo Network, with the assistance of Ron, Ginny Weasley, and Luna Lovegood, but were ultimately caught. When Umbridge threatened to use the Cruciatus Curse on Harry during questioning, Hermione interceded, coming up with a lie about what she and her fellow D.A. members had been planning. She successfully lured Umbridge into the Forbidden Forest, where the toad-like villain was carried off by a herd of Centaurs. Hermione had predicted that the Centaurs would let her and Harry go, since they did not insult the Centaurs and were young enough to be considered "foals". However, the Centaurs were already enraged by Umbridge and were further angered when Hermione admitted that she had hoped that they would drive Umbridge off. They were about to carry the two students off as well, but Grawp stumbled onto the scene and a fight broke out between the giant and the herd. This allowed Hermione and Harry to escape and meet up with Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Neville, who had escaped from the Inquisitorial Squad. The six students flew on Thestrals to the Ministry of Magic to try to save Sirius. Hermione's fear turned out to be justified, as Harry's vision was a ruse designed to lure him to the Ministry to obtain a prophecy Voldemort sought. As soon as Harry did this, the six D.A. members were surrounded by Death Eaters, and a battle ensued. Hermione stunned Nott when he grabbed Harry, thus freeing him and causing Nott to be injured by the collapsing shelves of prophecies. She later stunned another Death Eater and silenced Antonin Dolohov before he could alert the other Death Eaters to the group's location. She was critically injured by the curse Dolohov subsequently struck her with, but made a full recovery.

Hermione was challenged in more ways than one that year when she met Luna Lovegood, whose belief in many things without logical grounds baffled Hermione. However, the two became friends after accepting one another's differences.

Sixth Year
Hermione achieved high academic prestige when she obtained ten O.W.L.s, in Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy, History of Magic, Herbology, Astronomy, Potions, and Ancient Runes. She received 'Outstanding' marks on each of them, except Defence Against the Dark Arts, in which she received an 'Exceeds Expectations', which she dwelled upon; Ron found it amusing that she actually seemed disappointed by this.

Hermione and Ron's relationship suffered greatly in their sixth year. Ron became envious when both Hermione and Harry were invited to be members of the Slug Club, a group of students favoured by Potions professor Horace Slughorn, while he was ignored. He was mollified when Hermione asked if he wanted to attend Slughorn's Christmas party with her, and the two seemed on their way to a romantic relationship. However, in an argument with his sister, Ginny humiliated Ron about his inexperience with the opposite sex and told him that Hermione had kissed Viktor Krum during their earlier romance. Ron subsequently began treating Hermione coldly, much to her bewilderment. He became even angrier with her when she believed that Harry slipped Ron Felix Felicis to assist in his Quidditch-playing abilities, despite having believed it initially himself, accusing her of having no faith in him when it was discovered that he had not been slipped the potion at all.

All of this culminated in Ron beginning a very public relationship with fellow Gryffindor student Lavender Brown. Hermione was so furious that she conjured a flock of canaries to attack Ron when she discovered this, and the two ceased being on speaking terms. Hermione fought back by attending the aforementioned Christmas party with Cormac McLaggen, an older Gryffindor that Ron despised. It backfired when Hermione found McLaggen extremely irritating and not at all a gentleman. However, she still declined to go to the Burrow for the Christmas Holidays. Afterwards, Ron — who was relieved that Hermione and McLaggen's date did not go well and who was growing discontent in his relationship with Lavender — attempted to speak to Hermione, but she ignored him.

The two reconciled after Ron was hospitalized due to consuming poisonous mead, an event that left Hermione shaken. By this time, Ron was visibly disillusioned with his relationship with Lavender, who had become possessive of him and called him by the annoying nickname "Won-Won". He also muttered Hermione's name in his sleep while in the hospital wing. He began avoiding Lavender, who soon became suspicious of his relationship with Hermione, ultimately leading to an argument and her breaking up with him. Afterwards, Hermione and Ron were more comfortable together, and their relationship improved considerably. Hermione comforted Ron after he failed his Apparition test because he Splinched an eyebrow, while he teased her about the instructor's praise for her flawless performance. That year, Hermione also mastered nonverbal magic.

Throughout the year, she and Ron were both skeptical of Harry's claims that Draco Malfoy had taken the Dark Mark and was up to something, and Hermione also strongly disapproved of Harry using the textbook of the "Half-Blood Prince" to get ahead in Potions unfairly, though she did not turn him in. She was particularly alarmed by the increasingly Dark nature of the magic in the book, such as the spell Sectumsempra. Near the end of the school year, Harry's suspicions would be proven right. Malfoy let Death Eaters into the school, resulting in the the Battle of the Astronomy Tower. Hermione fought in the battle and remained unscathed thanks to some Felix Felicis, which Harry forced her, Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna to drink beforehand.

During the funeral of Albus Dumbledore, Hermione was comforted by Ron. Afterwards, Harry told them about the existence of the Horcruxes, which were the key to defeating Lord Voldemort. Despite his protests, Hermione and Ron promised to forego their seventh year of school in order to assist Harry.

Searching for Horcruxes
Hermione began planning for her journey with Harry and Ron immediately. She summoned books about Horcruxes from Dumbledore's office so as to learn how to destroy the items. Concerned for the safety of her family, she altered her parents' memories and sent them to hide in Australia, no longer aware of their original identities, the existence of their daughter, or anything she had told them about Harry.

Battle over Little Whinging
Hermione then joined with the Order of the Phoenix in the operation to remove Harry from Number 4, Privet Drive before his seventeenth birthday, taking Polyjuice Potion to become one of the "seven Potters". Hermione flew on a Thestral with Kingsley Shacklebolt. The two fought off at least five Death Eaters, possibly killing one, and were pursued by Lord Voldemort himself at one point. In time, they arrived safely at the Burrow, where Hermione was immensely relieved to see Ron and Harry safe, and saddened by the news of Alastor Moody's murder.

Later on, Minister for Magic Rufus Scrimgeour interrupted Harry's birthday celebrations to give certain personal items of Albus Dumbledore to the three friends. Hermione received The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a book of children's stories written in runes. Even before Hermione understood the priceless quality of the gift, she was moved to tears by Dumbledore's great act of friendship. During the reading of Dumbledore's will, she also displayed her incredible store of general knowledge when she mentioned that "Snitches have flesh memories", to the bewilderment of Ron and Harry, who had both believed her knowledge of Quidditch to be negligible.

At Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour's wedding on August 1, 1997, Hermione wore a "floaty, lilac-coloured dress with matching high heels" and made her hair "sleek and shiny". She was amused by George and Fred's stories about their late uncle Bilius, and shared a friendly exchange with Viktor Krum, to the frustration of Ron, who quickly asked her to dance. When Krum asked a disguised Harry whether the two were together, Harry replied "Er...sort of".

Escape from the Burrow
The wedding was interrupted by a warning from Kingsley Shacklebolt of the fall of the Ministry of Magic to the Death Eaters. Hermione was prepared to make a quick escape, immediately Disapparating herself, Harry, and Ron away from the danger. Hermione also showed great foresight and magical talent when she revealed a small beaded purse on which she had placed an Undetectable Extension Charm. Within it she had packed, amongst other things, clothing, a tent, healing supplies, Harry's Invisibility Cloak, and several useful books.

However, the trio unknowingly triggered the Taboo curse that was placed on Voldemort's name and were thus tracked down by Antonin Dolohov and Thorfinn Rowle to Tottenham Court Road. After a brief but violent skirmish, the Death Eaters were subdued, and Hermione modified their memories to throw them off the scent and to maintain Ron's cover story: that he was sick with spattergroit and bedridden at home. The three then made their way safely to Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

Infiltration of the Ministry of Magic
After learning from Mundungus Fletcher that Dolores Umbridge had Salazar Slytherin's locket, one of the seven Horcruxes, in her possession, the trio formed a plan to infiltrate the Ministry and reclaim the locket. Hermione imbibed Polyjuice Potion and transformed to look like Mafalda Hopkirk, a prominent Ministry official. She was forced to sit through the trials of Alderton and Mary Cattermole, innocent Muggle-borns, right alongside Umbridge and Death Eater Yaxley. Hermione tricked Umbridge into telling her about the locket, which she claimed was a Selwyn family heirloom.

When Harry attacked Umbridge in a rage, their cover was blown, but she and Harry managed to free the Muggle-born prisoners and encouraged them to flee the country while Voldemort was in power. Hermione took the locket from Umbridge, replacing it with a copy. They met up with Ron again and fled the Ministry, though Yaxley grabbed onto Hermione's arm while they were Disapparating. This forced Hermione to use a Revulsion Jinx on him, and then to take the trio away from Grimmauld Place.

Godric's Hollow
The locket caused great pain among the three friends due to the negative energy within. They began arguing over petty issues such as cooking, and growing moodier. This culminated in an argument between Harry and Ron, in which Ron accused Harry of not knowing what he was doing. The two drew their wands, but Hermione cast a Shield Charm between them before they could strike each other. Ron then left, accusing Hermione of choosing Harry over him when she decided to stay. Hermione tried to follow Ron to convince him to return, but was impeded by her own shield. By the time she got rid of it, all she could do was scream for him to come back, without success. Hermione then cried for more than a week after Ron's departure, although she tried to hide it from Harry. Both were saddened and hurt by their friend's departure.

Hermione and Harry soon decided to go to Godric's Hollow to see the graves of Harry's parents and to speak to historian Bathilda Bagshot, whom they believed might be holding onto Godric Gryffindor's Sword for Harry. Hermione comforted Harry in the graveyard, and conjured roses for the Potters' graves. The pair then went to Bathilda's house, where they were attacked by Nagini, who had been waiting for them in the guise of the old woman, whose corpse had been animated like an Inferius by Voldemort. Hermione rushed to Harry's aid, and the two of them barely escaped before Voldemort himself arrived.

Hermione Apparated to the Forest of Dean, while Harry was overcome with pain and visions of Voldemort’s attack on his parents and him in 1981. She used a Severing Charm to remove the locket from Harry and healed the bite Nagini had given him with Dittany. Harry’s wand had also been broken in the foray, most likely by the Blasting Curse Hermione cast at Nagini. He was heartbroken, but not angry with her, knowing that it was an accident and that Hermione had saved his life.

Ron's Return and the Ambush at the Lovegood House
Harry and Hermione were reunited with Ron in the Forest of Dean, after Ron heard them talking through the Deluminator Dumbledore had left to him. Ron destroyed the locket Horcrux with Godric Gryffindor's Sword, saving Harry's life and thus receiving forgiveness from him for leaving. Before he destroyed it, however, the locket revealed some of Ron's deepest fears, including that Hermione preferred Harry to him. Hermione, however, was unaware of this, as she had been in the tent while this occurred. Upon seeing Ron returned, she screamed at and punched him until Harry cast a Shield Charm between them with Hermione's wand. She was furious with Ron for days for his abandonment, but gradually warmed up to him again.

The trio then traveled together to Xenophilius Lovegood's home to ask him about the strange symbol in The Tales of Beedle the Bard. They had thought it to be the sign of the Dark Wizard Gellert Grindelwald, but Xenophilius informed them it was the symbol of the Deathly Hallows.

Shortly after making this discovery, the three friends realised that Luna Lovegood wasn't at home, despite it being the Christmas Holidays, and had been away for a long time. Xenophilius revealed to them that Luna had been taken prisoner by Death Eaters and that he planned to betray them in order to get her back. However, in attempting to capture them, Xenophilius made the Erumpent horn in his living room (which he had insisted was a Snorknack horn, much to Hermione's annoyance) explode, giving the trio the chance to hide just as Death Eaters Selwyn and Travers arrived. They threatened to kill Luna if they found that Xenophilius had lied about Harry Potter's presence in his home. In a remarkable show of mental and magical dexterity, Hermione concocted the trio's escape while safeguarding Ron's feigned illness and allowing the Death Eaters to glimpse Harry, so that they would not carry out their threat to kill Luna.

Battle of Malfoy Manor
In the spring of 1998, Hermione, Harry, and Ron were tracked down and captured by a group of Snatchers, which included the werewolf Fenrir Greyback, who was eager to bite Hermione. They were brought to Malfoy Manor and turned over to Bellatrix Lestrange, who panicked at the sight of Godric Gryffindor's sword. She gave away that the sword and another Horcrux were hidden in her vault at Gringotts in her panic, and proceeded to isolate Hermione and torture her with the Cruciatus Curse repeatedly as an interrogation method. Ron, who had tried to take her place unsuccessfully, was reduced to sobs by hearing Hermione scream in pain. Hermione, however, would not be crushed, and came up with a story that the sword was merely a copy of the real thing, a lie that Harry persuaded the imprisoned goblin Griphook to go along with.

While Hermione was tortured into unconsciousness, Dobby came to the rescue of the prisoners in the dungeon. Harry and Ron fought off Peter Pettigrew before racing upstairs to save Hermione and Griphook. They were forced to drop their wands when Bellatrix held a knife to Hermione's throat, but Dobby returned and sent the chandelier crashing to the floor, enabling Harry and Ron to grab wands and Disapparate with Hermione, Griphook, and Dobby to Shell Cottage, where Bill and Fleur took up residence after their marriage. Unfortunately, Dobby was killed during this escape.

Gringotts Break-In
Hermione, Harry, and Ron stayed at Shell Cottage for some time, where Fleur helped Hermione recover from her trauma. The trio formed a plan to break into the Lestrange vault at Gringotts to retrieve the Horcrux Helga Hufflepuff's Cup, with the reluctant assistance of Griphook. The goblin only agreed to help them in exchange for Gryffindor's Sword; although loath to lose it, Hermione was strongly against deceiving or double-crossing Griphook, who was startled by the care she and Harry had shown for house-elves, since most wizards do not think highly of non-human beings. The trio reluctantly agreed to Griphook's terms.

Once more, Hermione used Polyjuice Potion, combined with Bellatrix's hair. She was also forced to use Bellatrix's wand, as her wand had been confiscated by Snatchers, which she very much disliked. It was determined that Hermione was "too polite" to really impersonate Bellatrix, but the group managed to get into the vault. After many harrowing challenges, and Griphook betraying them out of a belief that they would not have kept to their agreement, Hermione, Ron and Harry escaped on the back of the dragon that was guarding the vault, with another Horcrux in their possession.

Battle of Hogwarts


The trio finally returned to Hogwarts on May 2, 1998, with the assistance of Aberforth Dumbledore. They were reunited with their friends in the re-formed Dumbledore's Army, who declared their wish to fight the encroaching Death Eater army. While Harry and Luna Lovegood went to Ravenclaw Tower, Hermione and Ron retrieved Basilisk fangs from the Chamber of Secrets in order to use them to destroy Horcruxes, and Hermione destroyed Hufflepuff's Cup.

Soon after reuniting with Harry, Ron expressed concern for the house-elves in the Hogwarts kitchens, causing Hermione to abandon all pretext of indifference and kiss him. Ron responded with great enthusiasm, but they quickly broke apart when Harry reminded them of their objective. The trio then entered the Room of Requirement in search for Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem, but were ambushed by Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle, and Vincent Crabbe. Hermione dodged a Killing Curse and managed to stun Goyle, and then she and Ron dragged him out of the room on broomstick as it went up in flames due to Crabbe's cursed fire, which also destroyed the Horcrux. Harry, Hermione and Ron then witnessed the death of Fred Weasley, which devastated them all.

Despite their grief, the trio continued with the effort to track down Nagini, another Horcrux. On their way, Hermione incapacitated two Death Eaters who were pursuing her, Harry and Ron, and blasted Fenrir Greyback away from an injured Lavender Brown, likely saving the other girl's life. The trio was swarmed by Dementors and all had difficulty summoning their Patronuses because of the horror of their recent experiences, but Luna Lovegood, Ernie Macmillan and Seamus Finnigan came to their assistance. Under Harry's Invisibility Cloak, the three made their way to the Shrieking Shack, where they witnessed Voldemort have Nagini kill Severus Snape.

During the brief pause in fighting, when Voldemort issued an ultimatum to Harry, Hermione comforted Ginny Weasley over her brother's death. When Lord Voldemort and his army approached with a supposedly dead Harry, Hermione screamed in horror and denial. The Battle of Hogwarts soon resumed, and Hermione fought Bellatrix Lestrange alongside Ginny and Luna, despite being hindered by using Bellatrix's own wand against her. When Bellatrix nearly killed Ginny, Molly Weasley took over the fight and killed Bellatrix. Hermione witnessed Harry's final defeat of Lord Voldemort, and she and Ron reached him first, overjoyed. Hermione survived the battle relatively unscathed, only suffering minor injuries and burns she recieved from entering the Lestrange's Vault shortly before the battle.

Legacy
In 1998, Hermione went back to Hogwarts to attain her N.E.W.Ts. She was the only one of the trio to do this. By 2017, Hermione and Ron were married with two children: Rose and Hugo Weasley. Hermione is also the godmother of Harry and Ginny's oldest child, James. On September 1, 2017, Hermione and Ron brought their children to King's Cross Station to see Rose off for her first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and met Harry, Ginny, and their three children there.

Hermione attained a high position in the Ministry of Magic, first through the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. There, she continued her work with S.P.E.W., working for the rights of underprivileged non-humans such as house-elves. She then went on to attain a high position in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, eradicating the old laws biased in favour of pure-bloods. Along with Harry and Ron, she helped to revolutionize the Ministry and reform the wizarding world. At some point, Hermione, Harry and Ron were all featured on Chocolate Frog Cards for their accomplishments.

Hermione also eventually translated The Tales of Beedle the Bard from the original, which was written in runes and which Albus Dumbledore bequeathed to her in his will in 1997. Her new translation was published at some point and included notes on each tale written by Dumbledore before his death; these notes were lent to Hermione by her former professor, Hogwarts headmistress Minerva McGonagall.

Physical Description
"She looks beautiful!"

- Parvati Patil upon seeing Hermione at the Yule Ball

Hermione has bushy brown hair, a bossy sort of voice, and brown eyes. As a youngster, she had rather large front teeth, prompting insults from students such as Pansy Parkinson, who once compared her to a chipmunk. Hermione had Nurse Poppy Pomfrey magically shrink them in 1994 after she was accidentally struck with a Densaugeo spell, making it unnecessary for her to receive the braces her parents had originally intended for her. When she was very angry, "her hair seemed to crackle with electricity" and her voice would become slightly shrill.

Hermione never gave much attention to her appearance, except when she used great care in fixing her hair for the Yule Ball using Sleekeazy's Hair Potion, which she later remarked was too much work to use every day. Many of her fellow students were stunned by how pretty Hermione looked that evening. She keeps her hair long, as it was once described it as a "long mane of brown hair", and sometimes ties it back in a plait.

She is implied to be relatively plain in her younger years, but becomes quite attractive in her late teens. Hermione received positive attention for her appearance from Ron Weasley and Viktor Krum at the wedding of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour, from a group of drunk Muggle men at Tottenham Court Road, and, disturbingly, from Fenrir Greyback.

Personality and Traits
Hermione is noted for being extremely intelligent and hard-working, coming out on top in most of her classes and continuously helping Ron, Harry, and Neville Longbottom with their schoolwork. She was given a Time-Turner in her third year to facilitate her taking many more courses than most students. She was so adept at school work at that she often had time to do hobby work on the side, such as preparing a defence for Buckbeak to save him from execution, and creating S.P.E.W., an organisation promoting the freedom of house-elves. Such acts demonstrate Hermione’s social conscience, tenacity, and compassion.

Unlike most wizards who depend solely on their magical ability, Hermione readily relies on logic. Although this often helps her cleverly deduce information that many others miss, such as Remus Lupin's lycanthropy, Hermione's emphasis on logic also makes her skeptical about accepting anything without proof. For example, she was not open-minded about the existence of the Deathly Hallows, refusing to believe in them until there was solid evidence. Hermione often acts as the voice of reason among her more impulsive friends, to varying levels of success, and is reluctant to break rules unless it is necessary in pursuit of something more important, such as when she suggested brewing Polyjuice Potion in order to investigate the Chamber of Secrets, which was breaking "about fifty school rules" by her own admission. Hermione is not afraid to stand up to her friends when she thinks it is in their best interests or when she feels they are wrong; she risked angering Harry by getting his Firebolt confiscated because she feared it might be jinxed, and argued with both him and Ginny over his use of the Dark Sectumsempra spell. Hermione is very determined and focused, in that she "always keeps her attention focused on the job that must be done". Hermione's strong will was also demonstrated by her refusal to break under torture, when Bellatrix Lestrange inflicted the Cruciatus Curse on her repeatedly in 1998.

Because of her intelligence and her opinionated nature, Hermione has the reputation for being a bossy know-it-all. However, her sometimes abrasive confidence masks her insecurities and great fear of failure, as personified by her Boggart. Hermione feels the need to prove herself, perhaps partly because of how many people in wizarding society look down on Muggle-borns. She does not let anyone bully her about this, however, and stands up to bigots like Draco Malfoy who taunt her with the derogatory epithet "Mudblood". She also became one of the few people to call Voldemort by name in her fifth year.

Hermione demonstrates her bravery many times during her adventures with Harry and Ron, though she initially showed a tendency toward mild panic in the face of sudden danger, which she eventually overcame. She is extremely loyal to her friends, fiercely defending them if they are insulted and willing to risk her life to help them. She also gave them advice rather often, such as in trying to make Harry understand Cho Chang’s behaviour on their date, and in helping Ginny deal with her crush on Harry ; this once prompted Ron to advise her to write a book to translate all the "mad things" girls do so that boys could understand them. Hermione is quite blunt with her opinions, sometimes to the point of not being very tactful; for example, her attempt to comfort Lavender Brown about the death of her rabbit did not go over well, and her honesty when dealing with Centaurs in 1996 nearly landed her and Harry in serious trouble. Despite this, Hermione is generally sensitive to others' emotions, and will lie when she has to, though she is not a skilled liar, as demonstrated by her ability to trick Dolores Umbridge in 1996 by coming up with a convincing story, but inability to fake crying in order to be more persuasive.

Hermione also tends to be rather argumentative, a trait most evident in her interactions with Ron. Although she is generally not as short-tempered as her friends, she has displayed a formidable one on several occasions, such as slapping Draco Malfoy in defence of Hagrid, blackmailing Rita Skeeter as revenge for her libel of Hermione and her friends in the press , sabotaging Cormac McLaggen's tryout as a Keeper for the Gryffindor Quidditch team after he insulted Ron and Ginny, and conjuring a flock of canaries to attack Ron in their sixth year.

Magical Abilities and Skills
"You're the cleverest witch of your age I've ever met, Hermione."

- Remus Lupin

Hermione proved to be a witch of exceptional skill and talent. Even prior to beginning her education at Hogwarts, she practiced some simple spells, which all worked. Professor Remus Lupin, who taught Defence Against the Dark Arts in her third year at Hogwarts, claimed that Hermione was the cleverest witch of her age he had ever met ; a notable remark, considering that Remus once shared classes with the outstandingly talented Lily Evans and Bellatrix Lestrange during his days as a Hogwarts student. Hermione is considered a "borderline genius".

Magical Mastery: At Hogwarts, Hermione was usually the first to master any spell, and was capable of using spells beyond her educational level. She earned ten O.W.L.s: nine "Outstandings", and one "Exceeds Expectations", in Defence Against the Dark Arts. Harry Potter was the strongest student in that subject, but even Harry acknowledged that Hermione was "the best in our year", and repeatedly admires her spellwork.

Nonverbal Magic: Hermione became highly skilled at nonverbal magic in her sixth year, being the first to succeed at it in her Defence Against the Dark Arts class and quickly becoming "so good at non-verbal incantations that she did not need to say the words aloud" for a wide variety of spells.

"You're a little scary sometimes, you know that. Brilliant. But scary."

- Ron Weasley to Hermione

Spell Creation: Hermione has also proven capable of inventing spells, a rare and very advanced skill, as she seems to have invented the Four-Point Spell for Harry’s use during the Triwizard Tournament. Also, she created a jinx that she placed on the parchment signed by all D.A. members to detect and punish any traitors. Dueling Skill: Hermione has demonstrated her fighting ability on numerous occasions, showing remarkable dueling skill for her age. Although she was incapacitated relatively early in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, Hermione removed two Death Eaters from the fight in that short time, and fully recovered from a potentially fatal curse. By the time she accompanied Ron and Harry on the search for the Horcruxes, her spell-work was swifter than opponents such as Mundungus Fletcher and at least two Death Eaters. She defeated Antonin Dolohov and Gregory Goyle, defended Harry from Nagini, repelled Yaxley when he forcibly Disapparated with her, and blasted Fenrir Greyback away from an injured Lavender Brown. She also held her own against Bellatrix Lestrange, despite being handicapped by using Bellatrix's own wand against her. Hermione also had very fast reflexes when it came to wandwork; for instance, she drew her wand and placed a Shield Charm between Harry and Ron when they were quarreling before either of them could even draw their wands in 1997, and when the trio was spotted by Death Eaters during the Battle of Hogwarts, she was the first to react, sending them to safety. Hermione was also able to magically manipulate objects around herself to incapacitate or evade others. Her dueling style is creative and unpredictable, mixing non-combat spells along with more conventional combative spells to overcome her opponents.

Charms Expert: Until she began studying Arithmancy in her third year, Hermione's favourite subject was Charms, in which she achieved an “Outstanding” O.W.L.. Her array of protective charms defended her, Harry, and Ron for almost a year while they were searching for Voldemort's Horcruxes. This is impressive, considering that far more experienced wizards were captured within months. She also enchanted her small handbag with an Undetectable Extension Charm to allow her to carry more items in the bag than physically allowed, which allowed her, Harry and Ron to survive the months spent out in the open. Hermione also managed to cast the Memory Charm successfully multiple times after having only read the theory behind it, although even very powerful wizards such as Bartemius Crouch Sr. have difficulty with it when they have not been trained. Hermione's Memory Charms on Antonin Dolohov and Thorfinn Rowle held even when they were subjected to the Cruciatus Curse.

Skilled Potioneer: Hermione was able to brew Polyjuice Potion, an advanced and difficult potion, in only her second year for her, Harry and Ron to find the truth about the Chamber of Secrets from Draco Malfoy by disguising themselves as his friends. She achieved an "Outstanding" on her Potions O.W.L. and is able to identify potions and their effects quickly after having only read about them.

Transfiguration Adept: Hermione seems to be particularly talented at Transfiguration. She was the first in her class to succeed at transfiguring a needle into a match in her first lesson, and long before any of the other students and earned an “Outstanding” in her O.W.L. in the subject. Hermione is very skilled at conjuration, an advanced type of transfiguration; for example, in her sixth year, she was able to conjure and control a flock of canaries, and by the next year, she could conjure a wreath of flowers nonverbally. Harry Potter once noted that Hermione was particularly adept at conjuring Bluebell Flames.

Harry Potter
"I love her like a sister and I reckon she feels the same way about me. It’s always been like that."

- Harry Potter about Hermione in 1998

Hermione became friends with Harry Potter after he and Ron Weasley saved her from a Mountain Troll in their first year. They tended to get along well, though Harry occasionally became irritated with Hermione’s nagging and she sometimes felt he took Ron’s side when she was fighting with their other best friend. However, their only notable row was over Hermione getting Harry’s Firebolt confiscated in their third year, because she felt it might be a trap. Harry and Ron reconciled with Hermione after Hagrid scolded them for their treatment of her. Shortly afterwards, Hermione led Harry through time-travel, and together they rescued Sirius Black and Buckbeak; Hermione breaking the rules of using her Time-Turner, something she admitted was incredibly dangerous, demonstrate the strength of her friendship with Harry. The following year, Hermione was the only student who believed Harry when he told her he had not put his name in the Goblet of Fire, and spent much of the Triwizard Tournament teaching Harry useful spells and trying to reconcile him and Ron.

Hermione is very loyal to Harry, helping him with everything from fighting Death Eaters to school work, and is fiercely protective of him; for example, she snapped at Lavender Brown for doubting Harry's contention that Voldemort had returned and interceded when Dolores Umbridge threatened to use the Cruciatus Curse on Harry, coming up with a lie that eventually freed them from Umbridge and the Inquisitorial Squad. She stuck by Harry even when Ron, his other best friend and her romantic interest, temporarily left them during the search for the Horcruxes and asked her to go with him.

Others, including Cho Chang, Viktor Krum, and even Ron, have occasionally mistaken Harry and Hermione's relationship for a romantic one, given their closeness and occasional expressions of affection, such as Hermione kissing Harry on the cheek after the Triwizard Tournament. But by Harry's description, they love each other like siblings ; notably, both are only children raised in the Muggle world. There was a brief time, when the two were alone together during the search for the Horcruxes, when Hermione and Harry experienced some "charged moments", and they shared something very intense that no one else was a part of. However, they ultimately remained committed to Ron and Ginny, respectively. Hermione and Harry remained close friends into adulthood, and eventually became in-laws. Hermione is also the godmother of Harry's eldest child.

Ron Weasley


Although their relationship would have many ups and downs, Hermione and Ron Weasley were good friends for most of their years at Hogwarts. They tended to bicker frequently, though neither seemed particularly bothered by this, often not understanding why others, Harry included, found it strange. They also had a habit of making each other blush, though both tried to hide this. Their first major falling-out was in their third year, when Ron accused Hermione’s pet cat Crookshanks of eating his pet rat Scabbers. Their relationship again suffered when Ron began dating Lavender Brown in 1996, though the two reconciled after Ron was accidentally poisoned, leaving Hermione shaken. Ron's relationship with Lavender ended soon after, and both he and Hermione were more content for it.

Hints of romantic feelings between the two could be seen as early as their second year, as Ron was particularly protective of Hermione and disgusted by her crush on Gilderoy Lockhart. During the Yule Ball in 1994, Hermione was affronted by Ron’s clumsy attempt to ask her to go with him, and Ron was jealous of her attendance with Viktor Krum; this jealousy would persist for years. In turn, Hermione was jealous of Ron's crush on Fleur Delacour, though expressed it in a subtler way.

By the summer of 1997, the two were closer than ever and "sort of" together, according to Harry. They danced together at Bill and Fleur's wedding and were generally kinder to one another. During the hunt for the Horcruxes, Ron comforted Hermione several times by putting his arm around her, and Harry believed that they might have fallen asleep holding hands. Hermione was extremely upset when Ron temporarily left her and Harry, crying often and absolutely furious with him when he returned. It was also revealed, through a vision caused by the locket Horcrux, that one of Ron's deepest fears was that Hermione preferred Harry to him. The two eventually made up, and Hermione initiated a kiss before the Battle of Hogwarts. The pair eventually married and had two children.

Neville Longbottom


Hermione was good friends with Neville Longbottom, though not to the same extent as with Harry and Ron. They met on the train to Hogwarts during their first year and she helped him search for his toad Trevor. Hermione helped Neville many times with their schoolwork, notably with Potions, as Professor Snape noted that she was often "hissing instructions in his ear". In their fourth year, Hermione noted Neville's horrified reaction to witnessing the Cruciatus Curse be performed on a spider by Professor Alastor Moody (actually Barty Crouch Jr), and shrieked for the teacher to stop. That same year, Neville asked Hermione to attend the Yule Ball with him, noting that she had "always been really nice", though she had already agreed to accompany Viktor Krum.

Hermione often fiercely defended Neville when others insulted him, and her friendship and support, as well as that of other D.A. members, likely contributed to Neville gradually gaining confidence and bravery.

Ginny Weasley


Ginny Weasley was probably Hermione's closest female friend. The two grew close when Hermione stayed in Ginny's room at the Burrow during her many summertime visits. Ginny was the only one Hermione told about being asked to the Yule Ball by Viktor Krum and about having kissed him at least once, while Hermione was the only one who knew that Ginny had been learning to fly in secret for years. She also gave Ginny advice about dealing with her feelings for Harry - advice that eventually led to the two dating. Hermione comforted Ginny after an encounter with Dementors upset her in 1993, and after the death of her brother Fred in 1998. The two eventually became sisters-in-law, and Hermione would be godmother to Ginny's oldest child, James.

Luna Lovegood


Although Hermione rarely saw eye-to-eye with Luna Lovegood due to their very different worldviews and beliefs, the two became friends through Dumbledore's Army. Hermione first met Luna on the Hogwarts Express in 1995; she insulted The Quibbler, but backtracked when Luna told her that her father was the editor. Hermione was frustrated with Luna's belief in all manner of things without proof or logical grounds, but eventually simply accepted their differences, telling Luna that her planned trip to Sweden in search of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks sounded lovely.

The following year, Luna comforted Hermione when she was upset over her lengthy row with Ron. Hermione was one of the five portraits Luna painted – along with Harry, Ron, Ginny and Neville – and hung from her bedroom ceiling, the word “friends” linking them in gold writing. When Xenophilius Lovegood attempted to turn Harry, Ron and Hermione over to Death Eaters in exchange for his daughter’s safety, Hermione engineered their escape so that the Death Eaters saw Harry briefly, thus ensuring that both Luna and her father were not harmed. Despite disagreeing with Luna on many things herself, Hermione defended her when others insulted her; for example, she tried to kick Ron for teasing Luna about Gurdyroots at the wedding of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour, and snapped at the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black for calling Luna an oddity.

Viktor Krum


Viktor Krum, a renowned professional Quidditch player and student of Durmstrang, came to Hogwarts in 1994 for the Triwizard Tournament, in which he was a Champion. He took to following Hermione into the library, watching her and trying to "pluck up the courage" to speak to her. Eventually, he asked her to be his date to the Yule Ball, and Hermione accepted. Their arrival together caused something of a stir, given Viktor's fame and Hermione's exceptional beauty.

Hermione acted as Viktor's "hostage" during the Second Task of the Tournament. After he pulled her from the lake, Viktor told Hermione that he had never felt about someone the way he felt about her, and invited her to visit him in Bulgaria over the summer. At some point, he and Hermione shared a kiss, but she never visited him in Bulgaria. The two kept in contact through letters over the years. They met again at the wedding of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour in 1997, where Viktor complimented Hermione and was disappointed to learn that she was "sort of" with Ron Weasley.

Draco Malfoy


Draco Malfoy, of an old and wealthy pure-blood family with Death Eater ties, was raised to believe in the inferiority of Muggle-borns, and thus treated Hermione with disdain. This was probably exacerbated by Hermione's friendship with Harry and Ron, who shared a strong enmity with Draco from virtually the moment they met, and her beating Draco in school marks, for which his father berated him. Draco frequently called Hermione the disparaging term "Mudblood", which usually set off the tempers of her friends — and the entire Gryffindor Quidditch team when he first said it to her face in 1992 — but Hermione tended to ignore Draco and urged Harry and Ron to do the same. Occasionally she would snap back at him, and in their third year, she even slapped him when he mocked Rubeus Hagrid for being upset over the impending execution of Buckbeak, which Draco was largely responsible for.

In spite of his prejudice and dislike toward Hermione, Draco was reluctant to confirm her identity when he was asked to do so by his parents and aunt Bellatrix in 1998, avoiding even looking at her. As an adult sobered by his wartime experiences, Draco was civil, if not friendly, towards Hermione and her friends.

Cormac McLaggen


Cormac McLaggen was a Gryffindor student one year above Hermione. The two became acquainted in 1996 through the Slug Club, of which they were both members, though Hermione did not think highly of McLaggen. When she overheard him insulting Ron and Ginny Weasley during Quidditch tryouts, Hermione struck him with the Confundus Charm, undermining his abilities as a Keeper. Later in the year, when Hermione was furious with Ron for dating Lavender Brown, she decided to attend Professor Slughorn’s Christmas party with McLaggen because she knew Ron despised him. McLaggen was apparently interested in Hermione, as he escorted her to the party and was very forward with her romantically while there. This, as well as his tendency to boast about himself, put Hermione off, and she soon abandoned him to speak to Harry and Luna and subsequently avoided the overzealous wizard.

Weasley family
Because of her friendships with Ron and Ginny Weasley, Hermione became friendly with the entire Weasley family. She spent a portion of many of her summer and Christmas Holidays at their home of the Burrow, and attended some family outings with them, such as shopping for school supplies in Diagon Alley and attending the 1994 Quidditch World Cup with them. Arthur Weasley was fascinated by the Muggle world and thus Hermione's background, and even invited Hermione's parents for a drink upon first meeting them. Molly Weasley was fond of Hermione, though she treated her coldly for a brief time after Rita Skeeter printed lies about Hermione toying with the hearts of Harry Potter and Viktor Krum, much to Hermione's bewilderment. After Harry explained that the stories were false, Mrs. Weasley once again warmed up to Hermione.

George and Fred Weasley seemed to regard Hermione and Harry almost like other younger siblings, teasing them as well as being protective of them. When Draco Malfoy called Hermione a "Mudblood" in 1992, the twins were outraged, and attempted to attack him. Although Hermione disapproved of some of their antics, trying to use her status as a Prefect to keep them in line, she still got on well with them. The only time she was notably angry with them was when they tested out their Skiving Snackboxes on unsuspecting first-year students; though the twins initially scoffed at her concerns and her ability to make them stop, they backed down when she threatened to tell their mother. However, Hermione still admired the cleverness and creativity of their spell work, once remarking that they could do some "extraordinary magic", which Fred was flattered enough by to offer Hermione material from their joke shop free of charge. Fred and George also tried to get Hermione to relax, joking around with her about things such as their late uncle Bilius’s penchant for making mischief at weddings. Hermione was not as close to the other Weasley siblings, though she was invited to Bill's wedding to Fleur Delacour in 1997.

With her marriage to Ron, Hermione became a part of the Weasley family herself.

Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil


Hermione’s roommates at Hogwarts were fellow Gryffindors Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. While Lavender and Parvati swiftly became best friends, Hermione was not very close to either of them. Although the girls did not dislike each other, they had very different interests and sometimes clashed as a result. For example, Hermione scorned Divination, Lavender and Parvati’s favourite subject, and accidentally upset Lavender with her clumsy attempt to comfort her over the death of her rabbit. Hermione was also angry with Lavender for doubting Harry Potter's assertion that Lord Voldemort had returned in 1995 and snapped at her about it. In their sixth year, Hermione was jealous and upset by Lavender’s romance with Ron Weasley, though most of her anger seems to have been directed at Ron, perhaps indicating that Lavender was initially unaware of Hermione’s feelings for him. Eventually, however, Lavender started to become suspicious as Ron pulled away from her and grew closer to Hermione, which led to their break-up. Although Hermione was glad for that, she tried to spare Lavender’s feelings by not being openly affectionate with Ron. She also came to Lavender's rescue during the Battle of Hogwarts, blasting Fenrir Greyback away from her.

Hermione had a less tumultuous relationship with Parvati, although the two were not close. Parvati was noted to feel guilty after laughing at Ron’s cruel teasing of Hermione in Transfiguration, and the two discussed Hermione’s attendance of the Slug Club Christmas party with Cormac McLaggen. As Parvati looked “positively agog” at Hermione confiding in her, it can be assumed that Hermione seldom discussed personal matters with her roommates.

Minerva McGonagall


Professor Minerva McGonagall took a shine to Hermione from the first class she had with her, granting the first-year student in her house one of her "rare smiles" when Hermione successfully transfigured a match into a needle early on in the lesson and long before any other student. She had high expectations for Hermione, and was thus disappointed in her when Hermione claimed she tried to fight the troll that entered the school in 1991 on her own, in order to cover up for Harry and Ron. Whenever Hermione and her friends would get into trouble, McGonagall almost inevitably looked to Hermione to be the most sensible one.

McGonagall was noticably upset when Hermione was petrified in 1992, even tearing up when Harry and Ron told her they were going to visit their friend in the hospital wing. The following year, she helped arrange for Hermione to be granted a Time-Turner to take extra classes. When the professor was injured with four Stunning Spells in 1995, Hermione was very upset and worried for her. Hermione seemed to regard her head of house as a role model, while Professor McGonagall, in spite of her sterness, was obviously quite fond of Hermione and expected great things of her.

Later, after McGonagall became headmistress of Hogwarts and Hermione became a member of the Ministry of Magic, McGonagall granted her permission to use notes left to the Hogwarts Archives, written by Albus Dumbledore, in her re-translation of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, demonstrating McGonagall's trust in her former pupil.

Parents


Mr. and Mrs. Granger are both Muggle dentists and are proud of their daughter. They seem to be accepting of the wizarding world, shopping with Hermione in Diagon Alley and speaking to the Weasley family, but do not approve of their daughter using magic as a quick-fix, as indicated by their not allowing Hermione to magically fix her teeth. They correspond by owl post with their daughter, but other than one holiday in France with her parents, Hermione spends almost all of her time in the wizarding world. In 1995, she planned to go skiing with them during the Christmas holidays, but ended up going to Number 12 Grimmauld Place to try to cheer Harry up instead. Hermione told her parents that the reason for her cancelling was to study for exams, indicating that her parents expected her to do well in school and were probably not aware of the extent of their daughter's involvement in activities relating to the Second Wizarding War. .

To protect them during the height of the war, Hermione modified her parents' memories in 1997 so that they believed they were other people and left the country. After the war, she presumably found them in Australia and returned their memories.

Etymology
Hermione is the name of a character from A Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare's Hermione was the wife of Leontes, king of Sicilia (Sicily), who was a friend of Polixines, the king of Bohemia. At the beginning of the play, Polixines has been visiting Leontes and Hermione for nine months, and Hermione's pregnancy is showing. Because of this, and because of the attention paid to her by Polixines, Leontes erroneously concludes that his wife has been unfaithful to him (mirroring Ron's suspicions against Harry and Hermione in Deathly Hallows). Eventually, however, he realizes otherwise, and in the end he, Hermione and their daughter are happily reunited.

Hermione is also the name of a figure from Greek mythology, in which she was a princess of Sparta and daughter of Helen of Troy who was pursued by both Orestes and Neoptolemus, perhaps alluding to the jealousy and rivalry between Ron and Viktor Krum over Hermione. It is also the name of the heroine of Jean-Baptiste Lully's play Cadmus et Hermione, based on the myth of the goddess of harmony, Harmonia, who married the founder of Thebes. The name Hermione is derived from the Greek god Hermes, who was a messenger to the gods and the patron of various arts. Hermione was also the name of a 32 gun British frigate launched in 1782. Its full name was the HMS Frigate. It served during the time of the French Revolution in the West Indies. The ship's name did not stick however, and by the time it was decommissioned in 1805, it had been renamed twice: in 1799 as the Retaliation, and again in 1802 as the Retribution.

For all that, however, the name was chosen because Rowling thought it unusual enough that the few people who shared the name would endure teasing over it. In order to ensure correct pronounciation among fans, a scene was created between Hermione and Viktor Krum in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in which they discuss the correct pronounciation; the closest Krum got was "Herm-own-ninny."

In the will of Albus Dumbledore, Hermione's middle name was listed as "Jean"; however, in previous interviews, Rowling had stated that her middle name was "Jane". Rowling cleared this up in a later interview stating that she had decided that she did not want Hermione to share a middle name with Professor Umbridge, and thus changed it to Jean, which is a female variant of the name John, meaning "God is gracious".

Granger is another word for farmer; specifically, it was the title of a farm bailiff, who oversaw the collection of rent and taxes from the barns of a feudal lord. It is a surname of English and French origin, derived from the Anglo-Norman grainger and the French grangier, both of which come from Latin granica, meaning "granary". It recalls Hermione's Muggle roots. Also, "Granger" is a term for a member of the Grange Movement of the United States, which involved agricultural activism in the nineteenth century, possibly alluding to Hermione Granger's activism on behalf of house-elves. Her original last name was "Puckle", but Rowling later decided this didn't suit her character.

Author's Comments
J.K. Rowling has said that she loosely based Hermione at age eleven on herself at the same age, though she exaggerated:


 * "...none of the characters in the books are directly taken from life. Real people did inspire a few of them, but of course once they are on the page they become something completely different. But, yeah, Hermione is a caricature of what I was when I was eleven - a real exaggeration, I wasn't that clever - Hermione is a borderline genius at points - and I hope I wasn't that annoying...sometimes she is an incredible know-it-all."

Rowling has gone on to say that Hermione, Harry and Ron are all "a bit like different parts of my personality" as well as her favourite characters, along with Rubeus Hagrid, Albus Dumbledore, Fred and George Weasley, and Luna Lovegood, and that Hermione and Dumbledore were the most useful characters for exposition. She also identified Hermione as "the most brilliant" of her group of friends and confirmed that "Harry needs her badly". Rowling has also said that she considers Hermione to be "a very strong female character", as well as "the brightest character".

Behind the scenes

 * In the film adaptions of the series, Hermione is portrayed by Emma Watson. Although the novels describe Hermione as having rather large front teeth in her younger years, this is not depicted in the films, as Watson never had large teeth. Also, Hermione's hair is only as bushy as it is implied to be in the books in the first two films. Instead, her hair is shown as rather curly.
 * Hermione's Patronus, an otter, is Rowling's favorite animal. The otter is in the family Mustelidae, the same as the weasel, which is the origin of the surname Weasley. In addition, the Weasleys live in Ottery St. Catchpole, possibly foreshadowing Hermione's marriage into the family.
 * In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Hermione tells Rufus Scrimgeour that she is not planning to embark on a career in Magical Law Enforcement. Ironically, that's where she ends up after leaving Hogwarts.
 * In early drafts, Hermione was supposed to have a Muggle sister.
 * In August of 1997, Hermione was forced to separate from her cat, Crookshanks, during the Death Eaters' attack on the Burrow. It is never mentioned if they ever reunited after the Second War ended.
 * In Deathly Hallows, Harry Potter mentions that the only spell Hermione ever had trouble with was the Patronus Charm, although she was among the first of the D.A. to master the spell and casts it successfully multiple times throughout the series.
 * Hermione shares a last name with potioneer Hector Dagworth-Granger, though she informed Horace Slughorn that she does not think they are related, since she is Muggle-born.
 * Screenwriter of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film) Steve Kloves has said that Hermione is his favourite character, commenting: “There's something about her fierce intellect coupled with a complete lack of understanding of how she affects people sometimes that I just find charming and irresistible to write.”
 * In Harry, A History, Rowling told Melissa Anelli that Steve Kloves had suspected something might happen between Hermione and Harry while reading Deathly Hallows: "He felt a certain pull between them at that point. And I think he's right. There are moments when [Harry and Hermione] touch, which are charged moments. One when she touches his hair as he sits on the hilltop reading about Dumbledore and Grindelwald, and [two] the moment when they walk out of the graveyard with their arms around each other. Now the fact is that Hermione shares moments with Harry that Ron will never be able to participate in. He walked out. She shared something very intense with Harry. So I think it could have gone that way."
 * When asked, Rowling said that if Hermione looked into the Mirror of Erised in the summer of 1997, she would have seen herself, Harry, and Ron "alive and unscathed" and Voldemort defeated, and might also "see herself closely entwined with another person".
 * Hermione's wand wood of vine corresponds to her birthday in the Celtic calendar, which Rowling did intentionally as a connection between Hermione's wand, Harry's wand, and Ron's wand . In the Celtic calendar, the vine was a symbol of passionate emotions in both extremes -- happiness and wrath -- and was connected to fulfilling goals and finding balance.
 * Hermione's Boggart in her third year was Professor McGonagall telling her that she had "failed everything", which Rowling later commented showed that "underneath Hermione's swottiness there is a lot of insecurity and a great fear of failure".
 * Despite the fact that Hermione does not particularly enjoy Quidditch, all three of her known romantic partners — Viktor Krum, Cormac McLaggen, and Ron Weasley — have been Quidditch players. Parvati Patil once observed this, and commented on it to Hermione.
 * Hermione admitted to successfully trying out "a few simple spells" just prior to her first year at Hogwarts, but, in spite of underage magic being banned, she apparently never received a warning from the Improper Use of Magic Office for it.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (game)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (game)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (game)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (game)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (game)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (film)
 * Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup

Notes and references
Hermine Jean Weasley Hermione Granger Hermione Granger Hermione Granger Hermiona Weasley Hermelien Griffel Гермиона Грейнджер