Okay, so the "Very Brown" description in Prisoner Of Azkaban suggests Hermione has darker skin.

On the other hand, the description in Half Blood Prince says that after her black eye from Fred suggests her skin on the lighter tone when Harry says that Hermione has a "resemblance to half a panda".

It seems JK Rowling did imply Hermione's skin color, but only twice, the first one being clear as crystal glass, the second just making no sense whatsoever. So I'm picking "Very Brown" because not only for that reason but also because JK Rowling seems to have more white characters than anyone else which is kinda... ehhh...

This feels sorta odd of a question to ask honestly.

But Imma share my personal thoughts on her appearance.

I did always think of Hermione as White, but not super pale or anything...

I JUST SAW THIS AFTER I COMMENTED— 💀

I mean, I guess I can see why you'd see her as pale, I myself did watch the movies before I read the books but now trying to get into them and reading that "very brown" line now I can't get the image of a brown Hermione out of my mind.

The way I pictured her in the books is honestly why I'm not bothered by the new casting for the TV show.

Although Arabella Stanton isn't White (I don't think at least, it isn't explicitly said anywhere online), she does look very similar to what I always pictured.

Anyways, it feels a bit icky discussing a child actors race compared to the character she is playing...so I'm trying to word my thoughts as carefully as I can.

Personally speaking, I always imagined her as White (even though I read the books before watching the films). This is not to say that she isn't Black, but this is personally what I imagined. Also, the following line (from PoA I believe) has gotten popular online:

"Hermione's white face" could be considered as proof that she was White, though there is the part where she is noted to look "very brown."

Also, IIRC, the summer between CoS and PoA, Hermione went on vacation, so maybe the "very brown" line was a reference to her being tanned? Idk

Hermione was scared shiitakeless at that state and I'm pretty sure anyone can turn white if they're scared enough

I think she just meant that Hermione was tan when she was described as brown. It was in the context that she had been getting a lot of sun on vacation. It had nothing to do with her race. The panda thing was also referring more to her black eye than to her skin tone. But it doesn’t really matter any way. Her skin tone is not an important part of her character.

Personally, I’ve always pictured her as a white girl. I took the “very brown” line as tan. But I’m definitely not opposed to more diversity in the cast, I’m all for it! No matter her race, Hermione will always be a lovely character <3

I think Hermione is white, I don’t remember POA saying she was “very brown”

I always thought very brown meant her hair.