Hermione Jean Granger

Hermione Jean Granger is a Muggle-born Gryffindor witch, best friends with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, and one of the three main protagonists of the series. Widely regarded as the “brightest witch of her age,” her formidable intellect, encyclopedic knowledge of the magical world, and exceptional magical talent were frequently indispensable to Harry and Ron during their years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and in their fight against Lord Voldemort. Her logical mind and unwavering loyalty formed the intellectual and emotional core of the trio.

Hermione was born on 19 September 1979 to two Muggle dentists. Despite her non-magical parentage, she was a gifted witch from a young age. Upon receiving her Hogwarts acceptance letter, she eagerly delved into her schoolbooks, memorizing much of A History and other core texts before even starting school.

• First year: Hermione met Harry Potter and Ron Weasley on the Hogwarts Express. Initially, her bossy nature and eagerness to prove her knowledge created friction with her peers. However, she, Harry, and Ron became inseparable friends after Harry and Ron saved her from a mountain Troll in a girls' bathroom on Hallowe'en. Her research skills were crucial in identifying Nicolas Flamel and uncovering the secret of the Philosopher's Stone, and she overcame Professor Snape's logic puzzle to help Harry reach the final chamber.
• Second year: Hermione correctly identified the creature in the Chamber of Secrets as a Basilisk by using a mirror to look around corners, a precaution that saved her from a direct, fatal gaze but resulted in her being Petrified. Before being attacked, she had torn the relevant page from a library book and written “Pipes” on it, leaving a vital clue for Harry and Ron. She was later revived by a Mandrake Restorative Draught. She also successfully brewed the complex Polyjuice Potion for the trio to investigate Draco Malfoy.
• Third year: To manage her ambitious course load, Professor McGonagall entrusted Hermione with a Time-Turner. During this year, she purchased her part-Kneazle cat, Crookshanks. She also founded the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare (S.P.E.W.) after witnessing the poor treatment of house-elves. At the end of the year, she and Harry used the Time-Turner to save both Buckbeak the Hippogriff and Sirius Black from their grim fates.
• Fourth year: Hermione attended the Yule Ball with Durmstrang Institute champion Viktor Krum, which sparked jealousy in Ron. She tirelessly supported Harry throughout the Triwizard Tournament, helping him master spells for the tasks. She was targeted by tabloid journalist Rita Skeeter, who published false stories about her. Hermione discovered Skeeter was an unregistered Animagus (a beetle) and trapped her in a jar, blackmailing her to stop writing slanderous articles.
• Fifth year: Hermione was made a Gryffindor prefect along with Ron. When the Ministry of Magic installed Dolores Umbridge as the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Hermione conceived the idea of a secret defensive magic study group, which became known as Dumbledore's Army. She placed a jinx on the signing-up sheet that would cause boils spelling “SNEAK” to erupt on the face of any betrayer. She later fought alongside her friends in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, where she was seriously injured by a curse from Death Eater Antonin Dolohov but made a full recovery.
• Sixth year: Hermione continued to excel academically, though she was irritated by Harry's success in Potions, which was due to his use of the Half-Blood Prince's textbook. Her romantic feelings for Ron became more apparent, leading to intense jealousy when he began dating Lavender Brown. They eventually reconciled after Ron was accidentally poisoned. She participated in the Battle of the Astronomy Tower at the end of the year, emerging unharmed.

Foreseeing the dangerous path ahead, Hermione prepared for the hunt for Voldemort's Horcruxes. She erased her parents' memories of her and sent them to Australia for their safety. She packed numerous essentials into her small beaded bag using an Undetectable Extension Charm. Throughout the Horcrux hunt, she was the trio's primary researcher and planner. She was tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange at Malfoy Manor but refused to give up any information. During the Battle of Hogwarts, she destroyed Hufflepuff's Cup (a Horcrux) with a Basilisk fang in the Chamber of Secrets and fought bravely, surviving the battle.

(Epilogue) Following the war, Hermione returned to Hogwarts to complete her seventh year of education and sit her N.E.W.T.s. She later began a career at the Ministry of Magic, starting in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures where she continued her work for house-elf rights. She eventually transferred to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She married Ron Weasley and they had two children, Rose Granger-Weasley and Hugo Granger-Weasley. (J.K. Rowling interview) She eventually became the Minister for Magic.

Hermione is described as having “bushy brown hair,” a “bossy sort of voice,” and “rather large front teeth.” In her fourth year, after being hit by a curse from Draco Malfoy, she had Madam Pomfrey shrink her teeth to a more conventional size. She has brown eyes. She is exceptionally intelligent, logical, and hardworking. Her greatest fear is failure, which drives her to be a high-achiever. Hermione is fiercely loyal and protective of her friends, possessing immense bravery that places her firmly in Gryffindor. She has a strong moral compass and a passion for justice, as shown by her S.P.E.W. campaign. While she can be perceived as bossy or a know-it-all, this often stems from a genuine desire to help and ensure things are done correctly and safely. Despite her brilliance, she can feel insecure, particularly about her Muggle-born status when taunted by blood purists.

• Academic Prowess: Hermione is a magical prodigy, consistently earning top marks in nearly every subject. She possesses a near-photographic memory for spells and magical theory.
• Charms: Her skill in Charms is particularly noteworthy. She mastered numerous difficult spells well ahead of her classmates, including non-verbal spells in her sixth year.
• Potions: She was highly adept at Potions, able to brew the very advanced Polyjuice Potion in only her second year.
• Logical Mind: Her logical abilities are a significant asset, as demonstrated when she solved Snape's logic puzzle protecting the Philosopher's Stone.
• Patronus Charm: Her Patronus takes the form of an otter, a favorite animal of J.K. Rowling.
• Wand: Her wand is 10¾ inches long, made of vine wood, and has a dragon heartstring core.
• Weaknesses: Hermione's skills are less pronounced in subjects that defy logic and book-learning, such as Divination. She is also not a confident broomstick flier.

• Wand: A 10¾“ vine wood and dragon heartstring wand.
• Crookshanks: Her highly intelligent, ginger-colored, part-Kneazle cat.
• Beaded Handbag: A small bag upon which she cast an Undetectable Extension Charm, allowing it to hold a vast quantity of items.
• Time-Turner: Used during her third year to attend multiple classes simultaneously, later used to save Sirius Black and Buckbeak.
• The Tales of Beedle the Bard: A book of wizarding fairy tales bequeathed to her by Albus Dumbledore.

• Harry Potter: Her closest male friend, whom she loves like a brother. Their relationship is one of deep, platonic affection and unwavering mutual support.
• Ron Weasley: Her other best friend and eventual husband. Their relationship evolved from frequent bickering in their early years to a deep, romantic love.
• Ginny Weasley: One of her closest female friends at Hogwarts.
• Viktor Krum: Her date to the Yule Ball and a brief romantic interest. They maintained a friendly correspondence afterward.
• Minerva McGonagall: Her Head of House and a respected mentor who recognized and nurtured her exceptional talent.
• Her Parents: She had a loving relationship with her Muggle parents and took the drastic step of modifying their memories to protect them from Voldemort and the Death Eaters.

• Hermione: The name is of Greek origin, famously appearing in Greek mythology as the daughter of Helen of Troy and in William Shakespeare's play The Winter's Tale. J.K. Rowling stated she chose an uncommon name because she felt that “if I'd given her a common name, … fewer nerdy girls would have got called 'Hermione!'”
• Jean: Her middle name. (Pottermore) This is a classic name, possibly used to ground her more unusual first name.
• Granger: An English occupational surname for a farm steward or bailiff. The name reflects her Muggle origins, sounding ordinary and non-magical.

• J.K. Rowling has stated that the character of Hermione has several autobiographical elements, calling her a caricature of herself at age eleven (J.K. Rowling interview).
• Hermione's original middle name was “Jane,” but Rowling changed it to “Jean” to avoid sharing a middle name with Dolores Jane Umbridge (J.K. Rowling interview).
• In the film adaptations, Hermione is portrayed by actress Emma Watson. The films occasionally give Hermione lines or actions that belonged to Ron in the novels, and some of her physical traits, like her large front teeth, are downplayed.