Dubbed the brightest witch of her generation, Hermione Granger is one of the most beloved characters of the Harry Potter franchise. She’s an intellectually curious, compassionate, and determined woman who loves collecting relevant information about the magical world. This proves to be a valuable asset for Harry Potter, who constantly finds himself in dire situations due to his rivalry with Lord Voldemort.
In addition to being a fan favorite and a great ally, Hermione is, undoubtedly, one of the most important people in Harry’s life. From the very first moment they met, she supported him unconditionally in battle and out of it. Hermione’s knowledge and logical thinking saved Harry’s life more than once, but so did her presence in the hero’s life. Hermione not only taught Harry spells or how to finish his homework on time, but also she taught him a lot about loyalty and friendship.
8 How To Create A Polyjuice Potion
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the Golden Trio infiltrates the Slytherin Common Room in order to trick Draco Malfoy into confessing if he’s the Heir of Slytherin. To do this, they use Polyjuice Potion, an elixir that allows its user to shapeshift for a brief period of time. After this experience, the three friends use Polyjuice Potion several times throughout their fight against Voldemort.
The first time they use the Polyjuice Potion, Harry and Ron are only tasked with finding some of the ingredients, while Hermione prepares the complicated concoction. Of course, Ron and Harry learn the process. Five years later, the trio works together to create the elixir that will help them infiltrate the Ministry of Magic to search for Salazar Slytherin’s Locket, one of the Horcruxes.
7 A Girl’s Emotional Range
After Harry and Cho Chang kiss in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry recounts the events with Ron and Hermione. When Ron asks him how it was, Harry explains Cho was crying, which confuses his friend. After this interaction, Hermione joins the conversation to explain that Cho is currently dealing with many problems in her life, in addition to the grief of losing Cedric Diggory and the guilt of kissing another man. Both Ron and Harry react confused about Cho’s emotional range.
While in the movie, this is a wholesome conversation between the three friends, in the book, Hermione, way more mature than Harry and Ron, seems annoyed at the two boys. Regardless of her attitude when educating them, there’s no doubt that Hermione is the mastermind behind Harry’s earliest stages of emotional development.
6 The Rules Of Time Traveling
By the end of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry and Hermione travel back in time in order to rescue Sirius Black and Buckbeak the hippogriff from the Ministry of Magic. To achieve this, they use Hermione’s Time-Turner, an hourglass she uses to take more than one class at the same time. Of course, Harry is confused at the beginning, but soon Hermione explains everything to him.
Together, they manage to save Sirius and Buckbeak, who escape together. Since Harry is new to time travel, Hermione has to explain everything to him. In the Potterverse, time travel isn’t as complicated as it is in other universes, but still, they must make sure they aren’t seen and that they shouldn’t interfere with their own lives. If Hermione hadn’t been there to stop him, Harry would’ve definitely ended up in a bigger mess than needed.
5 The True Power Of Friendship
One of the main themes in the Harry Potter saga is friendship. Alongside love, this is one of the most powerful forces in the Potterverse, even against the Dark Arts. From the moment he saves her from the Troll in the first year, Harry and Hermione develop a friendship stronger than anything. Time and time again, Hermione helps Harry on his adventures.
Hermione’s company in battle saves Harry’s life many times. For instance, in The Sorcerers’ Stone, she solves Snape’s riddle and defeats the Devil’s Snare. In The Goblet of Fire, she teaches him the Accio spell so he can defeat the Hungarian Horntail. Hermione’s loyalty to The Boy Who Lived is so vehement, she even gives up finishing school to help him in The Deathly Hallows, even though her education is the most important thing in her life.
4 Everything He Knows About Basilisks
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Hogwarts faces a new mysterious threat that no one seems to understand. As students are petrified by an unknown creature, teachers and students begin to panic. Harry, Ron, and Hermione decide to investigate what’s happening, but before they can get together to discuss it, Hermione becomes the newest victim of the monster.
Although she can’t speak nor communicate in any way, Hermione holds a piece of paper that helps the boys understand the nature of the monster terrorizing their school. If it hadn’t been for Hermione’s research, Harry would’ve never known looking at a basilisk in the eyes is fatal and that would’ve been the end of the Chosen One.
3 To Believe In Himself
Up until the very end, Harry never considered himself a hero. In fact, he always thought of his fate as bad luck. However, Hermione never lets him forget he’s tougher than he thinks, which helps Harry’s confidence.
For instance, she never doubts Harry’s ability to win the Triwizard Tournament, even when Harry spends the whole semester in panic. Additionally, when the Golden Trio first considers creating the Dumbledore’s Army, Harry doesn’t believe he’s the right person to teach other students. Hermione reminds him that he has defeated Voldemort at least 3 times by that point thanks to his magical abilities.
2 Half A Dozen Spells
Since she actively absorbed information about the magical world, unlike Harry and Ron, Hermione spent the whole saga teaching them all kinds of things. For instance, Hermione showed Harry at least six different spells, which he used later in different circumstances.
Not only did Hermione explain to Harry and Ron that “it’s LeviOsa, not LeviosA,” but she also used Oculus Reparo in front of Harry. Harry would use this spell many times later to keep his glasses in shape. What’s more, in The Goblet of Fire, Hermione taught Harry the Summoning Charm he used to help retrieve the Golden Egg in the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. By the end of the saga, she cast several Protective enchantments (Protego Totalum, Salvio Hexia, Muffliato) over their tent site, which Harry also learned in order to help her maximize their protection.
1 Being Smart Is Important (But It Isn’t Everything)
When Harry first met Hermione, she was, according to Ron, “a nightmare, honestly.” Although Hermione’s intentions were good, she came across as presumptuous and condescending, which made her unlikable. As time went by, Harry realized Hermione’s intelligence made her a valuable ally, but he also understood this was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to Hermione’s personality.
In addition to being intellectually superior to pretty much any witch of her age, Hermione was always a loyal friend, a courageous fighter, a hard-working student, and a compassionate human being. Her best traits rubbed off on Harry, who learned how to be a better person thanks to her.
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