Hermione Granger
Hermione Jane Granger (born 19 September 1979)Template:Fn Template:Fn is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series of books. The character is portrayed by Emma Watson in the films.
Hermione is a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and, along with Ron Weasley, is one of Harry Potter's best friends. She is slightly bossy and very studious. Her thirst for knowledge proves useful in many of their adventures.
She is often teased about her bushy hair and "know-it-all" tendencies, but is admired by many students for her intelligence. She received top grades in all of her Ordinary Wizarding Level exams except for Defence Against The Dark Arts, where she received the second-highest grade. Neville, Harry, and Ron depend on her for academic help. By her sixth year at Hogwarts, she is generally acknowleged to be the best in her class.
Hermione is Muggle-born, that is, the child of two non-magical parents, both dentists. Hermione's parents seem to be accepting of her magical abilities, but they have never been given much "page time." J. K. Rowling noted she initially considered giving Hermione a younger sister, but now believes it's "too late." Therefore, it's usually considered canon that Hermione is an only child.
Hermione's name is pronounced "Her-my-oh-nee", as readers find out in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This was the most frequently asked question J. K. Rowling received, so in this book she cunningly had Hermione teach Viktor Krum how to pronounce her name properly (without much success). Rowling said she obtained it from William Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, claiming that she wanted it to be unusual, since if fewer girls shared her name, fewer girls would get teased for it. "Hermione", appropriately, is derived from "Hermes", the Greek god of invention, inspiration, eloquence and quick thinking.
Hermione in the books
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Hermione first appeared in the first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (titled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States edition). For the first part of the book, she is portrayed as being an over-the-top "know-it-all" and "goody two-shoes." Needless to say, Harry and Ron do not like her initially, as they consider her to be extremely annoying. This attitude seems to be shared by most of the other students.
However, when Ron makes a passing remark about Hermione not having any friends, Hermione's feelings are hurt deeply and she retreats to a bathroom to cry. Unbeknownst to her, Professor Quirrell had let a mountain troll into the school, which finds its way into the bathroom. Fortunately, Hermione is rescued by Harry and Ron, who realise she is in danger. When they were discovered by Professors McGonagall, Snape and Quirrell, Hermione lies about the reason she was in the bathroom, claiming she had gone looking for the troll herself.
Harry, Ron and Hermione become good friends soon after and, though her attitude about rules and schoolwork remain largely intact, she softens up a little bit. With Harry and Ron, she helps solve the mystery surrounding the Philosopher's Stone. Although she is initially skeptical of Harry and Ron's belief that someone was trying to steal it, she eventually comes around.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
In her second yearTemplate:HP2, Hermione has a crush on the handsome new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Gilderoy Lockhart. Ron constantly teases her about this, but Hermione consistently defends Lockhart, despite the fact he is an obvious fraud. Hermione does not notice that Ron may have a developing crush on her.
Hermione's role is somewhat smaller than in the first book, with Harry appearing only with Ron during most of their adventure. However, she does her part in brewing a Polyjuice Potion to discover if Draco Malfoy was the Heir of Slytherin. She also correctly identifies the creature hidden inside the Chamber of Secrets, though she is Petrified before being able to divulge the information to Harry and Ron. This, of course, causes her to be absent for much of the latter part of the novel.
Hermione's loosening-up continues as well, with her actually convincing Harry and Ron to break the rules rather than vice versa. Considering they are close confidants later on, Hermione probably meets, and becomes friends with, Ginny Weasley some time during the course of the novel.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
In the next yearTemplate:HP3, Hermione takes so many classes she requires the use of a Time-Turner, a device which enables her to go back in time to fit in all her subjects; this fact is not revealed until near the end of the book. Hermione suffers a mental breakdown due to her full schedule, though she constantly insists she doesn't need to cut down on the number of classes she is taking.
Hermione is again estranged from her friends in this book: First, when she is suspicious about Harry's Christmas gift, a Firebolt broom, and reports it to Professor McGonagall, who confiscates it; and again when Ron accuses her cat, Crookshanks, of killing his rat, Scabbers. During this time, she helps Hagrid to prepare for the court case against his hippogriff, Buckbeak, though these efforts are unsuccessful. During the preparing of the trial, she breaks down on Ron, and he pledged to take over the trial.
Hermione takes an instant dislike towards Professor Trelawney and her subject, Divination. Towards the end of the year, Hermione leaves the class after Trelawney predicts Harry's death one time too many, and describes Hermione's mind as "hopelessly mundane". Despite the fact she is no longer taking every subject available, Hermione still requires a Time-Turner to go to all her classes.
However, the Time-Turner comes in useful at the end of the book when she and Harry travel back in time to rescue Sirius Black and Buckbeak. At the end of the book, she drops the class of Muggle Studies, enabling her to have a normal schedule again.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
In her fourth yearTemplate:HP4, Hermione's attention is drawn to what she believes is the poor quality of life for house-elves. She therefore starts the organisation she calls the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, but which becomes known by its unfortunate acronym, S.P.E.W. Though Hermione zealously works for her cause, few others display any interest. Harry and Ron officially join her organisation, though they do so only with the hope she will stop badgering them, and predictably, they contribute very little.
Hermione attends the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum, the Triwizard champion from Durmstrang. By attending the ball with Krum, she elicits some jealousy from Ron Weasley. This is not the first time in the books romantic tension between Ron and Hermione is implied.
Hermione is the "hostage" that Krum has to save in the Tournament's second task. She is given quite a bit of grief about this afterward and becomes rather irritated. After the task, Krum asks Hermione if she wants to go on a vacation with him.
Rita Skeeter, an infamous reporter, invents a love triangle between Harry, Hermione, and Krum. Hermione is enraged with her behaviour and vows vengeance against her. After much work, she determines Rita is an illegal Animagus who can change into a black beetle. She blackmails Rita with this information to make Rita stop writing gossipy articles.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Hermione continues S.P.E.W. the next yearTemplate:HP5, knitting items of clothing for the elves in the hope of freeing them. The house elves refuse to clean Gryffindor Tower because of this, and the task is left to Dobby. She is seen writing to Krum. Her capture and subsequent blackmail of Rita Skeeter proves useful when Harry gives an interview stating the return of Lord Voldemort. Hermione also comes up with the idea for Dumbledore's Army, and is involved in the battle in the Department of Mysteries, in which she is wounded rather heavily.
Hermione and Ron become prefects for Gryffindor in their fifth yearTemplate:HP5. Cementing Hermione's rule-abiding tendencies; however, necessity (and Dolores Umbridge) bring out a few moments of rebelliousness. These include the formation of Dumbledore's Army (the DA) and arranging for Rita Skeeter to publish an interview with Harry contradicting the propaganda being spread by Umbridge and the Ministry of Magic.
When Hermione is trying to convince Harry to start the DA, she finally says the name, "Voldemort," becoming the first of Harry's friends to do so.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
During her stay at the Burrow, Hermione starts to take a dislike to Bill Weasley's fiancée Fleur Delacour. Along with Ginny, Hermione gives Fleur the nickname Phlegm.
Hermione has a falling-out with Harry, when he uses a potions textbook full of hand-written improvements which was once 'the property of The Half-Blood Prince'. Harry's new skills in the subject get the appreciation of Professor Slughorn, who is reminded of Harry's mother. Hermione gets even more angry when Harry suggests that the Half-Blood Prince is definitely male, not female. Hermione briefly falls out with Ginny also, when Ginny defends Harry (to a certain extent) after Harry uses the dark magic spell Sectumsempra, which Harry found written into the potion's book. Ginny points out that Draco Malfoy had provoked Harry by attempting to use an Unforgivable Curse on him.
Professor Slughorn is impressed by Hermione's abilities, puts her in his "Slug Club" and invites her to all his parties. She intends to invite Ron to go with her to one of the parties, but is angered and suggests she may change her mind when Ron, in a flash of jealousy for not getting invited himself, implies that Hermione intends on inviting Cormac McLaggen instead. This is the first time in the story that Harry, and the narrator, openly acknowledge the feelings Ron and Hermione have for each other.
At a Quidditch victory party, Ron is found kissing Lavender Brown in plain view. Hermione is thrown into desperation and starts a jealousy-fueled personal revenge campaign by attending the Slug Club parties with McLaggen, a choice which she quickly comes to regret. Hermione and Ron make up when Ron is accidentally poisoned.In his sleep at the Hospital Wing, he mutters "Er-my-nee" then resumes to his sleep.Also to the joy of Ron and Hermione shippers,at the end of the book, Ron is found stroking Hermione's hair...interesting...
Near the end of the book, at Harry's request (or orders), Hermione, Ron, and Ginny, along with Neville and Luna (the only two members of Dumbledore's Army who respond) are sent to patrol Hogwarts – specifically, to monitor Snape and Draco. Their efforts half pay off since they were able to alert the members of the Order who were also on patrol but still failed to prevent Dumbledore's fall. They themselves had just barely survived thanks to the Felix Felicis that Harry gave them.
Harry and Ginny, who had gotten together after Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup, break up near the end of the book because Harry feels that it's too dangerous for Ginny to be affiliated with him in such a way right now. Ron and Hermione, however, have now fully acknowledged their romantic interest in each other.
Hermione and Ron tell Harry that they will stick with him wherever he goes, even if it means leaving Hogwarts with Harry.
Trivia
Perhaps coincidentally, the actress Hermione Gingold played a very Hogwarts-like witch in the 1958 film Bell, Book and Candle and another witch in the 1969 film Winter of the Witch.
See also
References
- Template:Fnb "JKRowling.com Archives: Birthdays" from MuggleNet
- Template:Fnb "When Hermione arrived at Hogwarts, was she nearly eleven or nearly twelve?" from the J.K.Rowling Official Site
- Template:Fnb "Rumours: Crookshanks is an Animagus" from the J.K.Rowling Official Site
- Rowling, J. K. (1997). Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Bloomsbury. ISBN 0747532699.
- Rowling, J. K. (1998). Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Bloomsbury. ISBN 0747538492.
- Rowling, J. K. (1999). Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Bloomsbury. ISBN 0747542155.
- Rowling, J. K. (2000). Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Bloomsbury. ISBN 074754624X.
- Rowling, J. K. (2003). Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Bloomsbury. ISBN 0747551006.
- Rowling, J. K. (2005). Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Bloomsbury. ISBN 0747581088.
- Rowling, J. K. (2001). Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Bloomsbury. ISBN 0613325419.
External links
- Extra information about Hermione from J.K. Rowling's official website
- Harry Potter Lexicon entry on Hermione