The Harry Potter series may rotate around the adventures of the titular protagonist, but he doesn't always save the day. It’s not unusual for his brilliant friend, Hermione Granger, to come up with solutions to their problems. She's capable of casting complicated spells and brewing elaborate potions to help Harry succeed. Without her, Harry wouldn’t have gotten far.
Hermione’s own journey throughout the Harry Potter series comes with its fair share of joys and burdens, many of them unique to her character. Being a Hogwarts student is a dream come true for Hermione, but with each year at the famous school, she is confronted with harsh realities that the magic of the Wizarding World cannot hide.
10 Perk: She’s The Smartest Witch Of Her Generation
Both her classmates and Harry Potter fans consider Hermione to be smart. An incredibly intelligent young witch, Hermione often pulls off feats of magic way beyond her level of schooling. In her second year, she brews the complicated Polyjuice Potion and tracks down the true nature of the Slytherin monster.
She excels at Charms, with notable examples including the Protean Charm on the Dumbledore’s Army Coins and the Undetectable Extension Charm on her infamous beaded bag. These skills earn her ten OWLs - nine "Outstandings" and one "Exceeds Expectations." The only student able to surpass her in any class is Harry, in Defense Against the Dark Arts.
9 Harsh Reality: Her Intelligence Can Alienate Her From Her Peers
Being an intelligent child isn’t easy, and Hermione is a perfect example because her cleverness alienates her from her peers. She comes off as an annoying ‘know-it-all’, and her eagerness to impress the professors doesn’t help. She also has a bossy personality, which can cause a lot of friction.
This is the reason she ends up confronting the troll in The Philosopher's Stone. She attempts to help Ron Weasley with the Levitation Charm during their class, only for him to comment that she's a nightmare. She spends the day crying in the bathroom, which is where the troll found her. Fortunately, Harry’s decision to come after her saves her life and sets the basis of their friendship.
8 Perk: She Receives The Privilege Of A Time-Turner In Her Third Year
Hermione’s intelligence and perseverance in her schoolwork earn her an unexpected privilege in her third year. When expressing her interest to apply for more electives than she could have normally taken, Hermione is granted the use of a Ministry-sanctioned Time-Turner in The Prisoner Of Azkaban.
Through this device, Hermione is able to attend more than one class at the same time. Hermione’s Time-Turner ends up being essential for the rescue of the hippogriff Buckbeak and Sirius Black.
7 Harsh Reality: Being A Muggleborn Exposes Her To Pureblood Prejudice
While Hermione may inadvertently earn the dislike of her classmates through her bossy behavior, she is already at a disadvantage because of her parentage. Since she is a Muggleborn, she is seen as inferior by the more bigoted, Pureblood members of Wizarding society.
Characters like Draco Malfoy often refer to her by the insult ‘Mudblood’. The prejudice escalates to incredibly dangerous levels after the return of Voldemort as Muggleborns become a primary target for the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters.
6 Perk: Her Non-Magical Family Is Very Proud Of Her Talents
It’s an unfortunate reality, but many Muggle families don’t react well when their children display magical potential. Fortunately, Hermione's parents are different. While the Grangers don’t have a strong presence in the Harry Potter series, the two Muggle dentists appear to be proud and encouraging of her talents.
Considering how much time Hermione spends at Hogwarts and in the Wizarding World, there was plenty of distance between Hermione and her parents. Even so, it’s safe to say that the Grangers did their best to support their daughter.
5 Harsh Reality: She Is Forced To Erase Her Parents' Memory
The war with Voldemort exposes the Muggleborns and their families to potentially lethal danger. With Hermione so deeply involved in the conflict, she finds herself forced to make a sacrifice. In The Deathly Hallows: Part I, she uses a Memory Charm, Obliviate, to erase her parents' memories of her.
The Grangers leave Britain and move to Australia, safe from Voldemort’s attacks. It’s a very difficult choice for Hermoine to make and the scene speaks volumes of the bond that exists between her and her parents. Fortunately, J.K Rowling confirmed that Hermione tracks them down after the war and restores their memories.
4 Perk: She Has A Very Close Bond With Harry And Ron
Despite originally having trouble fitting in, Hermione soon finds herself overcoming most of her social difficulties through her friendship with Harry and Ron. After the incident with the troll, the three become practically inseparable.
Hermione is the pillar of logic that the Golden Trio desperately needs throughout their numerous confrontations with Voldemort. Their bond helps her grow as a person, gain confidence, and truly embrace her potential as a witch. Later, she and Ron start a romantic relationship. After the war, they get married and even have children together.
3 Harsh Reality: She Is Brutally Cursed And Tortured During The War
Hermione’s friendship with the ‘Chosen One’ doesn’t come without a price. The adventures of the Golden Trio are rarely as fun for the characters as they are for Harry Potter's audience. Hermione is petrified in her second year and only escapes death because of her cleverness.
During her fifth year, while in the Department of Mysteries, she takes a dark curse from Antonin Dolohov. When the Horcrux hunt in Deathly Hallows goes awry, Hermione is tortured by Helena Bonham Carter's Bellatrix Lestrange, who carves the word ‘mudblood’ into her arm. These are only a few of the painful experiences she goes through during her time at Hogwarts.
2 Perk: She Is Elected Minister For Magic After The War
After her Hogwarts years, Hermione goes on to work for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. There, she continues her quest to improve conditions for house-elves and other such beings.
She eventually moves on to law enforcement, and by 2019, she becomes the Minister for Magic. It’s an amazing accomplishment that speaks volumes of her diligence and competency.
1 Harsh Reality: She And Harry Should Have Probably Ended Up Together
According to Harry, his relationship with Hermione is akin to that of two siblings. However, some viewers still feel that the two would have made a better couple than Hermione did with Ron and Harry did with Ginny.
In some ways, this perspective may be influenced by their portrayal in the Harry Potter movies, where Ginny and Ron weren’t always given the time to shine. Even so, the fact remains that Hermione was always the one by Harry’s side, even when Ron left them behind. That suggests that the pair could have ended up together.