The #describeyourselfin3fictionalcharacters craze is all over social media, and one of the characters I chose to describe myself was Hermione Granger. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone" came out the year I was born, and I grew up avidly reading the books and watching the movies, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the newest installment. Growing up with a strong, fictional, female role model (in addition to the many real female role models I had) definitely helped to shape me into the person I am today.
I cannot thank J.K. Rowling enough for developing such a strong female role model and I will always love Emma Watson for not only bringing the character to life so well, but also for growing into a woman that Hermione Granger would look up to. I have yet to see Noma Dumezweni’s portrayal of Hermione, but I’m sure she does a wonderful job with this amazing character.
1. “Oh, I see, so basically, you’re going to take the best-looking girl who’ll have you, even if she’s completely horrible?"
Looks Don’t Really Matter
Hermione indignantly asks Ron this after he expresses his preference to go to the Yule Ball alone rather than with a girl he finds unattractive. Growing up, I was surrounded by media telling me what’s attractive and what’s not and essentially telling young girls that they can either be pretty OR smart, but not both. Hermione is described in the books as attractive and the actresses that have portrayed her are both beautiful, but that was never a focal point of her character. When Hermione did date in the series, it was because she was actually genuinely interested in the boy, not because he was attractive or famous. Many of us can take a page out of Hermione’s book, and put more important traits above looks when choosing a friend or partner.
2. “Honestly, am I the only person who’s ever bothered to read Hogwarts, A History?”
Be Proud of Your Knowledge
I grew up with my nose in a book, and while I don’t regret being a bookworm, it probably helped to have a role model like Hermione. Even better, Hermione owns her knowledge and never pretends to be dumber than she is or that she knew these things without reading. Although at times Hermione’s academic pursuits seemed to have stretched her a little too thinly (even I think that using a Time-Turner just to get to classes is a little crazy), she never let what anyone else thought of her stop her from being herself. After being called a know-it-all by both Ron and Snape, who was her teacher and shouldn’t have been reprimanding her for being intelligent, she brushed off the insult and went on to be “the brightest witch of her age,” and to save Harry and Ron’s grades and lives countless times throughout the series
3. “You know, house-elves get a very raw deal! It’s slavery, that’s what it is! That Mr. Crouch made her go up to the top of the stadium, and she was terrified, and he’s got her bewitched so she can’t even run when they start trampling tents! Why doesn’t anyone do something about it?”
Stand Up For What You Believe In
Upon learning about how house-elves are treated by their masters, Hermione starts the club S.P.E.W. (Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare), a club that notably consisted of only her, Ron, Harry, Neville, and Dobby. Despite Ron’s derision when she told him about the club and the fact that she never had too much support, even from house-elves themselves, Hermione didn’t step down. Eventually, even Ron began to actually believe in the cause, reminding Harry and Hermione about the house-elves in Hogwarts during the Battle of Hogwarts.
4. “We’re with you whatever happens.”
Friendship is the Most Important Thing
Hermione and Ron were the most loyal friends that Harry could have. They faced almost certain death for him repeatedly throughout the series, and Hermione and Harry were always there to comfort the other during trying times. While there are many quotes I could have chosen to describe Hermione’s views towards friendship and her friends, I think that this one epitomizes her. Another great thing about Harry and Hermione’s friendship was that it was never more than platonic, and never needed to be. Instead of doing the easy, dramatic thing and have Harry and Ron fight over Hermione, J. K. Rowling wrote Harry’s character to respect and love her like a sister and creating a well-written story.
5. “Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself.”
Don’t Be Afraid to Face Your Fears
Anyone in Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s shoes throughout the series would be right to be absolutely terrified. However, instead of pretending not to be afraid, Hermione recognizes it and does what she can to get over and face her fears. Hermione’s bravery is often unnoticed because of the focus on her brains, but she never backs away from something because of her fear. Throughout the series, she displays this bravery, my favorite times being when she stood strong to someone she thought was a serial killer in order to protect Harry, faced a mob of angry centaurs to get rid of Umbridge, and proudly referred to herself as a Mudblood even after being tortured for it.
In creating the character of Hermione Granger, J. K. Rowling made a fantastic role model not only for young girls, but for anyone who is told that they can’t or shouldn’t do something because of who they are and the limitations they face. So thank you, J. K. Rowling, thank you Emma Watson and thank you Noma Dumezweni’s for the millions you have inspired and the billions that you will.
