The Characters of Harry Potter: Hermione

Two weeks ago I began my series on some of the characters of Harry Potter by taking a look at Harry’s faithful sidekick, Ron Weasley. Today I am going to look at another member of the all important trio. Let’s dive right in!

HERMIONE JEAN GRANGER

When you think of Hermione what’s the first word that pops into your head? I am willing to bet it was something like smart, intelligent, gifted, or some other synonym of those words. From the moment we are introduced to her in Philosopher’s Stone and she spouts off that she has “learnt all [their] set books by heart” we are primed to know that she is “the smart one” (79*). But that is not all she is.

It is not until Order of the Phoenix that one of Rowling’s characters, in the form of Terry Boot, asks Hermione the question most readers had been thinking all along: Why did the Sorting Hat put her in Gryffindor as opposed to Ravenclaw? (353) Our first introduction to the house qualities comes through the Sorting Hat’s song. We learn that Ravenclaw house holds “those of wit and learning”, whereas Gryffindors are “brave at heart” and exhibit “daring, nerve, and chivalry” (Philosopher’s Stone, 88). It seems obvious that Hermione would fit in with Ravenclaw – I have even heard it said, though I don’t remember where, that she was only put in Gryffindor because it was more convenient – but I believe that Gryffindor is actually the perfect fit for her.

It would be impossible to list out all the instances where Hermione has demonstrated her bravery, daring, and nerve. Every single book has countless examples and Deathly Hallows is pretty much one giant display of these traits. From fighting Death Eaters to stomping through the Forbidden Forest to defying the Ministry of Magic – and the list goes on – she demonstrates these most basic Gryffindor qualities. But I want to focus more on what I think is the most important (and most overlooked) quality of a Gryffindor: chivalry.

The idea of chivalry comes from the medieval period and its order of knights. Thanks in large part to Queen Elinor of Aquataine and her court, the idea of “courtly love” is what is most frequently associated with the term chivalry, but that is just a small part of it. Chivalry also encompasses a strict code of honor and loyalty towards ones brothers in arms and those who are weak or unable to fend for themselves. Hermione embodies all of these qualities.

You would be hard pressed to find someone in the Harry Potter series who demonstrates more loyalty to their comrades in arms than Hermione. From the moment she gave Harry her loyalty she never took it back. Regardless of how it may have looked to Harry at times, she always had his best interests at heart and had his back. Even if that meant doing something she knew would upset him, like when she told McGonagall her suspicions regarding the mysterious gift of the very expensive Firebolt. She stays by his side through countless dangerous situations and, more impressively, his frequent mood swings.

In my experience, people who are highly intelligent do not always have the most common sense or emotional empathy. This is not the case with Hermione. She is very attuned to the emotional state of those around her and their well-being.  She does not like to see anyone, regardless of species, mistreated and is compelled to act against it. The most obvious example of this trait is her crusade for House Elf rights, but there are many other, smaller instances as well. When she and Ron are made prefects in their fifth year she takes her duties very seriously. She does not allow anyone, including Ron, to bully the younger students – even if it is something as insignificant as addressing them as “midgets” (Order of the Phoenix, 194).

In spite of Hermione’s extreme intellect, I believe that she belongs in Gryffindor more than Ravenclaw. She embodies all of the qualities that are required of a true Gryffindor and her intelligence only helps to serve her in those areas. Hermione is one of my favorite characters, not just of this series, but in all of fiction. She is an incredible role-model for young girls to look up to. She is never overly concerned with what people think of her or how popular she is. Instead, she wants to better herself and those around her. She is willing to look adversity in the face, no matter how big, if she thinks it is the right thing to do. If that isn’t daring, nerve, and chivalry, then I don’t know what is.

What do you think? Do you think Hermione was sorted into the correct house? What do you like/not like about her character? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

*All page numbers are from the UK editions.

The Characters of Harry Potter: Ron

If you have been following me on any of my social media accounts, then you are well aware that I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan. When I combined that with the fact that one of my most popular blog posts is the one on Severus Snape it was easy to decide on a topic for my first blogging series: The Characters of Harry Potter. There are way too many characters for me to write about them all, so I have decided to limit it to four. Now on with today’s post.

RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY

I love Ron. I’m just going to state that from the get go. I entered the Potter fandom relatively late (after Order of the Phoenix the book had just come out), but for the past 8 years I have been heavily immersed in that online world. I am very frequently left speechless by the reactions I see towards Ron. There is an enormous camp of people who idolize him, but there is also a not so small group of people who genuinely – to put it mildly – don’t like him.

Why?

There are several complaints that I see pop up most frequently: One, that Ron serves no real purpose to the story other than comic relief. Two, that Ron is the most immature member of the trio and it gets annoying. Three, that Ron is frequently touted as representing loyalty among the trio, yet he is the one who abandons Harry on two separate occasions.

What’s interesting, is that reasons two and three are part of why I love Ron so much. Those same two things also speak to what I believe a large part of his purpose in the books actually is.

Ron is just an ordinary guy.

JK Rowling is better than most authors at creating multi-layered, flawed characters. I challenge anyone to find a character from Harry Potter who is a too perfect “Mary Sue” or whatever the male equivalent is. I really don’t think one exists. BUT, where the main characters are concerned, almost all of them also have a part that is better than, extraordinary. This is why Ron is such a relatable character to so many. He is just an average, ordinary guy who is trying to be the best friend he knows how to be to someone who is anything but ordinary.

I still remember the first time I read through each book. When Ron unfairly blamed Harry in Goblet of Fire I was just as upset and frustrated as Harry was. In Deathly Hallows when Ron left Harry and Hermione on the hunt for Horcruxes I felt the hurt and betrayal just as acutely as they did. Those two actions were incredibly selfish. They were also incredibly normal.

I don’t know about you, but when I was in high school friends got in fights with each other all the time. We would stop talking to each other over the most trivial of things. Jealousy born of insecurity causes people to do all kinds of crazy things they normally wouldn’t, especially during the volatile teenage years. And that’s just in our normal, ordinary world and friendships. Now imagine being best friends with someone who lives under the constant threat and attention inherent when the most evil person to live in hundreds of years is after him. I’m impressed Ron and Harry didn’t get into fights more often.

The thing that I admire so much about Ron is that, yes he makes mistakes, but he also learns from those mistakes and will admit he was wrong. He did that in both Goblet of Fire and Deathly Hallows. One of the hardest things in the world to do is let go of stubborn anger, admit you were wrong, and ask for forgiveness. The bigger the mistake, the harder this is to do. That Ron is able to do this with such big mess ups shows tremendous growth, even maturity, in his character as well as the depth of his love for his best friend. In fact, I believe that Ron’s character shows more growth over the course of the series than almost any other.

Throughout the books Ron reacts to things in ways that I could imagine any number of guys I knew in high school – or even myself – reacting. He has very little filter present between his brain and his mouth, which causes him to say things that are often rude or insensitive. I think that most of the time he is oblivious to the fact that this is how he comes across and that in his heart he truly does care about those around him.

With the exception of the two times mentioned previously, he ALWAYS stood up for Harry. In Prisoner of Azkaban he could hardly move from his broken leg, yet he still boldly declared “If you want to kill Harry, you’ll have to kill us, too” to Sirius Black (249*). In Order of the Phoenix when the whole school thought Harry was an attention seeking liar, Ron stood up for him even when it was a friend making the accusations (197-198). There are many more examples sprinkled throughout, but these are just two that have always stood out to me.

I can not imagine the Harry Potter books without Ron. He adds so much more than much needed comic relief. He adds heart and an element of relatability to a story that lives in the realm of the fantastical. He is flawed, ordinary, fallible. As my friend Maria Gonzalez said, “We can’t all be ‘the brightest witch of our age’ or ‘the boy who lived’. Ron represents the normal people.”

What do you think? Do you like Ron or think that he is an immature git (to use one of his favorite words)? What are some of your favorite Ron moments? Let me know in the comments!

Be sure to check back for the next installment in my series; I will be discussing Hermione.

*Page numbers are from the UK editions.