It's no secret that Hermione is one of the most beloved characters of the "Harry Potter" series and has no doubt been one of the most feminist and badass women in literature. But after reading BuzzFeed's interpretation of Harry Potter with Hermione as the protagonist, I couldn't help but think of all the reasons why she is so much better than Harry. Fair warning, I am about to go way in depth in this analysis and am totally geeking out and arguing over a fictional character, but it's all a part of Potterhead life.
1. Rowling wrote Hermione to eschew stereotypes.
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She was never meant to be written as Harry's love interest; she doesn't end up with the hero. So often female characters are allowed to be tough, aggressive and rebellious, but are then stripped of any traditionally feminine traits. But Hermione is never made to do that. She is written to be highly logical and emotionally expressive, which has made her into a proper badass.
2. She's flipping amazing at magic.
Remember when she cast the Confundus spell on Cormac so that Ron would be Keeper? Also remember how she cast that spell without a wand? I think the only other person who did this in the series was Dumbledore who is the GREATEST WIZARD IN THE WORLD. Then here comes this 16-year-old who is able to confuse another wizard with no wand and a little well-placed timing.
3. She literally knew everything before Harry and he wouldn't listen.
Since he was so hot-headed and always believed the worst in people that he just didn't like, he was quick to jump to conclusions all the time and the gang ended up in some serious situations that they definitely could have avoided.
Harry: "But they have Sirius!"
Hermione: "But what if it's a trap?"
Harry: "But they have Sirius!"
Yeah, it was a trap. And now Sirius is dead.
4. She lit her teacher on fire when she was only 11.
Forget the fact that he just so happened to be trying to save Harry, lighting Snape on fire was a pretty risky and rebellious move. And it did distract Quirrell from killing Harry during the Quidditch game.
5. She punched Draco in the nose for being an idiot.
Do I even need to explain this one?
6. She understands the importance of learning.
Am I the only one who was completely fed up with the fact that Ron and Harry never stopped complaining about how much homework they had? You want my measly Muggle homework? Go ahead! You get to learn about MAGIC! And it totally explains why Hermione is so keen to complete her studies.
7. She doesn't take anyone's crap.
Her sassiness and ability to call people out on being unreasonable definitely made her the greatest role model for me.
8. She still had her quirks.
Despite all of her perfections, she still gets annoyed when someone does a little bit better than her. And that never changes. In the first book, she's annoyed that Harry can summon his broomstick faster. In the sixth, she's mad that he is able to brew a potion better than her (even though we all know he had a little extra help from the half-blood prince). She's competitive about her studies, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that.
9. She was never afraid to speak her mind.
Never mind that people thought she was a bit strange or a bit of a nerd. You could always count on her to speak her mind and be the first person to raise her hand in a lesson.
10. She's an activist.
Hermione couldn't bear to let Buckbeak die in "The Prisoner of Azkaban." She started S.P.E.W. for the benefit of magical creatures when she learned about the mistreatment of house elves. She was always trying to look out for the best interests of the people and creatures around her. I mean, except for that period of time that she allowed Rita Skeeter to live as a beetle in a jar.
11. She was the one who really started Dumbledore's Army.
She realized the importance of being able to defend themselves and didn't care what the punishment was if she was caught. She understood that sometimes you have to be a bit rebellious in order to make any change.
12. She gets a time-turner so that she can take more classes.
While Harry is over here whining to Snape about homework because there's a sports game tomorrow, Hermione is MOVING TIME to take EVEN MORE CLASSES, because that girl knows something is up and knows she needs to STUDY UP. Plus, she used that time-turner to save both Buckbeak and Sirius while Harry basically just tagged along for the ride.
13. Harry (who isn't afraid of Voldemort) is scared of her.
But can you blame him? Have you seen her wand-work?
14. She wipes her parents' memories so that they will be safe.
How brave and selfless do you have to be in order to basically erase your entire childhood and memory from your parents' brains and ship them off to another continent so that they will not be caught in the crossfire that is Voldemort vs. everyone else? And when she shows up at The Burrow along with everyone else, do they feel bad? Do they go all Harry Potter on her? No! And she still loves them anyway.
I don't care if she thinks Harry is a better wizard because she thinks friendship and bravery is more important than books and cleverness. Hermione is more than just clever. She may seem like a know-it-all, but I say she's brilliant and others are just jealous. Study up or shut up.
