When Harry Potter and Ron Weasley meet Hermione Granger for the first time, things don’t exactly get off to the best of starts. The pair both found her irritating and arrogant, and it’s only after a near-death experience involving a troll that they all became friends. Once that happens, however, the trio are close for life.
Emma Watson did a brilliant job at playing Hermione in the movies, but not every little tidbit of information about the character was shown on the big screen. So we’ll now take a look at 10 things only book fans know about Gryffindor’s smartest student.
She Nearly Became A Ravenclaw
Hermione is one of the first students to be sorted into Gryffindor, the house where she’d become a vital student. However, it’s revealed in Order of the Phoenix that she could actually have been in Ravenclaw instead - with Hermione telling Terry Boot about the Sorting Hat’s dilemma when it was placed on her head.
“Well, the Sorting Hat did seriously consider putting me in Ravenclaw during my Sorting. But it decided on Gryffindor in the end,” she says. Given her brains, Ravenclaw would have been an ideal house. Yet it appears her bravery outweighed her intelligence - which is why she was sorted into Gryffindor instead.
She’s Useless At Just Two Things
Hermione is, as described by Sirius Black in the Prisoner of Azkaban as the ‘smartest witch of her age.’ But fans of the books know that she struggled at two things - flying and Divination.
When she attempts to raise her broomstick off the ground, Hermione fails. She’s dumbfounded, as her and Neville both stand their rather uselessly, struggling at a subject where books are no help whatsoever. With Divination, she never takes to the subject, and after a run-in with Professor Trelawney she storms out and never returns.
She Got 11 O.W.L.S
Everyone knows how bright Hermione is, but her exam results are impressive. Harry and Ron both get seven O.W.L.s each, which is extremely commendable. Hermione, however, manages a staggering 11.
She gets 10 Outstandings and one Exceeds Expectations, which somewhat rankles her. None of the trio are able to take their N.E.W.T.s at Hogwarts after skipping their seventh year, but Hermione, determined not to miss out on the prospect of further education, goes back to take them. It's unclear what subjects she took, but she likely ed them with ease. After all, what’re a few exams when you’ve already faced off with Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters?
Professor McGonagall Was Her Boggart
A Boggart is a creature that shows someone their biggest fear in order to throw them off balance and to get the better of them. Harry’s is a Dementor, Ron’s is a giant spider, and Professor Lupin’s is a full moon because that’s when he transforms into a werewolf.
But Hermione’s, rather amusingly, is Professor McGonagall. More specifically, it’s Professor McGonagall labeling her a failure. "P-P-Professor McGonagall! Sh-she said I'd failed everything!" she stumbles after her encounter. Fortunately for Hermione, it’s unlikely she ever had to face such a situation in the real world.
She Got The Better Of Rita Skeeter
Rita Skeeter is certainly underused in the Goblet of Fire movie. The Daily Prophet reporter is a vile individual, one who takes great pleasure in writing inaccurate information to the detriment of others. But, in the book of the same name, she actually gets her comeuppance.
Having spent the whole year writing rubbish about Harry and his life, Hermione finds out how she’s getting these scoops. It turns out that Rita is an unlicensed Animagus, transforming into a beetle to eavesdrop on private conversations. Hermione susses this out and later blackmails the reporter, forcing her into giving an interview to Harry for the Quibbler about the night of Lord Voldemort’s second coming.
She’s A Prefect
Harry already feels bad in the Order of the Phoenix when he discovers he’s been turned down as a Prefect. Instead, Ron and Hermione get the honor - much to the Boy Who Lived’s displeasure.
Ron is relaxed in the role but Hermione isn’t, taking it with the utmost seriousness. She repeatedly attempts to come down hard on Fred and George Weasley when they’re inventing their mischievous treats and snacks for Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. However, that said, she can’t help but be impressed when they quit Hogwarts and leave Dolores Umbridge red-faced.
She Formed S.P.E.W And Loves House Elves
In the Goblet of Fire book, Hermione is appalled when Barty Crouch Sr. sacks Winky the House Elf after the debacle at the Quidditch World Cup - despite her doing nothing wrong. From that moment on she makes it her mission to try and improve the conditions of the wizarding creatures under the name of S.P.E.W.
Standing for Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, she uses it to aid the likes of Winky, Dobby and Kreacher. Most of the House-Elves are offended by her approach, but she’s undeterred and tries to trick them into freedom. This leads to Dobby being the only creature of his kind to clean Gryffindor Tower at night.
She Nearly Died In The Order Of The Phoenix
In Order of the Phoenix, Hermione accompanies Harry, Ron, Ginny, Luna and Neville to the Ministry of Magic in order to rescue Sirius Black, who they wrongly believe to be held captive by Lord Voldemort himself. This isn’t the case, however, with the gang tricked into entering the Department of Mysteries so they can retrieve the prophecy for the Dark Lord.
A fight then breaks out and Hermione is hit with a curse that knocks her unconscious. It looks as if she’s done for, but luckily she survived with only minor injuries.
She Snuck Into Albus Dumbledore’s Office After His Death
How dare Hermione sneak into the office of the late, great Hogwarts heaster?
But she actually has a good reason for stealing from Albus Dumbledore after his death. She goes to his office and retrieves every book he had on Horcruxes by using the Summoning Charm. These are then used to help Harry in his mission to retrieve Lord Voldemort’s Horcruxes, objects that must be destroyed if the Dark Lord is to be stopped once and for all.
She Fought Bellatrix Lestrange
In the Deathly Hallows book, Hermione engages Bellatrix Lestrange in battle with Ginny and Luna by her side. The trio all fight the Death Eater while Lord Voldemort battles Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minerva McGonagall and Horace Slughorn at the same time.
Bellatrix is more than a match for the girls, and Molly Weasley ends up taking over. While she’s mocked for this, she ends up destroying the villain - hitting her in the chest with an unknown spell. This is different in the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 movie, with Molly actually obliterating Bellatrix and leaving no trace of her body behind.
