Ashwinder :: To bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses

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Writing Hermione Granger by Kaz

Hermione Granger is at once a simple and a complex character. I know, you’re now looking at me (er… well, the screen) like I’m crazy. However, let’s look at the facts.

What are the first (non-physical) characteristics that come to mind when thinking about Hermione Granger? Studious, loyal, intelligent, steadfast friend. All of these are very straight-forward, Gryffindor characteristics. However, if we delve deeper into Hermione’s psyche, we can see there’s more than meets the eye in this fascinating young woman (character?). Not only is she the Gryffindor, but she is also a rule-breaking, brilliant young woman.

Hermione has, when she has felt the situation worthy, broken numerous school rules in an effort to achieve her goals. In PS/SS, she, Ron and Harry went to the trap door to stop Voldemort (although students were expressly forbidden from entering the third floor of that wing); in CoS, she brews a very advanced potion (Polyjuice), which if anyone found out, would have landed her in serious trouble with the authorities—especially Snape from whom she stole the ingredients. While she often encourages Harry and Ron *not* to get into trouble and break rules, if she feels the situation is sufficiently dire or important, she will accede to their wishes and get fully involved in the adventure. One should note, however, that this will only occur if she has exhausted or ruled out all other avenues. She is the one who encourages Harry and Ron to tell Dumbledore or McGonagall instead of haring off by themselves. Unfortunately, the proper authority figures are not always available and it is then that she is often willing to flout the rules to achieve the necessary outcome.

Hermione, for all her rule-breaking, is very deferential to authority figures. She is the one who often tells Ron and Harry to stop bad mouthing Professor Snape and is herself almost always respectful toward the professors. It is she who encourages Harry to pursue his Occulumency with Snape, even after the disastrous last lesson. She inherently believes that professors and other authority figures (with the exceptions of Fudge who has proved himself untrustworthy and cowardly and the various “evil” professors at Hogwarts) will make decisions for the good of the school and the students. This blind spot where authority figures are concerned is further compounded by her belief these professors can do no wrong. Only if she is presented with proof that their actions aren’t in the best interest of the students/her friends/herself (such as Quirrell, Lockhart and Umbridge), does she work against them. This exception is Professor Snape. While she believes that he is working with Dumbledore to fight Voldemort, she does recognize that he can be spiteful and cruel, especially where herself, Harry and Ron are concerned. However, this doesn’t impinge on her respect of his knowledge and intelligence and she continues to defend him through OotP.

Logic plays a large part of Hermione’s intelligence. She was able to get past Snape’s logic puzzle in PS/SS (proving that she is near, if not equal to his intelligence). It was she who first figured out (again with help from Snape) that Professor Lupin was a werewolf. She is able to take bits and pieces of information and put it together to form a clear picture of the situation. That isn’t to say she’s always correct. At times, she uses logic to come up with the wrong answer. For instance, in GoF, she assumes that since Rita Skeeter is printing inaccurate information, everyone will simply ignore the articles. Unfortunately for her, this proves to be untrue.

Of course, Hermione is also the loyal, brave Gryffindor and at times can carry these characteristics to levels that are perhaps unwise. (She may be brilliant, but that doesn’t mean she always makes the right choices!) Don’t forget that she is also a teenager and has all the trials and tribulations any teenager encounters. She has the insecurities any girl her age has and it is only magnified by the fact that she is friends with the Boy Who Lived. Her best friends are two males, which also can be difficult as she does not seem to have close relationships with other witches her age (Ginny Weasley may be the exception to that).

One more thing must be remembered about Hermione. She was raised as a Muggle for the first eleven years of her life and returns to that lifestyle every holiday and each summer. So don’t discount something as “too Muggle” for Hermione. It is entirely possible that she would have those traits (such as quoting from various Muggle television programs or movies).

A bit about the origins of Hermione’s name might be useful right now as well. In Greek myth, Hermione is the daughter of Helen of Troy and Menelaus. In the myth, she is basically used by her father as a pawn during the Trojan War. He first promises her to one man (Orestes, King of Mycenae) but later gives her hand in marriage to Neoptolemus (Achilles’ son). Unfortunately for Hermione, Orestes kills Neoptolemus in a duel over the poor woman.

If one were to remember how JK Rowling uses names for her characters that describe them or their situations (Remus Lupin, Sirius, Narcissa, Malfoy, etc), then we can take it to mean that perhaps Hermione will become a pawn in the war against Voldemort. Or maybe (as some would undoubtedly prefer) there will be a battle over her (between Krum and Ron perhaps?) If we look at the root of the name Hermione, it comes from Hermes, another figure in Greek mythology. Hermes was (among other things) the Herald of the Gods. A herald brings information or news. Hermes’ role in mythology coincides very nicely with one of Hermione’s roles in the books- as the person who researches and finds information.

One of the primary things to remember when writing Hermione Granger is to stay true to the character. Hermione is a logical young woman who always has clear reasons for her actions. While it may not be apparent in the books due to the fact that the stories are being told from Harry’s point of view, everything we have seen has shown that she uses logic even to the point of ridiculousness. So give her logical reasons for her actions! Want her and Snape to fall madly in love? Fabulous, just make sure we see the progression of the relationship from student-teacher to friends to lovers.

If you’re unsure if something is in character for Hermione, re-read the books and get a beta reader to look it over for you. Using examples from canon (the books) and having someone else edit your story makes it more reader-friendly and can really help keep your characters in character.