If you’re going to name a group the Hermiones, you obviously need the first Hermione (apologies to all the good souls out there named Hermione before the Harry Potter onslaught). In my Hermione series, I’ve decided to include real and fictional individuals. Furthermore, while it would be grand if I could designate a Tarot card for each Hermione. Perhaps JK Rowling would be the Queen of Cups? But that feels like one project too many. Decorated photos will have to do.

You don’t have to love a character. Plenty of unlikable characters are popular these days. But  I want to love characters. I don’t have to, but it makes me happier.

And anyway, my focus is on people who make the world a better place in some way.

Hermione speaks her mind. She doesn’t hide being smart and she doesn’t lord her cleverness over anyone. She’s the best friend anyone could have, loyal to the end. She doesn’t get pulled into a love triangle and she chooses the good fight over her feelings for Ron.

Hermione sacrifices quite a lot in the course of the seven books, but she doesn’t focus on it. She does what she needs to do. She cares about the less fortunate and the helpless. She forgives. Without her, the bad guys would have won. Harry may have been the Chosen One, but he needed her help time and time again.

A while back, JK Rowling made a public statement about wishing she’d put Harry and Hermione together. Now, I admire Rowling and love her writing. She so often says the right thing. But on this, I disagree. I love that Hermione fell for Ron. It’s easy to have the girl fall for the main character. That would be exactly what Ron feared, that any woman would prefer the hero, the Chosen One. And I’ll forever be glad, Rowling didn’t reduce Harry, Hermione, and Ron to a love triangle. Hermione was never a prize. She was a character in her own right.

In other exciting news, Hermione will be taken on by a new actress. This is Hermione all grown up. I’m excited to see where she will take us next. Wherever it is, she will continue to be the cleverest witch of her age.

We need more characters like that in fiction.

Thank you for reading!