Harry Potter: Who is the hero?

I, as well as many kids across the globe, have and will continue to be impacted by the Harry Potter novels. This series of 7 books describes the long journey of the main protagonist, Harry Potter. When we first meet Harry, he is eleven and has been living with his aunt and uncle ever since his parents died when he was a baby. On his eleventh birthday, we meet Hagrid who explains to Harry that he is actually a wizard and his parents were murdered by an evil wizard, Voldemort. During the course of the books, we see Harry attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and meet his two best friends: Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Throughout the course of these seven books, Harry battles Voldemort multiple times and learns more about himself along the way.

            Despite this series being mainly about Harry Potter, my personal hero growing up was Hermione Granger. Hermione is a frizzy haired bossy nerd who has muggle parents (human parents). Throughout the books, she always tries to support her friends and gets them out of trouble. As a nerdy 2^nd grade girl who was shy and bullied, Hermione was my hero.

            I always admired Hermione for her ability to lead others and her knowledge. I learned from her that it was ok to be smart and have the confidence to say it. Even though Harry managed to always escape Voldemort, I would argue that none of the books were possible without Hermione. She always manages to figure out the truth behind mysteries and guides Harry in the right direction. Harry is still brave and heroic, but the series showed me that without wit and knowledge, Harry would have been extremely unsuccessful.

            Despite being a supporting character and ally to the main protagonist, Hermione still follows many of the “hero’s journey qualities.” She comes from and has grown up in the human world, then is proclaimed a wizard and attends Hogwarts. Her “call to adventure” takes place in the first book when Ron and Harry become her best friends. She is involved in their lives and helps Harry survive for the remaining seven books. There is one moment where Hermione refuses the call and that is right after they go into the secret chamber, only to find a vicious three-headed dog. Hermione wants to pretend that it never happened and orders the two boys to go to bed. However, unable to contain her excitement for the mystery at hand, she goes to the library to learn more about the people involved in the situation (accepting the call). The list of connections continues to go on. 

            By the end of the seven books, we see Hermione grow and mature as a character and that reflects many kids reading these books. I’m sure I am not the only one saying that I grew up with these books. However, personally, Hermione in particular taught me to have strength and values which are vital to the person I have become today.