Still Conjuring Her Self: Further Thoughts on Hermione's Self-Determination in Harry Potter

In most classic children's literature, a female protagonist, though the center of the story, does not exhibit agency; rather, power "arrives in the form of rescue" and is acted upon by a male hero. However, in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, the Hermione Granger often acts as her own rescuer and is certainly the books' central girl feminist. Hermione separates herself from other models of girlhood, such as the silent and passive or melodramatic and superficial female stereotypes (Cho and Ginny; Lavender and Parvati, respectively), to formulate her own authentic character. Rather than replicating these models she makes her own unique voice heard. Unlike the female students around her, Hermione is an essential element in the books, in the fight against evil in its many forms, and especially in the quest to defeat Voldemort. Through her manipulation of common narrative tropes and subversion of expectations of femininity, Hermione creates her own construction of girlhood. As a result, she emerges as the most self-actualized character in the Harry Potter series.