7 Times Hermione Was The Perfect Bookworm

If you're reading this site, you're already probably a proud bookworm. You don't need to be reminded of how awesome reading is, you follow a bunch of cool bookgrammers on Instagram, and you blow your paychecks on book-related gifts for yourself. Any of this ring a bell? Even if you're already a loud-and-proud bookworm, however, it's always nice to have a mascot of sorts, someone who champion your cause at every turn. A hero among bookworms, if you will.

That hero, obviously, is Hermione Granger.

Can you think of a better character to represent us? When I started reading the Harry Potter series at nine, I was already known to my classmates as a voracious reader. Which, as you can imagine, made me a little bit of a geek. So meeting Hermione, a fellow reader who used her library skills to save the day, was confirmation that being a bookworm was amazing. As I read the rest of the series and grew up alongside Hermione, she continued to prove to me that there was nothing better than being a reader.

Need proof? Here's seven times that Hermione Granger showed us how awesome it is to be a bookworm.

1. When Dumbledore left her Tales of Beedle the Bard

You know you've achieved maximum bookworm status when your headmaster leaves you a book in his will. Dumbledore didn't just leave her the book because he knew she'd appreciate it, however. He also knew that Hermione, out of everyone else in the series, would be able to decipher the clues in the "Tale of the Three Brothers" and keep Harry on the right path. Or try to, anyway. Dumbledore obviously had a lot of faith in Hermione, which is high praise indeed.

2. When she solved the mystery of what was petrifying students

Everyone makes a big deal about the fact that Harry went into the Chamber of Secrets, slayed a basilisk, destroyed part of Voldemort's soul, and saved Ginny Weasley. Even Ron got credit for going part of the way with him. But why doesn't anyone give credit to Hermione, the real hero of Chamber of Secrets ? While Harry was running around chasing voices, she was doing research that ultimately lead to the creature being identified as a basilisk moving through the pipes, pointing him towards Moaning Myrtle's bathrrom. How about some points to Hermione, hmmm?

3. When you could always count on her copy of Hogwarts, A History

Did no one else at that school bother to read Hogwarts, A History ? Apparently not, since Hermione always had to be the one to drop some knowledge on her classmates whenever they let their ignorance show. Of course you can't apparate in and out of Hogwarts, idiots. If you picked up a book some time you would know that. Also, I love that she brought it with her while the gang was Horcrux-hunting. You never know when it might come in handy!

4. When Viktor Krum asked her out in the library

While obviously Hermione's greatness is not contingent upon her ability to attract a man (duh), can we please take a moment to appreciate that Viktor Krum, an internationally acclaimed Quidditch player, hung around in the Hogwarts library for weeks just to muster up the courage to ask her out? Even though practically everyone (including Ron) was fawning over him, he saw Hermione with her nose in a book and thought, "That's the girl for me." Score one for bookworms everywhere!

5. When she tried to help Hagrid the only way she knew how: by reading

Remember in Prisoner of Azkaban when Buckbeak was put on trial for messing up Draco Malfoy and the gang decided to help Hagrid prepare a defense? And then remember when Harry and Ron got so googley-eyed over Harry's new Firebolt that they promptly forgot all about Hagrid and Buckbeak? Well, Hermione never forgets a friend. While the boys were obsessing over Quidditch, she was in the library researching dangerous animal trials and trying to find a way to get Buckbeak off the hook. Also, her "studying" tool ultimately saves Buckbeak (and everyone else).

6. When she stormed out of Divination

As we know, Hermione is typically the best at everything she does, school-wise. Which made it all the more frustrating for her and fans when she ended up being more or less rubbish at Divination. In her defense, though, Divination is a rubbish subject that seems to be mostly made up of guesswork led by a crazy, often-drunk professor. I'm on your side, Hermione; I don't have time for any subjects where books won't help me either. That's what made it extra gratifying when she yelled at Trelawney, stalked out of the room, and never returned.

7. When she shut down Dolores Umbridge by reading the entire textbook

As stated above, I'm all for reading-intensive class, but even I knew it was messed up when Umbridge refused to let students practice defensive spells in Defense Against the Dark Arts, asking them just to read their textbooks instead. While Harry mouthed off and got himself detention, Hermione went for a more subtle tactic: she just read the entire textbook so Umbridge would have to figure out what to do with her. The look on Umbridge's face when she heard that, as well as when Hermione could correctly quote a random chapter verbatim, must have been priceless.

Images: Warner Bros., Giphy (7)