The Muggle-Born

                As of the ending of year five, one character who has truly matured since the beginning of the Harry Potter series is Hermione Granger. Hermione has grown from a bright, by-the-book (literally and figuratively) little girl who feared getting expelled from Hogwarts even more than being ripped to shreds by an oversized, three-headed dog (and, according to Ron, whose priorities probably were not in the proper order) to an even brighter, rule-bending, problem-solving go-getter, who discovered that is was a basilisk attacking Muggle-borns when the Chamber of Secrets was opened, used the Time Turner to save two innocent lives in Prisoner of Azkaban, dated Viktor Krum, and fought off Death Eaters alongside the Order of the Phoenix.

                As Hermione is put to the test year after year at Hogwarts, she, along with Harry and Ron, always manages to come out stronger by the end of each trial, if not entirely unscathed. One major theme throughout this series is the power of friendship, and Hermione, Ron, and Harry use the power of their friendship to overcome hardship and subdue the forces of evil. I, like most female fans of Harry Potter, I think, relate very strongly to Hermione’s evolution; everything she goes through makes her stronger, and she never, ever backs down, even when logic (arguably, Hermione’s best friend) says that she should. Most of all, though, what makes Hermione so relatable is that, at first, she is that awkward, nerdy girl who has no friends, but she eventually finds her niche, and discovers a remarkable capacity for friendship, which evolves along with her.