Of the many of Hermione Granger's traits, her independence is impossible to ignore. In her third year, she uses a "time turner" to go back in time daily in order to take more classes than she could fit in a regular schedule. She is very opinionated and unafraid to disagree with others. She relies on herself rather than others to protect, entertain, and educate her. It is important to mimic this trait because depending on others (as opposed to yourself) is an easy and fast way to spiral downwards in life.

Hermione is a "mudblood" which means she was born and raised in a family of "muggles," non-magical people. At many points in the series, the hurt Hermione feels when she is treated poorly for her blood is vastly apparent. Tears are shed, and her expression shows she is wounded, but Hermione never demonstrates shame in where she came from. This, to me, is inspirational because the division between "purebloods" and "muggleborns" is comparable to real-world issues like racism, sexism, and socio-economic status. It is very important to, like Hermione, be secure and comfortable with who you are and where you came from.

Off the bat, the audience is informed of Hermione’s remarkable intelligence. She arrives at Hogwarts overly prepared for the academics. To many, this appears as an unattainable quality she was born with. However, throughout the series, we are notified that any spare time she has is spent extensively studying. Her intelligence is perhaps somewhat natural, but is largely due to her dedication to performing exceptionally.

Stereotypically, men are the courageous species responsible for protecting women from things they can’t fend off themselves. Hermione is almost never treated differently because of her gender. She acts as if she’s one of the boys and is unafraid of any mission they face. She values her reputation and obedience to authorities, but if she feels it's necessary, she will take the risk of getting in trouble if it means saving the magical world. When it comes to facing my fears, I normally count to three and act on them in order to overcome them before changing my mind.

It is unfair to categorize all teenage girls with a negative connotation, but I’d say the majority of them struggle in prioritizing. For me, I was mostly concerned with my social life and my current boy crush. It's unrealistic that three teenagers can save the world by the time they’re 17, but it is helpful to see this as a metaphor. Instead of taking on an unstoppable villain, I think the real Hermione Granger would prioritize helping others by volunteering, signing petitions, and speaking up for those who need a voice. A teenager is young and shouldn’t be held responsible for saving the world, but it is at least important to mirror her highest priority: phenomenal performance academically (or occupationally).

No matter the consequences, Hermione does whatever she can to do what’s right. The "good" people of the magical world could easily save themselves by succumbing to the dark side, but Hermione of all people is always determined to do no wrong. At many points, she risks her own life to defend the people she cares about. She doesn’t lust for the bad boy Draco Malfoy (like, admittedly, many girls would), but instead loathes him for the awful things he’s done and plans to do in the future. Being a good girl is an admirable quality, and Hermione fits the description to a tee.

Perhaps it was out of fear that her feelings for her friend Ron wouldn’t be reciprocated. However, only an admirable woman has enough patience to wait six years before finally admitting to something that could have potentially ruined their friendship. She was in denial for a great part of that time period, but she even sat on the sidelines throughout his first romantic relationship without any attempt in ruining his happiness. I, for one, adore this quality of Hermione’s mostly because I act on impulse regarding my feelings for men. Sometimes recognizing feelings quickly is unfortunate because you may jump into things too fast and later regret it.

Hermione Granger is a splendid character and an ideal role model. If you be yourself, imitating these traits should be a breeze. Are there any other traits of Hermione that you think are worth mentioning?