Harry Potter entered the Wizarding World with all kinds of benefits, such as the fame that comes with being the one responsible for defeating Voldemort, a vault full of his parent’s gold, being descended from an ancient wizarding family, having all kinds of allies in the form of Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix, and being protected by his mother’s sacrificial spell. Hermione Granger had far fewer advantages when entering wizarding society than Harry did, as she was a muggle-born with no money, no famous family name, and who was entering a culture that had people who despised her for her lineage.
Harry Potter might have been the hero of his book series, but he would never have succeeded without the help of Hermione Granger, who used her intelligence and quick wits to save the day on many occasions. It always seemed as if Harry (and most of the other Hogwarts students) had no interest in learning about magic and treated their education as a chore, whereas Hermione went out of her way to learn all she could about the various aspects of sorcery, which allowed her to come up with ideas and solutions that her enemies never anticipated.
We are here today to reveal all of the knowledge and spells that Hermione used that were beyond the skills of Harry - from the magical communication tool that was used by Lord Voldemort to the ability to craft her own kinds of magic.
Here are the 20 Things Hermione Can Do (That Harry Potter Can’t)!
20. The Protean Charm
One example of Hermione’s incredible talent was her ability to cast the Protean Charm while in her fifth year at Hogwarts, as Terry Boot claimed that the spell was normally only taught to students in their final year. Hermione was able to use the Protean Charm to create fake coins that were all linked together to a master coin that she could use to change the writing around the edge in order to pass messages to all of the other coin bearers.
Draco Malfoy stole Hermione’s idea and was able to cast the Protean Charm on coins of his own in order to contact his allies during his plan to assassinate Albus Dumbledore. Hermione stole the idea herself from Lord Voldemort, who is believed to have used the Protean Charm when creating the Dark Mark and branding it on his servants.
19. Arithmancy
There are several subjects taught at Hogwarts that we know little about, due to the fact that students are allowed to choose from a selection of classes in their third-year, which means that we only gained insight into the classes that Harry attended.
One of the classes that Hermione chose was Arithmancy, which involves the study of numbers and how they relate to magic, which seems to be closely related to mathematics, as the Curse-Breakers who work for Gringotts Wizarding Bank are required to pass the subject, due to how they work with numbers. Hermione excelled at Arithmancy and was able to score an O in her O.W.L.s. for the subject. It’s just a shame that we never learned more about its applications and how it may have been useful during the story.
18. Brew Polyjuice Potion
Harry never showed much of an interest in his Potions lessons, due to the enmity he shared with Severus Snape. It wasn’t until his sixth year that Harry finally showed an aptitude for potion-making, due to a new teacher and the help of the Half-Blood Prince’s notes.
It is said that you need to earn an O or E in Potions at the N.E.W.T.s level in order to become an Auror, yet Harry never finished his studies at Hogwarts but was able to become an Auror anyway due to his experience in dealing with dark wizards, which means that he likely wasn’t as skilled at potion-making as his subordinates. Hermione showed an amazing aptitude for potion-making, as she was able to create Polyjuice Potion during her second year at Hogwarts, despite the fact that it’s said to be one of the most difficult to brew.
17. Summon Birds
It’s possible for witches and wizards to summon living animals from their wands, as we have seen birds and snakes being summoned from thin-air and used to attack people. It seems that the bird summoning spell (Avis) is a lot more difficult to cast, as Draco Malfoy was able to summon snakes during his second year at Hogwarts, while Hermione wasn’t able to summon birds until her sixth-year, which is a feat that Harry considered to be impressive.
The birds clearly weren’t of much use in a combat situation, as Hermione only ever used it to attack Ron after she saw him kissing Lavender Brown. It’s never stated how long the birds remained in existence, which suggests that they may not survive long enough to be used as messengers.
16. Conjure Waterproof Flames
There are a lot of magical spells that conjure fire that can be used as a distraction, to protect their creator, or to harm other people, with Fiendfyre being one of the most dangerous substances that can be wielded by a witch or wizard. Hermione was able to use a more benign form of magical fire during her first year at Hogwarts, as she was able to conjure Bluebell Flames.
Bluebell Flames emit light and heat, but they it cannot be extinguished by water and it doesn’t harm human flesh, making it safe to use. There are some substances that can contain Bluebell Flames, such as glass, which can be used to make lanterns. It’s possible for Bluebell Flames to burn cloth and plants, which was useful for Hermione during her adventures in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
15. Shape Magic Into A Cushion
The majority of brooms that are used by witches and wizards are enchanted with the Cushioning Charm, which creates an invisible magical pillow that makes it more comfortable to ride around on a stick of wood.
The Cushioning Charm (which is cast by saying Molliare) also has the ability to cushion those who are falling from a great height. Hermione uses the spell for this effect when the gang is trying to break into Gringotts Bank, as it protects everyone when their mine cart is derailed. It’s never mentioned if Harry had ever learned this spell, but you would think it would be standard practice for all Quidditch players to learn the Cushioning Charm on the off-chance that they are knocked from their broom.
14. Make Regular Objects As Hard As Stone
The Duro spell of the Charm school has the ability to make objects as hard as stone. It seems that the hardness of the object has no bearing on its durability after the spell is cast, as Hermione was able to alter the properties of a cloth tapestry in order to make it hard as stone and use it to injure two Death Eaters.
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery claims that all third-year students are taught Duro during their Transfiguration classes, though the canonicity of the game has been called into question due to several inconsistencies regarding ages and dates, along with items that shouldn’t even exist yet (like the Firebolt).
13. Create Copies Of Items
The Geminio spell (also known as the Doubling Charm or Gemino Curse) becomes an important spell in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, due to how it is used by both Hermione Granger and a previous employee at Gringotts Wizarding Bank.
Hermione is able to use the Geminio spell to create an exact copy of Salazar Slytherin’s locket, which is switched with the original in order to stop Lord Voldemort’s servants from discovering that one of his Horcruxes had been stolen. The gang run into a more powerful version of the spell when they try to break into the Lestrange Vault, which causes items to duplicate themselves every time they are touched and will cause thieves to be crushed under the weight of all of the duplicated treasure.
12. Turn Stairs Into A Slide
One of the most situational spells in Hermione’s repertoire was Glisseo, which had the effect of making stairs lock into place and turn into a slide. Hermione was able to use the Glisseo spell during the Battle of Hogwarts in order to turn one of the staircases in Hogwarts into a slide, so that the gang could quickly escape from a group of Lord Voldemort’s servants.
The founders of Hogwarts also used the Glisseo spell on the stairs of the school, which prevented boys from visiting the girl’s dormitories. It’s possible that the Hogwarts founders were worried that Hogwarts would turn into the kind of school from a teen comedy (like Animal House) and wanted to keep horseplay to a minimum.
11. Wipe Memories & Plant New Ones
The readers of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows originally believed that there was an inconsistency in the book, as Hemione claimed that she had never performed a Memory Charm before using it on Dolohov and Rowle, yet she had also claimed to have altered her parent’s memories of their life.
J.K. Rowling clarified that Hermione had used two separate spells, as the Memory Charm (that was used on Dolohov and Rowle) has the ability to remove specific memories, while the spell that she used on her parents was the False Memory Charm, which could overwrite existing memories and replace them with new ones. Hermione possessed the ability to remove memories or create new ones, which might be one of the most frightening powers in the series when you think about it.
10. The Ability To Read & Translate Runes
The Study of Ancient Runes is similar to Arithmancy in several ways, as they were both classes that were picked up by Hermione and that we never saw any classes taking place, due to the fact that Harry didn’t take.
The ability to read runes is also something that could have been useful at one point during the series, but it never came up outside of Hermione complaining about her homework, to the point that it was barely even mentioned in the movies. Hermione must have been skilled in translating ancient runes, as it was the ones of the O.W.L.s classes in which he achieved an Outstanding score.
9. Create Horcruxes
We still don’t know the exact nature of the spell that allows you to create a Horcrux, except for the fact that it requires you to take a life. The only people who ever created Horcruxes (that we know of) were Herpo the Foul and Tom Riddle.
Now that Herpo and Tom Riddle are gone, the only person with the knowledge of creating Horcruxes is Hermione Granger, as she stole a book called Secrets of the Darkest Arts from Dumbledore’s office, which she claimed gave explicit instructions on how to make a Horcrux. Hermione would never actually create a Horcrux, but she does possess the knowledge on how to make them.
8. Force Documents To Reveal Their Secrets
It’s possible for witches and wizards to hide secret messages on paper, using either magical ink that only reveals itself under specific circumstances or to use magic to conceal writing. The problem with using hidden messages is that there is a spell that can easily make them visible - the Revealing Charm.
Hermione was able to use the Revealing Charm on Tom Riddle’s diary, which turned up nothing due to the fact that the book’s magic was tied to it being a Horcrux and containing a piece of Voldemort’s soul, rather than it possessing any kind of hidden writing.
7. Turn Regular Items Into The TARDIS
One of the most useful items that Hermione created in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was the handbag that she placed the Undetectable Extension Charm on. The Undetectable Extension Charm allows you to create a much bigger space on the inside of an object than it is on the outside, allowing for a tiny bag to be able to carry all sorts of items, while also being able to contain larger objects, like a portrait.
The Ministry of Magic enforces strict rules when it comes to the creation of extra-dimensional objects, but this doesn’t stop witches and wizards using the spell for personal usage around the home, so it’s not surprising that Hermione was able to learn how to cast the Undetectable Extension Charm.
6. Create Magical Writing In The Air
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry meets the piece of soul within Tom Riddle’s diary and discovers that Tom Riddle is the young version of Lord Voldemort. The Riddle spirit revealed this to the people in the cheap seats by writing his name in the air with fiery letters.
Hermione continued her trend of using the same spells as Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, as she cast the Flagrate spell to mark the doors that the group had previously entered, in order to prevent them from getting lost within the Department of Mysteries.
5. Move Plants With The Power Of Magic
There doesn’t seem to be a general telekinesis spell in the world of Harry Potter, as there are numerous different spells with the ability to move different kinds of objects, some of which can be used to paralyze human beings.
Hermione uses a spell in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which would seemingly have few uses, as it exists specifically for the purposes of moving plants. The Mobiliarbus spell allows the caster to move plant-life as if you were Jean Grey of the X-Men. Hermione used the spell to move a Christmas tree inside the Three Broomsticks, in order to give Harry (who was under the Invisibility Cloak) more cover.
4. Conjure Flowers From Nothing
It was possible for witches and wizards to create plants out of thin air, which was presumably an easier task than summoning living animals.
Hermione demonstrated the ability to create a specific kind of flower during the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, as she created a wreath of roses for the grave of James Potter and Lily Potter when she visited it with Harry. The extent of the flower summoning spell is unknown, but it can seemingly create any kind of bloom that the caster desires, while also taking any shape that is required.
3. Remove Footprints
The ability for witches and wizards to levitate under their own power seemed to have been impossible for years, as only Lord Voldemort, Severus Snape, and the Augury ever displayed the ability to fly without the aid of a broom or similar enchanted vehicle.
If witches and wizards could easily fly, then there would be no need for the Obliteration Charm, which sounds a lot cooler than it actually is. The Obliteration Charm removes any footprints left behind when walking through dirt, mud, or snow, which Hermione used several times in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
2. Create Unbreakable/Soundproof Objects
There is a spell in the Wizarding World that is able to make objects soundproof and unbreakable, but there must have been limits to how long the enchantment would last or the size of the object in question, otherwise you would think that it would be used all of the time.
Hermione was able to take a regular glass jar and use the Unbreakable Charm on it to make it both damage proof and soundproof, as she was able to contain Rita Skeeter (in her insect form) within the jar. The fact that the jar couldn’t be broken meant that Rita couldn’t return to her human form without squashing herself within the glass, which she presumably could have done in a softer container.
1. Create New Spells
We still don’t know the mechanics of how magical spells actually work in the Harry Potter universe and we likely never will. One thing we do know is that it’s possible for witches and wizards to be able to create new spells to suit their needs, though how they go about this is still unknown.
Hermione demonstrated the ability to create a new spell when she developed a jinx for the Dumbledore’s Army sign-up scroll that eventually punished Marietta Edgecombe for betraying the group to Dolores Umbridge, causing horrible pimples to break out on her face in the form of the word “sneak,” which lasted until at least the end of her time at Hogwarts. The fact that no one at Hogwarts was able to break the effects of Hermione’s spell just goes to show how powerful she was, even when she was a just a fifth-year student.
Are there any other things that Hermione can do that Harry can’t in Harry Potter? Let us know in the comments!
