Hermione and JKR

[Steve Bates]

No: HPFGUIDX 3423

<Does she do anything but solve problems? Surely she has to be able 
to offer something else to Harry? There will come a time when Harry 
has no problems to solve (well there maybe!), what will she do then?>

That's a pretty utilitarian point of view regarding friendship.  
Hermione's "worth" shouldn't be judged by what practical things she 
has to offer Harry; isn't the fact that they are friends enough?  
Instead of focusing on the things she does, think of the reasons she 
does them: for instance, how she helps Harry study his spells out of 
genuinely caring for him.  She is as good a friend to Harry as Ron is.
As far as her being a strong charactter, although she doesn't handle 
the Scabbers/ Crookshanks problems in PoA well, by GoF she is more 
mature than either Harry or Ron in the way she tries to get them to 
stop fighting.  She also seems able to handle relationships better 
than either of them: she deals with Krum better than Harry or Ron 
deal with either their dates, or with Cho and Fleur.  I am thinking 
of how Krum seems to be a little too infatuated with her at times, 
but she doesn't let herself get too caught up in the relationship.

<[post#3395]: 
Definition of heroine (from the OED online):
1) In ancient mythology, a female intermediate between a woman and a
goddess; a demi-goddess.>

JKR, as the creator of the Harry Potter "universe", can be considered 
that universe's goddess, and if Hermione is her representation of 
herself in that universe, this definition of a heroine fits very well.