Hermione's Magical Power (Was: Re: Lily & Petunia Evans (& Who's more magical?))

[stickbook41]

No: HPFGUIDX 55608

Laura:
> Just how powerful *is* Hermione?  I know she's an excellent witch, 
> but as far as I can tell, there isn't much canon to support that 
> she's incredibly magically powerful.  She studies all the time and 
> probably knows about 10 times more spells than Harry and Ron put 
> together, but does that necessarily mean she's very powerful?
> 
> There are a lot of references in canon to her study habits, her 
> intelligence, and so on...but as far as I can tell there's not much 
> to support her being an incredibly powerful witch.  Not to say that 
> she's a bad witch, but intelligence does not equal power.

Me:
There's a brief summary here on the FAQ:
http://www.hpfgu.org.uk/faq/hermione.html
under the heading Hermione's Intelligence: Why is She in Gryffindor 
instead of Ravenclaw?

I generally subscribe to the belief that there's a certain amount of 
raw talent you need to do well.  And if you don't have it, or have it 
in a limited amount, then studying and practicing can only take you 
so far.

All in all, I'd say she's pretty powerful.  In SS/PS, she's the first 
one to levitate her feather.  Not even powerful-enough-to-conjure-a-
patronus!Harry was able to do that.  Perhaps her strength is in 
practical spells--which would exclude Divination, a branch of magic 
for which Hermione has little talent and even less patience.

Cheers!

-stickbook