She may have had her nose in her books a lot of the time, but we think Hermione was actually like Lara Croft with a library card. Here are just a modest few of her straight-up-awesome moments.

When she slapped Malfoy

Everyone has, at some point, wanted to stick one on Malfoy. He may have gone on to become a better person but in those early years at Hogwarts he was insufferable.

Buckbeak being sentenced to death was distressing enough for Harry, Ron and Hermione (not to mention Hagrid) without Malfoy’s jeering. And in a move that surprised both Ron and Harry, Hermione gave Malfoy the smack he had coming.

‘Have you ever seen anything quite as pathetic?’ said Malfoy. ‘And he’s supposed to be our teacher!’
Harry and Ron both made furious moves towards Malfoy, but Hermione got there first – SMACK!
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

When she withstood Bellatrix’s torture

Hermione is often recognised for her brains, which managed to get her, Harry and Ron out of many a sticky situation. In Deathly Hallows, Hermione faced a real test of her physical and psychological stamina.

After being on the run from a bunch of Snatchers, the gang were taken to Malfoy Manor, where Bellatrix proceeded to torture Hermione using the Cruciatus Curse. It was a testament to Hermione’s toughness that she was able to walk away without lasting damage. She spent time at Shell Cottage recovering, but in traditional Hermione fashion she was on her feet in no time.

Hermione Granger was always referred to as being the brains out of the trio and while that is true, her endurance of the Cruciatus Curse at the hands of Bellatrix show that she was as physically and emotionally tough as she was smart.

When she stormed out of Divination

Hermione, a girl of logic and science, and Divination, a rather more vague and indistinct subject, were never going to be a good match. Professor Trelawney, while perfectly lovely, didn’t have the kind of scientific mind Hermione easily got on with.

The clash of their two personalities in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Hermione’s abrupt exit from Divination class was one of her coolest and funniest moments.

‘Fine!’ said Hermione suddenly, getting up and cramming Unfogging the Future back into her bag. ‘Fine!’ she repeated, swinging the bag over her shoulder and almost knocking Ron off his chair. ‘I give up! I'm leaving!’
And to the whole class’s amazement, Hermione strode over to the trapdoor, kicked it open and climbed down the ladder out of sight.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

When she Confunded McLaggen

The best part of being known as bookish is that few people will suspect you of mischief. And Hermione, who was most likely aware of her reputation at Hogwarts, took the opportunity to pull one over on Cormac McLaggen after he insulted Ginny and Ron, and in the process earn Ron a spot on the Quidditch team.

It’s an example of Hermione using her unassuming image to her advantage, helping her friends out at the same time and giving Cormac McLaggen his comeuppance.

Arguably, Hermione was more naturally confident than Ron and Harry, and this was just another moment where she used her skills as a witch to help her friends out.

‘Did you see him lumbering off in the wrong direction on his fifth? Looked like he’d been Confunded ...’ To Harry’s surprise, Hermione turned a very deep shade of pink at these words.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

When she stood up to Ron

Love can be a fickle thing, and before Hermione and Ron finally locked lips beside a pile of Basilisk fangs (romantic!) they spent years bickering and falling out every ten minutes, as is the way of teenage flirting. But an admirable trait in Hermione was that she was never afraid to stand up to Ron in those years before they got together. After all, Ron did have a tendency to be a little (or a lot) immature with his supposed friend. But did Hermione get upset? If she did, she channelled it into awesome.

We quite like the time she smothered Ron in punches when he returned from his little hiatus in Deathly Hallows, but her ultimate crowning moment came in Goblet of Fire. When Ron asked Hermione to the Yule Ball after remembering she was ‘a girl’, most teenagers would’ve been traumatised to be asked on a date as a last resort. Hermione, however, was not most teenagers. Nope, instead of mourning her potential date with Ron, she nabbed herself a date with the delectable and dashing Triwizard champion and Quidditch star Viktor Krum, who just so happened to be Ron’s hero too. Slay.