Hermione Granger is a force to be reckoned with, loyal, fierce, and brilliant.
Here, you can see a list of witty one-liners, cheeky banter, and always-on-point observations – aka the top quotes – from Hogwarts’ star witch.
1. “It’s Leviosaaa, Not Leviosar!”
From: The Sorcerer’s Stone
The film’s most iconic Hermione Granger quote is all in Emma Watson’s performance. Once the kids arrive at Hogwarts, Hermione finds Ron as he struggles with his floating charm. His form is so bad Hermione can barely take it, so she corrects him with this classic line.
2. “Now, if you two don’t mind, I’m going to bed before either of you come up with another clever idea to get us killed – or worse, expelled!”
From: The Sorcerer’s Stone
After Hermione makes the mistake of helping Ron and Harry on their quest to find out what Severus Snape is up to, they face Hagrid’s three-headed dog, Fluffy.
They nearly make it out alive, but when they do, Hermione puts both her friends in their place. They’re the ones that need to get their priorities straight, after all.
3. “Honestly, don’t you two read?”
From: The Sorcerer’s Stone
By all accounts, Hermione is a bookworm. Ron and Harry are, by all accounts, far from it. This is why the two boys often rely on Hermione for help. For instance, when they are trying to learn about Nicolas Flamel and what he might be hiding at Hogwarts, Hermione is the one who finds out about the Sorcerer’s Stone.
She finds a massive book she was digging through for a “bit of light reading” and shares her discovery. When the boys are flabbergasted by the “sorcerer’s stone” (or philosopher’s stone if you’re reading this in the UK!) and ask what it is, she replies with this witty one-liner.
4.”What an idiot.”
From: The Sorcerer’s Stone
Yes, Hermione did say this, and about Harry, no less! When Harry took off flying on a broom to face off with Malfoy and reclaim Neville’s enchanted Remembrall.
As Dumbledore says at the film’s end, “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.”
Hermione has no problem putting her friends in their place – or calling them out, even when they think they’re doing the right thing.
5. “Books and cleverness. There are more important things: friendship and bravery.”
From: The Sorcerer’s Stone
When Harry has to go on his own to face Professor Quirrell in the final challenge protecting the sorcerer’s stone, Harry has to leave Hermione and Ron behind. He’s worried he won’t have his friends with him, so Hermione shares this insightful quote.
6. “Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself.”
From: The Chamber of Secrets
Hermione says this to Lucius Malfoy in a dignified voice as she faces off against him at Lockhart’s book signing. Harry had just mentioned Voldemort by name, to which the elder Malfoy called him brave.
But Hermione is bravest, staring down the evil man who teaches his son that wizards with magic parents are excellent and muggle-born witches have dirty blood.
7. “No, Harry. Even in the wizarding world, hearing voices isn’t a good sign.”
From: The Chamber of Secrets
Hermione tells Harry this when he starts to hear voices in the great hall, intending to get him to exercise great caution when telling others about this issue.
Hermione is the one to ask about the Chamber of Secrets. In this chilling scene, she asks Professor McGonagall to explain it to them.
8. “It’s not a term one usually hears in civilized conversation.”
From: Chamber of Secrets
Hermione can’t help but call out injustice when she sees it, which is exactly what she does when she sees Malfoy bought the Slytherin team’s new Nimbus 2001 brooms to get picked as their seeker.
She says, “At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in. They got in on pure talent.”
When Malfoy calls her a dirty wizard word and Ron “slugs” himself in defense of her, the trio returns to Hagrid’s hut to regroup. As Hermione explains the term to Harry, she holds herself together with poise despite being hurt and angry.
Because she’s the brilliant and clever witch she is, she still finds a way to cut the Malfoys down as she breaks it down for Harry.
Check out the funnies Harry Potter quotes from the movies here.
9. “You! You foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach!”
From: Prisoner of Azkaban
When Hermione, Ron, and Harry come across Draco Malfoy on their way to try to stop the execution of the Hippogriff Buckbeak, Malfoy shows up to gloat in their face.
The twitchy little ferret called his daddy to get Buckbeak killed. Hermione is ready to fight and almost curses him. She then thinks better of herself and punches Draco in the face instead. It’s one of the most memorable moments in the franchise.
10. “If being good at Divination means I have to pretend to see death omens in a lump of tea leaves, I’m not sure I’ll be studying it much longer!”
From: The Prisoner of Azkaban
It would be an understatement to say Hermione had a full schedule in her third year at Hogwarts. Fans of the series know Hermione needed a little help from Dumbledore to fit in all her classes.
However, there was one class Hermione couldn’t get behind, and that was divination.
While Hermione ridicules the subject to her friends in the book, she reacts slightly differently to Divination teacher Professor Trelawney in the films. In the scene above, Hermione decides Divination class isn’t worth wasted time.
11. “Next time there’s a ball, pluck up the courage to ask me before someone else does! And not as a last resort!”
From: The Goblet of Fire
Ron often takes his relationship with Hermione for granted. Obviously, the two are perfect for each other, but he’s too blind (or stubborn) to admit it. So when he asks Hermione to the ball as a last resort, she tells him she’s already got a date.
Then, when Ron has the nerve to make a stink because she’s having a good time with her date? She’s 1,00% had it, so she calls him out for being insensitive and cowardly. This is also the first time she acknowledges their feelings for one another, even if it is amid her furious moves.
12. “It’s S – P – E – W. Stands for the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare.” “Never heard of it.” “Well, of course, you haven’t…. I’ve only just started it.”
From: The Goblet of Fire
This is a quote from the book version of Goblet of Fire, but it’s one of the best quotes from J.K. Rowling’s Hermione.
I wish that the subplot of Hermione’s social justice brigade for the rights of house-elves made it to the silver screen, but unfortunately, it was cut for time.
House elves need proper clothes to be free; otherwise, they are essentially indentured slaves to their wizard masters. Hogwarts has a dark secret—its backend staff is run by house elves.
Throughout the book series, Hermione campaigns against this with SPEW, even calling out the house elves for their seeming ignorance of their plight.
However, film viewers only interact with house elves with Dobby and Kreacher. I guess figuring out the secrets of Mr. Crouch, Mad-Eye Moody, and the goblet of fire is more important, but still, we do love this group of magical creatures.
13. “Just because you’ve got the emotional range of a teaspoon….”
From: Order of the Phoenix
Hermione has plenty of wisdom for Harry when he comes to her and Ron with an update on his relationship with Cho Chang.
Harry tells them his kiss with Cho was “wet” from her crying. Ron suggests the snogging should have cheered her up, to which Hermione responds:
Hermione: “Don’t you understand how she must be feeling? Well, obviously she’s feeling sad about Cedric, and therefore confused about liking Harry, guilty about kissing him, conflicted because Umbridge is pressing to sack her mum from the Ministry, and frightened about failing her OWLs because she’s so busy worrying about everything else.”
Ron: “One person couldn’t feel all that. They’d explode!”
Hermione: “Just because you’ve got the emotional range of a teaspoon”
There’s one more great line here that Hermione doesn’t say in the film but does say in the book. She tells him, “Ron…You are the most insensitive wart I have ever had the misfortune to meet.”
14. “Who cares? I mean, it’s sort of exciting, isn’t it? Breaking the rules?”
From: The Order of the Phoenix
When the Ministry of Magic sends Dolores Umbridge to take over the defense of the dark arts class, Hermione, Harry, and Ron decide to teach the students themselves as part of Dumbledore’s army.
Of course, Albus Dumbledore has nothing to do with it, but that’s the just name.
All sorts of friends join them, including Luna Lovegood. When Ginny gets nervous about getting caught, Hermione says this quote, giddy with glee.
Ron is stunned and has this to say back:
Ron: “Who are you and what have you done with Hermione Granger?”
15. “He’s been poisoned, you daft dimbo”
From: The Half-Blood Prince
When Ron is taken out by the whiskey Slughorn shares with him to overcome the loss of the love potion, Hermione is waiting by his bedside when his girlfriend Lavender Brown shows up.
She says this to her when Lavender freaks out at the sight of her poor “Won won.” What would Fred Weasley say if he heard that, huh? He’d never let Ron live it down.
16. “I’ve always admired your courage Harry, but sometimes you can be really thick.”
From: The Half-Blood Prince
Hermione says this to Harry after Dumbledore dies. Harry tries to leave Ron and Hermione to finish Dumbledore’s plan on his own. They are best friends, after all.
He plans to spend the next year hunting down Voldemort’s Horcruxes. Harry tries to tell her this, and she takes a good look at him and tells him the above in the scene. Hermione is quite good at putting Harry in his place throughout this movie.
Also, check out the best inspirational Harry Potter quotes from the movies here.
17. “Actually, I’m highly logical, which allows me to look past extraneous detail and perceive clearly that which others overlook.”
From: The Deathly Hallows Part 1
The trio spends their days on the run in their last year at Hogwarts.
After Hermione uses the Sword of Gryffindor to defeat Horcruxes, Harry is amazed by how brilliant she is, and Hermione responds with this quote.
18. “You complete ass, Ronald Weasley! You show up here after weeks, and you say ‘Hey’?”
From: The Deathly Hallows Part 1
Hermione says this at the sight of Ron when he returns to save them from the Horcrux. This is, of course, before he gives his little ball of light speech.
Hermione has told Ron off in so many ways. She told him to take Muggle Studies and write a book translating all the mad things girls do so boys can understand them.
She’s even called out his perpetual tone of surprise when she amazes him repeatedly. But their romance is truly wonderful, not terrible, especially when it reaches its full height.
This is why this scene when he returns and they embrace is so powerful to viewers who have watched these characters’ love blossom over the eight films.
Final thoughts
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is one of my favorite popular film franchises.
Miss Granger was always the most talented in her classes and went on to become the brightest witch of her age, which means she has some keen words of wisdom to share.
There are many great quotes from the other memorable characters in the Harry Potter series, which I’ve also covered. These range from inspirational and heartfelt to downright hilarious.
What do you think are the best-ever Harry Potter quotes from Hermione Granger? Let me know in the comments below.
Up Next: The best Harry Potter love quotes from the movies here.