If anything is common knowledge about the Harry Potter series, it’s that Hermione Granger is extremely smart. Her intelligence has several ranges as well, with Hermione being both studious and coming up with elaborate as well as spontaneous ideas. However, she wasn’t always the best when it came to this aspect.
There were times when Hermione came up with plans that either weren’t all that great, to begin with, or had extremely flawed execution that made them bad. Of course, she deserves credit where it is due, so it’s worth mentioning the times where she did manage to come up with plans that ultimately saved the day.
Worst: Using Umbridge's Fireplace To Sirius
This is a fact about Umbridge that book readers know, in that using her office was suggested by Hermione, not by Harry as seen in the movie. Hermione planned for herself and Harry to check for Sirius through the fireplace if he was still in Grimmauld place.
Some consider it smart since Umbridge was surveying the Floo network with the exception of her own, but Hermione’s plan was a bad one since she overlooked the fact that Snape was at Hogwarts too and was a member of the Order. The plan was filled with holes too, as Hermione failed to include casting any spells that would have alerted them if Umbridge was near the office.
Best: Blackmailing Rita Skeeter To Write For The Quibbler
When it comes to ranking evil characters based on how much they’re hated, Rita Skeeter is a guaranteed inclusion. Hermione caught her in beetle form and forced her to stop writing, but then decided to use her leverage against Rita to her benefit. This involved making Rita write for the Quibbler, a magazine with such a horrible reputation that Umbridge wouldn’t think of banning its use.
Hermione’s plan worked wonders, as Harry’s interview for the Quibbler brought many in the wizarding community back to his favor while also using Rita’s way with words to her advantage in swaying public opinion.
Worst: Her Attempts To Expose The Half-Blood Prince
Usually, giving Hermione time to formulate a plan would entail a guaranteed victory on her part. And yet, she had the worst ideas to expose the Half-Blood Prince’s intentions. All her scheming was for naught, as Snape was the one to confess being the prince for Harry to know.
Hermione’s attempts involved using a revealing eraser, or, in complete desperation, trying to snatch the book out of Harry’s hands and nitpicking on trivial points. She didn’t think to look up the spells the prince had used and trace their origins, instead figuring Eileen Prince -- Snape’s mother -- to be the person while having no evidence of any malicious intentions in the book.
Best: Dumbledore's Army
In many ways, this plan saved the wizarding world as Harry managed to make extremely powerful out of Dumbledore’s Army. This led to Neville’s development into a leader and a hero, along with shaping Ginny and Luna out in the same vein.
Her idea of founding the group also got Harry out of his deep depression for being branded as a liar, as he instead rediscovered his fighting spirit to prove the Ministry wrong. All in all, Dumbledore’s Army was something that shaped the future itself with the fighting in the Battle of Hogwarts as well, thanks to Hermione.
Worst: To Make Centaurs Attack Umbridge
Since Hermione didn’t explore the grounds as much as Harry, she never truly appreciated just how dangerous Hogwarts was. After being apprehended by Umbridge, Hermione was smart enough to fake a scheme of creating a weapon and leading her to it but had an awful actual plan.
Her idea was to lead Umbridge into the forest and lure Centaurs to their position, based on the hostile reaction they’d earlier given Harry and herself. However, they might have all been killed had Grawp not intervened, as the Centaurs found it insulting that Hermione tried to use them for her intentions. It was luck that saved them, otherwise, Hermione’s plan was going to end in her own doom.
Best: Conceal Harry's Appearance During Their Journey
This wasn’t just a spur of the moment idea of Hermione’s, as she was always prepared to conceal him in some way. Of course, her smartest one involved jinxing his face when the Snatches arrived, as it got them enough time to stall without the baddies killing Harry.
Hermione had this planned out right from the start, with Harry being concealed by Polyjuice potion in the Ministry, at Godric’s Hollow, or being put under the invisibility cloak on other occasions.
Worst: Execution Of S.P.E.W.
Fans need to read Goblet of Fire to understand just how much was changed on-screen. The most significant was S.P.E.W., the organization Hermione began to combat abuse against house-elves. The idea was a good one but the execution was awful.
Hermione didn’t come up with any strategy other than forcing Harry and Ron into ing while making others pay to enter and then shame them when they refused. Her initial plan was even worse, with Hermione refusing to eat after she found out house-elves prepared the food. All this discredited S.P.E.W. as something of a comedy act rather than be seen as a legitimate idea.
Best: Using Polyjuice Potion To Question Malfoy
While there’s no doubt that pulling such a move should have warranted an expulsion, or maybe even imprisonment, for Hermione, it was no doubt effective. After all, the trio was initially convinced Malfoy was the Heir of Slytherin and had formulated all their plans around this idea.
It was by taking the Polyjuice potion and learning that Malfoy wasn’t the guilty party that they could rule out either Draco or Lucius as the baddies. The clues found by questioning Malfoy also enabled the trio to eventually discover the truth about the Chamber of Secrets.
Worst: Using The Time Turner Indefinitely
It’s still a head-scratcher as to what Hermione’s plan was to do with the Time-Turner if she’d kept it throughout her studies at Hogwarts. Not only was the Time-Turner turning her mad, but she would have also aged greatly had she used it for at least three more years until reaching N.E.W.T. level.
Considering how delirious she was becoming, odds are Hermione might have become crazy through the continued use of the Time-Turner. Clearly, she hadn’t planned this idea out accordingly, as Hermione was ill-prepared for its effects and how it impacted her life.
Best: Escape From Lovegood House
Learning more about the Lovegood house is one of the facts about Luna fans like to know. However, more interesting is analyzing how quickly Hermione came up with her ingenious plan to save both Harry and Ron while escaping the house. This happened after Xenophilius had betrayed them to the Death Eaters, with Hermione then putting the invisibility cloak on Ron while ensuring Harry was seen.
She then placed a memory charm on Lovegood himself so he’d forget he saw them before making the boys disapparate with her. All this was done in order to maintain Ron’s cover of being at the Burrow, saving Lovegood from the Death Eaters, and keeping Harry safe. What’s really cool is how this sensitive plan worked to perfection.
