Character Analysis
If you need something done in this movie, you're going to want to talk to Hermione. She's obviously the brains of this operation.
Think about it: Hermione is the one who comes up with the plan to brew the Polyjuice Potion and then executes it even though the formula is super complicated. She's also the one immobilizes all the pixies in Lockhart's Defense Against the Dark Arts class. And she's the only one who thinks to blast the rogue bludger before it bashes Harry to bits. Need we go on?
Okay, one more thing. Hermione also figures out that the creature living inside the Chamber of Secrets is a basilisk:
HARRY POTTER: Wish you were here, Hermione. We need you. Now more than ever.
RON WEASLEY: What's that?
HARRY POTTER: Ron, this is why Hermione was in the library the day she was attacked. Come on. "Of the many fearsome beasts that roam our land none is more deadly than the basilisk."
Keep in mind that she hasn't even finished her second year at Hogwarts and this girl has just cracked a thousand year old mystery. And protected herself from being killed on sight with the mirror trick. Heck, Dumbledore has lived in the castle for at least fifty years and even he couldn't figure that out. Ten points to Gryffindor.
So Hermione is mega-brainy. Which is why it kind of makes sense that she gets taken out of the game in the last part of the movie. If Hermione isn't petrified then this mystery gets wrapped up way to quickly. With her out of the way, Harry and Ron are free to go on a few more adventures and generally be sad about the lack of Hermione in their life. We couldn't agree more.
We also get to see another side of Hermione in this movie—she's a victim of prejudice. It starts when Draco Malfoy calls her a "filthy little Mudblood." Later, she explains what the term means to Harry:
HERMIONE GRANGER: It means "dirty blood." Mudblood's a foul name for someone who's Muggle-born. Someone with non-magic parents. Someone like me. It's not a term one usually hears in civilized conversation.
RUBEUS HAGRID: See, the thing is, Harry, there are some wizards, like the Malfoy family who think they're better than everyone else because they're pure-blood.
HARRY POTTER: That's horrible.
One of the interesting things about this conversation is that Hermione has been discriminated against, but she also has to explain the hatred and prejudice coming her way to Harry. Sure, we know he was raised by Muggles and doesn't know any of this stuff, but so was Hermione, remember?
How does she know this word and what is means? Has someone said it to her before? Did she research about Muggle-borns before she came to school? This comment really hurt Hermione—does that mean she's insecure about her place in the wizarding world? Is that why Hermione is so determined to do well at Hogwarts? To prove the haters wrong?
Hermione's smarts and skills actually do disprove all this pure-blood supremacy nonsense. After all, if Muggle-borns were so inferior, Hermione wouldn't beat Draco Malfoy on every test. Everyone knows there's not a spell Hermione can't master. It all comes down to who's willing to work harder…and Hermione will outwork anyone.
Hey, she actually solved a mystery even Dumbledore couldn't—so we're pretty sure she's not inferior to anyone.