Hermione Granger: The Ultimate Virgo
Whether or not we are followers of astrology and the pathways of the stars, we cannot deny that what occurs in the night sky had and has a huge influence on the realm of the wizarding world, which we continue to see in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Though the alliances humanity makes with constellations and star patterns may be down to, to quote McGonagall, “sheer dumb luck,” Trelawney’s art of divination exists for a reason.
Rowling has always implanted meticulous details into her stories, with the precision of a knife to the skin. Everything, from the Patronsuses and wand woods, to etymological meanings of names, has some strong connection to the character they belong to as a whole, and the same could be said about birthdates. Barring Harry’s birthday, the dates of the trio have little to no relevance to the plot and were only released as common fan knowledge subtly over the course of later books. In the case of Hermione, her birth month was revealed in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: September 19 – just scraping into the dregs of Virgo. While the month stereotypically has connotations relating to academic success and vitality, looking further into Hermione’s specific birthdate, it isn’t hard to establish why J.K. Rowling chose this mid-September date as Hermione’s birthday. Looking deeper into this date and its star sign, the answer is simple: Hermione Granger is the ultimate Virgo.
Generally speaking, there are characteristics associated with the sign of Virgo that bleed profusely into Hermione’s personality. Here are the top three Virgo traits that our favorite bushy-haired witch exhibits…
1. Analytical
Of course, like any human, Hermione has her moments where she misses the mark entirely, such as not suspecting Draco in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. However, for the most part, Hermione is always five steps ahead of everyone else when it comes to analyzing people and situations, and it always works in the trio’s favor. For example, who guessed that Lupin was a werewolf when nobody else did? Hermione did. Who took in every word of Umbridge’s opening speech at Hogwarts and knew before anyone else what it meant? Hermione did. It may seem intense and alarming at times to those around her, but it is the most inspiring of the Virgo traits Hermione takes on and always works to her benefit.
2. Intense Worry
One of the most common characteristics of Virgos, worry can be detrimental to the self, but it does have its perks, and especially so when it comes to Hermione’s role in the trio. Where Hermione may have been concerned about how she, Ron, and Harry could’ve forfeited their places at Hogwarts after their late-night run-in with Fluffy in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, her anxiety is a valid impulse. Hermione’s worry for herself and those she cares for keeps them grounded, even in the moments when Harry’s life as the Chosen One becomes the most intense. If it weren’t for her Virgo levels of worry, then would the sheer level of magical precautions placed on the tent in Deathly Hallows have occurred, to name just one example? Who knows…
3. Skeptical Pragmatism
This is the one facet of the Virgo personality where reading from Harry’s perspective in the Potter novels, the pragmatism Hermione possesses can be seen to dull the mood. While this could be argued to be true, yet again Hermione’s assets have enormous benefits to the trio and the challenges they all face over the course of the seven years we follow them. In the moments when Harry’s impulsive nature kicks in, Hermione prevents Harry – to the extent that she can – from acting irrationally. Even when she can’t, her skeptical pragmatism always has a valuable lesson afterward. For example, though Harry charges after Sirius at the false image of him being tortured, leading to his death, Hermione’s awareness of what Voldemort is doing shakes those around Harry, making them more wary of taking such strong risks in the future.
