There were a lot of things that were left out of the Harry Potter books when it was adapted into films. Ever since HBO Max’s reboot was announced, fans have been hoping to get a more accurate adaptation of the source material, one that keeps all the nuances of the story and characterization as it is, though this might not necessarily be true for characters across the board.
Hermione Granger, whether it be her portrayal in the films or the way she is written in the books, is considered one of the smartest witches of her age. However, particularly in the books, the character has a darker side to her that the films refused to adapt, and is perhaps best kept out of the reboot as well, given that mainstream audiences might not look upon these actions favorably.
Hermione Granger’s darker side was skipped over in the films
The film version of Hermione Granger, played by Emma Watson, is one of the smartest characters in the franchise. Routinely demonstrating her wit and resourcefulness, it is almost a running joke in the fandom that Harry and Ron would be long dead if it were not for Hermione and her intelligence.
However, there is an aspect of the character that the films completely skip over. This is the darker, more sinister aspect of the character that was probably cut to keep the plot from bloating, but perhaps to make Hermione more likable.
To begin with, Hermione in the books is not above blackmailing and a little bit of sadistic joy, as she captures Rita Skeeter in beetle form (given that the magical journalist was an unregistered animagus). Hermione is pretty proud of this move, which paints an odd picture, even if it was done as an act of vengeance against Skeeter. She would later go on to blackmail Skeeter about her status as an unregistered animagus, so that she could print articles that supported Harry’s claims of Voldemort returning.
Further, when Harry and his friends are ratted out to Umbridge, Hermione chooses to punish the traitor by making the word ‘SNEAK’ appear on her face in the form of pimples. What makes it worse is that Hermione makes sure that the curse is permanent.
Hermione’s character will require a little bit of a rework in the reboot
While the reboot is something fans might be looking forward to, especially since it could be more accurate to the source material, the creators of the show might still see it in their best interests to tone down a few of the things Hermione does in the books, for the sole purpose of making the character slightly more likable and palatable for the audiences.
This might also be applied to other heroic characters in the story, whose flaws and certain choices might be brushed under the run to make the characters in the reboot more palatable to the mainstream audience since the sensibilities of the books might not be congruent with what audiences have come to expect from media like Harry Potter nowadays.
