Top 5 Hermione moments from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

It took Harry some time to warm up to the Muggle-born witch who learned all the spellbooks by heart, but by the end of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, we couldn't imagine life without Hermione Granger. Here are five of her unforgettable moments from the first year.

1. The Hogwarts Express

Far be it from me to dislike Emma Watson, but she says this line with a challenge and a bit of smugness. In the book, there's no sense of her wanting Ron to prove himself to her. It's part of her eagerness to see what witchcraft and wizardry is really like. She describes herself as "ever so pleased" to be joining this new world.

Hermione is the first person to take a keen interest in her fellow students without seeming to have a cunning agenda. Malfoy is networking, but Hermione's spending her train ride trying to help Neville and observe powers in action. Just as she's read all the textbooks and researched the world history, she wants to arrive as prepared as possible for what lies ahead.

2. The midnight duel

Dumbledore credits Neville with having the bravery to stand up to his friends at the end of the book, but really, it started with Hermione. When I was learning Spanish as a second language, I was introduced to the word meticon or meticona. It's a word for being nosy, but it also comes from the word for inserting something. Hermione strikes me as a meticona because her good intentions seem to always involve her joining in something to keep others from danger or disaster.

I love that, for all her talk of Harry and Ron being selfish about dueling Malfoy, she keeps vigil to see if she can stand in their way and then stands at their side. She isn't their friend yet, but she is a good example of loyalty.

3. The reconciliation

As we all know, "There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them." But just before that, we have a couple of turning points. Hermione lies to a teacher to help the people who saved her and se also lets herself be seen as a fool in front of someone she respects deeply.

Hermione is sent to finish the Halloween feast since she's not hurt, but she waits alone to meet up with Harry and Ron. It says "There was a very embarrassed pause" and none of them were able to look at each other. You have to wonder if they were embarrassed by letting petty things stop them from being friend or by underestimated each other. You also have to wonder what the rest of the Gryffindors thought when Hermione became best friends with the guys who wouldn't stop arguing with her for the first month and a half of the school year.

4. Through the trapdoor

When Harry resolves to, as an 11-year-old, take on a fully-qualified wizard and possibly the Dark Lord, it's an awesome thing that his friends insist on going with him. It's endearing that Hermione turns to books for preparation. Her apologizing for having to curse the most put-upon kid in Gryffindor tower is a great moment.

The movie doesn't do justice to both her frantic inability to remember that she's a wtich in the face of Devil's Snare. Nor does it show her reasoning skills in finding the right potions to drink. Thank goodness we do see her appreciation of Harry's real value beyond "books and cleverness."

5. The farewell feast

It's a little thing, but Hermione has good reason to be proud of herself. She's topped her year in every class and when she could not keep helping Harry, she got him the aid he needed from Dumbledore.

At the feast, when the headmaster praises her use of cool logic, she buries her face in her arm and Harry guesses she's crying. You know what? Good for her. She is emotionally open and it doesn't make her popular, but it makes her very relatable.

We'll be back soon for the rest of the books and more of the characters soon.