Where does the fanon portrayal of Hermione as reckless come from?
It feels like the majority of fics portray her as illogically stubborn and reckless, when in canon 90% of the time she’s the one going “this is a bad idea” or “we should talk to an adult” or “we need more info” and it’s Harry (and Ron) charging into danger and she’s just along for the ride to try and mitigate disaster. Her stubbornness is absolutely both a flaw and strength in canon, but I feel like the fanon portrayal of this doesn’t match what I remember from canon — if anything her caution and nagging causes several rifts between her and the boys throughout the series. Does anyone know where this fanon characterisation comes from?
Edit for clarity: Hermione is absolutely ruthless in canon, but almost all of it is very carefully researched and planned out. She does fly by the seat of her pants, but generally only when she has to (usually because of Harry’s recklessness). In fics (especially auror!Draco ones) I often see her categorically refusing any form of outside protection or help and constantly throwing herself into danger without much thought, while of course Draco is desperately trying to talk her down, which doesn’t match her generally cautious behaviour in canon.
Posted Jul 9, 2025, 4:14 AM UTC · edited