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HERMIONE GRANGER:
A NEW AND IMPROVED HERMIONE: COULD IT BE LOVE?
by Elizabeth Hazel, Astrologer
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Updated: Feb. 2005
In July 2004, I wrote an article called "The Problem with Hermione." The first paragraphs of this article were:
In the magical world of Harry Potter, the Great Goddess Jo has assigned Hermione Granger, the female lead and "smartest witch of her age" a birth date of September 19, 1980…As much as I hate to complain about anything in the enchanting world of Harry Potter, this birth date assignment stinks!...
The problem with Hermione's chart is that it doesn't describe Hermione as she has been written in the books to date. This is not an issue of where the planets are located in the zodiac signs, but the horoscope picture formed by planetary relationships.
Several months after the release of this article, JK Rowling revealed that Hermione was not born in 1980, but was 12 when she entered Hogwarts. This makes her a birth date a year earlier, in 1979. I have to say, I feel joyfully vindicated. A bad birth chart is like a pair of shoes two sizes too small – it just doesn't fit. Now that the correct data has been supplied, I'd like to take a look at Hermione's REAL birth chart, for September 19, 1979.
After a great deal of deliberation and consultation with fellow astrologer (whom many of you may know as Tracy), I've retained an Aquarius Ascendant for this chart, calculating her birth time at 5:30 p.m. (Greenwich Daylight Time) for London.
Hermione is still a Virgo Sun sign, which gives her talent for detail, and a studious and analytical nature. Virgos are caretakers, and want to ensure the well-being of the people they love. The Moon sign from the 1980 chart, Capricorn, has changed to a Virgo Moon. This means that Hermione was born under a New Moon phase, thus doubling her Virgoan character traits of care-taking, studiousness, and diligence in the pursuit of knowledge. Her Moon is closely conjunct Ron's Moon, although it plays out quite differently in her chart. Women tend to be much more in tune with their lunar energies; men tend to experience their moons as their mother, and then as other women in their life.
Hermione in the Wizarding World
Hermione was born a year earlier than her class peers at Hogwarts. Jupiter is in Leo rather than Virgo, the sign of Jupiter's transit in 1980, which is where her school mates have it placed. This planet is a source of good luck, abundant talent, recognition, and excellence in scholarly pursuits. It also draws her into contact with prominent individuals – of course, her best buddy, Harry, is famous; but she has also met the Minister of Magic, and has established a pen pal relationship with famous Quidditch seeker, Viktor Krum. She has influence with these people, more dynamically shown in her relationship with Rita Skeeter. Her impact on others will increase with age.
Jupiter has a double influence on both of Hermione's chart axes, so it is one of the most important planets in her chart. It is the primary mover-and-shaker in her relationships, both in intimate and business partnerships; but it is also the determining planet of her career and of events as she goes out into the world as an adult. This suggests that she may wind up as a teacher, writer, or also in a profession where she gets to travel and meet diverse types of people. Hermione would make a terrific editor, but she may also wind up in politics.
During 5th year career consultations, when Harry says he'd like to become an auror, Hermione does not reveal her professional goals. JK doesn't tell us about Hermione or Ron's consultations with McGonagall, but this is important because it affects what classes they take in their 6th year. We already know that Hermione is taking different classes than Harry and Ron – she's in Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, and dropped Divination. These classes have not been fully explained, but by their titles we can infer that Hermione is gaining knowledge about the powers of letters and numbers. Since Hermione has been known to spring surprises on her buddies, her post Hogwarts goals may be a surprising when finally revealed.
Saturn in Virgo is the other important planet, and like Jupiter, it has a doubled influence. Saturn is conjunct the Sun and rules her Ascendant. This emphasizes her serious nature, her adult-like emotional control, respect for older people and authority figures, and her relative ease in assuming responsibility over others (shown in her skill in being a prefect). Saturn also influences her physical appearance – prominent teeth, big, bushy hair, and a long, skinny body. One might expect her knees and elbows to be a bit knobby. She is not particularly athletic: although Aquarius is connected with aviation, Hermione doesn't like to fly. This may be seen in her Sun-Saturn contact – a need to keep her feet planted on the ground.
The combination of the emphasized Jupiter and the powerful Saturn makes Hermione quite mature for her age. She is able to maintain her composure, keep her head in a crisis, and analyze diverse conditions in a highly intelligent manner. She is likely to find many of her school mates a bit immature; she certainly thinks that Ron has the emotional range of a teaspoon, and has – more than once – explained emotional situations to Harry and Ron in simple terms that they can understand.
While Saturn is the ancient, traditional ruler of Aquarius, Hermione's Ascendant sign, the modern ruler of this sign is Uranus. Much like the other children in her age group, she has Uranus in Scorpio, placed in the 9th house. This is another indicator of excellence in scholarship, an intuitive grasp of knowledge and wisdom, a love for books and research, and an inherent respect for all of the various creatures of the wizarding world. Uranus has a fortunate sextile with Saturn, combining the two rulers of this chart in a favorable relationship. Once again, this strengthens the chart, and gives Hermione the capacity for easy acceptance in any environment, no matter how unusual. She is very quick on the uptake, able to elucidate the impact and consequences of events in her world.
Mars is in Cancer in this chart, the odd man out in a chart dominated by airy and earthy personal planets. Although Mars is sextile her Sun (a favorable aspect for follow-through and a good application of energy), Mars lacks other important contacts in her chart. It is also weakly placed in the 6th house, suggesting occasional wounds and injuries. It will give her a tendency toward being secretive. She rarely reveals her emotions, doesn't talk much about her family, and as mentioned, has not shared her career goals, either. Hermione is a mystery woman in many respects. She likes to get her ducks in a row before unveiling her goals to others.
Mars is not altogether useless, however. It connects with Harry and Ron's Mercury and Saturn placements. This gives her the ability to be patient with their immaturity and hijinks, and also makes them an effective investigatory team. Furthermore, it connects with several of the charts of the other Weasley siblings – oddly enough, there is a strong connection with Fred and George's chart! So a Cancer Mars helps her fit into Harry's "adopted" family.
Hermione's 1979 birth chart is a great relief, astrologically speaking. This chart fits her personality much better than the 1980 birth data. Hermione's Moon is particularly powerful in this chart, conjunct the North Node. This contact makes her extremely sensitive to eclipse events, draws her into the public eye. She will eventually be drawn into a leadership position. Although Virgo placements are traditionally associated with the healing professions, Hermione's other planetary placements suggest that she would be more satisfied with social or political work than the medical profession.
More speculations about Hermione have been made since my previous articles, some connected with the book series, others with the film series. The Moon-Node contact emphasizes a particularly cyclic nature. Hermione is prone to transformations connected with her lunar nature. If she isn't an Animagus or able to make some kind of physical shift, she'll be prone to bad PMS, so the boys should beware! The other speculation surrounds Hermione's parentage.
There are glaring omissions in information about Hermione's family. She spends very little time with her parents and doesn't mention them very often. Gemini is the sign at her house of origins, suggesting duality or multiple possibilities. With Mercury, ruler of her 4th house, in contact with Venus, ruler of the 8th house, it is possible that her original parents died or were unable to raise her. The Grangers are muggles, yet Hermione is one of the best witches in her age group. Hermione might not be as muggle-born as she thinks; it would not be surprising to discover a witch or wizard as one of the contributors to her gene pool.
Forecasts for Hermione
Hermione's 1979 chart does not have the problems of her 1980 chart, but it certainly does not let her off scot-free. As she returns to Hogwarts in September, 1996, it is clear that she will have some substantial changes in the composition of her social circle. Harry's chart is extremely depressed and anti-social as the school year begins, so he won't be emotionally open to his best friends. Hence, Hermione may make new friends, both in and outside of Hogwarts.
Neptune is forming a long-term opposition to her Mars, which suggests that she may be taking classes in secret, or learning things on her own. Certainly, there will be secrets that she is keeping; inconsistencies in her schedule or remarks to others that indicate she is not always where people expect her to be. She has always done well in Potions in spite of Professor Snape's bad attitude towards Harry, which suggests that she'll be continuing with that subject.
I noted above that Hermione is particularly sensitive to eclipses. The eclipses in the autumn of 1996 and the spring of 1997 all make exact contacts to placements in Hermione's birth chart. In late September, the lunar eclipse indicates that she has a peak in changing relationships with others, especially with Harry. There may be arguments about her relationship with Krum. The solar eclipse in early October signals upheavals in the Ministry, and most likely a mass breakout from Azkaban of the Death Eaters previously incarcerated in late June.
In November 1996, it becomes apparent that some of Hermione's secrets will be revealed, although maybe not in a way that she likes. This is a time when she is prone to attacks on her blind side, and may display some physical consequences from her near-death experience in the Ministry. She is also likely to discover some "underground" secrets – possibly about hidden, underground passages that connect to the school, secrets about Death Eaters, or the Hogwarts grounds, particularly the cemetery.
It is quite possible that there will be a rebellion of the Centaur herd in the Forbidden Forest in early December 1996. At this time, some missing fragment of information clicks into place for Hermione, and this probably pertains to Harry. It is likely that she will do some traveling with her family at Christmas break; there will be some kind of separation from her friends at that point.
January 1997 brings danger of disagreements, misunderstandings, and quarrels with her friends. Her actions or beliefs are misunderstood; furthermore, she could be slandered in some way, particularly by Rita, who has an understandable grudge against Hermione. In February, there is clearly a retreat on her part – a period of time where secret workings are continued, as are correspondences and information exchanges that may exclude other students.
Late February, March and April is a critical period of time. Hermione may be undergoing a major physical transformation at this point. She may attain an Animagus transformation, although there could be other major achievements in her magical education at this time. With her spectacular powers, Hermione's potential Animagus form may be in the nature of a magical beast rather than an "ordinary" animal. Given the dragon heart-string in her wand, one may suspect that she could transform into a dragon! The animal form chooses the wizard, so she won't choose her form, the form will choose her. A magical or composite form is likely, and may break precedents in the wizarding world, given the extremely powerful impact of her planetary transits at this time.
On a personal level, her past misunderstandings are corrected, and she will gain helpful allies. While her relationships with her mates are back on track, tragedy is lurking around the corner. The spring eclipses are dangerous for her, and suggest either the loss of a teacher, or even the loss of her parents. Either the Grangers are in danger from attack at this time, or Hermione may discover her true parentage (if the Grangers are not her parents). Regardless of how this manifests, Hermione will have a profoundly changed view of authority and of her own inheritance in the magical world this spring.
As March ends, the focus returns to Hermione's relationships, particularly on changes with Ron and Harry. This will be a time of emotional turbulence, especially for Harry – once again, Hermione may need to translate what is going on to him. The planetary indicators for April and May continue Hermione's successful application of magical skills. She achieves the full embodiment of her transformation, and perhaps a better measure of control over it. She also appears to have a good grasp on the current clues of Harry's situation, as her ability to penetrate mysteries at this time is extremely sharp.
June brings big trouble, as usual: there is tremendous impact from personal losses, deaths, and deceptions, and there are attacks on her friends. Death itself has become a major topic for these children, along with the nature of time. Hermione will come face to face with the limitations of what can be magically changed with a time turner. I continue to suspect that a woman or girl will be at the root of an attack on Harry by Lord Voldemort as their 6th year ends; Hermione will probably be suspicious long before anyone else, as her powers of perception are astonishingly keen as this school year ends.
Hermione is grieving or handling complex emotional adjustments as the 6th year term ends and the children go home for summer break. She may well rejoin Harry and Ron in late July or early August, as a reunion is indicated at this time. The 7th school year begins with a whopper of an eclipse on September 1st, 1997 (please note that this was the day that Princess Diana died). This eclipse makes an exact contact with Hermione and Ron's moons, bringing emotional upheaval at the beginning of their final year. It may relate to changes in the Weasley family (Arthur's job, especially).
A lunar eclipse on September 16th indicates that Hermione will be having intimate conversations about her feelings and her place in Harry's life. This may also be a time when her life goals are revealed. However, I think she would be willing to put off career goals for as long as it takes Harry to overcome Voldemort, and that may be the point she makes. She is Harry's most loyal friend, and he may be more willing to appreciate it by now.
The remainder of 1997 has Hermione under phenomenal pressure to produce exceptional performances in her classes. Her chart continues to display the seriousness invested in Harry's situation, although she may be under threats of her own. Mid-December shows awkwardness in expectations and assumptions; she may not reveal her Christmas break plans until the last minute.
January 1998 begins Hermione's final ferocious drive to achieve high marks. Her career goals may undergo transformation at this time; an enormous threat looms overhead. On February 26, a total solar eclipse makes direct contact with her Moon/Node, suggesting a wrenching emotional loss; again, this may be connected with her parents or the Weasleys. Her partnership with Harry is strengthened in March, and they may be consulting or coaching one another. Her love life seems to be getting a boost around this time as well (although there is no guarantee it will be with Harry). As the school year winds to a close, she will be under grueling emotional strain with upcoming N.E.W.Ts, but year-end planets show that she will perform particularly well in all of her tests, and may even surprise herself.
Of course, there could be some attacks or battles in late June, but these planets could also be interpreted as difficult tests. To repeat previous predictions, there simply aren't the kinds of planetary problems I've come to expect when the Harry has confrontations with Voldemort. There are indications of a change of residence – when school is finished, she'll need to find a place to live, and it may not be with the Grangers (if they are still alive). Much like Harry's chart, the final confrontation is more vividly indicated on October 31, 1998.
We do not know if JK Rowling intends to write out summaries of the lives of the major characters after the final battle. Harry, Hermione and Ron may go their separate ways with a mere indication of their future plans. However, the author may offer a more satisfying conclusion to her epic tale, giving more details about their adult lives. Of course, any relationships Harry might have as an adult are completely dependent upon his surviving the final battle with Voldemort! The same is true for Hermione and Ron, as the dangers are likely to expand dramatically through the 6th and 7th books. I can't help but feel that Hermione's exceptional magical abilities and prodigious analytical skills will be a key factor in the successful defeat of Lord Voldemort.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elizabeth Hazel is a professional astrologer and tarotist with over 30 years of experience, and the author of "Tarot Decoded" (Weiser Books, 2004). The book has received high acclaim by reviewers and readers, and is described as "brilliant," "elegantly written," and "a classic in the field and required study for all who aspire to advanced (tarot) reading skills." Liz has written a wealth of articles on astrology, tarot, mythology and magical practice for a variety of publications, including The Tarot Journal, Llewellyn's Magickal Almanac, the American Tarot Association and the International Tarot Society quarterly newsletters, and the National Council for Geocosmic Research NCGR Newsletter. She is a life-long fan of J.R.R. Tolkien, and is quite charmed by the Harry Potter series. Liz is available for private consultations for a fee. If you are interested in a reading, contact me here and I can get you in touch with her.
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