novel philosophy

At least once a year, I make my way through the Harry Potter series. While I’ll occasionally read the books, I prefer to listen to them on Audible.

I have a tendency to read quickly, sometimes skimming, to reach the resolution of a scene or plot line. While I don’t hate my quick reading skillset, I’ve enjoyed the chance to experience books at a slower pace. Along the way, I’ve picked up more of the subtle and nuanced aspects of each book.

The slower pace gives me more time to think, and I’ve encountered a few random questions like, “What happened to Voldemort’s body?”, “How much did the average wizard really know about Harry?”, and “Is Harry just another Cinderella?”

As I listened, one snide comment from Snape left me wondering what kind of students these Hogwarts kids really are. Sure, it’s obvious Hermione is a genius, but how do Draco or Dean stack against the rest of the group?

Relying on my vast knowledge of the Harry Potter series and a little research, I decided to force-rank all the students in Harry’s year.

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1. Hermione Granger

Obviously, we start with Hermione. The books are full of numerous references to her intelligence, and she’s regularly indicated as the best of the year. And, who can honestly forget her obsessive need to get everything right? She also grabbed 10 Owls before heading out to hunt down horcruxes.

She’s also the only one of the original trio to go back and graduate from Hogwarts. Can you imagine being the best in your class heading into your final year only to realize Hermione Granger has re-enrolled?

2. Padma Patel

She gets second place mostly because she was sorted into Ravenclaw. She must have above-average intelligence for that to have happened.

3. Harry Potter

While Harry has his moments of complete idiocy (like not recognizing Snape’s handwriting in his potions book), he does show moments of brilliance. It’s Harry who defies Voldemort, and it’s Harry who’s chosen to lead Dumbledore’s Army. He regularly earns top marks in Defense Against the Dark Arts and probably could’ve done better in his other classes if his life wasn’t consistently threatened each year.

Harry also shows incredible wisdom in choosing to forgo the Deathly Hallows in favor of pursuing horcruxes.

4. Draco Malfoy

This one could probably be debated, but I feel pretty confident sticking Draco here. I mostly attribute this placing to his plot to kill Dumbledore (the one that actually worked, not the desperate attempts that proceeded with it). Draco remembered the vanishing cabinet and recognized the opportunity once locating a second one. The Death Eaters that showed up that night didn’t exactly seem like the brightest in the bunch, so I’m guessing he didn’t have much help from them. So, if we assume Draco had little help, he definitely belongs up here for masterminding the entire plan.

We also know, though, that Narcissa loved Draco more than anyone else in her life. She prompted Snape’s involvement in Draco’s mission knowing the consequences of Draco’s failure. Could this elaborate plan actually be from Narcissa’s genius, not Malfoy’s? Completely possible. I would then argue that Draco was smart enough to listen to his mother and therefore still earns this ranking on the list.

5. Hannah Abbott

Hannah was both a prefect and a member of Dumbledor’s Army so I’m making a few assumptions on this one.

6. Michael Corner

He’s really only here because he’s in Ravenclaw.

7. Pansy Parkinson

While not perhaps the most moral character in the series, I included her here because she was named prefect.

8. Ron Weasley

Ron’s mostly here because he’s lazy. I don’t doubt that he has intelligence hidden behind his incredible stubbornness, but he struggles to show it in an academic setting. He receives average grades but could probably do better if he actually applied himself rather than letting Hermione finish his homework.

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The next section can probably be placed in any order. We don’t know a lot about their academics, but we do see a few brief glimpses of brilliance here and there.

9. Dean Thomas & Seamus Finnegan

Nothing much was mentioned about their academics but they seem to fall in line with Ron and Harry on their ability to wait until the last minute to get work done.

10. Ernie Macmillan & Justin Finch-Fletchley

11. Lavender Brown & Parvarti Patel

There’s not much information given about their academic capabilities. They obviously loved giggling and all things divination.

12. Neville Longbottom

Neville has his gifts, but academics just isn’t one of them. He finds his passion in Herbology, later returning to Hogwarts to teach it.

13. Blaise Zabini

14. Crab & Goyle

I think we can all agree on this one. Crab and Goyle are regularly referred to by their lack of ingenuity and critical thinking skills. Even Draco regularly comments on it.

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I also wanted to include A few honorable mentions and literal geniuses that weren’t in Harry’s year but still have incredible genius…

• The Weasley Twins: While not always proving it academically, these two had true entrepreneurial genius finding major success with their start-up.
• Luna Lovegood: A very odd character, but there’s brilliance hiding behind those large eyes and vague comments.
• Ginny Weasley: She carries after her twin brothers with maybe a little more sense and effort put into studying.

What do you think? How would you rank them?

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