Harry Potter: What Is Hermione's Patronus & Why It Is Important

There's a lot that fans might not know about Hermione Granger, like what's the deal with her and otters? In "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," author J.K. Rowling reveals Hermione's Patronus is an otter. As Patronuses canonically take the form of an animal with meaningful ties to its conjurer, young Hermione must have some significant connection with the creature. The bond between creature and caster can be more symbolic than literal: Severus Snape's Patronus is a doe because he loves Lily Potter and that was also her Patronus. That said, the bond must exist — symbolic or not. So what's Hermione's link to otters? Outside of describing her Patronus, no breed of otter is ever mentioned in the books or films. The meaning must be a little deeper, then, or maybe more obtuse.

Turns out, it's a bit of both. Hermione's spell takes the form of an otter because the animal is significant to Rowling. Otters are her favorite animal. The author admitted to writing something of herself into the narrative fabric behind the cleverest student at Hogwarts, telling The Guardian, "I have often said that Hermione is a bit like me when I was younger. I think I was seen by other people as a right little know-it-all, but I hope that it is clear that underneath Hermione's swottiness, there is a lot of insecurity and a great fear of failure."

Even if J.K. Rowling's fondness for otters is taken out of the equation, another unspoken angle connects the tiny animals to Hermione Granger. River otters, for instance, are highly-intelligent creatures. While they don't read massive tomes for fun or concoct Polyjuice Potion in the women's bathroom, they form social groups and experience innate curiosity. Is it so hard to imagine that Hermione would relate to them in her own way?

Now add the Rowling factor back in. She wrote Hermione as she perceived her younger self — a child who masked her fear with an air of confidence and obsessive study. What do otters have to do with this? They cheer Rowling up. Over the years, she's used her social media platforms to share and request otter memes. It's possible that Rowling chose an otter for Hermione's Patronus because it would bring her self-insert a little joy when she needed it most. 

In the film adaptation of "The Order of the Phoenix," Hermione's Patronus is specifically a Eurasian otter. This distinction is important because Eurasian otters are notably solitary creatures, and it's no secret that Hermione struggles to make friends, let alone keep them. The most common grouping within Eurasian otters is one of children with a maternal figure. For better or worse, Hermione often finds herself mothering her friends.