Hermione Granger Stars In Fan-Made ‘Harry Potter’ Web Series

Hermione Granger is the focus of a brand new Harry Potter web series that premiered yesterday. The series, titled Hermione Granger and the Quarter Life Crisis, follows Hermione adjusting to her new life after the final events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

The first episode, entitled “ASIB (And So It Begins),” features Hermione interacting with several returning characters from the Harry Potter series as well as some completely new characters original to the series.

The episode can be found on YouTube (embedded below).

Hermione Granger and the Quarter Life Crisis is what some would consider fanfiction — it uses elements and characters from the existing Harry Potter books and reimagines them in a completely new way. Hermione Granger and… was created by Eliyannah Amirah Yisrael and written by Jessica N. Jenks and Leslie Olive, all fans of Harry Potter.

In this instance, Hermione Granger and… preserves all of the plot elements in the Harry Potter novels except for the epilogue which caps off Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The epilogue of the book series, which takes place 19 years after the Battle of Hogwarts, depicts Hermione happily married to Ron. Their two children Rose Granger-Weasley and Hugo Granger-Weasley also appear in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a play co-written by J. K. Rowling that continues the Harry Potter story into the next generation.

Unlike Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the Hermione Granger web series does not paint Hermione’s relationship with Ron in a positive light. Hermione Apparates from England to Los Angeles in tears, having just broken up with Ron, and seeks solace in her friend Parvati Patil. In the Harry Potter books, Parvati is best known for attending the Yule Ball with Harry, and the Hermione Granger web series finds her living in Los Angeles with her roommate Juniper Diaz, an Ilvermorny graduate.

Hermione quickly leaves Harry and Ron behind in the premiere episode. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley are not listed as characters in the official cast list, although Ron’s voice is heard at the end of the episode as Hermione reminisces on the end of their relationship.

Instead of Harry and Ron, Hermione meets some new friends and is reacquainted with some Hogwarts classmates. While at the party, Hermione meets and befriends Kang Tae Joon, a famous American Quidditch player. The two play a potions drinking game with Parvati and Juniper, with the results like something out of a Harry Potter potions class — at one point, Hermione even grows a mustache.

Another familiar face from the Harry Potter series also makes an appearance: Draco Malfoy. Draco and Hermione previously had an icy relationship due to his prejudice against Muggles and Muggle-borns. Their most memorable interaction happens in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, when Hermione punches Draco in the face.

Their relationship in Hermione Granger and the Quarter Life Crisis, however, has a different feel. Though the two do not speak to each other at the party, they share a tension-filled scene on the couch after Draco offers her a drink. With Hermione no longer dating Ron, Draco/Hermione shippers may have something to look forward to in the next installments of this web series.

The premiere episode of the Hermione Granger web series was met with excitement. “This is so awesome! The characters are all so immediately distinct without seeming over the top. I love it. Thank you!” wrote commenter Lindsay Ariel.

Unfortunately, some viewers responded negatively to the fact that Hermione is played by an African-American actress. “Black Hermione is ok but I miss Emma Watson,” wrote Alicia Princo.

Hermione has previously been portrayed as black in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, with actress Noma Dumezweni receiving critical acclaim. Sadly, the casting choice of Dumezweni as Hermione received racist backlash, causing Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling to publicly voice her approval of the casting on Twitter.

Canon: brown eyes, frizzy hair and very clever. White skin was never specified. Rowling loves black Hermione ? https://t.co/5fKX4InjTH

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 21, 2015

With more to come from Hermione Granger and the Quarter Life Crisis, it is exciting to see where Hermione’s life will continue after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

[Featured Image by Pottermore]