At the brilliant age of 20, Hermione Granger has got more going for her than most witches will ever get - but one would be remiss to think that she's your typical darling with fame. The majority of the population knows her because of her role in the war against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but is that how she wants to be known? Hardly.

"I would stick to Harry's side no matter what, and he knows that," says the witch, "but I want to make a mark on the world away from that. I want to do something on my own, something so that people don't just associate me as his friend."

She's certainly doing that, as her prior professors from Hogwarts and her current coworkers at the Ministry of Magic can attest. Here, the brightest witch in the world discusses books, bravery, and the mysteries of her love life.

You and Ron Weasley both left Hogwarts when Harry told you that he planned to chase his enemy down, to finish what Dumbledore started. That obviously had an impact on your education, as you were unable to complete your final year of school at the same time. Was that a difficult decision?

"Not really. It hurt to know that if I were out fighting I couldn't be at my home away from home, but Hogwarts had changed so much in just a week. Dumbledore was gone, and the school was so different already. It wasn't going to be the same there, so even though I knew that life following Harry would be difficult, I didn't really make a decision. Even if things would have stayed the same, I would have gone with Harry. He's one of my closest friends, so I couldn't just abandon him. Besides, you see the kind of trouble that he gets himself into without supervision!"

Nobody really knew how Hogwarts was going to be rebuilt, but it seems like shortly after the war was over, volunteers just began helping. You were seen offering your assistance. How did that work, exactly?
"Professor McGonagall told all the students that we would be welcome to return. Those who wished to remain were asked to repeat their current year, so all those who were sixth years when the war started had to repeat that year. It was a fantastic idea, a way to make sure that the real information that needed to be passed along was taught. Those who didn't come back during that year were glad for the opportunity as well, as it offered us a way to complete our schooling. There were no real requirements for coming back, but the majority of us offered to help with all of the repairs that we could. It got out of hand for us before Professor McGonagall hoped it would, but we were still able to help quite a bit."

Potter and Weasley helped as well, and they finished their seventh year alongside you. Did you have to pressure them to go back?
"Not really, no. Hogwarts has always been like Harry's true home, and he wanted nothing more than to be able to go back. Obviously it wasn't the same for him, with Dumbledore and Lupin, and so many of our friends gone. It wasn't the same for any of us. But the simple truth was that he wanted nothing more than to graduate. Even if fhe hadn't wanted to, he knew he had to if he wanted to become an auror the honest way. Now Ron… That may be a different story. I didn't really talk to him much about going back, it was just sort of assumed that he would. He was different coming back, after losing his brother, but just like with Harry, Hogwarts was home for him. When we were younger, it was the place he could go to and be himself more without his family looking over his shoulder all the time. His brothers were there, yes, but it was easier to be himself than at home. At Hogwarts he could have things to himself, could have secrets, and it was where he got to spend all his time with the most famous wizard in our generation. All three of us just seemed to silently agree that we would finish school."

You originally intended to go into the Ministry upon your graduation, but that changed. What was the reason for the switch in plans?

"A man, actually. Coming up through school, he was always one of the students' most hated professors because he was surly and bitter, and he only seemed to like the Slytherins. He was a right arsehole to me in public, but I took advantage of his offer to make appointments to visit him in his office and sometimes I would go to class a little early to ask him questions. Away from the other students, he was slightly softer...more willing to look past my House and to see that I was genuinely interested in what we were learning. So it hurt to be treated harshly during class, but it was rewarding when I would get advancement so far as my potions skills were concerned and could pick up on a concept that I wasn't understanding from our homework or in class itself. Professor Snape offered me a position as his assistant once he recovered enough from being attacked, and I figured I could learn more from him than I could moving on to work with the Ministry directly."

You say work with the Ministry directly… Does that mean that you still technically work for them?

"Yes, very indirectly. Severus conducts research for them, but that's about it in that category. We deal with a light amount of spellwork, but not a terrible amount, as they have other departments for that. Basically, we're consultants. Or, rather, he is - I'm just his helper. The rest of our work is what he himself wants done."

Harry played the biggest role in helping to save Snape, but some of the work is attributed to you. Do you think that had anything to do with him offering you a position?

"Not at all. He's a quiet sort, keeps his thoughts to himself with most everyone, but there's no way he asked me out of guilt. If it were a simple desk job, then I would answer yes, absolutely. Severus is very particular about the way his lab is operated, and about who he allows to manipulate potions and ingredients. If his students thought he was bad, they should see him outside the classroom. It's because of that that I know he wanted me because of my cleverness."

Narcissa Malfoy is being called the Witch Who Lied and no one is downplaying her courage. They seem to overlook yours though.

"When we were in our second year at Hogwarts, I told Harry that he was a great wizard… and you know what he told me? He looked so embarrassed and he said, "I'm not as good as you." My response to him was, "Me! Books! And cleverness! There are more important things - friendship and bravery." People look at me and they want to say I'm so spectacular for helping my friend out. In all actuality, my so called bravery being overlooked is a blessing. All that I knew to tell him, or that I knew to do, I learned from books or from putting bits of information together to formulate an answer or solution. That's hardly brave. The Sorting Hat put me in Gryffindor for a reason, but I think I have a little less bravery than other people seem to think I do."

Sirius Black once said that you were the brightest witch of your age - but that has since been revised to the brightest witch in the world. How does that make you feel?

"Slightly terrified to tell you the truth! It's flattering, of course, but it creates a level of certain expectation that, at some point, I am bound to fail to maintain. I don't want people to think less of me because I've disappointed them, so part of me wishes they would have set the bar a little lower."

Speaking of setting the bar, rumor has it that you're working on writing a book of your own?

"I am, yes. Two of them, actually; one is fiction and the other is the story of Harry, Ron, and I. Ron's parts are a little different than ours starting out, since he was raised in a magical home, but Harry and I share our first experiences with magic and how we had no idea what was going on. The story about the snake at the zoo, with Harry's cousin, is one of my favorites! I wish Harry had had a camera with him to capture it all - even if it were one of the muggle ones!"

There have been several pictures floating around of you with London's most eligible bachelor, and it looks like you have chemistry. The latest one we've seen was a hot and steamy kiss. Is there something going on there, or do the two of you just enjoy playing with the hearts of your fans? (take note of the blushing here)

"That depends what you mean by something!"

Oh, we think you know what we mean…

"Too true. If you'd asked me even two years ago, "Would you ever date Draco Malfoy? Or much less kiss him?" I would have said no. He was arrogant, he was cruel, and he treated Harry, Ron, and I like we were pests on the floor that he wished he didn't have to deal with. Part of me was attracted to him, but I wouldn't have let anything happen - school was much more important, for one. But after the war, he changed…we all did. Draco and I have been talking the last couple months, growing close. He's been making steps to build a friendship with Harry, too. And last week, in the middle of Diagon Alley, he stopped walking and looked at me like it was the first time he had ever seen me. He waited until we were outside Flourish & Blotts, and then the next thing I knew I was against the wall with my arms around him, and he was kissing me, and I was wondering why I hadn't done this before."

It's safe to say, then, that he's no longer on the market?

"A picture's worth a thousand words."

And there you have it! Not only has Granger done more in the last three years than some of us will do in our lives, she's perfectly nice about it. What's next for the witch? She says that only time will tell. Personally, I hope to see a ring on her finger and her books on my desk!