The woman of the Wizarding World are unappreciated badasses

I was watching the last installment of the Harry Potter films, Deathly Hallows Part 2, the other day and it really got me thinking – the women in the Harry Potter series really are the unsung heroes. That does not mean that I think Harry Potter or Ron Weasley did none of the work to defeat Lord Voldemort, but it was the women who really stepped up and helped save the Wizarding World.

The author of the books, if you were blissfully unaware, is the most badass woman to walk the face of the planet: J.K. Rowling. She started off writing the Harry Potter series when she was a single mom, living out of her minivan and has turned her life around to create a series that has touched millions of lives around the world. When talking about the last film, Rowling stated: “I don’t like the marginalization of women when the fight breaks out. We get to fight too.”

Let’s now take a look at just how badass each of the women in Harry Potter really are.

Molly Weasley

Molly is the glue that holds the Weasley household together. Not only does she have a loving relationship with her husband, Arthur, she is also the head of the house, watching over six sons and one daughter. From the very beginning, Molly was there for Harry with whatever he needed. Her first interaction with Harry was giving him advice on how to get to Platform 9 and 3/4. A boy lost on his own, Molly was sure to take care of him, despite watching over her own manic kids at the same time.

Molly faces every parent’s nightmare when her sons and daughter decide to fight in the end for what they truly believe in. Her beloved son, Fred, dies during the battle. Knowing her family will never be whole again does not stop her from fighting until the end, killing off one of the most hated and dangerous characters, Bellatrix Lestrange. You get ’em, Molly!

Luna Lovegood

Luna, throughout the entire series, has always been the kind one, giving off innocent observations in her unique style. Luna is best known for being kind to all creatures, never being prejudice to anyone or anything. Though she is soft spoken, she is normally correct in everything she says. In the last installment, Luna has to stick up to her friend, Harry Potter, when he is refusing to listen to her. She knows where to find a Horcrux and for the first time, raises her voice to be heard. Without Luna’s wit and kindness towards the ghost in her Ravenclaw house, Harry would have never been able to find one of the last Horcruxes and therefore defeat Voldemort.

Narcissa Malfoy

One of the most memorable scenes in the last film is when Voldemort finally carries out his greatest desire: to kill Harry Potter, who chose to sacrifice himself so his friends and their families could stop fighting for their lives. Narcissa Malfoy, married to Lucius Malfoy and mother of Draco Malfoy, never seemed to be on the right side of the fighting line. She, being dragged into the Death Eater lifestyle through family, sat quietly on the side, too afraid to stand up for what was right. The only thing that mattered to her was her family. After Voldemort sent the killing curse to Harry, killing the Horcrux embedded in Harry, it was Narcissa’s job to check whether or not Harry survived the final blow. Feeling his chest and seeing he was indeed still alive, Narcissa acted out of bravery by quietly whispering to Harry confirmation that her son was still alive. When Harry nodded yes, Narcissa found no need for the Dark Lord to truly murder Harry and lied to the entire Death Eater population, pronouncing Harry “dead,” to save his life.

Professor McGonagall

From the very beginning, Professor McGonagall seemed to be the voice of reason when it came to Harry and his friends. She was always there to pick up the pieces of their mayhem and was also always there to offer kind and inspiring words that would help them grow up not only as wizards and witches but decent humans as well. In the final fighting sequence, when it appeared Snape had turned on Hogwarts, it left McGonagall to take over the school and protect the children she loved so very strongly. She was at the front of the war, doing everything in her ability to protect the students from having to fight themselves. She was the mother figure all the students needed when they were away from home.

Lily Potter

The only reason Harry Potter lived past his infancy is because his mother selflessly sacrificed herself in order to protect his life. Though Harry barely remembers his time with his mother, throughout his years in Hogwarts he learned what a kind and talented witch she was. Lily was known for her compassion and for always being good to others. When Harry is about to face death, he turns to his mother through the use of the resurrection stone to assure him that he is going to be safe and that she won’t leave his side. With the simple utterance of “Always”, Harry knows he has the strength inside himself to do what needs to be done. A mother’s love is what gave Harry the power to sacrifice himself for the entire Wizarding World.

Hermione Granger

Though Harry seems to get most of the glory when it comes to the battles and fights that happen throughout the series, he really would have gotten nowhere without the help from one of his best friends (can’t discount Ron who seemed closer to Harry than Hermione, to be honest), Hermione. Having the extreme wit, along with her thirst for knowledge and need to help others, Hermione was able to help Harry through anything he needed. She was there for him when he needed a friend, she was the one to give him a little push when he was too scared to do something on his own, she is brave, she is clever, and she is loving. Without Hermione, Harry would have barely been able to make it past Fluffy in the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Thank you for giving us these strong women to look up to and aspire to be like, J.K. You are definitely an inspiration to us all.